It was a bad night on American Idol Thursday for a certain long-haired singer with a high-pitched singing voice. But it was an incredible evening for fans of Jennifer Lopez, or sexiness general, as the judge premiered the full-length music video for “Dance Again.” It featured such lines as “I love to make love to you, baby. So many ways I wanna touch you tonight,” along with the sort of moves you would expect to accompany these lyrics, many of them performed with Casper Smart , J. Lo’s 24-year old boyfriend. Prepare a cold shower and watch the steamy action now: Jennifer Lopez – “Dance Again” – (Official Music Video)
On last night’s American Idol results show, Kellie Pickler returned to the stage that made her famous, the same stage on which the remaining season 11 finalists hope to one day become famous. The enthusiastic country crooner was introduced by Ryan Seacrest and then broke into a rendition of “Where’s Tammy Wynette,” a track off “100 Proof,” Pickler’s third studio album that was released on January 24. Take a look and take a listen now and consider: it’s not hard to see finalist Skylar Laine singing this track, is it? Enjoying the kind of success that has found Kellie since her days on Idol ? Kellie Pickler – “Where’s Tammy Wynette” (American Idol Results Show)
Facebook.com – Become a Fan! Twitter.com – Follow Us! Colton Dixon, Elise Testone, and Skylar Laine were at the Grove in Los Angeles today. The ‘American Idol’ hopefuls signed autographs and took photos with fans!
Captivating. Super great. Amazing. These were all descriptions the American Idol judges bestowed on DeAndre Brackensick last night, following his take on the 1980s Debarge track “I Like It.” Are you on board with these praiseworthy critiques of Brackensick’s falsetto? Or are you wondering just what Jennifer, Steven and Randy were smoking prior to DeAndre taking the stage? Judge the hair-flipping singer’s latest performance now: DeAndre Brackensick – “I Like It” It’s safe to say DeAndre was not our favorite. But, then again, compared to Skylar Laine and her version of ” Wind Beneath My Wings ,” everyone was singing for second this week.
Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss America back in 2008, but she was hardly the vision of health and happiness she appeared to be, by her own admission. The blonde beauty has suffered from severe anorexia-nervosa most of her life. The Michigan native, 23, has opened up to CNN about the shocking details of her illness, which she says began to take its toll when she was only 12. Haglund says she picked up bad habits from other aspiring ballet dancers. “I was in ballet from just 3-years-old. So from a very early age, the ideal female body type was very thin,” Haglund says. “That was the first image I had.” “I always equated beauty with being skinny. I looked at what they were doing and so many of them were throwing away their lunches and not eating.” “I thought, ‘If I can at least be thin, I know I can be successful at ballet.’” “I was living off coffee, Diet Coke and gum,” she said about her diet. “Every once in a while, I’d have vegetables, fruit or a spoonful of peanut butter.” “I knew there was something wrong , but I didn’t know how to stop.” Her disease continued to worsen, and in the next three years, Kirsten dropped over 30 more pounds before her mother intervened and got her help. After quitting ballet and focusing on recovery, she decided to enter a local beauty pageant – something that ironically helped her cope with the issue. “It was a really good educational period for me,” she said. “From hearing other people’s stories, I learned how to share my own personal struggles.” The stunner has since started the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, a charity that provides financial aid to people seeking treatment for eating disorders. She is currently a political science major at Emory University. [Photo: WENN.com]
Skylar Laine left the rocker side of her personality at home last night. This American Idol contestant covered the Billy Joel single “Shameless” and really embraced her country twang on the track, starting slow and picking up the pace to eventually finish with one of the more authentic performances of the evening. Steven and Randy both noted a few pitch problems, but we didn’t notice any. Do you? Skylar Laine – “Shameless” Watch the rendition above and then compare it to a pair of other strong female auditions from this week: Jessica Sanchez’s ” Everybody Has a Dream ” and Elise Testone’ ” Vienna .”
Stevie Wonder. Colton Dixon. Those two things may seem like oil and water, and vocally, the latter’s rendition of the former’s “Lately” was not up there with the likes of Phillip Phillips . Nevertheless, he overcame any shortcomings in his pedigree and made do with effort and charisma … and besides, he’s got the heart throb thing down. How much you like Colton Dixon likely depends on your age and gender, and how far he lasts this season will hinge on whether he can expand that appeal. His “base” got him here, but he needs swing voters to carry him to the next level. Can it happen? An open question, but he’s not going home after this: Colton Dixon – “Lately” (American Idol Top 13)
“Mantasia” himself, Joshua Ledet, led off American Idol’s Top 13 with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” that he said was “totally out of my comfort zone.” With a little help from a piano player with a gospel background similar to Joshua’s, you wouldn’t have known it Wednesday night. He did a nice job with it. A pretty safe performance, perhaps, but a respectable one. “You just wore it out, at the top of the show,” Randy Jackson, never one to exaggerate at all, tells him. “You’ve got this amazing Church of God in Christ kind of voice … If you feel the beat and rock like that, you can sing anything.” Watch Josh Ledet perform below and see if you agree: Joshua Ledet – “I Wish” (American Idol Top 13)
Skylar Laine says she’s actually never sung a Whitney Houston song before. With “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” she may have done the late icon justice. To be sure, Skylar Laineis no Whitney Houston … or even Jessica Sanchez . However, American Idol often rewards the underdog who strays out of his or her genre and picks up unfamiliar or challenging material quickly. She doesn’t sound like Whitney, but Skylar is who she is, and that’s formidable – a country girl who has proved she can sing anything. Take a listen: Skylar Laine – “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” (American Idol Top 13)
Some New York City residents are not fans of AMC’s new Mad Men ads. The images in the billboards shown below are familiar from the show’s opening sequence, and feature Don Draper “falling” in the figurative sense. But many citizens, especially the families of 9/11 victims, are taking serious offense. Deborah Burlingame, whose dad piloted the jet that was forced to crash into the Pentagon, finds it “impossible to believe” that any advertiser would run such a campaign in New York and not evoke the “tragic memory of those poor souls on 9/11.” “I think this advertiser decided that creating a controversy, at the expense of thousands who will be hurt by this image of man falling to his certain death, is worth it.” The creators of Mad Men said in response: “The image of Don Draper tumbling through space has been used since the show began in 2007 to represent a man whose life is in turmoil.” “The image used in the campaign is intended to serve as a metaphor for the events happening in Don Draper’s fictional life and in no way references actual events.” Mad Men ads in New York: Offensive?
