National Memorial Day Concert 2022 will feature American Idol 10 alum Pia Toscano – The national night of remembrance will also feature performances by: multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga (“Miss Saigon,” “Mulan”); Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award-nominated actor Norm Lewis (“Phantom Of The Opera,” SCANDAL); chart topping country music singer songwriter and U.S. Army veteran Craig Morgan; Grammy-winning singer Rhiannon Giddens; Tony Award-winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell; acclaimed singer and AMERICAN IDOL alum Pia Toscano; the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly; annual audience favorite Salute to Services with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The National Memorial Day Concert airs on KPBS Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. – Read more at KPBS.org
Clay Aiken, Paige Davis, Donna McKechnie, Darius Harper & More to Lead Pittsburgh CLO’s 2022 Summer of Musicals – Pittsburgh CLO’s 2022 Summer of Musicals at the Benedum Center will be highlighted by Broadway and TV stars, as well as beloved Pittsburgh favorites. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will be led by Broadway and TV’s Clay Aiken, Paige Davis, and Donna McKechnie; SISTER ACT will feature Broadway and TV’s Tamyra Gray and Anne Tolpegin; and Darius Harper will don the famous red boots as Lola in KINKY BOOTS. – Read more at Broadway World
Noah Thompson on His Journey From Small Town Boy to ‘American Idol’ – Had you been to the “Big Apple” before? No. I’ve never seen bigger buildings in my life. All of this is so new to me. I’m just taking it all in as best I can. What kind of artist do you want to be? I’m still trying to figure that out. I really, truly got thrown into this competition by a buddy. I grew up listening to rock and roll. I grew up in church also. I think I’m a mix of things. I’m not just one genre. Definitely it’s going to be country, because that’s what I went in the competition with. I’m excited to sit down and write some songs and put some stuff out. – Read more at TV Insider
From construction worker to ‘American Idol’ winner: Noah Thompson says ‘it’s changed everything’ – Arthur, who accompanied Thompson to the audition, summed up Thompson’s talent and his relatability to the judges: “Other contestants, they’ve had vocal training. They do these crazy warm-ups. This is just straight raw, right here.” Thompson says he still prefers not to warm up before singing, even after going through “Idol.” “I don’t like all the noises people make when they warm up,” he says. “I don’t really do that. I feel weird when I do it, but I’m learning. I’m trying to take everything I can in from this whole process.” – Read more at USA Today
Ryan Seacrest Interviews Noah Thompson – On Air with Ryan Seacrest – “He was going, doing his job, hard work, hard labor, and then gets this opportunity, and then every week kind of chipped away closer and closer and closer,” Seacrest shared about Thompson. “He was the most authentic person, there is no act with Noah. That is just who you are.” CHARLIE CHAPLIN WROTE THE SONG SMILE DUMMIES. (Watch the interview, you’ll understand). Also, Noah says he has no idea what happens next…
Noah Thompson Hopes Winning ‘Idol’ Makes His Son ‘Proud’ – Noah plans to move to Nashville because “that’s where music’s at. That’s where it’s all happening. I feel like that’d be my best bet. I’m really not that far from Nashville, so I can always come back home.” During his time on Idol, he actively tried to write new music. While at home in Kentucky, he “could never find the time to sit down and write a song. So I tried to really just take that time every day when we would actually have a break for a second sit down, pick up a guitar, try to put some words down, and do some things. So I don’t know. Hopefully, you hear some new things.” Noah admitted that the producers told him that “this is one of the best years they’ve had, and I fully believe that because we were all so just supportive of each other. We were all really rooting for each other. – Hollywoodlife.com
HunterGirl Reveals Her Next Plans – We have a top 24 chat. We’re all so close. I was so excited when the top 10 got to come back for the finale. There were a lot of tears that day just because we’ve all become so close. I’ve found some best friends for life during this experience. It’s not the last time we’re all going to see each other. We’ll definitely see each other because I couldn’t imagine not. I remember one time I was losing my voice and like 4 or 5 of them were trying to nurse my voice back to health so I could sing the songs on the show. It definitely didn’t feel like a competition. – Read more at Hollywood Life
Katy on singing ‘Firework’ with Leah Marlene, she ‘hopes’ to come back next season
Is American Idol no longer part of Katy Perry? Take a look. pic.twitter.com/hCUgMmKThP
— E! News (@enews) May 23, 2022
Katy Perry Raves About ‘American Idol’ Season 20 Winner Noah Thompson – Season 20 of “American Idol” may be over but judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will stay in touch. “We always do,” Katy told Access Hollywood. “We always invite ourselves into Lionel’s rich ass house.” The 37-year-old also revealed what she will miss from the most now that the season has ended. “I just miss the comradery with the judges. I miss Luke and I kind of ganging up on Lionel, seeing how much he can take… I love finding diamonds in the rough. I love seeing the growth,” she said. Speaking of growth, the pop star praised Season 20 winner Noah Thompson and his journey this season.
Luke Bryan Says of American Idol Champ Noah Thompson: ‘Being a Good, Humble, Kind Person Wins’ – “He just came in as the underdog … the unassuming guy that he didn’t see it coming, America didn’t see it coming,” the “Drink a Beer” singer, 45, says. “And I think, you know, we’ve seen it in 20 years where those type people, really — American pulls for them, responds to them. And it always tells me that at the end of the day, being a good, humble, kind person wins.” – Read more People
Tristen Gressett on life after ‘American Idol’: ‘So many things are in store right now’ – “I feel amazing about the whole experience,” Gressett says. “The only thing is, I wish I could go back and do it all over again.” He’s planning to move to Los Angeles in August, for example, and has at least three concerts scheduled this summer in his home state. Gressett’s agenda includes the Pell City Hometown Block Party on June 4, a June 11 date opening for Taylor Hicks at Alexander City Jazz Fest, and a June 24 set at the Helen Keller Festival in Tuscumbia. (Another “Idol” alum, Cadence Baker of Florence, is playing the festival, too.) Gressett’s been working on a book — “I’m into superheroes and fiction” — and polishing a new single, “The Show Is Over Now.” On the night he was eliminated from “Idol,” for example, Gressett went to his hotel room and immediately started making calls, trying to line up his next gig.- Read more at AL.com
American Idol Favorite Wade Cota Opens Up About His 140 Lb. Weight Loss — and What It Means for His Career – “There was a podcast where someone was talking about American Idol from the night before and about how incredible my performance was,” Cota, 30, recalls during a recent interview with PEOPLE. “And then the guy says, ‘We love you Wade, but lose 150 pounds or you are going to die.'” “Yeah, there were plenty of messages telling me that I should kill myself and that I was too fat for TV,” Coda says quietly. “Those are the ones that really got to me.” So, as Cota found himself voted off the show and ready to begin this music career that he had always envisioned, he also found himself spiraling into the deepest of depressions. – Read more at People.com
JoJo Siwa Says ‘SYTYCD’ Brought Dance Back To Her Life – JoJo Siwa dishes on the “unreal” experience of being a part of the “So You Think You Can Dance” revival, and shares how her judging style keeps it real about technical mistakes without being too harsh. JoJo also gushes about her new haircut, and shares her mission to give kids dealing with cancer a reason to smile through her nonprofit JoJo Siwa’s Childhood Cancer Foundation.
