Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Changes in store for ‹Idol upcoming season
Contestants will be allowed to play guitar as part of their performances
…American Idol returns to TV screens in January and it might be a little different than you remember.
According to the New York Post, singers with extra musical abilities may be able to show off their talents on stage by accompanying themselves on guitar.
The Post is also reporting that legends like Tony Bennett and Diana Ross, who have acted as mentors on the show, will not be booked as often, to help put the focus more squarely on the contestants……..
Radio jocks strike again
…..Green isn’t his color
What were the Celtics thinking enlisting Elliott Yamin to perform at tonight’s game at the TD Banknorth Garden? The guy’s not only a lifelong Lakers fan, he hates the gang in green. At least he used to. “I despised the Celtics growing up, as a matter of fact, ” the “American Idol” finalist admitted to us yesterday.”But don’t get me wrong: I’m a fan of the game and I love Kevin Garnett.” Who doesn’t? Yamin is singing the national anthem tonight and then afterward playing a 45-minute set as part of the Verizon Wireless Concert Series, which last year featured the likes of Chris Brown and Akon. Asked about the C’s prospects, Yamin didn’t seem overly optimistic. “I would tell Bostonians to be careful with the expectation thing, ” he said. “Big names can’t do it all.”…..
Ms. Planet Beach contestant from Pensacola
….The pageant will be hosted by Kimberly Caldwell, TV Guide host and star of “American Idol.” The international beauty and modeling pageant will crown the company’s official spokesperson, cover model and goodwill ambassador…..
Country Music Award Preview; your questions wanted
Nashville is gearing up for the 41st annual Country Music Awards. The ceremony begins at 8pm on WZZM 13.
Among one of the biggest moments is the Horizon Award, which goes to the breakthrough artist or group of the year…..
With writers on strike, networks ready a dose of reality with plenty of games
SOON it will be “American Idol” season, that sweet time of year when the world stops to crown a new singing sensation. The naysayers predicted that last year would be the year Americans stopped idolizing, and they were so, so wrong.
With the entertainment industry’s writers on strike, and current scripted series expected to run out of episodes by mid-January, “American Idol” which averaged 30 million viewers a show last season, could actually become as big as, say, the Super Bowl.
OK, maybe not that big. But Fox’s juggernaut is sure to pick up a few more curious eyes if there’s nothing else to watch…..
“Christmas on Main St.” returns to Salinas
“Christmas on Main Street, ” the annual event hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Salinas, returns December 7-9 and 14-15 at 7 p.m. and December 16, at 5 and 7 p.m. in Salinas.
This year’s event features American Idol contestants George Huff and Mandisa……
Teen girls skeptical about making peace with their bodies
….Bone-thin celebrities peek out from tabloids. Some stars, like Mary Kate Olsen, have struggled with anorexia, and international runway models have died from the eating disorder.
Seventeen editors say they hope to counter these waifs by enlisting their own celebs declaring Body Peace. They’re close to the age of Seventeen’s readers, and include Kelly Osbourne, who chafed when US Weekly called her “fat” when she was 15, and Ashlee Simpson, who was at one time reported to be suffering an eating disorder.
Actresses Hayden Panettiere and Amanda Bynes and singers Pink, Ciara, Fergie and Katharine McPhee round out the list.
Well, if “round out” is the right term. Even if none of them has legs like broomsticks, their photos in Seventeen show off their slim and trim figures…..
More than 60 turn out for ‘All American Icon’ auditions
“All American Icon” wants to challenge “American Idol” and other such shows by stressing talent over glitz and good looks.
Kimberleigh Haynes was in bed asleep a few nights ago when her husband, Michael, woke her up and said, “I’ve just found your future.”
Michael Haynes had been scanning the Roanoke Civic Center’s Web site when he happened onto a promo for “All American Icon.” The proposed show is a knockoff of “American Idol, ” though producers insist “Icon” will be longer on substance and shorter on style than the intensely popular Fox television show……
….”Icon” is open to anyone over the age of 9 — whereas “Idol” limits participants to ages 16 to 28.
Megan Reynard made her mom and aunt wake up at 4:30 a.m. so they could drive to Roanoke from their home in the Shenandoah County town of Edinburg. A 20-year-old who works two jobs — one as an auto mechanic, the other as a waitress — Reynard sang Lorrie Morgan’s “Watch Me” with the confidence of a person who’s been singing in public since the age of 2, which she has.
Megan’s mom and aunt mouthed the lyrics as Megan sang. They spent $60 to buy a DVD of her performance plus an “Icon” T-shirt, but otherwise the auditions were free. That was a far cry from the $3, 000 the women spent last year so Megan could participate in “Talent Rock, ” an Orlando event designed to teach wannabe singers, comedians and models how to hit the big-time…..
….Eighth-grader Kylee Overstreet of Roanoke felt equally confident about her performance. She’s been singing and dancing in public since she was 2. “We had to put her on a crate so people could see her, ” her mother, Candace Overstreet, recalled.
Clad in pink down to her Ugg boots, she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” — Katharine McPhee-style, not Judy Garland-style, Kylee was quick to point out.
“I cried, ” her mother said. “When I cry, you know it’s a good performance.”
Student Singer-Songwriter on Ballot for 3 Grammy Awards
….LoGuidice is well aware of her steep competition. In the Record of the Year category, she up against Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Seger, George Strait and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks…..
