February 2007 News Archive (Page 6)

For Leslie Hunt, making it to the final rounds of American Idol would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Hunt, a 24-year-old Chicagoan, is one of the final 12 women taking the stage on the FOX talent show Wednesday (the final dozen men perform Tuesday, and live eliminations begin Thursday).

A couple of years ago, however, Hunt would not have had the physical stamina to go through the grueling American Idol audition process.

Diagnosed with lupus when she was 7, Hunt says she had a difficult childhood that was spent largely indoors.

“It was really tough,” Hunt said in phone call from Los Angeles, where she’s sharing a room with fellow Chicago-area contestant Gina Glocksen. “When I was a kid, there were a lot of limitations. Just a couple of years ago, a miracle medication made be able to do something like this.”

One side effect of lupus was that it was dangerous for Hunt to be in the sun, but thanks to her new medicine, she’s been able to work as a dog walker for the past couple of years. And she credits the medicine with allowing her to have the stamina to wait in line for six hours at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where she tried out for Idol.

“Now I’m outside all the time,” said Hunt, who grew up in St. Charles, studied composition and piano at Roosevelt University and has played around Chicago with cover bands and with a group called Mark Twang.

She’d never thought about trying out for American Idol, but a near-death experience while traveling left Hunt with a new passion for life.

“I got a vaccination for yellow fever, and I got deathly ill. I almost died when I was in Rio,” said Hunt, who is engaged and lives on the North Side of Chicago. “Ever since then, it’s this new mentality for me. I’m not going to just rest on my laurels and wait for things to happen to me. I have to take a proactive approach.”

Part of her strategy this Idol season is to pick a genre she shines in, without being too predictable.

“I’m going to be varied within reason. I do feel like I have a niche — I’m not going to be doing the Isley Brothers one minute and Celine Dion the next,” Hunt said. “I’m going to be doing a lot of classic soul, basically.”

Continue Reading...

For five years, the South has dominated American Idol, but it looks like the judges have decided to give the rest of the country a chance with the selection of the top twenty-four for American Idol 6.

In particular, the state of California is very well represented in the twenty-four semi-finalist.

There are a total of six American Idol contestants from California among the semi-finalist. They are:

• Alaina Alexander
• Brandon Rogers
• Rudy Cardenas
• A.J. Tabaldo
• Sabrina Sloan
• Paul Kim

Also well represented is the state of Washington which claims three semi-finalists: Sanjaya Malakar, Blake Lewis, and Amy Krebs. The only other states with more than one American Idol 6 semi-finalist are Illinois and Texas, which both have two.

10 Western U.S. American Idol Semi-Finalists
Sanjaya Malakar – Federal Way, Washington
Blake Lewis – Bothell, Washington
Amy Krebs – Federal Way, Washington
Alaina Alexander – West Hollywood, California
Brandon Rogers – North Hollywood, California
Rudy Cardenas – North Hollywood, California
A.J. Tabaldo – Santa Maria, California
Sabrina Sloan – Studio City, California
Paul Kim – Saratoga, California
Jordin Sparks – Glendale, Arizona

Seven Southern U.S. American Idol Semi-Finalists
Sundance Head – Porter, Texas
Haley Scarnato – San Antonio, Texas
Melinda Doolittle – Brentwood, Tennessee
Phil Stacy – Jacksonville, Florida
Chris Sligh – Greenville, South Carolina
Stephanie Edwards – Savannah, Georgia
Chris Richardson –Chesapeake, Virginia

Five Northern U.S. American Idol Semi-Finalists
Jared Cotter – Kew Gardens, New York
Antonella Barba – Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Nicole Tranquillo – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nick Pedro – Taunton, Massachusetts
Lakisha Jones – Fort Meade, Maryland

Two Midwestern U.S. American Idol Semi-Finalists
Gina Glocksen – Naperville, Illinois
Leslie Hunt – Chicago, Illinois

SOURCE: Reality TV Magazine

Paul Kim is bringing pride Saratoga. The resident of that city recently made it to the American Idol final 24. Below, he talks about the experience with the San Jose Mercury News:

Q: You seemed nervous during the Hollywood week tryouts. What was going through your head?

A: I didn't want to go home. I was trying to get myself ready and prepared, to not mess up, because I didn't do well in the group round.

Q: Why did you think you didn't do well?

A: I had a hard time with the lyrics. It was a song ("California Dreaming'') I wasn't really feeling. I messed up the lyrics and made up my own, and I guess they didn't even notice.

Q: Why is William Hung your motivation?

A: At first [his performance] was kind of funny. Then they kept playing him over and over and over. It started bothering me. That's not what we look like, that's not what we sound like, that's not what we do. . . . That typical Asian stereotype: real nerdy, bookworm, unathletic, short in stature, the guy that never gets the girl. It just really bothered me how that's portrayed in television and film.

Q: What's with the lucky underwear and barefoot thing?

A: I'm not the best performer in the world, but once I have my shoes off, I feel like I can go into my little mood and just let go. And, with the underwear, it was just something that I did. It was like my lucky underwear that kept getting me through. I didn't want to make a big deal about it. Obviously, on the show, they made a big deal about it. . . . It's just something that I do because I'm a little superstitious.

Q: Now that you mentioned on-air that you are a pool boy, how do you feel about forever being known as that?

A: It's just what I do. I'm not extremely proud of it. I'm not ashamed of it. It's just what I do for a living.

Q: What was your experience with the American music industry?A: I had a demo made, and then I tried to shop it. People would approach me, call me, e-mail me back saying, "We really like your sound. We love the fact you wrote all these songs, but we can't market you.'' . . . They told me straight up, "If you weren't Asian, we would have signed you.'' It was the truth. I didn't get angry over it.

Q: How was your experience with EMI Korea?

A: I went to Asia in 2003, and it wasn't easy. . . . I was writing songs, then having those songs get translated. . . . It was a struggle with me and my music, because I am a soul singer, and they wanted me to do pop music.

Q: What was your path to American Idol?

A: After I got out of my deal, I'd given up on music for a whole year. . . . I'd quit school to go to Asia. . . . So for the time being, I went to work for my dad. . . . I did it for almost a year. It was back-breaking work (pool maintenance). It'll be raining. It'll be cold. Doing that, that opened my eyes. ``You can do music, so why not do it?'' So, I went online and saw that they were having that American Idol thing. . . . I actually left my house at 11 p.m. from San Jose, and drove straight down there to L.A. and got there at 5, 6 in the morning and got straight in line.

Q: What do you want to get out of this American Idol experience?

A: I'm here to prove that . . . music is heard, and it's not seen. I'm a little worried that for my time on this show, I'll just be known as this Asian guy . . . so I just keep saying, close your eyes and listen. I want people to get over the fact that (I'm) Asian and think, "Hey, he can sing. I like him.'' I want to be the soul singer on the show, or the tall guy on the show. Why do I have to be the Asian guy?

When your album sales are faltering, what's an American Idol runner-up to do?

Grab a razor, of course.

Seen here, Katharine McPhee provides a pair of model companions with a lady's touch at the launch for the Gillette Fusion Power Phantom in New York on Thursday.

When Melinda Doolittle first appeared before the American Idol judges, she sounded like a lifelong backup singer. There was a good reason for this, however.

Melinda Doolittle has been a lifelong backup singer.

Despite showing little confidence during her audition in Memphis, though, Melinda showed off a great voice. She was unanimously passed through to Hollywood and Simon Cowell called her "one of the best singers we've had."

Such praise shouldn't come as a major surprise to anyone that knows Melinda. She was a music major in college and has taken vocal lessons ever since. In her American Idol profile, Doolittle lists Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight as major influences.We can't argue with those choices; nor can we argue with a contestant that says her pre-singing rituals are just to "pray and warm up."

Based on performances so far, viewers around the country should be prepared for a lot more from Melinda - and Melinda should be prepared to remove the backup label from herself.

The Seattle Business Wire has posted a released about the three Puget Sound area residents have been chosen to continue on in the American Idol semifinals.

Fans should be familiar with the first one: 17-year-old Sanjaya Malakar, who watched himself move on last week, a feat that elicited mixed emotion because he did so at the expense of his sister, who was sent home.

Malakar is from Federal Way, WA - and so is 22-year-old Amy Krebs. Pictured here, Krebs says she was "humming before she could talk" and has been dreaming of making it big ever since.

The third Washington state representative is 25-year-old Blake Lewis. He's originally from Bothell, a graduate of Inglemore High School. He told the Seattle FOX affiliate that he’s not happy Seattle got such a rap for bad singers.

“I'm upset with the stereotyping that gets done but that happens everywhere. What's the stereotype? That Seattle is just rock music? There's just so much more.”

Fans of American Idol will find that out as the competition heats up over the next few weeks.

Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul might be highly visible figureheads, but the executive producers of American Idol call the shots off-camera.

With that in mind, enjoy this interview with Nigel Lythgoe. He's the unknown hero of our favorite show.

Q: Paula Abdul has been in the news a lot lately. She keeps saying she's misunderstood. Is she really just an over-the-top theatrical personality?

A: Yes, she is. She won't like me saying that. But she is. Unfortunately, once you get in your head that she's drunk or she's taking drugs - neither of which she does, she certainly doesn't do social drugs or even drink - so once you've got that in your head, it's very difficult. We look when we're editing the show nowadays and say, "Hey, are people going to think she's drunk for doing that?" We try and take that into account.

At the same time, we don't want to stop her personality. She leads with her heart. She cares about the kids. And she wants to protect them. But she's also an extrovert person.

Q: There's been a lot of criticism about the judges being crueler this year.

A: We were no crueler this year than we ever have been any other year. I seem to remember when Mandisa got through, Simon Cowell saying that, "Terrible, we're going to have to strengthen the stage when she walks on it." It is always been, for some people, cruel, and for other people, honest. But this season, for me, no more and no less.

Q: Are more contestants hiding arrest records from Idol these days instead of just 'fessing up?

A: We don't get involved, as the producers of the show, in the background checks. That goes out to a private company and FOX. We are informed at the end of the day, "You can't invite this person, that person, or this person." And we don't ask why. To be frank, we're not interested.

If FOX believes that it will damage the show, or damage Fox, or damage the production, then it's best that they just don't come along.

Q: What about the contestants whose arrests are integrated into the early shows? A few had their photos shown behind bars.

A: If somebody gets busted while we're doing the show, then we won't ignore it, especially if we can put it in the television show.

Q: How do you make your choices on the contestants you're going to film and profile extensively in the beginning?

A: Backgrounds, where they come from, their stories, their human interest, what we believe our viewers will enjoy seeing, what makes you care.

Our job, we believe, is to stimulate an audience that sits down to watch a little box in the corner of the room. If we can make them angry, if we can make them cry, if we can make them happy, if we can stimulate any emotion in them, then we're doing our job.

However we do that, sometimes we overstep the mark with getting them angry. Sometimes I believe we overstep the mark in making them cry. But if it affects me and if I get emotional, I think that's going to transfer into the public.

If they care, then they will continue to watch the series. And, more importantly, they will pick up a telephone and vote for the person that they like. This isn't just a voyeuristic program; it's an interactive program, and we ask you to pick up a telephone.

Q: Do you already have front-runners for this season?

A: I think this is going to be a great season where there isn't a Kellie Pickler, a Carrie Underwood, or a Clay Aiken, that you know is going to really steal everybody's votes. This season, I think we've got a lot of excellent singers. I don't think I'm going to be ashamed of anybody that gets up there and sings this season. But they are going to have to grow.

Q: What about the rumor you'll have a Nirvana week?A: Please. Absolutely not. It's further rubbish.

Q: What's been the impact of having older contestants on the show?

A: I think that's brought us some more maturity and a little more professionalism in certain areas. We're happy about that. I wouldn't mind extending it even further next year, to be honest. I would go (to age 30).

Q: Is it tougher for younger people to do American Idol?

A: They're exceptionally resilient. You can't knock a kid down, really. The 16-year-olds bounce from one thing to another; they don't know half the music they're singing. I remember Lisa Tucker last year, we gave her, "What's It All About, Alfie?" A Burt Bacharach song. She sang it brilliantly, didn't understand a word she was singing, probably, but sang it beautifully.

That's what they do: They just take it in, sing it. "Not good enough." "OK, well I've got the rest of the my life to get it right." But when you're a bit older, when someone knocks you, you just say, "Oh my God, that's it, I'm never going to make it now." It's a bit heart-rending.

Q: How about an all-stars edition of American Idol?

A: It's something that I'm trying to make work this season. They're talking about doing a song competition on the Web, and have people write songs for the next "American Idol" finale.

My idea was, give me 10 songs, and I will bring back 10 Idol finalists to sing them on a special. Let's see Constantine Maroulis again; let's see Ace Young; let's see Vonzell, Tamyra Gray, and all of the great people that we voted for over the years. I'd love to do that. I've pitched it to FOX and FOX hasn't come back to me yet and said yes or no.

Virginia has another potential American Idol.

Chris Richardson, 22, of Chesapeake is among the 24 contestants tapped for the semifinals in FOXs popular singing competition. As such, he has a shot at a recording contract, instant fame and three months of exposure on TV's most popular series.

Last year, Richmonder Elliott Yamin made it to the number-three spot.

Richardson, a kitchen manager at a Hooters restaurant in Chesapeake, got the good news from Randy Jackson.

" You're going to be on the show, dude. You made it . . . You're in the house," Jackson said on Wednesday's show, where 24 competitors were chosen out of the 40 who made it through Tuesday's Hollywood round.

Following four weeks of televised auditions, the real competition begins next week.

Viewers will be able to vote on their favorites after the men perform on Tuesday and the women on Wednesday. Thursday's results show will be the first live episode of the season.

But if the American Idol producers have done their job - and we're guessing that with some 30 million viewers per show they have - viewers are already emotionally invested in certain contestants.

Reality shows are described as unscripted because they don't follow a script. But successful ones such as Survivor and American Idol create their own minidramas for viewers to follow.

And you have to hand it to the show's staff. Either they have dozens of camera crews surrounding contestants at all times, or they have a good sense of who merits face time.

Before his official welcome to the Idol club on Wednesday, Richardson hadn't been seen that much.

He was shown performing Leon Russell's "A Song for You" during the New York auditions, earning words of praise from judge Simon Cowell. "You are somebody who could possibly surprise us in the next rounds." Then Richardson disappeared.

But Season Six's auditions have been rife with drama, American Idol style.

We've had Amanda Coluccio and Antonella Barba, best friends from New Jersey who auditioned together. Both got the ticket to Hollywood. But it would take an Idol newbie not to know that ultimately, one of them would continue on while the other one wouldn't.

Likewise, brother and sister Shyamali and Sanjaya Malakar from Federal Way, WA were both sent to Hollywood. Because we'd already heard the judges discuss how much better the brother was, we knew what was coming. They didn't.

Some of the best stories so far this season feature contestants who don't look like pop idols, then deliver the goods.

Chris Sligh from Greenville, S.C., is one of them. The judges all but laughed when this Jack Osbourne look-alike came into the auditions. But he has the sweetest voice and an ear for harmony.

Similarly Jason "Sundance" Head, son of a rock'n' roll footnote (Roy Head, who had a hit in the 1960s with "Treat Her Right"), surprised judges with his rendition of "Stormy Monday" by Bobby Blue Bland.

Both made it through to the semifinals, meaning they can be seen performing on Tuesday's two-hour show starting at 8 on Fox.

Now, Virginia viewers can add Richardson to the mix.

SOURCE: The Virginia Times-Dispatch

As we prepare to vote on the top 24 American Idol contestants, Reality TV Magazine took time to sit down with a former contestant.

Scott Savol made it all the way to the final five in Season Four, despite having his arrest record publicized after a couple rounds of auditions. Below, he comments on that situation and more.

Reality TV Magazine: American Idol contestants Akron Watson was given a golden ticket to Hollywood, but later he was uninvited, possibly because of an arrest for marijuana possession in his background that he claims he told producers about in advance. As a former American Idol finalist, do you think it was right for the show to uninvite Akron?

Scott Savol: I don’t really have enough information about Akron Watson’s situation to have an opinion on whether or not the decision was fair. In the end, the decision was made by FOX and/or the producers of American Idol and I’m sure they have their reasons. I do feel, however, that if contestants have been honest with the producers of the show and have been forthcoming about their pasts, that contestants with minor arrest records should be allowed to continue.

Reality TV Magazine: During your season of American Idol, did you hear about any contestants that were uninvited for any reason?

Scott Savol: No. There was one contestant that I auditioned with in Cleveland that had received a golden ticket but never made it to Hollywood week; however, I do not know why he was not at this phase of the audition rounds.

Reality TV Magazine: What kind of background investigation does the show do on contestants and at what stage does it occur in the audition process?

Scott Savol: I don’t know whether or not the background investigation process has changed since Season 4, but when I was on Idol every contestant that went to Hollywood had to fill out information forms and consent to a background investigation. When the group in Hollywood was narrowed down to about 41 contestants (before the final cut for the top 24), we each had to sit down with private investigators that asked us all kinds of questions.

Reality TV Magazine: At what stage of the audition process did you tell American Idol producers about your arrest for domestic violence?

Scott Savol: Actually my arrest in 2001 was for misdemeanor assault (not domestic violence), which was later pled down to a charge of disorderly conduct for which I received probation. I supplied the show with this information in my background forms/papers, and again in my in-person interviews with the private investigators.

Reality TV Magazine: When news broke about your arrest, what were the rules that American Idol producers gave you in regards to answering questions from the press?

Scott Savol: There were really no rules that I was given by the producers. The news of my arrest broke after I had made the top 12 and the producers simply told me to ignore the negative stuff being said, not to let it bother me, and to keep focused on my performances. The producers were very supportive and told me not to worry about it, as I had been forthcoming about the arrest from the beginning, and not to let this discourage or distract me in the competition.

Don't get us wrong. We love the beatboxing. But it's not as though Blake Lewis can't carry a tune, as well.

Originally from Bothell, Washington, Blake was passed through to Hollywood at the Seattle America Idol auditions. For someone who started singing at the age of five, it was a long time coming.

When asked who his favorite male pop stars are, Lewis had an interesting answer. Sure, he's a fan of the usual: Sting, Duncan Sheik and Jason Mraz. But he also gave credit to a pair of fellow American Idol contestants:

• Blake named the band Half Past Forever as an influence. That group's lead singer? Chris Sligh.
• He also pointed to M-Pact, the band fronted by Rudy Cardenas.

It's nice to see the hopefuls giving credit to one another, even as they compete to move on. And it's obvious Lewis will be among the front-runners as American Idol continues.

We can't wait.