ABC/Donna SvennevikSome of music's biggest names will be spotlighted Saturday night on a special edition of ABC's 20/20.
Called Rock 'n Royalty: Billboard's All-Stars, the show will be anchored by Barbara Walters, and feature the best and most memorable moments from ABC interviews conducted throughout the years with a variety of pop superstars.
Among the highlights:
--Cynthia McFadden's chats with Cher and Madonna
--Katie Couric's sit-down with Taylor Swift
--Barbara Walters' interviews with Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake, among others
--Amy Robach's one-on-one with Beyonce
The oldest of these interviews is with Justin Timberlake: that one dates back to 2002. The most recent one is the Beyonce chat, which aired earlier this month.
In addition, the special will feature new interviews with Lady Antebellum, as well as with comedian Tracy Morgan, who's hosting this Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards. The two-hour special airs Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET.
Ray Mickshaw/FOXBy now, most people know that newly-minted American Idol champ Candice Glover tried out twice for the show before finally making into the top 10 this year. So why was she able to make it this year, when she got cut the two previous years? What changed? Her strategy.
Speaking with reporters on Friday during a phone press conference, Candice explained that when she decided to try out one more time for Idol, she tried to expand her repertoire...and also stop caring so much what people thought of her.
"I just listened to every single genre of music out there and got my musical knowledge up," she told reporters, adding that she "focused on being myself more and being different, and not worrying about being accepted."
"In the previous two years, I cared a little bit more than I should have, and that's why it didn't really work out," Candice explained. "But this time, I was confident, and it worked out."
She also had advice from a friend she met during last season, when she made it to the Vegas rounds: Jessica Sanchez, who came in second last year behind Phillip Phillips.
"Last year, I was encouraging her and voting for her and being there when she needed someone to talk to," Candice told reporters. And this year, when the tables were turned, Candice says, "She always would tell me, 'Be yourself, and just go through the whole thing, and pace yourself 'cause it's gonna get harder down the road.'"
Next up for Candice: a round of media appearances, including singing on Live with Kelly & Michael on Monday, and recording her debut album, Music Speaks, which is coming out July 16. Since the American Idols Live tour begins June 29, Candice told reporters she expects to be spending "late hours" in the studio trying to get it done before that.
Photo: James O'MaraThe stars are coming out for Carole King next week. On Tuesday, she'll be saluted in Washington, D.C., by the likes of Billy Joel,Gloria Estefan, Colbie Caillat,James Taylor...and President Obama.
Carole is the first woman ever to receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which is given annually to a composer for his or her contributions to popular music. According to USA Today, during a ceremony at the Library of Congress, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will get to hang out with the president and first lady, and she'll be saluted by Colbie, Patti Austin and Michael Feinstein, among others.
Then, during another ceremony at the White House, Carole's good friend James Taylor, as well as Billy, Gloria, rising British pop star Emeli Sandé, country star Trisha Yearwood and actor/singer Jesse McCartney, will all pay tribute to her.
The event will be streamed live on WhiteHouse.gov/live starting at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. PBS will air the show May 28 at 8 p.m. ET.
Ray Mickshaw/FOXMost people watching the American Idol finale Thursday night would say that the duet that Candice Glover sang with Jennifer Hudson on the song "Inseparable" was one of the highlights of the evening. Someone who wouldn't say that is the woman who originally recorded the song: Natalie Cole.
Natalie was evidently miffed that she wasn't invited to sing her song with Candice on the finale. In a tweet, she wrote, "Make no mistake. 'Inseparable' was NOT originally recorded by [Jennifer Hudson] but by ME." Cole further wrote on Facebook, "American Idol ought to be ashamed of themselves....I am seriously offended!"
Some fans responded that they, too, are upset that Natalie wasn't tapped to appear on the finale -- after all, for years, veteran artists have made special appearances to duet with the finalists. Others, meanwhile, have advised Natalie to chill out, saying that at least Jennifer and Candice did the song justice and gave her song some exposure.
So far, neither Candice nor Jennifer have responded to Natalie's comments.
GeorgeMichael.comGeorge Michael and cars just don't mix. The BBC reports that the singer was airlifted to the hospital Thursday after suffering a head injury in a car crash in the U.K.
A statement posted on George's Facebook page says that he is "fine" and only has "superficial cuts" as a result of the accident, which took place in Hertfordshire. The singer wasn't driving the car; he was a passenger, and the statement adds that "no third party was involved."
A police spokesperson, meanwhile, told the BBC, "The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
This isn't the first time that George has been in a car crash. In 2010, he was fined, sentenced to eight weeks in prison and banned from driving for five years after he crashed his car into a store while under the influence of marijuana.
In recent years, George has had some serious health issues. He was hospitalized with pneumonia in 2011, and for a time was in a coma. He later claimed he almost died.
Image Courtesy Robin Williams via TwitterA few weeks back, Kelly Clarkson tweeted a photo of herself with Robin Williams, posing on the set of a CBS comedy pilot called The Crazy Ones. Turns out she made a cameo as herself in the pilot, and now that CBS has now picked up the show for the fall, we'll be able see her. A sneak preview, however, is available online now.
The Crazy Ones is set in Chicago, and is about a father and daughter, played by Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who both work in advertising. In the pilot, they try to persuade Kelly to sing a McDonald's commercial, but she tells them she wants to change her image and "sing about sex."
"They said I wouldn't have to act, 'cause I suck at acting," says Kelly in the preview. "They said, 'Well, you're playing yourself.' But it's not myself!"
Kelly says she "lost" it during a scene where Robin Williams and another cast member try to come up with ways that Kelly can sing about sex, and still sing about McDonald's. Next, we see her in the studio singing a song called "It Ain't the Meat It's the Motion" -- which is a real song, by the way -- and simulating being in the throes of sexual passion.
The show's executive producers say that Kelly was "amazing" in the episode, adding, "She rocked it!"
The Crazy Ones will air on Thursdays this fall at 9 p.m.
FoxIs Nicki Minaj leaving American Idol? She won't say. She came backstage briefly after the show’s season finale Thursday and took three questions. One she chose not to answer was, "Are you coming back?"
Nicki was first asked why she didn't perform Thursday night, since all the other judges did. She explained that she was committed to performing her song "High School" at this Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards, so she wasn't allowed to perform on Idol. She also revealed that this season, she was supposed to premiere the song's video during American Idol, but Fox rejected it as being too risque.
Nicki then said that she felt that newly-crowned champ Candice Glover was "absolutely" the right person to win. When a publicist said the rapper would take one more question, several were shouted, and Nicki chose to take one about whether or not she was working on new music -- she begins work on her official third album in July. But as reporters shouted, "Are you coming back?" she blinked, smiled, and walked offstage.
Meanwhile, Candice's debut album, titled Music Speaks, will be in stores July 16 and is available for pre-order now. The newly-minted champ will perform on Live with Kelly & Michael on Monday, and will also appear on PBS’s 24th Annual National Memorial Day Concert, and on the annual special A Capitol Fourth.
Facebook.com/StingBack in 1989, Sting starred in a Broadway musical: a revival of The Threepenny Opera. Now, he's trying to raise some cash to bring his own production to the Great White Way.
The New York Post reports that Sting and his producing partner are trying to raise $15 million to bring their musical, The Last Ship, to Broadway next spring. Based on his autobiographical album The Soul Cages, the musical tells the story of a family of shipbuilders whose future looks bleak when the shipyard where they've worked for years is shut down.
A staged reading of the piece was conducted last week for potential investors, reports the Post. While Sting isn't going to star in the show, he did write the music and lyrics, and the tone is said to be "moody," "reflective" and "haunting." A source told the paper that the show is reminiscent of Billy Elliot in that it's about "working-class people who maintain their dignity in the face of adversity."
According to the Post, one potential investor said he thought the show was too "arty" for Broadway, but another pointed out that the musical Once was considered to be "arty" as well, and it won the Tony.
The Post also claims that Sting's been suffering from writer's block for several years, and working on this show is what cured him.
Kai Z. Feng/Atlantic RecordsRight now, Bruno Mars is a trim guy who's in great shape, as you can probably tell from his energetic onstage performances. But the singer says he's looking forward to the day when he becomes an overweight parody of himself, sort of like his idol, Elvis Presley.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Bruno, who'll launch his Moonshine Jungle tour next month, says he foresees himself performing onstage years in the future, even though he no longer looks and sounds good.
"I would love to go away for a while and then be able to write a song that I feel just as strongly about as I did with ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ or ‘When I Was Your Man," he laughs. "I can’t wait for the reunion tour when I’m just huge and bloated, singin’ my songs seven keys down in Palm Springs. And it's gonna happen!"
Bruno's Moonshine Jungle tour launches June 22 in Washington, D.C., and he says unlike some pop artists, he doesn't plan to go overboard on the special effects when it comes to his concert production. You won't see him flying around the stage, for example.
"I don’t think I would feel too comfortable like, wearing a harness,” he laughs. "I want the music and the sound to be rockin’, more important than the visual effects and tricks or whatnot. I don’t want to get lost in that."
He adds, "I’ve definitely seen bands before they made money kind of change their thing on the next tour, and I prefer it when it’s a little more raw. We always change it up, you know? It’s live, and that’s a big element of the show.”
Bruno also doesn't want to look out into the audience and see people watching the show through their smartphones. He recently tweeted, "At the shows I want to see faces. I want to be able to sing to you. I want you to dance with us world. Put the phones down and lets dance!"
Ray Mickshaw/FOXCandice Glover, a 23-year-old singer from St. Helena Island, South Carolina, was crowned the season 12 American Idol champion Thursday night.
Candicedefeated runner-up Kree Harrison to become the first female American Idol winner since 2007. Candice had been trying out for Idol for the past three years, so this win was especially sweet for her. She capped off the night singing her brand-new single, "I Am Beautiful."
Kree and Candice performed one final duet of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "One Less Bell to Answer" and "A House Is Not a Home" before Candice was crowned the winner.
This season's top 10 finalists opened the show singing TheWanted's "Glad You Came." The "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin appeared via satellite from New York City to sing with the top five girls, who were in Los Angeles. It was all a bit surreal, but Aretha sounded great nonetheless. The medley began with "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and continued with "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "Respect" and "Think."
The top five guys took the stage to sing a medley of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hits, including "Let's Hang On (To What We've Got)" and "Walk Like a Man," before Frankie joined them to sing "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Grease."
Heavily bejeweled judge Mariah Carey performed a medley of her hits "Vision of Love," "Make It Happen," "My All," "Hero" and "We Belong Together" before finishing up with her latest hit "#Beautiful," a duet with Miguel. Though Miguel didn't show up for the duet, Mariah's fellow judge and longtime collaborator, Randy Jackson, did play bass for the performance. Mariah's performance was actually taped on Wednesday night, and speculation that she was lip synching was widespread on Twitter during the show. Mariah's rep told The Hollywood Reporter she was definitely singing live though.
Country trio The Band Perry gave a dramatic performance of their latest single, "DONE.," with a little help from finalist Janelle Arthur. Former Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson returned to sing a powerhouse cover of Natalie Cole's "Inseparable" with Candice.
Judge Keith Urban performed his brand-new country single, "Little Bit of Everything," for the first time on television. Keith returned to perform "Where the Blacktop Ends" with Kree and Randy, featuring Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums.
Since Randy is leaving the show, Idol kicked off a tribute to the "Dawg" with a roomful of dogs sitting at a conference table barking about it. Their subtitles revealed they were upset about Randy's departure. A montage of Randy's finest moments followed.
Psy was on hand for a highly-produced and choreographed performance of his single, "Gentleman." Former Idol judge Jennifer Lopez teamed up with Pitbull to perform their latest collaboration, "Live It Up," just before the results were announced.
Amber Holcomb returned to sing the British sensation Emeli Sandé’s hit "Next to Me" with Emeli herself. Angie Miller teamed up with former Idol contestant Adam Lambert for a duet on David Guetta and Sia's "Titanium."
Then Jessie J, Angie's personal Idol, appeared behind the judges' table to join Angie onstage for a duet of Jessie's hit "Domino." After the performance, Jessie told Angie she'd fly her to the U.K. so they could perform Angie's original song, "You Set Me Free," together onstage. Angie was supposed to have performed that song on the finale, but according to Jessie, Angie had to forgo doing so in order to sing with her. By the way, Jessie appeared bald because she recently shaved her head for charity, and her hair hasn't grown in yet.
The two-hour finale included a comic interlude where all the male finalists revealed that they were voted off in quick succession because the female finalists sabotaged them, in order to ensure a female winner. It was a sly reference to the fact that many viewers this year believed the producers deliberately stacked the deck with weak male contestants to achieve the same results. At the end of the piece, it was revealed that the mastermind behind the so-called "sabotage" was none other than Jordin Sparks, the last female winner of American Idol.
Backstage, after the show, Candice said she was “still trying to process” the idea that she had won. Candice said she didn’t hear Ryan Seacrest announce her name, but she does remember confetti getting into her mouth while she was singing. She said winning “feels amazing.”
When asked backstage why she kept trying out for Idol, Candice replied that she “just couldn't stay away, because I knew that if I kept trying it would happen.”
Kree spoke backstage about being excited about going out on tour, calling it “a little insane.” As for her recording plans, Kree said she just wants to make a good record. As for the genre, Kree declared, “It's definitely going to be country, for sure. I want to be on country radio, and, yeah. I can't believe I get to go make that now.”
If you're already missing this season's finalists, then catch them on the road this summer. The IDOL Live! 2013 Tour launches June 29 in St. Louis.
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