Entertaining Posts: 05/25/11

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Deep-voiced Scotty McCreery wins "American Idol"

LOS ANGELES | Wed May 25, 2011 10:23pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Deep-voiced country singer Scotty McCreery won the tenth season of "American Idol" on Wednesday, defeating rival Lauren Alaina who had been dubbed the front-runner by the show's judges heading into the night.

McCreery, 17, hugged the other "Idol" contestants from the season and his family after host Ryan Seacrest proclaimed him the winner of the television singing competition.

"Never in my wildest dreams. I got to thank the Lord first. He got me here," McCreery said.

A grocery store clerk from Garner, North Carolina, McCreery sang what will become his first single before a packed audience on the live broadcast -- and then tried to catch the confetti raining down on him in his mouth.

A record 122 million votes were cast by phone, text message and online after McCreery and Alaina -- both country singers -- each gave their final performances on Tuesday, bringing the season's vote total to nearly 730 million.

Alaina, 16, emerged as the judges' favorite on Tuesday after overcoming a blown out vocal chord to deliver an emotional performance dedicated to her mother. But some predicted that McCreery, 17, would be the winner based on "Idol" viewer responses on Twitter.

The results were announced following a two-hour star-studded live broadcast that included performances from Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Judas Priest and even new judges Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.

McCreery won over audiences during the season with his deep voice and a poise onstage that belies his youth. He is the first country music champion since Carrie Underwood took the title in 2005 and went on to become the top "Idol" earner in terms of record sales and tours.

McCreery's win marked the fourth straight year that a male contestant has won the competition.

As the new "American Idol," McCreery wins a record contract with a Universal Music Group record label.

Now in its 10th year, "American Idol" has been a ratings juggernaut for Fox and the nation's most-watched TV show for the last seven years.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

Oprah Winfrey bows out with simplicity, gratitude

By Matthew Lewis

CHICAGO | Wed May 25, 2011 11:25am EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - No guests, no makeovers, no giveaways.

Oprah Winfrey kicked off her last-ever original episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" by telling a studio audience that the broadcast would be a simple, celebrity-free affair focused on what her audience has meant to her.

"You and this show have been the great love of my life," a tearful Winfrey told viewers in "The Oprah Winfrey Finale," taped before a studio audience of 400 on Tuesday afternoon and broadcast on Wednesday morning.

"This last show is really about me saying thank you," she said. "It is my love letter to you."

Wearing a simple pink dress, Winfrey took the stage to a standing ovation and showed clips from some of her earliest broadcasts while sharing her gratitude and life lessons with viewers.

"Thank you, America. There are no words to match this moment."

Winfrey, 57, was a pioneer in the art of confessional television and in promoting discussion of formerly taboo subjects including incest, rape, sexual abuse and depression.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" also became the go-to place for celebrities and politicians to promote new ventures and to apologize publicly for their indiscretions.

The Oprah Book Club, started 15 years ago, championed 65 titles and has almost 2 million members. In one memorable 2004 show, Winfrey gave all 276 audience members a new car.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. She is expected to focus in the next few years on her cable channel OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), which launched in January 2011.

In contrast to the glitzy "surprise spectacular" featuring Beyonce, Madonna and Tom Hanks, taped in a basketball arena and which aired on Monday and Tuesday, the final broadcast was a humble recap of the values Winfrey believed in.

At one point the host introduced from the audience her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan, whom she praised as an early "liberator" who made her feel valued.

Winfrey urged viewers to find their calling, make the world a better place and take control of their lives. One of her most cherished tributes, she said, was a letter from a viewer who said, "Oprah, watching you be yourself makes me want to be more myself."

Near the end of the hour-long broadcast, Winfrey spoke of her roots in rural Mississippi. "It is no coincidence a lonely little girl who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could ... It is no coincidence that I grew up to feel the genuine kindness, affection, trust, and validation from millions of you, all over the world.

"From you, whose names I will never know, I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life."

Winfrey gave no hint of her future plans but urged viewers to keep in touch at her email address, oprah@oprah.com

(Reporting by Matthew Lewis, Chicago newsroom)

Old CEOs can learn a few new tricks from Lady Gaga

By Eric Kelsey

BERLIN | Wed May 25, 2011 12:39pm EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Singer Lady Gaga may be recognized by most for her provocative outfits and wild shows, but she can school corporations in strategic innovation, a German business researcher told Reuters on Wednesday.

Lady Gaga, whose second album, "Born This Way," was released on Monday, is widely expected to produce strong sales and land atop the music charts, regardless of critical reception.

A result that is largely due to her ability to vary how consumers relate to her brand, said Martin Kupp, a professor at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin.

"Lady Gaga blurs the industry boundaries and it's not really clear if she's a musician, artist or fashion designer," said Kupp, an author of a recent book on business lessons from artists such as singer Madonna and Renaissance painter Titian.

"I think there may be people out there who associate her much more with fashion or with other sorts of entertainment than music," Krupp added of the 25-year-old whose attention-getting attire has included a raw meat dress.

Billboard estimated 450,000 to 750,000 copies of her record released by Universal Music Group's Interscope Records could be sold in the first week alone.

High demand for a special 99-cent download of the album caused the servers of online retailer Amazon to crash.

SHAKE UP

Kupp and his colleagues in a recent case study credit the singer's social media strategy as a way for businesses to learn new methods to shake up an established industry.

By using social network Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter, Lady Gaga has developed an army of fans through virtual interaction and not by pushing traditional marketing principles of promotion, product and price onto consumers, Kupp said.

"Social media is not a one-way communication and I think Lady Gaga understands that," Kupp said. "It's more about emotions, engagement and interactivity, so she's very advanced."

Lady Gaga refers to herself as "mother monster" and her fans as "little monsters," Kupp noted, adding that such a bond is not lost on consumers.

"That's what you're looking for in social media," he said. "It's to create much more intimacy than what you created with traditional marketing instruments."

Kupp said Lady Gaga's business strategy has been able to breathe life into the music industry which has struggled to adapt its business model with the technological change to Internet downloads and online piracy.

"She's a role model to show that it's not only about music but also about concerts, merchandising, art, fashion, media and daily life," Kupp said, adding that her record label profits on all of her other activities, too.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)