Archive for September, 2007
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Billboard Update: Issue 10/06/07 – And Idol Record News
This week’s Idol Billboard update! YAY!
- All the Idols’ CD’s are pushed down the Billboard 200 to make way for a slew of new entries. There is only one Idol album in the Top 50–Daughtry, at #32. The next to chart is Carrie Underwood’s “Some Hearts” at #61. Mandisa’s “True Beauty”, Bucky Covington’s “Bucky Covington” and Fantasia’s “Fantasia” all fell off the Billboard 200 this week.
- Reba McEntire’s “Reba Duets” album, featuring Kelly Clarkson singing “Because of You” debuted at #1 this week. The single, “Because of You” has spent 13 weeks on the Hot 100 and is currently at #51. It sits at #14 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
- Carrie Underwood’s single “So Small” breaks the Hot Country Songs Top 10 at #10.
- Wow! Check it out! Elliott Yamin’s single “Wait For You” is still hanging in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 after 23 weeks on the chart.
- Daughtry’s “Home” keeps the #1 spot on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart for the 8th straight week.
There’s Idol Record News After the Jump….so CLICK!
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Yoroshiku’s Recap – Manchester, NH 09/22
Yoro is a pal of mine from way back in season 3. She and a couple other Season 3 pals were in NH with Sarah and I for Saturday’s concert. Here is Yoro’s recap, I’m going to throw in a few of my pictures just for fun…
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I admit, I wasn’t planning on going to the tour at all this year. I was a yooge Blake fan during the season, but I was so wrapped up in work this summer that I didn’t have time to follow any of the news or gossip. There was no way I could whip myself into the usual frenzy that I had for Elliott, Bo, JPL, etc., so my hometown show came and went without me. I got a second chance with the Manchester show, in my *old* hometown, thanks to a pal of MJ’s. HaremCon Jr. with schmanda and Snarkin was on!
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I’m glad I did go, because it turned out to be a pretty excellent show overall. Like MJ, I’m a fan of the whole Idol experience in general – the goofy group numbers and the interactions between the finalists are more interesting to me than any one contestant, ever. So I liked that last year’s concept of mixing duets with the solo numbers was taken a step further this time. Â
Idol Bits and Pieces
Update: More Bits and Pieces
Dolly Parton to Mentor on Season 7
It looks like Dolly Parton plans to be a celebrity mentor on Season 7 next year.  She says, “I won’t be a judge. I couldn’t do that. I can’t tell people they aren’t doing a good job even if they ask me. To tell someone if they’re good or bad, or if they suck isn’t me.” Dolly will be on hand to make sure the season 7 contestants don’t butcher her songs. Dolly rarely permits her songs to be sung by contestants during the competition.
One More Dying Quail
Hear your favorite Idols, or not, sing the National Anthem.
TV’s Top Earners
According to Forbes magazine. #3 – Simon Cowell at $45 million. #14 – Ryan Seacrest at $14 million. Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Seinfeld are #1 and #2 respectively.
Jennifer Hudson on the Set of “Sex and the City”
Check out the pics. Hot! And here’s Jennifer on the Sex and the City set.
Some TV News
The second season of the syndicated show American Idol Rewind begins this weekend. Season 2 winner, Ruben Studdard, introduces the first episode and runner-up, Clay Aiken, narrates. New interviews with Season 2 contestants are interspersed with re-caps of the Season 2 competition. Re-live Season 2 peeps! You know you want to–just don’t bring the fan war here. Seriously. Check your local listings for time and channel.
The Next Great American Band debuts on Friday, October 19 with a two hour special beginning at 8 pm on FOX. Two-hour specials will follow the next two weeks, with the show settling into it’s regular time slot, 8 pm, on November 7th. Will the latest show from American Idol producers attract an audience on Friday nights? Hopefully, the television season’s first casualty is not an omen…
Lastly…
American Idol’s parent company, CKX, is closer to becoming a privately held company. I guess.
LaKisha Jones – Manchester, NH
Lakisha Jones blows the roof off the joint as she sings “I Will Always Love You” Saturday Night in Manchester:
Although Lakisha was at the after party Sunday, I didn’t get a chance to speak with her. Lakisha in person, is how tiny she is. Tiny and pretty. Maybe her powerhouse vocals confers a larger-than-life quality on her. Or maybe the Idol camera people just didn’t know how to shoot her. I wish I had a picture–I really liked the beige outfit she was wearing at the after party.
Without a doubt, her performance of “I Will Always Love You” was a concert crowd favorite. Watch the video. She pauses right before the key change. The audience cheers at that moment. But, when she belts out the glory notes, the auditorium goes absolutely nuts. In this particular performance, she’s not feeling well (she didn’t return to the stage for the encore), but she still kills anyway.
I didn’t know it at the time, but LaKisha has some exciting news. She’s joining the New York cast of The Color Purple:
[Chaka] Khan and [BeBe] Winans will join the cast Jan. 9, 2008, in the roles of, respectively, Sofia and Harpo (Sofia’s husband). Jones will join the company a few weeks earlier, on Dec. 19, 2007, as the church soloist in the musical’s opening number. When Khan arrives, Jones will also play Sofia at the matinee performances.
Here’s a fun Christmas in New York activity:Â Catch “The Color Purple” before January 6th, and not only will you see LaKisha perform as the church soloist, but you will be able to catch the incredible Fantasia as Celie before she leaves the show in January…
Melinda Doolittle – Manchester, NH
Watch Melinda Doolittle’s incredible performance of “Natural Woman” from Saturday night’s concert:
“Nashville is the new LA” is written on Melinda’s shirt. And when I met her at the after show (even though she was about to dash out, she spoke with me for a minute and allowed me to snap this picture) she said her next move was to get back there and take a looong nap.
Currently she is writing and collecting songs for an album. She’s really excited about touring with Michael W. Smith. She’ll be performing on his Christmas tour starting in November. She was originally scheduled to perform with the New York City Young People’s choir at Carnegie Hall, but she’s not going to be doing that gig now.
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Melinda’s “Natural Woman” was one of the highlights of the Idol concert. What makes Melinda amazing is that while she approaches her songs like a technician, she’s still able to bring warmth and emotion to her performances. It’s hard to imagine Melinda fitting into the Top 40 world of today (she would have had mega hits in the 80’s a la Anita Baker, no doubt), yet, there has to be a niche for Melinda somewhere. Whether it’s jazz, gospel or Broadway. Or maybe all three. She’s too fine a talent for the music industry to pass up.
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Chris Sligh – Manchester, NH
Watch Chris Sligh perform Mute Math’s “Typical” Sunday night in Manchester, NH:
What’s next for Chris Sligh? The answer can be found in a recent post on his blog. Some excerpts:
Right now, I have deal on the table from an indie label that is a 50-50 deal. I’m also looking into starting my own label with major distribution where my cut would obviously be even higher. I also have deals from major labels that are in the works…the question is what’s the best option.
And:
I have the labels still interested. I have indie labels interested. But I might have the possibility to do things a little differently. We’re looking at possibly doing a direct deal with a retail chain that would be exclusive for a short amount of time (3-6 months). The albums would have a very low price point (like $6.99), so I would make similar money to a label deal, but it would help move units. We would do a large amount of albums non-returnable (this is important) to the retail chain and really push to that chain (playing the album in the store, doing in-store appearances, albums by the registers, etc.) At the end of the exclusivity period we would take the album to every retail chain, via major distribution, a la Elliot Yamin. We will have already sold a large amount of albums (the numbers we’re looking at now are between 1-200,000) with the exclusive deal. This whole time, we would be working to radio, since ultimately singles will sell the record. However, as we go to distribution, we would still keep the price point low (maybe $7.99).
The goal through this is not necessarily to sell records (thought that is how the endgame happens)…it’s to put music in people’s hands to push them to buy concert tickets. The focus would be touring. I am a touring musician. I hope to play 200-250 shows a year over the next few years. Radio is important to moving records. But I think that touring is what will allow me to have a career.
Chris explained it to me just like that at the after party Sunday night. So glad he’s got a blog–I don’t have to re-explain it, thus sparing what few brain cells I have left…heh.
No doubt, all of this year’s Idols are entering a music industry that’s currently very volatile and in an extreme state of flux. I don’t doubt that some of them will ink unusual deals outside of the typical label contract.
One last thing. Regular readers know that I have been a Chris Sligh fan since I found his My Space back when I leaked some spoilers last December. I stayed a fan once the competition started. Even after “Endless Love” one might ask? Of course. I loved the way Chris reworked that song and STILL maintain it was a great vocal performance. The iTunes recording is even better. So, there…
Anyway. I think Chris continued to bring it on tour. Working the big arena stage has definitely helped his stage presence–as has Phil Stacey, who reportedly gave him performance tips. (Chris told me Phil would talk to him honestly off stage, “Dude, no….” Heh.
Best of luck Chris, and thanks for everything. You know what I mean.
Phil Stacey – Manchester, NH
Here’s Phil Stacey singing “Blaze of Glory” during the final concert Sunday night:
I caught up with Phil Stacey at the after party Sunday night. He looked tired, but happy as he held his  sweet baby girl, McKayla. She’s the baby who was born during Phil’s audition in front of the judges in Memphis. Backstory baby? Heh. But is she cute or what? I asked him if the end of the tour was bittersweet for him, and he said, “No, it’s sweet, I know that I’ll be keeping in touch with everyone.” Phil reminded me that he’s moving to Nashville, TN, as is Chris Sligh. Melinda Doolittle is already there, of course.
The big news: Phil told me that he “has signed with a major label,” and that he will be making an announcement soon on his My Space.  Phil mentioned that he has signed on with the same Christian management company as Chris Sligh. Phil says the album will be released sometime next April.
Phil and his family were traveling right back to Jacksonville, FL the next morning. He had to report back to the Navy on Monday! Yikes.
Those of you who saw the show saw Phil really come into his own during the tour. His big voice fills a big arena with no problem, and his years on the road with the Navy band are evident–he knows how to connect with a large audience. He is a completely different performer live than he was on television where he seemed uncomfortable and stiff, particularly at the beginning of the competition.
Fun fact: His wife Kendra sat right next to Sarah and I during the first half of the show holding McKayla on her lap…
Idol Sales News – Week Ending 09/23/07
Idol Related Sales Numbers after the jump (Billboard issue date 10/06/07)
Jordin Sparks – Manchester NH
I would have had more Jordin Sparks video to share, but the Video Police at Verizon Wireless…eh, it’s a long story. I’ll tell it over the weekend. At any rate, Ricky from ricky.org was also at the last show Sunday night and somehow managed to evade security
Check out his video of Jordin Sparks performing an a Capella version of “Hound Dog” during her set Sunday night.
Later, at the after show, Sarah (from Team Plaid) and I waited…and waited to chat with Jordin. The after party crowd had nearly cleared out and at that point it was after midnight. Nevertheless, Jordin took her time to bond with a group of young fans about her age. She chatted with them as if she’d just met them on the school bus or at a high school football game. She was completely down-to-earth, freindly, and spent lots of time taking pictures and numerous group hugs. Security stood by patiently while she finished, though I’m sure they were ready to move along. Heh.
When the kids finally left, I asked her how she felt about her single, “Tattoo” climbing up the pop charts and she said that she still thinks that it’s sort of surreal that she has a song on the radio.
Jordin was recently named one of Hollywood’s Hot Power Players by US Magazine. And her single “Tattoo” is now available on iTunes…
Chris Richardson – Manchester, NH
I’ll be featuring the Idols in Manchester all week. Over the weekend, expect a recap of both shows with pictures. I’ll be linking to video along the way, but check my GoFish page frequently, I’ll be uploading all my videos in the next couple of days…
Here’s Chris Richardson performing “This Love” Saturday night in Manchester, NH
I chatted with Chris for a bit after the final show Sunday night. I asked him what was next, and he told me that he’s recently been to New York, Miami and Nashville. Specifically, he had meetings in New York, recording sessions in Miami, and meetings with songwriters in Nashville. In the meantime, he’s writing songs for Jordin Sparks, Haley Scarnato and Phil Stacey. A song he co-wrote with Blake Lewis, “What You Got To Loseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (and sang background vocals) is slated to be Blakes first single from his upcoming album. According to Blake, the single will be released October 31.
As far as his songwriting goes, he was pretty humble about it. When I told him I was really interested to hear what all the fuss was about his songwriting (his fellow Idols can’t stop raving about his songwriting abilities). He said, well the proof will be in the songs.
Chris has been a dynamic presence on this tour. He shared the stage with nearly every Idol in duets and group numbers, and the genres covered ran the gamut from country (“What Hurts the Most” with Jordin Sparks) to rock (the Crazy/Hey Jude medley with the guys) to hip hop and R&B (funky medley with Blake Lewis included a beatbox contest between the two of them-fun).
While Chris was often compared to Justin Timberlake, he may be the Season 6 Idol who has more up his sleeve than we’ve seen so far.Â
Some recent interviews with Chris: In this article with Reality Dish, Chris describes his musical style as “rock and soul.” And here’s a long hometown interview with Hampton Roads, where he talks about his songwriting, and his friendship with the producer Timbaland.
