American Idol

Before he became a household name (well, he’s on his way), Anoop Desai frequently was seen — and heard — on the University of North Carolina campus as a member of the popular men’s group the Clef Hangers. The a cappella group performs popular and former hit songs, and Anoop frequently was a featured soloist.

Among the many songs — videos are abundant on YouTube — he performed is Angel of Mine, a tune he also sang during his American Idol run. I’ll admit I haven’t been the biggest Anoop supporter so far, but watching his a cappella work on these videos is swaying my opinion.

Check out these videos, or visit YouTube to see and hear more from this Season 8 finalist.

Even though American Idol has had seven seasons, you still find yourself saying, “I’m so much better than these singers!” Well, prove it.

The hit FOX series will begin the search for an eighth Idol star in mid-July, when the national auditions begin. First up is July 17 at Cow Palace in San Francisco.

Other auditions cities and dates include: Louisville, Ky. on July 21; Phoenix on July 25; Salt Lake City on July 29; San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 2; Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 8; Jacksonville, Fla., on Aug. 13; and East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 19.

In order to audition for Idol’s eighth season, you must be age 16 to 28. The season is set to begin in January.

American Idol

American Idol gets tough when Hollywood Week rolls around. And that time is now.

According to gossip site TMZ.com, an Idol hopeful on Monday was exiting the stage when she fell down a set of stairs. According to the site’s sources, the female contestant was rushed to a hospital in Pasadena, where she was treated for minor knee injuries.

Nothing else had been reported on the situation, including whether or not the Idol wannabe was one of the top 24 contestants.

American Idol

Country superstar Reba McEntire and Season 1 American Idol Kelly Clarkson will join forces for a tour beginning in January.

They’re superstars with two different backgrounds. One is the idol of another and the other, of course, is the original Idol.

After several projects together, including CMT’s Crossroads and recording Because of You as a duet, Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson are coming together again for a series of concert dates where they’re share one band and one stage. The concerts likely will be a similar experience to Crossroads, in which the artists shared one another’s music with the audience.

The 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour begins Jan. 17 in Dayton, Ohio, and ends Feb. 16 in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets go on sale beginning Dec. 1, except for a special Morgantown, W.V., concert, which is being promoted separately from the rest of the tour. Tickets for that show will be available beginning Nov. 30.

Clarkson originally recorded Because of You for her second CD, Breakaway, in 2004. The song was written by Clarkson and Evanescence members David Hodges and Ben Moody. Clarkson and McEntire re-recorded the song as a duet for McEntire’s Reba Duets, which features an all-star lineup of musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Ronnie Dunn, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and LeAnn Rimes.

Tour dates and venues for the 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour include:

DATE CITY VENUE

January 17 Dayton, OH Nutter Center
January 18 Louisville, KY Freedom Hall
January 1 Morgantown, WV WV University
January 24 Norfolk, VA Norfolk Scope Arena
January 25 Winston Salem, NC Lawrence Joel Coliseum
January 26 Fayetteville, NC Crown Center
January 31 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum
February 1 Tulsa, OK Mabee Center
February 2 Bossier City, KS Century Tel
February 7 St. Charles, MO Family Arena
February 8 Indianapolis, IN Conseco
February 9 Rockford, IL Metro Center
February 14 Tupelo, MS Bancorpsouth Arena
February 15 Jonesboro, AR ASU Convocation Center
February 16 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, 2 Worlds 2 Voices, Because of You

Katharine McPhee, Season 5 runner-up, has been credited for the success of KT Tunstall’s hit Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.

Not everyone loves the machine that is American Idol. KT Tunstall, for starters.

The Scottish singer recently said she’s not a fan of the show and, therefore, she’s not thrilled with the fact Black Horse and the Cherry Tree was used on Idol, which she calls “a money-making puppet show.”

If you recall, Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee made a big splash when she performed the new song on the show. It was considered one of McPhee’s best performances of the season. But Tunstall doesn’t seem to care.

“There’s no control given to the people,” she said. “They are nationally humiliated for being themselves. Horrible.”

Truthfully, Tunstall may want to reconsider her stance on Idol. Without it, she may not have become so popular in the U.S. It was McPhee’s performance of Black Horse that many credit for making it a hit. The Idol finalist even performed the song on the Season 5 finale, which she lost to Taylor Hicks.

According to Wikipedia, after McPhee’s performance, the song jumped from No. 79 to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song then became Tunstall’s first — and only to date — top 20 song on the charts.

On iTunes, singer Katie O’Tool offers a version of Black Horse and the Cherry Tree on her Tribute to Katharine McPhee. That’s right, Katharine McPhee. Not KT Tunstall. On the other hand, YouTube renditions of the song have Tunstall getting much higher numbers than videos featuring McPhee’s version.

The top McPhee video has just more than 33,500 views. Tunstall’s top video has more than 662,000 views.

American Idol, KT Tunstall, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks

FOX has announced Season 7 of American Idol will begin with a two-night season premiere on Jan. 15 and 16.

Each night will feature a two-hour episode, starting at 8/7c both nights. If we’re lucky, this guy from the Philadelphia auditions may even shock us with a good voice.

Did you audition for Season 7 of Idol? If so, I’d like to hear your story. Share it in the comments section.

American Idol

Carrie Underwood quickly is cementing her long-lasting place in Nashville. The Season 4 American Idol winner took home the first award of the night — Single of the Year — at the 41st Annual CMA Awards for Before He Cheats.

Underwood is scheduled to perform later in the show. Stay tuned to watchingamericanidol.com for full coverage of tonight’s show.

Carrie Underwood, Before He Cheats, American Idol, CMA Awards

January can’t get here fast enough. Right?

American Idol starts its seventh season in the first month of 2008, but much of the show already is underway. The auditions have wrapped. Hollywood week is coming soon — though we won’t likely get many details until the show starts — and producer Nigel Lythgoe is talking about other changes fans can expect.

One of the changes that certainly could change the face of the show is the fact finalists will be allowed to use instruments during the Hollywood week rounds at the very least.

“We knew Chris Daughtry, Carrie (Underwood) and Bo (Bice) could play the guitar but we really couldn’t show it,” Lythgoe told the New York Post. “If (the contestants) can play an instrument this year we want to be able to see that, and we’ll introduce a couple of days of that during Hollywood week.”

There are about 160 finalists from seven regional auditions. At the end of Hollywood week, it will be down to the top 24 — 12 males and 12 females.

Adding the instrumental element certainly will bring a new flavor to the show. And it will pull in a completely different style of talent. There certainly is no faking when it comes to playing guitar or piano or any other instrument.

Lythgoe, who also produces So You Think You Can Dance, said next year’s summer tour of Idol may combine the dance kids into the mix. That announcement comes after both shows’ tours struggled to do as well as they had in the past.

“I’d love to see the Dance tour go out with the Idol tour and put the singing and dancing together,” he told the Post. “They should never be separate.”

This season also will feature fewer celebrity mentors — at least not every week, Lythgoe said — in order to focus more on the lives of the contestants.

American Idol, Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance, Chris Daughtry, Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood isn’t the only “American Idol” alumni releasing a CD this week.

The Season 4 “Idol” winner’s “Carnival Ride” will be joined by Bo Bice’s sophomore effort, “See the Light.” The Season 4 runner-up found his own fair share of success with his debut, 2005’s “The Real Thing.”

Bice’s follow-up effort is a 10-track disc that will be available online through his Web site and as a digital download. The video for the CD’s first single, “Witness,” was released earlier this month and has been getting much positive feedback from fans.

“This song had me dancing in my chair,” one fan wrote in a review at Bice’s official Web site.

Dozens of fans have left comments on the site, where you also can listen to audio clips and leave your comments on the songs. Here is the track list:

1. “Witness”
2. “Take the Country Outta Me”
3. “I’m Gone”
4. “Only Words”
5. “Got Money”
6. “See the Light”
7. “Sinner in a Sin”
8. “This Train”
9. “Ain’t Gonna Die”
10. “Whiskey, Women & Time”

Much like Underwood has said, Bice admits his first CD was just a taste of his real talent. He says the sophomore effort is much more true to what he’s all about musically.

“I’m grateful for ‘The Real Thing’; that was a fun album. But that wasn’t my album,” Bo is quoted as saying on bobice.com. “This time it was just total freedom. We had no inhibitions about what this was going to be; we just went in and did whatever we wanted to. The freedom shines through.”

American Idol, Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood, The Real Thing, See the Light, Carnival Ride

She’s about to release her sophomore CD, and Carrie Underwood is no doubt doing so after having major success with her first effort.

Underwood, a Grammy Award-winning artist, has a lot to say about her life, those who doubt her success and what’s to come. It all comes out in Dave Karger’s piece, “The Confessions of Carrie Underwood,” which landed the Season 4 “American Idol” winner on the cover of the Oct. 26 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

“Carnival Ride,” due out Tuesday, is the follow-up to “Some Hearts.” The latest CD not only showcases Underwood’s vocal ability, but she also helped write four of the songs on the disc. She only co-wrote one tune on “Some Hearts.”

The country superstar said her first CD had a little bit of pop sensibility, considering her “Idol” fans. This time around, she’s showing her full-on true country side.

“I want to be a country artist in a country world with country fans,” she told EW.

In the story, Underwood also talks about the controversy with Faith Hill that came after winning Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards in 2006. To that, Underwood says, “She called me immediately after that happened. I felt so horrible, and I even told her that. I was like, ‘I’m sorry for what I’m sure is about to happen.’”

Aside from understanding Faith Hill was joking, Underwood also talks about being followed around while shopping at Victoria’s Secret, what she really thought about being 1 of 100,000 in the “Idol” competition and what haters have to say — and will have to say — about Tuesday’s release.

Underwood also touches on getting married. The singer recently has been connected to “Gossip Girl” actor Chace Crawford.

Read the full EW story here.

American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride

Chace Crawford, an actor on “Gossip Girl,” is rumored to be the latest love interest for Season 4 “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood.

She just broke off a relationship with football star Tony Romo, but it seems Carrie Underwood is moving on.

The Season 4 “American Idol” winner has a new man, according to multiple gossip reports. The new man in Underwood’s life is reportedly actor Chace Crawford, star of the new series “Gossip Girl.”

“He’s really cute,” Underwood recently told People magazine. “I’ve met him and he seems like a really nice guy. He’s got cool hair, he’s a nice height and he just has beautiful eyes.”

Underwood, 24, and Crawford, 22, are said to have met at Hollywood hotspot Hyde on Sunset Boulevard. They since have been seen hanging out together in New York.

Crawford, who plays Nate Archibald on “Gossip,” comes after Underwood and Romo, a Dallas Cowboys quarterback, separated in July.

Underwood is a native of Oklahoma, and Crawford grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he worked as a model before moving to California. The Season 4 “Idol” winner found great success in the country market with her debut CD, “Some Hearts,” which earned her a mantle full of awards — including Grammys and several Country Music Association and Country Music Television awards, among others. The debut CD sold almost 315,000 copies in its first week and remained on the charts for dozens of weeks.

On Tuesday, Underwood will release her next CD, “Carnival Ride.” The first single from the sophomore effort, “So Small,” has been up and down the top 100 songs on iTunes. It currently resides at No. 68, which is 40 spots behind Season 6 “Idol” winner Jordin Sparks’ “Tattoo.”

American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Chace Crawford, Jordin Sparks

An all-star night brought out Jennifer Hudson, the most successful “American Idol” alum, Tuesday night for the ALS “Tomorrow is Tonight” fundraiser.

The 10th-anniversary celebration took place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where Hudson was a performer.

“Tomorrow is Tonight” is an event to raise awareness about ALS disease, as well as Parkinson’s Alzheimers and several other life-threatening diseases. Also on hand were Greg Kinnear, Julianna Margulies and Edie Falco.

Hudson, who was a finalist on Season 3 of “Idol,” later shot to fame by playing the role of Effie White in last season’s “Dreamgirls.” She then swept every major award in which she was nominated, topping it off with the Oscar win. She later was asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group of actors and industry professionals that votes for the winners.

The singer still hasn’t been able to complete her debut CD, especially since her acting career has taken off. Most recently, Hudson has been playing around in New York with Sarah Jessica Parker and the gang for the “Sex and the City” movie, expected for release next fall. Hudson plays assistant to Parker’s character, Carrie.

It’s official (well, not really). If you make it far on “American Idol,” you’re pretty much guaranteed a singing career. No, you may not be the next big pop star — that’s not out of the question, though — but you are certain to land a stage roll in a Broadway show.

Clay Aiken is the latest “Idol” alum to join the growing roster of Broadway performers that already includes Fantasia, Frenchie Davis, LaKisha Jones, Constantine Maroulis, Diana DeGarmo, Amy Adams and on and on and on. The list is seriously long at this point.

Aiken, who was a fan favorite in Season 2, will join the cast of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” on Jan. 18. The already successful pop singer will portray leading role Sir Robin in the Tony Award-winning musical.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with,” Aiken told The Associated Press. “Let’s not lie, the chance to work with legendary creative minds like Mike Nichols and Eric Idle is, on its own, a reason to jump at this opportunity.”

Aiken’s run on the Broadway stage will continue through May 4 with the musical show based on the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

Aiken’s latest CD, “A Thousand Different Ways,” was released in 2006. That disc was the follow-up to 2004’s holiday release, “Merry Christmas With Love,” and his 2003 full-length debut, “Measure of a Man.”

The singer, whose fans are affectionately known as Claymates, has a handful of tour dates planned in November and December throughout the United States.

Earlier this month, it was announced Season 6 “Idol” finalist LaKisha Jones would join the cast of “The Color Purple,” which also currently stars Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino.

Anwar Robinson also recently was announced to play the role of Tom Collins in the national tour of “Rent.”

American Idol, Clay Aiken, Spamalot

Almost a year after he self-released his debut CD, “Stories From Hollywood,” Jon Peter Lewis is teaming up with Authentic Records to promote the disc.

Lewis, the Season 3 “American Idol” finalists dubbed “The Pen Salesman” and later JPL, may have been best known for his Elvis performance on the reality series, but his debut is much more sophisticated.

“It’s not a traditional rock record,” Lewis told watchingamericanidol.com earlier this year. “It has a lot of diversity on the record, there’s some soul stuff, some acoustic numbers and some big production pop/rock songs.”

Authentic Records is based in Des Moines, Iowa, and also is the label for national acts The Nadas and The Josh Davis Band. Lewis will spend the next several months touring with these Authentic bands to promote “Stories From Hollywood,” which the label will re-release.

Lewis has been living in Los Angeles since his time on “Idol,” and he will begin his tour at the nearby Roxy Theatre on Nov. 1.

Other upcoming shows include:

Nov. 15 — The Hub; Cedar Falls, Iowa
Nov. 16 — Redstone Room; Davenport, Iowa
Nov. 18 — AK O’Connors; Des Moines

JPL also will be touring in Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York, according to the label.

“Stories From Hollywood” includes the title track, as well as singles such as “If I Go Away,” “Boy Next Door” and “Man From Amsterdam,” the song Lewis said is most representative of the entire collection.

Aside from his “A Little Less Conversation” performance on “Idol,” judge Simon Cowell at one point called him “the dark horse to win the competition.” The singer ended up finishing in eighth place on Season 3 of “Idol,” which Fantasia Barrino won.

Jon Peter Lewis, American Idol, Authentic Records, JPL

Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls is one of the judges on “The Next Great American Band,” which premieres Oct. 19 on FOX.

Plenty of duos and trios and small groups have tried to set themselves apart from hundreds of thousands of individuals during “American Idol” auditions. Sometimes it works. It never lasts beyond Hollywood, though.

That could have been the reason the producers of “Idol” decided to create “The Next Great American Band,” a reality series that will award someone the title of, well, “The Next Great American Band.”

There’s just one problem: Does anyone really know about this show?

Sure FOX promoted the series during the last season of “Idol,” but the buzz has worn off. And the show premieres at 8/7c Friday, Oct. 19. A Friday, really? TV hasn’t worked in that timeslot since TGiF.

“American Band” doesn’t even have it’s own official Web site, just a MySpace page that is linked through FOX.com. So, will it get the ratings?

“Am I worried?” asked Nigel Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment executive producer for an interview with The Washington Post. “I think people find programs that they want to watch. If we’re a good show, people will find us.”

I think there’s plenty to be worried about, even though “American Band” will follow the “Idol” formula.

There will be three judges — Goo Goo Dolls lead singer Johnny Rzeznik, band leader Sheila E. and industry expert Ian “Dicko” Dickson, who was a judge on “Australian Idol.” That version of “Idol” hosted Kelly Clarkson for its most recent season.

The judges on “American Band” will narrow the field to 10 finalists — there were 6,000 bands who entered — and those bands will perform their own songs and cover tunes to try and garner votes from America via phone calls and text messages.

Unlike “Idol,” there was no age limit to enter. A band had to have at least two members, and at least one person had to play an instrument. As with “Idol,” contestants could not have a record contract to enter.

The original 6,000 bands were narrowed to 60, who auditioned live. Consider it the “Hollywood Week,” and from there it was down to the final 10. The show’s finale will be a face-off among the top three finalists.

American Idol, The Next Great American Band, American Band, Johnny Rzeznik, Sheila E.