Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Cherry Hill West student will get his shot at singing glory after making it through the New York auditions.
Thousands of singers thronged to stadiums last summer for the 12th season of American Idol—few got a shot at singing before the judges, and fewer still made it to Hollywood for a chance at the finals. Cherry Hill West student Zach Birnbaum, 16, can now be counted among those lucky few, having come through the New York auditions with a ticket to Hollywood—and the requisite excited leap into his family’s exultant arms. “Getting a, ‘Yes, you’re through,’ it’s such a thrill, such an accomplishment,” he said. “It was really, really cool. I was proud of myself.” Of course, even getting the chance to impress the four main judges was a challenge. With just a few seconds to make a great impression at a mass audition at the Prudential Center in …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Jermaine Jones tweets his departure amid allegations he lied to producers.
Pine Hill native Jermaine Jones’ rising star crashed today as the American Idol contestant learned he’d be thrown off the singing competition. TMZ first reported that Jones would be kicked off Idol for concealing past arrests and active warrants. The gossip site also has questioned whether Jones’ account of his father abandoning him—a story that won sympathy from voters—was fabricated. Jones himself appeared to confirm the Idol boot, tweeting that he was getting kicked off, People reports. That Twitter account has since been deleted. Known as the “gentle giant,” the 6-foot-8, velvet-voiced Jones is a vocal instructor in Pine Hill. He was already eliminated from the show, but brought back for a second chance last week before the criminal …
Jermaine Jones tweets his departure amid allegations he lied to producers—and one of those lies allegedly involves township police.
Pine Hill native Jermaine Jones’ rising star crashed today as the American Idol contestant learned he’d be thrown off the singing competition. TMZ first reported that Jones would be kicked off Idol for concealing past arrests and active warrants. TMZ reports Jones gave police fake names in two incidents. Gloucester Township Police have confirmed Jones was arrested here in the township on two occasions in 2011. Jones was a passenger in a car pulled over and told police his name was Kareem Watkins in a November 2011 incident, the gossip site says. Township police on Wednesday confirmed that information, saying the arrest occurred on Hickstown Road, but did not disclose the name Jones allegedly provided investigating officers. Gloucester …
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Three singers who grew up in the Garden State are among the finalists on 'The Voice' and 'American Idol.'
Is the best young singer in the nation from New Jersey? Three Garden State natives are among the finalists competing nationally on two separate singing competitions, NBC's The Voice and Fox's American Idol. Former Kinnelon resident Elise Testone came close to elimination Thursday night on American Idol, finishing in the bottom two slots when all of the votes from viewers of the program were tallied. But the three Idol judges, singers Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler and music producer Randy Jackson, decided to keep her on the show and send fellow contestant Jeremy Rosado home. Testone is a 2001 graduate of Kinnelon High School who went to college in North Carolina and remained there after graduation. Although she's been forbidden from …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Pine Hill’s Jermaine Jones is vying for ‘American Idol.’ Was his Stevie Wonder song enough to put him in the top 12?
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Thursday, March 8, 2012
Pine Hill native Jermaine Jones heard those three words every American Idol contestant hopes to hear: You are safe. Jones made it through the elimination round Thursday, although he had a scare, ending up in the bottom four. The velvet-voiced Jones, 25, sang Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet” this week, but one judge stayed firmly on his feet. Randy Jackson told Jones, “I loved the verses but, when you hit the chorus I did not enjoy it.” Steven Tyler was more effusive, telling Jones, “That song fits you like an Armani suit. It was perfect.” It’s already been a wild Idol ride for Jones, who was cut earlier, but invited back to participate in the semifinals for the male singers. With two scares already, do you think the 6-foot-8 “gentle…
Diane
11:24 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Elsie actually went to college and has been residing in SC, not NC. I've heard her sing for years and can assure you that she is AMAZING! more ›