Writers Guild unveils ‘American Idol Truth Tour’
Continuing its attempt to organize scribes who work in reality TV, the Writers Guild of America, West, has launched a campaign targeting the hit Fox TV show “American Idol.”
Calling it “The American Idol Truth Tour, ” the guild is aiming squarely at Burbank-based Fremantle Media North America, a major producer of reality programming.
Starting today in Daly City, Calif., about 50 reality TV writers and supporters will stage a series of protests in cities where “American Idol” holds auditions to highlight what they describe as the poor treatment of writers in the reality TV industry.
“Time cards have been filled out often illegally, people are being asked to work through their lunch breaks . . . and work 15- to 20-hour days, frequently seven days a week, ” said David Weiss, vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, at a rally outside the guild’s Los Angeles headquarters.
American Idol Season 8 Auditions Kick Off in San Francisco
It seems like just yesterday that David Cook was crowned the latest American Idol, but millions of potential stars are gearing up for their chance to become America’s next singing sensation.
Auditions for the eighth season of “American Idol” begin Thursday at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and will continue through the end of August in seven other cities.
To be eligible for the show, contestants must be between 16-28 years old as of July 15, 2008, and eligible to work in the United States.
More Idol Headlines After the Jump…
St. Louis is ‹Idol finalist lucky charm
ST. LOUIS – One of this season’s favorite “American Idol” finalists will meet fans in St. Louis Friday where she virtually started her singing career.
Former nanny Brooke White, 25, started her singing career at age 15 as the lead in her Mesa, Ariz., high school musical, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Fans voted the pop-folk singer/songwriter into the No. 5 finalist spot on America’s No. 1 television show, “American Idol, ” during season seven. White, along with other top 10 finalists, will perform solo in the American Idols Live! Tour 2008 Friday, at Scottrade Center in Downtown St. Louis.
“There’s a special meaning for St. Louis, ” White said in a telephone interview Monday from a tour stop in Utah. “It was my first experience of singing at all in public. It was a big deal.”
David Cook Fan Frenzy Caught on Camera
If you’ve never been a rock star, then you don’t know what it feels like to be mobbed by fans. But, a recent post on Youtube, helps you get a feel for it.
Someone recorded the fan frenzy over the American Idol contestants in Tacoma, Washington the afternoon the American Idols Live Tour rolled into town on July 12. See more David Cook videos
‘Idol’ star Jason Castro is no mental lightweight
“American Idol’s” dreadlocked fourth-place finisher was dogged by that perception as he competed in this year’s contest. Some people interpreted his laid-back manner as evidence of a few missing brain cells. But Castro has impressive stats: The guy scored 1, 340 on his SAT. He went to Texas A&M on a petroleum engineering scholarship, although he was planning to study construction science.
Sound like good boyfriend material? Reportedly, the blue-eyed singer with an easy smile is already spoken for. Is Castro, 21, going to break hopeful hearts all over the country?
“I do have a girlfriend, and that’s the only heart I don’t want to break, ” he said.
Johns uses ‘Idol’ as training for career
Quick, look at Michael Johns’ MySpace page. You might see a video of a recent performance of the Aussie putting his soul into Dolly Parton’s “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” on the American Idols Live tour.
Fans were up in arms when he was voted off “American Idol” in April. But they have a chance to see him again as he tours with nine other singers from the seventh season’s Top 10 round, an event that visits U.S. Bank Arena Wednesday.
Thinking of trying out for ‘Idol’? Get advice from last year’s finalists
Auditions for the next season of “American Idol” kick off Thursday in San Francisco, and over the next month, judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will visit seven more cities in their search for the next crop of Idol singers.
But really, what do they know? When it comes to the auditions, wouldn’t the singers who made it through that grueling process know at least as Simon and Randy, and much more than poor Paula?
CBS Delays ‘Jingles, ‘ Names Host Kimberly Caldwell will host, Gene Simmons to judge
Kimberly Caldwell, a finalist on the second season of ” American Idol” and a TV Guide presenter, will host the show, which asks contestants to write and perform jingles about a wide variety of products.
Amidst this sea of product placements, the next great jingle composer will be crowned by a judging panel led by rock legend and A&E reality buffoon Gene Simmons. In addition to his co-founding role in the KISS empire, Simmons has been central in branding his famous image, even launching the Simmons Abramson Marketing company.
Jon Peter Lewis, Our Own ‘Idol’ Finalist, Gives Us the Details on His New Album
Jul. 16–When the “American Idol” machine spits you out, at least you’ve learned a bit about marketing.
Jon Peter Lewis, 2004 “Idol” finalist and former Taft resident, originally wrote “Song for Christopher Columbus” as a joke.
“I already did a Christmas song, I gotta find another holiday, ” he kids.
Then it evolved into something introspective, a lament about innocence lost. His gentler Columbus regrets the part he played in the destruction of the New World: “Sometimes I wish I’d never found, found out the world was round.” It’s a hit at shows.
Lewis is an easygoing guy and certainly wouldn’t want the heavy subject matter to spoil your Columbus Day hijinks. He’d wreck pinatas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria with glee.
The single is available with pre-orders of his pensive sophomore album, “Break the Silence, ” in stores Tuesday.
Jennifer Hudson’s Real World Album Cover
Jennifer Hudson, former American Idol finalist and Academy Award-winning actress, just got cooler times ten in our book. She graces the cover of her new album Spotlight–which is set to be released in September–wearing a $36 dress from American Apparel.
Not only is the cute sleeveless number affordable, but it was made in America…Downtown L.A., to be exact. No divas here!
Carrie Underwood Keeps Track Of Her Journey
Carrie Underwood is making sure to document her journey as one of today’s biggest superstars. The singer said that despite her busy schedule, she makes a point to record her experiences. “I do keep a journal. I’m not great at it as in every night kind of thing, but I’ll write for a while at least once or twice a week and keep it updated, because I know how important it’ll be.”
Country ‘Idol:’ Kellie Pickler
Bubbly country singer Kellie Pickler, 22, has come a long way from the small town of Albemarle, N.C.
She kept focused while enduring a less-than-stable home life. Pickler’s mother left her in the care her father, who was battling with drugs and alcohol. As her father fought his demons, Pickler found solace in the home of her grandparents.
Fast-forward to “American Idol” season five in 2006, where she won fans’ hearts. Her debut album, “Small Town Girl, ” went gold, and she went on to win three Country Music Awards.
America So You Think You Can Dance Goes On Nationwide Tour
For forty dates, fans can catch a live performance of one of the biggest shows on television, …So You Think You Can Dance.
The tour will feature the Top 10 show dancers and will include performances by Chelsie H, Comfort, Courtney G, Katee, Kherington, Gev, Joshua, Mark, Twitch and Will. Injured dancer, Jessica, may return in time to participate in the tour depending on her recovery.
Many tickets will go on sale on August 2nd. For more detailed and up-to-date show information visit the official website at http://www.fox.com/dance/sytycd_tour.htm
So You Think You Can Dance: Snap Judgements and Studio Secrets
The spectacle at …So You Think You Can Dance studio tonight was nothing short of major. The couples were shuffled, the dancers all performed solos in addition to their partner dances, and for the first time, the voting was handed over completely to the audience. On top of all that, one of the members of the top 10 ‘ Jessica King ‘ had to drop out last minute! She was replaced by recently eliminated contestant Comfort Fedoke. It was a night of immense change. And nobody wanted to miss it.
For that reason, eliminated competitors Thayne Jasperson, Kourtni Lind, and Matt Dorame all tucked into the audience to watch the action. Here are some standout moments from the studio.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’s’ great leap
Sure, the Top 10 competitors on “So You Think You Can Dance” will be pared to eight Thursday, but that doesn’t mean they will never all share a stage again. On Sept. 20, the 10 will head out on the “So You Think You Can Dance” tour. In less than two months, they will cha-cha, krump and waltz their way across 40 cities. Tickets go on sale Aug. 8.
During a phone interview this week, Tony Wigens, head of touring for 19 Entertainment, was still buzzing from this summer’s ” American Idol” tour, which landed in 53 cities.
According to Wigens, the idea of an “American Idol” tour was intuitive from the get-go, but planning a “Dance” tour took more consideration. “It was very much a leap in the dark as well as a leap of faith, ” recalled Wigens, who is far more accustomed to planning musical concerts than dance shows. The “leap of faith” paid off in the tour’s first year, 2006. “I think the thing sold out in a matter of hours, ” he said.
Gotta dance! Gotta judge!
When the criticism on Dance is, um, negative, the way it is on American Idol, the criticism tends to be more constructive and eloquent than, “Hate-ed it, ” or, “There’s only so much punishment a human can take, and I can’t take any more.”
Lythgoe, a lifelong dancer, judges as well as produces So You Think You Can Dance. His fellow Dance judges are former ballroom dance champion and choreographer Mary Murphy and prominent contemporary-dance choreographer Mia Michaels.
“There is a difference between judging dance and singing, ” Lythgoe said. “The three of us have all been involved in dance from a very early age. We love it. We’re passionate about it. And we’re passionate about getting people to do the right things. Even if we’re wrong, we believe we’re right, or we wouldn’t bother saying it.”
So You Think You Can Dance: Top 10 Perform
Well, what do you think about that? Before the show even began the Top 10 has changed with hip-hop dancer Comfort coming into replace Jessica. Apparently, Jessica suffered an injury that forced her to withdraw from the competition. Before the show began we didn’t know any more specific details, so I wasn’t sure if it was a physical injury or a psychological one at all the verbal abuse she’s taken during her stint as Will’s partner.
Looking Back on the Dance with Nashville Star’s Laura and Sophie
It’s been an interesting season of Nashville Star, as several of this year’s country music hopefuls have pulled out all the stops in the hope of becoming the next big thing in Music City, or “Nashvegas” to its locals. A week after Nashville Star saw its biggest shocker of the season with the departure of Pearl Heart, which caused a stir among judges Jeffrey Steele, Jon Rich, and Jewel, singing duo Laura and Sophie were handed their walking papers in a move a lot of people saw coming.
A day after their exit, we caught up with Laura and Sophie to find out how they felt about leaving the show, whether they thought the fans got it right with the departure of Pearl Heart, and what’s in store for their musical future.
Canadian Idol: One-on-One with Adam Castelli
Adam Castelli does not sound like someone who was just eliminated from Canadian Idol.
…Im fantastic, he said to start the conversation after being asked how he was doing.
Castelli admits he was one of the people surprised by his elimination Tuesday night, but says that he was still doing great.
…I thought Monday night I did a fantastic job and the judges and the audience really loved it, so Im going out on a strong note.
The Hamilton-born singer said that he had no thoughts of potential safety when he was called by Ben Mulroney over to the bottom three, partly because he didnt even imagine he would be in that position. He said he didnt look at the other two in the bottom three ‘ Mookie and Sebastian ‘ and think he was safe, and one of them would be going home.
Idol hopeful Castilli not rebel enough
Adam Castelli is officially a rebel without a cause after being voted off Canadian Idol Tuesday. But not for lack of effort.
On Monday, the Top 10 contenders performed the songs of David Bowie. Castelli, 26, chose to sing Rebel Rebel and arrived on stage on a motorcycle. The following is a post-exit Q&A with the aspiring musician from Hamilton, Ont.
Q: Why do you think you were eliminated, and what could you have done differently?
