Kris Allen on his return to Idol: It’s not about me…

Thursday evening brings the first live results show back to American Idol for this ninth season, but more than that, it brings the return of Idol Gives Back, a mega-hit in 2008 and that was all but forgotten last season. The very special episode was thrown together a bit hastily in response to the devastation in Haiti after the earthquakes earlier this year. On the behest of Simon Fuller, season 8 winner Kris Allen went down to Haiti to witness the devastation for himself and will return to the Idol stage on Thursday to perform and premiere a video package of his time helping the UN with their relief efforts down in Haiti.

Allen’s trip was a whirlwind: he left last Friday and only got to spend about nine or ten hours in the country. While he dug through rubble and handed out food, water, and clothing and all of the “hard labor” work, Allen said the most lasting memories for him came from just getting to spend time with the people who were affected. “For me, it’s always the kids, you know? I got to go into this women’s tent, and it felt like a really safe place. They were taking care of the babies, which were, like, from newborn to two, and I got to sing a song for them and hold a couple of babies…There was a lot of happiness and hope in people’s eyes; it was a really cool experience.”

And Allen lending his name to charity does not begin and end with Haiti. In the past he and his wife have taken quite a few mission trips, and he even visited Thailand after the terrible tsunami a few years back. Allen found a lot of similarities between Thailand and Haiti in terms of the level of destruction and yet the sense of hope from the people. “They know everything is going to be okay. It’s going to take a long time but everything is going to be hopefully better than it was,” he says. Allen will also travel to Rwanda this spring with the Toms Shoes Foundation and hopes that he can return to Haiti to help even more when he has a little bit more time.

For now, though, he is focusing on his immediate return in front of Simon, Randy, and Kara. When asked how he feels about stepping in front of the judges once again, he is quick to point out that “It’s nerve-wracking!” But if he was ever going to come back– to perform or mentor or just visit– Allen is glad it could be to help the UN raise funds for such a good cause.

“This is for a completely different thing; it’s not about me at all. Every time I was on that stage last year, it was about me, and this time it’s not. It feels like a really good thing to come back for.”

And just what will Allen perform on Thursday night: is it the cover of “Amazing Grace” he performed for that children’s ward in Haiti or “Live Like We’re Dying,” the first single off his debut album that has even more significance when put up against such a serious backdrop? Well, first Allen played coy and teased that it would be “inspirational and uplifting.” But he also should have mentioned that it was a song beloved by many across generations: the Beatles’ “Let It Be!”

Allen also previewed that the performance will be available on iTunes with the proceeds benefitting all the good, hard work the UN is doing down in Haiti. Throughout the show, fans will also be able to text donations in to a very specific number. While item donations are welcome, too, right now, money is still the most effective asset someone can give, as there are many, many Haitians who have lost not just their homes, possessions, and family, but also their jobs and will need help with basic survival until things are begun to be rebuilt.

Of course Allen has been too busy to watch the current season of Idol and try to formulate an opinion on any possible frontrunners, but his advice for each and every one of them is the same: “Just go out and do your best. It’s a pretty general thing to say, but I think they need to hear that. Just go out and do what you do!”

IMPORTANT:
Allen also previewed that [Thursday's] performance will be available on iTunes with the proceeds benefitting all the good, hard work the UN is doing down in Haiti. Throughout the show, fans will also be able to text donations in to a very specific number.

Source

All proceeds from this Habitat for Humanity hardhat autographed by Kris Allen will go directly to help families affected by the earthquake in Haiti, providing children and families with much needed shelter, and a safe and decent place to live. With YOUR help, the artists in the RMFHaiti video http://bit.ly/rmfhaiti and who have donated hardhats to this auction are raising awareness and funds in order to REBUILD HOPE. REBUILD HOMES. REBUILD HAITI.

Just one week after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, Ricky Martin traveled to Port-au-Prince to visit earthquake-ravaged neighborhoods in the capital city. Later that day he announced the creation of the Ricky Martin Foundation / Habitat for Humanity Haiti Recovery Fund (RMFHaiti), the latest program in an ongoing partnership between the Ricky Martin Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, and Ricky then reached out to friends and colleagues in the entertainment community to join him in his call to action.

Kris Allen responded to that call, and not only donated a hardhat to the “Hardhats to Haiti” auction, but also participated in the RMFHaiti Video, a unified call to action to rebuild homes in Haiti, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the Ricky Martin Foundation.

To bid on the auction and to read other information, click here.

Kris’s AOL sessions are finally online! Click here to view them!

Just two days after musicians of all genres gathered together for the Hope For Haiti Now telethon (which raised roughly $60 million for Haitian earthquake aid), American Idol Kris Allen has announced that he is journeying to Haiti next week to personally participate in the relief efforts.

During a radio interview on B97 FM in New Orleans before performing the national anthem at Sunday’s NFC Championship game, Kris revealed: “I am actually going to Haiti. Obviously, I wanted to do something to help out. I was actually going to do that telethon thing, but then somebody hooked me up with going [to Haiti] and just helping out in the next couple days.”

Kris in fact has an extensive history of doing missionary work overseas. Long before he was crowned season 8’s American Idol, the former church music director traveled to Burma, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain, and Thailand, “just doing kind of philanthropy stuff, just trying to help people out.”

Kris explained during his B97 interview: “This is the stuff that means the most to me, going out and helping people. And obviously, the thing that happened in Haiti was just a tragedy. I feel blessed that I get to go over there and help people out.”

Fast-forward to the 3:34 mark of the B97 interview clip below to hear Kris’s discussion of his upcoming Haiti trip:

If there was ever evidence that Kris Allen is a true American idol–and a real American hero–this is it. Kudos to Kris for making American Idol and America proud, and good luck to him in Haiti.

Audio Interview.

Congratulations to Kris for Live Like We’re Dying being number one this week on VH1 Top 20 video countdown!

I just received an email from Mark Mohelnitzky, producer of Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, that Kris will be stopping by to guest host the show, this Thursday morning, at 9:00 am, Pacific time. He’s looking to line up fans who would like to talk to Kris. If you would like to talk to Kris, you can send an email to e-mail Mark at markm@rick.com. He needs name, age, question and phone number where you could best be reached on Thursday morning.

Visit the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 site here.

Mark Mohelnitzky

It’s a wonderful life

For “American Idol” Kris Allen, the holidays are about family time and reindeer PJs.

By David Hochman

What a difference a year makes — at least when you’re the winner of “American Idol.”

Last Christmas, Kris Allen spent a cozy holiday in Conway, Ark., with his wife, Katy. “We were only married three months and lived in a little bitty apartment,” the boyish 24-year-old singer says with an aw-shucks smile. Back then, Allen was earning roughly $110 a week as a shoe salesman who sidelined as a worship leader at his local church. “We definitely weren’t rolling in money, so Katy and I only bought each other one or two presents.”

This holiday season, that’s all going to change, right? Not so fast, Allen says. “You win ‘Idol’ and everybody thinks you’re a big deal who goes around buying houses and cars, but that’s so not true.”

In fact, Allen still lives in his apartment in Conway, his wife has to drag him to go clothes shopping, and Allen still takes the low-key approach to gift-giving. “The greatest gift of all would be to spend time with Katy and my family,” says Allen, who spent last summer on a cross-country “American Idol” tour before heading immediately into the studio to record his self-titled CD, which debuted this month.

At a studio outside L.A., Allen, who’s dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and some well-worn charms (a friendship bracelet, a peace sign necklace) given to him by “Idol” fans, reflected on why less has always been more when it comes to gift-giving. “My parents would always leave one unwrapped new board game under the tree next to a pair of new pajamas,” he says. “I’d wake my brother up and say, ‘Hey, let’s see what we got!’ Even now, when I think of the holidays, I think of ‘Monopoly’ and cheesy reindeer PJs.”

A few bigger presents stand out, too. At 16, his parents bought him a truck. “Nothing fancy,” he says. “Roll-up windows, standard transmission, a cassette player. But I loved it almost as much as the He-Man sword I got when I was 8.”

He always enjoys getting new guitars, and a Martin acoustic is on his wish list. Allen, who taught himself to play at 13, later added piano and ukulele to his repertoire; in high school, he was ranked all-state in music performance. “I was definitely a band nerd,” he laughs.

What’s cool now is that he can catch his breath at home over the holidays. “I had an awesome year — playing onstage with Queen and Keith Urban, winning ‘Idol,’ doing the tour, making the album,” he says. “But none of it would mean anything without my family and friends.”

Win a FREE acoustic guitar autographed by Kris Allen!

To enter, click here.

This is pretty cool. A lot of artists are doing this now where they record voice messages and you can call the number anytime to hear them.

Fans, your dreams may have just come true. You really can call Kris Allen 24 hours a day. According to Krisallenofficial.com, there is a number to call to figure out what Kris Allen is doing at all times.

The official blog of the American Idol winner said in a recent post: “Kris is taking your calls. Hit Kris up NOW at 501-859-0365! Kris will be leaving regular new messages updating fans about the new album, upcoming appearances and much more! So start to get connected with Kris today!”

Haha, here’s a really funny interview of Kris and Adam with TVGuideMagazine.com.