‘American Idol’ hopefuls can try again
They came out crying, texting and singing.
The winners walked away — too worried about breaching confidentiality contracts, and thereby ruining their chances of fame — to risk an interview.
The losers were more vocal. Told their voices weren’t strong enough, that they weren’t what “American Idol” producers were looking for, they moved slowly down the long walkway to their cars, rehashing what had gone wrong.
American Idol’ stars rock Wolstein Center
After a long, hard-fought campaign, the victorious candidate stood onstage Thursday night in a crowded arena to stake his claim to the most powerful job in the free world. Well, more or less.
I’m talking, of course, about David Cook, our latest “American Idol.”
Joining the 25-year-old singer from Blue Springs, Mo., for the convention — er, concert — at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center were nine other top finalists from the seventh season of the smash television series.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
David Cook now digs the ‘Idol’ worship
Cook also has his sights set on recording his first album under his new record contract with 19 Recordings/RCA, which is due in mid-November.
“I’m a rock singer, so it will be a rock record, ” Cook said. “But the good thing about rock music is there are some sub-genres there. So there’s room to meander. My goal is to put out a record that’s both eclectic and cohesive. If I can do that and find that balance, I think the sky’s the limit.”
Does Carrie Underwood Need a New …Pal?
Will these gossip tabloids stop at nothing to create controversy? The latest celebudrama is from OK! magazine story that Carrie Underwood called Jessica Simpson fat. Please. Like shed actually say that ‘ out loud ‘ to the kind of …pal who would then go sell the story to a tabloid.
Here my proof that this …pal probably doesnt even exist: In this little story, the Carrie Underwood Pal (who henceforth will be referred to as CUP) allegedly said, and I quote, …Carrie doesnt think fans will spend money to watch Jess warble through a few badly-written songs.
American Idol alumna Mandisa preps for Disney World appearance Saturday
Mandisa is ready for a vacation. She going to Disney World.
Of course, work comes first. The former American Idol finalist ‘ she finished ninth the season Taylor Hicks won ‘ will sing at Night of Joy, a Christian music gathering, at Disney Hollywood Studios on Saturday night.
She said shell extend her stay here for a little R&R, only her second break since she finished Idol in 2006.
It her second trip to Disney World. The first time was for a Christmas parade taping, and she was enthralled, especially with all the little girls gussied up as princesses.
“I wish I had come there before I was a 30-year-old woman, ” Mandisa says.
Taylor Swift + Kellie Pickler + Julianne Hough = Taylieanne?
Here what happens when you put three of the hottest country artists in a boat and take photos of them. They laugh and we smile. This video from People.com of Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler and Julianne Hough shows how close the trio has become. Theyre on a lake for a photo shoot, but it ends up looking like theyre just hanging out.
“Idol” grad Pickler writes from the heart
NASHVILLE (Billboard) – She has domestic turmoil and tabloid-fodder romance in her past, but Kellie Pickler just wants people “to get to know me through my music.” It’s fitting, then, that the “American Idol” alumna’s sophomore album, due September 30, is self-titled.
Pickler’s debut album, “Small Town Girl, ” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in November 2006 and has sold 783, 000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and featured the singles “Red High Heels, ” “I Wonder” and “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.”
That release was something of a rush job, completed while Pickler was on the “American Idol” tour. The new RCA album, Pickler says, is “a lot more ‘me’ because we had the time to make it ‘me.'”
Young country meets veterans at CMA festival show
Country music is ready to show off its widening world.
This isn’t just a place for old guys with guitars. “Country is getting so much younger, ” says Robert Deaton, producer of ABC’s “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock.”
At least, it will seem that way Monday, when viewers see his three hosts. Kellie Pickler is 22, Julianne Hough is 20, Taylor Swift — fresh from a string of hits and awards — is 18.
Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys Host Golf Tourney In Toronto
The stars of the new film The Secret Life Of Bees — Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys — are hosting a special golf tournament on Sunday (September 7th) in Toronto. The all-day event will raise money for Malaria No More, an organization that helps buy mosquito nets and medicines to prevent the spread of the disease.
The trio of singer-actresses are attending the Toronto International Film Festival, where The Secret Life Of Bees is making its screen debut. Adapted from the best-selling Sue Monk Kidd novel, the film also stars Dakota Fanning and Sophie Okonedo and is directed by Gina Prince Bythewood.
Hudson exceeds career expectations
Jennifer Hudson has learned to ignore what doubters say. She did so famously after American Idol judge Simon Cowell told her that “she was out of her league” before she lost to Fantasia on the show four years ago.
Not only did Hudson go on to win the part of Effie in Dreamgirls, competing against 750 other hopefuls; she eventually earned a 2007 supporting actress Oscar for the role.
Afterwards, she was warned about the post-award letdown, but she decided that wasn’t going to happen, either. This summer, Hudson, 26, managed a well-received co-starring turn in the big-screen hit Sex and the City.
This fall, she’s featured in the much anticipated film version of the bestselling Sue Monk Kidd novel The Secret Life of Bees, which had its premiere as a Toronto International Film Festival gala on Friday and opens theatrically on Oct. 17.
Film Review: The Secret Life of Bees
TORONTO — Sue Monk Kidd’s acclaimed, Civil Rights-era novel, “The Secret Life of Bees, ” about a troubled South Carolina teen who finds redemption in an unlikely place, has been turned into an affecting ensemble piece that’s destined to generate a fair share of awards-season buzz.
Nicely adapted and directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood (“Love & Basketball”), the Toronto International Film Festival premiere really takes flight on the wings of its powerhouse, female-centric cast headed up by Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and, especially, Sophie Okonedo.At least a couple of those performances are certain to resonate particularly strongly ahead of the film’s October 17 release, which, along with sturdy word-of-mouth should give Fox Searchlight a head-start in its kudos campaigning.
Jennifer Hudson readies new album, two films
Jennifer Hudson is cutting it close to the wire. The 2004 “American Idol” contestant has been working on her first album for a year and a half, since a week after she won a best supporting actress Oscar for her motion-picture debut as Effie White in “Dreamgirls.” She has completed 40 songs with such in-demand R&B producers as Ne-Yo, Stargate, Tank, Timbaland, T-Pain and the Underdogs. Yet, as she arrives in Los Angeles on a recent Friday afternoon, there’s less than six weeks to go before the disc’s scheduled Sept. 30 release, and she has two more vocal tracks to do over a weekend that also includes rehearsals with a band led by “American Idol” musical director Rickey Minor for her forthcoming promotional tour.
Arista Records isn’t taking any chances with what may well be the company’s hottest signing since Whitney Houston. Once Hudson has completed recording, executive producers Clive Davis and Larry Jackson will shuffle through all the songs and decide which ones make the final cut.
Nasty Nigel falls in love with pantsula
By next year, pantsula, a homegrown dance style, could be the hottest trend in the US.
Nigel Lythgoe, judge and executive-producer of So You Think You Can Dance, is in South Africa to help SABC1 launch a local version of the show, and has been taking some time to pick up some of our local dance styles.
“I want to take pantsula to America, I want to take gumboot dancing to America. The dancers here are so strong, ” he raves.
“We mustn’t forget where all these dances come from. Most Latin dances are Afro-Cuban, and all of that rhythm came from Africa.”
