posted by AINews on Jun 22
Rankin Inlet has been abuzz this week with sightings of a celebrity couple — hometown hockey hero Jordin Tootoo and his girlfriend, American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler.
The NHL player has been dating the country singer since January and has brought her home to Nunavut to meet his family.
Most of Pickler’s northern time has been spent at the Tootoo cabin, far from noisy gadgets and her condo in Nashville.
“[There's] no cellphone service here, so that’s a big plus. No one probably knows what a cellphone is here, do they?” she joked in a CBC interview.
Tootoo, a forward with the Nashville Predators, said he’s pleased to introduce his girlfriend to his hometown and his Inuit roots.
“It’s great to have people from other parts of the world come and experience what I do when I come home.”
Pickler has never been to Canada before. She was earlier quoted as saying she was hoping to build an igloo on her visit. That didn’t pan out, but the Tootoo family is making sure she goes home with her share of truly northern experiences, like fishing and sampling local food.
“I’ve had different types of food that I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I’d try … raw caribou and whale blubber,” she said on Wednesday. “You’ve got to salt everything.”
Pickler said besides ketchup chips, which aren’t available in the U.S., her favourite part of the trip has been the people.
“I’ve never felt so welcome anywhere like I have here. As soon as I got off the plane, everyone was waiting for me at the airport, just to welcome me to the community. Everyone’s been so nice.”
Pickler will be spending the rest of her summer performing around the United States. She resumes her tour on Saturday.
posted by AINews on Jun 21
KELLY CLARKSON, who canceled her own summer tour last week, has been offered a guest spot on the upcoming “American Idol” tour, reports Rolling Stone. The “Idol” finalist’s scheduled tour to promote her new album, “My December,” wasn’t a big box office draw, so concert promoter LiveNation pulled the plug. Also last week, Clarkson fired her manager, who was concerned about the songs on the new album. And earlier this year, she dissed music mogul Clive Davis when he confronted her about reworking the cuts on “My December” to make them more “radio friendly.” She refused.
posted by AINews on Jun 21
‘American Idol’s’ Sanjaya Malakar let some of his feelings be known in the June 20 issue of Steppin’ Out magazine.
“At a certain point all the judges just gave up,” said Malakar. “[The judges] realized the fans are going to do whatever they’re going to do, and they’re always going to vote for whomever they want. They didn’t have the power to change the way the fans felt. In fact, if anything, the more [Idol judge Simon Cowell] was mean to me, the stronger the fan support got. That’s why all the judges got frustrated and just gave up… I didn’t take it personally because I was just thinking what I needed to do.”
Sanjaya said he thinks Simon Cowell was the one who was “trying to get a certain reaction out of the fans” through his criticisms. However Malakar added he actually has “respect” for the sharp-tongued Brit due to his “unbiased honesty.”
“I actually kind of like Simon. He was really mean to me — but he’s also really honest — and I was searching for that,” Malakar told Steppin’ Out. “Not a lot of people are like that anymore. Especially in this business. He doesn’t say things the way you might want to hear them. He says what he feels with every speck of sugar off of it. It’s complete raw and brutal honesty. I really think that’s important to hear. You need at least one person telling you that stuff so you can learn from it.”
Malakar said he had “no idea” how he was able to capture the country’s attention and added he had a “very limited idea of what was going on” because he was “focusing on the show.”
“I just was myself each week. I think a lot of people picked up on that. They liked the fact that I didn’t care what people thought. I was just myself. I was just me. I think people could relate to that,” Malakar told Steppin’ Out. “I didn’t do anything special in my opinion. I just had fun. I think it’s important to not take yourself too seriously. If you take yourself too seriously you forget to laugh at yourself. Sometimes it’s okay to fall on your butt and laugh at it. And I definitely fell on my butt more than one time on that show in front of millions of viewers. But it’s good that it happened. I learned from it.”
Malakar said the popularity he gained from Idol is only now starting to resonate, but he still described it as both “weird” and “surreal.”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” he told Steppin’ Out. “It’s been the most life changing experience I could imagine. It’s really weird because everything has happened so fast. I really don’t even have time to realize what is happening.”
“I’m going to try to legitimize my music,” he told Steppin’ Out. “That’s the most important thing. I think a lot of people just see me as some kind of joke. I know that I’m not a joke. That’s all that really matters to me. Other people are entitled to their opinion and that’s cool. The way I make myself feel better about it is to prove those people wrong.”
Sanjaya is currently readying himself for the American Idol 2007 summer tour, which kicks-off Friday, July 6 in Sunrise, FL.
posted by AINews on Jun 21
Arbitration was ordered on Wednesday in a lawsuit filed in mid-March in Los Angeles Superior Court by Olmos, according to the city’s Fox affiliate KTTV. In the lawsuit, Olmos claimed he was fired for complaining he was sexually harassed by Idol fourth-season finalist Mario Vazquez, who reportedly withdrew from the competition before the finals began for “personal reasons.” Olmos’ attorneys have since stated Vazquez’ departure was not voluntary and was instead the result of their client’s claim.
In addition to suing Vazquez, Olmos named Fox Entertainment and FremantleMedia as defendants in his lawsuit for wrongful termination and violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. He was seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, according to KTTV.
In his lawsuit, Olmos claims that he tried to report the incident to a superior at Idol, who allegedly responded by telling Olmos that “he was crazy.” Olmos also alleges the supervisor said if he “did not stop complaining about his supervisor’s hostile treatment of him, [Olmos] would ‘cry [himself] out of a job’ and not be back for Season 5.”
Olmos began working on Idol in October 2002 and his contract was renewed each of the next two years, according to the lawsuit, until he was “terminated” in May 2005 in the midst of Idol’s fifth-season run.
posted by AINews on Jun 20
Singer Paula Abdul, the sweet but kookie member of the judging trio on “American Idol,” is the star of a new reality series, “Hey Paula,” premiering on the Bravo cable channel on Saturday, June 28, the Interfaith Family informs.
Because of her features and her Arab last name, many people assume that Abdul is of mixed race and/or interfaith background. This assumption is wrong.
Abdul is the daughter of a Jewish father of Syrian Jewish descent and a Canadian-born Jewish mother. She has been married twice, once to Catholic actor Emilio Estevez (Martin Sheen’s son) and once to a Jewish fashion designer. Neither marriage lasted long.
posted by AINews on Jun 20
As “American Idol” enters its seventh season on Fox, co-producer and licensor FremantleMedia boasts upward of 40 licensees and a string of off-air sponsors, Variety informs.
FremantleMedia’s season six off-air sponsorship roster included multimillion-dollar promotional campaigns with All Detergent, Edy’s/Dreyer’s Ice Cream, McDonald’s, Nestle, Pringles and Samsung.
This summer, off-air sponsor Oscar Mayer will kick off a national “Sing the Jingle, Be a Star” promotion searching for the next voice to croon its famous commercial tune.
This summer will also witness a landmark extension for the “Idol” brand with the launch of its first performing-arts camp for kids, Idol Camp, aimed for children ages 12 to 15.
Meanwhile, Fremantle continues to eye global merchandising expansion, Variety reports.
“While 2007 saw USAopoly and Konami join the ‘Idol’ roster, going forward we plan to explore more merchandising extensions in the interactive and role-play categories,” Luner said.
posted by AINews on Jun 20
Pop star Kelly Clarkson clashed with record label bosses when they pushed her to perform her “bitter” new single at the recent “American Idol” charity TV special “Idol Gives Back,” The Post Chronicle informs.
The singer insisted the timing was all wrong for her to perform love-gone-bad number “Never Again” at the TV fundraiser in April , and refused to sing her new hit - against record executives’ wishes.
“To promote yourself on a charity event is beyond crass. People are starving and dying and I’m up there singing some bitter pop song?” Kelly said.
“Believe me, everyone wanted me to sing it because they are jaded and have no soul. Imagine sitting in a room full of people totally against you: ‘Can’t they hear themselves speaking? Capitalise on Aids? Are you kidding? Insulting an entire nation of people?’ I just refused,” she added.
posted by AINews on Jun 19
Despite hundreds of reports to the contrary, “American Idol” Jordin Sparks wasn’t born on Staten Island, according to the Staten Island Advance.
On Dec. 22, 1989, Jodi Wiedmann gave birth to a healthy baby girl at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.
“I can definitely confirm that Jordin and I were at St. Joe’s in Phoenix on the morning of Dec. 22, 1989!” Ms. Sparks’ mother said.
When the New York Post reported in April that Ms. Sparks was an Island native, they had it wrong, as did subsequent reports in papers from Virginia to Singapore, Staten Island Advance informs.
posted by AINews on Jun 19
Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, Idol: The Musical, which is based on the idol worship of former “American Idol” contestant Clay Aiken is headed Off-Broadway.
The musical, which was recently seen in Syracuse, NY, is scheduled to begin previews at Off-Broadway’s 45th Street Theatre July 5. Todd Ellis is producing the Manhattan engagement of Idol, which will be directed by Bill Boland.
The musical features a book by Boland and music by Jon Balcourt. Both men collaborated on the lyrics.
Idol: The Musical, according to press notes, is described as “a satirical musical comedy that focuses on the outrageous and delusional fan base of the hit television show. The musical takes place in Steubenville, Ohio where a group of dork-like students are preparing for their high school graduation after which they are determined to drag themselves out of the dregs of the middle-of-nowhere.
“There are eight of them; all belonging to the same cult-like club that meets daily in a barn that doubles as a shrine to Clay Aiken. They are actively ridiculed by the rest of Steubenville; a humiliating situation that doesn’t deter their quest for all things Clay. They are victims of A.D.D., Ritalin, their misguided obsessions and their innocent longing for their elusive ‘15 minutes.’ One of them pumps gas. One of them is home-schooled. One of them is a genius. And one of them is a basketball phenom who would rather be a Chippendales dancer. The other four have equally bizarre back-stories too complicated to tell here; but suffice it to know that the real bad-guy of the piece is a total harpy named Adrienne. She gives new meaning to the word villain. The story heats up when the mid-American leg of the ‘Idol Tour,’ starring Clay Aiken, is announced to be playing Chicago, Memphis, Louisville, Scranton, Charleston, Greensboro, Roanoke and Steubenville. Steubenville! False idols are a tricky bunch. Especially those that have lost national singing contests. Go ask Clay. I think he’ll know.”
Ticket information has yet to be announced.
posted by AINews on Jun 19
The original American Idol winner, already embroiled in a “My December” album feud with RCA chairman Clive Davis that reportedly contributed to a decision to part ways with her longtime manager Jeff Kwatinetz only two weeks before the new album’s June 26 release, has now postponed her upcoming summer tour, People reported Thursday.
“Plans for Kelly Clarkson’s summer tour have been shelved for now as the singer and her team re-evaluate her show’s size and scope - a decision made even more difficult by the impending release of her album, ‘My December,’” her representative Paul Freundlich said in a statement, according to People.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to getting out there to perform for y’all,” Clarkson wrote in a fan statement released on her website. “In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won’t be coming out to tour this summer. The fact is that touring is just too much too soon.”
“But I promise you that we’re going to get back out there as soon as is humanly possible to give you a show that will be even better,” Clarkson continued. “Thanks for all of your love and continued support.”
