Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Joining (or leaving?) the ranks of singing divas on “American Idol”
There were just two certainties on “American Idol” after inspirational theme night with mentor Alicia Keys.
1) Singing anything by Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston is going to be a no-no when Randy Jackson is on the judging panel (and singing a song that both divas have already “made their own” is just asking for trouble);
2) Crystal Bowersox must surely already be this year’s “Idol” winner;
Bowersox — dubbed Momma Sox by fans — abandoned her guitar to stand alone and sing a cappella for the first verse of “People Get Ready.” And then she capped off a stellar vocal performance by breaking down in tears , uncharacteristically, on the final line.
George Benson recounts “criminal” encounter with Beatles
As The Beatles take center stage in the music world this week with the much-anticipated reissue of their albums, it’s easy to forget that the Fab Four were not exactly adored by large swathes of the musical community back in the day. Jazz artists, especially, looked down on the noisy pop stars (or were more likely envious of their fame and fortune).
“It used to be a crime for a jazz musician to even mention the word ‘Beatles,’” jazz guitarist George Benson recalled on Thursday, during a promotion for his new album at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
Miley Cyrus “kinda bummed” about early release of Walmart EP
Miley Cyrus said via Twitter on Wednesday she’s “kinda bummed” that her new Walmart-only EP “The Time of Our Lives” went on sale earlier than planned, denying her a chance of topping the U.S. album charts.
The seven-track disc sold 62,000 copies during the week ended Sunday, Aug. 30, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan, after hitting shelves on Friday. Albums are normally released on Tuesday, not Friday, but the shortened time span of three days of sale for Cyrus’ album was good enough to land it No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Wednesday.
