Taylor Hicks on Track ... Literally

Nothing says summer like a truck race at the Speedway accompanied by some good old-fashioned American rock and soul. Former "American Idol" star Taylor Hicks brought his "Soul Patrol" to the track last night for a gig before the Built Ford Tough 225, says Cincinnati's The Enquirer.

Hicks, 29, who also sang the national anthem, told the paper in a pre-appearance interview that he had no worries about taming the boisterous Speedway crowd, having spent plenty of time at the track in his native Birmingham, Ala. The Speedway gig is his only scheduled appearance in the area. He called us from the road and shared some of his boundless enthusiasm for scoring the gig of a lifetime.

You probably didn't know this, but a local guy you may have heard of named Peter Frampton just played the Speedway a few weeks ago.
Well, that's a tough act to follow, especially when you're talking about Peter Frampton, but that's great. I'm excited about coming to the Speedway.

Are you a NASCAR follower?
I do follow NASCAR. I'm actually singing the national anthem at the Homestead race (in Florida), the last NASCAR race of this year. And I'm from Alabama, so there's the Talladega connection.

Have you ever played this area before?
I actually haven't. The "Idol" tour hit Louisville and I've come through there a couple of times and hit Louisville before "Idol." I'm looking forward to coming through there and setting up shop.

What would surprise people about your show?
I think it's very musical. I never got to play instruments on "Idol," and now I get to play guitar and harmonica. I do mostly originals off of my albums, "Under the Radar" and "In Your Time," and some covers. There's definitely a songwriting, soulful aspect to my music.

You're unusual for an "Idol" winner in that you do have such a musical background and so much touring experience. Has that helped you on the road?
It has. Experience playing in clubs for 10 years and trying to make it really teaches you about who you are as an artist and a person. So when you do catch an opportunity like this, it allows you to stay the same person and understand the business a lot better than someone who hasn't been in it. I think people walk away feeling that their votes did count and it was the right vote because it is such a musical show.

What's the first thing fans typically say when they meet you?
Soul Patrol!

Do you regret it a bit now that you put that out there?
Not at all. The more the merrier.

The Speedway crowd can be a bit rowdy. Are you prepared for that?
I played the infield at Talladega, so I'm very aware of the hoopla and I love it! I was born in a honky-tonk, so the more honky-tonk the better.

Where has your "Idol" success taken you that's been the biggest surprise, the place you never imagined you'd get?
The White House. That was amazing. I got to meet the president and give him a "Soul Patrol" T-shirt. I haven't seen him wear it yet.

And watch a video of Taylor Hicks singing the national anthem at the Kentucky Speedway:


IDOLS IN NASHVILLE

A short video with concert and interview clips from WKRN of the Idols recent visit to the Sommet Center. Phil Stacey and Chris Sligh discuss moving to Nashville, Sanjaya Malakar talks about his hair, and BFFs Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks their bonding. The anchor also reports that Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler attended the concert and watched it from a suite.

KIMBERLEY LOCKE'S DUST-UP WITH DUSTIN DIAMOND

According to "Extra," former "American Idol" contestant Kimberly Locke is riding high.

Locke told Terri Seymour that she's got a new album, a new figure and a new outlook.

Locke became a Jenny Craig spokeswoman last year, determined to lose weight and get healthy. "My goal with Jenny Craig is 40 pounds, so I'm so close I can taste it," she revealed.
She said her new album, "Based on a True Story," comes straight from her painful breakup with her fiancé last year. "I got really nasty, and I don't ever want to go through that again," she admitted. "So I wrote about it."

Locke also changed things up to get in shape. She appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and says she's lost four to five dress sizes, but the is not shy about the tension on "Fit Club" between her and former "Saved by the Bell" geek Dustin Diamond.









Dustin poked fun of her not winning "American Idol," and his comments got under her skin. "Had he come up to me and said, 'Don't take it personally,' that's a different story," Locke said. "But don't make me the butt of your jokes."

But Kimberly not nursing a broken heart. When asked by Seymour if she's ready to start dating again, Locke responded, "I'm already dating honey. I didn’t stop!"

SABRINA SLOAN SPEAKS

BuddyTV has an exclusive interview with Season 6 semi-finalist Sabrina Sloan (but, seriously, was everyone really knocking down her door?):

First, can you tell us a little bit about what made you audition for American Idol last season?
Yeah, I've been a fan for the last five years watching the show from the first season, and my friends and family were always telling me, “You could be on the show, you can totally compete on that show. You should go audition.” And I was actually in New York, on Broadway, kind of doing my thing but I wanna go, you see every year people get kicked off that should stay, and it's kinda controversial who ends up winning. But I thought I absolutely have nothing to lose, I just really wanna try and get in the show and I decided this year I had to do it.

When you went into those auditions, did you think you had a pretty good chance to move on once you got there and saw the competition?
I did. It wasn't too overwhelming, actually. I flew to Minneapolis from here to audition. I live in LA, but when they were in Pasadena, I was throwing my best friend her bachelorette party in Las Vegas so I missed the LA audition and ended up going to Minneapolis. And it was still a huge, huge crowd but I actually got really lucky and got in kind of in the first couple of hours and like out by 8 am so it wasn't like the long, long day that I thought it would be and I...I felt like, yeah, I mean when I walked in, you don't know what people sound like necessarily but the characters around you so you kind of feel like, “Well, I've got just as good a shot as anybody else.”

One of the things I think viewers don't get to see enough of is the Hollywood week and kind of what happens there, you know. Can you explain to us a little bit about your experience in Hollywood week?
Hollywood week was crazy, cause I watched it on TV too so you just think it's so...you're up all night, it was crazy. And it's intense. It's a little like boot camp, it's a little like, you know, kind of a sorority rush cause you're on lock down in the hotel and you're around people you don't really know, you're rooming with somebody you didn't know before, maybe you just met and day in day out, going up and singing a song and getting cut and like hanging out for the day, like the girls day where they took us out at Long Beach and it was a good four days, five days and by the end of it, it gets really intense during that group daytime when you're working with three or four people trying to memorize lyrics or put together a song, a routine for the judges. It was a whole lot of pressure and not a lot of sleep and at that point everybody really wants it bad because everybody gets into Hollywood thinks they absolutely belong in the show so it gets really competitive at that point.

When you got the news in that big room that you made it to the top 24, what were your initial reactions, were you expecting that or did you think you had a chance to be sent home at that point?
The thing is with the show you never know and I've treated every step of the process as kinda like a callback. It was like, “Okay, I made it to the next step but I haven't gotten on the show yet,” and that was the big ultimate goal, so for me it was kind of that last step. Like, I've come so far. You know, I really, really asked the show, please tell me and they left me till the last three or four girls and so I was really sweating it out cause there weren't many spots left, and you never know. I mean, there are people that you thought would probably go home that went home but then there are people that shouldn't go home that went home so by time I got up there I was like fingers crossed and okay I'll see what happens.

Being in the top 24, being a semifinalist, what was the thing that took you most by surprise during that whole experience?
I think a lot of people that went home in Hollywood week. You may see some of it on the show, even stuff that was you know, edited out like there were some stellar people that you would go, “Oh, for sure, they're gonna be on the show. They're a contender to win the whole thing.” And then they wouldn't, they wouldn't go through, it was like one little lyric forgotten or you know, you'll never never know and it's hard to keep that mindset that once you go on the show you can go at anytime and it's not all about just talent. It's kind of the whole package, there's a lot involved, so you really just never know when it's gonna be your time.

This season had a fair amount of controversy. What's your take on both Antonella's thing and then Sanjaya making it as far as he did?
Right, right. I mean, it really comes down to it being not about the talent once you get on the show and when you leave it up to America to choose, and you have all the different variables and people voting because they don't like the show and you know, voting based on popularity, or whatever it is, I mean that's kind of the draw to the show. Who's gonna leave, even the upsets are what make the show popular. Because you can get mad and scream and go they don't deserve to go home and I can't believe it, but it's kind of the name of the game. So, we've got contestants that have to be prepared for it and I think this year definitely had some of those elements, but the point is that everybody who's on the show deserves to be there cause they have the votes, so whether it's because of their voice or not because of their voice, because of something else, if they have the number of votes, they're in. It's not like So You Think You Can Dance where the judges have some sort of say in who stays or some of the other shows. That's the thing about what makes American Idol, American Idol, that America is the deciding factor.

I think most would agree that you were one of the better pure singers on the show. Were you then pretty surprised to be eliminated when you were?
I was surprised then. I was. As much as I tried to say, “Okay, I could be going home,” I didn't want to and I really wanted to be in the finals and really didn't think it was my time, so it was hard. It was really hard to leave that night and I was a little bit taken back and you just got to look at it as a huge blessing and so many doors open because of it so I would do it again no matter what.

What have you taken away most from the whole Idol experience?
I would say just to stay true to myself, because I feel like I did that all on the show. I didn't pull any tricks or try to do anything other than do what I do and sing, all the interviews that I've done afterwards people kind of recognize my character, you know, they appreciate me staying true to who I was and that came across and I really had no regrets about any of the choices I made on the show. So, it's something you worry about going on to such a huge stage in front of 37 million people and putting yourself out there to be torn apart and be judged by everyone and no matter what people say, good or bad, about what I did or who I am or what I look like, you know, I just I feel confident that I got a good job and I deserve to be there.

Since being on Idol, how has your life changed and what have you got in store for the future?
Life changes because people definitely recognize you and even now that the show's over, the finale's over, you really start to realize once you're off the show what a huge, huge machine American Idol is and how many people really watch cause people still recognize you and I definitely can't go bummed out to the 711 anymore, cause undoubtedly somebody will say “Hey!” And the huge opportunities…I hope I can make a record pretty soon and working out a deal with a major record label, and just some kind of cosmetic promotion opportunities and I was an actress and singer before Idol so God created agents and they live here in LA. Hopefully some acting opportunities too, but lots and lots of doors open so it's been really, really great.

IS SIMON COWELL STEPPING OUT ON TERRI SEYMOUR?

Well, they really don't say, but today's Sunday Mirror is trying to titillate us with that possibility:

Jasmine Lennard has broken her silence on her relationship with Simon Cowell and admitted: "I adore him."

The 21-year-old model was rumoured to be having a secret fling with the 47-year-old "X Factor" judge last year when she was spotted leaving his £11 million home in West London. Cowell - who has a long-term girlfriend Terri Seymour - insisted they were merely "discussing projects".

Now Jasmine, who split with night club owner Mark Alexiou amid the revelations, has ignited the rumours again in a magazine interview in which she says: "Everything he says is golden, because he has so much experience. I have a lot of respect for Simon. I adore him." The "Make Me a Supermodel" star also revealed she is seeing someone "very precious" - but would not say who.

Asked to explain the initials SC tattooed on her wrist, she said: "It's someone who is important to me and I'm happy to have the tattoo there for the rest of my life.

"I'm seeing someone, but I can't talk about it because whoever I'm seeing is very precious to me in a way I cannot describe in words, and I'll do everything I can to protect that person."

... Researching Lennard, we found this story that ran last July in the same paper:

Simon Cowell has been allegedly cheating on girlfriend Terri Seymour for six months, it has emerged.

The "X Factor" judge, famed for his razor tongue, met society girl Jasmine Lennard, 21, in a posh restaurant in January and began seeing her after sending a flirty note.

News of his affair with Jasmine is bound to devastate model-turned-television presenter Terri, his most serious girlfriend.

Their relationship is reported to have been on the rocks recently.

Jasmine, who has overcome drug addiction and is thought to be bisexual, has since made several secret visits to his £7.5million home while Terri, 32, is away.

The pair have dined together in public and Jasmine has even visited the X Factor studios.

A source told The Sun: "They spend most of their time together in Simon's house when Terri is at their other home in Los Angeles.

"Sometimes they go out, but only with other friends so as not to arouse any suspicion."

The pop tycoon's affair was exposed just before midnight on Tuesday, when Jasmine was photographed leaving his house. It was the eve of her 21st birthday.

The young model, who has a boyfriend, emerged in a heavy fur coat, despite the stifling heat. But beneath, she wore racy black lingerie, the newspaper reports.

The model saw in her 21st birthday by spending an hour-and-a-half with him on a downstairs sofa.

They headed to his bedroom at 1.30am, where a lamp was turned on and they shared a steamy clinch by the window.

An hour later Jasmine emerged from the four-storey mansion in Holland Park.

Her friends believe she is in love with the multi-millionaire.

One revealed: "Jasmine is absolutely besotted with him and thinks he feels the same."

However, Simon's secret lover has had a troubled past and was once at celebrity rehab clinic The Priory alongside Kate Moss. At just 14 she was on the Pill and regularly smoked marijuana.

By 18, she was hooked on cocaine and ecstasy and went on to have sexual encounters with both men and women, according to The Sun.

She claims cleaning up her act by checking into The Priory got her out of "the gutter".

Simon, who has been dating Terri for four years, has previously admitted he has a roaming eye but insisted he was not a love-cheat.

Asked two years ago if he was faithful to her he replied: "Well, I am a bit of a flirt but I'm pretty good.

"My eyes do wander, and daily. It's what you do after those eyes that counts."

However, one of his former loves, pop singer Sinitta, claimed he was incapable of being faithful.

It is also sure to upset Jasmine's club owner boyfriend Mark Alexiou, who once dated Sophie Anderton.

But Simon's spokesman last night claimed his rendezvous with Jasmine at his home was innocent. He said: "Simon has known Jasmine for some time. They had a meeting to discuss TV projects."

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2007

Kelly Clarkson Had Eating Disorder

NineMSN
says that Kelly Clarkson told CosmoGirl! that she developed an eating disorder after missing out on a part in her high school musical. "I thought … if I come back and I'm cuter and thinner ... then I'll get the role," Clarkson told the magazine in its August issue. "I became bulimic for the next six months. One of my guy friends caught on to it and I just felt so ashamed and embarrassed."

"I literally went cold turkey and snapped out of it," says the singer. "I've got a butt, I'm Greek — I can't help that. And I think it's good for people to see someone that's normal."

Since then, Clarkson said, she has striven to maintain a healthy body. You go girl!

WE WOULDN'T BRAG

PRNewswire reports on the upcoming red carpet screening and after party for the newly completed North American release of Jackie Chan's "The Myth," to be held June 26 at ArcLight Cinemas, 6360 West Sunset Boulevard in L.A. The after-party will be at Cabana Club, 1439 Ivar Avenue. The "Confirmed Celebrities" according to the press release include "Stargate and Farscape's Ben Browder, High School Musical 1 & 2's Monique Coleman, Dancing With the Stars' Carrie Ann Inaba, Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo, Academy Award-winning West Bank Story star Joey Naber, American Idol's Sabrina Sloan, Nia Peeples, Katie Lohmann, Monica Lo, Jackie Long, Christopher Massey, Lorielle New, Rob Pinkston, Lauren Storm, Riley Weston, Kaila Yu, Allen Alvarado, Rita Branch, Roger Zamudio, Alana Curry, B.J. Hendricks, Olja Hrustic, Kate Linder, The Glow Girls, Comedian Russell Peters, Shanghai Baby's Bai Ling (who would appear at the opening of a can of tuna fish).

This motley collection of hangers-ons, wannabes and neverwillbes should seemingly elevate Kathy Griffin from the "D" list to, uh, perhaps the "B" list.

And check out the photo of Sloan from the Idol finale show. Someone actually had to hold a sign to ID her for the press. OMG! She was a semi-finalist just months earlier. If they have to ID you on the show that made you a "star," do you really belong on the red carpet?

CARRIE UNDERWOOD RINGS THEIR CHIMES, ER, PHONES

Meanwhile, PR-Inside.com reports that Carrie Underwood has become only the second country artist in history to earn platinum ringtone status. (The first country tune to hit the million ringtones mark was Waylon Jennings' "Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard").

Underwood's "Before He Cheats" has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for one million purchased ringtones. The song has also just been certified the best-selling digital country song in U.S. chart history.

AOL'S TV STAFF DON'T KNOW JACK ...
ABOUT THEIR READERS

According to TV Squad, AOL conducted a poll of readers to find out what they thought was the best and worst of television last season. More than 3 million votes were counted answering 20 questions. American Idol was rated the "Best Reality" show with 39% of the votes, beating out "Dancing With the Stars (28%), "Amazing Race" (15%), "America's Next Top Model" (10%) and "Project Runway" (8%). Surprisingly (or perhaps not), "Idol" also won the "Most Disappointing Series" vote with 30%.

"Meanest Reality Show Judge" of course went to Simon Cowell with 51%. Not even coming close were Gordon Ramsay of "Hell's Kitchen" (36%), Len Goodman of "Dancing With the Stars" (7%), Nina Garcia of "Project Runway" (3%) and Nigel Barker of "America's Next Top Model" (2%). There was also a (ahem, lame) category for the "Best Sanjaya Hairstyle" (guess they were looking for filler). Needless to say, the Pony-Hawk won with 37% of the vote. Sanjaya Malakar's survival on "Idol" ranked as the No. 2 (28%) "Most Shocking Development," with "Edie's Suicide" on "Desperate Housewives" winning out with 33%.

The AOL Television staff, claiming that TV is their passion, also voted for their favorites. They picked "Project Runway" as the "Best Reality Show," an interesting contrast to the public they serve (and apparently don't know very well), who placed the series their dead last reality show pick. The AOL staff also disagreed with the voters on every other "Idol" result (and most non-Idol results for that matter). They even picked Len Goodman as the meanest reality show judge! The only one they got "right" was Sanjaya's Pony-Hawk. So we think thay maybe they ought to stick with fashion and get out of the TV biz. They obviously don't know what their readers like!

Thanks to Andie for letting us know about this and the next item.

MUSIC'S SEXIEST SINGLE MEN

When AOL ranked music's sexiest single men, they place Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis as No. 21, describing "Why He's Hot" with: He's only an 'Idol' runner-up, but his sharp, preppy style, wicked beatboxing skills and rising-star status will make the lady who wins his heart feel like a real winner.

BLAKE IS BACK BLOGGING

And a just posted message from Blake Lewis' MySpace page:

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Yes, This is my Official Mysapce Page.
Current mood: happy

Hello everyone,

A lot of questions keep coming up if this is my page or not. It is!! I just got back online from not having control of my page because of American Idol contest rules and now its up and running.

As of now, I’m am in rehersals for the A.I. tour and things are running smoothly. Got a lot of special things happening on the tour this year and I’m really excited for it to start. On top of tour, I have been in meetings with producers and writers for my album, which is set to come out sometime by Thanks Giving to Christmas. I can’t thank you enough for all the responses and support that has come from this amazing journey. I’ve been working hard for the last seven years on writing and performing and American Idol has been the best platform for me to reach out and communicate my art thus far. Thank you again for reaching back.

Very soon I’ll be putting up some music, pictures and art I have been working on.

Love and Happiness,

Your friend, Blake

KATHARINE McPHEE ACOUSTIC VIDEOS

Three acoustic Katharine McPhee videos -- "Over It," "Each Other" and "Love Story" -- are now available on Rhapsody.com. The link is for "Over It." The links to the other two songs are on the bottom of the page. Enjoy this refreshingly different take on her music. It's the natural, unadorned voice the public fell in love with last season.

There's also an interview with McPhee that you can listen to. (Yes, we voted for Taylor Hicks, but we also appreciate other good voices).

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2007

Macca: Starbucks & HSN Over 'Idol'

A lot of "American Idol"-Beatles fans have been disappointed with Paul McCartney's continual stance to distance himself from America's No. 1-rated TV show. We thought that "Idol" was perhaps just too cheesy for the musicmaker who has even tried his hand at classical oratorio, first with 1991's "Liverpool Oratorio," and more recently after wife Linda's death with "Ecce Cor Meum." Of course that was until we heard that the "cute" Beatle had opted to turn to Starbucks and Home Shopping Network to market his latest CD release, "Memory Almost Full."

The Flint Journal, among others, reports that Macca began using Home Shopping Network with a 30-minute special that aired on May 30 and 31 to promote tomorrow's release of the CD. The special reportedly featured songs from the new disk and footage of McCartney chatting about the stories behind the tunes. (Click on the link above to watch videos.)

Add the fact that the record is part of Starbucks' new music division, and it compounds the frustration over what a legendary artist is being forced to do to keep reaching fans in an age of micro-thin playlists on radio and video channels.

Scarier yet is that you can already get the CD, which sells for $19.97 plus $2.98 shipping and handling on HSN (it includes a "Bonus 3-Song CD") discounted on amazon.com for $9.99 (including free shipping if you spend a minimum of $25). On that site you'll also find a video ad that Macca made for amazon.com, followed by the video for "Dance Tonight," which features a deliveryman whose thin build, gaunt angular face and long teeth are incredibly reminiscent of a young George Harrison. In the video, a mandolin-playing McCartney cavorts with ghostly images. If this was the '60s, there would again be rumors that "Paul is dead," just like there were when "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" came out.

And we admit it. "Dance Tonight" is a typically catchy McCartney. Paul still has it. Not bad for someone who'll turn 65 on June 18. Too bad he had to resort to Starbucks and HSN to hustle it. Somehow Idol would have been so much easier -- and, in spite of all its flaws, more dignified. Besides, it would have sold tons of CDs for him.

Watch video of Paul McCartney singing "Dance Tonight":



YAMIN HOT DOGGIN' IT FOR OSCAR MAYER

Elliott Yamin has signed on with Oscar Mayer to serve as spokes-
man for its “Sing the Jingle, Be a Star” contest.

The weiner-maker has partnered with FremantleMedia for sponsorship of "American Idol" Season 7. Now in its second year, the Oscar Mayer "Sing the Jingle, Be a Star" contest invites eager songsters to see if they can cut the mustard by singing their own unique rendition of one of the popular Oscar Mayer jingles -- the Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle, the Bologna Song, or an Oscar Mayer Spanish Jingle.

Solo artists and – new this year – duos and groups of up to five people – can enter from May 24 to October 31, 2007. As part of the promotion, the "American Idol" name and imagery will be featured on 250 million packs of Oscar Mayer lunch meats, hot dogs, corn dogs and bacon.

Yamin will help kick-off the Oscar Mayer contest on June 13 in the Central Courtyard at the Hollywood & Highland Center, just steps away from the Kodak Theatre where the season finale of "American Idol" took place. Elliott will assist the Hotdoggers, official drivers of the Wienermobile vehicles, as entrants sing at the first open casting call of the hot dog season.

The search will continue throughout the summer, as Wienermobile vehicles cruise the country hosting open casting calls to give Oscar Mayer fans the opportunity to enter the contest. Contestants ages 6 and older may enter at official Wienermobile vehicle stops, where their entry will be videotaped, or mail-in a VHS videotape or DVD along with an official entry form, available at the Web site, where they may also upload their entry videos. Mailed entries should be sent to: Sing the Jingle Entries, P.O. Box 5600, Blair, NE 68009-5600. All entries must be received by October 31, 2007.

Twelve finalists will be selected by a panel of Oscar Mayer appointed judges and posted on the official Web site from January 15 to February 15, 2008. During this time, the public can vote for their favorite jingle contest entry.

America's vote, along with the panel of Oscar Mayer appointed judges, will help select three Grand Prize winners, who will receive the chance to appear in a nationally televised Oscar Mayer commercial, a trip for two to the American Idol Season 7 Finale (in the event a winner or winning group member is less than 8 years old at the time of intended travel to the American Idol Finale, he/she will be awarded a Sponsor-specified prize of equal or greater value in lieu of the trip) and commercial taping location. Judging will be based on overall performance, style, creativity and suitability for an Oscar Mayer TV commercial. No purchase necessary.

Watch video of Elliott Yamin shilling for the Oscar Mayer jingle contest.

ELLIOTT YAMIN INTERVIEW

US magazine recently talked with Yamin about the Oscar Mayer gig, his new album and Idol's Season 6 finale:

You’re quite the busy guy. Between traveling and performing, you must never have time to sleep!
I’m always moving, always on the go. You got to get some global tracking on me. [Laughs].

But you recently cleared your schedule to hang out with some of your Idol peers during a finale after party.
Yeah, we had a great time. I wasn’t expecting to see as many people from last season. I’ve never been to a high school reunion or anything, but I saw Ace [Young] - we’re good friends - Mandisa, Constantine, Anthony Fedorov and Scott Savol again.

Idol’s boys’ club is back together.
It was a lot of fun. Ace is doing great. He’s finishing up his record and he’s the face of Edy’s ice cream.

However, I’d say you beat him on the food chain, since you’re helping Oscar Mayer with their “Sing the Jingle, Be a Star” contest.
Right, right. We actually launched it last week. I partnered up with them to help promote this contest. It’s a singing contest, which I’m quite familiar with [Laughs].

Will Simon Cowell be able to critique these performers?
No Simon Cowell, no harsh critics. That’s a good thing. What they want to do is find songsters age 6 and up. You can either do it solo or in groups of up to 5 people. Basically what they’re looking for are people to put their own personal twists on the already-popular Oscar Meyer Wiener jingle that we’re so familiar with.

Wait, what’s that jingle again?
Well, I think you know what I’m talking about. [Laughs]

Come on…
[Clears throat and begins to sing] My bologna has a first name…[pause]. There’s even a Spanish version too.

Now that the business is out of the way, let’s talk about Idol and your new record. You’re currently on your own headlining tour. It must feel good since you were on the Idol tour just last summer.
It’s surreal to be headlining my own tour and be able to go on that stage and see people actually singing my songs. I’ve just come such a long way in such a short period of time from where I was a year and a half ago. I’m still riding Cloud 9 and I’m not ready to get off yet.

How do you feel about former contestants who are badmouthing the show after it gave them a chance to shine?
I still feel like I have a lot to prove, just because there’s a certain stigma with cast-offs from Idol. It makes me want to work harder. I would never dis the show - they’ve obviously given me my chance and opened so many doors. I feel a debt of gratitude to them.

Lastly, tell us about your makeover – you got a new smile!
I evolved in every aspect you could possibly evolve - looks, stage presence, my work ethic, everything. I got some veneers and everybody likes to talk about it. I’ve always kind of had a complex about my smile, so I was able to correct that, and I felt great. There are a lot of things to smile about these days!

RENT AN IDOL RUNNER-UP

You don't have to win Idol to get a gig. Hell, you don't even have to make it to the finals, as this press release for Mona Loring’s Birthday and Red Carpet Event at Basque attests:

It states that American Idol season six finalist [er, that would be semi-finalist] Sabrina Sloan will be hosting a star-studded birthday soiree in honor of MLC PR’s president Mona Loring. The event promoted by Ocean West Entertainment and Jair & Co. will include a celebrity red carpet, a Keinejad fashion show hosted by model Sabrina Jane, go-go dancers, a DJ and more.

Celebrities [ahem] confirmed thus far: Sabrina Sloan (American Idol), Shane Sparks (So You Think You Can Dance), Alaina Alexander (American Idol), Patricia Kara (NBC’s Deal or No Deal), Willie Herath (Actor and Indie Singer/Songwriter), Joey Naber (Academy Award-Winning West Bank Story), Sarah Kozer (Average Joe), Maggie Wagner (Sundance Award-Wining Talent Given Us), Vintage (Indie Rock Band) and many more!

How many of these "big" names did you recognize? Be there and be square, we guess.

Who/What: Mona Loring’s Birthday and Red Carpet Event at Basque
When: 9 pm, Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Where: Basque 1707 North Vine Street Hollywood, CA 90028 (323) 464-1654
For more info on Basque visit: http://www.myspace.com/dirrty10!

And here is the lovely birthday girl. Guess anyone with a few bucks can book an Idol also-ran, especially if they live in Los Angeles and need work.



MORE VIDEOS!

Blake Lewis' audition for "American Idol." We remember not being impressed. Guess in this case the judges knew more than we did:



Kimberley Locke proving why she should keep her clothes on when she sings. Is this a bikini, underwear, a bachelor party? Who knows? And the videographer proves why you shouldn't drink and film at the same time. Was he horizontal, or just his camera?



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© 2007

American Idol Top 10 Spoilers

UPDATE: The source we trusted for the spoiler information now reports that most of it was incorrect. Instead of putting any more incorrect material out there, we'll just wait until after the show airs to update you again. Later ...

Here's an advance look at the order of the lineup for tonight's show, as well as what is going to be sung and worn by the contestants. If you don't want to know in advance STOP READING NOW!

Before we give you the rundown, here's the biggest surprise of the evening and a change in the current rules, according to idolforums.com:

The entire 10 performances fit into the full hour of the show. The extra seven minutes are actually for the return of a pretaped segment of recordings by Antonella Barba, Sundance Head, Sabrina Sloan, Jared Cotter, Stephanie Edwards and Brandon Rogers (a capella). Viewers will be able to vote on an 11th phone line for one of these people to join the tour (not return to the show)!!

And although Fox originally released the theme as pop songs, in an interview with ET online, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said that tonight's theme is songs that have inspired Gwen Stefani:

ET: What theme nights produce better shows? A restrictive theme, such as songs of Diana Ross, or this week's pop-music theme, when the Top 10 could sing just about anything?

Nigel Lythgoe: This week, it couldn't really be anything, because it is artists that inspire Gwen Stefani. Gwen has given us a list of artists, so it is pinned down a little bit. I think for the contestants, it is much better when the genre is open. "British Invasion" turned out much better than we all dreamed, because a good song has the ability of changing and coming up to date. I love the older songs more because there is more melody there and a proper written song. So it has a verse, chorus and a bridge. It just makes it a little more interesting.

On the rating drop this season, Nigel said: Even if we lost 50 percent of our audience, we would still be in the top three shows in the country. I am not that worried. Everybody keeps telling me it has to do with daylight savings. Also, it affects the programs with [the highest ratings the most], obviously. To be honest about it, people are saying that this is not our greatest year for talent. I don't necessarily agree with them. I think we have five or six of the best singers we have ever had. If it is a bad year for talent, we will find out over the next few weeks.

On the advice from the judges: The great thing about this show is it is so subjective. The fun is in disagreeing with what people say. If I was a contestant and listening to everything that has been said over the past six seasons, I wouldn't know what to do from one week to the next. Because they tell you one week, "You're playing it safe." Then the next week, they say, "It is dangerous to do this." Then, "You have chosen the wrong song." It is a tough one. You just have to get out there and sing people's socks off. End of story.

On which contestant has surprised him this year: Jordin continues to surprise me. I am watching her grow week-on-week from this 17-year-old that I saw a number of years ago when she auditioned for "American Juniors." I am watching a young lady come to fruition.

On genres not yet done he'd like to see: I would love to do The Eagles, the music of The Beatles, and there are a number of songwriters -- the lyrics of Hal David, Carole King -- anything that gives the contestants really good melodic songs to sing and a wide choice. I hate pinning them down too much.

On whether he laughed at the "Saturday Night Live" Sanjaya bit: I don't need the thick skin. Sanjaya needs the thick skin. I am old school, so anytime my shows are talked about I am happy in whatever way it is discussed. I will always defend anything on my shows if I feel it is defensible. "SNL" has often had pot shots at us and we have always enjoyed it. Part of our humor here is making fun of ourselves, so it really doesn't worry me that anybody else makes fun of us. (Watch the hilarious SNL bit below. Here are links to SNL videos of Carrie Underwood on the same show singing "Before He Cheats" and "Wasted.")



On whether Taylor Hicks will be on the show this season and what Lythgoe thought of Hicks' CD: Of course [he'll be on the show]. Taylor Hicks is our "Idol" this season. I haven't heard [his CD] it, to be honest.

Is it unusual that he hasn't heard Hicks' CD: No. Kelly Clarkson's I heard. Carrie Underwood's. I haven't heard Fantasia's, Ruben's or Taylor's. I haven't heard an awful lot of the other releases. It is not my type of music, to be frank with you. I like more middle-of-the-road stuff. When they leave us, they go to different genres. I like country, which is why I played Carrie. I wanted to see where Kelly was going because she was our first Idol. I have very little time to listen to outside music. I am constantly listening to the music that we are doing that week, and trying to get everything downloaded to give the kids as wide a choice as I can.

Tonight's performance order, songs, clothing and YouTube.com links (when available):

1. LaKisha Jones - "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" by Donna Summer (very long blue dress, jewlery all over)




2. Blake Lewis - "Love Song" by The Cure (black pants, white dress shirt)



3. Jordin Sparks - "Hey Baby" by No Doubt (pink dress that splits down the legs)



4. Chris Richardson - "Don't Speak" by No Doubt (black shirt, black shorts, bandana)




5. Gina Glocksen - "Just Like a Pill" by Pink (black tank top, white skirt)




6. Phil Stacey - "Every Breath You Take" by The Police (blue shirt, black pants)




7. Haley Scarnato - "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper (long pink dress)




8. Sanjaya Malakar - "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 (tight black pants, puffy blue shirt)



9. Melinda Doolittle - “Sunset People” by Donna Summer (huge gown, bigger then Lakisha’s, red)



10. Chris Sligh - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police (brown shirt, black pants)



The Ford Video: "Push" by Matchbox 20, which breaks into "Love Will Save the Day."

We're puzzled as to why Melinda and LaKisha have chosen obscure Donna Summer songs. Although they'll no doubt (ahem) sing the heck out of them, in the case of Idol familiarity seldom breeds contempt -- it usually garners votes. So we think these choices could hurt the two divas.

Listening again to the selections the other contestants have chosen, they all seem voice-appropriate and we are forecasting another good night of music for Idol. We do worry about Haley's pick of "True Colors." Although we love the Cyndi Lauper song, we seem to recall Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" as the Idol Kiss of Death for Nadia in Season 4 (or maybe it was her Mohawk that did it).

We're thrilled to see Sligh in the pimp spot and hope he finally proves to viewers what a great voice he has. We've known it for months, but he didn't really start demonstrating it until he sang "She's Not There" by The Zombies last Tuesday. We also hope the pimp spot means that he's been forgiven by the show's executive producers for his "Hi Dave" Vote for the Worst shout-out last week. It would be horrible if they were to set him up in the pimp spot and then eliminate him the next night (but keep in mind that Idol does love to shock viewers and nothing would be beyond belief at this point -- especially with the change in rules for the tour being initiated tonight). All we can say is "Go Sligh!"

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© 2007

The British Are Coming!

Fox has announced that the theme of next week's show is British Invasion Week, with the contestants being mentored by Lulu and Peter Noone (lead singer of Herman's Hermits) on hit songs picks from the 1960s.

To those of you reading this who are too young to remember the '60s, or think that the only British group that came out of that era was The Beatles ... well, they weren't. Musically, it was a great time to be a teen, with music from not only the Fab Four pouring out of your transistor radio, but also the Rolling Stones, Dave Clark 5, The Troggs, The Zombies, The Hollies, the Kinks, The Blues Magoos, Dusty Springfield, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Procol Harum, Petula Clark, Chad & Jeremy, The Seekers, Peter & Gordon, The Byrds, Badfinger, Marianne Faithful, Donovan, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, The Animals, Manfred Mann, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Turtles, Jonathan King, Traffic, The Yardbirds, The Spencer Davis Group, Them, Van Morrison, The Easybeats, Sopwith "Camel," The Tremeloes, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Freddie & The Dreamers, Small Faces, Oliver, plus a ton more. So the song selection should be really great!

For the uninitiated, Scottish singer Lulu, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Laurie on Nov. 3, 1948, is probably best known for singing the theme song for "To Sir With Love," a million-selling No. 1 hit in the U.S. She also did a turn as Barbara "Babs" Pegg in the beloved 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier. Lulu will perform the song on Idol, as well.

Other "fun" Lulu facts:

• At the age of 15, Lulu and her backing band, The Luvvers, reached No. 7 on the UK charts with their version of The Isley Brothers' "Shout."
• She had her own TV series in the UK.
• She was married to Maurice Gibb (of the Bee Gees) from 1969-1973.
• David Bowie produced and arranged her hit version of "The Man Who Sold The World."
• In 1974, she sang the title song for the James Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun."
• In 1993, the title track of her release "Independence," co-produced by Bobby Womack and London Beat, registered strongly on the UK and US charts.
• Tina Turner's hit "I Don't Wanna Fight" was written by Lulu and her brother Billy Laurie
• She was awarded the OBE in June 2000 for her contribution to the entertainment industry.
• Her 2002 duets album featured collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Sting and newer artists Atomic Kitten and Westlife.

Peter Noone, was born Peter Blair Denis Bernard in Manchester, England, where he studied voice and acting at St. Bede’s College and the Manchester School of Music and Drama. As a child, he played Stanley Fairclough in the long-running British soap opera "Coronation Street." He was also featured on other TV series. At 15, he achieved international fame as the lead singer of the '60s pop band Herman’s Hermits. Their hits include: "I'm Into Something Good," "Silhouettes," "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," "Just a Little Bit Better," "Wonderful World," "There's a Kind of Hush," "Listen People," "The End of the World," "Dandy" and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." Noone will perform "There's a Kind of Hush" on the results show.

Other "fun" Herman's Hermits facts:

• The band ultimately sold over 65 million recordings.
• In all, 14 singles and seven albums went gold.
• The Hermits were twice named Cashbox’s "Entertainer of the Year."
• Noone graced the cover of nearly every international publication, including Time Magazine.
• He performed on hundreds of top-rated TV shows, and appeared with such luminaries as Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin and Danny Kaye.
• He starred in ABC’s musical version of "The Canterville Ghost," the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of "Pinocchio" (in which he played the title role) and the feature films "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," "Hold On!" and "When the Boys Meet the Girls."
• Throughout the '70s, Noone performed, composed and produced recordings with such artists as David Bowie and Debby Boone.
• In the '80s he starred on Broadway as Frederic in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of "The Pirates of Penzance."
• He later guest-starred on the TV series "Married With Children," "My Two Dads," "Quantum Leap," "Dave’s World," "Easy Street," "Too Close for Comfort" and "Laverne and Shirley."
• For four years, Noone hosted VH1’s "My Generation," a retrospective of popular music.
• His fans are known as “Noonatics.”
• In 2001, VH1 selected Noone as their viewer's choice for the "Sexiest Artist of the Year."
• Noone starred in the recurring role of Paddington on "As the World Turns."
• He still performs approximately 150 live concerts a year.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH PAULA ABDUL

"Extra's" Terri Seymour sat down with Paula Abdul for a candid one-on-one about love. This is what Paula had to say:

On finding Mr. Right: "Mr. Right is the complete opposite of Simon! The truth of the matter is he [Simon] does make me laugh at times and humor to me is everything. I find that attractive."

On Seymour dating Cowell: "You [Seymour] are the perfect complement to him … you are the bright light and he is the king of darkness."

On whether she is ready for love: "I am definitely ready for love. I've been ready. Just because I'm a famous person, it doesn't make me exempt from love."

WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE SUNG

Vocally, Diana Ross Week was not a great success. Would it have been any better had some of the semi-finalists booted the week before still been competing? MTV asked a couple of them what they had planned to sing on the show.

Sundance Head: I was going to sing "Reflections" and I was going to do a slight punk rock version of it.

Sabrina Sloan: "You Can't Hurry Love." I was already planning it out in my head how I wanted the band to do it.

GIVING BACK

The American Red Cross unveils it's sixth annual National Celebrity Cabinet with 20 new members, including "American Idol" alum Kellie Pickler. The 2007 American National Celebrity Cabinet will work to promote awareness of Red Cross services in a variety of ways, such as taping public service announcements; donating their time, money and blood; feeding victims of disaster; and generally lending a hand or a hug to those in need.

Other members of the 2007 American National Celebrity Cabinet include Forest Whitaker, Bradley Whitford, Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marcia Gay Harden, Heidi Klum, Tim McGraw, Julianne Moore, Elisabeth Rohm and Rascal Flatts.

AMERICAN IDOL EXTRA

MJsBigBlog reports on the premiere of "American Idol Extra" on the Fox Reality cable channel, hosted by JD Roberto, and co-hosted by former Idol finalists Mikalah Gordon (Season 4) and Matthew Rogers (Season 3). Here are the highlights of the first show:

Ryan Seacrest said that the worst singer did not go on Wednesday night ... Carrie Underwood said her favorite Idol performance was Heart's "Alone" ... Lisa Tucker, turning 18 soon, is working on Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" and recording original music. She does not have a label yet ... Simon Cowell said it's better to be really, really bad than forgettable – that's why the worst singer did not leave Wednesday night.

In an interview with Brandon Rogers, the first Season 6 finalist to get the boot said:

• He was prepared to go home Wednesday because when he forgot his words on stage, he knew he was going home.
• There is no infighting or backstabbing on the show. Everyone was nice, and genuinely enjoyed hanging out together.
• He's going home because he never picked the right songs to showcase his voice. He picked songs that he liked, and now realizes that wasn't a good strategy.
• He would love to cover Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You."
• When Ryan told him that he was going home, he thought, "I want a [alcoholic beverage] with a squeeze of lime."
• He was not nervous performing Tuesday night, but was thrown off by the crowd response – he lost his focus.
• No one should feel sorry for him – it was a great ride.
• The most emotional moment Wednesday night was Blake Lewis crying after Brandon's elimination.
• Brandon cried every week when somebody left.
• He thought he earned the judges' criticisms.
• He will continue to write and make music.

The show ended with Brandon’s sing-out, which was cut from Wednesday’s show - he remembered his words.

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