David Archuleta Returning to “American Idol” to Mentor This Season’s Contestants

It’s a special Idol homecoming for David Archuleta.

The 32-year-old half-Honduran and part-Spanish American singer and former American Idol finalist will be serving as a mentor to the contestants on season 21 of ABC’s long-running singing competition.

David ArchuletaIt’s part of American Idol’s long history of inviting seven past finalists to mentor contestants during Hollywood Week, which begins airing on ABC on Sunday, April 2.

In addition to Archuleta, the season 7 runner-up who released his eighth studio album Therapy Sessions in May 2020, the returning Idols are Justin Guarini (season 1), Clay Aiken (season 2), Jordin Sparks (season 6), Phillip Phillips (season 11), Catie Turner (season 16) and Noah Thompson (season 20).

“Having a mentor in Hollywood Week is something we’ve always wanted to explore,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick told Billboard. “We usually have over 150 people come to Hollywood Week, so it’s hard to have one mentor talk to everyone individually. I thought, ‘Who better to mentor on the Hollywood experience than people who have actually been through it.’ Jordin Sparks always speaks so well about this. She feels that Hollywood Week really was a perfect training ground for the music industry, all baked into that week. There’s no one better to mentor this week than people who have been there, and now that we can pull from 20 years of Idols, it was incredible. The people who came back this year were so excited to do it.”

Explaining how this year’s Hollywood Week will be revamped, Michaels Wolflick says, “In the past two years in the ABC era, we’ve done this genre challenge. We would say, ‘Okay, you’re rock. You’re pop. You’re soul/R&B,’ and it was becoming less relevant, because a lot of the finalists were telling us, ‘I’m pop-soul.’ ‘I’m country-rock.’ There was a blurred genre thing going on. So I thought we should explore something else.

“This year we gave all the contestants one of three areas that they wanted to work on: confidence, songwriting or stage presence. It was my challenge to pick two people who would be applicable for confidence. Clay Aiken and David Archuleta were total confidence. Both of them came in second place, and it was funny because when we were first talking to them about it, they said, ‘I still don’t have all the confidence.’ I told them, ‘Yes, but you have more than you came with.’ For the songwriting category, we had Catie Turner and Phillip Phillips, who are both songwriters in their own right. Both of them in their respective seasons brought an artistry to the show that maybe we hadn’t seen. And for stage presence, we have Jordin Sparks and Justin Guarini, two people who commanded the stage in their own way and still do.”

The seventh mentor is last season’s winner, Noah Thompson. “He gave some motivational speeches and was able to talk about his experience from last year. I can’t tell you how many people auditioned this year inspired by him. His friend Arthur signed Noah up [to audition], so we had a lot of people secretly signing people up, which was really cool.”

Addressing the legacy of 21 seasons of Idol, Michaels Wolflick says, “I think American Idol is now like the NFL, where people train their [whole] lives to come on the show. It’s now bigger than a TV show. It’s something you can aspire to be a part of — young singers are born every day.” As proof, the 15-year-old contestants on the current season were born during Idol’s seventh season, when Archuleta was competing on the show.

Michaels Wolflick, who joined the Idol production staff in season 2, says, “If you come on the show, you’re part of the American Idol alumni. You are part of our history. This show has changed lives in so many different ways. When David Archuleta makes news, it’s picked up everywhere. Even though he was on the show in 2008, people still have a passion for him. The investment is real. Carrie Underwood knows to this day when she’s playing to full arenas, there might be a good portion of these people who voted for her. There’s a special connection that all of the alum have to the show. They like to give back to these people who are coming in and the people who are coming in love to talk to them.”

Michaels Wolflick revealed to Billboard that more Idol alums will be returning during this 21st season, including the winner of season 2, Ruben Studdard.

Ally Brooke to Perform During This Year’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

It’ll be an extra special Thanksgiving for Ally Brooke

27-year-old Mexican American singer and former Fifth Harmony member will be performing as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which may look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ally Brooke

Unlike other years, the decorated floats and helium-filled balloons will not be marching down the usual two-and-a-half-mile route starting at West 77th Street. The parade has shorted its route and will only be held (without an audience) in front of Macy’s famed flagship store on 34th Street for the national television special.

Ally Brooke joins a roster of performers that includes Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Karol G, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle, Ella Mai, Leslie Odom Jr., Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra, Brett Young and more.

The casts of HamiltonMean GirlsJagged Little Pill, and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, all of which have not taken the live stage since March, are set to perform at the parade.

While the Broadway performances will be filmed ahead of time, they will air during the broadcast at 9:00 a.m. ET on NBC.

Scotty McCreery to Appear on “American Idol” Finale for Special “We Are The World” Performance

Scotty McCreery is returning to his Idol roots…

The 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican American singer and former American Idol champion will appear in this year’s AI finale.

Scotty McCreery

Even though it won’t be the typical AI finale to announce the winner of season 18 due to the COVID-19 lockdown, next Sunday’s (8:00 – 10:00 pm ET, May 17) shelter-at-home-based season-ender will still feature A-listers, including McCreery, who claimed the crown in Season 10.

During Sunday’s semifinal, host Ryan Seacrest revealed some of the special guests who’ll dial in for the finale, which include two performances from the top five (who’ll be announced at the beginning of the episode after two eliminations) preceding the live vote to determine this year’s winner. 

The top five will then perform a song celebrating their induction into the semifinal round, followed by a previously performed song and, then, their official AIsingle. (The winner will be determined live in a real-time vote on the East Coast broadcast.)

In addition to the return of the top 11 and a fan favorite from this season, there’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime special performance of “We Are The World” by the inspiring anthem’s co-writer, Idoljudge Lionel Richie. In the first television take on the song in 35 years, Richie will team up with fellow judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan to pay tribute to all the families at home around the world now. 

Joining the judges on the all-star anthem will be a giant cast of former Idolcontestants including last year’s runner-up, Alejandro “ScaryPoolParty” ArandaGabby BarrettJordin SparksKatharine McPheeKellie PicklerLaine Hardy, Lauren AlainaPhillip PhillipsRuben Studdard and McCreery.

Additionally, Cynthia Erivo singing a medley of Aretha Franklin songs, two-time Idol contestant Lauren Daigle singing her hit “You Say,” as well as Rascal Flatts and Doug Kiker doing “Bless the Broken Road,” Bryan performing his single “One Margarita” and Perry offering up the television debut of her new single, “Daisies.”

After Sunday night’s Mother’s Day special, the top seven semi-finalists are: Just Sam (Samantha Diaz), Louis KnightFrancisco MartinJulia GarganoArthur GunnDillon James and Jonny West.

McCreery Returning to Perform on “American Idol”

Scotty McCreery is returning to the American Idol stage…

The 22-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer and former AI champion will return to Fox’s reality singing competition to perform with one of this season’s contestants.

Scotty McCreery

On this Wednesday’s show (Feb. 10) MacKenzie Bourg, Emily Brooke, Gianna Isabella, James VIII, Jeneve Rose Mitchell, Stephany Negrete, Jenna Renae, La’Porsha Renae, Jordan Sasser, Thomas Stringfellow, Sonika Vaid and Avalon Young will each get a chance to perform solo.

The next night (Feb. 11), the semi-finalists will have the opportunity to duet with McCreery, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Caleb Johnson, Lauren Alaina, and Nick Fradiani . Each Idol will duet with 12 semi-finalists, seven of which will move forward to the next round, according to a Fox release.

The Feb. 17 show will feature Jenn Blosil, Amelia Eisenhauer, Trent Harmon, Lee Jean, CJ Johnson, Adam Lasher, Tristan McIntosh, Dalton Rapattoni, Olivia Rox, Manny Torres, Kory Wheeler and Shelbie Z.

The next night they will get their chance to duet with alums Constantine Maroulis, Haley Reinhart, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, Jordin Sparks and David Cook. The judges will then announce which contestants are moving forward and who is going home.

The following week (Feb. 24), the judges will reveal which eight singers are definitely moving forward to the top 10, leaving six remaining vocalists to compete for America’s vote.  The show will go live the next night (Feb. 25), when host Ryan Seacrest announces the results and which two singers will complete the top 10. As a bonus that evening, Kelly Clarkson will return to the show to perform and serve as a guest judge.

Beginning Feb. 24, public voting will be live at AmericanIdol.com, on the FOX NOW app, via Google Search, via text messaging and by toll-free calling when the Idol vote window opens.

Prince Royce Releasing Bachata Song “Culpa al Corazon” This Week

Prince Royce is returning to his raíces …

After being on tour for a few months with Ariana Grande promoting his first English-language album Double Vision, the 26-year-old Dominican American singer revisits his Spanish roots with a new bachata song, according to Billboard.

Prince Royce

“Prince Royce’s “Culpa al Corazon” single will be released on November 13.

“I know that my fans are waiting for a new bachata song,” Royce told Billboard before his performance at the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, where he performed “Back it Up” with Jennifer Lopez.

“Culpa” is Royce’s first single from his next Spanish studio album, which will drop in 2016.

This new bachata song won’t stop the Latin heartthrob from being part of America’s favorite holiday tradition: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

“I’m excited and happy, my family is from New York, so they can see me at the parade,” added Royce.

This year, Prince Royce will join Mariah Carey, Shawn Mendes, NHL legends Mark and Marty Howe, the cast of Broadway‘s School of Rock, Trey Songz, Jordin Sparks, Chica and the gang from Sprout and Train, among others.

The 89th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will broadcast live Thursday, November 26, at 9:00 am ET on NBC.

Alba to Serve as a Guest Judge on Logo TV’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Life’s a drag for Jessica Alba

The 33-year-old half-Mexican American actress will serve as a celebrity guest judge on the seventh season of Logo TV’s hit reality television competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Jessica Alba

RuPaul plays the roles of host, mentor, and source of inspiration for the series, which details RuPaul’s search for “America’s next drag superstar.”

Alba has previously served as a guest judge on Cupcake Wars and Project Runway.

In addition to Alba, this season’s celebrity guest judges include Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, John Waters, Kathy Griffin, Olivia Newton-John, Alyssa Milano, Kat Dennings, Jordin Sparks, Mel B, Tamar Braxton, Rebecca Romijn, Santino Rice, Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Urie, Rachael Harris, Lucian Piane and Merle Ginsberg.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is also adding two new permanent judges to the mix. Carson Kressley (Queer Eye For The Straight Guy) and Ross Mathews (Chelsea Lately) will join returning judge Michelle Visage as they decide who will stay, lip-synch for their life or “Sashay Away.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race is slated to premiere at 9:00 pm ET on March 2 on Logo TV.

Becky G to Perform at the American Music Awards Live Pre-Show Event

Becky G’s ready to rock the red carpet…

The 17-year-old Mexican American rapper, actress and model has been added to the list of pre-show performers at the American Music Awards.

Becky G

Hosted by Lance Bass, Chelsea Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Gavin DeGraw, Frankie Grande, Taryn Manning, Jordin Sparks, Morgan Stewart and Ted Stryker, the Coca-Cola Red Carpet LIVE! @ The 2014 AMAs also will also feature performances by Ella Henderson, Katy Tiz, Mary Lambert, and R5.

The American Music Awards’ Coca-Cola Red Carpet Live show will begin streaming at 5:00 pm ET on Yahoo Live on Sunday, November 23.

Mars’ Super Bowl Halftime Scores Rave Reviews on Social Media

The Seattle Seahawks may be this year’s Super Bowl champions… But Bruno Mars is the night’s Twitter darling.

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s electrifying halftime show not only proved that Mars is a music superstar; it also generated an out of this world (pun intended) response on social media from a worldwide audience.

Bruno Mars at the Super Bowl

Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers generated 2.2 million tweets during their 12-minute show, including rave reviews from fellow musicians like Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks.

“The whole ‪#halftimeshow was pretty awesome! Well done ‪@BrunoMars,” tweeted Underwood, who sang a memorable rendition of the National Anthem at the 2010 Super Bowl.

“Entrance on drums, James brown, chili peppers, I loved that whole thing,” said actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, while Gavin DeGraw said Mars “tore up that halftime performance.”

Meanwhile, Sparks tweeted that she got chills when Mars broke out James Brown’s signature dance moves.

Good to Portray Whitney Houston in Biopic About the Late Singer?

Meagan Good could be saving all her love for a plum role…

The 32-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress could portray Whitney Houston in a biopic about the late Grammy-winning singer.

Meagan Good

Good, who most recently starred in the NBC drama Deception, is now linked to the project after telling the Los Angeles Times in an interview that the project was her dream job. She also said that she’d been discussing a potential film project with the singer before her tragic death.

According to The Wrap, record producer Clive Davis, who was also considered Whitney’s close friend, will shepherd the project.

At one point this year, Tyler Perry even expressed his interest in directing the project should the untitled Whitney Houston biopic come together.

Since Whitney’s sudden death in February 2012, a slew of stars have been rumored to be in consideration to portray her on the big screen, including Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Vivica A Fox and Jordin Sparks, who played Whitney’s on-screen daughter in her final movie Sparkle.

Good’s latest film Anchorman: The Legend Continues is currently playing in theaters.

She’ll next star in Think Like a Man Too.

Lovato Tapes Performance for Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade TV Special

Christmas isn’t for another seven weeks… But Demi Lovato is already spreading holiday cheer.

Demi Lovato

The 21-year-old part-Mexican singer/actress and The X Factor judge performed her latest single “Let It Go,” from the upcoming movie Frozen, during the taping of the  Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade television special at Disneyland on Saturday afternoon in Anaheim, California.

Before leaving the amusement park, the blue-streaked starlet even posed for a photo with Minnie Mouse.

Demi Lovato

But Lovato wasn’t the only celebrity on hand for the taping…

Jordin Sparks and Jason Derulo belted out a rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” while Mary J. Blige entertained the crowd with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”