Idol Headlines for 01/14/10

Elton and ‘American Idol’ – Is the Bitch Back?

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/14/elton-john-simon-cowell-american-idol-judge-replacement-fox/#ixzz0cbt6zCdN

On TMZ TV — the day Simon announced he was leaving — we floated Elton John as the guy who should take Simon’s seat. After all, he knows music, he’s certainly got the bitchy attitude, and he’s British.

Now an “American Idol” spy tells us the talk on the set is … Elton John!

Elton was a guest judge in season three of ‘Idol.’

We contacted Elton’s rep to see if he was interested. She said tersely, “He’s on holiday.”

TMZ

Producer: Stars queuing for Cowell spot on `Idol’

LOS ANGELES – The search for a new “American Idol” judge to replace Simon Cowell next season is quickly taking on epic proportions.

British mogul Simon Fuller, who created the template for the U.S. show with “Pop Idol” in the U.K., says there’s been a global outpouring of celebrity interest in the job.

And there’s no apparently no rush to fill it.

“A day doesn’t pass that I don’t get a call from an agent of a superstar saying, ‘Can we talk?’ … Everyone’s interested, and that’s going to go on month after month, ” said Fuller, whose company, 19 Entertainment, produces “American Idol” with FremantleMedia North America.

Fuller, in Los Angeles from London to watch the start of Hollywood week auditions for “American Idol, ” said he has enjoyed seeing the chemistry emerge between newcomer Ellen DeGeneres and the acerbic Cowell.

Associated Press

CKX and Simon Fuller Agree to a New Creative Deal: Simon Fuller Sets Up New Entertainment Company

CKX, Inc. (Nasdaq: CKXE) announced today that Simon Fuller, founder and CEO of 19 Entertainment, and the Company have agreed to a long term deal to ensure that the American Idol creator and executive producer continues to executive produce and provide overall global executive direction to CKX’s hit television shows, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance and the new online led property If I Can Dream, in return for a share of profits. In addition, Mr. Fuller is launching a new entertainment company in which CKX can invest. As part of this transaction Mr. Fuller will also provide general consulting services to CKX.

Newswire

FIRST LOOK: Adam Lambert Sits Down with Oprah

The show will air Tuesday, Jan. 19.

In the course of their sit-down, Lambert touched upon Simon Cowell’s announced departure from Idol and its possible ramifications for the show, what life was like for him both pre-Idol and after, and his controversial performance at the American Music Awards.

The singer also performed “Whataya Want from Me” from his new album For Your Entertainment. Also on the Oprah Winfrey Show with Adam: chart-topper Susan Boyle.

People.com

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

Very bad week

Hot on the heels of “Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s Monday announcement that he is leaving the No. 1 TV show at the end of this season, reports have surfaced that Fuller was robbed to the tune of nearly $100, 000 worth of valuables while on vacation in Uruguay.

According to the newspaper El Pais, the residence that Fuller and his wife, Natalie Swanston, were staying at, called “Villa Lobos, ” in the upscale Punta del Este resort, was burgled early last Thursday.

New York Post

Who sings that song?

If you’ve seen the following promotional spot and wondered about the song, I can help with that.

The song’s called Something to Hope For, by a young band from the Toledo, Ohio, area called The Undeserving.

The Undeserving — which consists of lead singer Clay Kirchenbauer; guitarist Brennan Willis , bassist Jimmy Getty and Clay’s younger brother, Kyle Kirchenbauer, on drums –got together about four years ago and signed to Warner Bros. in 2008. Something to Hope For is currently available digitally, with an EP coming in the next few weeks. An album release is set for this spring.

USA Today

Katharine McPhee puts on a bikini for ‘Shape’

Speaking of American Idol, Katharine McPhee bares her bikini bod for the February issue of Shape, on newsstands Monday.

Of her seven-year struggle with bulimia: “The more I focused on my weight, the worse my bulimia got, ” she says. “Now I’m more easygoing. I stopped fighting myself and became more forgiving of my body. Ironically, the weight came off naturally through exercise, but no dieting.”

USA Today

Reality Rocks Exclusive: Jason Castro Plays A Concert For The Kids

When season 7 American Idol runner-up Jason Castro came to Yahoo! Music on January 12–the day his Atlantic Records debut EP, Love Uncompromised, came out–he was only planning to do an interview for Reality Rocks. But his visit just so happened to coincide with a field trip by a group of theater kids visiting Y! headquarters, and he just so happened to have his acoustic guitar with him. And when Jason entered the office (instantly recognizable due his trademark dreads and Travolta eyes), these gaping-mouthed kids stared in wonder as if Santa Claus and Spongebob had walked into the room arm-in-arm.

Yahoo.com

Bucky Covington is on Idol Watch

Season 9 of ‘American Idol’ kicked off last night, with new judge Ellen DeGeneres taking over for Paula Abdul and viewers wondering what Simon Cowell will have to say during his final season on the wildly popular singing competition.

Former ‘Idol’ contestant Bucky Covington says he is a big fan of Ellen’s and is excited to see her “go at it” with Simon throughout the season. And even with Simon leaving, he’s certain fans will still tune in.

The Boot

Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Bucky Covington Help Country Weekly Celebrate 15 Years

A 15-year anniversary is definitely worth a party, and Country Weekly’s big event Tuesday at the Hard Rock Café brought out a load of stars — including Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Bucky Covington, Aaron Tippin, Darryl Worley, Steel Magnolia and the Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen — to mark the occasion for one of the genre’s best-known publications.

Is there cake in there?” Steel Magnolia’s shivering Joshua Scott Jones asked at the red carpet.

Are you planning to jump out of it?” I asked.

If it’s big enough!” he insisted.

GAC

Fantasia Takes Home International Award of Excellence

Fantasia Barrino rocks the house while performing at the Barbados Music Awards on Sunday (January 10).

The 25-year-old American Idol season 3 winner took home the International Award of Excellence at the show.

Fantasia also performed an hour-long set, including Free Yourself, ” When I See You” and even performed Barbados beauty Rihanna’s hit Umbrella”.

Just Jared

‘American Idol Rewind’: Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks hit Hollywood

We’re just beginning to meet the stars of “American Idol” Season 9 as FOX kicks the year’s festivities off with auditions in Boston and Atlanta, but the stars of “AI” Season 5 are pretty much old friends at this point.

And how fun is it to reminisce with old friends?

The series “American Idol Rewind” returns this week as well, taking a look back at Season 5 with familiar faces like Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks.

In the clip below, Pickler hits Hollywood Week and finds herself nervous about singing with a band for the first time, Daughtry impresses the judges and Hicks makes a move that separates him from the rest … .

Zap 2it

‘Idol’ stop number two: Pantslanta!

It’s a good thing “Idol” producers rolled out ineligible Atlanta auditioner General Larry “Pants on the Ground” Platt to bookend season nine’s second night, otherwise, we wouldn’t have all that much to talk about. Am I right or am I right? Brian Mansfield over at USA Today’s Idol Chatter uncovered some interesting background info about the man, the myth, the instant pop culture footnote. Namely that in his youth, Mr. Platt was a civil rights activist of some regard. Amen to that.

As for Platt’s peers down south… Atlanta started off slow, with a mellow Mary J. Blige sitting in as guest judge and record crowds hoping to be the next Fantasia or Clay Aiken. Unfortunately, few would even come close. Here, my four favorites.

LA Times

‘American Idol’ recap: Devil Went Down to Georgia

In these strange times when phrases like ”balloon boy” and ”cocktail waitress” and ”Khloe Kardashian” find wormholes into our collective brain-space, it’s hard to give one’s cynicism a rest. This realization hit me especially hard tonight after watching American Idol’s Atlanta auditions, and in particular the unexpectedly touching segment about Vanessa Wolfe, a 19-year-old native of tiny Vonore, TN, who spends her days diving off bridges, playing her guitar, and hanging out on her mom’s porch swing.

EW.com

“American Idol” discovers “Pants on the Ground” in Atlanta

When ‘Idol’ goes to Atlanta, they always come away with the best non-winners (Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, etc.) and this year is no exception, though this year’s Atlanta star will not be seen again in the singing competition. Because, sadly, he’s 34 years over the upper age limit for this show — more proof, if you needed it, that America is ready for Simon Cowell’s not-just-for-20-somethings singing competition series “The X Factor.”

Washington Post

‘American Idol’ Recap: Everybody Put Your Pants On The Ground!

Wednesday night’s “American Idol” made me so happy I didn’t know whether to raise the roof or put my pants on the ground. There was big talent, big laughs and a big elevator that made me think producers were holding auditions in the Tower of Terror.

But alas, we weren’t at Disney World. Instead, the second night of season nine of “Idol” plopped Randy, Paula, Kara and Simon in a giant hotel in Hotlanta. Mary J. Blige stepped in to keep Paula’s chair warm, and unlike Tuesday night’s waste of (very little) space Victoria Beckham, Ms. Blige was an engaging addition to the panel. She talked back to feisty contestants, used words like “anointed” and laughed in the face of several bad singers. Now that’s a diva who isn’t afraid to look like a mean-spirited millionaire on television! Bonus points to “Idol” producers for using that shot from the “Just Fine” music video where it looks like Mary J. Blige farts doves. (No really. Look.)

MTV

‘Idol’ without Simon: Can it survive ‘The X Factor’?

I’m very sad” were the first words out of Simon Cowell’s mouth when he called in to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show the day after announcing that the 2010 season of American Idol would be his last. But let’s face it, he’s probably not: The British judge is ditching Fox’s wildly popular singing competition after nine seasons to focus on bringing his own wildly popular U.K. singing competition, The X Factor, to America. I’ve always wanted to bring this other show over here, ” Cowell, 50, told Seacrest. At one point I was going to do both. But you know about overexposure, Ryan. You can’t be on TV too much … I genuinely thought people would be sick and tired of me.”

EW.com

‘American Idol’ Auditions Heat Up In Hotlanta

While I thought that American Idol season 9 got off to a disappointingly slow start on last night’s premiere episode in Boston (if I am being honest), I am delighted to report that things seriously heated up in Hotlanta tonight.

There was a genuinely entertaining guest judge, Mary J. Blige, who–despite a few line-crossing moments of inappropriate contestant-mocking laughter and impulsively Tourettes-like blurts like “Oh girl!”–did an overall fine job with her refreshingly feisty opinions. (She was much better than last night’s fembot guest judge, Victoria Beckham.) Additionally, there was a great glass elevator in which rejected auditioners dramatically descended 27 floors while MJB’s “I’m Going Down” played them off. There were also quite a few impressive and original auditions by some seeming early frontrunners, and a reject in a “Britney Spears Changed My Life” T-shirt trying to cover “Oops I Did It Again.” Yay!

Yahoo.com

‘Idol’ rewards the unconventional in Atlanta

Atlanta always gets good American Idol” auditioners, which is why the show keeps going back there. However, Wednesday’s auditions may have set new records for the amount of unconventional acts that got rewarded with tickets.

A girl from small-town Tennessee who jumps off bridges for fun, a girl who dressed up as a guitar and a guy who called himself Ski Bo Ski” all earned trips to Hollywood. But all were outshone by a 62-year-old who doesn’t like how kids are dressing these days.

MSNBC

How Susan Boyle conquered the world

At the turn of the century, when starry-eyed pundits gazed into crystal balls and imagined what the future of pop might look and sound like, not even the maddest visionary would have predicted that by 2010 the biggest-selling star in the world would be a frumpy, middle-aged spinster singing showtunes.

I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle shifted 6.2 million copies worldwide last year, and shows little sign of slowing down. It reached number one in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and has spent six weeks at the top of the US charts. Indeed, such is her popularity in America, that yesterday she appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show, having, it seems, regretfully declined an invitation to perform at the White House for Michelle Obama’s birthday. The President and First Lady absolutely love her voice, ” according to White House sources.

Telegraph.co.uk

ETA:

‘Glee’s’ Matthew Morrison Dropping Debut Album In Fall

Matthew Morrison is already dropping hits on FOX’s Glee” and in fall 2010, the Broadway-turned-primetime star is hoping for a few hits of his own when he releases his debut album.

The Golden Globe-nominated actor will enter the recording studio shortly to begin production of his album, according to a statement released to Access Hollywood.

The Glee” star, who plays Glee” club mentor Will Schuester on the hit FOX show, revealed to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush in October that his record will have an adult pop feel.

It’s going to be different. I would consider it a classier Justin Timberlake album, ” he said at the time. It’s going to be me and a big orchestra, but also with beats.”

Access Hollywood

About mj santilli 35161 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!