From David Cook's rockin' rendition of "Billie Jean" to Kris Allen's unique take on Kanye West's hit "Heartless,” American Idol has given us some great stage shows over the years. Check out the countdown of the Top 10 Most Unforgettable Performances to see where our favorites ranked!
Kelly Clarkson was the first contestant to win American Idol, but is she the most successful of them all? Other success stories like country sweetheart Carrie Underwood and rocker Chris Daughtry have been giving her a run for her money! Watch our "American Idol Kickoff" special to find out where our editors ranked the top five biggest Idol success stories! Watch the PopSugar Rush special now before tonight's Season 7 premiere!
Kelly Clarkson was the first contestant to win American Idol, but is she the most successful of them all? Seems Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry have been giving her a run for her money! Watch our American Idol Kickoff special to find out where our editors ranked the top five biggest Idol success stories!
The stars of last night's American Music Awards hit the red carpet before heading inside LA's Nokia Theatre for the main event. Janet Jackson kicked things off with an energetic eight minute performance, and the evening's first award then went to the Black Eyed Peas. The Black Eyed Peas went on to take the stage to do "Boom Boom Pow" with a special Nirvana twist. The show went on with performances from Carrie Underwood and Shakira, as well as from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys with "Empire State of Mind." Unfortunately not everyone stayed on their feet — both Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert took tumbles while singing.
There were other memorable performances, from Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and not to mention Whitney Houston's return to the stage before she received the International Award of Excellence. Jennifer Lopez had a beaming Marc Anthony in the crowd as she debuted her new single and showed off those customized Louboutins. Michael Jackson won multiple awards, and his brother Jermaine took the stage to accept the award on behalf of their family. Taylor Swift took home the most statues, though she wasn't there and the upset of the night might have to go to Gloriana who won breakthrough artist — make sure to check out the full list of winners. Kate Hudson joined her Nine costars Fergie and Nicole Kidman, though Kate did have a chance to share a special moment with Alex Rodriguez. We also had everything covered on the fashion and beauty ends, so make sure to check in with Fab and Bella!
LOTS more photos from the American Music Awards and backstage so read more
Before the Grammys took over last night, the stars got a chance to get warmed up at Clive Davis's annual pre-party on Saturday night. Whitney Houston gave her all up on stage, along with Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis. Chris and Rihanna looked lovey dovey and happy, just a few hours before his shocking alleged assault. Kanye, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus looked happy to rub elbows and save their voices for Sunday night as the celebs enjoyed their weekend of amazing music.
There are tons of photos to see including Jamie Foxx, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood and others so just read more
Justin Timberlake took the stage with Alicia Keys last night at the Keep a Child Alive party in NYC. JT revealed he's "not sure" if he wants children of his own but did talk about moving to Manhattan soon. He said, "It's the greatest city in the world! It's good for everything. It's good for food, there's some good fashion, there's mostly good weather except for today and it's the realest city in America." Meanwhile, current Manhattanite John Mayer gushed about how well Jen knows him before joining her for a late dinner. Chris Daughtry also performed for the glammed up Jessica Alba and the rest of the star-studded crowd as everyone came out to support the children's charity.
To see more photos including Tyra Banks, Padma Lakshmi, Alicia Keys, and others just read more
Stars came out in NYC last night for a great cause at Keep A Child Alive's annual Black Ball. Alicia Keys, co-founder and global ambassador for the organization, posed with Jessica Alba who was sporting the on trend bowl bangs. Alicia was able to wrangle up some great celebrity faces to round out the red carpet like suave guys Justin Timberlake and John Mayer both of whom dressed down their ties with leather jackets. Tyra and Queen Latifah were among the other familiar faces out to help save the children for a worthwhile formal Thursday night out on the town.
To see lots more from the event including Chris Daughtry, Elijah Wood, Zoe Kravitz, Iman, David Bowie and others just read more
I'm just going to say it: Nancy Pelosi is hipper than me. List of concerts I've been to in my lifetime? Amy Grant, MC Hammer, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Nancy Pelosi on the other hand, hangs with Wyclef Jean.
Last night was an embarrassment of Democratic musical riches (if that's a thing.) After the business at the Pepsi Center concluded with Hillary's bang, Liberty and I saw Wyclef Jean perform (he played his guitar with his teeth or tongue, I couldn't tell but either way, uh wow) and got to meet Nancy Pelosi .
Then if that wasn't enough (and as the early bird around here I kept saying, "there's a 12 o'clock at night, too? What?!"), we played "What Would Nancy Do" and headed to the Grammys Rock the Vote after party. And they did — rock that is. To see what happened, read more
After a trip around the world, Hancock hit LA last night with a high profile premiere. The Smith family is quite the red carpet pack now, perfecting the group pose for the camera — Jada was looking especially gorgeous in green — before Will was off to also pose with his costars. The next big movie star (at least in his head) Diddy was there as was Charlize nuzzling up to Stuart and Jason Bateman with his wife. Will looked overjoyed and recently talked about how great things are. He told Parade, "I feel like an athlete who has just caught my prime. I'm in the best physical condition of my life. I love what I do. I feel like this is truly the time for me to make my artistic sprint in my career." For now though, it's time to watch and see how his newest Summer blockbuster fares at the holiday weekend box office he made his own.
To see more from the premiere including the Smith family, Jason Bateman, Minnie Driver, Peter Berg, Chris Daughtry and others just read more
If it's Springtime, there must be an American Idol controversy brewing. Right on cue, David Cook has stepped up as this year's rabble-rouser. Much like Chris Daughtry was slammed for performing a version of "Walk the Line" that was originally performed by Live without identifying the band as his inspiration, Cook has found himself at the center of controversies over covers of his own.
A band called Doxology is accusing Cook of using their version of "Eleanor Rigby" for a Beatles week performance without giving them proper credit. When Cook performed Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean" on Idol last week, the judges praised his originality — despite the fact that Ryan Seacrest identified the song as Cornell's in the intro to the performance.
Maybe Cook is really an innovative musician and performer. Maybe he's just skilled at finding cover versions of songs he likes and singing them well. Here's my question: Does it matter? Should Idol contestants be limited to the original arrangements of songs, or should all covers be fair game?
Photo courtesy of Fox
