As the entire world probably knows by now, David Cook will be the featured musical guest on tomorrow night's broadcast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Over the course of this week, promotional ads have been airing on the network in hopes of raising awareness of the episode, which will be hosted by actor Ben Affleck. Below are the two commercials that have been airing:
"Doesn't work that way"
"Text your vote now"
Expect a huge audience due to the increased interest in the impending presidential election. SNL airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Cook's SNL promo vids
Thursday, October 30, 2008
'Idol' BB 200: 'Jennifer Hudson' #9 (11/8/08)
Jennifer Hudson has now led all Idol alums for a month straight on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for the chart week of Nov. 8. Her self-titled album dropped four spots to #9, selling another 28.8k copies, which marks a 37% decrease in sales from the week before. Its total is now 355k.
Carrie Underwood followed with Carnival Ride, which shot up 44% in sales to 12.3k thanks to an exclusive Walmart re-release that includes five Christmas tracks. The #58-37 jump put its total at 2.389 million. Kellie Pickler's sophomore album continued its small downward journey as it fell 19 spots to #59. It netted an additional 8.2k copies, sending its total just south of 80k after four weeks.
Daughtry and Jordin Sparks once again rounded out Idol-related albums on the chart, with the former falling #80-81 and the latter declining #114-127. Daughtry sold 6.2k thanks to a 9% slide in sales, while Jordin Sparks took home another 4.2k as a result of a 16% drop in sales. Totals are now 4.263 million and 941.5k, respectively.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of 2m on Pulse as follows:
009 005 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 28,825 -37% 45,750 354,967
037 058 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 12,312 44% 8,577 2,388,558
059 040 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 8,235 -31% 11,880 79,311
081 080 Daughtry - Daughtry 6,165 -9% 6,773 4,262,878
127 114 Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks 4,231 -16% 5,025 941,496
Total sales are in bold.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
'Idol' Hot 100 - "Crush" #20 (11/8/08)
Just like a roller coaster, David Archuleta's "Crush" returned to the pinnacle spot among singles by Idol alums on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of Nov. 8. The track re-entered the Top 20 for the first time since the chart week of Oct. 11, improving one spot from #21 in its week-to-week performance.
Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" climbed #28-24 thanks to gains in airplay despite a loss in sales. Jordin Sparks' "One Step At a Time," which was the top Idol-related single on the chart one week ago, fell seven spots to #27. It is finally feeling the effects of a decrease in airplay.
Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" continued its march to the Top 30 of the Hot 100. It rose #37-34 for the week. David Cook's "Light On" re-appeared after one week of going M.I.A. thanks to a sales surge. It came in at #60.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
20 21 David Archuleta, "Crush"
24 28 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight"
27 20 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time"
34 37 Carrie Underwood, "Just a Dream"
60 -- David Cook, "Light On"
Digital sales roundup: "Crush" #16 (10/25/08)
Continuing to make Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart a little boring was David Archuleta's "Crush," which led all Idol-related tracks on the chart for the week. "Crush" slipped 2% to 55.3k downloads for the week, holding steady at #16. It is nearing platinum status with 805.3k in the bag thus far.
Arch's counterpart, David Cook, was represented by his single "Light On," which witnessed a 42-spot surge thanks the availability to pre-order Cook's album on iTunes. The 33.6k downloads were up 123% from last week, putting its total at 188.7k.
Jordin Sparks followed with the venerable "One Step At a Time" at #38. Its sales take dipped 15% to 32.8k downloads, finally sending its total north of 900k. Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" slid six spots to #67 due to a 6% decrease in sales. It netted 18.4k downloads for the week and now stands at 239.9k total.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
16 16 David Archuleta, "Crush" 55,314 -2% 56,216 805,326
35 77 David Cook, "Light On" 33,598 123% 15,083 188,682
38 32 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time" 32,833 -15% 38,527 903,941
67 61 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight" 18,369 -6% 19,447 239,930
Total sales are in bold.
Poll of the week: Carrie has 'Some Hearts' voting
In the fourth installment of the debut album champion series for the IDOL LIVE poll of the week, Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts unsurprisingly placed first among the eight albums from Season 4 alums included in the poll.
Some Hearts staved off tough competition from Mario Vazquez's self-titled album, netting 19 votes (43%) compared to the latter's 17 votes (38%). Mario's single "Gallery" was a huge hit on Pop radio in 2006, which explains the former Top 12 drop-out's strong effort in this poll.
Bo Bice dropped a spot from where he placed on the fourth season, as his debut album The Real Thing took home five toes, good for 11% of the total vote, and came in third. The only other Season 4 alum to receive more than one vote was semifinalist Celena Rae, whose Invisible Woman received two votes (4%).
In this week's poll of the week, readers will be asked to vote for their favorite debut album from a Season 5 alum. You have exactly one week to vote.
Some Hearts (Carrie Underwood) 19 (43%)
The Real Thing (Bo Bice) 5 (11%)
My Struggle (Vonzell Solomon) 0 (0%)
Constantine (Constantine Maroulis) 1 (2%)
Revolution (Nikko Smith) 0 (0%)
Mario Vazquez (Mario Vazquez) 17 (38%)
Invisible Woman (Celena Rae) 2 (4%)
All That I Am (Jared Yates) 0 (0%)
Total votes: 44
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Jive, Arch follow RCA, Cook's lead
Seeing how well RCA's iTunes pre-order tactic worked out last week, Jive has somehow managed to find room for an ad promoting the availability to pre-order David Archuleta's debut album on the digital music retailer. The ad can be found both on the store's main page and the main page of the Pop section.
So far it appears that this strategy is also paying off for Arch, as the deluxe version of his album is currently #8 on iTunes' Top 100 Albums chart (it is also #4 on the Pop 100 Albums chart). It is on sale for $12.99 and includes 16 tracks, the video for "Crush" and a digital booklet.
"Crush" has also jumped a bit on iTunes' Top 100 overall songs chart, as it is now #15. This is especially good news for the single, because all pre-orders of the album will add a sale to "Angels" and not "Crush," which would make a bit more sense because RCA made "Light On" the instant download upon pre-ordering David Cook's album.
Cook's album reached #1 last week after becoming available to pre-order. Time will tell if Arch can reach the same standing.
HITS estimates: Jennifer 26.7k, Carrie 12.7k
For the fourth week in a row Jennifer Hudson led all Idol alums on HITS Daily Double's building album sales estimates chart. Jennifer's debut album took a hefty fall, declining 42% to 26.7k copies. It came in at #9 on the chart.
Although Kellie Pickler's sophomore album slipped off the chart, Carrie Underwood was able to reappear with Carnival Ride thanks to the release of a special Walmart bonus version with five Christmas tracks. The album shifted another 12.7k copies for the week, good for #34 on the chart.
Once again, the estimates for Jennifer Hudson were right on target, as HITS predicted the album would pull in between 25-30k copies.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Keeping up with Mandisa
After releasing a debut album in 2007, Mandisa has kept up a steady stream of musical endeavors to help cement her standing on the Christian music scene. Mandisa has received much support since placing ninth on the fifth season of Idol.
Already setting airwaves on fire with her singles "Only the World" and "God Speaking," Mandisa was able to sell more than 100k copies of her debut album True Beauty. She is shooting for an April 7, 2009 release for her sophomore album Freedom.
Last year Mandisa also added "author" to her resume, as her book "IdolEyes" was published. The book is an account of her "new perspective on faith, fat & fame."
And after putting out a Christmas EP last November called Christmas Joy, Mandisa released an album full of Christmas songs on Oct. 14 titled It's Christmas, but the album failed to make Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
Body of Jennifer's nephew found
The search for Jennifer Hudson's nephew ended today when his body was found in a white SUV that had been earlier identified as the suspect's vehicle.
Julian King, 7, was found in the SUV several miles away from the crime scene at the Hudsons' home according to police reports. Police are still talking to William Balfour, who is King's stepfather and is the main suspect in the slayings. Balfour is no stranger to confronting the law, as he has spent seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Jennifer was at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office to identify the body with six other family members. An autopsy on the boy's body will be held tomorrow.
This is most definitely not the end of this story, and IDOL LIVE will continue to report on the latest news surrounding this horrible tragedy.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
So what? Arch's still a rockstar
David Archuleta was finally caught lipping. During a commercial break at Seattle's Kiss 106.1 FM, the in-studio camera picked up something that probably will never be seen again: Arch bobbing his head and lip synching along to P!NK's "So What." See for yourself below:
It's good for Arch to be seen having fun in the midst of all these rounds of radio shows. Maybe next time we'll catch a glimpse of him jamming to "If I Were a Boy."
Michael Johns at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Michael Johns sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Pep Boys NASCAR 500 today at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Below is the performance, which aired live on ABC:
Very good rendition of the National Anthem. It was a little lengthy, but that is just MJ's style.
Jennifer issues a statement
Jennifer Hudson issued a statement via a blog entry on her official music MySpace page Sunday thanking fans for the outpouring of support that she has received since news came of the slayings of her mother and brother and the kidnapping of her 7-year-old nephew.
In the entry, Jennifer said the following:Thank you all for your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately. Here is a picture of Julian and what he was last seen wearing. Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time.
The statement was signed "The Hudson Family." So far, police have named William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer's sister, Julia, as a "person of interest" in the killings and kidnapping. According to The Associated Press, however, he has not officially been charged with the crimes. Two photos of Jennifer's nephew, Julian King, were included in her blog entry.
Former Idol finalists from Season 3 have spoken out in support of Jennifer including LaToya London, who said "My heart, my prayers and love go out to Jennifer and her family" and Diana DeGarmo, who said "My thoughts and prayers are with you, Jennifer and we are here for you."
Jon Peter Lewis probably summed it up best when he called the situation "Senseless beyond speech," following it up with "Infuriating. Confusing. Heartbreaking. There are no words that could describe the loss you must feel."
Friday, October 24, 2008
HITS predix: Jennifer 25-30k
Coming on the heels of the sad news about Jennifer Hudson's family, her debut album is expected to pull in another 25-30k copies according to revised predictions put out by HITS Daily Double today.
This would mark a drop of anywhere from 34-45% from last week's take of 45.8k copies, which put it at #5 for the week on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. It should land around #9 for the week barring a late surge due to the untimely news coverage of her family's tragedy.
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kelly Clarkson's "Finished!!"
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Following in the footsteps of David Cook and David Archuleta, Kelly Clarkson has announced that she has completed her fourth studio album. Word came last night via her personal blog, through which she has been updating fans. Of the album, Kelly said:I finished recording my record yesterday woohoo!!! Can’t wait to get it mixed and mastered and y’all to hear it! I LOVE the record! So so happy
>Kimberley Locke was interviewed last night on Stardish Radio and Plus Model Radio, both part of the BlogTalkRadio network.
>A clip of Melinda Doolittle's first single, "It's Your Love," was leaked on YouTube on Tues., Oct. 20. It has been met with very little fanfare, in fact it has received mixed reviews.
>Michael Johns updated fans on his goings on in a blog entry on his official music MySpace page in which he talked of the possibility of releasing a Christmas song and that he will be singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Pep Boys NASCAR 500 in Atlanta, Ga. on Sun., Oct. 26. It will be broadcast live on ABC.
>Brooke White and Arch went shopping earlier this week. Photos are up on Arch's official music MySpace page.
Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother killed
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Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donnerson, and brother, Jason, were reportedly found dead at the singer's home in Chicago at 2:44 p.m. according to multiple sources. Their bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds. Jennifer's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, is reportedly missing.
The Associated Press has not yet received a response to an e-mail that was sent to Hudson's personal publicist, and no statement has been issued from Jennifer, her label or management.
According to TMZ, an AMBER alert went out for Jennifer's nephew. Police are telling people to look out for a 1994 white Suburban with the license plate X584859. There has been no word on whom the suspects are at this point.
IDOL LIVE is praying for Jennifer and her family during these trying times.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Carrie Underwax
Carrie Underwood was in the Big Apple last night to admire the striking resemblance to the newest wax figure at Madame Tussaud's - Carrie Underwood. Carrie is the first Idol alum to be immortalized in wax.
Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest have also had wax figures made, but neither look very much like them. This, however, is what one would call a masterpiece. (Photo courtesy of Reuters).
'Idol' BB 200: 'Jennifer Hudson' #5 (11/1/08)
For the third week in a row Jennifer Hudson led all Idol alums on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for the chart week of Nov. 1. Jennifer's self-titled album took in 45.8k for the week, pushing its total to a very healthy 326.1k. The 27% dip in sales was reflected in its drop from #4-5.
Also in its third week of release was Kellie Pickler by Kellie Pickler, which dropped six spots to #40 thanks to a 26% sales decrease. It shifted 11.9k copies from shelves to bring its total to 71.1k. Carrie Underwood was next with her Carnival Ride, which experienced an 8% sales gain and a four-spot jump to #58. It sold another 8.6k copies for a total of 2.38 million.
Daughtry's nearly two-year-old debut (and currently the highest-totaling album on the Billboard 200) saw its total increase to 4.26 million as a result of it scanning an additional 6.8k copies for the week. It rose #85-80 thanks to a 6% sales incline.
Rounding out all Idol-related entries on the chart was Jordin Sparks' self-titled album, which fell two spots to #114 with 5k copies sold for the week. Its scant 1% dip in sales put its total at 937.3k.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of areyoureadytojump on Pulse as follows:
005 004 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 45,750 -27% 62,672 326,142
040 034 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 11,880 -26% 16,004 71,076
058 062 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 8,577 5% 8,189 2,376,246
080 085 Daughtry - Daughtry 6,773 6% 6,408 4,256,719
114 112 Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks 5,025 -1% 5,058 937,278
Total sales are in bold.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Poll of the week: J-Hud owns ths spotlight
In the third installment of the debut album champion series for the IDOL LIVE poll of the week, Jennifer Hudson's self-titled album owned the spotlight. It placed first among the nine albums from Season 3 finalists that were included in the poll, taking in 17 votes, or 45% of the poll's total take. The fact that Jennifer's album was the most recent one to be released most likely helped her out in this poll.
Coming in second was Blue Skies, Diana DeGarmo's debut album. It beat out Fantasia's Free Yourself, taking eight votes to the latter's seven. Respective percentage totals were 21% and 18%.
The only other albums to take in any votes were Jon Peter Lewis' Stories From Hollywood and Jasmine Trias' self-titled effort. Hollywood received three votes (8%), while Jasmine Trias got two votes (5%).
In this week's poll of the week, readers will be asked to vote for their favorite debut album from a Season 4 alum. You have exactly one week to vote.
Free Yourself (Fantasia) 7 (18%)
Blue Skies (Diana DeGarmo) 8 (21%)
Jasmine Trias (Jasmine Trias) 2 (5%)
Love & Life (LaToya London) 0 (0%)
Miracles (George Huff) 0 (0%)
Red (John Stevens) 0 (0%)
Jennifer Hudson (Jennifer Hudson) 17 (45%)
Stories From Hollywood (Jon Peter Lewis) 3 (8%)
Sing Me Home (Lisa Leuschner) 0 (0%)
Total votes: 37
'Idol' Hot 100 - "One Step At a Time" #20 (11/1/08)
It was a week of little movement for Idol alums on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of Nov. 1, something that has not been seen in months. For the second week in a row, Jordin Sparks' "One Step At a Time" lingered in the pole position among tracks by Idol alums, dropping one spot to #20.
David Archuleta's "Crush" exemplified opposite behavior, as it rose one spot to #21. Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" followed in the footsteps of "One Step At a Time," as it also dropped one spot - #27-28.
Opting not to move one way or the other, Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" held steady at #37 for the week. And Daughtry's "What About Now" followed in the footsteps of "One Step At a Time" and "Spotlight," as it also dropped a spot - #48-49.
Noticeably absent from the Hot 100 was David Cook's "Light On," which tumbled off the chart after placing at #66 in its second week. Look for it to return next week thanks to a boost in sales.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
20 19 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time"
21 22 David Archuleta, "Crush"
28 27 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight"
37 37 Carrie Underwood, "Just a Dream"
49 48 Daughtry, "What About Now"
Digital sales roundup: "Crush" #16 (10/18/08)
David Archuleta's "Crush" once again crushed its Idol-related competition on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart. The 17-year-old's debut single fell just 7% to 56.2k for the week, putting its total at 750k, or three quarters of the way to platinum status. It slipped #15-16 on the chart.
Jordin Sparks' "One Step At a Time" took another step towards going platinum as well, as it moved another 38.5k downloads despite a 10% decrease and a six-spot drop to #32. It now stands at 871.1k downloads, just 130k away from the coveted million tally. Following Jordin was Jennifer Hudson, whose "Spotlight" fell a modest 22% to 19.4k for the week, ushered in by a 12-spot drop to #61. The track now totals 221.6k.
Rounding up all Idol alums on the chart were rockers Daughtry and David Cook. Daughtry's "What About Now" continued to quietly move along, as it pushed another 16.8k downloads for a grand total of 426.1k, signaling that gold status is definitely within reach. It actually rose #73-69 in the face of a 2% decrease in sales. Cook's "Light On" brought up the rear with an alarming 51% decline in sales in only its third week. The track netted 15.1k for the week, meaning its total is now at 155.1k. Its chart performance was equally as concerning, as it fell 34 spots to #73.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
16 15 David Archuleta, "Crush" 56,216 -7% 60,490 750,012
32 26 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time" 38,527 -10% 42,725 871,108
61 49 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight" 19,447 -22% 25,017 221,561
69 73 Daughtry, "What About Now" 16,751 -2% 17,091 426,114
77 43 David Cook, "Light On" 15,083 -51% 30,966 155,084
Total sales are in bold.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
RCA won't let "Light On" go out
Although many have already jumped what seemed to be the sinking S.S. "Light On," RCA Records is steadfast in its support of the single. A nice surprise for David Cook's fans was found on the main page of iTunes this morning, as a great big huge banner allowing fans to pre-order Cook's debut album was put front and center (or more like to the immediate right of center). It also can be found on the main page of the Pop section (this time on the immediate left).
The ability to pre-order the album and receive "Light On" as a bonus is a very smart move on the record company's part, and it is already proving to be successful. After hitting a low chart ranking of #98 on iTunes Top 100 overall songs chart on Oct. 19, "Light On" has rebounded to #38 at the present time, a 60-spot improvement in only two days. To add to the good news, Cook's album is already sitting at #6 on iTunes' Top 100 overall albums chart based on pre-sales alone, just one spot behind Beyonce's upcoming I Am...Sasha Fierce, which also hits stores on Nov. 18 and was made available for pre-order on iTunes today.
If this was RCA's plan all along, then it deserves credit especially considering its erratic behavior earlier this month. But it should be suggested that the label should have staved off the digital release of "Light On" until it was able to attain a substantial amount of airplay, and then add it as part of a special pre-order deal on iTunes. Be this as it may, playing Monday morning quarterback is pretty much futile at this point.
To add to things, the following was included in iTunes' "New Music Tuesday" e-mail sent out today:
"The Battle of the Davids" was one of American Idol's fiercest competitions ever, as David Cook ultimately outlasted his younger competitor to win it all. With his self-titled debut, the rock-oriented vocalist is out to prove that viewers made the right choice. Pre-order the album on iTunes and get the pre-order-only track "My Last Request" when the album is released on November 18 and the single "Light On" will begin to download immediately.Way to put down the Archies, RCA.
But all that matters is that RCA finally has its act together, and combining this new approach with Cook's appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 1, things are definitely looking up.
Out today: "So Glad I'm Me"
The only major Idol release for the Week of Oct. 21 happens to be LaKisha Jones' debut single "So Glad I'm Me," which was released via Elite Music. Links to purchase the single can be found below:
Singles
LaKisha Jones, "So Glad I'm Me"
Amazon - ($0.99) - Buy
iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy
The single is off LaKisha's upcoming debut, self-titled album, which will hits stores nationwide on Feb. 17, 2009. You can currently add your name to a special edition "Friends Book" that will be included in LaKisha's album at Walmart retail locations by visiting her official music MySpace page.
HITS estimates: Jennifer 45.9k, Kellie 12.1k
For the third week in a row Jennifer Hudson led all Idol alums on HITS Daily Double's building album sales estimates chart. Jennifer Hudson held up nicely after last week's tumble, declining a scant 25% for a take of 45.9k copies. It landed at #6.
Kellie Pickler's Kellie Pickler also stopped the bleeding in its third week, taking in another 12.1k copies, marking a decrease of only 22%. It came in at #38 on the chart.
Neither Paris Bennett nor Mandisa's Christmas albums were included in HITS' estimates, which means it is more than likely they will pull in less than the 9.1k copies that M.I.A.'s Kala pulled in.
The estimates were right on target for Jennifer, as HITS predicted sales between 45-50k for the week.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Keeping up with Alexis Stone Lopez
Idol's first season introduced Americans to many different talents, one of whom was Alexis Lopez, the perky, 17-year-old from Modesto, Calif.
Alexis, who now goes by her full name, Alexis Stone Lopez, has undergone a striking change since her debut in 2002. She now sports a black hairdo and is into rock music, as evidenced by two of her tracks on her iLike profile: "In the Path of the Fire" and "Don't Call It Love."
In June, Alexis recorded music with Season 7 finalist Amy Davis for a segment on the Canadian reality television series Reality Obsessed. The segment was filmed at MetroStudios in Los Angeles, Calif.
Alexis will have two tracks on the upcoming re-release of the Idol compilation album American Christmas. It will be released in stores nationwide on Chenoa Records/EMI Music Publishing on Nov. 25.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Arch's "alleged" tracklisting
A tentative tracklisting popped up on Idolforums.com for David Archuleta's debut album courtesy of iluvlife. Read the whole listing below:
01) Crush
02) My Hands
03) Touch My Hand
04) Barriers
05) A Little Too Not Over You
06) Your Eyes Don't Lie
07) You Can
08) Running
09) Don't Let Go
10) Desperate
11) To Be With You
12) Angels
Bonus Track (Walmart):
13) Works for Me
The poster, who has a total of 19 posts on IDF, also said the tracklisting is "unofficial" but the songs are "all supposed to be 100% confirmed," so take it with a grain of salt. There are also apparently a few more bonus tracks that "they aren't sure how they are going to use them yet," so perhaps we will see a few on iTunes a la Jordin Sparks' album?
Anyway, if "Your Eyes Don't Lie" is anything similar to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie," then this album is destined to be a winner. But we are still scratching our heads over "My Hands" and "Touch My Hand" being back-to-back. Hopefully that is what iluvlife is talking about when the tracklisting is "unofficial."
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Arch's "A Little Too Not Over You"
After clips of David Archuleta's "My Hands" and "Touch My Hands" surfaced earlier this week on RatetheMusic.com, a snippet of another track, "A Little Too Not Over You," leaked tonight. Listen to the track below:
This is much more in line with what Arch should be recording, as the Latin flavor really would be perfect for Top 40 radio at the moment. Which track do you guys prefer based on the three clips that have leaked?
HITS predix: Jennifer 45-50k
Jennifer Hudson's debut album is fighting it out for the #4 spot according to revised predictions put out by HITS Daily Double on Friday. The industry's sales tracker is guesstimating that Jennifer Hudson will take in another 45-50k, but she will have to earn it.
Her competition includes Keane, Metallica, Kid Rock and Ne-Yo, all of whom have albums trending toward the same total. The drop would be between 20-28% from last's week take of 62.7k, which shows that the album is definitely stabilizing.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Bucky in 'Hannah Montana' on the silver screen
Season 5's eighth-place finisher Bucky Covington is adding another line to his resume - he's taking up acting. Bucky was picked to star alongside Miley Cyrus and her less famous dad, Billy Ray, in the upcoming Hannah Montana movie. If it sounds like this would be something out of the ordinary for Bucky, that's because it is. He told The Huntsville (Ala.) Times:"I've never been on a movie set, so I don't know what to expect."
Bucky is not the only country singer to make an appearance in the film. Gary LeVox from Rascal Flatts and teen sensation Taylor Swift are also slated to be in it. Hannah Montana: The Movie will hit theatres nationwide on April 10, 2009.
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Davids finish their albums
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>David Cook (or at least his Web Nerds) put a vlog up on his official site on Wednesday to let fans know that the album, set for a Nov. 18 release, is completed and will be going to press in the next few days. He referenced the backdrop of Times Square in NYC as he reminded fans of his first live performance with his band, which will take place on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 1.
>Not to be outdone, David Archuleta also notified fans of the completion of his debut album, due out Nov. 11, in a blog entry on his official music MySpace page. In the blog entry he also let fans know that he's been eating too much.
>Nikki McKibbin told Us Weekly that Simon drove her to drink and do drugs while on Idol. She told the magazine:
"I had never been told I wasn't good enough. Having to hear it for so many weeks from Simon Cowell killed me inside. I couldn't get the s--t he had said to me out of my head.">Camile Velasco was scheduled to release her new single, "Guava Jelly," to iTunes on Tuesday, but it is still missing. In addition to the non-release, her single is nowhere to be found on her official music MySpace page.
>Idol has now produced 200 #1s on Billboard charts, all beginning with Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" back in 2002.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Carrie films CMA promo
Carrie Underwood paid a visit to Boston's ABC affiliate WCVB-TV's studios in Needham, Mass., today to film a TV spot that will air to promote November's Country Music Association Awards telecast on the network. ABC execs were at the shoot to collaborate with Viewpoint Creative company.
Carrie was in town to perform at Boston University's Agganis Arena yesterday for her "Carnival Ride" tour.
The CMA Awards will air Wed., Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. (Photo courtesy of Bill Smyth).
'Idol' BB 200: 'Jennifer Hudson' #4 (10/25/08)
For the second week in a row Jennifer Hudson represented all Idol alums on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for the week of Oct. 25. Her album Spotlight fell 71% to to 62.7k copies in its second week of release, moving it down two spots to #4. Its total now stands at 280.4k.
Falling less percentage-wise but more position-wise was Kellie Pickler's sophomore effort, which declined #9-34 while selling another 16k, putting its total at 59.2k. It decreased 63% for the week. Idol's other main country star Carrie Underwood slipped two spots to #62 with Carnival Ride, which decreased in sales by 11%. Its additional 8.2k for the week amounts to a total of 2.37 million copies.
Daughtry was up next with 6.4k for the week, pushing its total close to the 4.25 million mark. The band's album slipped #82-85 thanks to a 10% sales dip. Jordin Sparks rounded up the pack once again with her self-titled album, which fell three spots to #112. Another 5.1k copies means its total is at 932.3k.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of 2m on Pulse as follows:
04 02 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 62,672 -71% 217,185 280,392
034 009 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 16,004 -63% 43,165 59,196
062 064 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 8,189 -11% 9,160 2,367,669
085 082 Daughtry - Daughtry 6,408 -10% 7,136 4,249,964
112 109 Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks 5,058 -7% 5,431 932,292
Total sales are in bold.
Melinda's 'Coming Back to You' in January
Season 6's resident shy powerhouse, Melinda Doolittle, has finally set a date for the release of her much awaited debut album. Coming Back to You, a mix of "the fiery electricity of Tina Turner’s early years with the slick production and lush instrumentation of today’s pop-soul renaissance" per her reps, will hit stores in January courtesy of Hi Fi Recordings, whom she signed with in July. In a statement, Melinda said:
"I'm so excited to be using live instruments and to be singing music that really paints a picture. I knew my task was to just go in the studio and be me and the music would take care of the rest."The album's producer, Mike Mangini, has worked with The Jonas Brothers and Joss Stone in the past. It looks like Melinda's in good company.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Jordin at Mixfest 2008
Jordin Sparks performed a 20-minute set at hot adult contemporary station Mix 98.5's "Mixfest 2008" concert on Saturday in Boston, Mass., in addition to other acts like Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams. Watch her performance of "God Loves Ugly" below:
Jordin also sang "One Step At a Time." She is now on her way to Europe, where she is promoting her new international single, "Tattoo," which just went Top 30.
Poll of the week: K-Lo shares 'One Love' with fans
In the second installment of the debut album champion poll series, Kimberley Locke emerged victorious among the six choices given to IDOL LIVE readers. Kimberley's debut album, One Love, received 24 votes, or 52% of the total vote.
In a surprising result, former Idol favorite Clay Aiken's debut album, Measure of a Man, came in second in the poll, much like he did on his own season. Man netted 14 votes (30%). Next up was Josh Gracin's self-titled album, which received four votes (8%).
The only album from an Idol alum to not receive a single vote for the poll was Corey Clark, which comes as no surprise.
In this week's poll of the week, readers will be asked to vote for their favorite debut album from a Season 3 alum. You have exactly one week to vote.
Soulful (Ruben Studdard) 2 (4%)
Measure of a Man (Clay Aiken) 14 (30%)
One Love (Kimberley Locke) 24 (52%)
Josh Gracin (Josh Gracin) 4 (8%)
Nothin' Like the Summer (Carmen Rasmusen) 2 (4%)
Corey Clark (Corey Clark) 0 (0%)
Total votes: 46
'Idol' Hot 100 - "One Step At a Time" #19 (10/25/08)
For the first time since the chart week of Sept. 27, Jordin Sparks led all Idol-related tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of Oct. 25 with her current single "One Step At a Time." "Time" rose two spots to #19, continuing its lengthy chart run.
David Archuleta followed with "Crush," which inched ahead #25-22, showing the effects of increases in airplay. Jennifer Hudson was next up with "Spotlight," which also saw positive chart movement, as it advanced #29-27. This comes despite a sales decrease for the week.
Moving into the Top 40 for the first time in its chart life was Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream." The single finally made headway this week, moving #41-37. Daughtry's "What About Now" followed in all of the preceding Idol-related tracks' footsteps, also increasing. The band's fifth single moved up eight spots to #48.
The only Idol-related track to see negative movement on the chart was David Cook's "Light On," which fell 49 spots to #66. Although this might seem alarming, it is important to understand that the single has yet to receive substantial airplay.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
19 21 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time"
22 25 David Archuleta, "Crush"
27 29 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight"
37 41 Carrie Underwood, "Just a Dream"
48 56 Daughtry, "What About Now"
66 17 David Cook, "Light On"
Digital sales roundup: "Crush" #15 (10/11/08)
After a brief stint as the top Idol alum on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, David Cook is replaced by his former rival, David Archuleta, whose "Crush" regains the premier position among Idol-related tracks on the chart. "Crush" dropped one spot to #15 due to a 9% decrease in sales to 60.4k, pushing its total to 693.8k.
Next up was Jordin Sparks, whose "One Step At a Time" rose #28-26 thanks to a fractional gain in sales. It picked up an additional 42.7k downloads for a grand total of 832.6k. And then came Cook's "Light On," which suffered a massive 72% decrease in sales, evidenced by a 35-spot plummet. The 31k copies it moved for the week puts its total at 140k. Jennifer Hudson rounded out Idol-related tracks on the chart, as her "Spotlight" fell #38-49. It sold 25k downloads, falling 23%, good for a total of 202.1k.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
15 16 David Archuleta, "Crush" 60,490 -9% 66,677 693,796
26 28 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time" 42,725 0% 42,520 832,581
43 08 David Cook, "Light On" 30,966 -72% 109,035 140,001
49 38 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight" 25,017 -23% 32,486 202,114
Total sales are in bold.
Out today: 'It's Christmas,' 'A Royal Christmas'
Following in the footsteps of season mate Elliott Yamin last week, Season 5's Mandisa and Paris Bennett release Christmas albums today. Mandisa's It's Christmas hit shelves, while new mother Paris' A Royal Christmas also made an appearance. Also on the digital download front, Katharine McPhee's "Let Your Heart Sing" track from the original soundtrack for Disney's all-new film Tinker Bell. Links to purchase all three can be found below:
Albums
Mandisa, It's Christmas
Amazon - ($13.99) - Buy
Best Buy - ($14.99) - Buy
Circuit City - ($13.99) - Buy
Walmart - ($13.88) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.99) - Buy
Target - ($13.99) - Buy
Paris Bennett, A Royal Christmas
Amazon - ($12.98) - Buy
Best Buy - ($11.99) - Buy
Circuit City - ($11.99) - Buy
Target - ($12.98) - Buy
Singles
Katharine McPhee, "Let Your Heart Sing"
iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy
"Let Your Heart Sing" is currently #4 on the Top 100 Children's Music songs chart on iTunes, while It's Christmas is #37 on iTunes' Top 100 Holiday albums chart.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Cook to perform on SNL Nov. 1
If there is any question as to how dedicated 19E and RCA are to pushing David Cook's debut album, the fact that he is performing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 1 should quell any anxiety fans are having. The Chicago Tribune's TV correspondent Maureen Ryan announced via her blog that Cook will be the show's musical guest with Ben Affleck fulfilling hosting duties.
What is notable about this appearance is that no Idol has ever performed on the show prior to having an album released. He is also only the fourth Idol alum to perform on the show, following Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. To magnify the situation even further, this is the final regular season episode before the presidential election on Nov. 4, so the audience should be bigger than ever in anticipation, especially is someone makes an appearance *cough*SarahPalin*cough*
It looks like RCA really is pulling out all the stops for Cook afterall.
AMAs: Daughtry, Jordin, Carrie nominated
The nominations for the 2008 American Music Awards were announced today, and three Idol alums could take home a trophy or two. The following are the Idol-related nominations for Daughtry, Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood:
Daughtry
Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop/Rock
Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary Music
Jordin Sparks
Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary Music
Carrie Underwood
Favorite Female Artist - Country Music
Carrie has now received a total of seven AMA nominations, with four wins. Daughtry has now received a total of five nominations, with three wins. This is Jordin's first nomination for an American Music Award.
To vote for any of the categories, see ABC.com. Voting ends Fri., Nov. 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The American Music Awards will air on ABC on Sun., Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET.
Cook's album cover
David Cook's cover for his upcoming self-titled album was revealed via e-mail from his official mailing list this evening along with an official tracklisting, which is posted below:
01) "Declaration"
02) "Heroes"
03) "Light On"
04) "Come Back to Me"
05) "Life on the Moon"
06) "Bar-ba-sol"
07) "Mr. Sensitive"
08) "Lie"
09) "I Did It for You"
10) "Avalanche"
11) "Permanent"
12) "A Daily Anthem"
Bonus track:
13) "The Time of My Life"
It looks like the tracklisting is more exciting than the album cover (Kellie Pickler already did the black 'n white thing this year). The track titles are kind of giving off a Bo Bice vibe from the The Real Thing era, but the songs themselves are already promising to be leaps and bounds higher quality than the aforementioned ones.
It's good to see "The Time of My Life" hanging in there. It definitely has proved itself, especially since it is nearing the 1 million downloads sold mark. If "Light On" (currently #57 on iTunes) cannot recover in the next few weeks, hopefully one of the above tracks can propel Cook to the next chapter of his career.
And if "Bar-ba-sol" turns out to be a jingle for shaving cream sung in the style of the candy cane-striped barbershop singers of old, that itself will make the album.
Arch's "Touch My Hands" leaks
A portion of a new track of David Archuleta's from his upcoming self-titled album called "Touch My Hands" leaked via a survey for Top 40 listeners from RatetheMusic.com. The clip, which is 1:40 in length, is mid-tempo and features a standard clap track among other production elements that are consistent with "Crush" (currently #15 on iTunes). Listen to the clip below:
Judging from the clip, Arch is heading in a Jesse McCartney/OneRepublic direction in terms of his album's material. It's not half bad, and it will definitely appeal to Top 40 radio listeners. But will it make it on Top 40 radio? Time will tell. What does everyone else think about it?
HITS estimates: Jennifer 61.2k, Kellie 15.5k
Jennifer Hudson once again led all Idol alums on HITS Daily Double's building album sales estimates chart. Her debut album took a hefty 73% fall to a second week take of 61.2k, but it only amounted to a 2-spot drop to #4.
Kellie Pickler had a smaller drop percentage-wise but fell harder in the chart rankings. Her sophomore album fell 64% to 15.5k for the week, dropping #9-32.
The estimates were a bit below HITS' original prediction of 65-70k for Jennifer, while Kellie's album did not generate any predictions. Full figures from Billboard will be out by Thursday.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Simon makes $22k a minute...
File this under information that did not need to be made public during a worldwide financial crisis. At this point, it seems that Simon really does enjoy sitting with Paula and Randy (and now Kara) twice/three times a week for three months of the year, because he sure does not need the money.
Everyone's favorite quitter, Nigel Lythgoe, let it slip during a speaking engagement at the Australian Commercial Radio Conference on Friday that Simon makes "something like $22k a minute." Yeah. That comes to a total of an annual total of $36 million from FOX alone, nevermind factoring in his earnings from producing shows like X-Factor and America's/Britain's Got Talent and his position as a producer/manager. Randy and Paula? Seven-figure sums for those two.
Nigel further burned his bridge with Idol during the event by placing Simon on a pedestal while taking digs at Paula and Randy. Even though he is much more important than the latter two, is that really the behavior Nigel should be engaging in? Looks like someone's jealous, considering the real reason Nigel left was reportedly an agreement on his contract, or lack thereof. Translation: Simon makes more than he does.
Keeping up with Chris Richardson
The sixth season's Justin Timberlake lookalike, 24-year old Chris Richardson, has been busy prepping his debut album following the "Idols Live!" tour last year. Chris, who placed fifth, released his single "All Alone" in March to iTunes via Chris Richardson Music/Combustion. The song is available to listen to in full on his official music MySpace page along with a 26-second clip of another track called "Guilty." No word yet on when fans can expect the album to be out.
"All Alone" was featured on the American Idol compilation promotional album Edy's Slow Churned Hot Tracks along with fellow alums like Nadia Turner and Constantine Maroulis.
Chris will next perform at The Canal Club in Richmond, Va., on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. (fellow season 6 alum Blake Lewis will perform there tomorrow).
Sunday, October 12, 2008
HITS predix: Jennifer 65-70k
Jennifer Hudson's debut album is on track to move an additional 65-70k copies in its second week according to revised predictions from HITS Daily Double, which were posted on Friday.
If these numbers hold, that would mean the album is in for a 68-70% drop from the 217k copies it pulled in during its opening week. This is pretty much a standard drop following a big debut week at the moment, and considering the faltering economy, this would be more than respectable.
Because Kellie Pickler's album was not included in the revised predictions, HITS is not expecting it to pull in more than 25k, which was the bottom figure for Senses Fail, the lowest prediction made for the week.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Arch sings "God Bless America"
David Archuleta performed "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. Arch performed to a rare packed crowd at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Watch the performance below:
The game was televised nationally on TBS. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the first meeting of the best of seven series.
Friday, October 10, 2008
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kellie reveals year-long depression
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Kellie Pickler told People magazine in an upcoming feature story that she has battled depression for the past year, as issues like her mother's efforts to reenter her life and her breakup with NHL player Jordin Tootoo caused her much pain. Said Kellie: "I was just crumbling."
>David Archuleta will perform "God Bless America" during Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., tonight during the seventh inning stretch. It will be broadcast on TBS.
>Taylor Hicks will release his second post-Idol album via the independent Artist to Market promotional company and his own Modern Whomp Records label. The album is set for an early winter 2009 release.
>Michael Johns performed during Channel 7's 26-hour telethon in Perth, Australia, which took place from Oct. 4-5. He sang "Never Tear Us Apart" among other songs, which can be watched below:
>Katharine McPhee will perform at the Carousel of Hope gala on Sat., Oct. 25 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta, are among the night's honorees.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
'Idol' BB 200: 'Jennifer Hudson' #2 (10/18/08)
Jennifer Hudson led all Idol alums on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for the week of Oct. 18 with the debut of or self-titled album. Jennifer Hudson landed at #2 with 217.2k copies and when factoring in the additional 535 copies sold through street date violations, its total stands at 217.7k.
The other week's Idol debut was Kellie Pickler, whose self-titled sophomore album raked in 43.2k copies, putting it at #9. The album only saw 27 copies sold via street date violations. Next up was last week's Idol pack leader, Carrie Underwood, whose Carnival Ride slipped #54-64 despite a week-to-week gain of six copies, meaning an additional 9.2k copies were added to its total of 2.36 million.
Daughtry also saw a hefty drop in the rankings despite a mere 7% decrease in sales. The 7.1k copies sold during the week puts the album's total at 4.24 million. And since Kristy Lee Cook's debut dropped off the chart after only two weeks, Jordin Sparks rounded out all Idol alums represented with her self-titled debut, which rose five spots to #109 as a result of 5.4k copies thanks to a 4% sales increase. Its total now sits at 927.2k copies.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of 2m on Pulse as follows:
002 --- Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 217,185 999% 535 217,720
009 --- Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 43,165 999% 27 43,192
064 054 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 9,160 0% 9,154 2,359,480
082 079 Daughtry - Daughtry 7,136 -7% 7,657 4,243,558
109 114 Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks 5,431 4% 5,244 927,246
Total sales are in bold.
'Idol' Hot 100 - "Light On" #17 (10/18/08)
Leading all Idol alums on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of Oct. 18 was David Cook, whose "Light On" debuted at #17 thanks to strong digital sales. Although it will surely suffer a hefty fall next week, a Top 20 debut is never a bad thing. Jordin Sparks was next up with "One Step At a Time," which once again demonstrated amazing legs by remaining at #21.
David Archuleta followed closely behind with "Crush," which moved #20-25 for the week, while Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" saw upward mobility again thanks to a seven-spot advance to #29. Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" also improved #43-41.
Daughtry saw little movement with "What About Now," which dropped two spots to #56, while Bucky Covington's latest single, "I'll Walk," debuted on the chart at #93. The lone Idol-related track on the Bubbling Under chart was Kellie Pickler's "Don't You Know You're Beautiful," which stood at #3.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
17 -- David Cook, "Light On"
21 21 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time"
25 20 David Archuleta, "Crush"
29 36 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight"
41 43 Carrie Underwood, "Just a Dream"
56 54 Daughtry, "What About Now"
93 -- Bucky Covington, "I'll Walk"
Bubbling Under
3 -- Kellie Pickler, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful"
Poll of the week: fans 'Thankful' for Kelly
In the first installment of the debut album champion poll series, Kelly Clarkson's Thankful was unsurprisingly chosen as IDOL LIVE readers' album of choice from the first season's batch of alums. Thankful pulled in a whopping 75% of the poll's 60 votes.
Justin Guarini's debut self-titled album finished next, as its 9 votes (15%) was also good for runner-up. Tamyra Gray was the only other alum to receive more than one vote, as her debut album The Dreamer finished third with four votes (6%).
In this week's poll of the week, readers will be asked to vote for their favorite debut album from a Season 2 alum. You have exactly one week to vote.
Thankful (Kelly Clarkson) 45 (75%)
The Dreamer (Tamyra Gray) 4 (6%)
Justin Guarini (Justin Guarini) 9 (15%)
Real Life (RJ Helton) 1 (1%)
Unleashed (Nikki McKibbin) 1 (1%)
Rollercoaster (Jim Verraros) 0 (0%)
Total votes: 60
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Analysis: "Light On" doesn't meet high expectations
David Cook's opening week sales of 109,035 for his second single, "Light On," are underwhelming. There's no way of getting around it considering Cook's upcoming release is one of the most highly anticipated from an Idol in a long time. But before you Word Nerds jump in defense, consider the following: this is only because some are choosing to make the release into a competition, which is nothing new in the Idol world. By establishing this climate of competition with David Archuleta, whose "Crush" opened with 166,247, it was almost impossible for expectations to be met, which is the reason the sales do in fact seem underwhelming. And this goes both ways of course, as with any battle.
But when put into perspective, things do not look nearly as bad. Here are some comparable first week sales of opening singles for Idol champs from 2007:
Kelly Clarkson, "Never Again" 106,809 (#4 on Hot Digital Songs)
Carrie Underwood, "So Small" 70,808 (#6 on Hot Digital Songs)
Jordin Sparks, "Tattoo" 33,764 (#22 on Hot Digital Songs)
By looking at these numbers it is easy to see that "Light On" is not nearly as disappointing as some are making it out to be. Granted, RCA was probably trying its best to boost the numbers when they received early figures last week, which helps explain its behavior in choice of promotional approach. At least some dots are starting to connect.
The fact that RCA feels it needs to try its hardest to make sure the first week sales of "Light On" are in line with what many had expected just underlines the current attitude in not only the music industry, but the Idol world as well. There is no better proof than the fact that the label is milking Cook's Idol appeal for all its worth, which is not a bad thing at all, but still shows that the connection is serving an important component in his marketing as fans await his album.
Another well established factor that contributed to the lower-than-expected sales is the amount of competition the single has faced. "Light On" was one of five major digital single releases for the week, which stands as one of the busiest weeks for the 2008 calendar. In these tough economic times, there is only so much money to go around, and if it comes down to purchasing Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody," Christina Aguilera's "Keeps Getting Better" or "Light On," not every song is going to get the same sales as each one might have generated had there been less competition. It's not like this is the week after Christmas.
And keep in mind, "Light On" has not even gone for adds yet at any radio format (it will hit Hot AC on Mon., Oct. 13 and Top 40 and Rock next Tues., Oct. 14), so the fact that is has received 519 spins and a total audience impression of 1.838 million to date is very respectable. As for its position on iTunes at the moment (#21), that is something that will fluctuate over the next few weeks before Cook's album hits shelves. Nothing should be read into it unless it fails to stabilize by the time the single starts making substantial gains in airplay.
So for any Cook fans that are going around pouting about "Light On" selling 109k, cheer up. This is about longevity, not first week sales. Just ask Jordin Sparks. And for any Arch fans that are going around bashing Cook and making this into a competition, be careful what you wish for. Competition is all fun and good, but it is meaningless in the larger scope of things.
Digital sales roundup: "Light On" #8 (10/4/08)
In a big debut week for the music industry, David Cook led all Idol alums on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart with "Light On," which had a Top 10 debut, coming in at #8. Its sales totaled 109k. If "Light On" had been released at any other time rather than a week filled with the stringent competition from Nickelback, Christina Aguilera and T.I. (his "Live Your Life" opened with 334.5k!), it is fair to speculate that it would have opened a little bit stronger.
Following eight spots behind was David Archuleta, whose "Crush" fell four spots thanks to the host of new tracks that opened above it. "Crush" took home 66.7k, or a 7% drop, and now has its total at 633.3k. Jordin Sparks' "One Step At a Time" was next up, slipping #27-28 thanks to a scant 5% decrease in sales. The additional 42.5k downloads means its total is at 789.9k.
The last four tracks to appear on the chart all were aided by album releases during the week, as Jennifer Hudson's slowburning "Spotlight" saw an uptick in sales of 145%, jumping 61 spots to #38 with a weekly total of 32.5k. Its total is now at 177.1k. Jennifer's "If This Isn't Love" also made an appearance, coming in at #195 with 6.5k downloads. Kellie Pickler's "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" rose a smaller but still respectable 71% for the week, shifting 8.6k downloads for a total of just north of 95k. Her "Best Days of Your Life" also made an appearance at #153, selling 7.7k downloads.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
008 --- David Cook, "Light On" 109,035 999% 0 109,035
016 012 David Archuleta, "Crush" 66,677 -7% 71,631 633,306
028 027 Jordin Sparks, "One Step At a Time" 42,520 -5% 44,762 789,856
038 099 Jennifer Hudson, "Spotlight" 32,486 145% 13,241 177,097
133 --- Kellie Pickler, "Don't You Know You're..." 8,598 71% 5,033 95,004
153 --- Kellie Pickler, "Best Days of Your Life" 7,681 999% 0 7,681
195 --- Jennifer Hudson, "If This Isn't Love" 6,455 999% 0 6,455
Total sales are in bold.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
HITS estimates: Jennifer 225k, Kellie 43k
As estimates came in today from HITS Daily Double, Jennifer Hudson was victorious with her debut self-titled album, as it placed second with 225,400 copies. Kellie Pickler's Kellie Pickler also saw a Top 10 debut, coming in at #9 with 43,454 copies.
Both estimates are on track with HITS' earlier predictions, as Jennifer was expected top pull in between 215-225k and Kellie 40-45k. It will be interesting to see where things stand when all is said and done.
Paris gives birth to Egypt
The fifth season's fifth-place finalist, Paris Bennett, gave birth to her daughter, Egypt, yesterday at 3:36 p.m. according to People.com.
Said Paris of her 5 lb. 15 oz baby girl:
"I'm so excited to finally see my little angel – and man, does she have lungs on her. I guess she's gearing up to be the next American Idol."The now 20-year-old will drop her Christmas album A Royal Christmas on Tues., Oct. 14. No word on whether the baby's father will be revealed any time soon.
Out today: 'My Kind of Holiday'
Elliott Yamin's Christmas album My Kind of Holiday hit store shelves and online retailers' listings today. The 10-track offering includes timeless classics such as "This Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" in addition to the more interestingly titled "Back Door Santa" and "Let's Be Naughty (And Save Santa the Trip)." Links to purchase the album can be found below:
Albums
Elliott Yamin, My Kind of Holiday
Amazon - ($13.99) - Buy
Best Buy - ($13.99) - Buy
Circuit City - ($12.99) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.90) - Buy
Target - ($13.99) - Buy
Walmart - ($12.88) - Buy
My Kind of Holiday is currently #11 on iTunes' Top 100 Holiday albums chart.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Keeping up with Brenna Gethers
Brenna Gethers was known more for her sassy attitude than her singing abilities on the fifth season of Idol. The New York City native has left behind her "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" days and has embraced the r&b/funk group Bomb Squad, which she fronts. Watch a performance of "Maybe" by Brenna and Bomb Squad below:
Bomb Squad's latest album, Bomb Squad II, is on iTunes without Brenna's vocals since she did not join the band until 2007. Two of the groups songs including "Maybe" are available to listen to on its official music MySpace page. Brenna's 28th birthday is tomorrow, Oct. 7.
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