Today’s Idol Appearances:
- Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery will appear on the Today Show Summer Concert Series 7-9 am NBC
- Haley Reinhart will appear on Live with Regis and Kelly
VIDEO: American Idol’s Lauren Alaina Says She’s Not Dating Scotty, But Plans to Duet With Him
Lauren Alaina, runner-up to Scotty McCreery on American Idol, says she’s better than him at one thing. “I’m really athletic. I can throw a football farther than Scotty can, ” she tells TVGuide.com.
While the 16-year-old singer says she and McCreery are close, she denies all romantic rumors. “Unfortunately, I’m not dating Scotty, ” she says. “We’re not attracted to each other. We went through this life-changing experience together and learned so much and we’re become such great friends but other than that, no.”
See the Video at TV Guide
VIDEO: American Idol Winner Scotty McCreery Shows Us How to Get “Scottified”
American Idol winner Scotty McCreery isn’t known for just his singing: the 17-year-old says he has a specific method for how to hold the microphone.
“You relax the wrists [with] one finger holding it, ” he tells TVGuide.com. “Add an eyebrow [and you’re] Scottified.”
In the interview below, McCreery tells us the one thing he wants to do now that he’s the American Idol. Plus: The singer rebuts Lauren Alaina’s claims that she’s better than him with a football.
See the Video at TV Guide
Lauren Alaina Talks “McLaina” & Her Plans to “Duet” Not “Date” Scotty McCreery
OK! caught up with American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina yesterday in NYC, and the bubbly Southern belle dished all about her Idol days and her connection with winner Scotty McCreery. She debunked some rumors and also commented on whether or not a girl could ever win the hit Fox singing competition again.
Read more at OK
‘Idol’ winner, runner-up play like a country duo
Ahead of their “Idol” Top 11 tour — which starts next month — they will visit Nashville to begin prep on their debut albums.
“We’re going to work with the record people down there and get some songs straightened out and hopefully I’ll get to listen to them, get to learn them, ” McCreery said.
Alaina wants to follow in Carrie Underwood’s footsteps, while McCreery is hoping to maintain a classic country sound with a “contemporary twist to keep it up-to-date.”
“With the album I just want to establish myself as an artist and put my stamp on that album, ” he said. “My main focus is going to be country music, that’s what I grew up with and what I love.”
But McCreery may already be on the pop route: His song, “I Love You This Big, ” was co-written by Ester Dean, who’s writing credits include No. 1 hits for Rihanna (“S&M, ” ”Rude Boy, ” ”What’s My Name?”) and Katy Perry (“Firework”). Dean has also written for Nicki Minaj and Usher.
“(Dean has) written a lot of other pop and R&B songs as well so … if we can get that kind of flavor in my songs and make it country and still make it current, then that would be fine with me, ” McCreery said.
Read more at the Associated Press
A Winning Financial Plan for ‘American Idol’ Winner Scotty McCreery
American Idol winner Scotty McCreery will have to be country strong to handle the temptation of his new wealth, a financial expert told DailyFinance. “Show business can certainly be here today, gone tomorrow, ” said Mitch Slater, senior vice president of investments at UBS Financial Services (UBS) in Westfield, N.J. “You just don’t know how long that success is going to be. You have to make sure the money lasts long after the success is gone.”
We asked Slater to outline a financial plan for McCreery that isn’t the same old song. The teen received more than $250, 000 in for taking the top spot on season 10 of Idol and in advances for the album he’ll record. Plus he’ll earn tens of thousands for granting Idol licensing rights, according to reports, on top of the change he’s making from the 173, 000-plus iTune downloads this week of his single I Love You This Big.
Read more at Daily Finance
What We Can Learn From Scotty’s ‘Idol’ Win
After my recent story about “American Idol” finalists Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina was picked up by a number of consumer media outlets and “Idol” blogs, I spent the next two weeks getting deluged with hate mail from fans of the young singers, particularly supporters of 17-year-old McCreery, who went on to win the show last week. The original article contained quotes from numerous country programmers expressing a lack of confidence in McCreery’s chances for a long-term country music career. Peeling back the vitriol on the letters, however, his fans actually offer some interesting insights into not just the country audience, but “Idol” watchers as well.
Read more at Stark Country newsletter
Teen reality show auditioners tell all from behind the scenes
“American Idol” has just wrapped up its 10th season, and we talked to some local contestants think about their experience auditing for the show.
Chicago-area senior Gina Santucci auditioned for “American Idol” last year. She said, in her opinion, the main features the judges want to see is not a good voice, but a good sob story.
“They ask you a bunch of questions, ” Santucci said about the auditions, “and basically if you don’t have a good enough sob story like your parents are dying or you were abandoned in front of a church, you won’t make it.”
Read more at Kansas City.com
RAW: ‘American Idol’ finalist Stefano Langone returns home
Kent native and American Idol finalist Stefano Langone returned to his home state for the first time since January on Wednesday night.
See the Video at King5
CALIFORNIAN: DeWyze to give a sneak peak of tour at TVBWF
Even if you are already familiar with vocalist and musician Lee DeWyze through radio singles or on television, seeing him onstage is a whole other ball game.
“I prefer to play live than in a studio because I like connecting with an audience, ” DeWyze said during a recent interview. “I like seeing their reactions and people dancing and singing. It’s good times.”
Read more at NCTimes
The Farr Side: Far from ‘Idol, ‘ Giraud stays busy
For West Michigan’s own Matt Giraud, life after “American Idol” has been a “whirlwind.”
“It’s been great, ” Giraud said during a recent phone interview. “Life is a little better, for sure. I was playing bars and stuff, doing the hustle and grind, and now, people will buy a ticket to come and see me play.”
Moments into the phone conversation, one thing became evident: Matt Giraud is an everyday guy.?But we know he can tickle the ivories better than most.
Read more at Sturgis Journal
Pickler has new album, husband, is right where she’s supposed to be
Kellie Pickler lost her way between her debut and sophomore albums.
Nowhere among the fun poppy country songs of 2008’s “Kellie Pickler” – “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful, ” “Best Days of Your Life, ” “I’m Your Woman” – could she find the old country spirit that made the platinum blonde’s eyes light up when she sang.
“I was trying so hard to give people what I thought they wanted from me, ” Pickler said last week in a phone interview to talk about her first-ever Tucson show tonight. “I was trying to live up to everyone’s expectations.”
Read more at Arizona Daily Star
“Brand New Day” will be in stores June 21; “Morning Express” host to perform at CMA Music Fest on June 12.
HLN’s Robin Meade, who hosts the daily morning series Morning Express With Robin Meade, is making the jump into music.
Her debut album, Brand New Day, is set for a June 21 release, and will be sold through Target and iTunes.
Country singer and Celebrity Apprentice winner John Rich, American Idol’s Bo Bice, Kix Brooks and Sarah Buxton will be featured on the upcoming album.
Read more at the Hollywood Reporter
Lessons in Self-Expression from ‘American Idol’
In my career, I’ve had some truly extraordinary performance experiences. Being on “American Idol” was no exception.
During season six, I was called in to sing backup vocals for Hollywood Week, which, as many of you know, brings the top 30 finalists to Los Angeles for seven days of intense group work and solo performances.
Read more at Huffington Post
Nielsens: ‘Idol’ ends Season 10 on a high note
Not leery of McCreery. Fox’s American Idol closed out its 10th season with 29.3 million viewers, 5 million more than last year’s finale. Overall, Idol rose 5% from last year.
The season finale of Fox’s Glee (11.8 million viewers Tuesday) behind Idol (20.6 million) marked its best showing since March.
Read more at USA Today
J. Lo Honeymoon Tape Triggers Porn War
There’s an all out war among some big porn studios to snag Jennifer Lopez’ honeymoon tape shot back in 1997… a tape featuring some spankin’ and some booty.
Red Light District, YouPorn.com, and PornHub.com are all trying to top each other, with bids hovering in the $40, 000 range. Yeah, it seems kinda low, but there’s no real sex in the tape … which is usually a buzz kill.
J.Lo tried to block her ex Ojani Noa from releasing the tape — but last week, an L.A. judge ruled she had no case … opening the door for a sale.
No deal has been struck … yet — so you’ll just have to rely on your imagination for now.
Read more at TMZ
Cheryl Cole not the only sour note for Cowell’s ‘X Factor’
LOS ANGELES — “American Idol” made Simon Cowell a household name in the United States, but the prickly British music Svengali is hitting some flat notes as he tries to launch his own TV singing competition.
Cowell, 51, has been working on a U.S. version of his hit UK talent show “The X Factor” for more than 18 months. But as the clock winds down to its much-hyped debut in the fall, he is facing some last-minute challenges.
His personal pick for the judging panel — British singer Cheryl Cole — was reportedly dumped from the lineup, possibly because of her thick accent. She was also dropped this week from the panel of the UK version of “The X Factor.”
Read more at Reuters
Simon Cowell: I moved heaven and earth for Cheryl Cole
SIMON Cowell “moved heaven and earth” to get Cheryl Cole back on The X Factor following her humiliating sacking from the American version of the show, it was revealed yesterday.
It also emerged that he agreed to double her salary to £2.8million in a futile effort to tempt her back.
Believing he has been painted as the “bad guy” in the bitter fallout from her sudden, shock dismissal from US X Factor, Cowell has hit back at claims he wielded the axe – insisting it was a group decision that Cheryl had to go.
Read more at the Daily Mirror
Cheryl Cole Jokes About ‘X Factor’ Ouster
Cheryl Cole is bouncing back after getting the boot from both the U.K. and U.S. versions of Simon Cowell’s reality show, The X Factor.
“Listen, from her texts today she’s absolutely fine, ” her fellow judge on the British show, Louis Walsh, told Cosmo U.K. Wednesday.
“She’s going to be fine. She’s tough on the inside… actually she’s tough on the inside and soft on the outside, ” said Walsh while laughing.
Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
The Glee Project: The Goal Is to Woo Ryan Murphy
Trying to describe what makes someone right for Glee might just be impossible. Just ask series casting director Robert Ulrich, who, on Oxygen’s The Glee Project (premiering June 12 at 9/8c), is tasked with recruiting a shiny new star for the high school musical from a pool of tens of thousands of rabid Gleeks.
Turns out the 12 finalists aren’t necessarily the best singers, dancers or actors — though, certainly, having those skills helped. Rather, Ulrich says they all possess that difficult-to-pinpoint Glee spirit. Or, more to the point, they all have the potential to inspire Glee’s writing staff. “Ryan Murphy is really good at spotting that certain something, ” Ulrich tells TVGuide.com. “Kurt Hummel didn’t exist until Chris Colfer walked in the room.” Colfer initially auditioned to play wheelchair-bound Artie, but Murphy was so taken by the then-18-year-old that he created McKinley High’s fashionable soprano just for him.
Read more at TV Guide
