American Idol 12 audition registration begins in New Orleans today
Soul great Aretha Franklin says wants to judge “American Idol” – (Reuters) – “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin said on Saturday that she is interested in joining “American Idol” as a judge, just days after Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler declared they have ended their judging roles on the Fox show. The departure of Lopez and Tyler creates a major void in the three-judge panel on “Idol,” which remains the most-watched television show contest in the United States but has seen its ratings slump in recent years. In response to an email question asking Franklin whether she is interested in joining “Idol” as a judge or a mentor, the singer responded, “Yes I am interested as a judge!” – Read more at Reuters
Adam Lambert: “The US is in the middle of a big civil rights movement” – Adam Lambert: “The US is in the middle of a big civil rights movement” “[America] is in the midst of this big civil rights movement,” the 30-year-old told The Independent. “It’s beautiful to see how people are powering through and I think the timing of that and my notoriety is a privilege. “I feel I do have a certain amount of responsibility – because I have a visibility that not a lot of people have in the gay community, especially in the music industry – to be comfortable, to be open.” – Read more at Digital Spy
Why Steven Tyler’s ‘American Idol’ Exit Will Boost His Earnings – Though his Idol stint helped establish Tyler as a cleaned-up rock-and-roll bad boy—and earned him about $20 million over two years—his moneymaking prospects now look even rosier. He’s already performed 10 shows in the past month with Aerosmith, and he’s got 14 more scheduled though September. According to a source familiar with the band’s financials, Aerosmith is guaranteed an average of $850,000 per show on its current Live Nation-backed tour, with the fee split evenly between all five band-members. Tack on another $75,000 or so for nightly merchandise sales, and Tyler’s take is just shy of $200,000 per show. – Read more at Forbes.com
‘American Idol’: Who Will Replace Jennifer Lopez And Steven Tyler? – LOS ANGELES — Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige are among the heady names being tossed around as potential judges for “American Idol” after Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez skipped out on next season. Star power, after all, is what judges add to TV talent shows that otherwise feature unknowns whose performances can range from surprisingly good to stunningly awful. But Fox’s “American Idol,” trying to right itself after shedding viewers in its 11th season, may also need to play a numbers game – as in the age of the judges brought in to revitalize a show whose audience is getting smaller and older, neither a plus for advertisers. – Read more at Huffington Post
