Today’s Idol Appearances:
- Didi Benami sings the National Anthem at the4 Magic vs. Cavs game in Cleveland OH.
- Carrie Underwood performs at the Points of Light gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington DC. More info HERE.
- Jennifer Hudson appears on Good Morning America
- Jennifer Hudson appears on the Gayle King Show OWN
- Chord Overstreet appear on the Ellen Degeneres Show
- Dancing With The Stars premieres on ABC at 8 pm!
David Cook tweets, “Food poisoning + road trip home = “action-packed” Sunday. Rehearsals start tomorrow, stomach, so figure it out!”
Simon Cowell will answer your questions about X Factor US in a twitter chat this Tueusday 3/22 at 2pm PST-5pm ET. Message @thexfactorusa with your Q’s #AskSimon.
Paul McDonald tweets, “Ok…I’m now thinking about busting out the guitar this week on the show. Thoughts?”
Lee DeWyze tweets, “Hey, just did Good Day LA, wish something was posted about it.. I’ll have pics and a link for you though, thank you so much for everything”
More Headlines after the JUMP…
Lee DeWyze – Good Day Live
Lee Dewyze on GDLA: MyFoxLA.com
Via Good Day LA
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660319/kelly-clarkson-new-album-september.jhtml
Kelly Clarkson ‘Will Sing Her Butt Off’ On New Record, Songwriter Claude Kelly Says
“I’m not surprised ’cause the music industry is full of unexpected things, ” he said of the delay. “I will say that I’d be willing to bet that the reason it was pushed back was not for anything as horrible or earth-shattering as people think — it’s probably [just] a better setup.”
Describing the current pop scene as “congested, ” Claude Kelly thinks that a slightly delayed release will work in Clarkson’s favor. “They want to make sure that the arena is clean for Kelly Clarkson’s return, ’cause when she comes back, she always comes back pretty big, ” he said.
“The songs I did write for her were in true Kelly Clarkson form, singer records that showcase her voice, but also show her edge and her attitude and her personality, ” he explained. “[It’s] always up-tempo for me when it comes to Kelly. I like to hear her in kick-butt mode. She has an edge to her voice that you want to hear her sing high and get in your face.”
See the Video at MTV
Crystal Bowersox Rocks Idolator’s Pray For Pop Party At SXSW
At this point, no one needs to refer to Crystal Bowersox as American Idol Season 9 runner-up any longer. She’s become a recognizable artist unto her own, and the 25-year-old singer-songwriter proved it when she offered up an impressive acoustic set at our Pray For Pop showcase at the annual South By Southwest music festival in Austin, TX (while husband Brian Walker, a fellow musician, stood proudly front and center in the audience). Mama Sox belted out stripped-down renditions of songs from her debut LP Farmer’s Daugher, which you can watch in our exclusive videos after the jump!
See the videos at Idolator
Jennifer Hudson’s new life should be one to ‘Remember’
BEVERLY HILLS — When Jennifer Hudson sings about a new dawn, a new day, a new life on Feeling Good, she’s not just weighing in on her recently slenderized physique. She’s proclaiming her renewal of hope and purpose, innate traits threatened in recent years by family tragedy.
Everywhere: Singer/actress Jennifer Hudson has a new album, I Remember Me, in stores Tuesday. She’ll also portray Winnie Mandela in an upcoming film.
The Nina Simone signature tune, one of a dozen soulful, optimistic tracks on new album I Remember Me, is also the campaign theme in her TV ads for Weight Watchers, the program that helped her shed 80 pounds.
Read more at USA Today
Jennifer Hudson Says R. Kelly, Alicia Keys ‘Gave Me My Sound’ For I Remember Me
“R. Kelly was writing for me at the time, and I didn’t even know it, and they just sent me this song, ” she recalled to MTV News about the track “Where You At.” “You don’t want to get your hopes up too high of being able to work with someone like R. Kelly, and when they sent the song, they told me, ‘Kelly put up a shrine of pictures of you to channel you, and he created this song.’ ”
Whatever he was doing seemed to really work, as Hudson explained: “It was kind of creepy to me, because when I heard the song, I was like, ‘Oh my god! … He’s, like, giving me me! This is what I would do! This is something I would say.’ And I hadn’t even met him until after … and I’m like, ‘This is bizarre.’ ”
See the Video at MTV
Interview: Taylor Hicks – Keeping Musicianship Front and Center
Five years have passed since Taylor Hicks joined the elite group of American Idol winners. During those productive years Hicks released three albums, wrote an autobiography, starred on Broadway, and toured internationally. Considering Hicks’ pre-Idol background as a tireless working musician, there’s nothing surprising about his highly disciplined work ethic. Playing music is simply what Taylor Hicks does.
There are skeptics who bristle at the mere mention of anything American Idol-related. Some are proud music snobs who believe the insanely popular television competition churns out nothing but cookie-cutter pop automatons. The truth is far more interesting, though, as the past decade has seen the emergence of a varied group of talented performers. No one stands out more than Taylor Hicks, who continues to be at the center of endless debates among Idol fans.
Read more at Blogcritics
Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission to honor 8 women
The Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission will put the spotlight on the role of women in the entertainment industry at a banquet at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Wednesday.
In recognition of National Women’s History Month, the commission will honor eight female members of the local music community at its 3rd annual Emissaries of Memphis Music celebration. The honorees are: blues singer Barbara Blue, country singer Dani McCullough, “American Idol” contestant Lil Rounds, sound engineer and producer Dawn Hopkins, singer-songwriter Valerie June, recording artist Amy LaVere, Grammy-nominated gospel performer Sheri Jones-Moffett and musician, songwriter and engineer JoJo Jeffries.
The event is designed not just to honor the achievements of women who often toil in the shadows of their male counterparts, but also to inspire girls today to pursue careers in music.
Read more at Commercial Appeal
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 12 forecast: Looking into the crystal mirrorball
Just as the big boys in Vegas like the odds of certain members of the Season 12 “Dancing With the Stars” cast, so does Zap2it.
And if there’s anything we love more than sound reporting, it’s unfounded speculation. (It’s not like we have anything else to go on before the new cast shows us their moves.)
So by following our complicated equation of star power, presumed fitness and drawing names from a hat, we’ve come up with an informal ranking of how the chosen 11 stack up to each other going into the season premiere. Have a look:
Read more at TV Squad
Dancing With the Stars Contestants Reveal Secret Tactics
Dancing With the Stars kicks off on Monday, and contestants Mike Catherwood and Chris Jericho have both prepared for the competition in their own special way.
“I haven’t changed my underwear since the cast was announced, ” Chris says. “I can vouch for that, ” Mike insists immediately after. We think (and hope) they were kidding, but if not, at least we know they’re taking this competition seriously.
Just listen to what one former DWTS cast members told them…
Read more at EOnline
Ralph Macchio Hopes Nice Guys Don’t Finish Last on Dancing
Ralph Macchio was the Dancing with the Stars cast member that almost wasn’t this season. “I came in very late. Literally, the Friday before the Monday announcement was when we locked it, so I think I was the last guy in, ” he tells TVGuide.com. “But the truth is, if it was four weeks earlier, I don’t know if I would’ve jumped.” Now that he’s fully immersed in the Dancing world, see what else the former Karate Kid, who’s paired with Karina Smirnoff, has to say about rehearsals, why he might kill his reps one day and his ageless looks.
Read more at TV Guide
“Dancing with the Stars” Season 12: Ranking the competitors
As Dancing with the Stars premieres tonight with Kendra Wilkinson, Wendy Williams and Ralph Macchio hitting the dance floor along with their cast mates, one thing’s for certain. Randall Christensen, the show’s costume designer, says after a while the dancers not only whittle away their bodies but their costumes, too!
Read more at OK
“Dancing with the Stars” Season 12: Ranking the competitors
(CBS) Can you hear that? The sound of sequins swaying through the air, dance shoes being laced and mirrorball trophies being polished?
It can only mean one thing – the new season of “Dancing with the Stars” begins tonight.
And as the 11 new competitors start to tango, waltz and cha-cha towards the championship, one question is up for debate: Who has the best shot at winning?
Read more at CBS
‘Dancing With the Stars’: Who Will Take Home the Trophy This Season?
No one’s seen them take a step yet, but predictions are already being made about who will win season 12 of ‘Dancing With the Stars, ‘ which premieres tonight on ABC. So, why the heck not throw in our two cents, using an admittedly less-than-scientific combination of online betting odds (courtesy of BetUs.com) and a cluttered brain full of pop-culture references and stats about seasons past.
Read more at PopEater
