Fantasia Exits Broadway’s The Color Purple Jan. 6
Fantasia Barrino, the “American Idol” winner who earned critical love letters for her Broadway debut, concludes her run as Celie in The Color Purple at the Broadway Theatre Jan. 6.
Originally scheduled to end her Main Stem bow in October 2007, Barrino renewed her contract through the New Year.
January 9 will also mark the arrival of Grammy winners Chaka Khan and Bebe Winans in the roles of, respectively, Sofia and Harpo. “American Idol” finalist LaKisha Jones, who joined the cast Dec. 19 in the role of the Church Soloist, will also play Sofia at matinee performances beginning Jan. 9.
Rehab And Relapse Go Hand In Hand, Series Shows
In the second episode of “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,” there is a moment when we see former “American Idol” contender Jessica Sierra at her most vulnerable.
The 22-year-old troubled Tampa singer breaks down in tears while talking about her mother, who died of a drug overdose while Sierra was auditioning for “Idol.”
During a group therapy session on this new VH1 reality show, she says she hates her mother for abandoning her, doing drugs and becoming a prostitute. When others in the group suggest that her mother may have loved her but fell victim to the same demons that they all face, Sierra sobs and covers her face with a blanket to hide from the camera.
A&E ‘08: Local artists and arts organizations looking forward to a big year
Ace Young, Boulder native and season five “American Idol” finalist, finds out Feb. 10 if he wins a Grammy as part of the songwriting team behind Chris Daughtry’s hit single “It’s Not Over.” Young also plans to release his first solo album — on his own label — in March or April; collaborators include Daughtry, songwriter and producer Desmond Child, power-ballad expert Diane Warren, and Swedish songwriter Andreas Carlsson, who has written songs for Backstreet Boys, ‘NSync and Britney Spears.
More Headlines After The Jump
‘American Idol’ chatter: It’s (almost) back!
Season Seven of “American Idol” kicks off next week with the offbeat audition shows that producer Nigel Lythgoe called “Cirque du Lack of Talent.”
“It’s all the ones that we can smile at and laugh at and say, “Thank God it wasn’t us!’” Lythgoe said in a conference call last month. The wacky auditions usually include a few people in costume, several who can’t sing a note, and many who are offended by the news that they pretty much stink as entertainers.
TV stations’ stalled season
With their revenues down and the reservoir of prime-time programming drying up, Baltimore’s traditional big three network affiliates face a new year laced with doubt — and the looming specter of a new season of American Idol.
Last year ended on a down note: Estimated fourth-quarter ad rates dropped 6 percent overall, and total revenue was down 5.7 percent. While Fox stations, such as WBFF 45, can take comfort in the Jan. 15 return of ratings behemoth American Idol, there’s little joy elsewhere on the TV dial. The Hollywood writers’ strike is putting most established dramatic and comedy series on hold, while a collection of second-string shows replace them.
Heinz Winckler lays down the law
He was working hard in law school, but then he became an idol.
Heinz Winckler has never looked back.
Winckler won the first “South African M-Net Idols” competition — the equivalent of “American Idol” — in 2002, and a showbiz career was launched.
It has taken on several different aspects. Band member, singer, actor …
Winckler is in Massachusetts for the first time this week to appear in the national touring production of “Rent” at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in Boston Tuesday through Jan. 13. The show also has a date at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence Jan. 18-20. Winckler plays the troubled rocker Roger in the musical about artists and outcasts in New York City’s East Village. The cast also includes Anwar Robinson who placed seventh in the fourth season of “American Idol.”
The Truth About the Contestants of American Idol 7
When American Idol debuted in 2002, its supposed goal was to find the best undiscovered talent in America. Singers like Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, who had dreams of stardom but never had the connections, were catapulted to megastardom. The producers found diamonds in the rough and launched their careers. But a disturbing trend has surfaced with the spoiled contestants of American Idol 7 – they’re no longer even remotely undiscovered talent. A large percentage of them are failed singers and entertainers who have already had their shot at fame. Yet Idol thinks that repackaging these failures is a good idea to make us watch their show. Gone are the days where you or your friends could try out for Idol and make it big. Now you have to already have connections. Read on to find out more about how this year’s show will just be a boring hash of recycled pseudo-celebrities who weren’t good enough to make it the first time around.
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So Ace is releasing on his own label? I thought he was signed to someone? I’m really looking forward to his music!
Vote for the Worst: Did these “recycled” singers have to stand in line & sleep overnight like the rest of the peons?
Yikes!! Ace is on his own label and he still is using a Diane Warren song….Run Taylor Run…..
I’m sure “the Irish girl” just called the producers and told them she had her visa. No way, they made her go through the whole “cattle call.” By the way, Randy Jackson has a blog up and he predicts a “guy” winner. He is usually right on the money.
http://www.westwoodone.com/blog?categoryID=4&memberID=333&dest=/pg/jsp/randyjackson/blogarchive.jsp
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JP: That Vote for the Worst story is very telling and a little sad. Unfair more like it. The guys & gals who stand in the rain & sleet to get their shot at the judges are being trumped by the “professionals” who are planted by their agents and managers. This should be an interesting season, and great fodder for Howard Stern & VFTW.
Interesting article by those folks at VFTW. Some of the “plants” are reaching (winning some minor beauty contest hardly makes you a plant, it just means that you are constantly entering contests), but some of those plants are pretty obvious (I’m glad that Jermaine guy dropped out if he’s already signed to J Records).
It will truly be interesting how Nigel focuses on back stories when some of the back stories are in reality “I was a big label recording artist, wasted 2.2 million dollars and only sold 300 albums. Vote for me! I know I can make do with a measley 1 million dollar recording contract!!!!”.
As we discussed when the Carly news first came out, some are okay with her being on the show while others are not. Everybody has their own personal threshold about what is “too professional to be on AI”. Almost all contestants that make it to the final 24/32 have some level of experience (choir, small musical productions, self-produced CDs, back-up singing, beauty pagents, being in a band). Despite some of the legends, none of them only sang to themselves in the shower before trying out and getting to the final 24 on AI (granted, I suspect that some of the auditioners didn’t even have that much experience).
Nobody is right or wrong in the level of experience they prefer. It’s just what they prefer. This year, for me, the producers have gone a bit too far.
Making the final 50 does not put you into the final 24, so some of these “plants” may end up being nothing more than a deflated “Sorry, you didn’t make it” on the screen. If some of these “plants” do make it to the final 24, I hope that the producers are honest about their experience and don’t pretend like the internet doesn’t exist.
Nigel is crafty enough to make this work to his advantage if he hasn’t gotten too lazy and believes too much of his own press to even try. Spin can change the face of almost any story.
“I was screwed over by the record label who wanted another Britney princess and I was too naive to know what was going on. The American public knew better, the American public is smarter than big business gives them credit for, and didn’t fall for something I am not. Thank goodness AI gave me a chance to show you guys the true me! One thing that makes America great is that the people here are willing to forgive those who admit their mistakes and give them a second chance. A chance to redeem themselves. A chance to correct past mistakes. A chance to succeed. America, I’m going to do my very best to show to you that I deserve that second chance. I won’t let you down.” Cue trumiphiant music over a vidoe of Carly standing at the edge of the water looking off into the middle distance.
Lol Kirsten it may go down just like that. After reading it though, I’m quite nauseous.
Great article from VFTW, very interesting, indeed. It will be interesting to see what happens if one of these “pros” turns out to be a real contender for the AI title. It’s obvious to me that Nigel and the crew are doing their best to stack the odds for a winner that they choose, after all the public did “mess” it up with Taylor, by voting for Sanjaja every wk. Can’t have that happen again, can we?!
Makes me cynical and less interested in the show altogether. I can still remember the excitement around here last yr when my son’s friend Jenry was voted into the top 24, the kids were flipping out.
and my actual investment in voting and pulling for my favs like Elliott, and Bo to make it thru every wk- that seems like a long time ago right now. likely will watch for light entertainment purposes, and to observe the spin of the producers this yr.
Here is a good one for you LU classic movie scene..
A pamoramic view of the New York harber with the sun just comming up and reflecting off the water down below. A ship is passing by the Statue of Liberty on it way to the harber. A close up on the ship with Carly near the railing gazing up at the Statue of Liberty with tears in her eyes..Captions or vioce over America land of opportunity..cue music.
Ok maybe lame.
editing my post on Jenry who made it to Hollywood, but not top 24, wishful thinking on my part!
Good one Pop but not out of the realm of possibility! It’s probably not much of a stretch. I think between you and Kirsten, you’ve pretty much got it nailed.
Kirsten: I’m just curious to know if they stood in line and slept overnight to get a shot, or did they walk up to the door?
I’m reserving my judgement until the contest actually begins. For me, it’s all going to depend on who makes the Top 24, and how TPTB spin their stories. In the meantime, I’ll just sit and watch.
My #1 criteria, however, is that once these kids hit the stage, I’m entertained. I’m not so worried about whether they just fell off a pumpkin truck or not.
I think this comes very close to the truth of the matter. And what Kirsten wrote, as well.
What used to be fun and unpredictable has now become slick and overly professional.
But we shall see. I am reserving judgment on what I see until I see it and how these performers are actually portrayed. I am definitely expecting some AI three card monte, though.
I think that the word will get out pretty fast of any of these pros make the top 24 and pretend that they’re just undiscovered talent (like Elliott, Chris, Carrie, etc.) It’ll spread like a wildfire. Remember Kellie’s “I’m just so gosh darn naive” act? She got hell for it in the press, to the point where Ryan even indirectly addressed it on the show.
ETA:
Jermaine Paul dropped out? Damn. He was the only one I would have made an exception for. lol
I remember reading in a fan recap of the tour that the producers offered Shyamala Malakar a chance to audition again and skip the cattle call, so it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if others got a similar offer.
IIRC, Shyamala declined, or so she told the fan who met her.
As for Ace, he was supposedly signed with S-Curve. But they haven’t even done anything with their website since July after announcing they were back in business. Maybe he pulled out and decided to put it on his own? I’m just happy to be getting some music from him, Diane Warren or not. LOL.
Don’t forget AI is nothing more than a “reality” show.
Whatever it takes to attract attention will be done.
As much as some would like to see the rules inforced,
there are no rules.
Very good point, Nola!
Remember a few years ago when some resisted Paris Bennett for being the granddaughter of a member of the Grammy-winning group Sounds of Blackness? Seems like a far cry from the experience level of contestants this year.
Though I will say that I don’t think Kelly Clarkson was as fresh-off-the-turnip-truck as she’s popularly remembered. Didn’t she live in LA and have a recording deal before moving back to Texas? Maybe she was just pursuing a recording deal? I can’t remember exactly..
Just when I was ready to write off last season as a boring aberration, reading that info from VFTW reminds me to not get invested this year.
It indeed has been a long time caring about keeping Elliott, Bo and Clay in the competition.
I can’t believe AI starts in 8 days. I’m not sensing much buzz at all. Even the Taylor story seems like a minor event. S5 made winning meaningless and S6 was a dud. I wonder if people even care about the winner. I think Simon needs to say something outrageous to get people talking again.
Maybe the reason the Taylor story seems minor is that it may not be true at all…..imagine that! I find it odd that people of authority have not confirmed this….heh. ( I still say that I LOVE seeing young talented people so I am looking forward to the competition! Pix
Yesterday I watched an episode from Idol Rewind Season 2 that featured one of my favorite underdog contestants, Charles Grigsby. Ah, it seemed like the “Age of Innocence” to see a grocery bag boy from Oberlin Ohio sing Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” to just a piano accompaniment and without a studio audience. He was wearing this hideous, baggy blue denim patchwork outfit and the tears that he shed when he found out that he had made the Top 10 stood in such contrast to the phony baloney camera whoring of Kimberly Caldwell who was also on the same show.
If there’s no room in the competition for the Charles Grigsbys of the world, Idol Season 7 will lose a lot of its appeal for me. I am not naive enough to think that all Idol contestants were painting cars, cutting hair or bagging groceries in relative obscurity before being discovered by Nigel and company, but “The Ugly Duckling” has always been one of my favorite fairy tales and I look to Idol every season to see some of those ducklings turn into swans by the top 12.
The thing about Grigsby is he never pursued a show biz career (that I know of), he was just happy to have “made it” to the finals. That’s why he was so genuine.
Good guy. Never heard a bad thing about him. What’s he doing now? Just tried to goog him and nothing.
Chicago-sally,
From the People AI Where Are They Now from 2007
#11 Charles Grigsby WAITING TABLES
He’s thrilled when he’s hired to sing at private parties, but mostly “I’m doing the starving artist thing” says Grigsby, 28, who lives in North Olmstead, Ohio. “I work at a restaurant and do odd jobs like painting and house renovation. “While he isn’t signed to a label, he’s working on an R&B CD: I have 5 songs so far. Music is my life.”
I’m approaching this season much the same way.
I’ve looked at the spoilers for names and pictures, but I haven’t listened to any of the music. I want to wait and see what they do on the show.
I actually am really excited about the start of Season 7. Bring on the “pros.” Let’s see if they can actually make it.
I was thinking the other night that I might not even watch the audition shows this year. I know, that’s pretty radical, but I can no longer stomach all the ridicule and wasted air time. Then again, I could record these shows and then speed through the carp. The thing is, in order to fully appreciate Hollywood, you have to watch the auditions. I haven’t decided yet. I will watch from Hollywood on, though. I can’t resist!
As MJ said, I don’t care where these people came from or what they did in a past life, if they entertain me and make me care about them, I’m onboard. I was also disappointed to hear that Jermaine Paul dropped out. He’s got a Syracuse connection and would have been someone I’d have watched closely. So, maybe I should watch the auditions to hear him? Decisions, decisions!
Well, unless I DVR them and carve out some time to watch them once my little people are asleep, I’ll miss the auditions too. After last season’s bush monkey comment, I decided the auditions were definitely off limits for my girls. MJ is the Queen of Recaps so I’m counting on her and some of you to give me the highlights! :)
On a side note, I predict that Break Anotha and the ADD cd experiences an upswing in sales after the Leno performance. The crowd sounded really into it. Whether you like the guy or not, he owned the stage - even though my neck hurts from trying to find him on my television. He was all over the place!
Lu, here’s the solution… we record the audition shows and then read MJ’s recaps. We can then speed through the show and stop when the good stuff comes on!
Good solution, foxy. I hate the auditions. I really do. It’s just mean-spirited and I can spend my time elsewhere. We’ll see if I can stick to that if some of my friends are watching and in chat, though. LOL.
ETA: I wonder what Leno’s ratings were on Friday. He did well on Wed. and Thurs.
Looking forward to Blake on Kimmel and Ferguson. He’ll also be on The View (again) and the Fox Morning show the following week.
Great idea Foxy! Sounds like a plan!
Sigh.
Ok, I’ll take the bullet for you guys. ;).
Awww… thanks MJ. :)
Chicago-sally and cochem. Thanks for the memories — and update — on Charles Grigsby. One of my very faves. He had such a sweet quality about him and I really did enjoy his voice.
Thank ya kindly, mj! I knew we could count on you!!!
Did y’all see this from JPL?
*crosses fingers that it sells more than constantine*
Can’t believe how strident the tone is in the VFTW article. Like they have uncovered this grave injustice.
Other than that, a great article and I’ll watch the show every chance I get.
Because the line between professional and ‘everyday person’ isn’t as distinct as VFTW draws it.