Idol Headlines for 1/28/09

FALSE ‘IDOL’

‘AMERICAN Idol” has be come sec ond-chance “Idol” for Season 8′s Joanna Pacitti – and it’s got some of the show’s fans up-in-arms.

Like Carly Smithson, whose record deal with MCA when she was just a teenager caused a firestorm of controversy last season, Pacitti is using “Idol” to jump-start a dead career – but is meeting even more resistance from “Idol” fans than Smithson.

NY Post

Jacksonville high jinks as the audition trail nears an end

This is generally the point in the auditions when I deem panic is an appropriate response to the “American Idol” audition tourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s abject failure to produce a candidate worthy of standing in the footsteps of Clarkson, Aiken and Archuleta. Two years ago, at the Season Six close I wrote: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Thus far, weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen a possible Mandisa or two, perhaps a future Lisa Tucker … but where is the next McPhee, the next Bice or even 2007à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Elliot Yamin?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Last year, at the close of auditions for what proved to be the strongest “Idol” season in history, I wrote, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“In interviews, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe dangled the very specific number three as the quantity of unmistakable earth-shattering talents we would meet in the pre-season.I am not quite sure of which three he was talking about. I feel that along this audition trail we have met a good number, as many as 20 or so, of very credible talents with great growth potential (not to mention tear-jerking back stories). But I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t say Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve had the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oh my Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  moment that I remember when first gazing upon Katharine McPhee or Melinda Doolittle.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

LA Times

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

‘American Idol’ Recap: Gator Raid in Florida

Stop the presses! (You can’t, it’s the Internet!) Randy Jackson actually dropped a massive (albeit ineloquent) truth bomb during tonight’s episode of American Idol. But before you fly into a panic wondering what shocker to expect next à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  a ”no” vote for a marginal contestant from Paula? A product-free hairstyle for Ryan? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  bear in mind that the Dawg probably didn’t mean to express what I (and a lot of fellow Idoloonies) have been thinking about our favorite show for the last three weeks.

Entertainment Weekly

Melinda Doolittle sings! And an ‘Idol’ nation goes wild!

We promised you yesterday that we’d be posting a video of American Idol’s Melinda Doolittle tearing up EW.com HQ with a rousing performance of her new single, “It’s Your Love.” So without further ado, press play below for the latter half of our interview (in which Mindy Doo discusses her recent charity work and the special guest drummer who put a little extra oomph into her debut disc) and for the chance to see a powerhouse vocalist turn the hallway between our mail slots and our printer into a bona fide concert space. A daunting task, but Ms. Doolittle makes it look easy.

Popwatch

Phil Stacey Blog: My Jacksonville home

Tonight was a special night for me, since I once represented Jacksonville on “American Idol.” In fact, I sang “Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Get It On.” Just like our first contestant:
“American Idol” Goes To Florida For Spring Break (In January)

Joshua Ulloa -à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ I like his voice. He has a Justin Timberlakish tone. It will be interesting to see what he can do with a band behind him.

LA Times

“American Idol” Goes To Florida For Spring Break (In January)

Last night’s installment in the seemingly endless slog through American Idol’s eight season of auditions brought us to Jacksonville, Fla. But how to tie this city to Idol’s shiny pop universe? How about rechristening it in honor of Randy Jackson (get it???), and giving the whole evening a PG-rated “Girls Gone Wild” sheen?

FROM “DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’” TO GIRL-ON-GIRL ACTION: So the opening of American Idol focused on Randy and his time in Journey with a bad haircut and everything, and that of course resulted in a lot of “Don’t Stop Believin’”à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ the official sing-along song of drunk college kids everywhere!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ being played. Also, a few shots of Randy with this haircut:

Idolator

Fox Reality Channel’s Original Series “American Idol Extra” Returns for an Exciting Fourth Season

Fox Reality Channel has greenlit the fourth season of its original series AMERICAN IDOL EXTRA from “American Idol” producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, giving viewers the first in-depth interview each week with the Top 10 Idol finalists, moments after their emotional elimination. Only Fox Reality Channel gets up close and personal directly from the Idol stage to bring viewers the reality moments they can’t get anywhere else. New host Jillian Reynolds (“FOX NFL Sunday”, “Good Day LA”) joins the series, along with new co-host and former Idol finalist Ace Young (Season 5). Fox Reality Channel’s “American Idol Extra” airs every Thursday night, premiering March 26th at 7 & 10p, with a late night sneak peek every Wednesday at 10p & 1am.

Viewers can count on bold weekly interviews with Jillian and a fresh new perspective from Ace, who will use his expertise and empathy to get the inside scoop. In addition, a familiar face, former Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis (Season 4), returns as a special field correspondent.

Marketwatch

Kara DioGuardi On Aruging With Simon & Contestant Joanna Pacitti

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only the third week of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but new judge Kara DioGuardi has already proven sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an opinionated panelist. And, according to Kara, the head butting with Simon Cowell, who has attempted to silence her comments towards contestants on more than one occasion, will continue.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Yeah, I would say so. Definitely,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara told Access Hollywoodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Billy Bush on radioà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Billy Bush Show,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  on Tuesday.

Kara said one reason she is emphatic about stating her opinion on the show is because as a music veteran, she feels she has plenty of knowledge to share.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It comes from a place of, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I want to tell this contestant something,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and you know, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Can you let me give her some constructive criticism?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what I do every day,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara said.

Access Hollywood

‘Idol’ SLC episode airs Wednesday

“Nerve-wracking.” “Excited.” “Loved it.” “Devastated.” Those were just some of high-strung emotions that ran through local singers hearts and minds when they auditioned for the No. 1-rated television show, “American Idol,” in Salt Lake City last summer.

Viewers will be able to see just how rattled they got when the episode profiling the Beehive capitol airs Wednesday at 7 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13.

Salt Lake Tribune

‘Idol’ helps Fox catch up to CBS

Fox is making its midseason move, riding “American Idol” and good perfs for its dramas last week to an easy victory in key demos that has vaulted it into a tie with CBS for the season lead among young adults.

“Idol” may be down by 10% or more in most categories vs. its two opening weeks of last season, but it remains laps ahead of any other primetime entertainment series.

Last week its installments Wednesday (9.8/25 in 18-49, 25.90 million viewers overall) and Tuesday (9.0/22, 22.77m) crushed the competish, helping provide the young dramas behind it — “Fringe” and “Lie to Me” — an excellent chance to get exposed to a big audience.

Variety

Before Idol, Von Smith was a YouTube sensation – VIDEO

In terms of memorable performances thus far, Von Smith has arguably been “the big breakout,” at least among the contestants on American Idol’s Kansas City stop (he sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and wore a white fedora … which, when you think about it, doesn’t necessarily differentiate him from every other contestant).

Here, in all its glory, is Von Smith’s rousing interpretation of “And I Am Telling You” from Dreamgirls, introduced with unbridled enthusiasm as could only be mustered by Rosie O’Donnell:

TV Squad

Songs We Never Want To Hear Again On ‘American Idol’

With the countless amounts of songs floating around out there, and with more and more artists allowing American Idol to use their music, why are some of the show’s contestants content to trot out the same old songs that have already been done to death? And why do some Idol hopefuls insist on choosing songs that are all wrong for their vocal range or style?

According to the judges, song selection is half the battle. You could have the voice of an angel, but if you’re treating Simon and the gang to “Unbreak My Heart” for the millionth time, chances are they won’t be jumping out of their chairs.

With that in mind, here are some of the songs we hope to never hear again on AI. Hollywood Week is coming up soon, so we hope all of the aspiring Idols are paying attention!

Starplus

TV Squad Ten: Reasons you should be watching American Idol

Is this season of American Idol everything you dreamed it would be? Or are you thinking it’s the same-old-same-old we’ve all seen before? I fall into both camps, so decided to put together my list of ten reasons you should be watching American Idol this season. Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

TV Squad

Hudson family slaying suspect wins transfer

The estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, charged with killing Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew, will be transferred to another jail but maybe not for long, a Cook County judge ruled this morning.

William Balfour, 27, has been held at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet since he was arrested in December, but his lawyer asked a judge to move him to Cook County Jail to make it easier to consult with him.

Judge Marjorie Laws granted the motion, but said she couldn’t guarantee that the jail would keep Balfour for more than the 10 days it usually keeps parole violators, which is the reason Balfour was being held at Stateville.

Chicago Tribune

Bucky Covington in the studioJust got word from Bucky Covington’s publicist that he’s in a Nashville studio today with producers Mark Miller and Dale Oliver, recording music for his sophomore album. Bucky’s label, Lyric Street, will announce the new single soon (stay tuned to this space …). Also, Bucky and Josh Gracin will attend the festivities surrounding the opening of DisneyWorld’s The American Idol Experience next month. They’ll be doing an acoustic concert for some radio winners while they’re in Orlando.

Idol Chatter

Idol winner in Tampa for Super Bowl

Tampa, Florida – You know right away when you meet someone who has a good heart.

You can hear it in their voice and see it in their eyes. It’s easy to spot and even easier to enjoy.

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, who won the singing competition in season six, is one of those people. Her heart is warm and genuine. She has an air about her that is bubbly, easy-going and, most of all, real.

“It’s great to be back in Tampa. I love it here and I’m so glad people are coming to see me. I can’t wait to meet everyone,” Sparks told us, flashing her thousand watt smile.

Tampa Bay

Cook Vs. Clarkson: Who’s the champ?

Since we’ve been discussing the relative merits or spins, formats and audiences in the comments of this week’s chart post, I thought I’d compare the week’s two hottest Idol tracks. Some detailed analysis about David Cook’s Light On and Kelly Clarkson’s My Life Would Suck Without You provides interesting insights into the world of hit singles.

According to Mediabase, between Jan. 20 and Jan. 26, Light On got played 6,157 times, while My Life Would Suck Without You received 5,277 spins. Both records increased their spins from the previous seven-day period: Light On up 181, My Life up exponentially more at 2,325 — the kind of numbers that indicate a big hit from a major hit.

Idol Chatter

‘American Idol’ Jacksonville auditions: See any future superstars?

Late last week, I spent a little time updating a photo gallery called “Idol Flashback! Our First Impressions of 14 Series Standouts.” The article looked back at the very first words that EW.com’s Idol correspondents wrote about the show’s biggest stars — from Kelly Clarkson in season 1 to Carrie Underwood in season 4 (my first year covering the show) to the dueling Davids of season 7. The bad news is, we weren’t always right (sorry Jordin!). But the good news, for those of us wondering where the heck this season’s world-class singers are hiding, is that, well, we weren’t always right. Sometimes, mid-level auditioners can blossom into superstars during Hollywood Week, or even later, on the live Idol stage. Which has me wondering: Which season 8 contestant (if any) do you think is most likely to be showered in confetti come May? While tonight’s Jacksonville auditions were more promising than last week’s San Francisco debacle, I’ve still got my money on episode 1′s Deanna Brown — blonde chick with the raspy “(Sittin on) The Dock of the Bay” — as my favorite to date.

Popwatch

A Conversation With Melinda Doolittle

For years, Melinda Doolittle could be heard but barely seen, off in the background singing musical backup for stars like Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Alabama and Jonny Lang.

Then came the sixth season of “American Idol.” Although she didn’t win (she finished third), it was the national exposure the gospel-bred singer needed to move her from the back of the stage to front and center. On Saturday at 3 p.m, she will be at Mohegan Sun and its Shops at Mohegan Sun and Spin Street, performing songs from her solo debut CD, “Coming Back to You.”

Courant.com

‘American Idol’: Where Are They Now?

From Elliott Yamin to Bo Bice to Melinda Doolittle, EW.com talked to 14 of your favorite former contestants about their post-’Idol’ lives.

Entertainment Weekly

Clay Aiken is no ‘Idol’ on the golf course

It’s ironic that Clay Aiken hosted a golf tournament for his Bubel/Aiken Foundation that helps send kids with disabilities to camp. Because the former American Idol contestant has no idea how to play.

”My game is wicked,” Aiken admitted from the Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens Monday. “I just tip the ball in. I don’t have the patience. I think my handicap is like 7,000!”

Mini-golf is a different story.

”I could impress you with that,” said the 30-year-old crooner. “But let’s be honest: Any sport that involves windmills isn’t real.”

Miami Herald

Randy Jackson’s Journey days: If ya don’t know, now ya know…

Last night’s American Idol opened with footage of judge Randy Jackson rocking out with Journey in their Miami Vice-inspired colored-sport-coat, mid-’80s era. It’s caused a bit of a stir online this morning as people — no doubt hypnotized by Jackson’s high-top fade and tight, tapered pants — rush to YouTube to gobble up more videos of him a-boppin’ and a-dancin’ while playing bass on stage alongside Steve Perry. Is there anything more unfortunately styled than a pop musician from the mid to late ’80s? And yet I’m sure Jackson’s proud of the footage — and he should be.

Popwatch

Simon Cowell: Ready to Date Again?

Newly single Simon Cowell is busy with season 8 of “American Idol,” but is the King of Mean dating again? One of “Extra’s” Friends got Simon to answer!

Extra