Originally posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
Season 16 "Idol" winner Maddie Poppe isn't really aspiring for a pop career along the lines of a Colbie Caillat or Rachel Platten. And she has some misgivings about the pop-oriented nature of her winning song "Going Going Gone."
"I love the song, but it's too pop for me personally," she told Forbes recently. "I love it, but I think that I want to write more singer/songwriter easy listening songs. I think it's a great start and a gateway to a fan base, but that's not the kind of music that I hope that I'm releasing in the future."
[I am not sure where she got the phrase "easy listening" from because it hasn't been used in music vernacular since the days of Bread, the Carpenters and Barry Manilow. I am certain she didn't mean that.]
She isn’t willing to compromise herself for a money grab, she said. She wants to focus on making music that makes her happy.
On a podcast with Bobby Bones, she said Disney is shooting a documentary on her. She noted she "thinks" she wins $250,000. (Oddly, "Idol" never mentions a cash prize on air and the fact she wasn't 100 percent sure.) She said she's a frugal penny pincher. "I'm not going to blow this $250,000," she said.
Madde comes across as super down to earth without a trace of artifice, which also was clear on the show and probably helped her win.
“I don’t want to be pop,” she said, “I don’t ever want to play with a track. Don’t ever want dancers on my stage.”
Artists she respects include Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson and Regina Spektor.
So far, she said the label isn’t getting on her case about this: “Everyone is really supportive of who I want to be and what I want to do.”
She noted to Bones that the song is actually hard for her to sing and that it’s slightly out of her range. She slows it down live. “That’s the most pop I’ll ever want to be,” she said.
Bones said her conception of pop is too narrow, that it isn't just Britney Spears but encompasses Adele and hip hop.
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Credit: Jason Kempin
Credit: Jason Kempin
Kelly Clarkson recently lost 37 pounds using an interesting diet that includes some unhealthy foods but excludes some healthy stuff, too.
She had some thyroid issues that caused her to gain weight. But following "The Plant Paradox" helped her out. She told Today:
"I read this book…it might not work for you but it worked wonderfully," she said on Today. Here's the best part, y'all, it's not even the weight — I mean, I know the industry loves the weight gone, but I mean, for me, it wasn't really the weight. For me it was like, I'm not on my medicine anymore. My blood work came back and I haven't been on my medicine since like February…It helped out so much with health. My autoimmune disease is like, gone and I'm like 37 pounds lighter in my pleather.
"It's like understanding food and understanding what we do to our food, like spraying and pesticides and genetically-modified and like hormones we pump in and it's also about how pharmaceuticals have kind of like ruined our body, our flora, like everything and so, I don't really take medicine unless I absolutely need it," she said.
She said she can still drink wine, eat cake, and scarf down fried chicken. But cooks with tapioca and almond flour.The diet is okay with avocados, dark chocolate, and macadamia nut, plus goat cheese, dairy-free ice cream, berries, poultry, champagne, and lobster. Avoid: refined starches like pasta, rice, and bread; dairy products such as yogurt or American cheese; diet soda and artificial sweeteners; all fruit besides berries; and an extensive list of veggies.
It’s definitely an odd diet but if it works for Kelly, more power to her. The dietary rationale is gluten and plant-based proteins called lectins cause inflammatory reactions in humans that can lead to weight gain and health problems. There is no scientific proof that this is true.
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Credit: Charley Gallay
Credit: Charley Gallay
Ryan Seacrest was featured today in The New York Times talking about his daily routine. (It isn't an interview so the issue of the stylist who accused him of unsightly sexual behavior toward her was not addressed. He has denied he has done anything wrong.)
In summary: he typically wakes up at 6 a.m. He runs and boxes. He wears Uggs. His commute in Manhattan to “Live with Kelly and Ryan” is seven minutes. He’s “mostly vegan.” He admits to ADD.
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Season 6 runner up Blake Lewis, now 36, covers Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle" with Postmodern Jukebox by channeling Bobby Darin:
Clay Aiken Tweet of the week
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