Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts

Friday, September 3, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Season 10 auditions adds last-minute Los Angeles stop

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>TMZ is reporting that Jennifer Lopez is back in the good graces of Simon Fuller and co., as she will most likely sign a deal next week that will permanently put her in the seat once held by Simon Cowell/Ellen DeGeneres.
Sources connected to the negotiations tell TMZ ... contrary to some news reports ... there has been no drama and no diva demands. As one source puts it, "It's been typical negotiating."
Well, I guess TMZ has been at the forefront with all the replacement judge drama, so this bit of info is probably as reliable as anything else out there. As to whether or not J. Lo is "the key to re-energizing the show," that is certainly still up to debate.

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>The nominations list for the 44th annual CMA Awards was revealed on Tuesday, and one Idol alum was able to score some nods as usual. Carrie Underwood is up for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Play On. Although Carrie has a pretty good track record at these award shows, it looks to be Miranda Lambert's year, as she received a record nine nominations and looks to take home a lot of awards.

Still, it's good to know Carrie received more nods than Taylor Swift, who is only up for one category - FVotY. The 44th annual CMA Awards will air live on Wed., Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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>Just as the disappointing Season 9 Idols Live! Tour concluded on Tuesday, Season 10's auditions have been extended to later this month when auditions will be held at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Wed., Sept. 22. Per Idol's website:
For the milestone 10th season of American Idol, we just couldn’t stay away from Idol’s hometown, Los Angeles, CA. In fact, this is the show’s sixth time holding hometown auditions in L.A. The goal during hometown auditions is to get a ticket Hollywood, and successful singers in L.A. won’t have to travel very far for the final round of auditions. Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Andrew Garcia are among the talented Idol stars from the City of Angels. L.A. is where the Idol finalists reside while competing for the prize, and it’s the place many Idol alumni settle to pursue their music career.
It's pretty interesting that the producers think adding a last-minute stop in LA of all places will help ensure we don't get another Season 9, since LA is one of the blandest, most uninteresting places to find talent. But whatever, if they want to attract teens from skipping school for the day, they're certainly free to do so.

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>Katharine McPhee has landed another role, this one in the horror pic Shark Night 3D. Other actors recently added to the cast include Sara Paxton (The Last House on the Left) and Dustin Milligan (Extract). Per DigitalSpy:
The trio will join the recently announced Sinqua Walls, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz and Joel David Moore in the 3D horror movie.

The Final Destination and Snakes On A Plane helmer David R. Ellis is behind the camera for Shark Night, which centres on a group of people who are attacked by sharks while on vacation in the Louisiana Gulf area.
Well, at least it's not Piranha 3D. But Kat, is this really the best you could do? Shark movies never hold a candle to Jaws, and 3D is getting pretty tiring by now. Still, it's good to see she's continuing to get roles.

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>After only a few performances on Broadway in the musical In the Heights, Jordin Sparks injured her hip last Saturday during a show. She was understandably bummed, but like the pro that she is, she turned to Twitter to apologize to her fans and offer them a token of appreciation for coming out to see her:
"Thank you so much to everyone who came tonight. Sorry I couldn't sign. :( It's hard to stand/walk. Hopefully the physical therapist can fix me! :)

"If you'd like, you can send your playbills/tkts/pics w/ a stamped return envelope to the theatre & I'll get them back to you. Thank you for understanding. It means the world. Love you guys. <3"
Jordin is now back in tip-top shape and said she is "so attached to the cast & show already!"

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: total of 26,000 turn out for Milwaukee, Nashville auditions

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>The Season 10 auditions kicked off in Nashville on Thurs., July 15, where about 10,000 hopefuls stood in line on the first day (16,000 in all performed in front of producers). This week, auditions journeyed to Milwaukee, where another 10,000 turned out for a shot at becoming the next Lee DeWyze. Per a post by EW's Michael Slezak:

“The numbers of people turning up to the American Idol auditions in Nashville and Milwaukee have been incredible,” said show creator Simon Fuller, in a release. “These attendance figures are significantly up on the last few years, and there is clearly renewed excitement and interest in the show, which is great to see.”

Ryan Seacrest took us on a behind the scenes tour of the Bradley Center to see what things are like, well, behind the scenes. Watch the piece below:



Auditions will next hit New Orleans, La., on Monday. If you're interested in giving Season 10 a shot (and at this point, you might as well throw your hat in the ring!) be sure to check out AmericanIdol.com/Auditions.

>As you've probably heard by now, Chris Isaak is the latest replacement for Simon Cowell being floated around. The rumor du jour comes on the heels of a Reuters and Hollywood Reporter piece claiming Isaak met with FOX twice in recent weeks for consideration of taking over for Simon. Per the piece:

While Fox insists no decision is imminent, the clock is ticking to replace Cowell as preliminary auditions get under way for the talent show's 10th season. Peter Rice, the network's new entertainment chairman, has said he expects the new "Idol" judge to join the audition roadshow by early September.

Other potential replacements that keep coming up in the media include Harry Connick, Jr., Bret Michaels and now...apparently...Donald Trump (huh!?). If Team FOX care about sparing fans from hearing about all this speculation, they'll hurry up and name a replacement fast.

>Lee DeWyze took time to speak with AmericanIdol.com about how the tour has been going with his fellow Season 9 Top 10 finalists. Lee covered a limited range of topics dealing with the tour and offered up a limited range of answers questions posed by both fans and AI.com. One of Lee's more interesting responses:
As the American Idol, Lee is the headliner of the Season 9 tour. Since he’s the last person to perform at each show, what does he do to pass the time while he’s waiting for his set? “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Lee remarked. “I have time to listen to a full album, so I’ll pick one and listen to it. I just try and chill, because if I just sit around and wait, I’ll get tired. During Casey’s and Crystal’s sets, I’ll go watch them and listen to the crowd and get pumped up.”

Lee said he's aiming for a "folk-rock" sound on his forthcoming album and he's been writing "everything so far." Lee, who apparently has been writing since he was 16 years old, said he's anticipating his hometown stop of Chicago because all his family and friends will be there. Read the full interview at AmericanIdol.com.

>Kellie Pickler had to break some bad news to the organizers of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Centerville, Mich., as she backed out of her scheduled show to close out the fair on Sept. 25 due to an extension of Rascal Flatts' tour, on which she is an opening act. This news came in conjunction with fellow country artist Chris Young's withdrawal as an opening act scheduled to perform at the fair on another day. Per an article from SturgisJournal.com:
“Next year we wouldn’t be able to touch Kelly Pickler or Chris Young … they’ll be priced way out of our league,” Johnson said. “If they honor the rate we were giving (for the September shows), it’d be a bargain.”

Ironically, Johnson noted, Rascal Flatts was an opening act at the fair several years ago.
Johnson did not indicate what the fair was to pay Pickler, saying only that it was a five-figure amount. Through Wednesday, about 950 tickets to Pickler’s show had been sold. Ticket prices ranged between $25 and $35 each.

All in all, not a good situation for the organizers of the fair.

>Jordin Sparks sat down with Oliver Trevena of YoungHollywood.com this week to chat about her Battlefield tour and other things on her mind. Watch the segment below:



Jordin recounted a memorable moment on the tour where a pregnant woman was waiting by her bus and she said "the baby's coming," Jordin was asked to sign her shirt and was freaking out because the baby needed to be delivered. She said she had never encountered that before (not many have, Jordin).

She also talked about her upcoming 3-month stint on Broadway in In the Heights, which kicks off on Thurs. Aug. 19.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

'Idol''s age min. drop - good or bad?

As you have heard by now, one aspect of Idol's host of "improvements" being sought ahead of its 10th season is the lowering of the minimum age to audition to 15. As you can imagine, this is a big deal in the vacuum that is the show's (early) off-season, and there is no shortage of opinions on the move.

As for me, I think it has come three seasons too late. Whereas there have been many viable young teens over the course of Idol's history that have fallen by the wayside when up against older, more experienced performers, it was not until Season 7 when teens pretty much were overlooked by voters (with the exception of David Archuleta, of course). Since then, the motto has virtually been NTNA - no teens need apply - when it comes to audition hopefuls. If they could go back in time, producers probably would have ensured a Justin Bieber-type to win the title. But really, if Miley Cyrus could make it big at 15, why not an Idol contestant?

Judging from the general sentiment stirred up from the reveal, I'm not alone in my doubts.

MTV News's Jim Cantiello writes "Why The 'American Idol' Age Limit Change Is A Bad Idea":

The last time "Idol" tweaked its age range was season five, where they upped the limit to 28 years old. The result? Taylor Hicks, a dude who looked 58, ended up winning. So if "Idol" is going the opposite route, does that mean America might be crowning a 15-year-old who looks seven come next May? In a year, will America be tired of pop stars who look like zygotes?

Marc Hirsh of NPR.org had more to say, including:

But even if we ignore the "Me, too!" mentality behind it (which is hardly new in the pop-music industry, or any entertainment industry, for that matter), Idol's sudden need to capitalize on the demographic that still needs Mom or Dad to drive them around ignores the simple truth that “talent” is not the same thing as “artistry.” This is a distinction made all the more important by the fact that Idol talks about contestants almost exclusively in terms of the latter word while rarely mentioning the former.

And Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music opined:

Honestly, I personally would rather see the audition age limit raised, not lowered, on "Idol." Keep in mind that the biggest success story of all reality singing competitions in recent years has been 48-year-old Susan Boyle, and that Season 9's biggest "Idol" sensation was, arguably, 64-year-old General Larry Platt. Now, I'm not necessarily saying that senior citizens need to join the "Idol" ranks, and yes, I do understand that the show's producers probably want to seem more relevant to the top 40 marketplace in this tween-pop age. But I do believe this show improved when its age limit was raised from 25 to 28 in Season 4, thus allowing more seasoned singers with both performance experience and life experience--Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Michael Johns, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Casey James, Michael Lynche, et al--to make it through.

Still, not everyone was being a downer about the move. In fact, Jordin Sparks, once a teen champ herself, offered some words of wisdom to young hopefuls via Twitter:

I auditioned at 16 & won at 17. The pressure/criticism you're under...it's a lot to handle! But talent & maturity will speak for itself! :)
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

If you're 15 & going to audition for the make sure you're ready! Good luck! I'm rooting for you! :D
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

Good luck to anyone auditioning! The pressure is gonna be crazy for everyone, not just the youngins! Stay focused! :)
about 4 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

In any case, we should have a good gauge of what kind of crowd shows up for Season 10 by the time auditions roll around on July 17 in Nashville.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: "Best of the Rest" Auditions (2/3/10)

Tonight Idol's ninth season waves goodbye to the audition rounds (finally!) as the "best of the rest" auditions are shown. Obviously, this also means the "best of the worst" hopefuls will get more airtime, but hopefully the latter will be kept to a minimum.

The live chat will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will last one hour.




There is no guest judge tonight, as it does not take place in a new city, but we'll get to see pretty much every guest judge from the previous seven cities once again. Hopefully they choose to include more Shania Twain and Mary J. Blige than they do Joe Jonas.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: Denver Auditions (2/2/10)

It's the final home city for auditions, and you're invited to join IDOL LIVE's chat party! All you have to do is follow along below and participate. Hopefully the producers saved the best crop of hopefuls for last.

The live chat will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour.




Tonight's guest judge is none other than Victoria Beckham. If she sounds familiar, it's because she was also the guest judge for the first round of auditions up on Boston.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: Dallas Auditions (1/27/10)

Join us tonight as we chat during the sixth episode of Idol's ninth season, as auditions travel to Dallas. If the talent shown on tonight's episode does not surpass those that were on display in last night's LA auditions, then there really is no hope for this show. Therefore, there's no way the episode will be as big of a letdown as last night.

The live chat will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour.




Tonight's guest judge will be none other than Joe Jonas. Yay...

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: LA Auditions (1/26/10)

After a week off due to a whirlwind project that needed immediate attention, we return tonight to discuss the fifth audition episode of Idol's ninth season. This time we pay Los Angeles a visit and see the worst of the worst and the worst of the best have to offer.

The live chat will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour.




Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry will both serve as guest judges for the two days-worth of auditions that will be shown in tonight's episode.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Re: lack of posting recently

Just a quick word to all readers of IDOL LIVE: there's been a lack of consistent posting here over the past week, and there's a reason for it. I have been involved in something much bigger than Idol, and so I have had less time to spend posting about all things Idol. Once tomorrow passes, however, things should be getting back to a normal schedule. This is only a temporary disruption.

Still, there will be no live coverage of tonight's auditions episode in Chicago, so this is just a notification of that. Be sure to be back here on Wednesday, though, as I should be back in time to discuss that (hopefully) exciting episode.

Again, my apologies for this disruption. Thanks for understanding.

-Mike

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Flashback: Renaldo Lapuz's "We're Brothers Forever"

In light of everyone's favorite 62-year-old general complaining about young fools walking around with their pants on the ground, it's appropriate to take a look back at one of the most memorable moments in Idol audition history. Renaldo Lapuz is best known for his incredibly catchy original tune "We're Brothers Forever" during the seventh season's round of auditions. Watch the unforgettable audition below:



Sadly, Renaldo didn't get a hit song out of his 15 minutes of fame like Simon feared, but at least he got to meet the judges out of it.

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: Atlanta Auditions (1/13/10)

After a less than exciting premiere in Boston, the second part of the premiere of Idol's ninth season takes us to Atlanta. Will things be more exciting this time around?

The live chat will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour and 15 minutes.




Mary J. Blige will serve as guest judge during tonight's auditions. Names of Idol hopefuls to look for include Jermaine Sellers, Bryan Walker, and Tisha Holland.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

IDOL LIVE Chat: Season 9 Premiere (1/12/10)

And so here we are once again. Another January, another American Idol premiere. This season, I will be retiring the CoverItLive software that I've used to live blog each episode of the series' past two seasons in favor of the Meebo chat room. This will take the pressure off me, since my responsibilities will allow me to spend less doing actual blogging this season, and will allow readers to have more input on the show as it happens live.

The live chat will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last two hours. Therefore, please feel free to contribute anything that's on your mind during the show and I will try to give as much input of my own as humanly possible. Thanks for understanding!

http://www.meebo.com/rooms


Will Boston finally produce an Idol winner this season? If so, there are pretty good odds you'll get a sneak peek in tonight's two-hour season premiere. And how will former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham do as the season's first guest judge? Time will tell, time will tell.

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Flashback: Kelly Clarkson's audition

As we embark on another season of Idol tomorrow night, let's take a look back at the original idol's first moment in the spotlight, at least, in front of the judges that would later witness her as the first champion of the most successful talent program of last decade. Relive Kelly Clarkson's magical audition from the show's first season below:



Kelly's choice of "At Last" was the perfect song selection, and the fact that she saild through to Hollywood with "Yes" votes from all there judges was a testament to Kelly's raw talent. It is only fitting that as we start anew once again, Kelly gets credit for a phenomenon that she had a major role in creating.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

'Idol' auditioner Joey Homza ejected from Gillette

A few news items of come out of last weekend's Idol auditions in Boston. Besides the fact that the weather was awful and only 7,000 hopefuls showed up to sing 10 seconds worth of a song, one Joey Homza made the news for an entirely different reason (one might say a ridiculous reason).

Okay, instead of trying to explain the situation, hear what the UConn undergrad has to say in his own words:



So if it's true that Idol never stated that handing out cards was prohibited, Homza is probably owed an apology for not even being issued a warning. Who can blame him for wanting to entertain his fellow auditioners while waiting in the damp and soggy bleachers of Gillette?

Either way, it seems that he got exactly what he wanted out of the experience, so it's probably no big deal. Still, it will be interesting to see if he gets any TV time out of his escapade.

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Monday, June 15, 2009

Boston auditions wrap-up and a few potential future contestants?

After a rainy day of auditions at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., 7,000 Idol hopefuls are either reeling in the excitement of getting the go-ahead for the next round of auditions in August or are returning to school or work wallowing in their disappointment after being cut in the first round.

Ryan Seacrest was there to brave the New England weather, naturally, and offered words of wisdom. Per an article from The AP:

Host Ryan Seacrest said the bad weather may have been a plus for contestants since it likely reduced the field of competitors. "If you're auditioning, you want pouring rain, you want freezing weather," Seacrest said. "It makes the weak stay home."

His advice: Show up, sing well, move on.
Boston.com actually has a slide show of photos from yesterday up and even identifies a few people that will return in the second round. They include:

>Ed Wiles, 28, Revere, MA ("Lonely Teardrops" by Jackie Wilson)
>Christy Castillo, 21, Lawrence, MA ("I Remember" by Keyshia Cole) [pictured above, left]
>Corey Amaral, 20, Rochester, NY ("I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz)
>Katie Ryan, 16, Millville, MA ("Dream On" by Aerosmith) [pictured above, right]

There was also a video montage produced by Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe of hopefuls singing in the rain while waiting to show the producers what they could do with their vocal weapons. Watch (and listen) to the auditioners below:



Auditions next travel to Atlanta, Ga., where the Georgia Dome will play host tomorrow and Wednesday.

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Saturday, June 13, 2009

'Idol' alums give auditioners advice

Ahead of tomorrow's big Season 9 auditions kickoff in Boston, a few Idol alums have been giving their two cents on how to improve their chances of standing out to producers and advancing through the rounds to a possible appearance in front of the judges.

Felicia Barton, who made the Top 36 in the eighth season, dedicated an note entry Tuesday on her Facebook profile to giving advice for this year's hopefuls, writing in part:

3. If you are one of the lucky ones to make it thru...be prepared to leave and have to possibly come back as long as a month later...that's how it was for me....also if you make it thru the first round realize that seeing the judges is still a few rounds away....and they may or may not happen that day!

Ayla Brown, another semifinalist, was interviewed about the audition process by The Boston Herald, and gave insight into how the process goes:
“Once you finally get to where you sing for the first time, you are in groups of four and there are about 15 tents set up inside the stadium,” Brown recalled. “They herd you inside and you sing in front of a producer, about 10 or 15 seconds of a song, then you step back. When everyone has sung, they say, ‘You, you, you, you’re gone.’ I was the only one in my group of four who made it through.”

Another semifinalist from the Boston area, Nick Pedro, offered advice in a column that today appeared in The Herald News from Fall River, Mass.

1. Pick the “right” song.
The downfall of all too many would-be Idols. What makes a song the correct choice? Something that fits your voice and that you’re comfortable singing. Choose a song that you’re familiar with and that properly showcases your vocal ability and style. For example, if you’re a bass baritone country singer, perhaps Mariah Carey’s latest isn’t for you. Also, the National Anthem makes for a fantastic anthem, but as an audition song, not so much.

As expected, one of the top cautions for auditioners from alums is the topic of song choice. Auditions for the show's ninth season kick off tomorrow at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., and will take place in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Orlando and Denver later this summer. For more information, visit AmericanIdol.com.

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Season 9 audition details released

The eighth season of Idol just ended, yet the next season is already beginning (in its earliest of stages, mind you). Audition dates and locations have been made public, and things are coming up pretty fast.

Auditions begin next Sunday in Boston, and will also take place in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Orlando, Denver, Chicago and Dallas. See a full schedule below:

Boston, MA - Sun., June 14 - Gillette Stadium

Atlanta, GA - Thurs., June 18 - Georgia Dome

Los Angeles, CA - Tues., June 30 - Rose Bowl

Orlando, FL - Thurs., July 9 - Amway Arena

Denver, CO - Tues., July 14 - INVESCO Field at Mile High

Chicago, IL – TBD - TBD

Dallas, TX – TBD – TBD

As noted above, plans have yet to be finalized for Chicago and Dallas, but odds are they will have their auditions take place mid to late July.

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

IDOL LIVE Blog - Auditions, Pt. 7 (1/29/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the seventh and final auditions round of the season, as we hear from the people of New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico (all 300 that showed up to the latter). It will be interesting to see what kind of camera shots are used in San Juan to mimic the packed houses seen in all the other audition stops. The blogcast will run an hour despite the fact that two cities will be covered.



Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Elliott Yamin, Kelly Clarkson, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey and Syesha Mercado.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

IDOL LIVE Blog - Auditions, Pt. 6 (1/28/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the Salt Lake City auditions. Blogcast begins at 8 p.m. ET. Tonight's episode is special because a clip of Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" music video will be aired during a commercial break.



Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, David Archuleta, Elliott Yamin and Garrett Haley.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

IDOL LIVE Blog: Auditions, Pt. 5 (1/27/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the Jacksonville auditions (almost there!). Blogcast begins at 8 p.m. ET. As always, feel free to send in your thoughts.



Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Chikezie, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Ruben Studdard and Syesha Mercado.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

IDOL LIVE Blog: Auditions, Pt. 4 (1/21/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the Louisville round of auditions. Brace yourself for the impending onslaught of unfunny Kentucky Derby jokes and major pimpage of Joanna Pacitti.

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