LA Times Reports On Michael Johns Set At The Edison - Videos!

Here's more news from The Los Angeles Times of the American Idol party held at The Edison on May 18th. I've included a couple of excerpts from the original article. To see the full story (written by Richard Rushfield) and check on your Idol, please click on Los Angeles Times.

On finale eve, Idols of years past gather and compare notes

Every May as the world convenes in front of TV sets to choose our new pop despot, a certain college of cardinals gathers around the main stage. For the 80-some singers who have stood on the "Idol" stage before, finale time is like a giant family reunion, a time to reconnect with their comrades in arms, with whom one, two or six years ago they fought through a bloody season and toured the nation before being scattered to the four winds to seek their fates in the swirling tides of contemporary music.

On finals eve, the gathering place of this fabled fraternity was in a off-the-map basement on the opposite edge of downtown from the Nokia. On Monday night, the Edison bar was the scene of the most intimate of "Idol" conclaves as about two dozen Idols past gathered for a party thrown by Fox Radio to celebrate the finals.

The banter paused as another Season Sevener, the great Michael Johns, took the stage for a 20-minute set. Having seen Michael play twice in the last week, one notices what an accomplished and comfortable performer he is becoming, delivering affecting and intimate sets in two very different venues. On this evening, he had a surprise addition to his lineup, a moving version of Beyonce’s “Put a Ring on It” perhaps the cover one would least expect from the Johns band.

Michael, it seems, is one of the busiest of Idols these days. With his new single “Heart on my Sleeve” out and an album to follow shortly, he is perpetually in motion. Last Friday night, he left a show for "Idol"/"So You Think You Can Dance" executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe’s winery to race back to Akron, Ohio, for a show, returning for this set, after which he was to board a red-eye to Buffalo, N.Y., for another show, at the end of which he was to rush back to be at the results show on Wednesday night.

To see the rest of the article, follow the link above.

I've already included one video from last night, but here's another one that was uploaded by WKRQ102FM. This one includes Michael's performance of the entire Beyonce song 'Single Ladies', but less of the always hilarious Aussie banter at the end. Michael is accompanied by Jeff Foxworth and another guitarist. I'm still hoping to find more of his 20 minute set from last night. Until then, I'll keep posting whatever I can find.

Michael Johns Sings - Boyonce's 'Single Ladies' (WKRQ102FM)


Edited: I told you I'd be back with the rest. :D

Thanks to Will Manning for posting these videos on a message board forum. I knew it was just a matter of time before they started showing up. Both of these songs will be included on Michael's debut album Hold Back My Heart, which will be released on June 23rd, but can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com now!

Michael Johns - 'To Love Somebody' (MIX1051)


Michael Johns - 'Fool's Gold' (MIX1051)

Michael Johns Performs At The Villa San Juliette Winery Event

I didn't hear any news on this event until today, but Michael Johns was filmed singing with Kenny Lee Lewis of the Steve Miller Band at the Winery Villa San-Juliette event held on May 15, 2009. My thanks to YouTube member rtorres938 for uploading the following video. The story of the event is after the jump.



From The Los Angeles Times, Michael's new single 'Heart On My Sleeve':



From Central Coast News - MCOY.com:

American Idol Producers Host Celebrity Wine Dinner

Posted: May 16, 2009 01:28 AM

Updated: May 16, 2009 01:28 AM

5/15/09

PASO ROBLES - Two of the founders of American Idol hit the central coast with an exclusive winemaker's dinner Friday night.

Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have made their careers behind the bright lights of shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Now they are taking their success to the central coast and making a major investment in wine.

It was a star studded night in Paso Robles as two of Hollywood's most famous producers make their mark on the central coast.

Ken Warwick says, "Its nothing we thought would ever happen. It's one of those things that's high in the sky and you look at a picture in a magazine and think I would like to do that and here we are."

As the wine flowed So You Think You Can dance's Nigel Lythgoe and American Idol producer Ken Warwick helped roll out the Paso Robles wine festival by hosting a winemakers' dinner.

The featured event tasting the fruit of their labor, Villa San Juliette, a premiere wine made here on the central coast.

Nigel Lythgoe says, "This was the best deal for producing the best grapes and that's really important to us. Quality is what we've always dealt with in our TV shows and that's what we wanted to do with the wine. When we came here we thought this looks like the north of England with the rolling hills which made us feel at home and very comfortable."

Kicking off the celebration was former American Idol contestant Michael Johns.

Johns says," it's their first vintage that's coming out and to be asked to sing at it, it's pretty cool."

But for these two childhood friends the dinner is much more than a friendly get together.

It's a lifelong dream that came true on the central coast.

Michael Johns Live at All-Campus Idol - Videos!

Michael performed "Fake Plastic Trees" and his new single "Heart On My Sleeve" for the crowd at the UW-Madison's All-Campus Idol competition that was held last night in Madison, WI. Enjoy!

Start Your Engines… with Michael Johns

In the latest tweet from Michael Johns Twitter, he announces his upcoming appearance to sing the National Anthem for the Indy Car race this Sunday. This Twitter thing's really coming in handy for spreading the news.

Click the pic below and he can Twitter you too. :D



"By the way I just got asked to sing the national anthem at the Indy Car race this Sunday in Long Beach"

The following info was found at Michael Johns Central Events section:

04/19/09 in Long Beach, CA Toyota Grand Prix Of Racing

Admission: $48-78 (Sunday Only Tickets). Buy tickets. Box office: (888) 82-SPEED. Michael Johns announced in a tweet from his Twitter, that he’d been asked to sing the National Anthem On Sunday the 19th of April.

Here’s the schedule for Sunday’s event:

Sunday, April 19 Gates Open 7 a.m.
Lifestyle Expo opens 8 a.m.
SPEED GT Challenge qualifying 8 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
IndyCar practice 8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.
Firestone Indy Lights RACE 9:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Team Drifting 11:05 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
IndyCar Pre-Race Activities 12:30 p.m.
35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 1:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
IndyCar RACE (85 laps) SPEED GT Challenge RACE 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Lifestyle Expo closes 5:30 p.m.

Here’s a link to the Toyota Grand Prix Of Racing website for further information and directions to the track. http://www.gplb.com/

and a link to related posts at Michael Johns Central.

LA Times Idol Tracker Interviews Michael Johns

Here's the latest news buzzing the forums on Michael Johns new single "Heart On My Sleeve" from his debut album Hold Back My Heart. Idol Tracker asks Michael's opinions on American Idol's new changes and this seasons contestants.

My thanks to Ainn for posting this in Michael Johns section at idolforums.com.

Idol Tracker chats with Season 7 heartthrob Michael Johns. Jealous?
05:20 PM PT, Apr 16 2009

Johns For the first time in "American Idol" history, a contestant was saved from elimination by the judges Wednesday night after a popular vote chose to send him home. That contestant was Matt Giraud. And, as luck would have it, the contestant whose premature ouster last season helped inspire the judge-save rule, Michael Johns, was there to witness the historic event.

In a chat with Idol Tracker today, Michael sounded happy for Matt, but, believe it or not, expressed reservations about the new rule he helped inspire. "I personally don't necessarily, like, love the rule," he said. And when pressed about the reasons why, Michael was impressively honest, saying of his own elimination, "The amount of press I got with everyone crying foul was phenomenal."

In other words, maybe it's not so bad to get the boot before your time. Michael also pointed out how humiliating it would be to get eliminated, saved and then eliminated again the next week. Still, he's flattered that he — along with Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry — was part of the reason for creating the rule.

But there is one change this season that Michael supports wholeheartedly: the addition of fourth judge Kara DioGuardi. "She's one of the most talented songwriters in the business. Period," he said. Plus, he said, "She's pretty easy on the eyes." Collaboration, anyone?

For the moment, Michael is working with his own stable of songwriting heavies. His new album, which drops June 23, features songs by prolific lyricists John Shanks and Diane Warren, and also James Morrison, Dave Cobb and Michael himself.

The recently released single, "Heart on My Sleeve," provides a glimpse of what fans can expect from the album; a far more intimate, soulful Michael Johns than the one they knew on "Idol."

"I love this kind of music," he said of his new single. "The soulful, rock kind of thing. Whether it's 7:30 in the morning or 12 o'clock at night, I can sing that stuff, 'cause it just comes so naturally to me."

One thing that does not come naturally to Michael, however, is going back to the "American Idol" set. "It's always weird," he said after visiting the Idoldome on Wednesday night. "I'm never comfortable there."

In fact, he confessed, he doesn't even watch the show much. "It's so gut-wrenching every time you watch," he said. "It's so fresh your stomach turns."

In the bits he has seen, however, Michael developed a soft-spot for 16-year old Allison Iraheta. "I really think that Allison has got a great voice," he said. "I love her raspy kind of thing." And although he acknowledges the Adam Lambert phenomenon, Michael doesn't think the show is over just yet. "Someone else might come out of the woodwork," he said.

When and if somebody does come out of the woodwork, however, Michael probably will be too busy to see it. With the album coming out June 23, he says, "it's nonstop press." But he's hardly complaining. "I love it," he said. "I've done the whole couch potato thing ... I'll sleep when I'm 40."

—Stephanie Lysaght