Adam Lambert and Drake LaBry: 7-Eleven Smooch
Making their way around town, Adam Lambert and boyfriend Drake LaBry were spotted out at a local 7-Eleven in Los Angeles on Tuesday (October 13).
The ‘American Idol’ hunk ad his beau shared a big kiss in the car before then heading off to the Star Magazine party.
Kris Allen’s self-titled album cover revealed! (And the five things we learned from it.)
kris-allen-album_lSome people wait a lifetime for a moment like this. Thankfully, we’ve only had to wait a little less than five months since the American Idol season 8 finale to see the cover art for Kris Allen’s debut CD. A spokesperson for 19 Recordings confirms that the image that popped up on Amazon.com and began to circulate around the Internet last night is indeed the real thing. Armed with that confirmation, I spent a tragic hour of my life analyzing the image to come up with five important lessons about Kris and his upcoming disc.
More Idol Headlines after the Jump…
Adam Lambert Preps His Glampire Fangs
Adam Lambert knows a popular trend when he sees one, so it’s no wonder he’s taking the popularity of vampire movies and shows and turning it into a very Glambert-esque Halloween costume! ‘I think I’m going to be a glampire,’ he told reporters at the American Music Awards press conference this morning at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Wait, a what? ‘You know, a vampire who glams it up!’ Obviously!
Besides making time for his Halloween planning, Adam’s been busy with his new, still untitled, album. On the new record, Adam says he collaborated with Linda Perry, Craig Wells, Ryan Tedder and more. But there are even more people he wants to work with.
The JC Chasez Song That Kris Allen *Really* Needs To Record
untilnovember17thMuch ado has been made over ‘Build Some Love,’ a song by former ‘NSync member/current dance-based competitive television show JC Chasez that leaked online over the weekend; it’s a pleading piano-heavy ballad that Chasez apparently wrote for the debut effort by American Idol season-eight winner Kris Allen, whose new album, as of now, is still scheduled to drop Nov. 17. This song choice called some consternation among American Idol watchers like my MTV pal Jim Cantiello, who mocked Chasez for his 2004 dud ‘All Day Long I Think About Sex.’ Which is kind of unfair, since his later output was a lot better!
The story behind one new Carrie Underwood song–plus a ‘Play On’ track listing
I got an early listen to Carrie Underwood’s Play On last week, and one of my favorite tracks on the new album turned out to be one co-written by a friend of mine named Marty Dodson.
Marty’s had a few big country hits over the years, notably Kenny Chesney’s Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven and Billy Currington’s Must Be Doing Something Right. For this song, called Songs Like This, he joined an interesting pair — Jerry Flowers, Keith Urban’s bass player, and Tom Shapiro, a longtime hit writer whose nearly two dozen Number One hits include Neal McCoy’s Wink, Sara Evans’ No Place That Far and Brooks & Dunn’s Ain’t Nothin’ ‘Bout You.
First Listen: David Archuleta’s ‘Christmas From the Heart’
David Archuleta’s Christmas From the Heart is out today. I probably should’ve gotten to it earlier, but it’s a cool day, a good one for Christmas music in Nashville (plus, David’s in town), so I decided to wrap up and give it a listen.
Here’s my take, track-by-track:
Pickler talks straight about guys, Kid Rock
When Kellie Pickler and best gal pal Taylor Swift get together, they rarely talk business. It’s usually about boys and other girl stuff.
“We talk about everything,” says the 23-year-old Pickler, the country artist who’s turned out to be one of “American Idol’s” most successful contestants. “We try not to talk so much about work because that consumes so much of our lives anyway.
“At the end of the day, sure, we talk about things that everybody else talks about.”
This has been quite a year for Pickler. In June, she headlined her own concert tour.
“Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” her latest single, is rocketing up the Billboard Country Music Charts.
Kelly Clarkson’s voice in the spotlight in no-frills tour
Kelly Clarkson is making a strong case for the scaled-back tour.
Clarkson’s show at Agganis Arena last night featured little in the way of flash besides the sparkles on her shirt and bell-bottoms. There were no trapeze artists or midget jugglers, no onstage explosives or elaborate stage decorations. Her two backup singers and nine-piece band – which included a three-piece horn section and violinist – stood on functional silver platforms, backed only by bright lights. There were no multiple wardrobe changes (just one before the encore), and certainly no intricate wardrobes.
Clarkson left most of the work up to her voice. A bluesy a cappella midway through her 90-minute set proved that for anyone who hadn’t been listening closely, Clarkson’s pipes place her in the upper echelon of vocalists, and perhaps explain why she doesn’t resort to any of the glitz and trickery that help some artists camouflage their deficiencies.
Kidney donor joins Idol MacIntyre for concert
“American Idol” finalist Scott MacIntyre will make a concert appearance this week that holds special significance for him.
For one thing, it is the Scottsdale performer’s first gig in the Valley since the “Idol” tour visited Jobing.Com Arena in July.
More importantly: He will share the stage with Patricia Cosand, the woman who donated her kidney to MacIntyre and saved his life in 2007.
“She has been such an angel,” says MacIntyre, who waited in frustration as four potential donors were rejected before Cosand was approved.
Q&A | Anthony Fedorov, who has traveled from ‘Idol’ to ‘Joseph’
A fourth-place finalist on “American Idol” in 2005, Anthony Fedorov is currently starring in 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Now 24, the Ukrainian-born, Pennsylvania-raised performer has survived “Idol” worship ‘†and a childhood tracheotomy that almost left him voiceless ‘†to pursue a promising career. With rehearsals under way, Fedorov (who recently sang the national anthem at a Mariners game) spoke with The Times from his Seattle hotel room.
Paula Abdul Plans Surprises for the Future
Paula Abdul is not above giving advice to her American Idol replacement, telling reporters today about her words of wisdom for Ellen Degeneres while at the 2009 AMA Nominee Announcements. As for her own future, Paula’s only giving away tiny hints!
Paula doesn’t show any bitter feelings for Ellen replacing her on American Idol and instead offered her some advice in dealing with Simon Cowell. Paula said, ‘She’s just got to be herself. Being herself is powerful enough. It’s a whole new dimension. I’ll be watching and rooting everyone on.’
While she is watching Idol she’ll be doing something to stay busy, but what exactly, she just won’t say!
‘Glee’ has rabid fans, but they deserve better
Fox’s ‘Glee’ has only aired a half-dozen episodes, but it has already established a rabid fan base. Because creativity and frivolity is so rare on network television, those fans have latched on to the over-the-top satire of high school life told through a glee club.
‘Glee’ is a fantastic show. It’s also getting worse.
The five new fall episodes have offered more of what ‘Glee’ first introduced last spring, starting with fantastically over-the-top musical numbers with their obvious lip-syncing and amusing choreography, never mind the dramatic lighting and staging that appears from nowhere.
Karina Smirnoff and Aaron Carter Brush Off Romance Rumors
It happens almost every season on Dancing with the Stars, and this time around it’s partners Karina Smirnoff and Aaron Carter debunking the buzz that they’re getting cozy off the dance floor.
‘It’s really funny,’ Smirnoff, 31, told PEOPLE after Monday night’s performance. ‘The rumors are that we are hooking up but then we’re not sexy enough on the dance floor [according to head judge Len Goodman]? Let me tell you, if that was the case, the dance would have been very raunchy, as Len wanted it to be.’
For Carter, 21, the rumors are off the mark from what’s really happening between the two of them: a budding friendship.
Q+A: How Kelly Osbourne Got Her Groove Back on ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Kelly Osbourne has surprisingly become the frontrunner on this season of Dancing With the Stars. But the reality TV star who became famous at 16 when she appeared on The Osbournes with her rock-star dad Ozzy, mom Sharon, and brother Jack has had her share of troubles. She’s been in rehab more than once for an addiction to prescription pills and tried to control her weight by using ADD medications including Ritalin. Fortunately, now she’s clean, engaged to model Luke Worrall and having the time of her life. She spoke to Pop Vox.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ results: Fight to the finish
In a week where the women soared and many of the men fell by the wayside, it was gentle giant Chuck Liddell who ended up with the short end of the voting stick and was two-stepped out of the competition. And while mixed martial arts fighter Chuck had a couple more judges’ votes than Michael Irvin and Louie Vito, it was pretty clear the Ultimate Fighting champ had reached his plateau, dance-wise. I mean, where else can you go after ruffled sleeves?
‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: The Votes Don’t Lie
Surprise elimination! Ultimate Fighting Champ Chuck Liddell and everyone’s favorite Anna, the fiery Ms. Tre-BUN-skaya, will no longer be with us in season 9. I’m a little sad ‘†I thought Chuck might have had hot pockets of fans all over the country to keep him in. I’m guessing he’s not too upset. When the judges praise your entertainment value, your cute kids get to be on TV, and your excellent partner’s final words to you include such eloquence as ”You are a bear and you are my hippo,” is there really any cause for complaint?
Ratings: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ wins but dips from last week
ABC dominated the Monday night ratings yet again with its quick-stepping hit, Dancing with the Stars, according to preliminary overnight ratings. The series averaged 16.5 million viewers, which is a slight dip from last week’s 17.8 million. Meanwhile, the struggling CW line-up of One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl were actually both up from last week’s airings with episodes averaging 2.6 and 2.5 million, respectively.
Brilliant. This is why Adam is such a star. He really is a prodigy, with the self awareness, intelligence and instincts to make all that hot, mad talent work.
No wonder he is winning, not just admiration, but respect.
Re: the David Cook CD cover. The photo, I agree, is Not Good. I wish they’d picked a different one. But I do like what the cover represents.
I can’t find the source, but I once read an interesting analysis of the cover art on DC’s 3 solo albums. I’m paraphrasing the original source here.
On the cover for Analog Heart, which he did design, the only part of him present is his hand print.
On the next album, the one that was in the works but never got released because of AI, David *is* present, in a photograph where he’s precariously balanced on a railing over a highway, but his back to the camera so you can’t see his face. (I can’t find a link to the photo, but I’m thinking this symbolizes that he’s ready to take a leap of faith into the unknown — or that he’s ready to jump if the music thing fails and he has to get a real job. *g*)
On DCTR, he’s finally turned to face the camera — and the audience. He looks straight ahead (no pun intended) with no embellishments.
So yeah, I wish they’d used a different photo (I agree with whoever said it sucks the charm and life right out of him), but I do like what the DCTR cover stands for within this (to use a DC word) progression.
Within that context of CD covers being more than just a snapshot, Kris’s CD cover puzzles me. It’s a gorgeous photo, but why is he looking away? And what is he looking at so intently? Maybe it will make more sense when it’s linked to the music, but I wish they’d used the man in the mirror shot instead. He looked thoughtful and introspective, but not stressed.
Eh, I think Allison’s single wins the cover shoot contest so far. The look on her face with its mischievous smirk is not only cute and appealing, it works really well with the song.
That’s a really interesting story on the progression of David Cook with his album art, MollyAnnMay, but don’t you think that works for invested fans than non-fans or casual AI fans? Because I as a non-invested person just looked at the cover as I would any other one, because I don’t know of the rest of that, nor would I really care as a casual fan, I would argue. So yeah just as art like other covers, non-impressive and I actually think does David Cook a big disservice. Which getting to the topic, yeah, don’t want Adam’s cover to do him as big a disservice to him as an artist.
Oh and I agree MollyAnnMay that Allison’s cover is the best of the AI8 crew thus far and agree about her expression being mischevious, cute and appropriate to her as an artist and for the song. Plus the rest of the artwork and her hair and everything, very good. I like Kris’s album cover art more than you though, and a lot of people it seems, in part because of that unknown of why he’s looking over his shoulder. It creates some drama/tension and sense of movement I find interesting and gets people involved with it and thinking about it. Or at least that’s my take.
For Scott fans
E.V. ‘Idol’ contestant to give Mesa concert
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/145816
“MacIntyre is moving on to other projects, including a new album slated for a pre-Christmas release and a deal with a New York publishing house to ink an autobiography. He’s also met with music producer David Foster about putting his songwriting skills to use.
“(‘American Idol’) is the most prestigious karaoke bar on earth, and it’s been such a blessing,” he says. “It’s humbling to know that so many people around the world have taken an interest in my passion for music.”"
What a …strange thing for Scott to say.
On Cookie’s album cover – I like the design, don’t like the photo they chose. there are so many gorgeous pix of him around. I do like the interior shots of him making the funny face. That’s the David Cook the fans”know”.
“So the insinuations about Adam hugging the headlines will stop. Or maybe I am wrong, he probably does hug the headlines in a way…” —animated
Were there insinuations about this? I’m quite pleased with the Kris Allen deets, I’ve been finding. Are you refering to this site? I wasn’t aware of any sour grapes.
Oh, and did you mean “hog” rather than hug? As in hogging the headlines. ::grin:: I’m not big into the celebrity thing. For the most part it’s a turn off to me. I don’t quite see Adam as a celebrity, yet.
Oh, absolutely. I found it fun because it reminded me of a time when rock album covers were like a parlor game where you always tried to figure out what the singer/band was trying to say. It was all part of the mythos of the group. Remember we didn’t have the internet back then. *g*
And I absolutely agree that this sort of thing is meaningless to the casual fan, who needs to be attracted by good cover art, not repelled. There is no doubt in my mind that RCA did Cook a disservice with the cover art in the same way they did with picking singles. None represent what he is about, IMO.
As for Kris’s cover, the tension in the photo bothers me, but I also agree that it is compelling. And it isn’t in any way, shape or form as bad as the Cook photo. Thankfully for Kris!