Danny Gokey sings for hometown crowd
WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE – Danny Gokey sings for his hometown for the first time since becoming a national recording artist.
Johnny Weir calls Adam Lambert ‘an amazing performer, ‘ contemplates skating to ‘For Your Entertainment’
Of course, the conversation had to turn to Adam Lambert at some point in the night. After all, it was only a couple weeks ago that we asked the “American Idol” runner-up what he thought of the ice skating phenom.
“I think Adam is an amazing performer, ” said Johnny, who also revealed that he watched “Idol” last season and “had a hard time picking between Adam and Kris [Allen].” But by the end of the competition, Johnny noted, he was a faithful “Adam fan.”
Kelly Clarkson Takes Pee Break During Concert
Kelly was performing in Germany on Friday night when she mysteriously disappeared from the stage during a song. The band covered for her for a bit before she finally returned. She finished the song and then admitted, “I’m really sorry, I had to pee.”
‘Idolatry’: Racial conspiracies, new front-runners, self-sabotaging judges, and a higher power rock the week in ‘American Idol’
Idolatry Top 20
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Gokey returns home, charms sellout crowd
The “American Idol” third-place finisher was back in his hometown to showcase his debut album, “My Best Days.”” If Saturday wasn’t Gokey’s best day, it had to be a contender. Turner Hall Ballroom wasn’t due to open its doors until 5:30 p.m. Saturday, but the fans started gathering as early as 7:30 a.m. By 5:30 p.m., the line of fans hoping to get in ran down the street and around the block.
It was a capacity crowd that cut across generations and Wisconsin geography. Lured by Gokey’s cuteness and sweet-guy charisma, 24-year-old Ellisha Haeuser of West Bend attended her first concert. Kelly Townsend came in from Helenville with her 10-year-old daughter, Emma, for a special mother-daughter outing.
Indeed, family groupings were sprinkled through the hall. An evening with Danny feels a little like Sunday dinner at the Waltons’.
American Idol winner plays Vail benefit
VAIL, Colorado — The Vail Cascade Resort hosted the American Airlines Celebrity Ski event to benefit cystic fibrosis research this past week. The event celebrated 25 years of bringing sponsors, celebrities, entertainment, and skiing together at venerable mountain ski resorts.
The evening then kicked into high gear with the introduction of the evening’s musical entertainment — American Idol winner Kris Allen, accompanied by five other stellar musicians. Allen encouraged the crowd to sing along and enticed chuckles with his stories of snowboarding in Vail and earning “battle wounds” of bruises in the process.
Williamsport-area teen pursues dream on ‘Idol’
f you’ve been watching the new season of “American Idol” — and judging by the ratings, you probably have — you’ve no doubt taken notice of fresh-faced teenage contestant Aaron Kelly.
“His talent is just incredible, ” said John Trallo, Kelly’s Sonestown guitar teacher. “What people have seen of his vocal ability — you haven’t seen it all. There’s a lot more there.
“If he doesn’t win, he’s going to at least be in the top three.”
Song inspires musicians to look to ‘Best Days’
Green co-wrote the song with Kent Blazy at Blazy’s house, and played it for executives at Sony Music Nashville, who immediately took it for Gokey.
“Songs, a lot of times, they know where to go, ” Green said. “It didn’t even have a chance to go anywhere else.”
“My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” was inspired by a conversation Blazy overheard while walking at Radnor Lake. The songwriter had recently lost his wife and he heard someone say, “I really think my best days are ahead of me.” The idea spoke to his desire to try to move on with his life, and he presented it to Green during their writing appointment. Green said that while the song was motivated by Blazy’s grief, it is a positive anthem that anyone can relate to.
Katharine McPhee: From House Bunny to “Community” and Beyond!
After Katharine McPhee’s “American Idol” fame she branched out into acting and scored (ha, ..in more ways than one) as a pregnant coed in the popular film comedy The House Bunny.
With a new music tour coming up in April, Katharine is making time for TV as she plays Amber, Chevy Chase’s stepdaughter in the NBC series “Community”, then goes on to film her own NBC sitcom pilot about single girls in the city called “The Pink House”.
We called the “Idol” alum to catch up on her current career boom! Catch the singer/actress Thursday, March 8th in the “Community” episode entitled “Basic Genealogy”.
Celebrities play hoops for charity in Valley
No ticket to the Academy Awards ceremony at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre? No worries — you can see plenty of celebrities Sunday, right here in the Valley.
The Jack In The Box Celebrity Shootout will bring a host of recording artists, television actors and movie stars to town to play basketball for the benefit of local charities.
The event, in its ninth year, tips off at 2 p.m. Sunday at US Airways Center in Phoenix.
Recording artists Ciara and Jordin Sparks will serve as coaches during a celebrity basketball game, and several Phoenix Suns players will preside over various contests and promotions. The Suns Gorilla, Suns Dancers and Verve Sol Patrol will also entertain spectators.
Inside Chef Art Smith’s Private 50th Birthday Party!
8 top chefs each contributed a course for this evening and they included Nigella Lawson, Stephanie Izard, David Burke, Ming Tsai, Alan Wong, Gavin Kaysen, Barbara Lynch and Rey Villalobos. There was entertainment by Michael Johns and Sara Wasserman. His life partner, Jesus Salguiero, gave a heartfelt speech about Art that brought tears to everyone’s eyes and Chef Stephanie Izard put it this way, “Art keeps getting smaller and smaller in his waist and bigger and bigger in his heart.” I’ll say, with his 90 pound weight loss (325 down to 235), he is a shadow of his former self and now truly is the role model he’s always hoped to be for the many children he mentors.
I thought I’d never wed ..and then I met Mez
Simon Cowell thought he’d never marry – because he didn’t see himself as a one-woman man.
The 50-year-old X Factor guru said he always avoided popping the question because he thought he’d “get bored” of any woman with whom he tied the knot.
He told ITV’s Piers Morgan Life Stories last night: “I never believed I could be with one person for the rest of my life.
“I thought she’d hate me or I’d get bored, which is what I had a reputation for. “I thought I had it all. I had girlfriends and I thought, ‘Why get married?'” Simon, who previously dated 80s pop singer Sinitta and TV presenter Terri Seymour – and has had relationships with a string of other glamorous women – said he hadn’t been in love with many of his former girlfriends.
Simon Cowell takes on Piers Morgan as both plan summer weddings
Producer Lillywhite wants Cowell’s ‘Idol’ seat
DETROIT – Steve Lillywhite wants to “help America find the next Elvis Presley.” And that’s why the Grammy Award-winning producer — whose resume includes work with U2, the Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz, Morrissey, the Rolling Stones, Phish and scores of others — wants to be “American Idol’s” next Simon Cowell.
The British-born, New York-based Lillywhite has mounted a full-scale campaign to be considered for the job Cowell will be vacating after this season of the hit show to helm the U.S. rollout of his British TV series “The X Factor.” Lillywhite has hired an agent and publicist. He also has posted a short clip on YouTube extolling his bona-fides, and he recently filmed “a slightly more professional” video that will be out soon.
Haverhill’s Cooke lands dancing role in tonight’s Oscar ceremony
HAVERHILL — Since appearing on “So You Think You Can Dance” last year, Channing Cooke has left her hometown behind and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business.
Cooke, a Haverhill native, went to a Boston tryout for the FOX reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” last year. She impressed the judges enough to make the cut, get invited to Las Vegas for the national competition, and stay on the show until Nov. 19, where she was one of the bottom three dancers and was voted off.
Now living in Los Angeles with three roommates, Cooke recently auditioned for a dancing role in tonight’s Academy Awards ceremony, and was given a part.
Adam Shankman: Just call him Oscar’s choreographer
Adam Shankman’s love affair with the Oscars began with an act of petty larceny.
Back when he was a little boy, his father — an entertainment lawyer and manager — attended the Academy Awards. “He brought home the program from the show, and I stole it, ” said Shankman, 45. “I kept it and would look through that program for years. I just thought it was the most glorious thing in the world.”
