‘Voice’ Duo Midas Whale Bring Their Golden Touch to Yahoo! – When Midas Whale visited Yahoo! Music recently to play a couple other new tunes and give a hilarious interview (covering such hot topics as rock operas, puppet shows, death, the Swon Brothers, geology, and Pinocchio), Jon got serious and revealed: “[‘The Voice’ powers-that-be] haven’t gotten in our way. They’ve allowed us to grow as artists more than I think any other show [including ‘Idol’] ever would have.” – Read more at Yahoo.com
Danny Gokey Talks About Emotional Struggles on American Idol In New Book – “It was almost like, at that point I doubted everything I knew about God, I doubted everything that I’ve ever walked [spiritually] for because you don’t understand that me and Sophia, my first wife, we believed that God was gonna do a miracle and He didn’t show up,” Danny told those in attendance at the “New Voices Showcase” segment of the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis on Sunday. – Read more at Wetpaint
Lauren Alaina at the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp
Naima Adedapo of “Idol” fame showcases new sound at Summerfest – MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Naima Adedapo, of American Idol fame performed on a Summerfest stage on Wednesday, June 26 — the first day of Summerfest 2013. This was Adedapo’s second straight year performing at the Big Gig, and this year, she has a new sound on a new stage. Adedapo’s name is familiar to many in the Milwaukee area, after she placed in the top 11 on the 10th season of American Idol. “I walk five feet and I know everybody. So it’s just awesome. This place is always like a homecoming for me. It’s always exciting,” Adedapo said. – Read more at FOX6
‘Idol’ singer eager to ‘work for it again’ – To stay sharp and to hone his vocal and keyboard chops, Giraud has spent much of the last two years playing low-key engagements around Michigan. He grew up in Ypsilanti and went on to attend Western Michigan University. His home state is a comfort zone for him. He’s planning a move to Nashville, Tenn., in the fall. Giraud says he needs to get away from his familiar surroundings and seriously make a go of it in Music City. “If you really stand out as an artist and as a songwriter — that’s the stuff that matters down there,” he says of Nashville’s challenge. “It’ll be exciting for me not to have to feel like I’m riding that wave of ‘Idol’ anymore.” – Read more at South Bend Tribune
Heart Full of Soul: Taylor Hicks returns to Harrah’s Reno – Now, Hicks is bringing his talent to Reno right around the Fourth of July. The “American Idol” will take the stage Harrah’s Reno, performing five nights in Sammy’s Showroom, July 3-7. “Right now, I’m working on a soulful country record in Nashville and excited to be releasing that soon,” Hicks said. “I also have a headlining residency in Las Vegas.” – Read more at RGJ.com
Harry Styles grabs Zayn Malik’s crotch for epic One Direction photo bomb – Just a few short days after Zayn Malik nearly gave Ohio-based Directioners laryngitis by eating an edible thong off Harry Styles on stage, Styles returns the favor by grabbing Malik’s crotch while the pair pose with fans at an Atlanta meet-and-greet. – See the photo at Zap2it
Simon Cowell’s Syco, FremantleMedia to Launch ‘Afghanistan’s Got Talent’ – Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia are taking their Got Talent format to Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s Got Talent, a local version of the TV talent competition, will launch on regional channel 1TV Media later this year. Afghanistan’s Got Talent will be the 55th local adaptation of the show, coming after recent local launches in Brazil and Kazakhstan earlier this year and making Got Talent the most adapted format worldwide, according to the companies. – Read more at Hollywood Reporter
I.am suing you – Pharrell Williams feels the wrath of Will.i.am in row over copyright of the phrase ‘I Am’ – Will.i.am, one of the judges on BBC talent show The Voice, is suing fellow US pop music star Pharrell Williams over his use of the phrase “I am”. Mr Williams set up his own “i am OTHER” brand to promote talent online and said he was searching for a “diverse group of optimistic, bright minds”. But Will.i.am, real name William James Adams, took exception and filed a lawsuit claiming that he owns the copyright to the phrase “I AM” and that Pharrell’s logo is “confusingly similar” to his “i.am+” iPhone camera add-on, according to court documents. The “registration of the mark.. is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the will.i.am mark”, the documents claim. – Read more at Independent.co.uk
ABC’s ‘Nashville’ gets $13.25M in perks for season two – The state of Tennessee will contribute up to $12.5 million to ABC’s production of the second season of “Nashville,” and Metro government will chip in $500,000, pending council approval, the state and city announced Monday. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. and Metro’s Event Marketing Fund also will contribute $125,000 each to keep the prime-time drama’s actors and crews here, the announcement said. – Read more at Tennessean.com
‘Smash’ Repeats to Air on Ovation – After getting the ax from NBC, erstwhile Broadway drama Smash has found a new home on the arts-focused cable channel Ovation. Ovation announced Thursday that it will air the two-season series, which was canceled by NBC, on Fridays at 8 p.m. First season re-runs begin July 19 with second-season episodes starting in November. “Smash is exactly the kind of art-centric programming that Ovation’s viewers crave,” Robert Weiss, Ovation’s chief creative officer, said in a statement. “This high-quality series fits in brilliantly with our efforts to showcase the powerful role that the Arts play in our lives. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
