Do you remember Paris Bennett from American Idol? Yeah, neither do we.
Well, the 19 year old was apparently a quick favorite - and a quick send home - in season five (2006). She released her debut album Princess P in 2007.
Now she’s expecting her first child. Her mom says the father doesn’t want to be in the public eye, but Paris has a ring and is planning to have a baby shower in August.
Congrats!
American Idol runner up David Archuleta arrived at the world premiere of Disney-Pixar’s film ‘Wall-E’ which was held at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on Friday. In other Archie news, the 17-year old singer will be hitting the American Idols Live Tour this summer and he’s got his dad tagging along with him. Jeff will be on the tour bus with his son and the other 5 guys. Fellow American Idol alum Carly Smithson recently asked Michael Johns if anyone on the guys’ bus snores. Michael looked at David before saying “Only your dad!”. The AI tour will kick off on July 1 in Glendale, Arizona.
Check out a barefooted singer as she rode a roller coaster. It’s a smart move if you don’t want to lose them while on the ride. American Idol champ Jordin Sparks was spotted as she enjoyed a well-deserved day off as she hit up the roller coasters and water rides at Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland last Friday. In other Jordin news, the season 6 champ will join season 5 runner up Katharine McPhee in celebration of the country’s 232nd birthday by performing on NBC’s Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular which is a live one-hour special that will air on Friday, July 4 at 9PM ET/PT.
American Idol contestant David Cook had a very special guest in the audience on the performance show last night. His brother Adam, who is battling brain cancer, traveled all the way from Indiana to lend his support. Adam had a nurse and a doctor with him on standby. He is also said to be at tonight’s elimination show. If you remember, David was recently hospitalized due to his blood pressure because of the stress of thinking about his brother’s health. He’s sure to get some sympathy votes with this story. But in any case, David is a great performer anyway and gets lots of votes every week. I just wish his brother will end up ok.
Kelly Clarkson recently talked about having four of her unfinished songs leaking onto the internet saying that it “sucks”. The four songs – ‘Close Your Eyes’, ‘Ready’, ‘One Day’ and ‘With a Little Bit of Luck’ – all have varying sound quality which indicates that they’re unfinished and at different stages of the recording process. Of the leaks, Kelly says “I write all the time - lots of stuff not meant to ever be released, just working on ideas. The fact that people have heard music that’s not ready yet sucks, but I hope they like it!” For the sake of her career, I hope a lot of people like it too.
We may have a reason as to what triggered the medical emergency with David Cook earlier this week. David was taken to the hospital after his heart began palpitating and his blood pressure rose. He has high blood pressure to begin with but was then put under tremendous stress because his brother has been ill. It’s being said that David’s brother, who has cancer, suffered a setback last week and it has really put David on the ropes. It’s also being said that this is not the first time this happened. David has been stressed during the entire season and even broke down once saying he couldn’t perform but changed his mind at the last minute.
American Idol alum Katharine McPhee is the new spokeswoman for Neutrogena. What a great career move for her – or at least a great help for what little career she has left. Sources close to the deal say that Kat walked away with half a million bucks to her name. Both parties have yet to confirm the deal but Kat was spotted shooting a Neutrogena commercial in LA last week. It wouldn’t take long for people to put two and two together. Kat joins some interesting company as the past faces of Neutrogena include Hayden Panettiere, Vanessa Hudgens and Mischa Barton.
Kristy Lee Cook is relieved once more. She keeps ending up in the bottom of the voting pool on American Idol, but for some reason, America isn’t quite ready to send her home.
Going home this week instead is rocker Amanda Obermeyer. Although some of the Idol judges seem to like her, and despite being the nominee on votefortheworst.com, she couldn’t hang around another week.
My guess is that she’ll have a deal before the end of the week. We’ll hear about her again soon!
It seems that American Idol reject David Hernandez has no problems in milking the publicity he gained from being a former male stripper. He may have gotten the boot early on in the show but the guy is still a hot commodity. Several Hollywood record execs are still dying to work with David. Apparently, the thinking is to strike while the iron is hot and release a quick single rather than wait and release a full album. Whether that is to happen or not is still up in the air. In any case, big publishing companies have already singled David H and David Archuleta early on and have already told songwriters to create songs that would suit the two.
American Idol Season 7 may have more than just David Archuleta as a ‘former star’. It seems that this so-called most talented group since the show’s inception is filled with music industry rejects as several of the contestants this year have already been given a shot at the big time and failed. The show’s rules do not exclude people who have had deals in the past. You just can’t have a current contract.
Carly Smithson has recorded for MCA but was dropped when her debut CD didn’t sell. Kristy Lee Cook also signed with Britney Spears’ production company but did not garner success either. What’s with all the rejects? It’s not like Idol guarantees success anyway. *cough*Ruben*cough*Taylor*cough*.
New photos of American Idol alum and recent record label dropout Katharine McPhee with Broadway producer husband Nick Cokas at their February 2 wedding reception at St. Viviana’s in Los Angeles have been released. New information about the wedding has come out as well. The couple had a special candle lighting ceremony and walked down an aisle of ivory and pink rose petals. It was first reported that Kellie Pickler was a guest but she also happened to be a bridesmaid. 43-year old Nick serenaded Kat with his rendition of Billy Joel’s ‘She’s Got a Way’ while 23-year old Kat sang her version of Natalie Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’.
Here is American Idol alum Clay Aiken as Sir Robin in Monty Python’s ‘Spamlot’. The 29-year old will hit the Broadway stage for the first time on January 18th, Friday. Director Mike Nichols recently spoke about Clay’s performance and raved about the singer turned Broadway actor. He said that “Clay is amazing, beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People are going to be surprised by his wide-ranging talent, since the first impression is of great country charm and a singer to remember. This guy is not only a star; he is a lot more.”
Remember the days of couple-led variety shows? Think Donny and Marie. Well, no, they aren’t making a comeback. Get a little more recent and think…..
Sanjaya and Shyamali!
Believe it or not, we are not free from the gripping hair that is Sanjaya. He and his singing sister are currently in talks with MTV to do their own variety show called, surprisingly, The Sanjaya and Shyamali Show. The show will include a mixture of singing, dancing, and comedy. Oh, and don’t forget hairstyling tips!
Besides the television show, those few people who actually liked Sanjaya for his singing will be thrilled to know that he is working on his first cd. He has been working with vocal coach Seth Riggs who has tutored the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Faith Hill.
After so many fashion mishaps in the past year, I almost didn’t believe my eyes when I caught site of Jennifer Hudson. Can you talk about diva? But apart from all her fashion mistakes, you can’t deny that it has been her year. The American Idol alum won several awards for her role in ‘Dreamgirls’ and she also got to ring in 2008 at the Setai Hotel in Miami Beach.
2008 promised to be just as good for the diva that is Miss Hudson. The entertainer is reportedly returning to her roots of singing by releasing her debut album. Wow! She’s already so accomplished yet she’s just now releasing an album. 2007 was definitely great for her!
It looks like there’s some blonde power behind it. Country music darlings Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift all cheer on the Nashville Predators as they defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday at Sommet Center in Nashville. I know Carrie’s a football fan having dated Tony Romo and all, but hockey?
I’m actually surprised that Kellie even knows how to watch the game and actually understand the rules of it. I’m sure she’s thinking back to her calamari comment on American Idol and saying that if she can make a waiter think she’s a calamari girl, she can make us think she’s a hockey girl too.
American Idol’s most recent champion Jordin Sparks’ debut CD is expected to come in at #2 this week, so say some industry projections. She would come in behind Alicia Keys who’s expected to dominate the charts for the entire holiday season.
Jordin’s album is expected to sell between 90,000 to 100,000 on its first week. While the numbers aren’t that bad, those projections would actually make Jordin’s album have the lowest debut for an American Idol winner – ever! Yes, it’s worse than Ruben’s. A lot of runners up sold even more than that in their first week. That has got to hurt.
Whoever said that reality TV stars and alums can’t make it big in the real world should really start eating their words now. But in the case of American Idol alums Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry, was there ever really any doubt?
The two singers won big at the 2007 American Music Awards by picking up three awards each. Carrie won for Favorite Female Country Artist, Favorite Country Album for ‘Some Hearts’ and the Audience Text-in Award for Favorite Artist just days after winning big at the Country Music Association Awards. Chris Daughtry and his band took home Breakthrough Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Contemporary Artist.
Congrats to both!
Kelly Clarkson arrived at the 9th annual Motorola anniversary party in Los Angeles on Thursday. The American Idol alum was there not as a simple guest but a performer. She performed a 12-song set which included some of her more loveable hits, namely ‘Breakaway’ and ‘Since U Been Gone’.Her performance also included some of her newer songs, which by the way, cannot be classified as hits. But honestly, I’d rather not talk about it. It honestly pains me.
But for those that still choose to believe in her, look out for her on Monday night when she performs at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
Carrie Underwood released her sophomore album on Tuesday of this week. And based on the first day sales and projections, she is headed for the top spot of the charts and could sell up to 450,000 copies in the first week of release.
If you compare those numbers to the numbers of Kelly Clarkson’s latest CD ‘My December’, Carrie clearly wins because Kelly only sold 291,000 copies in its first week and then took a nosedive. Carrie’s radio-friendly disc is expected to ‘have legs’ as music industry people say for albums with longevity.
Congratulations goes out to Carrie and a better luck next time goes to Kelly.
Carrie Underwood is already a star but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to do some promotional work. The American Idol alum was on ABC’s Good Morning America in New York City on Tuesday where she performed a three-song set. The country singer performed two songs from her new album ‘So Small’ and ‘Flat on the Floor’ and also performed and oldie-but-goodie song of hers ‘Before He Cheats’.
Earlier that day, Carrie was spotted at Virgin Megastore in Union Square as she picked up her new CD ‘Carnival Ride’. What? She couldn’t get one for free?
It seems like she’s everywhere though because the LA Times also has an article on her.
American Idol alum Carrie Underwood is featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly for this past week. She’s on there for good reason as her 2005 album ‘Some Hearts’ is the most successful album from any Idol contestant as it sold over 6 million copies.
Along with the cover is an interview where she talks about what she thinks of those saying she’s not country, being famous and even her past relationship with NFL quarterback Tony Romo.
When people say she’s not country, she says “Okay, here’s my thing: On Top 40 stations, nobody cares that you’ll have Fergie next to 50 Cent. They’re different. Why can’t you have me next to somebody that’s more traditional country? You can call me ‘’not country’’ until your face is blue, but I sing country music.”
Fight for it honey!
Justin Guarine and Kimberley Locke are just two from countless who didn’t win the ‘American Idol’ title. But that doesn’t mean that their worlds would stop. They are charging on with their careers and doing what Tiffany does best by performing at the opening of a Texas outlet mall.
The two runners up did their best to entertain discount shoppers at the grand opening of The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso on Friday. It’s not the ground breaking at a residential development or a regional hot air balloon festival, but hey. But adding insult to injury is that Kimberley’s name was spelled wrong at one point.
At this rate, I won’t be surprised if someone like Bo Bice would be seen singing at a park.
It seems that the Idols are getting it on with the rivalries as Clay Aiken has had a falling out with fellow American Idol alum Kimberly Locke. Kimberly is quite upset about it and she’s filling everyone in on the cat fight by writing on her official site’s blog.
It seems it all stemmed from the supposed reunion tour that Ruben, Clay and Kimberly were planning. Kimberly talked with Billboard about it but the wrong things got printed and Clay read into it wrong as well.
The gist of it is, Clay is pretty much calling Kimberly a liar and Kimberly thinks that Clay is way too full of himself.
He’s been out of the spotlight of fame since American Idol ended but that doesn’t mean Sanjaya would stop chasing after it.
The American Idol alum was seen in Hollywood a few days ago when he was a guest of honor at the FOX Reality Channel Really Awards. Sanjaya and his hair walked away with the coveted Favorite Loser trophy.
Are we sure that’s an award and not an insult? One person seems to think that it’s an award when a girl was heard shouting that he was the hottest. Please tell me she’s blind or at least, at the brink of being blind.
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks has pledged to wait to have sex until she’s married. The pretty teenager, who became the youngest Idol winner in May, reveals she promised her parents she’d keep her virginity until her wedding night when she was just 13. I wish her luck, I had the same intentions. Obviously, I was tricked, sweet talked e.t.c. Honestly, I think it’s a very naive thing to do. You can’t possibly know if you’ll connect with someone on that level without a test run. And God forbid she winds up with a guy who is also a virgin. Or what if she’s stuck with someone who either doesn’t know what he’s doing or isn’t willing to take her needs into consideration. But what ever she should try and stick to her ‘best laid plans’ for as long as possible. The day she finds someone who she thinks is attractive and has some brains (note girls do look for a man who has a feminine side to him and has brains too) she should take him.
Just because you were voted out early doesn’t mean American Idol contestants don’t stand a chance in the music scene. We all have William Hung to prove that. But it seems that more cast offs are finding their way into the music scene. Sabrina Sloan and Sundance Head have been signed by Universal Records Motown. The two are set to record a whole album of cover songs.
Prepare yourselves for some yummy yet cheesy renditions of duets of way back when. But either way, at least they can actually sing. I would have easily traded these two, and ten thousand of their clones, back into the show just so one Sanjaya can be booted off.
Clay Aiken was involved in an airplane disturbance with another passenger Saturday while en route to Tulsa International Airport, a newspaper reported. Interesting how they leave out the fact that Clay Aiken was asleep, having done a concert the previous night and on his way to another concert in Tulsa. He’s 6′1″ with long legs and usually crosses one over the other. So while sleeping, his foot touched the lady’s armrest. According to witnesses, she began pushing it, then yelling at him, at which point he woke up. He did not confront her or cause any problems. The media is a joke. And what a mess there is over a foot, if it were just another passenger then it would have passed as just another funny incident. The lady would have recognized Clay and therefore must have taken it as a chance to have her name in the papers.
Former American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee is featured on the cover of the August 2007 issue of Stuff magazine. In an interview, she talks about dating older men, her new album cover, being popular among males and settling down.
The 21-year old singer’s boyfriend is actually a 42-year old Broadway actor. She says that at her age, it was a good time to explore. At the same time, she gravitated towards the older men because “They’re just wiser, and they’re less about themselves and more about you.”
Her new album cover was made into a big deal due to her provocative pose. She’s been labeled as a slut by some but she doesn’t care and defends herself by saying that it was all just suggested and not completely showing skin. And even though some are seeing her as some sort of sex symbol, she’s pretty humble about it by saying that some people thought that she was cute instead of pretty.
When asked about settling down, she’s all mature and said that she’s always wanted to have children of her own. That’s sweet.
Kelly Clarkson, who rails against a former flame in her new song “Never Again”, says she’s never been in love.
“I love my friends and family”, the Grammy-winning singer and original “American Idol” tells Elle magazine in its July issue. “But I have never said the words ‘I love you’ to anyone in a romantic relationship. Ever.”
Clarkson, 25, doesn’t take romance lightly.
“I am very old-school, conservative in my thinking when it comes to relationships”, she says. “Love is something you work at. It doesn’t come easily. There are going to be bad days. You are going to have to work at loving someone when they are being an idiot.”
She adds: “People think they’re just going to meet the perfect guy. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Marriage and motherhood aren’t in the cards for Clarkson — not right now, anyway.
“My point of view is that I shouldn’t be a mother at all, because I’d be horrible”, she says. “I’m not willing to be that selfless.”
Her comments speak to the singer’s frankness, which makes Clarkson stand out from many of today’s publicist-protected pop stars. In recent weeks, Clarkson has made headlines for saying the media is exaggerating reports that she and music mogul Clive Davis clashed over her upcoming CD, “My December”, to be released by RCA Records, a unit of Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
It’s a sensitive subject.
“I’ve sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. Because I’m 25 and a woman”, she says.
“I am a good singer, so I can’t possibly be a good writer”, she continues. “Women can’t possibly be good at two things. I haven’t lost my temper about it. It only drives me more. If your thing is to bring me down, cool. I’ll just work harder.”
The so-called Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne pulled out from performing at the American Idol finale after he was told that he would be sharing the stage with everybody’s favorite idol Sanjaya. Do note the sarcasm. He actually referred to Sanjaya as “a hairstyle-challenged idiot”.
So no, he didn’t go on stage because producers feared his behavior. He actually told Details magazine that he doesn’t get loaded before getting on stage… it’s after that you have to worry about.
If he had performed, I’d fear that he might go back on that just so he would be rid of Sanjaya’s image and see nothing but a blur of fur.