Idol Headlines for 03/18/11

Today’s Idol Headlines:

  • Katharine McPhee performs with the Pacific Symphony in Laguna Beach CA. More info HERE.
  • Crystal Bowersox plays  the South By Southwest Conference in Austin TX
  • Ruben Studdard performs live at the Nashville Dinner Theatre 8 pm and 11 pm
  • Casey James opens for Sugarland at the US Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL
  • Jennifer Hudson on ABC’s 20/20 10 pm

Taylor Hicks tweets, “Tweeps, join me for my next live web chat on USTREAM next Wednesday, 3/23 at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT! Looking forward to it”

Matt Giraud serves as Grand Mashall at the NAMI walk at Crambier Park in Naples FL. He’ll also serve as a judge at a Karaoke contest being held there. More info HERE.

More Headlines after the JUMP…

How Seacrest kidnapped Carson Daly’s career

Every winter, right around New Year’s, Carson Daly meets for a quiet dinner with the man who hijacked his career — Ryan Seacrest.

“It’s our annual event that the public doesn’t know about, ” Daly says. “We are both in New York for a couple of days, and we always make a point of getting together and at least having a drink.”

“Ryan was the [new] me for a minute, ” he says now. “Now, he’s the uber-man of the moment.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/coulda_been_me_cMdmcIMJZJ2q7k6hD1nkfM#ixzz1GyTLB9y3

Read more at the NYPost

Casey James writing with Sugarland’s Kristian Bush

Kristian Bush, one half of country’s hottest duo, had a really big, really adrenalin-pumping show not so many hours ago. He’s got another show in not so many hours more

He says that after the interview and that cup of coffee, he’s going to sit down and finish off the song he’s writing with one of the “Incredible Machine Tour’s” opening acts, Casey James (off the bill by the time of Friday’s Coliseum show).

“He’s a guitar-slinger blues guy and so the process is a little different than with Jennifer and me, but I know about trying to find good melodies and I’ve been really trying to find out what’s going on in his life, ” says Bush.

Jennifer Hudson at the W Hotel

Jennifer Hudson nearly blew the roof off the W Hotel last night for a V-103 promotional Soul Sessions concert before a few hundred rapt fans.

Besides sampling songs from her upcoming album “I Remember Me” including her first single “Where You At, ” her 40-minute set included her hit “Spotlight” from her first album and the song that she will be fated to sing the rest of her life from “Dreamgirls”: “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” It’s a warm-up for folks who have purchased tickets for her appearance at Chastain Park Ampthitheatre July 2.

Curiously, one of her back-up singers was George Huff, the ebullient soul singer who actually finished ahead of Hudson season three on “American Idol.” I’m not sure if he should feel grateful for the work or find it sadly ironic.

Read more and see photos at the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Adam Lambert: Glams Up For The After Party

Adam Lambert attends the Bebe: The After Party event held at the SupperClub on Thursday (March 17) in Hollywood, Calif.

The 29-year-old Aftermath singer was also joined by rock singer BC Jean and designer Roxy Contin, who debuted her new Spring line.

See the photos at Just Jared

Idol’ stars

Former “American Idol” contestants Lakisha Jones, David Hernandez, Michael Sarver and Alexi Grace will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford (Oregon). The up-and-coming stars will present “Celebrate Motown!” a program of megahits by The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and other soul artists.

Read more at Mail Tribune

Karen Rodriguez exit interview with American Idol.com

‘American Idol’ exit Q&A video: Karen Rodriguez says she will ‘never regret anything’ — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Karen Rodriguez, the 21-year-old New Yorker who was eliminated from American Idol Thursday night and was the only finalist who auditioned on MySpace, says she doesn’t regret any of her decisions on the reality series. “I went up there, and I always sang from my heart, ” Rodriguez told EW in a backstage video interview an hour after the results show. And even though her Idol journey ended prematurely, the half-Peruvian, half-Dominican singer is thankful to have received this crash-course lesson on how to become a professional artist. “[Idol] gives you a taste of what the rest of your life could be, ” said Rodriguez. “It’s like a whole packet of little experiences that I’m going to take forever.” As for the person she’s going to miss the most, the answer was easy. “Jacob and I bonded so much from the very beginning in Hollywood week, ” she said. “He would always come to me asking me about his song choices, and I would always go to him when I needed advice. He was a joy to be around, and I’m so excited for him.”

See the video at EW

‘American Idol’: Why bother with the birth year concept?

“I felt at a huge disadvantage… Jimmy [Iovine] didn’t like [one song], and some wouldn’t clear, ” Abrams said backstage in a postmortem interview with reporters. “Others weren’t me. It was just a miracle that one cleared.”

Read more at LA Times

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Randy Jackson Gives Props To ‘X Factor’ — ‘It’s Going To Be A Hot Show!’EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Randy Jackson Gives Props To ‘X Factor’ — ‘It’s Going To Be A Hot Show!’

RadarOnline.com caught up with American Idol judge Randy Jackson Thursday, and in an exclusive video interview, he gave props to Simon Cowell’s upcoming X-Factor, saying: “I’m sure it’s going to be a hot show!”

“Simon will always do fine, ” Randy told RadarOnline.com of his ex-Idol colleague. “He’s a very smart and talented guy. I’m sure it’s going to be a hot show as well. He’s my dear friend, we love him. What’s up Simon?”

See the Video at RadarOnline

“Party Paul” Interview Live! With Casey James @ 25 Kitchen and Bar

Via The Casey James Blog

Michael Johns and Jason Alexander

“How cool is this?” tweets Michael. He also tweets a photo with SNL alum, Cheri Oteri. This Sunday, Michael will sing the National Anthem before the mens final at the Indian Wells tennis tournament.

Bice performs at SKYE Restaurant’s Platinum Room

“My next record will continue to reflect my love of my country, my family, my faith and the emotional journey I’m on, ” Bice said during a recent interview from a recording studio behind his home that he shares with his wife and three young children. “I moved my family to Nashville six years ago and that change is now reflected in my music.”

“I’ve always been a family man, ” Bice said while referencing his feelings for his mother, a gospel singer who infused him with a love of music at an early age. “My mom remarried and moved our family to England when I was just a kid. But before I finished school, I knew I wanted to be in a band. I returned to Alabama to continue that process.”

Read more at Peoria Times

The Story Behind ‘Soul Surfer’ — JJJ Exclusive!

AnnaSophia Robb and Carrie Underwood serve food to tsunami victims from our exclusive new video about the story behind Soul Surfer.

The 17-year-old actress shared in the vid about the advantage of having the real Bethany Hamilton on set during filming: “She is not scared to talk about her arm. No question is off limits with her. it’s just so wonderful that she is so receptive because as an actor, I want to portray her as real as possible.”

See the video at Just Jared Jr.

It’s Jennifer Lopez’s time again with ‘American Idol’

“It wasn’t some grand master plan we had — it just kind of worked out that way, ” she says. “I was working on a record, looking at some films. The American Idol thing was offered to me months and months before. I really wasn’t considering it. They came back again. Then I started thinking about it.”

A fan of the show, she made a gut decision to join Idol.

“All of a sudden, it just got busy. The record came out, the show was on and it’s been so much fun. I really feel blessed and lucky.”

Read more at USA Today

Lea Michele & Ashton Kutcher: Kiss Kiss!

Lea Michele heats things up as she kisses Ashton Kutcher on the streets of New York City while filming New Years Eve on Tuesday (March 15).

The 24-year-old Glee actress was excited to be filming in the middle of Times Square for the new romantic comedy.

See the photos at Just Jared

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl to Ryan Murphy: ‘Not Everyone Loves ‘Glee”

“It’s every band’s right, you shouldn’t have to do f—ing Glee, ” Grohl told THR following the premiere of Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, the new Foo Fighters documentary which just made its South By Southwest debut. “And then the guy who created Glee is so offended that we’re not, like, begging to be on his f—ing show… f— that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do Glee.”

Read more at THR

Jim Cantiello’s Idol in 60 Seconds

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Karina Smirnoff Dishes About Partner Ralph Macchio, Their Competition & More

But will Smirnoff and Macchio be able to Foxtrot, Samba, Waltz, Paso Doble, Jive and Tango their way past all of them to win that coveted Mirror Ball trophy?

We caught up with Smirnoff to talk all about this season — what she thinks her chances are with Macchio, some show controversies from seasons past and her stress levels on elimination nights. She also dished about her recent engagement and some of her previous high-profile relationships, with fellow ‘Dancing’ pro-dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy and former ‘Dancing’ partner Mario Lopez.

Read more at TV Squad

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!