Aaron Kelly won’t get bench-pressed by Big Mike again…until the tour
Last night, high school student Aaron Kelly got, well, flown to the moon. (That’s a euphemism for “kicked to the street.”) But is he rushing home for final exams? Hell no! The latest eliminated contestant from American Idol chats about his ouster, Harry Connick, Jr., and being called “Yoda.”
Norman:It’s All About Politics
Politics is local — even when you’re on “American Idol.” According to Norman, “Idol” isn’t a singing competition, it’s all about playing the game. (Video after the jump)
More Headlines after the JUMP…
Ranking the ‘Idol’ seasons: Is this year the worst?
There’s been a lot of talk that this year’s season of “American Idol” is the worst ever, and word comes this morning that the show’s ratings have hit their lowest point since its first season in 2002.
But is this really the worst season ever? No, but it’s close.
I still have to say the worst season ever was Season 3, when Fantasia Barrino won over Diana DeGarmo. But I think this season ranks second.
I also think the three best seasons were in the first five years – a troubling trend. Here are my season rankings, starting with the worst:
Harry Connick Jr. does not think he’d make a good ‘new Simon’
As he was taking over the results show last night, speculation instantly sprang up that Harry Connick Jr. could make a great judge on “Idol” to replace Simon Cowell.
But Connick told Ryan Seacrest this morning that he thinks he is not “pop” enough to be a good judge for the show. He didn’t say no.
“That’s very nice, ” he said. “I don’t know how good a judge I’d be. Although I would be the only person who does what the contestants do as performers, I’m not in that world… the pop world is not my world.”
Commandeering the show, he admitted, “felt a little awkward, ” especially as he watched the comedy outtake clips.
TV: Remake ‘American Idol’ before it’s too late
As we move into the final four of the ninth cycle of “American Idol, ” I can without a doubt make this declaration: This is the worst season the top-rated Fox reality show has ever had.
For ardent fans (of which I sadly am one), it’s been a year of horrible contestants, bland judges’ comments, zero tension, no Paula Abdul and not one story of a singer stripping in a gay bar or getting arrested for running naked through Hollywood.
And viewers are reacting to this season’s lukewarm competition. For the first time ever, ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” has been beating “Idol” in the ratings in nearly half of the broadcasts.
For some ‘Idol’ alumni, Nashville flooding hits home
Nashville, home of country music, is also home to a fair number of “American Idol” alumni. So when the storms over the weekend flooded the town — putting landmarks such as the Grand Ole Opry and its adjoining hotel under 10 feet of water — many of them were affected.
Kellie Pickler helped flood victims, appealing to her fans on Twitter to pitch in. In the midst of the storm, she tweeted, “Pray for Nashville. It’s flooded. Bad.”
Danny Gokey, who lives in the Hermitage area and played the Opry just days before the flood, watched the water rise around his house. “Even though we’re on a hill, our backyard started filling up, ” he told USA Today. “I’ve never seen that much water — it started filling up pretty quickly.”
Carrie Underwood, ‘Play On’ – Story Behind the Lyrics
Natalie Hemby and I got together with Carrie sometime between January and March last year, to write for her new album. Carrie had pretty much blocked out three months to write for this album, and she probably wrote over 60 songs during that period.
This was the first time Natalie and Carrie had met, and ‘Play On’ was actually the second song we wrote that day. When we finished writing the first song, Carrie went downstairs to get a drink and I told Natalie, “I’ll bet she’s going to want to write another song.” Because when Carrie comes in to write, she’s ready to work all day.
Jennifer Hudson, Weight Watchers(R) Spokesperson, Celebrates O, the Oprah Magazine’s 10th Year Anniversary
NEW YORK, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Weight Watchers is proud to be a sponsor of O, the Oprah Magazine Live Your Best Life Walk in New York City on May 9. As part of the festivities, Jennifer Hudson will lead the walk alongside Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King where thousands of participants are expected to walk to support ten deserving charities.
In April, Jennifer Hudson announced that for the past several months she has been successfully losing weight with the Weight Watchers program. Healthy eating and exercise have been part of her routine and are helping Jennifer to live more healthfully. Her participation in the Live Your Best Life Walk is another way she is getting the word out to Americans that they, too, can adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Jennifer Hudson Spotted with her Baby – TMZ.com
Howard lands Mandela role
Terrence Howard is to become the latest actor to portray Nelson Mandela onscreen after landing the role in Jennifer Hudson’s upcoming film about the ex-wife of the South African leader.
The two stars will play man and wife in filmmaker Darrell J. Roodt’s new movie, Winnie, which documents Winnie Mandela’s life.
Kelly Clarkson: Is her new leak dissing Ryan Tedder?
Another day, another leaked new track from Kelly Clarkson. The latest one seems to be called “Wash Rinse Repeat, ” and everyone’s talking about how it rips…well, someone.
Who, exactly, is the target of lyrics like “Does it sound familiar, does it linger in your ear/Like something you remember from just last year” and “Music from the past, from the present, well, just last week/We will change a note and get away with it, wait and see”? Idolator takes those as thinly veiled shots at OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder. (That’s him and Clarkson in happier times above.) You’ll recall that Tedder co-wrote both Beyoncé’s “Halo” and Clarkson’s “Already Gone, ” leading to a minor tiff last summer when Clarkson felt the two tunes were too similar. Now Clarkson has recorded a song that seems to be about industry pros recycling hooks. (Or she recorded it at some point, anyway — there’s no indication of how new this leak is.) Sounds like a plausible theory.
Young Sparks’ fans won’t catch this show
Sarah Gaber could barely contain her excitement as she listened to the radio announce Jordin Sparks was coming to Dubuque.
Her excitement turned to disappointment when the 18-year-old heard the crushing caveat that concert attendees had to be 21 or older to attend the Mississippi Moon Bar concert.
“It’s ridiculous, ” Gaber, of Dubuque, said. “Jordin Sparks is someone that a lot of the younger kids like.”
Diamond Jo Casino spokeswoman Carrie Tedore said she knows some of Sparks’ fans aren’t yet 21, but the age restriction will stay in place.
Hot 100 Recap: Ushering in a New Decade of No. 1s
The Glee Cast places five new entries on the Hot 100, led by “One Less Bell to Answer/A House Is Not A Home, ” which is the Hot Shot Debut at No. 53. It’s the most titles the troupe has debuted with in a single week, having previously placed four tracks on four occasions, including each of the last two weeks.
Notable debuts among the 13 new entries this week are the Black Eyed Peas’ “Rock That Body” (No. 62) and Shakira’s “Gypsy” (No. 65). The Peas track is the fifth title to chart from their album “The E.N.D., ” the most they’ve ever placed on the list from one set. Shakira performed her new track on both “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “American Idol, ” prompting a 313% digital spike to 30, 000 downloads.
Basking in the Heat of a Hit
“American Idol” isn’t just a launching pad for musical careers. Like other top-rated shows, a big part of its job is to spawn new television hits.
The conventional way of doing this, often used on Super Bowl Sunday, is when a blockbuster show acts as a “lead-in” to a less established one that could benefit from 20 million viewers. For example, “Glee” got its start after an episode of “Idol” and when “House” needed a ratings jump-start early in its career, “Idol” obliged.
But on May 19, Fox provides a new, unusual twist. It will preview an episode of a new show before “Idol.” “The Good Guys” follows washed-up Dallas police detective Dan Stark, played by Bradley Whitford (at left), and his ambitious young partner Jack Bailey, played by Colin Hanks (at right, and yes, he’s the actor’s son), as they investigate small crimes. The show will reappear June 7.
Glee exclusive: Interview with Lauren Gottlieb on Vocal Adrenaline
HollywoodNews.com: You’re going to see a lot of Lauren Gottlieb on Fox. On Glee, she plays a member of the rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. She also returns to So You Think You Can Dance this summer as one of the All Stars dancing with the new contestants. She was a finalist on the show’s third season.
Things are going really well for Lauren Gottlieb. This interview took place by phone after Gottlieb finished another audition, which surely went well. It also found her finishing work on some other projects, which she told us about in part one of our interview.
Q: When will we see you on Glee again?
‘Glee’: Matthew Morrison is anti-Britney Spears
Britney Spears may just want to rethink her “Glee” campaign.
The singer’s manager has been lobbying for a special Britney-centric episode like the recent Madonna one, but Matthew Morrison isn’t so keen on the idea.
Morrison, who plays show choir director Will Schuester on “Glee, ” was asked what he thought about a possible Britney-themed episode happening.
“That’s a rumor her manager started, ” he told Us Weekly on the red carpet of the May 1 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. “I hope our show doesn’t go along that route.”
‘Glee’ Tour update: LXD will join New Directions on the road
Fans of “Glee” know Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang (a.k.a. “Other Asian”), the one member of McKinley high’s show choir known for his dance skills more than his vocal chops.
In real life, Shum not only acts on the show, but choreographs and performs with his dance crew, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, or LXD.
Former DWTS Contestant Lawrence Taylor Arrested for Alleged Rape
NFL Hall of Famer and onetime Dancing with the Stars contestant Lawrence Taylor was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of rape.
Lawrence, 51, who competed on the hit ABC show’s eighth season, is alleged to have raped a 15-year-old girl, who authorities believe was a runaway from New York City and was being controlled by a pimp, authorities tell the Journal News.
Lawrence Taylor Walks Out of Jail
Lawrence Taylor was just photographed leaving jail — a couple of hours after the judge set his bail at a massive $75, 000.
Taylor was arrested early this morning in Suffern, NY — and formally arraigned on charges of 3rd degree rape and patronizing a prostitute.
The NFL legend lives in Florida, but also has a home in New Jersey.
More Headlines:
‘American Idol’ Reject Siobhan Magnus Rates The Best Wails In Music
Including: Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Prince, Mariah Carey and More
