Chris Bernheisel Live in the Studio
VIDEO. Plus, Hopeful Misses Cut on Omaha Auditions Show
”American Idol”: Husker Do’s and Don’ts
As American Idol enters the third week of its seventh season, it’s clear the show’s producers have taken into account all the criticism fans and pundits threw their way last year. As my colleague Jessica Shaw and I discuss in the most recent installment of Idolatry, Idol is packing its episodes with successful auditions, and that’s led to a precipitous (and applause-worthy) drop in screen time for elderly ladies in skimpy feathered dresses and dudes in lederhosen. Better still, the judges seem to have steered away from giving wedgies to 50-pound weaklings; I wouldnt blame Fox execs if they wanted to roll out an end-of-episode tagline declaring, ”No person of diminished mental and/or emotional capacity was harmed in the making of this episode.”
American Idol: Omaha AuditionsTonight’s episode made me happy, which is good because Idol hasn’t been doing that lately. I had resigned myself to another lackluster episode where I’d keep thinking to myself, “I can’t wait until we get to Hollywood.” And I’m watching it and seeing all these good singers and I’m thinking “Wow, Omaha must have really brought it.” But Ryan says only nineteen people made it so what is it? They finally edited it right. More of the good, less back story on the bad and an overall feel-good attitude permeated the episode. And it looked like everyone from the contestants to the judges and even Ryan were genuinely having a good time. Now that I think about it, no one ranted and raved and bitched about not getting through either. Midwestern people are nicer! And it made for a nicer show to watch. Food for thought…
Nice guys (and girls) finish first on ‹Idol
The most successful …American Idol champion of recent vintage is Carrie Underwood, a girl from small-town Oklahoma who grew to become a country music superstar. Looking to recapture that dynamic after two lackluster champions in a row, the …Idol producers went to Omaha, Nebraska, hoping for another dose of Midwest magic.
Time will tell whether any of the 19 hopefuls who advanced can follow in Underwood footsteps, but it clear that the show is giving them every chance. Virtually the entire hour on Tuesday show was focused on the success stories, with all of the wholesome goodness a cynical city-dweller would expect from farm country.
Reality Check: On ‘Idol, ‘ It Was Sweet Home Nebraska
We’re in our third week of auditions, and while you’d think this would mean it’s high time for some meltdowns and harsh words, sweetness was actually the most consistent sentiment on display.
And I’m not talking about the people who auditioned ‘ though some of them were undeniably precious.
I’m actually referring to the judges.
‘American Idol’ Omaha auditions
Somehow I can’t shake the feeling that the best moment from Tuesday (Jan. 29) night’s American Idol auditions from Omaha came when one contestant, having made it through to Hollywood despite a “No” vote from Simon, stared into the camera and declared, “I can’t wait to prove Simon wrong, that I am America’s Next Top Model.”
Excellent.
Zap2it
AI Omaha: Impressive Guys, Odd Ladies, Funny Seacrest
And since I don’t usually find Ryan Seacrest that amusing, you know that Omaha was one weird audition city. The joke auditions went on too long, the supposedly impressive singers weren’t quite as impressive as they were supposed to be, and Seacrest switched places with Paula…and sort of knew what he was talking about!
“How do I…be overpaid for doing no work?” Ryan joked as he settled into Paula’s chair. One could argue that he’s perfected that in his hosting duties, but I was enjoying the guy for the first time in years, so I was willing to leave him alone. This once.
Jitters force Abdul to pretape Super Bowl gig
Stage jitters, nerves and bad memories of past shows are keeping Paula Abdul from performing live during Super Bowl XLII ‘ not technical difficulties, as the production would like you to think, reports OK! magazine.
The resurrected singer and …American Idol judge will unveil her new single, …Dance Like There No Tomorrow, in a video segment that was taped before a studio audience Jan. 27. Fellow …Idol judge Randy Jackson will also appear in the production, set to air Feb. 3 during pregame coverage from Glendale, Ariz.
This Looks Like It Could Be Good
Click here to watch a behind the scenes preview of Paula Abdul’s new music video!
‹Idol doesnt seem to be looking for fresh talent
As has now been well-documented online, “American Idol 7” is stocked with people who’ve already proven they have talent. The rules for the show only prevent auditioning contestants from having current recording contracts or managers, so their presence is acceptable, if questionable.
Working from a list of the Hollywood round’s top 50 contestants, and later the top 24 semi-finalists, the site Vote for the Worst revealed that many of those who advance in the competition aren’t exactly amateurs.
Why Do Some ‘American Idol’ Stars Succeed While Others Disappear?
Did you ever notice how some contestants who win American Idol seem to fall off the face of the planet after the season is over? Then there are other “Idol” winners who become huge successes. So why does this happen?
Sal Paolantonio Has No Time for Kellie Pickler’s Foolishness
One of the many reasons that Super Bowl media day is an ultimately useless exercise is that the late-night talk shows descend on media day with their roving correspondents, people who don’t ask anything interesting but hope they can elicit something funny.
One person who was trying to elicit something funny — and failing, from what I saw — was Kellie Pickler, a former American Idol contestant who was at media day in her role as a Tonight Show correspondent. Pickler was very excited that Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi knew who she was, but her attempts at being cute and getting the players to open up to her fell short.
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Strahan Will ‘Picture Tom Brady In Red High Heels’
Kellie Pickler, of American Idol …fame, was all over Media Day today. Because attention is like crack rock to her, she agreed to act a fool for the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During the Pats part of the Day, she was going up to players, attempting to get them to do their end zone dance. Zany! Not surprisingly, none of them obliged.
So when the Giants came out, she apparently decided to change strategies in order to gain some “quality” material for Leno. Wrapping her legs around a player’s head, frantically waving her hands and yelling at Michael Strahan might just be the video Leno is looking for. Either way, it was entertaining. And obnoxious:
Pats not ready to grieve
Media day was its typical circus, with a Spanish-speaking woman in a short-cut bridal gown proposing to pretty much every player on the roster and Kellie Pickler (I had no idea who she was) standing on Brandon London’s shoulders to get Michael Strahan’s attention long enough to ask a question and give him her CD.
David Hyde Pierce Has Neither Advice for Clay Aiken Nor Patience for Us
So what does Curtains star David Hyde Pierce think of Clay Aiken, who’s taking over his memorable role in Spamalot? We asked him last night outside the Rainbow Room, before he joined Sutton Foster and husband-wife team of singer Jessica Molaskey and jazz musician John Pizzarelli in a cabaret performance at a benefit dinner for Manhattan Theatre Club. Is DHP a Claymate? Had he seen Aiken in the role yet? No, he hadn’t, he said, a little bit chilly in a very Niles Crane kind of way. And he very likely wouldn’t, because they performed at exactly the same times. Would sassy, brassy Gotham knock the aw-shucksness out of Clay, as suggested by Ariel Levy’s furiously debated profile in this week’s New York? “To be honest, I don’t know him that well, ” said DHP, retreating into an ever chillier, Waspier internal sarcophagus, “so I don’t know about his aw-shucksness.”
Carrie Underwood piles on more shows
Carrie Underwood [ tickets ] has thrown a heap of new headlining dates on top of an itinerary already piled high with a mix of solo shows and co-headlining performances with fellow country star Keith Urban [ tickets ].
Underwood, whose tour with Urban launches Thursday (1/31), has now tucked into the mix a dozen new March and April solo stops that are scattered throughout the Midwest, Northeast and Canada, and complement a previously announced February batch of solo dates. Details for her headlining dates and dual-billed performances with Urban are included below
Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood on 2008 Grammy CD
Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood are among the artists featured on the 2008 Grammy Nominees CD, released Tuesday (Jan. 29). Gill’s “What You Give Away, ” which features Sheryl Crow, represents his album of the year nomination. Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is nominated for song of the year. Other musicians on the CD include Christina Aguilera, Beyoncà ©, Bon Jovi, Daughtry, Feist, Foo Fighters, Nelly Furtado, Green Day, Herbie Hancock, Maroon 5, Paul McCartney, Nickelback, Plain White T’s, Corinne Bailey Rae, Justin Timberlake, U2, Kanye West, the White Stripes and Amy Winehouse.
American Idle: Confessions of a Hollywood Week Failure
***Note from the Editor: As we gather around our TV’s as a nation for the seventh season of American Idol, it’s easy to start looking at the whole show as a big circus act and forget that real dreams are made and broken for our entertainment. Another week’s worth of recaps ridiculing the sad sacks who offer their pride up for our consumption is on the way, and in the meantime we thought it only fair to present to you a real story of love and loss to balance out the general crappy attitude we here at TVgasm have towards, well, everything. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm round of applause (whether you mean it or not), for our very own Nick the Intern.
