Kelly, never the idle Idol
SITTING in the miserable Manchester drizzle, it’s hard to empathise with the enthusiastic Kelly Clarkson as she proclaims a love for the city unrivalled even by its own residents.
“God, I love Manchester, ” howls Kelly, her Texan accent still plump and pronounced. “Manchester always comes out for us, it is one of my biggest audiences. That’s why we’re starting the tour there, Manchester will get it all going.
To give the city its dues, Manchester, where her 11-date tour begins in March, has supported Kelly since she won the landmark first series of American Idol in 2002. It seems far longer ago that she started on the road to pop stardom – a
journey that’s seen her sell more than 10m albums and scoop a bucketload of awards and famous fans along the way.
‘American Idol’ Finalist Jessica Sierra OK After Pregnancy Scare:
While the rest of the world was toasting the advent of 2008 in the company of family and friends, “American Idol” alumna Jessica Sierra spent New Year’s Eve at a medical facility in Brandon, Florida, according to a TMZ.com report.
The Web site claims Sierra, 22, was transported from her jail cell in Tampa to the nearby Brandon Regional Hospital, because staffers at the jail feared the singer would lose her unborn child. It was announced on December 20 that she is pregnant with the baby of a man who has not been identified.
According to TMZ.com, Sierra was suffering from “severe bleeding” before she was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Sierra and the unborn child are said to be doing fine.
Winners at the People’s Choice Awards
Rock song: Daughtry, “Home”
More Headlines After the Jump
VH1 puts reality TV into rehab
Brigitte Nielsen, who has made a second career out of third and fourth careers, puts it this way: “People who don’t have a heart are going to find it entertaining, but really it’s educational and it should be looked at in that way.”
The Danish-born actress is referring to her earnest participation in VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, ” which premieres at 10 p.m. Thursday and costars eight other low-rung celebrities battling for sobriety. Some, like Nielsen, who had to drink half a bottle of vodka to make the initial phone call for rehab, are still winning: Almost six months after taping the program, she said, she hasn’t had a drink. Others on the program, like Jessica Sierra, a former “American Idol” finalist who was arrested and jailed last month in Florida on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest, clearly are not.
Fallen Idol Sierra Bound for Rehab
The 22-year-old, who also happens to be pregnant, will remain in jail until her transfer to California. Should she again be found in violation of her probation, she will be placed behind bars for good.
“I tell you what, ” Perry said. “When you come back here, you will not get treated different from anybody else. You will be going to prison, and if you don’t think I will, give me a try.”
Sierra will be receiving treatment for one year at the Pasadena Recovery Center, the same place where she logged just three weeks of recovery during filming of the VH1 show. Her treatment’ including psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision’ would ordinarily cost in the six-figure range, but the center is footing the bill.
Pinsky also said he would be a willing participant in Sierra’s recovery and was the one who recommended 12 months in the center.
McEntire, Clarkson concert sold out
Next month 2 Worlds 2 Voices concert starring Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson at the Rockford MetroCentre has sold out, tour representatives announced in a news release today.
Bentley to play Country Thunder
Phoenix’s Dierks Bentley will play a high-profile slot at this year’s Country Thunder USA festival near Florence.
Bentley, who is nominated for four Grammy Awards this year, will headline on April 19. That is Saturday night of the festival’s April 17-20 run. The festival, which draws more than 100, 000 annually, often gets its largest crowd on Saturday.
Bentley said he will headline a tour this spring with rising country stars Luke Bryan and Bucky Covington, and they will play earlier sets at Country Thunder on April 19.
Four acts announced for 2008 CFD
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Four fairly new country acts will be among the performers during this year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Country singers Blake Shelton and Kellie Pickler have been added to the night show lineup on July 23. The following night, July 24, Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert will perform.
None of those four has played at Frontier Days before. However, Shelton’s third album, “Pure BS, ” reached second on the country music charts.
Victoria Beckham Tops Worst-Dressed List
LOS ANGELES (AP) ‘ A decade after singling out the Spice Girls as fashion atrocities, Mr. Blackwell put just one of them ‘ Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham ‘ at the top of his 48th annual worst-dressed list.
The top 10 roll-call of fashion dishonors also included:
No. 2. Amy Winehouse ‘ “Exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below, she’s part 50’s carhop horror.”
No. 3. Mary Kate Olsen ‘ “She resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane.”
No. 4. Fergie ‘ “Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it’s all in a name!”
The rest of the top 10 list included Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim.
Carrie Underwood mounts first headlining tour
The country/crossover songstress said she is excited about doing a full show of her music.
“I have been so fortunate to learn from so many other great artists while touring with them, and they have inspired me in so many ways, ” Underwood said in a statement. “They have helped me to get to this stage of my first real headline shows, and now I finally feel ready.”
Clay Aiken’s Golf Tournament, Part 5: Hanging with Mr. Aiken!
“You were here all day! I had no idea you were Leslie. If I known you were here we could have talked sooner, ” Clay Aiken said, shaking my hand as I sat down to interview him in a small room at Mirasol Country Club.
Anyway, I finally sat down to talk to Clay right before the awards and informal dinner hour, where he sang and auctioned off a carriage ride in New York with himself for two ladies for $20, 000 each. He’s extremely down-to-earth, and the more he talks, the more pronounced his accent gets, which reminds me of my cousins from Arkansas. He also said he could tell I was from “up North” somewhere, because I seemed big-city sophisticated. And since we know “sophisticated” and “Baltimore” are not usually used in the same sentence without the words “is not, ” I can tell you – Clay is a nice guy.
Jordin Sparks – Jordin Sparks Review Another Idol winner, another half-baked debut.
To all those sites and radio DJs that conspire to make the worst possible singer win American Idol, you can give up. Winning America’s favorite vocal competition has become its own penalty. There is a freedom to loosing on the show, rewarding you with the option to choose your own label and songs. Sure, the formula worked for Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, but they seem to have scraped the bottom of the pop barrel by the time Jordin Sparks came along. With the weak bubblegum pop fodder Sparks is saddled with on her disappointing debut, losing the contest sure looks like the way to go.
Cops Turn Down Blake
If you think American Idol alum Blake Lewis’ beatboxing is just noise, you should try living near the guy. The sixth season runner-up caused a disruption in his Los Angeles neighborhood late last night, cranking music through the wee hours.
LAPD responded to complaint calls after Blake shrugged off complaints from nearby residents.
“He just laughed, ” a spy tells PageSix.com of Blake’s reaction to his tired neighbors, “he was so disrespectful, such a smartass.”
“Idol” LaKisha Picks Up Fantasia’s Crumbs
“American Idol” Fantasia Barrino not only blows off her performances — but her fans too!
The singer gave her final “Color Purple” performance on Sunday, and after the show ended at 6:00 PM, fans waited by the stage door to get her autograph. Unfortunately, they were still waiting in the cold until 8:45 PM, when they were told she had already left! Damn! Ah, who needs fans anyway? Luckily, humbler “Idol” contestant LaKisha Jones, who also stars in the production, signed some pics for them — on Fantasia’s picture!
PA Lottery Launches American Idol (TM) Instant Game With Karaoke Events at
Shopping Malls
The Pennsylvania Lottery will host karaoke events at shopping malls across the commonwealth this month to celebrate the launch of its new American Idol(TM) instant game, which goes on sale today.
Each event will feature a karaoke stage where visitors, 18 years of age and older, can sing their favorite songs. Lottery officials will give a free $5 American Idol ticket to the first 50 people to visit each event.
The PA Lottery’s new American Idol instant ticket game is a $5 game that offers 10 top prizes of $50, 000 cash and more than 3, 700 prizes from $400 to $5, 000. The game, inspired by the popular FOX television show, includes more than $20 million in total cash prizes.
A second-chance drawing associated with the game will give players a chance to win one of 10 trips for two to see the American Idol final competition show in Hollywood, California, on May 20. One of those 10 winners will be selected to attend the grand finale show on May 21.
PRNewswire
What ‘American Idol’ can teach you about solar stocks
“I can’t believe I won, ” cried Jordin Sparks, winner of last year’s American Idol. Within seconds, industry and non-industry drones alike began formulating ways to attach themselves to her in some way, crazy in anticipation of the inevitable riches.
Months later, several Wall Street types were overheard saying, “I can’t believe oil keeps going higher, alternative energy stocks are going to be hot, hot, hot, ” and thousands of investors went wild buying shares of the dozen or so solar stocks, crazy in anticipation of the inevitable riches.
