American Idol Dumps Sony Label for Universal
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "ER" star Maura Tierney said on Sunday she was salubrious after breast malignant neoplastic disease surgery and is returning to star in a new live internet TV law-breaking series.
In a rare media appearance since undergoing surgery to remove a tumor a year ago, Tierney sported a new short hair-do after losing her long brown locks to chemotherapy.
"I am good. I am healthy," she told television journalists. "I wasn't thinking about doing another TV show, but I responded to the character. She is so dangerous and so dear."
"Tom and I are real friends," Tierney added. "It is a priority now for me to be able to work with shack I really like and trust. I feel it's too much time out of your life to not bonk it."
Tierney is best known for her Emmy-nominated role as Dr. Abby Lockhart on 10 seasons of medical drama "ER", which ended its 15-year run in March 2009.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Entertainment mogul Simon Fuller's 19 direction said on Tuesday it signed up Universal Music Grouping as the label for artists in future tense seasons of its hit internet TV show, American Idol, unceremoniously dumping its Sony Music mate of the last nine seasons.
The announcement is the first major deal for Universal Music under the stewardship of new chief executive Lucian Grainge. The deal is probably to be for a minimum of three seasons, according to a person blighter with the situation.
The American Idol dealership has had some of the highest ratings on U.S. television since it began in 2001. It has also been very successful in churning out hit records by up and coming artists who find fame on the show.
The TV show had guaranteed Sony Music's RCA label a steady string of hits from top artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. 19 Entertainment said American Idol has sold over 100 million music units in North America.
More freshly, the American Idol show has started to lose some of its magic and the latest season saw a pronounced drop in viewing audience, which invariably correlates with lower music gross revenue.
Fuller will be hoping Universal's dominant market Moghul, with over a third of the North American market, will help drive sales done? both traditional and new outlets such as nomadic phones.
