Two high profile Idol-related music videos premiered on Friday, as Carrie Underwood and Katharine McPhee each had vids of their latest single released exclusive to different outlets.
Carrie's latest single "Undo It" saw its music video premiere on CMT.com. The video features Carrie set against a black background in grainy black and white in addition to tons of concert footage. Watch the video below:
Not to be outdone, Kat's video of her reworked song "Terrified" featuring the star of NBC's Chuck, Zachary Levi, premiered on her VEVO channel. Watch the vid below:
Although the video features an overdone girlfriend/boyfriend storyline, the fact that Kat's would-be lovechild with Kara DioGuardi plays the female lead is a plus. The video was directed by Judson Pearce Morgan.
Although neither video is available on iTunes yet, both tracks can be purchased at Amazon MP3. Download "Terrified"
and "Undo It".
"This shoot was less about beauty than about taking a risk and showing people a side of me they never have seen," says the American Idol judge. She was proud to have the confidence to strip down for the camera after struggling with binge eating and depression in her early 20s. "Back then I was a size 6 or 8; now I'm more like a size 2. Food is not what I use to anesthetize myself anymore." She didn't diet or work out like a maniac in preparation, but she did make one change: cutting way back on salt. "I can really retain water," she says.
Others to take part in the shoot, which was titled "THE NAKED TRUTH: 5 CELEBRITIES BARE IT ALL FOR ALLURE," include singer Colbie Caillat and actress Regina Hall.
>Katharine McPhee has been busy filming her new NBC pilot The Pink House, and there have been a few moles that have gone to tapings to report back. Below is a very low quality video capture of a scene featuring Kat:
According to reports, Kat and her fellow female co-star Ashley Madekwe are not the main focus of the show, but are still integral to the plot. Instead, the two guys who move from Mineapolis to California, played by Michael Cassidy and Zach Cregger, are the main focus.
>Kris Allen performed a set at the Zone Lounge in Sacramento, Calif, on Tuesday, where he had nothing but positive things to say to his fans, especially about Walmart and Chris Daughtry. Watch him talk about the two former topics and perform his original "Send Me All Your Angels" below:
Kris talked about how there are "three Walmarts in every town" in Arkansas and how Daughtry teased him when he visited the Season 8 Idol contestants during rock week. Daughtry helped Kris co-write "Angels," which is why his name came up during the pre-performance banter.
>Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young chatted with BroadwayWorld.com about their experiences in the Broadway music Hair thus far alongside fellow castmember Kyle Riabko. Watch the interview below:
Diana, Ace and the rest of the new tribe can be seen at the Al Hirschfeld Theater at the following times: Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday @ 2pm & 8pm, Thursday - Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm.
>Ayla Brown, who joined the team over at CBS's The Early Show last week as a special contributor, appeared yesterday to do a piece on a six-year-old cancer patient named Hannah Lowe, and a song Ayla wrote and recorded for her through the Songs of Love Foundation. Watch the piece below:
The song, appropriately titled "Hannah's Song," is now available to download for a small $5 donation. Funds raised through the organization will go toward putting smiles on the faces of children like Hannah, so go ahead and donate for a good cause!
Katharine McPhee already has her plate full with a new album and multiple appearances of late, but she can now add "TV pilot actress" to her resume. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kat has been cast in an upcoming pilot for NBC called The Pink House, which follows the lives of two young midwestern guys as they move to the beaches of California. Kat's role is described below:
McPhee will play Emily, a down-to-earth Midwest girl new to Manhattan Beach who lives in an apartment behind the guy's house and works as a pharmaceutical rep. Her shape is perfectly normal and healthy but puts Emily in a line-up of way-too-thin cliche California beach bunnies.
No word yet on when filming is set to begin or who else will co-star. Since this is NBC we're talking about, hopefully the pilot is actually picked up.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>If you were watching the Idol premiere last week, you may have seen a Ford commercial featuring a certain familiar face. That's right, Kris Allen made a special appearance in the video in which he's shown driving a a Ford Fusion Hybrid and he highlights one of the car's new features, which is CDs can be recorded in the audio system so that songs are available on playlists stored in the car. Watch the commercial below:
Also in the commercial is Kris's song "Alright with Me."
>Katharine McPhee performed "It's Not Right," one of her album tracks off her sophomore album Unbroken, on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday. Watch the performance below:
Kat also chatted with Kimmel briefly following the performance where her upcoming guest appearance on NBC's Community was brought up. Kat said it should be airing in about a month.
>Adam Lambert's music video for his current single "Whataya Want From Me" premiered on VH1 and MTV on Friday. Watch the video below:
The video unsurprisingly leaked prior to being officially released. Adam tweeted:
So it leaked. Oh well :) big old watermark in middle of frame though. Will be on VH1, MTV etc tomorrow and on my website on Monday. :)
The video was directed by Diane Martel and filmed on Dec. 20, 2009.
>Kellie Pickler continued to show her support to American troops overseas this week as she traveled with fellow artists as part of a USO Tour trip. Kellie tweeted from the trek:
It's 10:30PM in Iraq. Loooong day. Sleeping w/both eyes open 2 avoid getting eaten by camel spiders. 2:29 PM Jan 15th from txt
I'm tweeting from a helicopter...flying over Baghdad. 4:09 AM Jan 16th from txt
Kellie has been traveling the middle east with fellow country singers Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson since last week. She has previously participated in USO Tours in 2007 and 2008.
>Ayla Brown continued campaigning with her father, Scott Brown, this week, including cutting this radio ad with her sister, Arianna, in which they responded to charges leveled against their father of denying rape victims emergency contraception. Listen to the ad below:
Ayla also helped out by recording an automated phone message that went out to registered voters across Massachusetts in which she echoed a similar sentiment. The special election to fill the vacant U.S. senate seat will be held on Tues., Jan. 19.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Blake Lewis revealed his new single choice, "Heartbreak on Vinyl," and sent a link for fans to listen to a remix of the song by LA Riots in an e-mail sent to fans. In the e-mail, Blake also mentioned a fan-made video that made Yahoo!'s Top 10 Most Awesome Music Videos of 2009, which can be viewed below:
In addition to the LA Riots remix, the single will include remixes by Chew Fu and Bimbo Jones and will be available digitally on Tues., Jan. 19.
>Carrie Underwood will take a stab at acting in her first guest appearance on a CBS sitcom when she stars in an episode of How I Met Your Mother. Per The LA Times:
Underwood will make her acting debut on the CBS sitcom as a love interest for Ted (Josh Radnor), CBS confirmed. Her character, Tiffany, is an enigmatic pharmaceutical sales rep.
The newly-engaged Carrie recently took her comedy skills on a test drive on her variety special that aired on FOX last month. The episode will air sometime in March.
>Katharine McPhee's latest stop in support of her sophomore album Unbroken was on NBC's Today Show, which aired yesterday. Kat spoke with co-host Hoda Kotb and America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan. Watch the segment below:
After fending off the usual comments about her "new" (and by "new" it's really 8-9 months-old) hairstyle, Kat spoke about why she decided to name her album Unbroken and what was behind her covering the quirky song "Brand New Key."
>Two Idol alums launched new blogs this week. Kimberly Caldwell recently tweeted about her new blog, which basically seems to be a Twitter feed on her site:
Check out my blog: kimberlycaldwell.tumblr.com Good news about the pup! 3:21 PM Jan 7th from Echofon
Meanwhile, Felicia Barton similarly revealed her new blog, as she announced via her own Twitter account:
thanks to everyone that is following me on my new blog!..I am really excited about it!!!... www.followingfelicia.blogspot.com 11:11 PM Jan 7th from web
>Since CBS failed to broadcast David Archuleta's halftime performance at the Brut Sun Bowl in San Antonio, Tex., on Thurs., Dec. 31. Watch him perform "Don't Stop Believin'" below:
David also sang his songs "Crush" and "Zero Gravity" during the halftime set. Prior to halftime he also sang "God Bless America."
Katharine McPhee didn't let her diagnosis of strep throat get in the of taping a performance of "Had It All" that aired on last night's episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on NBC. Watch the performance below:
Well I made it! My voice was a little wobbly but not bad 4 having strep and a sinus infection! That's what the Doc said. off to NY tommorow about 23 hours ago from TwitterBerry
Kat showed off more than her strained voice last nigh (if you watch the performance you'll know what I'm referring to). She will next appear on Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow.
Adam Lambert taped his latest televised performance yesterday as he stopped by Universal City in California for an appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien that aired last night. With less pizazz but better vocals than his much talked about performance at the AMAs last month, Adam seemed to get a good response from the audience. Watch the performance below:
Although there was one awkward moment at the end of the performance when Adam stuck his hand out to shake O'Brien's hand and he didn't see it because he was talking into the camera, things were resolved after the final commercial break when O'Brien shook Adam's hand.
It seems ABC has opted to enforce a network-wide ban on Adam Lambert. The network has canceled Adam's appearance on its late night program Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was set to air on Thurs., Dec. 17, and his invitation to perform a coveted slot on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve has also been withdrawn. This comes one week after the network's morning program Good Morning America canceled a scheduled performance by Adam, which was the first casualty of his controversial performance at the 2009 American Music Awards.
Instead, Allison Iraheta will be the beneficiary of this news, as she has been scheduled to replace Adam on the show according to a tweet from the show:
Coming up on December 17th we've got Allison Iraheta scheduled for a concert. about 1 hour ago from web
Yes, sadly friends, ABC has cancelled my appearances on Kimmel and NYE. :( don't blame them. It's the FCC heat. 25 minutes ago from Echofon
Adam followed the confirmation up with news that he will in fact be appearing on NBC's The Jay Leno Show, but no date is set in stone yet. Adam will be one of Barbara Walters' "10 most fascinating people of 2009," so he will be featured on ABC on Wed., Dec. 9, at 10 p.m. ET.
Carrie Underwood took a break from her "Cowboy Casanova" when she visited NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien this evening, instead opting to perform the critically-acclaimed ballad "Temporary Home." Watch the performance below:
So what are the chances "Temporary Home" will be single No. 2? It seems highly likely at this point, and it would make sense for "Cowboy Casanova" to be worked at Hot AC radio ASAP, so maybe that's Arista Nashville's plan. Or maybe not...
Following the performance, Carrie sat on O'Brien's couch to chat with the host about her hosting duties at the CMA Awards last week, where she joked "it's not like hosting's hard or anything," which got a laugh out of O'Brien. She also said if Kanye West contacts her about her and Brad Paisley's joke songs about him at the CMAs she'll "blame it on Brad."
Carrie also promoted her two-hour Christmas special on FOX, which premieres Mon., Dec. 7. She will next visit Ellen on Wednesday where she will perform "Cowboy Casanova."
Kris Allen made his first late night performance of his lead single "Live Like We're Dying" Friday night on NBC's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The performance kicks off the televised portion of his album promo tour, as his self-titled debut drops Tuesday. Watch the performance below:
Kris will next perform in concert on Tuesday when he visits ABC's Good Morning America. For a full schedule of Kris' upcoming appearances, see here.
Daughtry yesterday visited the set of NBC's hit summer series America's Got Talent earlier in the day to tape a performance of "No Suprise," which aired last night. Watch the performance below:
The band was conveniently in Los Angeles to play a show at the Henry Fonda Theatre. After the performance, Talent judge David Hasselhoff told Chris he's a big fan, according to Chris' Twitter:
The Hoff just told me he was a HUGE Daughtry fan! My life is officially complete. about 17 hours ago from TwitterFon
At least The Hoff was not moved to tears. He was, however, moved enough to attend the band's concert later that night.
Two Idol alums appeared on the Saturday edition of NBC's Today Show to discuss the departure of Paula Abdul as a judge. Melinda Doolittle contributed via satellite hookup from Nashville, Tenn., while Bo Bice chimed in from Pelham, Ala. Watch the segment below:
Melinda called Paula the "momma of the show" and "the heart of it" for her. Bo said he was a little bit shocked, but more surprised and that when Kara DioGuardi entered the picture a lot of people had questions about what the composure of the judges would be.
Daughtry visited Conan O'Brien and friends on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien for the band's first late night performance in support of its sophomore album Leave This Town. In keeping with a pattern established with their previous performances, the guys performed "No Surprise." Watch the performance below:
Just finished taping Conan. I had my ear monitors way too friggin loud! Hopefully it turned out ok. You can be the judge tonight:) about 20 hours ago from TwitterFon
Fortunately for Chris, everything sounded fine. In fact, they sounded better than their previous few televised performances earlier this week.
They will next perform tonight on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Since his quest to become the next American Idol back in 2007 didn't pan out the way he wanted it to, Sanjaya's quest to become the champ of NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! began last night with much more attainable odds for an actual victory for the faux-hawked one. Watch a pre-season impromptu interview of Sanjaya on his way to the jungles of Costa Rica:
Sanjaya is playing for Shriners Hospital for Children TBC as his charity. Other celebrities starring this season include Frangela, Stephen Baldwin and, until today, Spencer and Heidi Pratt. The stars of MTV's The Hillsdropped out after being embarrassed to be spending time with the likes of "reality stars," which they apparently think they are not.
If this is any indication of how the season will go, it looks like Sanjaya might have an easy trek to the top of the ticket.
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here airs Mondays through Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET and will wrap up with a finale on Wed., June 24.
Katharine McPhee contributed to yesterday's 20th Annual National Memorial Day Concert, which was broadcast live on PBS from the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The concert, which also featured performances by Trace Adkins and Denyce Graves, was hosted by actors Gary Sinise of CSI: NY and Joe Mantegna of Criminal Minds, both of which air on CBS.
Watch Katharine perform "America the Beautiful" with pianist Lang Lang below:
Katharine also sang "Somewhere" following an emotional vignette by Dianne Wiest and Katie Holmes in which the story of a mother and daughter caring for their son/brother named Jose was told after the Staff Sargent was wounded in Iraq. Watch her perform "Somewhere" below:
This is not Katharine's first foray into lending her talents to national holiday concerts, as she took part in 2008's Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, which aired on NBC.
Amid all the excitement surrounding the current Top 3 finalists, it was easy to miss Kelly Clarkson on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. The song, which is her current single, seems old to many Idol fans, but it really is still only working its way up the charts. Watch the performance below:
Kelly sounded better than she has in a long time on "Hook Up," and she looked like she was having fun, which always makes a performance more believable. There was too much panning over to the backup singers (does the one on the right ever really play the guitar, or is it a prop? I've always wondered that) but Kelly was able to command the camera as usual, even by remaining stationary at the micstand.
The latest Idol alum to sign on to another reality series is none other than Season 6's Sanjaya Malakar. It was only two years ago that he was sent packing from the show after weeks of controversy from the media at large, but Sanjaya apparently feels it is the right time to return to the small screen.
Access Hollywood reports that everyone's favorite fauxhawk-sporting Washington state resident will appear on NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which is set to premiere on Mon., June 1. Other celebrities slated to star on the monthlong extravaganza are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV's The Hills, Janice Dickinson and disgraced former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Well it's good to know that Sanjaya will be in good company.
The premise of the show is that the unsuspecting celebs will be dropped in an undisclosed location (this time, the jungles of Costa Rica) and they will be challenged to make their way back to civilization. Sounds like an adventure!
IDOL LIVE would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter on this great day and hope you all are enjoying spring. As a way to recognize this day, watch Mandisa's discussion with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the fourth hour of NBC's Today show from Thursday, in which she talks about faith, food and friendship:
In addition to the release of her sophomore album Freedom, Mandisa has been preparing to join Women of Faith's "A Grand New Day 2009" events, with a full schedule of tour dates and locations found here.
After nearly a week's worth of promo, Kelly Clarkson took to the stage at 30 Rockefeller tonight when she was the musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, hosted by SNL alum Tracy Morgan. Although she did not make any appearances in the show's skits (thus we did not see the revival of Olestra nor the blind, singing train lady), Kelly performed "My Life Would Suck Without You" and second single "I Do Not Hook Up." Watch the performances below:
"My Life Would Suck Without You"
"I Do Not Hook Up"
The episode was the best one yet this year, and was probably the most solid one since the Nov. 1, 2008 episode with Ben Affleck as the host and David Cook as the musical guest.
IDOL LIVE would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Take time to enjoy time with friends and family and relax to Michael Johns' performance of "Another Christmas" from NBC's Today Show on Tuesday:
And just a note: the current poll of the week has been extended until Tues., Dec. 30, at 10 p.m., so be sure to get everyone to vote. And be sure to watch David Cook and David Archuleta perform on tomorrow's Disney Christmas Day Parade on ABC at 10 a.m.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
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