In the least surprising confession of the year, Simon Cowell admits that he was bored during his last few years of American Idol, which was extremely obvious during his last season. Despite his honesty, that gives me even less confidence about his new Fox show The X Factor, because how different is his new job,… continue reading
American Idol 9
Lee DeWyze responds to Nigel Lythgoe’s slam by revealing he wasn’t asked to be on finale
A minor controversy arose today when Nigel Lythgoe slammed American Idol 9 winner Lee DeWyze for not presenting the trophy to Scotty McCreery on last night’s finale, but Lee has responded by calling out Nigel on his lousy producing of the show’s final moments, saying that Nigel only decided at the last second to ask… continue reading
Kara DioGuardi finally talks American Idol, from “the depths of humiliation” to “moments of joy”
Kara DioGuardi’s memoir A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love, and American Idol was released today, and in it she describes everything from being “rejected and disrespected publicly” to “the depths of humiliation” of being on American Idol for two seasons. This is the book she told TV critics to wait for when they asked… continue reading
Ellen DeGeneres’ anti-2-hour reality show PSA ignores American Idol, the biggest offender
On her talk show today, Ellen DeGeneres kicked off a fake campaign against “something that’s plaguing our great nation: reality shows that are two hours long.” Her faux PSA is a funny bit, and too much filler certainly is a problem for some shows (The Biggest Loser, I’m looking at your bloated self). But Ellen… continue reading
Alex Lambert says he’s sleeping on the streets but rep insists he’s “not homeless”
American Idol 9 semi-finalist Alex Lambert, who joined the cast of If I Can Dream after being eliminated before the finals, said he’s homeless and living on the streets of Los Angeles, but a representative of his management insists he’s not homeless because he’s getting a paycheck and actively working on demos. Late last night,… continue reading
Kara DioGuardi won’t talk about American Idol but is writing a book about it
Kara DioGuardi is writing a book about being fired from–or quitting—American Idol, which explains her disingenuous refusal to answer questions about the Fox show while at a press conference in front of TV critics, where she is promoting the new Bravo competition Platinum Hit, which she judges. The book will be out in late April,… continue reading
Lee DeWyze has the worst sales of any American Idol winner
American Idol may have mostly remained on the top of the ratings pile during its last, awful season, but its winner is at the bottom of the pile in terms of record sales. Lee DeWyze’s debut album Live it Up was released Nov. 16, not that anyone heard about it or even remembers who he… continue reading
Kara DioGuardi resurfaces as judge for Bravo’s songwriting competition Going Platinum
Former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi will be the head judge for Bravo’s Going Platinum, which will be hosted by Jewel. The show, a renamed version of the singer/songwriter competition Hitmakers that the network announced last spring, is more Top Chef than Idol. The series will debut next year and Bravo says it will “follow… continue reading
American Idol semi-finalist John Park places second in South Korea’s Idol
American Idol 9 semi-finalist John Park made it to the final two of Superstar K, South Korea’s version of the singing competition, and since he’s obviously more popular there than he was in the US, he may stay there. He lost to Huh Gak but “Park received the support of one of the judges, while… continue reading
Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough photographed making out
Former Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest were photographed making out on Ryan’s yacht in Portofino, Italy. That would seem to confirm they’re dating, following weeks of rumors about the time they’ve been spending together in L.A., although Julianne is being coy about their relationship for some reason,… continue reading
Idol tour will end early after cancelling seven stops
More changes and cancellations for the American Idol 9 tour: seven stops have been cancelled and eight rescheduled just days into the tour, moving its conclusion to the end of August instead of mid-September. MJ has “a definitive list” of the changes via Live Nation. Cancelled are shows in Omaha, Kansas City, Winnipeg, Toronto, Buffalo,… continue reading
American Idol cancels, changes some tour dates
The summer tour featuring the top 10 American Idol 9 contestants started last week, but already dates have been cancelled while others are being changed. As of today, the Sept. 9 Toronto concert and Sept. 11 Cleveland concert have been cancelled, and the Connecticut date has been moved, while reports suggest Buffalo and Portland shows… continue reading
Forbes’ most powerful: Cowell ($80 million), DeGeneres ($55m), Trump ($50m), Seacrest ($41m), Klum ($16m)
Forbes has published its list of the 100 “richest and most powerful actors, actresses and musicians,” and it includes three of American Idol‘s cast members, plus Donald Trump and Heidi Klum. Of reality TV personalities, departing judge Simon Cowell and his $80 million a year salary are highest on the list, at #11, just behind… continue reading
American Idol band sues Idol for $500,000
The American Federation of Musicians is suing American Idol for $500,000 on behalf of its band. In a story that barely makes sense because its writing is so bad, TMZ reports that the producers and musicians have a “deal that prohibits ‘Idol’ from cutting the band out of downloads and ringtones of the music played… continue reading
Lee and Crystal both sign record deals; Lee leads on iTunes; Crystal splits with boyfriend
Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox have both signed record deals less than a day after the conclusion of American Idol 9. Billboard reported that “DeWyze is signed to 19 Recordings Limited and RCA Records, while Bowersox is signed to 19 Recordings Limited and Jive Records. DeWyze joins Daughtry and Adam Lambert at RCA, while Bowersox… continue reading