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If Paula Abdul’s aim was to shock people with her announcement that she was leaving “American Idol,” by most accounts, she succeeded. If she was hoping to act out a celebrity cliché, she succeeded with that, too.
There's a monster lurking off the coast of New York. Experts in a Cornell University acoustics program said Thursday that blue whales have been positively identified in the area for the first time.
Surprise singing sensation Susan Boyle made a new television appearance, showcasing once again her soaring voice — but refusing to compromise on the frumpy look that made her an Internet sensation.
She's an Internet sensation, with nearly 70 million YouTube views of her TV debut. Susan Boyle, a frumpy, unemployed, self-confessedly virginal 47-year-old Scots singer, has been acclaimed as a singing wonder since her April 11 audition for the U.K. show “Britain's Got Talent.”
Singing sensation Susan Boyle said Friday that she's untroubled by people drawing contrasts between her angelic voice and dowdy image after she was thrust into the international spotlight.
In fact, “American Idol” is a popularity contest and, more to the point, a television show in search of ratings. It’s easy to see the confusion here, what with all of the singing done by the contestants and the fact that the grand prize is a record contract. The problem is, viewers are encouraged to vote using whatever criteria they want: singing ability, looks, hometown pride, pity over sick family members/blindness/dead spouses, etc. But what makes it a flat-out lie is the way the show admits time and again that it’s just not true. Countless judges’ comments have started off “You’re not the best singer in this competition, but what I like about you is...,” and they often express surprise when cannon fodder contestants actually deliver strong performances. If “Idol” were a singing competition, there’d be no voting, the judges would all be highly trained professionals and nobody would watch it.
The Palestinian youths from the tough West Bank refugee camp stood facing the elderly Holocaust survivors Wednesday, appearing somewhat defiant in a teenage sort of way. Then they began to sing.
Plenty of other iconic singer/songwriters would have problems convincing the judges to advance them far enough to reach the voting rounds. Bob Dylan is an obvious example, of course, along with Tom Waits, Neil Young, Elvis Costello and probably even Billy Joel and Carole King. But Diamond stands out by virtue of two facts. One, he managed (against all odds, really) to transform himself in the 1970s into an honest-to-goodness sex-symbol pop star. And two, last season featured an episode devoted to his songs, with the man himself serving as a mentor. Obviously, “Idol” thinks that he’s got something to teach the contestants about singing, which is surprising considering the strained baritone that Diamond seems like he’s pushing out of his stomach rather than his chest. It’s gotten him exceptionally far in his career. On “Idol,” it wouldn’t take him past the audition round.
Season seven "American Idol" champ David Cook proved that musically speaking, everything's up to date in Kansas City. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell traveled to Cook's hometown for this season's auditions in the hopes that there was more talent where he came from.
A gay arts group has sued the city of Milwaukee in federal court for violating its free speech rights three years ago when officials shut down a musical revue featuring nudity.
A U.S. ambassador is ending his 38-year diplomatic career with a song — recording a music CD in the Guarani language that has made him a Paraguayan recording star.
Almost everything in this disco-centric freakout is wrong and weird. That anyone thought putting The Village People, Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine and Bruce Jenner in a musical directed by the Bounty paper towel queen Nancy Walker is all the proof you need that nearly everyone in late 1970s Hollywood was using lots of cocaine. But one number stands out as the most bizarre in a film already boiling over barely concealed gay insanity: David Hodo — the Construction Worker — singing a blatantly false paean to heterosexuality called “I Love You to Death” to a series of random female dancers. This sort of thing is suspect in just about any movie musical, but when it’s a guy from The Village People barking and hissing and growling his adoration of hot chicks in a manner that recalibrates the universal scale of histrionic drag-queen-like behavior, it’s something to witness.
U.S. Ambassador James Cason's singing isn't music to the ears of one Paraguayan senator.
Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi is used to winning with a lot of people watching, and Tuesday's "Dancing With the Stars" finale was no exception.
In the days since news of Ashlee Simpson’s possible pregnancy broke, Simpson and her fiancé, Pete Wentz, have issued responses that have sometimes sounded like denials and sometimes just seem cagey. Since their reps have yet to issue a firm “no” on the matter, many outlets are standing by their sources and their story, that the 23-year-old pop star is indeed expecting.
This was Mariah Carey week for the "Idol" contestants, as the record-setting pop star served as the guest mentor. In a related news story, Carey has a new album out, and as the show has mentioned perhaps a million times in its seven-year history, she and Randy Jackson have worked together quite a bit over their careers.
In the search for a viable “American Idol,” the show turned its eyes to Dallas. The city produced Kelly Clarkson in its first season, which must seem like a long time ago — especially to the people who’ve had to market Taylor Hicks as a bona fide superstar.
Harvard senior fullback Noah Van Niel plans to trade the gridiron for the opera stage after the Crimson's season finale this year.
They were struggling in a boy band, working the West Bank wedding circuit and dreaming of stardom.
B4W Punks Insurance Industry Conference w/ Guerrilla Musical : Billionaires for Wealthcare; Video
After dealing with a major headache on Mon., I decided to watch the first available movie. When I walked into the auditorium for the 2009 remake of *Fame*, however, I expected it to be a waste of time and money.
The Week in Culture - The New York Times > Arts > Slide Show > Slide 1 of 18Excellent photos depicting art news of the week and captions explaining them. There are 18 in all. Please let me know the ones you like best!
Oprah caused Whitney Houston's bad performanceWhitney's comeback is unlikely with the poor voice quality and limited range. She sang to a crowd of people on Tuesday who were devastated to hear her voice. Some came from Downunder and were terribly disappointed.
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Musharraf duet put on YouTubeWill wonders never cease? Musharraf is singing along with a Sufi Qawwali maestro Ustad Hamid Ali Khan at some concert in London, UK. Apparently its a Youtube hit...
Do you sing in the shower or bath tub? If so, is that a "Yes! Yes! Yes!" or only a "Sometimes?" Do you sing a cappella, karaoke, or pseudo-karoke with a singer spinning in the background? Do you sing pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, Spanish, opera or what? Do you have a …
Paula Abdul Says She Will Leave 'American Idol'After weeks of negotiations with the producers of "American Idol," Paula Abdul said Tuesday evening that she was leaving the top-rated singing competition.
Susan Boyle Dreamed the Dream, Now Recording Debut AlbumRecording and sounding marvelous. Good for Susan.
Susan Boyle Thrilled at Invite from President ObamaSusan was invited to a dinner by President Obama. She was just too nervous then and had too much going on. Simon told her to stay focused. I think it is so nice that President Obama invited her.
Susan Boyle Possible Role in Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical There is word that Mr. Webber thinks a lot of Susan and sees it as being a possibility.
Susan Boyle Set for 6 Mil Fortune with Hit Album and Blitz on AmericaThis is the info that I was searching for on her. It shows how she will still be making money even though she did not win. She was a very good sport on the show.
Susan Boyle leaves hotel guests fuming with her singingApparently some hotel guests just want to sleep at night! Boyle's practice sessions went late into the night, keeping up guests who griped later. BTW, Susan quoted as saying she did have a cold and her voice was getting "croaky".
Coma tot wakes up singing Abba! A GIRL of three who fell into a coma after getting meningitis stunned her mum when she came round - singing Abba hit Mamma Mia. Layla Towsey was so ill after getting the brain bug she had been put on a life support machine and her mum had kissed her goodbye.
Susan Boyle banned from singing for OprahWould it be an unfair advantage for Susan if she sang before the next competition on Britain's Got Talent? Simon seems to think so, and has banned her from singing on her Oprah appearance.
Upon meeting Maria von Trapp, the 94 year old daughter of Baron von Trapp, one is immediately smitten. She is such an engaging and gracious woman that it's easy to become enthralled with what she has to say.
More than Words: Music more Primal than LanguageSongs have the power to move us in mysterious ways. Why is that? Because music with words provides a missing link between reason and emotion. Singing takes language and pulls the most possible feeling out of it.
Susan Boyle sings Killing Me SoftlyYet another old video clip turns up -- this one has Susan singing the old Roberta Flack hit, Killing Me Softly. This was recorded ten years ago for a demo, paired with Cry Me a River.
Yorkshireman has brain surgery... and wakes up singing in thick Irish accentAfter his brain operation, Chris Gregory woke up a new man. An Irishman actually. And just to be sure, to be sure, the 30-year-old Yorkshire man sat up in his hospital bed and sang a stirring rendition of Danny Boy to his astonished fiancee.
Singing star Susan had first opportunity at KnockSusan Boyle has not exactly been hiding under a rock. So far we have found that she released a CD recording for charity ten years ago, and now fans talk about her singing at Knock, in County Mayo, Ireland, at on pilgrimmages to the Marian shrine there.
Will Elaine Paige Duet with YouTube Sensation Susan Boyle?Susan Boyle's idol, Elaine Paige, asks whether she ought to record a duet with Susan. She will probably be swamped with Yesses.
Susan Boyle, an Unlikely Singer, Is a YouTube Sensation - NYTimes.comfrom the article: "Unknown From Nowhere Reveals Extraordinary Gift and Stuns World."
Why Susan Boyle Makes Us CryHalf the women I sent the link to cried when they watched the YouTube clip of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent and I think I know why.
Two Reasons Susan Boyle Means So Much To UsMark Blankenship speculates on why Susan Boyle, the overnight star of YouTube and the UK television show Britain's Got Talent, has touched a chord with millions.
Over fifteen million people have now witnessed YouTube sensation Susan Boyle from Scotland wowing the judges on a UK television program called Britain's Got Talent. She walked on to titters and laughs, and had them cheering with the first three notes of her performance.
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