Fox fills pregame with ‘Idol’ worship
Things we already know about Sunday’s Super Bowl XLII, which kicks off at 3:15 p.m. and will be televised by Fox:
The New England Patriots are favored by 12 points over the New York Giants.
Beyond that, there is the pregame show, which is also somewhat predictable. Some of the things Fox has planned for the final buildup to the final game of the NFL season:
Carrie Underwood achieves milestones
Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” became the first country song to earn RIAA certification as a double platinum Digital Single (recognizing two million purchased downloads), her label announced Friday. Underwood’ debut, “Jesus, Take the Wheel, ” earned platinum digital single certification.
Don’t Audition for American Idol
I can only assume that Fox was too cheap to go hire some actual aliens to make a show-opening American Idol logo crop circle in the middle of Omaha (part of what people in television call …the flyover states), where Tuesday night audition show takes place. It undoubtedly the work of some poor postproduction drone in Santa Monica who sat in front of a computer until 4 in the morning making a cornfield look authentic and was then expected to be back in the office by 9 the next day to digitally erase age spots from Jack Nicholson face for the Blu-ray DVD release of The Bucket List.
The Spoilers Continue to Spoil Some of the Fun
I’m starting to wonder if part of my fatigue with this year’s American Idol audition episodes can be blamed on the Internet. Yes, the episodes are seeming more rote than ever, with the line between “good” and “bad” drawn with the fattest sharpie ever and no real surprises as far as who does and doesn’t go to Hollywood, but perhaps all the spoilers out there are draining some of the fun from watching the auditions. And the parts that detail the hopefuls’ IMDB bios aren’t helping much, either. TV Squad has another take on this year’s American Idol top 24:
Knoxnews exclusive: Morristown ‘American Idol’ contestant speaks out
Morristown, Tenn., resident Joey Leming is 18 years old and was living in his car when he auditioned for “American Idol” in Atlanta late last summer. “It was crazy, man. It was an emotional experience, ” he tells knoxnews.com in an exclusive interview.
Part of his story may be used in Tuesday night’s “Idol” installment, where he’ll be seen facing judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. If Internet spoiler sites are to be believed, he’ll leave them with quite an impression.
Leming’s story isn’t a typical “Idol” tale. Coming from a family of nine children, Leming has been homeless, often sleeping in his car as he traveled around the country. Back home, his mother has been battling cancer and his father, who was laid off from his job, tries to make ends meet.
Filipina belts way to American Idol 7 in Hollywood
Just when Filipinos thought that the coveted American Idol title had slipped past a Filipino’s hand with the facetious yet memorable exit of Reynaldo Lapuz, here comes Nevada-based Ramiele Malubay to give it her shot at becoming the first Asian-American champion of the hit franchise.
Ramiele’s (pronounced REY-mee-yell) big and raspy voice allowed the Filipino-American talent to sail through to Hollywood at the Florida leg of the American Idol Season 7 auditions, finally ending a two-year drought of Filipino-less AI shows.
The 20-year-old hopeful is the latest addition to a growing list of half-Filipinos who are talented enough to have snatched that golden ticket from the hit American reality show, following in the footsteps of the likes of AI Season 3’s Jasmine Trias and Camille Velasco.
An Interview with Debra Poneman and Gina Glocksen About Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul
What a unique idea, take the biggest non-fiction book franchise and marry it with Televisions most successful reality TV series ever. This is Chicken Soup For The American Idol Soul. I enjoyed the book a great deal, it is a delightful set of vignettes that are both funny and sad, yet all are uplifting tales of success over adversary, if even just briefly.
I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with author Debra Poneman. In a complete surprise she also brought along one on the genuine articles, an actual American Idol, Gina Glocksen.
Debra, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Paula Abdul Set To Release Brand New Album
After releasing her first single in ten years, the dance techno tune, …Dance Like There No Tomorrow, former pop star and …American Idol judge Paula Abdul announced on her official Web site that an entire album is coming this summer. The album will reportedly be titled, …Abdulmatic.
…Dance Like There No Tomorrow was released as part of fellow …American Idol judge Randy Jackson compilation CD due March 11th, …Randy Jackson Music Club Volume One.
The collaboration on that single was a mutual decision according to Paula, who told Access Hollywood, “I didn’t have to twist his arm and I didn’t have to pay him and I didn’t have to do the old kick-ball change, kick-ball change, back flip.”
The Seacrest Bowl
During the first of three conference calls last week to promote its all-day Super Bowl broadcast, a Fox sports official boldly declared “the untraditional has become the traditional” at his network. Truer words have rarely been spoken as we arrive on the eve of Ryan Seacrest’s debut as a Super Bowl pregame co-host. One never expected the worlds of Sanjaya Malakar and Sam Huff to collide. Well, they have. Seacrest in, old school out, and God help us all.
The ubiquitous American Idol host will interview celebrities as they walk red-carpet style into University of Phoenix Stadium prior to Super Bowl XLII. Is Seacrest something Joe Football Fan needs in his or her life?
Clay Aiken shows off his silly side in ‘Spamalot’
Clay Aiken is trying to become the next American Idle.
The singer, who burst to fame during the second season of “American Idol, ” has made his Broadway debut in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” – in creator Eric Idle’s old role.
“There’s a lot of pressure, ” Aiken says. “To think about how many people dream of doing something like this and to have the opportunity is pretty humbling.” Humbling, and possibly a little bit puzzling: What’s a nice North Carolina boy with scant theater background and a penchant for pop lite doing in a scatological English stage comedy? Exactly.
Chris Daughtry: ‘Idol’ exposure absolutely helped band’s success
Conscious about not wanting to bite the hand that fed him, Chris Daughtry apparently learned his lesson after previously stating American Idol is “definitely in decline.”
“I think there’s a huge group of people hoping to see us do well. Some artists explode no matter what, and some artists would probably due very well if people paid attention. And I think, with us, people paid attention because they already had a vested interest… Absolutely [because of Idol]. And I’m not trying to discredit our music. I’m just trying to be truthful and look at the whole picture.”
Ruben Studdard Talks 100 Pound Weight Loss and New Album
He may be without a recording home, but Ruben Studdard is continuing to stay in the public eye as he works on a series of new endeavors.
“Ive been out here making on a new album, ” the former American Idol champ revealed to Entertainment Tonight. “The last songs I recorded. I just got through recording in Denmark and the songs came out wonderful. Im really happy about one song in particular. It called “Footprints in the Sand.” I think it gonna be a big song. ”
While fans wait on Studdard musical return, they can catch him on the small screen when he appears on American Idol Rewind and on stage for the 30th anniversary tour of the musical Aint Misbehavin.
To prepare, Studdard is focusing on getting himself physically ready to meet the demands of his theatrical run.
Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood Shine Bright at Tour Opener
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — If anyone needed confirmation, here it is: After a turbulent past filled with rich personal bouts, Keith Urban is now a full-fledged rock star.
Urban opened his 24-city Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride tour with Carrie Underwood Thursday night (Jan. 31) during a sold-out show here at Mohegan Sun Arena and demonstrated quite fiercely his rock ‘n’ roll chops.
The tour brings two gigantic country stars together in a high-production extravaganza. Playing their hits, Underwood and Urban kept the crowd completely engaged through production and personality during the entire four-hour show.
Underwood started the show right on time, delivering a high-energy set of her biggest hits from her two albums — Some Hearts and Carnival Ride. Rising from below the stage, she started with “Flat on the Floor” and “Wasted” in a sequined shirt and leather pants. “The More Boys I Meet” was a big favorite, with the crowd drenched in orange lights, bringing out the warmth of the song about her dog, Ace.
Underwood shines, Urban electrifies
Our little …Idol is all grown up.
Carrie Underwood showed Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena that she has developed into an assured performer who knows how to work the stage. While she was always just slightly stiff on …American Idol, she seems much more relaxed and to be really enjoying herself now.
And that voice? Still dynamite. It’s like Martina McBride’s, only more full-bodied.
What’s so astonishing is how effortless Underwood’s singing seems, even in concert. She possesses amazing vocal control. Even when she was reaching for the skyscraper notes on …So Small and …Jesus Take the Wheel, she didn’t strain. Her singing remained rich and dead-on – the perfect delivery system for a power ballad.
McEntire, Clarkson unite different audiences, genres
If the pairing sounds odd — 52-year-old country legend and television star Reba McEntire sharing a stage and a set list with 25-year-old “American Idol” winner and pop/rock star Kelly Clarkson — it kind of was.
And yet, the singers’ “2 Worlds 2 Voices” tour, which stopped Thursday night at the Kansas Coliseum, worked.
Grammy-winner Clarkson will perform concert at Kinnick Stadium
Two-time Grammy Award-winner Kelly Clarkson will perform in the first concert ever staged in Kinnick Stadium on Friday, April 18, as part of the 2008 Gridiron Bash, the University of Iowa Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and MSL Sports and Entertainment announced today.
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Clarkson will be joined on the stage by former U of I football players, members of current U of I teams, and to-be-determined local entertainment that will serve as opening acts in a celebration that will happen the night before the Iowa football team annual spring practice.
CULTURE DIGEST: Abstinence ridiculed on ‘American Idol’
Jason Burtt, national director of Silver Ring Thing, a Christian organization that promotes abstinence, commended Dickson for his stance and said a growing number of youth are choosing to abstain based on their morals and faith. Burtt also lamented the treatment Dickson received on the show.
“Bruce has said he’s going to walk the hard walk, and instead of lifting him up and praising him, we’re mocking him, ” Burtt said. “I think that’s because when someone is up on a chair, it’s easier for people to pull him down than to pull everyone else up off the floor. Maybe they feel bad they couldn’t do it themselves.”
The American Idol Virgin’s Mistake
Two weeks after getting the boot on American Idol, virgin-by-choice Bruce Dickson has become something of a hero among conservative Christians for enduring some mild ribbing about his chastity pledge (watch the video).
Dickson is not the first Idol figure to run on an abstinence platform, as it were. Jordin Sparks wears a purity ring from True Love Waits, one of the most prominent chastity organizations. In the wider pop scene, it’s become fairly common to hear starlets announce that they are saving themselves for marriage. Way back when, a young Britney Spears made that claim in what was apparently a cynical ploy to offset (and enhance) her hypersexualized persona.
The difference is that Dickson is a guy, and while it’s still acceptably feminine for girls to be demure, boys are “supposed” to be sexually aggressive. There’s something weird about one who’s not.
