Headlines: Ruben Studdard, Kelly Clarkson and More

American Idol season 2 champ Ruben Studdard gives ABC’s reboot a golden ticket: “I was pleasantly surprised” – ABC won Sunday night — and scored its best ratings in that time slot in four years — with the premiere of its American Idol reboot. More than 10 million people tuned in, and one of them was American Idolseason two champ, Ruben Studdard, who liked what he saw. “I think it’s gonna be really good!” he told ABC Radio. “I was, like, pleasantly surprised at how good the show is.” He was also surprised that with all the other singing competition shows out there, that Idol managed to find so much still-undiscovered talent. – Read more at ABCNewsRadio

I Auditioned for “American Idol” Wearing L’Oréal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara – Despite the 7:00 A.M. call time, I walked on set that day with a huge smile, ready to impress in my audition. I was told to sit in my assigned seat next to the last singer of the day: eventual Season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips (when he introduced himself, I definitely thought he was joking). My eyes looked bright through every interview and filmed, “candid” stroll down the sidewalk. – Read more at Teen Vogue

Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton Recall Hilarious Wine-Fueled Double Date Nights (Exclusive) – “Last time I was at Kelly’s house,” he begins, “she had [what] started off as a white T-shirt…” Despite her best efforts to shush him, Clarkson ultimately concedes. “Here’s the thing, y’all, in fairness, it’s every mother that hasn’t drank since having — you know, you’ve been pregnant, and you have a kid,” she says. “I tell you what, I mean, one glass in me and I just kinda made poor decisions from there.” “It’s like a tie-dyed shirt by the end of the night,” Shelton adds, with Clarkson laughing: “My husband was a really good husband that night.” Meanwhile, the double date nights have made their way from Clarkson’s Nashville home to Gwen Stefani’s Los Angeles pad. – Read more at ETOnline.com

Fox TV Group Chief Gary Newman on His Future, Ryan Murphy’s Exit, ‘American Idol,’ and ‘Creepy’ O.J. Simpson Interview – Newman also insisted that Sunday’s airing of the “O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?” interview special wasn’t entirely a counter-programming move against the launch of “American Idol” in the same time slot on its new home at ABC. He said Fox had tried unsuccessfully to find the tapes of the interview that was shelved amid a public outcry in 2006. A new search was launched last fall when Simpsons was paroled after serving nine years in prison on an armed robbery conviction. “We were truly stunned,” Newman said of the footage they found. “The interview was riveting. It’s compelling. It’s a little creepy and scary. – Read more at Variety

Why Katy Perry Can’t Save “American Idol” – It’s impossible to pinpoint one cause for Idol’s struggles in its later years, as it failed to produce pop stars and ratings declined, but songwriter Kara DioGuardi’s addition as a fourth judge during Abdul’s final season (she was most memorable for her singing battle with “Bikini Girl”) certainly upset the existing balance and chemistry of the judging panel. The show’s falling ratings fell further once Abdul left, and even more tellingly, that was the first season that none of the top four finalists achieved noteworthy singles or sales success. – Read more at BuzzFeed

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!