Headlines: Survivor Premiere, Idol Semifinals Continue

The 90 minute Survivor premiere airs TONIGHT on CBS at 8/7c pm. The second half of the American Idol semifinal round airs tonight as 12 more singers perform for the judges 8/7c PM FOX.

Next Wednesday’s American Idol Wildcard show will be taped ahead on Tuesday Feb 23. You can get on the waitlist for tickets for that show, and the first LIVE show on Thursday at OnCameraAudiences

The last invasion of American Idols – As the judges prepare to crown one final winner on April 7, many past champs are back with new projects — perhaps in an effort to get maximum exposure from the very show that made them famous. Season 9 victor Lee DeWyze dropped his sixth studio album, Oil & Water, in February, while Kris Allen is prepping Letting You In for March 18; winners like Fantasia Barrino and Taylor Hicks are also readying new albums. Even nonwinners have put out new material: Season 8’s Danny Gokey and season 5’s Kellie Pickler both released Christmas music in late 2015. “It’s probably the biggest platform in the world for getting your name and music out,” season 10 champ Scotty McCreery tells EW. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly

A Conversation with Clark Beckham – Jacob Elyachar: How have you grown as an artist since your time on ‘American Idol’? Clark Beckham: ‘American Idol’ showed me how to take crazy amounts of pressure and perform no matter the circumstance. The show also taught me how to perform professionally and put together a refined product. I learned to do vocal runs when it is called for and sing with conviction. It is something my dad always told me and it was something that I learned while I was on the show. Another lesson that I will stand by 100 times and that I always share with singers if they can do vocal runs is that one note sung with conviction beats eight notes sung correctly. – Read more at Examiner.com

Gwen Stefani Admits Blake Shelton Is Subject of ‘Make Me Like You’ – Kimmel then went on to ask Stefani to admit the obvious — her new song is about Shelton, right? “It is actually,” she said, grinning widely. “I will admit that that song is about that guy.” “What’s so crazy is that sometimes tragedy, if you really absorb it, you can turn it into something beautiful. And this whole album is about trying to take something that’s awful and healing from it,” she said. – Read more at US Magazine

Carrie Underwood, Arista Promo Team Tell Their Story – MR: How did you introduce Storyteller’s first single, “Smoke Break” to radio? Simon: Especially on a first single, we are strategic and aware of every single thing that we do. It goes out to everybody at the exact same time. Nobody gets it beforehand because it is so in demand and she is so in demand on a first single. You have to make sure everything is perfectly fair across the board. On “Smoke Break,” especially, we had a week that we wanted to get out and play it for as many people as possible. – Read more at Music Row

‘American Idol’ winners DeWyze, Cook play suburbs as show winds down – Though it has been relentlessly copied and parodied, not to mention once having its own theme park, at the heart of “American Idol” was a musical iteration of the American dream, turning former balladeers and buskers into Billboard gold and launching the careers of stars like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and Mount Prospect’s own Lee DeWyze, who has been ruminating about the ending recently — even as he looks forward to new music and a show this weekend in the suburbs. – Read more at Dailyherald.com

Survivor’s Jeff Probst: This Is the Most “Brutal” Season We’ve Done – The 32nd season of Survivor is so brutal that anyone who still believes the show is staged will have their suspicions put to rest for good, according to host Jeff Probst. “This season is going to put a pin in that,” Probst tells TVGuide.com. “The fourth episode is epic. It’s pretty full-on, and it’s exciting because we tell the story in a new way. We let the audience sort of see behind the scenes of what’s happening. To the few who still may think that we’re a show that isn’t real – which drives me nuts, because of all the scripted ‘unscripted’ shows – it will answer once again any questions about whether or not this show is real.” – Read more at TVGuide.com

About mj santilli 35110 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!