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Thursday, March 29, 2007
Gasp! Corcoran defends Sanjaya
Michael Corcoran knows music.
He’s covered the local scene for the Austin American-Statesman for something like a zillion years.
So we were shocked — and appalled — when we learned he actually likes Sanjaya Malakar. Here’s what he had to say:
“My ears and eyes must be deceiving me; Sanjaya is not bad at all. From what I heard on Howard Stern and all the piling on in the office on Wednesday mornings, the kid was this year’s William Hung, a big joke that he wasn’t in on. But I called up a couple of his performances on YouTube and he sang on pitch, had a cool look and seemed to be having a blast. Huge careers have been built on less. Stop making this 17-year-old kid your scapegoat, you Sanjaya-hatas. I mean, aren’t you the people that gave us the indistinguishable Taylor Hicks? Without Sanjaya, this would be one of the most forgettable ‘Idol’ seasons. That’s why he’s still going — not Howard Stern.”
Alrighty then.
So, is Corcoran right? Are we being too hard on Sanjaya? Or is the criticism deserved? Now’s your chance to be heard …
Idol chatter …
- The folks at ABC are running scared.
They’ve moved “Notes From the Underbelly,” a new sitcom, to 9 p.m. Wednesdays after Fox announced earlier this week that it was expanding the “Idol” results show to a full hour. The change will keep the two out of direct competition.
Good call, guys.
Fantasia going to Broadway
The “Idol” winner will star in “The Color Purple,” the New York Daily News reports:
Fantasia Barrino’s fans know the R&B diva as a one-named wonder, Fantasia.
But around the hit musical “The Color Purple,” the 22-year-old star could be called the $6 Million Woman.
That’s how much dough has poured into the box office of the hit Oprah Winfrey-produced musical since Feb. 22, when it was announced that the “American Idol” winner would join the show on April 10 in the starring role of Celie.
Fantasia is set to play the part for six months.
The whopping $6 million box-office bump didn’t come as a shock to producer Scott Sanders, who suggested the third-season “Idol” champ to Winfrey. The media queen loved the idea. “I wasn’t sure how immediate the response would be,” says Sanders. “But I was expecting that Fantasia was going to kick things up.”
“I think there is a groundswell of support from fans who know Fantasia’s personal history,” adds Sanders.
Like Celie, the character created by Alice Walker in her best-selling book, Fantasia has grappled with sexual abuse, illiteracy and being a single mom. She has a 5-year-old daughter.
The soulful singer from North Carolina had never seen a Broadway show before producers invited her to “The Color Purple.”
“I know the movie,” she says. “I own the movie. But I never thought I’d be Celie. The show brought me to tears. It’s such a blessing.”
Fantasia arrived this week from Chicago, where she has been working with an acting and vocal coach and the musical’s director, Gary Griffin.
“It’s been a crazy schedule,” she admits.
The hectic schedule might have caught up with her and her good health. Wednesday she was on vocal rest and bravely fighting a case of strep throat.
Some of that $6 million could go toward Ricolas and hot tea.
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