Headlines: American Idol Surprises, Chris Blue, David Archuleta

Lionel Richie Reveals What’s Surprised Him Most About ‘American Idol’ – Lionel Richie phoned in to On Air With Ryan Seacrest on Friday, October 20, and dished on his experience on the American Idol reboot thus far. The singer, who rounds out the judging panel alongside Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, said he’s been most blown away by how readily available teens are to kickstart their careers. – OnAirWithRyanSeacrest

Celebrities and tennis pros unite for three-day fundraiser – Tennis fans will have the chance to give back to the community during the 28th annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic. Evert and her celebrity friends will hit the courts with four unique events during the three-day fundraiser, taking place Nov. 3-5. Money raised benefits Chris Evert Charities. Mental health professional and daytime talk show host “Dr. Phil” McGraw will be returning to the event for the first time since 2002. Five individuals from the acting community will also grab their racquets: Robin Givens (“Head of the Class”), Tate Donovan (“Damages”), Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”), Jamie McShane (“Bloodline”) and Maeve Quinlan (“The Bold and the Beautiful”). “American Idol” winner David Cook, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and journalist/author Steve Doocy will also be in attendance. – Sun-Sentinel.com

‘Voice’ Winner Makes Special Flower Delivery to Cancer Patient – The latest winner of The Voice, Chris Blue, helped deliver flowers to patients at a Chicago hospital earlier this month, joining other volunteers giving out bouquets at hospitals as part of a thoughtful initiative. Blue made the bouquet himself and handed the arrangements out at Chicago’s Advocate Lutheran General Hospital on Oct. 11. He linked up with a team of volunteers from the non-profit Random Acts of Flowers, which recycles flowers from weddings and other occasions for hospital patients. – Read more at WSLS.com

Did you miss David Archuleta? – “It (the mission) has changed my life so much. I will be forever grateful for that. It’s the greatest thing in my life so far,” David Archuleta said in an interview. Before leaving, he has had hits in “Crush” and “A Little Too Not Over You.” While many did not understand his decision, David knew it was God calling him to do so. “A lot of people said ‘You’re such an idiot for doing that. Why are you taking a break? – Read more at MB.com

David Archuleta on dealing with depression: Pray and talk to someone – “Say a prayer or if you are not religious, talk to someone and say this is how I am feeling. Don’t be afraid [to let anyone know] that you’re feeling that way. Words like “I dont know if I’m good enough to even be alive”… It’s hard to feel that way, to feel that you are not good enough and be hated by people. But know that you still matter… Let someone know who’s willing to talk about it with you,” he added. – Read more at Interaksyon.com

After being eliminated from “The Voice,” Virginia Beach native plans to pursue his dreams of stardom – “My students are taking it so hard,” says Showell, a middle school teacher in Arlington. “My approach moving forward now is to revamp my YouTube page and give folks what they would have gotten on the show on my YouTube page. So I’ll be doing different covers and singing in different settings. I’ll be releasing original music.” – Read more at PilotOnline

Great Scott! Scotty McCreery Plays WHBPAC on October 21 – Another recent career high for McCreery was his surprise performance at a sold-out Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood concert in September. “That was one of the most incredible nights of my life, career-wise,” McCreery says. “[Brooks] is a huge inspiration for me. I’d grown up watching his videos. I was pretty nervous before [performing]!” McCreery admits, noting that he’s often nervous before shows. “I’m still there, which is good. It keeps you on your toes, some nights more than others.” – Read more at DansPapers.com

‘American Idol’ winner Scotty McCreery comes to Prescott – Country music artist and “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery is coming to Prescott, performing at Yavapai College Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Oct. 26. Though he never expected to win “American Idol,” doing so was exciting and launched the career he had dreamed about, McCreery wrote in an email. “I was going to go to Nashville and try to find my way as a country music singer anyway, but ‘Idol’ allowed me to do it in such a big way,” he wrote. “As for touring, I love traveling across the country and visiting different cities and meeting the fans. It’s a huge appreciation for how beautiful our country is.” – Read more at DCourier.com

Clay Aiken Shoots Down Report He ‘Could Be President Someday’ (Exclusive) – The former “American Idol” and “Celebrity Apprentice” star on Thursday shut down some left-field speculation by Christopher Ruddy’s conservative website Newsmax suggesting the out gay singer “could be president someday” and “has all the components of a successful run.” “I will not be available to run for President, as I have decided to retire to a small experimental colony on Venus where I am dedicating my life to growing prize winning space turnips,” Aiken told TheWrap exclusively in his typical tongue-in-cheek fashion. – Read more at The Wrap

How Jordan Fisher Is Powering Through Multiple Injuries on DWTS: ‘Adrenaline Is a Big Factor’ – “I don’t have great hips for somebody who’s 23,” Fisher — who’s teaming up with Nintendo — tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I think adrenaline is a big factor. It definitely can mask a lot of things that I deal with, but the moment I get into my car and head home, that’s when my body goes ‘Oh God.’” In addition to his weak hips, the actor says he suffers from tendinitis in both achilles, thin cartilage in his ankles and rotator cuff issues in his right shoulder.- Read more at People

About mj santilli 34841 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!