Billy Idol

William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician, songwriter and actor. Born in Stanmore, Middlesex, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X.

Idol then embarked on a successful solo career, and was a member of the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. A series of music videos for songs such as "Dancing with Myself", "White Wedding", "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face" made him one of the first MTV stars. Idol continues to tour with guitarist Steve Stevens.

Life and career

Early life and Generation X

Idol was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England. The name Billy Idol was inspired by a school teacher's description of Broad as "idle". In an interview on 21 November 1983, Idol said the name "was a bit of a goof, but also part of the old English school of rock. Billy Fury and all that. It was a 'double thing' not just a poke at the superstar-like people ... It was fun, you know?" In another interview for BBC Breakfast on 27 October 2014 he said that he wanted to be "Billy Idle" but thought he could not because of the Monty Python star Eric Idle and so chose Idol instead.

Idol Backstage

Idol Backstage was a companion show to Australian Idol distributed by Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra, and promoted in clips on the main show. It followed the pranks, gags and interviews of host Josh Zepps as he roamed behind the scenes of the Australian Idol set as the show went to air.

It was produced by Idol's production company, FremantleMedia, in the form of one commercial half-hour per week (22–24 minutes) over four clips. There were 54 episodes in total, with additional content available online and on mobile phones. It premiered on 28 August 2006.

Origins and Ratings

As the first major project of Fremantle Australia's "digital media" division, Idol Backstage marked a clear break in style from the rest of the Idol franchise. It sought to appeal to a young, tech-savvy audience with its under-the-radar guerilla mood and the off-the-wall comedy antics of host Josh Zepps.

The show was a strong success, with viewer numbers climbing exponentially week-on-week. Its online audience alone eclipsed that of its former television counterpart, Idol Extra, with total web video downloads of Idol clips reaching a record 2.5 million throughout the season. Traffic to the Idol website was up 40% on the previous year, reaching more than 26 million page impressions.

Idol

An idol is an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed or any person or thing regarded with admiration, adoration, or devotion.

More specific terms include:

American Idol

American Idol is an American singing competition series created by Simon Fuller and produced by 19 Entertainment, and is distributed by FremantleMedia North America. It began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002, as an addition to the Idols format based on the British series Pop Idol and has since become one of the most successful shows in the history of American television. The concept of the series is to find new solo recording artists, with the winner being determined by the viewers in America. Winners chosen by viewers through telephone, Internet, and SMS text voting were Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, and Nick Fradiani.

American Idol employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original judges were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive and manager Simon Cowell. The judging panel for the most recent season consisted of country singer Keith Urban, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, and jazz singer Harry Connick, Jr. The show was originally hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman, with Seacrest continuing on for the rest of the seasons.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, she held minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood. Cyrus became a teen idol for her portrayal of the starring character Miley Stewart in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006; her father Billy Ray Cyrus additionally starred in the show. Cyrus subsequently signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records; her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) was certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding four million shipments. Cyrus released her second album Breakout and launched her film career as a voice actress in the animated film Bolt in 2008.

Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie and began cultivating a maturing image with her EP The Time of Our Lives in 2009. In 2010, she released her third album Can't Be Tamed, which stands as the lowest-selling record of her career, and starred in the coming-of-age film The Last Song. During production of the movie, she began an on-again, off-again relationship with her co-star Liam Hemsworth. Cyrus focused on her acting career with several television and film appearances in 2011 and 2012. Her sexually explicit behavior generated widespread controversy while promoting her fourth album Bangerz (2013), her first under her recording contract with RCA Records. Cyrus' independently-released fifth studio album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015) deviated from her traditional pop style for more psychedelic experimentation.