Idol Headlines for 07/07/09
‘Idol’ tour gives contestants a chance to do what they love
Reporting from Portland, Ore. — For non-devotees, “American Idol’s” summer tour, which launched Sunday at this city’s Rose Garden Arena, may seem an afterthought. But to fans of television’s most popular program, this year’s 52-city tour showcasing its 10 finalists is like seeing the ducklings burst forth and become swans at last.
The young talents, who will make a stop July 16 at Staples Center, can finally fly free of the pressure of competition, scowling judges and an often unforgiving media corps. At last, they can throw themselves into songs they have had weeks to practice, and at last can have fun without the looming sword of a Bottom Three designation.
Interview with Paula Abdul on the set of ‘Drop Dead Diva’
On Monday, I was able to grab a few minutes with Paula Abdul on the set of ‘Drop Dead Diva,’ a new Lifetime show set to debut July 12.
I didn’t glean any definitive news about her status with ‘Idol.’ But she sounded optimistic. ‘I will probably be back,’ she told me. ‘What would Simon do without me?’ She used stronger language with an AP reporter soon after, saying she was ‘confident’ she’d be back next season. I’d say she is playing a bit coy simply to milk things while negotiations are ongoing. But I’d say it’s almost a done deal she’ll be back with a nice raise.
‘I’m very proud of what I brought to the show from day one and helped build the empire,’ she added. Here’s the unedited video of my interview:
‘American Idol’ auditions begin this morning in Orlando
This is it, the big day, your first pivotal step to fame, fortune and a sweet catfight with Kara DioGuardi! Starting at 6 a.m. today, registration for American Idol auditions will run for 48 straight hours at Orlando’s Amway Arena. Once you get your magic wristband, you’ll be ready to warble almighty at Thursday’s auditions for the show’s ninth season.
We’ve provided important logistical information for all you future Fantasias; we also strongly suggest checking out the labyrinthine rules at americanidol.com.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
American Idol registration underway
Registration for Season 9 Orlando auditions of American Idol is underway Tuesday at the Amway Arena.
Audition Information
Orlando registration will continue for Season 9 auditions through Wednesday, July 8. Auditions will take place on Thursday, July 9. Both registration and auditions will take place at the Amway Arena.
American Idol excitement in Orlando — Season 9 auditions at Amway Arena July 9
If you’re between the age of 16 and 28 ‘“ and you think you can sing ‘“ then American Idol auditions are the place to be on Thursday, July 9 at the Amway Arena in Orlando! It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for singers looking to be discovered.
In May, after the Season 8 finale and Kris Allen’s visit to Walt Disney World following his big win over Adam Lambert ‘“ it seemed Idol mania was behind us, at least for a while. But now as American Idol auditions are being thrust upon Orlando for the next several days, Central Floridians and those traveling great distances to be here have the unique opportunity to get caught up in the fanfare. I anticipate traffic-headaches galore, as well as much excitement in the air! Registration starts on Tuesday, July 7 at 8 a.m. and runs for 48 hours.
‘American Idol’ finalists get ready to hit the road
Face to face at twin pianos, Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre strike the opening chords of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and playing in unison the two “American Idol” finalists start to sing the Journey classic.
They trade lines about small-town girls and city boys, and as the song unfolds the rest of this year’s Top 10 Idols join in more or less in reverse order of their finish.
Michael Sarver and Megan Joy trade verses, then Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta and Danny Gokey take their turns.
As the song nears its end, Adam Lambert lets loose with one of those high swooping runs that earned him enough support to make the finals and finish second.
And standing in the back, almost unnoticed in comparison to some of the bigger personalities in the room, is Kris Allen, the most modest of “Idol” champions, taking his turn in the song but leaving most of the attention to the nine singers he bested.
Chart Watch Extra: Posthumous #1 Albums, From Glenn Miller To MJ
Michael Jackson always liked lists, and he probably would have liked this one, even though he had to die to get on it. The “King of Pop” is only the 13th artist to have the top-selling album in the U.S. posthumously since 1945, when Billboard introduced its album chart. Jackson’s Number Ones is the best-selling album in the country, according to Nielsen/SoundScan. It’s not listed on The Billboard 200, because the 2003 release is classified as a catalog album. Instead, it tops the Catalog Albums chart.
Big band leader Glenn Miller and rap icons 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. each had three posthumous chart-toppers. Kurt Cobain had two with Nirvana.
Carrie honors the teachers in her life and yours
Carrie Underwood’s mom was a teacher for 25 years and both her sisters are currently teachers, so it’s not a huge surprise that Carrie would choose to take part in a PSA to honor teachers.
Carrie, her mom and two sisters are featured in the newest award-winning “Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher” campaign which aims to show how important teachers and a good education is, even to those most famous of people.
‘Teaching was something that ran in my family,” says Carrie. “I have always admired my mother and sisters for making a difference in the lives of so many.’
Lewis, Ebersole, Jenkins, De Haas, Thomas, Owens and More Will Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson
A host of Broadway favorites will take part in an upcoming tribute to the late Michael Jackson Oct. 19 at Birdland.
Part of the Broadway at Birdland concert series, the 7 PM concert at the famed jazz venue is entitled Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough. The evening will boast the talents of Norm Lewis, Christine Ebersole, Capathia Jenkins, Darius De Haas, Marty Thomas, Destan Owens, Anwar Robinson, Antonique Smith and Kendrick Jones.
An eight-piece band will back the artists.
Kara DioGuardi Ties the Knot
In an interview after the wedding,Pastor Scott Nurse told press, ‘They are absolutely in love with each other. When I told him he could kiss the bride, everybody cheered. It was a very close, small family-type service.’
The intimate ceremony included 30 of the couple’s closest family and friends, though Kara’s ‘American Idol’ colleagues were noticeably absent. She explained, ‘I don’t think they’d appreciate an invitation to Prospect Harbor, Maine. I can’t really see Simon Cowell landing in Prospect Harbor. I don’t think that would happen.’
The President almost ruined Kellie Pickler’s second album
Awww Kellie Pickler, she’s always good for a story to make us laugh. She talked recently with my friend Jeff from the Ploughboy Mansion and of course the interview had a great Kellie story included.
Okay, Jeff doesn’t know he’s my friend, but I get quite a few stories from him so that makes him my buddy whether he knows it or not.
Anyway, Kellie tells the story of how she thought the President of the US was ruining her chances of anyone knowing her second album was coming out.
Idol’s Casey Carlson to appear at Lynx game
American Idol finalists Casey Carlson of Eden Prairie and Jesse Langseth are set to headline “Minnesota Idol Night” at the Minnesota Lynx game on Tuesday, July 7.
The Lynx will take on the Washington Mystics at Target Center, according to a news release.
“Prior to Tuesday night’s contest at 7 p.m., Carlson, an Eden Prairie, Minn., native and 2009 American Idol top 36 finalist, will perform the National Anthem. Langseth, a Minneapolis, Minn., native who fell just short of the final 12, will host a 30-minute postgame acoustical concert,” the release said.
Kelly Clarkson closes the San Diego Fair
Last night, July 5th, 2009, Kelly Clarkson played the Heineken Grandstand Stage at the Del Mar Fairgrounds promoting her fourth album All I Ever Wanted. As the last performer of the season for the San Diego County Fair, Clarkson was everything that you would expect…except fat, as she has been called recently in the media.Associated Press/Peter Kramer
In fact, Clarkson is very proud of what her mama gave her. During the acoustic part ofher set, she sat middle-stage with two guitarists from her band, and stated so herself as her Mic-pack fell out of her back pocket. “Apparently my butt is big,” she joked, “so my Mic-pack won’t stay.” Clarkson doesn’t want to look like your average “pop star” and that is what makes her that much better. She’s talented, there’s no pretense about her, she is who she is and that is a singer. Not a pop star with the glitz and glamour and distracting stage tactics and pyrotechnics. She is all voice and rhythm and appeals to the masses because of that fact.
Shaheen sings for Jacko
BRITAIN’S Got Talent schoolboy Shaheen Jafargholi is sensationally set to sing today at Michael Jackson’s memorial – which you can watch here LIVE from this afternoon.
The stunned 12-year-old, of Swansea, was invited by the Jackson family, who told him the King of Pop was a huge fan of his Jacko tribute act.
Watch a video of Shaheen singing on BGT (below) and see him arriving in LA (right)…
Madonna ‘in talks to perform on X Factor’
The pop superstar could be set to follow in the footsteps of Take That, Beyonc and Britney Spears if she takes up Simon Cowell’s offer to perform on the ITV1 reality show, famous for launching the career of Leona Lewis.
Other performers being lined up for the show include Lady GaGa and Rihanna, while Cowell is also reportedly interested in former Take That member Robbie Williams. Cowell believes that the show would be a great opportunity for Williams, who has been overshadowed by his former band, to relaunch his career.
TV Review: Can You Duet – Two More Duos Are Sent Packing
Two weeks ago the second season of CMT’s talent show Can You Duet (CYD) began, a scant 14 days that brought us to tonight’s third episode. Perhaps a short period of time for us, but for the ten singles remaining in the competition I’m sure it must have seemed like forever. Whether they came to audition as a solo or with a partner, it was now down to waiting for the judges to place them into permanent duos so they could make their mark in the field of country music.
As Lance Smith, CMT VJ and host of many specials, including this season of CYD, put it, ‘Singles Night, where the remaining top ten singers will turn into five duos, right before your very eyes.’ He ran down the turn of events for us; we’d see why each new pair were put together and they would perform. By the end of the night, three of these partners would remain in the competition to return next week with O’Shea, Steel Magnolia, and The Stellas, they having won their rounds last Saturday night.
A new, gay twist on Dancing with the Stars
Fans of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars who need a fix in between seasons might want to check out a new webisode series geared toward gay and lesbian viewers that will air throughout the summer on two websites.
Out.com began airing the series, Show and Tell, on Monday. The show featured DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli as the host. The weekly webisodes will also feature stars familiar to visitors of out.com and readers of Out magazine learn dances like the waltz, rumba, cha cha and foxtrot.
The stars include gay actors Chad Allen and Robert Gant, a drag performer named Lady Bunny, a transgender actress Candis Cayne (of ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ ) and ‘Hairspray’ actress Marissa Jaret Winokur.
The webisodes will appear on out.com/showandtell and on abc.com, and are scheduled to run through mid-September, when the new season of DWTS returns to ABC.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’: Karla Garcia and Vitolio Jeune, future Rockette and author
Cvk Karla on her week with Vitolio:
It was really hard, because after [former partner ] Jonathan [Platero] got eliminated I was really emotional, because we got attached and then all of a sudden I got paired up with a brand-new partner. I had to find an emotional connection in very little time, plus had an added layer of the hardest dance style to work with, so it was a challenge, but we’re both professionals and we both had that motivation to show America that we could attack this kiss of death. That’s what brought us together, and that made it easier.
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I actually had never heard of Muse until my son and I caught them on Live From Abbey Road last season. They were awesome live, and we both became instant fans, downloading a couple of their albums.
I actually cited Muse as one of the groups that Adam’s voice reminded me of (along with Jeff Buckley’s) early in the season, and Adam does a very nice job of hitting all Matthew Bellamy’s notes (and adding to them!), but there is a rawness to Bellamy’s voice that you don’t get from the very polished Adam.
This, for me personally, is why I really don’t buy the “rock star” hype where Adam is concerned. He, unquestionably, has an amazing, well-honed, instrument and is incredibly talented, but his voice is actually too pristine for me to find it completely believable in a rock format. I guess I see him more as a great pop singer/artist, not that one is necessarily better than the other. I just prefer my rock stars a little more unrefined if that makes any sense.
For all of the WhatNottoSing fans at MJs, the final results for this year’s Camp Should-A-Been are up. Kris joins David Cook and Kelly Clarkson to become only the 3rd winner to successfully defend his title, beating Allison by half a point.
http://www.whatnottosing.com/library/camp/camp_shouldabeen_ai8.asp
I really feel for Kris having to sing No Boundaries to the Suckitude. We used to joke about Time of My Life last year, calling it the Magic Rainbow song, but the Magic Rainbow is like a Mozart sonata compared to No Boundaries to the Suckitude. I don’t think even the inestimable David Cook could make that sucker fly.
Fortunately, when the tour ends, Kris will be able to bid goodbye to No Boundaries to the Suckitude. Magic Rainbow went platinum, and is still getting airplay, so although Cook isn’t singing it on tour, he sometimes get requests for it. (He’s said, in fact, that he never intends to sing it again.) Since No Boundaries to the Suckitude isn’t selling as well, Kris will be liberated sooner. It would have been nice for his coronation single to sell better, but for every cloud there is a silver lining.
I’m not planning to go to the tour this year, because there are only three singers I really care about: Adam, Allison and Kris. I’m not willing to pay for a full price ticket to come late (I would rather have root canal than listen to Sarver and Megan Joy Whatever) and I would have to sit through four Gokey songs to hear Allison and Adam and Kris.
But in response to whoever upthread said that Adam fans wouldn’t enjoy Kris, or vice versa, I’m one of those who enjoys both. Started and ended as an Adam voter, but I’ve gotten over my disappointment with his loss. My taste for OTT Adam has not faded, but since he appears to be content with his second place finish, so am I. He’s getting what he wanted — a recording contract, a chance to have input in his album, and lots of fun outfits — and I’m looking forward to his album too.
Kris has made me fall for him. I always liked his singing, but I too thought he was too mellow to be a good AI champ. Yeah, Kris is low key, and modest almost to a fault, but he’s a very talented and creative artist who is going to get even better as he matures. And he appears to be a delightful person: comfortable in his own skin, open-minded, generous, slyly funny. So I am hoping he puts out a great record.
Allison is the icing on the cake. That girl has so much potential, I can’t wait to see what she does.
I am new here. It has been interesting reading every ones comments. It helped clear up what people ment when they say Adam is off-putting or polarizing. Because I never saw it. I have always liked him. Still do. I have always had more problems with Kris personality or IMO lack of it. I have the same problem with Kris, music. I try to see what others see in him and I just don’t. He seems like a nice kid but that is all I get from him. I have always loved them beautiful high notes Adam reaches. Love him with or without make-up. I also like his good manners.
I really like the Hannah Montana/David A. duet. Very cute.
All of this talk about Adam has me super excited to see him in August. He is so mesmerizing. Kris tried to work the stage, but he just doesn’t draw me in. I actually like him better when he does his Kris thing on the piano or guitar. That seems more authentic than the jumping around to me. Seeing Kris trying to engage the audience reminded me of Kris trying to dance during “Shake Your Booty Down to the Ground (kind of uncordinated).
Adam strikes me as genuine. Adam didn’t just glam it up for AI. That’s who he was when nobody knew him. There is just something about Adam, even in his audition tape it was like wow, who is this guy? Then he sang and the rest is history. Definitely visually engaging and I love his voice too.
Kris sounds great on the radio. He definitely will be successful with his cd in that regard. I also think Kris would be wonderful in a more intimate setting. Just sitting there relaxing and enjoying his vibe.
NO! DON’T DO IT, GIRL! She looks fantastic with the guitar. And she should keep playing it so she gets more comfortable with it.
ROFLMAO!!!!
It’s amazing to me how her incredible power comes through even on a crappy Youtube video. I’m going to have a very hard time waiting another month and a half before I get to experience that power in person!
Well, I guess we can safely say Sarver does NOT have the “IT” factor.
Squirrely, his name is Michael, not Matt. :lol_wp:
I can’t see this reply box in the show thread, for some reason so I’m posting it here.
Allison just tweeted from backstage:
#ahhhhhhhhh. So damn exited…. Already heard the awesome crowd!!!
#2 minutes ago from TwitterFon
Unfortunately, the audio on the cell cast over on rickey TV is way way WAY worse than it was for the Portland show. I had to leave that site…couldn’t take it. I’ll try back later when the Top 4 are scheduled to go on…hopefully it will have improved by then
I know, i wasn’t expecting that. I’m trying to stay spoiler-free for when I see the show (I’m in LA, so I think I can hold out another week), but I had to watch a bit of Starlight and So What, and I got chills from both–which, as much as I love Allison and especially Adam, I was not anticipating from youtube rips from a stadium full of screaming fans. You know, someone suggested that for these guys’ album tours, they should have Allison tour as the opening act for Adam (since she will most likely be someone’s opening act, correct?). If I didn’t think that it might be better for them to do something less AI-focused, I would be so in favor of that. My brain would probably explode from the power and beauty of their voices and presences, but I’d be willing to hazard that.
“Sunday night at the American Idol summer tour kickoff at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR, Adam Lambert broke the show. And while the crowd was still in pieces, his friend Kris Allen came out and put it all back together again.”
http://www.examiner.com/x-15367-Boston-Reality-TV-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Out-of-the-nest-Adam-Lambert-Kris-Allen-soar-in-American-Idol-top-ten-tour-Portland
Late in the game here, but I have to say this reviewer was spot on with how I view Adam and Kris, performance and talent-wise — a perfect balance. The whole review was great and she put to paper what is the essence of Adam and Kris’s relationship as people and as performers. They complement each other and I for one am glad of that. All the reviews have been quite positive, with the exception of one– and that guy was blantantly cruel, not just to Kris, but to Megan, especially, calling her Call Girl Barbie. That was uncalled for and off the mark completely and disrespectful.
I’ll be going to the show with my nieces and daughter this year. They’re so beautiful, but so very quiet. I’m dying to see how they react during the show. ::grin:: Should be fun.
Well, Camp Should-Have-Been at WNTS is over. And, like he was in the actual TV show, Kris is the champion — although in this case, the points total for the finale night show ended in a dead heat between him and Allison.
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(below is part of this “recap” from the WNTS site)
Up in their Producers’ Box, the 19E guys were livid. We made them sit in the woods for two and a half weeks, swatting mosquitos the size of golf balls in 95 ° weather, just to watch a stinking tie?! Between two contestants not named Adam or Danny, no less? Balderdash! Several of the campers in the audience shouted back angrily at them, and some pushing and shoving broke out, and then our ever-vigilant Disciplinary Counselors, Viktor, Rocco, and Serge intervened, and last we looked Viktor had Simon Cowell in a headlock though he occasionally does that just to keep in shape.
After the melee, as the producers’ convoy was pulling away, Simon Fuller beckoned us over. “Capital idea!” he whispered to us. “A draw! Why hadn’t we thought of that before? Brilliant of you to think of it.” “But Mr. Fuller, sir, we didn’t plan on…” “We’ll have to put that into the script for Season Nine ‘“ maybe we’ll even make it a three-way bit!” “But sir, honestly,…” “I’ll have Ceci’s people get on that tomorrow. Well done as always, mates. See you back here next summer!” And with that, he motioned to his driver and they disappeared out the gates of camp.
Okay, campers, settle down. We didn’t spend two weeks in the woods swatting mosquitos just to watch a tie, either. So while we’re going to list Allen and Iraheta as co-winners this summer, we took a peek at the database to see who won on decimal points. And the answer is….
Kris Allen! In fact, he won by close to a half point after all the rounding errors were subtracted. The unassuming Allen thus becomes the third person to defend his real-life title at Camp Should-A-Been, and who would have predicted that six months ago? The conventional wisdom is that he will not sell nearly as many albums as some past winners. That might even be true, but personally, we’ve stopped betting against him.
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CathyMK:
YES!!! I agree with you 100%! I couldn’t figure out the problem with them all coming out, but this is it exactly. Thank you!
I also loved Kris’s enthusiasm when he was jumping around the stage!:)
Also, thank you evenjane for that review. Very nice.
I don’t think anyone from season eight had a hard rock vibe.
Oh, how cute. Can we make this happen? Young Allison would be safe with Archie, while Allison — despite her age — would spice little Archie up. And, they both have latin roots in common!
Other than Cook’s growley, grown up, sexy interpretation, what sold ToML was the song’s backstory. Who could read Reggie Hamm’s inspiration for the song and not be moved?
I agree with that. After this tour, I’m betting they will rarely cross paths. So, finally, they will be judged on their own terms.
I was (and am) a Cook fan and I don’t remember Cook ever being anointed the next Elvis/Jackson/The Beatles — or even Springsteen — and I was always glad about that. No one is the next –> name your favorite, former music icon. I want Cook, as I want anyone else, to be the next, best version of themselves.
Thank you for reminding me of that. It was one of my favorite come backs of last season or any season.
I agree. The spirit of rock is that it’s off the hook and not polished or refined. It’s sweaty and dirty and involves swinging from the rafters.
I do. I was pretty uninvested last year, but I do remember those posts popping up a fair bit, like they normally do. Probably not as much as this year since 1) Adam can look like Elvis occasionally 2) the Elvis comparisons have been brought up by the media 3) Jackson died. But it happens all the time. By the way, I am not making the comparison myself as I think there are patterns you can find, but nobody can be the next [insert icon here] since cultural climate is key to creating that, while any sort of status has to have time before you can even ponder its weight. If you are going to be “an icon” then you are going to be yourself, not the next version of a previous icon as icons don’t work that way (and no, I am not trying to claim any sort of hyperbole in regards to Adam or anyone).
(On a different note, I remember wanting to declare Archuleta the next Scott Walker in return. Teen idol crooner type that will go dark and crazy, go recluse and use slabs of beef for percussive purposes. Hey, not likely, but I see it, man!)
I kind of see your point. But just curious, who are your rock stars??
A bit OT, but for those of you who took part in the new music discussions here last fall/winter, 2 of the bands that we talked about, Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot, have come out with a collaboration album. (Or is it EP? It’s only 30 minutes long.) They’re calling themselves Discovery for the collaboration. It’s an electro-pop album, which I did not see coming! It’s on sale at Lala for $3.99 this week.
http://www.lala.com/#artist/Discovery
Sassycatz
Kris and Adam will likely cross paths fairly often in the future, since it’s pretty clear they will remain good friends. But aside from AI-related events, they may not ever sing together (publicly) after this tour.
I just hope the fan fights and all the comparisons die down once tour is over. I don’t think the two Davids get compared much anymore in terms of who’s selling how much or whose better, do they? There’s probably still some of that, but not nearly as much as right after AI7 ended.
As a kid, I loved the Beatles, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues, Yes, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac and Heart, although to be honest, I always gravitated more towards the folk rockers (CSN&Y, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell). I did adore Elton John, but more when he was younger, during the Goodbye Yellowbrick Road era.
As for more contemporary “rock stars,” I think of Bruce Springsteen, U2, Radiohead, Muse. I consider these guys authentic rockers, and I listen to all of them, although they’re not necessarily my personal favorites, but my favorite artists would never be classified as “rock stars” because they don’t rock “hard enough” and aren’t “superstars.”
I’ve just never given a rat’s ass what the media tells me I’m supposed to be buying. If I love it, I buy it and listen to it. Music is one of the few things I still spend money on, and I buy what moves me, not what gets the most advertising space.