Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Romeo and Petra Nemcova Waltz Past Expectations
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American Idol's Paul: "I Was Always Kind of Uncomfortable On the Idol Stage"
The boys' club finally took a hit. Paul McDonald, the soulful, raspy-voice singer/songwriter from Nashville, says he had a feeling "in my gut" that it was his turn to be voted off American Idol. But there were no tears. In fact McDonald, who has toured for years with his band The Grand Magnolias, was surprised he made it as far as he did.
American Idol Backstage Report: Paul McDonald Goes Out in Style
He may not have won the crown. But soulful, raspy-voiced Paul McDonald can leave American Idol knowing that he was one of those rare contestants who had such great personal style that he didn't need a makeover.
American Idol Backstage Report: The Simon Factor
It's taken five weeks, but the studio audience is finally starting to drop the "S" bomb: Simon. He was gone like a puff of black smoke. And in the hoopla surrounding the two new judges — glamour goddess Jennifer Lopez and rock god Steven Tyler — he was almost forgotten.But that was before Pia Toscano was booted off the show, making it only to ninth place. And the fans, still touchy on the subject, are now trying to place blame. Eavesdrop on their conversations ...
Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kendra's Painful New Reality
Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard may have lost his place on the Dancing With the Stars line-up, but he competed with joy and went out with a smile. That's not the case with reality star Kendra Wilkinson, who looks increasingly miserable as the weeks go by.Last week, she couldn't seem to shake it off after getting blinded by an over-active smoke machine at the beginning of her rumba. Wilkinson had to dance down ...
Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Mark Ballas Outraged at Pia's Elimination
"It's an outrage," says Dancing With The Stars pro Mark Ballas. "A complete outrage." Ballas isn't talking about getting another scolding Monday night from head judge Len Goodman for his outside-the-box choreography. Ballas is talking about another show entirely, and the ninth place finish for one of American Idol's presumed frontrunners, Pia Toscano, who was voted off in a stunning elimination last week.
American Idol's Pia Toscano on Her Shocking Elimination
The New York songbird has been silenced. In an elimination greeted with howls of protest, Pia Toscano, 22, was told that for her, American Idol is over. The studio audience was stunned, then angry. Her fellow competitor in the bottom two, Stefano Langone, was so distraught he tried to turn away from the cameras to hide his tears. TV Guide Magazine talks to the woman many believed was going to win the whole competition...
American Idol Backstage Report: An Emotional Stefano Dodges Another Bullet
"I'll stand by you, Pia!" yelled one distraught male fan in the crowd, echoing the lyrics of her farewell tune after the cameras stopped rolling. "I'll buy your records!" called another.It was truly a bizarre evening on American Idol that featured the shirtless antics of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Iggy Pop — who dropped the S-bomb and pumped the microphone from his crotch, both of which were censored...
American Idol Backstage Report: So Ryan Seacrest Thinks He Can Dance?
All of a sudden, Ryan Seacrest has Happy Feet. And once again, this new exuberance on stage — and his tendency to break into dance — has been inspired by this season's most physically uninhibited contestant, Nashville's Paul McDonald. On Wednesday night, McDonald rocked the Idol Dome with his version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." "It was fun," said McDonald after the show. "I felt like I was in my band ...
Dancing with the Stars Backstage Report: Wendy Williams' Bizarre Behavior
Here's one for the etiquette police, and a first for Dancing With the Stars: Talk show host Wendy Williams — the second star this season to be told that her Dancing days are over — decided to skip the traditional "last dance" with her pro partner, Tony Dovolani. "I want to thank the judges, and I want to thank you also, Tony, for teaching me how to dance," said Williams upon her dismissal....
Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: Kirstie and Maks Take a Fall
It's one thing to see a celebrity stumble on Dancing With the Stars. It's quite another to see one of the show's most experienced pros — Maksim Chmerkovskiy — do the rumba and fall to the ground after suffering a muscle spasm in his left thigh. And to make matters worse, he was balancing his star, actress Kirstie Alley, at the time so she tumbled to the floor with him.
American Idol's Thia Megia: "I Have Been Doubting Myself"
Think it's easy, being a contestant on American Idol? Try being a 16-year-old who has to squeeze three hours of school into a murderous schedule of rehearsals, fittings, video shoots, guest appearances and chats with the press. For Thia Megia, who was given her walking papers Thursday night, it's an experience she'll always treasure. But the first word out of her mouth when you ask her how she's feeling?
American Idol's Naima Adedapo: "I Believe in Staying True to Myself"
It was the end of the road Thursday night for American Idol's exotic flower, Naima Adedapo. But the funky, self-assured 26-year-old from Milwaukee has no regrets about her risky move to put a reggae spin on Elton John's "I'm Still Standing." For her, the show fulfilled her dreams as a performer and...
American Idol Backstage Report: The Crying Game, Starring Lauren Alaina
It was all about the tears on Thursday night's American Idol. But the tears weren't being shed by the two eliminated singers, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia. Or even by Casey Abrams, who made it through on his own merit rather than relying on a judges' save. Rather, the waterworks were coming from 16-year-old Lauren Alaina, who was visibly upset throughout the second half of the hour-long results show...
The Idol Contestants Tweet Back
Backstage after this week's American Idol performance show, the contestants looked remarkably relaxed. And that's surprising, given the high drama of last Thursday's results show when Casey Abrams, saved from elimination, looked like he was on the verge of collapse - and the fact that ...
Dancing with the Stars' Mike Catherwood: "I'm Not Graceful"
Love Line co-host Mike Catherwood may have gotten the lowest scores on the leader board, but the first star to be eliminated from Dancing With The Stars twelfth season should've gotten big bonus points for brutal honesty — and wearing his heart on his sleeve. The handsome 31-year-old went into this competition knowing he wasn't the next Fred Astaire. "I'm coordinated and athletic," says Catherwood. "But I'm not graceful. I'm very herky-jerky."|
Dancing With the Stars Gets Ready to go Classical
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.
American Idol Backstage Report: A Night of Drama as the Judges Save Casey Abrams
It was scary, wonderful television. But watching the screen was nothing compared to being in the studio audience for American Idol's Thursday night results show. Not one, but two of the contestants looked like they were going to have heart attacks — for completely different reasons — and one of them, Casey Abrams, who has already been hospitalized twice during this competition for severe intestinal problems, was escorted off the stage by a concerned staffer immediately after the show wrapped.
American Idol's Secret Weapon: Marc Anthony
Record-company executive Jimmy Iovine may be getting the lion's share of the credit for working with American Idol's Season 10 contestants. But the singers revealed after the show Wednesday nigh there is another music-industry heavyweight who's been coaching behind the scenes: Jennifer Lopez's husband, Marc Anthony."A lot of the struggle that had been going on in prior performances was that we hadn't adjusted to the 'In Ears,'" says Naima Adedapo, referring to the custom-made earpieces that singers often use to balance out sound levels when they're singing with a live band on a big stage...
Dancing With the Stars Backstage Report: How the Competitors Stay Injury Free
Dance expert Benji Schwimmer — he's the brother of pro Lacey and the winner of the second season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance — has already picked his champion of the new season of Dancing With the Stars: 60-year-old Kirstie Alley. "She just redeemed her career," he said after watching the Cheers veteran light up the ballroom with ...
American Idol's Karen Rodriguez: "I Wanted to Represent for the Latinos"
It wasn't unanimous, but on Thursday night American Idol's bubbly Latina, Karen Rodriguez, was given her walking papers. Rodriguez, 21, is the second elimination from the Top 13, and once again, the judges decided not to use their one save to prevent her from going. But Rodriguez made everyone sit up and take notice when she was the only one chosen from some 33,000 online auditions to make it into the Top 24, and when she was able to skillfully blend English and Spanish in her performances of "Hero" and "Love Will Lead You Back." TV Guide Magazine spoke to the native New Yorker about her unique approach to Idol. TV Guide Magazine: You sang in two languages, why?
American Idol Backstage Report: Winning Isn't Everything
Last night's booted contestant, Karen Rodriguez, can take some comfort in the fact that on American Idol, you don't have to be the winner to sell records — and for very important people to sit up and take notice. And that includes the producers of the show. For the first time in 10 seasons, Idol is including also-rans in its opening credits. Watch closely, because they go by quickly. Better yet, hit the pause button a couple of times if you record the show. Because what you'll see first is the electronic image of Season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkson, as expected. But then the very next image is that of the eighth season's runner-up, glam rocker Adam Lambert.
