Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
‘Idol’ chatter rocks city
Idol worship takes center stage when America’s favorite singers visit the Hampton Coliseum.
The 2007 American Idols with Chesapeake singer Chris Richardson rolled into Hampton Tuesday afternoon – followed closely by their most rabid fans.
As you’d expect, Hampton Roads helped give Richardson a rapturous homecoming party Tuesday night.
When the Chesapeake resident grabbed the microphone during the American Idols Live! stop at the Hampton Coliseum, screams and cheers ricocheted to the rafters and back. But Richardson, who shined on a showcase version of the peppy tune “This Love, ” was far from the only idol who made the nearly 6, 000 fans howl with happiness………
American Idols’ performance at Coliseum falls flat
…Security officers and police inside the arena did nothing to stop the massacre, despite the continual, piercing screams of young women and children who watched the tragedy unfold for several hours. Besides the songs, no one was seriously injured.
Assaults began around 7 p.m. when, one by one, the final 10 contestants from the show took the stage singing Black Eyed Peas …Let Get it Started. Blake Lewis, the first runner-up on the program, appeared first. Seconds later Jordin Sparks, the show winner, arrived, joining a rapping Chesapeake native Chris Richardson. Their rendition of the song promised a pleasant performance; these promises were stolen….
Review: In Hampton, Idols fight for respect
The “American Idol” class of 2007 has battled the perception that it’s not as talented, not as engaging, not as marketable as some of the crews that have preceding it.
At Hampton Coliseum Tuesday night, many of this year’s singers proved that they’ve got potential. If nothing else, the local Idol show underscored how much performers can grow given the right amount of coaching and experience…..
Chris Richardson gets ready for Idol tour concert
Chris Richardson is, as the kids say, “in the building.”
The American Idol finalist arrived in Virginia Monday night in preparation for the American Idol Tour performance at the Hampton Coliseum on Tuesday…..
TOUR DE FORCE
Lakisha Jones hasn’t been feeling well lately.
“My allergies are kicking my butt, ” says the former American Idol finalist. But for the past month, the exhilarating experience of performing on the show’s summer tour, which stops tonight at 1st Mariner Arena, has been the most effective medicine….
‘Idol’ finalists to sing at mall’s opening
Former “American Idol” finalists Justin Guarini and Kimberley Locke will join in the festivities during Outlet Shoppes at El Paso’s grand opening Oct. 12.
Guarini and Locke will perform a free concert from 7 to 8 p.m. in the mall’s breezeway on the first official day of shopping at the outlet mall, at Interstate 10 and Trans Mountain Road……
A Tower of music and memories
…This fall, the venue will play host to: Kings of Leon (9/21), Ben Harper (9/22), Regina Spektor (9/27), funnyman Jim Gaffigan (9/29), Gov’t Mule (10/6), Tori Amos (10/15), American Idol Kelly Clarkson (10/18), Smashing Pumpkins (10/21-22), John Fogerty (11/3) and Neil Young (12/9.) …
Daughtry to rock St. James Powerhouse
…The rock band has been on tour since January 2007, and is now in Singapore, their only stop in Asia. The group touched down on Tuesday, and has since been to local shops and eateries. They claim to have gotten more recognition here in the island city-state then in their native homeland.
“It’s funny because we went to London and Canada, and I get recognised more here in Singapore than I did in Canada or London, ” said the lead vocalist. “It was really cool. I went to Starbucks and everybody wanted pictures….
Color Purple’s Dixon to Star as Music Great in Ray Charles Live! Musical
….The cast will also feature Matthew Benjamin (The Hat Left Behind) as Tom Dowd, Aaron Brown (Pepito’s Story) and Christopher Brown (“Christmas Everyday”) as Little George, Yvette Cason (Play On!) as Retha Robinson, Wilkie Ferguson (Dreamgirls tour) as Young Ray, Maceo Oliver (Swing!) as Joe Adams, Jeremiah Whitfield-Pearson (Oliver) as Little Ray, Sabrina Sloan (Hairspray and “American Idol”) as Margie Hendricks, Daniel Tatar (Baby) as Ahmet Ertegun, Angela Teek (Ragtime) as Mary Ann Fisher and Harrison White (Sister Act, The Musical) as Jeff Brown….
TMZ.com lets readers talk to the blog
Readers who want to offer their 2 cents about online news have a new way to vent.
TMZ.com, the fast-growing entertainment blog co-owned by AOL, has started letting readers post audio comments about items on its website for playback by other people at the site. That’s a next-generation leap from the written comments many sites have added….
….TMZ refined the technology, then relaunched the service about a month ago with an item ‘ known as a “post” ‘ about American Idol contestant Clay Aiken. The commenting service is free; readers need a laptop or PC with a built-in microphone. Comments are limited to 30 seconds in length…..
Bo Bice Links With Wal-Mart For New Album
Season four “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice will release his second album, “See the Light, ” Oct. 23 exclusively via Wal-Mart stores through the indie StartArt label, Billboard.com has learned. First single “Witness” will hit U.S. radio outlets later this month.
“See the Light” is follow-up to Bice’s lone RCA album, 2005’s “The Real Thing.” The artist tells Billboard.com, “I enjoyed ‘The Real Thing, ‘ but [the new album] is more a labor of love. It’s really me getting back to the roots of what Bo is, which is a Southern rock album and nothing more.”…….
Alabama’s unofficial song becomes official tourism theme
…”The phrase really became prominent on American Idol because of singer Bo Bice. Host Ryan Seacrest opened the Birmingham audition show Birmingham with ‹Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama.’ After Taylor Hicks won in 2005, People magazine wrote, ‹Hicks is going back to sweet home Alabama to unwind with his family, ‘” Sentell said….
17th Annual Divas: Simply Singing Returns to L.A. Saturday October 6th
….Former Sounds of Blackness star Ann Nesby will return to the Divas stage solo and in a reprised duet with her American Idol veteran daughter Paris Bennett plus JaMecia Bennett in what will surely be an emotional public family reunion…..
Aerosmith still knows how to let it rip
….Even if you think Aerosmith has been squandering its legacy since 1999’s Pump ‘ and by “you, ” I mean “me, ” because I’m the only human being on the planet who thinks “Janie’s Got a Gun” was the end of the group’s career ‘ and you can’t do anything but shake your head at the continued insults to rock `n’ roll implied when the guys turn up on American Idol or back Tom Jones at the Concert for Diana, there’s a “Walk This Way” or a “XXX” to remind you the band was a dirty, dirty white-blues machine in its day….
Savannah Pride Takes Over Johnson Square
….The festival opened up at 11am, and ran until 9pm. American Idol finalist and star of Celebrity Fit Club on VH1 Kimberley Locke was the featured performer, closing out the event with the song, “Over the Rainbow.” ….
Elliott Yamin, Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant, Earning Respect with Debut Album, “Elliott Yamin”
Singer Elliott Yamin joins a long list of American Idol contestants who have gone on to achieve success in the music industry. Elliott recently appeared on VOA’s live request program, “Border Crossings”, to talk about his debut album and quick rise to fame. Mary Morningstar has this report…..
Rush & Molloy
…Cowell is tights-lipped about Seacrest Emmys
Ryan Seacrest should gird his loins. His “American Idol” tormentor, Simon Cowell, is finally weighing in on his Emmy-hosting performance.
Let’s start with that Tudor doublet and tights that Seacrest donned ‘ the poofy outfit that, Seacrest groaned, “looked a lot less gay on the rack.”
“I don’t think it was a costume, ” Cowell tells us. “It was definitely plucked from Ryan’s own wardrobe. I think Ryan thought the show was over and he was ready to go home. It’s the sort of thing he wears when he entertains friends.”
Much as Cowell loves teasing Seacrest about his supposedly secret life ‘ last spring he commanded him to “come out [of the closet]” ‘ he actually didn’t think his favorite foil did half bad at the Emmys. While one critic sniped that Seacrest had no gift for riffing on his feet, Simon argues, “that’s actually one of Ryan’s strengths. I don’t know if he was given the opportunity to do that. It’s such a tightly scripted show.”
“My problem with the show wasn’t Ryan’s performance, ” he adds. “It was just being there. I hate watching people go up to accept. It’s all very grand. It’s not really what we’re about.
“I was annoyed at myself ‘ that I bothered to attend this event. I have got better things to do with my time. As soon as I found out we lost, I left and went out to dinner.”
The show taught Cowell one thing. Having seen “The Amazing Race” win its fifth Emmy, he says, “I think we should take the singing out of our show and make it about running.”
