Search Results for 'melinda'

Idol Appearances for 02/08/09-02/14/09

Published on 02/08/2010 in American Idol. 9 Comments

This week, Season 8 Top 36 contestants, Brent Keith, Felicia Barton, Ricky Braddy, Ann Marie Boskovich and Alex Wagner Trugman perform at 3rd and Lindsey in Nashville, TN, with proceeds to help fund Haiti relief efforts.

Kris Allen continues his mini-tour of Asia, with appearances in Malaysia and and Singapore, Fantasia returns to the Color Purple at the Pantages theater in Los Angeles and  Diana DeGarmo performs at the Missions Fundraiser in Missouri.

Melinda Doolittle performs a Valentines concert at the World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN and LaToya London performs at the All You Need is Love 2 benefit in San Francisco, CA.

Plus, some extra-Idol goodness: Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta perform at the Highline Ballroom in New York City in front of a select audience of contest winners for Ryan Seacrest’s Rock Your Town concert, and Allison and Kris perform at the Meet Ball in Clearwater, FL.

Television appearances include Jennifer Hudson performing for President Obama on A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement to air on PBS, and Katharine McPhee on The View.

Allison Iraheta (HERE) and Danny Gokey (HERE) continue radio tours to promote their singles.

And American Idol 9 continues this week with the Hollywood Rounds, introducing  Ellen Degeneres in her new role as Idol judge.  Check out the Season 9 schedule HERE.

More information after the jump, or at the Idol Appearances Page…

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Melinda Doolittle to Star in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Published on 02/06/2010 in American Idol and Melinda Doolittle. 19 Comments Tags: .

The amazing Season 6 Idol, Melinda Doolittle has a new gig.

She’s been cast in an upcoming production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Melinda will star as “The Narrator” beginning March 1 and running through April 9

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the second musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the team behind Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and re-tells the biblical story of Joseph and his 12 brothers.

Melinda Doolittle came in 3rd, American Idol Season 6.  The former backup singer released her debut album, Coming Back to You in 2009, and spent the year touring with her band.

Melinda has some musical theater under her belt. Pre-Idol, she starred in a Tennessee production of Nunsense.  She was a music major at Belmont University in  Nashville.

For more information and tickets, click this link. Purchase of a VIP pass, gets you backstage for a meet and greet with Melinda. Check it out.

Idol Headlines for 02/05/10

Published on 02/05/2010 in American Idol and Headlines. 130 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: American Idol Hopeful Casey James’ Jailbird Past

American Idol hopeful Casey James wowed the women judges on Tuesday night when he auditioned in Denver Colorado, stripping off his shirt and letting loose his long locks.

RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively that James has a criminal background and has served time in county jail following offenses of driving while intoxicated, driving with an invalid license and reckless driving.

Radaronline

Didi Benami: The backstory on her best friend

During her audition for American Idol that aired Wednesday, Didi Benami talked about singing for the memory of her best friend, Rebecca Joy Lear.

The two girls were roommates at Nashville’s Belmont University, the same school Melinda Doolittle and Ricky Braddy attended. (In fact, Didi, Rebecca and Ricky should have all been at Belmont at the same time.)

Rebecca died in a car wreck while driving back home to Kansas for Christmas break in 2005. She had just finished her first semester.

USA Today

Daughtry Kicks Off Super Bowl at Super Tailgate This Sunday February 7, 2010

MIAMI, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ — After finishing its successful European tour Monday, Daughtry announces it will perform this Sunday at the NFL’s Super Tailgate Party outside Sun Life Stadium before the kick off of Super Bowl XLIV.

Singer Chris Daughtry, bassist Josh Paul, drummer Joey Barnes, and guitarists Brian Craddock and Josh Steely plan to perform a 45 minute set of music including their current hit single “Life After You” and material from the band’s second #1 album Leave This Town.

Daughtry’s performance will be broadcast on CBS during the network’s extensive pregame coverage and is expected to air at approximately 3:45 pm Eastern. The multi-platinum quintet joins a star-studded lineup that includes Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood.

PR Newswire

You heard it here first peeps! Hee.

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Idol Headlines for 01/28/10

Published on 01/28/2010 in American Idol and Headlines. 307 Comments

Stars Banding Together to Record New “We Are the World” for Haiti

It’s been 25 years since Quincy Jones helped gather the biggest names in music to record “We Are the World,” but the song is as relevant today as it was then.

Jones confirmed to me today that he’s helping spearhead a new recording of the charity song with the proceeds going to help Haiti. The new version will be recorded on Monday in Los Angeles.

The line-up may already include Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, Jason Mraz, Sugarland, Sheryl Crow, Mya and teen sensation Justin Bieber, among others.

EOnline

EXCLUSIVE: Simon & Ellen Not Talking To Each Other

While the singers have provided enough entertainment this season, the real show is behind the scenes where Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres are no longer speaking to each other, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.

But a source who was at the taping says the reports of Simon’s late arrival are greatly exaggerated. “He showed up exactly 14 minutes late,” said one person who was there.

The show started taping without Simon, a move that immediately polarized Ellen and Simon. “People were surprised the show started without Simon,” said one observer.

The tension between Simon and Ellen escalated instantly due to the situation and quickly it became apparent that when the cameras stopped recording they were not speaking to each other.

Radar Online

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Idol Headlines for 01/22/10

Published on 01/22/2010 in American Idol and Headlines. 153 Comments

Simon Cowell signs stars for Haiti charity single

Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis, JLS and Michael Buble have all agreed to take part in the Haiti charity single, which has been organised by Simon Cowell.

The artists will record a cover of REM’s ballad Everybody Hurts.

The Sun newspaper, which has teamed up with Cowell, said Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Take That and Sir Paul McCartney have also been approached.

BBC

Anoop Desai: Rooting for John Park

Anoop Desai has found someone he can identify with in American Idol Season 9: John Park.

Both Anoop and John Park held the musical director’s position with their college a cappella groups — Anoop with the University of North Carolina’s Clef Hangers, John with Northwestern University’s Purple Haze.

“Coming from an a cappella background, I’m always happy to see people from that background break into, for lack of a better term, mainstream music,” says Anoop, who plans to release a single called My Name in March, with an EP or album following later in the spring. “If he makes it past Hollywood week, it’ll be a real treat for him, I imagine, to get to sing with Rickey Minor’s band.

USA Today

Hope for Haiti Now will begin accepting donations at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT on Friday via the following methods:

Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Phone: 877-99-HAITI Text:
Text “GIVE” to 50555
Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund Entertainment Industry Foundation
1201 West 5th Street
Suite T-700
Los Angeles, CA 90017

The telethon airs on a number of networks — including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo and E! — and online and mobile platforms at 8 PM EST. Performances from the show will be available on iTunes, with proceeds going to charity.

US Magazine

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Simon Cowell News Roundup: 01/12/10

Published on 01/12/2010 in American Idol and Simon Cowell. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

This post is going to be the place for today’s Simon Cowell, so keep checking back here for the lastest developments…

UPDATE:

Melinda Doolittle, Matt Giraud and Brooke White share their thoughts on Simon Cowell with MTV News:

“He was either nothing but love … or, ‘Kaboom!’ ” said Brooke White, who got a bit of both from Cowell during her run into the top five on season seven, the last go-round with the original judging triumvirate of Simon, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. “I mean, he said I was like a hamburger with no meat one time!”

TMZ reports that negotiations with Simon Cowell literally went down to the wire,

As Simon drove to the TCA in Pasadena, final negotiations hit a wall. Lawyers for both sides had a serious disagreement over one of the terms. As Simon was pulling up, he was on the phone and on the verge of aborting the announcement and driving away — the ultimate game of brinkmanship.

Someone blinked … because lawyers came to terms and Simon rolled out of his Rolls and into TV history.

Gossip columnist Courtney Hazlett’s sources tell her Paula Abdul has had conversations with Simon, but no agreement yet:

A source close to Abdul said that she has not come to any agreement with Cowell at this point, but she’s had some conversations about teaming up with him.

“Paula had no hard feelings toward Simon when she left (“American Idol”). There have been conversations about her future. Paula’s considered many opportunities, and is waiting for the right one to come along,” said the source.

Time’s TV critic, James Poniewozik, weighs in on the Cowell matter,

“Will Idol be as enjoyable without Cowell? I’m guessing not. Fox must know that, as reports indicate it basically threw bars of gold at Cowell to get him to stay. But it did the next best thing—ensuring that, should X-Factor kill Idol, or vice versa, Fox will own the winner either way.”

  • CNN International “Idol vs X Factor”
  • The New York Times asks the media experts HERE.
  • PopEater explores all the possible X Factor/Idol scenarios HERE.
  • MTV asks the “Idol Experts what they think HERE. (Heh!)
  • The Washington Post TV Critic, Lisa Morales, summarizes Simon’s announcement in her typically amusing way HERE.
  • MTV asks, “Who Should Replace Simon Cowell?” HERE.   Ryan Seacrest, Ellen Degeneres and others congratulate Simon HERE.
  • Fox 411 summarizes the Paula Abdul/X Factor situation HERE.
  • The Top 5 reasons you’ll miss Simon Cowell HERE.

Idol Appearances for the Week of 1/4/09 through 1/10/09

Published on 01/04/2010 in American Idol. 26 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Idol appearances for the coming week–if I’m missing something, let me know and I’ll add it to the list.

Katharine McPhee’s new album, Broken, is dropping on Tuesday, and she’ll be appearing on The Tonight Show, Live With Regis and Kelly and The Today Show to promote it.

Plus, David Cook’s episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will air on ABC this Sunday…

For more information, and Idol Tour News, check out the Appearances page HERE.

Oh, and don’t forget! You can continue to relive American Idol, Season 8 on the Fox Reality Channel.   Check out the schedule HERE.

Schedule after the JUMP…

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Idol Headlines for 12/31/09

Published on 12/31/2009 in American Idol and Headlines. 183 Comments

Fox Nixes Arbitration in TWC Retrans Fight

The Fox/Time Warner carriage dispute will not go to a binding arbitration before the FCC.

TWC chairman and CEO Glenn Britt and News Corp. president Chase Carey each sent letters Wednesday to Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communication, Technology and the Internet.

First, Britt agreed to the arbitration suggested by Kerry in his Dec 22 letter to the two media executives that urged them to find a way to keep Fox on TWC beyond Jan.1. But several hours later, Carey sent his own letter to Kerry, declining to participate in arbitration proceedings.

Despite the verbal salvos, the two sides continue to negotiate in Los Angeles, with TWC’s team led by exec vp and chief programming officer Melinda Witmer and News Corp.’s group headed by Mike Hopkins, president of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox Cable Networks.

However, the companies remain far apart as News Corp. is said to be holding firm to its demand for $1 per subscriber per month fee, while TWC’s counter offers are believed to be under 50 cents.

Mediaweek.com

‘American Idol’: Happy Anniversary, Gina Glocksen

One year ago today “American Idol” season six finalist Gina Glocksen married long-time boyfriend Joe Ruzicka.

With fellow “Idol” finalists Jordin Sparks and Haley Scarnato as bridesmaids, Gina Glocksen married Joe Ruzicka in Chicago on New Year’s Eve 2008. Her wedding invitations were a gift from one of her “Idol” fans.

More notably, Joe proposed to Gina live on-stage in front of thousands of screaming fans during the “American Idol” season six tour stop on Aug. 7, 2007 in the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Watch below.

Zap2it.com

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The Idols Busy New Years Lineup

Published on 12/29/2009 in American Idol. 46 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

The Idols are keeping busy over the New Years holiday, with various TV appearances and live appearances.

On New Years Eve, Adam Lambert will perform a 40 minute set at the New Year at the Gridlock party, at the Paramount lot in LA.   Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta perform on FOX’s   Billboard’s New Years Eve Live show in Las Vegas, and in New York City, Daughtry rings in the new year, performing 4 songs in Times Square.

Plus, David Archuleta performs at the Sun Halftime Bowl, and Matt Giraud sings the National Anthem and performs two songs–”Let’s Get it On” and a tune from the movie Top Gun–at halftime at the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game.

David Cook performs at the Penchanga resort in San Diego and it’s New Year’s Howlin Eve with   Bucky Covington in Winston-Salem, NC.

On New Year’s Day, Jason Castro rides in the FOX 4 float in the Comerica New Years Day parade.

For more information, check out the Idol’s full schedule for the next few days, after the JUMP…

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Idol Headlines for 12/29/09

Published on 12/29/2009 in American Idol and Headlines. 281 Comments

Kanye West Vs. Taylor Swift And More Great Feuds Of 2009

Adam Lambert vs. ABC
After Adam Lambert hit the American Music Awards stage for an over-the-top performance of “For Your Entertainment,” ABC was anything but entertained. The “American Idol” runner-up didn’t feel the need to apologize for his risqu performance, and ABC canceled several of his planned appearances on the channel. When he did eventually make it back on the network, he wasn’t allowed to go live: His “View” appearance was pre-taped.

MTV

Kris Allen, Mark Hoppus, Ke$ha, Owl City Reveal Their 2009 Favorites

Kris Allen

Artists of the Year: “He’s not really an artist, but I’m gonna say Tiger Woods. Or Seacrest. As for the ladies, it’s gotta be Taylor Swift. If it wasn’t her, I don’t think anyone else is close.”

MTV

Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade 2010

New Years Day kicks off in a Big D way with the 2010 Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade in downtown Dallas. More than 100,000 are expected to watch the annual festival of music, floats and fun.

* Eli Young Band Serves as Parade Grand Marshal
* “American Idol” Jason Castro Will Ride on FOX 4 Float
* World-Famous Kilgore Rangerettes, Ole Miss and OSU Marching Bands Perform
* FOX 4 to Air Parade Telecast Twice and Provide Live Streaming on myfoxdfw.com

FOX 4 will televise the Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade live on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. FOX 4 News anchors Steve Eagar and Heather Hays anchor live coverage. A 90-minute parade replay will air on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at 8 a.m. Live Internet streaming of the parade opening ceremonies will begin at 2 p.m. Friday and continue through the end of the parade.

My FOX

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Idol Headlines for 12/28/09

Published on 12/28/2009 in American Idol and Headlines. 486 Comments

2009 In 60 Seconds: Relive Lady Gaga’s Breakout, ‘New Moon’ Fever, More

At least that’s how MTV News’ Jim Cantiello sees things, and he should know, because he spent the year summing up just about every major event ‘” from the inauguration to “American Idol” and the VMAs ‘” in, you guessed it, 60 seconds or less.

On TV, “Project Runway” crashed, and Jay Leno dropped an atomic bomb on prime time when his five-nights-a-week talker sizzled for a few days and then flopped faster than an “American Pie” sequel. But the big news, of course, was “American Idol,” where new judge Kara DioGuardi didn’t totally ruin the show (but didn’t really add anything either) and sometimes made it run way over schedule. The soft-spoken kid from Arkansas, Kris Allen, won out over season-long favorite Adam Lambert, the flamboyant crooner who has since announced the obvious (he’s gay), shocked middle America at the AMAs (think men on leashes, man-on-man kissing) and beat his rival on the Billboard charts. Oh, and loopy judge Paula Abdul left the show, announcing her departure on ‘” wait for it ‘” Twitter, of course.

MTV.com

Fans ready to see Simon Cowell go

Simon Cowell is leaving “American Idol” — but does anyone really care?

Although Cowell’s departure comes at a critical time for the show — “American Idol” has been steadily losing viewers since it hit its peak in the first weeks of Season 6 in January 2007 — the news, oddly enough, has barely caused a ripple in the online “Idol” universe.

NY Post

Kelly Clarkson tops Christmas week Idol airplay

With holiday music in full swing and radio stations not really making decisions about which songs to add and which songs to drop until next week, there’s not much to read into this week’s American Idol airplay chart. Kelly Clarkson’s Already Gone remains an easy Number One, with nearly triple the airplay of the Number Two song, Kris Allen’s Live Like We’re Dying. (Kelly, by the way, says she recorded a version of I’ll Be Home for Christmas as a present for her mother and she hopes to post it for her fans sometime.) This week, we’ll let the Mediabase airplay numbers speak for themselves.

USA Today

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Melinda Doolittle – Jingle Bells – VIDEO

Published on 12/24/2009 in American Idol and Melinda Doolittle. 14 Comments Tags: .

Merry Christmas from Melinda Doolittle and friends! Hee.

Melinda Doolittle – Boston Tree Lighting Ceremony – VIDEO

Published on 12/04/2009 in American Idol and Melinda Doolittle. 7 Comments Tags: .

Melinda Doolittle performed at last night’s (Dec. 3) tree lighting ceremony in downtown Boston.

Luckily, the weather cooperated–it was unseasonably mild here in Beantown yesterday–allowing Melinda to deliver an awesome performance of “It’s Your Love” from her retro-cool album, Coming Back to You and “O Holy Night.”

Watch the performance after the jump. Notice the DJ introducing Melinda calls her “Melissa Doolittle” Seriously?

Video after the JUMP…

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Idol Headlines For 12/04/09

Published on 12/04/2009 in American Idol and Headlines. 341 Comments

Lambert comes home — bearing gift

Clad in black and sporting a major ring on each hand, the Mt. Carmel High graduate said a happy goodbye to his Hard Rock donation, which featured the leather vest, jeans and homemade platform boots he wore during his performance with KISS in the ‘American Idol’  finale in May.

‘It’s obviously quite an honor,’  Lambert said of joining a collection that includes items from Madonna, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles. ‘I’m a new kid on the block, so I’m just excited to be asked.’ 

Sign On San Diego

Celebrating the ‘Season of Giving,’ 26th Annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade Broadcasts from Both Coasts, Airing on ABC-TV December 25

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. and ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ — ‘Tis the season to be merry at Disney Parks, when the 26th annual “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade,” featuring award-winning musical talent and iconic stars performing in this year’s television special, airs December 25 on ABC-TV.

This year’s show promises to dazzle viewers with must-see performances by Celine Dion and Stevie Wonder. Pop sensations the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato spread joy to all as enchanting sounds from world-renowned musical artist Yanni and his Yanni Voices echo through the park. “American Idol” Season 8 winner, Kris Allen, will perform and “Wizards of Waverly Place” star Selena Gomez will make a special appearance in the annual telecast.

PR Newswire

Simon Cowell reveals the most embarrassing moment of his decade (and it’s not what you’d think)

I had the pleasure of chatting with Simon Cowell for EW’s Best of the Decade issue, since we name him one of our 15 Entertainers of the Decade. We talked about several of his highlights and low points from the last ten years, including why he tried to get out of American Idol at the last minute and the worst decision he made since the dawn of the new millennium. Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

Entertainment Weekly

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Idol Headlines For 12/02/09

Published on 12/02/2009 in American Idol and Headlines. 198 Comments

Simon Cowell Gambling on Internet Vegas Talent Show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British TV and record producer Simon Cowell, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in British and U.S. show business, is planning to bring his “The X Factor” talent show to Las Vegas in a global pay-per-view Internet venture.

Cowell, 50, best-known as the acerbic judge on America’s top-rated TV singing contest “American Idol”, told the British version of GQ magazine he had partnered with British retail billionaire Sir Philip Green on the new “X-Factor”.

The pair said they are in negotiations with the chief executive of a major hotel-casino venue in Las Vegas to find a permanent home for a new version of the show.

ABCNews

Simon Cowell: Ellen DeGeneres ‘Nervous’ About ‘Idol’

“It’s her story… so you hear it all in her words,” Cowell says via Skype. “It’s fascinating seeing it through her eyes.”

The “American Idol” judge calls Boyle a “great underdog story… it’s like a Hollywood movie. You couldn’t have written this script better.”

Cowell also dishes about Ellen DeGeneres joining “American Idol” this January.

“She’s going to be very different than Paula,” he says. “I think she’s probably quite nervous… She’s smart, but make no mistakes: this will be a very different kind of show than what you’re used to.”

So will DeGeneres sit next to Cowell at the judges’ table?

“Obviously, everyone wants to sit next to me,” Cowell jokes. “I am thinking about pulling names out of a hat!”

Extra

American Idol Finalists Hit The Road With Their Holiday Concert Tour, Launches 12/2

“American Idol” finalists Michael Sarver (Season 8), Alexis Grace (Season 8) David Hernandez (Season 7) and Gina Glocksen (Season 6) will be entertaining the masses once again as they embark on a Holiday Tour, which launches December 2, 2009 in Lakeland, FL and will make stops in 12 cities across the U.S!

The American Stars in Concert for the Holidays tour will feature a combination of four of the top twelve finalists from Seasons 1 through 8 who will take to the stage for an exciting night of solo, duet and ensemble performances. This production will be a great way to see and hear the Idols up close and personal, in an intimate theatrical setting. Audiences will get a chance to relive their favorite former Idol moments as these talented artists perform an array of holiday favorites.

Broadway World

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