June 2007 News Archive (Page 5)

Careful, Carrie Underwood fans, your beloved singer may not be the one contacting you via her MySpace page.

A staffer at celebrity gossip blog, TMZ.com, has been receiving messages from "Carrie" herself over the past 24 hours. To his dismay, though, the message wasn't to invite him to lunch or even on tour. Instead, it was a spam message urging him to check out "these amazing free ringtones."

Underwood's people were made aware of the issue earlier this week and the password was changed to stop the hackers, but this is the latest bulletin posted from Carrie's page:

"Hey, this is Carrie Underwood. OK here's the deal, I need EVERY SINGLE myspace friend to stop what he/she's doing and GO HERE RIGHT NOW and put your cell # in. You'll recieve every ringtone from every myspace artist (including MY favorites)... (sic)."

Of course, that wasn't Carrie herself. It was just some loser with too much time on his hands.

Bucky Covington hit another career milestone this week when his debut single “A Different World” cracked the Top 15 on the country radio charts, reaching a weekly audience of over 17 million listeners.

Bucky will have the chance to celebrate his first Top 15 single at CMA Music Festival this week with the very people who make it possible: the fans.

“Country music fans are the best,” said Covington, “and I can’t wait to see everyone this week and shake their hands and tell them thank you for all their continued support.”

Chris Daughtry is proving that you don't need to finish first to be an American Idol success story.

Katharine McPhee is now doing the same.

Last year's fifth-season runner-up is set to star in The Last Caller, a "dark romantic comedy" that's scheduled to begin filming in and around New York in the fall, The Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday. McPhee will reportedly play a self-obsessed woman in-search of love and the hope of finding herself in the "coming-of-age" independent film.

"This is the first thing that I read that I really wanted to do," McPhee said. "I'm up for a couple of big studio projects, but they weren't starring roles. I wanted to start off doing something a little different. It's something that a lot of people wouldn't expect me doing."

Last August, the singer was being considered for a film version of Wonder Woman, but she discredited those reports shortly thereafter, claiming the prospects for a Wonder Woman movie weren't very good.

However, the second-place finisher to Taylor Hicks has apparently found the right role with The Last Caller, which was written by Michael Albanese.

"[The role] is definitely a little darker than me," McPhee said, adding that she won't be required to sing for the film.

Jordin Sparks has a few reasons to celebrate this summer.

She’s the newest champion of American Idol, on the path to being rich and famous, has a national tour lined up with her fellow finalists - and she got a hot new car!

Not bad for 17.

Sparks chatted with Us Weekly about her newfound fame, what went on during her Idol “girls’ night” tradition and more. Here are some excerpts:

Us: You have frequently said how when you turned 16, it wasn’t the chance to drive a car that excited you, but rather the chance to audition for American Idol.
Jordin Sparks: It was. It’s been really amazing because having watched the show for so long, I’ve just been like, ‘I want to do that,’ but I was too young. So I just watched the show and I saw what songs really got people going and what songs didn’t. Being up on that stage was one of the most amazing things ever.

Us: Has the fact that you're the American Idol hit you yet?
Jordin Sparks: It hasn’t really set in yet. It’s been crazy. People keep saying, ‘Hey, we’re on the air with the new American Idol, Jordin Sparks’ and I’m like, ‘What!? Can you repeat that?’ It’s crazy, I’ve always wanted to do it and now that I have, I can’t believe that I did. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s so much fun.

Us: Not only did you take American Idol’s crown, but you were also gifted with a new Ford Mustang on the final results show.
Jordin Sparks: I woke up on my 16th birthday and I was more concerned about auditioning for American Idol than driving a car. I did get my driver’s license eventually, but now I can drive and I am the American Idol and I have a new car! This is so weird. I haven’t driven it yet. I know driving will be kind of scary, because the paparazzi will follow me. Crazy!

Us: Your father played in the NFL, so you must remember the media attention during his football fame. What advice did he offer about your own celebrity?
Jordin Sparks: Since my dad has been famous-ish and has gone through having paparazzi and stuff like that, he told me “It’s fun, but at the same time you’ve got to be careful. People will try and use you. It’s scary, it’s hard, but if you just handle yourself well, and trust the people around you, you’ll be fine.’ So far, so good.

Us: On the show you were very close with Melinda Doolittle, who finished in third place. Since you two were roommates, what types of things did you discuss during your “girls’ nights?”
Jordin Sparks: It stays in girls’ night! We did talk about boys and stuff like that. [smiles] We talked about life in general and about each others’ lives. We were living under the same roof for I don’t know how many weeks. I asked her how she grew up and what advice she can give me, because she’s so much more experienced than I am. I just love her so much – she’s so amazing! So yeah, we talked about boys, the competition, and crazy fan things that happened.

[SIDE NOTE: Boys? Who here thinks they discussed their mutual adoration for Sanjaya Malakar? Yeah, we agree. Who doesn't love that goofball.]

Us: Did Blake Lewis happen to teach you how to beatbox?
Jordin Sparks: He tried really hard to teach me. He goes “Okay, do this [starts beatboxing].’ And that’s how I beatbox. That’s all I can do.

Paula Abdul, who said Thursday she is "deeply hurt" that a phone call with her reps was leaked to the press, opened up to People magazie about how she's doing.

"Look at me, I'm okay, really I am," she said at an after-party for the Fragrance Foundation's FiFi Awards in New York City Thursday night.

"I'm doing just fine and don't have to explain myself to anyone. It hurts. The leak, that's illegal. That was a private conversation. That was a violation of my privacy and totally illegal."

The phone call was first reported by the New York Post's Page Six.

On the tape, she talks about having Addison's disease, an adrenal disorder that causes chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and irritability. Asked whether she has the illness, Abdul said: "I haven't been diagnosed with it. I'm just exhausted. Sometimes I have really low blood sugar levels. It's all because I work very hard, that's it."

In the call, Abdul also talks about her strained relationship with former publicist Howard Bragman. She would not comment to the publication about whether she was upset about her split with Bragman, but said: "I'm not happy about that phone call being leaked. That's illegal."

Finally, Abdul, who recently broke her nose when, her rep said, she tripped over her Chihuahua, had a message for concerned fans. "I love my fans," she said. "They mean so much to me. I'm doing fine. I'm a fighter."

As if they didn't cause enough fireworks through the season of American Idol.

Three of your favorites will perform on NBC when the network celebrates America's 231st birthday on July 4.

Martina McBride will also be there, but she may be upstaged by champion Jordin Sparks and the first two runner-ups: contestants Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle.

The live broadcast will be hosted by Natalie Morales, NBC's Today National Correspondent and Tiki Barber, Today Correspondent and Football Night in America Studio Analyst.

The star of Bucky Covington continued to rise as this week the video for his debut single “A Different World” reached the #1 spot atop CMT’s Top 20 Video Countdown.

Also this week, the video returned to the top of CMT’s fan-voted online Pure Country playlist, where it debuted at #1 in March of this year.

The American Idol Season 5 finalist is fast establishing himself as country music’s hottest new artist, having sold in excess of 140,000 copies of his self-titled debut CD since its release last month. Bucky Covington debuted at #1 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Country Top 75 Chart on April 25, with not only 2007’s biggest unit debut from a new country artist, but also the best first week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992.

Next week, Covington will guest on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America on June 7 when the program broadcasts from Nashville for the CMA Music Festival kickoff.

Covington will join GMA Weather Anchor Sam Champion for a live report from the rooftop patio of Nashville’s Graham Central Station, overlooking the Festival’s concert venues. Covington will mark his first-ever appearance at the CMA Music Fest with two live performances: he will perform a full-band set from the Daytime Stage at Riverfront Park on June 7th, and on the 8th he will perform an acoustic set from the stage of LP Field, home of the nightly concerts.

After Music Fest, Covington hits the road for a summer of non-stop touring, including several shows opening for Sawyer Brown. SB frontman Mark Miller teamed up with Dale Oliver to produce his debut album, Bucky Covington.