American Idol Finale Week Preview
MYFOXNY.COM – Preparations are underway for the big showdown between Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze at the Nokia Theater in Hollywood.
But before the new American Idol is crowned, Billboard.com ranked the most succesful of the Idol alums throughout the eight previous seasons.
FOX Reporter Jennifer Davis took a closer look at the best of the best.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Concert to raise funds for Bowersox bassist
Local musician Frankie May is one of “American Idol” finalist Crystal Bowersox’s closest friends, but unless the local music community can raise some quick cash, he will miss her possible May 26 triumph.
A impromptu concert tonight, May 23, at the Village Idiot is being planned to raise cash to help May get to Los Angeles for the “American Idol” finale shows. Local musician Zak Ward said musicians are volunteering to play and will “pass the can” to raise money for May.
Taylor Hicks Is Laughing All The Way to the Bank
Hicks is often unfairly derided for the path he has taken after ‘Idol.’ Last year, the New York Times kicked off a story about ‘Idol’ success using Hicks as a cautionary tale. “It is doubtful that any of the remaining 24 contestants on ‘American Idol’ hope that they will be playing the Teen Angel in a touring production of ‘Grease’ in Milwaukee three years from now. But that’s what Taylor Hicks, the 2006 ‘American Idol’ winner, is doing. And it shows that winning the most popular talent competition in the country is no guarantee of superstardom, ” the Times wrote.
And it’s true that winning ‘Idol’ is no guarantee of superstardom, but I think any of the ‘Idol’ constestants would be pleased as punch to be pulling in, according to insiders, the $3.5 million that Hicks has brought in during the past 18 months for his tour, album and merchandise sales and appearance fees.
A pop-driven party in 18 acts
If nothing else, top-40 station KISS 108 has logistical ambition. Saturday’s sold-out KISS Concert featured 18 acts in seven and a half hours, and it ended a mere five minutes behind schedule. In bringing together performers who may only have a single hit and couldn’t command Comcast Center-size crowds on their own, the event might as well have been called “Now That’s What I Call a Concert!’’
After stint on ‘So You Think You Can Dance, ‘ Courtney Galiano returns to give a boost to this season
New York native Courtney Galiano is excited to return to the stage of “So You Think You Can Dance, ” not only to show off some new moves but to help new contestants show off some steps of their own.
“Sometimes you just need somebody to rub you on the back, bring you back down to reality and remind you that you were chosen out of thousands of dancers, ” Galiano, of Commack, L.I., told The News. “There’s a reason you are here.”
‘So You Think You Can Dance’s’ Nigel Lythgoe on changes: ‘You have to try!’
Zap2it was invited to Ken Warwick (executive producer, “American Idol”) and Nigel Lythgoe’s (producer “American Idol, ” producer and judge, “So You Think You Can Dance”) annual Wine Festival Dinner in Paso Robles, which featured several wines from their own vineyard, Villa San-Juliette.
Amidst all the wonderful food and drink, we were able to catch up with Nigel on the upcoming season of “SYTYCD.” The format is changing drastically for Season 7, with only 10 dancers coming out of Las Vegas and the judges actually going to the contestants’ homes to tell them whether they have advanced.
Mia Michaels Discusses Her Return To ‘So You Think You Can Dance’
“So You Think You Can Dance” is back for a seventh season starting Thursday, May 27, and with the addition of a dozen past “allstars” (Twitch, Courtney, Comfort, Anya, Pasha, my alltime fave Mark, et al), it’s looking like it’ll be the best “SYTYCD” season yet. But even more exciting than the return of any of the allstars is the return of genius judge/choreographer Mia Michaels.
Last Dance: Who Will Win ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Mirror Ball Trophy?
Tonight, Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough, Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya will battle for the coveted mirror ball trophy on the finale of ABC’s hit dance competition, “Dancing With the Stars.”
They’ve waltzed and tangoed, cha-cha’ed and foxtrotted their way through the entire competition, earning praise — and sometimes, criticism — from judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
‘Dancing’ down to the wire with the three finalists
Two early favorites and a long shot vie for Dancing With the Stars’ mirror-ball trophy as Season 10 wraps up (ABC, Monday, Tuesday, 8 ET/PT). Olympic skater Evan Lysacek and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, early front-runners for their performance skills, will hoof it out with ESPN’s Erin Andrews. They’ll perform two dances a night — “an unbelievable amount of work, ” says co-host Brooke Burke. USA TODAY’s Gary Strauss talks with the finalists.
Evan Lysacek Reveals His Secret Weapon!
The “Dancing with the Stars” finals are tonight, and with only three couples remaining, the pressure is on! It may be a race too close to call between Olympic skating champ Evan Lysacek, ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, but Evan tells us, “We don’t feel a lot of pressure — we just want to do our best.”
“It’s the last stretch and you give it your all, and that’s the only way you can do it, ” agrees Evan’s pro partner, Anna Trebunskaya.
Erin Andrews: ‘Dancing’ Brought My Smile Back
ET was behind the scenes as Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy rehearsed for the big battle on tonight’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale, and Erin shared her thoughts on how performing on the show has improved her life.
“I came to this show in need of change, in need of happiness, in need of getting my smile back, and I was able to do that because of Maks and because of the cast. This is a different [kind of] achievement, this is one that is really personal to the heart, ” Erin explained.
‘DWTS” Nicole Scherzinger: I Don’t Want it to End
ET was with Pussycat Doll performer Nicole Scherzinger and her “Dancing with the Stars” pro partner Derek Hough at their top secret rehearsal for tonight’s season finale “Dancing” showdown!
Nicole and Derek are staying tight-lipped about the freestyle routine they will perform tonight, but they do reveal that it’s a dance that hasn’t yet been performed on the hit ABC show this season.
‘Dancing”s Carrie Ann Inaba: Final Three’s Health & Scores at Stake Tonight
“Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba tells ET’s Samantha Harris why “the danger factor is very high” for Evan Lysacek, Nicole Scherzinger and Erin Andrews as they compete tonight on the final performance show of the season.
“Everybody wants to up the ante, and they want to go for dangerous and risky moves, ” Carrie Ann says. “The risk for injury is huge, because when they do those lifts, if the hand is just slightly off and the body shifts, you’re going down, and that’s a wood floor … it’s really dangerous.”
Matthew Morrison: National Anthem at Mets Game!
Matthew Morrison waves to the crowd at Citi Field before singing the National Anthem at the Mets/Yankees baseball game on Saturday (May 22)!
The 31-year-old Glee actor showed his support for the home team with a Mets jersey!
Matthew shows off his chiseled abs in the newest issue of Vogue – but not all of his co-stars knew he had it in him!
More Headlines
Diana DeGarmo Wants Your Hair
MYFOXNY.COM – Currently starring on Broadway in ‘Hair, ‘ former American Idol contestant Diana DeGarmo stopped by the Good Day studios on Monday to talk about .. what else? Hair!
DeGarmo is teaming up with with a non-profit group to collect hair to use in clean-up efforts in the Gulf Coast.
‘American Idol’ Reject Michael Lynche Confronts Jim Cantiello About Recaps
When Michael Lynche stopped by MTV News earlier this week for his “I Just Got Voted Off ‘American Idol’ And All I Got Was This Endless Media Tour” interview, he wasted no time letting me know that he knew I wasn’t a huge fan of his on the show. Before cameras rolled, he called me out for writing not so nice things about him during my weekly recaps and “Idol in 60 Seconds” videos. Whoops!
