Idol Headlines for 9/18/14

New DVD tells story of David Archuleta’s Mormon mission – One of the turning points in David Archuleta’s decision to serve a mission was a conversation with his mother. She said singer Donny Osmond helped get her interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “but the missionaries changed my life.” It’s one of the experiences Archuleta and others, including his voice coach and people from his mission, share on the 22-minute DVD “David Archuleta: Called to Serve.” – Deseret News

Katharine McPhee Teams Up with Hans Zimmer on Web Series – Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer and Hollywood philanthropy consultant Bonnie Abaunza this week released the second installment of their Pizza With an Icon web series aimed at connecting teens with human rights activists. The latest video, posted on YouTube, features a discussion with Katharine McPhee, who is active in Malaria No More’s “Power of One” campaign — with the motto “one dollar saves one life.” Drawing from her trips to Ghana and Burkina Faso, she is working to inspire teenagers to take action against one of the leading causes of death among the world’s children. “It’s such a tragedy that there are people dying from something that is so easy to cure,” McPhee said. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

Phillips steps out of ‘Idol’ spotlight – “The first album really represented me lyrically and musically, but we did it so fast, three weeks,” Phillips said. “Luckily, I had songs written a few years ahead of time and some new ones I had written. I really love the album, but when I go back and listen to things, I think we could have added this and that. “The second album I had more time to write. We could sit on the songs and jam on them with my band. The album has that feel of a band record. It was a lot of fun, and this album has so much more of a deeper musical meaning and lyrically than the first one. “Behind the Light” is decidedly a rock album, with Phillips pointing to the eerie “Thicket” and energetic “Fly” as defining the project. The latter track includes a memorable appearance by steel guitar extraordinaire Robert Randolph. – Read more at Vindy.com

BWW Interviews: Meet Ricki Ubeda, Winner of TV’s SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, Who Will Be Appearing in Cleveland – I interviewed Ubeda, who was in Los Angeles, during the rev-up to the national tour. He indicated that he started hip hop dancing around age 12. Raised by a single Cuban mother who “has always encouraged me to be myself, especially in dance, and be a leader,” he was also “fortunate to go to Coral Reef High in South Miami.” It has “a liberal atmosphere and advocates for being yourself.” “There was no harassment over dancing. In fact they had a co-ed dance team. The attitude was, if you are talented, you were a hero. It definitely wasn’t like other schools.” During the “So You Can Think You Can Dance” telecasts, Ubeda showed a great deal of emotion and emotional vulnerability, both as a dancer and in receiving comments from the judges. Reminded that this is somewhat unusual for a male, he stated, “My mom was always open and vulnerable. She taught me that it’s a beautiful thing to let the emotions show.” – Read more at Broadway World.com

Carrie Ann Inaba Names the DWTS Pairs to Watch This Season – Well, well, well… Season 19 has begun and a few changes have been made. People have asked me how I feel about Julianne Hough joining the judges’ panel and my real response is: I’m happy to have her! She’s a part of the family and she adds a little fresh energy to the show. Sure, change can be hard to accept, but life is that way, isn’t it? We must evolve to remain relevant. (And that’s not just for television shows, but in life for all of us.) Some of our loyal viewing family are uncomfortable with the fourth judge, but in time the new tempo and rhythm will feel like old hat. – Read more at Parade

‘American Idol’ made Clay Aiken a star. But he knows it won’t make him a congressman. – LILLINGTON, N.C. — Clay Aiken was warned not to go into the pig barn. “You won’t be able to get the stench off of you,” advised the farmer as the former “American Idol” runner-up squelched through the mud. But Aiken, now a Democratic congressional candidate, was resolute. Earlier this year he made the decision to trade whatever glamor remained from his singing days for the town halls and farm tours of the campaign trail. Nearing the barn, Aiken gently kicks dirt off his laceless wing tips. “Oh, I’m smelling it now,” he says. Fans unhappy with his political turn can blame Rosie O’Donnell. “She told me we are all just waiting for obscurity, so I should do it while I can. I should do it when I can make a difference,” Aiken says. “I have this microphone, I should use it.” – Read more at The Washington Post

About mj santilli 34838 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!