We Have a Winner!

The 10th season of American Idol came to a sensational conclusion tonight as Scotty McCreery was crowned the winner during the live two-hour season finale on FOX. Scotty, 17, from Garner, NC, emerged as America’s choice following last night’s record-shattering vote, which totaled over 122 million – the highest number in the show’s history.
Scotty capped his coronation on Wednesday’s finale by singing “I Love You This Big,” which is available for download exclusively on AmericanIdol.com and iTunes.
The broadcast from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles featured performances by the reunited Top 13 finalists, as well as music superstars Judas Priest; Kirk Franklin and Gladys Knight; Jack Black; Beyoncé; Tony Bennett; Lil Jon and TLC; Tim McGraw; Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Sheila E.; Sir Tom Jones; Lady Gaga; Carrie Underwood; Bono, The Edge and Reeve Carney; and Steven Tyler.
On Tuesday night’s final performance show, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery each sang three songs. Lauren performed “Flat on the Floor,” “Maybe It Was Memphis” and “Like My Mother Does”; and Scotty sang “Gone,” “Check Yes or No” and “I Love You This Big.”
Scotty is the 10th finalist to win the coveted American Idol title and a record contract with 19 Recordings. He joins past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze.
Audition cities and dates for American Idol Season 11 include St. Louis, MO, on Tuesday, June 28; Portland, OR, on Saturday, July 2; San Diego, CA, on Friday, July 8; Pittsburgh, PA, on Friday, July 15; and Charleston, SC, on Friday, July 22; and Houston, TX, on Friday, Aug. 26. Additional details will be announced on AmericanIdol.com.

Also available now at AmericanIdol.com/Finale are special features from the two-night American Idol season finale, including 360° videos of Tuesday’s performances and exclusive photos from the red carpet. Be sure to check back for videos of the performances from the incredible grand finale.
Emmy Award-winning American Idol is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, President, Big Red 2 Entertainment. American Idol has been No. 1 among Adults 18-49 for the past seven consecutive seasons and currently ranks as the No. 1 television show of the 2010-11 season.
Relive the last five minutes of the Season 10 finale. Watch the winning moment!
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Apollo to Buy Out American Idol Owner

The owner of “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” agreed on Tuesday to be acquired by Apollo Global Management for more than $509 million.

The deal comes after the entertainment company, CKX, had been wooed by a number of private equity firms last year. In October, CKX said it had broken off buyout talks.

Under the terms of the deal, CKX shareholders will receive $5.50 in cash for each share, 24 percent above CKX’s closing stock price on Monday and 40 percent above its average closing price in the last six months.

CKX also owns rights to Elvis Presley’s name and image and Graceland’s operations.

In reaching its deal, Apollo says it has also obtained agreements from two significant stockholders: CKX’s partner in Elvis Presley Enterprises, The Promenade Trust, whose sole beneficiary is Lisa Marie Presley; and Robert F.X. Sillerman, the company’s largest stockholder.

Aaron J. Stone, a senior partner of Apollo, said in a statement: “CKX owns a portfolio of irreplaceable assets that present a strong foundation on which to build an exciting future. We look forward to working with Mike Ferrel and the rest of the CKX management team.”

Goldman Sachs provided a debt financing commitment.

Gleacher & Company is advising CKX, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal adviser.

AGM Partners acted as lead financial adviser for Apollo, and other advisers included Goldman Sachs and Evolution Media Capital. Legal advisers to Apollo include Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and O’Melveny & Myers.

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David Cook – Album Cover Photo Shoot (Exclusive) – Video

EXCLUSIVE! We have a video of the album cover photo shoot for David Cook’s second album!
Title: This Loud Morning
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Current Single: The Last Goodbye
DAVID COOK?
This Loud Morning
Over the last few years, David Cook’s life has been punctuated by extraordinary highs and devastating lows. In short order, the 28-year-old singer, songwriter, and musician won the seventh season of America’s most popular television show, American Idol, rewrote chart history with a record-breaking 14 debuts on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart, released his self-titled major-label debut album in November 2008, watched it debut at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart, spawn two Top 20 singles (the platinum “Light On” and “Come Back To Me”), and sell more than a million copies, reaching platinum status. He immediately hit the road for his year-long “Declaration Tour” to support it. In May of that year, Cook’s older brother, Adam, who had been fighting a battle with brain cancer, died of the disease. In December 2009, one day after the tour ended, Cook traveled to New York City to begin writing the songs that would become his second album, This Loud Morning.
“I got off the road and all the things that happened that I hadn’t been dealing with while I was on the road reared their head,” Cook says. “So as I began writing these songs that would eventually make up This Loud Morning, the act of using these songs as therapeutic outlets became a major release for me, and I think the end result is a bit of up, a bit of down, and a lot of honesty.”
The result is a batch of deeply honest, emotional songs that “allow whomever’s listening to look through a window at the past two years of my life,” the Texas-born, Missouri-raised Cook says. “It’s probably the most therapeutic album I’ve ever written.” As Cook was writing the songs, a theme began to emerge. “There were mornings where I woke up and all I wanted to do was pull the blanket back over my head and try again tomorrow,” Cook says. That feeling inspired the album’s opening track, “Circadian,” as well as its closing track, “Rapid Eye Movement,” which includes a line from which the album’s title is taken: “Give me one more quiet night before this loud morning gets it right and does me in.” “I think everyone’s been at that point where they just feel, ‘Man, the world is loud,’ Cook says. “The only reprieve you get is when you’re asleep. I wanted to blend that feeling with the romantic idea that you can live your entire life during the hours you’re asleep — that there’s this pause button you can use to make sense of the world around you.”
To that end, the album kicks off with the sleep-as-reprieve-themed “Circadian” before telling a story of a relationship from start to finish, launching into several songs about strong relationship bonds, like “Right Here With You,” “Fade Into Me,” and “Take Me As I Am,” before things begin to deteriorate on “Goodbye To The Girl” and first single “The Last Goodbye,” which Cook co-wrote with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and which is the most musically upbeat song on the album. “I’ve always loved songs that melodically put a smile on your face, but when you tune in to the lyrics, it’s like, ‘What the hell?’” Cook says. “Like ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police; that song is so catchy, but the lyrics kinda give off this dark vibe. I like the idea of taking something that throws people off and writing about it in a way that makes them want to embrace it.”
Which is to say that just because This Loud Morning deals with some heavy themes doesn’t mean the album is a downer. “It’s actually more musically up-tempo than any of my previous albums,” Cook says. “I felt like we created a decent base with the last record (2008's David Cook) about where my heart was at musically. I’ve always enjoyed big sweeping choruses, stuff that kind of kicks you in the chest and knocks the wind out of you a bit. So with this album, I wanted to take that ideal and expand upon it — make the bigs a bit bigger and the smalls a bit smaller. I wanted it to be more intimate, but also more grandiose, and really stretch the boundaries of those two ideals.”
A showcase for Cook’s rich, unfettered rock belt and passionately intense performances, This Loud Morning was produced by Matt Serletic, who has worked with Aerosmith, Rob Thomas, and Willie Nelson, among others. “Matt pulled things out of me that I certainly wouldn’t have gone for on my own,” Cook says. “He is all about the right sounds at the right time for the right reasons, and I think what I learned from him is that it’s not always an easy road to get the right thing. His ability to expand upon the ideas that I brought to the table really made this record what it is.”
Cook’s growth as a singer, songwriter, and musician can be heard in every facet of This Loud Morning. “I feel that we were able to find the perfect landscape for these songs,” Cook says. “Each one is its own living, breathing thing. I’ve always approached making records the same way I’ve approached putting a band together: I’m not concerned with the best songs or the best musicians. I’m concerned with the right songs and the right musicians. My focus is to make great records and having something real and truthful to write about really helped. I feel like the growth in this record is musical, it’s lyrical, it’s emotional, and that what I’ve hit on is something that a lot of people can relate to.”
Having been a musician and performer since he was a teenager, Cook (who first picked up a guitar at age 12 and formed his first band at 15) is eager to hit the road to support This Loud Morning. “The last record took four and a half months from first day of writing to finished product,” Cook says. “So to go from that to taking a year and a half? I’m ready to play this record for people. I can’t wait to get on a stage, look people in the eye, and see their reaction, whatever it may be. Hopefully it’ll be hands in the air and singing all the words.”?
Watch the video here:
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'American Idol': ... and Don't Forget J.Lo!

It’s been Steven Tyler’s season so far on “American Idol” — the facial expressions, the outfits, the basic gifts of decency and wisdom. Sometimes it’s been tough to remember that the show’s other new judge, Jennifer Lopez, was meant to be the bigger draw.

Frank Micelotta/Fox Jennifer Lopez during an American Idol session in January.
A multimedia star with a far higher profile than Mr. Tyler, Ms. Lopez is a radiant presence. But while her hair and wardrobe budget must be 10 times her fellow judges’ — and worth it — thus far, she’s appeared to be purposefully downplaying. With her seated in the center chair, there are echoes of Paula Abdul, but Ms. Lopez is far more centered, and far more insightful.
And measured, too. Often she says little to contestants, largely the ones who don’t deserve a full assessment. But when she commits to a critique, it’s direct and refreshing, a combination of industry savvy and emotional comfort.
On Wednesday night’s show, mercifully the last audition episode of the season, Ms. Lopez was at her calm, thoughtful best. “I love the way you were planted in the ground,” she told Julie Zorrilla, one of the night’s best singers. “It says that you have confidence and that you’re a performer.”
She was moved the most by James Durbin, a young father who has already grappled with diagnoses of Tourette’s syndrome and Asperger’s syndrome, as well as the death of his father from a drug overdose. Mr. Durbin gave an Adam Lambert-like audition, from the freakishly muscular voice right down to the fauxhawk and the vest hanging loose and open over a T-shirt.
“You go away when you sing,” Ms. Lopez told him affectionately. “I got that sense you sing from a really different place than a lot of people we see.” Later, she declared, “You sing from where you’re supposed to sing from — from feeling, from heart, from your soul, from the need to feel and make others feel.” It’s a fundamental of great artistry, that the ability to connect is intimately tied to the need for connection, though it’s rarely articulated this succinctly. There may be a storm brewing next to Ms. Lopez, but she’s remaining steady.
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American Idols Unfortunate Casualties

Maybe after several weeks of warm feeling and strong singing, “American Idol” producers decided they’d had enough. This week, the 24 semifinalists were slashed down to the group of 13 finalists — a good old-fashioned bloodbath, and a reminder that “Idol” still has teeth.
But this scorched-earth tactic, while dramatic, also had unfortunate casualties. Some contestants, seen just a few times in the audition rounds and therefore with little backstory or accrued goodwill, ended up getting judged this week effectively on just one performance. Choose well, like Casey Abrams or Pia Toscano, and sail through. Choose poorly, and be gone before you were known.
Consider this abbreviated evaluation period the first misstep in a transitional season that could have been full of them, but has instead been marked by odd choices with unexpectedly winning outcomes.
These early rounds are meant to separate the wheat from the chaff, of course, but in previous years, a slower pace allowed for the audience to see more of contestants before arriving at the final competition rounds, voting them off two or four at a time, not en masse.
This year, though, poor song choice undid several semifinalists, including Jordan Dorsey, who’s probably already trashed all his Usher CDs, Julie Zorrilla, who in her heart knows she’s no Kelly Clarkson, and Rachel Zevita, who may never be able to watch “Burlesque” again.
Any of those three would have made for strong contenders, and would have likely had more legs than Karen Rodriguez or Haley Reinhart, and certainly more than wild card selections Ashthon Jones and Stefano Langone. (Stefano gets credit, though, for choosing the beautiful Smokie Norful song “I Need You Now” for his wild card performance, and doing right by it.)
For the most part, though, the best of the 24 survived to make the final 13 – the top 5 men, the top 5 women, and 3 wild cards selected by the judges.
My personal preference:
Jacob Lusk
Lauren Alaina
Naima Adedapo
Scotty McCreery
Casey Abrams
Pia Toscano
Thia Megia
Haley Reinhart
Karen Rodriguez
Paul McDonald
Stefano Langone
James Durbin
Ashthon Jones
P.S. Some housekeeping for posterity: Wednesday night’s top 12 women’s performances, ranked: Naima Adedapo, Kendra Chantelle, Haley Reinhart, Pia Toscano, Thia Megia, Karen Rodriguez, Rachel Zevita, Lauren Alaina, Ashthon Jones, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, Lauren Turner, Julie Zorrilla
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American Idol Top 9 Overshadowed by Weirdness

Scotty McCreery > Jacob Lusk > Haley Reinhart > Paul McDonald > Lauren Alaina > Pia Toscano > Stefano Langone > Casey Abrams > James Durbin

Vince Bucci/Associated Press Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas was at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards on Saturday in Los Angeles and back on “American Idol” on Wednesday.
This is how TV spinoffs get made: introduce a new character into a predictable environment, allow his or her wacky behavior to dominate the story line, even at the expense of series regulars, and then, with interest piqued, build a new show atop their shoulders. Think “Frasier” from “Cheers,” “Private Practice” from “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Daria” from “Beavis and Butt-head.”
Read more from Jon Caramanica on the 10th season of “American Idol.”
Maybe we’ll be able to add to that list whatever manic sci-fi variety show will.i.am was inadvertently auditioning for on Wednesday’s “American Idol.” Seated next to the macher Jimmy Iovine for the duration of the rehearsal process, he was fantastically odd, speaking gibberish to the “Idol” contestants, to Iovine and to himself in a display of disruption that never would have flown in the Simon Cowell era.
Also, what a glow will.i.am has! Who’s his facialist?
It’s unclear if he was in fact helpful to any of the contestants in his third consecutive week on the show; at least a couple of the singers (Scotty, Haley) looked confused, or maybe perturbed, by his interjections. To Jacob, who performed Michale Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” he said something about the Himalayas, the Atlantic Ocean and exploding heads; it was a compliment. He advised Stefano, who sang Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” to check his voicemail midsong, or something of the sort. To Haley, will.i.am was halfway coherent. “The lens is a person. It’s not a camera,” he told her. “That’s the boyfriend that messed your head up.” Though judging by the angles producers used during her performance of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart,” the cameras were breaking up with her before she got to break up with them.
But while will.i.am made great TV, his presence didn’t add up to much for the contestants. There was no boom, no boom and no pow in this week’s performances, which were perfectly good, sometimes great, but in no way alien. (Except for Paul, who appeared to be inhabited by a being with actual vim during his performance of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”) The two most frenzied “Idol” aspirants, Casey (“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”) and James (“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”), opted for gentler material, to their detriment. Lauren continued to hit big notes, though she doesn’t know how to color them in fully. Jacob was great, but so was Haley, to general disinterest.
The week’s theme was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was introduced with a segment in which Steven Tyler attempted to make out with outfits which had belonged to Paul McCartney and Elton John, and then with a bust of his own screaming head. Maybe he’d seen the will.i.am footage and knew he needed to keep up.
The best of the night was Scotty, whose Elvis impression rivals his Josh Turner impression. He was also uncommonly gestural on “That’s All Right,” which led Jennifer Lopez to ask Scotty if he “watched rap,” which in turn led to Ryan Seacrest’s asking Scotty whether he was a fan of Pitbull. That will be the strangest post-performance sequence of the season, no doubt.
It was rivaled, though, by the last 90 seconds of the show, which revealed what happens when “Idol” finishes ahead of schedule for once: Ryan Seacrest fills time chatting emptily with the judges, while onstage, the contestants dance as if it were a hoedown, revealing that not one of them has rhythm.
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Jimmy Iovine weighs in on last nights performances

Think Casey's nervous or just clueless? When the camera pans across the contestants as Ryan starts this segment, he's chewing away on his fingernails. And he gets the first viewer question: If he could do a duet with anybody living or dead, who would it be? Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, he says: "Playing bass with him or singing a ballad ... would just be so fun with that kind of musical genius."
Jacob is asked when and how he discovered his range: "I was probably 6 or 7 years old" at choir rehearsal with his mom, he says, and he'd sing the soprano, alto and tenor parts.
Lauren Alaina says missing friends and family is the hardest thing about being on the show. She relates a story of having to call home during yesterday's tornadoes to make sure her family was okay (they are).
Scotty McCreery worked at a grocery store before coming on Idol. James played with a few bands before his days on the show. "I always have some sort of a project going on," he says. Ryan can identify.
Haley's all-time favorite past Idol contestant is probably Adam Lambert, she says, but she also liked Siobhan Magnus, Kelly Clarkson, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox. "No Taylor Hicks?" Ryan asks. "Oh, yeah," Haley replies, "him too."
As he begins the results, Ryan says he'll call out the Top Six individually and in random order. Haley's first. "I fully agree with Jennifer that Haley has one of the best voices on this stage," Jimmy Iovine says, but adds that he believes the audience is getting wind of his opinion that she doesn't know who she is yet. Haley hears it, and the show goes silent. "I think I know who I am," Haley says. "There's definitely some soul in it, right? Some rock 'n' roll. Some blues."
If the audience is getting wind of it, though, they're not voting accordingly. She's safe. That means somebody new's going to the Bottom Three tonight.
Scotty learns his fate next. "Scotty's a phenom," Jimmy says. "He has a subtlety that's magnificent, but I'm always worried that subtleties in this particular environment can get lost."
Ryan sends him back to the couch without telling him his results and calls out Lauren instead.
"Lauren only hears the negative in the critique," Jimmy says. "She has a poise when she's confident that challenges any singer in the game today." He thinks Lauren's here for the long run. But, with Haley safe, she may have a close call tonight. She tells Ryan that Jimmy's right -- she only hears the negative, and she needs to be more grateful about where she is. Ryan tells her to hang tight, too.
Up next, it's Casey. "Casey's a great musician and will probably go on to be a great singer-songwriter," Jimmy says, but he's disappointed that he continues to feel the need to growl during otherwise solid performance. "Casey has to realize that the family dog does not vote." Ryan tells him to relax, too, and then he goes to the break.
Really? You give us four people and tell us results for just one? You've gotta be kidding.
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