Idol Headlines for 06/29/09
‘American Idol’ tryout to be held in Orlando
Aspiring singers in Florida are preparing themselves for the Holy Grail of singing competitions next week. That’s when “American Idol” producers are holding auditions in Orlando ‘†Thursday, July 9, at Amway Arena. It’s all part of the hit reality show’s ninth season, which will start airing next January.
Janet Jackson Makes Emotional Tribute at BETs
LOS ANGELES ‘†Some of the biggest stars on the planet turned back into gushing Michael Jackson fans at the BET Awards, donning single gloves, swapping stories about their idol and singing The King of Pop’s standards. One person who perhaps knew him best, though, brought the night into perspective: his sister.
“To you, Michael is an icon,” a somber Janet Jackson told the crowd at the end of Sunday’s show. “To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts.”
It was a stirring emotional climax for a telecast that was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50. For the most part, it was a joyous wake.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Direct from the teen-pop factory
Stars like Demi Lovato and David Archuleta aren’t born, they’re made. And some, it seems, are made better than others. Agganis Arena pitted ‘American Idol” against Disney on Friday, and the message was clear: Simon Cowell may be Mr. Mean, but you don’t mess with the Mouse.
Last year’s ‘Idol” runner-up Archuleta made his big entrance by posing in silhouette and then waving awkwardly to fans before the lights came up, thus ruining whatever coolness he was shooting for in the first place. Expressing a vulnerability that spilled over into needy ingratiation, he was incapable of doing anything without an intense, earnest effort, even when he just aimed for ‘casual.”
Reviews | Michael Johns, Incubus, Regina Spektor and more
Aussie Michael Johns couldn’t parlay his photogenic stage presence and facility for turning old Dolly Parton and Queen tunes into fresh, soulful laments on American Idol into better than an eighth-place finish in 2008. Even Jason Castro finished four positions higher. Bad voters!
Yet Johns, along with fellow Season 7 finalist Brooke White (fifth place, with a fine post-Idol album of her own due July 21) both prove what has become an Idol truism: Winning only means you have to sing the cheesy pop song Idol producers scrounge up for you. The real winners tend to be the also-rans who have been able to craft distinctive music that transcends Idol’s pre-fab formula.
Can Cowell back a global winner?
The creator of Britain’s Got Talent is planning a new joint venture with the retailer Sir Philip Green. Maggie Brown examines what the partnership might involve and its potential impact on the future of ITV
There was no better testament to the superstar status of Simon Cowell than to watch the crowds milling around the ExCel stadium in London’s Docklands on a balmy evening last week. Inside, scores of hopeful contestants for the autumn series of The X Factor auditioned in front of a 2,000-strong audience.
Sir Philip Green: man with a fine attention to retail
The forthright billionaire boss of Top Shop and BHS worked his way up from an apprenticeship in the rag trade. Now the man the City loves to hate plans to go into the entertainment business with his friend Simon Cowell.
It could be a plan dreamt up over cocktails on Sir Philip Green’s yacht, Lionheart, or during a long lunch at Sandy Lane, the exclusive Barbados resort where Green and his friend Simon Cowell escape for a few weeks every year. The retail mogul and the American Idol judge are poised to unveil a multi-billion pound entertainment venture – reportedly called Greenwell – that will create new hit shows and sell them around the world.
Traveling with the Stars: Samantha Harris
Dancing With the Stars co-host Samantha Harris is keeping herself busy during the ABC show’s summer hiatus. From July 7 to Aug. 17, she’ll star as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre production of Chicago. She’s also a correspondent and occasional anchor on The Insider. Harris, 35, shares her travel highlights and tips with USA TODAY.
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107 Responses to “Idol Headlines for 06/29/09”
Thanks for that summary! At least they got albums out. Pity about Melinda – why no promo at all??? And why no promo for Brooke now either??? At least I saw a post mj did on Michael doing radio interviews, so there is that, at least, for Michael Johns.
Thanks for the FUSE interview! Good questions and love the new tidbits. So cool that he talked about playing the drums, bass, and piano some, and developing new sounds for the next record! I feel like I now have to check out the Crash Kings, cuz edgy piano-based rock sounds pretty good… Heh, of course, there were also some requisite awkward/endearing moments about the arm porn thread, etc.
Thanks so much for that – love to get some new questions and info from David
. Hehe, arm porn. Love that laugh.
It depends, actually. Some fansites are very groupthink, kumbaya and sweet about everything. There is a Stepford feel. The flipside tends to be the snarky, opinionated and argumentative type. I’ve participated in plenty of fansites, and the Adam fansites I went to tend to fall in the latter and snark a fair bit (for now). A lot of people were ragging on “Want” before it became clear what it was. It could change though. Probably not a place you want to go if you dislike Adam, either way though, and there is always the crazy factor, as most fanbases have.
I was quite a huge Radiohead fan and man, they had one crazy, mean fanbase. Then I participated in a “aww, hugs” one and that was pretty freaky. I prefer mean and crazy.
Well, she is on this interesting label…
It’s really a shame about Melinda. She was very good, in my opinion.
Sinister is overstating what I said, I think. I was reacting to your “I don’t see how anybody…” statement, and what you said earlier to Bootstar. YMMV and all that. But I don’t think there was anything “sinister” about it.
I appreciate your defending me over there. Thanks.
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I am not really understanding all the praise Kris is getting for accepting Adam as a friend. People that don’t like people for simply being gay are ridiculous and ignorant and shouldn’t be seen as the norm. We all have friends and family members from different backgrounds and with different lifestyles. What is the big deal that is how it should be.
Spot on kate8..I’ll never get it either.