Tag: Jimmy Iovine

Idol Wired >> Colton Dixon Heads Home After Shock Elimination

Murfreesboro, Tenn. native Colton Dixon was revealed to be the lowest vote-getter during last night’s American Idol results show.

Continue reading Idol Wired >> Colton Dixon Heads Home After Shock Elimination

Idol Wired >> Erika Van Pelt’s American Idol Journey Gets Cut Short

On Wednesday night, this season’s crop of American Idol contestants took on the classic songs of one Mr. Billy Joel. As much as I would love to report that each contestant did a fabulous job this week, however that was not entirely the case this week.

Continue reading Idol Wired >> Erika Van Pelt’s American Idol Journey Gets Cut Short

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American Idol’s Pia Toscano Signs With Interscope Records

It was announced this week that American Idol season 10 contestant Pia Toscano has been signed to Interscope Records. This is great news for Idol fans that were absolutely enraged about Toscano’s early elimination during this past season’s competition. Pia Toscano

“I am thrilled to be joining the Interscope and 19 Recordings family,” Toscano said in a press release. “Jimmy Iovine was an amazing mentor during my time on Idol and I’m looking forward to working with him and everyone at Interscope Records and 19 Recordings. This is a dream come true.”

Toscano’s debut single, “This Time” is set to be released digitally next Tuesday, July 12. The song was written by Esther Dean, who has written tracks for such artists as Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, and Katy Perry. The “acoustic guitar and beat-driven” track is said to be only a taste of what fans can expect off of Toscano’s debut album, which is slated to be released later this year.

Fans will be able to hear the singer perform “This Time” during the American Idols Live! Tour, which kicks off tonight at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. 

For more information on Pia Toscano, check out her official website. To find out when the American Idols Live! Tour is coming to your town this summer, check out American Idol’s official website. 

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Idol Wired >> Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Are Headed to the Finale

I know a lot of people are shocked and upset at last night’s American Idol elimination of Haley Reinhart. I am not one of those people.

I thought that Haley was coming into her own and peaking when she needed to, which I love, because she provided a couple fantastic Idol moments. However, it was obvious from the beginning of the season that Idol was looking for a younger singer to appeal to a younger demographic just based on the contestants that were getting through from the beginning like Jacee Badeaux and Brett Loewenstern. That said, I am definitely not surprised at Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina both moving on to the finale. (Also, just based on the hometown footage alone, I felt like Haley’s package was put together as if it was an afterthought and as a major hint that she was going to be eliminated. Not cool, Idol.)

Wednesday night’s show was pretty good. All three of the contestants kind of had mini-moments.

I thought Scotty made a smart decision singing Lonestar’s “Amazed” as his personal song choice. He showed that he could handle a big contemporary country hit. Plus, who doesn’t just love that song? I thought “She Believes in Me” was an old fashioned and lame song choice from the judges, but Scotty did what he could with it.

I really liked Lauren’s performance of “If I Die Young” by Band Perry, which Jimmy Iovine picked for her to sing. We finally saw some true emotion from her! It was one of my favorite moments of the night.

Haley had three really great songs, but I felt like the only one she completely pulled off was “What Is And What Should Never Be” by Led Zeppelin. She sounded amazing and just rocked it out. I love that her little stumble up the stairs didn’t throw her off at all.

With “Rhiannon,” I thought she sounded like she was mumbling part of the first verse. I didn’t think she really connected with that song well at all, because she was just trying to remember the words. It actually made me really miss Didi Benami’s performance from last season.

Continue reading Idol Wired >> Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Are Headed to the Finale

Live-Blog >> ‘American Idol’ Top 3

Live-blogging the Top 3!

Refresh for updates throughout the show!

Round 1: Contestant’s Choice

Round 2: Jimmy Iovine’s Choice

Round 3: Judges’ Choice

This week’s mentor: Beyonce  (Could that be because Idol is debuting her new music video tonight? )

Continue reading Live-Blog >> ‘American Idol’ Top 3

Idol Wired: New Judges: So Far, So Good!

American Idol has returned! I have to say, I’ve been quite hesitant about season 10. I am not someone who is fond of change, so with Simon Cowell leaving last season and Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez coming on board this go ’round, I have been very skeptical about how well season 10 could go.

Good news, I think Idol has a fighting chance at being pretty entertaining this year. I’m really happy the judges seem to be taking this season seriously for the most part.

To be honest, I haven’t watched the audition rounds prior to “Hollywood Week” since around season five. I really don’t like the bad auditions. I feel like the show wastes a lot of time on them, but tonight’s premiere seemed to have a good balance between good and bad auditions.

I definitely feel like Steven Tyler is going to be the fan favorite. The man is crazy and it will make for good TV. The censors at FOX are going to have a field day with him when the show goes live in a couple months.

Jennifer Lopez was disappointing at first, because it felt like all you had to do was cry in front of her and she’d let you through to the next round.

I think she’s definitely going to be the nurturer on the judging panel like Paula Abdul was. I think Lopez has a lot of empathy for the contestants, but she is going to have to learn how to utilize the word “no.”

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Randy Jackson is over the moon about being in Simon’s old spot on the panel? You know he just couldn’t wait until it was his turn to give the final word.

I think Jackson is really trying harder to put his foot down, but with Lopez wanting to let everyone through, he’s kind of just letting her walk all over him. Part of me wonders if he was just doing that because it was their first day of auditions. Another part of me wonders if he’s going to be a pushover all season, because the star power on the panel wants to have all the say.

As far as contestants go, there were only a couple that really stuck out to me right away.

Fifteen-year-old Kenzie Palmer sang Carrie Underwood’s “Young and Beautiful.” In my opinion, I thought she had a strong audition. She’s got a fantastic voice and has a good chance to do well in the competition.

The other contestant that stood out to me was 16-year-old Robbie Rosen. He sang The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” It was a clean vocal. He’s got a good voice for pop music. Steven Tyler said that Rosen was “the best of New Jersey.”

Overall, I felt pretty underwhelmed by most of the talent. I think once “Hollywood Week” rolls around, that’s where we’ll start seeing the talent.

One thing the premiere was not light on was sob stories. There was the contestant whose father had cancer and the girl from Kosovo. The episode wrapped with the kid who had been living in a shelter with his family.

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for learning more about the contestants, but I would rather hear them sing first before I learn their back stories. I think once a contestant has made it past “Hollywood Week” and is going to be around for a while, that’s when I want to hear their interests and whatever stories they have to share. I feel like the beginning rounds should be influenced by talent only.

So Idol fans, what did you think about the season 10 premiere of American Idol? How are you feeling about the judges? And what contestant stood out to you during the New York/New Jersey auditions?

Originally posted at BlogCritics.