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Showdown Tonight! 'American Idol' vs. 'Dancing with the Stars'
Don't think I have forgotten about all of you. I've been out of town filming behind-the-scenes of "High School Musical 2" up in St. George, Utah. Hence, no dish for the last few days. There was a bit of confusion and I was hoping to give HSM2 fans a little teaser but since Disney wants to keep the storyline under wraps as long as possible this means HSM2 fans will have to wait until May to find out about my experience on the set. Sorry! However, I am back on the AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS beat now and armed with all sorts of good scoop.
Tonight, the two reality shows will go head-to-head... for a whole seven minutes that is. Tonight is the first time that AI drops down to an hour from two-hours and the show's running time will be 1 hour and 7 minutes which cuts into DWTS.
It seems a little fishy to me that the biggest show on TV would all of a sudden decide they needed more time. However, this morning, I took a trip inside the Idol inner sanctum.. the production offices where a sign warns that no contestants are allowed. AI executive producer, Ken Warwick, swore it was not a calculated move on their part to mess with DWTS, “Yeah, I think they were a bit upset. I think they thought we did it on purpose. I can actually honestly say we didn’t. This is the first week we are only an hour. We have got ten kids. We’ve got Gwen Stefani as our mentor, which is huge and fabulous for us. So, we asked weeks ago could we make this a two-hour show or a ninety-minute show and the fact of the matter is, we just can't because of the scheduling. They (FOX) came back and said the most we can give you is seven minutes. That doesn’t cause too much trouble with the affiliates."
Apparently, all the FOX affiliates all had to agree to start their local newscasts seven minutes late.
Besides having to share seven minutes, the shows actually have to share production space. Both shows tape next door to each other on the CBS lot in Hollywood. When I say next door, I really mean right next door. The stages are within 30 or so feet from each other. This means that both shows are sharing a hallway, the bathrooms and some of the dressing rooms.
It will be up to security to keep the peace between the two shows according to Ken, "There is security down there that will keep things separate and apart and make sure everybody goes to the right place. The worst thing is the car park. You can't park out there to save your life!” I can attest to this. Seven hours 'til showtime this morning and I drove around a good ten minutes looking for a space, eventually pulling alongside a curb and crossing my fingers that I wouldn't get towed. I didn't.
Gwen Stefani will be mentoring the kids and Ken gave me the lowdown on how it went, "She was fabulous. Of course she is an Idol that is very much in their generation so they were really awestruck. I mean, Gina was in tears the whole of the afternoon when we were filming with her. And she (Gwen) was as nervous as they were because its not the normal thing that she would do."
The contestants will be singing songs that have inspired Gwen from groups like The Police and singers like Donna Summer. No Doubt and Gwen's solo material will be represented too. I can tell you that as I was leaving the CBS lot I heard one of the girls rehearsing for her performance to the song, "Hey Baby." If I had to venture a guess I'd say it was Jordin Sparks.
Tony Bennett will be next week's mentor and the contestants will take on the classics. Check back tomorrow for my recap of the show, my prediction on who will be the next contestant to go and an interesting new development in the world of Sanjaya.
Dancing With the stars is so way better than AI.
This past week Melinda finally finished the vocals on her CD! . All of that happens quickly then we will see her CD on shelves this Fall! Also, keep your eye out for her first official single that should be hitting airwaves in the coming weeks. Melinda is going to be throwing a lot of music at us in the coming months so get ready!
New website www.mdstreetteam.com to support Melinda career come join us and stop to the forum and read what Melinda have to say! She is a amazing