• '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.

  • Blake Shelton 'Saturday Night Live': Singer Spoofs 'The Voice,' 'The Bachelor' and Performs "Neon Light" [WATCH]

    Blake Shelton pulled double duty on last night's Jan. 24 episode of "Saturday Night Live." The host performed in a few sketches that poked fun at his country side, "The Bachelor" and his coaching gig on "The Voice" before taking the stage to perform "Neon Light" from last year's "Bringing Back the Sunshine." Shelton, one of the more humorous celebrities on the NBC singing show, was a good sport with all the jokes.

  • Toby Keith Joins Keith Urban, Tim McGraw & The Band Perry as Country Jam 2015 Headliner

    Country Jam 2015 is starting to look just a little more complete. After announcing headliners Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and The Band Perry over the last few months, today (Jan. 22), the annual country music festival has announced its final major performer, and it's a doozy. Yes, "Drunk Americans" singer and legendary country act Toby Keith has been announced as the fourth headlining performer.

  • '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.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: 5 Best Auditions from Jennifer Lopez's Hometown and Adam Lambert's Return

    The gang headed to Jennifer Lopez's native New York City for the fourth auditions episode of American Idol Season 14. Jenny from the Block ...As an added bonus, former runner-up and current Queen frontman Adam Lambert stopped by to fill in for Keith Urban, effectively putting the country star's bromance with Harry Connick Jr. on hiatus (Urban was thankfully on tour during the shooting).

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: Series Looks to Bounce Back from Last Week's Low Ratings

    Last week's American Idol premiere was an all-time low for the series. The first audition episode, held in Nashville, scored 11.2 million viewers with a 3.2 rating percent ratings in 18-49 demographic. In comparison, 15.2 million people watched Season 13's premiere last year, earning the show a 4.7 percent rating. It looks like the safe, family friendly format is slowing killing off the once powerful hit.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: 5 More Impressive Auditions from Nashville and Kansas City

    After American Idol's Season 14 opener, judges Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban both shared some words with the press about the talent they've seen so far. The New Orleans jazz artist promised viewers that the judges have seen plenty of contestants capable of attaining superstar status. Urban stressed the importance of finding someone with great singing abilities, studio presence and live skills.

  • Harry Connick Jr. Talks 'American Idol' Season 14 Talent, Randy Jackson's Departure from Show

    The 14th season of "American Idol" kicked off last night, Jan. 7, with the judges searching for singing talent in Keith Urban's favorite town: Nashville. The show will also roll through the Bronx in honor of Jennifer Lopez as well as Harry Connick Jr.'s New Orleans. The latter spoke to "The Hollywood Reporter" recently about the new season's talent and the departure of the show's last original judge, Randy Jackson."We are trying to find someone who can sell records and become a big superstar," Connick said. "Given the talent we've seen, that isn't going to be an issue. We are going to be OK."Last night's highlights included Riley Bria on an Urban tune, Cameron Bedell sharing some soul on a Ray LaMontangne track and Michael Simeon taking on Sam Smith's hit "Stay With Me." But Connick assured fans there were plenty of other yes votes from the Nashville session, which continues tonight on Fox."We had a ridiculous amount of talent through the door," he said. "At one point, there were 10 unanimous yeses. That has never happened before. It was really encouraging."Connick also talked about the departure of OG judge Jackson, who moved into a mentor role last season and announced his departure from the show in November. Connick now sits in Jackson's old seat.

  • 'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: 5 Best Auditions from the Show's Nashville Premiere

    American Idol looks much different from what I remember. Full disclosure, I ditched the show after its midway point in Season Seven when David Cook earned the title. The judges - Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban - are prettier than the original three, way less failed auditions air, and Coca Cola bailed on the competition. What remains (and this is what keeps the series on the air) is the allure that in a matter of months a nobody can become a household name and be propelled into the limelight. Oh yeah, and Ryan Seacrest is still here too.
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