‘Dream’ of stardom a 24/7 goal on Web
Reality programming is entering a new dimension.
Today at noon, “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller’s Web-only show “If I Can Dream” goes live at ificandream .com and hulu.com.
Five aspiring entertainers, including Miley Cyrus’s ex-boyfriend Justin Gatson, will be filmed 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a Hollywood mansion as they attempt to make their dreams of stardom come true.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ Tour Returns To North America Thursday
BIG MACHINE star TAYLOR SWIFT will kick off the North AMERICAN leg of her FEARLESS TOUR on THURSDAY (3/4), with a sold-out show at the ST. PETE TIMES FORUM in TAMPA.
The 39-date tour will visit arenas and stadiums in 31 cities in 25 states and provinces in the U.S. and CANADA over the next three months. BNA artist KELLIE PICKLER and EMBLEM/WARNER BROS./BIGGER PICTURE group GLORIANA will be the opening acts.
Idol Headlines after the jump…keep checking back for more.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Idol’ Finalist Elliott Yamin Needs to Get Out of Chile, Running Out of Diabetic Supplies
The 31-year-old was scheduled to play a 20-minute set at the at the 11th Annual Children Uniting Nations Awards Celebration during the Oscars this Sunday, but its unclear if he will even be back in time. Yet despite the dire situation, Yamin is trying to be optimistic as he prays for urgent assistance.
“I hope to get home before I slip into a diabetic coma. That would be nice, ” he added. “I’m trying to be positive, I’m alive and well. I have all my limbs attached. I don’t know how we all got out of there unscathed. I’m very grateful we lived to tell about it.”
Elliott has no idea when he’ll be leaving Chile, “I’m still stuck in santiago, with no clear idea as to when i’ll be able to get out…i think im starting to have post traumatic stress, as i reflect on where ive been over the last 2 weeks, and what ive been thru..altho im safe, alive, and well, still experiencing aftershox, and will b restless until i touch down on american soil” The American Embassy has advised he stay put, rather travel to another airport.. Good news, is that he says he’s “now doing OK” as far as his insulin supply goes.
Biltmore Estate announces summer concerts – Ruben and Clay together again in Asheville, NC
ASHEVILLE — The shows are The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band June 4, The Original Drifters June 11, Brandon Heath July 16 (all at the Diana), The Gaither Vocal Band July 17, Mary Chapin Carpenter July 22, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard July 21, The Steve Miller Band July 29, The Legendary Temptations July 30 (all on the South Terrace), Christopher Cross Sept. 24 and Kathy Mattea Oct. 4 (both at the Diana).
Some of the shows will be held at the new Diana at Biltmore venue, with other performances at the traditional location on the South Terrace lawn. Tickets will go on sale April 6.
Idol`s Casey James: Cute school pic is just Heaven-ly
American Idol hopeful Casey James is judge Kara DioGuardi’s newest crush and here he is as a fresh-faced schoolboy.
James, 27, who was a member of the jazz band and tennis team during his years at Millsap High School, in Texas, caught DioGuardi’s eye when he performed an acoustic version of Bryan Adams’ hit Heaven on the US talent show.
‘American Idol”s First Four Cut Talk to ET
America voted and Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Munoz and Tyler Grady were all eliminated from the ninth season of “American Idol”‘s Top 24. Now ET talks to the ousted “Idol” hopefuls about the disappointment of not making it another week on the singing competition.
“If there was any way to go out, I’m so proud of myself in the way that I did. Several of the girls have even texted me and just said, ‘Janelle, you had so much poise, you were a class act and we look up to you and we really admire the way that you went out.’ I felt like I kept it together, I sang my song better than I sang it the first time and I’m really happy with how it went, ” Janell says.
‘Idol’ threat
In the halls of Barnstable High School, they’re beginning to ask themselves what “American Idol’’ fans and judges may be wondering, too, as season nine of the Fox network’s star-making show unfolds.
Has 19-year-old Siobhan Magnus, a 2008 BHS graduate with no formal vocal training and little pre-Hollywood buzz behind her, become a legitimate top 10 contender? One of the favorites to wear the next “Idol’’ crown? What seemed unlikely a couple of weeks ago doesn’t seem so far-fetched today.
The Lambert Effect :: Is American Pop Queer-friendly?
When Adam Lambert made his man-kissing, leather-clad appearance on the American Music Awards late last year he subsequently ignited a backlash of viewer complaints, cancelled appearances and media criticism.
At the time, many in the music industry, including Lambert himself, questioned the degree to which the ensuing uproar had to do with his being openly gay, rather than simply overtly sexual. After all, numerous prominent, heterosexual female performers have performed equally, if not surpassingly, titillating displays on television in recent years. Unlike the provocative lineage these Madonnas and Britneys follow, Lambert does not enjoy the same luxury. When it comes to sexually explicit, openly gay American male pop performers, the precedent is practically nonexistent.
Danny Gokey’s ‘Best Days’ Full of Raw Emotion
Danny Gokey is gearing up to release his debut album, ‘My Best Days, ‘ on Tuesday (March 2). The former ‘American Idol’ contestant feels his fans will get to know him after listening to his CD.
“I think there’s gonna be a piece and a side they haven’t seen, ” Danny tells The Boot. “They haven’t [seen] the artistry yet, inside of me. They haven’t seen some of the raw emotion that I’ve been able to put in this CD. I’ve been able to be really blunt because this is my own project. It’s really about everything coming from the inside.”
Kellie Pickler will appear on ‘Charlotte Today’
Albemarle native Kellie Pickler will visit the NewsChannel 36 studios Tuesday and appear on “Charlotte Today” at 11 a.m.
Pickler is in town for 96.9 The Kat’s Concert for Hope, which also features Darius Rucker, Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Atkins and Jason Michael Carroll.
The concert is Tuesday night at Coyote Joes.
Before the concert, Pickler will shave 96.9 Morning Show host Paul Schadt’s moustache. Schadt pledged to shave his moustache if listeners raised $200, 000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
CMT Insider Interview: Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood displays her acting skills as a guest star in an episode of the CBS series, How I Met Your Mother, airing Monday night (March 1). She has also been filming a movie, Soul Surfer, and will be launching her Play On tour on March 11 in Reading, Pa.
Her continued advocacy of pet adoption and her own foundation in her hometown of Checotah, Okla., has led to a new promotion with the Pedigree dog food company to assist animal shelters and find homes for abandoned animals. For every person signing up as its Facebook friend, the company will donate 8 ounces of dog food to animal shelters.
“We’re going to raise a lot of awareness for the 4 million dogs that need homes that are in shelters now, that are in shelters every year, ” Underwood told CMT Insider. “They not only need homes, they need food. They need things like that.”
‘American Idol’ Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) On Katie Stevens
Mitchell has been busy in his post-“Idol” life. He and some other former contestants are preparing to do a show in Las Vegas, and he recently finished work on a single, “Brit Slap, ” with former Idols Kimberly Locke and Diana DeGarmo. The song, a playful jab at “American Idol” host Simon Cowell, should be released soon.
Mitchell says he still gets recognized by “Idol” fans, and it occasionally pays off. For instance, a cop recently pulled him over for speeding.
“He goes, ‘Wait a minute; you were on ‘Idol’! My wife and I watch that all the time, ‘” Mitchell says. “Then he gave me a pass. That’s been my paycheck from ‘Idol.'”
Taylor Hicks puts heart and soul into Teen Angel in ‘Grease’
n 2006, Mr. Hicks’ fans, the Soul Patrol, voted him into first place to win the coveted (and disparaged) “Idol” crown. Since then he has enjoyed the highs — No. 1 and No. 2 Billboard slots for his debut single and album, respectively — and endured the lows — getting dumped by Arista Records two years later — a pattern that now seems par for the course.
These days Mr. Hicks can be found wearing a costume he describes as “Liberace meets Elvis Presley meets Gram Parsons” and singing “Beauty School Dropout.” For the past two years he has been touring the country, playing the role of Teen Angel in Broadway’s version of “Grease.” Last week, he took some time out while in Milwaukee to talk about the show, his unlikely Broadway training and why being the greatest musician in the world won’t get you anywhere if you just sit in your room.
Daughtry drummer entertains in classroom
Dave Fox and Neill Clegg’s students at Greensboro College have spent the past several weeks reviewing the history and stylistic nuances of pop music.
On Monday night, they got to see a chart-topping artist in the flesh.
Joey Barnes, drummer for the rock band Daughtry, sang a few songs and offered his insights on the writing process, digital music and Frank Sinatra.
The course, titled “The Top 10 Pop Songs of the Past 50 Years, ” has, over the past semester, featured live performances by Clegg and Fox, as well as local soul singer Jay Bird. The two instructors have known Barnes pretty much his whole life through his father, Joey Barnes Sr., a musician they had played with many times.
Steve Lillywhite: I’m as handsome as Simon Cowell!
With production credits that include U2, Dave Matthews Band, the Rolling Stones, Jason Mraz, Matchbox Twenty, Talking Heads, 30 Seconds to Mars and the forthcoming Evanescence album, Lillywhite’s resumé pretty much blows the show’s current judges right out of the water.
For the past couple weeks, Lillywhite has publicly campaigned for a shot at the Idol judges’ seat being vacated by Simon Cowell at the end of this season. He recently made one video outlining his qualifications. He’s planning on making another soon.
Steve Lillywhite Says He Can Improve ‘American Idol’
A few weeks ago, murmurs started surfacing from the camp of famed producer Steve Lillywhite about possible involvement with ‘American Idol’ next year — specifically, that he wants to be the next Simon Cowell. And he thinks there’s room for improvement.
“People know my music, don’t know my personality, ” Lillywhite tells PopEater. “People who know my personality don’t see it as being a strange thing for me to do. I’ve been following the show closely and the more I see it, the more I feel I can do the job. I think I can improve the show. The current crop — certainly of guys — there’s been no real standouts, and I can’t believe that out of the thousands of people that auditioned, these are the 12 best guys. Simon knows that. You can tell by his body language that he’s embarrassed by the choices they’ve made.”
‘American Idol’ + ‘Real World’ = New Web series ‘If I Can Dream’
Despite all of the cameras pointed at them — on a recent visit, PopWatch counted at least five in the living room alone and an average of 3 per bedroom — the Dream team say they aren’t nervous about living their day-to-day lives under the spotlight.
“There’s been times today where I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I’m on camera.’ I really have forgotten already, ” said Amanda Phillips, a former NFL cheerleader from New York who hopes to become an actress/model.
“This is the worst place ever to play hide and seek, ” joked Kara Killmer, an aspiring actress from Texas.
Danny Gokey’s ‘My Best Days’: Track-by-track
Coming out of American Idol last season, Danny Gokey indicated he didn’t want to limit himself to the Christian-music audience that would have been a natural fit for the former worship leader. Given Danny’s penchant for storytelling and inspirational messages — and his apparent lack of knowledge of contemporary pop-music trends — country was about the only format that made sense for him. No, he didn’t grow up on a farm, or even a small town, and he likely won’t challenge George Strait, Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney for supremacy in the genre. But he did show a fondness for contemporary country, especially the ballads, during Idol and the subsequent tour. So, with My Best Days, Danny finds a home in country.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ judge will host Dance Foundation’s gala
Nigel Lythgoe, co-creator and judge on the megahit TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, will host the National Dance Foundation’s annual fund-raising gala next week.
Billed as a ‘five-star evening’, it will be held March 13 at the Fairmont Southampton.
Mr. Lythgoe is participating at the invitation of National Dance Foundation board member and patron, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The Academy Award-winning actress has hosted the black tie event since its inception in 2005.
Danny Gokey: ‘American Idol’ gave him ‘a hunger, a drive, a passion’
Danny Gokey’s debut album, “My Best Days, ” drops Tuesday, March 2. Find out what he has to say about “American Idol” and his upcoming tour with Sugarland.
Gokey tells Soundcheck that his time on “American Idol” really helped his passion and his drive grow and it’s what made him decide he “wanted to be a performer.”
Dates Announced For ‘Glee’ Spring Tour
Glee Live! In Concert!” Tour Dates:
May 18 Phoenix, AZ | Dodge Theatre (Tickets on sale Fri., March 12 at 10 a.m. ET)
May 20 Los Angeles, CA | Gibson Amphitheatre (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 10 a.m. ET)
May 21 Los Angeles, CA | Gibson Amphitheatre (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 10 a.m. ET)
May 25 Chicago, IL | Rosemont Theatre (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 10 a.m. ET)
May 26 Chicago, IL | Rosemont Theatre (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 10 a.m. ET)
May 28 New York, NY | Radio City Music Hall (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 9 a.m. ET)
May 29 New York, NY | Radio City Music Hall (Tickets on sale Sat., March 13 at 9 a.m. ET)
