posted by Administrator on Jun 12
Singer David Cook is to perform and comedian Jimmy Kimmel is to act as host of a California charity event to raise money for cancer research, organizers said.
The Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation at UCLA, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising private funds for highest priority cancer research, said it is planning its 13th annual Taste for a Cure event June 21 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Fox Broadcasting Company President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly will be honored with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award, while Kimmel will emcee the event and 2008 “American Idol” winner Cook is to perform.
Taste for a Cure is a wine and food tasting reception followed by a seated dinner with creations by award-winning chefs selected to prepare the tasting menu and dinner.
This year’s chefs are Lee Hefter and Ari Rosenson of CUT; Joachim Splichal of Nick & Stef’s; and Paul Villa and Nick Kislo of BOA Steakhouse, the foundation said.
posted by Administrator on Jun 6
Nigel Lythgoe won’t question David Cook’s vocal prowess but thinks the American Idol seventh-season champ could use a personality pick-me-up when performing.
“He can certainly sing, and I’d like to see a bit more personality when he’s singing,” the Idol executive producer told OK! Weekly in a Wednesday report.
If the 25-year-old winner does find that charisma, Lythgoe said he might someday rival the success of former Idol fifth-season finalist Christ Daughtry.
“[Cook could be] enormous for a long time,” Lythgoe told OK!.
Lythgoe added Cook wasn’t the only seventh-season finalist who could use a boost of character.
“That was the only thing that I think our finalists lacked a little bit this year, was more charisma,” Lythgoe told OK!.
Idol finalists weren’t the only people Lythgoe apparently has a problem with, as he also took aim at President George W. Bush.
Lythgoe claims Bush’s “people” insisted the President participate in Idol Gives Back for the second year in a row despite producers being disappointed at Bush’s lack of effort in fighting poverty.
“The President is always saying ‘I want to be on [Idol Gives Back],’” Lythgoe told OK!. “We didn’t ask the President this year to say anything because we are all a bit embarrassed about him, and the office insisted that, because the [primary] candidates were on it, the President would like to come on and say ‘Thank you.’”
Lythgoe said he plans on continuing to help those in need through his capacity as a So You Think You Can dance judge and producer by having audience memebers donate canned goods before entering.
“So if you want a ticket for So You Think You Can Dance, all you have to do is bring a can of fruit or vegetables or something,” he told OK!. “And I’ll come and collect it each week and just take it away.”
posted by Administrator on Jun 6
“American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta signed with 19 Recordings/Jive Records and is expected to cut his debut album later this year, the U.S. label said.
Archuleta, 17, is gearing up for the “American Idol” tour, which kicks off July 1 in Glendale, Ariz.
“Signing a record contract with 19 Recordings/Jive Records is truly a dream come true,” Archuleta said in a statement. “Being a fan of ‘American Idol’ since season one and admiring the alumni, I am honored and humbled to be a part of that group. I’m really excited to start working on everything.”
Simon Fuller, creator of the popular singing competition series and chief executive and founder of 19 Entertainment Label Group, added: “It was fascinating to watch David’s journey through ‘Idol.’ He is a genuine pop star, and is a gifted singer who instantly won over a huge audience when he first appeared on the show. Since then, he has dealt with the pressure and the high level of expectation with real fortitude; he’s given us some of the best performances of the season. Without question David Archuleta has a great future ahead of him.”
posted by Administrator on May 27
David Cook never thought he’d make it past his impromptu American Idol audition last summer, never mind defeat David Archuleta to take home the seventh-season title.
“I just figured I’d go in, sing a song and they’d say I wasn’t what they were looking for. I’d go back to Tulsa to work on my record some more,” Cook told reporters during a Friday conference call. “Apparently, somebody had another plan.”
Apparently indeed. The 25-year-old Blue Spings, MO native won Idol’s seventh-season after “97 and a half million” home viewer votes were cast immediately following Tuesday night’s live performance broadcast that saw Archuleta and Cook each sing three songs.
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posted by Administrator on May 27
While Simon Cowell thought David Archuleta scored a “knockout” over David Cook after American Idol’s final seventh-season performance episode on Tuesday night, Archuleta still felt Cook was more worthy of the title.
“I think he deserved it so much. He just proved it week after week that he deserves to be the American Idol,” Archuleta told reporters during a Friday conference call. “My main priority wasn’t to win the competition. It was just to do my best, because you can suck and people can vote enough for you to win. That wouldn’t feel very good.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ Reality TV World >>>>>
posted by Administrator on May 23
David Cook was fully expecting David Archuleta to be crowned American Idol’s seventh-season winner.
“I thought that [Archuleta] did amazing [Tuesday] night,” Cook told Access Hollywood following last night’s live Idol finale. “I had my mind made up that I was taking second. I had it in my head. ‘Alright, they’re going to say his name, I’m just going to make sure that I congratulate him properly.’”
However it was Cook who would be receiving the congratulations, as the 25-year-old Tulsa, OK resident became Idol’s seventh-season champ during last night’s live two-hour finale.
“When they said my name, I heard Archuleta, so I turned, then it processed as I was turning,” Cook told Access Hollywood about the moment when host Ryan Seacrest revealed him to be the seventh-season victor.
Cook defeated Archuleta, a 17-year-old from Murray, UT, after Seacrest said “97 and a half million” home viewer votes were cast immediately following Tuesday night’s live performance broadcast that saw both finalists each sing three songs. Cook bested Archuleta by a 56% to 44% home viewer voting margin, or roughly 12 million votes.
“I just told [Archuleta] that I loved him,” Cook told Access Hollywood. “I’ve definitely got big brother syndrome with him. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of what he was able to do — from start to finish. He was the front runner from the get go. So to be able to carry that torch all the way through, my hats off to him. I couldn’t have done it.”
While Cook and Archuleta were largely considered to be equals during the more recent weeks of the competition, judge Simon Cowell awarded all three rounds of Tuesday night’s performance episode to Archuleta and said the teenager scored a “knockout” over Cook.
“I honestly thought that he had been more consistent,” Cook told Access Hollywood about Archuleta. “For a 17-year-old kid, never mind, for a performer he’s amazing. And it was an honor just to share the stage with him. I kept catching myself almost crying tonight through out the whole process because it was just like, ‘What am I doing here?’ But you know, it was a trip, it was heavy.”
Cook found himself auditioning for Idol’s seventh season last summer in Omaha, initially attending the open casting call to instead support his brother.
“This is the last thing I could have anticipated when I was pushed into auditioning by brother Andrew,” Cook told Access Hollywood. “So to be here now, it’s such a trip.”
While his Idol experience may be in the books, the residual affect of winning the show has only just begun.
“I haven’t celebrated in four months,” Cook told Access Hollywood. “I’m gonna do all this fantastic press, and then I’m going to go hang out with my friends and family, and hopefully let it sink in.”
posted by Administrator on May 23
The upset “American Idol” victory by rock singer David Cook drew nearly 32 million U.S. television viewers Wednesday night, up 3 percent from last year’s finale, Nielsen Media Research reported Thursday.
The two-hour broadcast on News Corp’s Fox network marked the second-most-watched episode of the smash hit talent contest this season, behind only the 33 million-plus viewers who tuned in for the debut of the show’s seventh installment in January.
The Nielsens rally came after weeks of record low ratings. And “American Idol” finished its latest run down year-to-year for the season as a whole in both overall average audience size and in ratings for viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.
It was the second straight year of season-to-season declines though the finale’s ratings could be adjusted when the final Nielsen data comes in.
“Idol,” which generally airs twice weekly, averaged about 28.1 million viewers per broadcast for the current season, compared with 30.8 million at the height of show’s popularity in 2006. But it remains by the far the most watched show on U.S. television.
The unexpected triumph of Cook, 25, who was tending bar and playing in a band before he auditioned for the singing competition, marked one of the more surprising outcomes of the series.
His rival, 17-year-old David Archuleta, went from being the contestant widely dubbed “The Chosen One” to runner-up after a record 97.5 million votes were cast by fans of the show on Tuesday night, final performance episode.
The show is produced by 19 Entertainment, a unit of CKX Inc , and by FremantleMedia, a division of British-based RTL Group., which is controlled by media giant Bertelsmann AG . (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Cynthia Osterman)
Source: Reuters North American News Service
posted by Administrator on May 23
Simon Cowell continued to be in an apologetic mood the morning after American Idol’s live seventh-season finale — further explaining his desire to repent for why he felt his Tuesday night criticism of David Cook was “verging on disrespectful.”
“I was almost horrified when I went back home and watched [Tuesday night’s performance show]. It was literally like watching and listening to a whole new show. What you thought was good wasn’t very good and what you thought was bad actually was a lot better,” said Cowell as a guest on Thursday’s broadcast of Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS FM radio show.
“[Idol’s live finale] is the only opportunity I got to sort of say something publicly, because he’s quite a proud man, David. That felt like the right time to say it.”
Cowell’s apology to Cook came moments before Seacrest revealed home viewers had crowned the 25-year-old Tulsa, OK resident Idol’s seventh-season champ over 17-year-old David Archuleta.
“I didn’t know at that point who was going to win — but win or lose, it had to be said,” Cowell told Seacrest about the timing of his apology.
An Archuleta vs. Cook finale was both forecasted and anticipated by Cowell, who only predicted Cook as his favorite to take home the title during a Tuesday appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. However during that night’s live performance episode he awarded all three rounds to Archuleta and said the teenager scored a “knockout” over Cook.
Cowell told Seacrest he was only thinking of one word when Cook was revealed to be the champ — “justice.”
“I thought it was the right thing,” said Cowell. “You always think in a situation like this where someone who’s cute like David Archuleta, that it’s going to be carried by young girls or grandmothers or [whoever] vote for people like David Archuleta. But actually the person who I thought did the best performances over the 11 or 12 weeks actually deserved to win and he did win. It was good.”
In addition, Cowell said he was “actually quite emotional” after Cook was crowned, however he couldn’t tell if it was because the seventh-season’s resident rocker had won or because the latest installment of the Fox mega-hit had come to a close.
“A bit of both I think,” he said with a laugh. “As soon as the announcement [of the winner] comes in, you realize how long its been. It’s quite a relief when it’s over.”
posted by Administrator on May 23
Newly crowned “American Idol” winner David Cook has become the first singer to star in an “I’m Going to Disney World!” commercial, Walt Disney World said.
The commercials traditionally feature sports stars using the catch phrase.
Cook shouted, “I’m going to Disney World!” Wednesday night after learning he had won the TV singing competition series “American Idol.”
Disney said camera crews captured Cook’s pronouncement on the Nokia Theatre stage in Los Angeles, just moments after host Ryan Seacrest announced Cook’s name as the winner.
Cook was then featured in the newest “I’m Going to Disney World!” commercial, which aired only hours after the “Idol” finale.
A new attraction called “The American Idol Experience” is scheduled to open January at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney said.
posted by Administrator on May 22
Representatives for David Cook said the “American Idol” winner has released his first single, “The Time of My Life,” on iTunes.
Cook sang the song after he found out he won the the Season 7 edition of the U.S. singing competition show Wednesday night.
The song was written by Regie Hamm, winner of the “American Idol” songwriting competition, and will be available Friday at all digital music retailers, BWR Public Relations said.
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