EXCLUSIVE: “VH1s Unplugged” Debuts on March 10 with Adam Lambert!
But good news: On March 10… Adam Lambert’s Unplugged will be upon us, the first of eight episodes which will also feature Phoenix (for MTV), The Script (for VH1) and Reba McEntire (for CMT).
Scott MacIntyre returns to the ‘Idol’ stage next week
Thursday night’s “American Idol” elimination episode features Danny Gokey performing his new single, ” and Idol Tracker has learned that an episode next week will feature another season 8 alum.
Scott MacIntyre will return to the “Idol” stage on March 11 to sing the song “Heartstrings, ” off his album of the same name, which is being released that day.
The vision-impaired piano man was a fan favorite last year, having risen up the “Idol” ranks to make the top 12. He was eliminated just about a year ago, after singing “The Search is Over.”
Paula Abdul opens ‘Drop Dead Diva’ for Lifetime, second season airs June 6
A great series on Lifetime is back for its sophomore season.
The second season of Lifetime Television’s hit series, “Drop Dead Diva, ” will premiere Sunday, June 6, 2010, at 9pm ET/PT.
The season two opener will feature reality TV judge and singer/dancer Paula Abdul reprising her role as “Judge Paula Abdul, ” a figment of Jane’s subconscious.
Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1538561.php/Paula-Abdul-opens-Drop-Dead-Diva-for-Lifetime-second-season-airs-June-6#ixzz0hF2g4WGu
Kellie Pickler Added to CMA Fest
Tim McGraw is coming back to the CMA Music Fest.
McGraw returns after a nine-year absence and joins Alan Jackson, Billy Currington and Kellie Pickler as new additions to this summer’s lineup for the annual festival in Nashville. (Carrie Underwood will also be headlining)
Don’t forget that Katharine McPhee appears on tonight’s Community on NBC, 8/7 pm.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Simon Cowell admits he’s ‘absolutely appalled’ at the way he has treated some contestants
“There’s many, many times where I’ve watched the show back and I’m absolutely appalled, ” Cowell, 50, says during an upcoming interview on “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.” “You do the show, you’re not aware of what’s happening in the room outside. You know, somebody just said, ‘My dog Lassie died yesterday, ‘ I’m in a bad mood and, you know, awful, and you see it in that context, it’s very, very difficult to watch.”
Ellen DeGeneres needs to bring her A-game to ‘American Idol’
In other words, for all her chirpy “I’m just a gal who’s happy to be here” persona, DeGeneres is a force to be reckoned with, a woman with as much ambition and chutzpah as Harvey Weinstein or, for that matter, Simon Cowell.
So what’s with the shrinking violet act on “American Idol”?
Hinder singer on Lee DeWyze: ‘A front-runner with a great voice’
Last night, “American Idol” Top 24 contender Lee DeWyze proved his vocal might when he took on Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel.” Though the judges pointed out some minor pitch problems and a terrified look on his face, for the most part, their reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Kara DioGuardi told the 23-year-old Mount Prospect, Ill., native that his voice was a good fit for “radio right now, ” Ellen DeGeneres called his performance “great, ” while Simon Cowell declared that Lee was “head and shoulders above everyone else” and “may be the one to beat.”
Adam Lambert: Sydney Stud
Enjoying some time down under, Adam Lambert was spotted hamming it up at the media call for Sydney, Australia’s Mardi Gras Party today (March 4).
The “American Idol” alum looked handsome in a black zip-up vest over a shiny black shirt with black jeans and black boots.
American Idol’s Adam Lambert explains how he wants to be a positive role model
IT STARTED with a kiss.
Unfortunately for homophobic America, it was a kiss between gay singer Adam Lambert and a male bandmate on live TV as part of the American Music Awards last November.
The kiss lasted seconds but the fallout lingered.
Overnight, Good Morning America axed a planned Lambert performance citing the AMA “controversy” that received 1500 complaints.
‘American Idol’: Katharine McPhee’s advice to the top 20: ‘Pick a direction’
Katharine McPhee hasn’t caught a lot of “American Idol” this season, but she can still feel the show’s impact.
Granted, the season 5 runner-up has had a few things on her plate. In addition to touring in support of her album “Unbroken, ” she has a guest-starring role on NBC’s “Community” next week and was just cast in an NBC comedy pilot called “The Pink House.”
Syesha Mercado and the original Dreamgirls celebrate opening night at the Ahmanson
“Tonight was really scary, ” “American Idol” alum Syesha Mercado said after “Dreamgirls” opened Tuesday night at the Ahmanson Theatre. Season 7’s second runner-up had just arrived at the after-party at downtown L.A.’s J Restaurant and Lounge shortly before the divalicious hour of 1 a.m.
“I’m having a little trouble breathing, ” she said. “I was backstage hyperventilating, so during the second act, they had to bring an oxygen tank backstage. It was amazing just to get through tonight. With everybody who was out there, it was very nerve-wracking.”
“Everybody” also included Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance, “High School Musical 3’s” Monique Coleman, Nia Long, “Paranormal Activity’s” Ashley Palmer, “Lincoln Heights’” Eric Hubbard and America’s newest “it” girl, Betty White. Of course, Mercado had her “Idol” peeps in the audience too – David Hernandez and Jordin Sparks, who tweeted, “Syesha killed it as Deena Jones. Amazing job, girl!”
Theater review: ‘Dreamgirls’ at the Ahmanson Theatre
Powerhouse singing is hardly in short supply in the bluntly entertaining touring production of “Dreamgirls, ” Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger’s groundbreaking 1981 musical loosely based on the career of the “Supremes, ” which opened Tuesday at the Ahmanson Theatre.
Residents of downtown Los Angeles may have heard the sonic boom that nearly short-circuited a swath of the city when Moya Angela delivered the first act finale, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” — Effie White’s anthem of heartbreak denial that turned two Jennifers, Holliday and Hudson, into instant national treasures.
Just Jason
The first thing you notice about Jason Castro is that he’s totally real. But when he opens his mouth to sing, it’s like watching a different person. “I really think music is an extension of one’s self, ” he says. ”One can’t go without the other, so my personality and character are a huge part of the music and that’s what people have told me they love about it – just the realness and that they can feel my heart and the emotion in the songs when I perform them.”
inPhotos: Lil Mo, Williams Record ‘Song’ For Haiti
Lil’ Mo, Michelle Williams and Tye Tribbett were all on hand for the recording of “Prayer Song, ” a record benefiting “Hope For Haiti” Tuesday.
Also featuring Krishnar Lewis, Anwar Robinson, Nikki Ross and more, the recording went down at MSR Studios in Time Square (NY). At this point there is no word as to when the single will be released.
Both Michelle Williams and Lil’ Mo tweeted from the event, writing:
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Casting Secrets Revealed
Can you imagine Bill Clinton on “Dancing with the Stars”? How about Jennifer Aniston? Both celebrities would be dream “gets” for Deena Katz, the senior producer on ABC’s hit show.
“I would kill to have Bill Clinton, ” Deena tells ET. “I’d love Jennifer Aniston….There’s always the fun Sarah Palins of the world…”
But assembling the celebrity cast for the dance competition is not as easy as it looks. You can’t just say yes to everyone who wants to participate.
“It’s like a jigsaw puzzle — they have to fit in with whatever the cast is, ” says Deena.
More Headlines:
Worst ‘American Idol’ Semifinalists Ever: #3 — Bobby Bennett
We barely got to know him, since he was voted out during the first week of the season 5 semifinals. But as we quickly learned, once was plenty, perhaps even too much.
In what may be the worst ‘American Idol’ song choice on record, Bennett made his live debut with, oh yes, Barry Manilow’s ‘Copacabana.’
With awkward dance moves and, at one point, an unfortunate wink to the camera, Bennett came off looking more Vegas-bound than, well, Manilow himself. ‘Idol’ appeared to have officially discovered the makings of a true star — of wedding receptions, that is.
David Otunga Would Marry Fiancee Jennifer Hudson In The Wrestling Ring
A rumor that wrestling star David Otunga wanted to marry his superstar fiancée Jennifer Hudson in the WWE ring recently spread on the Internet. And although it seems a slim possibility that that will happen, Otunga is not exactly dead-set against the idea of saying “I do” in front of thousands of wrestling fans.
“It was an interview and somebody asked me [if I would marry Jennifer in the ring], ” he explained to MTV News about the origin of the wedding rumor. “I don’t think she’d go for it, but that’d be cool.”
Kara DioGuardi’s Missing Wedding Ring
MYFOXNY.COM – You may have noticed that American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi has not been sporting her wedding ring this week on the hit Fox show.
She married teacher-turned-general contractor Mike McCuddy last July.
Observant viewer, and Fox 5 anchor, Greg Kelly noticed that she has not been wearing a ring recently.
It turns out that it is not a signal of a rocky marriage. It turns out that she doesn’t wear it when she decides that it doesn’t match the outfit she is wearing.
DioGuardi tells Fox 5’s Anne Craig that her husband always wears his ring.
Bonus numbers! Kelly Clarkson, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, more
I got a few new numbers, mostly requests, from the latest Nielsen SoundScan information. No weekly sales, but some release-to-date figures I know some of you have been wanting for a while.
Enjoy!
Simon Cowell Admits He’s ‘Smitten’ with Bride-to-Be
But in an interview with fellow Britain’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, scheduled to air Saturday on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Simon Cowell in the U.K., the sharp-tongued Brit uncharacteristically opens his heart, confessing that he’s “smitten” with new fiancée, Mezghan Hussainy.
“You confuse lust with love, you know, when you’re in your teens and stuff like that, ” Cowell says. “It’s a difficult thing to describe other than you know it when you are.”
The ‘American Idol’ Judge Power Rankings: Narrowing down the Top 20, Ellen takes a nose dive
Little bit of a shakeup this week. Simon continues to reign, Kara downplays her love of Casey, Randy continues to confuse while still getting paid, and Ellen takes a turn for the worse thanks to Tim Urban. This week’s judge rankings:
‘Bachelor’ Jason Mesnick, Molly Malaney on the wedding, ‘American Idol’s’ Jason Castro
On performer Jason Castro of “American Idol”
Molly: I always knew when I walked down the aisle, I didn’t want to walk down to the typical wedding march song. I wanted to do something more modern. Jason and I both love the version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that Jason Castro sang on “American Idol.” The person who did it originally has passed away … so it was a very easy choice to see if [Jason Castro] would do this favor for us. He was absolutely phenomenal, blew us away.
Jason: He was a really good guy.
The Girls Who Dreamed of Being, Well, ‘Dreamgirls’
The legendary 1981 musical, which originally starred Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine, is currently playing at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles through April 4.
Mercado was standing outside of Radio City Music Hall when she got the call that she had scored the role of Deena. She had been waiting all night to hear the news. She couldn’t sleep.
When she finally got the call, she jumped up and down with excitement. After all, this was her first big show. The woman who had wanted to be a performer ever since she was a child could hardly contain herself.
“It was like a dream come true, ” said Mercado, who admitted she had never seen any of the touring productions of the show before landing the role. “This was all very new to me.”
