Paula Abdul Exclusive: Simon Cowell’s ‘a Bully’
Abdul on Simon Cowell:
ABDUL: He’s a bully, he’s a masterful bully.
MCFADDEN: So of all the egos, is Simon’s the biggest?
ABDUL: Without a doubt. Without a doubt. The first day I went to work on season one I quit seven times. Seven times.
MCFADDEN: Why?
ABDUL: Because I couldn’t believe that that someone was actually getting away with crushing fragile kids. This happens behind your back, [not] in front of your face.
I couldn’t take the pain that I saw, and I think being an artist who has had success, it’s very vulnerable when you are the talent. And when someone attacks you with criticism that isn’t constructive, sometimes it’s hard to take.
Watch the exclusive interview Thursday on “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. ET
‘Idol’ Meter’: Disco week might be the last dance for … who?
Thanks to a heart-rending back story (his wife died in surgery a month before the auditions), an upbeat personality and a strong voice, Danny seemed like this season’s anointed favorite (much like David Archuleta last year). But (much like David Cook) Adam Lambert has increasingly stolen the spotlight with radical, riveting performances, while Danny stagnates with unimaginative song choices and performances that fall well short of knockout status. He’s coasting along with strong fan support and overly complimentary judges’ comments, but his performance grades on WhatNotToSing.com have slid from 79 (out of 100) for his semifinals song Hero to 35 for last week’s Endless Love. A shake-up is needed.
‘American Idol’ Power List: Pick your favorite from the Top 7 (part two)!
1. Adam Lambert: (Last week: No. 1) “Born to Be Wild” was a peculiar song choice to say the least — particularly on the heels of his haunting, moving “Mad World” — but once again, the long-standing front-runner hit every note of his Steppenwolf cover. What’s more, whether you love or hate Adam’s unbridled theatricality and manic energy, he’s certainly never dull. Until or unless his competitors start consistently taking big (and successful) risks, the season 8 crown is his to lose.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
‘Idolatry’: Inching closer to an Adam-Allison finale?
Is an Adam-Allison final two an inevitability on this eighth season of American Idol? How come Anoop can’t get any respect? Could Disco Night be a chance for a “shock elimination,” like, say, Danny Gokey? And what have Swedish vampires got to do with Idol? Get the answers to these questions and more by pressing play below on the latest, two-part episode of the Jesse Langseth-approved Idolatry!”
Idol Worship: Adrianne Curry’s Adam Lambert Obsession
Add reality star Adrianne Curry (America’s Next Top Model, The Surreal Life, My Fair Brady) to the ever-growing legion of Adam Lambert devotees. “Adam is my gay goth Elvis,” she tells Billboard.com. “He’s Axl Rose, David Bowie and Robert Plant rolled into one, Trent Reznor-style à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ yum! I f—ing LOVE Adam Lambert.”
Curry’s borderline obsession with Lambert has been a regular topic of intense discussion on her Nowlive.com call-in show, and during Friday’s program, she confessed he’s also been a slight source of tension between her and husband Christopher Knight. “I think Gokey is Chris’ favorite,” said Curry. “And I think Chris kind of hates Adam a little because his friends’ wives will text me the whole time, and say, ‘He’s so hot,’ ‘No, you can’t have him, he’s mine!’”
Adam Lambert Got ‘American Idol’ Training At Wild ‘Zodiac Show’
For most “American Idol” fans, Adam Lambert is the wildest, most unusual contestant they’ve ever seen on the show. But to his friends and castmates in Los Angeles’ long-running variety extravaganza “The Zodiac Show,” the Adam you see on the “Idol” stage every week is nothing compared to what they’ve witnessed back home.
Lee Cherry, “Zodiac” co-creator and director, first met Lambert in Europe in 2003, when the singer was touring with the musical “Hair,” and he directed Lambert in his “Zodiac” stage debut in 2004. “He did [Sam Cooke's] ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ and as Randy would say, he blew it out the box, dog,” Cherry said. “That was pretty much the first time in L.A. anyone saw him being Adam in all his full fabulousness, and everybody lost their minds.”
edit: you’re welcome Gil!
‘American Idol’ Update: Lil is in good spirits
Lil Rounds of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ fame was supposed to hook up with me this weekend, but à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ as you can imagine à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ she is really busy and did not get a chance to make the call. I did speak to her mom, Dolline Coburn, though.
Coburn says Lil is in good spirits and has been really busy this week preparing and filming a commercial.
à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Lil feels like she is doing exactly what she is suppose to do and that is just being herself,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ says Coburn. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“This week my husband and I are going there to support her. Lil is excited and is just going to have fun with all of it!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬
The Memphis singer still survives after she was placed in the bottom two of the seven contestants.
Kelly Clarkson at #1, #9 on this week’s American Idol airplay chart
Kelly Clarkson’s My Life Would Suck Without You retains its top spot this week on our American Idol Airplay chart, but Kelly could be supplying her own competition soon, as I Do Not Hook Up, the second single from All I Ever Wanted, vaults 10 spots into this week’s Top 10, from #19 to #9. Kellie Pickler also makes the Top 10 this week with Best Days of Your Life. Kelly’s and Kellie’s singles displace Daughtry’s Home (#9-#11) and David Archuleta’s Crush (#10-#12) in the Top 10
Kelly Clarkson Calls Romantic Fantasies in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Do Not Hook Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Video à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Comedy at Its Finestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬
Kelly Clarksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s video for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Do Not Hook Up,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ the second single off All I Ever Wanted, leaked this weekend before officially premiering on MTV today. Like its title suggests, the Bryan Barber-directed clip finds good-girl Clarkson fantasizing about making out with a waiter at a Wedding Crashers-esque garden party and a greaser at a karaoke pool hall à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ but the hot action is all in her head. Katy Perry and American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi helped pen the song, but the video concept was all Kelly, the singer tells Rolling Stone. (For much more from Clarkson, nab her Q&A in the new issue, on sale now.)
Will Kelly Clarksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s New Single Hook Up With The Top Of The Charts?
idonotThe ridiculously enjoyable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Do Not Hook Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ has been teed up the second single from Kelly Clarksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s All I Ever Wanted, and all systems so far seem to be go. The song is (deservedly) gaining steam on radio (ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s up to No. 28 on Mediabaseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Top 40 airplay chart), and a video for the track (after the jump) illicitly premiered this weekend; ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also been added to MTVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s newly re-existent playlist. But will it top the Hot 100 like its pole-vaulting predecessor did?
Kelly Clarkson: March For Babies Brave
Kelly Clarkson braves the rain during the March For Babies charity event on Sunday (April 19) in Nashville, Tenn.
Every year, more than half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds raised at the March for Babies supported research that helps to give every baby a healthy start.
Also spotted at the event: Nicole Kidman.
Former American Idols Come Together With Broadway Cares in New York City to Give America’s Talent a Chance at Fame
BOSTON, April 20 /PRNewswire/ — GetScouted.com (www.GetScouted.com), the world’s leading private online marketplace for talent and scouts, today announced the launch of its “60 Seconds of Fame” talent search. Singers, dancers and musicians are invited to log on to www.GetScouted.com to enter the national competition. Between April 20 and May 18, 2009, U.S. residents age 13 and older can upload a sixty-second video clip of their performance to www.GetScouted.com to enter a chance to win a starring role in an upcoming GetScouted.com commercial. Winners will also meet privately with Broadway executive producer and director, Richard Jay-Alexander and season three American Idol runner-up and Broadway star, Diana DeGarmo.
Catching up with LaKisha Jones
America fell in love with LaKisha Jones, or “KiKi,” during Season 6 of American Idol. As a fourth place finisher, LaKisha has had a successful post-Idol career which she calls a “whirlwind” experience. LaKisha’s debut CD, “So Glad I’m Me,” will be in stores May 19!
LaKisha said being on American Idol was much more than she ever thought it would be. Her coworkers in Baltimore had heard her sing and convinced her to try out for Season 6. Singing since she was five years old in church choirs, LaKisha is so grateful to have the opportunities American Idol presented her with- recording in studios, meeting and being mentored by celebrities, and having all kinds of doors open up for her.
Nigel Lythgoe Brings ‘Brit Week’ to ‘GDLA’
Los Angeles (myFOXla.com) – “Brit Week” began in 2007 is about celebrating the success of British transplants who live in Los Angeles. The celebration includes awards shows and charity fund-raisers, and runs from April 21st through May 28.
On May 21st, the next season of “So You Think You Can Dance” gets underway on Fox. Nigel talks about all of those things with Steve, Dorothy, and Jillian.
Is Simon Cowell Actually Using His Evil Genius for Good?
Simon Cowell’s empire of televised singing contests à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ American Idol, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ have become rather predictable affairs over the years: The delusional freaks with poor voices come on to get ritualistically shamed early on; the blandly attractive contestants with serviceable voices go on to garner breathless praise and some degree of success as the season comes to a close. However, as the current season of American Idol has followed its typical patterns, the latest round of Britain’s Got Talent has garnered international attention for blatantly defying audience expectations and milking that drama for all it’s worth.
‘Britain’s Got Talent’ child star Shaheen Jafargholi: Exclusive EW Q&A
Yes, we all love Susan Boyle. But the charming Scot might have some competition in the form of 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi. The young singer, who auditioned in Wales, took the stage and began singing Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” and was quickly halted by Simon, who asked him to sing another song. Jafargholi rebounded with the Jackson 5’s “Who’s Loving You,” and earned yet another standing-O from the cranky British judge. (“I felt physically sick when Simon stopped him,” Jafargholi’s mother, Karen, tells EW. “It was so scary.”) But how does he think he compares to Boyle? Jafargholi talked to EW about his experience, and how things have changed.
A Cynical Read of the Susan Boyle Phenomenon
The popular response to this youtube clip has been a sort of group catharsis. As Maureen Callahan writes so brilliantly in her recent article on the topic, “There is something disturbing about the collective rejection-embrace-elevation of Susan Boyle. There is [a] self-congratulation [and] the idea that we, the secondary viewers, the judges of those who are judging, are…more evolved.”
There’s a Shakespearean purging here. We see an auditorium full of shallow people reject someone ugly. Then, we see her perform well. Then we, by way of independent judgment, embrace her. We feel proud of ourselves.
The set up (the ugly loser, the powerful man’s false judgment, the ethical correction) was a way for superficial T.V. or for Simon Cowell to feel a little less guilty about himself. Or said again, this show served as reputation-control for Simon Cowell as much as it served any pure purpose for Susan Boyle. Sensational TV shows (American Idol, The Bachelor, Rock of Love) have gotten rich off of pummeling the quiet or the ugly with an aggressive spirit–with an exaggerated judgment on nuance. Powell is famous for his ability to cut people down without an appreciation for their effort; he’s become king because of his unapologetic simplicity of judgment.
Back to Bacharach and David
During the decade of their pop collaborations (1960-70), composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David tapped into a transcendent melodic and rhythmic sophistication that’s impressively honored here by a quartet of vocalists led by American Idol finalist Diana De Garmo. Helmed by co-creator Kathy Najimy, “Back To Bacharach and David” puts the spotlight on the tunes with just a touch of comedic zaniness for accent. The lack of a thematic throughline causes the momentum to falter in places, but the musical output is delicious.
Melissa and Tony grab top spot on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Dancingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢
The field is down to seven on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dancing With The Stars,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ so weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re about done with the part where you can fake it. At this point, if you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t dance, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re in big trouble. Based on recent weeks, this would seem to spell problems for Ty Murray and Lawrence Taylor, though even one-time frontrunner Gilles Marini, who once seemed untouchable, had a less-than-perfect showing in his last outing.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: Control Group
First, DANCMSTRs, a confession. As ridiculous and right-up-my-alley as week 7’s group dance finale was, my absolute favorite part of last night’s performance show was actually the incredibly lame teaser for it that popped up right after Lawrence and Edyta’s waltz. The low-rent, pastel-hued graphics that just said ”Group Dance” and ”60’s Tribute” had me convulsing in giggles. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. (Well, I kind of do: I’m way too easily amused and that’s why I recap Dancing With the Stars.) I just couldn’t get enough of the over-the-top cheesy composite shots of the stars and then the pros. I’m a moron and thought ”Oh, how clever, they used a still image of Shawn because the Brady Bunch logo doesn’t move on the screen. Neither does Alice, I guess, for the split second she’s in that middle square.” Not one of my finest trains of thought. You can just go ahead and consider this entire intro a parallel to that awful teaser. Minus the laughter!
ETA:
‘Idol’ Yamin goes independent route
(CNN) — How does a Jewish guy from Richmond, Virginia, end up mining for gold in the genre of R&B music?
“I know, right,” laughed Elliott Yamin. “And don’t forget the two Christmas albums I’ve done.”
Yamin, the third-place finalist in season five of “American Idol,” is not what you would expect from someone who has achieved fame and success from the hugely popular show.
Years after he wowed judges with his soulful sounds, the independent artist remains humbled by the attention and grateful to the show and its fans for a shot at stardom.
“I still have a sizeable fan base from being on the show,” Yamin said. “To get a toenail in the door of this business is hard enough and to sustain your success is even harder.”
This ALTNOY song was a pretty dismal failure as a single, wasn’t it? So, it would probably be a good strategy to adandon it and go for something else when you have such a high profile opportunity.
And, even though I don’t like it, the TMH song clearly makes his concert fans go apeshit. So, I’m guessing they’re hoping for the same reaction from the swaybots.
Judy, I get official texts from David’s fan number, so yes, it IS real.
I’ve been thinking for awhile now that TPTB want Adam because they think he can fit into what’s current on CHR right now. They’ve got Jordin who has had Top 40 success, but they’re probably hoping to conquer the rhythmic and dance charts as well.
XM plays it a ton and so does radio disney, but for some reason, top 40 won’t play it much. Everyone here has discussed why– maybe because radio has changed to trashy in the past few months, but it is hard to be heard when top 40 won’t play it.
It is doing well on AC as well. I am sure that it would have sold quite well if top 40 had played it. It is a good song. I don’t quite understand it all.
Yep. ALTNOY is clearly not going to happen. Don’t waste the huge number audience impressions on it. Try something new. I’m not sentimental about singles. If they aren’t working, chuck ‘em.
Eh. Some singles are hits and some are not. If there was an exact formula, the record companies wouldn’t make so many mistakes. Jive tried. It didn’t work (except on Radio Disney). Besides, it’s been 3 months. Even if it had worked, it will be a little grey around the muzzle by now.
Except Adam, unlike Brit and Gaga, can actually sing. It would be a shame to mask his vocals under all those computerized tricks.
Interesting how the two “formats” that base their playlist almost entirely on what the audience wants to hear play the song to death. XM plays ALTNOY more than they played Crush–they actually have it on heavy power right now. Commercial radio is just that–radio that only cares about commercials. Hence, unless a label gives radio stations a hard sell (you play this and we’ll give you access to *names a superstar artist*, or *new artist* will play for free at your event), they’re only going to play songs by “un-risky” artists (read: not new), and songs that are so middle-of-the-road that people don’t care enough about them to love them, but don’t hate them enough to change the station. Viola! Top 40 radio.
They’ll still do it.
a) Lady Gaga is new and she is everywhere. There are lots of new artists that have broken out in the last year
b) Archie did play for free at tonnes of radio events. In fact, this almost seems like an argument that “Crush” was only a hit because of Jive doing the hard sell and was a crapastic middle of the road, inoffensive song. Personally, I don’t buy that for a minute. Even commercial radio is going to play songs they think people want to hear (and I’ve seen enough Idols doing those radio promo things to know that doing them doesn’t guarantee you any kind of hit).
Program Managers are people too. Sometimes they think a song will work and sometimes they do not. Sometimes they are wrong and sometimes they are not.
From the song I heard on IA of hers, it fits the junk that top 40 is playing IMO.
Bingo. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why the cattle calls are such a crapshoot. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ but for many, Idol is their shot, so if thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s even a slim chance that Lady Luck smiles on you, and you turn out to be one of the types theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re casting for that year, then youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve hit the jackpot. For all his talk about not being an avid Idol watcher prior to being on the show, David Cook understood that right off the bat at his audition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I think my voice is strong enough to carry me through, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just a matter of whether or not Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m what theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re looking for.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ That said, even if you are one of the potential TCOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s as mapped out and pre-planned by TPTB, you gotta bring it or theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re abandon you for the more compelling storyline. I definitely think they have several TCOs each year as part of their planning and mapping.
While Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m completely with you, noctem, that Matt is the most musically interesting and relevant guy (heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my favorite), I happen to think he was one of the TCOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that TPTB are abandoning because he’s dropping the ball. He screwed up too many times, and for various reasons he has failed to rally the fan support or the critical support that Adam and Kris have. Even when he’s good (Let’s Get it On), he’s bottom 3, and when he’s awesome (So Small), he doesn’t get too much buzz in the media. I personally find Matt more compelling, but Kris has been consistent and good, and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got a fanbase that Matt doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ success on the show has much to do with TPTBà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just been doing well.
Well, I’m not going to argue that she’s good (she rates an automatic radio channel change from me), but I cannot argue she’s not popular with others. “Poker Face” has moved 2.3M units and “Just Dance” has moved 3.7M units. That’s a lot. I’ll give those buyers the benifit of the doubt and say they actually like those songs.
I may be in the minority, but I’d rather hear Adam sing commercial/relevant songs that Brit and Gaga have, than to hear him and his tongue screech at me with some old school rock song like Born to Be Wild. Sorry, he can sing, and can sound great at times, but most of the time, his vocal pyrotechnics are more OTT than I can handle. Maybe masking some of the tongue-out screeching with computerized tricks will be a good thing for those like me who can’t handle the deep fried twinkie-ness, haha.
Lady Gaga took FOREVER to break. She was a hit in Canada with Just Dance aaaaages before it was ever played here in the States, and not for lack of releasing it. There are artists that break through, but you better bet her label put a hard sell on that song. She was also gaining tons of buzz from Perez Hilton–he’s been pimping her for awhile.
And I’m under no delusion as to why Crush was a hit–Jive put a hard sell on the song and promised David would play a bunch of Christmas concerts. I don’t think radio would have taken a chance on it otherwise (coming out of Idol his image was as an AC ballad singer–not a top 40 pop star). That’s the thing–I said hard sell AND/OR middle-of-the-road. A song can be both, but a good song by a new artist can get airplay simply because the label pushed it hard enough. Quality doesn’t mean jack as far as airplay is concerned. If you want to measure how much people love a song, then check out how much they’ve downloaded a song compared to its airplay. If it’s outselling its airplay it means the song is loved by a greater proportion of people that hear it, even if the song isn’t played all that much. Crush outsold its airplay. It stayed in the top 20 for months on iTunes after its release. It’s still selling around 11K every week. People liked the song a lot. So Jive gave the hard sell, but did it on a song people wound up loving–but they still had to sell it in order for radio to take a chance on it.
A song can also get played without the “hard sell,” if it does well in listener surveys. The way radio stations (especially Cumulus and CC-owned stations) decide to play songs is with these surveys–either online or in person with focus groups. People are hardly homogeneous in their musical tastes, so when you get a large number of people together, you wind up with songs that are least hated by everybody, not necessarily songs that are most loved. Commercial radio stations just want a song liked enough so you don’t change the station. They could care less about the degree to which a listener likes a song.
The same can be said for TV–the consumer for both commercial radio and broadcast television aren’t the end users, but the advertisers. So the system is inefficient in terms of quality control. TV shows that are considered “cult”–absolutely adored by those who love them even if not a lot of people watch them, are usually canceled due to poor ratings. Yet the people watching those shows were shown to (1) watch them live and hence, not fast-forward through the commercials, and (2) have better retention of the commercials because of that. But TV stations still work under the model that more eyes are better than less eyes who pay attention. Same goes for radio–more ears are better than less ears paying attention. What is “loved” doesn’t matter. What is “not hated” does. Highly inefficient. (Note: a song can be “loved” and “not hated” at the same time; just that a song can also be “not loved” and “not hated” too; still rendering the system inefficient).
Single sales in comparison to airplay will always be a better indicator of how much a song is loved. Airplay alone will not.
Occasionally, you’ll get the early adopter radio stations that will take chances on most new songs if the artist or the song has at least a minimal buzz. You’ll see these stations add pretty much anything. WZEE, KRCK, WSTW, KQMQ, etc. They’re usually independently or locally-owned stations. And even they will eventually drop a song if it doesn’t wind up taking off with CC or Cumulus stations.
I totally agree with you. I think that Matt blew his chances (largely due to nerves). I don’t think he was their original favourite to win (they wouldn’t have had him sing so early in the semi-finals if he was unless they were trying to engineer a wildcard. Odd how early he went compared to the others. Maybe it was because he blew that first song choice), but he was one of the ones they would have gotten behind if things had lined up (he had done better and one of the higher priority chosen ones had slipped up).
I also agree that he is the most current and is one of the contestants with higher levels of musicality (Adam, Matt, Kris and Allison. Adam has the best vocals and has a better feel for what he can do with his voice. Allison is a little bit below Adam there. Neither seems to be able to play instruments (I don’t think Allison proved she can really play a guitar rather than just strum a few notes). Kris seems to be the best arranger and song picker and is pretty good on the guitar. His voice is a little weak. Matt is the best musician and he comes up with some good arrangements sometimes, but his song choices suck and he’s not clear on what his voice can do).
Lady Gaga just turned 23, so FOREVER is a relative term.
Um, of course it’s relative. I meant it didn’t break in the US until a long time after its attempted release.
I kind of get the whole “forever” thing…Even after she got intro’d to the US market by singing on SYTYCD that was like, last August and it still took a long, long time pop-radio wise for her to finally blow up how she did. I wonder why it works that way?
My station (KQMQ) is an early adopter independently and locally-owned station. It plays more non-hits than other stations because it usually adds songs right away, even if they may never blow up. I started hearing Just Dance a few months before it was played everywhere else.
Once Z100 added it, then it took off. Basically, Big Daddy Z100 is supposed to “know something” that other stations don’t know, I suppose because there’s a lot more advertiser money riding on what they play. Once Just Dance blew up to the degree it did, and radio brought Britney back as well, the new era of uptempo “dancy” tracks had begun. It became a semi-standard in the format itself meaning that Lady Gaga’s next track, Poker Face, which is very similar, got immediate airplay. Had she put out a slower less dancy single, I’m not so sure it would have taken off as well. She was helped because her style was determined to be “in” and, therefore, less risky, even if she was a newer artist.
Anyway, my original point about XM–XM20’s playlist is based almost entirely on the degree to which its listeners love the songs they play. Much like Idol, you can power vote for songs, both online and on the phone. The theory is that people will stick with a subscription service because it is responsive to what they really, really like. Now, there will be people who hate the song that some other users love to death, but XM has so many different stations in various formats, that it winds up not mattering so much. And those listeners can power vote for the songs they love. Taking advertisers out of the mix means that the consumers are the actual end-users, so XM is responsible for their hapiness, not the happiness of a company. XM cares only about the total amount of subscribers over its entire service.
Adam: Call Me
Too bad those spoilers aren’t true as I’d love to hear Adam sing Call Me.
I hope he really camps it up tonight, or queens it up, or whatever fits.
Yeah, its like a good news/bad news scenario with that song. Bad news: didn’t go anywhere on pop. Good news: hit big on radio disney, where a huge part of his fanbase frequents. So he keeps a strong presence in that market, one that will be reinforced with an appearance on Miley’s show and a tour with Demi. So he has somewhere to start from with album #2. Worse case scenario is it hits only on radio disney again.. and he makes a killing through touring and merchandising. And he still could return to the pop charts on his next project.
Honestly, despite all the fan battles and stuff, it is hard to feel sorry for any popular idols. Once you’ve been successful on the show you can build a nice career for yourself for at least a few years, SOMEWHERE in the entertainment business. Even Rueben still plays paying gigs. 6 years later. So its all good!
ITA with this. I don’t mind Lady Gaga at all. To me its just dance music and I have fond memories of club hopping to songs like that. It is a little odd to hear that stuff on the radio. Anyway it’s fun, OTT music, made for the kinda surreal existence that comes with nightlife. Adam fits right in there. If TPTB let him do his best crazy electronica thing that is.
That said, I still want Allison’s album more.
soundscene and kristen, I’m enjoying your exchange, and I’m learning a lot from you both. Thanks!
DA’s tour will evidently be offering VIP packages:
http://davidarchuletanetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs/vip-packages-available
HERE’s WHAT YOU GET:
*A ticket in the first 10 rows
*Meet & Greet with photo op
*Exclusive pre-show acoustic showcase with David
*Pre-show party
*Early Hassle Free Entrance to venue
*Exclusive David Archuleta gift bag
*5-Star souvenir laminate
*Parking
*Crowd-free merchandise shopping
wow, I wonder how much that VIP package will cost??? I’ve never heard of something like this before – is this a typical thing nowadays for performers to offer?
One of the spectacular things about Adam, besides his voice, of course, and his originality as an artist, is that he is an EXTREMELY HUMBLE person. There are three occasions in particular that I can recall (there may be others) where Adam demonstrates just how humble of a performer he is, which I find extremely admirable because he knows (and acknowledges) his performances are a collaboration of efforts. Adam gave props to Ricky Minor when he performed “Mad World” (I believe that was the performance). When he performed “Tracks of My Tears” unplugged, as the musicians left the stage, he shook their hands. Tonight, Chris Allen utilized the “unplugged” musicians and did not acknowledge them in the least. Also tonight, Adam made a point of giving props to Michael Orland for the arrangement of tonight’s performance of “If I Can’t Have You”. His recognition of others involved in putting together his performances just speaks VOLUMES about his character!! No doubt he has a fantastic voice and an unbelievable stage presence, which could easily go to his head, but he has remained so grounded!! That is why I think he is a phenomenal performer! He is truly a GREAT performer!!!! GO Adam!!!
Tatiana, yeah alot of acts do this sort of thing.