American Idol begins it’s final season on FOX tonight at 8/7c PM with auditions in Atlanta and Denver. OF COURSE we’ll be live blogging! Check out my teaser post on the episode HERE. People’s Choice Awards air tonight at 9/8c PM on CBS. The Voice winner, Jordan Smith, is set to perform.
Boyz II Men Playing “Teen Angels” Grease 2 Live on FOX
I didn’t anticipate that casting.
We're so excited to announce we're joining #GreaseLive! Catch us all play Teen Angel Jan 31 on FOX. #threeangels pic.twitter.com/W2wMBF70C4
— Boyz II Men (@BoyzIIMen) January 6, 2016
Ryan Seacrest reflects on 15 years of American Idol (and Simon Cowell’s favorite ‘sport’) – Was there an elimination that was particularly painful for you? Chris Daughtry’s elimination really surprised people, but I think Tamyra Gray in the first season surprised me the most. But the public, for the most part, is very smart. They pretty much get it right. So what should we expect? We’re bringing back some of the favorites, and they’ll be integrated into different weeks of the show. We will have something from each of the original judges for sure — I can’t speak for all the judges, but the original three will be back. I spoke to Simon the other day, and we just have to figure out what it is [that he’ll be doing]. There are enough great moments to look back at in history and nostalgia and fun and funniness, as well as the competition and crowning a new final Idol. – Read more at EW
How ‘American Idol’ saved — then screwed — Fox – Tonight marks the beginning of the end for “American Idol,” which Fox is finally quitting after a 15-season run. Though the relationship started out smashingly, with “Idol” propelling the network to ratings highs and perpetually “saving” the network upon its return every year, the breakup sees both parties walking away in rough shape. Once again, a network allowed a good thing to turn into an addiction. And that addiction ultimately left the network in a weakened position. – Read more at Campaign Live
Scotty McCreery Calls for All 15 “American Idol” Winners to Sing Together in the Farewell Season – Tonight, Keith Urban returns as one of the judges alongside Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr., as American Idol begins its 15th and final season. While Connick tells ABC Radio you can expect everyone from Taylor Hicks to Clay Aiken to pop up this year, season-10 winner Scotty McCreery also gave us a preview of what’s ahead. “The final season is gonna be crazy. I’ve gotten a little scoop on it, and every big moment you can think of from the last 15 years will show back up,” he says. “It’s really bittersweet to see it go, but it will be a fun season.” – Read more at ABC News
What we’re really losing with the end of ‘American Idol’ – It’s really easy to make fun of “American Idol.” No one knows the recent winners; there was that disastrous season with Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey; the last few years have had incredibly low ratings. But lost in the snarky comments? The fact that “Idol” (which kicks off its final season on Wednesday night) is the last singing competition to truly celebrate amateur musical performers — which is one of the only positive outcomes of the reality TV explosion. While television is filled with people showing off beginner talents, from cooking to landscaping, there’s something genuinely thrilling about someone plucked from obscurity with the chance to be an actual rock star. Even in an era of YouTube sensations making it big, nothing compares with a real, live talent show. – Read more at The Washington Post
American Idol begins its swan song – Dr. Robert J. Thompson, founding director of the Blier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, points to the popular talent program “Major Bowes Amateur Hour,” which debuted on radio in the mid-1930s, as the show’s grandfather. Listeners voted for their favorite contestants by phone and postcard, much like they’d later vote for their favorite “Idol” singers by phone and text message. – Read more at the Tennessean
‘American Idol’ Season 15: Time to bid goodbye to an old friend – WHAT IT’S ABOUT “One last time” Fox mournfully proclaims, and we know what the network is (mournfully) talking about. The 15th and final season of “American Idol” begins Wednesday at 8 p.m., with auditions in Atlanta and Denver (San Francisco and Little Rock Thursday night). Our judges are back — Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr. — and a few past winners too, including Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks. (There’s also a surprise contestant; he gets a yellow ticket, but doubtful he’ll be going to Hollywood.) Expect a country twang for the launch. Meanwhile, Fox promises a season-long “celebration” of the past 14 seasons, starting with the first (which launched June 11, 2002). – Read more at Newsday
The Voice’s Erin Willett on Joining ‘The Biggest Loser’: ‘I Just Wanted True Happiness’ – “I was just tired,” Willett tells Us Weekly of her journey to the show. “Tired of not fitting in clothes. Tired of trying to fake being happy. Tired of wanting change and not doing anything about it. It was exhausting keeping up the act. I just wanted true happiness in my life, and I just couldn’t figure out how to get it. How I viewed myself was affecting my career and what I thought I was capable of. It was time for change, and though it was scary, I knew it was now or never.” So the New York–based singer-songwriter signed up for the show, joining Dolvett Quince’s Team Red. Though she sang her heart out every week for America on The Voice, Willett admits that this new series has pushed her much harder. – Read more at US Magazine
