Kris Allen on the controversy over his new single, ‘The Truth, ‘ and those added Pat Monahan vocals
Kris Allen fans have been waiting for months for an announcement about a followup single to his platinum-selling debut ditty, “Live Like We’re Dying.” But the recent decision by Jive/19 to serve radio with a recut rendition of “The Truth” — it’s now a duet with Train frontman Pat Monahan that’s slated to hit iTunes on May 11 — has met with its fair share of controversy.
…How would you respond to fans who are upset about the addition of Pat Monahan to this song?
The funny thing is I get this all the time. “So when can you get out of this contract?” And I’m like, “First of all, hopefully never.” The people I work with are really great. The people at 19 and the people at Jive have been great. I’m not gonna say there haven’t been things that have happened, some conflicts. Not bad stuff — I think it’s just general stuff that goes on between artists and labels or whatever. Questions that come up. I’m very new to this. But it’s really nice to have fans who care about you, who want you to be done right, and for the label and management to treat you right. I think they felt like I wasn’t being cared for and being respected. And I appreciate them worrying about that. But I feel like I am. I really do.
Any additions to the set list from when you toured with Keith Urban?
We’re gonna add some songs from the album. We haven’t played some of them yet, but once we get to rehearse them, we’ll pretty much play everything off the album. Maybe not at every show — we’ll switch it up. But we will play most of the stuff from the album. We’ve thought about adding some new cover songs. And maybe, maybe — just maybe — you might hear a new song. Maybe a couple. We’ll see what happens.
Vince Gill & Friends: Local Telethon to Help Bail Out Water-Logged Nashville
After the Cumberland River overflowed this weekend and devastated downtown Nashville, country music’s finest are coming together to lend a hand. Local NBC affiliate WSMV-TV Channel 4 plans to broadcast a telethon titled Working 4 You: Flood Relief With Vince Gill & Friends, tomorrow from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. It will feature appearances from Gill, Naomi Judd, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar and former American Idol contender Bo Bice and will benefit the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Michael Lynche tops latest Idol Meter rankings
Michael Lynche takes the lead in the latest Idol Meter, though with a score of 39, that’s not necessarily saying a lot. “It seems that, to have any chance to survive, Michael needs to be the best of the week each week, ” Ken Barnes writes. “This week, he accomplished that feat with ease.” Casey James, on the other hand, plummeted 58 points to a -22. Says Ken: “Casey by necessity ventured far out of his comfort zone, and — coming right after an undeserved bottom-two appearance — it was the worst possible time for his uneasy, stiff performance.”
‘American Idol’ Experts Predict Casey James’ Ride Is Over
In a rare show of unity, our other expert, MJ Santilli, founder of the “Idol” blog MJsBigBlog.com, agreed that James is probably toast. “He’s been in the bottom three two weeks in a row — that’s never a good sign, ” said Santilli. “He’s probably splitting votes with Lee Dewyze — whom the judges loved. So, all those votes likely went to Lee.”
Season 9 Listening Party
The American Idol: Season 9 CD will be released on May 11th, but you don’t have to wait until then to hear the tracks. Check out the AmericanIdol.com Listening Party to hear the ten tracks on the disc. Pre-order American Idol: Season 9 and get exclusive first access to tickets for the upcoming American Idol Tour featuring this year’s Top 10 contestants! Learn more and pre-order your CD, here.
Crystal Bowersox’s Hometown: A Tale Of Two Bars
We arrived in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday afternoon eager to meet and greet the people who knew Crystal Bowersox before she became a leading contender on America’s top reality singing show. These are the folks who saw a 12-year-old girl get up on stage at a bar during a set break and blow the roof off the joint. They were dumbfounded when she sang original songs at 13 and professed her confidence at 16 that she’d be a star someday. They knew she’d be a star way before the rest of the country discovered her on “American Idol.”
Idol’s Dewyze has Stong Ga. Following
VIDEO: Anoop Desai at NBC 17
Anoop Desai visited NBC 17 this morning to talk about his debut album All Is Fair, his career plan, and some of his musical background.
Anoop’s debut album All Is Fair dropped today. Buy your copy on iTunes or at Anoop Desai Store.
Adam Lambert: From Finland to London
Taking his glam/goth pop music to the UK, Adam Lambert was spotted leaving his hotel in London, England today (May 5).
The “American Idol” alum had a big smile on his face as he stepped out in black leather trousers and matching gloves while fans and paparazzi drew near.
Public Invited to Rock with the Stars of Rock of Ages at First Anniversary Celebration
The cast of the Tony-nominated musical Rock of Ages will celebrate its first anniversary on Broadway with a May 12 evening at Carnival at Bowlmor Lanes in Manhattan.
Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis, Derek St. Pierre, Michele Mais, Michael Minarik, Angel Reed, Matt Stocke, Jenifer Foote, Katherine Tokarz, Jeremy Woodard, Becca Tobin, Winston Roye, Mitchell Jarvis and Tommy Kessler are all scheduled to be part of the 6-9 PM event, which is open to the public.
Vallone Honors Maroulis, Community Groups For Greek Independence Day
Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. hosted the City Council’s celebration of the 189th anniversary of Greek Independence on April 26, commemorating the contributions of Greek culture to America and recognizing several Greek New Yorkers for their achievements. Hundreds of people were on hand to enjoy the event, which included keynote speaker Constantine Maroulis, distinguished honorees and dignitaries, classical Greek dances and a wide array of Mediterranean cuisine. This year’s ceremony, a longstanding tradition for the city council, took place in the council chambers of City Hall.
‘American Idol’s’ Melinda Doolittle: Lee Dewyze is ‘favorite, ‘ Harry Connick should judge
So you’ve watched “Idol” Season 9?
Oh, yes. I have this great thing called a Slingbox so I don’t even have to be in town to watch it, I can be anywhere and watch it on my computer. Last night was huge for me, I love Harry Connick Jr. He became so much more of my hero after last night, I can’t even … it was awesome.
Do you have any favorites on the show?
I really loved Didi Benami, loved her. It was so hard for me to see her go home. I was the same way about Alex Lambert because I felt like he was a diamond in the rough. Lee is my favorite that’s still on the show. I like Lee better [than Crystal] and last night just sealed the deal for me. Oh my goodness. I put it on my Twitter and Facebook!
‘Idol’ Guest Blog: Elliott Yamin Reviews The Sinatra Covers By The Top 5 — His Way
I can remember Top 5 week on Season 5 being a pivotal one, because the pace of the show turned up a notch, and our weekly responsibilities were intensified. We had to learn two songs, so our workload doubled. Me, Paris, Tay Tay, Chris and Kat were really missing home, and probably emotionally drained by this point. But somehow, we barreled through it, and I managed to hang on another couple of weeks! Now before I go any further, I’d just like to express my gratitude to those who donated to Idol Gives Back last week. Please know that your contributions are truly helping to make the world a better place. I know, because I’ve seen it first hand!
Let’s get it on, shall we?
Easy To Be Hard [HQ] – Diana DeGarmo
Me performing at the OneMIllionTreesNYC Event for Bette Midler with Lon Hoyt on piano :-)
American Idol Season 9 – Album Review
When you can find full studio versions of every top 10 contestant’s performances on iTunes, it seems almost quaint to release a compilation CD that pretends fans of the show wouldn’t opt for an á la carte approach over this pupu platter of wildly varying quality.
Sure, Crystal Bowersox’s goose-bump-?inducing rendition of ”Me and Bobby McGee” is a must-have, while Lee DeWyze’s ”Treat Her Like a Lady” adds gruff urgency to the Cornelius Brothers chestnut. And two other standout performances from the Idol stage — Siobhan Magnus’ dramatic reading of ”Paint It Black” and Casey James’ sparse, Bob Seger-esque ”Jealous Guy” — translate nicely as full-length recordings.
Tear The World Down – Album Review
This quintet unites Evanescence’s Ben Moody with brassy American Idol finalist Carly Smithson for Tear The World Down, and the results are heavy. Smithson’s voice shines over Moody’s familiar stew of metal riffs and gothy strings. Too bad the subject matter seems cribbed from a teen’s Tumblr. But as a church choir(!) swells on the title track, it’s awfully hard not to headbang along. B–
Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s teary apology
Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s opinions have drawn plenty of ire during her tenure on “The View, ” but even she admits she went too far by criticizing the victim of a sexual predator. On yesterday’s show, Hasselbeck remarked that ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews has been wearing “next to nothing” on “Dancing With the Stars, ” and that if she were the stalker behind bars for secretly videotaping Andrews naked in hotel rooms in 2008, she’d think, “Man! I just could’ve waited 12 weeks and seen this — a little bit less — without the prison time!”
The Top 5 Dish on Sinatra Performances
