Carly Smithson makes surprise ‹Idol exit
As …American Idol pointed out in a video clip during Wednesday results show, plenty of former contestants have found a post-show life starring on Broadway. Judging from the way the audience voted this week, Carly Smithson shouldnt plan on joining them.
Not that hitting the stage was one of her career goals anyway. Her ambition is to become a successful pop star, and pop stars tend not to put Andrew Lloyd Webber songs on their albums.
‘American Idol’: Getting Our Irish Up
I’m not gonna lie. I shed a couple tears at the end of tonight’s episode of American Idol. Over the past 10 weeks, I’ve slowly but surely fallen for Carly Smithson, looked forward to Tuesday nights so I could hear her wrap her big, bombastic rasp of a voice around whatever musical theme the show’s producers threw at her.
Not that I ever had any illusions she might win this thing ‘ or even crack the top three. Carly’s tattoos, her unwavering delight in showing off said body art, her husband’s tattooed face, her desperate desire to please Simon Cowell, her angsty facial expressions, the pre-season brouhaha about her failed 2001 major-label CD, her sometimes off-putting stage banter, her occasional vocal inconsistency (see ”Idol Gives Back” week), and even the fact that she’s from Ireland, well, they were all warning lights that combined to spell a simple, disconcerting message: ”For a limited time only.”
American Idol: Top 5 Revealed
This week we had over 38 million votes split among the six contestants. The show started with the Top 6 butchering “All I Ask of You” while Andrew Lloyd Webber cringed behind the piano. Okay, maybe butchered is strong but there at the beginning when the guys all started in different keys it was a derailing train on the fast track to a wreck. The girls chimed in and improved things. But can someone tell the hired mosh pit girls that there are appropriate times to wave your hands back and forth and times where you just look dumb. I really hope they do away with the fake pit next year.
‘American Idol’ plucks an Irish Rose
Tuesday’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Night seemed to bring out the best in some American Idol contestants (Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, for example) and the worst in others (like Brooke White and Jason Castro). Would that make any difference in Wednesday’s (April 23) results? Hint: No.
How American Idol got its groove back
Never mind the numbers: American Idol has got its groove back.
This year’s singers are better, the show itself is more entertaining and American Idol’s Canadian ratings have recovered in recent weeks after a muted performance at the start.
TV’s most-watched regularly scheduled program has regained some of its cultural cachet, after an off-key year last season in which many of the contestants seemed more tone-deaf than pitch-perfect.
‘American Idol’ Battle Of The Davids? Finale Could Come Down To Cook Vs. Archuleta
It wasn’t long after Hollywood Week that the fans, the media, and the Las Vegas bookmakers started calling it. Come May 21, when this current and seventh season of “American Idol” is scheduled to conclude, there would be two men (well, a man and a boy) standing … and they’d both be named David.
In one corner, sporting the comb-over and that sexy, trademark scruff, it’s David Cook, the 25-year-old Daughtry-esque rock dude from Blue Springs, Missouri. And in the other corner, it’s David Archuleta, the charming 17-year-old with the cherubic face who calls Murray, Utah, home.
‘American Idol’: Is David Cook Unstoppable? by Nadia Turner
Andrew Lloyd Webber was the mentor of the evening ‘ and what a mentor he is! Man, I would have given my left arm to be in the same room with that man. Genius, I say! He breathes life into musical theater. I can write this whole article on him alone, but I won’t torture you with all that razzamatazz. :) C’mon, that was good and you know it!
‘American Idol’ Favorite David Archuleta’s Dad Denies Stage-Parent Rumors: ‘I’m David’s Music Consultant’
Not only does David Archuleta’s dad claim he’s not the backstage terror that people have painted him to be, he says he wasn’t even familiar with the phrase “stage dad” until someone explained it to him recently. The “American Idol” front-runner’s dad ‘ who was dubbed the “worst stage dad” by singer Naomi Judd, a judge on “Star Search” when a 12-year-old David performed on the show ‘ told Us Weekly that he’s more like his son’s “music consultant.”
“First of all, I had to understand what the term meant, ” said Jeff Archuleta, a small-business owner and musician from Salt Lake City. “When I think of ‘stage dad, ‘ I think of the overbearing parent who raises their kids to [compete] in every beauty pageant there is and puts them through a lot of dancing and singing and piano lessons. Once I understood what people thought of as a stage parent, I didn’t understand [why I was targeted]. I’m definitely involved with my son, and I encourage him, but I think that’s a lot different from forcing and threatening and all that stuff. There was absolutely no truth in any of the stories about me yelling at David, making him cry or withholding water from him. That was crazy!”
American Idol – Courtney Cox loves David Cook
Courtney Cox decided to take her daughter to see American Idol on Tuesday. Courtney watched the show with some friends, her assistant and daughter Coco.
A source told OK magazine: “Courteney attended the taping because one of her friends was visiting from New York City and is a huge Cook fan who was eager to see him perform in person.”
Her friend’s son had his face painted with “David Cook #1” and held up a banner saying “David Cook for President.”
David Cook: The Conspiracy Theories Continue!
After this weekend’s hubbub over David Cook’s Analog Heart topping Amazon’s digital-download chart’ then getting mysteriously pulled from the store’ I was sure that the album would be somewhere in the lower reaches of SoundScan’s Digital Albums Chart, a 50-album list that is rounded out this week by the 1, 700-units-sold Bloodrunk by Children Of Bodom. Doesn’t 1, 700 downloads seem like a low-enough bar for an album that’s No. 1 on a major download site’s chart to leap over? Apparently not; Analog Heart isn’t there. But why? I have two plausible reasons!
The Brooke White Reboot: How Big a Sin?
The American Idol judges couldn’t agree if Brooke White did the right’ or wrong’ thing last night by rebooting her performance of “You Must Love Me.”
And there’s not quite a consensus among outside singing experts, either.
“Unless it’s a total trainwreck, I think you try to make it through, ” James Lugo, a record producer and vocal coach, said today. “Personally, I think starting and stopping is kind of hack.”
To Gina Eckstine, a singer and vocal teacher, going forward is the only way to go. Most of the time.
QVC to Offer Specially Packaged Version of Aiken’s On My Way Here with Bonus CD/DVD
Clay Aiken has been capturing the hearts of music fans everywhere since he shot to pop superstardom nearly five years ago. Since then, Aiken has sold more than six million CDs, authored a best-selling biography, performed on Broadway and has left fans “Aiken” for more. The multi-platinum artist will once again be exciting fans when he makes his QVC debut on Monday, April 28 at 7 PM (ET).
Scheduled to appear on QVC’s QSessions Live, Aiken is scheduled to perform songs from his much-anticipated new album On My Way Here, giving viewers exclusive insight into the inspiration behind the album. QVC shoppers will also have the opportunity to order On My Way Here, with a bonus CD/DVD created especially for QVC, eight days before its scheduled release.
“Starting my career on national, live television, it seems fitting to be unveiling my new album live on QVC, ” said Aiken. “To be able to connect with QVC’s viewers and broadcast my performance to over 93 million households is an amazing opportunity.”
On the Scene: Andrew Lloyd Webber Night on ‘American Idol’
I should think the nearly 300 of you who commented on last week’s American Idol + Religion = Debacle! post would be surprised to learn just how into Carly Smithson’s rendition of “Jesus Christ Superstar” I was this evening. Sure, I knew it was coming — Richard Rushfield had tipped me off at the start of the show, because he reads TMZ whereas I’d rather poke my eyes out with a hot molten lava stick — but even in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined my girl’s sonic tour de force. The dress was hot, the soulful vocal line was hotter, and every single person in the Idol Thunderdome was on their feet before the last note came down. Which is why, when Randy busted out with “I mean, I don’t know if this was your best performance…” I was completely unable to stop a shriek of rage from escaping my lips. And I do mean “shriek, ” PopWatchers — I shrieked so loud it was actually audible on the broadcast. Go rewind your DVRs: He’s not quite finished saying “performance, ” and there is a sound like a cat being strangled from the back of the auditorium. Yeah. That was me.
American Idol Week 9: Broadway Week Sucks Majestically
It had to come to this. It’s almost a dirty secret for American Idol that former contestants are way more likely to find a second life on Broadway than they are to become honest-to-God pop-stars. For plenty of this season’s early eliminations, the show was obviously just a stopgap on the way to being a name at the top of one of those subway posters. Broadway musical producers seem to look at the show as a farm-league even more than Nashville studio execs do. And so this week, the show came just shy of acknowledging its Broadway ties by recruiting giggling toffy frog-man Andrew Lloyd Webber as this week’s guest-mentor.
‘American Idol’ Recap: Brooke White Gets A Do-Over, David Archuleta Flubs Too
Since so many “American Idol” alums eventually end up on Broadway, “Idol” decided to streamline the process Tuesday night by devoting an entire episode to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music. It’s like they’re saying, “Psst, theater producers! Don’t bother auditioning these kids six months from now. You want to hear Syesha sing a ‘Starlight Express’ song? Voila! Now hire her for ‘A Chorus Line’ and get her out of our hair, would ya?”
Similar to last week’s Untouchable Mariah Carey theme, “Broadway” is often a pejorative term on the “Idol” stage, so I’m curious as to why producers thought an entire night of musical numbers would help viewers decide whose pop albums they’ll want to buy. But as I suspected during last year’s Gwen Stefani night, “Idol” is totally running out of theme weeks. Don’t be shocked if the top three are forced to sing Gerardo B-sides.
‘American Idol’ boogies down Broadway
And for the record: The musical theater is a training ground that Karaoke does not provide. It teaches a singer how to look inside a song, how to use dynamics and convey a story or emotion. The theatricality differs between the concert stage and theater stage, but it’s a key element in both. The Beatles did showtunes, the Jackson 5 did showtunes, many enduring country stars did musical theater as youths and the lack of interpretations of modern Broadway tunes on the pop charts is society’s loss. Were the judges from another era, their bias against music from the stage would be far less and sadly, not once on did the judges note any elements of sophistication or elegance that is so missing from modern pop music. And I’m not even a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and his overblown productions. If they really wanted to separate the best and the brightest, they would bring out Stephen Sondheim and make the kids sing brilliant, timeless music. But they probably have never heard “Send in the Clowns, ” either.
Justin Guarini From American Idol Season #1 Launches American Idol Blog With Comcast.
Justin Guarini launched a blog in conjunction with Comcast, a Philadelphia based cable company to bring viewers of American Idol a real, behind the scenes look at Fox’s hit television show. The blog can be found at http://thebiz.fancast.com/justin_guarini/
Most of you will remember the talented Justin Guarini form the 1st Season of American Idol where he was second runner up to Kelly Clarkson. The final show was viewd by more then 30 million people around the country and Justin was voted the number one male singer.
Fake-death Alzheimer’s film-maker Paul Watson slams Simon Cowell and ‘sneering reality TV’
The controversial documentary-maker accused of fakery in his Alzheimer’s film, has hit out at Simon Cowell and reality television.
Paul Watson, who faced a legal investigation after it emerged that he had not filmed the moment of an Alzheimer’s sufferer’s death despite initial claims that he had, launched a blistering attack on “sneering” and “bullying” reality shows.
He said: “[Simon Cowell] is an entertainer. But he is also a symptom of today, which is the bully factor.
“As a nation we have been taught to sneer. We have become a sneer culture. It does not make me laugh, it makes me f**king angry.”
‘Lonestar & Friends Strike Out For The Kids’ Bowling Bash Sold Out!!!
In just nine days since ticket sales began, the fourth annual …Lonestar & Friends Strike Out for the Kids, bowling bash, presented by GAC, and benefiting St. Jude Children Research Hospital, has SOLD OUT!
This year, Lonestar St. Jude bowling bash will be held on Monday, June 2nd at the Hermitage Lanes in Hermitage, Tennessee. Lonestar called on some of their friends, some of the biggest names in country music, to join them for the annual event. Those scheduled to bowl with Lonestar include Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, American Idol Bo Bice, Josh Gracin and Diana DeGarmo, Trent Tomlinson, Joe Nichols, Jamie ONeal, Darryl Worley, Chuck Wicks, Bryan White, Chris Young, Ty Herndon, Heidi Newfield and Crystal Shawanda.
Ryan Kavanaugh to Be Honored at Sheriff Baca’s Benefit Gala Dinner
Sheriff Leroy D. Baca and Sheriff’s Youth Foundation announced that they will be honoring Ryan Kavanaugh, founder and CEO of Relativity Media, LLC, at its 23rd Annual “Salute to Youth” benefit on Thursday, April 24th. Ryan Kavanaugh has been a very active supporter of the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, as well as many other charities including the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, First Star, the Art of Elysium and he is also on the board of the Jewish Television Network with board member Michael Lynton.
All proceeds from the event go to the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation which was established to raise money for underprivileged young people in Los Angeles County. American Idol Alum Bo Bice and Dwight Yoakam will be performing.
Meet Kevin Covais, Movie Star
In his far-longer-than-deserved run on the fifth season of American Idol, Kevin Covais was nicknamed Chicken Little, after the main character in the somewhat successful animated movie. This summer, Covais will take a stab at becoming a movie star on his own.
Covais is, unquestionably, playing the McLovin’ role in College, an R-rated comedy set for an Aug. 29 domestic release. That’s exactly one week after The House Bunny opens, which means that Covais’ Season 5 rival Katharine McPhee will hit the big screen before Covais, though it appears that Chicken Little has higher billing in his movie. At least both movies are more respectable than that Jessica Sierra sex tape.
The Brooke White Era Begins
What we learned from this week results show isnt pretty. The performances of any given week dont matter on this season …Idol. This is not, at this juncture, a singing competition. Nor does this season reward the virtues usually associated with champions — courage, determination, a strong sense of self.
Carly Smithson booting is not simply unjust; it threatens to undermine the very premise of …American Idol. If this show is now officially about well-marketed personalities rather than vocal charisma or even dynamic performance skills, then why not make it a chronicle of the packaging of a pop star, more like MTV …Making the Band or even (though I dread it) …The Search for the Next Doll?
Elegy for Carly Smithson
Shock, grief, anger, betrayal. These were the feelings that swept through the Idoldome after the stunning dismissal of Carly Smithson, the contestant this column has called the most electrifying in Idol history. But the tidal wave of horrified feelings was entirely in the audience. On stage Carly Smithson herself, always the most spirited and nurturing of this year contestants, stayed upbeat and even cheery as she said her goodbyes and took a last look around from the Idol stage, knowing perhaps that for a talent such as hers, now that it has been loosed to the world, the journey is only beginning.
Syesha’s Close Call, and Carly’s Elimination
This week “American Idol” says goodbye to Carly Smithson. (4.24.08)
American Idol: Who is the Luckiest Girl in the Room?
Why, it Carly of course! She gets to miss Neil Diamond week.
With my favorite contestants finally out of the …American Idol machine (until the tour and until they have to sell their souls to 19 Entertainment), I guess there nothing left to do but hope that Brooke has an actual meltdown right there on stage.
Things could be worse for Carly. She now free to display her tattoos without viewer voting repercussions. She can go hang out with Michael Johns (Who wouldnt want that?). She can avoid taking the Clay Aiken route and doing whatever the hell that was to his hair (I thought it was for the role in …Spamalot, but, no! He wears a wig on stage).
‘Idol’ style: mixed reviews
At this point in the competition on “American Idol” in seasons past, Clay Aiken had already transformed from geeky, tufted duckling to slick, metrosexual swan. Viewers are continually reminded that this is the “best group of contestants ever.” While that’s open to debate, no one is making similar claims for Season 7’s sartorial choices. Whether it was Chikezie’s traffic cone-orange leisure suit or the bizarre ascots of the departed Michael Johns, dressing the “Idol” contestants has clearly been a challenge for the show’s stylists. (In their defense, no matter what they suggest, the contestants have the last word on what they wear.) And even though “Idol” is a singing competition, like any contest – from beauty pageants to job interviews – we all know that points are awarded, or deducted, for style. Here, we take a look at the remaining hopefuls (one of whom was slated to be voted off last night, after press time), what they’ve been wearing, and what we’d like to see them in.
Local DJ Had First Listen Of David Cook’s ‘Analog Heart’
t was the end of the road for Carly Smithson on American Idol on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Blue Springs native David Cook continues his positive momentum and is safely in the show’s final five.
Cook’s Idol performances are hot sellers on iTunes and Cook’s 2006 solo album called “Analog Heart” was the most downloaded album on Amazon’s mp3 service this past weekend. A local DJ, who is a friend of Cook’s, and a fan of the record, says Cook is a great artist.
American Idol’s Kimberley Locke Live in Concert
NORTHRIDGE, Calif., April 23, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — American Idol breakout star and Billboard chart-topper Kimberley Locke will perform a concert on May 15, 2008 in honor of National Women’s Health Week. The exclusive event is sponsored by Nature Made Liquid Softgels, a new line of liquid softgels formulated for easy absorption and easy to swallow, in support of the Society for Women’s Health Research, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all women through research, education and advocacy.
This special one-hour event will take place at 2 p.m. at Nokia Theatre Times Square in New York City. Nearly 2, 000 fans will be invited to commemorate National Women’s Health Week with Locke and show their support for women’s health awareness.
TobyMac, Mark Hall, Casting Crowns win big at Dove Awards
The evening’s performers included “American Idol” alum Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh and Mandisa with Amy Grant in a musical tribute to Michael W. Smith.
