Secluded Stars: Lee DeWyze collaborates with Rita Wilson – Stars from the suburbs may be isolating in their homes, but they haven’t stopped collaborating. And this week marks the debut of one of the more interesting teams: Mount Prospect’s Lee DeWyze and Rita Wilson. Yes, that DeWyze. And that Wilson. The “American Idol” winner and the singer-actress are promoting a new song called “Where’s My Country Song?” set for release on Friday, May 8. The song title suggests it could have an earnest tone, or maybe even a comic one in a “Can I speak to your manager?” sort of way. DeWyze also announced via an Instagram video on Monday that he will be performing private online Zoom concerts for a fan and 10 of their friends for $1,000. “I’ve never done anything like this, but obviously we adapt, we get through it,” DeWyze said. “The shows must go on.” – Read more at DailyHerald.com
Kelly Clarkson, Courteney Cox, Adam Sandler & More Offer Zoom Meet-and-Greets to Support the EBMRF – Just imagine having a virtual “Backstage Pass” to your favorite celeb. Teaming up with stars including Josh Brolin, Kelly Clarkson, Courteney Cox, Kaley Cuoco, Josh Gad, Norman Reedus and Adam Sandler, the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation has launched a fundraiser for fans to bid on a virtual meet-and-greet to support families living with Epidermolysis Bullosa and facing financial hardship. From May 4-18, fans can bid online for a chance to win a private meet-and-greet on Zoom from their own home. – Read more at People.com
Lists Her L.A. Home for $10 Million … So Movin’ On, Yeah, Yeah!!! – If you wanna live like a true “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson’s got you covered!!! But, first … you got $10 mil in the bank, right? Kelly’s listed her San Fernando Valley-area home for $9,995,000 and the 8-bedroom, 11-bathroom crib. It is a beaut, but get this … the lucky buyer gets a sweet 2-residences-for-1 deal — there’s also a 2-level guest house with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths of its own. The main house is 9,839 square feet, and it sits on a lot that’s just a tad over half an acre … offering tons of privacy and some serious sprawling room to play. There’s a huge backyard with tons of greenery, swimming pool, jacuzzi and BBQ station. – Read more at TMZ.com
Grace Leer on American Idol rise, similarities between soccer and singing – Pac-12 Networks’ Ashley Adamson catches up with former Cal forward and current American Idol contestant Grace Leer, who recently made the top 11 for her rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Leer, currently in Danville, California, during the shelter-at-home order, shares how singing and soccer both demand accountability, responsibility and motivation. – Read more at Yahoo.com
‘American Idol’: Makayla Phillips Living ‘Dream Come True’ After Judges Save Her (Exclusive) – Speaking with PopCulture.com, Phillips said she was already “mentally moving on” in hopes of keeping her positive attitude. Feeling overwhelmed, she completely forgot about the Judge’s Save, a once-per-season golden ticket for one lucky contestant who didn’t advance through via America’s vote. “They come back and save me and I just completely lost it,” Phillips said over the phone on Tuesday. “I could not believe they chose me out of all the amazing talent on the show.” And not only did the judge’s choose her out of the 10 contestants who didn’t receive enough support from America — which also included Kimmy Gabriella who spoke with Pop Culture about the impact her father has had on her music career — the three music legends sent some powerful praise her way. – Read more at Popculture.com
Being Canadian on American Idol didn’t affect my chances of winning, B.C. teen says – Nanaimo, B.C., teen Lauren Spencer-Smith may not have had the hometown advantage on American Idol, but she feels she had a fair shot on the show. The 16-year-old singer was eliminated from the televised singing competition on Sunday night’s episode, which was broadcast remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on ABC and CTV. She had made the Top 20 but the field was narrowed down to the Top 11 on Sunday and Spencer-Smith didn’t make the cut. Some of her fans expressed worry on the show’s YouTube page that because she’s Canadian and audience voting is limited to the U.S. and its territories, she was at a disadvantage. But Spencer-Smith told The Canadian Press she feels “everyone has an equal chance” because they got the same amount of airtime. -Read more at CBC.ca
Laine Hardy Recalls Moment John Stamos Offered Him A Sandwich
Kelly Clarkson Shares Son Remy’s Recent (Sweet!) ‘Big Milestone’: ‘We’ve Been Working Really Hard’ – And while the hurdles have been more than worth it, the “I Dare You” singer says that she and husband Brandon Blackstock were thrown for a loop when they noticed son Remington “Remy” Alexander, now 4, having some hearing issues when he was younger. “He had a speech problem because he had this ear problem when he was a baby. We didn’t know,” says Clarkson, 38. “But way deep down in his ears, he got clogged up with a ton of wax where we thought, almost, he was deaf because he spoke as if he was underwater.” “We found [out] it was something simple, but it pushed him back almost nine months,” she adds. “So we’ve been working really hard with his speech and he’s still doing his speech therapist via Zoom. The big milestone for us is Remy getting to really find out his own personality and his identity, because it’s been frustrating for him to not be able to really vocalize his emotion.” – Read more at People.com
Adam Lambert Talks New Version of Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ for Frontline Workers – Adam Lambert and Queen just debuted a new version of “We Are the Champions” to help support frontline workers. Their new song “You Are the Champions” will raise funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund!
‘The Voice’ Winner Chevel Shepherd Won’t Give Up Her Country Raising – Chevel Shepherd grew up on Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings to the point that when music shifted on her stereo, she started to miss those old records. “I just really appreciated how it was real and so raw,” she tells Taste of Country from her family’s home in New Mexico. She credits both parents for those early introductions. “I just fell in love and knew that was the kind of music that was what I wanted to do.” – Read more at Taste of Country
Kitty Talks Getting Scratched From ‘Masked Singer’ After Proving She’s ‘Not Just a Little Girl With a Big Voice’ – What appealed to you about the Kitty costume? For me it was about how diva-ish and sexy the character was because she was the complete opposite of the image that I have. I really wanted to be able to throw people and I really loved that I could take on a character so unfamiliar to what I’m used to doing. That was really fun and is what definitely drew me to her. – Read more at Billboard
