AI notes and information from MJ's Big Blog

[sonyab1974]

Monday Morning Mediabase Update - 11/26/07
Published November 26th, 2007 in American Idol and Charts.
A snapshot of Idols’ singles radio play culled from Mediabase charts as of this morning. Find out where your favorite Idol stands on the radio after the jump.


Ayla Brown:
“Forward”: 296 AC (254)

Blake Lewis:
“Break Anotha”: 56 Pop (60), 172 HAC (226), 349 Rhy (-)

Bucky Covington:
“It’s Good to Be Us”: 29 Country (31)
“Santa Claus is Coming”: 234 Country (-)

Carrie Underwood
“All American Girl”: 106 Country (74)
“Before He Cheats”: 9 AC (8)
“Crazy Dreams”: 133 Country (-)
“Do You Hear What I Hear”: 16 AC (33), 59 Country (212), 212 HAC (160)
“Ever Ever After”: 109 Country (205), 387 AC (-), 604 Pop (-)
“I’ll Stand By You”: 53 CAC (31), 82 HAC (80), 98 AC (81), 319 Pop (-)
“More Boys I Meet”: 385 Country (416)
“So Small”: 1 Country (1), 84 Pop (78), 90 HAC (87), 97 CAC (56), 151 AC (77)
“Star Spangled Banner” : 256 Country (123)
“Wasted” : 82 AC (70), 132 HAC (123)
“You Won’t Find This”: 120 Country (-)

Chris Daughtry:
“Hemorrhage”: 372 AC (-)

Clay Aiken:
“Without You”: 516 AC (479)

Daughtry:
“Breakdown”: 162 HAC (-)
“Crashed”: 14 Rock (15), 28 Active (27), 61 AC (67), 91 Alt (108), 136 Pop (-), 619 Rhy (-)
“Feels Like Tonight”: 114 HAC (114), 746 Pop (341)
“Home”: 2 AC (1), 76 AAA (79), 123 Rock (81), 254 Alt (230), 678 Active (644)
“It’s Not Over”: 288 AAA (256)
“Over You”: 4 HAC (4), 7 Pop (6), 30 AC (28), 126 Alt (122), 146 Rhy (146), 692 Active (780)
“Rocket Man”: 124 HAC (143)

Elliott Yamin :
“Jingle Bells”: 310 AC (-)
“Little Drummer Boy”: 384 AC (-)
“Merry Christmas, Baby”: 306 AC (-), 342 HAC (-)
“One Word”: 48 Pop (50), 100 HAC (227), 331 Rhy (1299)
“This Christmas”: 120 HAC (-), 232 AC (-), 628 UAC (-)
“The Christmas Song”: 265 AC (-)
“Wait For You”: 6 AC (5), 54 UAC (55), 301 Urban (182)

Fantasia:
“Hood Boy” with Big Boi: 873 UAC (-)
“Only One U”: 34 UAC (32), 515 Rhy (353)
“Put You Up On Game” with Aretha Franklin : 11 UAC (9), 121 Urban (122)
“When I see U”: 351 UAC (203)

George Huff:
“A Brighter Day”: 305 UAC (242), 1215 Rhy (1333)
“You Know Me”: 197 Gospel (181), 541 CAC (272)

Jordin Sparks:
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”: 810 Urban (-)
“No Air” with Chris Brown: 148 Pop (-), 151 Rhy (-)
“Tattoo”: 12 Pop (13), 24 HAC (26), 50 AC (44), 57 Rhy (57)

Josh Gracin:
“O Holy Night”: 259 Country (-)
“Please Come Home For”: 177 Country (-)
“We Weren’t Crazy”: 44 Country (47)

Kellie Pickler:
“Things That Never Cross…”: 33 Country (34)
“Santa Baby”: 61 Country (158)

Kelly Clarkson:
“Never Again”: 440 AC (-)

Kimberley Locke:
“Band of Gold”: 17 AC (14), 143 HAC (166), 547 Pop (-)
“Change”: 693 Pop (732)
“Frosty the Snowman”: 13 AC (30), 149 HAC (189)
“Jingle Bells”:

Mandisa:
“Christmas Makes Me…”: 42 AC (623)
“God Speaking”: 40 CAC (32)
“Joy to the World”: 267 CAC (-), 481 AC (334)
“O Holy Night”: 185 CAC (-)
“What Christmas Means…”: 301 CAC (-), 532 AC (184)

Paris Bennett:
“Duet (f/J. Isaac)”: 981 UAC (1096)

Ruben Studdard:
“Change Me”: 893 Rhy (-)
“Make Ya Feel Beautiful”: 741 Urban (430)

Taylor Hicks:
“Heaven Knows”: 311 AC (-)

Note: Numbers indicate position on the chart while numbers in brackets indicate the position on the chart the previous week

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 11/27/07
Published November 27th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

TV’s Mr Nasty wants pop princess to star in American Idol

Simon Cowell wants Britney Spears to make a guest appearance on US talent show American Idol.

‘As far as I’m concerned, she can produce or direct American Idol if she likes,’ he says. ‘She’d bring in 50 million viewers.’ ………

Now Magazine

Rock Reality Show Recap: The Clark Brothers Dominate Rolling Stones Week on “The Next Great American Band”

The producers of American Idol think they can find The Next Great American Band on TV (and no, they’re not talking about the next great Grand Funk Railroad). We think we can find some pleasure in this pursuit with our Rock Reality Show Recaps. Here’s our sixth report:

RollingStone

TV Guide’s Online Video Awards: The Winners Are….

With 1.75 million votes cast, TV Guide is pleased to reveal the winners of the inaugural edition of the Online Video Awards……..

Behind-the-Scenes Video: Hey Paula: Behind the Scenes (Bravo)

TVGuide

Teacher’s dream to sing

….Rosener said she hopes to begin performing at more area street dances and other events, although having two youngsters younger than 3 makes that more challenging. She said she’s won several vocal competitions and finished second in last year’s state Colgate County Showdown. Immediately following that event, John drove his pregnant wife to the American Idol tryouts in Minneapolis.

“We drove all night and got there at 7 in the morning. I was pregnant and nauseous and throwing up,” she said. “It wasn’t pretty.”

Rosener didn’t advance and said at 29 she was too old to try out when the program came to Omaha for this year’s tryouts….

ZWire

YouTube Promotes ‘Celebrity Rehab’ in Drug Awareness Campaign

What’s your first memory of an anti-drug commercial? An egg frying in a pan and a voice saying, “This is your brain on drugs,” is a common answer. It seems the “scared straight” approach to inducing a fear of drugs – remember the shotgun wielding teen that killed his friend after smoking dope – hasn’t come far. Now in YouTube clips promoting a new show called Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew Pinksy of Love Line fame will attempt to reinvent the genre. Watch a clip here of Crazy Town’s Seth Binzer apparently free-basing crack and explaining its dangers and consequences……..

DMW Media

Adoration for Aiken follows him here

To most of us, Clay Aiken is that nice young man who placed second in the 2003 season of “American Idol.”

But it seems Aiken has a cult following among middle-aged women, creating an unexpected boon for Miller Auditorium and the Kalamazoo Public Schools.

Aiken will be in town Friday for a holiday concert with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra at Miller Auditorium — an event occurring on Aiken’s 29th birthday.

To the delighted astonishment of Miller officials, they’ve sold tickets in 26 states for the concert, drawing hundreds of women from fan clubs with names such as Claynation and Claymates. About 50 Aiken fans were so determined to get front-and-center seats that they bought season subscriptions to Miller, costing those patrons an extra $100 each. (The fans donated tickets for the other events back to Miller, which is distributing them to area service clubs.)……..

MLive

Entertainers of the Year: 25 Top Stars of 2007
Meet the extraordinary talents who shined brightest in 2007, from George Clooney to Johnny Depp to Carrie Underwood to…EW’s pick for Entertainer of the Year!

2007′S MOST POPULAR: CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Faith Hill was only kidding, folks, when she feigned outrage at Carrie Underwood’s win at the 2006 CMA Awards, but viewers may’ve been truly shocked by the now-24-year-old’s meteoric rise. In 2007, Underwood further solidified her country bona fides with a confident, twangy No. 1 album, Carnival Ride, that vindicated all the promise and possibility American Idol aspires to offer. —Jeff Labreque

CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S 2007……….

EW.com

Christmas music starts early at Smiths’
Holiday recordings have something for everyone

….The orchestra lends a marked change, though Smith hasn’t completely shed his piano-pop core on Wonderful Christmas. Album track “Christmas Day,” in particular, is stocked with his trademark contemplative hooks and features a radio-ready contribution from American Idol alum and Nashville favorite Mandisa.

Smith was impressed enough with her contribution — “She just, in my opinion, knocked it out of the park,” he says — to ask her to come along on his Christmas tour, which starts Thursday and ends in Nashville on Dec. 22 at Brentwood Baptist Church. Scheduling conflicts prohibited Mandisa’s inclusion, so fellow Idol-er Melinda Doolittle will take that spot (and helm Mandisa’s duet part in “Christmas Day”)….

Tennessean.com

Seventeen Picks The ‘Style Stars’

….Other winners in Seventeen’s first-ever Style Star awards were Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Jordin Sparks, Fergie, Lauren Conrad, Ashley Simpson and Lil Mama….

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 11/28/07

Merry Christmas, Donkey

….Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC, 8 tonight) is broadcast live from the Manhattan landmark. This year’s telecast will be hosted by Al Roker, the ever-shrinking cataloguer of the planet’s rain, sun, clouds, temperature, sleet, lightning, snow, low-pressure systems and, everybody’s favourite, squalls!

Hopefully without the use of a giant blue map, the Today weatherman will introduce a number of musical performers, including Josh Groban, Céline Dion, Barry Manilow, Ashley Tisdale, Taylor Swift and American Idol star Carrie Underwood.

I have not seen a song list. But if NBC is serious about spreading joy, peace and goodwill, it will do whatever is necessary to prevent Céline from belting out “Feliz Navidad.” And, please, somebody put Manilow in a headlock if he shows up with jingle bells….

The Star

Morning anchor Lyders is leaving Channel 12 to explore options

…..Lyders says her decision to leave Channel 12 isn’t connected to her relationship with “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, something she’s not interested in talking about.

“You know what? It doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she says. “I made the decision based on what’s right for me.”…..

JSOnline

The Reliable Source

….Taylor Hicks — yes, the prematurely gray dude who won “American Idol” last year — dining with three others at BLT Steak Saturday night. Told the manager he was just visiting D.C. friends on his days off….

Washington Post

Kelly Clarkson, former ‘American Idol,’ has guts and gumption

It might sound weird to suggest that Kelly Clarkson is a positive harbinger of pop music’s eventual return from its current abyss of cookie-cutter-voiced autobots and mindless dance pap. Especially since as the first American Idol winner, she’s sort of the poster-child of the autobot movement.

But Clarkson, who brings her My December tour to Boca Raton’s Mizner Park Amphitheater on Thursday, is so much more than the sum of her seemingly pre-packaged fame. Five years ago she set the bar for all of the American Idol winners in both her talent level (huge), likability (huge) and her success (huger than huge), a marker that only fourth-season winner Carrie Underwood has come near in either sales or staying power…..

Palm Beach Post

Movin’ From ‘Idol’ Adulation to Stage Charm

Elliott Yamin is the easiest “American Idol” vet to root for this side of Kelly Clarkson. His likability allows him to take risks without coming off as goofy. Among the risks Yamin got away with at the 9:30 club on Monday: crooning “Sharing the Night Together,” Dr. Hook’s fun but idiotic (how else can you share the night but “together”?) cozy-up single that was originally released 30 years ago this week.

He also pulled off dancing with a giant gecko that stormed the stage during “Movin’ On,” the first song on his self-titled debut CD. Tracks from that disc dominated Yamin’s approximately one-hour set, and most found him trying to conjure a lite-funk, Stevie-Wonder-via-Justin-Timberlake vibe. Yamin, who all night flashed a million-dollar-smile that the tabloids say he got with only $50,000 worth of cosmetic dentistry, shamed neither Stevie nor JT…………

Washington Post

Carrie’s gift
From American Idol to Music Row

The process was well under way, but YouTube provided a caught-on-camera bright-red underline. The occasion was the 2006 Country Music Association Awards, and when it was announced that Carrie Underwood had won Female Artist of the Year, fellow nominee Faith Hill, then country music’s long-running diva of choice, reacted with an angry “What?!” as she stared right at the camera.

The moment couldn’t have captured the shifting fortunes of the pair any better if Hill had interrupted the CMAs to give Underwood a glittering crown and a key to the city of Nashville. Hill has since said she was joking, but that’s beside the point. Underwood, the 24-year-old former American Idol winner whose second CD, Carnival Ride (Arista), recently shot to the top of the charts, is the new diva of Music Row — which by most lights makes her America’s pop diva. Whereas the country’s other reigning songbirds appear to be concentrating on clothing lines (the exception being Jennifer Lopez, who’s too busy wondering where her audience went), Underwood’s just singing. And the music she’s making is equal to the size of the stage she’s now on………

The Phoenix

IdeaEdge and Stored Value Solutions Team for First American Idol Gift Card

The new American Idol gift card, recently launched by IdeaEdge, Inc. and powered by Stored Value Solutions, is the first of its kind, the companies reported.

The gift cards will provide over 40 million fans a fun, convenient and easy way to purchase American Idol merchandise and for friends and family members to give as gifts to the many American Idol fans in their lives.

American Idol gift cards provide access to music from past American Idol contestants, such as Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Hicks. Cards can also be used to purchase Karaoke CDs of songs sung on the show by favorite Idols, exclusive American Idol apparel and accessories, a Playstation 2 video game, and even an American Idol-ized monopoly game……….

Trading Markets

High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens laments on fame

….Interestingly, her HSM gig almost never happened. A young Hudgens was all set to audition for American Idol.

“I love singing and I thought that to get a chance to do it (American Idol) would have been amazing,” she says. “The only way I thought that I would be able to get myself out there would be on American Idol. But I was 15 at the time when I said that I wanted to do it and you had to be 16 to audition.

“So I thought, ‘One more year’. Then, when I turned 16, High School Musical came along and I got to do it. So I thought I’d skip on American Idol.”

Nice move.

News.com.au

MUSIC REVIEWS: Pop, country/roots, jazz and classical releases

….JORDIN SPARKS “Jordin Sparks” (19 Recordings/Jive 2 ½ stars)

There are some notable firsts associated with the winning debut of this year’s “American Idol.” Sparks, who is nearly 20, is the first victor to join the producer’s label rather than Sony/BMG with a championship disc not exec-produced by Clive Davis.

Maybe Clive’s scared to get into a Kelly Clarkson catfight with Sparks. Maybe the one-time Christian balladeer with the powerful lungs and the relaxed R&B melodic style had her own ideas. Everything from the tender trap of “See My Side,” with its subtle vocal harmony flourishes, to the tremors of “God Loves Ugly” shows Sparks’ mark. Her debut’s most potent display - she was 17 when she recorded this - is the teen-pop-hop of “No Air,” a breathlessly silly thing she did with Michael Jackson clone Chris Brown. Then there are dear electro-pop tracks like “Shy Boy” (produced by the same team that did most of Britney Spears’ “Blackout”) that manage to show the soulful sweet side of Euro-dance that Britney can’t ever entertain again. It’s a charming effort. Sparkly, even….

Modbee.com

American Idol: Disappointing Sales for Jordin Sparks’ Debut Album?

Early numbers (not the official ones mind you, but accurate nonetheless) are indicating that American Idol winner Jordin Sparks’ debut album will finish in an extremely disappointing ninth place on the charts with only around 100,000 copies sold. Now, this is a devastating blow to Sparks burgeoning career, if true………….

Buddy TV

Keys vs. Groban, Joran Makes Few Sparks

The CD chart is still being counted, but over at hitsdailydouble.com, Alicia Keys and Josh Groban are neck and neck for a first-place finish.

Groban’s is a Christmas album, while Keys set records last week for debuting at No. 1 with 724,000 copies of “As I Am” sold.

This week they are so far each around 150,000 — but the final numbers won’t be in until later Tuesday.

Meantime, Jive Records looks like it’s struggling with all its new releases, not just Britney Spears’ disappearing “Blackout.” Albums by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown are also not posting hoped-for numbers. Sparks, an “American Idol” winner, should do only 100,000 copies in her debut week. Goes to show you: Those “AI” kids need Clive Davis, or it just doesn’t work.

Fox News

The Dish Rag

Count on the muscle of Condé Nast Media Group, the Producers Guild of America and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to pull together a fledgling awards show called “Movies Rock.”

I know what you’re thinking. ANOTHER awards show? Just what we need. More boring acceptance speeches, more fake surprised faces, more big expensive gowns, fancy tuxedos, and pointless after-parties.

But this one actually sounds like it could be fun. (Click HERE for information).

The two-hour event (Sunday, Dec 2 at the Kodak Theatre) celebrates “the synergy between music and movies” and pays tribute to some of music’s most iconic film moments. And of course, given the organizers and the show’s proximity to the big 2008 movie/music awards (Globes, Grammys and Oscars) there will be both award-winners and award-hungry presenters and performers.

Performing: Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, Sir Elton John, Eve, Fergie, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Williams, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Nicole Sherzinger, Tony Bennett, Usher and will.i.am……

[sonyab1974]

Idol Sales News - Week Ending 11/25/07
Published November 28th, 2007 in American Idol and Charts.

Idol Related Sales Numbers after the jump (Billboard issue date 12/08/07)

Digital Download Numbers

8 Jordin Sparks “Tattoo” 77,247 (55%; lw 49,845) Total: 372,198 (12)
23 Daughtry “Over You” 33,622 (13%; lw 29,857) Total: 526,009 (32) ***Now Gold***
40 Carrie Underwood “So Small” 22,796 (-11%; lw 25,733) Total: 373,185 (36)
172 Jordin Sparks “No Air” 6,911 (NEW; lw 0) Total: 6,911 (NEW)
189 Blake Lewis “Break Anotha” 6,443 (-40%; lw 10,824) Total: 17,267 (97

[sonyab1974]

Jordin Sparks Album Debut Opens at 119K

Lot’s of chatter on the blog today, about why Jordin Sparks debut album opened with the lowest Soundscan numbers of any winning Idol to date.  She’ll chart this week at #10 on the Billboard 200, selling a total of 119,000 albums.  For more numbers, check out Kirsten’s Idol Sales post.

1. Did a lackluster season begat a lackluster Idol?

2. Did the producers spend so much time last year pimping guest hosts and their charity event, instead of the contestants, that their winning Idol never had a chance to make an impression on the viewing audience?

3. Does Jordin’s record just flat out suck?  Well, I finally got a chance to listen to her debut on Rhapsody, and I found most of it pretty bland…

I think it’s a combination of all three, with extry special emphasis on 2. and 3. 

How did Jordin stack up against her fellow Idol winners?  Deets, after the jump…

Kelly Clarkson - “Thankful” -  297,400
Ruben Studdard - “Soulful” -  416,569
Fantasia - “Free Yourself” - 239,389
Carrie Underwood “Some Hearts” - 315,000
Taylor Hicks - “Taylor Hicks” - 298,000

There’s a bit of a silver lining here, for Jordin.  Her single, “Tattoo” is doing well.  It’s #8 this week on Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 77,247 (that’s a 55% increase from last week) for a total of 372,198.  It’s getting radio play, and has been inching its way up all the charts since it was released last month.

Unfortunately, in Jordin’s case, having a hit song has not translated into a hit album.  At least not yet.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 11/29/07
Published November 29th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

‘Tis not the season for tumbling album sales

Still deep in the red after Black Friday, the music industry is facing its steepest annual losses to date, with hopes for a year-end holiday turnaround all but Scrooged.
While album sales for the week ending Sunday were up 19% over the previous week, the Thanksgiving week total of 14 million albums trails 2006’s take by 18%. So far in 2007, 415.7 million albums have been sold, down 14% from last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“This won’t be made up by the end of the year,” predicts Geoff Mayfield, Billboard’s director of charts. “We’ve yet to have a week where album sales have beaten those of the same week the prior year.”……..

…….”I’m always one who complains there are too many releases in the last quarter, but we finally had one where perhaps a few more big names would have helped,” Mayfield says. “There were no huge releases for Thanksgiving week.”

Instead, Josh Groban’s seven-week-old Noel rose to claim Billboard’s No. 1 spot after selling 405,000 copies, and the highest debut is Jordin Sparks’ self-titled disc, at No. 10 with 119,000, the lowest start ever for an American Idol winner. Last Thanksgiving, five debuts cracked the top 10, including discs by Chris Daughtry, The Beatles, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac and Jay-Z……

USA Today

Josh Groban rides Oprah spot to No. 1

…..The soundtrack to Disney’s High School Musical 2 rockets up 14-6 with a 130 percent sales increase to 183,000; with that, the set surpasses Daughtry’s self-titled set as the top selling album in 2007.

Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride (Arista Nashville) climbs 9-7 with 141,000 and a 25 percent sales bump, while Celine Dion’s Columbia album Taking Chances falls 3-8 following a 40 percent sales decrease to 128,000. Inching up 10-9, Chris Brown’s Exclusive (Jive) sells 121,000 (+10 percent).

Jordin Sparks, who was crowned the winner on American Idol earlier this year, starts at No. 10 with her self-titled 19 Recordings/Jive set, moving 119,000. It is the lowest start and smallest sales debut for any of the show’s winners on the tally….

MP3.com

Sanjaya Sings for Seattle, Counting Down to American Idol

It’s a good day to be a Sanjaya fan. At least, if you live in or near the greater Seattle metropolitan area. The former American Idol fan favorite is performing soon.

Sanjaya will sing in the Intiman Theatre’s production of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. He’ll be joined by two other former Idol-ites, Karma Johnson from season one, and Leah LaBelle from season three. All three will have solos in two performances of Black Nativity on Sunday, December 2nd.

And you thought Sanjaya’s 15-minutes were up?

Say what you want about his crazy hair and warbly renditions of Something to Talk About, the kid is still singing and he’s doing meaningful stuff. I think he might have a crooning career ahead of him………

Film.com

Accidental Idol
Melinda Doolittle placed third on ‘Idol’ last May. Not bad for someone who didn’t intend to try out.

After excelling on “American Idol,” Melinda Doolittle is on tour with a Christian music idol — Michael W. Smith, who brings his Christmas show to Erie on Sunday with special guests the Katinas.

“I’ve been a fan of his — and the Katinas — for years,” said Doolittle, who placed third on “Idol” last May.

“I was really excited to get a chance to go on the road with both of them, and be a part of this show. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this Christmas tour. So what better way to get involved?”

Doolittle won’t just share the stage with Smith, she’ll share a microphone, too…….

GoErie

‘Idol’ appearance opens doors for Doolittle
TV show finalist part of Smith holiday show tonight

Although there can only be one “American Idol” per season, that doesn’t mean the rest of the contestants have lost. The TV sensation offers exposure that’s tough to beat, often resulting in plenty of opportunity even for those who don’t win the show, such as Melinda Doolittle, a top three finalist from season six.

Doolittle is bubbling over with excitement about one such post-”Idol” opportunities — appearing with award-winning contemporary Christian music giant Michael W. Smith on his Christmas tour. Smith’s “It’s a Wonderful Christmas” tour, also featuring The Katinas, launches tonight at Binghamton’s Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena……….

Pressconnects.com

Josh Gracin At JMU

James Madison University got a special visit from a former American Idol finalist Wednesday night.
Second season’s Josh Gracin was on campus singing to hundreds of fans.
He shared the stage with a couple of other country music artists, and he even took the time to speak with News 3 about his fans, and how it felt to be in Virginia.
“They’re the greatest fans in the world. All country fans are. They really support country music, and are really loyal.
A country singer could have one huge album and be touring ten to fifteen years off just one album.
Its amazing how loyal country fans are,” says Gracin who was a fourth place finalist during the second season of american idol.

WHSV

For the Record

JORDIN SPARKS ‘JORDIN SPARKS’ (19 RECORDINGS/JIVE)

There are some notable firsts associated with the winning debut of this year’s “American Idol.” Sparks, who is nearly 20, is the first victor to join the producer’s label rather than Sony/BMG with a championship disc not exec-produced by Clive Davis.

Maybe Clive’s scared to get into a Kelly Clarkson catfight with Sparks. Maybe the one-time Christian balladeer with the powerful lungs and the relaxed R&B melodic style had her own ideas. Everything from the tender trap of “See My Side,” with its subtle vocal harmony flourishes, to the tremors of “God Loves Ugly” shows Sparks’ mark.

Her debut’s most potent display — she was 17 when she recorded this — is the teen-pop-hop of “No Air,” a breathlessly silly thing she did with Michael Jackson clone Chris Brown. Then there are dear electro-pop tracks like “Shy Boy” (produced by the same team that did most of Britney Spears’ “Blackout”) that manage to show the soulful sweet side of Euro-dance that Britney can’t ever entertain again. It’s a charming effort. Sparkly, even.

Post-Gazette

Debut makes Sparks fly

America got it right with Jordin Sparks when they voted her the next “American Idol.”

She is living her show-winning single “This Is My Now.”

Sparks made her awards show debut on the American Music Awards/American Idol Awards show. She was a presenter on the telecast, but all she needed to do was smile to win over the audience.

I say “American Idol Awards Show” because “AI” alumni dominated the categories and acceptance speeches. Jordin should have taken notes because she may very well be up on that stage next year.

Sparks’ self-titled debut CD on Jive Records is exactly what it should be - a pure pop record. It’s not flashy, nor out of her league. I would describe “Jordin Sparks” as the perfect teen/tween album. She definitely knows where she belongs in regards to her music………

Sturgis Journal

No Spark For Jordin

Completely vindicating what some have called my irrational hatred for Jordin Sparks, her album debuted this week to what could only be generously termed a luke-warm reception. According to early unofficial numbers, Jordin Sparks’ self-titled debut album will pop into the Billboard charts at number ten this week, selling just over one hundred thousand copies. That’s less than half of what Taylor Hicks’ album moved last year……….

Cinema Blend

Simon Cowell planning to give ‘Talent’ the ‘World Idol’ treatment

That’s the question Simon Cowell is apparently planning to ask a worldwide audience via The World’s Got Talent, a World Idol-like global competition that will assemble different Got Talent winners from various countries and pit them against one another to find the most talented person on the planet, the U.K.’s The Sun newspaper reported Tuesday.

“We have been thinking about doing this for a long time,” Cowell, who created the America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent concept that has also spawned editions in numerous other countries including Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden, told The Sun. “The planet has been crying out for a world talent competition.” ……….

Reality TV World

BNA Recording Artist Kellie Pickler to Entertain Troops on USO Tour to Persian Gulf

Country musicsinger/songwriter Kellie Pickler will soon travel to the Persian Gulf toperform for service members as part of a USO/MNC-I entertainment tour. Thisis the first USO tour for Pickler, who will show her gratitude to troops byperforming songs from her current album, posing for pictures and signingautographs. Pickler will also visit with armed forces personnel and share herexperiences since her days as a contestant on Fox Network’s “American Idol.” …………

Reuters

Blake Lewis: ‘I Love Older Women’

Blake Lewis is bonafide cougar prey according to a new interview with the “American Idol” runner-up.

Blake told MSNBC since he shot to fame on the reality competition show, the older ladies have sought him out romantically.

“I got a little bit of that, some cougars definitely . . . I love older women so it was fantastic,” he told MSNBC….

Access Hollywood

Dave Koz helps bring the frosty glow to Florida

….This year’s band includes contemporary jazz singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler, basketball pro-turned-bassist Wayman Tisdale and American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke. Koz tapped Locke, the Season 2 runner-up to Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, to sing Please Come Home for Christmas on the Memories album. Live, she also performs The Other Side of Christmas, a less rosy picture of the holidays. Koz described Locke’s stage presence as commanding — “She’s just belting it out,” he said — and he praised her “great ears and great work ethic.”….

Sun-Sentinel

Jordin Sparks’ debut album sells only 119,000 copies in first week

Jordin Sparks’ self-titled debut album has debuted at No. 10 on this week’s The Billboard 200 album sales chart after selling only 119,000 copies during its initial week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan data for the week ending November 25.

The American Idol sixth-season champ’s debut album sales numbers represent the lowest first-week debut album sales of any former Idol winner. “Jordin Sparks’” No. 10 ranking also ranks as the lowest initial Billboard 200 chart placement for any former Idol winner’s debut album, according to Billboard…..

Reality TV World

Country star, Larry the Cable Guy coming to Johnstown

…Known for hits like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” “Ladies Love Country Boys” and “I Left Something Turned on at Home,” Adkins will be joined on stage by “American Idol” finalist Bucky Covington and new country artist Justin Moore….

Tribune-Democrat

The Nightmare Before Xmas: Sanjaya to Sing Again

Dust off those pony-hawks and put on your earplugs, because “American Idol” wannabeen Sanjaya Malakar (’memba him?!) is about to start “singing” again!………

TMZ

Holiday shows fill the airwaves
Here is a partial list of programming — including old and new shows — for network and cable stations.

…Christmas in Washington, Ne-Yo, Vanessa Hudgens, Alan Jackson, Andrea Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Heather Headler and Katharine McPhee, with Phil and Robin McGraw, hosts, 9 p.m. Dec. 12, TNT…

Star Tribune

Aiken molds his own way
‘Idol’ singer, set to perform his holiday show in D.C., embraces his lack of cool in an effort to just be himself

….”If I tried to be cool,” Aiken says, “it would be like your parents using slang and sounding weird.”

He’s fought with managers over his image and argued over song choices, saying that many of the songs that were proposed to him were great, but they were better suited for Justin Timberlake or Maroon 5.

Aside from an occasional change in hairstyle and wardrobe, Aiken says he hasn’t tried to reinvent himself or his music to compete with pop music’s edgier leading men.

And he admits that it would be odd for people to bump and grind to one of his songs…

[sonyab1974]

Blake Lewis - Album Clips and More
Published by mj November 29th, 2007 in American Idol, Record News and Blake Lewis. 0 Comments

Here’s the latest on Blake Lewis via the fab kids at Team Plaid…

    * You can listen to 30-second song clips from Blake’s debut album “Audio Day Dream” via Barnes and Noble.
    * The video for “Break Anotha” will world-premier on Yahoo Music, Thursday, 12/6.
    * Blake’s AOL Sessions will premiere next Friday, 12/7.

Blake’s debut, “Audio Day Dream” drops this coming Tuesday, December 4th.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 11/30/07
Published November 30th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.
Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…


Concert review: Kelly Clarkson brings flirty spunk to Boca

If Kelly Clarkson proved anything in her flirty, bold set at Mizner Park Amphitheater Thursday night, it was that negative press and dire career predictions can sometimes fuel confidence rather than cowering.

There was the 25-year-old inaugural “American Idol” winner, all bold and blonde on her downgraded tour promoting that album that wasn’t supposed to sell. Rather than be apologetic or demurely gracious, the native Texan was brash, funny and in a mood that can be best be described as occasionally “nanny-nanny-boo-boo”-like.

But instead of coming off smug or cocky, Kelly Clarkson’s “My December” tour just came off like the work of a self-assured young woman’s declaration that her belief in herself paid off. And instead of just shrugging, she was celebrating. If you think that’s cocky, well, there’s the door……..

Palm Beach Post Blogs

Album reviews

…Few albums arrive with lower expectations than an American Idol’s first release. Given the lackluster season and dismally amateurish summer tour that led to the most recent winner, 17-year-old Jordin Sparks, one could reasonably expect yet another stinker from the Fox/19 cheese factory.

Surprise. Aside from the clichéd Dream-Comes-True pap every Top 2 finalist has to sing on the season finale, in this case This Is My Now, Jordin Sparks is one of the least crummy Idol CDs….

Miami Herald

Music Review: Various Artists, “Enchanted” Original Soundtrack

….However, good as it is, “Ever Ever After,” performed by American Idol country megastar, Carrie Underwood, is undoubtedly the song that’s going to make it into radio rotation, being a rousing, rollicking blood-pumper that really gets the listener moving. And in case you forget that it comes from “Enchanted,” Underwood reminds you with lyrics like, “Let yourself be enchanted, you just break through / To Ever Ever After,” and a refrain that references back to “True Love’s Kiss.”….

The-Trades

“Idol” Wannabe Bites It … Big Time!

Hollywood Week took a scary turn Monday when a season seven “American Idol” hopeful wiped out on her way off stage and tumbled down a set of stairs. Talk about tanking your audition!

An on-set spy tells TMZ the unidentified woman was rushed to a nearby Pasadena hospital and was treated for minor knee injuries. So far, no comment from the show on the clumsy contestant’s condition — or if she’ll be back for the Final 12.

Usually, the most frightening things happen on the “Idol” stage.

TMZ

BUCKY COVINGTON REVEALS THE FINAL TWO CONTESTANTS OF CMT’S NATIONAL ONLINE TALENT SEARCH WHEN “MUSIC CITY MADNESS: THE ROAD TO CMT” PREMIERES DECEMBER 4 ON CMT

American Idol finalist and Lyric Street Records recording artist Bucky Covington hosts a madcap re-cap of CMT’s online search for the best unsigned country act in America when MUSIC CITY MADNESS: THE ROAD TO CMT premieres Tuesday, December 4 at 10:00-10:30 a.m., ET/PT on CMT. The half-hour show takes a look at the top 64 contenders and those that didn’t make the cut, and reveals the final two contestants as chosen by the fans. The top two contenders will then battle it out in a head-to-head battle at CMT.com, and the winner will be announced Tuesday, December 11……….

Futon Critic

‘American Idol’ loses its juice, Sparks album tanks

The latest “Idol” winner Jordin Sparks is selling worse than Taylor Hicks, the previous year’s winner……….

Monsters and Critics

Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood reveal initial tour dates

Confirmed dates are starting to trickle in for next year’s US tour pairing Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.
The 24-city “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour” is scheduled to kick off Jan. 31 with a two-night stand in Uncasville, CT. Other cities confirmed so far are Roanoke, VA; Omaha, NE; and San Jose, CA. Details are listed below……..

Live Daily

Bon Jovi stops by more cities along ‘Lost Highway’

….Canadian rock quartet Hedley, a finalist from reality show “Canadian Idol,” is supporting Bon Jovi in Canada. Rock band Daughtry [ tickets ], which is led by “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, will take over in the US….

Live Daily

Holiday concerts

….Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will headline the seventh edition of Alice Cooper’s charity bash. Also appearing will be country’s Whiskey Falls, Flo & Eddie of the Turtles, comic Mike “Blackjack” Wilson, CTA and Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers….

AZCentral

Kelly Clarkson Concert at
Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida

Pop singer Kelly Clarkson is set to perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida on December 1, 2007.

Clarkson’s tour started on October 10, 2007 and will run until the end of the year. Following the performance in Nashville, Kelly is also scheduled to start touring with country singer Reba McEntire for the “2 Worlds 2 Voices” tour which is set to kick off on January 17, 2007 in Dayton, Ohio.

The popular pop singer is known for her hit single “Since You Been Gone”.

The first season American Idol winner is also scheduled to tour Australia and the United Kingdom in March 2008.

Transworld News

Sheila E Talks “The Next Great American Band”

….The next question was about Denver And The Mile-High Orchestra, a band obviously beloved by people who have nothing good to do on Friday nights. Why have they made it so far? Wouldn’t she rather see Franklin Bridge kept and them send home?

Well, Sheila E loves them because they’re fun to watch and because they’ve had to make such a big stretch to play on the show. “It’s challenging to take these rock and roll songs that they have to pick from, and make them their own,” she said, especially with such a sizable horn section. She thinks they could win it all, and are almost certain to make the top three alongside Sixwire and the Clark Brothers.

Of course, Sheila admits that she also just likes big band music. Too often, she thinks, anything that isn’t rock or hip-hop gets relegated to “public service, cable access, or documentaries.” She wants kids who play wind instruments to see a successful big band playing on national TV.

Another complicated topic that came up was the WGA strike. Sheila is very sympathetic to the strikers, she said, because they’re getting screwed in the same way that musicians get screwed by record labels. But Sheila is relentlessly upbeat, and there is a silver lining, which is that “Next Great American Band” is getting some extra attention. It can’t be that much, given the ratings, but every little bit counts…..

MeeVee

Dream comes true for Idol runner-up

…I’m not a big fan of television at all, but it’s an amazing way of communicating with people. I tell people that all I was put on this Earth to do is communicate my art to people, and what better way to do that (than) on American Idol.”

Lewis will make TV appearances throughout December, including on MTV’s TRL and Fuse, as well as visiting major-market radio shows. The label is planning an equally heavy Internet advertising blitz along with special editions of the album for iTunes and Wal-Mart….

Canada.com

Dolly Parton Declines to be American Idol Judge While Season 5’s Mandisa Tops Album Charts

Dolly Parton and American Idol fans are disappointed to hear that the country singer popularly known for her bumpers–err, “Jolene” hit back in the 1974 has declined an offer to become a judge on the reality singing competition.

The now 61-year-old Dolly Parton, who was born and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee, started performing at a young age and later on went to record various albums under different record labels. Some of her hits never made it into the Billboard Top 100, but her single “Jolene,” which was produced by Bon Ferguson, became a hit when it was released in 1974.

For its upcoming season, American Idol planned to produce an episode which was entirely devoted to the legendary country singer. FOX had invited her along to be a judge for the episode, however, she turned down the offer because she believed she was too nice to critique some wannabes from America’s most popular singing competition….

Melodika

Double trouble
R. Kelly, Bucky Covington, Billy Joel

….Bucky Covington

American Idol has steadily seeped into the American consciousness over the last decade, and now you can read alarmist stories by music critics bemoaning the reality-TV program being a benchmark for pop music. Perish the thought — but if the show weren’t turning out so many fresh-faced vocalists, the music industry would probably be even further in the red than it already is. Covington, one of the show’s country-leaning contestants, dropped his debut album in April….

Star-Telegram

COAST CASINOS DECK THE HALLS
Holiday specials are everywhere

….Former American Idol Kimberly Caldwell comes to Biloxi to star with Eugene Eash in an original holiday revue “Merry Christmas… Baby” Dec. 7 and 8 at IP Casino Resort. Entertainment Manager Tessa Rogers said the family show will be staged in the newly remodeled IP Showroom, which seats about 850…..

Sun Herald

New music | Due in stores Tuesday

…. Blake Lewis, Audio Daydream (Arista). American Idol finalist tries to prove he can do more than beat-boxing….

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/01/07
Published December 1st, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

Music Review
Audio Day Dream (2007)
Blake Lewis

At the end of American Idol’s sixth season, Blake Lewis did the impossible: He advanced to the final two on the strength of something other than a singing voice. Millions of viewers cottoned to his beatboxing, insisting he was the Spark-plug of the season — but it remained to be seen, till now, if the pop world would be nearly as novelty tolerant.

Lewis’ first album, Audio Day Dream, drops just two weeks after the debut from Jordin Sparks, and he knows better than to compete with the season 6 winner on her sonorous turf. Still, while most of Lewis’ tracks begin or end with a sputtering smattering of simulated vocal percussion — on top of a half-dozen interludes of the ‘boxing s-s-st-st-stuff — the remaining 90 percent of the CD finds him trying to do what he doesn’t do best: sing…………

EW.com

‘Black Nativity’ gives Christmas back its soul

…When the curtain rises on “Black Nativity,” Recchi — along with members of Wright’s choir, other Seattle-area vocalists who auditioned and even three former “American Idol” contestants who have cameos — will sing for joy and blessings….

Seattlepi

American Idol season seven hype begins

It’s not even December, and American Idol’s seventh season is still a month and a half away — but the hype has already begun. According to an interview with Extra, the American Idol judges - Simon, Paula, and Randy — are in agreement: This is going to be the BEST SEASON EVER!!.

Last year, as you may recall, season six was often slammed by fans and critics as the WORST SEASON EVER. Who could forget Sanjaya? Oh wait, we did. His 15 minutes of fame only lasted 12.5 minutes. But for all of our Sanjaya-bashing, at least he kept things interesting in an otherwise bland and uninspiring year. Seriously, does anyone even care that Jordin Sparks just released her debut album?……….

TV Squad

Cowell sings American Idol praises

….”I’ve been telling people that this is a season that no-one’s going to want to miss,” she said. “There are so many stars that, I think, when you get down to 12 possible contenders for record deals, it’s going to be unbelievable.”

This is Nottingham

Jordin Sparks Getting a Real ‘Tattoo’

….And while she doesn’t need her permission, Sparks’ mother OK’d the tat, saying, “I’ll go get one with you when you’re 18.”

Popeater

Help is on the Way for the Holidays IX

Kick-off your holidays at this star-studded holiday benefit concert benefiting Meals of Marin and Positive Resource Center. The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents stars from stage, screen and the recording industry in a seasonal celebration for everyone. Cast includes “American Idol” stars La Toya London, Justin Guarini and Anthony Fedorov, pop icon Mary Wilson (The Supremes), Broadway stars Jeannette Bayardelle, Michelle Williams (The Color Purple), Sally Struthers, Carole Cook, Bay Area favorites Wesla Whitfield, Meg Mackay, Sony Holland, Tim Hockenberry, Shawn Ryan and more……..

SF Station

Serena Williams to play for charity in Norfolk

Professional tennis players James Blake, Serena Williams, Mardy Fish and Tatiana Golovin will play in a mixed doubles tournament in Norfolk to benefit cancer research.

The AnthemLIVE! event will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the Ted Constant Center. R&B legend Gloria Gaynor, responsible for the hit “I Will Survive,” and “American Idol” alum Elliott Yamin will perform during the fundraiser……..

Daily Press

‘American Idol’ Update: What Happened To Former Favorites?

Thousands of people audition in hopes of becoming the next American Idol, but only one person can be crowned the new king or queen of the stage.

Once the show is over and the Idol tour has come to an end, many fans wonder what past contestants are up to since being eliminated from the show. Check out what some of Idol’s wannabes are doing now:

Starpulse

13 Questions With Kellie Pickler

The American Idol star talks about boys, boredom and blind dates.

Besides touring with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler—a fifth-season finalist on the mega-popular American Idol—is on a roll. She’ll be taking a shot at acting soon when she does a pilot for a sitcom on the Fox network. Her performance of her hit “I Wonder” on the recent CMA Awards show garnered high praise, and now her “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind” is climbing the charts. Here’s part of Country Weekly’s interview with Kellie……..

Country Weekly

Tats Off to Blake Lewis

Blake Lewis is one tatted-up fool — but would he really get inked down there?

TMZ was with the “American Idol” runner-up as he went to Dr. TATTOFF to get some ink on his back faded out — to make room for a new, larger tattoo. Blake joked about what tats he’d get on his junk — and came up with some interesting ideas.

Our cameras followed him into the doctor’s office and caught Blake doing some signature beat boxing and fielding a call from Jordin Sparks while he was being lasered. Take a look at Blake’s cell though — he has Jordin’s name spelled wrong in his phone book!……

TMZ

Clay Aiken answers readers’ questions

Leading up to his Dec. 8 concert at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, former “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken spoke with Poughkeepsie Journal reporter Sean T. McMann on Thursday, and the singer answered several questions submitted by readers of the Journal’s “Sean’s Space” blog.

Head over to “Sean’s Space” by clicking on www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/blogs to see which reader-submitted questions Aiken answered Thursday and for more information about his current tour, which includes stops next weekend in Albany, Poughkeepsie and Uncasville, Conn…………

Poghkeepsie Journal

Jordin Sparks Album is No Idol

Is America falling out of love with “American Idol” or just Jordin Sparks? Her self-titled debut album sold only 199,000 copies its first week out, according to industry figures.

That puts her at number 10 on the Billboard album chart. It’s the lowest debut sales week for any “American Idol” winner.

Taylor Hicks’ debut album sold 298,000 copies its first week, putting it at number 2. Carrie Underwood sold 315,000 the first week with her first album and also debuted at number 2.

Fox28

Polished Aiken doesn’t disappoint faithful fans

Julia Maish stood on the right side of the Morris Performing Arts Center stage recounting one of her most vivid Christmas memories.

It involved a borrowed black dress, a handsome but intoxicated young stranger, an unfortunate fire to said dress, and a bowl of eggnog that doused the flames.

“That was the first time I ever really sizzled,” she said, as Clay Aiken smiled broadly from center stage………

[sonyab1974]

Blake Lewis: Get to Know The Band!

blake-video.jpg

From l. to r.: Johnny Nails, T.J., Kent Halvorson, Kevin Sawka, Blake Lewis, Chris Poage (Panda), Jeremy Lightfoot.

The picture of Blake’s band is from the set of Blake Lewis’ upcoming video for his single, “Break Anotha.” The video premiers on Yahoo Music, Thursday December 6.  The CD, “Audio Day Dream” drops on December 4.

Bonus: Blake uhhm, takes care of business, as he tries his hand at comedy.  And, a typically lame TMZ video.


 

    * 12/4 Satellite Media Tour
    * 12/5 Entertainment Tonight
    * 12/6 The Early Show
    * 12/6 The Insider
    * 12/7 Live! With Regis & Kelly
    * 12/7 Extra
    * 12/9 CW Now
    * 12/11 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
    * 12/11 Jimmy Kimmel Live
    * 12/11 FOX News
    * 12/11 CNN
    * 12/16 Action Sports Championships (CBS)
    * 12/31 Fox’s New Year’s Eve - TENTATIVE
    * TBD The Tonight Show. The Tonight Show with Leno has been postponed due to the writer’s strike.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Billboard Update for Issue 12/08/07

The Highlights:

Jordin Spark’s album debut’s at #10 on the Billboard 200.  She sold 119,119 albums this week.  Her numbers are the lowest first week numbers of all the Idol winners.
Jordin Spark’s single “Tattoo” continues to climb the charts: Billboard Hot 100, 16-12; Hot 100 Airplay,  29-27; Pop 100, 13-8, Pop 100 Airplay, 11-10; Hot Adult Top 40, 26-24; Canadian Hot 100, 74-30, Hot Canadian Digital Singles, 72-15; Hot Digital Tracks, 11-8; Hot Digital Songs, 12-8. “Tattoo” sold 77,247 this week, a 55% increase from last week.  Total: 372,198.
Daughtry’s single, “Over You” has passed the 500,000 mark.  It sold 33,622 digital copies this week for a Total of 526,009.
Now that Billboard is permitting albums with exclusive retail deals to appear on the Billboard 200, The Target-only “The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection” is able to debut on the Billboard 200 at #170.  It debuts at #15 on the Top Independent Albums Chart.
Carrie Underwood’s single “Before He Cheats” finally falls off the Billboard Hot 100 after 64 weeks on the chart. It’s the 3rd longest running song on the Billboard Hot 100 of all time.
Idol Christmas music debuts: Michael W. Smith and Mandisa’s “Christmas Day” debuts on the Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Chart at #24.  Kellie Pickler’s “Santa Baby” debuts on the Hot Country Songs chart at #49.  Carrie Underwood’s “Do You Hear What I Hear” debut on the same chart at #53.  On the Hot Adult Contemporary Chart, “Do You Hear What I Hear” climbs from 29-13.  Kimberley Locke’s “Frosty the Snowman” climbs from 22-10.





Digital Download Numbers

8 Jordin Sparks “Tattoo” 77,247 (55%; lw 49,845) Total: 372,198 (12)
23 Daughtry “Over You” 33,622 (13%; lw 29,857) Total: 526,009 (32) ***Now Gold***
40 Carrie Underwood “So Small” 22,796 (-11%; lw 25,733) Total: 373,185 (36)
56 Daughtry “Home” 18K (54%; lw 11.5K ) Total: 1.14M (85)
81 Carrie Underwood “Before He Cheats” 14K (1%; lw 13.5K ) Total: 1.93M (78)
148 Daughry “It’s Not Over” 7K (22%;lw 6K) Total:1.52M (186)
172 Jordin Sparks “No Air” 6,911 (NEW; lw 0) Total: 6,911 (NEW)
183 Elliott Yamin “Wait For You” 6.5K (-3%; 7K) Total: 792K (168)
189 Blake Lewis “Break Anotha” 6,443 (-40%; lw 10,824) Total: 17,267 (97)

Album Numbers
7 Carrie Underwood “Carnival Ride” 141,406 (25%; lw 113,234 ) Total: 1.07M (9) ***Now Sold Platinum***
9 Jordin Sparks “Jordin Sparks” 119,119 (NEW) Total: 119K (NEW)
33 Daughtry “Daughtry” 43K (~87%; lw 22,707 ) Total: 3.33M (49)
68 Carrie Underwood “Some Hearts” 20K (29%; lw 15,570 ) Total: 6.06M (72)
170 Elliott Yamin “Sounds of the Season” 7.2K Total: 9K (Newly reported)

Off Chart
Kelly Clarkson “Breakaway” 10K (lw 3.7K) Total: 5.9M
Kellie Pickler “Small Town Girl” 5.4K (8%; lw 5,007 ) Total: 659K (185)
Elliott Yamin “Elliott Yamin” 5.0K (lw 4.0K) Total: 446K
Kelly Clarkson “My December” 5K (lw 3.7K) Total: 703K
Clay Aiken “Merry Christmas With Love” 5K (lw 3K) Total: 1.3M
Bucky Covington “Bucky Covington” 2.6K (lw 2K) Total: 298K
Bo Bice “”See the Light” 2.4K (lw 2.4K) Total: 23K
Fantasia “Fantasia” 1.5K (lw 1.4K) Total: 494K
Mandisa “True Beauty” 1K (lw 900) Total: 58K
Kelly Clarkson “Thankful” 1K (lw 700) Total: 2.7M
Katharine McPhee “Katharine McPhee” 500 (lw 400), total: 361K
Mandisa “Christmas Joy” 400 Total: 800
Kimberley Locke “Christmas” 400 (lw 200) Total: 700
Clay Aiken ”A Thousand Different Ways” 300 (lw 200) Total: 520K
Constantine “Constantine” 300 (lw 200) Total: 22K
Taylor Hicks “Taylor Hicks” 200 (lw 200) Total: 697K
Ruben Studdard “The Return” 100 (lw 200) Total 235K
Kimberley Locke “Based on a True Story” 100 (lw 100) Total: 17K
Paris Bennett ”Princess P” 100 (lw 100) Total: 20K

Bo’s first album is now up to 670K

13.94 million albums sold this week. Up 19% from last week (11.72 million) and down 18.1% from the same week last year (17.02 million)

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/02/07

Alan Lights Up Christmas in Washington Back To Today’s Country Music News

Alan Jackson is set to perform at this year’s Christmas in Washington event, which will be hosted for the fourth time by Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife, Robin.
The musical event, which takes place at the White House, also features performances by Ne-Yo, Vanessa Hudgens, Andrea Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Heather Headley and Katharine McPhee……..

Country Hound

Deck the tube
Networks stick a month of holiday specials under your tree

…Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest host ABC’s “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” on Dec. 25. Jessica Simpson, Miley Cyrus, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee and Drew Lachey are among the performers….

Boston Herald

Whitney saves her love for KL

Multiple-award winning singer Whitney Houston lived up to her billing as the top draw in the Live & Loud concert here last night.

Her appearance at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club here signalled the start of her comeback, and will be followed by a brand-new album next year.

The 44-year-old pop diva, who came on after midnight, wowed a crowd of about 10,000 people, who were earlier entertained by a host of world-class singers at the event which started at 3pm yesterday………

…….About an hour into her segment of the music fest, a young girl of about 10 – who Houston introduced as “my daughter” – stepped onto the stage and sang with her on My Love Is Your Love.

Ahead of the pop queen, reggae-rap artiste Shaggy took the stage, getting the audience pumped up with his most-famous hits Angel and It Wasn’t Me.

Earlier, American Idol crooner Elliot Yamin got the crowd eating out of his hand with his hit Wait For You and other songs from his self-titled debut album……..

The Star.com.my

Daughtry’s career is better than ever
Post-”Idol,” Daughtry’s career is better than ever

Chris Daughtry says he never really worried that he had just seen his big shot at a music career slip out of his grasp when he was voted off “American Idol” by the show’s audience last season, despite initially being considered a frontrunner for the title.

“I didn’t feel like that,” Daughtry said in a recent phone interview. “It was definitely a shock to me at that moment in time. You’re in a contest, and you get to a point where you want to win it. That’s why you got in it. And then when that didn’t happen it was like, “Oh,’ so you have to kind of re-think your game plan a little bit.”………

App.com

DAUGHTRY HELPS OUT HAZLET’S POAC

….”My band and I are thrilled to do whatever we can to help all of the kids suffering with autism, and it is especially exciting to be able to do it during this holiday season,” Daughtry said in a prepared statement.

Daughtry’s management firm, 19 Entertainment, has agreed to donate $2.50 from each ticket purchased for the Nokia shows, which are sold out. That translates to a donation exceeding $10,000, according to Finley.

“It touches my heart that (Daughtry) would be doing this for POAC,” said Gary Weitzen of Brick, the organization’s president….

App.com

Chris Richardson-Sneak Peek

YouTube

Gift ideas for your ‘American Idol’ fan

If you have an “Idol” fan in the family, here are some suggestions to make his or her holiday very merry indeed……..

Walton Sun

[sonyab1974]

Idol Appearances for the Week of 12/02/07 - 12/08/07


Don’t Miss…

Sunday, 12/02 - Jordin Sparks appears on TeenNick.

Tuesday, 12/04 - Bucky Covington hosts Music City Madness 2 on CMT. 10 pm ET/PT.

Wednesday, 12/05 - Blake Lewis appears on The Sauce. FUSE tv. 6 pm. Blake Lewis appears on Entertainment Tonight.

Thursday, 12/06 - Blake Lewis’ video for “Break Anotha” debuts on Yahoo Music. Blake Lewis appears on The Early Show. CBS 7-9 am. Jennifer Hudson is one of Barbara Walter’s 10 Most Fascinating People 2007. The TV special airs on ABC 10 pm.

Friday, 12/07 - Blake Lewis’ AOL Sessions debut. Blake Lewis appears on Live with Regis and Kelly. Blake Lewis appears on Extra. Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson perform on the Movies Rock television special, broadcast on CBS at 9/8 pm.

Saturday, 12/08 - Daughtry appears on VH1 Top 20 Countdown.

Idols on Tour

LaToya London, Anthony Fedorov and Justin Guarini perform in the Help Is On The Way For the Holidays to benefit the Richmond/Ermet Aids Foundation. The Herbst Theater, San Francisco, CA 7:30 pm. Sanjaya Malakar and Leah LaBelle both sing solos in the Intiman Theatre’s production of Black Nativity in Seattle, WA. 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Sunday, 12/2.

Blake Lewis performs at the Kiss 106.1 Jingle Bell Bash in Tacoma, WA. Tuesday, 12/4.

George Huff and Mandisa begin a two week run of “Christmas on Main Street” at the First Presbyterian Church, Salinas, CA. Jordin Sparks appears in the 2007 KDWB Jingle Ball, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN. Friday 12/7

For more information, check out the Idol Appearances page…

More Idol Concert Dates after the Jump…

Sunday 12/2 - Anwar Robinson, Rent, Adler Theatre, Davenport IA. Clay Aiken, Warner Theater, Washington, DC. Kimberley Locke, Philharmonic Center for the Arts, Naples, FL. Melinda Doolittle, Erie Civic Center, Erie, PA. Mandisa, SURGE, Parc International, Lafayette, LA.

Monday 12/3 - Kelly Clarkson, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN. Kimberley Locke, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL.

Tuesday 12/4 - Chris Daughtry, Nokia Theatre Times Square, NYC. Clay Aiken, FM Kirby Center, Wilkes Barre, PA. Kimberley Locke, AuRene Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Melinda Doolittle, Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas TX.

Wednesday 12/5 - Bucky Covington, Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NJ. Chris Daughtry, Nokia Theatre Times Square, NYC. Kimberley Locke, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, FL. Melinda Doolittle, Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX.

Thursday 12/6 - Chris Sligh, benefit luncheon for the Meyer Center, Greenville, SC. Elliott Yamin, AnthemLIVE!, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. 7 pm. Bucky Covington, Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse, Burgettstown, PA. Clay Aiken, State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ.

Friday 12/7 - Kimberly Caldwell, IP Casino, Biloxi, MI. Bucky Covington, Crocodile Rock Cafe, Allentown, PA. Chris Daughtry, Poland Spring Arena, Toms River, NJ. Clay Aiken, Palace Theatre, Albany, NY. Kimberley Locke, Beacon Theatre, NYC. Melinda Doolittle, Don Haskins Event Center, El Paso, TX.

Saturday 12/8 - Kimberly Caldwell, IP Casino, Biloxi, MI. Bucky Covington, Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, MD. Chris Daughtry, Sovereign PAC, Reading, PA. Clay Aiken, Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, NY. Kimberley Locke, Palace Theatre, Columbus, OH. Melinda Doolittle, Highlands Church, Scottsdale, AZ.

[sonyab1974]

OVER AT MJ'S

Elliott Yamin at the Roxy in Boston, MA

What I did on My Thanksgiving Vacation…

I saw Elliott Yamin at the Roxy in Boston…

I was standing on the left, next to a speaker, so video was out of the question.

However I took TONS of photos.  Check out the Elliott gallery on my My Space page.

A few highlights after the jump…

    * Pretty packed house, even though the show was not sold out.
    * Jo Jo the teenaged pop-singer was outside and could not get in because she didn’t have ID.  Whoever was with her talked security into letting her in–he said that she would not be drinking.  She was allowed into the club with her small enterouge.
    * I sat for the first sets, but then managed to get a spot at the side of the stage next to the speakers for Elliott’s set.  There was no way I could record–the bass was blaring in my ear, but I did manage to get some good photos.
    * Elliott has developed his own performing style that really works for him. He’s very comfortable on stage, and he seems to be having a blast.
    * It was the end of a lengthy fall tour but he still sounded really good.
    * In the middle of the show, he talked to the audience about the fund raising he’s been doing for diabetes.  He asked people to buy some t-shirts he was selling at his merch table.  He explained that the proceeds would help kids around the world get the medicine they need.  He lifted up his shirt to show the audience his insulin pump.  That’s called acceptance, people.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/03/07

Blake Lewis’ ‘Audio Day Dream’ is a wealth of styles

“American Idol” Blake Lewis and American composer Irving Berlin (who wrote “White Christmas,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America”) usually aren’t mentioned in the same sentence.

But Lewis’ highly anticipated debut album, “Audio Day Dream,” which Arista Records releases Tuesday on its 19 Recordings label, features the high-flying, guitar- and horn-driven “Gots To Get Her,” a song inspired by the Irving Berlin classic “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”………

Seattlepi

Blake Lewis’ debut album disappoints

….Unfortunately, on his debut recording, “Audio Day Dream” (”ADD”), we’re still not getting the rest of the iceberg. The album, which comes out Tuesday, is 16 tracks (55 minutes) of energetic, bubblegum pop.

Lewis’ love of hip-hop, drum and bass and trance music appears on “ADD” like faint syrup in a giant Italian soda…..

Seattle Times

Reviews: Blake Lewis’ ‘Audio Day Dream,’ Wyclef

….At his best, like with the infectious “My Hello,” Lewis is pure pop star, especially when his voice drops to his lower register. He also does well with the first single “Break Anotha” and the playful “Know My Name,” which features Lupe Fiasco.

Unfortunately, those songs only point out how there’s not enough playfulness on the rest of “Audio Day Dream.” Lewis’ free-form beatboxing appears on only a handful of songs and the skit featuring his alter ego B Shorty falls flat, as do a bunch of the more generic love songs, mainly co-written with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder….

Newsday

BLAKE LEWIS ‘BREAKS’

Blake Lewis may have finished behind “American Idol” champ Jordin Sparks back in May, but he was recently named the most popular artist on AOL on the strength of his first single, “Break Anotha.” His album, “Audio Day Dream,” which hits stores Tuesday, has the feel of an ’80s mixtape, combining hip-hop and electronic influences. The Redmond, Wash., native has come a long way since his high-school beatboxing days.

When did you first start singing?…………

NYPost

‘American Idol’ Star Blake Lewis Releases First Album

We might as well say that Blake Lewis conquered the audience in the sixth season of the popular show “American Idol” by other means than his singing talent. Beatboxing and originality were his strengths and his voice came on second or third place when it came to recognizing his skills.

The issue now is that his first album, “Audio Day Dream” focuses most on his voice. It would be unfair to say that it is lacking originality, as the blend of styles is certainly a one of a kind combination, mixing hip-hop, rock, pop and soul with electronic influences…….

enews20

Petty tabbed for Super Bowl halftime show

….While Petty will headline the halftime festivities, the game’s pregame entertainment has yet to be finalized as talks continue to focus on a possible appearance by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks.

Upi.com

No Bond For Idol Sierra, 11 Year Term Possible

….Sierra, who appeared in jail-issued orange, was denied bond and will remain in jail.

Judge Margaret T. Courtney told the 2005 American Idol finalist that she was looking at 11 years and 60 days in a Florida state prison. Sierra was on probation for a prior conviction two weeks ago for felony battery and cocaine possession when she was charged with two new charges early Saturday morning, disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest in addition to violating her probation.

Prosecutors had warned her at that time that any future arrest would negate the plea deal which had placed her on probation.

“Obviously the bar scene isn’t working out so well for you”, the judge told Sierra. “I would suggest you find another form of entertainment. Good luck”….

North Country Gazette

Washington elite fetes Hollywood stars

….Dressed in a white evening gown, Ross blew kisses and fingered the multicolored decoration hanging around her neck as she listened to Vanessa Williams, “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks and Ciara belt out songs that made Ross famous…..

Reuters

Various Artists
Hear Something Country Christmas 2007

….Even newer ladies on the scene with more of a pop-crossover appeal do it up with more of an old-school country style. American Idol alums, Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler make an appearance on the disc. Underwood’s clear voice is lovely, yet powerful on “Do You Hear What I Hear” while Pickler vamps it up on “Santa Baby”, sounding like a countrified version of Britney Spears (before she became truly “not that innocent”) and retaining a bit of Eartha Kitt’s playfulness from the original….

Popmatters

Disney Parks ‘Dream’ Up Star-Studded Spectacular for 24th Annual Christmas Day Parade Holiday Special on ABC-TV December 25th

— “American Idol” sweetheart Katharine McPhee will perform a Disney
Princess-inspired number, singing a medley of some of Disney’s classic
tunes.

PRNewswire

[sonyab1974]

Monday Morning Mediabase Update - 12/03/07

A snapshot of Idols’ singles radio play culled from Mediabase charts as of this morning. Find out where your favorite Idol stands on the radio after the jump.

Blake Lewis:
“Break Anotha”: 51 Pop (56), 190 Rhy (356), 205 HAC (172)

Bucky Covington:
“It’s Good to Be Us”: 29 Country (29)
“Santa Claus is Coming”: 104 Country (234)

Carrie Underwood
“All American Girl”: 70 Country (106)
“Before He Cheats”: 11 AC (9)
“Crazy Dreams”: 396 Country (133)
“Do You Hear What I Hear”: 6 AC (16), 53 Country (59), 170 HAC (212), 215 CAC (-)
“Ever Ever After”: 175 Country (109), 218 HAC (-)
“I Ain’t in Checotah”: 162 Country (-)
“I’ll Stand By You”: 91 HAC (82), 94 AC (98)
“Just a Dream”: 442 Pop (-)
“Last Name”: 368 Country (-)
“So Small”: 2 Country (1), 86 HAC (90), 93 Pop (84)
“Star Spangled Banner” : 165 Country (256)
“Wasted” : 104 HAC (132)
“You Won’t Find This”: 106 Country (120)

Carmen Rasmusen:
“Nothin’ Like the..”: 460 Country (-)

Clay Aiken:
“Without You”: 536 AC (514)

Daughtry:
“Breakdown”:
“Crashed”: 14 Rock (14), 28 Active (28), 70 HAC (61), 107 Alt (91)
“Feels Like Tonight”: 113 HAC (114), 631 Pop (747)
“Home”: 5 AC (2), 82 AAA (76), 234 Alt (254), 308 Rock (123)
“It’s Not Over”: 296 AAA (289)
“Over You”: 4 HAC (4), 8 Pop (7), 56 AC (30), 115 Rhy (146), 119 Alt (125), 738 Active (692)
“Rocket Man”: 117 Rock (-), 142 HAC (124), 1050 Alt (-)
“What I Want”: 682 CAC (578)

Elliott Yamin :
“Jingle Bells”: 137 AC (310)
“Little Drummer Boy”: 228 AC (384)
“Merry Christmas, Baby”: 96 AC (306), 251 HAC (340)
“One Word”: 56 Pop (48), 107 HAC (100), 316 Rhy (341)
“This Christmas”: 47 AC (232), 116 HAC (120)
“The Christmas Song”: 115 AC (266), 219 HAC (-)
“Wait For You”: 8 AC (6), 303 UAC (54), 994 Urban (303)

Fantasia:
“Hood Boy” with Big Boi: 475 UAC (858)
“Only One U”: 37 UAC (34), 1350 Rhy (511)
“Put You Up On Game” with Aretha Franklin : 9 UAC (11)
“Two Weeks Notice”: 328 UAC (351)
“When I see U”: 492 Pop (-)

George Huff:
“A Brighter Day”: 262 UAC (305), 368 CAC (542), 1193 Urban (-), 1235 Rhy (1222)
“You Know Me”: 202 Gospel (197), 458 UAC (-)

Jordin Sparks:
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”: 438 Urban (814), 566 Pop (-)
“No Air” with Chris Brown: 118 Rhy (151), 129 Pop (148)
“Tattoo”: 10 Pop (12), 22 HAC (24), 55 Rhy (57), 131 AC (50)

Josh Gracin:
“O Holy Night”: 430 Country (259)
“Please Come Home For”: 152 Country (177)
“We Weren’t Crazy”: 43 Country (44)

Kellie Pickler:
“Things That Never Cross…”: 32 Country (33)
“Santa Baby”: 55 Country (61), 223 HAC (-)

Kimberley Locke:
“Band of Gold”: 20 AC (17), 414 HAC (143), 617 Pop (547)
“Change”: 652 Pop (695)
“Frosty the Snowman”: 2 AC (13), 139 HAC (-), 212 CAC (242)

Mandisa:
“Christmas Makes Me…”: 16 CAC (42), 287 AC (-)
“God Speaking”: 47 CAC (40)
“Joy to the World”: 117 CAC (267)
“O Holy Night”: 146 CAC (185)
“What Christmas Means…”: 161 AC (532), 241 CAC (301)

Paris Bennett:
“Duet (f/J. Isaac)”: 936 UAC (980)

Taylor Hicks:
“Just to Feel That Way”: 350 HAC (-)

Note: Numbers indicate position on the chart while numbers in brackets indicate the position on the chart the previous week

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/04/07
Published December 4th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

Review: Blake Lewis Does His Thing on Debut

Much of bubbly Blake Lewis’ screen time on “American Idol” was spent struggling to fit the roundedness of his motley mix-tape aesthetic into square songs from mature artists. With the harsh reality of that reality TV competition behind him, this “Idol” second place finisher is now liberated to enchant with his own “Audio Day Dream.”

And he does. Mostly…….

…..Surprisingly, the beatboxing that made Lewis stand out from the “Idol” crowd is simply splashed throughout the 14 songs and is only predominantly featured on one track, the unremarkable “Bshorty Grabs Mic!” Such a lack of spit might leave some Bshorty fans craving ma-ma-ma-ma-more.

Three snoozy ballads (”1000 Miles,” “End of the World” and “I Got U”) plague the second half of “Audio Day Dream,” a wake-up call that the vocally limited Lewis is no vocally gifted Justin Timberlake. Maybe the Blakester should’ve pulled a Britney, Madonna or Gwen and just conjured a full-fledged dance record instead?

Weak downtempo songs aside, “Audio Day Dream” is the most exhilarating effort from an “Idol” runner-up yet.

MyFox Colarado

Disc debuts: ‘Audio Day Dream’ by Blake Lewis

….HOKEY FOCUS POCUS: What Mr. Lewis attempts – with assists from OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, rapper Lupe Fiasco, electronica pioneer BT and others – is to fuse his muses into a new genre. What comes out is a schizophrenic mess; he can’t decide if he’s the second coming of Justin Timberlake, Chris Martin, Thomas Dolby or Morris Day. The over-lush “How Many Words” sounds like the Smiths might have, had James Blunt fronted it; “Surrender” is just a buzzy redux of Keane via Adam Levine; “What’Cha Got 2 Lose?” is a sorry take on Cameo synth-funk (though the similar but far more inventive “She’s Makin’ Me Lose It” is the disc’s best track); “Without You” is as vocally listless a ballad as you’ll hear in 2007.

BOTTOM LINE: Like the disc’s intentional acronym, A.D.D., Mr. Lewis can’t concentrate on one idea enough to do justice to any.

Dallas News

New releases in stores this week:

BLAKE IN THE POCKET: Here’s a theory. If Blake Lewis could have concocted a beat-box rhythmed version of the cornball ballad “This Is My Now” that was his final test on “American Idol,” his constituency would have never left him. And Lewis would have wound up the winner last season, instead of Jordin Sparks. You better believe the guy’s not making the same mistake on his solo debut “Audio Daydream” (Arista, B). Snappy hip-hop beats and sampling thrills flavor every track - even on big ballads like “Without You” that could have done without. High points: the “Puttin’-On-the- Ritz”-inspired “Gots To Get Her,” Billy Joel-ish vamp “Hate 2 Love Her” and his stuff struttin’ “B Shorty Grabs Mic!”

Philly.com

CDs out this week

…Blake Lewis, “Audio Day Dream” (Arista)
This “American Idol” also-ran was known as “the beat-boxing guy” on that show’s sixth season, and here he attempts to define himself musically, to diminishing returns.

Denver Post

Over the top but still underwhelming

In his improbable run to the “American Idol” finals last year, Blake Lewis displayed a limited vocal range, an earnest likability, and progressive musical tendencies. On his debut, Lewis is engaging and diverse, but he also fails to excite or provoke. On the show, Lewis got by more on guile and style than to-die-for vocal chops, and his singing here is mostly underwhelming (thankfully he’s minimized his beatboxing, which translates well only in performance).

Surprisingly, this is a very conventional pop record, and though he nods to hip-hop, there are few real deep-groove tracks. Lewis deserves a refund from the usually inspired Lupe Fiasco for his limp work on “Know My Name,” while the heavily percussive white-boy funk of “Break Anotha” is more fizzle than sizzle - there’s just no song there…….

Boston.com

New CDs due for release on Dec. 4

• Blake Lewis, “Audio Daydream” (Arista). “American Idol” finalist tries to prove he can do more than beat-boxing.

JSOnline

New Album Releases 12/04/07: Christmas Rapping With Ghostface Killah; Eazy E & NWA; 2-Pac; Scarface; Too $hort; Wyclef Jean, Plus David Bowie; Blake Lewis

….Audio Day Dream, the debut album from last year’s American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis, is also in stores. This only makes me wonder that much more about when we will see something from Sanjaya….

Blogcritics

Blake Lewis’ debut a hip transplant

Is it possible? Has “American Idol” finally spawned a singer whose debut CD you could almost call hip?

Blake Lewis, this year’s first runner-up (also known as “that guy who does the annoying human beat-box trick”), has actually come up with an album, “Audio Day Dream,” that works perfectly as pop, but which also has a sense of - gasp! - edge…..

…. The singer has made sure to retain the clean-scrubbed character demanded by “Idol.” You could still take this voice home to mother.

At the same time, Lewis has hit on the most distinctive sound ever to come from an “Idol” star. As a result, not only has he bested the new CD by the singer who beat him out this year (Jordin Sparks), he also came up with the best album by any “Idol” alum yet.

NYDaily News

No limits for ‘Idol’ singer Blake Lewis on new CD

Blake Lewis’ “Audio Daydream (A.D.D.).” is the most adventurous disc from an “American Idol” contestant yet — not that efforts by Chris Daughtry or Jordin Sparks were exactly boundary-pushers, but the distinction is important nonetheless.

Lewis, the sixth-season “Idol” runner-up, runs amok on his debut CD, which at its best is a punchy pastiche of electronica, R&B, funk and pop. Lewis has artistic vision– two words lacking in, say, Kellie Pickler’s vocabulary — and it’s clear he used “Idol” as a springboard to take that vision to the masses.

His handlers, including executive producer Clive Davis, didn’t try to rein him in on “A.D.D.,” but they did give him just enough rope to hang himself. At 16 tracks, “Audio Daydream” is overlong by at least four songs, and too many sensitive-dude ballads leave him sounding like a third-rate Savage Garden………

Det News

Carson has a rare detractor in Newton

….American Idol runnerup Blake Lewis sounds like he might have what it takes to make the Daily News list. This is what he told MSNBC when he was asked if he would date any of the older women who have been pursuing him. “I got a little bit of that, some cougars definitely … I love older women so it would be fantastic,” he said. Reminds me of the adage about staying silent and appearing stupid rather than opening your mouth and removing all doubt….

Canada.com

TINA: ALEC PLAYS LORNE

AMERICAN Idol” judge Paula Abdul left be hind some bad blood with “30 Rock” star Tina Fey, following a “disastrous” turn as a guest host on “Saturday Night Live” in 2005.

“A year later I saw her on a flight,” Fey tells the latest edition of Playboy. “We both looked at each other like, ‘Do I know that girl?’ And then we both had the same moment of recognition, and she was like ‘uuuggh.’ I saw it register on her face that she had had a terrible time with us……..

NYPost

Inner Tube: ‘Hottest Reality’ show to sizzle with 25 stars

So who’s the hottest star on reality TV?

How about Traci Bingham (”The Surreal Life”) or Trishelle Cannatella (”The Real World”)?

We’ll find out Saturday at 10 p.m. when the Fox Reality Channel airs “The Top 25 Hottest Reality Stars.”

The network has selected 25 women from the reality ranks, including Katharine McPhee (”American Idol”), Tiffany Pollard (”I Love New York”), Julianne Hough (”Dancing With the Stars”), and Paris Hilton (”The Simple Life”), among others……….

NYDaily News

Arresting Footage: “Idol” Pukes at Police Station!

TMZ has obtained surveillance video of Jessica Sierra at the police station following her arrest on Dec 1 — and it’s not a pretty sight! In the damning footage, Sierra is seen exhibiting erratic behavior; yelling at officers, walking around barefoot, and then capping her performance by vomiting on a cell floor.

As for her alleged drug use, you’ll never guess what she told a local Florida news station just a matter of weeks ago…….

TMZ

Police: Idol Sierra Offered Cop Sexual Favors

Former American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra offered a police officer sexual favors in exchange for her release Saturday morning after she was arrested, according to a police report.

Tampa police charged Sierra, 22, with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence following an incident at the Full Moon Saloon in Ybor City shortly after 2 a.m.

According to the police report, Sierra, who was listed on the report as a self-employed singer, began physically fighting with a friend who was trying to calm her down, struck an arresting officer in the face and ranted racial slurs and profanities at the officers……..

North Country Gazette

PBS Holiday Programming 2007-2008

….CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT (2007)
Monday, December 24, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

“American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle hosts a program featuring a Christmas repertoire ranging from traditional carols to classical masterworks to lighthearted secular songs, in Nashville’s new Schermerhorn Symphony Center….

Earth Times

People & Places: Former “American Idol” finalist Nick Pedro grateful for opportunities

At a young age, former “American Idol” finalist Nick Pedro, 26, found his niche in life — singing and drawing.

“It’s funny. I really started young. Growing up, I didn’t want to play with any toys. I just wanted my pencils and paper. And I would sing while I did that, too, as early as I can remember,” said Pedro, a 1999 graduate of Taunton High School and recipient of a bachelor of fine arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.

Pedro, who enjoyed singing karaoke with friends, said he entered and won a karaoke contest while on a Royal Caribbean cruise with his family a year before he tried out for “American Idol” for the first time.

“I got my paper crown and my plastic trophy. It was the first time I sang in front of a lot of people,” said Pedro, who never had any formal music lessons. “The next year, ‘American Idol’ came to Gillette Stadium, and everyone told me to go.”…….

…..Pedro’s latest project is a new television pilot “Beyond the Track” about the racehorse industry and the lives of race horses…..

The Enterprise

UMBC Camerata enchants audience with challenging pieces

….At the performance’s end, Smith thanked the audience and off-handedly remarked that the UMBC Camerata was invited to sing for the President (yeah, that guy) this Christmas, alongside Rascal Flatts and Taylor Hicks. Without becoming too editorial (but I can’t help myself), I think I have a pretty good idea about who will be the classiest act in that room (hint: their approval rating is going up, and they don’t sing faux-country)….

Retriever weekly

Christmas CD roundup

HOLIDAY MUSIC: Sounds of the season are plentiful

…Kimberley Locke, Christmas (Curb) – Former American Idol finalist goes the exclusively iTunes route on her first holiday outing and third studio CD overall. Included is the beautiful ballad “Mary Did You Know?” ….

Dallas News

Stars Today… Legends Tomorrow?

….Fifteen years after riding the wave of fame and success of the early ’90s, Natalie and Whitney, Luther and Prince, and Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses have taken their rightful place among the recording industry elite. And what’s more, these amazingly talented singers, songwriters, and musicians are still adored and revered by today’s music listeners. Even young, up and coming singers test their own skills by trying their darnedest to imitate and duplicate the masterful works of outstanding old school performers. Don’t believe me? Think about how many times you’ve heard American Idol contestants attempt to cover brilliant tunes from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s!

Idol producers are smart enough to keep popular drivel like Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” and Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” off the performance list. Instead, they challenge contestants to demonstrate their vocal ability by singing timeless modern classics, like Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be,” Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You,” Luther Vandross’ “Superstar,” or even Mariah Carey’s “Hero” (from back in the day when she actually used to sing, not scream, and showed no signs of being allergic to cotton blend).

It’ll probably come as no surprise to you that I’m less than impressed with today’s current crop of so-called “best” performers. While I don’t know their music inside and out like classic tunes from past generations, I know enough to know that I’m not missing much. The annoying bits and untalented pieces of songs that I have heard in passing from top-selling hip-hop, R&B, and pop artists have done more than enough to confirm my way of thinking, leading me to wonder this: Will any of the hot stars of today shine long enough to even be considered legends tomorrow?

Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Daughtry, Chris Brown, and Rhianna were just a few of the performers and winners at this year’s AMAs. And while all of these artists certainly topped the charts in 2007, do you think either music industry professionals or the public in general will still be singing their praises 15 years down the line when the year 2022 rolls around? Do any of these artists possess any real depth or show flashes of genius in their work? Have they proven themselves sufficiently unique and special enough to influence the next generation? Is their body of work and contribution to music history so incredibly dynamic and unforgettable that one day they can reasonably expect to be elevated to legendary status? Call me crazy, but I definitely don’t think so….

PlayBack

Dome Jovial about show

….Sobolik said dome officials unsuccessfully tried to book Bon Jovi for years. Cue the “Wanted Dead or Alive” jokes.

Negotiations for including Fargo in this tour began a few months back, he said. Ticket prices, which Sobolik said are not yet set, were a key sticking point.

Sobolik said the dome tried to keep the cost as low as possible because area concert-goers tend to be averse to high prices. He said the tickets will be less than the national average for the tour, with the highest seats going in the $80 range.

The opening band has not been confirmed, but Sobolik said it would probably be Daughtry, the chart-topping group fronted by former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry….

In-Forum

20 Under 25: The Top-Earning Young Superstars

….Singers Avril Lavigne ($12 million) and Carrie Underwood ($7 million) made the cut on the heels of their mega-successful album releases. Lavigne scored a massive international hit with “Girlfriend,” the first single off her album The Best Damn Thing, which she recorded in eight different languages. And though Underwood, the fourth season winner of American Idol, debuted Some Hearts back in 2005, the album demonstrated serious staying power on both the country and pop charts….

Forbes

Celebrities “Go All The Way For A Stray” in New Calendar

Little Pet Project, a company that uses sexy, sometimes nude images of women with their pets to raise awareness for homeless and abused animals, announced the release of their 2008 pictorial calendar. The calendar features celebrities such as Playboy model Debbi Davids, American Idol® contestant Melissa McGhee and Heather Clem, wife of Sirius® Shock Jock Bubba The Love Sponge® Clem.

“The calendar is the product of months of studio and location shooting with celebrities, models, students and even homemakers,” states co-founder Lisa Presnail. “These women are passionate about animals and are eager to, as our theme line says, Go All The Way For A Stray to help raise awareness of the problem.”….

PR.com

[sonyab1974]

Blake Lewis Debut, “Audio Day Dream” Drops Today

Blake Lewis loves his 80’s cheese.

His new CD, “Audio Day Dream” runs the gamut through 80’s music, from new wave, to Prince-like funk and cheesy prom songs. Listening to the CD is little like riding a Disneyland ride, circa 1985. Here’s my experience:

“Break Anotha” - The single has grown on me, I love the propulsive beat and break-neck pace. “Got’s to Get Her” - It’s pretty good–a bit of Spanish flavor, but I can’t stop thinking about that horrible Taco song from the 80’s. “Know My Name” - Lupe does a cool rap. “How Many Words” LOVE LOVE the layered vocals. “Surrender” - Yer losin’ me here bud. Crappy 80’s riffs=Ugh. “Hate 2 Love Her” - Ewww. Bland. “Without You” - Did someone just put on a Backstreet Boys record? Bleah.  “Here’s My Hello” Yikes, did “Haircut 100″ lose their b-side? Oh noes!

But then, “Watcha Got 2 Lose” brings me back around. Nice groove. Good job Chris Rich! “She’s Makin Me Lose It” - Cool Prince vibe. Me Likey! “End of the World” It’s the 1985 prom! Where’s Matthew Modine when you need him? I have a soft spot for melodic prom songs. Eep. “1000 Miles” - Love this. Nice indie vibe. “I Got U” - Pretty ballad. Me likes.

The songs are hooked together with intros and outros. The first listen should be all in one sitting. My verdict: First Idol efforts always suffer due to the compromises the artist is usually forced to make. I’m still holding on to my mantra, “Wait for the second album,” Despite the fact that the middle sags, I think the CD is a solid first effort.

AOL has the album streaming here. Check it out.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/05/07
Published December 5th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

Michael W. Smith, friends set the Meyerson aglow

….American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle also joined Mr. Smith onstage. Her voice is as lush and full as her personality is charming. “Simon told me I wouldn’t be singing backup anymore,” she said, referring to the show’s Simon Cowell. “But who would have thought in a million years that the Katinas and Michael W. Smith would be my Pips.” She was adorable. But her voice is serious business….

WFAA

Exclusive Interview: Elliott Yamin, former ‘American Idol’

Elliott Yamin is a great singer. Anyone who watched the sixth season of American Idol knows this for a fact. In terms of pure singing ability, Yamin is arguably the best male singer to ever grace the Idol stage. One thing you may not know about Yamin is that he’s also a really good person. Yamin has suffered from Diabetes for years and has begun using his Idol fame to do what he can to help those who suffer from Diabetes. We talked to Yamin recently and discussed his involvement with the Inspired By Diabetes campaign, as well as what he’s been up to with his music……

Buddy TV

Natalie Grant Headlines Third Christmas Tour

Renowned Christian artist Natalie Grant kicked off her third annual Christmas Tour over the weekend with special guests Aaron Shust and American Idol finalist Mandisa.

The “Natalie Grant – A Christmas To Believe In” Tour, sponsored by the Gospel Music Channel, is slated to hit 14 cities in December……..

Christian Post

Carrie Underwood Reveals Weight Loss, Fitmess Secrets

….She adds, “I had a harder time finding clothes that I could feel good in.” It didn’t help that some viewers were candid in their online postings about the Season 4 winner’s weight (at least one called the singer “chunky”). Underwood decided to slim down but didn’t change her diet or fitness routine radically to do so….

National Ledger

Colbie Caillat, Elliot Yamin Earn First Gold Records

Fall turned out to be a good season for the Jonas Brothers, Colbie Caillat, Paramore, The Shins, Regina Spektor and Elliot Yamin, as they all received their first Gold records, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)…….

FMQB

Review: Blake Lewis’ ‘Audio Day Dream’

….Unfortunately, those songs only point out how there’s not enough playfulness on the rest of “Audio Day Dream.” Lewis’ free-form beatboxing appears on only a handful of songs and the skit featuring his alter ego B Shorty falls flat, as do a bunch of the more generic love songs, mainly co-written with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder.

He sounds too tightly wound, like he’s more driven by a fear of failure than a quest for musical greatness. It’s an understandable problem considering the pressure of delivering the album on time, but a little more daring and a lot more dreaming could have made “Audio Day Dream” so much better…..

amNY

American Idol season seven hype begins

It’s not even December, and American Idol’s seventh season is still a month and a half away — but the hype has already begun. According to an interview with Extra, the American Idol judges - Simon, Paula, and Randy — are in agreement: This is going to be the BEST SEASON EVER!!…….

TV Squad

Surge ‘07 festival set for Sunday

….The fête will feature performances by BMX stunt biking team Chaos on Wheels and live music from Christian stars Skillet, Family Force 5, Big Daddy Weave, KJ-52, Rush of Fools, LeCrae, Group 1 Crew and American Idol finalist Mandisa. Artists are expected to stick around for meet-and-greets after they perform….

The Advertiser

CO3 releases new Christmas medley exclusively online

….The Arkansas-based duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist Chad Little and vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Dave Romero has been making an impact on Christian music fans around the world, by blending remarkably rich harmonies and powerful production on their debut CD, Determined, which is in stores now. Produced by Rick Lloyd (Third Day), the album offers up twelve tracks of hope and encouragement, filled with rich harmonies and a pop-country edge reminiscent of Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. And it’s not much of a surprise that the duo’s music often draws an immediate comparison to Carrie Underwood’s pop-tinged hits, since Little spent a considerable amount of time in the American Idol winner’s band, serving as lead guitarist, band leader and songwriter….

Breathe Cast

Blake beatboxes his way into stores

The reviews are in for “Audio Day Dream,” the debut album from Blake Lewis that hits stores today … and they’re pretty much unaninmous.

Unanimously bad, that is.

Yes, it seems almost no one’s a fan. Perhaps that’s why he’s had such a struggle securing radio airtime.

A quick sampling of what folks are saying:

Austin 360 Blogs

Backstage at Grammys with a man in the know

….The Eeyore tendency comes across in the book, but so does his impatience for industry hubris and flimsy talents. Ehrlich winces when the subject turns to “15-minute personalities,” as he calls them, and he prides himself that he has turned down the overtures by Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and other stars whose legacies seems to be as fleeting as a text message.

“I spend more time focused on music and people that will be remembered in the years to come,” he said.

That may be, but Ehrlich has seen “American Idol” beat the Grammys in head-to-head competition, and he has seen that talent show’s glorified karaoke sensibility tilt the Grammys broadcast, which last year had an unknown singer who had been selected by fans perform with Justin Timberlake. There’s also the upheaval in the recording industry. These things don’t sit well with Ehrlich, but he says the music keeps him going….

CalendarLive

Reality’s dysfunctional democracy
Call-in shows lead to questionable winners

WINSTON CHURCHILL once called democracy “the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Despite an abiding admiration for Churchill, after analyzing results from recent competition shows that place power into the audience’s hands, here’s one man’s vote to restore TV’s status as an old-fashioned oligarchy.

Not to be blunt about it, but in those “America, you decide!” events, the wrong people have a bad habit of winning.

“Dancing With the Stars’” latest misstep follows “American Idol’s” litany of false notes, which included anointing Jordin Sparks as the winner after Melinda Doolittle thoroughly dominated the sing-off showcase. Much like Marie Osmond’s durability on “Stars,” “Idol” also kept talent-challenged Sanjaya Malakar around until even judge Simon Cowell wondered aloud whether his lingering presence would do damage to the franchise’s credibility. (Cowell has sucked enough honey from this hive that he needn’t be diplomatic, which is part of his charm.)……..

Variety

Nobody knows anything

Sometimes in the entertainment world, cause, effect and results are obvious. Other times, no matter how much you know and how much of which you are certain, you’re ultimately led back to the wisdom of screenwriter William Golden – “Nobody knows anything.”

Golden was talking about making movies, but he could have been talking about anything. For example, “American Idol.”……………

Herald-Review

Holiday charity shows bring early presents

….Jeff Foxx’s morning Wake-Up Club will broadcast live from the store, with other Kiss personalities like Red Alert through the day.

Over the years Kiss has collected some 15,000 coats that it hands over to New York Cares.

WQCD (101.9 FM) presents its annual Smooth Jazz Christmas Concert at 8 p.m. at the Beacon Theater, 74th St. and Broadway. This year, it will feature Dave Koz, Jonathan Butler, Wayman Tisdale and Kimberley Locke of “American Idol.” ….

NY Daily News

[sonyab1974]

Idol Sales News - Week Ending 12/02/07

Idol Related Sales Numbers after the jump (Billboard issue date 12/15/07)

Digital Download Numbers
7 Jordin Sparks “Tattoo” 68,811 (-11%; lw 77,247) Total: 441,009 (8)
33 Daughtry “Over You” 23,343 (-31%; lw 33,622) Total: 549,352 (23)

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/06/07
Published December 6th, 2007 in American Idol and Headlines.

Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…

Blake Lewis, Jonas Brothers stay up late in Tacoma

…..Unfortunately by the time Lewis got to the stage, immediately after Jonas Brothers, the crowd had thinned noticeably and much of the anticipatory energy had drained. Lewis still made the most of his appearance, playing a set of songs from his new album. He danced around the stage, sang and beatboxed, while his band played funk jams behind him. He elicited his biggest roar from the crowd when he demonstrated his full voice modulation talents for an extended period of time, beatboxing while adding in turntable sounds and other effects…..

Seattle Times

New recordings: Idol wannabe Blake Lewis bombs

Wake up, Blake. Your 15 minutes of fame are almost over. While his beat-boxing novelty act propelled him into the final two of reality-TV juggernaut “American Idol’s” sixth season, this album exposes his lack of actual singing ability. This sometimes shoddy production re-emphasizes his mouth-made percussion. Cool sometimes, but he overdoes it. And, actually, he is not as good at it as some originally may have thought……

MLive

Exclusive Interview: Blake Lewis, of ‘American Idol’

The album Audio Day Dream comes out December 4. Are you pretty pumped?

More than pumped. Ecstatic.

How would you describe the feel of the album, and the songs that are on the album, to someone who might not be a fan of yours yet?

Easy. Well, if they were born in the ‘80s they’ll get it. I call it my 2080s record. All of my influences are very ’80s derived: Michael Jackson, Prince, U2, The Police, The Cure, Erasure, New Order, Depeche Mode. All of my melodic tendencies are basically ‘80s driven, so the record has this very electro soul funk pop kind of feel to it, where every song transitions or doesn’t transition into the next song. Just like an electronic mix tape or a hip-hop mix tape. Yeah, there you have it. It’s called ADD, Audio Day Dream. Everyone thought I had ADD growing up just because I’m very high energy and focused…….

Buddy TV

Lewis fails to focus talent on ‘ADD’

….Audio Day Dream is an appropriate title; the juxtaposition of Lewis’ fresh sound with several hackneyed pop songs give the album a disjointed feel.

The major problem with Audio Day Dream is Lewis simply sounds like he is trying too hard. Although he is obviously a talented vocal percussionist, his collaboration with boy band producer Clive Davis does not play to these strengths. Perhaps producers feared a hip-hop angle would be too sophisticated for Lewis’s “Idol” fan base of middle school girls; the result is an album that borders on edgy, but in the end remains mainstream-safe…..

Badger Herald

Jordin Sparks ignites a frenzy
American Idol’s youngest winner is isn’t into ballads, but she is into really big shows

Jordin Sparks withstood bigger-voiced divas, a blond beatboxer and one ponyhawked nightmare to clinch the sixth American Idol crown. (Cue confetti and crying.)

But the young belter’s pre-Idol life was highlighted by a more modest, practical accomplishment.

“You’re going to laugh at me. Getting my braces off was awesome,” Sparks says. She’s calling from Los Angeles and punctuates almost everyone of her responses with a girlish giggle.

It’s easy to imagine her talking on a jewel-encrusted, pink cell phone on a bed covered with stuffed bears — and hard not to be charmed……

Chron.com

Simon Cowell’s baby split

Simon Cowell’s girlfriend predicts they will split up when she wants a family.

Terri - who is fast becoming a household name in America after presenting reports on celebrity TV station E! - has accepted her relationship with Simon will not last, because he has already told her he never wants children.

She told Britain’s Hello! magazine: “I’ve known Simon’s thoughts on marriage and babies from the beginning. He doesn’t want kids, full stop. But I would definitely love to have a baby………

….Meanwhile, Terri reportedly stormed off the set of a US chat show when Simon was asked which three people he would save from a sinking ship and said himself, his mother and his fellow ‘American Idol’ judge Paula Abdul.

An insider said: “Terri looked really crushed when he said that, and stormed out. Simon didn’t realise he had said anything untoward.”

Female First

Blake Lewis’ Audio Day Dream is No Nightmare

….I’m not sure that’s how I’d describe it, but it’s certainly less of a new genre than a heavily-produced piece of listenable pop. If you can remember his lackluster performance in the Idol finale which was blamed mostly on having to sing a saccharine ballad way out of his range, it’s interesting to hear a progression on that front. According to the AP, Lewis co-wrote all but one song on the album.

Towleroad

A Straight-Ahead Rock ’n’ Roll Juggernaut: Are Y’all Having Fun Yet?

He stood onstage, bald and be-sideburned, facing a couple of thousand fans who seemed more pleased than thrilled to be there. He sang, he grimaced, he strummed a guitar, he sang some more. He angled for more applause. He pointed to one section of the crowd and asked, “Y’all having fun?” Yeah, pretty much. To another section: “Y’all having fun?” Sure they were.

On Tuesday night, at the first of two sold-out shows at the Nokia Theater, Chris Daughtry seemed hard working and humble, leading a competent band through a straightforward set of sturdy rock songs. But he scarcely seemed like what he really was: the biggest new rock star in America………

NYTimes

Stars Sing and Dance Up a Storm

….Three American Idol recording stars performed. Anthony Fedorov sang his original composition, “It’s Never Over,” that he wrote for his brother, who passed away last year: “You are the only one controlling your destiny.” La Toya London belted out a stirring version of Donnie Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free.”

Justin Guarini sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On,” with a timely plea for peace: “War is not the answer.” Guarini’s mellow falsetto was flawless.
David Burnham (Fabrizio Nacarelli in The Light In The Piazza) gave a brilliant rendition of “O Holy Night,” especially with that booming line: “Fall on your knees!” Jeannette Bayardelle sang the hell out of the number she sings in The Color Purple musical, “I’m here.” All that was just the first act….

SF Bay Times

Clay Aiken prepares 4th Yule show

When Clay Aiken’s record company proposed the idea of recording a Christmas album, he was hesitant at first.

“My first response was that I would love to do one, but not just yet,” said Aiken, who is bringing his Christmas in the Heartland tour to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.

“I had just released my first album and thought we should give it a year, with another album in between,” said the popular “American Idol” finalist………

MassLive

‘Idol’ show outshines stars
Singers launch careers that fizzle out quickly. The TV show, however, seems to go on forever

Can you feel it?

The excitement is building.

All over the country thousands of talented wannabes, delusional fruitcakes and all talent and mental stability points in between spent at least one full day of their summer standing in a ridiculously long line for the opportunity to be praised or dissed on national television.

Eventually, those thousands will be whittled to a dozen who will sing their heart out for (probably temporary) fame and (a modicum of) fortune.

Their back stories will be carefully prepared in heartwarming video segments to augment their performances, and viewers will get caught up in their triumph and tribulations, although they likely wouldn’t give those same contestants the time of day if they were sitting next to them at a bar.

If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, then you must not watch Fox or any of its affiliates (good for you) because the promos for the seventh season of American Idol have begun in earnest……….

Ohio.com

Idol Hands on Deck

It seems the American Idol judges have been far from idle during the off-season.
Randy Jackson told E! News’ Ryan Seacrest Wednesday that he is prepping the release of a new CD featuring a duet with Paula Abdul.

“It’s hot,” Jackson said on Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show, while declining to provide many specifics about the collaboration. (Listen to the full interview.)…………….

EOnline

Oprah Helps Josh Groban Top Albums Chart Again; Jordin Sparks Slips To #18

Only two new releases enter the top 200 during steady sales week.

….Meanwhile, the self-titled debut from “American Idol” Jordin Sparks, which opened at a disappointing #10 last week, slipped to #18….

MTV

What Makes a Star Fall?
Going From the Limelight to No Light Can Take a Toll on TV Contest Has-Beens

America’s craze with contest shows like “American Idol” has a dark side of young people who enjoy a blast of the spotlight, then fall into trouble with drugs, the law or both.

Jessica Sierra is the latest example.

As a 19-year-old contestant on “Idol” Sierra told audience members that she’d always dreamed of being a star. She wowed the judges all the way to the Top 10, and later went on to tour the country in 2005 with the other season four finalists………

ABCNews

Kellie Pickler Keeps the Cleavage, Shows Off New Trim Look

Kellie Pickler has slimmed down. But her fans needn’t wory, she has kept the cleavage. The rising country starlet caught a lot of grief when she made her return to the American Idol stage about her new cleavage from host Ryan Seacrest earlier this year, but now she has a toned tummy to go with for a killer new look…..

National Ledger

Dork chic
‘Idol’ alumnus Clay Aiken makes best of senior-citizen adoration

Clay Aiken — despite the stylishly shaggy ‘do — still isn’t hip.

“I’m never going to be, and I’m fine with that. We all must embrace our inner dork,” he said in July.

Aiken, who brings his Christmas show Friday to Palace Theatre, has still managed a successful post-”American Idol” career as the soundtrack of choice for enthusiastic grandmothers.

“People always come up to me and say, ‘My grandmother’s your biggest fan,’ ” said Aiken, who just turned 29. “There’s a misconception among these ladies that I’m cool and hip and now. And they think that by liking me, it makes them cool and hip and now.

“But shhh — we aren’t going to tell them that I’m not cool and hip at all.”…………

Times Union

Caught in the Act!

Carrie Underwood, singing along during the Spice Girls’s San Diego concert. And the Carnival Ride singer was in the power seat – hanging next to American Idol creator and current Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller.

People.com

Regular December visitor bringing saxy back

….The saxophonist will be joined on the 10th tour by pals Jonathan Butler, a South African singer and guitarist; Kimberly Locke, an American Idol second-season finalist; and Wayman Tisdale, an NBA all-star turned bassist…..

Columbus Dispatch

[sonyab1974]

Blake Lewis on the CBS Early Show

Bonus: Jared Cotter interviews Blake on The Sauce…
=============
Check out the video of Blake on the early show!

[ellen :]]

Woooah SOnt=y where do you find all this stuff?!?!?! 

[sonyab1974]

Woooah SOnt=y where do you find all this stuff?!?!?! 

ROFL from MJ'S blog.

[sonyab1974]

Idol Headlines for 12/07/07

New “Idol” Sex Tape: It Gets Worse for Jessica Sierra

Just when Jessica Sierra thought that facing eleven years in prison was the worst news of the week, the “American Idol” finalist learned that a major porn company has obtained a sex tape featuring Jess — and they’re preparing to distribute it……

TMZ

Tampa ‘Idol’ finalist faces rehab

Former American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a weekend fracas with three Tampa police officers outside a nightclub……..

Sun-Herald

Lawyer wants time to check out rehab options for fallen ‘Idol’

Former American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra will remain in jail at least a couple of more weeks for her latest dust-up with police.

Sierra, 22, pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges of disorderly intoxication and obstructing an officer without violence. She also denied violating the probation she began Nov. 19.

Defense attorney John Fitzgibbons said he doesn’t anticipate contesting the charges but asked Hillsborough Circuit Judge Daniel Perry for more time to seek out potential rehabilitation options.

“There’s a very significant drug and alcohol dependency issue here,” Fitzgibbons said……….

SP Times

Branching out, but playing it safe

….Surprise omissions in the top categories included Grammy favorites Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, neither of whom was recognized for album of the year, an award Springsteen has never won. “American Idol”-spawned best-seller Daughtry was overlooked in the best new artist category. All three were recognized in other categories, however.

more stories like thisInstead of Daughtry, Grammy voters gave surprising nods to unsung soul singer Ledisi and youthful pop rock quartet Paramore. The other new-artist nominees - Winehouse, indie-gone-mainstream darling Feist, and wide-eyed country teen Taylor Swift - were shoo-ins….

Boston.com

Writers Talks Get Dose of Reality

….The guild announced Thursday it would picket FremantleMedia North America, producer of “American Idol” and other reality fare, to call for improved conditions for those working on reality and game shows.

A call to FremantleMedia for comment was not immediately returned…..

WRAL

Awards look to West
N.C. artists also get Grammy love

….North Carolina “American Idol” alumnus Chris Daughtry heads up a large group of nominees with four each, a pack that includes Akon, Bruce Springsteen and Feist. Daughtry’s nominations include a nod for best rock album, but he was snubbed in the best-new-artist category.

Also on the North Carolina “American Idol” tip, High Point’s Fantasia picked up a nod for best contemporary R&B album….

News Observer

Chuck Tilley heads to Hollywood

….Ever since childhood, Tilley knew he was interested in music.

“As a child, my radio was always on so I learned hundreds of songs at a very young age,” he said. “I could hear something once or twice and then have it.”

Twenty years later, Tilley is playing in many more places than his old stomping ground in Tuscaloosa.

Tilley and his Nashville-based band, Sixwire, are competing on the first season of Fox’s “The Next Great American Band,” from the producers of “American Idol,” in which 12 bands compete for a contract with 19 recordings and the title of the “Next Great American Band.” ….

The Crimson White

‘COLOR PURPLE’ HEADED BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN?: Oprah’s considering adapting Broadway musical.

….Barrino has extended her stay in the Broadway production with vocalist Chaka Khan, R&B singer Bebe Winans and fellow “American Idol” finalist LaKisha Jones set to join in January. A national tour features Tony nominee Felicia P. Fields, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and another “American Idol” alum LaToya London

EURWeb

“Breaking Anotha” Idol

….There were good aspects of the album that should not be overlooked. One of the main producers and writers for the album was One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder, who penned the salient hit “Apologize.” But none of the tracks reach the frankness of “Apologize,” instead quipping about Lewis’ ability to pick up a girl in a club. The effort should still be applauded, though. Two tracks did save the record from total oblivion: the catchy “Gots to Get Her,” which uses the melody of the Irving Berlin classic “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and the dreamlike “How Many Words.” Unlike the other songs, Blake lets the music come naturally, skillfully utilizing contemporary elements to showcase his best assets. Despite these two tracks, Audio Day Dream will probably be left dusty and untouched on the shelves of Best Buy, next to those of predecessors Justin Guarini and Clay Aiken.

BC Heights

The Reliable Source

…..So, Francis Ford Coppola– who last weekend paid tribute to Kennedy Center honoree Martin Scorsese — phoned our colleague J. Freedom du Lac for a scheduled interview yesterday.

“Are you still in Washington?” asked du Lac.

The director responded: “Was I in Washington?”

“Uh, yeah. Sunday. For the Kennedy Center Honors.”

“Right!” Coppola said. “I wasn’t really there. I got there and they said, ‘You’re on in two minutes.’ ” After his Scorsese speech, he said, he turned around and left town.

Seems that’s how it goes for a lot of the stars who turn out for the annual show. One exception: American Idol Jordin Sparks , who stayed past 1 a.m. to sing for the stragglers on the post-gala dance floor (”Crazy,” “At Last”). But she’s still new at this game . . .

Washington Post

Grammy nominations good news for West

….Many expected Bruce Springsteen’s muscular “Magic” to land on the list, but The Boss will have to be satisfied with his four nods for Best Solo Rock Vocal and Best Rock Song (”Radio Nowhere”), Best Rock Instrumental Performance (”Once Upon a Time in the West” from the “We All Love Ennio Morricone” tribute disc) and Best Rock Album (”Magic”).

In two of those categories — Rock Song and Rock Album — Springsteen faces tough competition from former Virginian Chris Daughtry. The “American Idol” castoff from 2006 has been the biggest-selling nonwinner in the show’s history, with the self-titled debut album from his band, Daughtry, moving more than 3.3 million copies. His family still resides in Fluvanna County.

Commercial success is now linked to critical acclaim, as Daughtry picked up four nominations: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (”Home”), Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (”It’s Not Over”), Best Rock Song (”It’s Not Over”) and Best Rock Album (”Daughtry”), where, along with Springsteen, he’ll compete against stalwarts John Fogerty, Foo Fighters and Wilco….

In Rich.com

Jack-o still thrills after 25 years

….Pop stars today are not forged in the music scene, they are manufactured (ahem, “American Idol”). Performers, though the winners and runners-up may be, these new individuals are not molded from years of releasing singles and albums with the risk of them flopping, only to be dropped from a label a year later. Instead, they are automatically pushed to the front of the line via one of the biggest shows in TV history and have (relatively) no fear of failing in the music business….

Badger Herald

Grammys love Kanye West, Amy Winehouse

….he Grammys are always a little curious, and Thursday’s nominations were no different. Among the major snubs were Springsteen, a Grammy favorite who was thought to be a contender in several of the biggies. Springsteen ended up with four nominations, but was shut out of the major categories.

Also overlooked was Daughtry, the “American Idol” contestant who earned four nominations — including Best Rock Album (”Daughtry”) and Best Rock Song (”It’s Not Over”) — but was bafflingly passed up in the Best New Artist category….

Det News

Real Winners

“Idol” worlds are colliding.

Two guys who didn’t win “American Idol” but who went onto huge music careers are both in concert here … on the same night.

But Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry won’t be sharing a stage. Which is a shame, because who wouldn’t want to enjoy the absurdity of Daughtry doing some serious vocal shredding on Aiken’s “Invisible” or Aiken turning, well, any of Daughtry’s rockers into odes to easy listening.

So, they will remain separate but equal.

Aiken will be crooning his Christmas cheer at a holiday concert at Mohegan Sun Arena. Daughtry will be doing his straight-ahead rock thing at Foxwoods’ Fox Theatre………..

The Day

Grammy nominations carry a Springsteen surprise

….I did get a chuckle over Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over” showing up in Best Rock Song, because the former “American Idol” contestant shares space with the Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen and the White Stripes, all critically approved.

Way to go, Idol Boy.

Palm Beach Post

Franklin County’s Clark Brothers compete on reality TV

For seven weeks now, three Franklin County boys have been on prime-time TV.

But you probably didn’t know. Neither does the rest of the country.

The picking and singing Clark Brothers — Ashley, Austin and Adam — are trying to climb back to the upper limits of the music charts. They’ve been there before — back then, they were known as the Clark Family Experience. But a record label dispute ended with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, and the six-brother band eventually became three.

These days, the three are wowing judges and audiences on Fox TV’s “The Next Great American Band,” which airs Friday nights at 8. But ratings have been poor for the show, which was the brainchild of the producers behind monolithic “American Idol.”………

Roanoke.com

Interview With “Next Great American Band” Contenders Trés Bien!

Retropop band Trés Bien! made it through five rounds of “The Next Great American Band,” and were eliminated before getting to play in last week’s Rod Stewart challenge. Their exit was the second surprise in two episodes for me: I’d expected big-banders Denver And The Mile-High Orchestra to go both times, but first Franklin Bridge and then Trés Bien! got the axe instead.

One advantage of being off the show, though, is that Trés Bien! are now free to do interviews and gigs as they please. I spoke with guitarist Michael James Crowe this morning, and although disappointed to have left, he said he was glad for the exposure his band has gotten…….

MeeVee

Carrie Underwood: ‘I Don’t Do Stomach… Nobody Wants To See That!’

Carrie Underwood has vowed never to bare her belly on stage.

In a new interview with Glamour magazine, the former “American Idol” champ said despite her slim figure, you won’t be seeing her flashing her tiny tummy…..

Access Hollywood

Local man hangs on in TV band battle

A local man is still hanging on. His band is in the top five on “The Next Great American Band.”
Justin Carpenter, 24, plays trombone for Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (DMHO).

The show airs today at 8 p.m. on FOX. Viewers will find out if DMHO will stick around for another week or be sent home.

Last week, the theme was Rod Stewart songs. DMHO played “Baby Jane,” which got mixed reviews…..

Morganton

Sanjaya, Hannah Montana, 50 Cent, Kanye West And Others Had Us Fooled, In Our Year-End Top 10s

Radiohead and ‘The Sopranos’ also made sure we had more than our share of forehead-slapping moments in 2007.

You’d think in this age of instant Internet searches and round-the-clock news coverage, we’d all be super-savvy and cynical about the world around us. But in 2007, we had more than our share of forehead-slapping moments when we realized — oof! — we’d been duped again. Of course, politicians will always lie to our faces; world leaders will always deny the existence of nuclear weapons, human-rights violations, privacy laws and/or homosexuals in their countries; and Britney will always tease us with the hope that she will eventually pull it together for a real comeback. But for this list, we’ll concentrate on all those times the wool was really pulled over our collective eyes………

MTV.com

American Idol: Season Seven Starting Without Sparks

The scandal. The bad singing. The fierce competition. Last year’s American Idol had all the ingredients for high-ratings reality success, but will FOX be so lucky in Season Seven?

Sweet-faced, young Jordin Sparks was declared last year’s winner, but her new album has gained dismal sales. In fact, Sparks has released the lowest-selling Idol debut album in the entire history of the show. Have fans lost interest?…..

TV Envy

‘Idol’ runner-up Blake Lewis creates ‘album I wanted to make’

Not since Chris Daughtry has an “American Idol” contestant had a legitimate shot to break big after the season’s conclusion. Among Season 6 contestants, Blake Lewis appears to be the one—especially after winner Jordin Sparks’ album debut, “Tattoo,” sold an anemic 119,000 copies in its first week of release.

Why? While Sparks has the superior voice, she just doesn’t have “it.” Sweet, likable girl, but in no way groundbreaking…..

…..A quick warning for Lewis: Kelly Clarkson made the album she wanted to make, too, but it was by far her least successful.

Still, Lewis’ first single is the addictive “Break Anotha.” And much like his performances on “Idol,” it’s as infectious as it is difficult to ignore. In addition to bending his voice as if it were on a turntable, the song is signature Lewis: predominantly pop influenced by R&B, it’s even got a bridge that busts out some ska-influenced saxes. No “Idol” alum could or should ever attempt this song other than Blake.

Will it translate into something bigger? Only time will tell.

But if Blake fails to connect with a niche audience, even more pressure will be placed on Season 7 contestants, who are, of course, the “best” ever.

Remote Access

Review: Chris Daughtry at Nokia Times Square

In front of a sold-out crowd Tuesday night Chris Daughtry, erstwhile American Idol finalist and current rock juggernaut, took part in the most harrowing of concert rituals: He tried out new material on the road. The song in question was called “Back to You,” and, like many of Daughtry’s others, it was about breaking up - both romantically and emotionally. His introduction of it was noticeably guarded. “It would make me very happy if it ended up on the next record,” he said, “but if you guys think it sucks, I don’t want to hear any noise afterward.”

From any other musician this would be empty banter, but Daughtry has good reason to defer to his audience. While most of his peers struggle to sell into six digits, Daughtry’s debut has moved well over 3 million copies. Last month, those same fans took up the perilous hobby of Internet voting, and as a result Daughtry - both the man and the band that shares his name - ended up with a trio of American Music Awards. Where many of his contemporaries play to niches, Daughtry casts his net wide. There’s no such thing as a typical Daughtry fan: He appeals to teenagers and to their parents, to men and to women. Above all, he appeals to couples (and, based on their behavior Tuesday night, he helps the members of those couples appeal to one another). He’s the lug with the cotton heart, instilling lumbering hard rock with relentless vulnerability.

Which doesn’t make for riveting listening. There’s nothing wrong with Daughtry’s songs, but there’s nothing much right about them, either……..

Newsday

Q & A: Richmond’s favorite Idol, Elliott Yamin, speaks

Tonight in Norfolk, American Idol hero Elliott Yamin will join a set of tennis stars at AnthemLIVE!, a fundraiser for cancer research.

Racket masters James Blake, Serena Williams, Mardy Fish and Tatiana Golovin will be part of the event starting 7 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center at Old Dominion University. Yamin will provide the night’s only musical moments. Co-star Gloria Gaynor had to cancel her appearance in Norfolk due to illness.

Last week, Yamin called from Los Angeles and answered questions about his developing career as a blue-eyed soul singer. Yamin’s self-titled debut CD has gone gold. His song “Wait For You” is at No. 8 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and his new Christmas album is currently a strong seller………

Daily Press

Strange Grammy Nominees: Barack Obama, Tia Carrere & More!

Sure, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse are this year’s big Grammy nominees. But which former Dancing With the Stars contestant is nominated for best Hawaiian music album? (Hint: It’s not Drew Lachey!) And it looks to be a big year for American Idol at the Grammys. Here’s our shortlist of some of the more interesting, offbeat nominations and Grammy tidbits.

Idol Rules!
American Idol continues to dominate at the Grammys. Seven former contestants earned nominations this year, including frontrunner Chris Daughtry with four nods (including co-writing honors with Brett “Ace” Young for “It’s Not Over.”) Meanwhile, past champs Fantasia and Carrie Underwood made the list, as did Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who was nominated as a songwriter, for “Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls. Mandisa is nominated for best pop/contemporary Gospel album for “True Beauty,” and Kelly Clarkson is up for best country collaboration with Reba McEntire for “Because of You.”….

People.com

Kanye drops the Ball: your opinion?

What do you think: Should we sympathize with Kanye West and let him slide for dropping out of tomorrow night’s KDWB Jingle Ball at the last minute? Or should we bash him over the fact that he’s skipping us but has been performing in Europe since the death of his mother?

And what’s your opinion on the rest of the Jingle Ball? Does the addition of “American Idol” beat-boxer Blake Lewis even come close to filling the hole left by Kanye? What about the rest of the lineup: Are Avril Lavigne, Good Charlotte, Jordan Sparks and Timbaland and his cronies enough to justify the $37-$127 prices?…………

Star Tribune

Disc debuts: ‘Audio Day Dream’ by Blake Lewis

A TRUE MTV ‘IDOL’: As the runner-up to Jordin Sparks on the last season of American Idol, Blake Lewis showed promise as a shameless (some would say aimless) ham of all urban-music trades. From beatboxing and scat singing to plucky hit reinterpretations and alter-ego parading, his confident eclecticism endeared him to many, including the judges. The challenge after season six was to bottle up Mr. Lewis’ dervish sonic wanderlust and present it as a visionary teen-pop manifesto……….

Dallas News

How the field stacks up

….Let’s move to the best-new-artist category, always a Grammy wild card. Relatively obscure acts Ledisi, Paramore and Feist join Ms. Winehouse and teen country sensation Taylor Swift. Most people probably read Ledisi’s name and exclaimed, “Who?” The New Orleans R&B singer’s major-label debut, Lost & Found, followed two independent releases. Lost & Found made a bit of noise, peaking at No. 78 on Billboard’s pop albums chart and No. 10 on the R&B list, but it hardly established her as a well-known name.

Yet where’s Daughtry, the former American Idol finalist who earned modern-rock cred and crossed over to pop with “It’s Not Over,” the huge single from his group’s 3 million-selling debut CD? Sure, he has four nominations in lesser categories but he should have been named for best new artist, too. And for that matter, where’s Bucky Covington, another Idol contestant who released the best country record from that franchise?….

WFAA

Greenhill man nominated for two Grammys

Chris Tompkins was in the Charlotte, N.C., airport when he heard the news Thursday that he has been nominated for a coveted Grammy Award.

Tompkins, a songwriter and Greenhill native, was nominated for the award for his work with the Carrie Underwood hit, “Before He Cheats.”

The song, which Tompkins co-wrote with Josh Kear, has been nominated for two Grammys……

……..Tompkins said he’s been in Los Angeles writing with former American Idol contestants Chris Daughtry and Kelly Pickler, as well as Jessica Simpson….

Times Daily

Idols and indifference

Daughtry stands with both hands clasping the microphone, staring intensely upwards as if projecting every ounce of his being towards a distant row of seats high in some cavernous arena. A powerful roar emanates from him. It’s the sound of Daughtry singing. “It hurts like a runaway train,” the Vin Diesel look-alike cries as -guitars and drums bawl along in -sympathy.

The song, a deafening hard rock -ballad, ends with the pumped-up Daughtry bellowing, “We want to hear your voices, London.”

The room fills with cheers. The American singer and his band are -performing a master class in stadium rock, even though the setting, incongruously, is a tiny venue in central London, the Scala.

Daughtry, with well over 3m album sales in the US but scarcely 400,000 anywhere else, is trying to crack the UK market.

Success is not guaranteed. US pop may straddle the globe but its biggest names are not always exportable. In spite of the impression that the world is an avid consumer of all things American, there are certain US rock stars whose popularity evaporates once they set foot outside their -homeland……..

FT