From Justin to Kelly: The Rise of Two American Idols [VHS]

Kelly Clarkson's fresh-faced, small-town-girl charm--the charisma that led her to win the first season of American Idol--is on full display in From Justin to Kelly, a contemporary beach-party movie co-starring her former competition, Justin Guarini. The flimsy plot--Kelly and two gal pals go to the beach for spring break, where one of her friends gets jealous of Kelly and tries to ruin her budding romance with Justin--is just an excuse for glossy pop musical numbers, in which Kelly, Justin, and the rest of the cast exercise their glossy throats with lots of white soul vocal stylings. The best musical numbers suggest a new kind of disco-fueled pop operetta, with everyone singing the story along; you may wish that Kelly and Justin sang their way through the entire movie, never speaking at all. Plenty of skin--from girls and boys--is on display, but the overall tone is squeaky clean. --Bret Fetzer

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MBC opens mic for regional idols - The National

Ben Flanagan

Last Updated: Apr 8, 2011

The Idol TV franchise that made stars of the US singers Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia Barrino is set for an Arabic version after a deal was signed with Dubai-based broadcaster MBC.

A pan-Arab Idol show will be made under a three-year agreement between MBC and the franchise owner FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME).

It is the latest spin-off of the popular Pop Idol format, in which unknown performers compete for a chance of musical stardom.

Local versions of the Idol format have been launched in 44 territories, including American Idol and versions for Australia, France and Russia.

Tim Riordan, the group TV director at MBC Group, said the Idol deal was signed a week ago, and the show "will hopefully air later this year", probably in the fourth quarter.

The name of the Arabic-language version has not yet been decided, Mr Riordan said.

Under the terms of the deal, MBC has also extended the rights for Arabs Got Talent, another FME franchise, for an additional two seasons. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Episodes of Arabs Got Talent, which made its debut on MBC4 in January, attracted up to one third of the total Arab TV audiences. The final of the first season is broadcast live tonight from Beirut.

Franchised shows such as Idol have the potential to "revolutionise the viewership trends in the Pan-Arab region", Mr Riordan said.

Jamie Lynn, the regional senior vice president of distribution at FME, said the company was "thrilled to be working closely with MBC Group to introduce Idols to the Middle East".

"Arabs Got Talent has already proven very popular with MBC viewers and we are confident that the Idols format will also establish itself as a must-watch TV title for them."

Nick Grande, the managing director of Channel Sculptor, a television consultancy in Dubai, said the Idol format was likely to appeal to advertisers.

"It's a really well-known format internationally," Mr Grande said. "Any programme that had a track record of producing audiences is going to resonate with advertisers."

The deal marks the latest of several international TV formats to launch in the Middle East. Other international formats that have been made in Arabic include Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which was also broadcast by MBC.

Ziad Kebbi, the president of Sony Pictures Television Arabia, said Sony was in talks with Middle East broadcasters about launching more TV formats in the market.

"We're in discussions with all the channels," Mr Kebbi said. "The trend of the established channels looking to replicate international successes is going to continue."

He said Sony was pushing a show called Impossible?, which is billed as "the world's first ever magic-based game show".

bflanagan@thenational.ae

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What Do You Have in Common With American Idol Kelly Clarkson? Insomnia

It is always a comforting feeling to know that we are not alone when we suffer through something. But what is even more comforting to realize is that our favorite celebrities, who are constantly admired in the public eye, share the same problems that us regular folks have.

It would make sense that someone as famous as singer Kelly Clarkson would suffer from sleepless nights. People in the public eye have to constantly prepare for a concert or event, and are always concerned about their appearance and overall image. Is it any wonder that they get any sleep at all?

Kelly Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002. This was a far cry from her life as a waitress in Texas, so things changed drastically for her in a short amount of time. Since then, she travels from city to city, and is in and out of the studio working on her next hit song.

Between jetlag from touring, constantly finding time for creativity, and maintaining some semblance of a social life, Ms. Clarkson must be tired. We know that jetlag can provide severe setbacks in our sleeping patterns, and bouts of insomnia can ensue after a great amount of traveling. So, if someone is not only traveling across time zones within the country, but all over the world, this could prove to be quite tiresome. However, because Kelly is so busy, she does not always have the time or circumstances to take in a full night of sound sleep.

Kelly Clarkson recently admitted to an online British publication that she does in fact struggle often with short-term insomnia. She is known to write many of her own songs, and she feels that the nighttime always provides the best impetus for the creative process. Because she stays up so late completing a great chunk of her work, her sleeping habits might tend to be scattered.

If someone with Kelly Clarkson's fame and money can suffer from something like insomnia, it is no surprise that millions of people do as well. While we may not do as much traveling out of the country as she does, many of us feel that if we stay up later, we can get much more work accomplished. With our busy schedules and constant worries, it is no wonder that the average person only receives about five hours of good solid rest.

The next time you think it abnormal that you are up until all hours of the night, consider that Kelly Clarkson could be up at that very minute, working on her next multi-platinum-selling album.

But regardless if one or twenty celebrities suffer from the same type of sleeping disorders, it is important to work on rectifying the problem as soon as possible. Just because something is very common among rich and poor alike, does not mean that it is ok. Isn't it time to Breakaway from unhealthy sleep habits and sing yourself into a blissful slumber? And perhaps you can dream about all of the good fortune that you could have, just like Kelly Clarkson.

Sherry Harris is the author of the successful e-book "101 Amazingly Simple Ways to Beat Insomnia". Get the FREE e-book at http://www.ScentToSleep.com - Knock-out insomnia for good with aromatherapy sleep mist, so you can wake up refreshed and energized - visit us now.

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Kelly Clarkson Performs on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

American Idol

By Alison Schwartz

Friday April 08, 2011 08:50 AM EDT

As season 10 of American Idol winds down to its final eight contestants, the woman – and the voice – who helped make the singing competition a household name is showing off just how far she's come since her season 1 win nearly a decade ago.

Kelly Clarkson, who will take on the Idol stage for a performance next Thursday alongside Rihanna, rocked through a medley of her top hits on Wednesday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Clarkson, 28, kicked off the mash-up with her 2003 hit "Miss Independent" before launching into "Walk Away" and "Since U Been Gone."

And with a powerhouse performance that might give Idol hopefuls some inspiration, it's anyone's guess whether this season's top contenders, like Scotty McCreery and James Durbin, will enjoy success like Clarkson – or even Carrie Underwood. Clarkson, according to Nielsen SoundScan, is the highest-selling winner to the tune of 23 million albums and 36 million singles sold.

Season 10's contestants are a promising bunch but now that Pia Toscano, formerly considered an obvious frontrunner, is out of the mix, do any of the remaining contestants have what it takes to be the next Clarkson?

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The Thrill is Gone For Me - Why I Do Not Watch American Idol Anymore

I remember I used to have to rush home every Tuesday and Wednesday from the office, just so that I could watch dreams being made or shattered on American Idol. I even watched the night that Simon Cowell had some not so nice things to say to now, Academy Award winner, Jennifer Hudson. I remember many of the seasons as if it were yesterday, but this season, I do not know any of the contestants names, I do not know the name of the newest judge added to the roster, and while I have been seeing hoopla on the Internet surrounding the final episodes, I just cannot bring myself to turn to American Idol this year.

Maybe I have lost faith in the set up of its system, maybe I do not believe that once a person has won, they will go on to do anything greater than most of the other contestants - with the exception of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, and the 'non-winner,' but truest winner of them all, Jennifer Hudson, who was not fed the pipe dream story of going on to this glamorous record deal upon winning. I really cannot put my fingers on when and where the Idol mechanics changed for me, but all that I know is, is that they changed.

If I had to speculate why I am harboring such pessimistic feelings about A.I., I would have to say that it is not fair how a person can become an American Idol statistic, after being praised and glorified so heavily on the show, then after their win, a few months later, you never hear about them at all. So, you mean to tell me that I spent a whole few months rushing home to see who is going to win week after week, until we get to the finale, then a winner is chosen, and that's that? Somehow, I feel cheated, I feel as if I could have spent my time doing something other than watching for a winner that will not be heavily promoted once their stint on A.I. is up. I guess I really stopped seeing the logic in it.

Well, no matter who wins this season, I hope that all of those that vied for the coveted winner's spot, realize that their dreams do not end there, and that they should persevere on to other things...their lives do not begin and end with American Idol, and apparently, neither does mine.

Kenyetta 'Native' McKinney, M.A. is founder and CEO of Grind Mode Media, LLC - the home base company for http://www.grindmodepress.com - an all-in-one media service site for Affordable Electronic Press Kit Creations (free trials), Press Release & Music Distribution, Biography and Press Release writing is also available. The company is also owner of innovative, entertainment social website - http://www.grindmodeconnect.com, and popular entertainment magazine - Grind Mode Magazine. She is a journalist, publicist and media relations specialist in the Philadelphia area, and a graduate of Penn State University.

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American Idol - The Best of Seasons 1 - 4

Features the best performances from the 1st four seasons of the pop cultural phenomena American Idol.

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