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Author Topic: 2004 AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28  (Read 1931 times)

fhmmany2

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2004 AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« on: March 26, 2010, 05:06:59 PM »
 Author  Topic: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28  (Read 2459 times) 

clayMaine-iac
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     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« on: May 28, 2004, 04:52:52 AM »   

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GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!!!!

DIVA TALK: A Chat with Caroline's Tonya Pinkins, a Gypsy Thank You, Headley Comes Home and "Idol" Thoughts

By Andrew Gans
28 May 2004

 
Quote
HEATHER HEADLEY

Singer-actress Heather Headley came Home this week to the New Amsterdam Theatre, offering a one-night-only concert Monday night to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' Children and Families Initiative. The Aida Tony winner, sporting long hair and a wedding band, was in tremendous voice, opening her show with The Wiz anthem "Home," and the enthusiastic crowd welcomed Headley with a roar of applause. Headley's two-act concert seemed to chart her career: The first half focused on theatre songs, including tunes from Aida, The Lion King and Ragtime, while the second half featured pop tunes, including several from Headley's Grammy-nominated recording, "This Is Who I Am." There was also a heavy dose of gospel numbers as well as several guest artists who also shone in the concert directed by Graciela Daniele. Among the first act's highlights were three duets — "Sarah Brown Eyes" with Norm Lewis, "Written in the Stars" with Adam Pascal and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" with Clay Aiken — as well as a jazzy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," the A Chorus Line ballad "Nothing" and a belty "The Music That Makes Me Dance," dedicated to her new husband. Headley began the second act with the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools" and also offered a tribute to another of her vocal mentors, Gladys Knight, with "Neither One Of Us." She performed four tunes from "This Is Who I Am" — "He Is," "I Wish I Wasn't," "Fallin, for You" and "If It Wasn't for Your Love" — and also welcomed the Broadway Inspirational Voices under the direction of Big River Tony nominee Michael McElroy. A few gospel tunes brought the sold-out audience to its feet, and star Headley emotionally thanked everyone for following her through all the phases of her career.


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clayMaine-iac
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     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2004, 04:55:02 AM »   

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Quote
In The News: American Idol, Sarah Jessica and More!
Thursday, May 27, 2004
     

ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD: An estimated 31.4 million people watched gospel-tinged soul diva Fantasia "Bo-Bo" Barrino edge out perpetually perky Diana DeGarmo on American Idol's grand finale Wednesday night. That's down slighly from last year's Clay-Ruben matchup. The 19-year-old single mom from High Point, N.C., collapsed in DeGarmo's arms the moment Ryan Seacrest called out her name. "I always said I've been through some things, but I've worked hard to get where I'm at," she sobbed to the "star-studded" audience that included Fonzie, Nicole Richie and Paula Abdul's breasts. Fantasia follows in the footsteps of previous Idol title-holders Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aik..., er, I mean Ruben Studdard. Her first single, the Tamyra Gray-penned track "I Believe," will hit stores next week and, if all goes according to plan, will become the new leading cause of suicide in the United States by year's end. For more Idol dish, read Daniel R. Coleridge's post-victory interview with Bobo and Damian Holbrook's Watercooler commentary.


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clayMaine-iac
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     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2004, 05:00:20 AM »   

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Quote
Celebs indulge in Idol worship
By William Keck, USA TODAY
HOLLYWOOD — There was no joy in Snellville Wednesday night. Mighty DeGarmo had struck out.
     
But on the opposite side of America, far removed from the dejected Georgia hometown of defeated American Idol contender Diana DeGarmo, the stars came out to welcome the newest American Idol, Fantasia Barrino, to their exclusive superstar set.

On the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre — two hours before Ryan Seacrest declared Barrino the winner — Hollywood elite made it known that Fantasia was their only acceptable champ. The chances of finding a famous DeGarmo supporter were slimmer than landing a celeb endorsement for President Bush.

Among the stars pledging their allegiance to Fantasia: Ray Romano, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lea Thompson and Henry Winkler.

Backstage, just moments after being named American Idol, Barrino received a hug from inaugural Idol Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson told Barrino that she'd fought with security to help get Barrino's family onstage after the big announcement, but security stopped her.

Clarkson is now recording a new album and believes Haunted will be the breakout song. "It's about suicide," she chirped.

At Fox's Hollywood & Highland after-party, Barrino's mother, Diane — a dead ringer for her daughter, and grandmother Addie — still hadn't seen Fantasia.

In fact, no one at the party saw Barrino, which may have accounted for the party's paltry celeb turnout.

The real party —Idol producers' exclusive soiree at the Sky Bar on Sunset — started up around 10, and USA TODAY was the only invited media.

Judge Simon Cowell conceded there was much concern over the possibility that DeGarmo might win the title.

"We had to have Fantasia win. If she hadn't, we would have had a problem," Cowell said. "It would have been the first time that popularity won out over talent."

Sitting at a table near her mother and Idol fan Nicole Richie, DeGarmo said she suspected at the start of the show that she'd lost when producers told the girls, " 'Fantasia, you'll be singing Dreams, and Diana, you'll sing I Believe.' " Realizing they wouldn't have the winner sing I Believe (the first single to be released this summer) twice, DeGarmo put the pieces together. "I was sitting there going, 'Well, you just told me who won,' because they wanted I Believe to be the (final) song for the winner."

Although last year's runner-up Clay Aiken was beamed in from North Carolina, first year runner-up and persona non grata Justin Guarini was conspicuously absent from the festivities. Explaining his absence, show producer Nigel Lythgoe said, "Justin got really upset with his career going nowhere."

Barrino finally arrived just after 11 p.m., her eyes still swollen with tears. More than her new 2005 Ford Focus and recording contract, it was her daughter, Zion, who filled her thoughts. Said Barrino, "Mommy can take care of her now."

Idol's ratings were strong enough to win the night — and the week — though they don't match last year's Ruben-vs.-Clay finale peak. Preliminary results for the final hour of Wednesday's show averaged 32.5 million viewers, down from 38.1 million in 2003.

Contributing: Bill Keveney

USATODAY
 

 
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Pamela
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      AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2004, 06:42:51 AM »   

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IS `American Idol' trying to lose Southern accent?

Quote
The executives at Fox must be trying to shake the South's chokehold on "American Idol."

Many of the top performers have come from the Atlanta audition -- winner Fantasia Barrino, Clay Aiken and Tamyra Gray -- yet Atlanta isn't listed as an audition site next year. So far, it's Las Vegas, Cleveland, Orlando, New Orleans, St. Louis, Alaska and Washington, D.C. But trust Southern contestants not to be deterred.

"If they can get to Atlanta, they can get to Florida," said S. Craig Watkins, associate professor of radio, television and film at the University of Texas. "They'll probably still be able to draw" from the South.

Let's hope so. States below the Mason-Dixon line have yielded the strongest contestants in the talent show that pits aspiring young singers from across the country against each other. The finalists in all three seasons have had Southern roots: season one winner Kelly Clarkson of Texas and runner-up Justin Guarini, who is from Pennsylvania but grew up in Georgia; season two winner Ruben Studdard of Alabama and runner-up Aiken of Raleigh; and season three winner Barrino of High Point and runner-up Diana DeGarmo of Georgia.

Two theories emerge as to why the South does so well. Historians point out it's the birthplace of nearly every important American music: jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll and country.

"So, of course a Southern musician should do well in any kind of American music contest," said historian Tom Hanchett of Levine Museum of the New South. "Music has really been important to Southerners. For a lot of people it was the only way out of the field, out of the factory."

Along with that rich music history, there's the tradition of children in Southern states growing up with music, especially through their churches. The Carters, the Judds and the Cash family are only a few examples of families with traditions in music, said Bill Ferris, associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at UNC Chapel Hill.

"Southerners are raised in a culture of storytelling and music," he said. "They instinctively know how to perform."

Barrino's experience singing in her family's gospel group gave her a definite advantage, but part of her appeal was her humility. She asked people to pray for her and often thanked God and her family. Her attitude reinforced America's enduring and idealistic Mayberry image of the South.

Today's entertainment is saturated with images of sexuality, materialism and violence, most of which is generated on the East Coast and West Coast. The six "Idol" finalists didn't come from those types of places.

"Right now the innocence sells," said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. "There's so much of that other stuff. It clutters the entertainment industry. We want to see talent and a nice personality win."

Most of the finalists fit those characteristics. The video profiles on "Idol" give viewers a peek into the contestants' hometowns, and often those segments reinforce the genteel Southern image. Many have strong ties to community, church and family.

Barrino appealed to people from the same background as herself and to others who were touched by her humility, said Ed Palmer, a Davidson College psychology professor.

"The whole nature of people seeing people from that kind of context, from that background, get that kind of chance is exciting for all viewers."

CHARLOTTE.COM (poll at the link!)
 
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Pamela
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      AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2004, 06:49:27 AM »   

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Fantasia Fantasy: 'Idol' Crowns a New Champ

Quote
Thursday, May 27 08:00 AM)
By Daniel Fienberg

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Wednesday night's (May 26) "American Idol" Finale is a star-studded affair, particularly if you consider the stars of FOX's summer, fall and winter line-ups to be stars. Two hours after the show's 8 p.m. ET starting time, host Ryan Seacrest will finally get around to announcing that, in a small miracle, the competition's winner was also its most talented participant. Until that revelation, though, gawking at beautiful people is the best occupation.
The audience at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre is so glutted with celebrities that it's almost simpler to list the rich and famous personages who had other places to be on Wednesday. Thus, in the interest of equal time, the following is an assortment of stars who did not attend the "American Idol" taping (but who, almost certainly, were watching at home): Tom Cruise, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Doris Day, Ahmad Chalabi, Janet Jackson, Nadine Gordimer, Shrek, Rita Dove, Brad Pitt, Salman Rushdie, The Gimp, Zed, Rob and Amber from "Survivor," Nomar Garciaparra (and Mia Hamm) and Robert Evans. All were missed, to various degrees.

The episode begins with enough filler to stuff an entire army of undead scarecrows, which Ryan could then order to do his unholy bidding. Given that nothing specific (nor anything important) occurs for the show's first hour, it's better to just provide a few random thoughts.
 
 
Christina Christian from "Idol" Season One and Jennifer Love Hewitt join Ryan as hosts of a special outdoor concert that probably displaced the Krispy Kreme carts in the center of the Hollywood and Highland mall. Christian, of course, has an album to support and "Love" is there so that FOX can give free ad time to the 20th Century Fox release "Garfield."

Kimberly Caldwell is in Diana DeGarmo's hometown of Snellville, Ga. We (I) would like to take this opportunity to remind Ms. Caldwell that even when other people (everybody but me) were saying that she wore too much makeup and was better suited to a Six Flags theme show than to "American Idol," she always had a place in our (my) hearts. Now, one year removed from her "Idol," Kim is interviewing big-time politicians. The governor of Georgia is clad in a pink suit, thereby jeopardizing his chances at national office.

Victoria Beckham thinks that Fantasia Barrino is going to win. The former Posh Spice pronounces Fantasia's name with the same excess of syllables as Simon. Her husband, footballer Becks, is nowhere to be seen. Recent history suggests that she needs to keep a better eye on the Real Madrid star.

Clay Aiken is posted in North Carolina, which means he isn't at the Kodak to distract finale viewers from the belief that being an "Idol" winner is actually important.

George Huff, reprising "Me and Mrs. Jones" on the outdoor stage, is fantastic. It sounds as if he's been resting his voice. The Final Four really should have been George, Fantasia, Diana and LaToya.

Which is more hilarious: The fact that white people all seem to be terrified by Method Man and Redman or that wealthy Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton can only afford enough clothing to cover 13 percent of their bodies? FOX can't seem to decide, hence the mudslide of commercials for FOX's summer season.

Jasmine Trias has had some really fine moments in this competition, but none of them involve her entirely soulless rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia."

Simon Cowell's shirt is unbuttoned to his bellybutton. Ryan distributes Simon's tight T-shirts to the crew, but we'd really rather see the judge use one to blot out our memories of his chest hair.
Finally, 33 minutes into the telecast, Ryan reaches the stage of the Kodak. Having hit that milestone, it's time for a long bout of commercials before, finally, the opening credits roll. Wait. What have we been watching up to now? Tamyra Gray leads things off with an over-enunciated version of "The Star Spangled Banner." The crowd is confused and, thinking they're watching an "Idol" performance, breaks into applause at every superfluous vocal run.

Ryan drops the first statistical bomb of the night by announcing that the extra-long voting time and the extra voting lines yielded 65 million votes. The judges are on hand for no reason beyond drinking from their Coca-Cola cups.

The first of what will surely be countless group numbers finds Diana, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Kelly Clarkson and the obligatory unnamed choir explaining how important it is to "Dream the Impossible Dream." Ruben appears to be out of breath walking down a ramp. That can't be good, but at least the singers are.

Is anybody else disappointed that we missed out on the buddy comedy starring Ruben and Clay? I don't think Fantasia and Diana would make a very interesting cinematic pairing. Then again, that didn't stop Justin (remember him?) and Kelly. Also, as much as we (I) love Kimberly Caldwell, she does herself no favors jamming her face in the camera lens.

There's a recap of last night's show, with a prizefighting motif. This recapper had Tuesday's bout scored two rounds to one in favor of Fantasia.

With an hour left to kill, Kelly, clad in sea foam, gets to sing first. She's either very moved or her eyes now secrete glitter. After four minutes of programming, we get the last extended Ford commercial of the season. It's set to "Shining Star," and they don't even seem to be trying anymore.

Five minutes of ads are used to set up an 8-minute super-medley featuring the Top 12 singing a tribute to the guest judges. The only male whose mic seems to be on is George. Rose Bowl Matt Rogers is just pleased with his proximity to Pasadena, while Leah LaBelle is giddy the producers remembered to invite her and Jennifer Hudson makes sure to hold the last note longer than the others, just to show off.

In an awkward blooper, Barry Manilow has to introduce himself to an "Idol" make-up artist. Barry adds to his street cred by swearing like a sailor. More products are sold. Last year's winner Ruben launches into his new single that sounds identical to his last single. I'd make a joke, but Big Ruben is wearing a Red Sox cap, so his blandness will remain my secret.

(Oh, Ryan, stop saying it's almost time to give me the results when you know it's a lie.)

The teasing continues as Diana reprises the "Idol" single, "I Believe." She's much better than last night. Without moving the unintroduced choir from the stage, Fantasia chimes in with "Dreams."

After one last duet, the time for the results may be at hand. The judges offer warm and fuzzy compliments to summarize the season. Ryan repeats their comments from last night and then whips out the magic envelope.

The winner is Fantasia. The champ hugs Diana and won't let go. Fantasia cries. Paula cries. Randy looks like he's about to cry. Simon plays with his chest hair, but seems pleased and a bit emotional. Diana has her beauty pageant smile in place, but there are tears as well.

Ryan waves Fantasia's family to the stage, but they're stopped by security. After one last version of "I Believe," the show ends with a big group hug.

Perhaps the night's best moment comes at the very end, as the camera catches Simon silently warning Ryan not to close with "Seacrest Out." Instead, he signs off with "'Idol' Out," realizing that this evening wasn't about him.

FOX later reveals Fantasia's margin of victory to be 1.3 million votes, which is either a really close race or a rout.

That the voters got it right and gave Fantasia the crown doesn't change the fact that viewers can eagerly anticipate albums from Diana and LaToya London as well. Those recordings can serve as aural methadone to smooth those tough patches until the next "American Idol" begins in January.

See you there.

ZAP2IT
 
 
 
 
 

 

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