Simon Cowell did not mince words today when asked whether Paula Abdul should have apologized to Jason Castro this week for critiquing his second song before he'd even sung it. "I don't think [an apology] is necessary, to be honest with you," the American Idol judge told reporters while promoting America's Got Talent at NBC's summer season press day in Pasadena. "I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. It was a live show. She made a mistake. He's a grown-up. Look, it's a high class problem. He's singing in front of 25 million people. They're all lucky to be on the show. You've got to put it in perspective. The year it becomes normal is the year I'll probably leave. I genuinely like it when it's a bit loopy."
Cowell did not hide his feelings about the Idol songwriting competition, which last year yielded the oft-mocked "This Is My Now" for winner Jordin Sparks. "I have nothing to do with it — I'd like to bring in the best songwriters in the world," said Cowell, who joked, "You can guarantee either the word 'proud' or 'moment' will be in the song. How about 'I'm Proud to Be in this Moment Now'?" When asked if the final two will get to change up the arrangement to better suit their vocal styles, Cowell hinted at a glimmer of hope: "I won't give it away, but there's a slight change to last year which is going to be an improvement."
Country music star John Rich, of Big & Rich, attacked American Idol at a press conference this morning. "American Idol infuriates me as an artist," Rich said at NBC's "All American Summer" Press Day in Pasadena, where Rich was stumping for his talent competition show, Nashville Star (which is moving to NBC after five seasons on USA). "You can tell when somebody's comment was scripted. You can tell when a [competing] artist was told to wear this and sing that. That's not going to happen in [Nashville Star]." Rich, who will function as a judge and mentor on Nashville Star, as well as produce the album of the NS winner, said he was especially upset when Paula Abdul commented Tuesday night on Jason Castro's second song before the dreadlocked contestant had actually sung it. "Why don't you just walk up on stage and slap them right across the face while you're at it?" Rich said. "It's not a problem of [a judge] being tough on somebody. You've got to be tough on people and be honest with them. But you've got to respect these people. This is their entire life hanging by a thread....I'm sure [Paula] is a fine lady, but I thought that was a very, very disrespectful thing."
He made it through Paulagate 2008, but is American Idol's Jason Castro ready to call it quits? EW's Jessica Shaw was on the scene as the Idols rehearsed for Neil Diamond week (read her "Why Song Selection Matters" feature here) and spoke with Castro on Monday afternoon: "I'll get around to practicing," he promised her, after noting that his brother and a friend had visited over the weekend and that his Saturday meeting with Diamond had gone "really bad" because he didn't yet know his songs. "What happens happens. I'll sing and if people like it, they like it. And if they don't, they don't. I'm kind of ready to go home."
You're kind of ready to walk off America's biggest stage???
"It's been overwhelming," Castro continued. "I got 150 balloons yesterday delivered to the studio because people heard I was sick last week. That's cool, but that's just weird."
iTunes doesn’t include live individual American Idol performances or recordings in its weekly chart of the most downloaded songs, but if the online music retailer did, the Idols would likely be landing near the top. Just consider the artists they’ve covered: After David Cook name-checked Chris Cornell’s version of “Billie Jean,” sales jumped from 224 to 14,861 weekly downloads, while Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” sung by Jason Castro, shot to the top of the charts with sales of 174,553. As for video performances, after April 9’s Idol Gives Back, six clips hit the top 10, including the Idols’ opening number cover of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” which went all the way to No. 1, beating new videos by Madonna and Mariah Carey. Apple's iTunes store was recently named the top music retailer in the country, surpassing Wal-Mart for the first time. Could Idol be the reason why?
Add a former American Idol top three finalist to the fast-growing list of Archie devotees. Season 5's Elliott Yamin told EW.com at last night's ASCAP Pop Music Awards that he's rooting for young David Archuleta to take the crown this year. "It would be really cool to see a young kid like him win," he said. "I really love his songs, and musically, he's very talented. He plays the guitar, piano... it's nice to see [Idol] bringing out the creative sides of those kids." As for the other male contenders? "No one's really impressed me this season," Yamin maintains. "David Cook is okay, Michael Johns is alright, but it's anybody's game at this point."
As for himself, though still mourning the recent loss of his mother, Yamin was in good spirits walking the red carpet at Hollywood's Kodak theater, relishing his time out of the recording studio. The velvety-voiced singer is hard at work on his second album, which he hopes to have out by the fall, and has recruited Janet Jackson's man Jermaine Dupri to lend a hand with production. "I'm looking forward to seeing what he adds," Yamin says. Also on his wish list: D'Angelo. "I've always wanted to work with him, and I've said it in interviews lots of times. Still, we've never heard from him."
You didn't have to pay extra-close attention to David Cook's introduction on Tuesday night to hear him credit Doxology (pictured with Cook inset), the little-known Seattle band whose arrangement of "Eleanor Rigby" partly inspired his own performance — he made sure to say it loud and clear. But with this Idol shout-out, does Doxology feel vindicated? EW.com got singer Luke McPherson on the phone after the show, interrupting the band's rehearsal for an upcoming Guitar Center opening (sorry, guys), to find out.
EW.COM: When you first reached out to Idol about this whole situation, were they responsive?
LUKE MCPHERSON: Very. Basically, we got in touch with the 19 Entertainment people and began a discussion on how we could resolve it and what measures could be taken to make sure that proper acknowledgment was given for the arrangement. We've been working through that for the past couple weeks and tonight was the resolution. But they were very supportive the whole time.
In your initial statement, you seemed kind of pissed. Was it because you heard that David did mention the band in his pre-taped interview but it ended up on the cutting room floor?
We were never able to confirm that, and if we came across as angry, that wasn't our intention. None of us were ever really upset. We were concerned because, after the press release, they did start crediting Chris Cornell, Whitesnake, and other artists on a week-by-week basis and we felt like we were left in the dark. But eventually, they came around and ultimately took care of it.
Though Chris Cornell was acknowledged to be the source of David Cook's "Billie Jean" rearrangement on last week's American Idol, another band has come out demanding Cook (pictured) credit their cover of "Eleanor Rigby." Doxology, a rock-soul group out of Seattle (who happen to be pals with last season's runner-up Blake Lewis), claim that on March 11 Cook performed their version of the Beatles' classic — which has been available on the band's myspace page and iTunes since January 2007 — without crediting them.
In a statement issued to the press on Saturday, lead vocalist Luke McPherson contends, "When given the opportunity to speak up and reveal where the arrangement came from, David Cook did not. His silence on the issue implies that the arrangement is his own. It is not." The band is careful to note that they are fans of the show and they are not seeking royalties (which they could have earned off of iTunes sales had their name been mentioned on air). Their impetus: "We just want David Cook and American Idol to do the right thing and acknowledge these facts. It's that simple." Whether Cook was actually aware of their version is still unclear as representatives for Fox could not be reached for comment over the weekend.
Read the band's full press release after the jump.
David Cook's rousing performance of "Billie Jean" on Tuesday night's American Idol may have brought him to the front of the season 7 pack, so why are Chris Cornell fans furious? Well, it was Cornell's version of the song, included on his 2007 solo album Carry On, that Cook covered, and though Ryan Seacrest identified it as such in his introduction, the judges went on to praise Cook for his originality in rearranging the Michael Jackson classic. But here's the million dollar question: What did Cornell himself think of it? EW.com tracked him down and asked him.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you told ahead of time that an Idol contestant was doing your version of "Billie Jean"?
CHRIS CORNELL: No. I had no idea. On my flight back from touring in South Africa, I started receiving messages from my fansite moderator and management [saying] that fans were furious about some American Idol guy who covered my version of "Billie Jean." It appears the judges had no idea that it was my arrangement and were giving David Cook praise about how brilliant he was in performing the song that way. My fans are very protective and felt David should have volunteered the info [at that point]. Even though he did cover it well, and it was brave of him to try and pull it off.
Were you flattered by the performance?
Very much. It was clear to me [that] he was a big fan as he followed my arrangement down to the T, including the most subtle vocal nuances. I think he did a great job at pulling it off.
Can you tell us a bit about how this cover came to be?
It was a complete reinvention of a song that no one thought would work until they saw me play it in Stockholm acoustically. It received such an enormous reaction that it prompted me to do a studio recording. It ended up on my second solo album, Carry On.
In general, do you find anything disingenuous about Idol contestants doing covers of covers?
This song is a special case, but in general, I don't think it should be an issue to cover a cover, as long as it's clear who the creator and/or interpretor of that piece is. I think David's performance was great and I want to thank all my fans for their dedication!
EW.com had occasion today to speak with American Idol judge Simon Cowell, and we took the opportunity to ask him about the show's current, unpredictable season. As always, Simon had strong opinions and was not afraid to share his thoughts on David Cook, "God Bless the U.S.A.," and those "annoying" waving hands.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How do you feel the show is going this season?
SIMON COWELL: It's interesting. I think the audience are much more savvy than I've seen them in previous years, and much less forgiving, which I'm happy about. I've got a feeling this year something strange could happen, particularly after what happened with David Cook last night. Because, I've got to tell you, watching it back, this performance he did on "Billie Jean," in my opinion, was in a different league to anything we've heard on the season so far. It was so much better, [chuckles] he kind of made some of the other performances seem ridiculous. But I'm glad! He was smart — I know where he got the arrangement of the song from, but that doesn't really matter. He was brilliant! And I was concerned three or four weeks ago that this was just going to be a coronation for David Archuleta and it's just a question of who comes [in] second. I'm not so sure anymore. And, you know, with Jason Castro last night — there's a guy who thinks he's just sailing along, and I thought it was a bad performance. You give somebody like him a kick up the ass, let's see what he can deliver now. But I thought it was, um, an interesting night last night.
The latest American Idol alum to sign up for the franchise's summer camp extension? Season 5 finalist Paris Bennett, who will join Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice, Season 5's Ace Young and Season 3's Jon Peter Lewis as a mentor to 150 Idol hopefuls. Now in its second year, Idol Camp takes place in Running Springs, Calif., and is comprised of five two-week sessions, kicking off on June 15 and wrapping on August 23. It's open to kids between the ages of 10 and 15 and does not require an audition, but parents should take note of the camp's disclaimer:
Limited enrollment into Idol Camp DOES NOT GUARANTEE entrance into the "American Idol" television series competition, nor will it provide inside information or any other advantage in the "American Idol" audition process.
Well, if your kid's crafty, surely some information can be gleaned from our very chatty EW.com blogger, JPL, who's making his second appearance at the camp? And why is this not a reality show in its own right? The final deadline for applications is April 18th. Kids, start practicing!
American Idol contestant David Hernandez has finally broken his silence on press reports that he performed nude, reportedly for a "mostly male" clientele, at a Phoenix, Arizona, strip club called Dick's Cabaret. "You know, honestly, I'm here to sing," Hernandez told EW.com at the Idol Top 12 party in West Hollywood on March 6. The singer appeared cool-headed and relaxed, despite the controversy. "I think America's judging us all off of our voices right now. Obviously they were, because I'm still in the Top 12, thank God. So I'm not really concerned with what's going on [with those reports]. I'm just focused on singing, because that's what I'm here to do." Look for a full report on all the Idol finalists later today on EW.com.
On last night's American Idol, dreadlocked-contestant Jason Castro nearly brought Paula Abdul to tears with his rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Of course, it seemed to us that he was really imitating Jeff Buckley's version, whose popularity has consistently outpaced the late singer's other songs, chief among them, his mid-90s hit, "The Last Goodbye." And sure enough, sales of Buckley's "Hallelujah" went through the roof in the overnight hours, shooting up to No. 5 on the iTunes sales chart. Despite being a popular download for use in weddings and religious functions, the song was nowhere near the top 100 iTunes chart before last night's Idol, according to an Apple spokesperson, who adds that it's one of the biggest overnight pops in the history of iTunes, unlike anything they've seen since The Sopranos resurrected Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
Astute readers of EW.com's American Idol TV Watch pointed out on our message boards that only 11 of the 12 female semifinalists were in the audience during last night's men's semifinal performances. Missing from the group: Carly Smithson (pictured), the Irish-born songbird who's been under intense media scrutiny because of her one-time deal with MCA Records, which resulted in Ultimate High, the 2001 flop (it sold only a few hundred copies) she recorded under the name Carly Hennessy.
But conspiracy theorists wondering if the controversy got Smithson booted from the show should hold their horses. Randy Jackson, who dropped by EW.com headquarters to shoot an episode of Idolatry this afternoon, attributes Smithson's absence to a flu bug that had hit several female contestants this week. "I think they didn't want them infecting the others," Jackson said. "They were doing sort of an Idol quarantine." Asked if viewers were in for a surprise on tonight's women's semifinal show, Jackson couldn't have been more adamant: "No, no, no, definitely not."
A Fox spokesperson confirmed Jackson's report, adding that Smithson's fellow semifinalist Kristy Lee Cook also left the audience midway through the evening because she was feeling ill.
You'd think Chris Daughtry would get some major flack for the comment he made to Rolling Stone last month, claiming that American Idol is in a "state of decline," but the Idol alum says his relationship with the three judges who put him through to Hollywood remains cool. "I talked to Paula, Randy and Simon," Daughtry told EW.com at Clive Davis's pre-Grammys bash on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton, "and honestly, every one of them said to
me, 'Congratulations for sticking to your guns and having an opinion. Never apologize for that.'" Still, it's clear the brouhaha in the blogosphere has made him reconsider making such bold statements in the future. "My whole point was never anything negative toward the show," Daughtry explained. "I did two interviews that day, and you don't want to repeat yourself, but then you go back and think, Wow, I guess I should have said the same thing."
Daughtry added that he sees promise in this season's crop of contestants; he is especially jazzed about one "dude that could really do some damage." And while he didn't win American Idol or any Grammy awards Sunday night (he was up for four), the rocker remains one of the best-selling acts of the past year. "Last year, it was like [being] a freshman in high school who wants to hang out with the seniors," he said while surveying his surroundings at the party, which included a logjam of celebrities including Janet Jackson, Fergie, and Whitney Houston. "This year, we're still new to the game, but we feel like we're slowly but surely graduating to our senior year."
Hot on the heels of Paula Abdul's lip-synch-tastic Super Bowl performance, her American Idol costar Randy Jackson has confirmed that he will have a hand in producing her forthcoming full-length album. "We've been talking about it," Jackson told EW.com during a taping of his latest side-project, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, which premieres Thursday night. "We gotta keep things rolling, you know?" No release date or label has been announced yet, but last week Paula Abdul's official website posted a message saying to expect an album in Summer 2008.
Former 'N Syncer JC Chasez knows a thing or two about dance moves (he rocked the "Bye Bye Bye" routine back in the boy-band day), and now he'll be joining Randy Jackson at the judging table for MTV's newest reality competition show, Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew. In a message sent to MySpace friends on Friday, Chasez announced his participation in the show, which starts airing Feb. 7. A few weeks ago, the Hollywood Insider spoke to Jackson about why he chose to take part in this search. "I just love the whole concept," he told us. "I love the battle, it's like back to the B-Boys and Krush Groove days, when Michael Jackson had 'Beat It.' Or the cast of High School Musical against Hair. I think it's really cool. And these kids, they pump each other up. I'm like, 'Yo, this is hot!'" Yo.
So just how long does Simon Cowell plan to be a fixture on American Idol? The surly judge addressed his future with the show on a conference call today, telling reporters he
finds the audition process to be "absolute torture," and hinting that he may
be hitting the road once his contract expires in two years.
"The public eventually are gonna get sick to death of me. Nine years is
probably enough to inflict on anyone. Can the show exist without me?
Absolutely. It would probably get better."
Cowell also spoke about Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Katharine McPhee no longer having record deals. "It's a reflection on the unpredictability of the record business. Fortunately, we got it right more than we got it wrong.... There's no scientific way to explain what happens. It's a reality show and what happens at the end is also reality." He used the same theory to explain lackluster sales by the most recent winner and runner-up, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. "Naturally, I'm disappointed that they didn't sell more copies or that neither artist has caught on fire," he said. "What you want [is] a Carrie [Underwood], Daughtry or Kelly Clarkson, where they're competing with the Mariahs. It didn't happen. Am I surprised? Not particularly.... The public decided it's not necessarily what they wanted, so we have to try to do better this year."
Another Idol label deal bites the dust. Hollywood Insider has learned that Katharine McPhee is the latest former contestant to part ways with her record company. Like season 2 winner Ruben Studdard and season 5 champ Taylor Hicks, who were signed to J and Arista Records, respectively, a rep for RCA Records confirms that McPhee is no longer on the label's roster, adding that, "Katharine is going to record her next album on her own." McPhee’s self-titled debut charted at a promising No. 2 in February 2007, but it never reached gold status. Sources close to McPhee complain the label didn’t support the album — but Idol Phatigue seems to have conquered McPheever. Still, she shouldn’t lose all hope: The singer, who is managed by Guy Oseary, makes her first feature-film appearance (opposite Anna Faris) in I Know What Boys Like later this year, and we hear she's already in talks with another label.
As for this recent spate of Idol exits (we double-checked, and deals for Clay Aiken and Fantasia are still intact), a rep for the RCA Music Group (which includes Arista, RCA, and J Records) tells Insider, “After six seasons, we are proud of the eight artists on the roster who started their careers on the show. With respect to Taylor, we have an understanding that he will come back to us to play music once he’s finished writing his new material.”
It seems winning American Idol is no guarantee that you'll actually keep your major label deal. Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2's Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006's The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped. (Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.) Now the Hollywood Insider hears that season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal. "Taylor is going to record his next album on his own," said a label rep. "He is no longer on the J Records roster." Back in March 2007, we wrote about Hicks' performance on the charts and later analyzed several more Idol hits and misses. What does this mean for the latest winner, Jordin Sparks? Or, with season 7 kicking off on January 15, the franchise's star-making power?
Multitasking producer Randy Jackson is prepping the release of a compilation album in March 2008. Randy Jackson’s Music Club Vol. 1 promises “a lot of crazy guest stars,” the American Idol judge tells us. “It’s kind of a Quincy Jones record with all sorts [of] country, pop, hip hop, R&B, and jazz songs. Different people are singing on every song. There’s a bunch of artists. It's hot!” One of the acts featured, not surprisingly, is R&B singer Van Hunt, whom Jackson manages and we reported recently parted ways with Blue Note Records. Jackson says the album will likely release in March 2008.
The "Dawg" spoke to Hollywood Insider from the set of his new MTV show, Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew, a live-performance competition slated to air early next year. But don’t worry — he’s not giving up his Idol gig. In fact, he’s more pumped than ever about season 7. “The under-21 crowd is blowing me away," said Jackson. "We could have our most original top 12 ever. I was pleasantly surprised.” Jackson also dropped hints of more siblings of past contestants (can you say Shyamali Malakar?) making the audition rounds. As we reported, Fantasia's brother Ricco Barrino was one of the early cuts. "I'm not sure he had the right kind of suave," Jackson quipped.
Eclectic R&B singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Van Hunt has been dropped from EMI's Blue Note Records, Hollywood Insider confirms, but the reason is unclear as neither Blue Note nor Van Hunt would comment further. The critically-acclaimed performer, signed to EMI's Capitol Records in 2001, won a Grammy in 2006 for his cover (with John Legend and Joss Stone) of Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair," and had been preparing to release his third album, Popular — his first for the jazz label — this coming February.
Van Hunt is managed by American Idol's Randy Jackson, and has toured or performed with some of music's biggest names, including Alicia Keys and Kanye West. It is unknown whether the label will grant him master rights to the ambitious, ultra-funky Popular so that he can move forward with a release of the Prince-like recording. Says an optimistic source, "We're hoping they do the right thing and give it back... Blue Note is pretty good about stuff like that."
Is it American Idol time already? Dozens of Season 7 contestants have been congregating daily at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles for Hollywood week. Among the hopefuls? Fantasia's older brother, Ricco Barrino, who auditioned in Dallas with the gospel standard "A Change Is Gonna Come." No doubt, talent runs through the Barrino blood (K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci fame are cousins of Fantasia's), but sadly for Ricco, his time in the spotlight was brief. The 27-year-old High Point, NC, native was cut after his first call-back.
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