Miscellaneous News (Page 2)

Former American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra was arrested early Sunday on felony battery charges for allegedly hitting a man on the head with a heavy glass at a cafe, police said.

Sierra, 21, a top 10 Idol finalist in 2005, was also charged with possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility after officers searched her.

Sierra was released Sunday afternoon on $11,500 bail.

America voted and Idol chatter rules - at least in the office where about half of the workforce thinks talking about TV improves camaraderie.

A survey by staffing company Spherion Corp. released on Tuesday found that American Idol is the most talked-about U.S. television program in the workplace for the second year in a row.

Thirty-seven percent of 2,800 U.S. workers named the FOX program as the show they most often discussed at work, up from 35 percent last year, and compared with 17 percent who named medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

The shows 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland, crime investigation series CSI, and medical series House rounded out the top five.

The survey found about one in five employees engages in Idol chatter on company time, with women more likely than men to bring up the show or discuss its contestants, according to the poll conducted for Spherion by researcher Harris Interactive.

Idol Camp, the world's first performing arts camp based on American Idol, announced recently the first names of an all-star line-up of alumni tapped to appear at the summer camp this year.

Favorite Idol finalists Bucky Covington and Kimberley Locke will visit this one-of-a-kind summer camp for aspiring performers to share their talents and personal experiences. These rising stars will lend their expertise to mentor and inspire the young campers to soar beyond their expectations.

Other gifted Idol finalists scheduled to appear at this summer's Idol Camp include Vonzell Solomon, Jon Peter Lewis and Carmen Rasmusen. Additional talent is to be announced at a later date.

"This roster of exceptional Idol talent helps to reinforce our commitment to creating a unique American Idol experience while providing children with the ultimate performing arts education," says Donna Milani Luther, Camp Director. "All of these talented individuals have something special to offer our campers and we're looking forward to working with them this summer."

Enrollment into Idol Camp for this summer's sessions is still open to aspiring 12-15 year olds throughout the U.S. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 18, 2007.

Idol Camp begins on July 7th, 2007 in Northfield, Massachusetts, with the first of the summer sessions.

American Idol fans are familiar with Simon, Randy and Paula.

But what about Rickey Minor? As the show's music director, Minor made a major change in the show when he took over in 2005, ditching the karaoke-style canned tunes in favor of a live band. Here's an Associated Press interview with him:

AP: Why does live music make a difference on American Idol?
Minor: The ability to change on a dime is priceless. You can't do that (on tape). And the credibility. We have people like Chris Daughtry who could have never come on this show and been impactful doing rock. It's karaoke. Still some of the kids sound karaoke, but at least with the live band, it gives them what the top professionals in the world not only expect but get when they work with me. They're getting what Stevie Wonder gets. They're getting what Whitney and Beyonce get. This is what Aretha Franklin sings to. It's like a high school basketball team getting Phil Jackson to coach them, and Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are all on your team.

AP: How does working on American Idol compare to the Grammys?
Minor: Working on Idol, we have the kids and the experience varies. Some are musicians, like Taylor Hicks had his own band already, so he had experience working with a band. Kellie Pickler had never sang with a band in her life. Carrie Underwood lived on a farm, so she just sang at home walking around with the cows. As far as the musicians, I have a core rhythm section and I change the strings and horns every week, just to spread the work around and let other musicians experience the show.

Having that kind of energy around you is great and hopefully it's contagious to the kids. The pros get the same thing. So (I) get people like Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera on top of their game. I can go on the awards shows with them and they want to go on with me because they know that I'm going to raise the level. They want to bring in some heavy hitters, and I'll bring in the best arrangers, the best musicians that are available.

AP: What is it about Idol that connects with so many people?
Minor: It's taking an average, ordinary person and changing the course of their life. It shows that whatever you want out of your life, you can actually do it. People become entrenched in the stories and they're pulling for these people — it's personal now, it's not even about the singing. And it's one of the few shows on television that the whole family can sit and watch. The grandmothers love it because Tony Bennett is going to be on the show or they're going to sing Moon River. So it sparks conversation with the family.

AP: What's on your iPod?
Minor: Everything that I work on. In my car I listen to satellite and I listen to pretty much jazz because I'm a jazz head. I'm a jazzer. It's the thing I love because there are no boundaries. You can play one note a million times and approach it differently every time, and no two solos are the same. It's cerebral for me yet I can enjoy it. People send me demos but I don't listen to them. There's only so much you can listen to. It's like smelling perfume: how much can you smell before you're numb?

As hopefuls such as Melinda Doolittle yearn to land on this list in the future, let's take a look at past American Idol contestants and their current radio popularity:

• Daughtry: It's Not Over is hanging in there at 8 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, the overall multi-format grab-bag. It was No. 8 last week and has no bullet, exactly the same story as on the similar national radio airplay audience chart USA TODAY uses.

• Carrie Underwood: Before He Cheats is still moving up on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, 34-30, after 29 weeks (it's been as high as 23), while the newer Wasted is up 36-34. On the Pop 100, Cheats is up 29-26, and it moves 18-15 on Adult Top 40. Meanwhile, Wasted goes 3-3 with a bullet on the Country chart.

• Katharine McPhee: still can't crack the Hot 100 Airplay chart with Over It, but she's up 28-27 (bullet) on the Pop 100 and regains a bullet with a 37-37 move on the Adult Top 40 chart after falling from 32 the previous week.

• Jennifer Hudson: Sashays sideways 58-58 (no bullet) on the Hot 100 Airplay chart with And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. The Dreamgirls song is down 17-19 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it peaked at No. 14, but it's 3-3 with a bullet on the Adult R&B list.

• Fantasia Barrino: Her new one, When I See U, is up 31-27 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and 17-16 (bullet) on the Adult R&B chart.

• Ruben Studdard: Change Me is still on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart (36-43 after 34 weeks) and the Adult R&B chart (7-8 after 35 weeks and a previous residency at No. 1). The newer Make Ya Feel Beautiful is up 48-45 on the R&B/Hip-Hop listing and 12-12 (bullet) on Adult R&B.

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Hanoi, Vietnam - Television producers in this karaoke-crazy country are hoping to have a smash with Vietnam Idol, the newest version of the singing contest that is a major hit in the West.

A Vietnamese advertising company purchased the rights to American Idol for an undisclosed sum from FremantleMedia, which produced the first Idol show in Britain, according to Nguyen Chi Tan, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Television network, or HTV.

The show, to be produced by HTV, will be broadcast on eight channels nationwide.

Following the same format as the FOX network's U.S. show, a parade of would-be pop stars will audition before a three-judge panel and try to win the votes of television viewers across this nation of 84 million people. FOX is owned by News Corp.

About 7,000 contestants are expected to audition next month in the cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Danang. The field will be narrowed to 30 singers before the show goes on the air in May.

Week by week, viewers will vote by mobile phone text message to decide which performers will progress to the next round, until a winner is selected in September.

"Idol is one of the most popular TV shows in America and Europe. We hope it will be the same in Vietnam," Tan said. More than 30 countries have already broadcast their own versions of the American Idol show.

What: Rally on the American Idol Meltdown/ The Double Standard

Who: Civil Rights Activist Najee Ali,Celebrities and Community leaders

When: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 11:00AM

Where: The Kodak Theater, 6801 Hollywood Boulevard., LA CA (Hollywood/Highland)

Civil rights activist Najee Ali, celebrities, community leaders and Chris Tian & Friends will protest on behalf of Frenchie Davis (pictured) tomorrow night. They plan to confront American Idol this Tuesday, claiming a double standard exists.

With the recent headlines regarding explicit Antonella Barba photos being brought to focus through news outlets and on talk programs nationwide, a celebrity rally on Tuesday will examine the issue of a double standard as it relates to the Fox-TV program's treatment of Barba and Davis.

Tuesday's planned rally/press conference is scheduled to be held at 11 a.m. in front of the American Idol home: the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Four years ago, Frenchie was dismissed from the show for purported racy photos. But those pics - which Davis said were never seen by the Idol powers that be or the public - were of the singer simply modeling lingerie. The ones of Antonella, of course, are of the hardcore porn variety. They're also everywhere on the Web.

(But Barba also did not pose for them for public viewing purposes.)

Ali, who is known for opinionated take current issues, will be joined at the rally by Season One American Idol Producer Tarvenia Jones, Davis (by phone), and Belinda Foster, manager of Davis.

Procter & Gamble Co.'s effort to make its Pringles brand a bigger star is getting a tryout with American Idol.

The consumer products company has launched a partnership with the television ratings blockbuster in TV commercials, special American Idol Pringles cans and contests, including a video jingles competition that can lead to tickets to the talent show's finale.

It's the biggest promotion in the potato chips brand's 37-year history, P&G said. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

"The American Idol tie-in is sort of a bold new step," said Paul Tepfenhart, Pringles brand manager.

Pringles, with more than $1 billion a year in annual sales, has been growing about 5 percent a year, P&G has said. The company has said it wants to heat up the growth, recently extending the brand of chips stacked in cans into packages with a "Select" line of flavors such as sun-dried tomato, cinnamon sweet potato and Szechuan barbecue.

Pringles joins Nestle candy and Dreyer's ice cream among the show's partners, and FreemantleMedia, which co-produces and licenses American Idol, said more partnership deals are in the works. The official on-air sponsors for the show are Coca-Cola Co., Cingular Wireless and Ford Motor Co.

Michele Welch, Freemantle's director of integrated marketing, said the off-air partners are bringing well-rounded promotions for the show. Nestle has a candy-bar wrapper collect-and-win contest, and Dreyer's (which sells under Edy's brand in much of the country) is offering special flavors such as "choc 'n' roll caramel" and "Hollywood cheesecake."

"We want to partner with family brands who can be represented in a fun promotional way," Welch said.

P&G described the deal as a long-term partnership, with promotions continuing past the show finale, such as a Pringles receipts mail-in for American Idol school backpacks this summer. The promotional cans hit store shelves over the weekend.

Wanna be the next Blake Lewis or Lakisha Jones? According to the following press release, you can begin training earlier than ever ...

FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, co-producers and licensors of American Idol, announced today the inception of Idol Camp, the first performing arts summer camp for kids between the ages of 12-15 based on the nation’s most watched television show and #1 talent search.

Born out of the desire to foster passion and creativity in young teens, Idol Camp will be a fun-filled and non-competitive training ground for America’s future stars.

“Utilizing the power of the American Idol phenomenon, we can provide a truly one-of-a-kind experience,” said Mark Brittain, Head of Sales and Marketing, American Idol, 19 Entertainment.

In fact, the Idol Camp experience will include master classes from surprise celebrity guest performing artists, favorite former American Idol contestants and other top industry professionals. Daily instruction will also be provided in a variety of classes from singing, dancing and acting to song writing and audition techniques as well as traditional camp activities such as swimming and field sports.

Idol Camp is located on a picturesque campus in Northfield, Massachusetts, and acceptance into the academy is based on limited enrollment and applicants demonstrating enthusiasm, dedication, a desire to perform and a passion for the arts.

In addition, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment will reward a certain percentage of students with fully paid scholarships based on financial need in an effort to reach a wide range of the country’s most eager performers.

“We want to honor a diverse cross-section of educational backgrounds and opportunities and provide a valuable experience to kids displaying a passionate motivation to learn and grow within themselves through the performing arts,” said Keith Hindle, Executive Vice President, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, North America.

“As in American Idol, the goal for our kids is to soar beyond their expectations; however, because Idol Camp is not a competition, every kid goes home a winner.”

Here's the best chance you may get.

The vocal coach for many former American Idol contestants, Debra Byrd, is offering a DVD called Vocal Help NOW! that purports to "help maximize ... vocal and audition performances."

Featured on the DVD are Kelly Clarkson, Anthony Fedorov and Kimberly Caldwell. With each purchase of the $19.99 DVD, consumers are entitled to a free bottle of Byrd's Vocal-eZe Professional Throat Spray.

We can't vouch for how effective this product is, but any edge you can get if you wish to try out for American Idol next season and be the next Chris Sligh, right?