He had the most inspirational run of the season. Sensitive, soulful and passionate rocker James Durbin, 22, who was diagnosed in middle school with Tourette's syndrome and high-functioning autism, let the stage be his safe haven as he rocked his way to fourth place on American Idol. It was a shocking ouster for a contestant who's been a frontrunner from the start. Durbin's mastery of the stage was a victory over two neurological diseases that make it hard for him to socialize and control his face from twitching. It was a victory over the hurts from the outside world that used to cause him so much pain. "As I was getting older, at school, people would tell me, 'Cut that out, stop that.' I was like, 'I can't,'" Durbin said on his audition tape. "I always got made fun of and beat up. I was just lost."
read more
This is delightful history." So declared TV's reigning queen of news, Barbara Walters, as the newly wed Catherine, now Duchess of Cambridge, emerged from Westminster Abbey alongside her prince Friday morning to pealing bells, cheering crowds and a gawking worldwide TV audience estimated in the billions, soaking up a jubilant moment in the often rocky life of the British royals. In shared media moments like this, we are all uncommonly privileged commoners, granted a front-row seat to rubberneck at will at a lavish ceremony, festooned with wacky hats, that seemingly went off without a hitch. Watching in high-def (a first for a British royal wedding), I was struck by both the intimacy and grandeur of what the cameras captured: best man Harry's sly look backward at Kate's long approach down the aisle while his brother faced forward — he apparently whispered, "Wait till you see her" — the sideways amused glances between Kate and William revealing that they were keeping it real amidst the pomp, the prince's struggle to place the ring on her finger, all set against sweeping long shots, including staggeringly beautiful aerials of the entire abbey, like something out of a classic movie romance....
read more
Power balladeer Pia Toscano may have been shown the door at American Idol, but one of the places that door leads is directly into the adjacent studio for Dancing With the Stars.
Host Tom Bergeron announced on Tuesday night that Toscano — whose elimination was met with howls of protest — would be performing on next week's results show. That will be April 26th, less than three weeks since she left Idol. And she'll be performing with her new love connection: Dancing pro Mark Ballas...
read more
Get ready for a major format tweak: Dancing With the Stars is planning a Classical Theme Week in early April. "It's quite ballsy to do two hours of classical music in primetime," says executive producer Conrad Green, who is looking for ways to keep the competition fresh in its twelfth season.
The classical twist will be a big change. For that one week, the two spiral ballroom staircases will disappear, making room for a 38-piece orchestra playing selections along the lines of "Beethoven's 5th." "We're rebuilding the whole upstage area to accommodate all those musicians," says Green.
read more
Will Chris Jericho channel Fred Astaire on Dancing with the Stars? That's what Cheryl Burke is hoping for during their quickstep on Monday. "We're definitely going for a completely different look and feel and vibe than from what you saw in the cha-cha," she tells TVGuide.com. "I want people to see there's more to Chris than just being a huge wrestling star." But there will be less of one thing — perhaps to Jericho's chagrin — during their routine: bling.
read more