Dave Annable “Wedlocked” to Katharine McPhee
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – “Brothers & Sisters” star Dave Annable has been cast in the romantic comedy “Wedlocked” opposite “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee.
Annable will play a pet photographer who gets mixed up with a mobster and his daughter, who is angling for American citizenship. Things go terribly awry on their forced honeymoon.
Rob Hedden (“The Condemned”) will direct the film from his own script.
Fox moves ‘Idol’ against ‘Lost’
As if “Lost” wasn’t having a tough enough time with audience erosion.
Fox is shaking up Wednesday night by swapping reality hit “American Idol” and freshman procedural “Lie to Me.”
Once the singing competition moves into the finals March 11, Fox will pivot “Idol” to 9 p.m., turning its Death Star against ABC’s “Lost” for the rest of season. “Lie to Me” will stay out of the way by shifting to 8 p.m.
Though “Idol” and “Lost” tend to have different audiences, last week Fox aired a two-hour “Idol” that stretched into the 9 p.m. hour and seemed to take a little steam out of the mystery thriller, whose ratings have fallen with each episode this season. (Fox also airs a two-hour “Idol” the week prior to the time-period switch, which will likewise encroach on 9 p.m.).
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
‘Idolatry’: Making sense of American Idol’s top 36
Actually, to be technically accurate, the above headline should read “trying to make sense of American Idol’s top 36.” Because, really, only Paula, Kara, Simon, and Randy know for sure how and why Tatiana Del Toro and Norman Gentle are a part of the season 8 semifinals, while Jamar Rogers, Jessica Furney, and Leneshe Young are not. But let’s not dwell (entirely) on the negative…Missy Schwartz and I took our places at the cubicles to debate which contestant gives better sourface (Michael Sarver or Nathaniel Marshall), which week-one performers are most likely to crack the top 12, and which reality series would be the perfect fit for season 8’s mad(dening) cackler. Press play below, then share your own thoughts about the week in Idol in the comments section below.
Pacitti fall: Who she knew, not what she did
The faithful, by and large, despise …ringers. The issue flared last year with Carly Smithson, whod previously had her own disastrous record deal, and it flared again with Pacitti.
Ringer-hating comes from two fundamental truths about the way …Idol is marketed. First, it sold as something it has never been, which is a contest between adorable rubes who have never set foot in the spotlight before. The show treasures the myth of the undiscovered talent; the person it will pluck from a level of distilled obscurity in which, ideally, the singer only ambition up to this point has been to hum for the needy while working as, say, a nurses assistant in a children hospital.
Of course, this is fiction. In addition to the handful of finalists who have had record deals, plenty more have worked extensively as paid musicians ‘ in bar bands, in musical theater, sometimes even releasing studio albums long before they meet the …Idol judges.
‘Idol’ voters start calling the shots
If you needed any reminder that “American Idol” is, first and most, a television show with a singing contest, rather than just the contest, the round of 36 semifinalists starting Tuesday should do it for you.
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Part of the show’s success is that it’s very tightly — and usually very cleverly — produced. The screaming fans, the idiot tryouts, the crazy rejects are chosen carefully, and often goaded, to make them, in theory, more fun for viewers.
Every year, there’s a strikeout or two on those fronts. The sorority girls who were bused in last season and stationed down front to wave and sway, for instance, were a clear swing-and-miss.
Why is ‘American Idol’ allowing Tatiana to do her thing, dawg?
Sometimes I’m still so naive about television.
It not like I dont know that American Idol often puts people through that make for good television. But I was still SHOCKED that Tatiana made it into the Top 36. Ive always felt like the purpose of Hollywood Week was to not only find the best singers but also to discover who can handle the stress of the competition and who cant.
Hang on, Noopy: Handicapping Idol’s Top 36
Lame, lame, lame, good, lame, lame, lame… There a lot of fat on American Idol Top 36 list, which starts getting trimmed to a tidy 12 on Tuesday. Season 8 has proved a flabby mess, but I see a few worthy challengers ‘ and more than a few with a bright future in food service. So get your dialing digits ready, boys and girls! It time to whittle down the warblers. Herewith, a quick handicapping of Idol top 36:
American Idol’ favorites this year include widower
“American Idol” is like Christmas: It seems to come around more quickly every year. We barely had to time to forget about David Cook – which was quite easy to do, by the way – before a crop of 36 new contenders was presented to viewers last week. Whom do we love and whom do we hope will disappear?
Already gone is former Geffen recording artist Joanna Pacitti, who was bounced Friday. Felicia Barton takes her place among those dreaming of a record deal and a “This Is My Now” to call their very own.
‘American Idol’: Where You’ve Seen 11 Contenders Before
None of ’em are household names — not yet, anyway — but if you’d swear you’ve seen that top 36er before — you’re right! Click through these season 8 singers’ past bids for stardom here.
Joanna Pacitti axed because of …perception problem about her …close connection to Idol
At the opening of Disney American Idol Experience on Thursday, I asked Carly Smithson about Joanna because Carly was criticized for having prior experience during American Idol 7, just as Joanna was this year. Although my question was about contestants prior experience, Carly was immediately defensive, probably because so many other people had already asked her about Joanna, and said, …Im not sure that why she was disqualified. I have no idea what it was about, although she said that after insisting that they are …completely two different people, which kind of suggests she has at least some idea. As to experience, Carly told me, …it just means that I pretty much worked my whole life to get where Im at. I dont know. It American Idol; it the American dream, of course everybody gonna want to follow it. I dont think it a problem. Then she returned to Joanna: …Two separate, separate things.
Keith on American Idol today
Blanchester native Brent Keith will be performing live tonight on American Idol as one of the final 36 in the running for American Idol 8.
Keith will be one of six male and six female performers in the competition Tuesday night. The top male and top female vote-getters and the person with the next highest number of votes will move on to the top 12.
The competition will be aired on the Fox Channel at 8 pm. tonight. The public is urged to watch the competition and vote for Keith, a graduate of Blanchester High School.
Braddy ‘Idol’ watch is tonight
Local …American Idol favorite Ricky Braddy will be among the first group of 12 contestants to perform on the popular Fox television series tonight.
To show their support, friends and fans can gather at Montero Restaurant in Elizabeth City for an …American Idol partyorganized by a friend of the Braddy family, Jeff Clark.
…I talked to Andy (Montero) about it and he thought it was a great idea, Clark said.
Clark said that Braddy worked at Montero while visiting his hometown before Christmas, between …American Idol episodes.
Clark son Ethan was also a contestant on …American Idol. Braddy and Ethan Clark performed together at the City Wine Sellar last year, Clark said.
Murray begins semi-final competition on ‹American Idol
Jasmine Murray journey on …American Idol continues tonight as she and 35 other semifinalists vie for one of the 12 final spots in the competition.
And if her family members and friends have anything to say about it, Murray, 17, will be advancing to the final 12. Posters encouraging local residents to watch …American Idol and cast their votes for the Starkville resident and Mississippi School for the Arts student are popping up all over town.
Some local businesses ‘ including McDonald on Highway 12 ‘ are using their signs to encourage locals to vote for Murray in the semi-final rounds.
For the next three weeks, votes by the American viewing public will determine nine of the 12 final contestants, with the final three chosen by the judges.
Minnesota ‘Idol’ contestant’s DWI arrest fires up celebrity watchers
A check of court records by the Star Tribune shows that Langseth, the sister of blues prodigy Jonny Lang, was convicted in August 2007 for gross-misdemeanor drunken driving in St. Louis Park and that her blood-alcohol content was at least. 0.20 percent. She served four days in jail, the court records show.
Past ‹Idols consider Simon the best judge
As for Cook, he considers Cowell the best judge on the talent panel, but he didnt always feel that way.
…The first couple of weeks I was on the show, Simon and I did not see eye to eye, Cook recalled. “As soon as I took a step back and realized that everything he said was constructive, as mean as it might be, we got along fine. So if anybody asks me who my favorite judge is, I’m always going to say Simon.
Idol Worship: ‘Idol’ Comes To Disney World
It can be a surreal experience to have two separate elements of your life come together, like a surprise birthday party where a well-meaning friend has invited your family as well as your co-workers, two factions of your life that have never intersected before.
That’s how I felt when I first heard that Disney had done a license deal with “American Idol” to open an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando. And that’s why I had to be in Orlando to see these two worlds come together for the first time.
‘American Idol’ champ David Cook brings “The Declaration Tour ‘ 2009” to Weidner Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
“I get to do what I love to do for a living, ” he said by telephone Friday from Tallahassee, Fla., on the first leg of a 53-city tour. “I’m just a Midwestern kid who got lucky is the best way to describe it. I’ve always been a kind of hope for the best, expect the worst person, so I always wanted this but the odds as a do-it-yourself musician certainly are against you that you’ll ever get to this point. I feel like I’m representing myself but (also) musician buddies who may not have had the opportunity.”
This is Cook’s first headline tour, which stops at the Weidner Center in Green Bay for a 9 p.m. show Friday. Dubbed “The Declaration Tour ‘ 2009, ” the singer chose to perform intimate concerts on college campuses rather than hitting the arena circuit. The show at the Weidner offers only main floor seating with fewer than 1, 000 seats offered.
Sparks to Mix It Up at benefit variety show in Phoenix
The death of a Valley woman has inspired a fundraiser that has attracted the attention and support of “American Idol” victor Jordin Sparks.
“We’re thrilled she’s involved, ” event coordinator Anthony Kessman says. “This will be a big event for her and her fans.”
Sparks gets top billing at the Mix It Up Variety Show, which will be held Friday in Phoenix. Also scheduled to appear are radio personalities Johnjay and Rich, Christa Black and the Rhythm Riders, a country band that Kessman manages.
The concept of the show is reflected in its title.
“Every show Jordin does, fans have to wait to the end to see her, ” Kessman says. “This way, she’ll pop up early and keep coming out and doing things people don’t expect from her.”
American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks Talks About His New Album The Distance, And His Songwriting
Taylor Hicks quickly discovered the instant fame that comes from being named the 2006 American Idol winner. Hicks has refused to buckle under the blazing spotlight of the entertainment industry, and has thrived on eclipsing expectations since his national television debut when Simon Cowell vehemently stated, …The American Idol audience would not put him in the final group, and he should be singing as a background singer.
Hicks proved Cowell wrong by becoming American Idol Cinderella story and champion. Hicks rode the wave of success with his 2006 debut album, Taylor Hicks, that was certified platinum less than a month after it December release. But despite the early success of his debut album, he was dropped by both Arista Records and J Records in early 2008 after disappointing overall sales.
Carrie Underwood Re-Experiences “Idol”
Feb. 16, 2009 ‘ Four years after she launched her career by winning FOX-TV “American Idol, ” Carrie Underwood ended up last week back on the “Idol” stage … sort of.
She took part in a private event that celebrated the opening of the new American Idol Experience attraction at Disney Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida, where visitors can go through a mini-version of “Idol” and even get a leg up on the competition at tryouts for the real television show. The set for the amusement-park version is, in fact, so much like the real “Idol” stage that Carrie told USA Today it was “creepy.”
Underwood cheers on her man in Music City
It’s a perfect storyline for Music City: American Idol singer dates handsome hockey player from the frozen north of Canada.
This time it’s Ottawa Senators centre Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood, who have apparently been an item for months now. And there’s all sorts of buzz about it here.
People magazine has even been nosing around, trying to get some pictures of the two.
The worlds of country music and hockey have, of course, intersected before.
MANDISA SPEAKS TO WOMEN WORLDWIDE ABOUT “FREEDOM”
NASHVILLE, TN · February 16, 2009 /PRNewswire/ ‘ GRAMMY ® nominee and American Idol finalist MANDISA is speaking to women worldwide about the freedom she has experienced through her incredible 70+lb weight loss in her upcoming sophomore release, FREEDOM, bowing on March 24th.
FREEDOM is the follow-up to Mandisa’s 2007 debut, TRUE BEAUTY, an album that created history by becoming the highest chart entry and the best-selling debut artist in the life of her label, Sparrow Records. It also became the only female debut to hit No. 1 in the 27-year history of Billboard’s Christian Retail Chart, received a GRAMMY ® nomination for “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album, and her debut single “Only the World, ” hit #1 on Billboard Hot Single Sales chart.
‹So You Think You Can Dance Season Five Auditions Continue
LOS ANGELES, Calif. —
…So You Think You Can Dance is back for a fifth season and looking for talent!
The show will be hitting Denver, Memphis and Seattle in March to continue their auditions for American next favorite dancer.
Registration for each venue will begin at 8 AM, and auditioners should be available for two days in the event of a callback.
The remaining dates and venues are as follows:
Denver, Colo.: Thursday, March 6 – Paramount Theatre
Memphis, Tenn.: Monday, March 16 – The Orpheum Theatre
Seattle, Wash.: Saturday, March 28 – The Paramount Theatre
Auditions have already been held in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Dancing With The Stars Odds Announced (Season 8)
Sportsbook.com on Monday released Dancing With the Stars odds.
The eighth season of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on Monday, March 9, 2009, as part of ABC’s spring line-up. The show will generally follow the format of previous seasons, with 13 couples, although the show’s website has promised some changes, including two new dances (Argentine Tango and East Coast Swing), and a dance-off between the bottom two couples in order to determine who will be eliminated. The show will continue to be hosted by Tom Bergeron as well as Samantha Harris. Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba will continue to be judges this season.
Shawn Johnson was the near even favorite. Lawrence Taylor promised a nearly $40 payout for every $10 bet. And Lil Kim had odds of 3/1 (+300). Giles Marini was another favorite, paying 2/1 odds.
