Today’s Idol Appearances:
- Crystal Bowersox, Megan McCormick and Jill Andrews perform at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville. More info HERE. The show will be broadcast live beginning at 8 pm CT HERE
- Lee DeWyze sings at halftime at the Bears Vs Packers NFC Championship game in Chicago. 3pm ET FOX
- Simon Cowell appears on Oprah Winfrey’s Masterclass OWN network, 10 pm.
- Blake Lewis will be on Hollyscoop 4pm PST on KTLA channel 5, Los
***
Katie Stevens spots a fellow Idol in a recent acting class. She tweets, “Class was fun! Didn’t wanna whip my phone out in the middle of people’s scenes to take pictures, but pleasant surprise to see @AllisonIraheta and @TylerHilton in my class!”
***
Casey James tweets a message to his fans. Casey reports that “things are going really well” and that he was honored to be part of Country Cares for St. Jude’s Hospital last week. Read more HERE
***
More Headlines after the JUMP…
***
David Archuleta headed to India to Visit Rising Star Outreach
Remember David Archuleta, the baby-faced first runner-up of ‘American Idol 7′? He’s coming to Chennai. What follows the announcement are shrieks of delight and a volley of queries —“When is he here? Where is he performing? Where to buy tickets?…”
Well, the singer will be here this weekend, but not for a concert. “I’ll be visiting Rising Star Outreach to meet children with leprosy, and their parents, ” says David, in a phone interview. Rising Star Outreach (located in Kancheepuram district) works in close association with Marriott Home, which educates these children.
Marriott Home is an initiative by the Marriott group, and the event is part of Courtyard by Marriott’s fifth anniversary celebrations.
Read more at the Hindu
***
‘Ex-American Idol’ judge Kara DioGuardi says her recent clash with TV reporters was ‘hurtful’
“I thought it was out of place to be talking about ‘Idol’ when they were debuting their show, ” DioGuardi tells Zap2it. “And the producer was there and [host/judge] Jewel was there. It just didn’t feel like the right forum.”
As we reported, there were some people in the room who booed her for refusing to answer. Then, things escalated when one reporter yelled out, “You’re here, because of that show.” In response, DioGuardi defended her resume.
“I felt that was a little bit hurtful, ” she says. “But I understand they’re just trying to do their job. But at the same time, I’m somebody who owns Arthouse and we have songs from our writers for Carrie Underwood and Flo Rida. Ari Levine is one of our writers and he’s up for seven Grammy noms. He co-wrote all the Bruno Mars stuff… That’s my company. I work at Warner Bros. I’ve sold many, many records, had a lot of hits. And I felt I needed to convey that and that I had the credentials to be on a songwriting competition.”
Read more at Zap2it
***
Adam Lambert attends a production of the Broadway musical Hair at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles last night
Here’s Adam backstage with actor Bradley Whitford
Via JLPantages and Hooplamagnet
***
Carrie Underwood and Husband Mike Fisher at Charity Event
Carrie Underwood joined husband Mike Fisher to deal blackjack hands at his NHL team’s annual fundraiser event. The Bell Sens Soiree, which helped raise money for children in the local community, was held at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Convention Centre in Gatineau-Ottawa.
Check out the photo at Country Music is Love
***
Nasty business
WHEN “AMERICAN Idol’’ launched its new season without Simon Cowell to good reviews last week, culture mavens wondered: Have we lost our taste for meanness?
After all, Cowell defined “Idol’’ for years with his Anglified insults, and launched a wave of TV contests with meanie foreign judges. And this new “Idol’’ panel, so far, lacks his attitude of bored contempt. The New Jersey and New Orleans auditions featured more good singers than basket cases and more praise than insults from the judges. Jennifer Lopez even moaned about the pain of crushing someone’s dream: “Why did I sign up for this? I want to go home!’’
Read more at the Boston Globe
***
Scott MacIntyre’s sister Katelyn wins the American Idol Experience at Disney World in Orlando
Photo via IdolKatelyn and IdolsNow
***
Ron Fair Joins Jimmy Iovine at American Idol
ALL’S FAIR: Geffen Chairman Ron Fair will join Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine with a full-time gig at American Idol when his deal is up this spring, according to sources. Fair will re-up with UMG for a new post that will see him devoting his energy to the Fox show, while still producing acts for the label. Ex-Sony A&R exec Larry Jackson was recently hired as EVP for Interscope Geffen A&M, and will take over some of his duties. Jackson was an A&R exec at J Records and RCA Music Group, working with Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys.
Read more at Hits Daily Double
***
Soup Top 5: American Idol Judges Give Thumbs Up to J-Lo’s Downstairs
1. American Idol: The new season has barely begun, and the judges’ opinions may ultimately be at odds, but Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler have already found something they can bond over. J-Lo’s ass.
Read more at EOnline
***
Simon Cowell tells Oprah of the day he was kicked out of a US TV network after bosses dismisses American Idol pitch
So encouraged by its success, Cowell and his then-business partners Simon Fuller and Simon Jones flew to Los Angeles to sell the format.
But the 51-year-old mogul has confessed to Oprah Winfrey on her Master Class show, which will screen in America tonight, that he left the US with ‘my tail between my legs’.
Recalling one meeting with a senior executive from an unnamed network, Cowell said: ‘It was so bad that a minute into the pitch the guy said, “No.”
Read more at Daily Mail
***
Paula Abdul to launch Live to Dance in Australia
Abdul is likely to move to Australia later in the year to bring her show Live To Dance to Foxtel, which is hosted in the US by Australian Andrew Gunsberg, formerly known as Andrew G.
Abdul said she was in talks with Foxtel and had agreed to come to Australia.
“I’ve had talks and I’ve been invited and I absolutely said ‘yes’, ” she said.
“I said, ‘when can I come?”‘
No host has been announced yet but it’s expected Gunsberg, based in Los Angeles with wife Noah Tishby, will move back to Australia.
Read more at the Herald Sun
***
EW’s ‘Glee’ photo shoot with Chris Colfer and Darren Criss: Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage!
On the afternoon of January 9, Glee‘s resident will-they-or-won’t-they gay teen duo Kurt and Blaine, played by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss, descended on a studio in Los Angeles to shoot the cover for EW’s recent Special Report: Gay Teens on TV cover, which is on newsstands now. As you might imagine, the day was nothing but a blast for Colfer and Criss, who posed for a variety of setups reminiscent of high school prom shots, as well as a setup that found Criss playing a ukulele for an admiring Colfer.
See the Video at EW
***
Elton John Reveals Duet With Glee’s Matthew Morrison
In October, Elton John made news when he mentioned that he would be working with Glee’s Matthew Morrison on the actor’s debut album. But with a busy schedule that included newfound fatherhood, another studio album, and executive producing and providing the soundtrack for Disney’s Gnomeo & Juliet, John had more than enough on his plate.
In an interview with Parade’s Mary Margaret, the music legend gave exclusive details about his project with Morrison, revealing that the two were able to finally sit down and make beautiful music with each other earlier this week.
“I just did it! It’s a duet. It’s great, really fantastic. He sings great on it.”
Read more at Parade
