‘IDOL’ WAVE NEEDS MODERN TOUCH
AMERICA was right — kinda.
Judging from Tuesday’s Nassau Coliseum concert, Kris Allen, not Adam Lambert, is in fact the rightful winner of the 2009 “American Idol” contest.
Lambert, who many believed was robbed of the “Idol” title, came on strong with a sledgehammer cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”
EXCLUSIVE: Paula Abdul Gets Offer From Idol – Australian Idol!EXCLUSIVE: Paula Abdul Gets Offer From Idol – Australian Idol!
Idol wants Paula Abdul. No, not American Idol, mate, we’re talking about Australian Idol.
And yes, we didn’t know there was an Australian Idol until one of our pals Down Under called to say that Paula has been offered a deal to join the show.
Well blimey, it’s a natural fit, isn’t it? The show has four judges and follows a nearly identical format to American Idol. And the Australians are serious about Paula – they put their request to strike a deal with her in writing, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.
Posh Making Play for Permanent Idol Post?
Could Victoria Beckham’s stint as a post-Paula Abdul judge on American Idol be more than the one-off gig asserted by producers?
Quite possibly.
E! News has learned that the erstwhile Posh Spice just joined staffers from the hit Fox reality competition aboard an American Airlines flight bound for Boston, site of this week’s round of American Idol auditions.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Idols make an impression
My friends and I joined thousands of other ‘arm chair judges’ for American Idol Season 8 tour at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Aug. 4 to hear our favorite contestants perform. Many had differing opinions about who should have won, but we were all there to show our support and enjoy an evening of good music.
We were not disappointed. With few exceptions every performer sounded surprisingly good with a full band and backup singers for support.
Hall About Pop: Idols Live Tour features two acts on one stage
Fans of ‘American Idol’ have recently learned Paula Abdul will not be part of the upcoming season (barring any last-minute contract negotiations), so for fans heading to the XL Center in Hartford this Sunday night for this season’s American Idols Live tour, it’s almost like watching an end of an era.
American Idol Tour: Part II – Megan Joy Corkrey Interview
Her movie star looks caught the attention of fans and judges during her Idol audition in Salt Lake and she was ready to chase her dream. As soon as Megan opened her mouth and shared with the world her bluesy unique sound, millions fell in love. The hard working mother of one came to American Idol with a dream to be heard. Not only was the talented beauty heard but fans connected with her down-to-earth personality and her devotion to always creating new and exciting performances that showcased her talents. PopStar spoke with Megan Joy who talked about life on the road, her hopes to break into the acting business, and how her style was incorporated into her tour sets.
Hot Tours: Madonna, U2, AC/DC, Idols Live Top Tours Chart
The eighth American Idols Live Tour featuring this year’s winner, Kris Allen, is rolling through its North American schedule with totals from six markets reported this week. The best-attended performance was in Allen’s home state of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Verizon Arena (July 25) with 14, 288 in attendance, the most from any venue on the tour. In the 19 shows reported this summer, ticket sales stand at 180, 000 to date. The Idol tour that sold the most tickets was the 2006 venture featuring the series’ fifth-season winner, Taylor Hicks. That tour grossed $35.2 million, with a total attendance of 646, 996.
American Idol sales: Daughtry, Jordin Sparks & the WalMart EP
On the sales side this week, Daughtry continues to have the best-selling American Idol release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. At its current pace, Leave This Town could pass the half-million mark in next week’s data. Jordin Sparks’ Battlefield single has begun to slip, but it remains the most-downloaded Idol-related digital track.
The only thing addition to our list this week is WalMart’s American Idol Season 8 EP, which makes its debut with just over 24, 000 sales. The EP contains five tracks from this season’s four top finalists: Kris Allen and Danny Gokey’s Renegade, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert’s Slow Ride, as well as Adam’s Whole Lotta Love, Danny’s What Hurts the Most and Kris’ Ain’t No Sunshine.
Idols Live concert tour appears to be recession-proof
A slumping economy and slipping TV ratings don’t seem to be hurting American Idol at the summer box office.
The Idols Live tour, featuring winner Kris Allen and nine other finalists, is selling 82% of its tickets and has grossed $11.2 million ‘†almost exactly the same as last year’s tour at the same point.
According to Billboard Boxscore, the first 19 shows of 2009 averaged 9, 456 attendees per city, almost even with the 9, 771 for the same period last year. With ticket prices ranging from $40.50 to $69.50 Ԡa dollar higher than last year Ԡthe tour gross is almost exactly equal.
Who will replace Paula Abdul on ‘Idol’?
When Paula Abdul reportedly turned down her final contract offer from “American Idol, ” two questions immediately emerged. What else can she do that earns her that much money for half a year of work? And who would replace her as the designated foil for Simon Cowell’s barbs?
That second question has led to a lot of speculation and conjecture, which keeps the show in the news even during its off-season, which makes everyone at 19 Entertainment and Fox very happy. At the moment, it appears that the show’s producers are planning to keep the judging fraternity a foursome, with another woman replacing Paula. Guest judges will fill that spot for auditions, with a permanent replacement named in time for the start of the next season in January.
Paula Abdul Begging to Return to ‘American Idol’?
Ever since Paula Abdul actually had the guts (or the stupidity) to leave the #1 show on television, there has been nothing but ‘Idol’ chatter in the blogosphere.
But is she having quitters remorse?
That’s the word, according to Perez Hilton, who claims the jobless judge is ‘angling’ to return to ‘American Idol.’
‘Don’t count Paula out just yet, ‘ claims the insider.
It seems as if there are some backstage negotiations going on, and there are whispers that Abdul might consider ‘settling’ for a $10 million deal.
David Cook: Another Idol Who Wants to Act
Jennifer Hudson didn’t win American Idol, but she did win an Oscar.
So is it any surprise to hear an American Idol winner confess he’s looking to do some acting?
“I would love to, ” season seven winner David Cook, 26, told us at his CD signing at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal CityWalk in L.A. when we asked if he wants to get into the movies. “It’s another kind of way to be creative, so I’m very on board for that.”
Kelly Clarkson maps new fall dates
Kelly Clarkson [ tickets ]’s “All I Ever Wanted” tour is gathering more steam, with the singer stretching her current trek into December as she continues to back her latest studio album.
Following a summer schedule heavy on fair and festival dates–including her Aug. 14 appearance in Indianapolis–Clarkson will transition back to theaters and arenas this fall, kicking off the fresh tour leg Oct. 2 in Uncasville, CT. The outing will pass through more than 30 cities on its way to a Dec. 13 finale in Hollywood, FL. Details are included below.
Congratulations, Jennifer Hudson! (Here’s a lullaby for you!)
After months of speculation about whether or not she was pregnant, Jennifer Hudson indeed gave birth on Monday to a healthy baby boy named David Daniel Otunga, Jr., her rep confirmed to People.com. As a gift for the new mom (and her fiance, David Otunga), I thought I’d take a crack at writing a lullaby to the tune of ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, ‘ the Dreamgirls showstopper that helped Hudson win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar back in 2007. Hey, you never know when she’ll need new material to help quell a crying jag from her brand new bundle of joy!
Clarkson, Spears Songwriter to Write for Carrie Underwood
Wait. Who’s writing for Carrie Underwood’s new album? Aren’t there enough terrific songwriters in Nashville already? The folks at song publisher Warner/Chappell Music must not think so because they flew one of the R&B writers from their urban department, Claude Kelly, to Nashville to write for Underwood.
‘Grease’ is as sweet and fleeting as bubble-gum flavor
If ‘Grease’ is the one that you want ‘†ooh, ooh, ooh ‘†then you will honestly love the musical at the Fox Theatre through Sunday.
Starring 2006 ‘American Idol’ winner Taylor Hicks in a cameo as Teen Angel, this is the touring version of director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall’s 2007 Broadway revival, which brought songs from the 1978 film treatment to the stage for the first time and drew its cast from an ‘Idol’ -style, call-in competition on NBC.
Taylor Hicks plays Teen Angel at Fox Theatre
At age 9, I purchased my first vinyl record: ‘Grease.’ My childhood friend Vincent and I sang along to ‘Greased Lightnin’ ‘ and probably didn’t understand how really dirty the lyrics were. I saw the play in college. I attended the 20th anniversary screening of the movie in 1998 in a movie theater. I have seen the film at least 20 times.
So I was thrilled to use ‘Idol’ and Taylor Hicks as an excuse to catch the national touring version of ‘Grease’ at Fox Theatre Tuesday night. Hicks’ role isn’t big. He shows up as Teen Angel to croon ‘Beauty School Dropout, ‘ (I took a bunch of photos) does a bit of ‘Grease’ during the end of the musical and then gets a shot to sing ‘Seven Mile Breakdown.’
American Idol Star Stacey Entertains At Fair
The sky cleared Tuesday evening for Phil Stacey, an American Idol finalist, to perform at the Greene County Fair.
But heavy afternoon showers dampened the fairgrounds, causing the scheduled ATV drags to be rescheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
The wet weather can be blamed for last night’s decreased attendance from 3, 682 last year on the same day to only 2, 436 last night.
Stacey did his best to lift the spirits of last night’s faithful few. A slightly damp Comcast mainstage lit up the night with his soulful vocals.
With a definite country influence, the contemporary Christian singer/songwriter belted out inspirational lyrics to a small but captivated audience.
‘America’s Got Talent’ narrows field to 5
LOS ANGELES ‘†A trio of singing siblings, five sisters who tap dance, three tenors from Texas, a husband-and-wife dance team and a man and his dog are advancing to the next round of “America’s Got Talent.”
Voices of Glory, a singing trio from Highland, New York; the Fab Five, dancing sisters from Morgan, Utah; the Texas Tenors of Houston; Paradizo Dance from Brooklyn; and Tony Hoard and his dog Rory from New Castle, Ind., learned Wednesday that they will compete in the show’s semifinals. All are vying for a $1 million prize and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show in October.
