People: Fallen ‘Idol’ will have a last hurrah
Fox is lowering the curtain on “American Idol,” ending a series that dominated television throughout the 2000s and made stars of the likes of Simon Cowell, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
The network announced Monday that “American Idol” will go off the air after its 15th and final season next spring. The cast from the past few seasons, with Ryan Seacrest as host and Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. as judges, will return for a season-long celebration of the show’s history.
“It was not an easy decision. ‘American Idol’ has been such a vital part of Fox for its run,” said Gary Newman, Fox Television Group co-chairman and CEO. He promised a season-long celebration that matches the show’s significance, with the suggestion that its big-name contestants and past judges may be involved.
“American Idol” faded over the past few years, eclipsed in the music competition genre it pioneered by NBC’s “The Voice.” Personnel changes didn’t help, and neither did tinkering with the format, as the show fell victim to what usually kills off most television series – old age.
Fox and the show’s producers were discussing how the series would continue, but ultimately “we all arrived at the conclusion that it was time to bring the show to an end,” said Newman. “But we wanted to do it in a way that was special and celebratory.”
“Idol” was a quick hit, with fans following contestants who sought the prized “yellow ticket” to Hollywood and a chance at stardom. In the early years, “American Idol” also showed many of the cringe-worthy auditions of contestants with no hope of winning, but has generally resisted those recently.
Simon Cowell, the Brit with a tart tongue and honest assessments, became a star as judge, along with his fellow originals, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
The big-voiced Clarkson became a major pop star after winning “Idol,” and Underwood is a solid performer on the country charts. Personalities like Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken also became household names after competing on “Idol.”
Perez Hilton welcomes baby girl
Perez Hilton had an extra special Mother’s Day: He spent it with his brand-new baby girl.
Hilton says his daughter, Mia Alma, was born Saturday afternoon via surrogate. The celebrity blogger said by phone Monday that spending the day with his mom and baby girl “was the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day.”
His daughter’s name means “my soul” in Spanish, he said, “because I’m cheesy like that.”
Mia is Hilton’s second child. His son, Mario Armando Lavandeira III, was born in 2013.
He didn’t say where the child was born to protect the surrogate’s identity.
The birthday bunch
Baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra is 90. Rock musician Eric Singer (KISS) is 57. Actor Ving Rhames is 56. Actor Emilio Estevez is 53. Actor Stephen Baldwin is 49. Actress Kim Fields is 46. Country musician Matt Mangano (The Zac Brown Band) is 39.