The Top 9 share their Beatles memories
They may be British songwriters, but for three years running, Lennon-McCartney week, or “Beatles night” as it’s loosely referred to, has become one of “American Idol’s” most popular themes. And it’s no wonder — the songs outshine the singing time and time again. Perhaps Lee DeWyze said it best when he told us after the show: “It’s hard to ruin a Beatles song.” So we thought we’d ask all of this year’s hopefuls for their first Beatles memory (Crystal Bowersox instead offered her favorite).
Idol Headlines after the JUMP…keep checking back for more.
Casey James tops this week’s Idol Meter
“Just when he needed to break out of his groove (or rut), [Casey James] pulled off his best performance in ages, an easy No. 1 on What Not to Sing’s ratings this week, ” Ken Barnes writes in the latest Idol Meter update, which puts Casey at the top, following his take on John Lennon’s Jealous Guy. Crystal Bowersox comes in a close second, with Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly both floundering with negative scores.
Dish Of Salt: Backstage At ‘American Idol, ’ Part I (April 6, 2010)
Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus and Casey James chat with AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman about how exciting it is to get a message from Paul McCartney and their performance on “American Idol.” Plus, who do they think will be eliminated next?
Dish Of Salt: Backstage At ‘American Idol, ’ Part II (April 6, 2010)
Andrew Garcia chats with AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman about his bromance with Lee Dewyze. Also, Aaron Kelly tells The Dish how nerve-racking it is to perform first. Plus, Tim Urban talks about the judges’ critique of his performance.
Dish Of Salt: Backstage At ‘American Idol, ’ Part III (April 6, 2010)
Laura Saltman catches up Michael Lynche, Katie Stevens and Lee Dewyze to talk about how great it is to perform John Lennon and Paul McCartney songs. Plus, Katie tells The Dish she is getting offers for prom but how will she pick her date?
‘Idolatry’: Didi Benami on writing with Crystal, getting ‘Terrified, ‘ and rejecting the sympathy vote
Don’t use the words “emotionally fragile” to describe Didi Benami. That may have been how she was portrayed onscreen during American Idol’s ninth season, but the 10th-place finisher says there’s a lot more to her than crying spells and emotional reminiscing. And indeed, when Didi stopped by the Idolatry studios earlier this week, we dished a wide range of topics — including the lost Lillith vibe of season 9; her original but ultimately botched plan for “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”; and the ousted contestant who texted her right after her elimination.
Didi Benami Plans Songs About ‘Crazy Experience’ Of ‘American Idol’
Didi Benami’s final week on “American Idol” was a bumpy one, what with her tepidly received “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, ” an awkward interaction with Ryan Seacrest during which the host clutched on to her hand and begged her to open up about her deceased friend to 30 million viewers and, of course, her somewhat-shocking elimination Wednesday night, making her the third female singer in a row forced to take a bow.
It was a roller-coaster ride, for sure, but also the perfect fodder for a killer song.
Is ‘Idol’ Hopeful Tim Urban Single?
“American Idol” wannabe Tim Urban dropped the big news — whether he’s single or not — exclusively to “Extra” at the “Idol” Top 10 photoshoot in Los Angeles. Find out if Urban is on the market — in the below video!
‘Idol’ Top 10: The ‘Extra’ Exclusive
The “American Idol” Top 10 contestants aren’t sweating the competition… too much, but they are excited about going on tour together this summer.
At an exclusive photo shoot promoting the “American Idol” top 10 tour with the talented singers, “Extra” talked with the gang about receiving criticism from the judges, and about their favorite guest mentors, plus singing Beatles songs in this week’s theme.
VIDEO: Idol Confessions with Kimberly Caldwell
Season 2 Top 10 finalist Kimberly Caldwell looks back at her “American Idol” experience, recalling the time she got a phone call from her musical hero, Melissa Etheridge (Kim returns the favor by covering Etheridge’s “Sleep While I Drive” on her debut album, “Without Regret, ” out in July), and life on television after the show, which included a regular hosting gig on the TV Guide Network and an insatiable desire to “mount Ellen DeGeneres’ leg.” (Her words, not ours).
Kellie Pickler Is Rooting For Ellen DeGeneres On ‘American Idol’
NEW YORK — This season, Ellen DeGeneres joined “American Idol” as the fourth judge, replacing Paula Abdul. And while she’s still getting her footing on the show alongside veteran “Idol” judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, and even Kara DioGuardi in her second season, former “American Idol” contestant and CMT Awards nominee Kellie Pickler is rooting for DeGeneres as the show’s newest star.
“I’ve not seen the show, but I love Ellen, ” Pickler gushed to MTV News on Monday night on the Dressed to Kilt red carpet, where she strutted her stuff on the runway alongside Gerard Butler, Joan Jett and Sean Connery. “She’s like my favorite person in the world, ” Pickler said. “I’m sure she’s doing great.”
‘American Idol’s’ Kimberley Locke on ‘Strobelight, ‘ partnering with Randy Jackson
“American Idol” finalist Kimberley Locke’s new single “Strobelight” drops Tuesday, April 6. She tells Zap2it about working on her first release in several years and what it’s like to partner with judge Randy Jackson outside of “Idol.”
“One Shining Moment” 2010 Revamp Draws Criticism
(CBS) For Duke University’s men’s basketball team, the playing of “One Shining Moment” meant they had just won their fourth NCAA championship. For Jennifer Hudson, it meant an onslaught of criticism over her rendition of the song.
The “American Idol” alumna recorded a rendition of the song, which is traditionally played along with a montage of tournament moments after the final game. But her version, and the montage played with it, didn’t sit well with fans.
If “One Shining Moment” is searched on Twitter, a lengthy list of users who have discussed Hudson’s version appear.
An ‘Idol’ Ratings Loss, but Not in Its Pocketbook
So ABC can hardly be blamed for bragging that last week’s edition of its own reality show hit, “Dancing With the Stars, ” attracted more viewers (23 million) than “Idol” (21.8 million). In much the same way, NBC was elated when it topped “Idol” on one night of its Winter Olympics coverage in February.
But any effort to push “Dancing” as a real threat to the might of “Idol” where it really counts — ad dollars — is at best premature. It may be fairer to label it folly. According to figures on commercial costs issued by the Nielsen company, “Idol” is charging about $642, 000 for each 30-second commercial in its current run. The most recent figures for “Dancing” come from last fall’s edition, when it was charging about $209, 000.
Injured Evan Lysacek: I’m Done With the Doctors
Things are getting really freaky for Evan Lysacek and his broken toes.
“Someone set up a Twitter page for my toes, ” Lysacek told me earlier today. “Evanstoe tweets more times a day than I do!”
While toe tweets may be funny, Lysaceck isn’t exactly laughing about the piggies he injured during his Dancing With the Stars training. “They hurt, ” the Olympic gold medalist said. “It’s a throbbing pain, which doesn’t feel good, but at the same time I’m not going to let it affect me too much.”
Buzz Aldrin voted off “Dancing With the Stars”
The second man to set foot on the moon failed to impress the judges with his waltz on Monday’s performance show in a night in which each dance told a story through movement.
Aldrin and his partner Ashley Costa told of an old soldier who returns home from duty to be greeted by his daughter, but the judges said Aldrin seemed to do more walking than waltzing. The couple’s score of 13 was the night’s lowest.
“I did this show for the fighter pilots out there, the military people and the elder geezers like me who would just like to see an elder come back week after week” on the show, Aldrin told the audience.
Jon Gosselin to sue Kate over ‘Dancing’
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Jon Gosselin plans to sue ex-wife Kate for primary custody of their eight children because her appearances on “Dancing With the Stars” have turned her into an absentee mom, a lawyer for the former reality show dad told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Jon Gosselin’s new lawyer, Anthony List, said he plans to file papers in Berks County Court in Pennsylvania this week to reopen their divorce settlement.
List said that Kate Gosselin’s participation in the smash ABC dance competition show has taken her away from the children, and that she has delegated most child-rearing responsibilities to three nannies.
“Without a doubt, she’s an absentee parent, ” he said.
Kate Gosselin’s attorney, Mark Momjian, called the allegation reckless and “patently false.”
‘Dancing With the Stars’: EW interviews Week 3’s eliminated contestant
After earning a mere 13 points last night, Buzz Aldrin became the second dancer to get the boot from Dancing With the Stars. We talked to the former astronaut and his partner Ashly Costa about how they were judged and what he hoped his appearance on the show did for the nation’s space program.
Is ‘Glee’ Overexposed? Creator Says, ‘You Need To Feed the Beast’
You can watch the cast of Fox’s ‘Glee‘ perform – in character – in clips from Monday’s White House Easter egg roll event. This Wednesday, you can watch the ensemble perform on ‘Oprah.’
Starting in May, the ‘Glee’ stars will hit the road for a mini-tour. And of course with every new episode, a flurry of performance clips hit the Internet, offering a potent peek at what’s on that week’s play list.
Still, the producers of Fox’s freshman hit won’t let themselves worry about overexposure.
Second chunk of ‘Glee’s’ first season to feature more music, guest stars like Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris’ upcoming guest role on Fox’s “Glee” was tailor-made for the actor, even before they confirmed he was available to shoot it.
“When we were writing the character, we were like, ‘Oh my God, what if Neil’s too busy and can’t do it?” co-creator and executive producer Brad Falchuk told reporters in a conference call Tuesday. “We would have had to rewrite the whole episode.”
Thankfully, Harris was available.
‘DWTS’ Chelsie Hightower on Jake Pavelka: ‘Maybe He Is Too Sensitive’
‘Dancing with the Stars‘ is TV’s reigning star right now, and it just might be due to the simple fact that its stars are having well-documented meltdowns that we get to indulge in week after week.
Kate Gosselin has shed many-a-tear. Tony Dovolani has nearly quit. Aiden Turner has melted down on Edyta Sliwinska. And thrown up. And this week we saw ‘The Bachelor‘ star Jake Pavelka’s battle with partner Chelsie Hightower.
Footage revealed Jake taking a time-out during rehearsals and later confronting Chelsie over how she talks to him. “Sometimes when you talk to me you are just very, very disrespectful.” Really, Jake? Seems as if the pilot doesn’t like it when he’s not in control.
DWTS: Kate Defends “Very Clever” Dance, and Evan Defends Erin
Evan Lysacek has a skate blade, and he’s not afraid to use it to defend “best friend” Erin Andrews.
Also, Kate Gosselin firmly believes her paparazzi-inspired performance last night was “very clever.”
(Why are you laughing?!)
Here’s what the stars themselves told us last night as we visited the set of Dancing With the Stars…
More Headlines:
Fox adds music-themed episodes to shows
With “Glee” returning and “American “Idol” whittling down competitors, Fox is airing a week of music-themed episodes of its most popular shows.
From Thursday, April 29 to Wednesday, May 5, episodes of “Bones, ” “Fringe, ” “House, ” “Simpsons, ” “Family Guy” and other series will have musical elements added into their storylines.
Among the mix, “Family Guy” will celebrate its 150th anniversary on May 2 with an extended episode featuring new and familiar musical numbers.
‘Glee’ star Lea Michele’s new anti-fur PSA: Exclusive
Glee’s Lea Michele has teamed up with PETA for a new anti-fur PSA called “If You Wouldn’t Wear Your Dog, Please Don’t Wear Any Fur.” Watch it, and PETA’s video Q&A with the actress — who first raised her voice with the animal rights organization during her Broadway days to end the abuse of horses used in New York’s carriage industry — after the jump.
In the PSA, shot in a faux school hallway, Michele says, “Everyone wants to fit in and feel like they belong. But sometimes you have to take a stand and step away from the crowd….With so many fashionable, cruelty-free options available, there’s really no excuse for joining a club that wears someone else’s coat.” (Is it wrong that we sort of wanted to see her throw a slushie on someone wearing fur?) Her video Q&A features stronger wording to go along with its harsher images: “When I see someone wearing a fur coat, the first thing that comes to my mind is why? Why do you need to have a fur coat? Why? You could be just as warm in any other kind of coat that hasn’t, you know, been made by killing animals. Why?” Then she adds, with a giggle, “And it’s ugly. You really look ugly. I don’t think you get it.”
‘Glee’s Lea Michele Shares Her Favorite Routine
As anticipation builds to a gleektastic pitch for the April 13th mid-season return of Fox’s first-year ‘Glee, ’ we gathered the show’s stars to chat about their favorite musical performances thus far. The fifth and final installment in the series of interviews features Lea Michele as Rachel Berry, the oft-bullied star of McKinley’s glee club.
‘American Idol’ Experts Predict Elimination For Aaron Kelly Or Andrew Garcia
The verdict was much different for MJ Santilli, webmaster of leading “Idol” blog mjsbigblog.com. “I figured Katie Stevens was next, until she stepped up her game with a heartfelt performance of ‘Let It Be, ‘ ” she said. “Tim Urban’s mop-top came in handy this week, as he delivered a competent ‘All My Loving.’ I can’t imagine he’ll be leaving this week. Aaron Kelly had the weakest performance of the night, but I think his tween fans will carry him through to another week.”
Buzzmeter
Top “American Idol” pundits predict the fate of contestants. Check back weekly to see who our panel thinks will be heading home.
PHOTO FLASH: Constantine Maroulis Receives Tony’s Di Napoli Portrait
Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis, who is currently starring in the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, was honored at Tony’s Di Napoli with his own caricature on Tuesday, April 6.
Maroulis first gained national fame as a finalist on the FOX-TV series American Idol. His other theater credits include The Wedding Singer on Broadway, as well as Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Jesus Christ Superstar.
The event also coincided with the first anniversary of the Broadway production of Rock of Ages, and was attended by the show’s cast.
‘American Idol’s’ Jason Castro: Casey James is ‘pretty awesome’
Jason Castro of Season 7 of “American Idol” has found time between his self-titled debut album (out April 13) and kicking off his tour to watch some of the Season 10 Idols.
He tells Zap2it that Casey James “was amazing” on Beatles week. Jason has also “been a fan of Crystal Bowersox for awhile. And there’s a couple other good people, but those two are my favorites right now.”
Idol Contestants Sound Off on Didgeridoos, Bagpipes and Prom Dates
Who knew didgeridoos and bagpipes were part and parcel to the Lennon-McCartney experience? Those musical accompaniments added to emboldened performances by the remaining top 9 American Idol contestants, who spoke to reporters about pec contests, proms and pretty much anything after Tuesday’s performance show! –Cynthia Wang
Jennifer Hudson’s Fitness Goal? ‘To Bounce Quarters Off Her Butt!’
Even before becoming pregnant and gaining 35 lbs. with son David Otunga Jr., Jennifer Hudson hated running and wasn’t a huge fan of the gym. But as soon as she got her doctor’s OK to start working out, the former American Idol star met up with L.A.-based trainer, Harley Pasternak, to start slimming down for her role in an upcoming film on Winnie Mandela. She got her diet on track by starting with Weight Watchers in January–recently debuting as their newest spokesperson. And their aim was specific, Pasternak says. “Our goal was to bounce quarters off her butt!”
