'American Idol' Premiere Hits New High
By TMZ Staff
Published
By BY LYNN ELBER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES -- The return of Fox's "American Idol" struck a sweet note with viewers, drawing its best-ever season premiere ratings.
The first episode of the talent contest's fifth season was watched Tuesday by an audience of 35.5 million, a 6 percent increase over last year's debut, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research figures.
A total of 33.6 million viewers tuned in last year. The final rating for the new season's two-hour opener were expected to vary slightly, if at all, from the preliminary figure, according to a Fox TV spokesman.
It was the most-watched entertainment program of the TV season so far, Fox said.
"To say we are surprised and pleased by last night's numbers would be a major understatement," Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori said in a statement Wednesday.
Ken Warwick, one of the series' executive producers, said most TV shows have a "sell-by date. There comes a time when people get fed up with them."
DeGarmo to Join Broadway 'Hairspray' Cast
By TMZ Staff
Published
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- 'American Idol' runner-up Diana DeGarmo is heading for Broadway. Following in the footsteps of Frenchie Davis, who appears in the rock musical 'Rent,' DeGarmo will join the cast of 'Hairspray' on Feb. 7.
The 18-year-old DeGarmo, one of the FOX television series' most popular runners-up, will portray the heroine's best friend, Penny Pingleton, in the musical, which opened on Broadway in August 2002.
DeGarmo, of Snellville, Ga., finished second behind Fantasia Barrino in the third season of the popular Fox 'American Idol' reality show.
'Hairspray,' based on the cult John Waters' film, concerns a chubby Baltimore teen who wants to appear on a TV dance show. The show now stars Shannon Durig as the eager young woman and John Pinette as her full-figured mother.
Look For a Little Meanness in 'American Idol' This Year
By TMZ Staff
Published
By DAVID BAUDER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PASADENA, Calif. -- If you think it rang a little false when "American Idol" contestants professed their love and friendship toward one another, you're right.
"They don't all love each other," judge Simon Cowell said on Tuesday, "and they've never loved each other."
"Because they all want to win," echoed fellow judge Randy Jackson.
The show's new season begins Tuesday -- always a joyous day for Fox -- and people at "American Idol" say it's marked by the way contestants drop pretenses of camaraderie, and point fingers of blame when things go wrong.
"They all hate each other deep down, but they aren't going to say it on camera," Jackson said.
Ryan Seacrest to Anchor E! News
By TMZ Staff
Published
|
Updated
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
With "American Idol," his various radio shows, his New Year's Eve gig, Ryan Seacrest apparently still has too much time on his hands.
Variety says Seacrest is about to finalize a deal to anchor the news on E! The three-year deal would also have him develop original series for the network.
Seacrest will also be on the red carpet for E! at the Golden Globes.
Bo Bice Hospitalized with Surgical Complications
By TMZ Staff
Published
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS -- "American Idol" runner-up Bo Bice was rushed to a hospital with complications from intestinal surgery, a publicist for his record label said Monday.
Bice, 30, became ill on Sunday while rehearsing for a performance on the 2005 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Resort & Casino, said Roger Widynowski, a publicist for RCA Records.
"He didn't collapse but was rushed to the hospital," Widynowski said. "Bo is doing fine, and he's going back to Nashville today for treatment."
The Goo Goo Dolls will replace Bice in Monday night's live broadcast on NBC, said Carrie Simons, a spokeswoman for the network.
Bice was in Las Vegas with other "Idol" contestants in August when he underwent emergency surgery to repair a blocked intestine. The recovery time forced him to stop touring with the show.
Bice finished second on last season's "Idol" behind Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood. He released his first album, "The Real Thing," last week.
Fantasia Excused from Jury Duty
By TMZ Staff
Published
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lawyers allowed juror Fantasia Barrino, the 2004 "American Idol" winner, to leave a case in mid-deliberations after learning the singer had to attend a benefit concert in New York.
Barrino, a High Point native who now owns a home in southeast Charlotte, was chosen Wednesday to serve on a Mecklenburg County Superior Court jury in a motor vehicle negligence case.
"People recognized her right away," said Charles Keller, a court system administrator. "Jurors started coming up to her taking pictures with their camera phones and getting autographs."
Testimony took less than a day, and Judge W. David Lee sent jurors out to deliberate late Wednesday, Keller said. But when it became apparent that deliberations would continue into Thursday, lawyers agreed that Barrino was free to go.
Keller said he was among the court employees who had their picture snapped with the celebrity juror.
"She's just really nice, down to earth," he said. "Not at all what you'd expect."
Barrino, 21, was to attend the benefit concert on Thursday.