American Idol

Bits and Pieces

Taylor Hicks is co-headlining the Stadium of Fire event in Provo, Utah this Saturday.  Here’s an article/interview from the Salt Lake Tribune.

“Hicks will join others onstage for an opening production number and a finale…He also will perform a mini-concert in which he’ll sing three songs - one of them sure to be “Do I Make You Proud,” his single that debuted last week atop the Billboard pop charts. Several Utah radio stations are playing the formulaic ballad, which seems destined to become a graduation-day anthem. ‘It’s getting great response,’ said Rusty Keys, program director for Salt Lake City’s K-BEE (98.7 FM), which caters to a mostly female listenership.”

Hicks said he’ll begin recording his solo album after the three-month Idols Live tour wraps this fall. The record will contain a mix of covers and original songs, some possibly written by Hicks himself. Think soul-blues-country chestnuts like “Georgia on My Mind” - a song he wanted to sing on Idol but didn’t.  ‘I’m looking forward to recording some better music,’ said Hicks, a veteran of the Southern bar-band circuit who has two previous records on tiny independent labels. Asked which singers’ careers he’d like to emulate, he said, ‘The John Legends and the John Mayers of the world. And the careers of legends - Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, B.B. King. If I could accommodate both, I’d be good to go.’”

Taylor Hicks performs with Widespread Panic in LA 

Taylor is keeping busy.  Last night in Los Angeles, he performed with the band Widespread Panic at the Wiltern theater.  He joined the band during the encore and played harmonica on “Fishwater”.

Elliott Yamin Fundraiser to benefit Diabetes research

Elliott Yamin’s friends and family are holding a fundraiser for Diabetes research the weekend the Idols are in Richmond.  Read all about it here. 

“By the time that the ‘American Idols Live! Tour’ comes into town in Richmond Virginia on July 29, Elliott’s fans, friends and family hope to present JDRF with many additional contributions raised as part of a special fundraising event that begins today — the Yamin Machine! for JDRF Fundraiser & Fan Party.

On July 29, ticket holders to the fan party will feast on a buffet provided by Champps Sports Bar and be entertained with music, video, raffle drawings, games and more by Richmond Virginia’s Mix 103-7 radio. The fan party is sure to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for the fans, family and special guests to meet each other and celebrate their ‘Idol” Elliott Yamin.

JDRF sponsor and party registration information is available on the Web site at http://YaminMachine.com on the home page. There are a limited number of tickets available to this event and they are expected to go quickly.”

Elliott’s mom, Claudette Yamin is said to be a featured performer….

Live with Regis and Kelly to feature Idol performances July 4

If you’re indoors July 4th, and looking for something to do, Live with Regis and Kelly will feature a clip show of all the Idols’ appearances from this past season.

Thanks lene, Jena, Kerri…

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More on the Tour…

Proof that I’m a total Idol Geek:  I just bought 3rd row tickets for next Friday’s Worcester show on Ebay.  Hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to post here next weekend…

The Idols’ are in full pre-tour publicity mode.  Here are a few articles found round the net.

Entertainment Weekly interviews Chris Daughtry:

• What to expect on tour, “…everybody’s got at least two songs and a duet, and then a few of us have three or four songs…A lot of us are playing instruments.”
• Chris is looking forward to…, “Actually, me and Elliott are doing a duet that’s going to be awesome as…It’s a rock song.
• The Chris Daughtry sound, “A lot of the way I delivered the songs on the show is kind of where I’m going — it’s pretty rockin’. It’s definitely rock radio, but hopefully a few songs may cross over into mainstream as well.”
• About his new tatoo, “Ah, we won’t go into that right now. [Laughs] I didn’t really get it to, um… [Long pause] I don’t know. I just don’t want to do a story on it right now.”

Chris’s tatoo has his last name drawn in huge letters across his back.  Yeah.  I wish he would explain it, because that seems rather….odd. Heh.

The Idols will appear today on Entertainment Tonight to talk about the upcoming tour, but in the meantime, ETOnline interviews Taylor Hicks.  He talks about humility:

“‘I freaked out about it a little bit,’ Idol crown-holder Taylor Hicks tells ET when asked how it feels to have a No. 1 single with “Do I Make You Proud.” ‘I was in a minivan a year ago making about $50 a night playing bars, clubs and the occasional wedding. The music that I am making now and that I am going to get to make is special.’

But fame hasn’t gone to his head. ‘Somebody said, ‘Just go out and stand by the ocean and realize how small we all are,’ he explains about his down-to-earth attitude. ‘You have to be grounded and stay true to who you are. If you aren’t, everything falls down around you.’”

Taylor also did an interview with Utah’s Deseret News in anticipation of this Saturday’s Stadium of Fire event in Provo, where he’ll be performing solo:

“Hicks is just as excited to perform as his fans are to watch him.   The Stadium of Fire will be one of the largest crowds he’s ever performed for live. ‘I’ve been performing for 10 years,’ Hicks said. ‘The stages just keep getting bigger and bigger. I’m really looking forward to performing.’  He said he will perform a few songs from American Idol mixed in with a few of his own.  The Alabama performer said he’s never been to Utah but is looking forward to the trip.

‘I usually spend the Fourth of July performing or around the beach with my friends and family, just like every American does,’ Hicks said. ‘I’m planning on checking out a couple of the scenes maybe if I have the time. I’ve been on a tight schedule of late, but I’m pretty excited to be able to check some mountains out.’”

Finally, Ace Young talks to New Hampshire’s Manchester Mirror.  The Idol tour opens in Manchester NH, Wednesday, July 5.

• About the tour, “If you are in the audience those nights, watch out for beanies flying your way. Young had a whole line of his signature hats made so he can throw them out to the fans. The jam-packed, 2-1/2 hour show features the top 10 artists from season five, each with their own set. There will also be a bunch of surprises, which Young wouldn’t divulge, but he said to look out for special duets and group songs.”
• About his music, “While Young may perform songs by other artists on the road this summer, he can’t wait to start sharing his own music with the fans. He is an avid songwriter, with half of his solo debut album already written…According to Young, the music has a Jamiroquai-Maroon 5 feel, and based on the response he’s gotten so far, ‘the music is hot.’  After the Idol tour is over, he’s looking to get his debut album out as soon as possible and is shooting for the first quarter of next year.

thanks lene, nancy, kirsten and sandy

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Let’s Do the Numbers

Second week sales numbers for Taylor Hicks’s CD single “Do I Make You Proud/Takin’ it to the Streets” are in, and they look pretty good:

This Week:

84,833 - Physical Singles
32,581 - Digital Singles
———
117,414 - Total Sales

Total Sales both weeks combined:

274,980 - Physical Singles
  70,380 - Digital Singles
———-
345,360 - Total Sales        Thanks Kristen and James

Taylor Hicks Appearances

Taylor has a few solo appearances coming up.

This Saturday, July 1, Taylor performs at the Stadium of Fire event at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, UT.  The bill includes Lee Ann Womack. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call the BYU ticket office at 800-322-2981.

Taylor is also scheduled to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America summer concert series, Friday July 21.  thanks elaine

The Rumor Mill

Here’s a good one:

Hicks’ former producer Will Smith of Baldwin Entertainment in Nashville tells In Touch Weekly magazine that Taylor wanted to release a song he wrote called “the Fall” instead of the tune written for him. Says Smith, “He wants to be known as a songwriter, not a karaoke singer.”

Oh, and by the way

Smith is now trying to make his case for “The Fall” by releasing the song to radio stations and letting Hicks’ fans hear it for themselves.

I’m cynical, so I’m thinking “cashing in.”  But that’s just me…

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Happy Katharine McPhee Day

Katharine’s CD-single ”Over the Rainbow/My Destiny” is released for sale today…

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The Tour!

Finally some news about the tour, courtesy of MTV.com

What to expect:

• Bucky Covington and Kellie Pickler will duet on a song from “Grease”
• Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker will duet
• As will Mandisa and Ace Young
• Says Taylor Hicks– “Expect some vintage rock and roll. I’ll probably do some Beatles, some obscure Beatles…and Kat, I love singing with her. I’ll do some stuff with other people. Harmonica, of course. I’ll be playing a lot of guitar. On the show I wasn’t allowed to be an instrumentalist. Now I’m free as an artist, and I’m very excited about that.”
• Bucky, and maybe even Ace (Bucky is giving him lessons) will play guitar.
• Lisa will play piano
• Says Paris–”I get to shake one more time, but this time I get to do it in full-fledge, and it’s not just a minute…And if I wear my hair the same for every song, people are going to be like, ‘No, that’s not her.’ So trust me, I’ve got some tricks under my sleeves.”

The Tour opens in Manchester, New Hampshire next Wednesday, July 5.  I’ll be there for the opening show.  Season 5 will be my third Idol tour.   I really loved the Season 3 show–it was good cheesy fun with tons of duets and group songs.  Season 4 highlighted individual Idol performances over group performances.  I preferred the cheesy goodness myself–but it sounds like we might get the best of both worlds this year.  And with Taylor’s promise that he’ll be doing some “raw and edgy covers”, this year’s show could be the best yet.  My expectations are very high.  Can’t wait…

Randy Jackson talks of Record Deals

From Westwood One Randy Jackson’s Hit List. Play “June 16, 2006 Randy’s Idol Insider” to hear the following:

 ”…and I think we’ve got a couple of other Idols about to be inked now too…Miss Kellie Pickler, and Chris Daughtry for all of you out there wondering and also, last but not least Miss Paris Bennett…a lot of the Idols are doing it big right now man, they’re all getting…crazy record deal offers…and I think Elliott Yamin has a deal on the table too, so that’s why we’re saying, me and Paula…that’s why we say this season was the best ever so far, six out of the Top 10 have record deals…”

Listen to “June 24, 2006 Randy’s Email Q & A” and hear Randy say:

 ”…I hear that Chris is making an album, Kellie Pickler’s making an album, I hear that my boy Elliott Yamin is making an album.  So there you go, you’ve got 5 Idols off this year’s show…everybody’s got a solo record out of this.”

Is this just major hype and spin from Randy–to prove that this year’s show was the Hottest Idol Season yet?  Or is Randy actually sharing some inside scoop?  Hmmmm.  And apparently, Bucky Covington has a deal as well…   for Mrs Trep and y’all…

Gray Charles Taylor Hicks Interview

Don’t miss the last parts of the Gray Charles interview with Taylor Hicks.  To quote a cliche…It’s Taylor like you’ve never seen him before…Hee.  No, seriously, it’s a wonderfully candid interview.  Gray outdid himself, if you ask me.  Make sure to check it out.

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Katharine McPhee in People Magazine

Katharine McPhee’s struggle with bulimia is featured in this week’s People magazine.  The preview articles published already cover most of what’s found inside the magazine, so there’s not much to review here. Katharine started bingeing and purging when she was 17 years old.  There was a long struggle, where she tried different treatment programs–but she always relapsed.  Right after she auditioned for Idol and made the Hollywood cut, she made a decision to change her life.  She entered and finished an intensive 3 month 6-six-day-a-week treatment program in Los Angeles.  Since that time, she has not relapsed.

An interesting sidenote:  The book “Intuitive Eating” by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch outlines the system of maintaining a healthy weight that Katharine learned during her treatment.  As of this writing, it’s listed at #15 on the Amazon.com Top 100 most popular titles.  Katharine’s story seems to be having an impact…

The new issue of People is on newsstands now.

Tuesday is Katharine McPhee Day!  Katharine’s single, “Over the Rainbow/My Destiny” will be released for sale on June 27th.  Let the chart watching begin…

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From the Comments Section

More behind-the-scenes info from the poster who attended Taylor Hicks’s Tonight Show appearance.   thanks again hot4taylor

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