From ‘Cabaret’ to Kanye, Songs of ‘Glee’ Are a Hit

When Fox Broadcasting announced this spring that it was adding to its prime-time television schedule a musical comedy about a high school glee club, there was plenty of reason to doubt it would succeed. While ‘High School Musical’  was a hit made-for-television movie, the track record for broadcast network series that weave musical song-and-dance numbers into the plot has not been good. ‘Viva Laughlin’  and ‘Eli Stone’  were two prominent recent failures, and one can go back to ‘The Monkees’  and ‘The Partridge Family’  before finding a memorable hit.

‘Glee’  might be changing that, drawing an average audience of about 7.8 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. It ranks 51st among all primetime broadcast shows in total audience and 29th among viewers age 18 to 49, the demographic group most desired by advertisers.

NY Times

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

EXCLUSIVE: Adam Lambert and Boyfriend Out (And Fighting) In Hollywood

Adam started chatting up another guy and Mr. Significant Other didn’t seem happy. In fact, he left the lounge for the smoking section and lit up a cigarette. Then, he started walking away from the Roosevelt Hotel (where Teddy’s is located).

Next thing you know, Adam was running after him, telling him to wait and they disappeared into the night.

We couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it sure looked like Adam was trying to make peace!

Radar Online

New Michael Jackson Single Hits The Airwaves

Michael Jackson’s new single “This Is It” began streaming online and playing across the radio airwaves Monday, nearly four months after the “king of pop” died of a prescription drug overdose aged 50.

The track, which features backing vocals by Jackson’s brothers, opens with a soft, soulful introduction and the lines: “This is it, here I stand/I’m the light of the world, I feel grand.”

It will be available to buy as part of the two-disc album “This Is It” which hits the shelves internationally on Oct. 26 and in North America on Oct. 27 to coincide with the global release of the Jackson movie of the same name on Oct. 28.

Billboard.biz

Taylor Swift: She pranks, she struts, she’s got it

“We welcome pranking,” the country-pop megastar said early during the last night of her first headline engagement, the Fearless Tour, Sunday at sold-out Target Center. “We almost require it.”

That meant that Swift’s six hip-hop clad dancers invaded opening act Gloriana’s stage with some exaggerated rapper-like posturing. During middle act Kellie Pickler’s performance, the pranking was nearly nonstop. Swift’s dancers burst into Pickler’s space for paperball fights and later frolicked around dressed as butterflies and cats.

“This is war, wherever you are, Little Peanut,” the former “American Idol” finalist, one of Swift’s best friends, declared with her middle finger playfully thrust into the live video camera.

Star Tribune

‘Breaking hearts,’ eardrums on CD ‘American Idol’ contestant Blake Lewis lost among techno beats, strange lyrics

What happened to the Blake Lewis everyone knew and loved from the sixth season of American Idol? Although fans can look forward to hearing his voice for the first time since ‘Idol’  on his sophomore album, it’ll be hard to find him under the pile of over-the-top techno beats, obnoxiously repeated refrains and confusing dance music that make up his latest album Heartbreak on Vinyl.

In his time on ‘American Idol,’  Lewis was a fan favorite. His catchy reworkings of songs and mad beatboxing skills guided the singer all the way to second place. Although he placed second, USA Today reported his version of Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’  was the biggest-selling track of the season, with 192,000 copies sold.

Badger Herald

Blake Lewis gets adventurous on Heartbreak on Vinyl

Blake Lewis sings of demise and disappointment during Heartbreak on Vinyl, the title track from his newly released second disc. It’s a fitting theme.

‘For me, it’s kind of a sad day (to see stores closing). I live in Seattle, and we have tons of indie record shops I’ve been going to my whole life,’ he says, calling from home in Washington. ‘The song is just kind of an ode to those places where I fell in love with music, becoming an audiophile and a DJ. I’d buy vinyl all the time.’ 

Lewis’ own first vinyl purchase: Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock ‘” It Takes Two. But his wistful tune (‘Heartbreak on vinyl was for people like us, to fall in love in analog and never let go’ ) has a double meaning.

Chron.com

Kandy Rain first out of X Factor

Girl group Kandy Rain have become the first act to be voted off this year’s X Factor, following a face-off with soloist Rachel Adedeji.

The acts split the judges, with Simon Cowell saying the former lap dancers had not been given a “fair crack”.

But Kandy Rain were kicked off when it was revealed they had received the lowest number of public votes.

The Sunday show also saw Dannii Minogue apologise for her comments about Danyl Johnson’s sexuality on Saturday night.

bbc.co.uk

Robbie Williams makes comeback on X Factor

The 35-year-old star performed his comeback single Bodies in a guest appearance on Sunday night’s live finals show.

Williams, who has sold 55 million records, has been acting as mentor to the aspiring pop stars as they faced the public vote for the first time this week.

The singer, who has relaunched his career after a spell in rehab to overcome addiction to prescription drugs, took to the stage and declared: ”It’s good to be back.”

Williams then strutted around touching fans’ hands as he performed the new track.

Telegraph.co.uk

Debi Helped Maksim Through Split with ‘Home Cooked’ Meals

Their toe-tapping reign may have just ended ‘“ but Dancing with the Stars partners Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Debi Mazar will always share a strong bond.

What helped solidify that friendship? Chmerkovskiy’s split from ex-fiance Karina Smirnoff.

‘She has been so good to me,’  Chmerkovskiy tells PEOPLE. ‘She’s helped me through this whole thing so much. My family is in New York and I don’t have anybody here in L.A. so when [we split] Debi would call me and say, ‘If you need a home cooked meal, come over.’ ‘

‘She was like, ‘Get over here. You’ll be out in 10 minutes. I just want you to eat well,’ ‘  he says. ‘So she was very good. Very cool.’ 

People.com

‘Dancing with the Stars’’s Donny Osmond Gets Ready to Charleston

Donny Osmond was the talk of “Dancing with the Stars” last week when he grabbed judge Bruno Tonioli and planted a big kiss on him. Now ET gets the inside scoop on what he was thinking!

“Something snapped in my mind when I heard [Bruno] say, ‘You have airy, fairy arms,’” Donny tells ET, which is exclusively inside his private rehearsal with partner Kym Johnson. “Afterwards, I thought I went too far until I got a call from my wife and she said, ‘That is the funniest thing I have heard in my life.’”

And Kym jokes, “I think you should give some attention to Len [Goodman] and Carrie Ann [Inaba]. They may have felt a little left out. We don’t want to do that to the judges.”

ETOnline

Donny Osmond: I’m Going to Kiss Carrie Ann Next!

Donny Osmond knows the 7 Bruno Tonioli gave him on Monday’s Dancing with the Stars was not the score for their make-out session. “That was just for the rumba,” Osmond tells TVGuide.com. “When I walked out at the beginning of Tuesday’s show, he waved his hand at me and I waved right back.” Hand-waving may be all Tonioli gets these days since the 51-year-old entertainer has his eyes on another judge. Learn why Osmond’s gunning for Carrie Ann Inaba, whether sister Marie ‘” with whom he headlines a Las Vegas show’” has given him advice, and more.

TV Guide

Mya Spills ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Rehearsal Secrets

ET is there as Grammy winning beauty Mya and her pro partner Dmitry Chaplin rehearse a dance that is new to “DWTS” — the lambada — and Mya dishes about the sexy look and smooth moves she plans to showcase!

Mya tells ET that the dress she intends to wear could fit in an envelope. She said, “This would be the most risqu so far, but we have a say in our costumes, so it’s covering certain things up.”

She and Dmitry will stay traditional with the dance itself. The singer told ET, “We are sticking the five steps that lambada consists of and coloring it around that.”

ETOnline

‘Dancing With the Stars’ stumbles in popularity

Is Dancing With the Stars losing a step?

Through most of eight seasons, ABC’s celebrity ballroom competition has been bested in total viewership only by Fox’s American Idol. Heading into Season 9’s fifth show Monday (8 ET/PT), scores of fans are sitting this dance out.

Season-to-date, though it’s still one of television’s top shows, DWTS’ Monday competitions are averaging 17.1 million viewers ‘” 11% below last fall’s first four episodes and 15% below fall 2007 shows. Last week’s competition show lured just 16.4 million viewers, lowest since 2006.

Tuesday results shows are down even more, drawing 12.4 million last week and averaging 13.6 million for the season ‘” down 17% from fall 2008. Also troubling: Among the coveted 18-49 age demographic, Monday DWTS shows are down 24%, and Tuesday episodes are off 27%.

USA Today

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