Blake Lewis 'loves' Rosie O'Donnell - American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis admires Rosie O'Donnell for speaking her mind.
In a teleconference last Friday, Lewis, 25, of Bothell, Wash., said that he admires candor. "I love Rosie O'Donnell. She just says whatever she wants," Lewis said responding to a question about the on-air support he got from "The View" hosts O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. "I'm pretty honest and blunt and sometimes a little tactless," he said adding that's his style as well.
Lewis was asked if he thought the hit reality TV contest might be permanently more hip because of him, reports The AP.
"I can only hope that it keeps the contemporary edge," he said, according to the Associated Press.
As a side note, ABC said Friday that Rosie O'Donnell won't be back on 'The View' following her angry confrontation with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday.
Monday, May 28, 2007
A Second Idol Comes to Riverbend: Phil Stacey
Riverbend adds one more act to the lineup just a week before the festival opens.
He is American Idol contestant Phil Stacey who is also a graduate of Lee University.
He finished in sixth place.
Phil will open for "jars of Clay" on Faith and Family Night.
He is currently serving in the Navy as a Musician Third Class.. Based in Jacksonville, Florida.
He is American Idol contestant Phil Stacey who is also a graduate of Lee University.
He finished in sixth place.
Phil will open for "jars of Clay" on Faith and Family Night.
He is currently serving in the Navy as a Musician Third Class.. Based in Jacksonville, Florida.
'Idol' has always found R&B to be a hard sell
Midway through last week's "American Idol" finale, Clive Davis offered his State of the Idol address.
As the man in charge of "Idol" record-making rattled off names of past winners, runners-up, even fourth- and seventh-place finishers, he omitted one of the "Idols": Season 2's Ruben Studdard, the first African-American winner.
Each season, tens of millions of television viewers use their dialing power to catapult some wannabe singer to instant celebrity. But as Studdard and Fantasia, the other African-American winner, have learned, those votes do not translate into record sales.
Except for Taylor Hicks, last year's top vote-getter, the white winners (and runners-up) have outsold the black ones.
"'Idol' has not found its Beyonce yet, the rare, core R&B artist who crosses over and has legitimate pop success," says Jon Caramanica, music editor of Vibe magazine.
To be sure, Studdard and Fantasia have done well for themselves. They've gained entry into a world that, without "Idol," would have been inaccessible. But their success has been confined to a narrower audience than that of more successful "Idol" alums.
The disparity isn't so much an issue of race as it is genre. Studdard and Fantasia sing a throwback style of R&B, which "is in absolute free fall," says Kyle Anderson, assistant editor of Spin magazine.
It doesn't appeal to the young, MTV generation that has made "Idol" a pop juggernaut. Top 40 radio stations don't give it much airplay. And "that's a genre that has always been victimized by bootlegging," Anderson says. "You are able to get records in other places."
Last week, Jordin Sparks won this year's edition of "American Idol." A record 74 million votes were cast, the majority of them going to the bubbly 17-year-old with the big voice.
But as the third person of color to win "Idol" (her dad is African-American; her mother, white), is history any indicator of her record-sales potential?
"There are so many variables," says Keith Caulfield, an analyst with Billboard magazine. "It depends on the act, the songs they collect and how they're introduced into the market.
"Did anyone ever think that Kelly Clarkson would have a really successful first album and then completely break away from 'American Idol' and become a superstar? Come on. That's just nuts."
Anderson says it boils down to the people steering Sparks' career.
"I think the missteps of Ruben and Fantasia will play in her favor," he says. "These are rich people who didn't get rich being stupid. I think they have learned from those mistakes and may be able to package her in a way that will sell records."
As the man in charge of "Idol" record-making rattled off names of past winners, runners-up, even fourth- and seventh-place finishers, he omitted one of the "Idols": Season 2's Ruben Studdard, the first African-American winner.
Each season, tens of millions of television viewers use their dialing power to catapult some wannabe singer to instant celebrity. But as Studdard and Fantasia, the other African-American winner, have learned, those votes do not translate into record sales.
Except for Taylor Hicks, last year's top vote-getter, the white winners (and runners-up) have outsold the black ones.
"'Idol' has not found its Beyonce yet, the rare, core R&B artist who crosses over and has legitimate pop success," says Jon Caramanica, music editor of Vibe magazine.
To be sure, Studdard and Fantasia have done well for themselves. They've gained entry into a world that, without "Idol," would have been inaccessible. But their success has been confined to a narrower audience than that of more successful "Idol" alums.
The disparity isn't so much an issue of race as it is genre. Studdard and Fantasia sing a throwback style of R&B, which "is in absolute free fall," says Kyle Anderson, assistant editor of Spin magazine.
It doesn't appeal to the young, MTV generation that has made "Idol" a pop juggernaut. Top 40 radio stations don't give it much airplay. And "that's a genre that has always been victimized by bootlegging," Anderson says. "You are able to get records in other places."
Last week, Jordin Sparks won this year's edition of "American Idol." A record 74 million votes were cast, the majority of them going to the bubbly 17-year-old with the big voice.
But as the third person of color to win "Idol" (her dad is African-American; her mother, white), is history any indicator of her record-sales potential?
"There are so many variables," says Keith Caulfield, an analyst with Billboard magazine. "It depends on the act, the songs they collect and how they're introduced into the market.
"Did anyone ever think that Kelly Clarkson would have a really successful first album and then completely break away from 'American Idol' and become a superstar? Come on. That's just nuts."
Anderson says it boils down to the people steering Sparks' career.
"I think the missteps of Ruben and Fantasia will play in her favor," he says. "These are rich people who didn't get rich being stupid. I think they have learned from those mistakes and may be able to package her in a way that will sell records."
I am glad I lost 'American Idol': Lewis
Blake Lewis, runner up of the recently concluded 'American Idol', says he is perfectly happy he lost to Jordin Sparks.
People.com quoted the 25-year-old as saying: 'I never looked at it as winning and losing. I just tried going out and performing really well each day. In a sense, I'm kind of glad I didn't win just for like contractual reasons.
'I think if you're first you might have to come back for like three years or something.'
It is generally believed that Lewis lost his chances because of the song 'This is my now' which better suited Sparks.
Lewis is in agreement and added: 'The song is definitely not my style, a song I would never sing if I didn't have to. It fit Sparks perfectly. And I honestly think they should have had two songs that were tailored to both of us.'
He says his future plans might include acting.
'If acting comes calling and I get the right opportunities and the right script, or just to do voiceover work for maybe like a Pixar or DreamWorks movie - I think that would be a plus.
'I love being goofy, I love doing different voices. I've been doing it since I was a kid,' he added.
People.com quoted the 25-year-old as saying: 'I never looked at it as winning and losing. I just tried going out and performing really well each day. In a sense, I'm kind of glad I didn't win just for like contractual reasons.
'I think if you're first you might have to come back for like three years or something.'
It is generally believed that Lewis lost his chances because of the song 'This is my now' which better suited Sparks.
Lewis is in agreement and added: 'The song is definitely not my style, a song I would never sing if I didn't have to. It fit Sparks perfectly. And I honestly think they should have had two songs that were tailored to both of us.'
He says his future plans might include acting.
'If acting comes calling and I get the right opportunities and the right script, or just to do voiceover work for maybe like a Pixar or DreamWorks movie - I think that would be a plus.
'I love being goofy, I love doing different voices. I've been doing it since I was a kid,' he added.
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell to Britney Spears: 'Go Away'
American idol judge Simon Cowell is offering up his expert advice to Britney Spears. In an interview Simon Cowell gave to Good Morning America, Simon Cowell tells Britney Spears to go home if she wants to save her career. The idol judge has already offered up this advice to Britney before six months ago, which she obviously ignored.
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell to Britney Spears: 'Go Home'
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell to Britney Spears: 'Go Home'
When asked by ABC News correspondent Juju Chang about Britney Spears during the interview, he again re-iterates his advice that she go home saying, "go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, have some home-cooked food, and get a sense of reality."
***
The never lacking for an opinion Brit told ABC that Miss Spears still has an enormous amount of popularity, "She's still one of the most talked about pop stars on the planet. She has the X-factor because people want to write about her. She's not conventional, she's not normal."
And in commenting about why it is she needs to go home and get out of the spotlight, he goes on to say, "She can't handle the tension and the pressure. My advice to her six months ago, was to go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, get a sense of reality, have some home-cooked food, go lie in the garden, ok, and then say to yourself, there's more good in my life than bad, I'm still a rich talented girl, now I want to get my career back on track. End of story."
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell to Britney Spears: 'Go Home'
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell to Britney Spears: 'Go Home'
When asked by ABC News correspondent Juju Chang about Britney Spears during the interview, he again re-iterates his advice that she go home saying, "go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, have some home-cooked food, and get a sense of reality."
***
The never lacking for an opinion Brit told ABC that Miss Spears still has an enormous amount of popularity, "She's still one of the most talked about pop stars on the planet. She has the X-factor because people want to write about her. She's not conventional, she's not normal."
And in commenting about why it is she needs to go home and get out of the spotlight, he goes on to say, "She can't handle the tension and the pressure. My advice to her six months ago, was to go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, get a sense of reality, have some home-cooked food, go lie in the garden, ok, and then say to yourself, there's more good in my life than bad, I'm still a rich talented girl, now I want to get my career back on track. End of story."
Going for the gold: Windham singer wins Binghamton Idol finals
Alan Vanderpool of Windham Township, known by many in the area for bringing home the winning karaoke titles, time after time, singing country music and Elvis tunes, won the Binghamton Idol Finals after facing three weeks of qualifiers, then the semifinals and finals.
His Binghamton Idol award not only entitled Vanderpool to fly to attend the American Idol Finals, but also to give a concert at the Magic City Music Hall and do the opening for Binghamton's Spiedie Fest in August. Vanderpool explained that he also won some studio time and a professional CD.
Winning Binghamton Idol is not the end of the road for Vanderpool. Vanderpool says he's shooting for the moon, and that he still has some hopes and dreams yet to fulfill.
Although winning a local Idol contest didn't entitle him to perform in the American Idol contest, sometime in the future that may just happen. Vanderpool said he tried out for American Idol last summer in Rutherford, N.J., and is considering trying out for the show again this year.
"It was a fun experience," Vanderpool said. In his description of the tryouts, he said thousands of people were there, filling half of the stadium.
While at the tryouts, Vanderpool said, a local girl from Waverly, N.Y., was waiting in line just in front of him.
Vanderpool made it only to the tryout's first elimination round. He said that because there are so many people, contestants have only 10 seconds to prove themselves, singing whatever song they choose.
After having gone through the experience once, Vanderpool has a bit of advice for those wanting to try out. "You better give everything you got in that 10 seconds." He said that if he goes back, that's exactly what he is going to do.
In the meantime, Vanderpool has been busy competing in and winning other contests, including the Tioga Downs Karaoke Showdown, which was held in February and aired by Binghamton's WBNG TV.
"We used to watch that religiously on Sundays," Vanderpool said.
He also is also a disc jockey and a karaoke jockey through his business Encore Entertainment, which he started two years ago. "We put on a good show," said Vanderpool's girlfriend Krista Miller. Vanderpool said they have to always keep their scheduling book with them, because they never know when someone will ask them to schedule an event.
Whether it's his DJ/KJ business or competing in karaoke contests, the music keeps Vanderpool busy every day.
"I sing every day. I do it because I love it. It keeps me well-prepared," said Vanderpool. "I'm lucky that I have good neighbors and they like to hear me sing," he added.
Vanderpool's love of singing isn't something that just happened recently. According to Vanderpool, his aunt has videos of him singing into bananas and screwdrivers as a kid.
"It's surprising on how people pay attention. It's pretty cool," he said. "I guess they see this redneck and they can't believe I sound like that.
"I feel like I'm home in bed when I'm on the stage. It's better than drinking beer. I quit drinking because I'm singing. It's just a rush," Vanderpool said.
"I just basically get on stage and be me," he said. "If I can get the crowd to scream at me, then I know I'm making them happy."
His Binghamton Idol award not only entitled Vanderpool to fly to attend the American Idol Finals, but also to give a concert at the Magic City Music Hall and do the opening for Binghamton's Spiedie Fest in August. Vanderpool explained that he also won some studio time and a professional CD.
Winning Binghamton Idol is not the end of the road for Vanderpool. Vanderpool says he's shooting for the moon, and that he still has some hopes and dreams yet to fulfill.
Although winning a local Idol contest didn't entitle him to perform in the American Idol contest, sometime in the future that may just happen. Vanderpool said he tried out for American Idol last summer in Rutherford, N.J., and is considering trying out for the show again this year.
"It was a fun experience," Vanderpool said. In his description of the tryouts, he said thousands of people were there, filling half of the stadium.
While at the tryouts, Vanderpool said, a local girl from Waverly, N.Y., was waiting in line just in front of him.
Vanderpool made it only to the tryout's first elimination round. He said that because there are so many people, contestants have only 10 seconds to prove themselves, singing whatever song they choose.
After having gone through the experience once, Vanderpool has a bit of advice for those wanting to try out. "You better give everything you got in that 10 seconds." He said that if he goes back, that's exactly what he is going to do.
In the meantime, Vanderpool has been busy competing in and winning other contests, including the Tioga Downs Karaoke Showdown, which was held in February and aired by Binghamton's WBNG TV.
"We used to watch that religiously on Sundays," Vanderpool said.
He also is also a disc jockey and a karaoke jockey through his business Encore Entertainment, which he started two years ago. "We put on a good show," said Vanderpool's girlfriend Krista Miller. Vanderpool said they have to always keep their scheduling book with them, because they never know when someone will ask them to schedule an event.
Whether it's his DJ/KJ business or competing in karaoke contests, the music keeps Vanderpool busy every day.
"I sing every day. I do it because I love it. It keeps me well-prepared," said Vanderpool. "I'm lucky that I have good neighbors and they like to hear me sing," he added.
Vanderpool's love of singing isn't something that just happened recently. According to Vanderpool, his aunt has videos of him singing into bananas and screwdrivers as a kid.
"It's surprising on how people pay attention. It's pretty cool," he said. "I guess they see this redneck and they can't believe I sound like that.
"I feel like I'm home in bed when I'm on the stage. It's better than drinking beer. I quit drinking because I'm singing. It's just a rush," Vanderpool said.
"I just basically get on stage and be me," he said. "If I can get the crowd to scream at me, then I know I'm making them happy."
TV: Thousands miss 'Idol' reveal
I was at a film screening Wednesday night, so I missed the live broadcast of the "American Idol" finale, which revealed that young Jordin Sparks was this season's winner.
But when I came home, my wife was in the family room and about to punch a hole in our big-screen TV.
She and hundreds of thousands of "Idol" fans like her, who recorded the sixth-season finale and watched it later, experienced the same shocking faux pas. It's a funny but frustrating consequence of 21st-century technology.
The live two-hour finale ran over, and the winner was announced at 10:03 p.m. But nearly all digital video recorders and TiVos stopped their automatic recordings at 10 p.m. because that is when the machines were told the show would end.
For those poor souls watching later via a recording, it must have been like a lightning bolt striking them in the chest when they watched the playback.
"And the new American Idol is . . ." host Ryan Seacrest declares.
Blank screen.
What's worse, as my wife added, is that fans had to sit through two hours of padded fluff, a horrifying Beatles medley and, to top it off, a duet by Sanjaya Malakar and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, to get to the final announcement.
So many angry fans complained the next day that Fox had to apologize. "It was always our intention to bring the show in on
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time," a Fox spokesperson told Broadcasting & Cable. "But just as with any live sports, variety, awards or entertainment event, there is no way to absolutely guarantee that the show will end exactly on the hour."
Maybe they can fix that in the 22nd century.
"Idol" on Idle? The ratings for the "American Idol" finale were down this year, which is like a CEO of an oil company making only $475 million instead of $480 million.
"Idol" will still be the most-watched program of the year. More than 30 million tuned into Wednesday's finale, compared with 36 million when Taylor Hicks was crowned in 2006.
So is "Idol" losing its luster?
Hardly. It likely will be the most-watched program next year, too. But whether it's by 10 million or 20 million viewers depends on the caliber of the finalists.
This was probably the worst year for finalists (though Melinda Doolittle was one of the best the show's ever had), and it was reflected in the ratings.
Don't worry. Come next January, it will be the most-talked about TV show again for four more months. That won't change any time soon.
But when I came home, my wife was in the family room and about to punch a hole in our big-screen TV.
She and hundreds of thousands of "Idol" fans like her, who recorded the sixth-season finale and watched it later, experienced the same shocking faux pas. It's a funny but frustrating consequence of 21st-century technology.
The live two-hour finale ran over, and the winner was announced at 10:03 p.m. But nearly all digital video recorders and TiVos stopped their automatic recordings at 10 p.m. because that is when the machines were told the show would end.
For those poor souls watching later via a recording, it must have been like a lightning bolt striking them in the chest when they watched the playback.
"And the new American Idol is . . ." host Ryan Seacrest declares.
Blank screen.
What's worse, as my wife added, is that fans had to sit through two hours of padded fluff, a horrifying Beatles medley and, to top it off, a duet by Sanjaya Malakar and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, to get to the final announcement.
So many angry fans complained the next day that Fox had to apologize. "It was always our intention to bring the show in on
Advertisement
time," a Fox spokesperson told Broadcasting & Cable. "But just as with any live sports, variety, awards or entertainment event, there is no way to absolutely guarantee that the show will end exactly on the hour."
Maybe they can fix that in the 22nd century.
"Idol" on Idle? The ratings for the "American Idol" finale were down this year, which is like a CEO of an oil company making only $475 million instead of $480 million.
"Idol" will still be the most-watched program of the year. More than 30 million tuned into Wednesday's finale, compared with 36 million when Taylor Hicks was crowned in 2006.
So is "Idol" losing its luster?
Hardly. It likely will be the most-watched program next year, too. But whether it's by 10 million or 20 million viewers depends on the caliber of the finalists.
This was probably the worst year for finalists (though Melinda Doolittle was one of the best the show's ever had), and it was reflected in the ratings.
Don't worry. Come next January, it will be the most-talked about TV show again for four more months. That won't change any time soon.
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