Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard dropped from J Records?
It seems winning American Idol is no guarantee that you’ll actually keep your major label deal. Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2’s Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006’s The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped. (Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.) Now the Hollywood Insider hears that season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal. “Taylor is going to record his next album on his own, ” said a label rep. “He is no longer on the J Records roster.”
Ruben Studdard, Frenchie Davis to Tour in Ain’t Misbehavin’
American Idol veterans Ruben Studdard (who won the competition in 2003) and Frenchie Davis (who went on to the Broadway company of Rent) have signed on for a 30th anniversary national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical revue Ain’t Misbehavin’. According to a spokesperson for Big League Productions, the tour will begin in November and play at least through May 2009; specific cities are currently being booked.
Taylor Hicks talks about Asian Idol’ and plans for 2008
Hicks is looking forward to a busy 2008 with a primary goal being a new album out in stores.
“I think I’ll have a lot more freedom creatively this go-around, ” says Hicks, whose self-titled last CD came out seven months after he won “Idol.”
“I’ll also have the time now to create an album without the post-winning-‘Idol’ constrictions, ” he says. “I have time for the album to breathe artistically.”
More Idol Headlines After the Jump…
Former Idol Winner Coming To Rocky Mount
The American Idol winner from 2003, Ruben Studdard, is scheduled to perform a concert in Rocky Mount. Studdard’s appearance is the crown jewel of …A Night of Youth Recognition on Thursday, January 31. The “Idol” winner will perform at the Dunn Center of the Performing Arts located on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College.The Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe petitioned Studdard to perform at their 2008 Youth of the Year: Sailing to New Heights Celebration. Studdard held membership in the Hueytown Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama as a child.
The Party Crasher – SoBe New Year’s Eve 2007: Jennifer Hudson, Adrian Grenier, Ashlee Simpson, and more…
Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson walked along the red carpet blowing kisses to the stalkerazzi. Yours truly was the ONLY member of the media to sneak inside Hudson dressing room (I still dont know how I pulled that one off) for a taste of the inside scoop. Hudson crew, comprised of siblings and respective partners, had just dined at Cheeseburger Baby, because even award winners slum it up sometimes.
Despite rumors of her dating New York Jet Kerry Rhodes, “Dream Girl” Jennifer Hudson was with her hometown beau, James Peyton, at the Setai in Miami for New Year’s Eve. The Oscar winner was looking forward to 2008 so much she led the New Year’s countdown at 11:58, causing confused guests to check their watches.
‘American Idol’ warms up Rocky Christmas fest
About 100 vendors and dozens of entertainers were on hand to lend the Equestrian Center a holiday feeling. Headlining the fest was former “American Idol” contestant and Bountiful resident Carmen Rasmusen, who was promoting her latest album, “Nothin’ Like Summer, ” under the Lofton Creek record label.“She has that big, beautiful voice that comes out of this little body, ” Bowcut said. “She sounds like an angel when she sings. When we found out we could get her for this show, we were ecstatic.”
Fill your January calendar with these music acts
Or consider a day at the park: 99.9 Kiss Country is presenting one of its strongest Chili Cookoff lineups in recent years, Jan. 27 at C.B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines, 954-437-2650. The 23rd cookoff stars Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, the always-electrifying Gretchen Wilson and rookie superstar Taylor Swift, along with Joe Nichols, Sawyer Brown, Chris Young, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Phil Stacey and Rissi Palmer.
Another Alabama singer on ‘American Idol’?
Cardin Lee McKinney. If you’re an “American Idol” fan in Alabama, that name soon may become important to you.McKinney, 20, a former resident of Huntsville and Madison, is among the top 50 contestants on the Fox TV reality show this year, according to Webloggers in the know.
McKinney, a native of Orem, Utah, lists her hometown as Nashville on her MySpace page. However, reliable sources say she formerly resided in the Huntsville area, performed there and has relatives there.
The return of ‘Rent’
The touring cast of “Rent” includes Heinz Winckler as Roger. Winckler was the winner of “South African Idol” — that country’s answer to “American Idol” — and has three hit albums and a role as Tony in the Toronto production of “West Side Story” to his credit.
“American Idol” finalist Anwar Robinson makes his stage debut as Tom; Robinson hails from East Orange.
“Rent” will be performed at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets in Philadelphia, as part of the Cadillac Broadway Series. Tickets range from $25 to $70 and are on sale by calling (215) 731-3333 or by going to www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.
CTV Announces Canadian Idol Season 6 Audition Tour Stops
CTV has announced details of the sixth cross-country audition tour for Canada’s No. 1 Summer Series, beginning this month, as the 2008 Audition Tour gets set to kick off Saturday, January 26 at the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton. As announced last night on eTalk, the 10-city tour will cross the country, hitting malls in nine more cities through mid-April. In a Canadian Idol first, the hometown of reigning Idol Brian Melo
– Hamilton, Ontario – has been added as a stop on the 2008 Audition Tour.CTV also announced today that due to the success of the addition of
musical instruments last season – a North American first for Idol which will
now be seen in the upcoming season of American Idol on CTV – all
singer/musicians are once again welcome to audition for Canadian Idol with
instruments in 2008.
