The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Lauren, Scotty bring country to ‘American Idol’ finale Posted: 24 May 2011 03:36 AM PDT  'American Idol' contestant Lauren Alaina (L) and English television producer and BritWeek founder Nigel Lythgoe (R) pose at the champagne launch of BritWeek at the British Consul General's official residence in Los Angeles, April 26, 2011. Alaina and Scotty McCreery sing on Tuesday for the 2011 'American Idol' title in the TV show's youngest-ever, and first all-country music finale. – Reuters pic After 125,000 nationwide auditions and months of nail-biting eliminations, Alaina and McCreery will woo "Idol" judges and some 25 million fans with three songs each in the hope of winning a guaranteed recording contract. Alaina, 16, from Georgia who has dreamed of appearing on the show since age 6, is the youngest person to reach the finale; McCreery, 17, from North Carolina, has a deep voice that belies his youth and has barely put a foot wrong. But whichever contestant prevails when the votes are announced tomorrow – and predictions as usual are for a close race – country music may end up the real winner, some experts say. "Either way they have two people who could do very well in country music. If you look at some of the biggest sellers of the past couple of years they have been Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert," said Yahoo! Music managing editor Lyndsey Parker. Swift has sold more than three million copies in the United States alone of her November 2010 album "Speak Now". Searches on Yahoo! for "American Idol finalists" have spiked 949 per cent this week ahead of 10th season climax of the most-watched TV show in the United States. Alaina is getting nearly nine times as many searches as McCreery, according to Yahoo! data. But that doesn't guarantee that "Idol" is about to crown its first female winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007. "People who are searching are not necessarily the people who are voting," Parker said, recalling that searches for 2009 finalist Adam Lambert far surpassed those of eventual winner Kris Allen. Media measurement technology firm General Sentiment however found that McCreery was winning the social media buzz war, generating 30 per cent more discussion online than Alaina in the last five days. "I do think Scotty is going to win, but I think it will possibly be the closest race in history of 'Idol'. And although Lauren will probably come in second, she will probably sell more records than Scotty," Parker said. "She has more crossover appeal in the type of country she does, and even though boys tend to win on 'Idol', girls are dominating the real pop market place right now." she added. Country singer Carrie Underwood, who won "American Idol" in 2005, is the contest's top earner with 12.2 million albums sold and a clutch of Academy of Country Music awards. "American Idol" also has plenty to celebrate after its first year without caustic British judge Simon Cowell. After four years of falling ratings for broadcaster Fox, the overall audience is up four per cent this year at 24.8 million regular viewers. That's partly due to a shake-up on the judging panel that brought in Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler to join veteran Randy Jackson – and with them a kinder, more supportive vibe. After dismal sales for recent "American Idol" champions, record company Universal Music will be hoping that Alaina or McCreery can work some country music magic on their post "Idol" careers. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Polanski, Cronenberg, Winterbottom early selections for Venice Film Festival Posted: 24 May 2011 03:08 AM PDT  Director Darren Aronofsky is the head of the jury for the 2011 Venice Film Festival. – AFP pic Some films which didn't make Cannes in time are rushing to complete post-production in order to meet the submission deadline, June 24, and others await a decision. Highlights among the early lineup of films include: Roman Polanski's Carnage starring Christoph Waltz (Water for Elephants), Jodie Foster (The Beaver) and Kate Winslet (The Reader). This adaptation of the award-winning Broadway drama Gods of Carnage focuses on two couples who meet after their sons' schoolyard brawl. David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, the story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and their love triangle with a patient. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley. Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, starring Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), follows the tragic relationship between a property developer's son and rickshaw owner's daughter. Todd Solondz's Dark Horse, starring Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken Steve McQueen's Shame starring Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) and Carey Mulligan (An Education). Documentaries include Cameron Crowe's PJ20 about the band Pearl Jam, a work by Jonathan Demme (about Hurricane Katrina) and Fatih Akin's Garbage in the Garden of Eden. Foreign-language films include Aleksandr Sokurov's Faust starring Hanna Schygulla and Philippe Garrel's Un été brûlant, a remake of Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt, starring Monica Bellucci in Brigitte Bardot's role. Films under consideration include two by Steven Spielberg, the drama War Horse and motion-capture animated tale The Adventures of Tintin. Also possible are two by Steven Soderbergh, Contagion with Matt Damon and Kate Winslet, and Haywire about a female black ops soldier, starring Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender. Also, possibly vying for inclusion are George Clooney's film, The Ides of March, which he directed and costars in with Ryan Gosling, and Walter Salles's On the Road about Jack Kerouac's trip across America starring Kristen Stewart ('Twlight Saga') and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky will head the jury for 2011's Venice Film Festival. He previously won its Golden Lion for The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke The remainder of the lineup for the Venice Biennale's Cinema section, including films in competition, will be announced during a July press conference from Rome. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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