Idol Headlines for 12/08/08

American Idol Champ David Cook Talks Guitar

To many, David Cook is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“that pop guy who won American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  To the kajillions of Idol fans who watched the show religiously in 2008, however, Cook is the rock guy.

One thing that set Cook apart from many of his Idol competitors was his inner poiseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ the near Zen-like calmness that gave him an air of bulletproof resolve. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m actually a mellow, introverted individual for the most part,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  says Cook. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“But when you get on stage, there has to be something to draw people in. I wanted to come across as 12 feet tall. In order to do that, you really have to be 12 feet tall. You have to hit the stage with the mindset of, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I own this entire room and everybody in it,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and then try to shoot the moon.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Guitar Player

David Archuleta Performs At Tree Lighting Ceremony to Help Kids Affected By AIDS

In 2007, 330,000 children died from the AIDS pandemic. Children affected by AIDS get ridiculed, even if they contract AIDS via birth or breast feeding. Some kids have even gotten kicked out of church on Easter Sunday. Camp Heartland à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  located in Malibu, California and Minnesota à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  is a place for kids affected by AIDS to be themselves and not hide what has happened. Seventy campers have died from AIDS, including three just last year. On December 6, 2008, David Archuleta, along with other celebrities, came to perform a free tree lighting ceremony event at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, California to raise awareness and money for the charity, One Heartland.

blogcritics.org

More Headlines after the Jump…

David Archuleta Sings With Santa

David Archuleta chums with jolly Old Saint Nick as they light up the Holiday of Hope Christmas tree benefiting One Heartland on Hollywood Blvd on Saturday evening.

The 17-year-old American Idol alum crooned several Christmas classics including à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Silent Nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  as well as hit single, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Crushà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , to the cheering crowd.

Just Jared, Jr.

Archie Goes The Distance

Click here to watch our favorite little elf, David Archuleta, performing a cover of Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles, live in concert.

Perez Hilton

Idol Chartwatch, December 8: Jennifer Hudson Nominated for Four Grammys

Jennifer Hudson has proven her mettle as an Oscar-winning actress, and now she has the chance to add some Grammys to her awards collection. The 2009 Grammy nominations were announced last week in a live, star-studded broadcast, and Jennifer Hudson has been recognized in four categories.

Jenniferà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nominations include Best R&B Album
(Jennifer Hudson), R&B Vocal Performance (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Spotlightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ), Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals (“I’m His Only Womanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with Fantasia), and Best R&B Song (“Spotlight”).
Click Here!

FoxesonIdol

Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift to welcome ’09 on ABC

NEW YORK (AP) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  Rock idols The Jonas Brothers, country music star Taylor Swift and pop veteran Lionel Richie will ring in 2009 from Times Square on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

They will perform live during the ABC broadcast, joining Clark in New York along with his co-host Ryan Seacrest, the network says.

Country music artist Kellie Pickler also will be on hand in Times Square with live reports on the festivities.

As previously announced, Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Solange and Robin Thicke will perform during the Hollywood Party segments, which will be hosted by Fergie.

A New Year’s Eve tradition, the show will begin Dec. 31 at 10 p.m. EST.

Associated Press

Dallas Cowboys give weather the cold shoulder

PITTSBURGH à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Maybe Marc Colombo wanted to send a message when he walked onto the Heinz Field turf about 90 minutes before kickoff.

Solo act: The halftime show was a huge letdown after watching the Jonas Brothers’ Thanksgiving production at Texas Stadium.

Now, I’m no fan of the Jonas Brothers, but it was quite a show with a grandiose stage, a lighted blue star the size of an office building hanging overhead and all sorts of pyrotechnics.

The halftime show at Heinz Field featured Bo Bice, who sources tell me was quite a hit on American Idol, standing all by his lonesome at midfield, strumming a guitar and hollering into a microphone. It had a small-town saloon feel to it.

Dallas News.com

Couldn’t Idol’ offer up some bigger stars?

Have plans Dec. 9? You could be winding down your early holiday shopping. Or maybe even watching Bill Murray’s Scrooged because that’s just how you feel this year. My guess, rather, is that it won’t be spent watching four former American Idol contestants tear through a bunch of worn-down holiday hits at Toyota Center.

At $30 to $57 a ticket, it might be a tad too expensive for a fill-up for your family’s holiday spirit tank. But according to Toyota Center, there still are great seats available for the show, with the added bonus for fans to get photos and autographs after the show.

tri-cityherald.com

Michael W. Smith brought Christmas spirit to the Alerus

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re only as good as the people you surround yourself with,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Michael W. Smith told his audience Sunday night at the Alerus Center.

Indeed, Smith made good on that observation, bringing his à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s A Wonderful Christmasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  tour to Grand Forks and surrounding himself with great back-up vocalists, including featured singers Melinda Doolittle and George Huff, both from TVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

The crowd seemed almost more enthused with Doolittleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance, including her gospel and jazz songs, and Huffà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“O Holy Nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  than by Smith himself. Doolittleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice seemed to have more depth and maturity than Smithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s.

Grand Forks Herald

The Karaoke King

In the book, you credit American Idol for popularizing karaoke in America. What was once a dreaded barroom activity is now almost hip. But we had talent search shows before American Idol and they didn’t help karaoke. What about Star Search?

The thing with Star Search is that the people always seemed to be sort of creepy. There were a couple other shows in the ’80s with ridiculous names and they sort of seemed all the same: a lot of creepily stage-managed kids and then a lot of people who are just trying so hard that they’re pandering. There was always some 45-year-old dude singing “Wait ‘Till the Sun Shines, Nellie.” When they were trying to introduce karaoke to the U.S. in the ’80s you had a lot of people who were raised to think that if you can’t sing you shouldn’t sing. But with American Idol, now if you ask any 19-year-old who knows he doesn’t have any musical talent if he’d like to sing, well, of course he does. It’s a more natural part of life now to be more exhibitionist.

Time

Paula Abdul selling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ gifts on HSN

NEW YORK à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  They might not go home with a recording contract, but Paula Abdul doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t let any “American Idol” contestant leave empty-handed. She designs and distributes each season jewelry for the aspiring singers as a keepsake of their experience.

Beginning this month, Abdulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans will be able to buy similar mementos from HSN.

Abdul has made jewelry since the first season of “Idol” in 2002.

Boston Herald

“I pretty much wear my jewelry all the time now, but I end up giving it away,” she says. “Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll take it off my wrist or neck and give it to someone who likes it.”

Simon Cowell ‘loving single life’

Simon Cowell has said that he is loving life as a single man.

The X Factor supremo split from girlfriend Terri Seymour last month after a six-year relationship, reportedly because he refused to have children.

He revealed that he has no regrets about the break-up, telling the News Of The World: “You know the best thing about being single? Those late night calls I don’t have to make anymore, like: ‘Darling, I’ll be late home again.’

“I don’t mean to sound horrible to Terri but I’m having a great time being single. It’s really good fun.”

Digital Spy.co.uk

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Goes on Tour!

“Dancing with the Stars” crowned its champs last month — Brooke Burke and Derek Hough. Now the show is getting ready to hit the road — and ET is there for the first day of rehearsals!

Lance Bass, Maurice Greene, Marlee Matlin and Toni Braxton are just a few of the stars heading out on the “DWTS” tour, but first they need to get back into the dancing groove!

Lance tells ET about some of the differences between the show and the tour.

“It’s fun because when you did the show you only got to dance with one person — your partner,” he says. “But on the tour you get to dance with all the girls so it’s a lot of fun.”

ET Online

Nico Archambault of Longueuil, Que., wins ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada?

TORONTO à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  Nico Archambault, a 24-year-old contemporary and hip-hop dancer from Montreal, has won the inaugural season of “So You Think You Can Dance Canada.”

The versatile heartthrob, who studied dance at Cegep du Vieux Montreal, took home the $100,000 grand prize and a new car in Sunday’s two-hour finale on CTV.

The winner was determined by viewers’ votes.

Archambault had been a favourite from the beginning of the series.

Although, by his own admission, he wasn’t a strong technical dancer, Archambault was able to execute all genres to much acclaim from the judges.

Three other contestants made it through to the final round of the series, a spinoff of the hit American version.

They were Allie Bertram and Miles Faber, both of Calgary, and Natalli Reznik of Toronto.

The Canadian Press

ETA:

Abdul on Fan Suicide: ‘Been a Very Tough Three Weeks for Me’

Paula Abdul spoke out today for the first time about the death of Paula Goodspeed, an “American Idol” hopeful turned stalker who was found dead from an apparent drug overdose in a car outside Abdul’s Los Angeles home.
Former “Idol” contestant Paula Goodspeed was found outside Paula Abdul’s home.

“It was devastating and tragic, and there aren’t enough feelings that I can articulate without getting into a whole plethora of things,” Abdul said in an exclusive interview today on “Good Morning America.”

“I’ve got to tell you, luckily for me, I was at Hollywood week for ‘American Idol’ when it happened. I can’t even imagine if I was right there in my home. It’s just been a very, very tough three weeks for me … and for her family and for everyone involved.”

ABC News

12/8: Justin Guarini at Atlanta Salvation Army Christmas concert

But I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t totally remiss in my à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  duties this weekend. I got to meet season one runner up Justin Guarini for the first time at the Salvation Army Sunday night Christmas concert at the Salvationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Armyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s temple off North Druid Hills and I-85.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve spoken to him by phone but this was my first shot at sitting down with him and just gabbing. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s definitely more comfortable in his own skin now and has embraced à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  as part of him. We talked about his gig with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Gone Country,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  an Internet radio show and his engagement.

Diana DeGarmo was originally committed to this event but the holiday tour got in the way. So her mom and Jerry Friday helped track down Justin to sub in. He made a quick pitstop in Atlanta before going to Nashville to work on different songwriters.

Access Hollywood