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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If there was any question as to whether "American Idol" is capable of spawning credible, Grammy-worthy artists, Adam Lambert is out to prove the naysayers wrong.

The Season 8 runner-up, who joins past "Idol" alum nominees Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, and Jennifer Hudson, among others, is nominated for best male pop vocal performance for "Whataya Want From Me," the second single off his 2009 debut, "For Your Entertainment."

The song was originally intended for Pink -- and, in fact was written by her along with Max Martin and Shellback -- but like all things Lambert, he made it his own.

So how did the outspoken and always outrageous glam rocker hear the news? "I was awoken by my manager in the morning while in Paris," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Much more effective than my usual cup of coffee to wake me up. I was so excited! After our call, I saw that a bunch of friends and family had texted and written emails."

Indeed, the Twitterverse was a flutter with congratulations wishes -- from fellow artists to fans to casual listeners -- even as Lambert was blissfully resting from the end of a long, successful world tour.

Now that he's performed "Whataya Want From Me" ad nauseum for the better part of two years, one has to wonder whether he knew the song was special when it was first offered to him.

"I recorded 'Whataya Want From Me' on a day off from the Idols Live Arena tour and I was pretty wiped out due to the show schedule," Lambert reflects, "I knew the song would be a key track on my album and it was my first time working with the incredible Max Martin and Shellback, so I was a bit apprehensive. The vocal ad libs at the end were the most challenging as they are quite high and it had been a long day. When I heard the first mix, I felt really confident the song would have success thanks to the flawless production."

As far as the big music business picture is concerned, Lambert acknowledges that the Grammy nod further legitimizes an A&R tool that many in the industry had ostensibly written off, but he emphasizes that the credibility is also his, not just the show's. 

"I believe 'American Idol' is a dream platform for any artist," he explains. "It did not however, teach me how to sing or perform. I made music for years prior to the show but knew that most major labels wouldn't be interested in me as a mainstream pop artist unless I could develop a legitimate fan base and prove that I had talent. 'Idol' gave me these opportunities. But I feel I earned my current success by preparing and executing a variety of strong performances every week on the show and being comfortable being different."

Indeed, as one of RCA's breakout acts of last year -- with nearly one million units sold between his full-length, a remix album and an acoustic EP -- Lambert was able to parlay TV exposure into a real music career, no small feat in this time of talent show overload.

"In addition to the writers and producers of the track, I hope that at this point, after all the hard work I've done over the past year, the nomination will give me credibility as a true vocalist in the industry," he says, "and perhaps help fade some of the stigma that comes from rising to fame on a competition show."

- ABC News

Elton John says pop acts such as Lily Allen and Leona Lewis must write their own songs to sustain their careers, and that while he likes Simon Cowell, he is not a fan of talent shows. -- PHOTOS: REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LONDON - BRITISH singer Elton John described today's songwriters as 'pretty awful', pop music as uninspiring and reality television talent shows as boring in an interview published yesterday.

The 63-year-old said he refused to be a judge on American Idol.

'I'm not a fan of talent shows. I probably wouldn't have lasted if I'd gone on one. I was asked to judge American Idol. I couldn't do it because I won't slag anyone off,' he told Radio Times magazine.

'Also, I don't want to be on television. It's become boring, a***-paralysingly brain-crippling. I like Simon Cowell but what he does is TV entertainment.'

He said ex-American Idol judge Cowell, who is a judge on X Factor, had discovered some talented acts through his shows 'but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs'.

'I was in a band at 17, became a songwriter with Bernie Taupin and wasn't successful until we'd had six years of hard graft and disappointment, and great times. TV vaults you to superstardom, then you've to back it up, which is hard.' -- REUTERS

LOS ANGELES — Lee DeWyze, a paint store clerk who overcame his shyness to impress "American Idol" judges and viewers with his spirit and soulful voice, triumphed Wednesday over bluesy musician Crystal Bowersox in the contest's ninth season.

When asked by host Ryan Seacrest how he felt, an emotional DeWyze said, "I don't know. It's amazing, thank you, guys, so much ... I love you. Crystal, I love you."

The finalists had closely matched fan bases, with just a 2 percent voting gap between them coming into the finale, Seacrest said. DeWyze's victory was based on votes cast after Tuesday's performance show, which drew more judges' compliments for Bowersox, 24, of Toledo, Ohio, than for DeWyze, also 24, of Mount Prospect, Ill.

The total number of votes cast in the finale weren't announced by Seacrest. That's a departure from most years past: Last season, for example, the high-profile contest between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert drew 100 million phone and text message votes.

Fox didn't comment on the omission. But "Idol," although still TV's top-rated show, has seen audience erosion this season that could have affected the tally. The talented but low-key Bowersox and DeWyze might also have provoked less interest.

Backstage, Bowersox was downright Zen about the results.

"I knew Lee was going to win. People seemed surprised by that, but I just had a feeling. I couldn't be happier for him. He deserves every minute of this," she said, looking as calm and cheerful as she has throughout the season.

She viewed the outcome as "winner and non-winner," not winner and loser.

"Both of us are going to have very successful careers and we're going to be friends for a long time," she said of DeWyze.

Before the show, DeWyze was equally philosophical: "Whether I win, which will be amazing, or I came in second, this is a new beginning for me career-wise and in my life," he said.

The finale made the most of Simon Cowell's last appearance as a judge. A film package recounting highlights from the Cowell years was shown and comedian Dane Cook came on stage to sing "Simon Says," made up of the Brit's barbed comments, and to crack a few jokes.

"You have the honesty of Abe Lincoln and the charm of the guy who shot him," Cook told Cowell, who took the ribbing with a smile.

The walk down memory lane continued with ex-judge Paula Abdul, who often played Cowell's sparring partner during the seasons the shared.

"I've loved all the fun we've had together," Abdul told Cowell. "`American Idol's' not gonna be the same without you. But as only I can you, it will go on."

Cowell, in turn, shed his usual cool in an on-stage appearance.

"I didn't think I was going to be this emotional and I genuinely am. ... Everybody asks who's going to replace me, who going to be the next judge. The truth is," he told the audience, "you guys are the judge of this show and you've done an incredible job over the years."

The finale, as usual, was stuffed with humor, including the return of Larry "Pants on the Ground" Platt and William Hung, return appearances by former contestants and music stars.

Kris Allen, last year's winner, sang "The Truth," with Carrie Underwood, Michael McDonald, Christina Aguilera, Hall & Oates, Robin and Barry Gibb, Janet Jackson and Joe Cocker were among those whose performances were scattered throughout the two-hour show.

Bret Michaels, the ailing former Poison frontman and reality TV star, joined "Idol" finalist Casey James on one of the band's biggest hits, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

David Cook, a past "Idol" winner, was unable to attend because of a charity commitment, Fox said.

Bowersox, with a distinctive, Janis Joplinesque-voice and whose status as a single mom and warmth earned her the nickname "Mama Sox," had basked in praise Tuesday.

"You took that song and you absolutely nailed it," Cowell said of Bowersox's rendition of "Black Velvet," a song he said he's normally "allergic" to because it gets murdered.

The assessments of DeWyze were respectful but more measured — with Ellen DeGeneres the exception.

"Lee, I couldn't be prouder if I birthed you myself," she told him after he sang Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer."

DioGuardi admired DeWyze as an "emotionally accessible" singer after he performed R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" as his second number, but Cowell urged him to try harder.

"When you come out for your last performance, I want a 10 out of 10, because you're capable of that," Cowell told him.

With U2's "Beautiful Day," Jackson welcomed hearing "the guy with the strong big rock voice" and DioGuardi said he had "one of the most commercial voices of the season" and deserved to be in the finale.

Cowell, who had pointed to DeWyze as the frontrunner before the finale performances, said that "American Idol" was designed for someone like DeWyze, who worked in a paint shop when he tried out for the show and needed a break.

DeWyze's first single will be "Beautiful Day," which he performed Tuesday.

Seacrest, who appeared to have an on-air testy relationship with Cowell this season, had only warm words for him Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We really are going to miss you. You are a dear friend and we wouldn't be here without you," Seacrest said.

Cowell isn't going far: He's going to produce and judge "The X Factor," a Fox version of his popular British talent contest.

- AP  

'American Idol' Ratings Are At Their Lowest Since 2004, And Simon Cowell Is Moving On. As The Season-Nine Finale Approaches, Can TV's Talent Show Behemoth Stay Dominant And Turn Its Winners Into Stars Again?

"Alright, so listen, man. I don't know what's quite going on...it was just alright for me. It didn't really take off, ever, and it started kind of rough. I don't know."

Randy Jackson said this on the May 11 episode of "American Idol," after Michael Lynche -- the hulking, 26-year-old singer known as "Big Mike" -- performed a serviceable but charm-devoid take on Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There." (Voters sent Lynche packing a day later.) He could've been referring to any recent night of "American Idol," though -- or its entire run this year.

Since its Jan. 12 premiere on Fox, the ninth season of "Idol" has been plagued with chatter about the show's decline. The pool of contestants was widely considered to be the weakest in the show's vaunted history, with the top 10 finalists, who will perform together on this summer's American Idol Live! tour, comprising a bizarre mix of pop/R&B singers with identity crises and guitar-strumming "street busker" types, as Simon Cowell likes to call them. The remaining two hopefuls -- Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox -- are both of the latter strain, and one will emerge as the winner on the May 26 season finale.

The fractured chemistry among the judges has also dominated water-cooler talk. Paula Abdul -- the show's centripetal force of schmaltz and drama -- left the show, ostensibly replaced by Ellen DeGeneres. Moreover, two days before the season premiere, Cowell announced he'd be leaving "Idol" after the conclusion of season nine, and many onlookers have observed that he has appeared disinterested this year, even bored. (Cowell stands to make millions more next fall when "The X Factor," the fork-tongued U.K. counterpart to "Idol" that he executive-produces, hits U.S. shores on Fox.)

"Everyone is trying, but it's just not connecting," says Maura Johnston, who writes about "Idol" for Fancast.com. "And Simon Cowell is so linked with the whole franchise. He is 'American Idol,' more than [host Ryan] Seacrest, more than anyone. The fact that he's leaving, I think, has affected the perception of the show."

Siobhan Magnus' "American Idol" journey ended Wednesday night (Apr. 28), leaving frontrunner Crystal Bowersox as the only female contestant remaning in the top five. 

"An independent spirit, laser focus, incredible work ethic," host Ryan Seacrest said of Magnus after announcing her elimination, as the studio audience in Hollywood's Kodak Theatre stood and saluted her "Idol" run. "I know you did this for your sisters…what impact do you think it's made on both you and your sisters being a part of this show?"

"Hopefully a big one," said the 19-year-old Massachusetts native. "I did my best and I hope that I was able to show them what we're all capable of."

Magnus was the last contestant to perform on Tuesday's Shania Twain-themed episode, making her elimination all the more suprising (contestants who sing last are typically perceived as the week's favorite). Known for her eccentric style and high-pitched notes, Magnus brought back her trademark "scream" on Tuesday while singing Twain's hit, "Any Man of Mine." Her spunky performance was mostly praised by the judges, with the exception of Simon Cowell, who compared her high note to the sound of "a woman giving birth." 

Magnus was joined in the bottom three on Wednesday by Casey James and Michael Lynche, who had also received mostly positive feedback for their Twain covers.

For her farewell number, Magnus revisited her memorable performance of Aretha Franklin's "Think" and then walked over to the judges table and hugged Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres. "I'm going to miss you," said Cowell, while DioGuardi said, "You did great tonight." "I'll see you tomorrow on my show," said DeGeneres. Randy Jackson offered his vote of confidence for Magnus' future as a recording artist. "Keep being yourself," he told her. "You learned how to be an artist on this show and face all the adversity and everything. I think that you've got an amazing career in front of you. Do it. Be about it."

Wednesday's results show also featured country stars Rascal Flattsperforming "Unstoppable," and later joining Latin star Shakira for a performance of her current single, "Gypsy." Lady Antebellum performed the title track from its chart-topping album, "Need You Now," while Carrie Underwood introduced Sons of Sylvia, who are opening for the former "Idol" winner on her current "Play On" tour.

The remaining five "Idol" contestants will tackle Frank Sinatra's catalog next Tuesday (May 4). 

 

Tim Urban is "Teflon Tim" no longer, as the "American Idol" hopeful was eliminated during Wednesday night's star-studded, "Idol Gives Back" charity episode (Apr. 21).

"We'll miss you buddy," host Ryan Seacrest told Urban after delivering the news. "Keep that smile alive."

"I will," answered Urban, who then mouthed "thank you" to the crowd and flashed his trademark grin one last time.

Urban, who made "Idol's" top 24 after another contestant, Chris Golightly, was disqualified, had long been considered one of the weaker contestants of season nine. Thanks to his appeal among younger viewers and his good humor, though, the 20-year-old Texas native made it all the way to the top seven. Urban's run of good luck ended after he received the lowest number of votes for his rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls' "Better Days" during Tuesday's performance night, which was mentored by Alicia Keysand themed around "Inspirational Songs."

Joining Urban in the bottom three were Aaron Kelly and Casey James. James made his first trip to the bottom three of the season after being panned for his song choice of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," while Kelly struggled with his version of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly."

Tonight's elimination was announced during "Idol Gives Back," a two-hour fundraising episode that featured performances by Keys, Elton John, theBlack Eyed Peas, Carrie Underwood and Mary J. Blige. The show also featured appearances by Queen Latifah, Common and David Cook and a pre-taped segment by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

SINGAPORE : It's been his dream since he was 13 to become a singer but singing doesn't always come easy for American Idol 8 champion Kris Allen. 

The 24-year-old dreads singing in front of small groups as he gets "tensed up" and "scared". One wonders how he made it through the Idol auditions. 

"I'd rather sing in front of a million people than you guys," Allen told reporters during an interview at Mandarin Oriental Singapore on Tuesday. 

And it's worse if you are family. So the Arkansas native decided to take action and gave his mum song cards for Christmas which she could use to force him to sing. 

"She would pull it out once in a while and go 'okay now you have to sing' because I couldn't say no to it, so that was really rough," he said. 

Interestingly, he has no qualms about singing in front of a small audience in karaoke bars. 

"I actually like karaoke because karaoke's fun... you can sing anything, sing stupid songs that no one even likes and you don't even have to sing," he said, yelping away as he demonstrated his karaoke singing. 

Well, thankfully there will be plenty of fans present to calm his nerves when he performs at mega club Zirca on Wednesday. And even more so after organisers waived the minimum age requirement for entry into the club, though those under 14 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least 18. 

Allen, the first American Idol winner to stage a solo concert here, will be performing tracks from his self-titled album as well as familiar covers of songs that he sang on American Idol. 

Singapore is his last stop of the Asian leg of his tour which included shows in the Philippines and a stopover in Malaysia. 


Idol-ised 

2009 has been a whirlwind year for Allen. Since winning the eighth season of American Idol in May, he has been working on his self-titled album which he released in November, and is now on a world tour to promote it. 

But all this would have remained just a dream had his brother not convinced Allen, who was close to giving up his music career, to tag along for the American Idol audition. 

"American idol was something that just kind of happened. I just went and I just kept getting through the audition rounds," he said, though he had resisted the call of Idol initially as he wanted to make it on his own. 

"[But] Idol's given me the opportunity to at least have a career right now and hopefully have one for a really long time, so I'm happy with how things are going right now. But the thing about it is, when you are on the show, people expect a lot out of you, which is fine, but there's a lot of expectations." 

So any advice for Idol hopefuls? 

"I always tell people to take the risks that you want to take because people appreciate them and understand them and I think that people vote on that for sure and just be yourself. Everyone has their niche, their genre whether it be their music or their style, stay true to that," he said

- CNA

'It's time to move on,' mogul says about decision

Simon Cowell is to quit his role as a judge on the American Idol TV show to launch The X Factor in the USA, he has confirmed.