Is American Idol racist ? American Idol Denies Racist Allegations Via TMZ reports : Four “American Idol” finalists from different seasons — two of whom are black — insist the singing competition is many things … but racist is NOT one of them. TMZ broke the story … nine black ex-contestants are planning to sue “Idol” producers, claiming the contestants were publicly disqualified based on their dubious criminal backgrounds … solely because they’re African-American. But Season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle adamantly disagrees, telling TMZ, “It is shocking to see such allegations. In my experience on the show, the ‘Idol’ team strives to champion everyone, regardless of race. However, each contestant is explicitly told that the withholding of information that may compromise the show or artist, can and will result in immediate disqualification.” Season 4 finalist Vonzell Solomon adds, “I didn’t experience any of that [racial discrimination] … all of our contracts were clear about how the background checks worked and that we could be disqualified if we lied about our past.” Two other former contestants — Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and Season 10 finalist Casey Abrams — also agree. Casey says, “I don’t know why they are biting the hand that fed them. Those guys beat thousands of people who wanted to be on TV. Idol is picky, but I’m not sure about racist.” Taylor — whose Vegas show is still going strong — adds, “American Idol is for everyone. All walks of life go through the show. Not once did I see the show discriminate towards anyone. It’s all about the votes.” FYI — “Idol” has had three black winners in its history … Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Jordin Sparks. Fox and “Idol” producers have yet to respond to the allegations. Discuss…
A quartet of former finalists have come out and vehemently denies charges that American Idol is racist . Melinda Doolittle (Season 6), Vonzell Solomon (Season 4), Taylor Hicks (Season 5) and Casey Abrams (Season 10) all spoke to TMZ this week and defended the program against charges from nine other finalists that claim Idol shows a racial bias in disqualifying contestants. Here is what each ex- Idol hopeful had to say: Doolittle : “It is shocking to see such allegations. In my experience on the show, the ‘Idol’ team strives to champion everyone, regardless of race. However, each contestant is explicitly told that the withholding of information that may compromise the show or artist, can and will result in immediate disqualification.” Solomon : “I didn’t experience any of that [racial discrimination] … all of our contracts were clear about how the background checks worked and that we could be disqualified if we lied about our past. Hicks : ” American Idol is for everyone. All walks of life go through the show. Not once did I see the show discriminate towards anyone. It’s all about the votes.” Abrams : I don’t know why they are biting the hand that fed them. Those guys beat thousands of people who wanted to be on TV. Idol is picky, but I’m not sure about racist.
Country crooner’s Clear As Day tops the Billboard charts, but how does he size up against other ‘Idol’ champs? By James Montgomery Scotty McCreery Photo: Getty Images December 14, 2003. That was the date Ruben Studdard ‘s Soulful opened at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. And somewhat incredibly, it’s also the last time a debut disc from an “American Idol” champion accomplished the feat. Sure, there have been some near-misses along the way, but since Studdard, none have been able to bow at #1, a streak that spanned some 2,859 days (or 4,116,960 minutes, in case you were counting). It’s also a streak that officially came to an end on Wednesday (October 12), with the rather eye-opening #1 debut by “Idol” season 10 champion Scotty McCreery, whose Clear As Day sold nearly 197,000 copies to take the top spot. It’s the highest first-week number for an “American Idol” winner since David Cook sold almost 280,000 copies of his self-titled debut in 2008 and, given the recent lack of chart success from “Idol” champs, it’s an even more impressive feat. Because, while some “Idol” also-rans (Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert, etc) have managed to move units, the contemporary crop of champions have suffered poor first-week sales. Thanks to the support of the country music crowd, McCreery has managed to buck that trend. But where, exactly, do Clear As Day ‘s first-week numbers rank among the debuts by other “American Idol” winners? We’ve crunched the figures, along with the chart positions, below:
Experts say Pia’s ninth-place finish is up there with Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Tamyra Gray. By Gil Kaufman Pia Toscano appears on “American Idol” on Thursday Photo: FOX For die-hard “American Idol” fans, every week’s elimination is a gut-punch, a “c’mon, really?” moment where they can’t believe America didn’t vote to keep their favorite singer on the show. But from the moment Pia Toscano hit the bottom three for the first time to the jaw-dropping realization that she was going home in ninth place, Thursday night’s elimination felt like an “Idol”-quake of possibly historic proportions. The contestants seemed stunned, Randy Jackson held his head and said “no, no” and then appeared to mouth an expletive, and Jennifer Lopez was brought to tears at the realization that one of the most viable female contestants in recent “Idol” history was gone and that the judges appeared to have squandered their save on commercially suspect Casey Abrams. “I’m really bummed about this. It just sucks,” said longtime “Idol” watcher and TVLine.com “Idol” recapper Michael Slezak. “One of the main factors is the judges. There’s been a complete absence of any kind of guidance from the judging panel, which opens up the prospect of ‘vote for your favorite.’ And if you pick your favorite early on, you stick with them and vote 500 times a night no matter how they perform.” Slezak faulted the show for pushing viewers to vote for their favorites rather than the best performances, and he said while this might not be the most shocking “Idol” elimination of all time, it is definitely the most disappointing in the show’s history. Yes, in retrospect, it was a bummer that now-successful rocker Chris Daughtry went out in fourth place ahead of eventual winner Taylor Hicks and that veteran backup singer Melinda Doolittle left in third place behind runner-up beatboxer Blake Lewis in season six. And nobody can ever forget (or forgive) the seventh-place finish of eventual Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson in season three. But Slezak said Toscano’s ouster is perhaps the most troubling for what it says about the 10th season of “Idol.” After seemingly getting on a roll with the fresh energy of new judges Lopez and Steven Tyler and a ratings boost and some buzz, he said the show has slid into dangerous territory over the past few weeks that may put it on a road to ruin. “At least with Tamyra [Gray] and Daughtry, they finished fourth, so there were five more weeks of performances, and you could see the full scope of what they could do,” he said. “We were still finding out who Pia was. and she could have grown more, and now we’ll never see that.” He said after a good start and a rebound from a terrible season nine, this sets “Idol” back 20 paces because Pia felt like someone who could really sell albums, as opposed to a “cute guy” who voters will text in their support for 500 times but probably never buy an album from. Also disappointed was “Idol” blogger MJ Santilli , who said, for her, it was definitely one of the most shocking eliminations ever on the show. “It’s easy to forget what a terrible contestant Jennifer Hudson was in light of her recent successes,” she said of Hudson’s up-and-down run on “Idol.” “Daughtry’s boot came toward the end of the contest, when pretty much anything can happen. Plus, by top four, it was pretty clear that Taylor Hicks was kicking his ass. I would say the same for Tamyra. Her ouster came close to the end of the competition. Kelly Clarkson had already gained momentum,” she said of the other singers whose early boots have set the shock standard for the show. Santilli said Pia seemed destined for a Gray-esque boot in fourth or fifth place, because, like Gray, she was a technically proficient singer who didn’t excite viewers. “But the idea of so many of Pia’s fellow Idols outlasting her was unfathomable,” she said. Slezak said one thing that is clear after Thursday’s result is that the judges have “Pia’s blood” on their hands. “For Randy to sit there slack-jawed and J.Lo to force out tears … after the last two weeks, the idea of giving actual critiques went out the window,” he said. “The last two weeks, everyone gets a gold star. When you give everyone the same gold star, it’s confusing. There are nine performances in 90 minutes and a lot happens, and it’s their job to give voters a sense of direction … who is working and who might be a viable recording artist. Otherwise, why have them up there if they say everyone is great?” In other words, after lots of talk about how nobody was missing meanie go-to judge Simon Cowell this season, it seems viewers are, indeed, in need of his strong, guiding hand. Another potential problem, Slezak noted, is that after 10 seasons, the newness of voting has worn off and perhaps some voters are thinking, “Why should I vote for Pia 20 times when some teenager in her bedroom is going to text 400 times” for the cute guy? Do you think Pia’s elimination is the most shocking in “Idol” history? Let us know in comment below. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
Justin Bieber has sampled it . Nick Jonas has sang a few lyrics in concert. But no one has paid tribute to Rebecca Black’s “Friday” quite like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. The talk show hosts, who have agreed to be best friends for six months, collaborated on the track during Fallon’s show last night. The performance (which included The Roots and Taylor Hicks) came after Colbert accepted Fallon’s challenge to cover the YouTube smash if Fallon’s audience came up with $26,000 to give to DonorsChoose.Org. Both sides came through with their ends of the deal, leading to the following hilarity: Stephen Colbert Sings “Friday”
The 10th season of American Idol kicks off early next year, and with a new panel of judges and various other changes, the Fox hit is looking to the future. But not without first looking back at its past glory. Interviews with all nine winners – Kelly Clarkson , Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze – comprise Fox’s just-released Idol documentary, “Welcome Home.” Watch it in its entirety here … Fox Interviews with American Idol Winners: Welcome Home
Recovery track is only 16th single to claim that feat in chart’s 52-year history. By Jayson Rodriguez Eminem Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Add another triumph to the long list of achievements for Eminem . The Detroit lyricist will land atop the Billboard Hot 100 on Thursday, when his latest single, “Not Afraid,” debuts at #1, marking only the 16th time in the chart’s history that a record has premiered in the lead slot. According to Billboard, Eminem has now joined a select group of artists that includes Michael Jackson (“You Are Not Alone”), Whitney Houston (“Exhale [Shoop, Shoop]”), Celine Dion (“My Heart Will Go On”), Lauryn Hill (“Doo Wop [That Thing]”) and Diddy (“I’ll Be Missing You”), among others. Mariah Carey leads the pack with three songs having debuted at #1 on the chart, “Fantasy,” “Honey” and her collaboration with Boyz II Men, “One Sweet Day.” “American Idol” has impacted the charts in a big way in recent years, as tunes by Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks have also opened in the Hot 100 top spot. And the last artist to accomplish that feat was Britney Spears, whose 2009 hit “3” reached the chart’s summit in its first week. “Not Afraid” is Eminem’s first offering from June 22’s Recovery, the follow-up to last year’s Relapse. Late last month, Eminem announced the single via Twitter, writing simply “I’m Not Afraid.” The song debuted online April 29, and on the track Eminem acknowledged his bumpy comeback after a five-year hiatus, calling his last album “ehh,” before promising better material on the upcoming Recovery. “To the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back/ I promise to never go back on that promise,” Em spits in the second verse. “In fact, let’s be honest/ That last Relapse CD was ‘ehh’/ Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground/ Relax, I ain’t going to do that now.” What do you think about Eminem’s achievement? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Eminem
Season six American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is putting her recording career on hold for a new venture — a starring role in the Broadway musical In the Heights , which won the 2008 Tony for Best Musical. She follows in the footsteps of season-four contestant Constantine Maroulis, who was nominated for a Tony in Rock of Ages , and Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, who currently co-star in Hair . Season five winner Taylor Hicks still performs on tour as Teen Angel in Grease too, which should alleviate your concerns that he is, you know, playing craps in a tunnel with Mandisa somewhere. [ Playbill ]
Pop star promises to reveal sneak peeks of the clip over the next three days. By MTV News staff Britney Spears hit her Web site Wednesday (October 28) to announce that the video for her provocative single “3” would debut in “1…2…3” days. She also promised fans some revealing sneak peeks before the clip’s Friday premiere.
