When wannabe American Idols take the stage this Winter, there will be another voice at the judges' table telling them what's what. The show has added Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi as a fourth judge for the show's eighth season, joining Simon, Randy, and Paula.
In a statement, producer Simon Fuller said DioGuardi is "a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters.
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Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores, including iTunes. So I take a spin through each week's iTunes music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:
Idol voice: Despite that goofy-looking picture and the fact that this isn't necessarily my favorite type of music, David Archuleta's first post-Idol single, "Crush" isn't half bad.
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I had a kid come up to me once at an airport to tell me that the handle on my guitar (Guitar Hero guitar, that is) could pop down for easier transportation. So I'm wondering if American Idol winner David Cook has a mini guitar hiding in that backpack — I mean, we did see him shake his groove thang during a game of GH, so I guess he potentially could. But then again, I know how much he travels with his real guitar.
Regardless of what gaming toys he has tucked away, it's obvious that he really is a Mac boy, which I didn't know for sure, even though contestants were decked out with Apple gear during the last season of AI.
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It's pretty commonplace today to hear griping about the amount of truth in reality TV shows that are supposed to be "real." The Hills has been under particular scrutiny for what elements are scripted, but the issue extends to many other shows as well: Fans tend to cry foul when contestants on American Idol actually have professional singing experience or when the designers of Project Runway seem to be chosen for personality rather than skill. But the outrage never really lasts — the shows are still immensely popular, and it's not like anyone's breaking the law.
So it's interesting to look at today in contrast to the '50s, when the rigging of a popular game show called Twenty-One was a major scandal.
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So I'm roaming around the San Francisco American Idol auditions, having no problem getting people to sing for me, when who should I bump into but Justin Guarini. You may recall Justin lost to Kelly Clarkson in the first ever Idol finale, but that hasn't stopped him from trucking along in his career: He's currently covering all things Idol for TV Guide and doing a little singing as well (check out his MySpace page for a sample of his songs).
I asked the Idol forefather a couple of questions including how the addition of instruments has changed the show and which David he was rooting for last season.
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"Ken Lee?" you ask, puzzled. "I've never heard of that one." Umm, yeah you have. (This is almost as good as the universally sung "Blinded by the light/Wrapped up like a douche/You know the rover in the night...") Talk about taking a song and making it your own, as Paula would say!
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It's baaaa-aack. Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in. OK, that's a bit melodramatic but that's a little how I felt when I headed down just south of San Francisco to check out the first set of folks lining up to audition for the eighth season of American Idol.
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Spotted in Manchester, Simon Cowell's back on our shores travelling the UK to find the next X Factor contestants alongside the new addition to the judging panel. Thanks to his brutal honesty and confident manner, Simon is a bit like a certain breakfast conserve — you either love him or you hate him. I know he wears trousers with high waistbands and tops with low necklines, but dare I say there's something quite attractive to some about the American Idol judge.
