Posted Oct 13th 2009 1:05PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming, American Idol, Music and Variety, Contestants, Alumni, News and Gossip, Casting, Reality-Free
Oh man, that variety show format worked so well for Nick & Jessica! Remember what a smash sensation the Osbournes variety show was? Boy, Rosie O'Donnell sure rewrote the book on how to do a great variety special! The networks remember how great these attempts to revive the long dead TV format went, because they're at it again.
This time, FOX is dipping back into the
American Idol well and plucking out plucky season four winner Carrie Underwood. They've scheduled
Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special for a December 7 air-time. Luckily, since Underwood is doing just fine in her recording career, this isn't likely to be an attempt at a weekly series.
If the networks really do believe they can revive the variety format, this is a good way to do it. The holiday season seems to be the best time to lure American audiences into one-off specials and different kinds of programming. If the special does well, they can look for another one next year maybe. Or perhaps they'll have found something to do with all those former
Idol contestants.
Posted Sep 24th 2009 5:26PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Pickups and Renewals, Judges, Alumni, News and Gossip
Simon Cowell's
The X-Factor has been a huge in the UK for several years now; that's where we got Leona Lewis. Due to his contract with
American Idol, he hasn't been able to bring it to the US. FOX feared the increased competition from a similar singing competition might hurt their juggernaut.
Now that Cowell is in the final year of his current contract, open negotiations to keep him on
Idol are including
talks of bringing The X-Factor to FOX. If
So You Think You Can Dance continues to underperform in the fall,
The X-Factor might be a logical replacement, pushing
SYTYCD back to the summer.
Continue reading Simon Cowell may bring The X-Factor to FOX after all
Posted Sep 17th 2009 5:35PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip
The past few seasons have seen some controversy about some
American Idol contestants. Particularly in the case of Carly Smithson who'd already had a major label deal. People want their American Idol to be an unknown. Some waitress plucked from Texas or something.
Now that Kara DioGuardi's sticking around on TV's top show, she wants to have her own reality show. Everybody else on the panel has side projects. So
DioGuardi is shopping around a show she's developed called Dropped. The idea is simple: grab the best acts that have been dumped by their labels and give them a second chance to make it big. America loves second chances, right
Biggest Loser?
What a great idea. There are a lot of talented artists who got dropped by labels because of poor sales on an initial CD, or just differences in creative direction before they even got that far.
Continue reading Kara DioGuardi thinks Dropped artists deserve a second chance
Posted Sep 10th 2009 4:28PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip
If the news that
Ellen DeGeneres was going to become a judge on American Idol had broken a year ago, I would have been totally psyched. Hopefully she would replace Paula, and bring some much-needed humor to the show (humor that isn't mean-spirited or
allegedly pill-addled, that is). But now that Ellen will be the new fourth judge on Idol, the news comes as somewhat as a disappointment.
I've been a huge fan of Ellen since her stand-up days, so I'm all for her showing up anywhere. I also think her purpose of bringing a "fan's perspective" to the show is a good idea on the producers' part. But does Paula need to be the only judge Ellen replaces?
Continue reading Can Ellen replace another American Idol judge too?
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 4:25PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: American Idol, Celebrities, Judges, News and Gossip, Casting
I'm not a giant fan of guest judges on
American Idol. I don't mind when musicians come in during the later rounds to mentor the contestants, but guest judges during auditions just kind of throw off the dynamic of the judging. However, recent judges like
Kristen Chenoweth and
Neil Patrick Harris are awesome enough that I totally don't mind them showing up.
Avril Lavigne and
Katy Perry? Well, that's an entirely different story.
FOX has announced that the "I Kissed a Girl" singer will be guest-judging the final two days of the Los Angeles auditions along with Lavigne, who from what I remember from 2003, is an angry Canadian. If I was asked to think of two people that I would enjoy watching less, I would be hard-pressed to come up with anyone. Wait, okay.
Heidi and Spencer Pratt would be worse, but that's just a given, right?
Continue reading American Idol tries to annoy me to death with guest judges
Posted Aug 26th 2009 11:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: American Idol, Pickups and Renewals, Judges, Alumni, News and Gossip, Reality-Free
I'll admit I have no way of knowing what Paula Abdul's thinking at any given time. Even people who listen to her talk generally have no idea what she's thinking. You have to figure that after negotiating to join
So You Think You Can Dance,
Dancing With the Stars and
Ugly Betty,
Adbul hosting the latest VH1 Divas special on Thursday, September 17 is a bit of a let-down.
It's a great nab for VH1; people will be curious to see her first post-
Idol gig. You can even argue that the choice makes sense, considering the concert will feature two former
American Idol winners: Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks. Joining them are Adele, Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus. It doesn't take nearly as much to be a diva these days.
It'll be fun watching Abdul try to steer an entire show rather than just a single coherent sentence of criticism. Who knows, maybe she'll find out that she's great at this and she can take over VH1 the way Ryan Seacrest took over E!. As long as they don't do a
Who's That Girl? series with male skanks like Corey Clark trying to date her.
Posted Aug 21st 2009 8:36AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: American Idol, Judges, Alumni, News and Gossip, Casting
The rotating guest judge slots in the wake of Paula Abdul's departure continue. The latest celebrities
guest judging American Idol are Kelly Clarkson and Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. I'm starting to see an upside for the show post-Paula.
With ratings on the decline the past couple of years, it's also been observed that the median age for the show had been getting older as well. As we all know, old people don't exist to advertisers, so youth is where it's at. Kelly Clarkson is a great choice to bring in a hip and young crowd, and she's a great story for the show. Here's their first crowned champion coming back to offer sage advice and wisdom ... or at least a lot of "Y'all!"
Joe Jonas is sure to bring legions of screaming pre-pubescent girls to the screen. And nobody obsesses over stars like pre-pubescent girls. I'd love to see the permanent slot filled by an artist as current and relevant as these two. Maybe Amy Winehouse is available; it'd be like Paula never left!
Posted Aug 17th 2009 12:09PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: American Idol, Celebrities, Judges, News and Gossip
If this is true (and it's still in the rumor stage), it's not a big shock: Paula Abdul is thinking about coming back to
American Idol.
TMZ is reporting that Abdul is seriously considering coming back to the show she recently left because they didn't offer her enough money. They're also reporting that
Abdul is ticked because the show is giving Victoria Beckham $275,000 an episode for her guest judge stint.
Continue reading Now Paula Abdul might want to come back to Idol
Posted Aug 6th 2009 12:45PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip, Casting, So You Think You Can Dance
Nigel Lythgoe really was serious about wanting to work with Paula Abdul again. Lythgoe used to be executive producer on
American Idol, before he left to devote his full attention to
So YouThink You Can Dance. This upcoming week, they'll be filming "Vegas Week" for the upcoming fall season six of the hit summer series.
But before that starts,
Lythgoe has invited Paula Abdul to fly down to Vegas this weekend so they can talk about her possibly becoming a part of the show. He'd love to have her, of course, "If I can afford her," he says. The question becomes: was it the money over at
Idol, or the fact that she felt disrespected?
As to what capacity Abdul could be involved in the show as it takes
Idol's time slots in the fall, she could be very involved. Hell, if they agree to things quickly, she could be a part of the judging panel for "Vegas Week," meaning she'd only have missed the initial auditions, and she could certainly join the choreographer pool immediately.
Continue reading Nigel Lythgoe really is in talks with Paula Abdul about her joining SYTYCD
Posted Aug 5th 2009 7:34PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip
"You stayed true to who you are, Paula. You were a real superstar up on that dais. And you looked great ... sometimes. Other times you looked like you poured yourself into a dress too small for Mary-Kate Olsen, but I digress. You were a little pitchy at times. Did I say pitchy? I meant tipsy, but we're still so proud of you.
"You were just so cute I wanted to squeeze you, pinch your head off and dangle it from my car's rear-view mirror. All of the judges are just so talented and amazing at what they do, and the competition won't be the same without you. But don't worry, Paula. This isn't the end for you. This is the beginning of your career. You can do anything you want because you are a star. Touchdown!"
Continue reading We'll miss you, Paula Abdul!
Posted Jul 25th 2009 12:04PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip, Casting, So You Think You Can Dance
The ongoing saga of the fate of one Ms. Paula Abdul continues. She is still without a contract for the new season of
American Idol. Word has it
it's a money thing -- who knew?!
Now someone has been talking around about her because executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has said that he would absolutely consider
Abdul for a judging role on So You Think You Can Dance. As a successful choreographer and a known commodity, that would probably help the profile of that show tremendously as it moves to a fall season for the first time.
Another report has
American Idol, and Simon Cowell himself approaching British pop star
Cheryl Cole to consider replacing Abdul on the
Idol dais. The rumor is that she turned down the position due to family commitments in England, but it does make one wonder. If this is all just tough negotiating for a new contract, everybody's playing hardball.
Continue reading Abdul could shift to So You Think You Can Dance as Idol mulls replacements
Posted Jul 13th 2009 1:01PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Industry, American Idol, Pickups and Renewals, Host, News and Gossip
Oh Seacrest, how your star has grown. At least now we won't have to worry about you being out of a job; well, one of your jobs.
As if he didn't make a lot of people sick already,
Ryan Seacrest's three year $45 million dollar American Idol contract may just do it. That sets him up to be the highest-paid reality show host and leaves the producers ready to try and wrangle the judges back. Personally, I think he's worth it (at least in the sense that anyone in Hollywood is worth the millions they make; it's all relative).
Continue reading Ryan Seacrest In ... the money; signs big multiyear contract
Posted Jun 16th 2009 1:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: The Apprentice, Celebrities, News and Gossip
On a three-hour edition of World Wrestling Entertainment's
Monday Night Raw on USA, CEO Vince McMahon announced he had sold the show to Donald Trump.
Before a shock wave ripples through the sports entertainment and reality show worlds, it's safe to say this is "a work" -- as they say in grappling circles. Trump has his orange-topped mug back on TV as an on-screen performer with WWE. Behind the curtain, when the arena goes dark, McMahon is still in charge.
According to McMahon,
Trump will take over running the show in person next Monday night when a special, commercial-free
Raw originates from Green Bay, Wisc.
Continue reading Trump grapples with WWE as new 'owner' of RAW
Posted Jun 16th 2009 10:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, Contestants, News and Gossip
A mysterious source close to the production of
I'm a Celebrity! Get Me Out of Here! reports that Janice Dickinson tapped out of the show after being rushed to a Costa Rican hospital this weekend.
While some were hoping that she was institutionalized for a personality transplant, it turns out
she was reportedly suffering from dehydration, depending on which source you find.
There's some debate on whether severe dehydration is more dangerous than actually being in a Costa Rican hospital, but she's said to be nowhere near the reality show's set.
Continue reading Gossip stream says Dickinson packed up to Costa Rican hospital
Posted Jun 11th 2009 9:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Celebrities, Documentary, News and Gossip, Reality-Free
Jessica Alba could be facing vandalism and tagging charges for gluing several "shark conservation posters" all over Oklahoma City in an organized stunt.
Alba apologized for her participation in the incident after she was busted online. She's in Oklahoma City shooting her new movie and somehow got lured into this sticky "save the shark" poster campaign.
The city wide display is an obvious move for shark preservationists, as millions of the large fish are slaughtered every year by heavy hunting off the Oklahoma coast. Also, the classic film
Jaws was set near Tulsa.
Continue reading Shark Week approaches as Alba jumps the same
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