DeAndre Brackensick was an American Idol wild card from the beginning.
But the falsetto-voiced contestant is self-aware: he knows he's polarizing and aims to grow from his Idol experience. Brackensick, the Fox show's latest casualty, spoke with THR correspondent -- and season 9 alumna -- Didi Benami following his ouster Thursday, saying he had a feeling he would go home that night.
It was '80s Night on Wednesday's American Idol, and for the most part, the remaining eight finalists paid solid tribute to the decade of decadence, tapered jeans and big hair.
Half of No Doubt will appear on American Idol's next week as singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal will mentor the remaining finalists, The theme: '80s night, which is a perfect fit for the Orange County-bred band, who were not only teenagers during the decade but had a Top 10 single in 2003 with a cover of Talk Talk's 1985 hit, "It's My Life."
American Idol elimination nights are traditionally emotional, with the outgoing contestant dissolving into tears as Ryan Seacrest cues a video montage of their "journey" on the show.
Heejun Han, this season's resident funnyman, bucked that trend. As a matter of fact, the one tearing up over Han's dismissal was his new BFF, finalist Phillip Phillips.
It looks like Jimmy Iovine is hard at work enlisting artist friends to take part in this year's American Idol. The latest to join as guest mentor: singer, songwriter and Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks, who will guide season 11's remaining nine finalists on next week's episode. The theme: songs from the contestants' Idols.
Although American Idol stylist Tommy Hilfiger is an easy scapegoat to blame for the disappointing elimination of Rhode Island DJ Erika Van Pelt on Thursday night’s American Idol, Van Pelt is very clear that she has no regrets.
In fact, Van Pelt admitted that she is quite daring when it comes to her hair and was considering a change long before her meeting with Hilfiger, mainly because she felt like she was “drowning in a sea of blondes.” However, the producers weren’t on board with the idea.
Wednesday night’s American Idol aimed to put the country in a “New York State of Mind” by featuring the songs of Billy Joel, and to quote Steven Tyler: “If you can’t sing Billy Joel, you can’t sing at all.” Or, in the case of Heejun Han, if you can’t sing like Billy Joel, just go all Nick Mitchell-Norman Gentle on the audience and win the whole night!
It had the makings of a Greek tragedy: Jermaine Jones, “the gentle giant,” as Ryan Seacrest dubbed the six-foot-eight-inch bass singer, was handed a much coveted second chance to compete for a spot on one of the world’s biggest stages.
Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. Blige lent her talents to season 11's American Idol hopefuls, first as a mentor on Wednesday’s episode and as a featured performer the following night.
American Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd will not take part in the show when season 11 live episodes begin airing next week.
Although the longtime advisor has been shown during auditions and the Hollywood Week rounds, according to show sources, Byrd will step aside for the rest of the season so that in-house mentor and Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine can bring in his own people.
Last year American Idol, shaking things up for its Simon Cowell-less 10th season, recruited Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez to judge alongside series stalwart Randy Jackson.
The show also brought in Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M, to mentor contestants including eventual winner and instant country star, Scotty McCreery.
Executives at Universal Music Group breathed a collective sigh of relief Oct. 11. That’s when the sales numbers came in on American Idol season 10 winner Scotty McCreery’s debut album, Clear As Day, the first full-length release to emerge from the company’s partnership with TV’s No. 1 show.
American Idol’s Pia Toscano has officially signed a recording contract with Interscope Records, THR has confirmed. She will release her debut single, “This Time,” on July 12 and perform the song as part of her set during this summer’s American Idol Live! Tour.
