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- Song Choices from Hollywood – Night 1
- Fantasia’s final ‘Color Purple’ bow starts tonight
- Catching up with Danny Gokey
- Parents Television Council demands Fox put Stern-’American Idol’ rumors to rest
- Kara DioGuardi defends Ellen, addresses Simon rumors
- David Foster on ‘Idol’s’ past (Paula), present (Ellen) and (Simon-less) future
- Allison Iraheta answers your Twitter questions!
- The first scandal of Season 9: ‘Idol’ dumps Coke for Vitaminwater?
- Ann Powers: Less Ellen, more guitars
- Hollywood Week Day 1: sudden death
- dannygokey: I just took off my shirt 2 go 2 sleep & found lint in my belly-button. Dang-it!! That’s a sure sign that I need 2 start losing weight
- dannygokey: At the airport watching an Ike & Tina Turner movie. I don’t understand why a "man" would beat on his woman, but why do women stay with them
| Song Choices from Hollywood – Night 1 Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST During the first round of Hollywood auditions, contestants were allowed to sing a song of their choice. They could sing that song a capella or with an instrument. There were many classics and new hits performed at the Kodak Theatre. Here are the song choices from Hollywood Night 1: Title: Honest Mistake Title: On The Wing Title: For Once In My Life Title: Aint Too Proud To Beg Title: Straight Up Title: Your Rocky Spine Title: New Slang Title: No Rain Title: What Hurts The Most
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| Fantasia’s final ‘Color Purple’ bow starts tonight Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST In an encore performance as Miss Celie in "The Color Purple," American Idol Fantasia Barrino kicks off the first of an 18-night run at the Pantages on Wednesday. Maybe for the month of February, they should just rename the theater the Fantages! Or not. But in all seriousness, because this play is about as teary as Broadway gets, check out the fabulous interview fellow "Idol" Tracker Maria Elena Fernandez did with the Season 3 winner over at Culture Monster. And here's Fantasia on "Oprah" in 2007 performing the song "I'm Here" from "The Color Purple": – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST
Season 8 third-place finisher Danny Gokey has been busy making the country radio rounds in advance of his major label debut, "My Best Days" (due out March 2 on 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville). He's also about to head out on the road as the opener for Sugarland! So before things get totally nuts, the Milwaukee native, who recently moved to Nashville to be closer to his late wife's family, made some time for us. Who do you think would make good mentors this season? Carrie Underwood would be great because she was there, so she knows what it's like. I Can the show go on without Simon Cowell? I think the show has a great strategic team that really works hard Howard Stern: pro or con? A lot of people don't like him, and lot of people do, so with that controversy comes great gain. Any plans to perform on the show this season? Yes, I will be back on "American Idol." I can't give a date yet, but I'm looking forward to it big time. What about participating in "Idol Gives Back?" That seems like a no-brainer. I want to so bad! Because "My Best Days" is a pretty bold title for a single and album… And I do realize that some people might not get it and think that I'm being disrespectful to my wife, but I don't think they understand and here's how I explain it: Going through what I had to go through was not a fun situation, but the fact that something so good could come out of something so bad has given me a second chance at life — an optimism where I feel like I can breathe again. So I'm telling people that my best days are still yet ahead of me. I think that's a strong statement, because I'm not getting caught up in the past. The secret was letting go of the bad and hanging on to the good. Yeah, it's a bold statement, but sometimes you just have to do that in life; otherwise, you'll be a miserable person trapped in your past. So I know there are good things coming. I know this is what my wife wanted me to do. I know she wanted me to move on because that's what love does, and she loved me. I haven't forgotten about Sophia. I started a whole organization in her name to keep her memory alive on this Earth. Even after I die, her memory will still go on because that's how much of an influence she had on me. – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| Parents Television Council demands Fox put Stern-’American Idol’ rumors to rest Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST As for those rumors that Howard Stern is joining "American Idol," the Parents Television Council is throwing in its two cents. Big surprise: They don't like it. The conservative media watchdog group, whose self-stated goal is to "ensure that children are not constantly
The Stern-for-Cowell rumors have been fueled by the king of all media himself on his satellite radio show. In its release denouncing Stern and pleading with Fox to go on "Any Fox has neither confirmed nor – Joe Flint Photo: Howard Stern. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press
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| Kara DioGuardi defends Ellen, addresses Simon rumors Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST
"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi spoke to reporters Wednesday morning for the season's second official conference call, and reaction to Ellen DeGeneres' first night was high on people's minds, as were rumors about Simon Cowell's potential successor. When asked what Ellen brings to the show, Kara said, "A sense of humor, of course. She also knows more about music than you think she does. … I felt like she had a good handle on whether a contestant had potential [or] star quality. She knew when something was off in the vocals or in the performance, and I thought she delivered the message with guidance but also had criticism in there." But the hitmaker urged viewers to give Ellen a little more time, and to appreciate all the editing that goes into each episode. "You have to remember that we're being edited, so my experience with her in Hollywood Week is very different than what you're seeing," she said, adding: "Do I think every [judge] gets to show all sides of who they are? No … and to judge on one person's show is very difficult to do. Speaking from experience, it's something that takes time to get used to. I think she did an incredible job." When it came to Paula Abdul's absence, however, Kara didn't want to go there. "I don't want to speak about Paula's absence, because you can't compare Paula and Ellen," she said. "They're completely different, and both bring something valuable to the table." Ditto for all the chatter concerning Howard Stern. "Right now, that's a rumor," she said, "and I don't know that I can even speak on it. I don't think he has musical background, and if you're going to replace Simon [Cowell], you have to be somebody who knows about signing great artists and being a part of their career from beginning to end, like he's done with people like Leona Lewis, who he spotted early on and nurtured." And to squash another lingering piece of gossip, Kara also addressed Simon's and Ellen's alleged feud: With that in mind, Kara was noticeably excited about this year's talent pool, and she commended contestants for reinterpreting songs (like last night's "Straight Up," with a twist), taking risks and doing justice to her own compositions, like Didi Benami's choice of "Terrified" and Mary Powers' "Sober." "[Didi] showed great range," Kara said. "Is it awkward sometimes when they're singing songs you've written? Of course. But you have to be honest, and if she hadn't been great, I would've told her." The season may just be getting started, but Kara, like her fellow judge Randy Jackson, is already gunning for a girl to win. "I would love it," she added. "I think this year with music, it's the women's movement — Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha; you have these very unique women at the forefront. … Just looking at the pool of talent we have this year, it's similar to that." – Shirley Halperin Photo: Kara DioGuardi. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox
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| David Foster on ‘Idol’s’ past (Paula), present (Ellen) and (Simon-less) future Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST We ran into producer extraordinaire — and former "Idol" guest mentor — David Foster last night in Hollywood, where he was introducing Welsh chanteuse Katherine Jenkins to members of the music media. And because we'd just finished watching the inaugural Ellen DeGeneres episode, a full post-show analysis was in order. Fortunately, Foster was more than happy to oblige. Read on for some fascinating industry insight from a guy who's seen and heard it all, and check out the video below of Foster and Andrea Bocelli coaching Chris Daughtry on how to get horizontal and sing from his diaphragm. What do you think Ellen brings to the show? Like everybody else, I was a little stunned when they made that choice because it seemed out of the box. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed so perfect. The thing about Ellen is, she's positive, she's always up, everybody loves her, she's a music junkie and I think she's going to make these contestants sing better and feel better about themselves because that's what she does for people. I've been on her show; she lights up the room, and she's going to light those contestants up too. Simon doesn't make them sing better. Why do you say that? Because Simon makes them nervous. Ellen will be calming; she'll make them feel more comfortable, like Paula did. And by the way, everybody rags on Paula, but out of all the judges, she's the only person that's been where those singers are trying to go: She's had the hit record, she's had the career, she's toured. … And Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" said I should do it! The great thing about Simon is that he has a musical background. He's musically knowledgeable, and most everything he says on that show is right. It's what us professionals would like to say if we were in that position — no dancing around the truth. When he tells someone, "That was perhaps your worst performance to date," he's usually right. And I, like everybody else, tune in to see what he says. Taking Simon's place is almost a no-win because nobody is ever going to do it as good as Simon did. He's brilliant. It's like when we all produced Michael Jackson after Quincy Jones — we tried, but how do you follow "Thriller"? I think the same thing about Simon. Nobody's ever going to fill those shoes. The Howard Stern idea could be an interesting choice; it might be entertaining for a while, but I think he might be too legitimately mean. I kind of preferred it better when it was three judges. Four is a little bit cumbersome; is it possible they would just not fill the spot? If Ellen could just be all that she needs to be? Any plan to appear on the show this season, perhaps as part of "Idol Gives Back"? They call when they call. Last year, they asked Michael Bublé and I to go on and he wasn't available, so it was a no. You've been in the "Idol" studio before; describe what it's like to see the show live. I'm always shocked at how a light goes on and those young kids just sing. And they basically do great. I'm amazed, because you can't hear … on that stage. It's an awful place to perform. The monitors are never right, everything moves fast and the studio is big, so it's hard to tell in the studio whether they're actually really good or not. It's easier to tell at home, because you don't get the ambient [noise] or get swept away in the bigness of it all. – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| Allison Iraheta answers your Twitter questions! Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST Apologies for the lateness of this video, which was shot back on Jan. 28, but someone is still learning how to edit! Better late than never, right? We asked you to submit questions for season 8's Allison Iraheta — that's pronounced (Eye)-ra-heat-a, if you didn't catch our post from Monday — via the @IdolTracker Twitter, and picked the best ones for her to answer. Naturally, Allison was game. Check out her thoughts on a future Spanish album, her favorite song to perform live and whether she plans on getting her driver's license anytime soon. Kris Allen's Twitter answers coming next! Soon-ish. – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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| The first scandal of Season 9: ‘Idol’ dumps Coke for Vitaminwater? Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST
Wouldn't that be a sorry state of affairs, if our best shot at an early "American Idol" scandal were the new cups on the judges' table containing — gasp! — Vitaminwater Zero?! Now, before you get your fizzies in a twist, bear in mind that the Coca Cola Co. owns the Vitaminwater brand, and, according to the Wrap, is using "Idol" as the platform for Vitaminwater Zero's launch (even Ellen DeGeneres is shilling the zero-calorie beverage on her talk show). Once Hollywood Week is over, an insider tells the website, it'll be back to the good old red-and-white look of classic Coke, which, frankly, has better feng shui. Wouldn't you agree? – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo credit: Michael Becker / Fox
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| Ann Powers: Less Ellen, more guitars Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST Hollywood Week's big news turned out a fizzle Tuesday night — not because Ellen DeGeneres was bad, or offensive, or much of anything, as a judge, but because she seamlessly fit into the patter and often meaningless "critique" at the judges' table, the way a bottle of San Pellegrino fits in on a Beverly Hills brunch table. Quietly bubbly and refreshing enough, DeGeneres said nothing of consequence. I don't mean that as an insult, as much as a reminder that real musical critique issued from the judges' table is only the tiniest and most optional ingredient, the dish of salt on that brunch table; and although well-deployed bon mots matter more, even those don't matter much at this point. For Ellen, the test will come when the show goes live and she's thinking on her feet, interacting with the studio audience as well as the Idol strivers and her fellow experts. I do think we'll all be thankful for Ellen then. Her calm demeanor and deadpan wit have already exerted a calming influence on Randy and Kara, if not Simon (who seemed disconnected tonight), and the judges'-panel schtick that had turned into a bunch of tics last year might actually regain its rhythm. The only substantive thing Ellen said during Hollywood Week, Part One, had to do with her own unfolding path on "Idol." Answering the inevitable prod about what she knows (or doesn't) about music, she replied, "I do know what it's like to stand on a stage and try to please an entire roomful of people . . . . That is a hard thing to do." The most interesting thing about Ellen on "Idol" will be watching her balance trying to actually do that — to entertain and deeply bond with her audience, as she has in all of her other contexts — with the job requirement of observing others doing the same thing. "Idol" goes wrong when the judges upstage the contestants; this is their dream, their chance-in-a-lifetime; and even Simon, with his blinding teeth and show-defining attitude, must know when to sit back and let them take over. So the fact that there was less Ellen than I expected in this debut seems like a good thing. May she remain this cool and collected. What did factor, in abundance, during this early round was the acoustic guitar, an emblem that suggests this may be the year that "Idol" finds the next John Mayer. Or maybe the next Corinne Bailey Rae, if the poised and adorable, genre-busting teen Haeley Vaughn keeps moving forward. On the indispensable blog Rickey.org, all but one of the strivers deemed worthy of a video clip are strummers. Not one keyboard player made that cut. What's most exciting is that they vary, as much as "Idol" allows, in personal style and musical approach. There's a blues dude, the studly Casey James, and a rocker chick, the tattooed Crystal Bowersox. Nellie McKay should by flattered by the approach taken by the jazz-punkette Lilly Scott (she sang the jazz standard "Lullaby of Birdland," of all things!). And John Mayer's probably already Tweeted about Michael Lynche, the Hulk-y personal trainer who convinced on the pop-blues Casanova's "Waiting on the World to Change." (Lynche might be out, though.) My favorite strummer, though was the Inland Empire's own Andrew Garcia, who pulled a classic early front-runner's move by going sideways with a familiar pop song. Garcia went extra-cute by choosing "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, giving Ellen a chance to pay homage to the judge she replaced and Randy a chance to emit a wistful chuckle. But it wasn't just a gimmick; Garcia's delivery was light and sweet as Silk soy milk. People are comparing him to the dreaded (by me!) Danny Gokey, but that's just the specs, I hope. This guy is far more modest and connected to his own musical performance. Tonight, I"m going for him. But it's Hollywood Week. Who knows where the chips will fall? – Ann Powers
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| Hollywood Week Day 1: sudden death Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST
And there it is, “Idol” fans. Hollywood week is upon us with a new judge in the wings. Was Ellen DeGeneres’ arrival slightly anti-climactic or did she provide enough comic relief to fill the void of unintentionally funny Paula Abdul? My full Ellen analysis will come later, but in the spirit of tonight’s sudden death episode, some quick thoughts about those with true Top 12 potential, and a tearful goodbye to once promising hopefuls Maegan Wright and Maddy Curtis. Sniff. Katie Stevens: For once in our lives (or twice, if we count Jordin Sparks), here’s a 17-year-old girl-next-door who can deliver big time. Andrew Garcia: His “Straight Up” twist (see video below) was a stroke of genius on par with Kris Allen’s “Heartless,” Adam Lambert’s “Mad World” and David Cook’s “Billie Jean.” Too bad Paula wasn’t there to see it, but this is a guy who’s sure to have many more chances to impress. Janell Wheeler: “Idol” material personified, her effortless take on “American Boy” makes this beauty a no-brainer. Haeley Vaughn: This unexpected country girl was a little rough around the edges (how appropriate that she chose a Taylor Swift song!), but that’s what we like about Haeley — she’s full of surprises. Keep them coming! Mary Powers: Holding down the rock corner, this L.A. local has a Pink-like grit that’s desperately needed among the female contingent. Lilly Scott: The producers have been hiding this gem of a singer with a throwback sound (she sang Ella Fitzgerald’s “Birdland”). ”Everything about you is refreshing,” said Kara DioGuardi. We couldn’t agree more. Tim Urban: He chose David Cook’s “Come Back to Me” and totally did it justice. ‘Nuff said. Casey James: The blues man didn’t have to go shirtless this time, his stellar vocals and guitar-playing skills said it all. Didi Benami: She wowed us with “Hey Jude” during her audition, a song that Kris Allen also nailed. Now in Hollywood Week, Didi proves she’s got the the goods. Could we be looking at Kris’ successor? We’ve said it before — here’s a girl who’s undoubtedly Top 12 material. Crystal Bowersox: Her last name isn’t exactly showbiz ready, but there’s no denying those vocal chops. We saw her for only a second on Road to Hollywood week, but her inclusion in that catch-all show obviously means Crystal’s going places. Hooray!
– Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: New “Idol” judge Ellen DeGeneres. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox
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| Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST dannygokey: I just took off my shirt 2 go 2 sleep & found lint in my belly-button. Dang-it!! That’s a sure sign that I need 2 start losing weight
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| Posted: 11 Feb 2010 01:55 AM PST dannygokey: At the airport watching an Ike & Tina Turner movie. I don’t understand why a “man” would beat on his woman, but why do women stay with them
 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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