‘American Idol’ host Ryan Seacrest brings radio show to Z100
Ryan Seacrest, who may be quietly building himself into the most ubiquitous entertainment brand in pop music, is coming to New York radio.
The host of the country’s most popular TV show, “American Idol, ” becomes the mid-day jock starting Monday on WHTZ (100.3 FM).
“Ryan is one of the strongest pop culture icons in the country, ” says Tom Poleman, senior vice president of programming for Z100’s parent Clear Channel. “Bringing him in to follow Elvis Duran’s morning show strengthens our station even further.”
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Taylor Hicks Inks Indie Deal For New CD
Former “American Idol” champion Taylor Hicks has aligned with artist services company Artist to Market for the release of his next album, due Feb. 10. The as-yet-untitled set, which Hicks is working on with producer Simon Climie, will carry the artists Modern Whomp Records imprint.
“In this digital age, when artists can connect more directly with audiences, this is a partnership that makes a lot of sense, ” says Hicks.
Photo File
Stephen Bogardus, Mario Cantone, Mara Davi, Hunter Foster, Ana Gasteyer, Bailey Hanks, Zoe McLellan, Jeremy Piven, Anthony Rapp, Jason Tam, and Ace Young are among the stars caught by our cameras.
Carrie Underwood Dates a Bachelor
Carrie Underwood has weird taste in dudes.
She’s been linked to Gossip Girl’s pretty boy Chace Crawford, Dallas Cowboy’s pretty boy Tony Romo, even that pretty boy Russian kid Anthony Fedorov from her season of American Idol.
And now, she’s supposedly hooking up with fellow reality personality, The Bachelor’s Travis Stork (he was on the Paris edition of the show and now stars on a daytime talk show called The Doctors–and yes, he is a doctor).
Anyway! Some chick who saw the couple together at a restaurant in Canada sent the sighting into THIS blog.
Carrie Underwood still idol of ACC crowd
Country music is the perfect place for Carrie Underwood, the only American Idol winner ‘ she took the prize in 2005 ‘ to have turned her good fortune and considerable talent into a formidable career.
In country music, street cred isn’t an issue, though, ironically, Underwood does come from Checotah, Okla., and wears her small-town badge with enormous pride.
And no one actually expects country artists these days to have lived the experiences of which they sing.
Carrie connections
GORDIE SAMPSON likes to write tearjerkers, acknowledges country star Carrie Underwood.
The American Idol season 4 winner is making her first trip to Nova Scotia, home of the man who co-wrote Jesus Take The Wheel, one of her biggest hits.
She plays a sold-out concert at Halifax Metro Centre on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and the song co-written by Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey, which earned Grammy Awards for Country Song of the Year and Female Country Vocal performance, is likely to be on her set list.
Jennifer Hudson Dispels the Rumors
Jennifer Hudson wants everyone to know that she has “never been happier.” The Oscar winning actress and singer, 27, recently became engaged to fiance, Harvard-educated attorney David Otunga and recently told Jet Magazine all about the proposal.
“He proposed and gave me a ring, ” Hudson said. “It was very romantic; he’s a very unique, different individual. I am happy.”
Aimee Teergarden Models for Charity
Friday Night Lights star Aimee Teergarden, 18, hosted the 5th annual YMI Jeans Fashion Show in Hollywood on Monday night–an evening with a performance by Nina Sky and a runway show that included Teergarden as one of the models.
Proceeds from the event benefited the L.A. County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Also in the crowd, American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell and actress Kay Panabaker.
CATCHING THE SPIRIT OF BOBBY JONES GOSPEL SEASON 28: Fantasia, Mary Mary, Stephanie Mills and others to appear.
Dr. Jones’ name is even a magnet for R&B singers.
Fantasia Barrino wanted to give God the glory for healing her throat of a tumor, so one of her first stops after her vocals were restored was “Bobby Jones Gospel.”
Doctors told the former star of Broadway’s “The Color Purple” that she may never sing again. They couldn’t have been more wrong. She told the veteran host her testimony and provided evidence of the doctor’s failed prognosis by giving Beverly Crawford’s “He’s Done Enough” the Fantasia treatment. Her mother joined her on the song of gratitude and together, according to show attendees, they delivered one of the most spirit-filled performances on the new season of Bobby Jones Gospel.
N.C. native reveals real self with 2nd album
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ‘ Although Kellie Pickler first album garnered three hits, went gold and made the singer a certified country star, it wasnt the debut that she would have crafted had she had her way.
…Small Town Girl, released in 2006, was put together in a hurry to capitalize on her sudden fame from being one of the finalists on …American Idol. Pickler was working on songs over the phone with Nashville co-writers while on an …Idol tour and didnt have much input on the CD direction.
FremantleMedia casts new VP
FremantleMedia North America has named Billy Kemp VP, casting and talent.
In his newly created position, Kemp will continue to oversee all casting and talent initiatives for the U.S. production arm of Fremantle. The division’s production roster includes “American Idol, ” “The Price Is Right” and “The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous.”
In his previous role as executive director of casting for FMNA, Kemp is credited for creating judging panels for “America’s Got Talent” and “The Next Great American Band, ” among other reality competish skeins.
Jonathan Burkin back on TV
CLYDE — Jonathan Burkin, of Clyde, a national baton champion and recent top 20 competitor on “America’s Got Talent, ” will be a guest on the Bonnie Hunt TV talk show aired locally at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The show airs on TV Channel WEWS, ABC, and is viewed on Channel 5 by Clyde Time Warner customers.
Burkin has become famous for his spectacular fire baton twirling while doing acrobatics, sometimes keeping two or three batons in the air at once.
Ratings: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ stays strong, ‘Chuck, ‘ Heroes’ continue to decline
Dancing With the Stars took Monday night top spot once again, even with fan-favorite dance team Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chermkovskiy officially out of the competition (she hurt her Achilles tendon). The series suffered a mere 2 percent decline from last week’s performance show, attracting an average of 18.8 million viewers, according to overnight data, and winning the night for ABC. Dancing follow-up, Boston Legal, also performed well, attracting 9.5 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour (a 50 percent decline from its lead-in, but still above its last-season average of 8.9 million).
Misty May-Treanor Undergoes Surgery for Dancing Injury
One day after having to bow out of competing on the seventh season of Dancing With the Stars, Misty May-Treanor had surgery Tuesday morning to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
Her rep tells PEOPLE the surgery was …successful and that …she is currently at home recovering. Her husband, Matt [Treanor] is with her.
The 31-year-old beach volleyball star, who won her second Olympic gold medal in Beijing in August, injured herself while rehearsing the jive with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy last Friday.
Derek Hough: Im Living with Shannon at Her House
Derek Hough rumbled with his current partner Brooke Burke on last night Dancing with the Stars, but on the home front things are better than ever for the pro and his former Dancing partner Shannon Elizabeth.
…Mark and I have an apartment, and Im supposed to be living there, Hough told PEOPLE, …but I live with Shannon at her house, and our three [Almost Amy] bandmates live with Shannon and I.
Misty’s Last Dance
Just hours before Misty May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon in an injury that forced her to quit “Dancing with the Stars, ” the Olympic champ hoofed it with Mario Lopez on the “Extra” stage — in what would be her final dance of the season.
Kim Kardashian is Ready to Return to ‘Dancing with the Stars!’
Kim Kardashian says she’s ready to come back to “Dancing with the Stars” and fill Misty May-Treanor’s dancing shoes! “I would totally go back, if they ask me, ” Kim told Ryan Seacrest’s Kiis-FM radio show.
Kim was eliminated from the show last week and Misty dropped out of the competition Monday after she ruptured her Achilles tendon.
The reality star says if they need her to fill Misty’s role on the show, she will! “[Misty]’s doing OK. Her spirits are really good, but you know, I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, ” Kardashian said. “But hey, if they asked me back, I’m there!”
‘Dancing With The Stars’ Contestants on Misty’s Injury
ET is backstage at “Dancing With The Stars” where Misty May-Treanor’s fellow contestants send their well wishes to the Olympic athlete, who had to bow out of the competition due to a recent injury.
“It hits you right in the gut because it’s one of our family members gone without actually being voted off, ” Warren Sapp tells ET.
‘Dancing with the Stars’: No one goes home
We all wanted to find out what would happen tonight since Misty May-Treanor became the first contestant in seven seasons to have to withdraw due to injury. The answer was that no one is going home this week, but we found out who would have gone home if Misty hadn’t pulled out: Rocco DiSpirito and Karina. Everyone’s scores from this week will be added to their scores next week, and that will determine who goes home then. And, yes, you heard me right: Cloris Leachman and Corky did not have the lowest combined judges’/viewers’ scores. In their post-salvation interview with co-host Samantha Harris, Cloris veered off on some tangent about blue-eyed people vs. brown-eyed people, but, luckily, it did not devolve into eugenics.
Week 3 results on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
After an uneven performance show and some heartbreaking news regarding Misty May-Treanor’s exit due to injury, Dancing with the Stars sets forth to kill a lot of time and possibly eliminate someone. Though I doubt it.
After the recap from last night, instead of an encore the show kicks off with Maks performing the Jive they were supposed to do with Edyta and dedicates it to Misty (via Tom Bergeron). Oh, and Misty had her surgery today and is apparently doing well.
‘Dancing With the Stars’: One Disenchanted Evening
Well! We already knew that last night’s results show would be uneventful, considering there was no way the show would lose a whole week’s worth of ad revenue by expunging two contestants in the same week. But I had no idea Tom would basically redefine ”uneventful” by not even giving that announcement its own complete sentence! Instead, he attempted to make a huge deal out of who would have gone home if not for Misty’s ankle injury ‘ and then Sam amped up that mystery into the devastating news that the person who should have been going home last night…was Rocco. Okay then. The whole thing was so awkward, even for DWTS. Many thanks to Karina’s ever-amusing bevy of annoyed faces for keeping me in the game during these hard times.
