Castro preps for Garland concert
Rockwall’s Jason Castro is preparing to perform his first full concert back in his own back yard since the end of his run on American Idol. Castro will be the performing with Grammy legend Patti LaBelle in a concert on Saturday night at the Garland Special Events Center. Doors will open for the event at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m.
His first post-Idol solo performance actually took place in Oklahoma on Nov. 29 at the Flytrap Music Hall, which was also the grand opening for the venue.
“The concert was great,†Castro said in retrospect. “It was so exciting to be doing my own music again! It’s a totally different vibe than the arena shows I did all summer. There’s a connection that’s hard to keep when there’s thousands of people in front of you. At this show, we where so close that I could reach out and touch the people in the first row!â€
Britney Spears Is Back On Top As Circus Sells More Than 500,000 Copies
Her Circus album will debut at #1 on next week’s Billboard albums chart, selling just under 505,100 copies. It’s Spears’ fifth album to debut at #1 on the chart, and it sold nearly twice as many copies as last year’s Blackout album, which was denied the top spot on the chart by the Eagles’ Long Road Out of Eden.
Circus’ first-week sales total is certainly big, but it’s only the sixth biggest opening of 2008, behind albums like Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, AC/DC’s Black Ice, Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, Taylor Swift’s Fearless and T.I.’s Paper Trail. Still, it outpaced the first-week numbers of some of Brit’s pop peers, including Beyoncé’s I Am … Sasha Fierce, Mariah Carey’s E = MC2 and Miley Cyrus’ Breakout.
Interestingly enough, the Brit-sanity was so high among album buyers that Blackout also managed to return to the charts, selling more than 4,600 copies to land at #198.
David Archuleta on his new single, turning 18 and what it’s like to be him for a day
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - American Idol singer David Archuleta speaks about his latest single, turning 18 and what it’s like to be him for the day! David was performing at the free tree lighting ceremony event at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, California to raise awareness and money for the charity, One Heartland. Saturday, December 6, 2008.
David Archuleta: You Can! You Can! You Can!
American Idol alum David Archuleta recently dished about his favorite song on his debut album — and it’s not “Crushâ€!
The 17-year-old performer told Popstar that “You Can†is his fav. He shares, “It’s a really simple song and there’s not a whole lot to it. But that’s what makes it really cool. I just love what the song is about — it’s really simple. A simple, but great love song.â€
David’s second single set to release soon is “A Little Too Not Over You.â€
Jason Mraz Talks Grammys, Archuleta and Avocados
I spoke to David Archuleta the other day, and he told me he’d love to work with you some day, but he thinks he has some growing up and maturing to do before then.
I’d be happy to [work with him]…If Archuleta is a young man who has that awareness already—that I have some growing up to do—that’s amazing. That awareness is the first step. That’s the first tool that one needs to be a songwriter.
‘American Idol’ Daily: the Idol Christmas invasion
All in all, it makes sense that custody of America’s favorite holiday would fall into the hands of its No. 1 show. While “Idol” is often decried by its foes as a harbinger of civilization’s imminent collapse, it is in fact, rather than the shape of things to come, a last look at what has been. Its format — a singing contest — dates back at least to the dawn of television and probably to the first days when a few people perched on rocks to shriek at masses huddling in caves. “American Idol” stands as the last outpost of what was once known as family programming: television shows designed for multiple generations to gather around and gape at campfire-like. (Working as an Idolwatcher, the comment one most commonly hears is, “It’s the only show I can watch with my entire family.”)
Country singer Carrie Underwood closes out ‘Carnival Ride’ tour at O’Dome on Sunday
Carrie Underwood’s measure of success for her first solo tour - which included 37 performances across the U.S. and ends Sunday in Gainesville - might have been set a little low.
“People showed up and that’s important,” Underwood said with a laugh during a telephone interview with The Sun.
“I think in the beginning it was just very nerve racking when you are in control. There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a headliner. You want things to be good.”
The tour, promoting Underwood’s second and latest album “Carnival Ride,” began in February and has led the wholesome Oklahoman and “American Idol” winner across the nation.
Ryan Seacrest Talks Dating and ‘American Idol’
Ryan admits that his closeness to his own mother helped him come up with the concept for “Momma’s Boys” — a new dating series that poses the question: “Who is really the most important woman in every man’s life?”
So what kind of woman would Ryan’s mother want him to date?
“One that is under her spell — one that is under her control,” the “American Idol” host says. “I tend to like girls that are more provocative than my mother would approve of. She would definitely want the one that continues to go to church every Sunday. I might want the one that skips every Sunday.”
On “Momma’s Boys,” 32 single women vie for the attention of three eligible bachelors and their mothers, who live with them throughout the show, and uncover the conflicts between a mother’s wishes and a son’s desires.
Ryan Seacrest - Whether at home in California or broadcasting in New York, the easygoing host always counts on his favorite eats.
On December 31, Seacrest will co-host New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC with Dick Clark, ringing in 2009 with the traditional countdown from Times Square. The affable host of American Idol talks about what’s in his kitchen, what he eats to ring in the New Year, and which chefs are his American idols.
What are people surprised to find in your kitchen?
On my walls, a collection of menus from restaurants all over the world, signed by the chefs and framed. I relive great memories through the menus—many times the best stories happen over dinner.
Idols offered up some surprises, but not all of them good
It wasn’t a show to remember, but when four former American Idols came to town this week, they did offer up some surprises to a sparse crowd of less than 900 people at Toyota Center.
Diana DeGarmo, Kimberley Locke, Chikezie Eze and David Hernandez all trotted on stage to begin the show with a medley of Christmas faves including “Winter Wonderland” and “Let it Snow.” Then DeGarmo and Hernandez did a duet of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” where DeGarmo, dressed in a stunning knee-high red sequined dress, sang the pants off the barely average Hernandez. Seriously, there is nothing notable about Hernandez’s voice — he consistently proved to be the weak link in the show.
“The Marvelous Wonderettes”, “Rock Of Ages” Bring Jukebox Hits To Life
“Rock of Ages” is another jukebox musical currently on the boards Off-Broadway where Motown gives way to metal in an homage to 80’s rock.
In the show , the music of Bon Jovi, Journey and Pat Benatar all help set the scene for the Bourbon rock club, which is about to be demolished. American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis plays the young aspiring rock star/bar back in the club who is chasing after the new girl in town played by Kelli Barrett.
“I get to sing some of the songs that I grew up worshipping. Everything from White Snake, you know, lots of high notes. And what else do I get to sing? Journey, lots of Journey. And you know my voice happens to sit up there so it’s just an honor to be able to sing Steve Perry every night and all these great artists. You know, people come down of all ages to check out our show and they really sort of get invested right from beginning,” said Maroulis.
American Idol Finalist Kellie Pickler Announces January & February Performances
Finalist from season five of American Idol, Kellie Pickler has announced her January and February live performance dates.
These are the scheduled dates:
‘American Idol’ winner to perform, host dinner for local nonprofit
R&B soulstress Fantasia is coming to town for a two day-engagement: a VIP meet-and-greet at the Francis Marion Hotel and a concert at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.
Fantasia won fame by claiming the “American Idol” title during the program’s third season in 2004. A High Point, N.C., native, she’s at work on her third album, out in 2009.
Fantasia, 24, also will play Celie in the film adaptation of “The Color Purple” musical, set to begin production following her third album’s release. She played Celie in the Broadway musical as well.
Tickets cost $39.50, available at www.coliseumpac.com or Ticketmaster. Saturday’s performance will include a fashion show from LaKarZan Fashions ATL.
On Friday, Fantasia will host a dinner, the proceeds from both evenings to benefit the nonprofit organization, Bailey’s BASH, according to founder Joseph Bailey.
Harlow Winter Kate Madden Voted Best Celebrity Baby Girl Name Of The Year; Bronx Mowgli Wentz Is The Worst Celebrity Boy’s Name
Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s daughter Harlow Winter Kate has been voted the best baby girl name of 2008, according to website BabyNames.com.
According to over 5,000 members of the infant-friendly site, Harlow, born January 11, 2008 to her socialite mom and rocker dad, has the best girl name given to a celebrity baby born this year.
Former “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice and wife Caroline’s son, Caleb James Bice, has nabbed the best baby boy’s name.
Simon Cowell enjoys another bachelor night out as he wines and dines until 4am
Bachelor Simon Cowell made the most of his newfound freedom with a late night out at London’s China Tang restaurant.
The X Factor judge looked in high spirits as he emerged from the celebrity haunt at 4am this morning after a long sit-in with friends.
Simon, who split from long-term girlfriend Teri Seymour last month, admitted on Sunday that hitting the town as a free agent is a welcome relief.
He said: ‘You know the best thing about being single? Those latenight calls I don’t have to make anymore, like “Darling, I’ll be late home again”.
Toni Braxton skips ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale to have tumor removed
Toni Braxton skipped the “Dancing With the Stars” finale, but it wasn’t because of any hard feelings or achy feet. The singer was recovering after having a tumor removed from her breast.
“I was worried about what they would find,” she tells Us Weekly. “But it was benign.”
Braxton’s doctor first discovered the lump in August during a check up but didn’t feel the need to operate, and cleared her to compete in DWTS. It was only after she and partner Alex Mazo were eliminated on October 20 that she went back for a follow up appointment.
Is Stevie Wonder Putting on His ‘Dancing’ Shoes?
Legendary entertainer Stevie Wonder was a guest Wednesday on 104.3 MY fm’s “Valentine in the Morning,” and host Sean Valentine got the word from the singer himself on rumors that he will be on the 8th season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
The musical mastermind tells the talk-show host that he likes the idea but nothing has been decided. “It’d be fun,” Stevie says. “It’s not impossible, but right now it’s just a thought.” Valentine also asked the singer about his dancing ability.
“Come on,” Stevie says. “You’ve got to think. If I have 7 children, I’ve got to be able to dance right?”
To listen to the interview visit 104.3 Myfm
Lacey Schwimmer: I’d “Totally” Dance With Steve-O on DWTS
Dancing With the Stars’ Lacey Schwimmer says she wouldn’t mind doing the Paso Doble with Steve-O.
Asked about rumors that the former Jackass star may appear on the ABC show’s eighth season, Schwimmer tells Usmagazine.com, “There’s obviously no confirmation. We don’t even know until a few days before the show, but it would be awesome if it were true. I would be totally down to dance with him! I’m not kidding.”
Even if he did his own stunts?
“I would join in on the stunts! I am totally down for that,” she adds. “I am a fan of his movies and everything. I find him really fun and outgoing and silly.”
The eighth season of Dancing With the Stars premieres on March 9.
KISS 108 FM will be webcasting tonight’s Jingle Ball live!
WATCH JINGLE BALL 2008 LIVE TONIGHT, STARTING AT 7:00pm
If you couldn’t get Jingle Ball tickets don’t worry, you will have a front row seat and a backstage pass. Kiss108.com is webcasting the onstage performances and the backstage interviews as they happen. Plus if you become a Kiss Nation member you can chat with some of the stars from the Jingle Ball Artist Lounge.
Stage Lineup:
7:00 PM Secondhand Serenade
7:20 PM Lady GaGa
7:40 PM David Archuleta
8:05 PM Hinder
8:30 PM Katy Perry
9:05 PM Kevin Rudolf
9:25 PM Jesse McCartney
9:50 PM Natasha Bedingfield
10:15 PM Ne-Yo
So I posted this earlier in yesterdays headlines but I’d rather here cause I’m not sure if anyone will actually read it there. Amazon is doing a special sweepstakes. Today through December 16, you can enter to win two tickets to the 2009 Idol finale in Los Angeles, including a one-night hotel stay and airfare. I thought I’d share the link for everyone.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_27590_10909500_pe_00_head/?docId=1000315401
Extremely short clip of DC introducing Katy Perry at a Jingle Ball last night. Nick Lachey introduces DC at 1:30:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sHhfQbphE0&eurl=http://lj-toys.com/?journalid=14964785&moduleid=675&preview=&auth_token=sessionless:1229004000:embedconten
DC is performing tonight. Yay.
The other day I reported that Radio Disney’s “Pick It or Kick It†results for ALTNOY were 81% Pick It and 19% Kick It. Sorry guys, apparently that was not the final tally. The final results are actually 99% Pick It and only 1% Kick It. That means that Radio Disney will definitely be adding ALTNOY to their roster. Woohooo!!
Not sure if this was posted, but Billboard has is 2008 year review up.
Top new artists:
#2 Jordin Sparks
#8 David Cook
#10 David Archuleta
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/yearend/2008/charts/top-new-artists.shtml
Awesome.
DC is going to perform on the Fox New Years show broadcast from Vegas
Ryan Seacrest talks dating. Heh. So many jokes, so little time.
I really like “A Little Too Not Over You”. I remember when they were leaking songs, that was by far the best one. I like that song just a little more than Crush. I think it’s going to do really well.
Stevie Wonder on Dancing With the Stars? Why, Stevie, why? Don’t do it! Don’t let them put you in the “Point and Laugh Old-Disabled-Freakshow” spot! They’re gonna tell you it will be heartwarming and inspiring, but they LIE. lol. People will watch to see if you bump into anybody on the dance floor, just like they watched to see that woman’s leg fall off and Cloris keel over from a stroke. Keep your dignity, Stevie!!!!
Nice, Trina.
Momma’s Boys sounds like a trainwreck. Therefore, I will watch the premiere.
Thumbs up to that.
Man, as a Fox hater, I’m going to have to suck it up on NYEve to hear David Cook… Maybe I’ll wait for the video. LOL
But, Thanks for the tip, Trina!
I’m sure someone posted this in the BYE thread but I didn’t see it. You can vote for DC here. http://www.bestweekever.tv/bye/
Cook is in the lead
tinawina, I LOL’d at so much of your post
I must say, though, that if Stevie did DWTS I might actually watch that show for the first time in a couple of years. He is all kinds of awesome 
The Toyota Center is huge. It has a maximum capacity of 19,000. What were they thinking by holding it there? It makes their “less than 900″ turnout appear even more diminutive and disgraceful.
llamacook, thanks for the link - I promptly clicked over to cast my vote
And I gotta say, DC’s not just “in the lead” - he’s got 93% of the vote! Cloris, Sarah, The “Pregnant” Man, and some kid I’ve never even heard of don’t stand a chance, lol!
ozarka - thanks for the Radio Disney update - I would have guessed 100% pick it (some jealous boy, no doubt). All of you who don’t listen to Radio Disney may not realize how extremely popular David A is with the listeners on those stations. Jive should be thrilled with him. (Side note: my kid bought one of those tiger beat magazines and Archie had pics or was mentioned in 7 different places, including his favorite pickup line. Ha ha.)
In case anyone missed it, AI.com has an extended version of the AI8 David Cook commercial. Extended by about 40 seconds. You can also watch it here.
Mraz and Archie? Interesting. I think I might like that. I doubt they would be collaborating on anything like 10,000 Mother***kers, though. Heh. :p
Cardin McKinney blogged about her Keith Urban video shoot here.
David Cook now comes in a Happy Meal as Disco Dave.
Somehow, I vaguely recall this. Sorry if it’s old news.
Amanda Overmyer’s album has just come out and all the songs are available for download (or hard-copy purchase) on her website. (According to her MySpace, it should be on iTunes soon, but isn’t yet).
The one they were in holds 7,715.
^ I’m sorry. You are quite right, Itsalleternal. I didn’t realize that there is more than one Toyota Center. I was thinking about the one in Houston.
According to that, Cardin also has an EP coming out…
The MusiCares charity auction of lunch with Jason just ended. The winning bid was $5,689.00. The charity is a great cause and I’m happy for the winning bidder and for the charity. Wish I had won the lottery so that I could have placed a bid.
For Toyota in Kennewick WA, surely the promoter did not have high expectations of a large turnout for a holiday concert. Even a big star like Martina McBride sold less than 3000 tickets at a fall concert there last year.
Probably it would have sounded better in a smaller venue, but I’m proud of the 900 for them. There are plenty of examples of holiday concerts with big names drawing only 900 to 1000 every year all over the US.
Was happy to hear some love for Chikezie - he totally surprised me on tour with how good he was.
Oh dear, only 900? Is it the recession or the guest artists? Or maybe both?
I hope Jason does at least ONE song from his AI season. Patti LaBelle is royalty. YAY Jason!
At Radio Disney, you can now request not only Crush and A Little Too Not Over You, but Touch My Hand as well! Disney ♥ Archie.
Also on the topic of new Idol releases, Kady Malloy has just released a new single “Broken Dreams”. It is on Amazon.com but not on iTunes (yet).
David Cook and Andy Skib singing Hunger Strike at the Jingle Ball. Very nice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZz6velVnE
Performance of Permanent (I’ve already watched this 3 times):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMCnGIrxpW4
The Hunger Strike video is great, but so is the first live performance of Permanent:
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=BMCnGIrxpW4
Here is Mr Sensitive as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciPE0WX7lOw
I am at a loss for words. Beautiful, emotional, touching does not even begin to decribe David baring his soul here. Maybe that is what I am reaching to say. This is David baring his soul.
Makes me want to cry.
Yes. I am torn between wanting to watch it again and wanting to avoid my heart aching. (Smart money says that my heart is going to lose the battle.)
Oh, wow. Permanent. That gave me goosebumps.
FYI, I posted these over on the extended commercial thread too. JessicaT from DCO posted “Hunger Strike” and “Permanent”.
I was there and it was amazing!!! DC said his dad was there and then said he hadn’t sung this song live yet. “Permanent”.
When the song was over, he said, “Thanks for indulging me.”
It was such a privilege!
HDD predictions have Cook staying in the Top 10 this week:
Source
Awesome, cookcricket. I’m so glad that you got to go.
Also awesome? That HDD update. DC has been really close to the two previous HDD Friday estimates that we had, so this seems awesome. And I again have to say that I just love seeing him as one of the “usual suspects” for high sales, along with Beyonce, Nickelback, and Kanye West.
#9 David Cook (19/RCA/RMG) 95-100k
^^ This along with the tubey videos from last night’s Jingle Ball have made mymorning. WOW. That would be amazing! Thank you.
Gold is so pretty.