[video] American Idol “Welcome Home” TV Special

In preparation for the upcoming season of American Idol, Fox and Idol producers put together a TV special that brought together past Idol winners to show where they came from and how far they’ve come since winning American Idol. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze shared their stories of becoming an American Idol.

American Idol Winner Lee DeWyze to Release Debut Album Live It Up Nov 16

Last May, Lee DeWyze thrilled millions of fans when he was crowned the Season 9 winner of American Idol. Now the wait is over for original music from this self-taught singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who will release his major-label debut album, Live It Up, on November 16 on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. Lee’s first single “Live It Up” will debut ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ October 13.

“Putting out an album on a major label is truly a dream come true,” says 24-year-old DeWyze, a native of Mount Prospect, IL, who had built up a sizeable following on the Chicago club scene when he first auditioned for Idol in June 2009 at the urging of his bandmates. He was the only male contestant never to land in the competition’s bottom three contestants. “I’m excited for all the people who supported me throughout Idol to hear what I can do with my own songs. The album shows a whole different side of me and I’m so proud of it.”

Working with top-notch collaborators such as Toby Gad, John Shanks, and Espionage, to name a few, DeWyze co-wrote most of the songs on Live It Up, which he recorded while on the road over the summer with the American Idols Live Tour. “To see my name listed in the credits on each song was really important to me because I’m a songwriter,” DeWyze says, “I also loved working with such talented writers. They all brought so much to the table and really helped me flesh out my sound.”

Live It Up is an engaging blend of rootsy pop, rock and folk, anchored by DeWyze’s soulful, rough-edged voice and bright-sounding acoustic guitar. “I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, Cat Stevens, and Kris Kristofferson,” DeWyze says. “I love hard-edged vocals over pretty melodies — that’s what I’m about. I really admire guys like Dave Matthews and Ray LaMontagne, and to now be on the same record label as them — it just blows my mind.”

More details about Live It Up will be announced soon. For more about Lee, please visit www.leedewyzeofficial.com.

And The Winner Of Amerian Idol Is……..Lee DeWyze!

Lee DeWyze has been crowned the 2010 American Idol! He could barely comprehend everything that took place last night.

“Honestly,” he said backstage after the finale, “I can’t even explain it to you. There was confetti flying, there was fireworks. I don’t know where I am. I’m turning around. It just all happened so fast. It was amazing. It felt like there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. It feels really good. This is an amazing experience for me, especially since this has been a long process, and it’s a lot harder than I ever thought it would be.”

Now that the show is over, Lee DeWyze said he will go on tour, get in a studio and do what he loves best. When he finally does get to work on his album, he said it will be a mix of sounds: alternative, rock and folk.

He also addressed his final performances on Tuesday night, saying that even though he got critiqued harshly by the judges, he wouldn’t change much.

“You’d think by the last week, you get it. They’re going to say what they’re going to say,” he said of the judges. “But as long as you go out there, you try your hardest … you can’t really walk away with regret. There’s been ups and downs. But that’s what makes this show so great. You have to be vulnerable. Sometimes it’s really awesome; sometimes it’s not. I’m happy with what I did, for sure. I think anybody can go back and nitpick, but I love the songs I sang. I went out there and sang them, and I’m happy I did.”

Did you guys watch last night?!

Christina Aguilera Live On American Idol

Photo: American Idol/Fox

Christina Aguilera was a surprise guest on last night’s American Idol Finale. Rather than perform her single ‘Not Myself Tonight’ or her upcoming second single ‘Woohoo’, Aguilera chose to perform a moving ballad off her upcoming album Bionic called ‘You Lost Me’. Aguilera slowed things down and reminded us of just how powerful her voice is. You just have to ignore the intro by the top 10 female Idol contestants…

Will Paula Abdul Return To American Idol For The Season Finale?

Every year the producers of American Idol do their best to make sure the public doesn’t know who will appear during the finale. There have been quite a few rumors circulating right now as to which stars will appear during the live telecast, on Tuesday and Wednesday night on FOX.

The word on the street is Paula Abdul will make an appearance during the finale as part of a farewell to Simon Cowell, who will no longer be a judge on the hit show. If Paula shows up, this will be the first time she has appeared on Idol since she was replaced by Ellen.

Simon Cowell is ready to move on from Idol. He will be kicking off the US version of X-Factor next year. The 50 year old judge is very thrilled about his new foray and he will still remain as “brutally honest” as he has been all these in American Idol.

Will you guys watch the finale to see who wins? Will it be Crystal Bowersox or Lee DeWyze? Or are you going to be tuning in to see Simon’s last appearance?

Justin Bieber Performs on American Idol [VIDEO]

Photo: iMusicDaily.com

Justin Bieber performed on the American Idol results show last night just before Casey James was sent home. If you don’t know, Crystal and Lee will be in the final next week.

Justin managed to squeeze two songs into his performance, ‘U Smile’ and ‘Baby’.

Check out Justin Bieber’s performance on American Idol-

Michael ‘Big Mike’ Lynche Eliminated On American Idol

Fox

And then there were three…

Last night, Michael Lynche, aka Big Mike, was sent home on American Idol. For most of you, I know you were glad to see him go. I still don’t understand why the judges saved him.

Now, it’s down to Casey, Lee, and Crystal.

Will it be a a Lee and Crystal showdown? Who do you think will make the final 2?

American Idol Live! Tour Dates Announced

PRNewsFoto/Live Nation

Tickets for this year’s hotly anticipated American Idol Live! Tour will go on sale in select markets beginning May 14th at LiveNation.com. The American Idol Live! Tour 2010 will feature the American Idol Season 9 top 10 contestants Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, Katie Stevens, and Tim Urban.

America’s #1 show will make 49 stops this summer at a mix of top arenas and amphitheaters across North America giving fans a chance once again to catch their favorite “Idols” performing live in a town near them. The Live Nation promoted tour begins on July 1st at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit and runs through September 14th in Pittsburgh at the Consol Energy Center.

Check out the American Idol Live! Tour Dates: Read more

Idol Recap – Top 10 Guys Disappoint Once Again

Photo: Fox

The show started off on a somber note as we learned that Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized this morning and under doctor’s orders not to perform. So the guys agreed to take the stage a day early. It was another night of disappointment, although a couple guys improved and the curse of the song choice may have changed the game for others.

Here’s how it went down –

Michael Lynche – ‘It’s A Man’s World’ – James Brown – Ruben Studdard should take some lessons from this guy. He’s got a great voice and tonight he proved that he’s got what it takes to make it far in this competition. Definitely a good start to the show, but I know this performance won’t set the tone for several of the other guys to come.

John Park – ‘Gravity’ – John Mayer – It was hard to hear him say his a capella group wants him to lose so he can sing with them again when we all know he’s not going to last much longer in the competition. He’s got some really great qualities to his voice, but he makes some really bad choices with his vocal runs and melodies. He’s one of those singers who knows he has a good voice, but needs someone to come in and tell him what to do with it because when he makes his own decisions, it doesn’t go so well and he loses all that’s special about his voice.

Casey James – ‘I Don’t Wanna Be’ – Gavin DeGraw – First of all, after 8 seasons of Idol, I find it hard to believe when a contestant claims they’ve never seen an episode of Idol before they made it onto the show. And the staged pre-show ritual was obnoxious. His voice was completely affected during this performance and he seemed distracted by his own guitar playing. The whole thing felt a bit awkward as he tried to be a rock star that he isn’t. Hopefully this is the end of Kara’s cougar comments, too. And why does she always stare at Simon after she speaks?

Alex Lambert – ‘Everybody Knows’ – John Legend – Wow. He’s come a long way in just a week. Excellent song choice and, damn, he’s got such a great tone to his voice. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got a long way to go, but tonight he delivered a performance to stay in the game. Kara’s right, because of his nerves, everyone’s rooting for the underdog. As long as he keeps gaining confidence, he could be one to keep an eye on, but it’s still early in the competition.

Todrick Hall – ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ – Tina Turner – I haven’t even heard him sing yet, but I can tell this is going to be a disaster. Kelly Clarkson last week and now Tina Turner…wtf. Awful song choice. It’s time for him to go back to the dance studio. And the producers need to stop telling the audience to stand up during such an awful performance. He did not deserve a standing ovation.

Jermaine Sellers – ‘What’s Going On’ – Marvin Gaye – Ok, I’ll admit the onesie was funny. He might have rocked the onesie, but he didn’t rock this performance. He was all over the place vocally and I can’t take him seriously as an artist. He’s got a very likable, playful personality that might stick with viewers and keep him around a little longer. And he did not deserve the standing ovation either.

Andrew Garcia – ‘You Got Somethin’’ – James Morrison – The early favorite disappoints again. Randy’s right, he needs to be doing more acoustic soul songs and arrangements. That’s what he did during Hollywood week and that’s what we fell in love with. He’s got to bring that back next week and remind everyone why he was favored to win in the beginning.

Aaron Kelly – ‘My Girl’ – The Temptations – It was an ok song choice. You could hear his nerves in his voice. Did he have to throw a run on the end of every single phrase? It was just too distracting. I wish he would choose something more current, something pop country. With all the talk of Justin Bieber, maybe he should do a Bieber song. That alone would probably keep him around.

Tim Urban – ‘Come on, Get High’ – Matt Nathanson – Improvement, yes. But his voice just isn’t strong enough for this competition. Ellen’s right, if he can act, that’s the direction he needs to go in. I, however, would not want to see him on Glee.

Lee Dewyze – ‘Lips Of An Angel’ – Hinder – I get it, he’s the rocker, the David Cooke of Season 9, but he’s rough around the edges. His voice is probably the most memorable of all the guys, which makes his lack of confidence frustrating. But, he’s got plenty of time to work on it because he’s going to be around for a while.

So there you have it.

Who do you think is headed home this week?

Top 7 of 24 Announced On American Idol

Photo: Michael Becker/FOX

Hollywood week will come to an end tonight on American Idol and last night the first 7 of what will be the Top 24 were announced.

During last night’s show, was it just me or was there a limited number of songs for the contestants to choose from during their last round of performances? I kept hearing Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’, Michael Jackson’s ‘Man In The Mirror’, Colbie Caillat’s ‘Bubbly’, Katy Perry’s ‘Hot And Cold’, and Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’.

The first 7 to make it into the Top 24 were -

Katelyn Epperly
Michael Lynche
Didi Benami
Casey James
Aaron Kelly
Lee Dewyze
Todrick Hall

We can’t wait to see our favorite Katie Stevens make it through on tonight’s episode.

What do you guys think of the judges first picks?