Today’s Idol headlines after the jump…
Anchor’s away, but Capt. Sig’s ship has come in
NBC News anchor Brian Williams canceled his scheduled trip to Seattle due to rain and snow, but that didn’t stop two members of Sanjaya’s fan club from flying in — from Pennsylvania and Hawaii — to see their “Idol” perform in “Black Nativity” at Intiman Theatre last weekend. Sanjaya and fellow “American Idol” contestants Leah LaBelle and Karma Johnson each sang a solo in the 10th anniversary of the holiday production. The trio signed autographs and posed for photos with everyone who waited after the show, including the Super Fans, who are probably still stuck here in a soggy hotel room near the airport. …
LI’s Sean Gould bids ‘Hello’ to Blake Lewis
LI guitarist bids Hello’ to Lewis
The new album from “American Idol” runner-up Blake Lewis may be a bit uneven, but one surefire hit is “Here’s My Hello,” a slice of Maroon 5-ish pop that was engineered by Sean Gould, better known as the guitarist from Seaford-based Bandcamp.
Gould, who has been working with the production team of Sam Hollander and Dave Katz at Fresh Kills studio on several projects, including Metro Station and We the Kings, also lends his guitarwork to the track. The song helps bulk up Lewis’ “Audio Day Dream” debut, which has a solid shot at debuting in the Top 5 next week and beating out the debut of this season’s “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks…….
New Recordings
Pop
With the debut of its most recent winner, Jordin Sparks, barely scraping the Top 10, American Idol quickly sends in the runner-up - beat-boxer Blake Lewis - to see how much bounce to the ounce he’ll muster. The second string (heck, even the third string) has been good for Idoldom. (See Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson for reference.) But this time, the pickin’s aren’t so lush. Despite the presence of rapper Lupe Fiasco on the bippity-bobbity “Know My Name,” a startling dedication to jittery ’80s pop, and a formidable hair-don’t, Lewis has made a mess that’s screwier than his thrift-shop wardrobe. Things like the skipping “Break Anotha” and “What’cha Got 2 Lose?” are electro-fried muddles of punk-funk-ska-dancehall-rock.
Lewis’ slight but solid vocals can’t always carry the weight of the melodic banality put forth on songs like “Surrender” by Ryan Tedder, the songwriter from OneRepublic. But the halting “Gots to Get Her” has just enough eau de “Puttin’ on the Ritz” to make it zesty. On this song, at least, Lewis’s warbling trills are cute indeed.
A likable ‘Idol’
Jordin Sparks’ debut CD has pop appeal but won’t satisfy all of her fans
Few albums arrive with lower expectations than an “American Idol’s” first release. Given the lackluster season and dismally amateurish summer tour that led to the most recent winner, 17-year-old Jordin Sparks, one could reasonably expect yet another stinker from the Fox/19 cheese factory.
Surprise. Aside from the cliched dream-comes-true pap every Top 2 finalist has to sing on the season finale, “Jordin Sparks” is one of the least crummy “Idol” CDs.
Producers wisely allow “Idol’s” youngest winner to sing age-appropriate pop/R&B music and largely keep intact her positive, amenable personality that helped her trump beat-boxing phony Blake Lewis on the show. This will keep Sparks”tween fans — and their moms — happy. Every girl who ever felt like a wallflower at the junior prom will relate to, and celebrate, the uplift behind the inspirational “God Loves Ugly.”…………..
American Idol Finalist Phil Stacey Recording Debut CD
American Idol season six finalist Phil Stacey is currently recording music for his debut album. Phil Stacey is working with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick (Little Big Town)…….
So That’s Why They Drink Coke on TV
…. I, for one, always assume when I see a brand in a television show or a movie that someone paid to have it there. And if product placement allows me to see fewer commercials, isn’t that a fair trade-off? One program on CW this year, called “CW Now,” runs its full 26 minutes without commercials. The show is about hot products and lifestyle news, so it is easy for the program to interweave ad messages.
But that’s an exception. Nearly all programs rife with product placement still blast us with commercials.
Even so, television executives are not eager to address Mr. Martin’s concerns. After all, some advertisers think the value of product integration is the ability to sneak up on viewers. They want viewers to think that the lead characters of “Gilmore Girls” really liked eating Pop-Tarts for breakfast and that the women in “Desperate Housewives” really do think Nissans are cool.
Some of the proposed solutions to the problem sound more annoying than the product placements themselves. For example, every time Paula Abdul takes a sip from a giant red cup splashed with the Coca-Cola logo on “American Idol,” a disclaimer box could be superimposed over the cup. When young guys flirt with beautiful babes on “The Game Killers” on MTV, a banner on the bottom of the screen could say, “This program was co-created by Unilever’s Axe deodorant.” ….
Related Posts
From the Newsday article:
I knew he was working on an album, but didn’t know it would be on a major label. Go Ryan! Can’t wait to check it out.
Brandon Rogers has a new song up on his myspace. Me likey!
http://www.myspace.com/brandonrogers
He also blogged this:
I guess I’m going to have to start watching this show when and if the strike ends. Anyone know if it’s any good?
Can’t wait to hear Phil’s album, too. :)
PJ, Sarah beat you to it. She posted Brandon’s myspace blog yesterday…
I finally finished recapping the NGAB Top 4
There must be two Ryan Star’s. Ryan Starr who was on Idol(season two, I believe) is a gal. Not sure who Ryan Star (one r is) Ryan Starr from Idol is still working on a music career and appeared on a VH1 series last year.
Jojosie - Ryan Star (with one R) was a contestant on Rockstar Supernova last year. Here are a couple of his standout performances:
Losing My Religion
In The Air Tonight
And here is his myspace. Quite a few of us here at MJ’s watched the show last summer (this was pre-chat so MJ opened a sooper speshul Rawkstah thread for us ;)), and there was a group of us who lurrrrrrved Ryan Star. PJ and I are two of those people. :)
ETA: I downloaded Ryan’s track from that movie soundtrack from iTunes earlier today, and I really like it. I too knew that he was working on an album, but I didn’t know either that it was going to be on a major label. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for the album and pick it up when it’s released. I heart Ryan Star. :)
Oops. How did I miss that yesterday? Sorry!
Thanks for the links, Sarah! Memory lane! I plan on downloading the track later.
sniff, sniff, I miss Toby Rand.
ETA:go Ryan
I missed the show Rock Star period. This past summer just didn’t seem right without Rock Star. Magni was my fav last year.
I loved Toby & Magni.
Taylor Hicks has been invited to perform at the Asian Idol Competition.
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http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=105876
RP bet leading ‘Asian Idol’ poll
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippines Inquirer
Last updated 01:11am (Mla time) 12/10/2007
MANILA, Philippines - A week before the grand finals on Dec. 15 and 16, Filipina Mau Marcelo is leading the pack in an online poll conducted on the official “Asian Idol” website (www.theasianidol.tv).
Marcelo has 33.51 percent of the 970 votes cast up till the evening of Dec. 8. She is followed by Vietnam’s Phuong Vy, with 23.92 percent; Indonesia’s Mike Mohede, 20.62 percent; Malaysia’s Jaclyn Victor, 12.78 percent; Singapore’s Hady Mirza, 8.04 percent; and India’s Abhijeet Sawant, 1.13 percent.
Perci Intalan, ABC 5’s head of Creative and Entertainment Production, told Inquirer Entertainment that the result of the online poll was largely indicative of the contestants’ current standing in the regional contest which is being held in Jakarta, Indonesia for the first time.
…….
The system was formulated by FremantleMedia, “Idol” franchise holder, to ensure a level playing field.
……..
The contest’s web site also said that each county had been asked to send its own judge. An early list in Wikipedia named the following jurors: Indonesia’s Indra Lesmana, India’s Anu Malik, Malaysia’s Paul Moss, Singapore’s Ken Lim, Vietnam’s Siu Black and the Philippines’ Pilita Corrales.
Intalan also told the Inquirer that last year’s “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, “Australian Idol” champ Guy Sebastian and Filipino band Rivermaya had been invited to perform in the regional tilt.
Thanks for the news LLB! Seems that you have to go to another hemisphere to get some respect, doesn’t it! :)
jersey
Dec 9th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
sniff, sniff, I miss Toby Rand.
And in the words of Toby…..
Oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!
I miss him, as well
Wonder what happened to Lukass Rossi? I don’t think Supernova made much of a splash.
It was a bit pretentious of Ryan, but I remember when he got kicked to the curb he told the Supernova guys that he’d see them at the top of the charts. LOL.
This should make ardnian happy. ;D
Where are you, ardnian?
Speaking of Rockstar, what about JD Fortune? I loved him on the show, very HOT guy and talented too. I loved INXS, but I haven’t followed them much lately.
Anyways, I wonder if they are doing well lately in Australia and Europe?
Nope, they didn’t.
“Rossi brought back down to earth
Supernova flamed out but star Lukas Rossi is carrying on alone”
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/279602
Angelia, I miss Rock Star too. The concept was probably too hard to keep doing (finding a band that needed a lead singer). I will say, they did a great job of casting in general and found better talent than I think AI has.
Here’s another Ryan Star:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZB39fqpxeE
Heh.
Remember how they made Marty Casey sing Britney and he was so upset. Well, he worked it out (video is bad):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfSHNUOW-uM
Remember Jordis? Loved her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6juCiinBsMk
ETA: She blows Blake away on her version of Imagine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMV6JfqS648
Taylor Hicks is coming to Manila!!!
Yay! He will reportedly have a show at the Greenbelt Mall (beside the Glorietta Mall where Elliott performed on September 22 - and which later exploded :s) on December 18, which appears to also be courtesy of the Ayala group that brought Elliott here.
Another chance to ba a fan girl! Am I lucky or what? ;D
Oh, I also loved Marty Casey on Rockstar! :D
Purps, yay! You will get to see Taylor. :)
Yes, pj. I’m stoked! I really hope it’s true. There had been no promo (or even news) about Taylor’s visit until today so we’re a little confused, too. We’re only surmising that since he’ll be in nearby Indonesia in that period, he (and the promoters) took the opportunity to have him swing by Manila.
Of course, I am hoping he would be doing a (musical) show and not just be parking cars here (which, come to think of it, is not at all improbable since the customers of that mall are, after all, mainly the Manila rich and famous who can afford the fees of a stateside parking attendant)…lol ;D
Ok, it must be true. I found a half-page ad on a major newspaper (Philippine Star) here. It features a photo of Taylor (from the album cover series), says “Taylor Hicks Live” (in the album cover font), and gives the following schedule:
Glorietta
December 18, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Greenbelt
December 19, 2007
8:00 p.m.
TriNoma
December 20, 2007
7:00 p.m.
There will be meet and greet sessions after each show. I can probably make it to the first two shows since those malls are located only a couple of blocks from my office. Yay! :D
Seeing two Idols I like within the span of three months…just wow!
And I bet Daughtry will be coming here next year, too. Woohoo! This Idol junkie is happy. ;D
I just know you are all watching my Saints tonight, and saw the promo given by the network (ESPN) for artist of the week, Blake Lewis?