Jacob Lusk: ‘Didn’t Want To Be A Charity Case’ On American Idol
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663549/jacob-lusk-american-idol.jhtml
Throughout the 10 seasons of "American Idol," contestants have won over viewers in a variety of ways. Casey James took off his shirt. Tim Urban slid across the stage. And countless others, ranging from season one's Jim Verraros to season 10 also-ran Chris Medina, have shared their personal lives and hardships as a way to inspire viewers.
But recently eliminated Jacob Lusk — whose life has had enough drama for at least three Tyler Perry movies — was dead-set on gaining a fanbase using one thing and one thing only: his voice.
"I didn't want to be a charity case," Lusk told MTV News on Monday afternoon (May 9). "I didn't want to use my father's death or my mom starting on welfare and going to college or getting her degree or me moving on my own and having rough times and barely finding a place to live and barely making ends meet."
Lusk, who made a name for himself with emotional, Gospel-tinged performances, said he was "definitely tempted" to share stories from his difficult past when going through the various audition rounds, but ultimately decided to keep his private life private as long as possible.
In fact, Lusk was so tight-lipped about his backstory that when he finally dedicated "Dance With My Father" to his deceased dad on 21st Century Song night, it took the "Idol" team by surprise. "A lot of the producers didn't know that my father had passed away," Lusk said.
"I didn't want to be that person who was voted for because of this; I wanted it to be because of my [voice] and not because of anything else," Lusk reiterated. "If you find out about that later, then that's fine, but it's just about the music."
Fifth-placer Lusk will join the rest of the top 11 when the latest cast hits the road on the American Idols Live! Tour this summer.
Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell Reunite On The X Factor---For Real!!!
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20488014,00.html
Believe the buzz.
Paula Abdul and her former American Idol friendly foe Simon Cowell will reunite, this time to judge Cowell's U.S. version of Britain's The X Factor, confirms MTV.
The other judges on the show, which is set to premiere on Fox this fall, will be former music executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and British singer and U.K. X Factor judge Cheryl Cole. The show is holding auditions in Miami, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, with $5 million for the winner of the competiton.
"This show would never have been the same without Paula and I can't believe I am saying this – I have missed her a lot, and I am thrilled she's on the show," Cowell, 51, said in a statement.
RELATED: Cheryl Cole Will Be a Judge on The X Factor
In her own statement that went wide, Abdul, 48, said: "I am excited beyond words to be a part of The X Factor. I couldn't be happier to bring my love for cultivating talent and performance to such a wildly anticipated show."
She added: "[I] know that it will be an extraordinary journey – we're going to have a blast. I'm also delighted and grateful to be sitting next to Simon again ... but you might want to check back with me in a week or two!"
Jennifer Lopez and The Star-Making Machinery of American Idol
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2015008806_lopez09.html?prmid=head_more
Steven Tyler may operate on a bizarre frequency, and Jimmy Iovine may be the ruthless engine behind the scenes, but no one has kept "American Idol" afloat this year more than Jennifer Lopez.
Early on, in the audition rounds, she was overshadowed by Tyler's grammar-bending outbursts. And she hadn't yet learned not to be sympathetic: Crushing dreams is tough work. But now she's down to business, because more than anyone on "Idol," except possibly Iovine, she understands that it is, in fact, a business.
In just a couple of months she has become the most cogent, sensible and helpful judge "Idol" has ever had. In years to come gripes that the show has no new Simon Cowell may give way to complaints that there may be no proper substitute for Lopez.
It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise: No one in the last decade or so has been as skilled in the art of star making as she is, a woman of modest talents who has nevertheless triumphed. She's a famous musician, though never a very good one, and a famous actress, though never a great one, all because she deeply understands the extrinsic factors and strategies that go into creating a star.
The proof is in her seventh album, "Love?" (Island), released this month, which is premised on compensating for Lopez's weaknesses. It's a light, likable record that, though it has far less personality than Lopez herself, is specifically, carefully, almost flawlessly of the moment.
Lopez isn't a natural singer, but that's no liability on this no-expenses-spared affair, with thick, glossy, bombastic production from RedOne, Stargate, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, and others that paints Lopez, 41, as a modern dance-floor ruler, even if she's almost two decades past her golden years as a Fly Girl on "In Living Color."
Lots of other things have changed since those days. "Brazil, Morocco, London to Ibiza/ Straight to L.A., New York, Vegas to Africa," she soullessly coos on this album's first single, "On the Floor," which has typically buoyant verses by Pitbull, the go-to pan-American rapper. This isn't the same as her collaborations in the early 2000s with New York traditionalists: Fat Joe and Big Pun on "Feelin' So Good," or Jadakiss and Styles P on "Jenny From the Block." Those were specific imprimaturs of regional identity and acceptance, the sorts of things she needed when she was, in fact, still Jenny from the block. (Some of it's still there: "Got that New York swagger," she insists on "Good Hit.")
In the years since, she has married Marc Anthony, given birth to twins and struggled to maintain her music and acting careers at their peak levels.
"Love?," pleasant as it is, won't ensure her longevity. In moments it's perfectly empty, as on "Invading My Mind," for which Lady Gaga gets a production credit. (Maybe it's a "Born This Way" castoff?) Lopez also has little history of singing lyrics with impact, so there's no disconnect hearing her sing ridiculous words, like the ones given to her by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream on "Run the World":
Bonnie, Clyde
No other girl will ever ride like I ride.
That's why you need me on your passenger side.
Let me help you get that paper.
Hanging out the window, busting at them love haters.
She has the gall, or the temerity, to lament, "People told me I should write a love song/'Girl, you sound so angry, you could use some variation,"' on "(What Is) Love?," a song for which she receives no writing credit. At least she was savvy enough to take one on "One Love," which chops her dating history into bite-size insults: "Took a shot with a bad boy from the block" (Sean Combs, the former Puff Daddy); "We danced until we said, 'I do"' (Cris Judd); "Went nowhere, but kept the ring" (Ben Affleck — ouch).
That song, at least, sounds like Lopez. Both that and "(What Is) Love?" were produced by D'Mile, the one producer on this album who appears to have faith in Lopez's voice. Others clobber her. The heavily processed vocals on songs like "Good Hit" — "I got that good hit/ don't you wish I was your boo?" — sound nothing like Lopez, an accomplishment, given that she has never had much vocal character.
Lopez, the "Idol" judge, would understand that production instinct, though. This year the show has made a play to be a nurturer of real-world talent, not just contest singers, and Lopez has been central to that effort. Actual star making has never been a strong suit for "Idol," a show that, rightly, understands victory as the only end. If contestants are successful afterward, so much the better.
With Lopez wielding the whip, they might be. She's been outstanding at breaking down performances into their component parts, understanding that even if the vocals are strong, the body movement and stage presence might not be, or vice versa. She also has revealing insights into what goes on inside a performer's mind, especially in situations that are less than ideal.
On "Idol" a few weeks ago, Jacob Lusk performed the Luther Vandross weeper "Dance With My Father," connecting it to the death of his own father and struggling with a couple of emotional hiccups.
"It's hard to perform when a song means that much to you," Lopez told him. "That's one of the tricks of being a performer, right, is that you have to learn the control."
In an early round she told Karen Rodriguez, an ambitious shrieker: "If you are nervous about certain notes, don't go there. As a professional, you don't have to. Never expose your weaknesses; play to your strengths."
As an assessor of charisma and energy, Lopez has been laser-focused, and at times merciless. To a limp Pia Toscano, she warned, "You're going to have to do a two-hour concert one day." And she told Haley Reinhart, "You're unsure in your movements" — indeed, the limitation that has consistently held back Reinhart.
At times Lopez has given in to her sympathies. Nothing else could explain her perpetual embrace of the emotionally blank Stefano Langone (though she sagely told him in an early round, "I don't want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well; I want the intensity to come because your heart is breaking," — he never learned), or the waterworks at the elimination of the dry Toscano.
And, frustratingly, she has often been used as a prop on the show for her beauty, whether it was James Durbin and Lusk serenading her legs during an awful duet last week, or having to manfully take a kiss on the cheek from Casey Abrams ("Casey got soft lips"), or suffering the occasional lecherous remark from Tyler (who, in fairness, may not even be aware of the words he's speaking). Being named "World's Most Beautiful Woman!" by People magazine didn't help.
For the most part, though, "Idol" doesn't rely on the exterior version of Lopez, instead tapping her inner strengths.
Lady Gaga Returns To American Idol…To Mentor The Four Remaining Contestants
http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2011/05/09/lady-gaga-to-mention-idol-finalists.html
The remaining four finalists for American Idol will be getting top notch tips on how to improve as performers courtesy of their newest mentor, Lady GaGa. Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced the news via his Twitter page following Friday night's elimination show, saying, "I only have one word for our mentor on American Idol next week.......... Gaga."
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed with FOX that the 25-year-old pop phenom will be dishing out advice as contestants belt out hits from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Leiber and Stoller are responsible for Elvis Presley hits like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog.” Though these days GaGa garners comparisons to Madonna and David Bowie, she has previously proven herself to be quite capable of tapping into her inner old soul.
The remaining four Idol finalists are James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery and Haley Reinhart.
Steven Tyler Thinks It Feels So Good To Have a Debut Song Out
http://idolator.com/5853101/steven-tyler-it-feels-so-good
As one of American Idol’s fresh faces behind the judge’s table this season, Steven Tyler is familiar to viewers in a way he hasn’t been since Aerosmith’s (dysfunctional) heyday. Now he’s following in fellow judge Jennifer Lopez’s sandy footsteps, hoping to catch some of the exposure that helped her comeback tune “On The Floor” become such a monster success. Unfortunately, neither Pitbull nor Lil Wayne make buzz-increasing appearances on “(It) Feels So Good,” but does the rock legend really need them? Head below to hear.
Call us crazy, but isn’t the purpose of Idol to catapult new young talent into the spotlight, rather than the celebrity judges whose careers have been lackluster lately? Oh well. “(It) Feels So Good” is a surprisingly decent rock jam (in spite of the title’s unnecessary parentheses), and Carrie Underwood’s co-crooner proves he can still screech like no one else in the business.
It must feel so good to be back in the game, right?
American Idol Weekly Radio Airplay Chart
1 1 Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson, Don't You Wanna Stay (5351) (#27 AC)
2 2 Daughtry, September (2940) (#3 AC)
3 3 Jennifer Hudson, Where You At (2796) (#31 Urban, #4 Urban AC)
4 4 Carrie Underwood, Before He Cheats (2422)
5 5 Adam Lambert, Whataya Want From Me (2140)
6 6 Kelly Clarkson, Already Gone (2100)
7 9 Daughtry, No Surprise (1743)
8 7 Carrie Underwood, Undo It (1717)
9 8 Daughtry, Home (1580)
10 11 Daughtry, Life After You (1564)
11 10 Kris Allen, Live Like We're Dying (1368)
12 12 Mandisa, Stronger (1333) (#2 Christian AC)
13 13 Kelly Clarkson, Since U Been Gone (1222)
14 14 Daughtry, What About Now (1211)
15 16 Kelly Clarkson, Because Of You (1164)
16 15 Daughtry, Feels Like Tonight (1155)
17 17 Carrie Underwood, Cowboy Casanova (1068)
18 18 Kelly Clarkson, Breakaway (1024)
19 19 Kelly Clarkson, Behind These Hazel Eyes (955)
20 20 Kelly Clarkson, Miss Independent (855)
21 24 Daughtry, It's Not Over (817)
22 21 David Cook, Time Of My Life (816)
23 28 Carrie Underwood, Mama's Song (810)
24 23 Carrie Underwood, Last Name (809)
25 27 Carrie Underwood, Jesus, Take The Wheel (793)
26 22 Fantasia, I'm Doin' Me (700)
27 26 Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You (682)
28 25 Carrie Underwood, All-American Girl (665)
29 31 Fantasia, Bittersweet (654)
30 30 Carrie Underwood, Wasted (562)
31 29 David Cook, Come Back To Me (554)
32 32 Kelly Clarkson, Walk Away (554)
33 33 Josh Gracin, Nothin' To Lose (538)
34 40 Fantasia, Collard Greens & Cornbread (504) (#21 Urban Ac)
35 34 Jordin Sparks, Tattoo (500)
36 35 Daughtry, Over You (494)
37 41 Jordin Sparks, No Air f/Chris Brown (401)
38 39 David Cook, Light On (374)
39 43 Santana feat. Chris Daughtry, Photograph (346)
40 37 Carrie Underwood, Temporary Home (327)
41 38 Kelly Clarkson, A Moment Like This (309)
42 44 Elliott Yamin, Wait For You (282)
43 36 Carrie Underwood, Songs Like This (273)
44 45 Kellie Pickler, Best Days Of Your Life (270)
45 42 Carrie Underwood, Just A Dream (268)
46 48 Adam Lambert, If I Had You (260)
47 47 Reba McEntire feat. Kelly Clarkson, Because Of You (249)
48 57 David Cook, Last Goodbye (247)
49 49 Chris Sligh, One (225) (#24 Christian AC)
50 52 Jennifer Hudson, Spotlight (192)
51 46 Jason Castro, You Are (188)
52 50 Carrie Underwood, So Small (183)
53 53 Chris Sligh, Only You Can Save (174)
54 54 Jordin Sparks, Battlefield (158)
55 58 Fantasia, Truth Is (148)
56 51 Fantasia, When I See U (144)
57 62 Carrie Underwood, Don't Forget To Remember Me (142)
58 59 Jennifer Hudson, Don't Look Down (139) (#40 Urban AC)
59 56 Mandisa, He Is With You (137)
60 61 Jordin Sparks, One Step At A Time (133)
61 55 David Archuleta, Crush (129)
62 60 Fantasia, Free Yourself (126)
63 63 Chris Sligh, Empty Me (107)
64 67 Mandisa, My Deliverer (99)
65 64 Carrie Underwood, I Told You So (86)
66 65 Charlie Wilson feat. Fantasia, I Wanna Be Your Man (73)
67 70 Bucky Covington, A Different World (69)
68 68 Kris Allen, Heartless (68)
69 66 Studdard/Haddon/Mary, Love Him Like I Do (66)
70 72 Jennifer Hudson, If This Isn't Love (64)
71 69 Kellie Pickler, Didn't You Know How Much I... (61)
72 75 Mandisa, Only The World (59)
73 74 Phil Stacey, You're Not Shaken (57)
74 76 Bo Bice, Real Thing (54)
75 73 Jennifer Hudson, And I Am Telling You I'm Not.. (49)
76 NA Jennifer Hudson, The Star Spangled Banner (45)
77 78 Mandisa, Voice Of A Savior (44)
78 80 Kris Allen, Alright With Me (41)
79 77 Bucky Covington, I'll Walk (38)
80 82 Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted (37)
81 81 Ruben Studdard, Don't Make 'Em Like U No More (37)
82 83 Kelly Clarkson, I Do Not Hook Up (35)
83 71 Bucky Covington, A Father's Love (The Only...) (33)
84 89 Lee DeWyze, Beautiful Like You (33)
85 84 George Huff, A Brighter Day (31)
86 86 Carrie Underwood, The Star Spangled Banner (29)
87 98 Kellie Pickler, Red High Heels (29)
88 100 Daughtry, What I Want (27)
89 88 Jennifer Hudson, Jesus Promised Me A Home .... (26)
90 79 Phil Stacey, Some Kind Of Love (26)
91 90 Bucky Covington, It's Good To Be Us (24)
92 85 Kellie Pickler, Don't You Know You're ... (23)
93 NA Fantasia, Baby Mama (21)
94 93 Kellie Pickler, Makin' Me Fall In Love Again (21)
95 NA Kris Allen, The Truth f/Pat Monahan (20)
96 95 Mandisa, God Speaking (20)
97 NA Bo Bice, You Take Yourself With You (19)
98 92 Jordin Sparks, World I Knew (17)
99 NA Crystal Bowersox, Farmer's Daughter (16)
100 97 Josh Gracin, We Weren't Crazy (16)
Have a great evening!
-D-RIZZ OUT!!!!
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