posted by Administrator on Jul 10
Julianne Hough has gone country and Kellie Pickler might go dancing.
The former American Idol fifth-season finalist told the two-time Dancing with the Stars professional champ that she’s interested in participating in the ABC reality series, OK! Weekly reported Thursday.
“I told Julianne I thought it would be fun,” Pickler told OK!.
While Pickler said she “used to do gymnastics for a while” and can “go to the clubs and shake it,” she added she’s also unsure how well she’d fair with the technical aspects of Dancing with the Stars.
“It would be a challenge for me to learn the technique,” Pickler told OK!.
Should Pickler compete on Dancing with the Stars, it would be quite the role reversal for her and Hough.
While Pickler is entertaining the idea of going Dancing with the Stars, she assured fans that making music is still her top priority.
“It’s only a couple months,” she told OK!. “It’s not like you’re signing on for the rest of your life. I will always be part of country music for as long as the country music family will have me.”
posted by Administrator on Jul 10
U.S. recording artist David Cook said he is excited to be part of the ad campaign for Skechers shoes.
The 25-year-old “American Idol” winner and former Tulsa, Okla., resident has signed a deal to endorse the shoes in Skechers advertisements, starting this fall and continuing through December 2009, the Tulsa (Okla.) World reported Thursday.
“I have always viewed Skechers as a cool company, so I am excited to be a part of their campaign,” Cook said. “They’ve had some sensational singers like Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilera as they were starting out and it will be great to be a part of the Skechers roster.”
posted by Administrator on Jul 1
Simon Cowell had stated Kristy Lee Cook’s odds of winning American Idol’s seventh season were “one million to one,” but that hasn’t prevented her from inking a record deal.
The 24-year-old Selma, OR native has signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville, and her debut album is currently scheduled to drop this fall.
“I’ve wanted this for so many years. To have the chance to be a country singer — to make the music I love — and to have enjoyed the support of so many American Idol fans this past season, it all means more than I can put into words,” said Cook. “Thank you so much to everyone. I’ll do my best to make you proud!”
Cook is the third seventh-season Idol finalist to have a recording contract signing announced, following in the footsteps of champ David Cook with 19 Recordings/RCA Records and runner-up David Archuleta with 19 Recordings/Jive Records.
Similar to RCA Records and Jive Records, Arista Nashville is a label that operates under the Sony BMG umbrella.
“Simon Cowell told Kristy Lee Cook on American Idol that she is a country singer. We definitely agreed and followed her very closely during the season,” said Sony BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante. “We have been anxious to get her into the studio. Kristy Lee will be very relatable to the country audience and is destined to have hits.”
Of course, while Cowell did say Cook was a “country singer,” he didn’t say she was a particularly good one. During a Larry King Live appearance in April that featured Cowell and fellow Idol judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, Jackson was the one who thought Cook would make a good country recording artist.
“I don’t think she’ll win but I think she definitely could have a recording contract somewhere down the road,” said Jackson during the appearance. “She’d definitely make a good country girl.”
“The trouble is, I mean, she does sound okay doing country music,” retorted Cowell. “She’s just not a great country singer, that’s the problem. It’s all about being invisible and forgettable.”
Cook subsequently finished seventh during Idol’s seventh season. She then revealed she had been engaged to boyfriend Andy Dobner since March 15 but decided to keep it secret because she “just wanted to focus on music and American Idol.”
While Cook is currently participating in the American Idol Live 2008 tour, she is also working on her debut album with producer Brett James between stops.
Her first single — “15 Minutes of Shame” — is slated to hit the radio on August 11.
posted by Administrator on Jul 1
Paris Bennett is making the leap from pint-size powerhouse to parent.
The former American Idol fifth-season finalist — who will turn 20 on August 21 — is expecting the birth of a baby girl in October, Bennett’s mom Jamecia told the Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune on Thursday.
“I’m proud of how she did it. I was 16 when I got pregnant,” Jamecia told the Star Tribune.
Jamecia declined to comment on the identity of the baby’s father at his request.
“He chooses not to be in the public eye,” she told the Star Tribune. “I respect that.”
While the father may not want to be identified at the time being, Jamecia told the Star Tribune that he has given Bennett a “ring” — making mom “hopeful” that a wedding is in the works.
An August baby shower is currently being planned for Bennett, according to the Star Tribune, and the guest list could include such celebrities as her grandmother, gospel and R&B singer Ann Nesby, and singer and actress Queen Latifah.
Nicknamed “Princess P” during her Spring 2006 Idol run — in which she finished fifth — Bennett’s second album is reportedly slated to drop later this year.
