Celebrity Mentors Announced for This Season of American Idol

Celebrity Mentors Announced for This Season of American Idol 3/20/08

MARIAH CAREY, DOLLY PARTON, NEIL DIAMOND AND ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER TO MENTOR FINALISTS AND PERFORM ON “AMERICAN IDOL” ON FOX

On last night’s results show, Ryan Seacrest announced that Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond and Andrew Lloyd Webber will each serve as mentors to this season’s finalists on AMERICAN IDOL. Each mentor will help the finalists prepare for their Tuesday night performances and then will take the IDOL stage themselves to perform live on the Wednesday night results show. Specific dates for mentor appearances to be announced.

AMERICAN IDOL airs Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) and Wednesdays (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Mariah Carey, superstar and songwriter, has set April 15 as the in-store date for the most eagerly anticipated album of the year, “E=MC².” The 11th studio album of her career, “E=MC²” is the follow-up to “The Emancipation Of Mimi,” Carey’s worldwide 10 million selling No. 1 album, which featured “We Belong Together” (winner of Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and “Don’t Forget About Us,” Mariah’s 16th and 17th No. 1 career singles respectively. The singles tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history: Elvis Presley’s 17 No. 1s. Carey is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 48 years of the Hot 100 with the potential to surpass the Beatles’ all-time high of 20 No. 1 hits.

The first single from “E=MC²,” “Touch My Body,” is already a Top 10 radio hit. The video for “Touch My Body” was directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner. Guest producers on “E=MC²” include Jermaine Dupri, C. “Tricky” Stewart, The-Dream, DJ Toomp, Stargate, Will.i.am, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills and James Poyser. “E=MC²” is executive-produced by Mariah Carey and Antonio “LA” Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.

Dolly Parton’s new album, “Backwoods Barbie” (Dolly Records), entered the Billboard pop albums chart at No. 17, marking her highest debut ever on that chart, and at No. 2 on both the country and indie album charts. The iconic singer, songwriter, film star and entrepreneur has penned such classic songs as "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," and her mega-hit "I Will Always Love You." With 1977's crossover hit "Here You Come Again," Parton successfully erased the line between country and pop music without noticeably altering either her music or her image. In 2006, Parton earned her second Oscar nomination for "Travelin' Thru," which she wrote for the film “Transamerica.” She has garnered seven Grammys, 10 CMAs, five ACMs and three AMAs; she is one of only five female artists to win the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award.

Beyond a world tour in support of “Backwoods Barbie,” Parton is currently putting finishing touches on the music and lyrics for the upcoming Broadway musical version of “9 to 5.” Parton starred in the 1980 film and earned an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, along with two Grammy Awards.

Neil Diamond is one of the most successful pop music performers in the history of music with more than 125 million records sold worldwide, 15 Top Ten albums and 37 Top Ten singles. His work has been celebrated over the past four decades with 12 Grammy nominations and four Golden Globes. He has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Columbia Records recently announced a May 6 release date for Diamond’s “Home Before Dark,” the highly anticipated new album from the legendary singer-songwriter. A compelling collection of honest, passionate songs, “Home Before Dark” finds the iconic artist reuniting with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin. The album follows the Rubin-produced “12 Songs,” which entered the Billboard Top 200 at No. 4, Diamond’s highest-charting debut yet. The disc was hailed by Newsweek as “the best work Diamond has done in 30 years.” The Grammy-winning, record-breaking performer will kick off a world tour this summer, performing to audiences of all ages and selling-out performances across the globe.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of “The Likes of Us,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “By Jeeves,” “Evita,” “Variations” and “Tell Me On A Sunday” (later combined as “Song & Dance”), “Cats,” “Starlight Express,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Aspects of Love,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Whistle Down the Wind,” “The Beautiful Game” and “The Woman in White.” He composed the film scores of “Gumshoe” and “The Odessa File,” and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass “Requiem.” In 2004, he produced a film version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” and in 2009 will premiere the sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera,” which will be helmed by the award-winning director Jack O’Brien. In 2006, Lloyd Webber won an International Emmy for the hit BBC series “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” He repeated his success with “Any Dream Will Do,” and is currently casting the musical “Oliver!”

Lloyd Webber’s awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys (including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for “Requiem”), seven Oliviers (for achievement in London theatre), a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale (the highest international distinction for achievement in the arts), the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and the Kennedy Center Honor. He was knighted by the Queen of England in 1992.

Source: FOX Press Release