• 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: Contestants Get Ready for the Final Judgment After House of Blues Gigs

    The final judgment is here. After a stressful and sleepless Hollywood round last week on American Idol, 48 contestants performed at The House of Blues in front of a live audience. Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban watched from a far, and this time around there was no immediate critique or praise. The judgment came later, and it was the most nerve-racking encounter with the judges yet.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: 5 of the Best Solo Performances from Hollywood

    "It's A-Game or Plan-B." That was the introductory message for tonight's (Feb. 12) episode. The group performances were over and contestants had to face Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban solo. This time, they were accompanied by a house band, making song choice all the more important. Some rose to the challenge. Others weren't so lucky.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: Group Performances Begin and One Chick Passes Out

    Hollywood week, as Ryan Seacrest noted at the start of the episode, is an "emotional roller coaster." American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban now expect everyone's best, even if that means performances that aren't technically perfect. We moved through the final solo performances into the much more exciting group displays. Contestants were forced to work out a song with others and stand out while putting together a cohesive performance. Sounds easy enough, right?

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: Final Audition Show Tied New York's Talent Pool

    Well, we made it. The second part of the San Francisco saga was billed as having "the best for last." And American Idol wasn't joking. Jennfier Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. were handing out golden tickets a lot. It was a nice end to what we'll call a solid audition run. San Francisco certainly tied, if not exceeded, New York's talent pool.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: San Francisco Shows Off Some Fun Personalities

    American Idol bounced back last Thursday (Jan. 22) in New Orleans, Harry Connick Jr.'s hometown, after a lackluster episode in Minneapolis. For the final audition week, Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Connick sorted through talent in San Francisco. The City by the Bay's first episode was decent (still better than Minneapolis), but Idol probably saved the best auditions for tomorrow (Jan. 29). The talent and the singing styles were varied, which added to the episode's success.

  • Simon Cowell's DJ Competition Show Will Premiere on Yahoo

    Simon Cowell's DJ competition reality show appears to have a home. It will premiere on Yahoo's online streaming platform Yahoo Screen, which made a large jump into the music sphere with an announced partnership with Live Nation to stream a concert a day live via the platform. Yahoo plans to premiere the weekly show, tentatively titled "Ultimate DJ," from the "American Idol" and "X-Factor" producer that will pit electronic dance music DJs against each other in a reality show where they will compete to be voted the best one.

  • 'Empire' and 'American Idol' Cross-Promotion? Can Terrence Howard and Co. Save Fox's Flagship Vocal Competition?

    It's no secret that ratings are down over at American Idol. The folks at Fox realize this as well, and they ask realize they've got another music-centric show that's red hot: the hip-hop drama Empire. Promoters are considering a cross-promotional effort that would feature current competitors on Idol making guest appearances on the drama, which airs immediately following it on Wednesday night.

  • 'American Idol' Team Talks New Format, Last Year's Low Ratings at Television Critics Association Press Event

    "American Idol" is essentially trimming the fat during Season 14 in order to combat low ratings. The crew held a panel for the Television Critics Association press tour yesterday, Jan. 17, and talked about the singing competition's new format for performance rounds. In the coming weeks, "Idol" will condense performances and voting to one night a week in order to shake things up, "The Hollywood Reporter" notes."We're pleased to be down to one show a week," executive producer Trish Kinane said. "We have all the drama of an elimination and all the performances. I think it's going to be jam-packed. There's a lot to do in that one show."Traditionally, "Idol" held one night of performances and one night of results. The show's airtime is down from 55 hours last year to 41. That means less excruciatingly drawn-out cliffhangers and more focus on the singing action.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now