Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…
OFF THE RECORD
…THE things you learn. We discovered yesterday that gay female fans of American Idol star Kelly Clarkson refer to themselves as “Kezbos”. If they were fans of Ashlee Simpson, would they be Asbos?
Bucky Covington’s Meteoric Rise
Heading into the Top 5 on the country charts this week with his debut single, “A Different World,” from his debut album, has Bucky waxing poetic about producer Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown. Mark began his career in the early 80’s after winning “Star Search,” another TV talent contest. Bucky, who hails from “American Idol,” tells Dial-Global it helped to have a producer who knew just where he was coming from. He explains, “Who better to learn from than somebody that’s already made a 26-year career off of exactly what I did. No guesswork at it for him. He’s done it.”
‘Idol’ Mania Comes to DFW This Weekend
Thousands Expected to Audition
Thousands of “American Idol” contestants are expected to begin lining up for registration at Texas Stadium beginning Saturday morning. Auditions begin on Monday at about 8 a.m…..
‘American Idol’ contestant Sabrina Sloan talks about her recording deal
First album will be a collection of duets with fellow contestant Sundance Head.
Sabrina Sloan made the final 16 on “American Idol” this year before she was eliminated – sooner than the judges and many fans had expected.
But there’s nothing like a major-label record contract to ease the sting of that defeat….
Katherine McPhee Tries Weather, Traffic
Former American Idol star Katharine McPhee stopped by the FOX 2 studios in St. Louis and took a stab at weather and traffic reporting.
Watch her local news audition.
Dogs and kids backstage, rockers on stage
Sheryl Crow was walking her two yellow labradors. Michelle Branch was trying to teach her 2-year-old daughter how to ride a her new birthday tricycle. Bucky Covington, a 2006 “American Idol,” was strolling around unrecognized.
That was the backstage scene Friday at the 25th annual We Fest, the camping-and-country event. Day 2’s lineup was a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, though Crow did have a country hit, “Picture,” her duet with Kid Rock. The middle day was also a little bit corny, with Covington…..
Jonesville grad has chance to audition for American Idol
As if preparing for his freshman year of college wasn’t enough, Trevor Roderick is getting ready for the biggest audition of his life.
Roderick, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Saturday, won the American One Federal Credit Union Teen Idol competition, which was held at the Riverwalk Amphitheater in Jackson. His prizes for winning included local gift certificates, a $2,000 savings bond and a trip voucher to any American Idol audition city to audition for the show…..
Dassey said he is ’scared’
…Taydch, who maintains her son is innocent, worries about Dassey who she said was put on a suicide watch when he was held at the Sheboygan County Jail after his arrest in March 2006.
Dassey said he read the new Harry Potter book in just over a day, and has been listening to his favorite song, “Home” by Chris Daughtry.
After being in county jails for 535 days, he said he knows what he misses, and what he will miss in prison…
Camp nurtures kids’ ‘Idol’ dreams
Macy Gray taught her how to write songs.
Ashanti Floyd, known as “The Mad Violinist,” helped energize her soulful voice.
And talent scouts galore watched Pearl Clarkin strut across the stage at a recent performing arts camp inspired by the television program “American Idol.”
Clarkin, a La Crosse native who now lives in Florida but spends summers in La Crosse, was among several hundred kids selected for the first-ever Idol Camp…….
EVERYBODY’S DOING IT: INDIANA STATE FAIR
Fair-ly new fair events planned
A big part of why we return to the Indiana State Fair each year is the familiar. We know to count on midway rides, “World’s Largest” beasts and deep-fried arteryclogging eats. But, wisely, the powers that be at the Fair also tinker with the program just enough to make every year unique. And we’re not just talking about different headliners at the Grandstand (this year’s include Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, the latest crop of American Idol finalists and a rap/R&B lineup under the banner Screamfest ’07)…..
Can Ms. Underwood Carrie a show?
I wasn’t at first, but in the past three years, I’ve become an American Idol geek. And I can’t wait to hear Carrie Underwood tonight.
Because she was on American Idol? Yes and no.
The show’s success has to do with it being a good old-fashioned talent competition, something that goes as far back as TV’s grainy black-and-white days.
But, as anyone who has had any involvement in one knows, “talent” competitions aren’t exclusively about talent. The key to Idol success is that producers are aware of the bonus elements like beauty and stage presence, and have used them to create a Grade A television package. But that’s still not why I want to hear Carrie Underwood.
The dark side attached to Idol fame is the fame not yet lived, maybe not yet earned….
WEB EXTRA
BILOXI –Musician Taylor Hicks, who became a household name after winning “American Idol” in 2006, took the stage at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Friday night…….
Related Posts
Jordin spent 8 hours recording for her CD on Thursday August 2nd in an Omaha studio.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2620&u_sid=10095341&u_rss=1&
A few reminders.
1. No off topic chit-chat in the headlines thread. Take it to email or use the chat room.
2. Daily Headline threads are just that. Headlines from TODAY. Not two days ago, last week, last month or last year. If you post a link, make sure it hasn’t already been posted. And consider if the topic is really newsworthy…
3. KEEP THE DISCUSSION ON CURRENT TOPICS AND THE CURRENT SEASON. No re-hashing of prior seasons.
4. Follow the guidelines or you WILL BE BANNED.
5. NO FAN WARS. Either explicit or implicit. If somebody posts an article about their favorite, it doesn’t mean YOU have to dig up an article about your favorite to post just to make things “even”.
6. I’m really close to banning links in the comments thread and requiring folks to filter them through me and LisaB, who spends a lot of time putting this thread together.
I don’t know how things work with this sort of thing but is it the norm for management to book recording studios or shouldn’t record labels do that? Other idols are tagging along with her to the studio?! Maybe Blake isn’t recording on days off but just Jordin? The mystery continues.
I thought that both Blake and Jordin have been recording during the tour. I thought the mystery was just if they have been signed and to what labels.
I’m happy to see Taylor get a favorable mini-review last night, especially since he has bronchitis and a strep throat again.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2620…;u_sid=10095690
Review of the Omaha show which I don’t think has been linked yet.
So, Sabrina signed a two record deal. Then she talks about her solo album. Perhaps it’s one duet album and then one solo album? She also mentioned that not all of the duets will be covers.
Good for Sabrina. It’s not a winner’s deal, but she has done very, very well for somebody eliminated in the semis.
I suspect that Sabrina might have gone further if she had gotten some kind of backstory. There was a lot of speculation early in the season that she was the curly headed superstar that Randy was talking about. Of course, a bit more of a spark of personality would probably have helped too.
Great review for Blake as always…
Go Blake. Yay
The latest Poptart Webisode is up (Episode 6). It features the Idols getting ready for their first concert in Sunrise.
For you Cake fans out there, it also features Blake and Chris frollicking on the beach (it’s when they ride the wave runners).
http://www.poptarts.com/americanidolslivetour/index.shtml#home
The Omaha review was very positive. Here is a nice bit about Phil:
Phil certainly has a lot of friends and relatives. With a crowd of 6000 people, they were 3.3% of the audience.
The reviewer also liked, Melinda, Lakisha, Blake, Sanjaya and Jordin.
Great review for Blake as always…
A pleasant surprise this year was the higher level of creativity — most notably by the rhythmically gifted Blake Lewis, who narrowly lost to ingenue Jordin Sparks in the “Idol” finals.
On Friday night, Lewis won many fans with his impressive mix of beat-box sounds and traditional vocals. And his star appeal, not always evident on TV, reached to the back of the arena
Go Blake. Yay
Blake has been recording during the tour too. His friend Kristi said that he spent all day recording on his birthday, which was an off day for the tour (7/21, they were in Cali).
Right, star. That’s all we know about for sure, right? He may not have been recording during every spare minute, but he’s spent some time in the studio for sure.
Sorry for the double post. Ooops.
Yeah, that’s the only time that’s been mentioned that I can remember.
I think it’s sweet that Melinda went to the recording studio with Jordin. I know they are tight.
Well, that and the six songs he recorded before the tour started. It could be that he’s recorded on other days too, but it hasn’t been confirmed by anyone.
As for management booking the recording time for Jordin, that is interesting. However, the studio guy could have meant the label but just said management b/c Jordin herself did not make the arrangements. I’ll agree that this year is a bit of a mystery. I guess we’ll get the scoop eventually.
BILOXI –Musician Taylor Hicks, who became a household name after winning “American Idol” in 2006, took the stage at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Friday night…….
From eye-witness accounts of some of the fans in attendence, Taylor’s Boloxi Coast Coliseum show was terrific (despite being sick). Seating capacity was about 4300 and was just about full :). Can’t wait for the full review in tomorrow’s newspaper!
I don’t know if I should post this here or not. It’s about the current season, even though it’s not a headline. :)
But I finally uploaded about 40 pics from the Tacoma show (about half of them are of Blake, but he IS my fave, and this WAS his hometown show, so…). They’re in my myspace pics. I don’t think you can view my albums if you’re not my “friend” on myspace. BUT, I’m working on getting them into Team Plaid’s photobucket now. They’re not that great because my camera is old, cheap, and sucky, but still fun.
When I get them uploaded to Team Plaid’s photobucket, I’ll bring the link over. :)
Pictures from the current AI, or any current tour of an ex-idol are ok to post here. :).
Okay, here’s the link.
Sarah’s Tacoma Photos at Team Plaid. With a few from Blake’s dad thrown in there, too. :)
Yay for Sabrina on the Universal Motown deal. The duet album with Sundance sounds promising. I enjoyed his audition, and have no doubt that he’ll kick it in the studio with some major focus. Loved Sabrina’s comment that he is a very endearing guy.
There is more than one way to end up in a recording studio.
(1) Anyone can book time in a recording studio as long as they can pay for it. Rates vary, but aren’t as outrageous as some might imagine.
(2) An artist with a record deal has access to a “recording fund” paid by the label as part of the advance, which will usually be overseen by management, specifically the business manager who is responsible for paying all the bills. Contrary to popular belief, the record label is pretty much “hands off” during the actual process of recording, although in some instances they may retain the right to approve the producers hired by the artist. Where push comes to shove is much later on, when the artist submits the required number of masters comprising the album to the label and someone — say, Clive Davis — who is contractually entitled to approve the material as being “satisfactory” for commercial exploitation or reject it, in which case it’s back to the drawing (or sound) board.
#2 is what happened with Kelly Clarkson. She recorded her music and then had a listening by Clive, who held up the release because he didn’t like it.
BTW, I’m listening to Planet Earth, the new Prince CD, streaming free at giantmag.com; he’s the artist that every artist should strive to be like in business and artistry, and I suspect he is where most artists want to be.
Independent to do whatever in the he** he wants to. I love this CD and will probably buy it.
The thing about Prince is that he has the money, the studio (his own), and name recognition already to do what ever he wants to do. Very few artists are able to do that.
With the music industry making less and less money, I suspect that the reigns are going to be even tighter on various artists.
Found this over at Pulse
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/music/story/0F6F35894D40B5AD8625732C007CF0E5?OpenDocument
Music biz is just looking for a summer hit
This summer was supposed to be a “three-peat” for Kelly Clarkson and 50 Cent.
Much the way “Spider-Man 3,” “Shrek the Third” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” were titles slated to keep this season’s movie box office afloat, pop star Clarkson’s third CD, “My December,” and rapper 50 Cent’s third disc, “Curtis,” were titles considered to be surefire summer saviors.
I suspect the summer “hit” will be High School Musical. It is really sad for the music industry that probably some of the biggest albums of 2007 are probably going to be from Disney (Hannah Montana and HSM). The music industry has really taken a tumble.
We all know what is happening with “My December”. I don’t like 50 Cent’s new songs. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Curtis” starts out big but then just fizzles like Jay-Z’s last album did.
Very true. And let’s not forget Prince is a genuis and has had his battles with record labels. Remember when he was TAFKAP?
Yes, exactly.
My favorite example is Wilco. The label (Reprise) rejected their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and gave them the rights to it for free. The resold it to another label (under the same parent company… hee!) and sold over 500,000. Not too shabby.
Oh, and I do recommend the Wilco documentary “I’m Trying To Break Your Heart”.
Side note: I took a friend to the emergency room once and Jeff Tweedy was there with bronchitis. Guess he had no health insurance. This was back in the Uncle Tupelo days. ;)
I am absolutely baffled by the choice of Peter Collins as producer for the Sabrina/Sundance duets album on Universal Records Motown. The linked profile on him is a bit dated, but I can’t (easily) find anything about what he has done in the past five years. Not only was his heyday 20 years ago, but his work is hardly in the soulful/R&B vein.
And now he’s producing a CD of covers for two soul/bluesy-style American Idol finalists? I admit to a morbid curiosity about this Idol release.
You must remember that Motown has gone through several transformations and several presidents and it’s not the Motown of old. They may be working with whoever they can. BMG has all the top writers and producers sewn up. Sabrina called Motown a “major” label….well, not in the past 10 years….they just let India Aria go….Stevie and the Temps are the ONLY leftovers from the golden era….I hope that answers your head scratcher.
Another find from Pulse, regarding the music industry’s self-inflicted wounds:
http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/record-industry-pr.html
Today the major record labels don’t have a positive brand image and the very public actions they have taken to control the rise of digital media and the Internet over the last several years is at the very heart of their fall from grace. To some the big labels are an anachronism. To others they are anti-consumer. The erosion of their image is dramatic and while we have seen plenty of polls attempting to gauge consumer thought, any attempt to apply sales figures to such measurements is elusive.
There are links within this article to “infamous” articles by Courtney Love and Janis Ian. Those are also worth reading for anyone who hasn’t done so…
Nevada, since you seem to be the vet music expert - have you noticed that recording artists who seldom if ever toured before are now touring? For ex: Christina A., and Gwen Stefani.
Could it be that recordings don’t pay the bills like they used to?
Really shouldn’t be surprising, especially if you consider that the major consumers of these type of music are the pre-teen crowd who have a lot of time in their hands.
Parents of course buy these CDs for their kids in the same manner as they buy toys for them. It’s a HUGE MARKET.
I think it’s been discussed that artists make money in a lot of different ways other than recordings, incluiding touring. However, Gwen S toured to support both her solo albums and before that toured with No Doubt. I don’t know about Christina A, but I remember a few years ago she was on tour with Justin Timberlake, so I’m not sure those are good examples.
Motown is a sub-label of Universal. That’s what makes it a major label. Just as Idols are not signed to a label called Sony/BMG; they are signed to sub-labels such as RCA, Arista, BNA Records.
I’m not trying to claim that Sabrina got the best deal ever, but it’s a pretty good deal for somebody who didn’t make the finals.
Nevada, thanks for the link to the mp3newswire.net article. It was comprehensive and quite revealing regarding how the recording industry has gotten into the mess it’s in today.
Thanks again for sharing, you are such a wealth of information and knowledge and such a valuable asset to this blog.
You forgot to mention that he is as talented as heck.
Prince is definitely talented as heck but if an artist doesn’t have “the money, the studio, and the name recognition” regardless how talented his is, it is extremely hard to do what ever he wants to do. He may still be beholden to the label. But in Prince’s case because he has those 3 things going for him, he is not.