Broadway.com reports that Jordin Sparks injured her hip on August 28 during a performance of “In the Heights” on Broadway. Based on existing information, it’s unclear how long she’ll be out.

-I’m trying to get an interview with Adam Lambert for his upcoming appearances in Atlanta Sept. 14 (Atlanta Symphony Hall) and Sept. 15 (The Tabernacle.) I’d say I have  50/50 shot given that tickets are selling well and he does a million interviews. I have been told I can meet opener Allison Iraheta in person. It should be fun to catch up with her.

-Clay Aiken makes a UNICEF plea to help the Pakistani flood victims:

Continue reading Jordin Sparks injures hip on Broadway »

- “American Idol” lost to “Top Chef” for an Emmy and deservedly so. Glad to see “Top Chef” get the crown. I love that show as much if not more than “The Amazing Race,” which had won the prize every year since the Emmys introduced the reality show competition category.

- Nigel Lythgoe told KTLA before the Emmys that he expects Randy Jackson will be back for sure. Let’s hope they announce the judges’ panel soon, like this week. I’m beyond tired of it all.

And he gets kind of bee-yotchy when he blamed Simon  Cowell for the lack of chemistry between the other judges and Ellen DeGeneres. Really? Shouldn’t Ellen have equal blame? Or is the burden on the existing judges?

The fact is the Paula-Randy-Simon combo somehow worked chemistry wise. We won’t know about chemistry with the new crew until we have a new crew.

- And the Chicago Sun Times reamed the ‘hometown” visit of the “Idols Live” tour, especially Lee DeWyze. (Sadly, I would tend to agree):

A dime-a-dozen coffeehouse player, …

Continue reading Nigel Lythgoe confirms Randy Jackson’s return, ‘Idol’ snubbed again in the Emmys »

Hoping to stem any suspicions here stateside after a furor erupted in the U.K. over Auto Tune usage on “The X Factor” and “Britain’s  Got Talent,” “American Idol” producers released this statement:

“We have never, nor would we ever, use Auto-Tuning during the ‘American Idol’ competition,” producers of the Fox show said in a statement Thursday, referring to pitch-correcting technology.

“American Idol” viewers can attest that contestants have been regularly scolded for “pitchiness.”

As some folks have joked, Auto Tune might have been a friendly pitch-correction tool this past season.

Simon Cowell, who runs both U.K. shows, has not admitted whether he knew about this in advance but has since condemned the practice.

There are even reports that (gasp!) Susan Boyle’s famous audition was tweaked after the fact.

- Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks and Ace Young will be performing on tonight’s CW concert special to help the Gulf Coast after the oil spill.

-Carrie Underwood will …

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ producers vow: no Auto Tune! »

Since I’m desperately trying to avoid leading with more on Fantasia and her suicide attempt and publicity tour and reality show and new album (which she gabbed about last night on “Lopez Tonight,”) I’m seeking something else to write about. There isn’t much so this is mostly tidbits:

- Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0″ yesterday posted this rather bizarre bit focused on David Archuleta fans. Daniel Tosh’s commentary about “Idol” is painfully unfunny but he does mock Ryan Seacrest quite well – and the ending “Seven” spoof has a “surprise.”

-Nigel Lythgoe and Ace  Young (in a return appearance) will host the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy starting Sunday Sept. 5. Archuleta is scheduled to perform.

- Top “Idol” digital sales song is Adam Lambert’s “If I Had You,” with 42,000 sold last week and 302,000 total. It just entered the top 20 on the pop charts. (Neither Archuleta’s latest single nor Daughtry’s “September” are making much headway on that chart, both well below the …

Continue reading Avoiding Fantasia to talk about Nigel Lythgoe, Adam Lambert, David Archuleta, anybody else »

On Twitter, Paula Abdul is soliciting dancers for her new CBS dance show:

yes dancers i still want your innovative, most creative BEST! BRING IT!Apply 4 my new dance competition show@ www.PaulaAbdulDanceShow.com

Here’s info on the website, where you can apply:

Paula Abdul is teaming up with Reveille Productions to produce an ALL NEW dance show on CBS! We’ll be searching across the country to find dancers that not only have talent, but the drive and passion to push themselves to the top.

Paula is looking for talented, creative, diverse and unique dancers. She’s looking for Solos, Duos, Trios & Groups of ALL STYLES, ALL AGES. If you have the love and passion for dance like Paula, then check out how you can be a part of her new show by clicking here!

Paula will also be back on the season finale August 29 of “Drop Dead Diva,” who taped her episode in Peachtree City the day before Carrie Underwood got married here in Georgia last month. She will be in a dream sequence again, her …

Continue reading Paula Abdul solicits dancers for her new CBS show »

Savannah’s Stephanie Edwards, who finished 11th on “Idol” season six, received 80 hours of community service for getting into a girl-on-girl brawl in March which led to her arrest. If she follows through, her record will be expunged.

Details of why she got into the fight in the first place were not in the Savannah Now story.

- Auto Tune gets mocked but there’s always a presumption it’s NOT used on talent shows like “American Idol.” In the United Kingdom, Simon Cowell’s show “X Factor,” which is coming to Fox in the fall of 2011, former producers have said Auto Tune has been used to make some singers better and others worse. Cowell said it has now been banned. There has been no direct accusations on “Idol” that I know of (though it seems they were lip synching the group sings this past season.)

- Kris Allen, who was in town to open for Maroon 5 on Saturday, will be returning October 26 to open for Lifehouse at the Tabernacle. I’m planning to catch him …

Continue reading Former ‘Idol’ gets community service for brawl; Simon Cowell nixes Auto-Tune on ‘X-Factor’ »

Katharine McPhee Tweeted last night that she got into a car accident but the details are sketchy. And one of her responses was to Dane Cook of all people.

Just had a lovely experience at the local Sherman oaks hospital. Was hit from behind pretty dang hard. My one regret was not wearing makeup.

I was in car accident today in full makeup, hair, wardrobe &background singers.Ugly cops.

One more thing…my car, definitely not going to be ok. It’s seen better days.

And VH1’s “Behind the Music” tomorrow is with Fantasia at 9 p.m. It happens to air the same day as her album  comes out. She confirmed she did try to die on purpose two weeks ago.

“I didn’t have any fight in me. I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted out,” the American Idol winner, 26, tells VH1 in a new Behind the Music interview, airing 9 p.m. ET/PT Tuesday, the same day her new album, Back to Me, is released. “At that moment, I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with – all of it, all of that [expletive].”

She …

Continue reading Fantasia confirms suicide attempt during VH1’s ‘Behind the Music’ Aug. 24; Katharine McPhee in a car accident »

Ryan Seacrest took home an Emmy on the Creative Emmy show last night: his production company created ABC’s “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” which won best reality program, beating out the likes of “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” and “Antiques Roadshow.”

But Seacrest lost to “Survivor” host Jeff Probst yet again for best reality show host. This past season, you could tell he was straining to make things more interesting than they were and frequently failed.

“Idol” lost all other categories, deservedly so given what a dud the past year was:

Best Art Direction for Variety or Nonfiction Program (Academy Awards), Outstanding Short Form Picture Editing, (Late Night With Jimmy Fallon), Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series, (Grammy Awards & Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Concert).

I didn’t go see Maroon 5 opening with Kris Allen last night at Gwinnett Arena. But several of his performances are already online, including this one:

The sixth and final audition …

Continue reading Ryan Seacrest wins a Creative Emmy but not for host; 9,200 at final ‘Idol’ auditions with 65,700 total »

A majority of ad buyers, mostly citing Simon Cowell’s departure, expect ratings to drop for “Idol” to the point it will fall out of its perennial No. 1 spot among 18 to 49 year old viewers, according to a survey by MediaLife magazine.

Most ad buyers prefer three judges and won’t miss Ellen DeGeneres. Harry Connick Jr. is the top pick among the names the pollsters offered, ahead of Elton John and Justin Timberlake. They want more focus on the contestants, less filler and less verbiage from the judges. They also want fewer audition episodes (though those tend to bring in the biggest numbers). In other words, ad buyers are a lot like us!

- Justin Guarini, in 2002, was being considered for a role in Broadway’s “The Lion King.” He went to “Idol” instead. It’s taken him eight years to get a Broadway gig, this time in a musical version of “Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown,” a great film from 1988 I remember seeing in New York City. Congrats, Justin!

- Speaking of theaters, …

Continue reading More than 60 percent of ad buyers think ‘Idol’ will drop from No. 1 in 2011 or 2012 »

Bo Bice’s new video for “You Take Care of Yourself.” It has a traditional country sound, not so much his signature 1970s Southern rock. But it sure beats his effort at pop “The Real Thing.”

MJ had some concert stats which show Adam Lambert having no trouble selling out 4,500 seat amphitheaters. Jordin Sparks did a couple of small dates with rather dismal results:

196 Jordin Sparks
Regency Center Grand Ballroom; San Francisco, Calif.
July 10, 2010
$6,784; 409 of 1,424 (29%); $28, $12.50

Pollstar (from IdolStages):
Jordin Sparks
Sellersville Theatre 1894; Sellersville PA
July 29, 2010
$1,446; 57 of 320 (18%)

We also haven’t seen how the Idols did August 1 here at Gwinnett Arena but it was so-so numbers in Dallas a week later:
50 American Idols Live
American Airlines Center; Dallas, Texas
Aug. 9, 2010
$313,324; 5,518 of 9,938 (56%); $70.50, $50.50, $40.50

The shows seem to be grossing about half of what the past two years have been doing so I anticipate this tour will end up …

Continue reading Bo Bice video, Jordin Sparks not much of a concert draw »