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Category: American Idol (31-40 of 809)

Jan 20 2010 06:37 PM ET

Last night's 'American Idol': Guess which contestant was once signed to Jive Records?

Categories: American Idol, Music, Reality TV, Television

Hey, fellow American Idol fans! Want to hear more from last night’s Chicago auditioners? Well, you’re in luck! We’ve scoured the Web and found previously recorded music by some of the musicians, as well as some interesting background information about one blink-and-you-missed-him hopeful. Without further ado… (Read full post)

Jan 19 2010 09:55 PM ET

'American Idol' in Chicago: Shania Twain impressed us much!

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, Reality TV

It’s a bad sign when you don’t even need the fingers on one hand to count the number of truly talented contestants on an American Idol tryout show. Yet while tonight’s Chicago audition episode was to talent what Randy Jackson is to coherent critique, the hour was miraculously rescued by a secret weapon that made everything go down a little easier: Guest judge Shania Twain. In fact, I enjoyed the country superstar’s performance in the Paula Abdul Faded Glory Chair so much, I wrote a tribute song to her, set to the tune of her 1998 hit “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Click here to get some musical accompaniment, then sing along at home!

I listened to some guys tonight who thought they could sing
Watched Randy and Simon bust up laughing
Well Kara’s no genius — with her “sweetie” refrain
She condescends reflexively, she’s ultra hein
Oh-oh but, Shania’s special
Oh-oh yeah, I think she’s something else

Okay, so she’s a chalet owner
Ms. Twain impressed me much
Yes she had the brains, and had a gentle touch
Hire her quick, yeah a permanent seat
And send the Dawg and Dio-Gwarrd back onto the streets
Ms. Twain impressed me much

What did you think of Shania’s performance? Did any of the contestants impress you tonight? Post your thoughts now, then click over for my full American Idol in Chicago TV Watch recap! And to get updates on all my Idol ramblings, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. (Oh, and if you missed it, check out my recap of the Atlanta audition episode, and vote for your favorite on my list of the Top 20 Idol Contenders from Boston and Atlanta.)

Jan 19 2010 07:55 PM ET

'American Idol': Chat with fellow readers during the Chicago auditions

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, Reality TV

Yo! It’s about that time! To bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme. To switch on our TV sets and enjoy the sight of wannabe music superstars bursting into song, trying to showcase their “package artistry,” and attempting to win over at least three out of the following four humans: Randy “1 bubonicillion percent” Jackson, Kara “I’m shocked when people who don’t look like supermodels have talent” DioGuardi, Simon “Fox is gonna back up the cash truck to keep him, right?” Cowell, and Shania “so what do you think you’re Elvis or something?” Twain. Feel free to sound off on this (hopefully) fine hour of (hopefully) family television in the comments section, and I’ll be back to post my instant reaction to the episode at PopWatch (around 9:20 p.m. EDT) and then a full TV Watch recap on EW.com early Wednesday a.m. Enjoy, and if you want to get all my musings on American Idol, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. (Oh, and if you missed it, check out my recap of the Atlanta audition episode, and vote for your favorite on my list of the Top 20 Idol Contenders from Boston and Atlanta.)

Jan 19 2010 05:48 PM ET

Adam Lambert on 'Oprah': He shops at Whole Foods! He meets Madonna!

by Jennifer Armstrong

Categories: American Idol, Music, Oprah Winfrey, Susan Boyle, Television

Oprah paid homage this afternoon to the quirky appeal of Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert (and, thus, to the massive power of Simon Cowell-judged televised talent contests). Despite Boyle’s absurd sales figures (8 million worldwide!), though, it was clear who the Oprah demo’s favorite was: Boyle was off the stage after about 15 minutes — a performance and a quick video package/interview about how she used to be regular and frumpy and now she’s famous — to make way for Adam to chat with Oprah and repeatedly visit a Los Angeles Whole Foods in video segments. And though there were no new revelations (he’s still gay!), he did manage to entertain, as usual. Among the things we learned:

1. At his favorite L.A. rocker store, Forgotten Saints, he could actually find a vinyl jacket with furry tufts that he felt went “too far.” (Sadly, it is not available on their website.)

2. He met Madonna for “five minutes” because his guitarist is her guitar teacher, and in those five minutes he told her he was intimidated because he loves her. Her rejoinder: “So love equals intimidation to you?” Can’t you just totally hear her saying that in her faux British accent thing?

3. “Adam is like energy.” That is how 15-year-old Jessica — who shares her Lambert love with mom Sue — explained her fandom just before oh my god being totally surprised when he showed up to give them both passes to his dress rehearsal! Honestly, at this point, how are people still surprised when their dreams come true on Oprah? If I ever get a call from anyone remotely connected to this show, I expect my life to change. And I will be very angry if it doesn’t happen.

And in honor of Jessica and Sue, he sang “Whataya Want from Me” — a very mom-friendly tune, as evidenced by his understated brown jacket, modest eyeliner, and all the ladies of a certain age singing along in the audience.

Also, here’s “If I Had You”:

What about you, PopWatchers? What did you think of Adam (and Susan) on Oprah? Did that jacket really go too far? Is Adam like energy?

Jan 19 2010 01:41 PM ET

'American Idol' Power List: Vote for your favorite among the top 20 singers from the Boston and Atlanta auditions!

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, Reality TV

Congratulations! You’ve survived the first week of American Idol’s ninth season audition episodes — from Boston and Atlanta– but before this week’s Chicago (UPDATE: My full recap of the Idol Chicago auditions is now live) and Orlando tryouts make it to your TV set, let’s rank the top 20 contendahs! (Oh, and you can vote for your favorite in the poll after the jump!)

20. Holly Hardin: “Guitar Girl” actually delivered a meaty vocal on ”You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man.” But will the judges (and the viewing public) be able to get past that cutesy/annoying first impression of her dressed in a gimmicky Halloween costume? If we’re to believe Mary J. Blige’s “I don’t get it” stare, the answer is probably not.

19. Antonio ”Skii Bo Ski” Wheeler: Much like “Guitar Girl,” this loopy cat has a fine singing voice that probably won’t be enough to make viewers forget his occasionally amusing audition, which included uncomfortable flirting with MJB, a heinous shirt-jacket emblazoned with his misspelled moniker, and tons of speaking in the third-person.

18. Benjamin Bright: Blink and you missed the few brief seconds of his audition — a barbershop-py spin on the Beatles’ “All My Lovin.” But at least the guy hit all his notes — and proved he’s not afraid to rearrange a ditty to help himself cut through the audition clutter.

17. Maddy Curtis: Charming 16-year-old warmed hearts and won fans thanks to a sweet package that highlighted her loving relationship with her four brothers with Down syndrome. But nerves and inexperience bubbled through her rendition of “Hallelujah.” Perhaps a better prospect for season 11? (Read full post)

Jan 19 2010 12:19 PM ET

Former 'Idol' contestant Ayla Brown campaigns for her dad

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: American Idol, Politics as Entertainment

Former American Idol contestant Ayla Brown, who was among the top 16 in season 5, is on the campaign trail today: Her father is Massachusetts state Senator Scott Brown, who’s the GOP’s candidate in the state’s tight senate race. Alas, he is not actually Elvis:

I doubt this has any real sway in the race, but still, who doesn’t love a good Idol where-are-they-now story?

Jan 18 2010 05:17 PM ET

'Pants on the Ground' hits 'The View'

by Chris Nashawaty

Categories: American Idol, Hip-Hop/Rap, Larry Platt, Music, Pants on the Ground, Reality TV

Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we officially have 2010’s version of “The Macarena” and “Who Let the Dogs Out” — Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground”. The 63-year-old debuted his loopy rap on American Idol last week, where resident meanie Simon Cowell said, “I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit.” Well, right again, Simon. Since then, Platt’s ditty has gone viral on the internet. And this morning he appeared on The View to perform his rapping sensation. Is he in on the joke? Who knows? And isn’t that part of the weird fun of the thing anyways? Take a look at what you missed below and afterwards begin the countdown until Platt snags a three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox.

Jan 16 2010 03:33 AM ET

'Idolatry': Time travel, evil twins, and Fantasia Barrino spice up our discussion of this week in 'American Idol'

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, EW Exclusive Video, Idolatry, News You Can Use

Hello, Idoloonies, and welcome to the fourth season premiere of Idolatry (in seven parts), featuring a discussion about the ninth season premiere of American Idol and an interview with the magnificent Fantasia Barrino. Part One is as loopy and ambitious as Idolatry has ever gotten, but if you can follow along with a subplot featuring Japanese scientists and text messages from the future, I promise you’ll get a shocking revelation from my cohost Kristen Baldwin that will rock the Most Important Show on the Internet* to its very core. After that, Kristen and I get into a discussion about contestants who suffer from Boyz II Men syndrome, Idol’s forays into stereotyping southerners as incestuous hillbillies, Kara DioGuardi’s all-purpose uselessness (the gift that keeps on giving), and the chart prospects of “Pants on the Ground.” Then, in parts 5-7, I get ‘Tasia to dish how she approaches her tributes to the great ladies of soul, why she’s hoping for pop crossover success, and what it means to “get ugly.” Press play below for the whole shebang, and when you’re done watching, head on down to the comments to let us know what you think. Oh, and in case I haven’t said it enough times this week, do follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. (Also, check out my full recaps of Idol’s Boston and Atlanta audition episodes.) Holla, hey-ey!

*According to unnamed sources known as my mother.

Jan 15 2010 09:07 AM ET

'Neil Young' croons 'Pants on the Ground'

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: American Idol, Jimmy Fallon, Pants on the Ground, Television

The “Pants on the Ground” phenomenon continues to resonate. One night after 62-year-old “General” Larry Platt introduced the contagious public-service advisory for urban youth on American Idol, Neil Young appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with his own neilyoung-y rendition. Well, sort of.

Of course, that was actually Fallon, who had previously impersonated Young while singing the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Fallon’s late-night future might be out of his hands, but his unique talents are another reminder that the boldest and most original chatfests air after midnight.

What did you think of his performance? Did it need more cowbell?

Jan 14 2010 06:36 PM ET

'Pants on the Ground': Did Larry Platt borrow a riff from Moby?

by Owen Gleiberman

Categories: American Idol, Larry Platt, Moby, Pants on the Ground

I have no desire to take away from Larry Platt’s fearless originality of songcraft during the Atlanta auditions for American Idol. But am I the only one who, upon hearing “Pants on the Ground,” was instantly reminded of the great Moby song “Flower”? The track isn’t nearly as famous as some of Moby’s others, because it was created during the sessions that produced Play but appeared only on the soundtrack for the 2000 Nicolas Cage-Jerry Bruckheimer remake of Gone in 60 Seconds; it’s heard over the film’s opening credits. (It was then released four years later on Play: The B Sides.) Influence or coincidence? You decide.

Here’s Moby’s “Flower”: