September 2006 News Archive (Page 5)

Tonight marks the beginning of the stage career for Constantine Maroulis, we he debuts in the Broadway music, The Wedding Singer. We wish him very ounce of luck.

Fans who wish to follow Constantine, however, will also able to find him on the TV screen in a few months. He'll serve as a guest host on MTV's "The Little Talent Show," premiering September 18 at 6pm PDT/EDT.

But, wait, there's more from Kellie Pickler's ex-boyfriend!

For one night only, Constantine will be back in L.A. The show will be held at The Viper Room and feature his own songs, as well as songs written by Angie Aparo, Jeff Buckley and Willie Nile, one of Bono's favorite writers.

Of Maroulis performs as he did al summer on a tour of the Northwest, fans are in for a treat. The Allentown Morning Call had the following to say about these concerts:

" [American Idol] Season 4 finalist Constantine Maroulis showed he not only has a rich Broadway-style tenor voice that can go seamlessly from belt to croon but he's got the whole package."

Look out, Clay Aiken, you may have competition for most charitable American Idol contestant.

Bo Bice made a surprise visit to Youree Drive Middle School in Shreveport, Louisiana, yesterday as part of a $10,000 donation of new equipment.

Bice, the fourth season runner-up, has been making a name for himself with radio hits such as "The Real Thing." He arrived after students were told their teacher, Krista Fanning, had won new musical instruments and equipment in a contest sponsored by Intune magazine.

Needless to say, jaws dropped when the American Idol performer entered the room.

The new amps, drum set, guitars and keyboard will comprise what the school hopes will be a state of the arm music rom. Fanning was one of 200 music teachers across the country who wrote essays explaining why they needed new equipment for their students.

She obviously did a mighty fine job with her entry.

As Katharine McPhee came oh-so-close to winning American Idol this past season, a star from a different FOX show was cheering her on throughout the competition.

Rachel Bilson, who portrays the adorable Summer Roberts on The OC, says she following her former high school classmate very closely ... and tried to help her achieve victory.

"I went to support her and watched a taping of the show. I voted 100 times," Bilson said.

Alas, it wasn't enough, as Taylor Hicks walked away with the singing crown. But Bilson still has fond memories of performing with McPhee back in the day.

"We did a musical together. She was a freshman, I think, when I was a senior, so she's a few years younger, but we were friendly."

Bilson says she likes to sing "alone," so don't count on her trying out for American Idol 6. But will McPhee ever appear on The OC? You never know.

Now that they've been properly introduced, we can tell you what Kelly Clarkson was doing with this highly-respeced democrat from Illinois.

Turns out Clarkson wasn't the only person to win an MTV Video Music Award, but fail to attend the ceremony. Obama actually won, as well, for Best Spoken Album.

We're not entirely sure why Kelly handed the award over, but we do know her and her band debuted the new song, "Believe" once they were there.

We told you Simon Fuller had plans above and beyond American Idol.

The British television and music producer is adding a new division to his entertainment company in roder to promote a struggling fashion designer, Roland Mouret (pictured, right).

Mouret, 45, was well-known for a thigh-binding collection of skirts and dresses in 2004 that made a noticeable impact on his standing within the fashion industry. He enjoyed international attention when Scarlett Johansson wore a dress from his collection at the Academy Awards.

But his fortunes reversed the next season when he resigned from his label over a compensation dispute with its backers.

Now, however, Fuller has come to the rescue.

The new partnership between will be called 19RM, operated as part of Fuller’s company, 19 Entertainment, which produces albums for alumni of American Idol and the British version, Pop Idol, with singers like Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks.

Fuller began the company in 1985, setting records for chart-topping hits and expanding its scope to representation for celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham. He sold 19 Entertainment last year to the American music industry baron Robert F. X. Sillerman, whose CKX company has also acquired most of the Elvis Presley estate.

In a statement, Mr. Fuller, who is president of 19 Entertainment, described his interest in a fashion business as a “final piece of my 19 jigsaw.”

“Fashion is the glamour that makes the soccer player an individual, the movie star a sex symbol and the musician a trendsetter and idol,” he said.

An American Idol, perhaps.

As he's proven so many times, Clay Aiken is about more than just great music. The American Idol runner-up often comes in first when it comes to charitable causes.

This is no different.

According to the White House, Aiken has been named to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The committee was originally formed in 1961 by President Kennedy as the President's Panel on Mental Retardation.

Kelly Clarkson is doing many surprising things these days. Aside from joining heavy metal groups in videos, the occasional dare devil is giving NASCAR a try. Sort of.

The first-ever champion of American Idol served as grand marshal of the Nextel Cup Series at the Calfornia Speedway on Sunday. She's seen here posing next to Jeff Gordon (top, right) and then taking a break like a seasoned racing veteran:

Confused Mario Vazquez fans can take solace: his debut album really is hitting stores shortly.

While the season four contender's self-titled CD was originally slated for an August 29 release date, fans can now circle September 26 on their calendar instead. On that day, they can pick up the disc that boasts collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Scott Storch and Ne-Yo, among others.

Right now, the Vazquez hit, "Gallery," is number-32 on the Billboard Pop 100.

"It's everything I love - a bit of R&B, hip-hop, reggaeton and pop ballads," Mario said of the impending album. "I feel like people know me as kind of a crooner [or] a soft singer so I wanted to just remind them [of that]. Ne-Yo wrote a beautiful song - [he] gave me a golden ticket."

Of course, Vasquez is best known right now as the guy that mysteriously dropped out of American Idol last March before the final round, citing family issues.

"I feel like I've accomplished something major but I also feel like I have a lot to prove," he said. "With this record, I hope it answers people's questions of why I left, artistically."

The singer's next single will be "Cohiba," named after a brand of Cuban cigars.

"There's a bit of innuendo and it's edgier," said Vasquez. "It's just showing another side of Vasquez."

That makes American Idol Worship happy to hear.

You may not have heard a lot from Tamyra Gray since the first season of America Idol, but the finalist is back in the news ... with some very happy news of her own.

Gray married songwriter and producer Sam Watters in Capri, Italy, on Saturday. The pair has been dating for two years.

The wedding took place before 45 guests on a cliff overlooking the ocean. After the ceremony, People magazine reports "they walked through the city and townspeople were opening their windows and cheering for them," Gray's manager, Lisa Braudé, said.

Since becoming a fan favorite on American Idol in 2002, Gray has ventured into acting: she had a recurring role on Boston Legal in 2003, appeared in the 2005 indie film The Gospel and played a waitress on NBC's Las Vegas in March. In 2004, she released an album, The Dreamer.

Watters was a member of the early '90s R&B group Color Me Badd, which was most well-known for the unforgettable hit, "I Wanna Sex You Up." Since then, he's worked with partner Louis Biancaniello as a writer and producer for artists such as Jessica Simpson (he co-wrote her song "A Public Affair"), Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson.

He also co-wrote, produced and arranged several songs on The Dreamer.

As the American Idol Tour wound down this summer, it became a tradition: Taylor Hicks (sometimes alone, sometimes with pals named Elliot and Bucky) would surprise customers at some local watering hole after a show.

It took place again last week, two hours after the American Idol winner sang in front of 17,000 people at HP Pavilion in San Jose. Hicks played guitar and harmonica, while singing for about 150 devoted fans in an after midnight surprise show at a local club.

A fan in attendence blogged about the event for The Mercury News and stated emphatically that no one there was let down, as Hicks ran through a medley of soul and funk hits. The audience was about 85 percent female and flashbulbs popped and video cameras ran throughout the performance.

"There's something about this year, with the variety and genres of music that has brought in a variety of people, young and old," said Modesto accountant Alice Pierson, 53, who stood in line outside Club Angel four hours before Hicks took the stage. "It's renewed an interest in music for the Baby Boomers."

Pierson, like millions of others, said she was impressed with Hicks's "charisma, looks and voice."

Hicks was backed by the Birmingham, Ala., quintet LiMBO, with whom he played before a record-number of fans gave him the title over Katharine McPhee this year.

Marcy Feldman, 46, a Los Angeles-based independent consultant for television programming, caught the band in Birmingham and LA. Heck, she enjoyed it even when Hicks didn't show up.

"Their energy is amazing," she said. "You can't sit still. I'm stuck in the seventies. I love Billy Joel and Michael McDonald. There is nothing in the last 15 years that has interested me. But this has brought me back to music."

The band's manager referred to venues such as the San Jose joint as "home for Taylor." Dean Sanders even said the smaller and less crowded, the better.

It's a refreshing point of view from a singer that's bound to become an evern bigger star before the year is over.