‘American Idol’s’ Jennifer Hudson sings for her White House supper
The Chicago native once again sang for President Barack Obama and his dazzling wife Michelle Obama Tuesday during his inaugural White House state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“Jennifer Hudson was amazing. Jazz singer Kurt Elling also very good. National Symphony w/Marvin Hamlisch conducting was their accompaniment, ” Senator Claire McCaskill posted to her Twitter account after the dinner. In a previous tweet, the Democratic senator had deemed tweeting the dinner to be “definitely tacky.”
CBS responds to criticism over blurring of Adam Lambert’s kiss on ‘The Early Show’
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton expressed his disgust over the “double standard” in a post this morning and asked why CBS’ “The Early Show” blurred the image of Lambert kissing one of his band members but showed Madonna’s famous 2007 kiss with Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards.
We thought it was a valid question, and we took it to CBS.
A CBS representative responded: “We gave this some real thought. The Madonna image is very familiar and has appeared countless times, including many times on morning television. The Adam Lambert image is a subject of great current controversy, has not been nearly as widely disseminated and, for all we know, may still lead to legal consequences.”
GLAAD Calls Adam Lambert ‘Good Morning America’ Cancellation ‘Disappointing’
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued a statement late Tuesday about the decision by ABC’s “Good Morning America” to cancel a scheduled performance by Adam Lambert on Wednesday morning’s (November 25) show in light of the singer’s controversial appearance at the American Music Awards on Sunday night.
“Some music performances, regardless of the sexual orientation of the performer, are tailored for a primetime audience but not for a morning show audience, ” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in the statement. “It is disappointing that ‘Good Morning America’ did not give Adam Lambert the opportunity to tailor his performance to their audience, as he did on their show in August 2009, ” when he performed the Muse cover “Starlight.”
Al Roker’s all tact on Adam Lambert snafu with ‘Good Morning America’
UPDATE 2-Adam Lambert furor spreads to U.S. gay community
LOS ANGELES, Nov 25 (Reuters) – “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert on Wednesday admitted he got carried away during his racy American Music Awards performance, as furor over his singing and dancing stoked a wider controversy in the U.S. gay community.
More than 14 million people watched the gay, glam rocker close the live AMA telecast on Sunday with a performance that included Lambert kissing a male keyboard player and pushing the head of another performer into his crotch.
Kris Allen: How to explain the ‘American Idol’ champ’s disappointing chart performance?
A Jive Records spokesperson, however, says the label isn’t panicking, pointing to the fact that Kris’ lead single, ‘Live Like We’re Dying, ‘ reentered the Billboard Hot 100 this week at No. 70, and that the singer’s target audience (the Hot AC radio format) is one where slow-and-steady progress is often the norm. In fact, she says, fellow Idol acts such as Daughtry and David Cook have proven that first-week sales are only part of the equation for pop-rock product. ‘We 150 percent believe in the Kris Allen record, ‘ she said. ‘And the indicators of radio growth and digital single sales prove we’re correct.’
Sugarland Will Sing on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday
Sugarland will sing on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday (Nov. 30) to promote their new holiday album, Gold and Green. The duo will perform a Christmas song with Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls. Sugarland’s Gold and Green includes five original Christmas songs and five classics, including “Winter Wonderland, ” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Silent Night.”
FOX 6 catches up with Danny Gokey in Nashville
WITI-TV, NASHVILLE – He’s the local guy who made it big on American Idol Season 8. Danny Gokey took Milwaukee by storm this spring during his hometown visit. Brew City went bonkers for Gokey. So what’s he up to now? FOX 6 catches up with him in Nashville, TN.
Nashville is a country music metropolis, and only about 500 miles from Milwaukee. It’s a world away, and gives Danny Gokey a fresh start. We caught up with Gokey at Star Struck Studios, where he is working on his debut album
It’s been Christmas since July for David Archuleta.
The seventh season “American Idol” runner-up went into the studio over the summer to record “Christmas from the Heart, ” his second studio album and his first Christmas set. The album was released in October, and on Friday he performs a holiday concert with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at Hill Auditorium.
When settling on which songs to record for the album, he decided staples such as “O Holy Night, ” “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” had to be in the mix. They were songs he’s been singing since he was a little kid, he says.
Archuleta ushers in sounds of Christmas
David Archuleta may have finished as runner-up to the 2008 “American Idol, ” but he’s clearly No. 1 in the hearts and minds of his hometown fans ‘†especially those gathered at Abravanel Hall Wednesday as the young singer kicked off his Christmas tour.
From the reaction Archuleta got before he even stepped on stage, he probably could have stood up there and sung the phone book, and no one would have cared. But he didn’t, of course. Rather, he put on a stellar show that showcased his range and ability, paid homage to his pop success and captured the spirit of the season.
Daughtry continues tour with a stop in Gainesville
Success hasn’t been fleeting for rock band Daughtry. In fact, it just keeps snowballing.
They’ve been touring non-stop since 2007. This summer, their new album, “Leave This Town, ” went straight to No. 1. They had a prominent performance at Sunday’s American Music Awards – right after opening act Janet Jackson and before Shakira. They’re up for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Rock Band. And following today’s halftime performance at the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders football game, Daughtry will jump back into tour mode for their concert Monday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
REVIEW: Syesha Mercado debuts in ‘Dreamgirls’
‘Dreamgirls’ has come home with its glitter, glitz and gusto mostly intact.
A revival of Broadway’s iconic interpretation of a girl group’s rise to pop-music power is now playing a brief engagement (before beginning a national tour) at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater, which happens to be the setting for the opening and closing scenes of the musical.
The show’s original sizzle was supplied in 1981 by director-choreographer Michael Bennett who staged the musical with a ferocity of movement that this production, under the guidance of Robert Longbottom, attempts to honor. For much of the time, it succeeds, although Tom Eyen’s book bogs things down in the second act when the musical trips over its attempt to tie up the plot with a sudsy, saccharin ending.
Zzzs Factor for Simon Cowell
SIMON Cowell’s busy schedule is clearly taking its toll – as he’s started nodding off in the back of his car.
The X Factor judge had a night out with close pal Sir Philip Green at London’s Cipriani restaurant last night before all those late ones caught up with him.
Susan Boyle’s sales under threat after Adam Lambert antics
Susan Boyle is well on track to claim the number one album spot in the UK this weekend but faces tougher competition in the US as Adam Lambert’s album sales outperform expectations.
Lambert raised a few eyebrows at Sunday’s American Music Awards after passionately kissing the male keyboardist during a racy performance. Good Morning America swiftly cancelled his TV slot but the American Idol finalist was quickly picked up by other media outlets.
His album For Your Entertainment is being estimated by industry sources to sell around 225, 000 in its first week.
Simon Cowell, the new property idol
Property developer Mark Hoffman is sitting pretty. Hardly surprising considering that one of his business partners is Simon Cowell, the multi-millionaire music entrepreneur and X-Factor judge.
Mr Hoffman, 36, is the founder of Commercial Property Investments (CPI), a London-based firm which he runs with Simon Cowell; his brother, Nicholas Cowell, co-founder of Estate Office; Adrian Levy, also of Estate Office; and Mr Hoffman’s father, Peter.
Ratings: Dancing Hits Season-High Numbers, Leads ABC to Win
The two-hour Dancing with the Stars finale brought in its biggest audience of the season, helping ABC edge out CBS in the ratings Tuesday night.
An average of 19.2 million viewers tuned in to see Donny Osmond claim the Mirrorball trophy for Dancing’s ninth season. Dancing also claimed its highest rating in the 18-to-49 demographic. V, which kicked off the night for ABC, held steady compared to its week-earlier numbers with 9.3 million viewers.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ recap: Making the Cut
No doubt many people were on the road during one of the busiest travel days of the year, trying to plane, train, and automobile themselves to friends and family and thereby missing Wednesday night’s results hour. So before we get our gobble on and gorge ourselves silly, let’s pause, bow our heads, and recall those dancers who made it into the top 10 (and the subsequent tour) and have much to be thankful for, as well as the unlucky two who were just shy of making the cut and are left to swallow their sorrows in helpings of pumpkin pie instead.
