August 6, 2008 
One of my loyal readers by the name of Wadahoot asked if I could post a weekly discussion blog topic pertaining to non-tour American Idol news.
I thought this was a superb idea, as many of the singers from the past seven seasons have been kept extremely busy with numerous performing engagements and recording obligations.
It seems that not a day goes by that an Idol Alumnus is not in the news somewhere – either recording a new CD, releasing a new single (“Crush” was just released by David Archuleta to critical acclaim), performing in a Broadway show (Taylor Hicks is now wowing the crowds in “Grease”), winning awards (Teen Idol Fan awards were presented to Davids Cook and Archuleta) and taking over the internet through numerous new sites and Youtube Videos.
And, just so you understand, this blog entry is open to every season of Idol, so that should, hopefully, make for lively commentary below.
Each week, a new blog entry will be posted in order that news can remain current and progressive. Also, this blog topic will generally remain on top of the home page, unless I feel that other news is more important and deserves proper recognition. Once “news-breaking” events have died down, then I will move this weekly blog entry to the top of the page once again
Let’s see how this goes. You are welcome to post any news from all seven seasons of American Idol in the comments section below. You can also email me at masterclasslady@hotmail.com.
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Oh boy! Thanks MCL! I’m always so tickled to read about “our kids” and want someone to share any news!
OK here we go … (I’ll post the link, but also the article’s words, as many times the link is broken, but I like to give credit where due)
Bo and Caroline’s baby boy has arrived! http://www.usmagazine.com/american-idol-bo-bice-and-wife-welcome-baby-boy
American Idol Runner-Up Bo Bice & Wife Welcome Baby Boy
TUESDAY AUGUST 5, 2008
American Idol season 4 runner-up Bo Bice and his wife Caroline Fisher welcomed a baby boy, Caleb, on Tuesday, his rep tells Usmagazine.com exclusively.
Bice, 32, and Fisher wed in July 2005 in Helena, Alabama. Their son Aidan was born in September 2005.
“[Caleb] is a good biblical name,” Bice said at the American Idol finale show in May. “We stuck with that with both kids – good Irish and good biblical names… We’re just blessed to have such a beautiful family.”
The rocker, who lives in Nashville, released the album See the Light in October 2007.
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Whether you’re a Jason fan or not … this Daddy and son will warm your heart! Watch John mouth the words at the end!
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Luke Menard needs $ for his cancer treatment so badly, that he’s singing at his own fundraiser =(
http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=8735411
Former ‘Idol’ singer with cancer hosts fundraiser
Updated: July 25, 2008 11:14 AM EDT
Crawfordsville – Luke Menard, a former “American Idol” contestant who’s battling cancer, will hold a concert to raise money for his medical bills and other expenses.
The 29-year-old Crawfordsville native made it to the top 16 on “American Idol.” He was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s lymphoma soon after his March 6 elimination from the show. Doctors found a tumor in his chest.
Menard will perform at a sold-out concert Saturday at Crawfordsville High School’s auditorium, which seats 800. Money from the benefit will go to Menard and his wife to use for medical bills and other expenses.
Menard’s mother says her son has undergone chemotherapy to fight the cancer, which attacks the lymph nodes.
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The support for Adam Cook’s brain cancer struggle continues:
http://fanssupportadamcook.com/
The woman behind this, Cathy, is just a really neat person, isn’t she!?
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Updates on Frenchie, Ruuuben, Ryan, Josiah, etc.
http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article2462.art&page=1
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Older news, but news all the less: http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article2459.art&page=1
Fantasia, Taylor, the judges, etc.
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Paula keeps cancelling:
>>This isn’t going to help what little of a career comeback she had.
If you recall, Paula Abdul was set to perform her single Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow on the Today show last April.
But, of course, that never happened since Paula canceled the performance because of some “production commitments.”
She then rescheduled her performance for Friday, August 29th.
And what do you think happened?
Diva just canceled again!
Well, at least this time she canceled well in advance.
The reason?
Apparently it’s due to some American Idol “commitment.”
Riiiiiiight.
One source added, “She can’t per form live. Her voice on the single is so mixed and electro-nicized you don’t know what she really sounds like any more.”
That source was probably her manager!”
http://perezhilton.com/2008-08-04-an-awful-case-of-dandruff
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So, is Nigel leaving AI or not?!
Nigel Lythgoe: No Longer “Idol” Wannabe
Posted Aug 4th 2008
Nigel Lythgoe is off “American Idol.”
TMZ has learned Lythgoe, who has executive produced the show for seven seasons, has just taken himself off the program and will not return. No replacement has been named.
We’re told Lythgoe felt it was time for someone else to step in. Sources say he’s said privately he is “not passionate about it anymore.” “A.I.’s” ratings slipped last season, and the show was getting a little boring.
We’re also told Lythgoe is working on some kind of a joint venture with Simon Fuller, who created “Idol.” Lythgoe wants to spend his time on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
http://www.tmz.com/2008/08/04/nigel-lythgoe-no-longer-idol-wannabe/
So You Think You Can Confirm Our Story
Posted Aug 4th 2008
Nigel Lythgoe has responded to TMZ’s story this morning that he’s leaving “American Idol.”
As we first reported, Lythgoe will spend his time working on his show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” as well as starting a joint venture with “A.I.” creator Simon Fuller.
Lythgoe sent us a statement, which reads in part, “Due to the huge success of ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ my summer will be taken up by travels to South Africa, Australia and Canada to work on local versions of the show. I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on ‘American Idol’ and will be devoting my time to a new venture with Simon Fuller. I have very much enjoyed my personal and professional relationship with Simon. He is without doubt, a man of vision, and I look forward to partnering with him on new and exciting challenges in all forms of entertainment.”
Lythgoe also debunked rumors that he’s leaving 19 Entertainment.
http://www.tmz.com/2008/08/04/so-you-think-you-can-confirm-our-story/
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What if you held an audition and nobody came?!?!
Puerto Rico to “Idol”: No Gracias!
Posted Aug 4th 2008
What if you held “American Idol” auditions and no one showed up?! Not paging Nigel Lythgoe!
On Saturday, “A.I.” held one of their typical open call auditions in San Juan, Puerto Rico and instead of the usual capacity crowds lined up practicing their awful renditions of tired Whitney Houston standards, according to El Nuevo Dia, only around 300 fools turned out. Ay dios mio! In contrast, last month 7,000 wannabe Taylor Hicks’ camped out overnight at auditions held in Northern California.
In other words, don’t expect to see a Spanish-language Carrie Underwood album anytime soon.
http://www.tmz.com/2008/08/04/puerto-rico-to-idol-no-gracias/
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I saw several of the Idols, including the David’s on the Teen Choice Awards and was proud of them. I do question Jordin Sparks wearing blue jeans, but she was bubbly and silly. That was just fine.
One comment about the Puerto Rico audition site. WHY? One poster wrote:
Puerto Rico already has their own version of American Idol – it’s called “Objectivo Fama”. Besides, English isn’t Puerto Rican’s first language – there probably weren’t alot of people who felt confident enough to sing in English to audition.
Then I wondered if there is an American base on the island? Maybe there was talent there, not measured by the numbers?
Also, wadahoot, I will check out the link to see if there is an address for a donation for Luke. Thank you for all the links!
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OK, I checked it out and there was no address, but I did go to Luke’s blog and it is very touching!
http://www.officiallukemenard.blogspot.com/
Congratulations to Bo and Caroline Bice! He was my favorite after Anthony Fedorov.
Nigel Lythgoe leaving and bringing in new blood may help American Idol, but I’d rather see a new judge come in to replace Randy. Honestly…
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Oops, someone ate up my post. I mentioned there was no address for Luke, but here is his blog.
http://www.officiallukemenard.blogspot.com/
Congratualtions to Bo and Caroline!
Needed AI chance: replace Randy with a competent judge. Well, I wrote more, but I’ll be back. Thanks again, wadahoot!
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Wow Wadahoot. You mean business! Thank you so much for those links and stories.
Ditto to you KariAnn!. I have a lot of reading to do and I am especially interested in Luke Menard’s and Adam Cook’s progress.
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“I will check out the link to see if there is an address for a donation for Luke. ”
Kariann … I read deeper into his blog and found an old ‘thank you’ for gas cards! Apparently, Luke is spending a LOT of time in Nashville, writing songs with Chris Sligh and pursuing a career in Christian music.
He wrote that he had been living in LA just after AI with his wife (of 5 years) trying to get an acting career going, when the cancer showed up and he knew he wanted to be home with friends and family for the battle. He is driving back and forth to Nashville (11 hours round trip), as he is getting his chemo treatments at home in Crawfordsville, Indiana (about 1 hour from me here in Indy).
So, Luke needs and appreciates gas cards! Here’s what he said,
“I have already had many emails, phone calls and comments on my blog asking where people can send gas gift cards. I didn’t expect for anyone to think I was being real but it seems that many of you want to help with my trips to Nashville.
Well….here is where you can send letters of encouragement or even gas gift cards.
Luke and Lara Menard
P.O. Box 9
Crawfordsville, IN 47933 ”
http://officiallukemenard.blogspot.com/2008/06/address-requst.html
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Love all the Luke Menard information here. I hope the readers respond to the “gas card” idea. It is a wonderful and practical idea, given his difficult circumstances.
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News about Nigel, Simon, Archie, Cookie, Clay and Jordan!
American Idol Vital News, August 7: Goodbye, Nigel
by Sting7 — 08/07/2008
The big news this week is the departure of Nigel Lythgoe, producer and Grand Poobah of American Idol as we know it! Why is he leaving? What happens to Idol without him? In other news, what we can expect from David Cook’s album, the scoop on David Archuleta’s new single, Idols doing the right thing, and the rumor mill cranks up a doozy!
All He Wants To Do Is Dance
The biggest news to hit American Idol this whole summer is that a major player in the franchise is stepping down. Nigel Lythgoe helped launch Pop Idol in the UK, and then left that show to produce American Idol. For the last seven seasons, a great deal of the flavor and tenor of American Idol is because of Nigel. Now, that appears to be over.
“I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on American Idol and will be devoting my time to a new venture with (series creator) Simon Fuller,” said Lythgoe. As most of you know, Nigel had been splitting time between American Idol and his own show, So You Think You Can Dance. What you may not know is that So You Think You Can Dance exploding as a franchise by itself.
So You Think You Can Dance Australia had record-breaking ratings. There is a ton of excitement about So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and there are plans for a South African version. “In the short term, due to the huge success of SYTYCD, my summer will be taken up by travels to South Africa, Australia, and Canada to work on versions of the show for those countries,” Nigel says. Lythgoe’s decision comes concurrently with the news that Fox has ordered another season of So You Think You Can Dance to air in summer 2009.
“I have very much enjoyed my personal and professional relationship with Simon (Fuller)… and I look forward to partnering with him on new and exciting challenges in all forms of entertainment.”
Nigel was more than a producer. He was also the warm-up man – the person given the responsibility of making sure the studio audience was lively and compliant. He was the show’s biggest defender, the point man, the rumor killer, the hype master, the bottom line. It wasn’t true until Nigel said so, and when Nigel spoke, the media listened. It’s a loss that will be quite palpable.
What Nigel isn’t confirming is what some outlets are reporting – that he has “lost the passion” for American Idol. Producer Ken Warwick may be leaving the show as well. Fox was reluctant to speak on the issue at all, but did begrudgingly acknowledge Lythgoe’s exit, (they are “disappointed”) and only tersely answer that “no decision has been made” on who will be producing the number one television show in America when asked about Warwick’s status.
David Archuleta’s First “Crush”
David Archuleta took a break from the American Idol tour long enough to give listeners of Elvis Duran’s syndicated radio show a sneak preview of his not-yet-completed debut album. Archuleta was on hand to perform “Crush,” which is scheduled to be the first single from the album.
Archuleta admitted he was so nervous about singing the single on the radio that he couldn’t sleep the night before. “I just couldn’t wait, I was so jittery last night. We had a show last night in Newark and I was just still so pumped up.” It’s a strong first single – contemporary and fresh, falling somewhere between Enrique Iglesias and Chris Brown. I smell a hit!
David Cook Starts Cooking!
David Cook’s debut album is shaping up to be among the most anticipated of the year. To make sure that it’s worth the wait, David has brought on heavyweight producer Rob Cavallo. “I think he’s a great producer with the kind of sound that I want,” Cook told EW.com. “And in talking to him, he’s just a good guy. Like the song selection I had on the show, Rob just fit.”
Cavello has a long list of producing successes, including Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Isaak, Alanis Morrissette, My Chemical Romance, Kid Rock, Nashville Star’s Jewel and Green Day with whom Cavallo won a Grammy for his work on American Idiot (isn’t that ironic, don’t ya think?).
“My goal is to make a cohesive record,” David said. He emphasized that he wants to put out a record that is true to himself. He is grateful for the encouragement he’s been getting so far. “In every meeting that I’ve had with 19 and RCA they’ve been very supportive of what I want to do with my record,” Cook continued.
“The music is rock and it’s pretty undeniably me, which I’m pretty excited about,” Cook hints. “There’s going to be some interesting twists and turns that will keep people interested.” Cook has also been collaborating with Collective Soul’s Ed Roland, Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida, John Fields, and Kara DioGuardi on songs to potentially make the album.
Clay’s Days
We are inside of a month until the birth of Clay Aiken’s child! Clay is obviously quite excited, as is artificially inseminated mom Jaymes Foster (sister of record producer David Foster). But, Clay is not just sitting around calculating the proper temp for baby formula; he has immersed himself in his role as a UNICEF ambassador. He recently visited Kenya and Somalia in a relief effort to help the children of those nations with education, health care, and sanitation.
Clay has been blogging about his experiences, and he has been deeply affected by what he’s witnessed: “Getting children back to school is vital for their protection, and helps build a sense of normalcy in their lives. The re-establishment of schools in the most difficult circumstances is a testament to the commitment of UNICEF and to Kenyans. Many displaced parents told UNICEF that getting their children back to school was their top priority.
“Every child has the right to an education. Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that so many children are caught in. And an educated child will make sure his or her own children receive an education too. This is just another one of the many amazing ways UNICEF is helping children today, while also building a safer Kenya tomorrow.”
Adding Some Sparks
Jordin Sparks has also been investing her time and fame for worthy causes. Jordin, in conjunction with Staples and DoSomething.org, is the face of “Do Something 101,” an organization that helps underprivileged teens get the supplies they need for the new school year.
Specifically, the program asks teens to help other teens by donating school supplies to any Staples store by August 31, 2008 (for those of us whose teenaged years are long past the horizon, I’m sure Staples will accept our donations as well).
Sparks is doing commercial spots by television, radio, and internet, and she loves every second of it, “There are so many kids in America that need school supplies that don’t have them and all somebody has to do is donate them,” Jordin said in a press statement. “It’s so easy.”
What’s not so easy is to become a platinum-selling artist! Jordin is edging ever-closer to the million mark. Jordin Sparks is at about 850,000 units sold as of the end of July 2008. But, it needs to be said, even if she doesn’t make it to platinum, those Idol-haters who want to call her a flop are just uninformed, plain and simple. Precious few artists can even make it to gold album status these days. Her label is happy, and she’s just starting. It’s only upward for her from here.
Omission Suspicion
There has been talk of some sort of personal problem between David Archuleta and Brooke White. Where did this come from? Has there been a tour tiff? Has Jeff Archuleta (also on the tour) been acting up again? No, the presumed smoking gun is the fact that Archuleta was not listed as one of Brooke’s friends on her MySpace page. Yeah, I know. My eyes are rolling too, but the Archies have taken this omission as a slight against their hero.
Somewhere, somehow, Brooke found time to address this world-crushing issue on that same MySpace page: “Don’t fret, my dears, David is one of my favorite people on the planet!!! Rest assured, we all are all super-duper friends, like family, actually, enjoying this tour together.” So, the omission was nothing personal, just some sort of technical glitch. One she hasn’t been able to figure out how to fix.
“It’s been driving me crazy… and so after going on a search through hundreds of pages of friends… I still can’t find Archie’s official page … along with a few other Idol contestant friends of mine! In time, I will work it out, when I have few spare moments while on the road!” So, Archuleta-Heads who have made this molehill into a mountain, please chillax!
The Family-Friendly Idols
Two American Idol alums, Carrie Underwood and Daughtry (featuring Chris Daughtry of course) headlined the Toms River Fest in New Jersey. Organizers called this event the most star-studded in the festival’s history, but were also excited to provide what they called “family-friendly” acts.
“We wanted a very family-friendly festival — something that was different from all the other festivals that are out there this year,” said Adam Weiser, who’s AEG Live co-produced the event.
The weekend-long festival included the idols and other big name talents, as well as local performers in an effort to ensure the community was well represented. The lineup included Lifehouse, Gavin DeGrew, Avril Lavigne, Live, Collective Soul and Marie Digby.
Idols are not new to the event, as the 2006 Toms River Fest featured Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.
Loving Simon
A few weeks back, I reported that Simon Cowell and Terry Seymour were Splitsville. Looks like me and my media sources jumped the gun on that one – but, they aren’t exactly happy. So, what exactly is happening?
Terry wants very much to be Mrs. Cowell. Simon is not all that excited about being married… to anyone.
This has been a bone of contention between the couple that is starting to come to a head. To make matters worse, Cowell’s close friend, former pop star Sinitta said in an interview earlier that Simon would never marry Terry. Like, ever. Why? “(Simon) is incapable of being faithful. One woman will never be enough for him.”
Yikes! Terry was not thrilled to read this over her morning tea. To make matters worse, another media source reports that at present, Cowell and Seymour aren’t even speaking. This means Simon hasn’t revealed plans to invite Sinitta and her family along for the Christmas vacation. That should be quite awkward.
Meanwhile, New York Daily News is reporting that Simon Cowell is earning 50 million dollars a year. Also doing nicely is Ryan Seacrest, whose various ventures are bringing him about 29 million a year. Maybe the mysterious, stick-shaped shark was bucking for a settlement!
MCL Note: I had to eliminate the link because of all the pop-ups on the source site: FoxesOnIdol. Com. You are wise to cut and paste this story. It eliminates potential spam problems. Thanks Wadahoot – lots of news here!
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sorry about the pop-ups, MCL. I have the Google Toolbar and it has a pop-up blocker, so I didn’t realize it was a problem. I like to post the article (in case it is taken off or the URL link is changed), and usually the link, just to be polite to the host page … but they aren’t being polite if they are full of pop-ups! Thanks for removing the URL!
Anita
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