By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, July 20, 2015
I know this crew that still reads this on a regular basis is generally not a fan of Fantasia but I have to lead with this:
Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino, 31, has gotten hitched to Kendall Taylor over the weekend and posted the news (where else?) on Instagram. That has become the go-to place for celebrities breaking news.
"How Happy I am.. This Man.. God made him just for Me and me Just For Him," she said of Kendall. "This Man.. Covers and prays for me and my children EVERY morning.. This Man.. Loves My Father in Heaven and his name is God.. This Man allows me to just be a woman."
"Be Happy with me you guys cause I've been thru SOOOOO much. Some stuff was my wrong decisions but all I ever really wanted was this.. Real Love. This Man and this smile is real."
They were engaged this past November.
She has two children from previous relationships.
Who is this guy? Theybf.com did a bit of research and he appears to be a Charlotte, N.C. businessman:
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Adam Lambert sang "We are the Champions" with special lyrics to CBS's new late-night host James Corden for his 50th show. For better or worse, Corden has become the biggest kiss up to celebrities I've ever seen, though Jimmy Fallon is awfully close.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kellie Pickler today did a phone conference with reporters to promote the new Fox reality show "Knock Knock Live." She plays one of the hosts who go to people's doors and surprise them with prizes and gifts.
Some of the people are nominated by friends and family. A favorite celebrity might pop by. (Among those announced: Common, Rob Gronkowski, Robin Thicke, Meghan Trainor, Rita Ora, Martha Stewart, Luke Bryan, Lea Michele, Mike Holmes and Bubba Watson.)
In other cases, some homes will be approached by chance and the people who answer the door will have a shot on the spot to win prizes on live television.
"I know how to chase dreams and am so blessed so many of my dreams came true," Pickler said. "Now I can help others' dreams come true. It's special... I get to make people smile and get to make their day. I'm looking forward to that."
She is bracing for people slamming the door in their face: "Some people don't want to be on camera. With the news we're delivering and things we're giving away, it would be really foolish to slam the door. You're not on 'Cops'! "
You can nominated others or yourself in advance for a shot to be on the show. And there will be random knocks as well. "Anything can happen!" she said.
She hasn't done any test runs yet (a question I asked). And she won't know where she's going either. She said she could end up anywhere.
Seacrest, who is executive producing her upcoming CMT reality show "I Love Kellie Pickler," set to debut in November, is also primary host of "Knock Knock Live."
Simon Fuller, the man behind "American Idol," is the creator of this show. Seacrest will guide co-hosts like Pickler from a "mission control" studio in Los Angeles. Among the others involved include Tyler Posey ("Teen Wolf"), Ross Mathews, Adrienne Bailon ("The Real"), Chuey Martinez and Jordan "Shorty" Johnson.
The show debuts Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Fox.
The requisite "Idol" question: " 'Idol' was the rocket that launched my career. It introduced me to the world. And the world to me. It's bittersweet. I hope they will have a big 'American Idol' family reunion and have us all come back and share the stage one last time. That would be a special moment."
Her reality show on CMT: "That's something we've been working on for a long time, for over a year. It just kind of happened." She said she was able to weave shooting this show and that show, though it did delay the launch of the CMT show by a few weeks. I will aim to talk to her about her new reality show closer to launch date.
On her new single "Feeling Tonight:" I asked her why I have only heard it on Sirius/XM The Highway and no FM stations have picked it up. She said Sirius has an exclusive for six weeks. Once that exclusivity is over, she hopes to do a radio station tour and get stations to pick it up.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
So how is this "Idol 14" live top 5 tour going? I will not be seeing it because for the first time in 14 seasons, "Idol" is skipping Atlanta as a tour stop. Based on what I've read, it's supposed to be pretty darn good. I'm bummed I won't be able to see them.
The tour began July 7.
Trimming the singers down to five - a clear cost-cutting measure - in some sense worked well. And they were able to afford a full band again after last year, when the tour opted to have the poor season 13 singers croon to recorded tracks.
Billboard magazine's Fred Bronson, who is admittedly an "Idol' addict like me: " Nick Fradiani, Clark Beckham, Jax, Rayvon Owen and Tyanna Jones, as talented a top five as there has ever been on the Fox series, gave their all, and each one had time to shine individually while, at other times, also giving support to their fellow competitors in backup roles."
Over two hours, they sang 28 songs, mostly of recent vintage, from "See You Again" to "Jealous" to "Lips are Movin' " Beckham and Fradiani both did originals, too. They also had more time to talk about themselves, something that generally was missing from past "Idol" tours when they had 10 people.
As a bonus, "Idol" is bringing someone from the 6th to 10th spot at each spot. On opening night, Joey Cook got three songs and she was supposed to have done six of the dates.
Tampa Bay Times' Jay Cridlin: "For the first time, five finalists... performed several solo songs backed by a full band, and got a few minutes apiece to share their life stories with the crowd. Given Idol's perennially shrinking ratings, this seems a canny and necessary move if the show hopes to keep grooming its alumni into stars.
Amateur reviews on Ticketmaster have given the show good marks. A typical review: "What a great concert! Loved the up close and personal format, but most of all loved that only the top 5 performed and that they were able to do songs that fit them. They each sang with such enthusiasm and love of their music. This was soooo much better than previous concerts."
And another: "Unlike last year's concert, where the Idols were all wearing long faces, the Idols this year were filled with joy and expressed gratitude for the opportunity given them to entertain us. That is just what they did and I , having gone to all of the A.I. Concerts, rate this one in the top 5. The top 5 Idols being presented was a good idea, as well. We got more from the best of the best that way. Go see it, it's the last show and should not be missed if you have been an A.I. Fan!" [Well, this may not be the last show assuming "Idol" does a final season 15 tour.]
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