Headlines: American Idol Takes to the Sky, Dunkleman Disses Seacrest

ABC’S AMERICAN IDOL Takes to the Sky in Los Angeles with Helicopter Flown Cutouts of the Judges on Sunday – In anticipation of Sunday night’s epic premiere of “American Idol” on ABC, a special helicopter flight across Los Angeles on Sunday will carry four, 15-foot tall cutouts of superstar judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Emmy®Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest. The cutouts will be flown over several iconic locations throughout the Los Angeles area (including the Hollywood Sign, Runyon Canyon, Santa Monica Pier, among other sites) via an “American Idol” helicopter, driving buzz and excitement leading into the series premiere of “American Idol” airing that evening. The flights are weather permitting. – Read more at Broadwayworld.com

ABC is terrible at music shows; ‘American Idol’ will try to change that – It would be foolish to expect the show, which ended a 15-season run on FOX not quite two years ago, even to approach the heights it reached at its mid-2000s peak. ABC will, however, probably get a decent-sized ratings upgrade. The network is averaging a 1.0 in adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Sundays with “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Shark Tank.” If “Idol” comes in at the high 1s or low 2s — ABC has reportedly guaranteed advertisers a 1.8 — it will come out as a plus for the network. And also something of a first. ABC has two very successful and long-running reality franchises in “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Bachelor/ette,” but it has been absolutely awful at launching and sustaining music-based competitions. The network is pretty much 0-for-the-21st century in that regard. – Read more at TVByTheNumbers

A Candid Conversation With Brian Dunkleman, The Guy Who Could’ve Been Ryan Seacrest – Meanwhile, Dunkleman sadly faded from the pop culture stage, save for a couple media and network appearances. Until, that is, recent sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against his ubiquitous ex-counterpart, and Dunkleman decided to comment on the drama unprovoked. Even sadder than pushing someones head in your crotch while they tie your shoes is anyone over the age of 5 having someone tie their shoes With that tweet, at least 6,712 Twitter followers were made aware of what could be interpreted as Dunkleman’s stance on Seacrest’s alleged misdoings. Soon after the tweet, a Care2 petition popped up on the internet like a gift from God, campaigning to “Ditch Seacrest And Bring Back Dunkleman!” for the “Idol” reboot. – Read more at InfoSurHoy.com

‘American Idol’ Review: New Judges Deliver Cruelty-Free Contest To ABC – Perhaps sensing some general need for respite – from unpleasantness, cruelty, bullies – ABC resurrects an American Idol that’s cozily familiar, reassuring even, with the franchise’s recognizable markers intact and the spikier inclinations of previous incarnations left behind. A trio of new judges – R&B legend Lionel Richie, pop diva Katy Perry, and country boy Luke Bryan – already seem a unified, chummy bunch. – Read more at Deadline

What to expect from the ‘American Idol’ premiere – “We are looking for something unusual — I am, in particular,” Perry told ABC News. “There [are] a lot of great singers but… it all depends on what kind of star you want. Do you want someone who can just play… bars? Or do you want to fill arenas?” “What kind of star do you want?” the “Fireworks” singer continued. “I’m always looking for the biggest one. So I think it’s a combination of things. It’s about presence. It’s about, what do they contribute musically? Is their perspective different… is it unique?” – Read more at ABCNews

American Idol Alum Rayvon Owen Auditioned 5 Times Before Getting to Hollywood — His Advice for New Contestants – “I think everything happens for a reason,” Owen, now 26, says. “I never even expected to get that far. Someone gave me the best advice and said, ‘Treat every performance like it’s your last,’ and it’s true! You’re up against so many good people that the chances of you making it through are so slim, no matter how talented you are. I saw so many talented people who didn’t get very far.” – Read more at People

Former ‘American Idol’ contestant from Michigan talks about his experiences – Manny Torres, featured on season 15 of American Idol in 2016, visited WXYZ to talk about the show’s revival. Torres said it was nerve-wracking to be a contestant. “The thing about being the next American Idol, you have to obviously have the talent, but you have to have the personality,” he said. But just when his career was taking off, he got devastating news. “I got diagnosed with testicular cancer, had to move back home from Chicago and things went to a halt. I was more focused on my health. I’m going through chemotherapy here at Beaumont,” he said. – Read more at WXYZ.com

‘American Idol’ Judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry & Luke Bryan Talk Chemistry, Contestants & More!

Meet Laine Hardy, the Livingston teen you’ve probably seen in commercials for ABC’s ‘American Idol’ reboot – Hardy said he’s only been singing in public for two years and has no professional training. “I started singing by myself. Then I sang for mom, and she liked it. And then I sang for some of my friends,” he said. “I grew up around old country, classic rock and swamp pop. I play country, blues, and classic rock and swamp pop now.” Favorite singer? “Elvis, he’s at the top … he inspired me to start playing music in the beginning.” – Read more at TheAdvocate

Fox’s O.J. Simpson Stunt Against ABC’s ‘American Idol’ Premiere Throwback To Classic Scheduling Gamesmanship – While there is no expectation for the O.J. Simpson special to beat American Idol the way The Voice topped the first hour of The X Factor in their 2012 clash, Fox’s goal is to put a dent into its premiere. It is the kind of gamesmanship that networks used to employ to intimidate the competition — for instance, NBC in 2001 supersized its biggest Thursday night comedies to crush its rivals. – Read more at Deadline

About mj santilli 34834 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!