‘Idolatry’: Is Lil Rounds gutsy, or just plain crazy?
Yes, that’s the exact question I posed to Lil Rounds, the American Idol season 8 finalist who’s been closing her current tour set with a cover of Beyonc’s iconic ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).’ Press play below to hear Lil answer (after she stops giggling, of course) and to find out about the perils of belting while dancing, the ease of singing without fear of Simon Cowell, and the joys of shoe-bedazzling. (In other news, you all know this means there will be an Anoop Desai Idolatry interview comin’ atcha in about 24 hours, yes? And also: Follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak! Fun!)
‘Idols Live’ delivers mixed bag of performances
Watching Adam Lambert – the 27-year-old, now-openly-gay American Idol runner-up perform David Bowie’s theatrical 1971 tune Life on Mars? to an arena packed with screaming tweens – it seemed peculiar that the eccentric glam-rocker didn’t take home the gold in the singing competition’s eighth season.
Strange, too, was how a 10-minute medley of Bowie, Muse and Led Zeppelin songs (coupled with Lambert’s PG-13 gyrations and impromptu uses of both an oversize feather on a stick and a hot-pink bra tossed onstage) so enthused the mixed-gender, multi-age crowd.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Hanging Out With ”Idol” Stars.
When the American Idol tour came through Cleveland on Sunday, the press had a chance to meet with five of the performers: Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Scott MacIntyre and Michael Sarver. (The tour rotates which stars meet with reporters in different cities.)
Nice folks one and all. And I was curious about what music they’re listening to now that they’re out of the Idol bubble and on the road.
Jordin Sparks = Force To Be Reckoned With
Jordin Sparks debuted on the Circus tour last night, and she came out like she owned the place. The girl has more bona fide smash hits than some artists twice her age, and she flaunted each and every one of them during her tight opening set. MSG lit up with camera flashes the instant Ms. Sparks appeared on stage (wearing a sick-looking feather skirt) to sing “One Step at a Time.” The crowd was less enthusiastic about the pair of newer album deep cuts she tossed into the set (girl’s gotta sell her new record!), but once she finished with a one-two-three punch of “Battlefield, ” “Tattoo” and “No Air, ” the room was bouncing and singing in unison. It didn’t hurt that Sparks sounded spectacular live, even with her ear monitor flying off two songs in. She is a fantastic addition to the Circus tour.
Q&A: Diana DeGarmo
News flash from Diana DeGarmo, alum of the musicals Hairspray (on Broadway) and Brooklyn (on tour): She’s no longer that 16-year-old girl on American Idol. ‘I’m 22!’ she says, topping an infectious giggle with the pixie-esque chirp she made famous on season three, when she was runner-up to Fantasia Barrino. ‘I do older, more mature work, and it makes people who remember me as the high-schooler on Idol nervous. But I’m a big girl now.’
Diana DeGarmo, Jonathan Groff, Bailey Hanks et al. to Participate in NYMF’s Next Broadway Sensation
American Idol alum Diana DeGarmo, currently starring Off-Broadway in The Toxic Avenger will host Round 1 of the New York Music Theater Festival’s Next Broadway Sensation, at New World Stages.
During Sensation, singers compete to win the chance to perform in their own solo concert. Celebrity commentators offer their opinions of the performers while the audience casts the votes that decide each singer’s fate. Confirmed judges include actors Jonathan Groff, Bailey Hanks, Orfeh, Kacie Sheik and Allison Case; composer/lyricist Paul Scott Goodman; and record producer Noah Cornman. The three rounds will be held September 13, September 20, and October 4.
Diana DeGarmo’s ‘TOXIC’ Blog: ‘OH MY GOODNESS!’
Diana DeGarmo, Season 3 “American Idol” runner-up and Broadway vet has returned to the New York stage where, beginning Friday, August 14th, she assumed the role of Sarah, the sexy, blind librarian in The Toxic Avenger – named the “Best New Off-Broadway Musical” by the Outer Critics Circle.
Theatre audiences in New York will remember DeGarmo’s critically acclaimed performance as Penny Pingleton in Broadway’s HAIRSPRAY and across the country in the cast of the first national tour of Brooklyn: The Musical and her starring role as Dorothy in the first national tour of Oz. Ms. DeGarmo will recently starred in the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Colbie Caillat Talks Breakthrough, Wants To Work With Hip-Hop Artist
One of the songwriters who worked with Caillat was none other than hitmaker/ “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi. The pair rented a house with friends on a beach in Hawaii and had their own “writing camp.” They spent their days Boogie-boarding, barbequing and writing songs. The “Idol” judge inspired the young singer/songwriter in the process.
“Honestly, she’s one of the best songwriters I’ve ever known, ” Caillat said. “She’s just fearless and really taught me a lot about opening up and just saying what you need to say and just singing what you’re feeling and people will dig it.”
You can find fun in ‘Grease’
Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel sings his one song, “Beauty School Dropout” with comic aplomb, all raised eyebrows and goofy grins. Just in case you forgot how he made his name, a gratuitous American Idol reference is oddly tossed into the dialogue. Hicks fans will want to stay after bows: He performs his new radio single, an unusual final curtain call.
The main supporting cast brings the show its spark. Brian Crum is endearing as Doody and has a strong, lovely voice. His “Those Magic Changes” number is a knockout of music and staging. Will Blum and Bridie Carroll bring great comic timing to a very funny “Mooning.”
Kellie Pickler ‘ ‘Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You’
The most powerful songs are often born from exposing a simple truth that is the root of a given emotion; they are born when their writers break through the barrier of convolution that stands between what we know how to say and what we feel, when clouded and distorted context makes way for raw essentiality.
There is no more essential post break-up question than this one: Didn’t you know how much I loved you?
Dancing with the Stars’ Kym Johnson Blogs for OK!
Heading into her seventh season on Dancing with the Stars here in the US Ԡplus three seasons in her native Australia Ԡthere are few people as qualified to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the ABC hit. So Kym Johnson has teamed up with OK! to update you every week on the triumphs and travails as she attempts to turn Donny Osmond into a ballroom champion!.
Hi, everyone! Welcome to my Dancing with the Stars blog for OKmagazine.com! In the coming weeks, I will be sharing all my season nine experiences with you, from the first rehearsals to the competition itself, which begins on ABC on Sept. 21.
Melissa Joan Hart: “I Hope I Don’t Throw Up” on DWTS
Melissa Joan Hart is a little anxious about Dancing With the Stars.
“I just hope I don’t throw up or cry from nerves, ” she tells USA WEEKEND’s Who’s News Blog.
Hart, who will hit the floor with Mark Ballas, says she has a bit of experience: she and her husband, musician Mark Wilkerson, choreographed a “flashy, fancy and super fun” routine to “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS for their wedding.
