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C.J. Harris, the former American Idol contestant who died Sunday in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama, suffered a fatal heart attack, the Walker County Coroner’s Office has confirmed to Deadline.

The 31-year-old Harris was rushed to the hospital but CPR efforts proved unsuccessful.

The singer, born Curtis Harris, was a Top 6 contestant on American Idol in 2014, winning over the judges and audience before the semi-finals with soulful interpretations of the Southern Rock classic hits “Soulshine” (by the Allman Brothers Band) and “Can’t You See” (by The Marshall Tucker Band).

Although he advanced to the semi-finals, Harris was eliminated in the sixth round on on April 24, 2014. The year’s winner was Caleb Johnson.

After his Idol season, Harris continued his music career, releasing his debut single in 2019 with the song “In Love.”

After his death, American Idol released a statement reading “C.J. Harris was an incredible talent, and...

C.J. Harris, a Top 6 contestant on American Idol in 2014, died Sunday of a reported heart attack in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. He was 31.

His death was first reported on the Jasper radio station Wjlx.FM. Family sources tell TMZ he died of a heart attack, and local news reports say he died at the Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper.

Born Curtis Harris, the singer first attended an American Idol audition in 2010, and subsequently (and unsuccessfully) tried out for both The X-Factor and The Voice. He tried again for American Idol‘s 2014 Season 13 at auditions in Salt Lake City while he was working as both an indie musician and a restaurant worker.

Harris advanced to the season’s semi-finals, most memorably performing covers of the Allman Brothers Band song “Soulshine” and “Can’t You See” by The Marshall Tucker Band. He reached sixth place before being eliminated on April...

Former “American Idol” star Sanjaya Malakar has come out as bisexual.

Malakar, who was a finalist on the sixth season of the show back in 2006, spoke out about his sexuality in a new interview on “The Adam Sank Show” podcast.

The singer, 32, who auditioned for “Idol” alongside his sister Shyamali, who was eliminated during Hollywood Week, told the host: “I identify as bisexual. At the time [that I was on ‘American Idol’], I did not know, which was why it was so weird for me.”

Malakar told Sank how he was “raised by women” and was in theatre growing up, admitting: “I had a hard time figuring out how to interact with young boys because my dad’s from India and grew up in a temple, so there was never like, ‘This is how you are a boy.’

“And then, my mom is an A-type personality, Italian-American woman, and [so are] her sisters and my sister and all of that,...

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of “American Idol,” Season 13 champion Caleb Johnson reflected on his coronation song, “As Long as You Love Me,” written by Justin Hawkins. Calling it a “cheesy piece of crap,” he recounted how he tried to fight the show’s producers on performing it.

“I knew that, by de facto, if you won you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap. Like, it was just the worst song ever,” he said in a recent interview with Insider, adding that he was “really bummed” by the circumstance.

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‘American Idol’ Winners: Where Are They Now? (Photos)

The rock singer said he “pitched a fit about it to the management company and all this stuff,” but was told to view the winning single “as kind of a graduation present or something.” Johnson grew even more frustrated when he found out that the...

Now in theaters, as well as VOD/digital platforms, we have an exclusive look at The Carnivores, starring Lindsay Burdge and Tallie Medel! Along with the clip, which you can watch below, we have writer / director Caleb Michael Johnson's comments on the relationship at the center of The Carnivores and what's hidden below the surface:

"Sometimes you don’t get to decide what your body wants. Actually, let’s refine that slightly: you never get to decide. The best you can do is get good at what to feed and what to starve; you can chew up an ugly bit here to make room for some prettier part there. You can go hunting for something that’s not already inside of you, trap it and eat it and hope it stays down. But it’s all still in there somewhere. Being a functional adult is mostly a matter of...

Dark Sky Films proudly announces the June 4th theatrical + digitalrelease of The Carnivores, an LGBTQ horror comedy starring Lindsay Burdge, Tallie Medel (Joy Kevin), and Aiden the dog as Harvie. Caleb Michael Johnson’s Directorial Debut The Carnivores In Theaters and VOD/Digital Platforms on June 4th “There’s something daring and memorable about …

The post Dark Sky Films Brings The Carnivores to Theaters + VOD on June 4th appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Ticket information for the virtual screening of The Carnivores at this year’s QFest St. Louis can be found Here

The 14th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — will take place from April 16-25. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Csl will offer all programs virtually, protecting the health of patrons. Programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. Recorded introductions and Q&As will be available for most film programs. All of the information about this year’s QFest St. Louis can be found Here

One of the oddest and darkest films screened at QFest to date, writer-director Caleb Michael Johnson’s The Carnivores features a young lesbian couple, Alice and Bret (Tallie Medel and Lindsay Burdge), whose dog, Harvie, is slowly dying. The vet bills are adding up fast, Alice is quietly panicking, and high-strung Bret dotes on the dog and...

The 14th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — will take place from April 16-25. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Csl will offer all programs virtually, protecting the health of patrons. Programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. Recorded introductions and Q&As will be available for most film programs.

The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 24 films. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture.

The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premiere of new works by internationally acclaimed filmmakers Agnieszka Holland (“Charlatan”) and François Ozon (“Summer of 85”). Another QFest highlight is this year’s Q Classic, the 50th anniversary of the trippy,...

In light of SXSW’s cancellation, a private “homespun” screening of the only local production in the festival’s narrative line up, Caleb Johnson’s The Carnivores, was arranged at its cinematographer’s (Adam J. Minnick) Austin residence on the night it was scheduled to premiere. The event hoped to encapsulate the spirit of the festival all at once. Upon entrance, invited press, programmers and audience got their photo taken on a polaroid against a classic yellow backdrop and laurels. That polaroid fit snug inside an imitation festival badge. After attendees stuffed themselves with Tacodeli they dragged over the red carpet to their seats […]...

In light of SXSW’s cancellation, a private “homespun” screening of the only local production in the festival’s narrative line up, Caleb Johnson’s The Carnivores, was arranged at its cinematographer’s (Adam J. Minnick) Austin residence on the night it was scheduled to premiere. The event hoped to encapsulate the spirit of the festival all at once. Upon entrance, invited press, programmers and audience got their photo taken on a polaroid against a classic yellow backdrop and laurels. That polaroid fit snug inside an imitation festival badge. After attendees stuffed themselves with Tacodeli they dragged over the red carpet to their seats […]...

Hours after Maddie Poppe won season 16 of “American Idol,” two of the previous champs — Ruben Studdard (season 2) and Taylor Hicks (season 5) — made fun of their fleeting fame in a music video spoof on Monday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” That got us wondering what happened to the other lucky 13 winners of this reality competition series.

After watching these two men make merry with some of the more dubious talent to appear on “Idol” during its 15-year run on Fox, scroll down to the photo gallery to find out what they, and the rest of the winners, have been up to since taking the title.

See ‘American Idol’: Did Maddie Poppe deserve to win season 16 over Gabby Barrett and Caleb Lee Hutchinson? [Poll]

Season 1: Kelly Clarkson

Won: Sept. 4, 2002

Runner-up: Justin Guarini

Winning Song: “A Moment Like This”

Now: This three-time Grammy winner has released eight studio albums and is now a...

Defying the odds, 20-year-old Maddie Poppe just became the sixth woman to win “American Idol” in the 16-year history of the reality TV show. This Clarksville, Iowa resident was predicted to come in second place to Gabby Barrett, but instead America chose Maddie as their Season 16 champion. When the votes were tabulated in ABC’s grand finale on May 21, 2018, Gabby came in third place while Caleb Lee Hutchinson was named the season’s runner-up. Watch Maddie’s winning moment above, complete with her tearful rendition of “Going Going Gone.”

See ‘American Idol’: Did Maddie Poppe deserve to win season 16 over Gabby Barrett and Caleb Lee Hutchinson? [Poll]

By claiming the title, Maddie now joins these five female champs on the “American Idol” winners list: Kelly Clarkson (Season 1), Fantasia Barrino (Season 3), Carrie Underwood (Season 4), Jordin Sparks (Season 6) and Candice Glover (Season 12). Refresh your memory of all the winners in our photo gallery down below.

With Season 16 of “American Idol” winding down next week, will country singer Gabby Barrett become only the sixth female champion in the 16-season history of the reality TV show? This 17-year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident currently has the best odds to win, according to our readers. Gabby tops our winner’s chart with leading 6/5 odds, way ahead of Maddie Poppe in second place with 19/10 odds and Caleb Lee Hutchinson in third place with 11/1 odds.

See‘American Idol’ Winners List (Seasons 1 – 15)

If our predictions end up coming true on finale night Monday, May 21, Gabby would join these five female champs: Kelly Clarkson (Season 1), Fantasia Barrino (Season 3), Carrie Underwood (Season 4), Jordin Sparks (Season 6) and Candice Glover (Season 12). Males won the other 10 seasons, including the past three in a row: Caleb Johnson (Season 13), Nick Fradiani (Season 14) and Trent Harmon (Season 15).

SEEWhen is ‘American Idol’ finale 2018, and how can You get tickets to see Caleb,...

“American Idol” fans, we need your help. As new judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie step behind the desk for the first time on ABC’s reboot of the reality TV singing show, we want to know who You think is the best winner of all time. Is it Season 1’s Kelly Clarkson, who now coaches “The Voice”? How about Season 4’s Carrie Underwood, who gave the intro to Sunday’s season premiere? What about country star Scotty McCreery, whose low voice enraptured America in Season 10? Familiarize yourself with all 15 winners in our photo gallery above, and then vote for your favorite in our poll below.

Poll: ‘American Idol’: Rate new judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie

In all, male champs have dominated the series with 10 overall victories, including eight of the past nine. They are: Ruben Studdard (Season 2), Taylor Hicks (Season 5), David Cook (Season...

Read More: Springboard: Meet the Directors Behind 'Sweaty Betty,' a Film Unlike Anything Playing on the Festival Circuit The Brooklyn Film Festival concluded its 18th edition on Sunday with an awards gala at the Wythe Hotel. This year’s event screened 108 features and shorts from 26 countries and was attended by 70 filmmakers. Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed were awarded Best Feature Film and the Grand Chameleon Award for "Sweaty Betty," a documentary-like look at genial lower class Americans in Hyattsville, Maryland. Alison Bagnall's "Funny Bunny" also earned two awards: Best Actor for Olly Alexander and Best Editing for Kentucker Audley, David Barker and Caleb Johnson. Other winners included "But Not For Me," "Eric, Winter to Spring" and "Frame by Frame." "We're so pleased with this year's festival," said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. "The films, filmmakers, audiences and sponsors all...

Every year, in addition to more than 400 features, the Seattle International Film Festival also presents an extensive series of shorts. While fests like this may be your only chance to see many of the full-length films, the odds are even worse that you’re going to stumble across most of these smaller offerings. There aren’t a lot of mainstream distribution avenues for short films, they don’t get released into theaters, so if you miss them now, you’re probably shit out of luck. Digging into the darker side of things, the films in the “Nightmare Mystery Theatre” program offer you quick glimpses into the twisted, violent, and horrific. “Root” If movies have taught us nothing, it’s that sex in weird places only leads to bad things. For example, take Caleb Johnson’s new short “Root.” After a steamy night of passion with a man who is not her fiancé,...

Standouts include Seth Rogen lookalike Casey Abrams and country cutie Janelle Arthur.

By Gil Kaufman

Steven Tyler on "American Idol"

Photo: Fox

"American Idol" touched down in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday night (February 2), and as you might expect, the audition room was full of big hats, cowboy boots and some country charm that really worked its magic on the judges.

And, down to one hour from two the first few weeks, producers mostly skipped the goofball throwaways and focused on the real talent, with a parade of solid singers that brought an F-bomb-dropping smile to judge Steven Tyler's face. But first, the show opened with a mock apology for Tyler's "outrageous behavior," with an assurance from the Aerosmith singer that "it will never happen again." And, of course, it did, so clearly producers know they've hit a gold mine with the new panelist, and we can expect them to...