Source: www.celebitchy.com

Alright the headline is a little misleading. They were fined over Sanjaya and Jordin Sparks. The two performed along with the other members of the American Idol tour in New York, and the producers of the event didn’t bother to file for permits under the State Child Performer Labor Law. Sanjaya was 17 at the time and Sparks won’t turn 18 until December. What they really should have been fined for was letting Sanjaya within 1000 miles of anyone with ears. Yeah, I went there. Cutting, wasn’t it?

“It may be America’s favorite reality program, but not even Idol is exempt from the law - child labor law, to be exact. The New York Daily News is reporting that 19 Touring failed to apply for the necessary permits for Jordin Sparks, who turns 18 in December, and now 18-year-old Sanjaya Malakar (who was underage at the time of the performances), when the Idol concert tour came to New York last month. As a result of a reported 16 violations of the New York State Child Performer Labor Law, 19 Touring has agreed to fork over $5,000 in fines.

“Sparks and Malakar joined the rest of the top ten Idol contestants for five New York-area appearances during the tour, which wrapped on Sept. 22. Under the state’s new law, employers must file for permits in order to ensure they are following proper child labor, education and workers’ compensation protocol, the News reports. “One of our clerical staff - who was actually a fan of the show - [heard] that these performers were, in fact, under 18, and so she did some digging and referred that over to our investigators,” Labor Department spokesman Leo Rosales told the News. A representative for 19 Management, which operates 19 Touring, did not return a call seeking comment.”

[From US Weekly]

The clerical staff member was a fan of the show, and that’s how he chose to show it? I think by “fan” they meant “hater.” Not that I blame him, I loathe reality TV in all its incarnations. Yes I know you’re all throwing tomatoes at me right now for it. But it just doesn’t do it for me. I blame reality TV for the death of the sitcom. Nothing great, the sitcom, but it was comfortable and familiar, and I liked that. Rarely did people try to strangle themselves with snakes, or whatever it is they do on reality television.

Source: www.celebritysmackblog.com

Daughtry performs at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida

*Licensed photos provided to Celebrity Smack by © A. Gilbert/ PR Photos*

Source: www.celebritysmackblog.com

Debbie Harry, never one to hold her tongue, is lashing out against reality shows such as American Idol saying that the entire thing is a farce.

She says it gives the singers false hope that they will be given a successful career in the music industry.

She says,

“It’s not unique in any way. It’s grinding out more stuff, it’s not encouraging people to come on and play their own music. It’s just karaoke. And that to me is nothing. I can go down to any bar in the East Village practically any night of the week and see some asshole standing up there singing Stairway To Heaven.”

Source

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

Meet the Top 12 contestants for the current season of Australian Idol.

Meanwhile, here in the States, the American Idol tour bombed, with the Idols performing to half-empty houses most nights. Auditions for the upcoming season have wrapped up here in the States. Is everybody ready for another go-round?

Source: www.celebitchy.com

I hate American Idol. Fortunately, the country I live in isn’t a fan either, so last year’s NZ Idol winner didn’t even get a recording contract, just a car. Which was probably more useful to them, since no one was going to buy that album anyway. Then all the rejects from the previous two series, from when NZ Idol way in its heyday, got together and fought it out for $50,000. Unfortunately it wasn’t a Gladiator-style fight.

Anyway, it seems American Idol might finally have sucked the talent out of the pool, and is scraping the mildew at the bottom, according to Ryan Seacrest.

TMZ cameras caught the “Idol” host before his jog outside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in NYC on Sunday — sporting an iPod and an inconspicuous Ed Hardy hat. When asked about the upcoming season of the juggernaut that is “American Idol,” Ryan said they “weren’t great … for 20,000 people, we only found a few good ones.” Is that a change?

TMZ

Actually, the bad auditions are the best part, so maybe things are looking up for the show.

Another sign American Idol is on the way out – low ticket sales for its Idols Live shows.

Reports of attendance and gross receipts for the first 30 of the 57 shows scheduled for the tour, as recorded by Billboard Boxscore, show this year’s crop of 10 Idol finalists is falling short of last year’s concert performance.

No sellouts were reported for the first 30 shows, and only one topped the 93% of capacity mark. (That was the show in Glendale, Ariz., Idol winner Jordin Sparks’ home turf.) Of the 2006 tour’s first 30 shows, 17 were sellouts and another 10 exceeded 93% of capacity.
Nearly half (14) of the shows were below 60% of capacity. (Lowest was 38.9% in Birmingham, Ala., hometown of 2006 winner Taylor Hicks and 2003 champ Ruben Studdard.) In 2006, the lowest-capacity figure in the first 30 shows was 89.3%.
The 2006 tour was the most successful to date, but 2005’s was a lot healthier than the current version. Of the first 29 dates of 2005, 11 were sellouts and four more topped 93%.

USA Today

What will happen if the whole enterprise shuts down? How will record companies find talent? What will Paula Abdul do for a living?

Source: seriouslyomg.com

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

The former AmIdol contestant made an appearance at the ESPN Deportes La Revista blah blah blah blah … these are always such non-events. I have no idea what he was doing there. Especially with Anthony Fedorov.

What the hell does Constantine have to do with a Spanish sports magazine?

Isn’t he Greek?

Just because he looks like he could be Spanish doesn’t mean he had any reason to be there. Yet he was.

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

The youngest AmIdol winner ever is all set to debut her first single. The song is called “Tattoo” (um, she’s not even old enough to get a tattoo) and will hit airwaves August 27, although you can get a sneak preview tomorrow on PopEater.

“Right after I heard the first chorus, I was like, `I wanna sing that song. I have to have it. I wanna sing it,’” said Sparks.

The full album will be released November 20. Jordan describes it as a mix of pop-rock and ballads, with a little bit of country.

Talking about the current AmIdol tour with her fellow contestants, Jordin says “It’s abnormally weird how well we still get along. We’re still like any dysfunctional family where we get on each other’s nerves, but, at the end of the day, we’re still just like, ‘Hey, you wanna hang out?’”

Source: www.celebitchy.com

Clay Aiken is one of those celebrities that annoys the crap out of me – and as a result, I tend to pay attention. I think that’s the same angle a lot of famous people take to get attention. His whole “I must expose my feet every chance I get” thing really freaks me out, but I can handle it. But thinking he’s sexy? That I just cannot take. Apparently part of Clay’s new repertoire involves a brief cover of Justin Timberlake’s now-classic “SexyBack.” My God, I hope he doesn’t cover JT’s “Dick in a Box.”

Did you notice that as the video cuts out, he starts in on a cover of Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart?” That’s a bit more acceptable. What would make Clay think this is okay? And isn’t he loudly, annoyingly conservative Christian? Emphasis on the conservative? The guy really is an enigma. The “sexy” faces he makes are priceless. Clay, I don’t care whether you’re gay or straight, I don’t care whether you ever tell us if you’re gay or straight, I just care that you never do this to the internet again.

In slightly less horrifying Clay Aiken news, the red-headed sex machine will appear on an episode of Fox’s “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”

“We know Clay Aiken has a voice, but how’s his brain? We’ll find out when he appears on ‘Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?’

“Aiken will try to win money for his foundation that runs a camp for kids with developmental disabilities. If he answers all his questions correctly, the foundation will get a million dollars.

“Aiken will tape his appearance August 28th. No air date has been set yet.”

[From ABC affiliate abc13.com]

I really hate it when otherwise contemptible celebrities do something good. Like having charities for kids with developmental disabilities. Stupid Clay Aiken. You’re so good, and so bad, all at once.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Clay at the Emmy Awards in 2005. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Source: www.evilbeetgossip.com

The show must go on, I guess.

A woman auditioning for American Idol in Texas last Monday went into labor while singing for the judges. Antoria Gillon, 20, wasn’t actually due until August 9, so she thought it was totally reasonable for her to wait in line for 16 hours and go through with the audition process.

“I felt something over my body when I was walking,” she said. “I knew right away what it was. I was singing, and the judge stopped and asked if I was OK, and I said, ‘I just want to finish my song.’”

An ambulance pulled up and everyone urged her to get in. “I said, ‘Well, I haven’t gotten my golden ticket yet,’ ” she said. She finished singing, got the “golden ticket,” and went off to the hospital, where she delivered her second child, a healthy baby boy.

So what’d she name the kid? Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan. Which I’m sure will be a really fun reminder for the rest of her life when she doesn’t make it to the finals.