February 2007 News Archive (Page 5)

Remember Frenchie Davis, American Idol watchers?

Those that do pretty much only recall this contestant as the singer that got disqualified for posing in her lingerie years before the competition.

Antonella Barba hopes she doesn't become a similar victim.

Pictures of the semi-finalist have surfaced on the Internet. We're not judging, just presenting them to fans so they can have an idea of what we're talking about.

Antonella is second from the right. Could she follow Akron Watson out the door? Or will producers give the girl a break? She is covering up, after all...

People magazine recently caught up with our favorite, zany American Idol judge. Let's hear what Paula Abul has to say:

What does hosting the In Defense of Animals benefit mean to you?
Well, animals are such a huge part of my life. I have five dogs – four Chihuahuas, one Teacup. I love dogs and anything I can do to help rescue and get dogs into adopted family and safe homes that are loving – that's the best thing.

Can you talk about the Top 24, especially Sanjaya Malakar's sad story with his sister (Shyamali) not making it through last week?
It was hard for us to decide whether or not we should either let 'em both go, keep 'em both, or separate them. Toward the end of Hollywood Week, Sanjaya kind of really evolved into his own. We started (filming) with some of the guys already. Sanjaya performed already and he got some harsh criticism, but I think people are going to love him. He's got such a great spirit about him.

All of the guys and girls are really going to have to step it up. It's very nerve-racking to start the show off, and every single year we're always trying to find our groove again and there's no exception to this year, as well.

Simon had spent some time in Africa recently. What was that about?
We're really giving back. We have been given so much joy and love and spreading the celebration of life through song, and there are so many places all over the world that need help. Simon went over to Africa. Randy and I are going over to Missouri most likely and probably New Orleans as well.

Was Simon doing charity?
Believe it or not, we're ALL doing charity work. Simon Cowell – yep. Good old Simon Cowell, even he has a soft place in his heart, I do believe, somewhere. I just have to dig.

Our thanks to TV Guide for its weekly American Idol round-up. That being said, let's turn it over to Kimberly Caldwell and Rosanna Tavarez as they discuss last week's auditions, as well as what to expect tonight through Thursday ...

TVGuide.com: Topic No. 1, Baylie Brown, aka Miss "Commercial with a Capital C" who was stuck with two best friends....
Kimberly: The best friends who want to kill each other? [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: She was such an early favorite. Do you think she got a raw deal?
Rosanna: She forgot her lyrics and she didn't even try to make something up. If you're going to make a mistake, you have to make up for it while you have a chance.
Kimberly: She is more commercial and more American Idol, but at the same time, it's not like they have had to remember a whole song. If you can't remember four sentences under that kind of pressure, imagine trying to learn a whole song with Simon staring you down.

TVGuide.com: That's a good point: Sing something.
Kimberly: Exactly. At least be able to remember the melody enough to, "Blah, blah, blah..." Throw something out there.
Rosanna: You can't blame it on, "Oh, the other two girls were throwing me off." No, it's your responsibility. Yes, Baylie is really talented and beautiful, but she didn't go for it.

TVGuide.com: Is the Hollywood round perfect? Fair? Is there anything you would do to change it?
Rosanna: It doesn't seem to be perfect. I think [Sundance Head, pictured] said it best: "If I knew what the formula was, I would sell it." You're not sure who is getting picked or why.... There are obviously people who are talented, and others who are questionable.
Kimberly: The group numbers are silly and they shouldn't have to do them, but at the same time it's a reality show and it's really, really good drama. And speaking of the group numbers, everybody complains, "Well, we only had overnight." OK, did you see the four guys who were amazing, with the [human] beat box?! They were amazing and they did that overnight.

TVGuide.com: Who did you cheer for?
Rosanna: I was really excited about Chris Sligh. He's got a great personality.

TVGuide.com: I think I read somewhere that he has "Christ on his side." But can Jesus text vote?
Rosanna: Well, He can influence other people who do text vote.

TVGuide.com: And you, Kim, happy for your JT-alike, Chris Richardson?
Kimberly: Chris was a little nasally, but I think the girls are going to absolutely fall in love with him. And Lakeesha, she has the whole package.

TVGuide.com: Is there anyone you are wavering on now, based on their Hollywood performance?
Rosanna: Well, Sundance I think is inherently talented; he just made wrong song choices during Hollywood week, several times, forgot some lyrics, and hit some really bad notes. But hopefully he'll get a lot better. He's going to have to rehearse more carefully.
Kimberly: Sundance was all over the place, it was just wrong. He's one of my top picks, and now I'm really hoping that he comes back and proves himself. I personally do not think he should have gone through, with the performance he gave in Hollywood. And the two girls who were friends, the one that made it through.... They're both catty and mean-spirited and shouldn't be on the show.

Chris Sligh, the early favorite to take home this year's title, recently talked to Tvgrapevine.com. Here are a few excerpts:

Question: I thought it was funny when you said on the show that you wanted to be on American Idol so you could make David Hasselhoff cry.

Chris Sligh: When I tried out this year, I didn't really know that much about the show. So I started to research it and saw all these American Idol blogs talking about (Hasselhoff) crying. And I thought 'Man, that's really genius.' I saw a video of Taylor Hicks singing "Do I Make You Proud" and they cut to David Hasselhoff and he's got a tear rolling down his cheek. I thought, 'That's pure genius.' So when I walked in, that was the first thing that came out.

Q: What was the reaction of the judges?

CS: Well, Simon (Cowell) didn't get it. I guess he hadn't watched the tape back of the show. Randy (Jackson) laughed pretty hard. I had to explain it to them and they laughed even harder.

Q: I heard that your fan base is called the "Fro Patro."

CS: It's definitely an homage to Taylor Hicks' Soul Patrol. Taylor and I both have very distinctive hairstyles, mine happens to be a 'fro. Some of my friends said "You should call your fans the Fro Patro."

Q: Is it true that you changed your hair recently into the 'fro?

CS: In May 2005, I shaved my head. I thought, "I'm going to let it grow and see what happens." So, I haven't had a haircut since May 2005.

Q: A writer for Entertainment Weekly proclaimed you one of the top contenders in this contest. How does that make you feel?

CS: That's pretty odd. I look at the guys, the guys are my competition right now, and holy cow, every one of these in the top 12 could have won last year. It feels incredibly satisfying and a little bit scary to think I'm a front-runner with all these incredible people.

Q: You've tried out for American Idol twice before?

CS: I tried out in Orlando in 2005 and in Chicago last year. Got cut in the very first round both times.

Q: Why do you think you've come so far this year?

CS: Mainly, because of my chubbiness. I'm bringing chubby back. It's also the hair. I grew the hair out and it made me automatically recognizable.

Q: Are you saying you gained weight for this role?

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See, not everyone hates Simon Cowell.

Some actually love the American Idol judge. And we're not just talking about Bucky Covington.

Pictured here with Cowell is his long-time girlfriend, Terri Seymour. Simon cares so much about the lovely woman on his left, he said the following:

"When I respect somebody I say I'm not going to marry you, out of respect. I think it's the decent thing to do. A lot of showbiz marriages don't work out."

We guess that makes sense. Either way, these two look happy below:

Move over Taylor Hicks, there's a new kid in town — and he has ties to Smyrna.

Phil Stacey, the son of Gary and Adrell Stacey of Smyrna, recently earned one of the coveted top 24 positions on season six of American Idol.

He'll take the stage against 11 other finalists tonight in an effort to win viewers' support en route to possible musical stardom. The show has already launched the careers of Hicks, who was last year's winner, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, among others.

"We've been excited about this all along," said Gary Stacey, who is pastor of Hendersonville Church of God. "One hundred and some thousand kids tried out and he ended up in the top 24. This has been an absolutely amazing journey."

Getting to this point hasn't been easy for the one-time Smyrna resident.

A sailor in the Navy, and he and his family are stationed in Jacksonville, Fla. Four months ago when Phil decided to try out for Idol he left his pregnant wife to make the trip. Because his wife, Kendra, wasn't due to deliver the couple's second daughter for three more weeks, Phil thought he had plenty of time to fly to Memphis, try out for the show, then make it home.

He was wrong.

After his plane landed in Memphis, his wife went into labor. Four hours later, he had a new daughter.

Phil's mother, Adrell, a nurse at StoneCrest Medical Center in Smyrna, takes issue with the way her son has been portrayed throughout this situation, and wants to set the record straight.

"I want people to know he didn't leave Kendra in labor," she explained. "The way they showed it on television made it look like that's exactly what he did. I actually flew to Florida to stay with Kendra while Phil was trying out.

"We spent that day shopping and having lunch on the beach. I told her that since I'm a nurse, tell me if she goes into labor. At about midnight she walked in and said she had been in labor for an hour. The baby came four hours later, and I got to cut the umbilical cord.

Click here to read the rest of this Daily News Journal article.

Rudy Cardenas treated his audition for American Idol as a meet-and-greet, not a chance for a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Cardenas, 28, belongs to M-Pact, a jazz vocal group. Before tonight's show - when he'll compete with 11 other male finalists in Hollywood - he was hoping to spread the word about his group and maybe meet a few contacts.

"I never thought it would take me this far," Cardenas said in a phone interview.

But here he is, on the top-rated show, a finalist among the tens of thousands who auditioned and now hoping to survive the first round, when two guys will be voted off Thursday, along with two women.

It's a long way from the University of Northern Colorado, where Cardenas graduated in 2001 with a degree in vocal performance.

Cardenas believes in his singing, but it's hard to think about making it to Hollywood when there are 13,000 other hopefuls waiting to audition just in Seattle, especially when there's a good chance that not all of them are the ones that make you cringe or laugh. But as producers started to whittle down the thousands, and he became the last audition of the day, even earning a chat with host Ryan Seacrest, he began to believe.

"I really thought I might have a shot here," he said. "It's been a crazy roller coaster of a ride. I'm trying to soak it all in and take mental pictures."

Cardenas calls the experience "liberating," given that he normally sings with a jazz vocal group, a demanding job that requires harmonies and support even when he isn't singing lead. There's never a break.

"This is so much easier, to tell you the truth," he said. "You can really do your own thing now."

Cardenas already has made friends. Chris Sligh, the guy with a curly mop for hair and who looks a little like Jack Osbourne, was the first guy Cardenas met during the auditions, and he's in too. Another finalist, Brandon Rogers, went to college with Cardenas' wife.

M-Pact is touring with a sub for Cardenas and will appear April 19 at the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival, although Cardenas doesn't know if he'll make that date or not, given that the show could last longer if he does well.

"I've always wanted to come back to that stage," he said, "so I will definitely be there if I'm able to be there. It would be a great moment."

But so would being named the next American Idol.

Cardenas said he isn't ready to think about that yet. He hopes that before he prepares to sing before millions (not including the thousands in person) that he remembers to think about his wife, breathe and then tell himself, "It's just another performance." He wouldn't reveal what he'll sing, although he promises it will be "rocking."

"I think everyone's expecting a Latin vibe," he said. "I might throw them a curveball. What I'm hoping for is that it will just be me. I want to be sure I leave it all out there. If I do that, I'm happy with whatever the outcome is."

SOURCE: The Greeley Tribune

Here's the best chance you may get.

The vocal coach for many former American Idol contestants, Debra Byrd, is offering a DVD called Vocal Help NOW! that purports to "help maximize ... vocal and audition performances."

Featured on the DVD are Kelly Clarkson, Anthony Fedorov and Kimberly Caldwell. With each purchase of the $19.99 DVD, consumers are entitled to a free bottle of Byrd's Vocal-eZe Professional Throat Spray.

We can't vouch for how effective this product is, but any edge you can get if you wish to try out for American Idol next season and be the next Chris Sligh, right?

No matter where this American Idol judges goes, cameras seem to follow.

We doubt Paula Abdul minds this time, though, as she hosted a benefit concert in Hollywood for animals over the weekend. One got up close and personal with the singer in this picture.

Which leaves us with one question: Think Simon Cowell is jealous?

Bucky Covington isn't letting a little divorce get him down. Through his music label, the American Idol finalist recently posted the following message for fans to enjoy:

Hey there, Bucky Covington here. You may have been one of the 30 million people who watched Idol last year, and if so, you saw me as one of the finalists in last season. I just signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records, home to Rascal Flatts and Josh Gracin from Idol Season 2. I’m keeping pretty busy with recording my album, radio visits, media appearances and tour dates, but in between I’m going to be keeping a blog here at Idol Chatter, so check back every week to find out the latest.

I bought a house not too long ago. It's not a real big mansion - you haven't seen the album go to No. 1, so you can understand that. But it's nice and roomy and it's out in the Franklin area, just outside Nashville.

My brother, Rocky, and my sister-in-law are moving in with me. He'll be my drummer on the tour, but right now we're out visiting radio stations, so there's nothing for him to do. There ain't no sense in him paying rent, so I just said, "Man, I got a house that I'm never in. Y'all would be doing me a favor by coming up and moving in with me."I thought I had it made, because they were going to move me in and I wouldn't have to do any of the moving. But when I got to thinking about it, I think I just bought them a house.

Most everybody knows that Rocky and I are identical twins. The funny thing is, my manager, Ron Harris, he's also an identical twin. Each of us was each born three minutes apart. Rocky looks a lot like me – the hair and everything else is just alike. So a lot of people come up to him and, thinking he's me, they’ll say something like, "Hey, are you Bucky?" Then, when he goes, "No, I'm actually his brother," they'll say something like, "You should've said you were Bucky. That way, you could've signed my kid's autograph."

I think we're going to be on this radio tour for three or four weeks. Last week, we were in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Before that, it was Memphis, Arkansas and Texas. Hobie Hubbard and Shayne Hill from Sawyer Brown are going out to some of the stations with me to play guitar and keyboard. (Mark Miller, the group's singer, is producing my album.)

I hope to get my album done this week. Better hurry since it’s coming out April 17. Mark and I are going down to West Palm Beach in Florida this weekend, and we'll try to finish it there. Shayne, who plays lead guitar for Sawyer Brown, and Joe Scholten, the group's bass player, are both on it. All the music and everything's already laid down.

I've just got to go put the vocals on. I heard the four songs we've already finished, including the first single A Different World - and you can hear those on my Myspace page - and I thought, "Man, it's going to be tough to find seven more songs to compete with these." But I think it's going to be a really good album. I'm excited about it.