‘IDOL’ SURPRISE – WARNING: SECRETS OF THE TOP 36

NO matter how hard the producers try, “Amer ican Idol” spoilers always manage to find their way online.

The folks at the irreverent anti-fan site, VoteForTheWorst.com, along with well-known “Idol” spoiler site JoesPlace.com, recently leaked the entire list of 36 contestants who will compete live on “Idol” for a spot in the coveted Top 12. It will be the first time viewers get a chance to vote on who will be in the finals.

Not surprisingly, failed major-label artist Joanna Pacitti reportedly made the cut.

But there are others on the list who have equally colorful backgrounds – and a few we haven’t seen on TV yet because their auditions were never shown.

NY Post

Jennifer Hudson Soars With National Anthem At Super Bowl

In her first public appearance since the tragic murders of her mother, brother and nephew in October, Oscar winner and “American Idol” vet Jennifer Hudson gave a stunning performance of the national anthem before the Super Bowl on Sunday (February 1).

Stepping onto a small blue platform, Hudson took a deep breath and leaned easily into the microphone, letting loose her signature crystalline vocals on the country’s anthem, bringing the song a dreamy quality that rivaled one of the other great renditions of the anthem at the big game: Whitney Houston’s legendary soul shakedown in 1991 during the first Gulf War.

MTV

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

Jennifer Hudson Lip-Synched Super Bowl Performance

By now, you’re probably either read about or seen Jennifer Hudson’s stirring rendition of the national anthem before Sunday night’s Super Bowl. In her first public performance since seen her mother, brother and nephew were slain in October, Hudson delivered a stunning version of the anthem.

But after the game, the show’s producer, “American Idol” music director Ricky Minor, told The Associated Press that, at his request, Hudson lip-synched the anthem to a previously recorded track.

MTV

Jennifer Hudson’s Super Bowl National Anthem: Flawless! Effortless!

Suffice it to say the Oscar-winning star of Dreamgirls did not disappoint. Clad in a ruffly, navy blue military-style jacket and some dangerously high heels, J.Hud blew the doors off the National Anthem and made it look easy (vocally speaking, that is). You could see just a touch of nerves in Hudson’s face — and call me crazy, but maybe a second or two where she had to fight back the tears — before she heaved a sigh and began to sing. And sing she did, rumbling powerfully through the low notes on “twilight’s last gleaming,” describing the “rockets’ red glare” with appropriate bombast, and holding out the note on “flag was still there” to a point where a lesser singer might’ve fainted from lack of oxygen. Yeah, her pronunciation of perilous (“pair-OH-lous”) stopped me for a hot second, but ultimately, this was a triumphant, emotional return for a wonderful performer who’s suffered unspeakable tragedy. Welcome back, J.Hud, and congratulations!

Entertainment Weekly

HUDSON PERFORMS FOR 1ST TIME SINCE SLAYINGS

“I told her ‘Touchdown!’” Minor told The Associated Press after the performance.

“This was such an important performance, because it’s the first time everyone has seen Jennifer. But she’s in such a great place, with such great spirits and time can heal her wounds. She’s on fire right now and totally grounded.”

Minor, the music director for American Idol, has produced numerous Super Bowl pre-game performances, including Whitney Houston’s 1991 anthem in Tampa that’s considered the benchmark for singers.

Minor said Hudson’s two cell phones lit up “like slot machines” following her performance, and she received a moving text message from Jamie Foxx, her co-star in “Dreamgirls.”

“His text said ‘Amazing. It brought tears to my eyes,’” Minor said. “She’s just getting so much love.”

NY Post

Jennifer Hudson emerges after tragedy with a stirring anthem

Jennifer Hudson took a deep breath and she sang.

One hundred and ninety-five years after Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Hudson redefined our national anthem last night as a statement of hope, faith and – yes – even a hint of defiance.

The Oscar-winning singer returned to the public spotlight for the first time since the shocking murder of her mother, brother and niece in October.

She did it on the biggest stage in the country: Super Bowl XLIII.

By the time Hudson finished, the Dreamgirl had turned that stage into a platform to declare that she, too, will survive.

NY Daily News

Glory day scenes: Rootin’ and rockin’ in Tampa

The Oscar-winning actress and former American Idol contestant used the Super Bowl’s massive television audience for her first public appearance since the October slayings in Chicago of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

Her estranged brother-in-law has been charged in the killings.

Pregame producer Ricky Minor said Hudson’s two cellphones lit up “like slot machines” after her performance, and she received a moving text message from Jamie Foxx, her co-star in Dreamgirls, her Oscar movie.

“His text said, ‘Amazing. It brought tears to my eyes,’ ” Minor said. “She’s just getting so much love.”

USA Today

‘Idolatry’: Who are you rooting for during Hollywood Week?

The season 8 audition rounds are over, and for those of us who take our American Idol super-seriously, the competition finally heats up this Tuesday and Wednesday with the arrival of Hollywood Week and all its trumped-up, sleep-deprived, group-performance drama. The question remains, though, whether the lackluster tryouts we’ve been watching over the last seven episodes will yield a future Kelly Clarkson or Fantasia Barrino. I’m staying optimistic, but then again, I’ve got to write 2,000-word recaps of 32 more episodes between now and late May, so my happiness and long-term sanity are in the hands of Cecile Frot-Coutaz & Co.

Popwatch

‘Idol’ auditioners: Fakes or delusional?

“American Idol,” you’ve been scamming us long enough. The jig is up, Simon and crew. There is just no way that the bright-eyed auditioners we’ve been watching for the last three weeks on Fox’s “American Idol” are for real. NO WAY.

Look, once you’re 16 or so, you know what you’re good at in life. To steal a line from “MST3K’s” brilliant Mary Jo Pehl, I myself am quite proficient at listening to music. Reading, eating, watching TV, chewing gum, petting dogs — these are all skills that I am quite sure I possess.

If you have a talent, especially singing, you know about it early. Your voice soars out over the other snotty-nosed kids in Glee Club. You’re asked to perform solos at church, or you get the starring role in school musicals, or you start a band in your garage. I can still name the girls who were asked to do solos at my high school, and even on my most delusional day, I would not have put myself in their league.

MSNBC

This year, ‘American Idol’ seems irrelevant

It’s entertainment. Fluff, not to be taken seriously. And yet, as I watch “American Idol,” the contestants all teary because Simon or Paula laugh at their performance or bluntly tell them they can’t sing, I find myself thinking about my father at 18.

He didn’t get to cry on national TV because he was rejected, or moan into a microphone that being a star was his dream and what would he do now? He was a man at 18, fighting a war on the other side of the world, one of hundreds of thousands of boys and men with real reasons to cry.

Maybe it’s because times are tough – people losing their jobs, their homes, their way – that Idol feels irrelevant this season. How are you supposed to feel sorry for a kid who loses it because he is not allowed to play his guitar while he sings? How are you supposed to empathize with an 18-year-old who believes that this is the worst thing that will ever happen to him?

Boston Globe

Idol Chartwatch, February 2: Kelly Clarksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Single Breaks Billboard Chart Record

Last week, it was exciting to report the debut of Kelly Clarksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new single, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Life Would Suck Without You,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  on the Billboard charts. But this week, the news is even better. The single soared from #97 last week to #1 on this weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Hot 100, giving it the distinction of having the biggest one-week jump in the history
of the chart. The single sold 280,000 downloads in its first week of availability, earning it the top spot on both Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks (and you can join the crowd by clicking on the link above).

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Life Would Suck Without Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  also charts on Hot 100 Airplay (38), Pop 100 (4), Pop 100 Airplay (16), Mainstream Top 40 (18), and Adult Top 40 Tracks (18). Kellyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album, All I Ever Wanted, is due out March 10.

FoxesonIdol

Fats Waller Broadway classic raises the curtains in Austin

The classic tunes and dance numbers of an old Broadway favorite will hit the stage in Austin this weekend.

Ruben Studdard is well known for his breakout performance a few years ago on American Idol, but now he’s dancing to a new tune in Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Paramount Theater.

The new tune, however, is actually full of a lot of old tunes. Ain’t’ Misbehavin’ is a Fats Waller Broadway musical that won several Tony Awards in 1978 and few thereafter.

News8Austin

American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Kimberly Caldwell: How I Lost 20 Pounds!

Former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell is singing a new tune now that sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s shed 20 pounds from her petite frame. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always been confident and secure,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a newly single Kim, who recently split with last seasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Idol winner, David Cook, tells Life & Style. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Now ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a different kind of secure.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

L&S: What prompted you to lose the weight?

Kimberly: You get to a point in your life when you decide to change from a kid to an adult. I think that one day I just woke up and decided, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Okay, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a home owner, I take care of my little sister who lives with me, I have five jobs, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sitting around being lazy on my time off. Why?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

The Insider

‘Idol’ star Sanjaya approves of DioGuardi

NEW YORK, Feb 1, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) — Sanjaya Malakar, a standout in the sixth season of “American Idol,” says this season’s new judge, Kara DioGuardi, is revitalizing the U.S. TV series.
Malakar, who came in seventh in his “Idol” season, said DioGuardi adds new life to the judges’ table, which had been made up of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson since the show began in 2002, the New York Daily News said Saturday.
“I think it’s weird to see four judges, but she’s obviously qualified,” he said. “And she’s bringing something new. The other three judges have been there so long, it must be hard for them to come up with new things to say because a lot of the (auditioners) sound the same.”

Marketwatch

Lloyd Webber slight for Cowell

SIMON Cowell has spoken out after Andrew Lloyd Webber accused him of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“torturingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  his acts.

The X Factor judge hit back after the composer said he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t nurture the contestants on his TV shows.

Eurovision guru Andrew said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“He doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t work with the artists like I do. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m here to get the best out of everybody. All my acts call me Andrew and ring me for help.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Cowell said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I called him and said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹What was all that about?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ He was very apologetic. I think he was just being lippy and meant it as a joke.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I still consider him a good friend.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

The Sun.co.uk

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ LA auditions information

FOX’s huge reality hit show, “So You Think You Can Dance” is holding auditions in major cities across the U.S.

The producers are looking for the top dancers in each city for season five.

All types of dance backgrounds are encouraged: Salsa, ballroom, hip hop, street dancing, contemporary, jazz, ballet and more.

The contestants are competing for a chance to win the grand prizeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ which has included a new Hybrid SUV, $100,000 in cash, and a dancing role in Celine Dion’s Las Vegas showà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ of US$250,000 and the title of “America’s favorite dancer.” .

Monstersandcritics

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