Kris Allen has dinner, gets groovy with ‘Dream’ cast
Kris Allen is a good guy. Not that I had any doubt, having interviewed the Season 8 winner on more than one occasion, but knowing that 12 hours before he was due to get on a plane headed for Rwanda, and with his wife sick at home from the seven shots she received earlier in the day, he still honored his dinner commitment with the “If I Can Dream” kids? Respect.
It must be the Arkansas in Kris, because while he and his wife Katy currently call our fair city home, he’s about as far from the stereotypical Angeleno as it gets. As in, Kris follows through.
Kevin Reilly re-ups at Fox
Kevin Reilly has renewed his deal at Fox.
The entertainment president will retain his title and post for three more years.
Since he joined the network, Reilly has helped lead Fox to its best fall performance yet and is credited with improving the network’s schedule across the week. Reilly also landed breakout hit “Glee” and thriller “Fringe.”
Paige Miles exits ‘Idol’ with impressive performance –that didn’t count
A funny thing happened to booted “American Idol” contestant Paige Miles on her way out the door Wednesday night. She gave the performance of her life — just when it didn’t count.
No one was surprised this week when Miles’ pitchy, laryngitis-plagued performance of the Phil Collins classic “Against All Odds” earned her the lowest number of votes and a ticket home.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Critics may complain, but ‘Idol’ ratings are actually up
Yes, there’s a lot of carping out there about “Idol” this season. And this week the moaning may have hit a crescendo. The Times’ Ann Powers blasted the contestants for “ridiculous song choices and emotionally tone-deaf performances.” AOL blogger MJ Santilli wrote that the Tuesday show is “bound to go down in ‘Idol’ history as one of the worst nights” of live performances ever.
So, how are the ratings holding up? Well, they’re doing a lot better than the contestants, that’s for sure. In fact, there’s evidence that the ratings are actually improving as the critics and judges say the singers are getting worse. As it heads into the Top 10 phase of the competition, “Idol” is seeing its usual late-season bounce as anticipation builds for the finale.
AMERICAN IDOL NEWS!
Be a part of something special this year and help those in need by raising funds to support Idol Gives Back and its beneficiaries before the show airs Wednesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX. Join the “Help Me Give Back” program, an online initiative that empowers individuals and teams to raise money for Idol Gives Back, now at www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback and start fundraising today for this worthwhile cause.
Viewers and fans can give back by creating and joining fundraising teams on the “Help Me Give Back” website, which tracks fundraising goals and progress of individual members. Additionally, participants can create individual “Help Me Give Back” pages, set fundraising goals and get the word out to friends, family and co-workers through feeds and widgets as well as via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
American Idol Crushes
MYFOXNY.COM – Boys and girls across the country get “crushes” on American Idol finalists but those singers have their own crushes.
Fox 5’s Anne Craig went out to Hollywood to find out who the contestants dig.
FW Guitarists Riff On Idol’s Casey James
A few, however, humorously recall him as being cheap when paying sidemen.
Many frontmen such as James don’t use the same musicians from gig to gig, but rather have a revolving list of guitarists, drummers, and bass players who can sit in for a show with little or no rehearsal, and yet still sound tight.
In those situations, frontmen often divide the night’s pay up evenly among the musicians. James, however, would sometimes pay himself a larger amount.
It’s understandable for frontmen to do this, especially if they booked the gig and deserve a finder’s fee. Still, pay amounts in local clubs are rarely very large. Most frontmen divvy up evenly.
Guitarist Mace Maben sat in with James many times a couple of years ago but slowed down after James “went down on pay, ” he said.
“He wasn’t being particularly greedy, he probably just needed the cash, ” Maben said.
Crystal’s ShrineA visit to the Village Idiot in Maumee, Ohio.
Crystal Bowersox on American Idol “Calm Down Before Entering” reads a sign outside the Village Idiot in Maumee, Ohio. But on Tuesday night, even though I obediently took a cleansing breath before I pulled the door open, I could see that the advice went otherwise unheeded, since boisterous, slightly tipsy excitement filled the barroom. “Everyone shut the fuck up when Crystal comes on!” was the first thing we heard as the Idol theme started up and my party found a table. (Two ethnomusicologists, a historical musicologist, and a folklorist walk into a bar …)
American Idol: Miles to Go Before We Sleep
On last night’s fitful episode, we saw the dreams of teenagers laid out bare and glorious in front of us. And we saw the dreams of a contestant hoisted onto Ryan Seacrest’s petard and bled to completion.
As with every major event in life, last night’s show began with a group number. The group numbers are always grim and embarrassing, but aren’t they especially awful this year? I mean because the contestants are so awful. There’s nothing exciting or silly-fun about watching these idiots shuffle and lurch across the stage doing jerky, soap-bubble choreography. It’s just like… it’s sort of aggressive, as if the show knows how bad it is. “Ha ha, and you’re still watching.
‘American Idol’ 9 Top 11 Results Live: Crying girl Ashley Ferl likes Crystal, Siobhan
Zap2it’s weekly “Dispatches from Inside the ‘Idol’ Dome” brings fanatics like you (and us) closer to all the action. What didn’t viewers see on the TV broadcast? We got it covered.
Did you know Big Mike Lynche has a penchant for throwing small children into the air? Here’s all the dish from the Wednesday, March 24 “American Idol” results:
What’s Wrong With Idol This Season?
t’s common for fans of American Idol to complain bitterly about the show in the season’s early stages. The slate of audition episodes gets more freak-dependent and interminable every year; the drama ginned up during the Hollywood Week episodes is more appropriate for Glee’s high school setting; the “who will win?” narrative doesn’t really kick in until most of the aspiring singers have been sent packing from the Coke-logo-festooned stage.
And this season has definitely been a transitional one for the show. The loopy Paula Abdul has left the judges’ table and been replaced by the still-unsure-of-herself Ellen DeGeneres; the crabby British mogul Simon Cowell, he of the plunging V-necks and snide putdowns, has announced that he’ll be leaving the show once its ninth winner is crowned; and the goal of the show itself has shifted, with a newfound emphasis on “artistry” seeming to supplant the show’s former mission of finding big-voiced divas and pop diamonds in the rough.
Kris to perform at Oxford American’s Best of the South Gala
Kris will be performing at Oxford American’s Best of the South Gala on April 3 in Little Rock, AR. The event will honor Morgan Freeman and Charles Portis. Other celebrities will be present to celebrate the best of the South, namely: Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Blount, and Joey Lauren Adams. The event will be held at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock. The event is sold out, and proceeds will benefit projects of OxfAm. For more info:
The Farr Side: Gokey’s debut hints at golden future
Danny Gokey might sing about his best days being ahead of him, but I believe they’ve already begun.
Gokey was a favorite of mine on Season 8 of “American Idol.” His personality, style, grace, perseverance and infectious optimism was an inspiration to contestants and viewers.
Gokey remained a favorite, despite the media’s obsession with the flashy, flamboyant Adam Lambert. Yet Kris Allen was destined to win the title. It was just a matter of time before the music world would embrace Danny’s message.
Carrie Underwood’s Concert Wardrobe? Her Fiancé’s Hockey Jersey
She didn’t sing “O Canada!” but Carrie Underwood’s Wednesday night concert in Ottawa still played a fitting tribute to fiancé Mike Fisher, a forward for the Ottawa Senators.
“Hello, Ottawa, ” Underwood, 27, told a cheering audience of about 10, 000 at the Scotiabank Place as she came on stage for her Play On tour. “So I guess I can kind of consider this my hometown.”
Carrie Underwood takes the wheel
Chances are if you do well on the Fox reality singing competition, you aren’t going to do well in real life with a real music career.
So far, only Season One champ Kelly Clarkson and Season Four winner Carrie Underwood have defied the odds and gone on to successful sustained post-Idol careers.
American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest to host April 3 “Big Dance” concert
When Chris Daughtry and his band take the stage at the Lawn at White River State Park this weekend, it will be after being introduced by a familiar face.
Ryan Seacrest, host of “American Idol, ” will be doing the honors for the Saturday concert.
Daughtry was a season 5 finalist on that show and has since been one of the bigger AI also-rans who has found break-out popularity (and, it seems, one of the few who hasn’t popped up in a Broadway show).
Music review by Rick Massimo: Daughtry is getting good live
We’ve known since Chris Daughtry’s run on “American Idol” that he could sing — a muscular rock shout that can get high and low, with a classic warmth and a modern bite.
And Daughtry’s two records, with mega-hits such as “Home, ” “It’s Not Over” and “No Surprise, ” are ample evidence that they can put together and perform songs in much the same way — a tough-guy exterior over an earnest ’80s-power-ballad heart.
We Are The Fallen Try To Shed Comparisons
Even though We Are The Fallen features former Evanescence chief songwriter/guitarist Ben Moody, along with two of band mates from Evanescence, and features a female singer, bassist Marty O’Brien says that the sound of the new band goes in a completely different direction than Evanescence did, although he still understands the apparent comparisons.
“There are a couple songs that have that same element, and there is no denying the similarities because Ben wrote most of the music, ” O’Brien admits to Alternative Addiction about the two band similarities. “But for the most part [We Are The Fallen] sounds like it has another direction. There are always going to be people that want to compare, but I am really confident in this album that it stands on its own.
We Are The Fallen – King’s College London Student Union – 23/03/2010
We Are The Fallen have burst onto the music scene with their first live show at a relatively small venue in King’s College, London. The ex-Evanescence musicians and new frontwoman Carly Smithson have an uphill journey ahead of them with the direction they’ve chosen to take, but their first public appearance showed more than a flicker of promise.
Now, I am nowhere near cool enough to go to a gig like this (in a sea of black-clothes, I opted for, of all things, yellow and purple). What drew me here was my ‘Idoloonie’ self; I was not going to pass up a chance to see American Idol Season 7 6th place finisher Carly Smithson in her new job. Yeah, I know, that last sentence makes me sound like a horrendous fangirl (her talent was underappreciated!). But I also was a patchy Evanescence fan in my teenage years – because hey, when you’re a teenager, angst is going to speak to you, even if only occasionally.
Kara DioGuardi Gets Political – as Dad Runs for Office
We know she can stand up to Simon Cowell, but how is Kara DioGuardi at kissing babies?
The American Idol judge – and professional songwriter – may soon be a senator’s daughter. Her father, Joseph DioGuardi, is running for the office of U.S. Senator from New York, challenging Hillary Clinton’s replacement, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand. Clinton left her position to become the Secretary of State under President Barack Obama.
Erin Andrews & Evan Lysacek Talk ‘Dancing with the Stars’
“Dancing with the Stars” returns for the second night of competition on Monday — and both Erin Andrews and Evan Lysacek tell ET they are enjoying every minute of it.
“I am actually okay right now. The only thing that hurts on me is my feet. My toes are kind of swollen. I am kind of a klutz, so I end up scraping my toes with my heels. There is blood on the dance floor. But that is kind of hot. I like to be all scarred up like a hockey player, ” Erin jokes.
Of course, Evan came to the competition almost directly from the Olympics, so physically he is in great shape.
Dancing’s Jake Pavelka: I Feel Dumb Every Day in Rehearsal
Jake Pavelka got a rude awakening on his first day of Dancing with the Stars rehearsals. “I have no dance experience, but I have done the two-step and three-step and salsa. I kind of boasted about that a little bit, ” he tells TVGuide.com. “Then Chelsie [Hightower] goes, ‘I’ve got to tell you something, Jake. You don’t know how to dance.’ I was like, ‘Thank you for shattering all of my confidence!'” The former Bachelor star has since learned the Viennese waltz, which earned him a score of 20 this week, and is now working on the jive, a dance that is doing a number on his knee. See why he’s having so much trouble, what he has to say to those who are still mad he chose Vienna over Tenley and more.
More Headlines:
OK! Interview: ‘Idol’ Cast-Off Lacey Brown
Lacey Brown made her way into the Top 50 on last year’s American Idol, but this year the 23-year-old Amarillo, Texas native was determined to go even further in the competition. So the fact that she was the first one voted out of the Top 12 hasn’t gotten her down whatsoever! The spunky singer with the wild hair stopped by OK!’s NYC offices recently to chat about her time on Idol.
Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas admit to ‘Idol’ butterflies
In a chat with Ryan Seacrest following their appearance on Wednesday night’s live results show, Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas admitted that even they were nervous before stepping onto the “American Idol” stage, though they said they were somewhat comforted by the adulation flowing from the audience.
“We were both — not that we were nervous — but we were looking at each other, and I said, ‘Are you nervous?'” Jonas told Seacrest. “She was like, ‘Yeah.’ And she was like, ‘Are you nervous?’ And I was like, ‘Um … no, ‘ trying to play it cool.”
Susan Boyle Eyes New Home
Susan Boyle has gone shopping for a birthday present – for herself.
The singing sensation, who turns 49 on April 1, has just received her first major royalty check of $6 million, and she’s ready to spend some of it.
Sonestown, Pa. has ‘Idol Fever’
On Tuesday, March 23, Aaron Kelly pounded out a performance of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” in spite of some difficulties he was experiencing with his voice earlier that week. This performance impressed the judges, and impressed the fans that vote for Aaron week after week. Because of his strong fan base, he landed in the Top 10 on American Idol, earning him a spot on the upcoming tour.
But in his hometown of Sonestown, Pa., Aaron is already considered a winner!
‘Glee’ to Premiere at 9:28PM
Gleeks, you’d better make sure your DVR is set to 9:28PM ET on Apr. 13. Why? According to Fox, that’s the official time when ‘Glee’ will return to the airwaves.
While its exact time slot may look a little random, it’s likely the decision was made to accommodate ‘Glee”s lead-in, ‘American Idol, ‘ a live show that has a tendency to run long.
