JUST ANNOUNCED

DAVID COOK. 8 p. m. March 13. Seneca Niagara Events Center, Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, Niagara Falls. Tickets are $35 to $55 and go on sale at 3 p. m. today. (box office, Ticketmaster).

Buffalo News

‘American Idol’ champion Cook to sing at Wartburg

The 26-year-old, who went on to win that competition, will entertain fans next month at a Wartburg College concert. The show is scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 23 in the school’s Neumann Auditorium.

Student tickets for the Cook concert are $5 and go on sale Monday in the Neumann Auditorium lobby. Seats for community members cost $15 and will be available starting Wednesday.

WCF Courier

Excerpt: ‘Dancing to the Music in My Head’

I think that part of the reason they ran us so ragged was to emotionally strip us. They wanted to see what we could do when we were at our most vulnerable. If our nerves were right at the surface, that could lead to onstage meltdowns, or offstage drama, either of which would lead to better ratings. Also, they wanted to see how we could handle the pressure of having twenty-five hour-long commitments in a twenty-four-hour day. None of us knew if a successful (or even semisuccessful) career in the music industry would be that difficult, but at least we’d be prepared.

ABC News

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

Hispanic Viewers Again Crown ‘American Idol’ as Most-popular Show, Followed by ‘CSI’, ‘The Mentalist’

Mightier than any broadcast of NFL playoffs, more powerful than any situation comedy, stronger than the nightly news, American Idol’s Season Eight has started and immediately claimed the top ratings among all English-language shows watched by U.S. Hispanic viewers.

With its broadcast of the singing competition, Fox network seized the top two spots on the 10-most-watched programs for the week of January 12-18. American Idol’s Wednesday telecast attracted 1.8 million Hispanic viewers and earned a 8.4 rating, while Tuesday garnered a 7.0 rating and 1.7 million fans, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group.

Hispanic Business

‘American Idol’ Hopeful Joanna Pacitti Has Long Music Biz Past

With her model-worthy looks, the 24-year-old singer got her first big break when she joined the cast of “Annie” on Broadway at age 11 and played 106 performances in the iconic title role. But that experience led to her first brush with career disappointment, when, according to her IMDb bio, she was cut from the 20th-anniversary edition of the show by directors because she’d developed bronchitis. Her mother sued producers for $50 million over the firing, reportedly settling out of court. Barbara Walters covered the controversy on “20/20″ in 1996, and it became fodder for a skit on “Saturday Night Live” the next year, with Cheri Oteri playing the role of Pacitti.

MTV

American Idol Contestant Under Fire For Being Good At Singing

Joanna Pacittià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life is like a fairy tale – a slightly crappy fairy tale with no magic thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s actually sort of boring.

But a fairy tale nonetheless. Joanna Pacitti starred on Broadway as a child, sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sung songs for several terrible movies and sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been romantically involved with one of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s least famous men. And now Joanna Pacitti is through to the next stage of American Idol.

And everyone hates her. Joanna Pacitti shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be on American Idol, they say, because sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s already a great singer. And we all know that American Idol is about terrible singers like Taylor Hicks.

Hecklerspray

Deciphering The Lyrics to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Wannabe Leneshe Youngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Ode To Cincinnati

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the kind of story à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  producers canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t resist ending an audition show with. An 18-year-old African-American girl from a small Midwestern town who has grown up moving in and out of shelters comes in and wows the judges with her infectious smile and, even better, an original ode to her city.

MTV

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ contender Joanna Pacitti under fire

Joanna Pacitti has starred on Broadway, recorded an album for Geffen records and has dated a former professional winner of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dancing With the Stars,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but she still felt she needed to give her career a boost by auditioning for season eight of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idol.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Pacitti came under fire when it was revealed she was allowed to audition and was put through to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Hollywood round on Wednesday nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s show.

MSNBC

“American Idol” Professional Pause

I know that for a lot of wannabe singers, “American Idol” is the easiest way to get your name, face and voice out into the mainstream. But considering this is a competition to find the country’s best undiscovered talent, is it fair to have contestants in the running who have previously had record deals?

While it’s no secret that previous seasons have featured singers who failed to make it big on their own — last year Carly Smithson, Michael Johns and Kristy Lee Cook had all admitted to having record deals at one time or another — and the rules simply stipulate that a contestant can not currently have a contract with a label, I wonder if this rule creates an uneven playing field.

NY Post

“American Idol” Lets It Slide In The Bluegrass State

Yesterday, two pieces of distressing American Idol-related news crossed the transom: First, word that the Tuesday night episode had an eight-million-viewer week-to-week drop (although I wonder if that was because a lot of eyeballs got leeched away from Obamamania on ABC); and second, this year’s results shows will be back to their bloated hour-long length and up against the full hour Lost (?!??!?!!). (Argh, Fox, you told us they’d only be 30 minutes! Booooo!!) The Idol producers decided to celebrate this news with… an episode that opened with a hopeful emerging from a Porta-Potty, and went right into a girl with really bad eye makeup and a startling British/Southern accent.

Idolator

Slouching Toward Paula Abdul

Did you know that in some parts of rural Greenland one in two teenagers have tried to commit suicide? I just read an article about it this week. I know I should be paying more attention to stuff like the inauguration (Beyonce — I never know where to put the accent in her name, sorry — sang à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“At Lastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  at the ball as if sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d read this recap last week and knew that I was hoping someone high-profile would trot it out again to remind us all that no oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performed it in public in the past five minutes, and honestly, it was lovely, so I sorta donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mind much) and that also I should be updating you on breaking news in the unfolding drama vortex that is my American Idol promotional gumball machine (This week? TOO MANY GUMBALLS DISPENSED AT THE SAME TIME!), but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m mostly just fascinated by all these kids killing themselves.

The Advocate

Confessions of an “Idol” addict

Don’t you hate it when at the end of these audition shows you see mere glimpses of people who made it through to Hollywood? And why does it seem that the same tired old songs are sung over and over again in the auditions we do see?

The key to answering these questions is to learn about song rights.

If a performance is to be shown on TV à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  whether early in auditions or in the finals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  the show must pay for or otherwise obtain the rights to do so from whoever owns the song. Sometimes this is referred to as getting clearance. If the producers don’t want to pay, or if the owner of the song simply doesn’t want to allow it, you won’t see the performance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and this happens a lot before the Top 36 (Top 24 in previous years) are selected. By the time of the Top 36, the contestants must select from an approved list of songs that the show has already gotten clearance for, or try to obtain rights at the last minute.

Seattle Times

Source: Jennifer Hudson ‘Knew It Was Time’ to Perform Again

After dropping out of the public eye following her family murder tragedy, Jennifer Hudson now has the strength and the will to give three high-profile performances next month, a source close to her tells PEOPLE.

“So much has happened, but she’s ready,” the source says. “It’s a new year, she’s excited about performing again. She knew it was time.”

People

Jennifer Hudsonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Got a Crush on Young Jeezy

Jennifer Hudson might be engaged, but she has her musical eye on a few rappers who rule the charts. The Oscar winner admitted that her husband-to-be called her out when he noticed that one lyricist in particular was grabbing her full attention, which she shares with Rap-Up in our Winter issue.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ludacris is my favorite [rapper], no questions about that. See, I like rappers for different reasons. I like T.I. as well. I love Young Jeezyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice. I love it! My [fiancà © David à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Punkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Otunga] actually told me, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I think you got a crush on him.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ I love Ludacris because he has such confidence. I like T.I. because I remember coming to the BET Awards one year and they were having technical difficulties on stage. He was just so professional, not to mention, I like his music as well.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Rap-up

Chris Sligh Gets His Song Recorded by Rascal Flatts

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“We just cut the crap outta your song.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what Rascal Flattsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹ producer Dann Huff told Chris Sligh, one of the co-writers of their new single, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Here Comes Goodbye.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d always wondered how it would feel to get that call. Not just that someone liked your song à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  but that a huge band was to about to record it. And release it. And Sligh told me just how it felt: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“After [co-writer Clint Lagerberg] and I turned that song in last April, our publisher called the next day and was squealing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹You got a Rascal Flatts hold.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know what that meant,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Sligh said.

CMT

Hicks tries to catch Greased lightning

The latest “Idol” alumnus to join the stampede is Season 5 champ Taylor Hicks, who signed on to the Broadway cast of “Grease” last year and is now touring the country reprising the role of “Teen Angel,” a part made famous by 1950s crooner Frankie Avalon in the 1978 movie.

“I wanted to be smart,” says Hicks. “This is a role that’s definitely a great introduction to musical theater, with a bit of acting, a bit of singing, so you can get your feet wet before you dive in headfirst into this field.”

Hicks has always thought of himself as an entertainer more than just a singer, so with the new album coming out, he thought he could take a shot at musical theater in front of his die-hard fans, while picking up some new ones along the way.

Cincinnati.com

People: Paula Abdul’s Inaugural Adventure

Where was Paula Abdul during the inauguration celebrations? Well, E!Online reports she was vacationing in Mexico with lovebirds magician Criss Angel and former Playboy Playmate Holly Madison. The trio were spotted on the beach in front of the ME Cabo Hotel, the same joint where “The Hills’” Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag fake-honeymooned last month.

Express Night Out

EXCLUSIVE: American Idol’s Randy Jackson Thinks Obama Is Unbelievable

We caught up with American Idol judge Randy Jackson dressed like a rhinestone cowboy in his sparkly eagle jacket accompanied with a salmon skull patterned scarf. Rather than asking Randy over his … unique fashion sense, our cameraman asked his thoughts on the Presidential Inauguration,

“Unbelievable.”

When Randy’s manager ushered him away from his adoring fans, one autographer got a bit disgruntled with the situation.

“Remember, you hired him (manager). When you become poor again you’ll understand. Don’t let people tell you what to do.”

A bit rude, but pretty awesome at the same time.

HollywoodTV

Simon Cowell gets chaffeur to travel 800 miles – to take him for just three

Multi-millionaire Simon Cowell ordered his personal chauffeur to drive an incredible 808 miles – just to ferry him on a three-mile journey.

The Britain’s Got Talent supremo ensured his Rolls-Royce was on call to drive from his Glasgow hotel to the show’s auditions at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

The journey between the two venues is just 2.8 miles.

Mirror.co.uk

SHOCK! Simon Cowell offers Kelly Brook another job

The TV star was axed from the talent show on Monday after just six days on the judging panel.

But Simon, 49, thinks she’ll be great on spin-off programme Britain’s Got More Talent on ITV2.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹She is a warm person, who looks great and is very enthusiastic and that is why I spoke to her about the ITV2 show,’ he says. ‘I hope sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll accept.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢

Simon contacted Kelly, 29, after she was given the boot.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹I have spoken to Kelly on the phone and apologized,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ he tells the Daily Mirror.

Now Magazine

John McCain confirms Cindy McCain rejected Dancing with the Stars 8

John McCain confirmed that his wife Cindy McCain rejected an offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars 8.

Last week, Page Six cited an anonymous source who said that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Just before Thanksgiving, Cindy McCain started talks with producers to appear as a dancer on the show. She wanted to do it very badlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but John McCain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“put the kibosh on it.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Appearing on Larry King Live last night, John McCain confirmed that they à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“discussedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  her participation on the show, which suggests producers offered her a spot, but he has extremely weak rationale for why Cindy, whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 54, didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do the show.

Reality Blurred

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