Crystal Bowersox posts a shoutout to VFTW via twitter/facebook HERE. I’m waiting for the producers to make her delete her comment. Watch for it!
‘American Idol’ exclusive: Executive Producer Ken Warwick on nixing the Swaybots and helping Adam Lambert
Good news for the Idoloonie nation: Over the next few weeks, you may be seeing a lot less of those “synchronized” swaying hands that pop up in the foreground of far too many American Idol performances. When I caught up with executive producer Ken Warwick via phone this afternoon to talk about the April 21 installment of Idol Gives Back — more on that later in the week — I managed to sneak in a brief question about this week’s guest mentor Adam Lambert, and to ask about putting an end to those pesky Swaybots. Warwick’s answers might surprise you.
‘Idol’ Monday rehearsals: a view from the inside
For the second week in a row, we got to sit in on Monday’s rehearsal and see a little of how the “American Idol” magic comes to life. Truth be told, it wasn’t all that different from the first time — not only because there are still nine contestants left, thanks to last week’s judges’ save of Michael “Big Mike” Lynch, but in a machine of this size with so many moving parts, having a strict weekly regiment is key, and this Monday was no different.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Adam Lambert: the Beatweek interview
Who says you can’t go home again? Back from traveling around the world to promote his debut album For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert is revisiting his old stomping grounds this week as he gears up for the role of contestant mentor on tonight’s episode of American Idol. In our Beatweek cover story interview, Adam talks about why he’s chosen to release the singles that he has, why he’s never turned his back on Idol, what went into his Remixes EP and VH1 Unplugged performance which both surfaced this week, what we can learn from his friendly relationship with Kris Allen, and what he’s got on tap for that U.S. summer tour that his fans have been clamoring for in our cover story interview for Beatweek Magazine’s 69th issue, released today.
Tim Urban Fights for the Rights to Bare Arms
Oh the arms he bears! Tim Urban is a patriotic kid who loves his country dearly. His brother is defending our freedom in Afghanistan, and Timmy is here at home defending the 2nd Amendment. He is of course doing it in a responsible way. If you like guns, Tim does too, and he thinks everyone who wants one should have one. If you hate guns, Tim says gun safety is very important and lectures children and puppies on how to safely use a gun to protect your family.
Idol Meter: Now add Adam Lambert to the mix
A pleasant night of Lennon-McCartney followed by the shock of Michael Lynche’s near-elimination — last week’s Idol will be tough to beat.
But we can hope that Adam Lambert’s mentoring produces an evening of unpredictable entertainment from these sometimes-too-unimaginative contestants. It will be interesting to see the effects on these contenders:
‘Idol’ chases younger viewers, but is it risky?
Between Michael Lynche’s near-elimination last week and Tim Urban’s continued success, many are wondering if teenage girls haven’t hijacked American Idol’s voting.
If they have, you won’t hear the show’s producers complain.
Throughout Season 9, the creative forces behind Idol have courted young viewers. Running the risk of turning off the predominantly female adult audience, they loaded the field with teen-friendly singers like Urban, Aaron Kelly, Katie Stevens and Siobhan Magnus. They brought in Miley Cyrus to mentor, booked Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato as performers and stuck Justin Bieber in the audience.
‘Idol’s’ Problem Isn’t Ellen Anymore, It’s Ryan
“The gay-baiting Ryan and Simon used to engage in is gone — it ended last year when Adam Lambert was a contestant, ” MJ Santilli, creator of what is arguably the go-to site for “Idol” news, mjsbigblog, told TheWrap. “With Ellen on the judges’ panel, it’s gone for good. As juvenile as that was, the teasing between Simon and Ryan was always good-natured, never mean or aggressive.”
Why ‘Reality Matters’ to ‘Idol’ critic Richard Rushfield
Friend of Idol Chatter Richard Rushfield writes about his love for all things Idol in a new book called Reality Matters: 19 Writers Come Clean About the Shows We Can’t Stop Watching (It Books, $14.99, out today).
With ‘Save’ Used Up, ‘American Idol’ Judges’ Power On The Wane
With their dramatic save of Michael Lynche last week, the judges on “American Idol” flexed their final bit of power of the season, turning the rest of the competition over entirely to the votes of viewers.
Yes, they’ll still be able to make their alternately withering or exaggerated instant critiques and dispense often contradictory advice. But they’ll no longer have any direct power in keeping any of the remaining Top 9 in or out of the competition.
Katie Stevens Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends
After hosting months of “American Idol” viewings at home in Middlebury, some family friends of Katie Stevens moved the party to Los Angeles last week.
Penny Albini and her daughters, Maria Elaina, 19, and Julia, 15, took the week off from school and other activities and flew to L.A. to watch from the first row of the studio audience as Stevens impressed the judges with her version of “Let It Be” and vaulted out of the bottom three vote-getters.
Adam Lambert Explains His Panties Situation
Adam Lambert keeps it low-key in a cap and sunglasses as he arrives back at LAX airport on Sunday (April 11) in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old glam rocker recently was asked what he does with the panties that have been thrown at him on stage during a concert. He told ET Canada, “Well, that’s an interesting question. I mean, what do you do with the panties?
KFest 2010 to feature Ludacris and Lambert
Ludacris and Adam Lambert are headlining KFest 2010, set for June 6 at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill.
According to an e-mail sent to KVIPs, the show also will feature Train, Orianthi, Taio Cruz, Iyaz, Kevin Rudolf, Aaron Fresh and Charice.
Adam Lambert: 13 Outfits from the ‘American Idol’ Provocateur
Leather and spikes and guyliner, oh my! We track the season 8 runner-up’s style evolution from that controversial AMA performance through his recent European promo tour.
‘American Idol’ Fantasy Theme: Bowie Night
THEME: Bowie Night
I’ve been seriously jonesing for Bowie, one of the greatest rock visionaries of our time (or any time, really), to bring his sound + vision to “Idol” ever since Simon Cowell suggested that Crystal Bowersox cover Bowie on a future episode. Crystal seemed somewhat hunky dory about Simon’s idea at the time–saying, with her typical mild enthusiasm, “Um, Bowie would be fun”–but frustratingly, she has yet to follow through on this plan.
‘American Idol’ reject Jason Castro trades in hippy for happy on first album
Jason Castro doesn’t waste any time letting us know what we’re in for on his first CD. It opens with the sound of him whistling — a jesture which doubles as a kind of warning: We are now in the prescence of the sort of alarmingly happy character who could bring out the cynic in anyone.
The cheery chap Castro projects on the CD represents a kind of lost cousin to the one you may wincingly remember from last
season’s “American Idol.” There, Castro played a blissed-out, probable stoner, a heavy-lidded, wide-smiled guy, who braided his hair into that beacon of cultural cluelessness: blond dreads.
Olympian Carl Lewis, singer LaKisha Jones to be featured at Midland’s Live Earth Run for Water road race on Sunday
Lewis isn’t the only star coming out for Sunday’s event. After the race, the excitement continues as Flint native LaKisha Jones performs a free concert at Dow Diamond.
Jones, a top-four finalist from the 2007 American Idol season, recently released her first solo album, “So Glad I’m Me.”
Matt Giraud to perform at 2010 Tulip Time Festival
HOLLAND — The Tulip Time Festival will feature former “American Idol” contestant Matt Giraud — with the Sweet J Band and We Know Jackson — May 1 at 6:30 p.m., at Central Wesleyan Auditorium in Holland.
Tickets are $25 through Star Tickets, , online www.startickets.com and all Michigan Meijer stores.
A Kalamazoo native and Western Michigan University graduate, Giraud took fifth place in the eighth season of “American Idol.”
In fighting malaria, Malaria No More finds a committed partner in ‘American Idol’
Not only can American Idol launch careers, it can also help conquer a disease.
American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back, ” TV’s charity event extraordinaire, returns on April 21 to FOX for a third year in a row. Having already raised a significant $140 million for charity, this year’s event holds a great amount of promise for its 5 charity partners and especially for one in particular — Malaria No More (MNM), a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating malaria in the world by 2015 and which also happens to be celebrating World Malaria Month this April.
Randy Jackson Says Replacing Simon Cowell Will Be ‘Tough’
The show already lost Paula Abdul last year and added Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres over the past two seasons. But it when it comes to replacing Simon, Jackson said there are no real requirements.
“I don’t think you can replace him, ” Jackson said. “I think you move with somebody different in that seat. It’s a tough thing. We’ve been talking about it. We’ll see where we end up.”
THERAPISTS ON HAND IF CONTESTANTS FIND IT ALL TO MUCH
Simon Cowell is hiring a team of top psychologists to help Britain’s Got Talent contestants cope with fame… and failure.
The music mogul was shaken by the breakdown of BGT star Susan Boyle shortly after she lost last year’s final to Diversity.
And to help this year’s showbiz rookies deal with his famously brutal putdowns on the judging panel there will also be a counselling service.
Dubbed the “Cowell cruelty hotline” it will be available 24/7 to help rejected applicants as well as those who get through to later rounds cope with the pressures of fame.
Dish Of Salt: Monday TV Dish (TV Dish from The College TV Awards: BBT’s Sheldon Meets His Match)
“SYTYCD” Judge Returns
“So You Think You Can Dance” producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe received an award for his philanthropy at the ceremony. He was thrilled to be part of such an inspiring night. “Number one, it’s great to recognize people this early in their careers and give them a boost ‘cause we all need that little bit of a kick to get us started.”
Fellow judge Adam Shankman was there to support his friend and confirmed to me that he will return as judge for the entire season of “So You Think You Can Dance” in May.
He said he is looking forward to all the changes Nigel made, which include the return of past contestants as all-star dancers. “I’m stoked about it, ” he said. “I think having the all-stars on is going to make everybody change their game. I think it’s going to be really cool that audiences get to know the contestants a little bit better because they are only focusing on one person.”
Love is in the air when ‘Glee’ returns
When we left McKinley High there were two relationships we had the most questions about: What would become of Will and Emma and Finn and Rachel.
Our hearts broke when we saw Finn finally realize that he had been duped all along about becoming a father and our hearts melted when we saw Will and Emma kiss for the first time in the hallway at the end of the fall finale.
So what will become of both couples now once the show is back Tuesday?
STAGE TO SCREENS: How Do We Love “Glee”? Let Us Count the Ways
We know there’s some big income-tax thing happening this week, too, but we’re having trouble focusing on anything other than the return of Fox’s Golden Globe-winning musical series; after all, we’ve been waiting more than four months for a new episode. Since we love talking about the show—and we suspect a few of you do as well—we thought we’d gather up a few Broadway Gleeks and find out just why they consider themselves fans. But first, we thought we’d try to squeeze a little bit of information out of Glee’s newest guest stars, Jonathan Groff and Idina Menzel.
‘Glee’ is back, and so is the pettiness and potential of high school life
Triumphantly, if a bit lazily, “Glee” returns from a hiatus Tuesday night, and it is still filled with that incessant, full-volume glee, the kind that gets under the skin of anyone who doesn’t like it when people burst out into song. Mostly “Glee” is laden with cruelty, which ironically is its most winning element: “Those sweaters make her look home-schooled, ” announces a cheerleader about Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), the nerdy songstress who commandeers the glee club.
‘Glee’ Stars Say New Season Is ‘Different Than What You Expect’
“Glee” is returning to television sets on Tuesday (April 13) with promises of tributes to Madonna and Lady Gaga lined up for this season. And the “Glee” club promised us that when fans tune into the show for this new crop of episodes, anything is possible — there will be lots of hot hook-ups and tons of interesting and unexpected musical numbers.
“Everybody’s relationships when we come back are just really different, ” Dianna Agron said of the characters’ love lives. “Different than what you expect.”
‘DWTS’ Week 4: Kate Gets Kudos, Pamela Is ‘Magic’
A night of passion was promised on last night’s ‘Dancing With the Stars‘ as couples danced either the romantic (or raunchy, depending on your perspective) Rumba or the tempting Tango. And while some pairs exploded with passion with a capitol P (hello Evan and Anna and Pamela and Damian) others failed to even ignite a spark (we’re talking about you, Kate Gosselin).
Before we get to the stars’ Rumbas and Tangos, a big What The Heck?! goes out to season nine champion Kym Johnson, who demonstrated the Rumba with Dmitry Chaplin in just a lacy black bra, black panties, and open white button-down which did not cover up a single curve, nook, or cranny. How about leaving something to the imagination here, folks? This isn’t ‘Stripping With the Stars!’
Dancing with the Stars Recap:Pillow Talk
On the Week 4 performance episode of Dancing With the Stars, the judges instituted a Double Score Showdown, awarding each of the nine remaining couples two separate scores for technique and performance… on the same day that KFC came out with its Double Down Sandwich, a triumph of calories and 100 Percent Pure Cheese in which fried chicken filets sub in for the two sides of a bun. First of all: Coincidence? Yes, almost definitely. Second: What is this, figure skating? No, silly. It’s ballroom dancing. Kate Gosselin would like to take this opportunity to mention that Week 4 really wasn’t fair for her. You see, she’s not a figure skater like Evan, a cheerleader like Erin, or a ”lover of performance” like frickin’ Jake Pavelka. Yes, the Bachelor. They are one in the same. Surprise! You are beginning to recognize his full name.
