Obamas to Appear on “American Idol”
The President and First Lady took time out of their busy schedules on Wednesday to sit down for a taping with “American Idol” as part of the hit show’s fundraising event set to air next week.
“Idol Gives Back” is a two-hour charity performance that has already raised more than $140 million in contributions for global organizations.
Adam Lambert talks about his return to American Idol
American Idol 2009 runner-up Adam Lambert will return to the show next week to serve as a mentor to the nine remaining contestants, the first time a former contestant has been tapped for the role. In addition to serving as mentor on the show’s April 13th episode, he’ll return to Idol to perform his current hit single ‘Whataya Want From Me” the following night. Adam Lambert recently spoke with Beatweek about why he’s chosen to return to Idol:
“I think Idol’s amazing. It’s a phenomenon. As an artist, that’s the reason why I wanted to audition is because of the type of exposure you could get and how you get to challenge yourself every week to try to make a song your own, ” Lambert told Beatweek. “When they asked me to be a mentor I thought ‘cool, that sounds great.’ When I watched the past couple of years before auditioning for it, I always had ideas, I always had my own kind of opinions about the contestants.”
American Idol ‘Idol’ judges and Seacrest on ‘The Simpsons’
Simon Cowell has appeared on “The Simpsons” before. Now all the judges and Ryan Seacrest will join Springfield’s bartender Moe on the May 23 finale this season.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
SomethingPitchy: Saved by the Judges
In a shocking decision, the judges unanimously chose to save Michael Lynche from elimination last night, ending a chaotic week of television on ‘American Idol.’
Today, host Andy Scott was joined by Jim Cantiello (MTV News), Melinda Green (TopIdol), Rae Votta (AOL Music) and Rickey Yaneza (Rickey.org) to dish on the week’s biggest moments, including the save, news about next week’s mentor (Adam Lambert) and Lee’s, um, surprising performance.
Michael Lynche’s Save: ‘American Idol’ Experts, Fans Weigh In
MJ Santilli, who runs the “Idol” fan site MJsBigBlog.com, isn’t a fan of the save in general, feeling that the “Idol” chips should fall where they may with no interference from the judges. “Surprise boots are part of the ‘Idol’ experience. Everyone gets over it and moves on, ” she said. “So I’m happy to have it out of the way for the season.”
That said, if the save has to be deployed, she was fine with Lynche being the beneficiary. “There are at least four contestants who should be heading out the door before Mike Lynche: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens and Tim Urban have all had spotty track records, at best, on the ‘Idol’ stage, ” she said. “Plus, Mike is one of the few contestants left with decent performance skills, and now that Paige Miles is gone, he’s the only R&B singer in the group.”
The ‘Idol’ Report: Why Even A Good Judges’ Save Is A Bad Judges’ Save
The big news today for American Idol viewers is that, after receiving the lowest number of votes this week, Michael Lynche was spared from elimination thanks to the judges using their one and only save on him last night.
Honestly, I couldn’t be more thrilled, though maybe not for the reason you’d think. Sure, I like the genial, super-burly singer (who has been shown quite literally doing barbell curls with other contestants, and by “with, ” I don’t mean “alongside” or “jointly”), who has delivered one or two of this season’s relatively few standout performances. So I’m glad he’s sticking around a little while longer. But mostly I’m just elated that the judges’ save is dead and gone for the rest of the season.
Ann Powers: Really, America?
I’m not going to bore you with a long-winded post about what it means that Michael Lynche, one of the two best pure singers of this “American Idol” season, got voted off this week. I rejoice that the judges decided to save him.
You, readers, already know that I’m less than thrilled about the lack of diversity among this year’s finalists — and while I am talking about race, I’ll also mention gender (an all-male Top 5 is still not unthinkable), musical range (with the exception of wild card Siobhan, everyone in this group gives virtually the same performance every week) and performance style (there’s stiff, stiffer and Michael, the only one who consistently seems excited to engage with the audience). But I’m not advocating for quotas. I just have one thing to point out.
Rihanna Calls ‘American Idol’ Performance ‘Nerve-Racking’
Wednesday night might have marked Rihanna’s “American Idol” debut, but the superstar delivered a fearless performance of her new single, “Rockstar 101.”
“It’s my first time performing on ‘Idol, ‘ and it’s a little nerve-racking, because we’re in the middle of our tour rehearsals and it’s a really time-demanding experience, and we just had to fit this in there.” she said in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight.”
Michael Lynche’s ‘American Idol’ Save Brings Back Fond Memories Of Comeback Kid Nikko Smith
Michael Lynche caught a big break this week when the “American Idol” judges used their second-ever save to keep him in the competition. This got us thinking about other reality-show second chances, including Speidi on “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” and Chris March from “Project Runway, ” but my personal favorite was left out. While Matt Giraud received the inaugural judges’ save last year, he wasn’t the first comeback kid on “Idol.”
No, that title belongs to Nikko Smith, the season four R&B crooner who was voted off only to be invited back to the competition when Mario Vazquez made the brilliant decision to pursue bigger opportunities and opt out of “Idol.”
Adam Lambert Caffeinates Before Visiting Canada
Adam Lambert gets his caffeine fix in West Hollywood on Wednesday (April 7) as he drinks a Starbucks Frappuccino drink while out and about.
The 28-year-old entertainer is gearing up to play a series of shows in Canada before coming home and mentoring contestants on American Idol! Adam’s playing a show tonight in Coquitlam, British Columbia and one tomorrow in Richmond, B.C.
Blog From David Archuleta – 4/8/10
I have to admit being on that stage again shook me and my nerves up pretty good. I wasn’t sure what was going on with my mind. Just seeing the audience, the contestants, and then the judges was so weird lol. But I saw Ellen smiling right before I started and it made me feel better haha. But I haven’t really performed Imagine very much in the last couple of years since I had sung it twice on Idol, and now it’s 3 times. But it was such a privilege to get to sing it again, because I think it’s a song with a message that’s important for people to hear again right now. It also reminded me of how much that song meant to me, and to again show people what I love about what music can do for others.
So while I was at the studios, I got to meet all of the contestants. I was on my way to get something from my hotel room, and saw them all standing outside waiting for rehearsal. I got out of the car and ran out to say hi to all of them really quick. A group of cool people! And they sure did really well this week. I’m really glad that the judges decided to use the save this week with big Mike because that was pretty intense lol.
David Archuleta talks about his ‘Idol’ return, offers sympathy to Aaron ‘Little Archie’ Kelly
As for his personal standout, Archie’s getting behind 17-year-old Katie Stevens, perhaps partly out of age empathy. “Katie is one of the people who I felt like really connected to the song she was singing, ” David opined. “It was just really nice to say, ‘Man, she really improved.’ It was exciting to see that improvement.”
David also offered his sympathy to Aaron Kelly, who’s now earned the nickname “Little Archuleta.” Said David: “I feel bad for him, because I’m a pretty weird person to be compared to. And he wants to be Aaron Kelly, he doesn’t want to be David Archuleta!”
But taking note that Aaron sang “Long and Winding Road, ” a song David had also chosen during season 7’s Beatles theme, he added, “It is kind of funny that he sang it, but I hope that people will distinguish him, and identify him as Aaron Kelly, because he’s really talented.”
So what’s the latest on Archie? He’s still knee-deep in writing for his second album and is headed to New York next week for another round of sessions with S*A*M & Sluggo. But he’s also close to choosing a single, David added, which may be one of the songs co-written by Eman Kiriakou.
Big-screen ‘Soul Patrol’? Taylor Hicks wants to act
TORONTO — “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks wants to steer the Soul Patrol toward the big screen.
The grey-haired crooner, who inspired a fervent fanbase that called itself Soul Patrol on Season 5 of the series, says he wants to act in TV and film once he’s done playing Teen Angel in the touring 1950s rock ‘n’ roll musical “Grease.”
“I’ve definitely caught the acting bug and I am looking now at some TV and film opportunities, ” the raspy-voiced Alabama native said Thursday in an interview at the Canon Theatre, where the show is running through April 18.
Hicks couldn’t say what those opportunities are — “Not yet. I wish, I wish, ” he said with big grin — but he noted he hasn’t abandoned his music career.
Grease: Frighteningly in tune with today
While the current tour was cast by old-fashioned auditions, there is still a reality-TV hook. An American Idol winner named Taylor Hicks plays Teen Angel in the Beauty School Dropout sequence, serenading Frenchy (Kate Morgan Chadwick) after emerging from a giant ice-cream cone. Because Hicks is the name draw, this song goes on for a very long time. It stops the show, but not in a good way.
If that’s not enough for Hicks’s Soul Patrol fans, however, after a protracted curtain call that recaps all the Grease hits that featured in the popular nineties dance megamix (Summer Nights, Greased Lightning, You’re the One That I Want), Hicks returns to the stage to awkwardly jiggle a bit more while singing his country single, Seven Mile Breakdown, accompanying himself on harmonica.
‘American Idol’: Jason Castro’s ‘All Wrapped Up, ‘ taking brother Michael on tour
Jason tells Zap2it, “Yeah, this is my first headlining tour, the shows start on Saturday back home in Dallas. We’re having a big CD release party for the album. It’s really exciting for the band. We’re playing smaller venues, 500 seaters, it’s a cool thing to do.”
Also, do you wonder what’s been going on with Jason’s brother Michael, whom we saw on “American Idol” this season in Michael Lynche’s Hollywood Week group? “I’m also taking out my brother with me to open up. People are always asking me what he’s up to, well he’s coming on tour with me, ” Jason teases. “I also have another Atlantic band called Camera Can’t Lie, they’re coming out with me. I’m excited to meet those guys.”
Bo Bice readies third album
American Idol alum Bo Bice is readying his third LP, dubbed 3, for release via Saguaro Road Records and his Sugar Money Records on May 18.
The Nashville-based Southern rock singer teamed up some noteworthy players on the new set, including drummer Steve Gorman (The Black Crowes) and multi-instrumentalist AJ Croce, the son of famed songsmith Jim Croce and a respected singer-songwriter in his own right.
Bice figures the resulting album — stocked half with Bice originals, half with Bice co-writes — as his “strongest to date.”
Phil Phest, with music, fun, screenings, is Saturday in Oldsmar
OLDSMAR — It’s all about sunshine, song and sunscreen Saturday as the fourth annual Phil Phest, “A Benefit by the Bay, ” gets under way.
Phil Stacey, a resident of Tennessee and one of the Top Five finalists on season six of American Idol, headlines the event running from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. at R.E. Olds Park in Oldsmar. Stacey, who is acquainted with a member of the Phil Bryant family, will perform from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m.
Proceeds from the $3 admission benefit the Philip A. Bryant Melanoma Foundation, which supports the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute for the study and treatment of melanoma. It also provides scholarships for Clearwater High School football players.
Kellie Pickler Says Her Next Album Is ‘Very Country’
“I am [working on a new album], ” she told MTV News earlier this week on the Dressed to Kilt red carpet. “I actually am writing for the third album, so it should come out this fall.”
In case some of her previous efforts were a little too pop for country-music fans, the North Carolina native said this next album will embrace her down-home roots. “It’s very country. I’m kind of going back to my roots, ” she said. “I grew up listening to more traditional country music: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Tammy [Wynette], Dolly [Parton]. So, I’m kind of going back to my roots. I’m excited about that.”
Ellen DeGeneres Targeted by Animal Hunters
Even so, a comic book about the talk-show funnylady is under attack by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance because it benefits the Humane Society of the United States…
Bluewater Productions released Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres last week, and DeGeneres chose the Humane Society for the charity component of the $3.99 comic.
A rep for Bluewater says he received an email, a letter and multiple phone calls on Monday from the Sportsmen’s Alliance.
Kate Gosselin on Juggling Kids, Custody Battle and DWTS: “It’s Tough, but I Will Not Quit”
Warning: If you run into Kate Gosselin on an airplane, get out of the way, ’cause she probably needs to rehearse her tango in the aisle.
At least, this is what we’re envisioning after we met up with the jet-setting mother of eight yesterday, as she stopped by an NYC studio for six hours of rehearsal on her way back from L.A. to her home in Pennsylvania.
For the record, Kate seemed straight-up exhausted (and a mother of eight knows a thing or two about lack of sleep!), and here’s what she told us exclusively about how she’s handling DWTS, the kids and the current custody battle with Jon Gosselin…
Bruno Tonioli on Kate Gosselin: ‘She’s dreadful’
On last night’s George Lopez Show, Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli a.k.a. Our Lady of Flowering Metaphors took a few seconds off from redefining the term “spread-eagle” to offer this candid critique of Kate Gosselin’s ballroom skills. “Kate is pretty dreadful. She’s crap. BUT IN A NICE WAY! She’s entertaining. People like disaster movies — I’ll tell you, we have our own disaster movie. 2012 is nothing compared to the catastrophe she produces, but she’s a tough cookie!” He continued: “She gets it on the face.” He wishes. Video after the jump. It’s a treasure trove of gems!
Erin Andrews Slams Relationship Rumors: I’m Not Dating Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Erin Andrews is squashing rumors that she and her ‘Dancing With The Stars’ partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy are in “hot romance.” Andrews tells Sports Illustrated that she was “shocked” when she saw PEOPLE’s latest cover, which says, “Dancing’s Erin & Maksim: Their Hot Romance.”
“We saw it and said, ‘There’s no question mark?’ According to PEOPLE, our “romance” is official, but PEOPLE must know people because we don’t know the people that they know. The thing is, what Maks and I do joking around gets taken seriously, ” Andrews said. “Our official word is that we thank People for letting us know about this hot romance because we didn’t know we had it.”
‘Dancing With the Stars’: Tom Bergeron won’t play favorites
If “Dancing With the Stars” host Tom Bergeron has an opinion about who’s going to win the show’s trophy this season, he’s keeping it to himself.
“I notoriously avoid picking favorites, because then that only pisses off the rest of them, ” Bergeron says with a laugh. “And who needs that, frankly.”
Bergeron, who also guest-stars on “Castle” on Monday (April 12) — he jokes that the role is part of an effort “to have ABC stand for the All Bergeron Channel” — credits “Dancing’s” resurgent popularity this spring to good casting and some changes the show’s producers made to the format.
