Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…
Today in history - Oct. 28
….Today’s Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 80. Actress Joan Plowright is 78. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 71. Actress Jane Alexander is 68. Singer Curtis Lee is 66. Actor Dennis Franz is 63. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 62. Actress Telma Hopkins is 59. Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruce Jenner is 58. Actress Annie Potts is 55. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is 52. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 50. Country singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 49. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 49. Actor Mark Derwin is 47. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 45. Actress Lauren Holly is 44. Olympic silver medal figure skater Paul Wylie is 43. Actress Jami Gertz is 42. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 41. Actress Julia Roberts is 40. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 39. Actor Jeremy Davies is 38. Singer Ben Harper is 38. Country singer Brad Paisley is 35. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 33. Singer Justin Guarini (”American Idol”) is 29.
Thought for Today: “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” — Gertrude Stein, American author (1874-1946).
Model behavior gets the job
Local woman takes on fashion industry in style
…Then, while at a casting for the “It’s Good to be Us” video by Bucky Covington of American Idol fame, she said Covington picked her out of a crowd.
“I was over here kidding around like ‘Look at me! I’m Vince Young.’ And throwing a football and doing the Heisman pose,” she said as she demonstrated the moves that, along with her looks, landed her the part. “And he was like, ‘I want her.’”
The video debuted Wednesday. And as for the final cut of the Bucky Covington video, both Nicole and her boyfriend John Polk said that they were satisfied with the outcome….
MORE HISTORY = LESS MYSTERY: Rock stars lose their mystique
As we’re buried in backstage footage, blog entries, MySpace pages and unreleased tracks, we lose interest
… handy benchmark will show up in stores Nov. 6. The Beatles’ 1965 film “Help!” is at last getting its proper release on DVD, latest in the band’s ongoing digital updating of its catalog. The disc is a welcome treat for Beatles fans, its gorgeous restored color and surround-sound mixes providing snazzy new thrills.
But look close, and you’ll notice something about the package’s bonus features: There aren’t a whole lot of them. We’ve grown accustomed to extras with our DVDs — deleted scenes, outtakes, on-set interviews. But with “Help!” there simply wasn’t a choice. In 1965, surplus Beatles footage wasn’t just left on the cutting room floor, it was swept into a trash bin.
That scenario isn’t unusual. The Beatles phenomenon was as well-chronicled and publicized as any big news event of its time. But pop music itself was regarded as temporary, even disposable. Unimaginable as it seems by today’s standards, few people of the era thought in terms of preserving every move for posterity. There was no rock press to speak of. Young fans accessed their artists via records, radio play and the occasional television gig.
“There was no thought given to recording behind-the-scenes stuff,” says Howard Kramer, curatorial director for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. “It just wasn’t done. I don’t think someone would have even proposed that back then. ‘Shoot behind the scenes? What do we need that for?’ ”
In other words, there’s probably more backstage footage of the typical “American Idol” contestant than there is from the Beatles’ entire career. Or contrast “Help!” with “Popmart,” the latest concert DVD from U2. Released last month, it’s a typical modern music release with a typical grab bag of extras: nine previously unreleased live songs, four documentary features with interviews and backstage footage, a batch of audio-visual goodies for home computers…….
“Idol” donations help combat AIDS in Africa
“American Idol” viewers will never see this particular performance of anti-AIDS songs and dances in a modest community hall, but they helped pay for it.
After a star-studded “American Idol” extravaganza in April raised more than $75 million, the money is trickling down to charities in the United States and Africa. Five charities working in Africa each received $6 million, including an anti-AIDS peer-education program where students fuse “What a Wonderful World” with African opera and break-dancing with traditional rhythms.
The campaign called “Idol Gives Back” is the latest in a long line of high-profile efforts to raise funds for Africa……
Concert promoters get reality check
It started off so promisingly.
On May 11, a full-color, full-page ad in The Denver Post announced Kelly Clarkson’s national tour in support of her album “My December,” which hadn’t even been released. The jaunt would take Clarkson to the Pepsi Center, a venue that seats up to 18,000 for concerts, depending on stage setup.
What a difference a month made.
Quickly realizing the lack of ticket demand, Clarkson’s team canceled her tour in June and regrouped. In September, promoter Live Nation announced a scaled-down Clarkson show Nov. 5 at the Paramount Theatre - with 1,870 seats, about a tenth of the Pepsi Center’s capacity.
Ticket prices were also slashed from an upper end of $69.50 to $41 across the board.
The lesson? Clarkson’s management grossly overcalculated the 2002 “American Idol” winner’s appeal and ended up having to retract its pronouncements, to the chagrin of the entire music industry…….
Lugo flashes the leather in Boston’s 10-5 Series win over Colorado
….
NO BEEF: It had the makings of a chilly meeting. Or maybe make that a “meat-ing.”
Country star Carrie Underwood, a two-time winner of PETA’s “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian” singing the national anthem at Coors Field, home of the Rockies — who are owned by the Monfort family, once one of the world’s largest exporters of beef.
“There are no concerns at all,” Charlie Monfort, chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies, said before Underwood performed Saturday night. “I don’t blame people for being vegetarian, that’s their choice.”
Underwood frequently does concerts wearing a “V is for Vegetarian” shirt. The former “American Idol” winner told PETA after her 2007 win that she quit eating beef at age 13.
“I do it because I really love animals and it just makes me sad” she said in PETA’s publicity materials. “I don’t like to watch commercials where they have meat. It weirds me out.”
Underwood declined all interview requests before Game 3, Major League Baseball spokeswoman Paige Novack said.
Monfort said he and Underwood met once, when she was in Colorado for a concert.
Monfort co-founded the team with trucking company owner Jerry McMorris. Charlie Monfort and his brother, Dick, bought out McMorris’ interest in 2005.
The Monfort family has a decades-long history of raising cattle and owning and operating meatpacking in northern Colorado. Charlie Monfort grew up in his families business and was once president of Monfort International Sales.
….
Ride a little too smooth
Every moment on Carnival Ride is big, bright and shiny — starting with Carrie Underwood’s majestic voice.
The American Idol winner is a terrific singer, and this slick sophomore outing is an overall better effort than Some Hearts, which padded its killer country singles with woefully forgettable filler like Lessons Learned and I Just Can’t Live a Lie.
But like Underwood’s own superstar hair extensions, Carnival Ride would have benefited from some shearing and a few nuanced colors. Despite the musical growth, she’s still searching for a unique interpretive voice.
Underwood is best when she’s showcasing a youthful, winsome charm…..
Commentary: Can life exist without an Idol?
Of all the broadcast networks, Fox has the most to do in stabilizing itself
Hypothetical situations don’t help illustrate much because they didn’t happen. And yet, they are also pretty handy in maximizing the impact of failure analysis. So ponder this:
What if Fox didn’t have American Idol? Take a long moment. Think about the most popular and powerful show on television. It arrives in January, coming to the rescue of a network that founders much of the first half of the season.
American Idol is the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass that gets caught. But what if it was never thrown? Well, for starters, Fox would be in the gutter, trying to keep the CW at bay. But the network would also be more proactive in fixing its problems. Of all five broadcast networks, Fox may have the most work to do in stabilizing itself. It is also, arguably, the one network most defensive about its deficiencies. And that brings us to the first way Fox can start fixing itself:
Former ‘Idol’ winner sings Game 3 National Anthem
Although Ace Young is one of the most well-known American Idol competitors to hail from Denver, he wasn’t the one singing the National Anthem before Game 3 of the World Series.
Checotah, Okla., native Carrie Underwood became the first person to sing the Star Spangled Banner prior to a World Series game in Colorado on Saturday night.
The country music star won American Idol in May of 2005 and launched her debut album in November 2005.
Underwood has since won two Grammys
Stars-crossed antics at the Series
…Rockies officials said they were not consulted about the anthem talent.
“Major League Baseball told us who the singers would be,” Rockies spokesguy Jay Alves told the Rocky Mountain News.
Of course, Fox is televising the World Series and is supplying some of the celebs.Besides Underwood, fellow “American Idol” Taylor Hicks has been tapped to do the Star Spangled honors for Game 5. (Trish Yearwood has the microphone tonight along with Lonestar, which will do “God Bless America.”)…
Minor talent taints Clarkson’s major voice
Kelly Clarkson’s career to date has been a prolonged attempt to undo the damage American Idol did to her.
Clarkson has been the guinea pig for the glorified karaoke show, as it moved from someone’s big idea into a major cash-cow.
She is the first, and most memorable, Idol to cut and run. She played nice, at first, with a pair of records that went platinum based on her television profile. Neither suggested that Clarkson was anything other than a young woman with a big voice and a whole crew of well-paid image consultants telling her what to do.
This didn’t seem to upset anyone but Clarkson, who, time has told us, was beginning to feel like a fast-food burger with a voice…….
‘Dirty Idol’ Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx wants “dirty up” ‘American Idol’.
The Oscar-winning star is obsessed with the singing talent contest, but he would like to appear on the TV show and make it less “clean”.
Jamie said: “I absolutely love ‘American Idol’. If I was on it, I’d do 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’, because I’d love to see that crowd rock. Normally it’s so clean with all that ‘Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong’ stuff. I want to dirty it up.”……
Idol host hospitalised
AUSTRALIAN Idol host Ian “Dicko” Dickson ended up in hospital while in LA during the week filming his new reality talent search Next Great American Band.
Dicko was treated for dehydration and a stomach bug at a hospital near the studios where he was rehearsing for the second episode of Band.
Dicko became unwell during the rehearsal show on Tuesday and was sent to seek medical attention by the in-studio doctor.
He spent two hours on a drip before being sent back to his hotel to rest………
CBS, NBC Is the ‘Deal’ for Friday
….”Deal or No Deal” started the eight o’clock hour strong for NBC with a 6.6/12 rating. CBS’ “Ghost Whisperer” followed close behind with a 6.2/11. ABC took third with a 3.1/6 for a “Grey’s Anatomy” rerun, while The CW’s “Friday Night Smackdown!” nabbed a 2.4/4. FOX trailed with a 1.7/3 for the second outing of “The Next Great American Band,” down from its premiere.
ABC jockeyed and won first at 9 p.m. for “Women’s Murder Club,” 6.1/11, easily edging past CBS’ vampire drama “Moonlight,” 5.4/10. “Friday Night Lights,” 3.9/7, took third for NBC, “Smackdown!,” 2.7/5, kept The CW in fourth, while “American Band” took a 1.8/3….
Elliott Yamin gets in a holiday mood
Richmond’s own “American Idol” star Elliott Yamin puts a soulful spin on Christmas favorites on a new holiday CD.
“NBC Sounds of the Season - The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection” is now available from Target stores.
Priced at $6.99, it includes “This Christmas,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Merry Christmas, Baby,” “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire),” “Jingle Bells,” and three original songs recorded exclusively for the album, “A Very Merry Xmas,” “Let’s Be Naughty (And Save Santa The Trip),” and “Warm Me Up.”
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For those looking for a video of Paul Potts singing “God Save The Queen,” go to http://www.nfl.com/videos; go to Highlights, and select the “NFL Scoreboard: Giants vs. Dolphins Highlights” video. You can hear him singing the anthem for a brief 20 seconds or so. There’s a nice shot of the crowd too.
ETA: Oh yeah, GO SOX (although I think The Rockies will pull out a win tonight).
If you need a laugh and you haven’t already tried singing the lyrics for Honky Tonk Chanukah’s - do it. Impossible NOT to crack up. If you can’t quite remember the “melody” to I’ll Walk the Line you can find it on You Tube. I liked this one …
That number shipment for Carrie sounds right on target given her first week sales numbers.
I think she will do around 500k- very solid opening week.
MJ? Star? PJ? I have scoop - well, at least verification and a bit of expounding on info we already know. Anyway, I need you! Hee. So, I guess check your boxes. :)
Anyway, back on track - the concert was GREAT. I’m really glad we got there early. Well, on time, really, but you know what I mean. My roommate and I both loved both opening acts. Josh Hoge has SO much soul in his voice, but on the whole, his songs seem pretty versatile. He was fantastic - his whole set was acoustic. His “breakup” song, 360? Yeah, totally identified with that, and I told him as much when I got the chance to talk to him later. Oh a little Josh Hoge scoop - he’s been signed to a new label out of New York and is going into the studio in January to begin recording a full length album that will be released sometime next spring or early summer, they hope. He’s also been signed to an endorsement deal with Geico and has some big things with them in the works. And yeah - he’s not bad on the eyes at all. Okay… The Last Goodnight - also fantastic!! My roommate loved the 80’s influences in their sound. *cough* At first, I thought the lead singer looked a little like Adam Levine, but as their set continued my roommate pointed out that he looks more like a non-tatted up Joel Madden, and I TOTALLY see that! Anyway, we both agree that The Last Goodnight should definitely make it big. The band is tight and they have a great sound. It’s obvious that they’ve been playing together for a while - their transitions are seamless. It’s also obvious that their target demographic is young females - not unlike Maroon 5 - and the ladies there tonight certainly responded well to them. And my roommate and I both recognized their single as a song we’d heard before, so that’s a good thing. Anyway, we really really liked both opening acts. So, if you’re going to an Elliott concert - make sure you get there on time!!!
Okay… Elliott!!! Love him. The crowd was crazy for him, and he made several comments about how loud and great we were. Heh. :) Sway is still doing backup for him, and they sound really good harmonizing. Elliott looked and sounded really great… “Trainwreck” live? Magic. That’s seriously my favorite song on the album, and yeah, it was great. I also really liked “Alright”, “Free”, “Take My Breath Away”, “Movin On”… you know, I really liked the live versions of all the songs. The live versions have a more funky feel, which I LOVE, because Elliott’s voice lends itself very well to more than just straight up R&B. His voice is just fantastic, and his timing is just perfect. He doesn’t do too many runs, and the ones he does, he puts in just the right places. Great musical instincts, that boy. And his band is fantastic.
I really started liking Elliott after I saw him on the tour of the season 5 top 10. This is the first time I’ve seen him on his solo tour, and while I won’t necessarily travel a long way to go to a concert, any time he’s in Orlando or Tampa, you better believe I’ll be there. His stage presence has improved a million times over from the Idol stage, and it’s great to see him interacting with the crowd. He’s not necessarily a natural born performer - but, you know performing skills can be taught and learned. A voice like that? Cannot.
We didn’t get to meet him *sniff* but you know, it’s okay. They kicked us out before he could come out to the merch table - Sunday night is a big club night at the HOB, so they had to open back up pretty soon after the concert ended. We waited by a fence that his buses were supposedly behind, but one of the roadies said he most likely wouldn’t come outside the fence. Boo. That’s okay though. :)
Anyway, the crowd was pretty diverse. There were some parents there with young teenagers. There were some older teenagers there. There were some grandmas there, too. :) But, most of the crowd seemed to be in the 20-50 age range, with more guys than I expected. The House of Blues is a GREAT venue for a concert, and I especially like this one, because it’s less than 10 minutes from where I live. Heh. And you don’t have to pay for parking, which is even nicer.
So yeah… come early, hang out by the merch table between sets, because you might get to meet Josh Hoge ;) (but don’t let a random drunk girl take your pic with him because she’ll cut off his head in the pic), and come expecting a great concert. Totally worth it!!
(MJ, you can post this out front if you want. :))
SARAH!! I don’t have any e-mail from you. Did you send it to my work address? Can you send it to my yahoo e-mail instead?
Thanks!
Great recap! I’m in chat for a few. Just got home from my trip to Philly about an hour ago. Will check inbox as well. :)
Also, I don’t know if this was reported here:
“Next Tuesday, 10/30/07, will be a big day for Blake Lewis fans. More details to follow, but make sure that you visit blakelewiscomingsoon.com and call the number listed to sign up, if you haven’t already! You just may hear Blake’s first single very, very soon…”
Blake’s single will be out on Tuesday according to Puretune. :)
YAY SOX! (Heh, and there is a reason why I don’t gamble.)
Porter Wagoner a country music legend died tonight at age 80. I remember watching him as a little girl when my grandpa would have the Grand Ole Opry on. He discovered Dolly Parton and her song “I will always love you” was written for him.
I also believe he introduced Carrie Underwood the first time she sang at the Opry but I could be mistaken.
http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_7308196
Check again, ladies. I’ll be in chat in a second. :)
Sarah - I’m up working late tonight and just read your recap. It sounds like you had fun! I’m totally bummed you guys didn’t meet Elliott though. Josh is really sweet isn’t he? Did Blake record his songs? I’m curious to see TLG in concert. I like their song that’s out right now.
Yeah, Josh is totally sweet. And very cute too. ;) We met him between the bar and merch table between The Last Goodnight’s set and Elliott’s set. And he deserves major props for talking to me about Blake at the concert, because he totally didn’t have to.
Anyway, the gist is this:
He wrote two songs that Blake considered, but Blake only ended up recording one, and Josh knows it WILL be on the album, and thinks it might be a single (at first, he said the first single, but then kinda changed the wording of that to “a” single). I asked him what the title was and he said “Know My Name”. He said he originally wrote it with Ryan Tedder, and that he (Josh) was going to record it. But since Ryan is producing for Blake, somewhere along the way, Blake heard the song and loved it. So Josh gave the okay for Blake to record it, and the rest is history. The new twist is that the guy from Gym Class Heroes (star thinks that’s Sam Hollander, their producer) has also gotten involved somehow. I didn’t get clarification on how, though.
Anyway, more deets at the Team Plaid blog… but that’s the gist of it. :)
I think Taylor Swift will probably get the Horizon Award again this year but I wish Kellie P would. At least Kellie gets to perform on the show, which should help her album sales. I hope Bucky gets nominated next year.
Remember back when Dolly was on the Porter Wagoner show and they’d do those homemade commercials for boxes of Breeze?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaOKJU7ViH8
The old video shows how much Kellie Pickler is like the old Dolly.
My grandfather, who was born in 1900, was Dolly’s biggest fan. That just shows how long she has been in the business. She was a baby when Porter took her under his wing. He will be missed.
LOL, sorry, that didn’t come off my fingers correctly. I made it sound like Dolly was performing in 1900. LOL
Grandpa lived til the 1970s and watched Porter and Dolly religiously.