You can check out Constantine  Maroulis making love to the camera AND holding his daughter Malena here. I would normally just post the entire photo here but we are trying to adhere to photo policies and not just take an exclusive photo away from People magazine. So press the link and make People magazine happy!

He is currently touring with “Rock of Ages” across the country, including the Fabulous Fox Theatre July 5 to 10.

- 19 Entertainment president Iain Pirie told USA Today that the addition of an 11th person on the “Idols Live!” tour was made before the Casey Abrams save last night.

“It was actually totally unconnected,” Pirie says. “Any of them could have been in the bottom. Whether that person was saved or not saved, we made the decision that we wanted to tour these 11 kids and make an exception this year and really celebrate the strength of this cast.”

Last year’s tour was one of the weakest ever in terms of ticket sales. But given the strength and depth of this …

Continue reading Tidbits: Constantine shows off baby; Idol top 11 touring decision made prior to save »

The decade I grew up in, the 1980s, will be the theme for the top 11 show (part two). Or should we call it the top 10 show plus one? Or the post-save top 11 show?

I digress. Season one, “Idol” had an ’80s/’90s week. Season 7 did an ’80s week during the top 16.  And that’s all. In comparison, they’ve done Motown at least five times.

The 1980s – the decade of big hair, “I Want My MTV” and Michael Jackson’s heyday – had its fair share of cheesy pop music but plenty of classic songs, too. So the “Idol” contestants will have to tread carefully. We’ll study possible song choices for them next week.

As for the results show, the pattern continues: two performances, one by an “Idol” alum, plus another act. This time, season 3 winner Fantasia will sing her latest single “Collard Greens & Cornbread” (how Southern!). And Jamie Foxx and will.i.am are scheduled to sing “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party).” Maybe they should have had a food-related theme week instead!

All three have performed on …

Continue reading Theme next week: the 1980s! Fantasia, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx to perform »

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In what is probably one of the top 5 most shocking results ever on “American Idol,” early favorite Casey Abrams found himself with the fewest votes tonight and was in a position to miss the tour, which normally takes the top 10.

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But the three judges took only a few seconds to decide to use the once-a-year save option. He had barely begun to sing (ironically) “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” when Randy stopped him. They are bringing him back, which means two people will be gone next week.

Casey was so shocked by what happened, it looked like he …

Continue reading Who was out tonight on ‘American Idol’? »

The Zap2it blog expert panel consensus departure is Haley Reinhart (21), followed by Thia Megia (6) and one lone pick for Stefano Langone. I am part of the consensus this week but I’m definitely due for a mistake. It really could be Thia. Pleasant and dull is not a ticket for victory.

‘American Idol’ top 11 results live blogging

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ top 11 results live blogging »

Continue reading My video update on ‘Idol’ »

“Ghost Hunters” alert! TMZ reports that “Idol” contestants moved out of the mansion they were placed in because of paranormal activity.

Among the problems: a leaky roof, a spider infestation, flickering lights and get this: several contestants claimed they saw a bed sheet float down an empty hallway. They demanded a new home and were sent their way to an undisclosed location.

This, I have to say, is beyond bizarre!

Continue reading TMZ reports: ‘Idol’ contestants move out of ‘haunted’ mansion »

AMERICAN IDOL: Final 11. Clockwise from top left: Pia Toscano, Stefano Langone, Lauren Alaina, Paul McDonald, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Naima Adedapo, Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart and Thia Megia. CR: Michael Becker / FOX.

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Motown is the salve that heals nearly all wounds.

After a mixed show last week, the cream rose to the top tonight for top 12 week, celebrating a segment of music that includes some of the most classic songs of all time. With everyone battling for a spot in the top 10 and the “Idols Live!” tour, most of the contestants stepped it up.

There was far less pitchiness than a week ago (the producers may have finally fixed the sound problems on the stage) and the …

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ top 11 performance recap: Motown rocks! »

Here’e the spot to live blog with us tonight while the show is going on from 8 to 10 p.m. It’s Motown night so we’ll see if Naima and Jacob can find their groove and Lauren and Scotty mix it up.

‘American Idol’ top 11 performance show live blogging

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ top 11 performance show live blogging »

Simon Cowell, that rascal. He freely admitted to the Huffington Post that his company leaked out names of anybody they’ve actually talked to e.g. Nicki Minaj, Jessica Simpson and of course, Paula Abdul. And he raved about his first pick L.A. Reid, of course.

The media have got it because our company leaks any information — if we meet anybody, the whole world knows about it. But I don’t have a problem with that.

And what does he think of Rebecca Black, whose song “Friday” has become a viral sensation the past few days. (Yes, watch it, listen to the lyrics and the auto-tuning and you’ll be amused to. And the song will wedge itself in your brain forever.) In about a week, it has drawn 35 million views on YouTube and 250,000 comments.

Cowell: I wish her all the success in the world, this girl. She hasn’t done anything wrong. She posted her song on the internet, people reacted to it very quickly, they either liked it or hated it, but for her, I’d call that a high class …

Continue reading Simon Cowell: he doesn’t mind leaking news if it suits his purposes »

Shirley Halperin has been writing about “Idol” since season one, just like me. The difference is she’s truly itinerant. While I’ve been doing it here at The Atlanta Journal Constitution since June, 2002, she has been doing so for seven different publications: Us Weekly, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Teen People, and the Los Angeles Times. She’s now music editor at the Hollywood Reporter.

She had just finished up her stint with the L.A. Times when she pursued the deal to do this FremantleMedia/19 Entertainment-sanctioned book about “Idol” to celebrate ten years.

In other words, you won’t be seeing inside accounts about the Paula Abdul/Corey Clark scandal, the Frenchie Davis problems, voting controversies or how absolutely blood awful season 9 was. You can get that in the blogs or read Richard Rushfield’s book “American Idol: The Untold Story.”

But if you want a somewhat sanitized but still enjoyable ride through the first nine seasons of “Idol” with plenty of …

Continue reading A talk with Shirley Halperin, author of ‘American Idol: Celebrating 10 Years’ »