'Country music kind of houses the message that I like,' the 'American Idol' alum tells MTV News ... By James Montgomery, with reporting by Jim Cantiello ... Danny Gokey ... Photo: FOX ... Late last month, Danny Gokey — the only top-four "American Idol" contestant who doesn't have a record deal yet — got fans buzzing when he tweeted that he was headed to Nashville for a series of meetings that had "nothing to do" with his charity, the Sophia's Heart Foundation ... It seemed like news of Gokey
The show's host is reportedly about to extend his contract for three more years ... By Jocelyn Vena ... Ryan Seacrest ... Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images ... Hot on the heels of Paula Abdul's statement that she'll be back for more "American Idol" next season, it looks like host Ryan Seacrest is only steps away from signing his contract extension, according to the Hollywood Reporter ... According to the report, he is currently in talks with "Idol" co-producer 19 Entertainment to extend his
On 'Late Show with David Letterman,' judge also debunks reports of schism with Kara DioGuardi ... By Eric Ditzian ... Paula Abdul outside the Ed Sullivan Theater on Thursday ... Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images ... Auditions for the ninth season of "American Idol" will begin in Boston on June 14, at which point tens of thousands of sweet-voiced signers and publicity-desperate oddballs will begin lining up for a shot at stardom. However, there's no word yet if any of the judges not yet signed to
'American Idol' judge tells 'The View' that Lambert never hid his sexuality ... By MTV News staff ... Adam Lambert ... Photo: MTV News ... As if the pictures of Adam Lambert kissing other men and his not-so-veiled allusions about having nothing to hide weren't enough of a clue, it seems "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has gone ahead and spilled the beans on the "Idol" runner-up's worst-kept "secret." ... According to ABC News, while Lambert has been telling the world to "keep speculating"
Last year's champ performed 'Permanent' in honor of his late brother Adam ... By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Garth Bardsley ... David Cook ... Photo: MTV News ... On Wednesday night, a year after he was crowned the American Idol, David Cook performed on the season-eight finale, when Kris Allen was named this year's champion. During his performance, Cook paid tribute to his late brother Adam with the song "Permanent." ... "For the finale this year, I was floored that they would allow me to
'They've been 100 percent supportive of everything that I've done,' over-the-top runner-up says ... By Katie Byrne ... Adam Lambert ... Photo: MTV News ... Adam Lambert might have been one of the most theatrical contestants ever on "American Idol," but that doesn't mean he's heading straight for Broadway ... We caught up the runner-up to talk about his theater roots, Katy Perry's rhinestone tribute and why he's not losing sleep over his loss ... Q : A lot of your fans are pretty disappointed
'He's one of the most gifted performers I've ever met,' the new champ says of his rival ... By Katie Byrne ... Kris Allen ... Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images ... Kris Allen might have been a stranger to "American Idol" fans before the top 36 performance shows, but three months later, he was crowned the show's new champion ... How did he do it? We caught up with the 23-year-old newlywed from Conway, Arkansas, to talk about his under-the-radar journey, whether he'll be going country and what
'She just made herself look stupid; she didn't make me look stupid,' Katrina Darrell says of finale stunt ... By Jocelyn Vena ... Kara DioGuard and Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell onstage at the "American Idol" finale on Wednesday ... Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/FOX ... For one brief moment during Wednesday night's "American Idol" finale, it seemed as if Kara DioGuardi and Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell had settled their feud when they performed Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" together ...
Allen's debut album has 'got to have something about it that makes it special so it doesn't sound like everything else,' producer Howard Benson says ... By Eric Ditzian ... Kris Allen ... Photo: F Micelotta / American Idol/ Getty Images ... The lights on the "American Idol" stage have gone dark. Season-eight champ Kris Allen shall be judged no more ... at least for a while. When his debut album arrives at some point in the future, the fair-minded appraisals and vicious condemnations will begin
'That was the greatest experience so far,' Lambert says of final season-eight performance episode ... By Larry Carroll ... Kris Allen ... Photo: Frank Micelotta / FOX ... LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday night, during the final "American Idol" season-eight performance episode, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen bared their hearts and souls. Backstage, however, the two friends and finalists were insisting that they won't be exposing anything else ... "We don't get naked together," promised Adam, answering a