Allison Iraheta: The ultimate interview, Part One
Iraheta-partone “American Idol” finalist Allison Iraheta sat down with writer Fred Bronson for a no-holds barred interview. In Part One, Iraheta discusses her early musical influences.
Allison Iraheta, fourth-place finisher on Season 8 of ‘American Idol, ‘ was born April 27, 1992, in Glendale. She grew up in Huntington Park and then moved with her parents, Carlos and Sara, to Downey.
Will Simon Cowell’s X-Factor American dream finally come true?
Sir Philip Green, the billionaire retailer who is effectively acting as Simon Cowell’s agent, flew to the United States last weekend as talks to take The X Factor across the Atlantic approach crunch point.
Sir Philip wants Fox, which is owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Times, to broadcast an American version of Mr Cowell’s X Factor. If Fox agrees, the extra deal could boost Mr Cowell’s annual income to something closer to his long-term target of $150 million ( £93 million).
The plan is to bring over The X Factor as a condition for Mr Cowell signing on for two more seasons Ԡin 2011 and 2012 Ԡas a highly paid judge on American Idol, another talent programme that is also on Fox.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Concert review: Youth storms the Glambert show
The millions of people who watched “American Idol” this season, the thousands of people who are reading this review, and the 10, 500 people who turned out at Target Center Tuesday night knew that American Idols Live was going to be the Glambert Show.
Wrong. Oh so wrong. No, Kris Allen, the “Idol” winner, wasn’t the star of the show either. The youngest finalist, Allison Iraheta, all of 17, absolutely stole the evening.
Review: Treat or train wreck, ‘Idol’ tour last shot for many
Sometimes on “American Idol, ” you’re only as good as your last performance. And for many of season eight’s top 10, the “Idol” tour is their last performance ‘†or at least their last shot at singing in an arena filled with screaming fans.
When even those who’ve won the show struggle to remain relevant ‘†anyone heard a Ruben Studdard song on the radio lately? ‘†the chances of a future career for, say, Megan “Caw! Caw!” Joy aren’t stellar.
Idols not idle in Twin Cities
If you were on a tour of one-nighters in the United States for the summer, what would you do with a day off in the Twin Cities?
Three “American Idol” finalists — Michael Sarver, Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud — went to the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. For hours. Eating and eating, Sarver explained, and seeing animals and meeting lots of people.
Scott MacIntyre had one of the best meals of his life at 112 Eatery in Minneapolis Warehouse District, he said. And he tweeted about each course as it arrived. All six courses.
David Cook redux
All right, in my grubby little hand I am now holding a ticket to the Sept. 8, 2009 David Cook concert at the Fillmore in The City. To those of you outside NorCal, that’s San Francisco.
The staging at the California State Fair, where Cook and his buds performed on Aug. 21, 2009, is OK for what it is ‘ ¦ but face it, it’s a fairgrounds. If I want to hear music, I want to hear it without all the background distractions. And if I don’t get it at the Fillmore then I guess I’m never gonna get it.
Brooke White: The Reality Rocks Interview, Pt. 2
In the second installment of my two-part interview with the lovely and talented Brooke White, the season 7 American Idol finalist discusses working with Randy Jackson on her new release, High Hopes & Heartbreak (the first time Randy has ever executive-produced an Idol’s album); the surprisingly Donna Summery disco vibe of the disc’s title track; her delightfully folky cover of Kings Of Leon’s “Use Somebody”; going on tour with her season 7 castmate Michael Johns; and–despite some detractors’ claims that Idol is “ruining” music–how she (and American Idol in general) have actually educated the younger masses about music of previous generations and decades.
Dreamgirls Tour to Feature Duet Version of “Listen” and New Act II Opener
Deena Jones may try to steal the spotlight in Dreamgirls, but she will share her newly added 11 o’clock number “Listen” ‘â€which was penned for the film ‘†with Effie White when the fresh production of the iconic Motown musical arrives at the Apollo Theatre in November.
On the official website for the new production, actresses Moya Angela and Syesha Mercado, who will portray Effie and Deena, respectively, are seen performing a new lyric for “Listen.” The video was filmed at Gracie Mansion in July during Harlem Week.
“Listen, ” which was added for the role of Deena (portrayed by Beyonc Knowles) in the 2006 film, has been re-imagined as a duet between Effie and Deena for the new Dreamgirls tour. The video on the official web page features the new lyrics in which the two characters reflect on their relationship with one another and with Curtis Taylor, Jr.
To check out “Listen” and a sneak peak at the 2009 Dreamgirls, visit DreamgirlsOnStage.
The Color Green
With its theme of triumph over adversity, the producers of Oprah Winfrey’s hit musical, The Color Purple, have aligned themselves with a non-profit organization which aims to put the victims of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina back into homes.
The Color Purple will make its home at The Arie Crown Theater for two weeks beginning Wednesday, and reprising her role as Celie is American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.
“There is a lot of things still going on in New Orleans that has not been fixed, a lot of families who don’t have homes, and I got to see that when I did my Lifetime movie, and I met a lot of people and I made some friends, ” said Barrino, who joined producers in Chicago on Tuesday to launch the fundraising campaign to benefit the St. Bernard Project.
Chicago Run of The Color Purple, with “Idol” Winner Fantasia, Begins Sept. 2
The national tour of The Color Purple, starring Theatre World Award winner Fantasia Barrino, begins performances at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago Sept. 2.
Barrino made her Broadway debut as Celie in The Color Purple in April 2007, and reprised her performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. earlier this summer. In addition to Chicago, Barrino will also appear in Purple in the following cities: Greensboro, NC (Sept. 8-13); Atlanta, GA (Sept. 15-27); and Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 10-28, 2010). The Chicago engagement concludes Sept. 6.
Will Ferell, Jordin Sparks perform at Ashe Kids’ Day
The show must go on, even if rain caused by Tropical Storm Danny got in the way a little bit.
Although most of the morning activities at this year’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day on Saturday, August 29 had to be canceled due to inclement weather, families still made it to the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center for a stadium show. The annual event, which was presented by Hess, has served as a kick off to the U.S. Open for the last 14 years.
Vera Woodrad, of the Bronx, said that she came out regardless of the weather because her daughter, 9-year-old Johnniesha, is a tennis fanatic. She said that they usually attend the event every year.
Kelly Clarkson To Rock Free Hollywood Concert
Kelly Clarkson is going to rock the Hollywood & Highland complex during a free, public performance on September 14 in Los Angeles, Access Hollywood can break exclusively.
Clarkson will perform the final concert in this year’s Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert tour. The Hollywood & Highland complex has room for 5, 000 fans.
A similar concert last year featuring Mariah Carey had about that many fans in attendance.Portions of Clarkson’s free concert will be broadcast on ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’
Get Kelly Clarkson On Your iPhone – A Top Story This Week
Get Kelly Clarkson On Your iPhone was a top story for this week. Here it is again: (RCA) Kelly Clarkson and RCA Records, in association with Rain, today announced the Kelly Clarkson Open Mic App is available on the App Store. The Kelly Clarkson Open Mic App is a unique singing game that allows players to choose a level of difficulty and then perform a Clarkson song into the iPhone mic or a microphone connected to an iPod touch. Performances are awarded a score that is decided by pitch and rhythm with players able to post their scores to Facebook, Twitter or to the Scoreboard within the App.
A Long Wait Stirs Enthusiasm for Fox Show ‘Glee’
AS Fox executives plotted the advertising and marketing strategy for the new musical ‘Glee, ‘ they thought, ‘This show needs to be seen.’
‘It is, on its surface, a niche show, ‘ said Joe Earley, the executive vice president for marketing and communications at Fox, given that it is about a troupe of singing high school students in Ohio. ‘How do you convince all these other people that there’s something here for you? For ‘Glee, ‘ it’s by making it available for them to see.’
