deborah.starr.seibel

American Idol Backstage Report: Randy Travis Weighs In

During the Wednesday night re-play of Scotty McCreery's audition footage, judge Randy Jackson reminded everyone that McCreery is "a country throwback" in the great tradition of Randy Travis. So we decided to give Travis a call, to ask his impressions of the three semi-finalists. "Scotty, to my ear, sounds almost identical at times to [country star] Josh Turner," says Travis. "But yeah, a few people have told me he sounded like me. I hear more Josh"...

Thu, May 19, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: Randy Travis Weighs In

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Drew Lachey and Warren Sapp Handicap the Finale

Now that the Disney Kid has beaten the Karate Kid, all bets are off. With Tuesday night's elimination of Ralph Macchio, it'll be Chelsea Kane, Kirstie Alley and Hines Ward in next week's Dancing With the Stars finale. But even show insiders are at a loss, trying to figure out who will ultimately sashay home with the prize."I gotta believe it's gonna be either Chelsea or Hines," says second season champ Drew Lachey, one of those rare birds who maintains the physical conditioning required to come back to this show and do what he did Tuesday night: Reunite with his pro partner, Cheryl Burke, and dance. "Chelsea and Hines are the strongest ...

Wed, May 18, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Drew Lachey and Warren Sapp Handicap the Finale

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kym Johnson Promises No More "Stupid Things"

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba wasn't the only one in tears Monday night after watching football great Hines Ward and Kym Johnson conquer the Argentine tango on Dancing With the Stars. Many in the audience were crying, too. Just before the dance, they had witnessed Friday's rehearsal footage and the dance trick that went horribly wrong, sending Johnson to the hospital...

Tue, May 17, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kym Johnson Promises No More "Stupid Things"

American Idol's James Durbin: "Not Everything Works Out the Way You Expect it"

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."

Fri, May 13, 2011

American Idol's James Durbin: "Not Everything Works Out the Way You Expect it"

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Painful Goodbye

It wasn't supposed to happen this way: James Durbin, standing on the American Idol stage, in tears because he was being sent home. Before tonight, if you asked anyone on the production staff who they thought would win the whole thing, the answer would almost invariably be James. And if you asked any of the press who cover the show in person, or studio audience members, week after week, who they thought would be in the finals, James would always be one of the two names.

Fri, May 13, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Painful Goodbye

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Not Gaga for Gaga

It was a night of hot tempers and one very uncomfortable close encounter: James Durbin, who was less than thrilled at being man-handled by Lady Gaga.Preparing at the recording ...

Thu, May 12, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Not Gaga for Gaga

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Romeo's Last Dance

He may have been the most surprising contestant in Dancing With The Stars history. No one, least of all the judges, thought when the season started that they'd be falling in love with the son of Master P, and so disappointed to see him go.

Wed, May 11, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Romeo's Last Dance

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Ralph Macchio Fights Through the Pain

Ralph Macchio limped off the Dancing With the Stars stage Monday night, hobbled by Baker's cyst, a painful build-up of joint fluid behind the knee, most often brought on by arthritis or overuse of the joint. "I'm trying to do all the right things," says Macchio, wincing when he puts weight on that right leg. "One of them is to stay off of it for three to five days. I don't have three to five days"...

Tue, May 10, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Ralph Macchio Fights Through the Pain

American Idol's Jacob Lusk: "I Take Full Responsibility For My Choices"

Jacob Lusk made it all the way to American Idol's fifth place, but it was no easy road. The 23-year-old spa concierge from Compton, California, struggled to find his footing doing live performances on the Idol stage after wowing the judges early on with his off-the-charts Hollywood Week audition, "God Bless The Child."  Lusk knew he was in serious trouble Wednesday night after making song choices — like "No Air" — that were outside his R&B comfort zone. But he's not blaming anyone, including record mogul Jimmy Iovine, for pushing him in different directions. "I take full responsibility for my choices," says Lusk. "I messed up. Nobody else did"...

Fri, May 6, 2011

American Idol's Jacob Lusk: "I Take Full Responsibility For My Choices"

American Idol Backstage Report: Jacob's Last Hurrah

When the cameras stopped rolling on Thursday night's American Idol, eliminated contestant Jacob Lusk was just getting started. He took the audience to church, belting out nothing but a joyful chorus. Still singing, he locked arms with Steven Tyler, who joined him on stage in an impromptu dance. Then he switched partners and did a jig with Randy Jackson. Jennifer Lopez gave him a big hug...

Fri, May 6, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: Jacob's Last Hurrah

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Emotional Night

During American Idol rehearsals this week, James Durbin had no trouble keeping his emotions in check singing the emotionally wrenching "Without You." Doing several takes, he brought out the gentle side of his voice and then hit the high notes hard. It was moving, but rehearsed in a very professional, matter-of-fact ...

Thu, May 5, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: James Durbin's Emotional Night

Dancing with the Stars Backstage Report: Bruno's Message to Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen

Judge Bruno Tonioli sat outside his trailer after the Dancing With the Stars results show Tuesday night, kicking back, drinking white wine, and reflecting on how much fun the stars appear to be having this season. "They're nice people and they work very, very hard," he says. "This show is a great personal experience for anyone."So much so that Tonioli wants to give a shout out to two of Hollywood's most notorious celebs...

Wed, May 4, 2011

Dancing with the Stars Backstage Report: Bruno's Message to Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kendra Goes Wild

You might wonder where the inspiration comes from for some of the more outrageous get-ups on Dancing With the Stars. As for the flouncy purple-and-orange tango dress Kendra Wilkinson wore Monday night, the inspiration came from Barbie. That's right, the famous doll. Wilkinson's pro partner, Louis Van Amstel, saw a tiny picture in a magazine and let his imagination take flight. "It was literally a small picture of Barbie in a black dress," says Van Amstel. "And tango is normally black, but this was black and boring"...

Tue, May 3, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kendra Goes Wild

American Idol's Casey Abrams Talks Hospitalization and the Judges' Save

It had to be the most exuberant exit in the history of American Idol. Casey Abrams, 20, the eccentric and soulful jazz musician from Idyllwild, California, leapt off the stage, back onto the stage, threw himself into the arms of fellow contestants and tried to kiss every girl — plus judge Steven Tyler — on his way out of the building. He had one of the most dramatic personal journeys of all the competitors, including being hospitalized earlier in the competition for ulcerative colitis and getting the only judges' save. He also made it to his ultimate goal, which was not to win but to make the Top Six...

Fri, Apr 29, 2011

American Idol's Casey Abrams Talks Hospitalization and the Judges' Save

American Idol Backstage Report: End of the Road for Casey Abrams

This time, there were no tears. No near collapse. No doctor escorting him off the set. This time, Casey Abrams said goodbye to American Idol with an exuberant performance and — when the cameras stopped rolling — an unexpected speech...

Fri, Apr 29, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: End of the Road for Casey Abrams

American Idol Backstage Report: Can James Durbin Win It All?

If you go strictly by the reaction of the studio audience Wednesday night, James Durbin is the next winner of American Idol. Instead of marching drummers and flaming pianos, the hard-rocking Durbin, 22, filled the auditorium with the sweetness of his voice, starting a cappella, and doing a stunning rendition of the Carole King classic, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" 

Thu, Apr 28, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: Can James Durbin Win It All?

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Dancing With the Idols

So, the question some of us were asking Tuesday night was: Where are we? Dancing With The Stars? Or American Idol? There were so many crossovers between the two shows Tuesday night that it seemed the two television titans had morphed into one super show: Dancing With The Idols...

Wed, Apr 27, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Dancing With the Idols

The Dancing With the Stars Bermuda Triangle

Maksim Chmerkovskiy calls it the "Dancing With the Stars' triangle." As in Bermuda Triangle.  He's talking about the four square feet of ballroom floor — just one specific spot — that has seen more than ...

Tue, Apr 26, 2011

The Dancing With the Stars Bermuda Triangle

American Idol's Stefano: "I Know What I've Got Is Something Special"

He was no stranger to the Bottom Three.  But American Idol's Stefano Langone, the 22-year-old from Kent, Washington, says that from the moment he was chosen as one of this season's three wild cards, everything else was gravy. TV Guide Magazine: Pia Toscano said you took her elimination harder than she did. And last night, James was incredibly emotional over your elimination. Why?  Langone: Me and James are ...

Fri, Apr 22, 2011

American Idol's Stefano: "I Know What I've Got Is Something Special"

American Idol Backstage Report: Jacob Lusk on the Hot Seat

American Idol's gospel-belting Jacob Lusk escaped the hot seat Thursday night. But he's still in a very uncomfortable position: Lusk is caught between judge Randy Jackson, who continually tells him to "put the pedal down," and record mogul Jimmy Iovine, who wants Lusk to tone down his sometimes over-the-top singing style...

Fri, Apr 22, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: Jacob Lusk on the Hot Seat

American Idol Backstage Report: The F-Bomb Aftermath

At this point, no one should be all that surprised. Rock stars curse. But when it happens on American Idol, typically thought of as a bastion of family-friendly programming, and comes out of the mouths of judges Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson, it stops the show. "Casey, man, you already are a cult hero," Tyler told Casey Abrams, who earned the judges' one and only save a few weeks ago and whose rendition of Maroon 5's "Harder To Breathe" impressed Tyler. "I mean, there's millions of people in America that are really angry because you pissed them off because you're so f---king good. You changed so many people's minds. I love you."

Thu, Apr 21, 2011

American Idol Backstage Report: The F-Bomb Aftermath

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Pia Toscano Returns to Primetime

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...

Wed, Apr 20, 2011

Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Pia Toscano Returns to Primetime