Real-life stuff has interfered with my blogging (damn reality!) in the past few weeks, so pardon me while I play catch-up…
I wanted to mention The Next Great American Band show which will premier with a two-hour episode on Friday, October 19. I mention it, because I plan to recap it. I think it’ll be a fun fall diversion while we wait for the new season of Idol to start. Yeah?
The show is produced by the Idol folks, Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe, Ken Warwick and Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
A set of judges will narrow the hopefuls down to 10 semifinalists, at which point the American people will take on voting responsibilities, just as they do on “Idol.”
Also like “Idol,” each week the contestants will perform within an established genre, though unlike “Idol” the bands will have the option of either doing original music or covers. The show’s finale will pit three bands against each other in a battle of the band for a contract with 19 Recordings.
Anybody got any spoilers? Heh…
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Oh yeah. I am very much looking forward to this show. I SO missed “Rock Star” this summer.
Wonder who their judges will be?
Oh cool! I didn’t know it would be coming on that soon. That will be good to have something to watch during the AI drought. :) I’m glad you’re recapping it, mj. :)
Yay! More snark worthy material, I’m sure!
Notice the recording contract is with 19R….hmmm….no Sony/BMG?
Nothing will replace Rock Star in my heart (certainly not anything that doesn’t contain the House Band), but this should certainly provide some amusement this fall.
It will be interesting to see if it will be primarily rock bands or boy bands.
Battle of the Bands for the finale? Yeah, TPTB stole the idea, but it should still be a lot of fun.
Let’s see — we have American Idol Jan - May, SYTYCD from June? - Aug and Great American Band from Oct - Dec? Yep, they have pretty much covered the full year and I am sure Fox is grateful.
Yes! So glad you will be recapping, mj. That break between Idol seasons is just too long.
Dicko chuffed to see Brit bands
…Maybe Dicko was doing research at Splendour for his next gig.
He’s just signed on for the new US series The Next Great American Band and will juggle his time between here and LA.
News.com.au
‘American Idol’: Auditioning for the dream of a lifetime
….Mortimer’s band recently submitted a performance tape for Idol’s new show The Next Great American Band, which will premiere Oct. 19, and he is planning on auditioning one last time for American Idol this summer, although he has yet to decide on a tryout location…
Clarion Ledger
I noticed that too. I wonder if the 19Alphabet crew just want a bigger piece of the pie or if Clive said “Sounds like crap to me”. Or have Clive and Idol parted ways? Interesting times. Interesting times.
Dominic Bowden’s new US Reality Show
Yes, that’s right! Our Dominic Bowden is negotiating to front a prime-time US reality television show.
Speculation has been rife since Dominic Plastic Bowden, who looks great, sounds polished, but lacks personality, pulled out of reality travel show Intrepid Journeys at the last moment.
Sunday News speculates that Dom will be hosting Star Struck. Our sources tell us different! We don’t know where Sunday News is digging up its story details, but our sources tell us Star Struck is a film and NOT a reality television show. We think Sunday News have got it wrong!
Our insider suggests that Dom will be hosting The Next Great American Band……..
NZ Reality TV
Really looking forward to this show!!
I thought 19R was part of SonyBMG.
Dicko’s American odyssey
HE’S facing a 24,000-kilometre weekly commute and he’s back on the drink but Ian “Dicko” Dickson reckons he’s got it all under control.
Dickson, who returns to the screen in a new series of Australian Idol tonight, is about to enter the most stressful few months of his life.
As well as filming Idol, he has been signed to repeat his role as an acerbic judge in a US talent search show being shot at the same time.
It means a weekly round trip between Sydney and Los Angeles and double the media and promotional commitments……
News.com.au
Nope. 19R is part of the CKX empire. The 19 group used to be a private company owned by Simon Fuller, but he sold it to CKX in 2005. CKX is a publicly traded company, though the managers are attempting to take it private.
I’m looking forward to it in a train wreck kinda way, but I must say I don’t think making bands switch musical themes every week is condusive to finding a good band. All you’ll get is the band with the most versatile musicians (or most charismatic and flexible lead singer) not really the band who’s strongest at cranking out good songs in their specialty. I sense wackness afoot.
Now things are getting interesting…Dicko was the best judge on Australian Idol for the first two seasons.
I might actually watch this show, unless it’s up against Jericho.
Simon Fuller’s dream has always been to create a band similar to The Monkees.
Now I think about it, Clive’s weird State of the Idol speech at AI6 finale was actually intended as his farewell speech to Idol. Like somwone already pointed out, Sony/BMG’s contract with AI has expired after five years.
Actually, that’s not true. During the last negotiations, in 2005 or 2006, that contract was re-upped for several more years…
Here’s the announcement from November 2005:
CKX Announces New American Idol Agreements With FOX and SonyBMG
FOX Guarantees At Least Four Additional Seasons of Hit Television Show; SonyBMG to Continue to Serve as Record Label for Idol Artists
Lexdon Business Library
NEW YORK, Nov. 29 – 19 Entertainment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (Nasdaq: CKXE), together with Simon Cowell, Fox Broadcasting, FremantleMedia and SonyBMG, issued a joint announcement today confirming they had reached agreements that will guarantee at least four, and as many as six, more seasons of American Idol beginning with American Idol 5, which is set to air starting in January 2006. As part of the deal, Fox announced that it had reached an agreement with Cowell to keep him on the hit series for at least five additional seasons.
And in case that isn’t clear enough:
– SonyBMG will continue as the designated record label for winning American Idol contestants and 19 Entertainment will receive from SonyBMG a larger percentage of the revenue from the sales of recorded music from future American Idol artists.
Can we spell s-l-a-v-e? LOL
Anyway….moving along…that doesn’t mean that 19R cannot shop their artist to a label other than BMG; right?
No, that is not right.
Only if SonyBMG passes on an artist would 19R be allowed to shop them around.
Tben it seems clear that Clive MUST sign Jordin. I don’t understand the delay in announcing that fact since it helps create buzz for her.
This should be a welcome and entertaining Friday night diversion. Perhaps a cutting-edge rock band will emerge that can finally break the long-standing reign of the formulaic Nickelback sound in mainstream music. I would also love to see a kick$$ soul band win, complete with a funk rhythm section, full-on brass, backup singers - the works…:)
On the other hand, CKX is attaining way too much power in my view. I guess a band does what it has to for exposure, but if I were in a band, I would not want the stigma associated with AI or to be beholden in any way to the “empire”. Given their rise to power, I predict a recording industry backlash against CKX.
I definitely plan on checking out this one. I’m not so sure that bands will develop a large following that will translate to record sales (see Rockstar Supernova) but it should be fun to watch.