Blake Lewis
News (Page 2)

Blake Lewis has a somewhat unexpected fan.

Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter recently said he was a little jealous of Lewis. How come?

Because the young actor that portrays Jason Street on the great NBC drama spent seven years as a professional beatboxer before landing this new role.

"He had some strong points and some weak points. I liked watching him, though. He's pretty talented," Porter said of Lewis's beatboxing skills. "When I saw him perform with Doug E. Fresh, I have to tell you I was a little jealous, but anything that can bring some notoriety to beatboxing, I really enjoy."

Porter says the locals in Austin - where Friday Night Lights is filmed - are great about letting him get on stage.

"There's a group called Boombox out here in Austin, and whenever I get a chance to see them, they let me up on stage, and we jam a little bit. It's a great feeling to get to do what I used to do."

By the way: this is the best show on TV you're not watching. We suggest you start doing so this fall.

No offense to Blake Lewis.

But he isn't exactly the romantic type, at least not as far as Jordin Sparks is concerned.

"It makes me laugh. We went through this whole experience and it's like I can't even look at him that way," she told Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo on New York's Z100.

However, being the subject of celebrity gossip isn't the only downfall to her this Idol winner's new fame.

"I can't really go to the mall anymore," Sparks said. Even though she's tried everything to be able to go out in public and not get recognized – including wearing hats and hoodies – she sticks out "like a sore thumb."

A major reason? Those lovely curls. Once fans spot them, they recognize this artist in an instant.

Not that she's complaining.

"Everything is coming so fast. My life is just turned upside down. But I love it and I want to do it for as long as I can," she told the radio DJs just moments before they premiered her first single "Tattoo."

The track, which describes the scar left when a relationship ends, was one of the first songs she considered for her debut album after winning American Idol in May.

"I didn't even get through the first chorus before I was like, 'I need to have this song!'"

As they see the end of this year's American Idols Live tour, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis are hard at work on their debut albums.

Both singers told Billboard.com they've been using off-days for recording, and both hope to have their efforts out before Thanksgiving. Sparks' is untitled so far, while Lewis' has dubbed his "Audio Daydream (ADD)."

"I'm feeling a little bit of pressure because it's coming up so fast," said Sparks. "But I have full confidence that we'll finish it by the time we have to."

She's recorded four songs so far - including one with the production team Stargate - in Los Angeles, Omaha, Neb., and Chicago, with a session scheduled for this week in Pittsburgh. She plans to do the bulk of the recording back in Los Angeles after the Idols Live! tour finishes on Sept. 22.

"It'd kind of Kelly Clarkson's pop edge, a little bit," Sparks said, "and I recorded a ballad-y type song, like a power vocal song, and then I recorded just a really fun, fast one. I'm trying to mix everything together. I'm loving all the songs I'm recording, so hopefully that will come off the album when you listen to it and you'll be able to feel the emotion."

Idols Live! tour mate Chris Richardson has been writing songs with both Sparks and Lewis for their albums, which wukk be submitted for consideration. Lewis says he's recorded eight songs so far, working with producers such as Sam Hollander, Mike Elizondo and J.R. Rottem.

"It's your favorite '80s mix tape," Lewis said, "very inspired by Michael Jackson, Prince, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, the Cure. It's all over the map, really - very influenced by '80s hip-hop, old school breaks, whatever."

"They're letting me down the album I've always wanted to make," said Blake, who's written 11 of his own songs for the set.

Sparks and Lewis are both signed with Sony BMG by virtue of their Idol finishes, but the rest of the crew is awaiting word on whether they'll receive an offer later this month.

Richardson, meanwhile, is also planning a "rock and soul" album he says will be "a mixture of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz." He's also writing for Phil Stacey who, like Haley Scarnato, plans to make a country album.

Gina Glocksen hopes to record "something pop/rock, like ... Pink," while LaKisha Jones has her eye on a gospel/spiritual album.

USA Today spoke with Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis soon after the sixth season of American Idol ended.

Here's what each had to say about Kelly Clarkson and more...

What do you think has made Kelly so successful?
Jordin: She really set the standard. She was a total raw talent, and I love her edge. She's my favorite.
Blake: I think she has one of the best voices in the record industry. And she reminds me of my mom, with her nice bluesy quality.

Did she give you any advice?
Jordin: I met her at the finale. She basically just told me that it's sucha cool experience and to have fun with it.
Blake: She's actually right across the way right now, so I'm gonna try to go over there and say hi.

So, how did you brace yourself for the judges'comments every week?
Jordin: It's always such a blur -- I kind of didn't hear what they said sometimes.
Blake: I never listened to them, honestly. And a lot of their stuff is a bunch of malarkey.

Was it frustrating to not get free rein on song choice?
Jordin: Sometimes -- when there were too many songs I wanted to sing. You can only pick one, so that was hard.
Blake: Yeah, [the] restrictions suck. I don't really like singing other people's stuff.

Forget for a moment whether or not Blake Lewis has a girlfriend. We do know for sure that he loves his hometown of Seattle.

"I'll never not live in Seattle, I love it so much," the famous Bothell beatboxer told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer in a phone interview while en route to an American Idols concert in Alabama.

"People ask me, 'Are you moving to California?' I say, 'Like, hell no.' Seattle is so wonderful."

But it isn't just the scenery that makes Seattle wonderful. It's the music scene.

"There's the fact that people moved away after the grunge scene died and there's no spotlight on this town that has so much music to offer. That's sad. So I'm going to come back and start setting up shows at like the Vera Project and do more youth events in the hip-hop community."

Lewis, who just turned 26, was an audience favorite in this year's competition, but came in second. Along with the other famous Idol from the Seattle area - the outrageously coiffed and ever-charming Sanjaya Malakar - Lewis performs tonight at the Tacoma Dome.

The lineup includes winner Jordin Sparks, as well as Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen and Chris Sligh.

The two-hour show (sponsored by Pop Tarts) begins with a group song, "Let's Get It Started," before everyone peels off for a series of solos and duets, some with a full band.

Blake was actually wary of American Idol when he auditioned for the show's sixth season.

"I'd never seen the show before," he said. "And when I first saw it, I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is so cheesy.' But it's totally different once you become a part of it. And it's so big now. It's really unbelievable the power of communication you can have by just singing a song."

Blake realized he was gaining momentum when he first sang "You Give Love a Bad Name."

"The energy from the room was just amazing," he said. "And for like two hours afterward I could still feel the energy. That was the one performance where I really felt good about myself. And you're your own worst critic."

The love life of Blake Lewis is heavily talked about.

This American Idol finalist has been rumored to be dating Antonella Barba, Jordin Sparks and even Chris Richardson. The last one may have been a joke, however.

Now, though, we have pictures of Blake and a mystery woman kissing outside of club Les Deux in Hollywood. Could she be his girlfriend? We don’t have the woman’s name at the moment, but we wish we had her game.

Lucky gal.

Kelly Clarkson, the original American Idol, came out with her latest album last week.

Now comes new that one of the more recent,beloved American Idol contestants will also be releasing a CD later in the year. That's right, Blake Lewis fans, get excited.

"I've been working for such a long time writing a lot of songs in different genres," Reality TV World reported Lewis told TV Guide on Wednesday. "The first album is really a testament of who you are."

Similar to Idol sixth-season champ Jordin Sparks, Lewis finds himself with a busy summer ahead, working on his debut album while at the same time preparing for American Idol's 2007 concert tour, which kicks-off Friday, July 6 and spans 56 dates and 35 states over the course of two-and-a-half months.

Lewis said he hit the studio on Monday, June 18 in Los Angeles to begin laying the groundwork for his debut album, with electronic musician BT already signed on as a producer.

"I just recorded my first track last night," Lewis said. "I've already written seven songs."

In addition, Lewis said fellow beat-boxer Doug E. Fresh - with whom he performed a memorable duet of the rapper's 1986 hit "The Show" during Idol 6's finale - is currently "in talks" to beatbox on one of the album's tracks. However Lewis' eagerness to perform with others from the industry doesn't stop with Fresh.

"There's a couple of emcees I'd like to work with," he said. "I'm going to have four or five people beatbox between tracks."

Lewis also doesn't want to just collaborate with some of his musical inspirations, as he's planning to pay them homage through the album's sound.

"I'd classify it as electro-funk-soul-pop if you need to label it," he explained. "I really love the sounds of the '80s so I hope to ring some of that back. I'm really inspired by electronic music."

Lewis told TV Guide his debut album can be expected to drop before the end of the year "because they want it out by Thanksgiving or Christmas."

Jordin Sparks may have won American Idol, but Blake Lewis is definitely coming out on top in the U.S. singles charts.

His cover of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" just cracked the top ten this week, coming in at #9.

Meanwhile, Sparks' "This Is My Now" lingers at #14.

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.

Forget Antonella Barba for a second.

Is Blake Lewis making a move on this year's American Idol champion?

We doubt it. But Jordin Sparks and everyone's favorite beat boxer sure do look chummy during MTV's Total Request Live yesterday. They were just making fans swoon, of course. There's no real love connection here.

Or is there?!?