'American Idol' bits: Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson
By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Still bitter much, Mariah Carey?
Carey felt the producers deliberately pitted her "against" Nicki Minaj. Of course, I suspect both women chose to turn it into a competition though I wasn't there behind the scenes so it's hard for me to judge if one was more at fault than the other. If my memory serves me correct, Minaj was more overtly hostile while Carey exhibited passive-aggressive tendencies.
"I don’t think they had any intentions for us to have a good experience doing that show," she said.
Then Carey dissed the judging itself: "It’s so boring and so fake, I’m sorry. When I say it’s fake, I mean, I have to make up things to say about everybody. Half the time, the performances are good, you’ll just be like, ‘It was good.' "
That is the lamest excuse I've ever heard. Maybe Carey just lacked the ability to find creative ways to say a performance was good. On the show, she never stopped saying 150 words when 20 sufficed. I eventually just ignored her.
***
Paula Abdul is excited to be a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," reuniting with Nigel Lythgoe, a former executive producer of "American Idol" and creator and chief judge of "SYTCD." She debuts Monday night on Fox for the 11th season of the show.
"I'm enjoying immensely working with [Nigel] and loving the fact that
Jason Derulo
is part of the panel," Paula told reporters on a conference call last week. "Jason, I'm a huge fan of."
She took over for Mary Murphy after doing a stint on the Australian version of the show.
"I loved it so much," she said. "When I came back to the states, I was approached by Nigel to do the US Version, so for me it's a perfect fit, hand to glove, it's what I do and really happy to be a part of it. I love this show."
Abdul was a judge for "American Idol" for its first eight seasons but was always known as a better choreographer than singer.
The 11th season will feature the first split of dancers between "street dancers" and "stage dancers." Former SYTYCD dancers Twitch and Travis Wall will lead the two teams.
***
Jennifer Hudson is joining the cast of "Confirmation," the HBO film about the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991 that is being shot in Atlanta.
Hudson will play a former Clarence Thomas co-worker. Kerry Washington ("Scandal") will play Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. Wendell Pierce ("Treme") will play Thomas. Greg Kinnear will play Joe Biden, who led the Senate confirmation hearings.
The movie begins production in Atlanta later this month.
***
Kelly Clarkson did an interview with Rolling Stone and apparently, she has completed her six-album deal with RCA - finally. She was one of the few "Idol' singers that actually fulfilled her contract. She is now a free agent and appears free from having to create pop albums exclusively (which has been the case). She could do covers, an R&B album, a country album. We'll see. She comes to Aarons Amphitheatre Sept. 10.
