The American Idol contestant’s song choice for last night was “Put your records on” by Corinne Bailey Rae. Even though her rendition is not bad at all music-wise, the judges don’t seem too impressed with her. Simon Cowell’s advice is practical: he tells Katie Stevens to get more experience. However, Ellen DeGeneres probably hit a nerve with her remark: “I don’t want to hear something I would hear in my dentist’s office.” That kind of attitude is probably not going to score Katie Stevens too many votes. It looks like she may be one of the unlucky ones this week. Damn those dentists!
This is a good example about what happens when you don’t win American Idol, for all of you out there who want to give it a shot. Seventh season contestant Chikezie Eze who made it so far as tenth place was recently arrested due to what some are claiming is identity theft. Still, Chikezie Eze is convinced that it’s all just a big misunderstanding: “I haven’t done anything wrong myself and I’m pretty confident nothing is going to happen.” The mix-up occurred because of one of his credit cards he had never used before which didn’t seem to agree too much with the reader. Even the software conspires against those who have been sent home early. Present and future contestants should be on their guard!
American Idol winner Kris Allen recently went to Haiti to meet with UN staff. The 24-year old singer will also be performing on the Idol results show this week and share some footage from his trip. Kris released a statement via MTV saying “The people of Haiti are rebuilding their country, and the U.N. is there to help them every step of the way. I look forward to sharing the images and stories from my trip with Idol viewers across the country.” His visit is part of Idol Gives Back’s charity work. Randy Jackson suggested that this year’s contributions go toward Haiti relief efforts.
Comedian and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is making herself right at home at American Idol with the outrageous demands that she’s been making. Sources on the reality competition show suggest that Ellen has insisted that she gets a $150,000 clothing allowance for custom made clothing while she is on the show. Sources also say that Ellen won’t be taking no for an answer, saying “Ellen feels it’s only fair because Paula received a hefty allowance for hair, makeup and wardrobe.” But the thing is, Paula Abdul wore more than just a pair of pants and a collared shirt every week.
Shock jock Howard Stern’s rumoured addition to the American Idol panel of judges has been slammed by parent activists in the US.
The Parents Television Council demanded the Fox network address the claims.
PTC president Tim Winter said in a statement on Wednesday: “Given American Idol’s extreme popularity with family audiences, I hope that Fox will put the rumours to rest and announce that it has no intention of adding to the show one of the most profane, sexually explicit and anti-family performers in the history of the broadcast medium – either as a guest or as a judge.”
He added: “Unless Stern intends to undergo some sort of moth-to-butterfly metamorphosis – though in his case the change would be more like rattlesnake to labrador retriever – adding him to American Idol would spell immediate death for one of the best franchises in American family entertainment.”
Stern is widely rumoured to be replacing soon-to-be-outgoing star judge Simon Cowell.
Simon Cowell has just become Britain’s first billion dollar television earner.
Cowell signed a mega-entertainment deal with Sony to take the hit show The X Factor on the road to Las Vegas.
Cowell, who quit American Idol for the X Factor deal, said: “I have had a fantastic relationship with Sony for many years and I’m delighted we are launching this venture together.”
The top-earning television star in the US is now on track to make £500million ($816million) in the next two years on the back of the sale of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent formats, the UK Mirror reports.
Cowell, 50, and The X Factor have churned out such real-flesh sensations as Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and Susan Boyle.
Boyle, aka SuBo, has achieved the astonishing feat of making the fastest-selling album in history.
Cowell will also sign an ITV deal worth a further £10million in the next 10 days.
Ged Doherty, the chief of Sony in the UK, said Cowell was an “inspiring and stimulating business partner”.
I guess America may have spoken too soon about there being an injustice when Kris Allen was announced to be the winner of American Idol because the champion has just proven that he’s got better selling power than Adam Lambert. The gay singer may have had a bigger first week than his nemesis but the numbers for their singles tell of another story. Kris’ ‘Live Like We’re Dying’ has sold just under 500,000 downloads and is at the #27 spot on the Soundscan singles chart while Adam’s ‘For Your Entertainment’ has sold just over 200,000. Adam better figure something out or he might be the next Idol alum to fade into obscurity.
And just when things were starting to look better for the American Idol contestant who recently became a big star, the ghost of Christmas past shows up and spoils all of the fun. It seems that Kris Allen, Adam Lambert’s arch-nemesis from their American Idol days, is back in full force and has greatly surpassed Adam Lambert’s sales of 200000 with his own half a million. It’s probably not the best of news for Adam Lambert, but he’ll bounce back soon enough, especially after he gets his own talk-show. Then he’ll be able to show that Kris Allen who the better star is!
Even though ‘Glee’ is off of the air until American Idol comes to a close, there are rumors going around about certain guest stars on the hit TV musical. One such guest is AI alum Adam Lambert. The singer is rumored to portray a big brother type of mentor for the character of Kurt, played by Chris Colfer, who is struggling with being openly gay. This is one rumor that I’m really hoping to be true. I wonder if they will let Adam’s wild side out for this one. I can’t wait for ‘Glee’ to come back on the air. Why must April be so far away?
Ellen DeGeneres suggested sparks could fly between herself and the ornery Simon Cowell in the upcoming season of American Idol.
DeGeneres steps into Paula Abdul’s well-worn and popular shoes as judge on the show. She said of America’s star judge, Cowell: “We both like each other and accept one another. At the same time I think he’s mean and I think he says things in an insensitive way and I don’t think that’s the way to get a point across. I’ve called him on it to his face. I’ll do the same thing to him [on Idol].”
Ellen whetted viewer’s appetites with the coments that appeared in The Wall Street Journal. She
spoke of preparing for the show’s ninth season. “I’m starting to criticise everyone I see, no matter what. I’m like, you thought that was a good outfit to wear?”
American Idol kicks off next Tuesday but DeGeneres will not be seen for a couple more weeks after some guest judge appearances.
During her Breakaway tour back in 2005, a guitarist on Kelly Clarkson’s show named Dwayne has his ass handed back to him by the original American Idol in front of a packed house. Years later and this video has just surfaced for all of us to be entertained. This is the most amazing thing I’ve seen her do. Though there’s not much of a clue what exactly it is that the guy did, if you watch the video, it’s clear that the singer got pissed off so much that she fired him on stage, mid-song and she didn’t even miss a beat.
It was exciting to hear that Adam Lambert was included in this year’s ‘Out 100’ list in Out Magazine. I thought it was a well-deserved honor. However, after reading the editor’s note from the issue, I’m appalled to find out that the singer’s management and record label insisted on “de-gaying” the American Idol alum at a gay magazine. Sources say that while Adam was being interviewed, his reps insisted on limiting questions as to not make him seem “too gay”. That sparked understandable fury with Editor-in-Chief Aaron Hicklin, who wrote an opening letter to Adam regarding the matter. Part of the letter said “Out was too gay, even for you. There was the issue of what it would do to your record sales, we were told. Imagine! A gay musician on the cover of a gay magazine… It’s only because this cover is a group shot that includes a straight woman that your team would allow you to be photographed at all — albeit with the caveat that we must avoid making you look “too gay.”… Luckily, you seemed unaware that a similar caution was issued to our interviewer.”
Carrie Underwood seems to be ready to fully commit to her relationship with her boyfriend Mike Fisher. Sources close to the couple say that the hockey player has asked the country singer to move in with him up in Canada and she said yes! There’s one small snag in the plan though. The American Idol alum is on the road a lot so she had to let him know that she can’t completely commit. However, a source said “She did clear out space in his closet and stocked his kitchen with her favorites!…They’re completely in love.” If that’s already gone on, I’m betting that marriage is not too far off.
American Idol cutie David Archuleta has recently announced via a video blog that he’s going on tour this Christmas to promote his latest album ‘Christmas from the Heart’ which is already out. David’s a precious little singer and he seemed so excited about going on tour again. You just have to love the young people in the music and entertainment industry who are still so keen on everything. But it’s even more fun to get a look at them a couple of years later and see just how jaded and angst-ridden they become. Here’s to hoping that David doesn’t end up like any of those guys.
Media Mogul Simon Cowell has published a letter to himself as his 50th birthday approaches.
Simon Cowell has written an introspective letter to his younger self, which has been published in British newspaper the Daily Mail.
The star is brutally honest as he looks back on his career, which hit the skids in the 1990s, when he became bankrupt.
The 49-year-old wrote: “In the end, you cannot get rid of the house or the stupid white Porsche quick enough.
“You have hit rock bottom and it is, in a strange way, a huge relief. Yet the funny thing is, what you don’t know, Simon, is that you will never again feel so carefree in your entire life.”
He adds: “You have made a lot of money by listening to what your heart and your head are saying. It took you years, but you got there in the end.”
Cowell ends by telling his younger self to be careful about what he buys.
He wrote: “What would you tell your younger self about all this? It sounds a bit boring, but it is very important: only buy what you can afford. Simple as that. Carrying a debt is a much bigger burden than having nothing.”
Paula Abdul officially released a statement last week about her new replacement on American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres. The former judge said on her Twitter that “AMERICAN IDOL is a fantastic show that offers an invaluable platform to young talent. Ellen DeGeneres is wildly funny and talented in her own right. I wish her and the show only the best of luck.” I think she’s secretly hating the fact that the head honchos over at Fox have officially replaced her. I’m pretty sure that she doesn’t know what she’s going to do with her life now. Maybe she should do a talk show too.
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Jay Leno’s debut primetime show has fallen flat with reviewers, who panned it, while viewers gave it the apparent thumbs-up.
The show, which debuted on Monday night, drew the biggest audience – 18.4 million – for an entertainment show since the finale of American Idol.
Leno also had the good fortune of the Kanye West MTV gaffe falling into his lap for his debut show. He interviewed West about hijacking Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech at the awards.
Reviewers were united in saying the new show showed little departure from the old. USA Today called the show a “cut-rate, snooze-inducing, rehashed bore”.
“The future of The Jay Leno Show is likely to look almost exactly like The Tonight Show past. So much ink has been devoted to describing how Mr Leno’s new show would depart from his old one that it was startling to see how little difference there was,” said the reviewer for The New York Times.
Source: Splash News
Ellen DeGeneres – who admits she hates judging people – is worried that American Idol fans think she has taken Paula Abdul’s job.
The 51-year-old comedienne has announced she is to replace the singer in the ninth season of the show but she told American Idol host Ryan Seacrest she is worried she will be seen as the “evil” person that took “Paula’s job away”.
“I hope Paula is OK with it,” DeGeneres said on Seacrest’s breakfast KIIS FM radio show.
“I don’t want anyone to think that that I took Paula’s job away.
“She was gone and then everybody was looking for somebody else and then I stepped in.
“I certainly don’t want to be that person who is the evil-taking-Paula’s-job-away.”
But Seacrest reassured the chat show host that she is “loved by so many people” and she will “add something totally different to a show that’s been on for a long time”.
DeGeneres admitted that she has been an American Idol fan since the show first aired in 2002 and she was shocked when Abdul quit earlier this year.
She said: “I think, like everybody else, Paula was a huge part of the show. It’s been on for eight seasons now…
“I think that she’s part of the American Idol family – that’s how I felt. I was surprised and I don’t really know what happened…
“I was sad and I thought that’s got to be a hole that’s going to be filled by somebody who is really gonna contribute in a totally different way.
“I had no idea. I didn’t think about it for a second it would be me. I was a judge on [US reality show] So You Think You Can Dance – that started people talking.
“They didn’t even ask me to be a guest judge. It went straight from: ‘Would you like to be’ and I had no idea that this was even a possibility.
“And when they came to me, I was like: ‘Oh my God – are you kidding me? I love that show. I absolutely would give almost anything to be a part of it’.”
Former American Idol finalist, MICHAEL JOHNS will be performing his new single “Heart on My Sleeve” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show next Monday, May 25th. The Aussie vocalist will be releasing his first post-Idol solo album, Hold Back My Heart on June 23rd. Encouraged by his mentor David Foster, who invited Johns to appear on his star-studded David Foster And Friends PBS special in December 2008, Johns chose the road less traveled, and for the first time in his adult life, went to work on an album with no deal in place. “Foster always said that the secret of his success is to look at whatever lane is open in the music industry and take it,” Johns recalls. “And the way my record combines old and new, I could open for Alicia Keys one night and John Mayer the next, it’s right in the middle.” Songwriter Diane Warren, who penned the knee-buckling ballad “Heart Is Weak,” was another key endorsement. “There’s nothing more validating than having these heavyweights behind you,” says Johns. “It’s like screw winning American Idol when people like David Foster and Diane Warren are saying you have the real thing here.”
With an album completed and ready to turn in, Johns had the rare freedom to shop it around, and when Downtown Records, home to Gnarls Barkley, Cold War Kids and Santigold, showed interest in a licensing deal, he jumped at the opportunity to finally control his own fate. “I think we’re in the most exciting period of music ever, because there’s so many ways to do it,” he says. And like most of his plans thus far, Johns is thinking big for his future. “The live show is going to be great,” he says excitedly. “I might even take it old school with different bands in different towns — almost like what Chuck Berry and all those guys used to do.”
Tune in to see Michael Johns on The Ellen DeGeneres Show next Monday, May 25th. Check your local listings for times.
American Idol judge Simon Cowell told how he was “there for” ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour after a 200-pound woman tried to strangle her – and says he “always will be”.
The sharp-tongued star told how Terri called him following the “frenzied attack” by a “crazy girl” at the Idol final in LA.
In an interview with Idol host Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS FM radio show, Cowell said: “It was literally a frenzied attack – nearly strangled. She called me….
“It was just some crazy girl. It was bad. I really, really felt sorry for her.”
He added: “I was there for her, Ryan. That’s the important thing. Always will be.”
Cowell joked the fan must have been jealous of his relationship with showbiz reporter Terri, whom he has remained close to, despite their split.
He said: “Naturally I assumed it was somebody who was jealous.”
Cowell also gave his verdict on fellow judge Cara DioGuardi’s bikini stunt during the final.
Asked what he thought when saucy Cara flashed the flesh, he said: “Good body – for her age.
