Adam Lambert officially responded this evening to news that Hi Fi Recordings' upcoming disc, On With the Show, will contain eight tracks co-written and recorded by the singer before he achieved fame as American Idol's season 8 runner-up. Lambert's statement, released through a rep for 19 Recordings, is as follows:
"Last Friday I was surprised to find out that songs I recorded back in 2005 were being released. Since then I discovered the entire track listing, revealed online today. I was shocked to learn that songwriting demos of songs that I co-wrote and recorded over the past few years may be released in an album. Like a rough draft that a writer does before finishing a book, I did not intend my work on these demos to be heard by the public. I was unaware that anyone intended to release these recordings until I heard about it in the press, and I'm very disappointed by this entire situation."
In other news pertaining to the popular Idol alumnus, a source close to the singer revealed exclusively to EW.com that Lambert recently met with acclaimed producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink, James Blunt); had writing sessions with Idol judge and in-demand songwriter Kara DioGuardi and Grammy nominated Sam Sparro ("Black and Gold"); and hit the studio with One Republic's Ryan Tedder, the white-hot tunesmith behind Leona Lewis'
"Bleeding Love," Beyonce's "Halo," and Jordin Sparks' latest single
"Battlefield." It was previously reported that Lambert laid down some tracks with Lady Gaga producer RedOne.
Follow EW's 'American Idol' updates and news on Twitter:
@EWMichaelSlezak
And the record deals for American Idol season 8 finalists continue to roll in at a quick clip. After champion Kris Allen's deal with 19/Jive and runner-up Adam Lambert's deal with 19/RCA were announced earlier this week, EW has exclusively learned that 19 Recordings has also signed fourth-place-finisher, rocker Allison Iraheta, and that her debut album will be licensed to Jive Records, like Allen's forthcoming disc. And just like the the albums from her two fellow alums, Iraheta's is anticipated for a fall release. (Talk about an Idol-rific autumn!)
All week long, Idol fan sites like mjsbigblog were abuzz with rumors of Iraheta's signing. The 17-year-old singer sounds like she's barely processing the news herself: “I think I’m still in shock that this is happening -- getting to record my first album and this whole awesome experience is a dream come true!” Allison said in a statement released to EW by 19 Recordings. (Excited? Check out PopWatch's exclusive "Rocker Signed" video!)
Notably absent from the recent spate of deal-making? That’d be polarizing third-place finisher, Danny Gokey. Says a rep at 19: "There’s nothing to report just yet."
AT&T and Fox have issued statements refuting accusations that tutorials in power-texting at two American Idol viewing parties in Arkansas helped hometown boy Kris Allen defeat Adam Lambert for the season 8 crown.
"Last week, countless parties were held in homes, bars, and other public places across America to watch the American Idol finale. In Arkansas, a few local AT&T employees were invited to attend two local watch parties organized by the community," AT&T says. "Caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant, they brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested.
"Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it's quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results." Nearly 100 million votes were cast on the evening of May 19. In the run-up to the Idol season finale, fan-sites for both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert provided instructions on how to 'power-text' votes on behalf of their favorites.
As for Fox and Idol producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, their statement says, "Fox and the producers of American Idol are absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified. Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol. We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition." (Additional reporting by Michael Slezak)
Visit EW's American Idol HQ for Idolatry, interviews, recaps, and more
The season 8 finale of American Idol, which saw the crowning of a stunned Kris Allen over judges' favorite Adam Lambert, was down 12 percent from the May 2008 showdown between David Archuleta and David Cook. Although 32.5 million viewers tuned in for the last half hour of Wednesday's Idol finale, the average for Fox's two-hour extravaganza (27.7 million) was down nearly 4 million viewers from season 7's last show.
| Time |
Show |
Viewers (in millions) |
| 8 p.m. |
American Idol (Fox)
The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)
MOVIE: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (ABC)
MOVIE: Take the Lead (The CW) |
27.7
5.6
5.0 (repeat)
3.4
1.3 |
| 8:30 p.m. |
Gary Unmarried (CBS) |
5.5 |
| 9 p.m. |
Criminal Minds (CBS)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC) |
13.8
4.3 (repeat) |
| 10 p.m. |
Law & Order (NBC) |
6.7 |
More 'American Idol':
Kris Allen post-finale Q&A
Adam Lambert post-finale Q&A
Michael Slezak's recap of the finale
Michael Slezak's live blog of the finale
'American Idol': On the scene for the finale!
EW's 'American Idol' HQ: 'Idolatry' video series, photo galleries, and more
Nightly winner American Idol, plus NCIS, Dancing With the Stars, and The Mentalist all took ratings hits Tuesday night, as the three-hour season finale of NBC's The Biggest Loser: Couples added nearly three million viewers to its audience from last week. Fringe, however, grew week-to-week with its season 1 finale -- although it's worth noting that the show bled 4.6 million viewers over the course of the hour.
| Time |
Show |
Viewers (in millions) |
| 8 p.m. |
American Idol (Fox)
NCIS (CBS)
The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC)
According to Jim (ABC)
Reaper (The CW) |
21.8
15.8
11.8
3.9
2.0 |
| 8:30 p.m. |
According to Jim (ABC) |
3.9 |
| 9 p.m. |
The Mentalist (CBS)
Dancing With the Stars Results (ABC)
Fringe (Fox)
90210 (The CW) |
16.1
13.8
11.2
2.1 |
| 10 p.m. |
Without a Trace (CBS)
Cupid (ABC)
|
13.4
5.5 |
More TV:
Michael Slezak recaps American Idol
Annie Barrett recaps Dancing With the Stars
Jean Bentley recaps The Biggest Loser: Couples
NCIS: Who's not coming home?!
Ken Tucker on Fringe's finale
May 6, 2009, 11:21 AM | by Adam B. Vary
Categories: American Idol
Sure, Adam Lambert may be the front runner on American Idol this season, but Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, and Allison Iraheta are all nipping closely at his heels. Indeed, the ratings juggernaut has never seen a Final Four who's as evenly matched as Allen, Gokey, Iraheta, and Lambert -- which makes tonight's results show all the more nail-biting.
To commemorate their quasi-historic place in the Idol firmament, we phoned four previous American Idol contestants -- (pictured clockwise, from bottom left) Michael Johns, Melinda Doolittle, Jim Verraros, and Jon Peter Lewis -- to get their take on this quartet and the larger-than-life glam rocker leading the pack. (None of them had seen last night's rock-and-roll performance show when they spoke with EW.) Some of their favorites may surprise you. (Additional reporting by Tim Stack)
Michael Johns (season 7):
I think it's a good final four. It's very talented, and at least one girl made it, who's actually the girl I liked the most! Allison's one of my favorites. Her voice is so phenomenal now; in four or five years it's going to be even better. I just love her rasp, and I really believe every word she says.
Obviously, Adam's the front runner right now, isn't he? I'm really impressed with how he's stuck to his guns. I know people keep comparing him to, like, Freddy Mercury and those kind of guys, but there was only one guy who could write Queen kind of music. He seems like a pretty fun dude, so I was thinking more like a Scissor Sisters kind of thing, with a little bit more of a rock influence. Moody and fun.
Danny I really like, actually. I dig Danny's voice, his upper-register and the rasp in his voice as well. I really think Danny's going to have a good recording career. I really think he's going to find his niche. He has a very pleasing voice, in my opinion.
Kris — I know that the girls love him. I think he's got a very nice voice. If he makes like a Jason Mraz kind of record, I think he could do well.
After the jump: Melinda Doolittle, Jon Peter Lewis, and Jim Verraros offer their take.
The cast of Broadway's Rock of Ages have reason to break out the Aqua Net and Long Island Iced Teas tonight: The 1980s rock spectacular garnered a whopping five Tony nominations today. But the musical's nominated star, Constantine Maroulis, is staying humble amid all the accolades. "[I was] very surprised," Maroulis, the first American Idol alum ever to nab a Tony nom, tells EW. "I [popped] up around 8:33 or so this morning to turn on the TV, and they were on my category right there. And sure enough, they mentioned my name. It's very surreal."
Perhaps more surreal for Maroulis is the mainstream success of the hair-metal-centric musical. The actor, who starred in the Off Broadway version as well, says he remembers discussing the play in its early form four years ago in an L.A. bar (he wasn't able to appear in Rock's early variations, due to his post-Idol obligations). And Rock is poised to get even an bigger audience: Rights to the musical were optioned by New Line in December. Maroulis, however, isn't ready to write his Oscar speech just yet. "I'm not a movie star," he says. "I'll probably sing the track for Zac Efron or something and he'll play the role. I'll pull a Natalie Wood, where I just get to sing the track for him."
Fox may have expected a ratings bump for Lie To Me, having made the decision to air original programming instead of Pres. Barack Obama's press conference, but Lie To Me's total viewership was consistent with last week's episode. Meanwhile, the American Idol results show audience was down about two million from its past two Wednesday airings, but still blew away the rest of the 9 p.m. hour. ABC's struggling new cop series The Unusuals saw a small increase in viewership this week.
| Time |
Show |
Viewers (in millions) |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Lie To Me (Fox)
Obama Press Conference (NBC)
Obama Press Conference (ABC)
Obama Press Conference (CBS)
America's Next Top Model (The CW) |
7.9
6.7
6.1
6.0
4.0 |
| 9:00 |
American Idol (Fox)
Criminal Minds (CBS)
Lost (ABC)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
90210 (The CW) |
21.9
13.3
8.8
4.8 (repeat)
1.3 (repeat) |
| 10:00 |
CSI: NY (CBS)
Law & Order (NBC)
The Unusuals (ABC) |
12.5
7.7
5.1 |
More on Wednesday night's TV:
Michael Slezak recaps 'American Idol'
Adam Vary's on-the-scene 'Idol' report
Jeff Jensen recaps 'Lost'
Simon Cowell has publicly declared that he may walk away from American Idol when his contract expires after next season, hinting (repeatedly), "Maybe it's time for a change." That should have executives quaking in their loafers, as Cowell is the face of a show that's not only No. 1 in all of television, it's essentially Fox's ATM. (Portfolio estimated it brings in $6.4 billion a year for the network.) And though ratings are down 12 percent since this time last year, it's pretty much the only show that can consistently nab 25 million viewers. "It's like if Alan Alda left M*A*S*H or Ted Danson left Cheers," says Horizon Media analyst Brad Adgate. "How do you replace someone who's the essence of why people watch?" (Fox and Cowell declined to comment.)
The snark-master certainly has viewer sentiment on his side, and season 7 finalist Michael Johns agrees, telling EW that Idol sans Simon would be like "a golf tournament without Tiger Woods."
While Cowell has threatened to quit Idol before -- even over seemingly minor matters, like the season 6 Sanjaya debacle -- this time seems different. After seven years of intercontinental commuting between the L.A. Idol set and his London-based pet projects -- The X Factor and the increasingly buzzed-about Britain's Got Talent -- the 49-year-old megamogul sounds exhausted. And he certainly doesn't need the cash: Britain's recent Sunday Times "Rich List" pegged his net worth at a recession-proof $175.2 million.
Moreover, he's hinted that he's itching to bring The X Factor to the U.S., which his current deal prohibits. But that's hardly a surefire move. Yes, Cowell struck gold with AI and America's Got Talent (for which he's an exec producer). But remember the other reality shows he produced here? You know, American Inventor, Celebrity Duets, and Cupid? We don't either. And the prospect of finding a new monster hit gets dicier every day, Adgate says: "That's not an indictment of Simon Cowell -- it's more a comment on the TV landscape. I think there's only one American Idol."
Fox won Wednesday night easily, this time thanks to the powerhouse combination of Bones (up 17 percent from last week) and the American Idol results show. The second episode of ABC's new quirky-cop series The Unusuals lost only 8 percent of last week's debut audience -- not bad! (A 10-15 percent drop is considered normal.) Meanwhile, ABC's new comedy Better Off Ted, which had dipped a little last week, upped its total viewership by 8 percent. Scrubs' viewership was up from last week, too, by 15 percent.
| Time |
Show |
Viewers (in millions) |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Bones (Fox)
The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Law & Order (NBC)
Scrubs (ABC)
America's Next Top Model (The CW) |
10.8
5.7 (repeat)
5.6 (repeat)
5.3
3.8 |
| 8:30 |
Gary Unmarried (CBS)
Better Off Ted (ABC) |
5.9 (repeat)
4.7 |
| 9:00 |
American Idol (Fox)
Criminal Minds (CBS)
Lost (ABC)
Law & Order: SVU (CBS)
90210 (The CW) |
23.5
10.5 (repeat)
9.0
5.5 (repeat)
0.9 (repeat) |
| 10:00 |
CSI: NY (CBS)
The Unusuals (ABC)
Law & Order (NBC) |
12.0 (repeat)
6.2
6.0 (repeat) |
Read more: Wednesday night's TV
'American Idol' recap: Better safe than sorry!
PopWatch: On the Scene at 'Idol''s Top 7 results show
'Lost' recap: Rewriting his story
'Bones' recap: Bridezilla and Dr. Burn in Hell
