Idol Headlines for 05/31/09
Source: Jennifer Hudson celebrates pregnancy with baby shower
Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson celebrated her pregnancy today at a downtown baby shower, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The source said the actress and singer is seven months pregnant.
The shower was largely attended by family members, the source said.
Rumors have been rampant that Hudson and fiancee David Otunga, a former reality-TV star training to wrestle professionally, were expecting a baby.
She recently postponed dates on her concert tour with Robin Thicke, claiming vocal cord strain. She has worn loose-wasted tops at some recent public appearances, furthering the speculation.
‘Idol’ runner-up may have edge in marketing
NEW YORK à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Arkansas native Kris Allen took the 2009 “American Idol” title, but marketing experts say Adam Lambert has the edge in selling.
The all-American Allen may be too forgettable to help pitch products, while Lambert’s edgy appearance makes him one to remember.
“He’s glitter and glam rock,” says Patrick O’Neill, an executive creative director at ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles. “Putting him in something would get twice as much attention as Kris Allen. I was relieved that Adam didn’t win, because now he really has a chance of legitimacy.”
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Kris Allen vs. Justin Gaston: Battle of the Yesterdays
One’s the winner of the most popular talent contest on the planet, the other’s a tween-queen hanger-on who looks pretty okay in his undies.
And yet, Kris Allen and Justin Gaston have more in common than one might at first assume.
Both have recently recorded versions of the Beatles classic “Yesterday”à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Gaston in a YouTube video, and Allen during a guest appearance on former Arkansas governor and GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s Fox News program. (Huckabee even accompanies Allen on the bass.)
IDOL LOSER WINS SECRET LOVE
Glam-bouyant Adam Lambert who was heavily favored to win American Idol – has found love!
Adam is making beautiful music with 24-year-old artist and interior designer Drake LaBry, say sources.
TV viewers and the entire entertainment world were stunned when the super-talented 27-year-old singer was recently beaten by Arkansas native Kris Allen, 23, in the Idol finals – but Adam couldn’t be happier.
“He wants to settle down with Drake,” a show insider told The ENQUIRER.
“Adam figures that if he had taken the top spot, it ultimately would have jeopardized his relationship with Drake.”
Gay… or Not Gay?
The results are in, and the new “American Idol” is Adam Lambert à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ whaaaa? Oh, sorry. Apparently the new “American Idol” is Kris Allen. But there’s been a lot of debate over whether audiences were ready for “A.I.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s” first gay winner. So far Adam’s sidestepped talking about his sexuality, but Americans voted in record numbers, and we wonder if their assumptions about his personal life were a factor.
So far Adam’s sidestepped talking about his sexuality (he told People magazine that anyone who cares can “keep speculating,” because he’s not saying). But Americans voted in record numbers, and we wonder if their assumptions about his personal life were a factor. Meanwhile the debate about same-sex marriage is making headlines across the nation, as state legislatures, appeals courts, and voters take on the contentious issue.
Adam Lambert: North County friends, mentors say homegrown ‘Idol’ worked diligently to reach stardom
Adam Lambert may now be a household name, but the fearless Hollywood glam-rocker —- who came in second in last week’s “American Idol” finale —- grew up in anonymity (other than the occasional critic’s rave review, see above) in Rancho Penasquitos during the 1980s and ’90s.
Over the past week, local friends and colleagues who’ve known the charismatic 27-year-old singer for a decade or more reminisced about the Adam they knew, both as a young boy and as a fiercely talented young musical theater actor, who packed his bags for L.A. nine years ago and has been making music (and theater) there ever since.
My Inspiration
I KNEW I was too into American Idol when I waited for the 12.30am repeat when I missed the prime time telecast once. I knew I was too into American Idol when I cried when Scott MacIntyreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢swas eliminated.
I knew I was way too much into this yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s finalist Adam Lambert when they announced that Kris Allen was the winner and my heart dropped. The whole room fell into total silence and I was stunned for more than a minute staring at the screen.
Kris was singing No Boundaries but I was hearing nothing and seeing nothing.
Atlanta Will See Fantasia in The Color Purple in September
Additional dates have been announced for the national tour of The Color Purple.
Atlanta’s Fox Theatre is the latest venue to reveal that “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino will reprise the role of Celie for the show’s upcoming run at the Georgia venue. The musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Alice Walker novel and subsequent Steven Spielberg film will play the Fox Sept. 15-27.
Barrino, who earned critical praise and a Theatre World Award for her 2007 Broadway debut in The Color Purple, will first return to the role of Celie when the production plays the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., June 30-Aug. 9. Barrino has also been announced to appear in the Chicago (Sept. 2-13) and Los Angeles (Feb. 10-28, 2010) engagements of the tour.
2009 TONY AWARDS: What will win, and what are Broadway’s coulda shoulda’s
NEW YORK — Two-thirds of that hoary cliche about Broadway being hospitable only to spectacle, songs and stars was kicked out of Times Square this season, as a raft of high-quality, celebrity-laden revivals of serious plays eclipsed the season’s mostly mediocre crop of new and revived musicals.
“Rock of Ages,” the jukebox musical dedicated to 1980s rock music from the likes of Styx and Pat Benatar, thrived because expectations were so low. It was silly — but also a lot more fun that most of us were expecting and, for my money, the best true jukebox show with an original story line since “Mamma Mia.” That and the newly self-aware “American Idol” alum Constantine Maroulis can sing his face off.
Jordin Sparks’ Brotherly Love
1) Jordin Sparks’ brother getting a tattoo to show his love for his sis.
2) That time Angelina Jolie made out with her brother.
These are the only two examples.
P.S. According to King James, 1 Timothy 4:12 does not say, “I am creeped out by my bro’s tat.”
Idol Jordin Sparks at Cinderella Ball
WASHINGTON – Talk about a very special prom right here in the District. Season six American idol winner Jordin Sparks helped kick off this year’s Cinderella Ball Saturday night.
This special ball allows students with disabilities to share in all the excitement of prom season. These very special kids, from across the DC Metro area, have various disabilities and life-threatening illnesses, including Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, brain cancers, hearing and sight impairments, Autism, Spina Bifida, and many other ailments that affect both their mental and physical abilities.
Clay Aiken Talks Prop 8
Over on his official fansite message board, Clay Aiken was asked his opinion on the California Supreme Court’s ruling on Prop 8, which makes gay marriage illegal in the state, and the Gayken answered the question quite well!
Thank goodness!
Kelly Clarkson belts out signature songs during her visit to Hong Kong
HONG KONG: Rock-pop sensation Kelly Clarkson showed fans in Hong Kong why she’s known as “the girl with the big voice”.
Despite having sold over 20 million records worldwide, Clarkson was surprised by the enthusiastic feedback during her first visit to Hong Kong.
She said: “I honestly didn’t expect anyone to really know me. So performing last night, I mean people were singing the lyrics to all the songs. So that was very inviting and welcoming.”
Clarkson was in town to promote her fourth album “All I Ever Wanted”, in which she co-wrote six songs.
Jennifer Hudson to perform for President Obama
Grammy and Oscar-winning Jennifer Hudson performed at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in California where President Barack Obama was expected to be in attendance, according to KTLA.com.
Hudson seems to have won fans in the DNC, having performed her soulful, gospel-toned à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Star Spangled Bannerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ last year during the partyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s national convention in Denver.
Hudson is a gospel talent whose voice continues to give depth to music by reaching back to her youthful days in the church choir. As a result, she has a fuller sound, which can be heard on her self-titled CD.
She recently concluded her first concert tour with R&B artist Robin Thicke.
500 raise cancer funds in Currituck; $134K raised
Friends and families were in high spirits Friday night at the annual Relay for Life all-night-long cancer walk around Currituck County High School track.
Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been the called the social event of the year, attracting walkers of every stripe to join in the cancer-fighting fundraiser, which this year raised about $134,000 for medical research.
After the luminary ceremony, a portion of RFL that honors and remembers cancer survivors and the fallen, a special concert was held in the gymnasium where American Idol Season Six contestant Chris Richardson was invited to serenade a screaming room of cancer attendees.
à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“He played his guitar and the girls went crazy for him,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ward said.
Fantasia Barrino speaks at teen summit
While each girl received a life-time of lessons at the summit, tThe most anticipated lesson came from American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.
“There were a lot of things that my mother and my grandmother tried to tell me, but I felt like I really didn’t want to listen because they didn’t know the new school stuff,” Barrino said. “They didn’t know it like I know it, and they didn’t understand what I was going through. But in the end, they knew what I was going through because they had done everything that I was trying to do.”
The teen mother turned superstar songstress and broadway star shared her story of rebellion, heartache and triumph.
Diversity “gobsmacked” by UK TV talent show win
LONDON (Reuters) – Street dance troupe Diversity said on Sunday it was still in shock after beating runaway favorite and Internet sensation Susan Boyle in the final of the popular “Britain’s Got Talent” television contest.
Boyle, 48, had been heavily backed to beat nine other finalists late on Saturday after clips of her first appearance on the show in April were downloaded nearly 200 million times and she was hailed the world over as a superstar.
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393 Responses to “Idol Headlines for 05/31/09”
The same thought has occured to me. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Bon Jovi made over 200 million dollars just from touring??? Wow…. if I was an entertainer I would be touring non stop then. lol
Yes he should. lol I actually hope Danny does. He’s a talented guy, he just needs some direction. I think he got a raw deal from the blogophere.
Either way he still sounds country. Thats just my opinion. Whitney Houston sang I will always love you, written by country singer Dolly Parton and there wasn’t a country twang in that voice. Its just an opinion. Kris country music to me equals a gold mine. But hey, its just an opinion. lol
Yup. It all depends on the genre. Country music is an entire different world from other genres. That is why I compared Kris to Carrie rather than comparing him to Daughtry, Kelly, Fantasia, etc.
I actually think both the guys have very radio-friendly *voices.* (Adam’s live performances don’t reveal this so much, but his studio performances absolutely do)… And I also think that Danny, Allison, Matt, and Anoop have radio-friendly voices. Seems to me this was a very good year for radio-friendly voices.
But when it comes to getting radio play (and unfortunately, I suppose we’re just talking pop radio play here, because that seems to be the only one that makes or breaks you as a “star” in America), it seems to depend less on the voice these days than on whether you a) have an earworm of a song (pretty important) and b) have very expertly done production that fits in precisely with some style that’s big on pop radio today (even more important.)
Unfortunately for people coming off Idol, it’s in these last two categories that they’re mainly at the mercy of the record company and that the shot-out-in-six-months first albums they’re permitted don’t really cut the mustard. I think you’re better off if you fall into a very very very well defined category, as Daughtry did, because with fewer decisions to make about the songs and their production, the easier it probably is to churn out well produced earworms.
I think both Kris and Adam will face a bit of a crapshoot here, despite the fact that I think both their *voices* are radio-friendly as heck. Adam for the obvious reasons that he sings all kinds of things, so finding what to focus on will chew up valuable time and because I don’t recall them doing all that well with electronica-type backing. And Kris because, while he does fit into a category, the rock/pop singer-songwriter category isn’t as clearly defined as Daughtry’s was, so far as I can see, and because as an individual, rather than a band, I think the success of his album will depend more on the songs and less on the production. And 19 hasn’t proven to be that good with songs. …
I also think that Daughtry’s scowling stage persona has really helped him win his category, far more than is generally acknowledged. It gives him just the right amount of “edge” that’s needed so what I see as his kind of soft, middle-of-the-road rock can seem cool. In that regard, I think that Kris’s — and Adam’s — sweetness may make it a little harder for them to succeed (at Daughtry’s level — obviously Archie and Elliott, for example, are very sweet and they are succeeding. They aren’t multiple platinum, though.). A lot of listeners like to pretend that their soft pop music is nevertheless a bit edgy, I think. I do think both boys should probably scowl more and more convincingly, but I don’t think they have it in them.
On Carrie and edginess: I don’t think women need it as much as men, and in country I don’t think you need it much at all. But I notice that, to get her really really big pop hit, Carrie had to bash in somebody’s windshield with a baseball bat.
On collaborations: I’ve always figured that the idols mostly don’t get them because anybody big enough to be valuable to collaborate with probably figures that collaboration with an Idol might actually drag *them* down. I figured Chris Brown might have agreed to it in order to market himself to the potentially younger, more mainstream “safer” market that Jordin might appeal to and that they probably wanted to expand his audience in that direction. (probably now, not so much!)
I have been pretty puzzled about what the definition of rock music is lately.
It was late and my shorthand way of saying that MO is a Southern state by history and heritage. More importantly, it is in the high AI viewership and high AT&T/Cingular market area which means David Cook had a strong advantage in voting.
I have looked at all kinds of analysis of the AI vote, and I keep coming back to the same thing. A West Coast contestant goes into the AI competition at a disadvantage. I’m not saying that someone form the West can’t win, just that it’s a hard path. So in Adam’s case, if you add in his edgy style, the gay question, the fact that he’s not Christian, and the anti-judges’ pimping factors, I’m not surprised he didn’t win the AI vote — even though he has more fans than Kris.
mj…
…I think these continuing slurs and bigoted comments against the Southern Race should be stopped immediately.
…And, WHOEVER up there: get an education! The War of Northern Aggression, otherwise known as “The War (pronounced: whaw-wah)” was NOT a civil matter!
“War of Northern Agression” is just an old joke. Some die hards back in the day actually used to call the Civil War by that name. I’m sure somewhere someone still does, but now it’s pretty much just an ‘ironic’ expression for when a modern Southerner wants to point out false impressions about those states below the Mason Dixon.
ETA:
Kinda like this rather awesome one. Hee!
I can actually hear the “whoEVAH.”
Wow. :laugh_tb:
I don’t get this line of reasoning. Money and fame should be the measure for success, not what AI thinks. If Kat McPhee scores as a movie star instead of as a singer, she should still be considered terrifically successful, especially when she’s earning megabucks and starring in successful movies.
MJ — I am sorry for ever using the phrase, it was thoughtless, I was tired and it was not my point. And I am the last person to slur the South, I proudly live in Mississippi. And you may delete this because it is off topic but I feel compelled to respond.
I’m sorry, but in Mississippi the term “Civil War” does not appear on the official state plaques marking the battlefield sights or the towns that were burned to the ground. It is refered to officially referred as the “War of Northern Agression”. And this war was about more then slavery, it is a complex but often simplified part of US history.
And I agree with MJ, there was nothing civil about the “Civil War” — it was the most costly war in US history in lives, property and karmic damage. Frankly, it took Mississippi over 100 years to get past the war and the “reconstruction” that followed.
Mississippians face a lot of foolish stereotypes but none is worse than the broad brush that we are a bunch of racists. I for one am not, and proudly reside in a town in Mississippi that volentarily desegrated it’s schools in the 1950 — without a court order, where we have never had US Justice Dept. Civil Rights reps at our polls and where a diverse group of religious leaders — black and white — worked for 50 years to convert America’s poorest county (1950 census) into one of the Mississippi’s most prosperous. And things have changed even in Philadelphia, MS, the town made famous in the movie “Mississippi Burning” and most noted for the racial violence, murders, and other civil rights violations that occurred in the mid 1960s, a town that is only 40% black but just elected a black man as their mayor.
you put a bug in my toddy, sugah?
Uhhhh, we’re bivouaced ovah heah and ain’t fightin’ no whaw-wah today, and nevah on this battleground.
They seem to embrace Jennifer Hudson because she also sings, but never mention Kat. If she really breaks through as a major star, I can’t imagine that they won’t bring her back on the show — first and foremost they care about ratings.
Damn girl! You get me! You rock ETR!
I actually don’t like these live performances. I think Adam has some really plain clothes and he’s too damn thin. Also the guitars are just one mess too me. Maybe the sounds is bad? Not a guitar prof but my guitar teacher showed me today how you could have one guitar doing the simple rock chords and a second guitar doing more finger works. It was beautiful. So I would drop in a second guitar there to give some refinement and variation!
The sound really did suck. But, Monte Pittman (the guitarist) has made big bucks fronting for Madonna on her “Celebration” tour and so did the drummer. I’m not saying he is a good or great guitarist either. Adam is not all about OTT all the time and they weren’t playin’ glam-rock!
No argument regarding Taylor or Clay, but I’m going to disagree regarding Fantasia. She had one of the biggest singles in urban radio a couple of years ago, and her follow up album went gold. That might be considered a “flop” by Idol standards, but when you consider that R&B artists usually don’t move a lot of albums, I’d say that’s a pretty decent showing. Fantasia will probably never be mainstream, but very few R&B artists manage to crossover to pop. I don’t think the fact that she hasn’t crossed over diminishes her standing among Idol winners. IMO, she is a relevant artist, even if she isn’t a mainstream one.
It’s not about “what AI thinks”. It’s about what AI’s express purpose is– to produce music artists. It’s not “America’s Got Talent”. It is a “singing competition” where contestants compete for a recording contract. Some who don’t win the automatic contract, nonetheless use the exposure to land themselves a record deal anyway, and some in this group do quite well.
Then, you have others, who use the recognition they get from Idol to land Broadway roles, get jobs in television, become actors and actresses, etc. That’s fine. Good on them for parlaying their exposure on AI into a career they probably wouldn’t have otherwise been able to obtain.
But, I refuse to consider those in the latter group in the same category as those in the former group. Kelly and Carrie became music superstars. They are very successfully doing what Idol intended for them to do.
Kat is MAYBE on her way to becoming a Hollywood star. She used her television exposure to showcase her looks and, uh, talent(?). As I said, good for her, but she should never be viewed the same way Kelly and Carrie are. She failed when she tried to do what they have so successfully been able to do.