Idol Headlines for 02/18/09

WGA to protest ‘American Idol’

79673826 The Writers Guild of America is getting out picket signs again.

The guild will protest Wednesday’s live telecast of “American Idol,” calling on producer FremantleMedia North America to “treat its ‘reality’ TV writers and other workers with respect by improving working conditions and providing health care and pension benefits.”

“Many Fremantle workers do not receive benefits that are standard in the entertainment industry including minimum compensation, health insurance, and retirement benefits,” says the release. “Fremantle has also chosen to use non-union drivers who work excessive overtime without proper rest periods or drug and alcohol testing.”

The Feed

‘Idol’s’ Still a Tough Act to Follow

When Fox found out, in early February, that the White House had scheduled President Obama’s first speech to the joint houses of Congress for Tuesday, which meant next week’s two-hour performance “Idol” would be bumped from Tuesday to Wednesday, causing “Lie” to be preempted — “Lie’s” second preemption in three weeks — Fox sent out a memo that it would instead keep Wednesday’s “Idol” in the 8 p.m. berth until March 11 — as originally announced in December.

Sadly, all that news got past a trade reporter, who discovered Monday that “Lie” and “Idol” were swapping time slots, which would mean that the traditional Wednesday “Idol” results show would air in the traditional Wednesday “Idol” results show’s traditional 9 p.m. time slot — the same time slot in which ABC airs its struggling “Lost.”

Washington Post

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re Live-Blogging The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Semifinals!

Jim CantielloResident à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  expert Jim Cantiello brings you a minute-by-minute recap of every episode right here! Keep checking for updates throughout the show, and donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t miss out on his previous live blogs and other à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  news.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  semi-finals are here! And as an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  fanatic and live-blogger, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be happier. This is the time we learn what the contestants are all about, separate from the producers grubby hands manipulating their audition backstories. I live for the semi-finals, because for every great Jason Castro break-out, there are 4 Nicole Tranquillo hot messes.

MTV

“American Idol” Puts The Fate Of 12 Semifinalists In Your Hands (Sort Of)

Last night’s American Idol finally brought us to the semifinal round, with 12 hopefulsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ including this season’s Officially Chosen One, the sad-backstory-filled-yet-optimistic Danny Gokeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ making their way to the Idol stage. The theme was “Hot 100 songs through the years,” although most of the contestants trotted out old Idol reliables (Mariah, Whitney, Aretha) with decidedly mixed results. Rankings and reactions after the jump!

Idolator

Rushfield Review: 12 await the reaper

Alexisgrace0215250 The reaper came early to “American Idol” this year. No, he was not technically with us tonight, but his table is already set for his Wednesday night reservation, when he will feast on the dreams of a few singers who dared to reach for greatness, raising his glass while his lackey, Angel of Death Seacrest wields the remorseless scythe.

All that comes Wednesday, but his icy shadow was upon us tonight, as with every missed note, with every forgettable song choice, eyes in the Idol dome could not but turn to that waiting table; candelabras already lighted, the wine already poured.

LA Times

‘American Idol’ Recap: Voters, Start Your Engines!
As the semifinals get underway, Slezak judges the first 12 performances and finds them mostly lacking

You know when you’re really excited about having a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and you scarf down that first spoonful only to realize the milk has gone bad à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and then you silently curse yourself for not checking the date on the carton prior to pouring? That would kind of describe my experience watching the first semifinal performance episode of American Idol’s eighth season.

Entertainement Weekly

‘American Idol’ Power List: Check out our current Top 20, then vote for your favorite!

Yes, it’s here folks! The debut of our weekly American Idol Power List — which will post every Monday from now through the end of May. What you’ll see for our inaugural countdown are a few surprises in the top 10 (especially the under-the-radar vocalists who sit at Nos. 5 and 6), and two controversial omissions. Indeed, I ignored Norman Gentle and Tatiana Del Torro in favor of folks who I felt had a more legitimate chance of cracking the top 12. Which means that if you’re a fan of season 8′s two most gimmicky semifinalists, you’ll have to vote “other” in our weekly poll, then abuse me mercilessly on our message boards over the next three weeks when/if the merry pranksters at Vote for the Worst can convince enough folks to push one or both of ‘em through to the finals. Until then, read ‘em and vote!

Popwatch

The singer who recently lost his wife had the judges on their feet

Changes abound on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Because there are 36 semifinalists instead of 24 this season, only the top three vote-getters of each of three semifinal rounds advance. The other nine either go home or wait for the wild-card round that decides the last three spots.

That meant that standing out was even more important for the lucky 12 who got to sing the first heat on Tuesday, and not many were able to clear the bar.

MSNBC

Phil Stacey Blog: Out of the gate

Dannygokey0216250 Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like to briefly discuss what makes performing on “American Idol” so difficult. Until last season, contestants did not use monitors. It was near impossible to hear yourself sing. If you do not understand, get in your car and turn the radio as loud as you possibly can and try to sing along. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s hard. Every special guest that comes to sing brings in a monitoring system so they can perform to the best of their abilities. The contestants do not get that edge.

Add onto that the knowledge that Simon will eventually cut you down in front of millions of people. It doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter if you are Kelly, Carrie, or even David Cook, no one has ever gone without being insulted by Simon.. No one.

LA Times

Top 36: Episode 1

Oh, goodness, this season of Idol isn’t going to end until August, is it? Whee? So what’s going on now is that there are three groups of twelve who are performing over the next three weeks and the top boy, girl and one extra from each group will make it to the ‘actual’ top twelve singers. Based on tonight’s episode, this system is a waste of everyone’s time as about two thirds of the contestants looked kind of stupid, which would normally make for good TV if it was compressed into an hour, not two. Oh well, let’s get to it.

AV Club

Idol Finalist Mom Put Child Killer Behind Bars

The mother of flamboyant American Idol contestant Nate Marshall once helped put a child killer behind bars.

Nate’s mom, 51-year old Pamela Marshall, is a drug user with a long prison record. Despite her problems, she did an amazing thing.

IdolMomMug0209.jpgPamela Marshall has a long criminal past, but that hasn’t stopped her from doing good.
Franklin County, NY District Attorney Derek Champagne tells The National Enquirer: “I’ve put her in jail numerous times but when she’s out on the street I’ve seen her and she’s waving, saying, ‘Hi, Mr. Champagne, I’m trying to get my act together.’

Radaronline

American Idol’s Carlson just a good Midwestern gal

It’s amazing how a couple minutes on TV can turn into an all-out fan frenzy online. University of Minnesota student and Minnesota native Casey Carlson has only had a couple minutes in the spotlight in this season of American Idol, but fan sites have exploded and the buzz just won’t quiet down. It doesn’t hurt that Carlson has some pretty sexy bikini photos that turned into big news on TMZ. This is the real bikini girl, folks.

So the Pioneer Press delves into Carlson’s past in Minnesota. And gosh darn it, she’s a good hearty Midwestern lady who is going to make it big.

City Pages

Watch ‘American Idol’ Castoff Joanna Pacitti Tour Record Labels

Last week, “American Idol” hopeful Joanna Pacitti was disqualified from the show without explanation. Speculation centered around the fact that Pacitti had been working in the industry for a while, and now it’s been discovered that in 2002, Pacitti was one of the young people profiled in “True Life Presents: First Year.” The special showed Pacitti as she tried to make her way in the music industry, including meeting with and performing for A&M Records executives.

MTV

Ryan Seacrest On Live Round Of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹The Bleep Button May Need To Be Activatedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢

With their numbers narrowed down to the Top 36, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is going live for the first time in Season 8 starting tonight, and according to host Ryan Seacrest, producers may want to keep their hand on the censor key.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s great about these contestants, and you will start seeing it Tuesday and Wednesday night, these contestants will tell you how they feel,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Ryan told Access Hollywood of the frank batch of contenders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I have a feeling we may need the bleep button. The bleep button may need to be activated this year. Some of these contestants are pretty candid, which is great. They show heart and passion and we need them.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

And among the 36 hopefuls, a handful are already standing out, even before tonightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s live round begins.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Anoop [Desai],à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Season 7 finalist Carly Smithson told Access of her pick for the Season 8 finals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I love him. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so cool. I like Anoop.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Access Hollywood

David Archuleta Bear: Beyond Beary-Adorable!

I mean, all Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m saying is, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see a Build-A-Bear coming out with a David Cook bear. Just kidding, DC! Love you, mean it!

Anyway, if youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got a buck, go here and download David Archuletaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new song, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s About Love.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Proceeds benefit Save The Children and support Build-A-Bearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s LOVE. HUGS. PEACE. campaign. Or, you can go straight for the killer cuteness and buy this little bear cub in an Archuleta t-shirt for $24.50, to go with your adult-sized David Archuleta tee. And adult-sized flower bouquet. Gosh!!!

Buzzworthy

David Cook to pick winner of our video contest

Singer David Cook, winner of season seven of “American Idol,” is coming to Mount Saint Mary College for a March 1 concert. We have four tickets we’re giving away in our One-Minute Video Cook-Off contest.

And now David will determine who gets to see him perform.

That’s right, David Cook will pick the winner of our One-Minute Video Cook-Off. So make sure your video is good. We’re looking for the most creative plea to see Cook live in concert, and no doubt, David will want to see his fans excited for the chance to see him.

Record Online

Syesha Mercado gets ready for benefit concert Thursday

SARASOTA – Former American Idol contestant Syesha Mercado is back home on the Suncoast. She was brushing up on her voice practicing at the Trinity Church in Sarasota Tuesday night.

Syesha will be performing in the “Follow Your Dreams” benefit concert Thursday night at the Manatee Convention Center. The Manatee Education Foundation is hosting the event, and all the proceeds will help pay for gang-prevention and character-development programs in Manatee County Schools.

“The best thing I hope to gain is that someone just leaves feeling touched and wanting to help out in the community in whatever way they can…whether it’s donating their time or donating a gift. Or just using what they’ve been given as a talent to help others,” says Mercado.

My Suncoast

Kelly Clarkson: ‘Of Course Celebrities Have Cellulite’

Think Kelly Clarkson looks too good to be true on the cover of her upcoming CD? You’re right, says the singer.

“No girl is perfect,” Clarkson à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ who joked on her blog last month that “they Photoshopped the crap out of me!” on her sexy All I Ever Wanted cover image à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ told a group of Girl Scouts recently. “No girl wakes up every day and is like, ‘I’m awesome!’”

In fact, she told the group of about 20 pre-teens gathered in Nashville Feb. 11 for a self-esteem workshop sponsored by Dove, “just to let you know everyone in the magazines is Photoshopped! Beyoncà © is one of the most beautiful girls in the world but she gets Photoshopped too. We’re all human!”

People

Carrie Underwood Cheers Her Hockey Beau

Though she’s kept mum since first being romantically linked with Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher last month, Carrie Underwood publicly cheered for her guy when his team took on her hometown Predators in Nashville Monday night.

Sitting in a private box in Nashville’s Sommet Center, Underwood gripped the edge of her seat as he drove the puck to the goal and grimaced and cringed as Fisher was body slammed. At one point, Fisher appeared to look up in her direction and she flashed a smile.

People

David Annable and Katharine McPhee to make the worst romantic comedy ever (but at least they’ll film it in Hawaii)

Brothers & Sisters’ David Annable and Katharine McPhee (American Idol, The House Bunny, an album you’ve forgotten about) have been cast in a romantic comedy called Wedlocked. Allow me to quote The Hollywood Reporter’s plot description: “Annable will play a pet photographer who gets mixed up with a mobster and his daughter, who is angling for American citizenship. Things go terribly awry on their forced honeymoon.”

Popwatch

Interview with Idol’s Jordin Sparks

- If you can’t get enough of American Idol, perhaps you should consider a trip to Disney World, where you can now experience the energy and excitement of FOX’s groundbreaking show yourself.

Last week, Disney’s Hollywood studios theme park unveiled a new attraction: The American Idol Experience.

The largest ever gathering of Idol winners and finalists were on hand to celebrate, including one of our favorites, Season Six winner Jordin Sparks.

My Fox Boston

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Doolittle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Comes Backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ to spotlight

NEW YORK – When accomplished backup singer Melinda Doolittle auditioned for the sixth season of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  she told the judges she was there to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“get over the fear of standing in front of people.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

On à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idol,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Doolittle did more than learn to take the lead. She became a fan favorite and ended up in third place. Many said she shouldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve won, including Simon Cowell.

Two years later, Doolittle is no longer anyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s backup. Her first album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Coming Back to Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is in stores now.

MSNBC

Kellie Pickler can’t get enough of the Tents

Just like Misshapes’ Leigh Lezark attended show after show after show last season, “American Idol” runner-up Kellie Pickler is storming the front row this go around.

So, why, oh why, did she attend Badgley Mischka, Tracy Reese, Farah Angsana, Lela Rose, Barbie, Georges Chakra AND BCBG? (Excuse us if we’re forgetting anything). Well, she’s promoting a laundry list of projects.

“I just released my new single to Country Radio, “Best Days of Your Life.” Taylor Swift and I wrote it together. We’re getting ready to go on tour together. We kick that off in April. I just signed with Big Sexy Hair as their new face. The new ads come out in April,” she told us at (where else?) the Tents.

AM New York

Fug Girls: At Badgley, Shenae Grimes Learns a Hard Lesson About Arriving Late

Stroup arrived first, shortly after Kellie Pickler. “Oh, look, Pickler’s out again. Woo,” deadpanned a photographer. But she looked a thousand percent better than when we spied her at BCBG, having scrapped the electrocution-themed coif in favor of tamer straight locks and looking tiny but great in a gold sparkly dress. She and Stroup sat down together and both promptly did a quick boob check to make sure nothing had bounced astray à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  clearly Stroup is getting the hang of this fame thing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  before posing together for pictures.

New York Magazine

American Stars in Concert comes to Wings Stadium in March

Kalamazoo, MI- Wings Stadium, which is also home to The Annex and The Cube, announces American Stars in Concert, featuring former American Idol Stars Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Chikezie Eze, and Gina Glocksen come together for The Spring Break Tour! on Thursday, March 26th at 7:30 p.m.

Now on stage, four of your favorite American Idols together in concert! A surprising combination of four top ten finalists will take to the stage for the most exciting night of solo, duet and ensemble performances ever in one place. This brand new production, with musical direction by American Idol’s own Michael Orland.

Our Sports Central

Broadway Bears Raises Over $150,000 for BC/EFA; Spamalot Bear Is King

For the second consecutive year, the Spamalot bear à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  signed by former “American Idol” finalist and Spamalot star Clay Aiken à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  raised the most money at the annual Broadway Bears fundraiser, which was held Feb. 15 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on West 42nd Street.

The Spamalot bear brought in $16,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Bears XII à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  hosted by Bryan Batt à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  earned a total of $152,116 for the charitable organization.

Playbill

Ruben Studdard: I Don’t Watch Idol

RadarOnline.com caught up with the Velvet Teddy Bear at the airport in Salt Lake City and talked to him about his new album, Clay Aiken, and if he ever watches American Idol.

Radaronline