Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…
‘American Idol’ Spoiler Alert: Online Forum Claims To Know Names Of Next Year’s Top 50
Is someone posting insider information on ‘Idol’ message board?
Someone using the online handle “JoesPlace” looks to be giving “American Idol” fans an early Christmas present — or is at least peeling back the fancy wrapping and ribbons to show them just what is going to be underneath the tree.
In posts on IdolForums.com, “JoesPlace” has listed the names, ages, home cities and MySpace pages of contestants fortunate enough to actually make it to Hollywood, where judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will whittle the top 50 down to the top 24. And it appears that the list may be legit, based on information contained within the MySpace pages of the supposed “Idol” contenders……………
Jingle Ball performers offer jumble of quality
How was Jingle Ball? A low-rent, far-from-smooth production with lots of highs and lows.
• Blake Lewis. The “American Idol” runner-up seemed inexperienced (after a couple of numbers, he announced he had three more songs) and mechanical — except during “What’cha Got 2 Lose” when he did his infamous beat-boxing. Grade: C-minus……
• Jordin Sparks. The “American Idol” champ showed a strong voice, plenty of personality and forgettable material except for “No Air” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Grade: B-minus…..
Jingle Ball keeps young crowd ringing
….Sixth-season “American Idol” runner-up Blake Lewis acted as the first of two post-West additions to the bill. And even though he looked as if he’d just stepped off an all-night/all-day bus trip from some other radio-show gig - and handed a faulty microphone on the way out to the stage - he proved to be a trooper. He ripped through a selection of songs from his just-released debut “Audio Day Dream,” that sounded better live than on disc, particularly “Gots to Get Her” (which was “inspired by” Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz”) and the Prince-like “Know My Name.”…..
…. Like her “AI” mate Lewis, Jordin Sparks struggled with a bum microphone but, again like Lewis, didn’t let it slow her down. She’s grown noticeably as a performer since we last saw her back in August on the “AI” tour. Her self-titled debut did post the lowest-ever first-week sales of an “Idol” winner, but she’s still surprisingly young (17) and has a killer next single in “No Air.” ….
Counting Down to Idol — It’s Instrumental
What is it that I am most excited for when it comes to this year’s American Idol?
It’s instrumental, my dear Watson.
For the first time, Idol contestants are going to be allowed to play instruments. Just imagine… not one, but two chances for contestants to prove their musical abilities. And two chances for them to royally screw up.
Actually, I’m excited because I think this is going to elevate the talent pool. I think it’s an opportunity to see some really special performers.
I mean, let’s be brutally honest. It takes talent to sing, but it takes a lot more talent to play an instrument too. Unless you play a tamborine or a moonshine jug, you need dexterity, coordination, rhythm and a good ear…………
Top Turkeys of 2007
This Year’s Musical D’oh-bious Achievement Awards
Clive Davis: So what if you’re the executive emeritus of the music industry. Feuding with one of “your” biggest stars, Kelly Clarkson, because “Miss Independent” had the chutzpah to—gasp!—pen her own songs and take artistic control over her career, as opposed to bringing in the army of writers and producers and “hitmakers” you insisted upon, is simply bad form. Actually, it’s kinda douchebaggy. Just because Clarkson won American Idol doesn’t mean she has to be your pre-fab sprout her whole career. Go resurrect Carlos Santana for the 18th time, and leave her alone
Birthday girl surprised by Idol
A lively party is capped by a performance from Ruben Studdard.
Louise Flagler’s 59th year was one of her worst. The lowest moment came on Mother’s Day when her mother died in her arms.
So Flagler’s daughter, Symone Dexter, wanted to start off her 60th year Friday with a cheerful, big to-do: a surprise birthday party at the swanky Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park with all her friends and a Happy Birthday performance by an Idol.
“I said, ‘Ruben, listen, I need you,’” Dexter said.
Ruben as in 2003 American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, the big, gentle choirboy from Alabama dubbed the “Velvet Teddy Bear.”
Dexter, a singer who has performed backup for Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, says she knows Ruben through her music industry connections. She said she paid only to fly him in from L.A……
Exclusive Interview: Bo Bice, former ‘American Idol’
….So, you’ve got a new album that just came out called “See The Light.” Can you just talk a little bit about that and the process that went into creating that album?
“See The Light” is really something I’ve been working on for over a decade, some of these songs. This song “Witness” on there has been a song in my library for about a decade, making changes. “Whiskey, Women & Time” is the same thing. Even the song “Sinner In A Sin” has been a little while in there. It was nice to be able to put some of those older songs on there, and then also work with people that are friends of mine from back in that era. Gary Nichols, Chris Tompkins, and Dan Hardin, they’re just good friends of mine. Then I have some new friends in here like Thomas Lee, who is my keyboard player, and we wrote a couple of tunes together. I think if I could sum the CD up in a general statement it’s just good ’70s southern rock, and a lot of good friends just having a great time playing music……
Blake Lewis Day Dreams in Our Studio
When it comes to ‘American Idol,’ sometimes second is the place to be. Clay Aiken, Bo Bice and Katharine McPhee have all gone on to have widely successful releases, and Blake Lewis is no exception. The 26-year-old beatboxing rocker became a fan favorite during the sixth season of the widely popular talent show, and has been on the rise to stardom ever since…….
Barbara Walters Reveals 2007’s Most Intriguing Celebs
….Also chosen were former American Idol standout turned Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson, MySpace founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, embattled radio shock jock Don Imus, and pop star/actor Justin Timberlake….
Lewis moves beyond ‘Idol’
….The album was recorded largely while Lewis was on the road this summer with the “Idol” tour, which he called “tedious and long.”
“Gots To Get Her” is Lewis’ most ready-for-radio next single, borrowing and reforming Irving Berlin’s “Puttin on the Ritz” melody to craft embarrassingly effective fluff.
The urban flavor seen in his “Idol” back-and-forth with Doug E. Fresh is in short supply on the CD. There’s just one guest rapper, Lupe Fiasco, on the celebrity crush tune “Know My Name.”
“I was hoping for more hip-hop flair. It comes down to the time thing and the release date,” Lewis said.
Lewis feels he already has one leg up on fellow “Idol” alumnus, some of whom have disappeared from the pop scene after disappointing first-album sales.
Radiohead Soon To Be $40 Richer, Thanks to Blake Lewis
Rather than ask American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis where he learned to beatbox or what he thought of Jordin Sparks’ debut album’s lackluster sales, we inquired as to how much Lewis, a known Radiohead fan, paid for In Rainbows. Well, he didn’t actually buy it yet, but when he does, Lewis says, “I’d probably spend $40 or something, just because that’s cool and they’re going a different route.”……….
Here comes season seven of ‘American Idol.’ Yawn.
The seventh season of “American Idol” debuts in about six weeks, and I’m trying hard to care.
Bloggers on the Web, from mega-fans to year-round “Idol” reporters, have been keeping a faithful watch on the Fox TV reality show and anticipating next year’s crop of talent.
Already, spoiler lists are circulating from Hollywood week, filmed in late November, with the names of contestants rumored to be in the top 50.
I haven’t noticed any singers from Alabama on those lists, although they are far from complete or official. The spoilers will become much more precise as the two-day launch of season seven (at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 and 16) draws near.
If I’ve learned one thing about this show, it’s that “Idol” maniacs are smart and relentless. They’ve learned how to subvert the system, and they take great pride in revealing the producers’ carefully guarded plans……
Related Posts
Kat had a “wildly successful” release? And I think it’s a little too early to peg Blake as the same, right, AOL?
Sigh. Because who needs facts when you’re trying to sell a product, right?
Brandon Rogers posted a blog and put up a new song on his myspace. I like the sound of it!
He says in the blog that he and Ace Young will both be in an upcoming episode of Bones. PJ, that should make you happy. :)
ETA because I went back up to glance at the headlines after I posted this:
OMG! Is she REALLY just 17?!?!? I had no idea!!
Who wants to bet that reporters STILL say she’s *just* 17 even after she turns 18 this month??
Though, ITA about “No Air” being a hit. I really like that song… it’s one of the only ones, but I do like it.
Just an FYI — they are playing the living daylights out of Tattoo in this area. Even though the first week out was not good for Jordin, I fully expect the CD to sell well over a million due to the push in airplay.
just like a tattoo (I swear there’s subliminal messaging in there somewhere.)
Milajoy! You’re famous! ;).
It entered at 97 on the Pop 100, and I think it will be her next hit. I would not be surprised if Jordin’s album keeps selling week after week–leaving it with respectable numbers in the end.
eta:
Definitely a possibility, imo.
A commical look at conversation between Taylor and a Alabama highschool football coach if they met.(it is funny)
http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2007/12/taylor-hicks-and-football-coach.html
Ace wrong tv show I sent he nbc vibe not Fox one.
Broken record here: Top 40 hits do not mean huge album sales. Rihanna who is HUGE hasn’t even sold 1 million albums yet. I think Jordin will have this problem with greal dls and weak album sales. AI went Top 40 with both Blake and Jordin but for S7 I think they should try for a country star again or someone like…Josh Groban.
Only time will tell. My point is that it’s too early to dismiss her album sales out of hand.
This stuff is hard to predict! Weak download numbers and the fact that “Break Anotha” had failed to chart led me to believe Blake’s opening numbers would be well below 100K, but it looks like he may crack into triple digits. So, who knows…
I would never dismiss anyone based on first week sales. I think Pickler opened with 70K and might end up selling more than Taylor. One of the fun parts of Idol is that you don’t really know what connects with the bigger audience. But I think Jordin might be a singles artist because I don’t think she has that strong Idol fanbase that supports her no matter what.
Some things about Idol stay the same no matter what - lunatic fans who don’t understand the meaning of the word “critic” and e-mail psycho responses to bad reviews. And age and genre seem to have no effect on this at all.
Kat:
While I wouldn’t call Bo, Clay, or Katharine’s album wildly successful one could argue that they have all had success.
Bo went gold. Clay went multi-platinum. Katharine debuted #2 in January and had a gold single.
So I would have deleted the word “wildly” but I still think they had success especially compared to most artists there in the music industry today.
And I must say watching the numbers of Blake and Jordin has been kind of boring this year- we you have no vested interest it’s kind of blah. It’s also fun to not care what the critics say.
But I hope in season 7 I can have someone to root for again, because part of me really misses the fan insanity. LOL!
“I Got U” is the song Blake didn’t really want on his album.
That’s because they both have so much experience working with wonky sound systems having been on both the AI show and tour.
See, those AI techs are not incompetent. They are just providing the Idols with valuable on-the-job training.
I agree. If she has a stream of radio hits, she could wind up selling low but steady numbers for a very long time. But I have to say that I don’t think it’s accurate to compare her to Pickler. I enjoy a fair amount of country music, so no offense to country fans, but from an outsider looking in it seems like a piece of carp could put on a Stetson hat and record a song, and they’d automatically get radio play and a spot performing on the CMAs. In other words, it does seem like country fans are more embracing of new talent than pop is, so I’m not sure that it’s accurate to compare airplay and sales in country music to airplay and sales in pop music. But that’s a completely uninformed observation, so take it with a grain of salt ;-)
I won’t dispute that they’ve all had success, but the article did mention wildly successful RELEASES, not wildly successful CAREERS. And really, out of the three mentioned, I think the only one who qualifies as WILDLY successful is Clay (JMO of course; I’m not looking to bait). Bo has had a fair amount of success and Katharine had a very nice fifteen minutes of fame that may be extended if her acting career takes off. I understand that AOL is trying to promote a product, and in a sense I’d much rather see them all described as successful instead of the usual game of defining one’s success by another’s failure, but yeah, calling Bo and Kat (or Taylor for that matter) “wildly successful” is a huge stretch IMO. It’s a minor distinction, but we all know that Idol and the media like to rewrite history.
Did anyone post Blake’s yahoo interview here?
“Bo has had a fair amount of success and Katharine had a very nice fifteen minutes of fame that may be extended if her acting career takes off.”
Only 15 minutes?…. it was at least 20!! Haha!
Actually she has been out in the public eye quite a bit lately so maybe it will be extended.
We’ll just have to wait and see. :)
Does anyone remember Lisa Lueschner from Season 3? She released an album to Itunes in August that I just found this morning, and it’s quite good.
I’ll give you that. The men’s mags and “inadvertent” panty shots definitely bumped it up to 20!!
Oh, definitely. I didn’t mean to imply that her success is dead or anything. She’s got movies coming out and so I expect her to get a bit more press, and I’m sure she’ll release another album, so who knows, maybe she’ll be sticking around for the long run. Which her fans will love, and so will I, because she’s guaranteed to say a lot of stupid things ;-)
LOL at “wildly successful” (the quote was ‘widely’, I think - not ‘wildly’) :) Clay’s first release could certainly be considered ‘wildly’ successful though. I sure wouldn’t put Kat in the same category as Clay! Not as a singer for sure!
Ha, you’re right Des, it was widely, not wildly…but, I still think “widely” is a stretch :)
Well, some of her photo shoots look pretty wild!
Wow, you found Lisa Leuschner’s album? Yeah it is definitely great!
Yeah, we had that dust-up earlier in the week, Monday or Tuesday, if you want to check it out.
BTW, I don’t miss the fan frenzy this year. When I think about what was going on at the blog last year at this time… Well, I’d rather not think about it. :).
isalleternal:
Yes I was reading over at TWOP and saw that someone posted she had an album out there. I really like the album and I like her voice.
Okay MJ- I won’t post my thoughts then. I didn’t want to bring up an old topic and I am just now catching up on some of the news.
I hated getting caught up in the fanwarring because I’d always regret it afterward, but I loved the snark, and I loved feeling like a kid again with my “favorite” contestant and all. I’d love a contestant to feel passionately about, but I don’t necessarily need one to hate!
Yeah I agree, it can be those “obscure” Idol albums like Lisa’s that are the real gems, not necessarily the ones that are widely released and available everywhere with big budgets.
A complete list is available at www.idolsmusic.com to see…
I think we need a countdown to Jordin’s birthday (December 22)! We’re at 14 days now! Hooray.
I would consider Clay to be “wildly” successful, considering that he was a runner-up who sold over 600K the first week and still holds the “record.” Using that term to describe Kat is a bit of a stretch!
I think Jordin’s “No Air” will be her “Since U Been Gone.” Chris Brown is in fact “wildly succesful,” and if nothing else, his fans are going to download this one as well as Jordin’s. Like Kelly C., Jordin’s sales are going to be steady and accumulate over time.
I Wanna Be a Popstar
Watchee Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uSlqI1AVUk&eurl=http://www.b3ta.com/links/I_wanna_be_a_pop_star
I’m sorry if this has been posted, but here’s a link with all the AI7 commericals thus far:
http://slimtainment.com/idolblog/category/idol-promos
I REALLY like the top commercial– it was totally not what I expected. And that is a VERY good thing!
This is all speculation, so get your grain of salt ready. :-)
I don’t think Jordin can be compared to Rhianna. Rhianna, to me, defines “Disposable Artist”. She can’t really sing, she doesn’t write songs, her persona has nothing to do with a musical “voice”. She exists mainly because she’s pretty and makes cool videos with catchy, if not artistically distinctive, songs. To me, that’s why she doesn’t move albums. People just download the songs they like and keep it moving. There’s no reason to take her seriously.
Jordin, on the other hand, CAN sing. And as we all know (say it with me now) She’s only 17! (OMG!!). As time goes on, she just may find a musical persona and “voice”. If you hear a couple of songs you like from someone who has a nice singing voice and presents like they might have something to offer, you are more likely to pick up the album, IMO. In this day of download and $20 CDs, I think that most people only buy albums if they think there’s enough substance to merit a purchase. Buy the time she gets a second or third song on the radio, people just may go pick up her album.
Anyone watching “The Amazing Race” this season? In episode 4 (I’m playing catch-up), the teams had to perform an African dance in front of some judges, and one of the guys compared the female judge to Paula and one of the male judges to and Simon.
I thought it was funny for more than one reason :)
Clay may not be doing much now but betwen singles and albums he sold like 5 million CD’s. Back in the day he was all over the place, all over TV, all over magazines. There are all different ways of defining success but imo none of the other 2nd place finishers had the kind of success he had.
I’m glad I didn’t put money down because my prediction was 65,000. Oops.
Wow thanks for that link to all the AI albums! I forgot half of those people out albums out. Some had voices I really liked.
Let’s see how far Jordin’s CD drops in its third week. Tattoo has moved up into top 10 in airplays. If that doesn’t help sales much, then she is really in trouble. I’m not sure No Air will do magic two months down the road.
Jordin has No Air to fall on if her first single underperforms. I don’t know what Blake got. He might be in danger of falling off the chart in 5-7 weeks..
It’s a great thing that people have such varied tastes in music. It keeps the industry going. I would much rather listen to Rhianna sing than hear Jordin sing. I think that Rhianna is talented and after all, she’s only 18.
I don’t usually listen to female singers for long periods of time. I don’t think that I’ve ever listened to an entire CD by a female singer. I would be more tempted to buy Rhianna’s than Jordin’s.
Rhianna is kind of a cipher with a pretty voice isn’t she? I think that Kellie Pickler’s likable television persona has definitely helped her move records. If Jordin’s bubbly, likable personality catches on via her TV appearances, I think it’ll also move some records.
According to Forbes last January Clay had sold 7 million albums at that time. Add to that the 1.5 million physical singles and I don’t know how many digital singles. I think he’s done very well indeed.
This Spamalot ad will be a page in the New York Times Arts section tomorrow.
What a Difference a Clay Makes!
http://i7.tinypic.com/6sk4qki.jpg
Just want to congratulate 4 Idols that made it to the VH1 last video countdown for 2007.
“Bo Bice #1″ three weeks in a row. I think this says a lot for all our favorite alumnis.
Elliott, Jordin, Daughtry, and
Thanks J.NM for posting that video I Wanta Be A Popstar. James At War ought to be doing this for a living as that was great fun. I also checked out some of his others and saw he has a My Space which which I’m going to check out. I’d like to see him doing some of the Idol coronation songs.
One thing I have learned through my years of watching Idol, I suck at predictions. I swear ta gawd, I thought T would be the next E. OK, a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean and he dropped like a Tony Soprano whack who was thrown in the Hudson River WITH a brick tied to his ankle.
I know shit about this stuff but one thing I got right. Though I voted for Bo, I knew Carrie would hit it big in country. I just didnt know how big. Its impossible to predict how well Blake or Jordin will do right now IMO. I look at Pickler and see how strong she is on country music TV and its like 2 years after the fact. What the hell do I know.
One more thing, LOD better get axed this week or ahm gonna be sick.
Someone commented that it is easier to get into country music than other genres. I have to disagree with this. I listen to country radio a lot and for some reason, none of the Nashville Star winners have done well on the country charts, with the exception of Buddy Jewell who was the first winner. And now he has disappeared from the scene. Last year’s winner of NS, Chris Young, seemed to have it all but I don’t think he ever entered the top 30. This year’s winner’s CD went unnoticed on the charts. I watched the show and can’t even remember the winner’s name. I do think that Idol alumni do have a good chance of excelling in Country music; I think TPTB in country believe there is cachet in making it to the top 10 on AI. BTW Bucky Covington wil be on a Christmas special tomorrow at 8 on GAC.
Katharine: Caught in the Act
Katharine McPhee must have been curious about how many times she appeared in the gossip mags this month! She arrived in Dules Airport in Washington, D.C. and made a stop straight for the newsstands to flip through. Gotcha, Katharine.
Complete with photos!
I agree with you Angelia. While I think country music fans are more likely to embrace someone from AI than fans of other genres, it’s not easy to break into the country market. Just go to Nashville and you’ll see.
Country has been so popified in the last 20-30 years that it’s lost it’s edge, if you ask me. I prefer Pickler to Carrie. Carrie has the better voice, but she’s plastic. She’s semi-believeable on BHC, but that’s it.
Kellie’s voice isn’t as pure, but she can tell a story. That’s what country music is about. Kellie understands that and while she’s not exactly old school, at least she nods to the greats (like Dolly).
PJ … I agree with you on the Carrie , Kellie comparison. Carrie shows very little personality but she has a good voice. Kellie’s voice may not at par with Carrie’s but she has personality to spare. I love watching Kellie..not so much Carrie.
Has anyone heard Kellie’s Christmas release of the song Santa Baby ?
I heard on CMT today that it is moving up the charts but I had never heard of it … anyone else ???
I received Bo’s new cd today as a birthday gift. My daughter knows Im a huge Bo fan, as she is. The only song on it I don’t like at all is his single, Witness. Why it was picked is a mystery to me lol. On the other hand, A Sinner and A Sin is worth the price of admission to me. This is Bo with a moving ballad, sweet harp, and his voice really showcased. Love the lyrics in it also. This is definitely southern rock. I dont love every song but this cd will be played a lot because there is some very great music on this some of the songs really showcase Bo well. A very good indie effort. Definitely worth the purchase, imo. I have 2 friends in Australia that will get this cd for xmas as they love Bo and cant get the cd there.