Music

American Idol kicks off its historic 20th season next month, but despite the fact that it’ll be introducing a few new elements, it’s going to keep the focus where it’s always been: on the singers themselves.

As judge Katy Perry told reporters at the annual Television Critics’ Association press tour Wednesday, “It’s about the contestants. It’s not really necessarily about us.”

“We are just, kind of, guiding them, and supporting them and giving them cues and all of this knowledge that we’ve been able to cultivate over the decades, and I think we really, really care because we’ve been in their shoes…we want to set them up for success,” she continued. 

“It’s not really about anything besides us holding that lottery ticket that we want to give to them at the end of the season and create a real superstar, and our track record shows [that],” Katy noted. “I think it’s not really comparable to other singing…competitions because there’s not really anyone, like, let alone ten people…that have had successful careers [from those shows].”

As for those new elements, first, the show is bringing back its famous alumni to mentor this season’s contestants.  The executive producer told reporters, “Lots of those familiar faces who America has kind of grown to love will be seen throughout this season.”

“I want to see every one of those contestants come back,” Ryan Seacrest added. “I want to see way back to the beginning.”

And then there’s the “Platinum Ticket,” which will be given to just a few contestants during auditions. Not only will those VIPs go straight to Hollywood Week, but they’ll get to observe the rest of the talent there and pick who they want to perform with.

American Idol returns February 27 on ABC with Katy, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

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When Elton John‘s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour finally gets going again next week in New Orleans, you might find that the Rocket Man has added something unexpected to his show.

In the time since Elton’s tour was halted by the pandemic, he’s released The Lockdown Sessions, which features him collaborating with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks to Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa. His duet with Dua, “Cold Heart,” recently became his first U.S. top 10 hit in 24 years. 

Asked if any of those guest artists might show up to perform with Elton during the tour, his longtime guitarist and musical director Davey Johnstone hints at some sort of surprise.

“How can I put this? I can’t really tell you right now, but there might be something that will happen that is a bit different, that you wouldn’t expect,” Johnstone tells ABC Audio. “It’s not quite a guest, but almost…yeah, there might be something.”

Johnstone adds that Elton’s recent success on the charts has the pop-rock legend “thrilled,” and notes that it’s Elton’s manager and husband, David Furnish, who’s been able to “create a deeper kind of niche for themselves online with people that normally wouldn’t listen to Elton’s records.”

“They’ve targeted the online market and all the social platforms…that Elton wouldn’t do, ’cause he’s not technical at all,” notes Johnstone. “But Dave has done a brilliant job in sculpting and planning that whole thing for Elton.”

The tour starts January 19 in New Orleans, but Johnstone says he and the band are heading for the Big Easy on Friday to rehearse for a few days before Elton gets there.

“He hates to rehearse. He is very impatient. There’s no way he can do rehearsal,” Johnstone laughs. “He’s just, like, useless.”

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FINNEAS has premiered the video for “The Kids Are All Dying,” a track off his new album, Optimist.

The clip finds Billie Eilish‘s brother and collaborator breaking into a jewelry store and robbing the place as his song’s lyrics ask “How can you sing about love when the kids are all dying?”

“Even if we are living through a time of chaos and uncertainty, the human experience is never going to exclude love, sex, fun, leisure, and adventure,” FINNEAS says in a statement. “If you’re in love, you’re going to write a love song. It’s how the brain works.”

You can watch “The Kids Are All Dying” video streaming now on YouTube.

FINNEAS released Optimist, his full-length debut album, last October. He’s nominated for Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys.

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In Adele’s video for “Easy On Me,” she’s seen leaving one house, driving in a car, and then sitting in a room with red walls, billowing curtains, stacked up chairs and a chandelier.  If that looks like your dream home, you’ll be glad to know that it’s currently on the market.

The New York Post reports the Canadian estate where the video was filmed is on the market for $4.3 million. Located about an hour-and-a-half from Montreal, the 173-acre estate includes six different structures, including a castle, a vineyard, a chapel, a guesthouse and a garage, as well as a grove of maple trees with “11,000 taps,” which are used to collect one of Canada’s most famous exports: maple syrup.

The video was filmed in the dining room of one of the structures: You can see the curtains, the chandelier and the red painted walls in the photos that are part of the listing, but of course, the chairs aren’t stacked up, there’s no sheet on the floor and there aren’t any papers flying around, either.  However it does have a large portrait of Adele on the wall.

According to the Post, the listing describes the estate as a “spectacular multi-generational site with many houses for your family and friends.” It’s currently owned by a Canadian entrepreneur.

The “Easy on Me” and “Hello” videos were both directed by Montreal-born Xavier Dolan.

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Exposure to COVID-19 has forced Roddy Ricch to cancel his performance scheduled for this weekend on Saturday Night Live.

A spokesperson for NBC confirmed to Variety that the Grammy winner was exposed to a team member who has COVID-19.

“The Box” rapper dropped his second studio album, LIVE LIFE FAST, on December 17, featuring Future, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Ty Doll $ign, Lil Baby, Gunna, and Takeoff from Migos. The 18-track project is the follow-up to his 2019 RIAA double-Platinum debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. Ricch recently celebrated “The Box” from that album being RIAA-certified Diamond with 10 million in sales.

It was announced Tuesday that the Compton, California MC will be one of the headliners of the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival begin held June 16-19 at the Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, Tennessee.

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Bleachers will be living up to the name of their new album with a last-minute performance on Saturday Night Live.

The NBC show announced Wednesday that Jack Antonoff and company will be the musical guests on this Saturday’s episode, hosted by West Side Story star Ariana DeBose.

The episode was originally supposed to feature rapper Roddy Ricch, but Variety reports he dropped out due to his team being exposed to COVID-19.

Bleachers released their now very fittingly titled album Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night last July. On New Year’s Day, Antonoff announced that he plans to release another Bleachers record later in 2022.

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Jared Leto is among the nominees for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman’s role as Paolo Gucci in the film House of Gucci is up for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. 

“To be nominated and recognized by your peers is one of the highest honors imaginable and upon hearing the news this morning I was filled with gratitude and humility,” Leto says. “Making House of Gucci and working with this incredible cast was an absolute inspiration.”

Leto previously won a SAG Award for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club, which also earned him an Oscar.

The 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards will air February 27 on TNT and TBS.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.