November 2007 News Archive (Page 3)

A critique from Simon Cowell doesn't seem so bad right about now, does it?

Struggling to keep his balance, Clay Aiken gets a lesson on ice from Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen earlier this week.

These two were on hand for a taping of the Capitol One Holiday Celebration on Ice at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

While Carrie Underwood was winning awards last night, Kellie Pickler was fighting back tears.

The American Idol finalist broke down crying during the CMA while performing "I Wonder," a song about her estranged mother, who abandoned her when she was a toddler.

"Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California," Pickler sang at the end of the song, as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. "And just in case you're wondering about me/ From now on I won't be in Carolina/ Your little girl is off to Tennessee."

Pickler's mother, Cynthia Malone, has said that she was forced to leave her child because of an abusive relationship with her then-husband.

Kellie struggled to finish the song and spoke the final word, "Tennessee," as the Nashville crowd rose in applause to support her.

Another awards ceremony, another haul for Carrie Underwood.

The American Idol champion won a pair of trophies for her single, "Before He Cheats." It took home the Country Music award for Single of the Year, while Underwood also won Female Vocalist of the Year.

Underwood was humbled, telling the press:

“God has blessed me with so many wonderful things. If you told me a few years ago I had been nominated with the people I’m nominated with, I would have called you absolutely insane.”

KT Tunstall is not exactly a fan of American Idol.

The singer is furious her hit song - "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" - was used on "a money-making puppet show."

She added: "There's no control given to the people. They are nationally humiliated for being themselves. Horrible."

Ouch. Tell us how you really feel, KT.

The next edition of American Idol may not start until January, but the FOX juggernaut is already making news.

Several changes are in the works, officials told The New York Post, including:

• Changing the format to allow singers to show other musical talents, such as guitar playing;
• Many fewer "mentors," those established musical stars like Diana Ross and Tony Bennett, who appeared every week last season and took attention away from the contestants;
• And, next summer, the annual American Idol live tour may be combined with the So You Think You Can Dance tour, in order to create a show with both singing and dancing.

We can't wait to watch it all.

Elliott Yamin recently talked to Parade about his musical life, his love life and more. Here are a couple excerpts:

On Being Diagnosed with Diabetes:
“I was diagnosed at a very young age. I was 15 going on 16. It was hard for me to adjust to treating my diabetes, but it was also hard to admit that I had it. I was in denial. That was a big hump for me to get over.

I didn’t understand how I could just go from being a normal kid to having this incurable lifelong disease in a matter of a day’s time. I was very angry. I was very upset. I didn’t know how to deal with it and I didn’t want to tell people, I was embarrassed by it. And I certainly didn’t want to seem like some charity case.”

On the Love of His Life:
“I have a beautiful girlfriend at home. Her name is Jamie Paetz. She’s a model, she’s 27, and she’s very beautiful. She’s the love of my life.”

To read the full interview with Yamin, follow our link.