‘American Idol’: We don’t alter performances
“We have never, nor would we ever, use Auto-Tuning during the American Idol competition, ” producers of the Fox show said in a statement Thursday, referring to pitch-correcting technology.
Read more at USA Today
Ex-’Canadian Idol’ contestant detained on terrorism charges
Usually it’s mass-entertainment fare that’s supposed to be ripped from the headlines — TV shows aren’t supposed to making serious news. But in what seems like a real-life version of the 2006 war-on-terror satire “American Dreamz, ” a Canadian of Pakistani descent who auditioned for “Canadian Idol” two years ago has been detained in a terrorism investigation that has connected him to “high-level Al Qaeda affiliates abroad.”
The Toronto Star reports that Khuram Sher, a Canadian doctor who graduated from Montreal’s McGill University, was arrested Thursday morning as part of a wide-ranging yearlong terrorism investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Sher is the third arrest so far in the probe, which Canadian officials say involves a cell of radical Islamists with ties to senior al-Qaida figures. Reports on the investigation have provided no details about what, if any, specific plans or targets the cell had been pursuing.
(see the video after the jump)
More Headlines after the JUMP…
Read more at Yahoo.com
Interview: Katie Stevens from American Idol
At age 17, Katie Stevens was the second-youngest finalist on season nine of American Idol. During her time on the show, the four Idol judges offered sometimes confusing and conflicting feedback to the young singer.
Simon Cowell wanted to see her add a country tinge to her style. Kara DioGuardi felt R&B was Stevens’ strong suit. In the end, her elimination came during the second Top 9 week. Michael Lynche had benefited from the judges’ “save” the prior week. As a result there needed to be two contestants cut from the show. Stevens got the axe despite a spirited rendition of “Baby, What You Want Me To Do, ” which she chose for Elvis Presley week.
I had a chance to catch up with Ms. Stevens prior to the American Idols LIVE! concert at Seattle’s Key Arena.
Read more at BlogCritics
Adam Lambert, Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) and Katy Perry after last night’s Scissor Sister’s concert in NYC
Photo tweeted by Jake Shears: “We want to thank the lovely @katyperry and charming @adamlambert for joining our party last night in NYC.”
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Adam Lambert interview with Miss Monica of K92 Radio
What kind of man does Adam like? And what about those nails?
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Diana Degarmo rehearsing for her role as Doralee in “9 to 5 The Musical” set to open in Nashville in September. She’s still wearing black and pink!
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Chris Sligh shoots “October Baby” in Mobile AL
The independent feature film “October Baby, ” which began production in Birmingham on Aug. 21 and also has filmed on Dauphin Island, shot a scene in downtown Mobile on Aug. 26, 2010. The movie also stars John Schneider and Jasmine Guy.
| View As Web Page 'October Baby' feature film shoots scene in downtown Mobile |
Read more at AL.com
Partially deaf male Madonna impersonator sues Simon Cowell over ‘hard of hearing’ jibes on Britain’s Got Talent
Mr Grimmer, who is partially deaf in both ears and short sighted, is now suing Cowell’s production company Syco TV for disability discrimination.
In legal papers, he also complains about Ant and Dec introducing him as a ‘successful drag queen’ and ‘a man who likes dressing up as a woman’.
The married, father-of-one claims that some family and friends may now mistake him for a gay cross-dresser.
Read more at the Daily Mail
The Simon Cowell-ing of America
As the star of the top-rated show on U.S. television every year for the last six, “American Idol” — a spinoff, of course, of a British original — Cowell has brandished his accent like a weapon. Meanwhile, TV’s most ubiquitous offering, “The Office” — you can currently catch it on NBC, TBS and Fox — likewise originated across the pond. Critical darling “Mad Men” now features a prominent British character who’s proving himself almost as adept at drinking and shagging his way through 1960s Manhattan as his American colleagues. And CNN is reportedly set to hand over its prime-time interview show to another Englishman, Piers Morgan. The prospective new host’s dream guest, he recently revealed? Cowell, of course.
Read more at Los Angeles Times
Is X Factor’s Simon Cowell in need of a retune?
Roll up, my little tricoteuses, and take your seats for the X Factor – now officially a three-bath show. Crank up the Carmina Burana soundtrack to category five, and bow down for the return of the Karaoke Sauron, as the debut of Simon Cowell’s talent contest draws ratings that in effect amount to 12.6 million people emitting a wanton moan of: “Use me! Use me, you depraved old genius!”
Yet already, this septic isle is being rocked by X Factor scandal – not simply an Auto-Tune row, but the wildly appealing front-page saga of a contestant’s psychiatric problems.
Read more at The Guardian
Say Cheese! Mark Salling’s Ex Caught Egg-Handed
We’re told Naya hasn’t ‘fessed up to anything, and lucky for her Mark is one friggin’ classy guy.
Yesterday on set of Glee he tried to tweet the heat off his costar, saying “silly rumors, we’re the best of friends” with the photo you see above.
But trust, that’s all irony there, babes. Salling is just putting it aside so drama won’t interfere with their hit show.
Swoon! Who knew he could get any hotter?
Guess you can’t totally blame Naya for letting this one get to ya.
Read more at E Online
