And Now, For A Long Discussion Of ‘American Idol’
I’m just not compelled to judge American Idol as some sort of machine against which we should all rage. I love the fact that I’m watching it at the same time as tens of millions of other people, and that we’re all taking sides, forming rooting interests, critiquing every note, rolling our eyes, and speculating (wildly and unfairly) about which weapons-grade pharmaceuticals a certain judge seemed to have ingested earlier in the evening. We’re not always on American Idol’s side — for many, the sport lies in exposing the fakery; in untangling what often appears to be a web of greedy and underhanded conspiracies for or against certain contestants — and that, too, is part of the fun.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Opry, MySpace team up for Underwood performance
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ԠThe Grand Ole Opry and MySpace are uniting to live stream an Opry performance with video for the first time this Saturday.
Opry performances between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST will be shown, including appearances by Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins, Jake Owen and others.
Underwood will perform music from her just-released CD “Play On,” including the fastest-rising single of her career to date, “Cowboy Casanova.”
Syesha is now a Dreamgirl
Syesha Mercado has been on a lot of stages in the 18 months since she finished third on “American Idol,” but nothing prepared her for the thrill of stepping onto the stage of Harlem’s historic Apollo Theatre.
That is where she plays Deena Jones in an almost-Broadway revival of the musical “Dreamgirls,” which officially opens Nov. 22. It is set to run through Dec. 6 before embarking on a national tour.
Ripley, Young, DeGarmo, Chase and Spencer Are Among Broadway Stars Celebrating the 60’s on 42nd Street
Tony Award winners Alice Ripley and John Lloyd Young rock out to the age of Aquarius in the Rockers on Broadway concert, Celebrating the 60’s, at B.B. Kings Nov. 2.
DJ “Cousin Brucie” Morrow hosts the 8 PM evening, directed by Rockers on Broadway founder Donnie Kehr. The show features Ripley (Next to Normal) and Young (Jersey Boys), as well as Tony nominee J. Robert Spencer (Next to Normal), Chad Kimball (Memphis), Will Chase (Billy Elliot, High Fidelity), Diana DeGarmo (Toxic Avenger), Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls), Lisa Brescia (Wicked), Emma Hunton (Spring Awakening), Ben Cameron (Wicked), Ta’Rea Campbell (Little Shop of Horrors), Kathy Deitch (Wicked), David Larsen (Billy Elliot), Greg Reuter (Shrek), Douglas Crawford, Steve Gouviea, Sean Jeness, Michelle Kinney, composer Jeremy Schonfeld, Donnie Kehr and cast members of Hair.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Results: Nigel Speaks Out
On last night’s So You Think You Can Dance elimination episode–the first such results show of season 6, due to World Series-related Fox scheduling conflicts in recent weeks–the judges came down usually hard on the contestants. Nigel Lythgoe was in fact so vicious (even telling the booing studio audience to “shut up” at one point) that he made that notorious season 5 Vegas Week incident, when Mia Michaels berated Brandon Bryant, look like the sweet moment when Ellen DeGeneres told Evan Kasprzak she loved his heavy-lidded face.
Leona Lewis: Echo
Leona Lewis and her millions of sales are a good thing for the British music industry, but not necessarily for British music. The idea that we finally have a homegrown Kelly Clarkson/Jordin Sparks is hardly cause for celebration if it means the next generation of UK female singers believes her ponderous, heavily ornamented style is what they should be emulating. Echo’s 13 tracks, which were co-written by Justin Timberlake, One Republic’s Ryan Tedder and other costly names, follow the formula of her debut: the slow, piano-accented build-up, punctuated by sharp intakes of breath and vocal curlicues, then the climactic explosion as the drums crash in and she hits the chorus. That voice is impressive enough and there’s no denying the stolid catchiness of some songs ‘“ notably Happy and her cover of Oasis’s Stop Crying Your Heart Out ‘“ but she appears to lack the lightness of touch this album desperately needs.
Simon Cowell’s evil genius rules The X Factor
Yet in light of new information ‘“ that historically cynical vote for John and Edward last Sunday, and Forbes magazine’s estimation that he earned between $75m and $80m from his American TV work alone last year ‘“ Simon’s status has now been upgraded. Picture him as Sauron in the Second Age. Not yet “wholly evil”, as Tolkien pointed out, though disturbingly adept at “corrupting other minds”. “He made himself a great king in the midst of the earth,” ran the Lord of the Rings author’s premonition of the X Factor overlord, “and was at first well-seeming and just and his rule was of benefit to all men in their needs of the body; for he made them rich, whoso would serve him. But those who would not were driven into the waste places . . . ”
‘Glee: The Music, Vol. 2′ track listing revealed!
Glee-soundtrack-2_lThis week, the first Glee soundtrack debuted at #4 on the charts with a strong 113,000 copies sold’â€an especially impressive performance given that all of the songs had already been available digitally.
Now, Columbia Records has announced a release date (Dec. 8th) and a full track listing for Glee: The Music, Vol. 2, which will feature the songs performed for the rest of the first 13 episodes. Amongst the stars to be covered? Kelly Clarkson, Lily Allen, Cyndi Lauper, the Rolling Stones(!) and John Lennon. See below, Gleeks!
ETA:
A rockin’ ‘Idol’
Last year’s “American Idol” winner David Cook rocks his way to the region next week.
Cook will perform Wednesday at The Venue at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino.
“The tour has been great,” said Cook, during a recent phone interview from a concert stop in Oklahoma. “This is our 138th show.”
The singer/songwriter/guitarist and his band, touring in support of his self-titled debut album, have been on the road since February.
Adam Lambert’s Hair and Makeup
Adam Lambert won over American Idol fans with his rousing renditions of Queen and Kiss classics’â€from low purring to high-pitched screams, the consummate performer stunned viewers with his broad vocal range. Complementing his multioctave voice: a multifaceted approach to hair and makeup. Check out his various looks and vote for your favorites now!
Delusional or Dedicated: Bikini Girl Sets Sights on Movie Career
Remember the hot girl who flaunted herself into the televised portion of ‘American Idol’ last year (and even scored a solo spot in the finale) by turning up to audition in a bikini? We all know her as bikini girl, but her real name is actually Katrina Darrell and yes, she’s really going places.
Or so she says.
‘I’ve been making a lot of appearances and doing a lot of traveling since ‘Idol,’ I do a lot of club appearances. They fly me out and I party, sometimes I wear a bikini or sing,’ Darrell recently told Tarts. ‘But now I’m getting back to recording and most people don’t know I’ve been acting my whole life.’
Carrie Underwood, Daughtry Outdraw Taylor Swift at CMAs
She might be the top-selling artist in country music, and she might have swept the CMAs, but Taylor Swift was not the biggest live draw on Wednesday’s broadcast.
Rather, as a half-hour breakdown reveals, it was a collection of acts that included Carrie Underwood
and Daughtry who brought the show to a peak for their live performances.
The 9-9:30PM half hour, which featured Underwood’s performance, as well as the Daughtry-Vince Gill collaboration and performances from Tim McGraw and Keith Urban, averaged 18.1 million viewers and a 5.6 adults 18-49 rating, which was above the 16.9 million viewer, 5.2 rating average for the 8-11PM broadcast.
Clay Aiken calls new Wake school board members ‘idiots’
Entertainer Clay Aiken is calling the newly elected Wake County school board members “selfish idiots” and says he hopes the public can get rid of them before they “ruin the school system.”
This fall, four school board members were elected to office to help form a new majority that backs neighborhood schools and opposes busing for diversity and mandatory year-round schools.
In a blog post on his web site Thursday, the Raleigh native says he’s “extremely disappointed” in the election results.
“What happened to Wake County Schools?!?,” Aiken writes. “Now that i have a kid i am so much more invested and I am EXTREMELY disappointed that so many selfish idiots ran and won seats on the school board. i hope we can get rid of them as soon as possible before they ruin my school system. Idiots.”
I don’t remember seeing that but aww… that is so cute! I don’t know what it is about those two together but I just love them. And I still maintain that Neal is adorable, even if he’d probably hate me saying it. When we were at the restaurant in Charlottesville and they were in there (the owner told us to stop drooling – were we that obvious?!)… Neal was the one who was chatting with the fan sitting next to him and just was… cute. I love that band. Maybe through going to these shows and watching more YouTubes than I want to admit watching… I am awfully fond of these guys.
I know! He used to look like Jesus! Jesus Neal from 2007ish
There are no tickets. GMA has never issued tickets for any of their concert series, summer or fall. The only time they issued tickets was weeks in advance was one time for the Jonas Brothers in Central Park because they caused a mob scene the previous time. If the performance is indoors they’ll let fans in. The studio is small but I’ve seen them cram in as much as 200+ people in. I have no idea why the performance(s) may or may not be outdoors but I’m just saying from all the previous years of FALL concert series they have always been indoors, in the studio, and if they are indoors fans will be let in. The later you get in November the colder it gets. Last year when a bunch of us camped out to get in the studio it was freezing.
Wow, to think I watched AI for years and never knew about any of this stuff. This is the first year I’ve been invested and to find out there was this whole other world I didn’t have a clue about is just weird. Kinda mind-boggling if I think about it.
oh….oops
Ugh, really?! And scary that she has done this all the way back to Season 2! Yikes!
Ignorance is bliss.
I think its fine if Adam’s fans want to meet each other. But as far as I know GMA doesn’t do outdoor concerts in the fall. So they’re welcome to sleep outside studio the night before. Or they can contact David Cook’s fans on how to get inside the studio. I think some hard core got in last year.
There’s someting pretty odd about people flying into NYC to see someone perform for 10 minutes tops in a venue they probably won’t get in. I understand making the attempt if you live in the NYC area but flying in seems very crazy. Not as crazy as that pyscho Cook fan though.
omg just saw one of the pic of Kris’s album. It’s one of the bathroom series … one of the most handsome pic i’ve seen of him. I would love to have skin like his.. *sigh*
regarding the crazy woman stalking David C. It’s good she’s getting exposed! hope it will calm her down
R U serious? Do you think they actually physically stalked her, or were they lying about it? It’s scary either way, actually, but what really creeps me out is thinking about how easy it is for some nutter you’ve never met to dig up personal info on the internet to hunt you down because you had your picture taken with some random singer.
If Level B includes the show producers and judges prostituting themselves on behalf of a chosen contestant, then put me in Level B.
Aside from NPR being dismissive of Adam (except to be awed by how subversive he is), I think the major goof they made is to claim that all of Archie’s fans are the same age as he is.
Seriously, I know plenty of people in their 80s who practically worship Archie, and the only reason they went out and bought a CD player is so they can play his CDs.
So he really is a Hobbit?
KRIS:
You must travel to Mordor, and destroy the Idol trophy thingie in the fires of Mount Doom. Then, there will be spincrease and platinum for all.
ETA: I’m pretty sure Kara is an agent of Sauron! Did you not witness the destructive terror of No Boundaries?
you’re kidding me right? where’s the crazy tatoos and the piercings?
and wow andy sounded quite good…
Trina, jpfan–
you guys seem to have some sense of what’s going on with this GMA thing. I’m actually going to be in NYC that day, not far from the studio, but I had pretty much given up on the idea of seeing Adam as it sounded like it was just going to be inside, with just the people who got tickets to the taping seeing it (no one from an outside waitinglist). Do either of you have any sense of whether it may be easier to get in than that? I’m a big fan, but frankly I don’t see myself waiting in line in the cold and dark for hours to get in. Any chance it’ll be outside? Any chance, even if its not, that I’d be able to get some sleep that night and still get in? (I’m not all that desperate, because I’m the lucky b!#ch who has tickets to Letterman:) ). Whadayathink?
I just think producers want the ability to control the sound and using live instruments doesn’t give this control. I’m pretty sure. So on one hand there’s the more organic process of using the instruments which means special nuances (which I prefer) and then there’s over production. Actually, for the most part though, I don’t hear the over production on Kris’s album that I was expecting.
I’m going to have to search out these scans of the album.
LOL. Why do I have the feeling it will have just the opposite effect?
Build A Bear…uh no and no and no. This is the most manipulative retail outlet in the country…they play on the emotions of everyone concerned just to rack up profits. I was appalled at how they “used” David Archuleta fans by selling a stupid song for 99 cents (for charity) but making it seem as though they were supporting charities with the profits from their Bears. False, false, false. And the song thingy….of course after David (and I think briefly Natalie) it died a quick death and Build A Bear was on to the next scam. And now, with no endorsement from Adam, they seem to be selling a grossly over-priced bear and giving a few dollars to a charity he has mentioned just to make it look a little kosher. This is way worse than the eye-glass fiasco that occurred with someone using Danny’s name and image.
Consumer beware….Build A Bear is just a user….they are Horrible.
plus free pipe-weed for all kris stans out here…
Ah the issue with Daughty was not real instruments versus electronic. The producer didn’t seem to trust them as studio musicians if I remember correctly.
Call GMA and ask them if the concert will be held outside. I’d say the chances are slim but they may give you a direct answer. I went to an ABC taping and the folks were very nice answering questions about getting tickets to other shows, etc.
I think they did for the Taylor GMA concert. They had it in a theatre somewhere. I remember people reporting on their attempts to register for the free tickets.
Maybe it was for a different promo event. I’m pretty sure it was for one of the morning news shows.
hey coolcrickets *waves. have to agree with you on this but i do think that of all the songs Before We Come Undone sounds the most overproduced and I Need To Know the least
Apparently NegativeNeil has gotten Adams album.
# just listened to the album for the first time. I am beside myself. about 1 hour ago from web
Does anyone here know what this means? Does he like it or not like it? I am never good at interpetation.
Darn, MJ. That is crazy. Well, I completely own that I have served my time on Idol Loony Lane. I have done it. I still have occasional twitches here and there, but I’m glad to have moved on, more or less. What I liked about the NPR article was that you have got to maintain a sense of humor about yourself if you are going to get so worked up about a tv show and its contestants. Idol IS funny. Its fans are funny. The fact that we all take this so seriously is very often hysterical. And at the end of the day, none of our warring and opining and handwringing matters outside the confines of whatever website we happen to visit.