The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite |  |
- Allison Iraheta on Thursday’s Idol
- Elliott Yamin Gives Back Again
- Disqualified contestant Chris Golightly shopping autobiography
- Weekend wrap: Death threats, peeved parents
- Producer Steve Lillywhite speaks about his campaign to be ‘Idol’ judge
| Allison Iraheta on Thursday’s Idol Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:01 AM PST Season 8 American Idol finalist and fan favorite Allison Iraheta returns to the Idol stage to perform her new hit single, Scars, on the first American Idol results show of the season Thursday, Feb. 25 8/7c on FOX. Scars was written by Toby Gad and Alyssa James, and produced by Gad. A devoted American Idol fan since the shows debut, Los Angeles native Allison turned her childhood dream into reality when she became one of the final four contestants of Season 8. The 17-year-old singer impressed the American Idol judges and viewers with performances that reached well beyond her years. Her debut album, Just Like You on 19 Recordings/Jive Records, was released December 1 and features her first single Friday Ill Be Over U, penned and produced by Swedish hit-maker Max Martin. Also included on the album is No One Else, which was co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells and P!nk. This week, the Top 24 will be split into two groups 12 females and 12 males and each contestant will perform a Top 10 hit from the Hot 100 chart. The fate of these 24 semifinalists one of whom will be the next American Idol now rests in the viewers hands. See what happens when the competition heats up and contestants shine during the seasons first performance shows. The 12 female semifinalists will perform Tuesday, Feb. 23 8/7c, and the 12 male semifinalists will perform Wednesday, Feb. 24 8/7… read more
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| Elliott Yamin Gives Back Again Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:01 AM PST Season 5 finalist ElliottYamin and American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi are currently in Africa for Idol Gives Back and working with Malaria No More to raise awareness for malaria prevention. Elliott has been updating the world about his trip via his Twitter account: Feb 17th – Kara and I Just boarded our flight baby!!….headin back 2 Angola!!…can u believe it?!?! http://tweetphoto.com/11699526 Feb 18th – Just got to my room in Angola!!!….wow!..cant believe i’m back here!…a lot has changed!..new constuction, infastructure,etc!.so fortunate! Feb 19th – 2day was 1 of the longest most productive days of my life!..handed out malaria bednets to kids at the st isabel orphanage in luanda! met w government officials and ngo’s in angola..got to see sister domingues again…did an interview on angolan news… no update on baby elliott yet…but i cant wait 4 yall to c the footage on the idol gives back show on 4/21!!..phn isnt workin here : ( Although the official Idol Gives Back is April 21, American Idol will kick off Idol Gives Back for Haiti this Thursday when <a href="http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_8/kris_… read more
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| Disqualified contestant Chris Golightly shopping autobiography Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:01 AM PST There's one thing we can say for certain about disqualified Top 24 contender Chris Golightly: He does not plan to go lightly or gently into the night. Ever since his surprise ouster was revealed, bringing with it a shower of attention (albeit not for the most favorable reasons), the Orange County native who grew up in foster care has been pleading his case to all who will listen. Now comes word that Golightly is shopping his life story in book form. The proposed title: "Orphan."
"Chris was approached by several writers after his heartwarming audition on 'American Idol,' but due to his commitment to 'A.I.,' Chris turned them down," writes Golightly's friend Thomas Barber, who authored a one-page synopsis describing a life of tragedy, abuse and suicidal thoughts. It reads, in part: Born into an abusive home, Chris and his sisters were taken by authorities and removed permanently from their parents' custody when Chris was only 18 months old. The journey that follows takes Chris into the nightmarish homes of abusive foster parents, into corrupt orphanages and boys homes, and ultimately into the loving hands of God. Most people only see in movies the horrors Chris has lived through. Horrors like being locked in a small trunk for hours on end; so long that Chris had to drink his own urine for sustenance. Being woken in the middle of the night by orphanage staff members and forced to fight other orphans while the staff placed bets on who would win. Chris endured countless beatings and broken limbs, and luckily, the only attempt Chris made at suicide, he failed. Blessed with a wonderful gift, the only escape Chris had was his voice. And Chris sang. He sang through pain, he sang through tears, he sang through the tragic existence that had become his life. Chris sang so beautifully that he often moved his torturers to compassion. And most importantly, Chris' singing helped uplift and motivate other orphans to survive their own personal nightmares. The proposal also promises "copies of the official documents that prove Chris should not have been disqualified from 'American Idol.' " It goes on to say " 'American Idol' is simply the latest heartbreaking event in the fascinating and gut-wrenching life story of Chris Golightly." What do you guys make of Golightly-gate? An "'Idol' insider" tells the New York Post Golightly was disqualified "because of a lack of veracity," meaning he didn't disclose having had a prior deal. Still, should he get a second chance? – Shirley Halperin Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter Photo: Scott MacIntyre talks to "American Idol Extra" host Jillian Reynolds. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox Reality Channel
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| Weekend wrap: Death threats, peeved parents Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:01 AM PST What do you mean you weren't glued to the "American Idol" news all weekend long? (Don't tell us you were too busy watching Olympic ice dancing.) Well, no matter. To catch you up as you embark on your week, here's the latest: Fantasia death threats? Fantasia Barrino, who is performing here in Los Angeles in "The Color Purple" at the Pantages Theater, is reportedly on "self-imposed lockdown" after receiving a highly disturbing letter from someone claiming to have been a Fox security guard during her winning Season 3 stint on "Idol." TMZ broke the news Saturday, reporting that, according to Fantasia's manager, the note included "racial slurs — including the N-word" and the creepy assertion that the singer should "go back where you came from and die." Security surrounding her has been increased and Los Angeles police are on the case, but Fantasia says the show will go on, telling TMZ, "I will not be defeated by one isolated person's hatred."
Tweets 'n' things: Those of you who were hopeful that you'd get some serious insights straight from the contestants' mouths, now that "American Idol" is allowing them to post their thoughts on official Twitter and Facebook pages, may be disappointed to see how ridiculously generic the initial posts have turned out to be. Posting at pretty much exactly the same time, all 24 contestants have uniformly gushed about their excitement at having made the cut and how thrilled they are to be rehearsing. Dreadlocked hopeful Crystal Bowersox did offer a post about hair care — "let me just clear one thing up. I rinse, repeat. Just like normal hair. I just don't have to fuss with styling it" — and then a mention of her baby, which for the moment stands as the most revealing post yet. Not that that's kept tattooed dad Andrew Garcia from raking in a flood of followers: With 7,661 as of early Monday morning, he's way, way ahead of all the others. No one else has even broken through 2,000. Lambert watch: Adam Lambert is getting a good deal of attention for telling a Long Island, N.Y., radio station on Thursday morning that he had recently kissed Tik Tok singer Ke$ha. "She's really pretty and we were laughing and we just started kissing," Lambert said, adding that it was "pretty innocent" and not "too dirty." Personally, I'd prefer to contemplate this deep thought Lambert posted on Twitter last night: "When ordering off a menu, why do we say 'I'll have THE chicken pomodoro' Why the THE? Why don't we say 'I'll have chicken pomodoro'?" Whoa, right? – Amy Reiter Photo: Todrick Hall. Credit: Patrick Ecclestein / Fox
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| Producer Steve Lillywhite speaks about his campaign to be ‘Idol’ judge Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:01 AM PST
For one thing, the clip wasn't intended for mass viewing; Lillywhite submitted it directly to 19 Entertainment, then a friend uploaded it to YouTube. ("I didn't say don't do it," he recalls with a self-deprecating chuckle.) In fact, Lillywhite couldn't be more serious. And though he demurs that he "doesn't have a chance in hell" of getting the gig, he made his case to Idol Tracker. Read on for our informal job interview and tell us: Should Lillywhite be in the running? Reaction to the video seems to be divided, with some thinking it was maybe a joke… It's not a joke. It's born out of the reality of the world at the moment, out of the fact that I know what I'm doing and that I can help really refresh the brand. I feel I can do it and that I'm qualified, which is why I'm serious about it. Why make a video campaign rather than contacting Simon Fuller or someone at 19 directly with a formal pitch? We did that as well. The video was cut and sent to 19, then somebody put it up on YouTube. So it wasn't meant to be publicly distributed? No. I didn't mind that someone did it. I tweeted that I was making the video, then I sent it to a friend who put it up. I didn't say, "Don't do it," but in a funny way, I sometimes forget who I am and think no one's really going to be interested, and then the next thing I know, Simon Cowell is doing a press conference asking whether or not I'm handsome! I would recommend that anyone check out the video and tell me. Otherwise, I'll just go back to producing records. You have a proven track record in the rock arena, but "Idol" is very much about pop music, wouldn't you agree? Look, I've worked with Jason Mraz, Matchbox Twenty and Peter Gabriel, but the thing is, if you like good music, you like good music. And what's pop? It's popular music. Look at U2, they're popular, I get popular music. And there's no reason why someone with my particular talents couldn't bring a nice new angle to "American Idol." I'm not Simon Cowell; I'm my own person and I've got a long history of making great records. You haven't had any discussions casual or otherwise with Cowell? No, I met Simon Cowell briefly in the early '80s when he was an A&R guy at Sony Records in London, and I was producing bands like Simple Minds, Big Country and U2. What was your impression of him then? He was doing his thing, and he's done an amazing job. I think whoever replaces him on "Idol" has a very difficult job to make sure the brand is still as vital as it's always been. Simon is a very intelligent guy, and the fact is, "American Idol" is a great brand, and I think I can freshen it up. Are you a big fan of the show? I love the show. It brings people together and there are some great talented singers that have come out of it, but I'll bet there are a lot of slightly different talents that will probably go by the wayside. So I'd like to make it a bit more interesting. I don't base my opinion on whether someone can sing in tune or not. And there's the question of could you find the next Bob Dylan or Neil Young on "American Idol"? It's a weak point in the show, and if there was anyone with those sorts of talents, I would be able to recognize it. But Dylan and Neil Young are songwriters, and every industry person we've spoken to about working on post-"Idol" albums pretty much discourages a winner from trying to write their own material… When people say to me, "Steve, what's the first thing that attracts you to a project?" It's not the songs. For me, it's the voice. You can hear a song five times and not get it, and then you hear it for the sixth time and go "… I love that song!" For me, I can hear the voice once and think, "Yes, that's a great voice." I feel like I have that talent because my first job as a record producer is to hunt down a great voice. And of course, along with that voice, there's a whole load of other things to check off. But ask anyone, it's always the voice for me, which is why I feel that I can be a good judge on the show. Is there an Idol whose career has impressed you? Kelly Clarkson is a wonderful example of someone who has gone through a journey. With my art, I always try and instill the sense of the journey. I'll tell the artist, even after I've finished working with them, "Take your fans on this journey, feel like it's a journey, don't feel like you ever get to the destination, because you never do." I've learned a lot of that from U2. And also the Beatles, because when I was growing up, you were going, "Oh my goodness, what's the new Beatles album going to be like?" I love the mystery, I love the excitement of the music business, it's not just about, does this person sing in tune? There are a lot more wonderful things that can be discovered with an artist. Which album of yours best qualifies you for the job? Possibly my work with Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty, they had great pop sensibilities. Certainly Bono is one of the greatest singers and any record I've made with U2 is pop music. Jared Leto is another great star who's a pop singer. In terms of comparisons to Daughtry, we're not talking about something that's very far away, I think that as a judge, I can really cover a lot of the ground. Who would be on your guest mentor wish-list? Any number of great artists I've worked with, like Dave Matthews could be fantastic, Rob Thomas would be very funny, Jason Mraz…. Of course I'd have to ask if they were interested. Are you looking to transition away from producing, or this is more like something you could do for five months out of the year? It's a journey. If I manage to get the job, I would put my all into it, like I put my all into everything I do. I have a great enthusiasm for my job as a producer, but the fact is, is I can't produce back-to-back records anymore because I feel like a boxer who needs more rest time between fights as he gets older. Because I always want to retain that wonderful enthusiasm that I had on my first day, but that means having the time in between to look for other things. So what do you think your chances are? I don't think I have a chance in hell, but if Fuller decides he wants a Brit, he can do Piers Morgan again, or Lillywhite. It's like this: If you don't aim for the stars you don't know whether you can get there. Lillywhite hosts his own Internet radio show on which he will undoubtedly discuss his new-found fame as an "Idol" contender. Tune in at www.eastvillageradio.com. – Shirley Halperin Folllow @IdolTracker on Twitter
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