American Idol Headlines for 02/10/12

According to the Associated Press, Carrie Underwood and Tony Bennett will present the Best New Artist award at the Grammys on Sunday.

About Last Night: Whitney Houston and ‘X Factor’s’ Stacy Francis Clash at Pre-Grammy Party – According to a source, after Francis performed an Etta James tribute and Houston joined Price on stage, the two were reintroduced in the VIP section. “It didn’t seem like Whitney remembered her, but she was cordial at first.” The scene changed minutes later when R&B star Ray J, who Francis had met over the years, stepped into the conversation. “Whitney just got belligerent,” an eyewitness tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Ray was trying to defend Stacy, telling Whitney, ‘Stacy’s family!’, but Whitney was feeling crowded out and hands were raised.” Fortunately, the situation was diffused without any punches thrown, but says the source, “You didn’t know which way it could go there for a minute.” When contacted by THR, Francis didn’t deny that the incident happened, but would only say, “I have the utmost respect for Whitney Houston and her talent.” – Read more at THR

MusicRowPics: Casey James Artist Visit – Sony Music Nashville artist, Casey James, stopped by MusicRow’s headquarters to perform songs from his self-titled 19 Recordings/BNA Records debut available March 20. Among the songs performed were his single “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night,” currently at No. 42 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart.
Casey had a hand in writing nine of the album’s 11 tracks and contributed lead guitar throughout. He also co-produced the album with Chris Lindsey, who co-wrote the album’s final track “Miss Your Fire” with Casey and Aimee Mayo. – See the Photos at Music Row

Durbin aims to please – I don’t really see a whole lot of difference. I’ve been playing in bars since I was 15. If there’s a stage, there’s a stage. If there’s a will, there’s a way. If there’s a stage, there’s somewhere to preform and to do what you love. I’ve always performed just as much on a 2×4 supported by two cinder-blocks then I have on a 100-foot stage in front of 15,000 people. As long as someone’s watching, I’ll play like its Wembley. – Read more at Libertyville Review

‘The Voice’ Chris Mann: ‘Glee fans are unlike anything else’ – The Voice contestant Chris Mann has said that he would welcome support from any Glee fans who watched him on the show. The opera singer appeared as one of The Warblers alongside Darren Criss before leaving the Fox comedy to pursue his musical dreams with a solo tour. Mann told reporters on a conference call: “I’m tickled at best to be associated with Glee. I was in the original Warblers group. I did ‘Teenage Dream’ with Darren Criss and then the first sectionals with Hey Soul Sister’s ‘Train’. Working on Glee is the most fun thing I’ve ever done up to The Voice.” – Read more at Digital Spy

Up close with Adam Lambert