*Congrats to Adam Lambert! The Vh1 acoustic version of “Whataya Want From Me” is #1 on this week’s VH1 Top 20 Countdown. Check it out HERE. Daughtry’s “Life After You” is #7 and Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying is #9
David Cook to perform on Idol this Wednesday
David Cook is back from songwriting sessions in Sweden, and his got great news!
@thedavidcook: Oh and I brought a present back for everyone. We’ll be performing on idol this wednesday! Be sure to check it out!
DioGuardi, dad of ‘Idol’ judge, to run for Senate
ALBANY, N.Y. — The father of “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi (KEHR’-uh dee-oh-GWAHR’-dee), former Republican congressman Joe DioGuardi, is set to announce he is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kirsten Gillibrand.
DioGuardi represented the suburbs north of New York City for two terms before he was defeated by Democrat Nita Lowey in 1988.
He is a certified public accountant who lives with his wife in Ossining, N.Y.
His campaign said Friday he will make an official announcement on Tuesday at Grand Central Station in Manhattan.
Michael Orland, Debra Byrd talk Season 9 singers
Sixteen-year-old Aaron Kelly, for instance, “is one of the most ridiculous musicians I’ve met in my life, but he’s still looking for his voice, ” he said. (He thinks Katie Stevens is very talented, too, and disagrees with the judges telling her she should go younger with her song choices.) Crystal Bowersox and Michael Lynche have a stronger knowledge of who they are, he said, but they don’t have the kind of professional experience that some previous singers have had. “We’re going to see more people grow in leaps and bounds. Adam every week was great, great, great. We’re going to watch these kids take off, take off, take off.”
More Idol Headlines After the Jump…
Adam Lambert in Talks to Launch Man Makeup for Cosmetic-Curious Straight Dudes
Adam Lambert told us at the Blonds’ show during Fashion Week that he was interested in launching a clothing or cosmetics line. Now he’s reportedly in talks to launch a makeup line consisting of everything a guy could need, including foundation, concealer, shadow, mascara, lip gloss, nail polish, and eyeliner, though it is unclear whether man glitter is also on the agenda. He reportedly believes straight men “are likely to experiment” with his products.
‘Idol’ exit Q&A: Todrick Hall talks about his campaign to get on ‘Glee’
Todrick Hall, 24, knows he’s had some rough weeks. Immediately pegged as ”the dancer who can sing, ” Hall set out early to prove himself. On Wednesday night, he thought he did just that, but voters thought otherwise. EW spoke with Hall following his elimination.
‘Idol’ exit Q&A: Lilly Scott on ‘karaoke singers being molded into a big pop star’ and her Coachella hopes
As one of this season’s most unique contestants, 20-year-old Lilly Scott had high hopes of making it far. But her hopes were dashed last night after a shocking vote, leaving her publicly puzzled. ”I don’t know what America wants to hear, ” she said last night. Today, EW asked about her theories on the subject and more.
‘Idol’ exit Q&A: Alex Lambert on stage fright and the song he wish he sang
Soft-spoken Alex Lambert, 19, may not have been the most theatrical of performers. But he did have that voice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get him into the Top 12. He talked to EW after elimination night.
You chose “Trouble, ” a song that a few past contestants have performed. What made you choose it?
I had another song in mind: “Let Me Love You” by Mario. It’s an R&B song, but I was going to change it up and make it my own. But it was a song a lot of people didn’t know so I went with my second choice because one of the producers was telling me, “If you do this song, you’ll get more votes.” But obviously I didn’t get enough. I wish I would’ve done the other song.
‘Idol’ exit Q&A: Katelyn Epperly on ‘molding myself to be something I wasn’t’
The bluesy Katelyn Epperly may have been skeptical of her chances on American Idol, but she continued to impress to judges up until her rendition of “I Feel the Earth Move, ” which kept her from entering the Top 12. The 19-year-old Iowa native talked with us about her song choice, why she didn’t belong on the Idol stage and how being kicked off has given her some relief.
Decoding Siobhan Magnus’ style
Among the zaniest contestants we met at the Top 12 party? Siobhan Magnus, whose self-styled look featured an assortment of symbols and embellishments, each with a deeply personal meaning. We had the 19-year-old Cape Cod native break it down for us.
The Ink: Siobhan currently boasts three tattoos. On her right shoulder (middle inset) is the cover image from Edward Gorey’s book “The Gashlycrumb Tinies.” “He’s an author from Cape Cod who’s one of my mom’s favorites, ” she says. “He lived close to us so I grew up being very familiar with his work.”
‘Idol’s’ Bowersox is keeping the dreadlocks
LOS ANGELES – “American Idol” is months away from crowning a winner, but already, one woman has emerged as the contestant to beat.
During her third week of live competition on Tuesday, judge Simon Cowell told Crystal Bowersox, the 24-year-old dreadlock-sporting mom from Elliston, Ohio, the competition was “your’s to lose.”
But what does Bowersox herself think about the hype?
Crystal Bowersox’s Illness Clouds Contestant’s Future
You’re a big deal if you can force ‘American Idol’ to shift its schedule. Last week, the guys sang before the girls after Crystal Bowersox’s doctor kept the sick singer off the stage. It was an unprecedented shakeup for one of TV’s most reliably scheduled shows. This week, Bowersox swept the incident aside and followed her talent into the Top 12. But will her health keep her from winning it all?
Casey James on his DWI arrest: ‘I was young and stupid’
It wasn’t the worst mug shot we’ve ever seen, but Season 9 Top 12 finalist Casey James says he was prepared to face the music when it came to his DWI arrest in 2001.
“I figured it would come up, but it’s kind of been blown out of proportion, ” he told Idol Tracker at Thursday night’s Top 12 party. “It’s common, public knowledge, but it was also 10 years ago.”
Talking to the ‘Idol’ finalists at the Top 12 party
Just a couple of hours after getting their good news, some of American Idol’s new finalists spoke to USA TODAY’s Bill Keveney Thursday on the blue — not red — carpet at the Top 12 party at Los Angeles’s Industry nightclub.
‘American Idol’: Q&As With the Top 12!
The Top 12 has arrived. As if they were attending a prom night on steroids, American Idol’s remaining contestants smiled for the press Thursday night for what felt about as long as the running time of Avatar before they were finally allowed into the L.A. club Industry to celebrate their success. Practically every one of them handled the photographers and journalists as if they’d been doing it since they first ever picked up a mic, although Aaron Kelly appeared a smidge overwhelmed. (But, hey, the guy’s only 16 years old, so we’ll cut him a break.) And, as is always the case with television, the Top 12 singers were a bit shorter than anticipated. With the obvious exceptions of Michael Lynche and Casey James, this is a particularly tiny group of contestants. Ryan Seacrest, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Ann Powers: Has ‘Idol’ gone too indie?
I’m supposed to be on vacation, but I can’t resist a little post on a subject that’s been haunting me this week. We now know our Top 12, and some — myself included — are disappointed that two of the more idiosyncratic and intriguing performers, Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott, got the chop in favor of the far more conventional and, up to now at least, less musically compelling Katie Stevens and Tim Urban. (There’s a happier way to look at this, of course: we kept two other bottom-circling contestants, Andrew Garcia and Paige Miles, who bring crucial racial diversity in front of the judges’ table.)
Is an indie sensibility driving ‘American Idol’ ratings to longtime lows?
In an earlier post, Times pop music critic Ann Powers wondered whether “American Idol” contestants are going “too indie” this year. And when you look at the recent ratings, you do have to wonder whether viewers would like it better if the kids stuck with more Beyonce and less Brandi Carlile.
But there may be other factors at work too.
First, those numbers. Through the first nine weeks, “Idol” has slipped 4% on the Tuesday telecasts, to an average of 26.7 million total viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. This week’s show, with the girls singing, was a bit subpar, at 25.6 million. On Wednesdays, the show has tumbled 9%, to an average of 25 million. This Wednesday’s program, devoted to the boys, drew just 20.7 million viewers, a very low tally by “Idol” standards.
Has American Idol Lost Its Mojo?
“I think it’s really great. I think everyone’s getting along really well and we all have our opinions and they differ and that’s what you want. We want different viewpoints. That’s what makes it interesting.”
—Zzzz. Oh, sorry! A riveting response by Kara DioGuardi at Wednesday’s Stars and Strikes fundraiser when asked how the American Idol atmosphere is different with Ellen versus Paula Abdul.
During the interview, the über-mellow judge was lounging on a pool table and we were worried she—or worse, I—was going to fall asleep at any moment.
I think it’s safe to say we know the real difference between A.I. now and during Paula’s reign…
The current setup is freakin’ boring!
Scott MacIntyre Wants to Take Simon Cowell’s Spot on Idol
Hmm…. An Idol contestant turned judge? After a dueling-pianos performance with fellow former Idol Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre said he felt so at home on the American Idol stage that he’d like to replace the departing Simon Cowell.
Who should replace Simon Cowell on American Idol?
“I would love to replace Simon, ” MacIntyre said at the American Idol Top 12 party on Thursday night. “I can rock those V-necks and I can do the British accent: ‘It was rubbish!’ I can’t be that mean, but I think I’d be good. I’m going to apply.”
News of Simon Cowell Afghan fiancée: How does it play in Kabul?
Kabul, Afghanistan
The middle-aged man with a face like Yoda’s can’t say he remembers Mezghan Hussainy, the Afghan refugee engaged to American Idol’s Simon Cowell.
Although their romance has filled gossip columns in the West, with Mr. Cowell talking about their relationship on Jay Leno’s ‘The Tonight Show’ this week and buzz about a possible wedding in September, there has been rather less of a stir in Afghanistan.
“There are many families called Hussainy, ” Barat Ali says. “I don’t know which one she’s from.”
