Archive for the ‘Season 9’ Category:


‘Idol’ Title Eludes John Park Anew

Published on Oct 25, 2010 by in American Idol, Season 9

The “Idol” title continued to elude Korean-American John Park.

Park (pictured bottom left), a former “American Idol” contestant, lost to 25-year-old repairman Huh Gak (pictured top left) in the finals of “Superstar K2,” Korea’s version of the hit American TV talent show.

The finale was a showdown between Park and Heo, who both sang two songs. The two made it to the finals after a series of eliminations.

The winner was decided by online votes (10 percent), judges’ decision (30 percent) and text message votes (60 percent). In the end, Huh got the most votes and won the title. For his feat, Huh won 200 million won (~$178,000) and a car. He will also release his first album.

Park, a native of Illinois, was a contestant in the Season 9 of the “American Idol” this year. He made it to the top 20 before being eliminated. He auditioned in Los Angeles.

In one interview, he claimed that he only auditioned for “American Idol” to gain experience before joining “Superstar K.”

“Superstar K2,” produced and shown on Korean cable channel Mnet, drew 1.34 million Korean applicants, twice the number when the show had its first season.

Source: mb.com.ph

 
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‘Idol’ castoff finds fame in Korea

Published on Oct 23, 2010 by in American Idol, Season 9

An Illinois man who made it to the Top 20 on last season’s “American Idol” is one of two finalists on Korea’s TV talent show “Superstar K.”

The Chicago Sun-Times said John Park is a Northbrook native and member of Purple Haze, a Northwestern University a capella group.

Park is competing against singer Heo Gak, who told a Korean music fan Web site he envies Park’s “soft smile and his flawless English pronunciation,” the Sun-Times said.

Source: The Money Times

Watch John Park’s Season 9 Top 20 performance after the jump.

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Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest Are Top-Earning Men in Primetime TV

Published on Oct 12, 2010 by in Ryan Seacrest, Season 9, Simon Cowell

It pays to be on American Idol. Just ask Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, who earned more money than any other celebrity in primetime television over a one-year span.

Cowell ranks first on Forbes magazine’s list of “Primetime TV’s Top-Earning Men,” having collected $80 million from June 1, 2009 to June 1 of this year. Cowell’s fortune comes not only from his work on American Idol, which he left earlier this year, but also from his involvement in other series, such as America’s Got Talent and Britain’s The X Factor.

Similarly, Seacrest was a busy man when he wasn’t hosting American Idol. The emcee, who places second on Forbes’ list with $51 million, also hosts a Los Angeles-based radio show and is a producer of such TV programs as E!’s reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Forbes notes that the 10 top-earning men in primetime TV collectively received $308 million over the one-year time period, while the 10 top-earning women only received $162 million.

Here are the top-earning men in primetime TV, according to Forbes, along with their earnings for the year ending June 1, 2010:

1. Simon Cowell, American Idol, $80 million
2. Ryan Seacrest, American Idol, $51 million
3. Donald Trump, The Apprentice, $50 million
4. Steve Carell, The Office, $34 million
5. Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, $30 million
6. Kiefer Sutherland, 24, $20 million
7. Laurence Fishburne, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, $12 million
8. Patrick Dempsey, Grey’s Anatomy, $11 million
9. Hugh Laurie, House, $10 million
10. Chris Meloni, Law & Order: SVU, $9.5 million

Source: 100 WAPI

 
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American Idol Winner Lee DeWyze to Release Debut Album, “Live It Up”, on November 16

Published on Oct 7, 2010 by in Lee Dewyze, Ryan Seacrest, Season 9

Lee DeWyze’s First Single “Live It Up” will debut ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ October 13

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Last May, Lee DeWyze thrilled millions of fans when he was crowned the Season 9 winner of American Idol. Now the wait is over for original music from this self-taught singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who will release his major-label debut album, Live It Up, on November 16 on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. Lee’s first single “Live It Up” will debut ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ October 13.

“Putting out an album on a major label is truly a dream come true,” says 24-year-old DeWyze, a native of Mount Prospect, IL, who had built up a sizeable following on the Chicago club scene when he first auditioned for Idol in June 2009 at the urging of his bandmates. He was the only male contestant never to land in the competition’s bottom three contestants. “I’m excited for all the people who supported me throughout Idol to hear what I can do with my own songs. The album shows a whole different side of me and I’m so proud of it.”

Working with top-notch collaborators such as Toby Gad, John Shanks, and Espionage, to name a few, DeWyze co-wrote most of the songs on Live It Up, which he recorded while on the road over the summer with the American Idols Live Tour. “To see my name listed in the credits on each song was really important to me because I’m a songwriter,” DeWyze says, “I also loved working with such talented writers. They all brought so much to the table and really helped me flesh out my sound.”

Live It Up is an engaging blend of rootsy pop, rock and folk, anchored by DeWyze’s soulful, rough-edged voice and bright-sounding acoustic guitar. “I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, Cat Stevens, and Kris Kristofferson,” DeWyze says. “I love hard-edged vocals over pretty melodies — that’s what I’m about. I really admire guys like Dave Matthews and Ray LaMontagne, and to now be on the same record label as them — it just blows my mind.”

More details about Live It Up will be announced soon. For more about Lee, please visit www.leedewyzeofficial.com.

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DeGeneres addresses ‘American Idol’ exit

Published on Sep 15, 2010 by in Ellen DeGeneres, Season 10, Season 9

Ellen DeGeneres has spoken out about her decision to leave American Idol after one season.

The comedienne – who confirmed she was departing the Fox competition in July – admitted to the show’s host Ryan Seacrest that she found the experience “really hard” at times.

“I just think that these kids are really taking it so seriously, and for me to make a joke every single time when, really, all they’re waiting for is constructive criticism not true, honest criticism…” she said on Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show.

“They want to be praised and I found it really difficult to watch them have their dreams shattered on national television and I couldn’t make a joke every time. If I made a joke that was not directed at them like with the bagpipe guy getting separated from the parade, when something like that comes up that was fun for me but not directed at them. It was just hard. I didn’t want to walk that line.”

She continued to say that her first day as a judge had been “tough because it was just a reality check for me to, go, ‘Oh wow, this is a whole different machine over here’.” She also revealed that she found out that day that Simon Cowell was leaving

“I thought, ‘Oh, how does this work now?’ Because I thought he was there for a while, and I thought we were going to play around and have fun because his persona is one way and mine is another so we were going to play with that. And we never really got to do that.”

DeGeneres added: “This is not just television. [The contestants] really are thinking their lives are going to change right now and my words are going to matter and I was like, ‘Oh, this is hard’.”

American Idol returns to Fox in January.

Source: Digital Spy

 
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Murder victim appeared on episode of “American Idol”

Published on Sep 15, 2010 by in Season 9

As the investigation continues into a deadly shooting in Breathitt County, that left 6 people dead, including the gunman, we’re learning more about one of the victims.

Teresa Fugate, who was shot to death Saturday, was featured, along with her children, on a special episode of “American Idol.” That episode focused on various charities and encouraging people to raise money for them.

The episode, called “Idol Gives Back,” aired in April of this year.

Fugate’s family was highlighted through Save The Children, a non-profit organization focused on helping disadvantaged kids.

Actress Jennifer Garner visited the family as part of the episode.

The footage is now haunting. Teresa Fugate was shown walking in front of the very trailer where she was shot Saturday.

“The trailer is cold in the winter,” Fugate said during the episode. “We use kerosene for heat. When we don’t have money for kerosene, we heat with the oven to keep it warm in here.”

All four of Fugate’s children are enrolled in Save The Children programs. In Breathitt County, the focus is on books and literacy.

Save The Children released a statement late Monday afternoon, saying Teresa Fugate was a dedicated and loving mother.

The organization wants to provide assistance to her children.

Source: WKYT.com

Video of Teresa Fugate’s “Idol Give Back” story and a short news story about the shooting after the jump.

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‘Idol’ reject to sue for $300M

Published on Jul 28, 2010 by in Season 6, Season 9, SYTYCD

Toronto Sun article

The American Idol reject who stormed the stage during the competition’s live TV finale in May is preparing to file a $300 million lawsuit against show producers, accusing them of “exploiting” his sexuality.

Former contestant Ian Benardo, who failed to pass auditions when he tried out for the talent show in 2006, interrupted funnyman Dane Cook’s comedy skit when he ran on stage and grabbed the microphone from the actor at the Los Angeles event.

Calling it “a Kanye West moment”, Benardo began to hurl abuse at exiting American Idol judge Simon Cowell, insisting he was going to replace the music mogul on the program because, “I’m more entertaining than you.”

But in new legal papers filed with the New York State Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday, Benardo claims he was put up to the stunt by Idol executives who invited him back for this year’s final and asked him to be “outrageous” and “gay”.

The documents state that producers had previously “exploited… my sexual orientation” when he auditioned for the contest, by ordering him to “gay it up”.

Benardo insists he was given similar orders when he returned in May.

He goes on to accuse Cook of threatening him after the incident, claiming Idol bosses warned him he was “not safe” and advised him to leave the Nokia Theatre immediately.

According to TMZ.com, Benardo is now set to take the battle to court and is seeking damages for emotional injuries suffered and loss of employment opportunities as a result of the incident.

Representatives for both American Idol and Cook have yet to respond to the legal action.

(Video of Ian’s American Idol AND So You Think You Can Dance auditions after the jump.)

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Idol Tour Dates Cancelled

Published on Jul 5, 2010 by in Season 9

American Idol has been canceling some of their tour stops for some reason.

Tour Stops Cancelled

  • Omaha NE
  • Kansas City MO
  • Winnipeg MB
  • Toronto ON
  • Buffalo NY
  • Cleveland OH
  • Portland ME
 
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Former ‘American Idol’ Producer Nigel Lythgoe Criticizes Season Nine

Published on Jun 16, 2010 by in Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson, Season 9, Simon Cowell

The ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ judge says ‘Idol’ was more worried about the judges than the talent this year.

By Gil Kaufman – MTV News

Nigel Lythgoe doesn’t produce “American Idol” anymore, but that doesn’t mean the “So You Think You Can Dance” judge/ executive producer doesn’t have an opinion on the troubled ninth season of “Idol.”

Though it retained its title as the most popular show on television, Lythgoe told The Canadian Press that “Idol” show-runners lost a bit of their mojo this year.

“The team took their eye off the ball a little bit and was more worried about the judges and what was happening with them than it was regarding the talent last year,” he said. “It became about Kara (DioGuardi) joining and making the fourth judge; Paula (Abdul) leaving; Ellen (DeGeneres) joining and Simon leaving — and much more about them and concentrating on that than on the talent that they were finding.”

In general, Lythgoe said, he wasn’t much of a fan of the season, which ended with former paint salesman Lee DeWyze winning out over earthy Ohio single mom Crystal Bowersox in the lowest-rated “Idol” finale since season one.

“It wasn’t a vintage year,” he said, adding that he doesn’t believe departed lead judge Cowell should be replaced on the panel. “It’s never been my opinion that four judges work on that program because it should be about the talent,” said Lythgoe, who was one of the executive producers of “Idol” for the first seven seasons.

In other “Idol” news, the American Federation of Musicians sued the show’s producers on Friday, claiming that “Idol” has sold downloads and ringtones of songs performed on the show without paying the musicians who originally played on them, according to Variety. The suit seeks $500,000 in back pay for the union musicians who played the songs on the show.

While the “Idol” band members are paid for the initial performance on the show, AFM contracts call for additional payment for any “new use” of their music, including ringtones, which the union claims the musicians have not been paid for. The union is also seeking contributions to the union pension fund, interest, attorney fees and payments to the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund for “American Idol” video sales with song performances. According to a union spokesperson, the lawsuit was a final resort after the failure of settlement talks — in which “Idol” producers initially offered a settlement of less than 5 percent of the claim.

A spokesperson for “Idol” could not be reached for comment on Lythgoe’s statements or the lawsuit.

 
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Siobhan Magnus performs with Hanson

Published on Jun 15, 2010 by in Season 9, Siobhan Magnus

By Carina MacKenzie @ Zap 2 It

Season 9 “American Idol” eliminee Siobhan Magnus has never been shy about the fact that she’s a huge fan of Hanson — yes, the “Mmm-Bop” guys. (You know you loved them.) She’s even got a line from one of their songs tattooed on her wrist.

Apparently, the admiration is mutual. Taylor Hanson invited Magnus to perform with him and his brothers Zac and Isaac at a secret midnight show in Los Angeles. Reality Rocks snuck into the rehearsals, where Siobhan fit in perfectly with the band because she’d “been practicing for 14 years.”

“She showed up ready,” Taylor says, adding that fans on the band’s message board alerted them that Siobhan loved their music.

“Someone had written ‘Did you see the girl with the Hanson sweatshirt at Hollywood week?’” Siobhan says, admitting that she checked out the forums as well. “And then someone posted, ‘Well, if she’s a Hanson fan, I bet she’s reading this and laughing at us,’ and I’m sitting there reading it and laughing.”

“Thankfully she made it easy on us and she agreed to cover some of our own songs,” Zac adds. “So we already knew them.”

Hanson’s latest album, “Shout It Out” was released on June 8. Check out Siobhan’s rehearsal of “Weird” with the Hanson brothers below. Dreams do come true, kids.

 
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