Fan Fare

“Idol” turns to Kara for winner’s first single

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will be getting all the attention on Tuesday when they sing for the “American Idol” title. But new judge Kara DioGuardi will also be sharing the limelight.

Songwriter DioGuardi, who has worked in the past with Kelly Clarkson and co-wrote Ashlee Simpson’s hit single “Pieces of Me”,  is credited as co-writer of “No Boundaries”  — the new song that will be released as a single by the winner of the TV talent show, music industry sources say.

“No Boundaries” will get its first airing on Tuesday’s show in (presumably very different)  versions by Adam and Kris.  Web site Popeater.com will premiere the winning “Idol”‘s recording of the song at 10 pm PT on Wednesday — moments after the 2009 “Idol” is crowned in the West Coast broadcast of the show on Fox.

Host Ryan Seacrest has revealed that Adam and Kris will also sing two other songs each on Tuesday — one must be a number they have done before on the show;  the other is a song chosen by “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller (Fuller is also the man behind British girl group “The Spice Girls”).

Among confirmed stars performing on Wednesday night as America waits to find out who they chose as their 2009 “Idol” are David Cook, Carrie Underwood, Queen Latifah, Black  Eyed Peas, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban  and actor Steve Martin — on his banjo?.

Rumors are flying fast about a host of other possible perfomers. Take your pick from Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Kiss — and maybe even ”Bikini Girl??”.

“American Idol” David Cook’s brother dies of cancer

“American Idol” has experienced a death in the family, as the 37-year-old brother of the show’s 2008 winner David Cook died of brain cancer on Saturday, media outlets reported.

Adam Cook had suffered from brain cancer for years, and when David Cook competed on “American Idol” last year, Adam was there to cheer him on.

Singer David Archuleta, who was last year’s runner-up to David Cook, said to People magazine that he was saddened by the death and that his “heart really goes out” to Adam Cook’s loved ones. “Idol” judge Simon Cowell told People that he met Adam Cook a few times at the show, and he called him “an incredible guy.”

David Cook announced his brother’s death on Sunday at a brain cancer fundraiser in Washington, D.C.  On his debut album last year, the artist released a song dedicated to his brother called “A Daily AntheM.”

“Idol’s” David Cook, David Archuleta renew rivalry

Some celebrity rivalries just never die, and that seems to be true of David Cook and David Archuleta. The battle of the Davids has morphed from the two singers’ friendly rivalry on the reality show “American Idol” to their careers as budding recording artists.      David Cook, the 25-year-old winner of “Idol” 2008, will release his debut album on Nov. 18, one week after runner-up David Archuleta, 17, releases his first album on Nov. 11. Cook won ”Idol” but Archuleta had many loyal fans, and it will be interesting to see whose album climbs the highest on record charts.      In the meantime, Cook is releasing a single, “Light On,” from his upcoming album on the America Online pop culture site PopEater.com on Tuesday, said Roger Widynowski, spokesman for 19 Entertainment, Cook’s record company.       The lyrics for the song include the lines: “Try to leave a light on when I’m gone/Something I rely on to get home” and “When the wires cross in my brain/You’ll start my heart again.” 

The song was co-written by Chris Cornell, 44, former lead singer for the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave.  “Light On” will play on airwaves on Wednesday, Widynowski said.      While the two Davids are heading into a battle this November — and both have attracted legions of fans – career’s after “Idol” have been a mixed bag of success for contestants over the years.      Blake Lewis, last year’s runner-up, was dropped by Arista Records, and last week the beat box singer announced to fans his tour had been cut short. But “Idol,” which is gearing up for its eighth season, has also had a few breakout stars — including Grammy-winning country star Carrie Underwood and pop singer Kelly Clarkson.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis) 

Can “Idol” finally win the top Emmy?

They did great things for “American Idol” by thrilling fans in one of the closest contests on that TV talent show in years, but can David Cook and David Archuleta turn the tide for “Idol” at the Emmy awards this year?

“Idol” might be the most watched show on U.S. television but it has struggled to get some love from Emmy voters over the last six years. The show with a huge fan base has won only one of the U.S. television industry’s top honors –  for technical direction for the 2007 charity special “Idol Gives Back.” But it has lost out for five years to “Amazing Race” in the contest for the top honor in its genre, best competitive reality show.

“Idol” got five Emmy nominations on Thursday for its most recent season that ended in May, including one for host Ryan Seacrest but nothing for judges Simon, Randy and Paula – there doesn’t appear to be a category for best put-downs!

After what was considered a better show in terms of talent this year, a record 97.5  million votes cast in the May finale, an average 28 million viewers per episode in 2008, and a sell-out Idol national tour now underway, can the show now get some respect from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences? 

Watch this space when the Emmys awards are handed out on September 21.

I’m too young for girlfriends, pleads giggly Archuleta

 ”American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta, 17, might be the latest tween hearthrob.  But sorry girls, he’s nowhere near ready to date.

    “I just don’t want to deal with that (girlfriend) drama right now,” a giggly, embarrassed Archuleta told reporters on Friday.     “I just want to be able focus on music. When I feel like I’ve met a girl who has a great personality, and who is someone I can connect with, and who has good standards for themselves and who has respect for themselves, and who cares for others as well…It’s just something I will definitely want to focus on later in life when I’m ready. But I just feel like I’m so young,” he said.     Archuleta reassured his millions of disappointed young fans that he was okay about losing the title to rocker David Cook.      “I want them to know I am feeling great. David Cook deserves to be the American Idol and he is such a great guy too. My priority was not to win the competition but to do my best.”     “We both gave it our all (on Tuesday) and we both feel really great about it. I don’t think I could have done anything better,” the former “chosen one” said.     The shy teen also tried to put to rest stories regarding his father. Archuleta said he had been shielded from the media during the show and found the stories about being bullied or made to cry by his father “weird.”     “I heard one thing that he refused to give me water. That is the weirdest thing. I am 17. If I want water, I am pretty sure I will just go get it.”     “He (my father) is a great guy. There isn’t anything that he has done that is bad… my whole family has been a great support. They are the ones that have kept me grounded,” Archuleta said.    

David Cook, the “American Idol,” in his own words

Well, well, well… here we are. An “American Idol” has been chosen yet again, and those of us who have been following the show moment-by-moment are in what can only be described as a post-”Idol” hangover.

That’s especially true for those of us in the media who hung around for hours backstage at L.A.’s Nokia theater last night waiting to interview the “Idol” himself, David Cook. Once he did finally appear, Cook talked to reporters about Simon’s apology, how it felt to win, and what kind of a record he wants to make.

Here’s what he said:

Q: What did you think of Simon Cowell’s apology?

A: I didn’t really know that the apology was warranted. I thought what he said was an opinion and nothing more. At no point did I feel disrespected. But yeah, I’m appreciative of the fact that he decided to apologize. An apology from Simon is a pretty rare gem.

Q: What went through your mind in the moment you found out you had won?

A: That my music teacher made me sing in a Christmas pageant in second grade, and now I’m here. And so the ride’s been pretty nuts. You couldn’t write this. Maybe you guys can, but I can’t.

Cowell calls “Idol” final a “knockout” for Archuleta but was it?

After all these months, is it really going to come down to “the Chosen One” after all?

David Archuleta, the teenage crooner whose satiny voice and babyfaced looks have stolen the hearts of teenage girls, was all but crowned the winner of this season’s “American Idol” by judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on Tuesday night. Playing on a boxing theme the show took on to highlight the showdown between two guys named David, Cowell called Archuleta’s performance “a knockout” of his older rival, rocker David Cook.

But was it really that cut and dry? After four months of performances by scores of wannabe pop stars, dozens of dramatic contestant ousters and hundreds of millions of votes from “Idol” viewers, will it all come down to the 17-year-old who was dubbed the one to beat way back when there were 24 contestants?

It seems, after Tuesday night’s show, that the answer is yes. While the judges praised both Cook’s and Archuleta’s three performances each, they clearly favored Archuleta. It’s almost too bad, given that going into the finale, the outcome appeared far less certain than in recent seasons. Last year, for instance, Jordin Sparks’ victory over Blake Lewis was virtually set in stone before either one of them sang a note.

Cook, however, has been a serious contender this season, delivering solid rock performances week after week that recalled Season 5 contestant and current music sensation Chris Daughtry. Also, like Archuleta, Cook never landed among the show’s bottom three vote-getters all season.

Still, the quality of Archuleta’s singing and his appeal among the show’s teenage viewers is undeniable. And, having been raised watching “Idol,” his song choices were almost always impeccable.

At least Cook seemed to take the competition in stride, proclaiming on Tuesday night that the “competition’s over, we’re just having fun.” Translation: I know I’m going to be set up with a record deal whether I win this thing or not.

Simon says Cook deserves to be next “American Idol”

 The final two haven’t even been announced yet, but outspoken judge Simon Cowell has already made clear who he thinks should be crowned “American Idol” next week.

“Probably David Cook,” Cowell told Blender.com in an interview when asked who he thought most deserved to win.

 ”I think he’s done more to deserve it over the eleven weeks. He’s taken more risks, he’s done things with certain songs that have been more interesting. If I’m gonna base it on who has done the best performances over the live shows, David Cook deserves to win,” Cowell said.

For most Idol fans,  it’s been a foregone conclusion for weeks that the two Davids — rocker Cook and baby-faced Archuleta — would meet in the final showdown on May 20.

But the winner will be chosen not by the three judges, but by the 25 million or so viewers of the show. What will you base your decision on? Talent, good looks, likeability, or most deserving?

Paula puts nail in Syesha’s coffin as “Idol” heads to finish

Not many “American Idol” viewers expected to see Syesha Mercado make it past this week. Let’s face it, a face-off between the two Davids, Archuleta and Cook, has been considered a foregone conclusion for weeks now.

But notwithstanding the near certainty of a David showdown, it was still a shock to see Paula Abdul administer Mercado’s death sentence on Tuesday night’s episode.

The perennial “good cop” judge, who at least tells the contestant that they “look beautiful”when she doesn’t have anything nice to say about a performance, told Mercado at the end of her third performance of the night that she was probably not going to make it to the show’s finale next week.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be good enough to get into the finals of “American Idol,” Abdul said of Mercado’s rendition of Gia Farrell’s “Hit Me Up” from the movie “Happy Feet.”

Abdul tried to atone for her comment afterwards, adding: “I love you, though.”

Mercado’s second performance of the night, a cabaret-inspired version of “Fever,” was also uniformly panned by the judges, with Simon Cowell saying she missed her chance to prove that she can be a contemporary recording artist and would probably regret choosing that song tomorrow.

Oh well, hopefully Syesha will be taking comfort in the fact that Paula loves her while she packs her bags tonight.

UPDATE!- “American Idol”: What was UP with Paula?

In seven seasons of “American Idol,” Paula Abdul has definitely had her moments.

But her gaffe on Tuesday night’s episode was either the “Kookiest Paula Moment Ever” or a sign of the judges’ apparently not-so-spontaneous evaluations of contestants’ performances.

Abdul on Wednesday sought to explain the blunder as a simple misunderstanding. “We all just screwed up everything,” she told Entertainment Tonight.

It was Neil Diamond night, and after each of the show’s five remaining contestants sang their first of two songs for the evening, the judges were asked to comment on their performances.

Randy Jackson quickly rattled off his impressions, and then Abdul launched into a lengthy analysis of contestant Jason Castro’s two performances. Yes, that’s right. Abdul remembered TWO performances. When Castro, and all of the other contestants, had only performed ONCE.

“Oh my God, I thought you sang twice,” a flustered Abdul said when Jackson gently pointed out that Castro had only performed one song so far. She added: “This is hard!”

“You’re seein’ the future baby, you’re seein’ the future!” host Ryan Seacrest said.