May 2007 News Archive (Page 5)

A couple of ousted American Idol finalists felt the love of their hometowns this week.

LaKisha Jones’ shooting star fell from the American Idol galaxy Wednesday night, but on Thursday Flint continued to embrace her and the bright future it hopes for her.

Residents said they still are in Jones’ corner, and store marquees, Internet blogs and even a highway billboard continued to scream out “LaKisha” in a swell of community pride. And city leaders will honor her efforts.

A parade outside City Hall is planned, and Mayor Don Williamson will give 27-year-old single mother a key to the city. A local auto dealership owned by Williamson’s wife, Patsy Lou, is kicking in a free six-month lease of a Buick Lucerne.

Flint Budget and Information Services Director Michael Townsend said Thursday that Jones has meant so much more to the community than just singing on a television show.

“This has really brought positive attention to Flint, and we’ve been so used to getting negative attention all of the time,” Townsend said.

The city of about 120,000 people — like many in Michigan that once relied on the automotive industry — is trying to rebound from past economic woes. The mid-1980s brought downturns in the industry with layoffs and plant closures, and the problems in this blue-collar city about 60 miles north of Detroit continue today.

So it was a pleasant change when crews from Good Morning America and Access Hollywood came to town to do features on Jones and her American Idol run, city attorney Trachelle Young said.

“There is such a spirit of hope that LaKisha has given the city. It’s infectious,” Young said.

City workers even volunteered on their off-time to hold miniature Idol rallies downtown on Tuesday nights prior to Jones’ performances on the show.

Jones’ appeal in her hometown crossed racial barriers. Flint is about 60 percent black, but Young estimated that about 75 percent of the 200 to 300 people at Tuesday Idol rallies were white.

“So many would not come to downtown Flint,” she said. “LaKisha served as a catalyst to get people down here.”

Meanwhile, in Federal Way, Wash. on Wednesday, teenage fans of Sanjaya Malakar, voted off the show three weeks ago, gave him an enthusiastic welcome home.

About 600 Idol fans shrieked, asked for autographs, invited him to their prom, and posed for pictures with 17-year-old Malakar at a Federal Way shopping center.

Amanda Reed of Federal Way — a city of about 84,000, 20 miles south of Seattle — waited for more than five hours with her mom and her brother to be first in line to get Malakar’s autograph.

“She was like a kid before Christmas,” Laurie Reed, Amanda’s mother, told The News Tribune of Tacoma.

Malakar, accompanied by bodyguards, police officers and his mom and sister, signed 200 autographs, and mall officials passed out another 200 pre-signed autographs for each donation of $1 or more to World Vision, a Federal Way-based humanitarian organization.

Rumors have it that they're dating.

Moreover, search engine numbers prove that Blake Lewis and Antonella Barba are commonly searched for.

Yahoo! recently released a chart that outlined which contestants from this year's American Idol are most often looked up by Internet users. The three that have remained at the top of these rankings for a few weeks now are Blake, Antonella and Jordin Sparks.

Sparks and Melinda Doolittle, meanwhile, have gained momentum on Yahoo! more than other hopefuls over the last few weeks (as noted in the "Movers" chart below). What does this all mean?

Nothing, by itself. But it does give an indication that the final three contestants, as voted on by fans, are also being searched for quite a lot by individuals online.

There was talk that Chris Richardson was dating former contestant Alaina Alexander.

Now, here's a fresh American Idol rumor making the rounds: Is Blake Lewis going out with a certain, scantily clad singer from earlier this season?

During last week's show, featuring Bon Jovi, Antonella Barba sat in the audience. She remained quiet for most of the evening, until the end when cameras caught her and Blake making a romantic exchange. Here's what happened:

Blake blew a kiss to this lovely young lady. In return, she blew one his way, Lewis caught it and put it close to his heart.

This could mean almost anything, of course. But it's fun to speculate, isn't it? Do you think these two would make a good couple?

This came as no surprise.

Lakisha Jones and Blake Lewis were the final two contestants last night, awaiting their American Idol fate as Ryan Seacrest kept everyone in suspense for as long as possible.

In the end, the soulful singer was sent packing. We wish her the best of luck.

Dean Banowetz is the American Idol hairstylist.

He gave Glamour an article recently. Here's an excerpt of it:

How much time do you have to do each person’s hair per episode?
About 30 minutes. You’d think once the contestants get booted, we’d have more time for the rest, but it’s always like there are more things to do.

Got any shortcuts for readers?
My biggest thing is, do not skip a proper blow-dry with a round brush, because then you don’t have to curl it and you don’t have to flat-iron it. When in doubt, hair accessories like wraps and headbands are genius. I hate to use her as an example, but when Paris was in court, she had a ponytail and a headband on. It honestly doesn’t get any more simple than that. Anytime a celebrity goes to court, they are clean and simple, which I just think is hysterical.

Which eliminated contestant (I wouldn’t want to sway the current vote!) have you really loved doing?
Sanjaya was the most fun for me because he’d let me do crazy things to his hair. He’d say, “I wanna do a Mohawk,” and I’d say, “Ponyhawks are new and fresh; Mohawks blow.” I always said it was a 50/50 style: 50 percent will love it, 50 percent will absolutely hate it but 100 percent of these people will always remember it.

Was there ever a contestant who didn’t want you to change his or her hair at all?
Well, I had many discussions with Chris Richardson about growing his hair out. But he didn’t feel comfortable with it, so he would shave it himself. He still looks great. And when it’s time for him to change, he’ll change. I also told Chris Sligh, the one with the really curly hair, “I would love to straighten your hair,” but he was like, “No, I don’t feel comfortable,” and that was cool.

So, how do you get everyone’s hair so healthy- and shiny-looking?
My go-to product is the K-PAK system. There’s a conditioner and a reconstructor, which makes hair strong. I use them all the time, and if I could, I’d use it on my dog. It depends on your needs, but once a week is good.

What did you think of that whole controversy when you mentioned on a radio show that Haley was reusing Katharine McPhee’s extensions?
It’s so not a big deal! You wash them and you sanitize them and you move on. Extensions are expensive; I have probably like $40,000 in extensions. I’ve also used some of the extensions I’ve used on Leeza [Gibbons] on Kellie Pickler.

What would Ryan look like if you didn’t do his hair?
He has this wavy texture right in the front of his hair, and it stresses him out. I’ve done his hair for seven and a half years, so he’s not really used to doing his own hair. When he does try to do his own hair, it makes him crazy. He has his natural color right now, and everybody’s like, “Where are the highlights?” and I’m like, “We don’t have time.”

Do you do Simon’s hair too? Why does he part it down the center like that?
I’ve had so many hair interventions with that man it’s not even worth it anymore. Simon’s a handsome guy. I always say this is his Donald Trump. Simon’s so known for his hair, and his tight T-shirts. It’s recognition, and I get all of that. He has this whole blow-dry thing that he does himself. I’ve just done the same haircut every two weeks for the past six seasons. Every single time I do his hair, I always mess with him, and I’m like, “Something new today?” and he’s like, “Absolutely not!” Simon doesn’t feel comfortable changing, and who am I to change him? I mean, it’s gotten him this far.

American Idol may be able to tell their contestants what they can and can't sing, but they can't censor Pink!

Pink's pre-taped performance of her song "Who Knew" is scheduled to air tonight on Idol (after being bumped from the Idol Gives Back charity episode), but TMZ has learned that the pop star was originally set to sing her current racy hit, "U + Ur Hand."

Reportedly, when the American Idol powers-that-be realized the song made references to self-love, they asked Pink to alter the lyrics to make them more appropriate for the "family-friendly" show.

Well-placed sources tell TMZ that Pink wasn't willing to compromise her artistic integrity and agreed to sing her last single, "Who Knew," instead.

If Idol really wanted to protect audiences, there's only one person they should have censored - Sanjaya Malakar.

Calls to reps for P!nk and "Idol" were not immediately returned.

Thanks to USA Today for this summary of last night's performances. A certain staff member of American Idol Worship celebrated a birthday, preventing us from recapping the show as usual ...

1. Jordin Sparks, To Love Somebody: Best song, best version, very impressive control and strength, the easy standout.

2. Jordin, Woman in Love: Quite a ways behind No. 1, and only slightly ahead of the next two, but it gets the edge because it had an appealing melodic quality to it.

3. LaKisha Jones, Run to Me: Not one of my favorite Bee Gees songs, but LaKisha uncovered some nice nuances. Too bad it was a little stagy near the end.

4. Melinda Doolittle, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart: A bit sluggish but an impressive, if slightly messy, workout at the end. Close race for 3 and 4.

5. LaKisha, Stayin' Alive: Not a good version, but give her a bit of credit for daring to rearrange it a bit, and it's still an enjoyable song (except when Hollywood stars lip-synch to it).

6. Melinda, Love You Inside Out: Possibly her most lackluster performance all year. Barely ahead of No. 7.

7. Blake Lewis, You Should Be Dancing: Anything but singing. I didn't mind the beatboxing, but the falsetto was weak and there was none of the crazed dancefloor jitters that saturate the original version.

8. Blake, This Is Where I Came In: If you knew the song, you'd be even less impressed than the judges, who didn't know it, were. Thoroughly weak.

Remember when we said - yesterday - that Kelly Clarkson would need to go back to the studio for her third album.

Yeah. We were joking. Despite rumors that executives at RCA were so disappointed with her new music they decided to scrap the Idol's third album, My December will be released on July 24.

The CD, produced by David Kahne, is back on track and pleasing critics.

A Los Angeles Times writer praised "the succulent, slightly dark timbre of [Clarkson's] alto" as well as "her ability to nail those shirt-ripping high notes."

"It is very aggressive," Clarkson told the paper. "And it might be too much. But I just needed to be able to make this record and not have so many hands in the cookie jar saying, 'Pull this string, pull that string.' I was like, 'Just give me this one thing, and I will make whatever record you want next time.' Now, I need this, for me."

Fans don't seem disappointed. The first single "Never Again" debuted last week at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

They will get to hear more new tracks like "Haunting," "Chivas," "Be Still," "One Minute" and "Sober" when Clarkson showcases her new material during a summer tour that begins July 11 in Portland, Ore., and runs through Sept. 26 in Los Angeles.

The Houston Chronicle says none of the remaining four contestants on American Idol will find the sort of success Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry have found.

Nevertheless, the newspaper has outlined a short profile on the singers performing tonight:

Melinda Doolittle
In her favor: A gigantic but very skilled voice. She shows more control and restraint than singers (we won't name names) currently making millions.
Not in her favor: There's still a little of the modest, "who me?" thing, which has been annoying for weeks.
What makes her (not) interesting: She's a backup singer!
Our odds: Even. Jordin or Blake Lewis could pull an upset, but Melinda has been the one to beat since the show's first round. Maybe earlier.

Jordin Sparks
In her favor: Good voice, sometimes. It should be said that looks can matter, and she's the prettiest of the final four.
Not in her favor: Melinda, who has more control over her voice.
What makes her (not) interesting: She's 17!
Our odds: 3-2. It all depends on her songs. She's not as crafty as Blake, not as consistent as Melinda and not as capable of rafter rattling as LaKisha Jones. But when she's on, which is often, she's good enough to win.

Blake Lewis
In his favor: As the judges have told us time and again, he's different. (So was Scott Savol.)
Not in his favor: his Elmo-esque "ballad face." His overused dance spin. He likes (and covers) middling bands.
What makes him (not) interesting: He beatboxes!
Our odds: 2-1. He has an arsenal of smoke and mirrors to distract people from a mediocre voice. He's easily the worst singer of the four, but it might not matter.

LaKisha Jones
In her favor: When she gets into her gospel-tinged upper register, she can belt it out.
Not in her favor: Melinda and Jordin, both of whom have been consistently better.
What makes her interesting: She has a kid!
Our odds: 10-1. This could be 100-1 too. Barring death or laryngitis striking one of the other three, she'll go home this week.

Two former American Idols release albums this week: Paris Bennett and Kimberley Locke. USA Today's Elysa Gardner and Steve Jones, respectively, take a listen and review them below:

Paris Bennett, Princess P:
The latest American Idol also-ran (last year’s fifth-place finisher) to strike out on her own is an adorable 18-year-old, who recorded this debut on an independent label owned by her uncle (later attracting distribution from a much larger indie, TVT Records). If the results are less polished and predictable than a typical Idol affair, Bennett and her collaborators, who include Beyoncé colleague Jon Jon Traxx (and, briefly, fellow Idol Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais, who “raps” on the brief, appropriately titled Let Me Rap), tend to cling to tried-and-true contemporary pop-R&B formulas.

Still, the album offers enough homespun charm to leave you rooting for the plucky upstart.

Kimberley Locke, Based on a True Story
The former American Idol contender (third place behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken in Season 2) takes the pain of a shattered relationship and turns it into an edgy, rock-fueled journey through heartbreak and redemption. Locke, who co-wrote most of the songs on her second album, uses her powerhouse vocals to unleash pent-up emotions about love gone bad and finds strength in learning to trust herself.