American Idol winner Kris Allen signs record deal
It’s no surprise, but American Idol winner Kris Allen has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/Jive Records.
His debut album is expected to be released in the fall.
Allen beat runner-up Adam Lambert during the finale May 20.
Although I was glad that Allen beat Lambert in the competition, I’m still not happy that Allen was named the American Idol winner.
Allen is a good singer, but I don’t think he was better than Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey or Matt Giraud.
Again, I’m not saying Allen isn’t talented. I know he’s talened.
However, in my humble opinion, I believe any of those four that I listed above would have made a better American Idol.
Tim Henley
Kara Dioguardi says Adam Lambert was not in the closet
Many people in the media, along with American Idol fans, have often speculated about American Idol runner up Adam Lambert’s sexuality.
In an interview with People magazine, Lambert declined to answer questions about his sexuality. In fact, he said he wants everyone to “keep speculating.”
However, the public might have to speculate anymore. It seems American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi might have outed him publicly.
DioGuardi appeared on “The View” this week, and Barbara Walters asked her a question about Lambert’s sexuality. ”I don’t think that Adam was ever in the closet. I think he was always openly out. I think he was. I mean, from what I’ve seen. I do. I never thought he wasn’t.”
If Lambert really was in the closet, he certainly isn’t now. DioGuardi just spilled the beans on national television without Lambert’s permission.
If Lambert wanted the whole world to know, he probably would have announced it himself during his People magazine interview.
Tim Henley
New music video: Fight For Love by Elliott Yamin
Paula Abdul was addicted to painkillers
During the past several seasons of American Idol, the viewers at home always noticed how Paula Abdul acted bizarre on the show.
It always appeared like she was under the influence of something, and she would sometimes slur her words. Rumors began circulating that she was high on drugs or something.
At the time, Paula denied those allegations. But now, she’s coming clean.
In the latest issue of Home Journal magazine, Paula reveals that she used to be addicted to painkillers. She said, “I could have killed myself. Withdrawal- it’s the worst thing.”
She said she went to rehab in California six months ago to deal with her addiction. She said “I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain, it was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been.”
Paula said she was taking painkillers to cope with various back and neck injuries she sustained during her career as a performer.
Paula created controvery a few years ago, when she appeared to be under the influence of something while she was giving a television. The clip of her odd behavior is posted below.
Tim Henley
American Idol contestant arrested for stalking Britney Spears
“American Idol” producers tend to let a lot of crazy people audition for the show.
Miranda Tozier Robbins (who auditioned for American Idol) was arrested after she was caught peeking into Britney Spears’ windows at her California home.
At the time of her arrest, Robbins was wearing camouflage clothes and she had a camera.
She was arrested on complaints of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Ironically, when Robbins auditioned for the fifth season of American Idol, she sang “Everytime” by Britney Spears.
Last year, another American Idol contestant committed suicide outside of Paula Abdul’s home.
Is Simon Cowell leaving American Idol?
American Idol judge Simon Cowell gave an interview to a London newspaper and said his hectic schedule might cause him to leave “American Idol” whenever his contract expires.
He told the Mirror, “Most people do one show a year and I do three and they involve a lot of traveling. One may have to go. I don’t know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them. I can’t imagine not doing ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and I can’t imagine not doing ‘X Factor.’ But I guess America (Idol) is more likely to go because I have got one year under contract. Maybe that will be the end.”
“I don’t want to come over as whiney because I am very grateful that I have got these jobs, But there is a point where I am not sure we can keep this schedule up. It takes longer and longer to make these shows because you have to put more into them, and I am not sure we can sustain me doing three shows a year, with the record label and the TV production company.”
In addition to being a judge on “American Idol,” Simon is also a judge on “X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent” which airs in Europe.
I’m sure Simon is a very busy guy, but I think he’s bluffing. I don’t think he will ever leave “American Idol” regardless of how busy his schedule is. It has become the ultimate cash cow for him.
Remember last year, when Paula Abdul threatened to leave “American Idol?” She quickly came to her senses and showed up to the taping of the show.
Tim Henley
Quentin Tarantino will be on American Idol
Film director Quentin Tarantino will be the guest on Tuesday’s episode of “American Idol” (April 14).
This week’s theme is Songs of Cinema, and the contestants will be sing songs that were featured in movies.
Tarantino will mentor the contestants. Tarantino directed “Pulp Fiction” “Kill Bill” and “Jackie Brown.”
He also served as a guest judge on American Idol during season three.
Tim Henley
Frankie Avalon became ill before his American Idol performance
If you watched Wednesday’s episode of American Idol, you saw singer Frankie Avalon perform his song “Venus.”
Avalon told Access Hollywood that 20 minutes before the show began, an ambulance was called for him because he started shaking.
Avalon said he got the shakes because the only thing he ate during the entire day was a bag of red candy.
Avalon regained his composure, and he performed on the show, and no one ever knew anything was wrong.
Hmmm. It sounds to me like Frankie is on that anorexic diet that Mary Kate and Ashley Olson are on. No one can survive on only one bag of red candy.
Click here for more celebrity headlines.
Tim Henley
Kellie Pickler will perform on American Idol
Country singer and “American Idol” graduate Kellie Pickler will perform on Wednesday’s episode of “American Idol.”
Pickler placed sixth on season five in 2006. She has since released two country albums.
During Tuesday’s episode, the remaining contestants will perform songs that were released during the year they were born.
Tim Henley
David Cook will return to American Idol
Sesason 7 “American Idol” winner David Cook is returning to the show next week April.
Cook will perform his latest single “Come Back To Me.” Pop singer Lady GaGa also will perform on the show that night.
The theme for American Idol next week is Top Dowloads, where contestants will perform songs that are the most downloaded.
Tim Henley
The biggest selling American Idol contestants
Which American Idol contestants sold the most albums? It should come as no surprise that orginal Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is the biggest-selling Idol musician closely followed by Carrie Underwood in second place.
The rankings are posted below.
1. Kelly Clarkson - 9.8 million (season one)
2. Carrie Underwood – 9.4 million (season four)
3. Clay Aiken – 4.8 million (season two)
4. Chris Daughtry – 4.4 million (season five)
5. Ruben Studdard – 2.4 million (season two)
6. Fantasia Barrino – 2.3 million (season three)
7. Jordin Sparks – 1.05 million (season six)
8. David Cook – 1.02 million (season seven)
9. Kellie Pickler – 990,000 (season two)
10. Josh Gracin – 780,000 (season two)
11. Bo Bice – 735,000 (season four)
12. Taylor Hicks 719,000 (season five)
13. Jennifer Hudson – 669,000 (season three)
14. David Archuleta – 665,000 (season seven)
15. Elliott Yamin – 630,000 (season five)
Clay Aiken loses record deal
Season two American Idol contestant Clay Aiken and his record company RCA Records have broken up.
According to Billboard, Aiken and the record lable went their separate ways after his latest album “On My Way There” only sold 159,000 copies since it was released in May 2008.
Aiken placed second during season two of American Idol. He lost to Ruben Studdard.
Placing second on the popular talent show doesn’t necesarily translate into success.
Justin Guarini placed second on season one, Katherine McPhee placed second on season five, Blake Lewis placed second on season six, Bo Bice placed second on season four, Taylor Hicks placed first on season five and Ruben Studdard won season two.
Yet, all of them eventually lost their record deals.
Tim Henley
Katherine McPhee to guest star on CSI: New York
American Idol season five runner-up Katherine McPhee will guest star on the hit television crime drama “CSI New York.”
She will play a singer on an episode that will air sometime in April on CBS.
Since she competed on American Idol in 2006, McPhee has had a rocky career ride.
Her self-titled debut album flopped in 2007 causing her record company RCA Records to drop her from the label.
She has since rebounded with a new record deal with Verve Records and an acting appearances on “Ugly Betty,” “The House Bunny” and “Crazy.”
Tim Henley
Carrie Underwood and Ruben Studdard speak about Chris Brown/Rihanna incident
American Idol winners Carrie Underwood and Ruben Studdard recently commented to US Weekly magazine about the Chris Brown/Rihanna fiasco.
Underwood said, “They were fine at the Grammy party. I don’t think anybody actually knows what happened. I have no advice because, thank goodness, I’ve never been in any kind of abusive situation.”
She also said, “You hear a new one (rumor) every five minutes, and some of them are getting kind of ridiculous. I really hope everyone will lay off and just let everybody who’s involved figure out everything first.”
Season 2 American Idol winner Ruben Studdard said “I’m still praying for him. Everybody always has something negative to say about everything, and I always try to be positive. You never know what’s going on in people’s personal situations.
Well duh Ruben. When you beat up your girlfriend, of course people are going to say something negative about you.
Also, it’s okay if he says a prayer for Chris Brown, but he never said he was going to say a prayer for Rihanna.
She probably needs more prayers because she was the one who was beaten.
Tim Henley
American Idol contestant disqalified from top 36
Joanna Pacitti, a top 36 American Idol contestant, has just lost her spot.
Fox Television released a statement saying Pacitti ineligible to continue on the show, but they never specified a reason.
Pacitti will be replaced by Felicia Barton from Virginia Beach.
American Idol’s David Archuleta tour dates announced
Season 7 American Idol runner-up David Archuleta is going on tour. The tour kicks off Feb. 24 in Virginia Beach.
He also will swing through Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City on March 10th.
Tickets to the Oklahoma City performance are $24. The tour concludes March 21 in Boise, Idaho.
The complete tour dates are below.
Feb. 24 Sandler PAC Virginia Beach, VA
Feb. 25 The National Richmond, VA
Feb. 26 Starland Ballroom Sayerville, NJ
Feb. 28 The Chameleon Lancaster, PA
March 1 Crocodile Rock Allentown PA
March 2 Pearl Street Northampton, MA
March 3 Infinity Clarence, NY
March 5 Newport Columbus, OH
March 6 Barrymore Madison, WI
March 7 DECC Duluth, MN
March 8 House of Blues Chicago, IL
March 10 Diamond Oklahoma City, OK
March 11 Scout Bar Beaumont, TX
March 12 Scout Bar San Antonio, TX
March 14 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, NM
March 16 The Marquee Phoenix, AZ
March 17 Glasshouse Pomona, CA
March 18 Grand Sierra Theatre Reno, NV
March 20 Civic Auditorium Idaho Falls, ID
March 21 Knitting Factory Boise, ID
American Idols David Cook and Kimberly Caldwell broke up
The American Idol romance has ended for two former contestants. David Cook and Kimberly Caldwell have broken up with each other.
Caldwell’s publicist released a statement saying, “Kimberly and David ended their relationship just before the holidays. The couple remain good friends and being very private people, appreciate their privacy at this time.”
Cook won the American Idol title last year and Caldwell placed 7th during season two.
American Idol winner Fantasia can keep her home
Season three American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino will get to keep her home. Her house was foreclosed on and placed on the auction block last month because she owed $58,000.
However, she recently struck a deal with the real estate company, and they gave the home back to her, according to TMZ. The details about the deal are unknown.
I guess now we won’t have a homeless idol. A photo of the house is posted below.
Sanjaya’s new album
When Sanjaya Malakar was a contestant on American Idol during the sixth season, no one really cared for his voice because he couldn’t sing. Instead, everyone focused on his outrageous hairstyles, and that helped him land in the top 10 during that season.
Each week people would tune in just to see how his hair would look because he changed it for each episode.
Even though he can’t carry a tune with a bucket, he’s still releasing his own album on Jan. 20 titled “The Music In My Head.” He’s also releasing a biography on that day titled “Dancing to the Music in my Head.”
The biography might be stretch because I doubt people will actually rush out and buy his book. Although no one remembers his voice, they will never forget his hair. Photos of Sanjaya’s ever-changing hairstyles are posted below.
Tim Henley
American Idol Watch
– The 8th season of American Idol will kick off Jan. 13. The 36 semi-finalists will be revealed Feb. 11, viewers will start voting Feb. 17 and the top 12 will be revealed March 5 after the wild card round.
– Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride Tour was named the top country female tour of 2008. She played 137 shows to 1. 2 million fans.
– Season 6 contestant Gina Glocksen married her high school science teacher Joe Ruzicka on New Year’s Eve.
– Since he was dropped from his record label J Records, season 5 American Idol winner Taylor Hicks has created his own label Modern Whomp Records.
– Season two contestants Ruben Studdard, Treynce and Frenchie Davis just finished their month-long run on the musical “Aint Misbehavin.” The show was performed in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
American Idol changes for season eight
When the new season of American Idol kicks off next month, there will be some noticeable changes.
An internal Fox memo listed several changes that the hospital will undergo, including:
– There will be 36 contestants during the semi-final round, instead of the usual 24.
– The original audition episodes will be reduced, and the Hollywood round episodes will increase.
– The Wild Card round will return.
– The focus on the terrible singers will be reduced.
– The Idol Gives Back episode will not air this season. Instead, it will air every two years.
I applaud the producer’s efforts to renovate the show. American Idol is entering into its eighth season, and the ratings are starting to drag, so it was essential that producers did something to make the show more interesting.
My personal favorite change is the return of the wild card round. This where contestants who were kicked off the show during previous episodes can return to audition for a chance to return to the show.
The most significant change is on the judges panel. Kara DioGuardi has been added as the fourth judge. As you can see in the photo above, it will take some getting use to seeing four judges on the panel.
Tim Henley
Paula Abdul says American Idol producers and Simon Cowell tried to ruin her career
In an interview with Barbara Walters’ XM radio show, American Idol judge Paula Abdul reveals how furious she is with the Idol producers.
Remember when Paula’s stalker committed suicide outside of Paula’s home last month? The stalker (Paula Goodspeed) auditioned for American Idol awhile back.
Paula said she warned producers not to let her on the show, but they did it anyway.
Paula said, “I said this girl is a stalker of mine and please do not let her in. She had been writing disturbing letters for 17 years, almost 18 years. We had restraining orders at times. It’s fun for them to cause me stress. This was something that would make good television.”
Paula also said the stalker sent her naked pictures of herself and said “the only way I will serve her purpose is when I’m up in heaven being her guardian angel.”
But Paula wasn’t done yet. She still had more to tell Barbara Walters.
She said, “This was an attempt by Fox Broadcasting, the producers of American Idol and Simon Cowell to ruin my career.”
She’s still wasn’t done yet. Remember how Paula always appears spaced out and crazy on the show?
Paula said, “Part of it is what people don’t realize is that Simon is in my ear while I’m talking. He says crazy things while I’m trying to formulate something with grace and dignity. He’s saying it over and over again and I start to laugh, and Ryan’s says what are you laughing at?” and it makes her look nutty.
She went on to say, “I put up with so much BS, that I’ve had to crawl on my belly and rise like a phoenix. I don’t have to dignify and stoop so low to that of what Simon say. Believe me I’ve lost a lot of money. I’ve lost endorsements, and all Simon had to do was retract what he said, but he didn’t.”
It sounds to me like the producers are slowing trying to push Paula out of the American Idol door. She is still under contract, but I don’t think she will return when her contracts expires.
Maybe that’s the reason why producers have brought in another female judge to be part of the American Idol judging panel during the upcoming season.
Kara DioGuardi will be the new judge sitting next to Paula when the new season airs next month. There will be a total of four judges now. But if Paula leaves the show, then Kara will be the lone female judge, and that’s probably how the producers would want it.
Kara is an attractive woman, but I don’t think she can hold a candle to Paula Abdul’s dynamic on the show. If Paula leaves the show, I don’t think the viewers will accept Kara because Paula is irreplaceable.
Yes, Paula might act a little crazy from time to time, but that’s what makes the show interesting.
Tim Henley
Fantasia Barrino’s house has been foreclosed
Season three American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino’s home has been foreclosed in North Carolina.
Media Take Out printed the foreclosure report, and it looks like the R&B singer’s home will be placed on the auction block.
When Fantasia won American Idol, she received a $1 million record contract.
Apparently, that $1 million didn’t last long. Fantasia’s first album was released in 2004, and it sold two million copies worldwide.
However, since then, Fantasia has had difficulty selling her music.
The economy is struggling in the U.S., and many Americans are struggling to pay their bills. I guess famous celebrities are struggling too.
Her home will be auctioned. If anyone is interested in bidding on the home, the picture is posted below.
Tim Henley
Donny and Marie Osmond’s nephew makes it on American Idol
David Osmond, the nephew of Donny and Marie, was successful at making it past the first round of auditions on American Idol.
Although the show hasn’t aired yet, the New York Post is reporting that the Osmond guy auditioned and made it through.
Michael Castro (the brother of season seven contestant Jason Castro) also made it passed the first round of auditions.
Instead of American Idol, maybe the show should now be called Nepotism Idol because now they are allowing famous offspring to be on the show.
If you come from a famous musical family, I don’t think you should be allowed on the show. That means they shouldn’t allow anyone who is part of the Osmond, Jackson, DeBarge, Houston or Partridge families.
Tim Henley
A dead body was found outside of Paula Abdul’s house
A young woman believed to be in her 30s was found dead in her vehicle right outside of American Idol judge Paula Abdul’s home in Los Angeles.
According to People magazine, the police department officials believe it was a suicide, but they have to wait for the coroner to investigate before an exact cause of death is determined.
According to TMZ, the victim’s parents called the police and told them that they’re daughter was missing and that she had a natural obsession with Paula Abdul.
TMZ is also saying that the victim auditioned for American Idol in front of Paula in 2006, but she was rejected. Click here to watch her audition, and you’ll see why she was rejected.
To be continued……
