Idol Headlines for 1/15/09

‘American Idol’ median viewer age hits 40

Oh, no! Is “American Idol” getting … middle-aged?

Fox’s singing competition returned for its eighth season Tuesday with a total audience of 30.4 million viewers, or a 9% decline compared with last year’s launch, according to Nielsen Media Research.

But a more arresting detail is buried within the numbers. Tuesday’s audience was the oldest ever for an “Idol” season opener, with a median age of 40.3 years. That’s quite a bit older than the “Idol” contestants, who are all in their teens or 20s.

“Idol” has been “aging up,” as they say in the TV business, every year. The series premiere, back in June 2002, had a median viewer age of 29.5. By the Season 4 opener, in January 2005, the median viewer was 35. Last year, the figure had crept up to 38.2.

LA Times

Bikini Girl’s Website

Katrina Darrell wants to be a star and she’s not afraid to show (almost) everything she’s got to get to the top!

After last night’s stormy debut on American Idol she’s ready to capitalize on her fame/notoriety and has her own website, which we expect will attract many, many male fans.

Check out this previously unseen modeling shot.

Radaronline

“A.I.” Contestant Ordered to SCRAM

If “American Idol” wannabe Emily Wynne-Hughes manages to stick around for a while, you might get to see the first contestant perform with an alcohol monitoring bracelet!

Turns out Emily — the same tattooed chick who can’t seem to keep her pants on — is smack in the middle of a DUI fiasco, and she has been ordered to wear a SCRAM bracelet.

The whole thing is over an arrest back in July, where cops busted her for allegedly driving drunk in West Hollywood. Emily copped a plea to a lesser charge of reckless driving.

In addition to the bracelet, Emily was placed on 3 years probation.

TMZ

Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

Diana DeGarmo Leads New ‘OZ the Musical’ Tour in 2/09

American Idol and Broadway HAIRSPRAY star Diana DeGarmo will star as “Dorothy” in OZ THE MUSICAL, a contemporary musical treatment of the popular L. Frank Baum story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the production will begin a Texas based tour in February 2009.

The original musical was written by Plainview native Todrick D. Hall.

Direction and choreography also are by Hall, who danced with Ballet Lubbock at age 9 under artistic director Yvonne Racz, and, more recently, appeared in the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.”

Broadway World

A Text Arrives. Oh, Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Just an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Ad.

Some AT&T Wireless customers have voted an emphatic no on a promotion for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that popped up on their phones this week.

AT&T, a sponsor of the show, said it sent text messages to a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“significant numberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  of its 75 million customers, urging them to tune in to the season premiere on Tuesday night.

But some recipients thought the message was a breach of cellphone etiquette, and gave it the kind of reaction that the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  judge Simon Cowell might give an off-key crooner.

The online service Twitter had a steady stream of complaints. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“AT&T just sent me a text message advertisement about à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Evil,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a Twitter user named Joe Brockmeier wrote on Tuesday. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The economic downturn definitely means a spam upswing.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

NY Times

Live-Blogging American Idol: Will Anyone Top Bikini Girl?

Jim Cantiello If you missed the premiere, check out last nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s live blog, and make sure to stick with MTV News throughout the season for Jim Cantielloà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s instant recaps!

Another day, another à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  live-blog recap. But with Tuesday nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  premiere pulling out all the stops – what with Bikini Girl, Blind Guy and New Judge – how are they gonna top themselves tonight? Perhaps weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll meet Naked Dude and Deaf Chick? Fingers crossed? Sigh.

In all seriousness, I was kind of underwhelmed by last nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t blown away by anyone and wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t giggly from any delusional trainwrecks, either. The whole episode was just kindaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦there.

MTV

Phil Stacey blog: On to Kansas City

Philstaceycdcover People always find it hard to believe that I had been a contestant on “American Idol” for a month before I met Paula, Simon or Randy. There were 11,000 auditions in tonightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s episode alone! Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just no way those three could listen to that many!

“Idol” asks you to be on location early for audition, so people start lining up around 3:30 a.m. But you just stand outside and wait for Ryan Seacrest and crew to show up and this is where they film him with a large crowd for the beginning of the episode. It will take a couple more hours to get everyone settled into the building before the first note is sung. And it still may take hours before you get to sing.

I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t audition until around 10:00 that night.

LA Times

‘American Idol’: Let’s talk Kansas City auditions!

It’s appropriate that Episode 2 of American Idol’s eighth season focused on the ‘Show Me’ state, since the producers actually focused on Hollywood-bound contestants for a change — can I get a big, enthusiastic “holla!” up in here? — and spent a lot less time chasing trainwrecks. During the two hour telecast, we got to see 13 of the 27 Kansas City hopefuls who received Golden Tickets, and while I can’t say that any of ‘em rocked my world like Paris Bennett’s “Take Five” from back in season 5 (yeah, that one tops my list of Idol’s 12 Greatest Auditions Ever), there were a lot of solid singers on display, and better still, many appeared to have been plucked from day-job obscurity (i.e. welder Matt Breitzke), rather than pre-selected from lists of artists who’ve recently been dropped by major labels (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Anyhow, weigh in with your thoughts on tonight’s episode, then be sure to check back around 6 a.m. for my full TV Watch episode recap. On that note, I’d better start frantically hunting and pecking; it’s after 10 p.m., and I don’t know where my opening paragraph is.

Popwatch

‘American Idol’ Judge Kara DioGuardi Defends ‘Bikini Girl’ Attack

‘We wouldn’t be talking about the bikini if she killed the song,’ singer/songwriter says of scantily clad contestant.

Kara DioGuardi wasn’t afraid to get a little nasty on her premiere episode as the fourth “American Idol” judge Tuesday. And she has no regrets about her verbal scuffle with 20-year-old contestant Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell.

“I love pretty girls,” DioGuardi told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Wednesday (January 14). “The thing with Bikini Girl à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  to be honest à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  I thought she had a better body than … face.”

When Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson let the bikini-clad Darrell through after a mediocre version of Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love,” DioGuardi railed against the decision, saying she lacked “swing.” To prove to Darrell how it should have been done, DioGuardi sang the song herself à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  to which Darrell replied, “Your demonstration wasn’t any better.”

MTV

Can Kara DioGuardi win ‘American Idol’ an Emmy Award?

Kara DioGuardi quickly established herself on last night’s premiere of season eight of “American Idol,” as a presence on the judging panel. And with the Emmy Awards considering a new category for judges of reality TV shows, Kara could be a serious contender.

Over the first seven seasons, “American Idol” has only won 2 of its 34 Emmy nods. Of course, with Simon Cowell in charge of the show, Kara DioGuardi may not want to run the risk of ruffling that peacock’s feathers by earning an Emmy nod possibly at his expense. Already, the reviews, for the most part, are focusing on her addition to the show as a much-needed breath of fresh air.

LA Times

Idol Judge Kara DioGuardi Got Engaged in Her Pajamas

Kara DioGuardi’s engagement was both romantic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ think candles and a Mexican vacation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ and humorous.

“I was in, of course, my thermal smiley-face pajamas that one of my best friends gave me for Christmas,” recalls the new American Idol judge of getting engaged on her 38th birthday in December.

DioGuardi says her fiancà © Mike McCuddy, 34, lit some candles before popping the first of two questions.

People

One star shines bright in Kansas City

Fact about the number eight: Scorpio is the eight sign of the Zodiac. Scorpio traits include loyalty, passion and commitment. On the flip side those can manifest themselves as, possessiveness, jealousy and manipulative or controlling behavior.

The march to Kansas City confirmed many of the trends seen on the season premiere (a more energetic judging panel, a gentler spirit of mockery towards the misbegotten) . This night however produced the first real star of the season, the stunning Lilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Rounds who appeared in what my blogging compatriot Phil Stacey referred to as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Pimp Slotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ the prime real estate closing the show. For the first time this season, we experienced that special feeling that we lie in wait for – that moment of revelation when you feel you just might be looking on a superstar for the very first time; before she herself even knows it.

LA Times

A season begins: The first step into a new world

Fact about the number eight: In the Judaic religion, eight is a very auspicious number, designating both the complete days of Hanukkah (the faithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s second-biggest miracle) and the moment, when a Jewish boy has lived this many days that the rite of circumcision is performed on him.

LA Times

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ finds its voice in Kansas City

Season seven “American Idol” champ David Cook proved that musically speaking, everything’s up to date in Kansas City. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell traveled to Cook’s hometown for this season’s auditions in the hopes that there was more talent where he came from.

They were not disappointed, as the judges found 27 people worthy of notice. Included among them was a grief-stricken widower, a mother of three who survived a tornado, and a singing welder. Plus, Jason Castro’s brother showed up hoping to make it two in a row for the laconic version of the Family Von Trapp.

MSNBC

Simon Cowell still the heart of “American Idol”

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Ah yes, winter is in the air. The birds have flown south. The Los Angeles air is unseasonably warm. And one Simon Cowell has tossed out the ceremonial first nasty slur.

Indeed, “American Idol” season has arrived, and just in time to save the American economy (or at least Fox’s). Season 8 of the Series That Ate Television kicked off Tuesday with a two-hour extravaganza of megahype, self-promotion, self-delusion, aural crimes against nature and the occasional promising voice.

We also got our first gander at the much-anticipated fourth judge as Kara DioGuardi joined Simon, Paula and Randy on the judgment firing line. The early read on the hit songwriter is that she’s going to go out of her way, at least initially, to fit in. There wasn’t a lot of her going against the grain or her cohorts on Night 1, leaving viewers wondering why “Idol” needed a fourth judge, anyway. Oh yeah: because the show is losing viewers and needs to shake things up.

Reuters

Taylor Hicks ‘Grease’-ing his way into acting

CINCINNATI à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  Although he’s never done any acting, “American Idol” Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks thought that a Broadway show like “Grease” would be an effective lubricant for his career.

And even though his character, Teen Angel, has only one number in the show, Hicks was still able to make an auspicious acting debut suspended in an ice cream cone 45 feet over a Broadway stage.

On Jan. 20, he reprises that feat when the national tour of “Grease,” in which the American Idol plays the part of Teen Angel, the spirit that tries to convince Frenchy to finish high school.

Middletown Journal

At this stage, Studdard feels truly blessed

Nearly five years ago, Ruben Studdard stood on stage before screaming masses and millions of TV viewers as he was named the winner of the second season of “American Idol.”

In the years since, Studdard released three albums, was nominated for a Grammy award and embarked on a musical theater career in the musical revue “Ain’t Misbehavin,’” which comes to War Memorial Auditorium this weekend.

Though Studdard’s career didn’t quite meet the level of other Idol contestants such as Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson, he hasn’t felt the pressure to compare his success with other Idol alumni.

Go Triad

Kellie Pickler: Crazy In Love, Not Ready For Marriage

Former à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  contender Kellie Pickler is off the market.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve met someone now that Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m crazy about and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s crazy about me, and I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t imagine being with anyone else,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kellie told radio show à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“GAC Nights: Live From Nashville.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

The buxom Southern blonde said that while she is head over heels for her guy, she isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t ready yet to walk down the aisle.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a sense of reality where you have to be a realist and think, this is something that youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re gonna make a vow to spend the rest of your life with this person and your priorities are gonna change,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  she told the show. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Right now, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m in the point of my life where I want my career to be No. 1.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

NBC Chicago

‘American Idol’ headed to Habbo

SAN DIEGO — FremantleMedia Enterprises, the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, has inked a partnership to bring the “American Idol” brand to the Habbo teen-centric virtual world.

The licensing deal marks the first time “Idol” will have its own branded area within a virtual world and provides Habbo with in-world merchandising and sponsorship rights for the popular brand.

David Luner, senior VP interactive and consumer products for FME North America, stressed the partnership will not involve creating avatars based on either the contestants or the judges.

Hollywood Reporter