Latest Singing Stories

By Leila Cobo MIAMI (Billboard) - The "American Idol" franchise will go pan-regional for the first time in its history with the launch of "Latin American Idol." The show, set to air this summer, marks the first time the "Idol" brand, which has 33 versions under its belt, leaves the confines of a single country in an effort to find a regional idol. "Latin American Idol" will host auditions in four countries and will be open to contestants from throughout Mexico and Central and South...

By Paul Majendie LONDON (Reuters) - After an infamous tiff between Elton John and Madonna over lip-synching, Britain's Musicians' Union has called on performers to come clean -- audiences should be told if they are miming rather than singing. The union is urging promoters, producers and artists to back its campaign for lip-synching to be clearly labeled during TV shows, in pop arenas and on stage. "Stand up and be honest about it. We won't knock you for using recordings," said union...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Twin brothers whose videotaped performance on Fox TV's "American Idol" earned them a trip to Hollywood face trouble back home in Memphis, with one of them in jail at the time the show aired, police said on Thursday. It seems doubtful Terrell and Derrell Brittenum, 28, will make the next round of the top-rated show after their taped Chicago audition drew praise from "American Idol's" panel of judges. Terrell could not even watch himself on the show that aired on...

By Kemp Powers LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry has sued three leading karaoke music distributors, claiming they sold sing-along versions of his most popular hits without paying royalties or obtaining licenses. If he prevails in court, Berry, 79, stands to gain several hundred thousand dollars for each of his songs, including such hits as "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and "My Ding-A-Ling," his lawyer, Peter Haviland, told Reuters on Wednesday. His lawsuit...

By Ceri Radford ZUG, Switzerland (Reuters) - The sound of "yo yo yo lue lu" conjures images of remote valleys and snowy peaks, but every Friday the distinctive notes drift through a classroom window and across the Swiss city of Zug's industrial district. Yodelling, long seen by outsiders as a caricature of out-dated Alpine kitsch, is undergoing a renaissance among an urban generation seeking to reconnect with their roots. "It's traditionally Swiss," says 36-year-old architect Eva Guhl,...

ZUG, Switzerland -- The sound of 'yo yo yo lue lu' conjures images of remote valleys and snowy peaks, but every Friday the distinctive notes drift through a classroom window and across the Swiss city of Zug's industrial district.Yodelling, long seen by outsiders as a caricature of out-dated Alpine kitsch, is undergoing a renaissance among an urban generation seeking to reconnect with their roots."It's traditionally Swiss," says 36-year-old architect Eva Guhl, echoing other members...