There were declines to be found all around among Idol alums on the Billboard Top 200 chart for the chart week of May 9.
Kicking things off was Kelly Clarkson with her latest album All I Ever Wanted, which fell two spots to #21 thanks to a 6% sales decrease. It moved another 18.3k copies for the week and no has a total of 508.7k, marking official gold status. Next up was Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, which sold 16.5k for the week, down 17% from the previous week. It has sold 2.805 million to date and was down #17-26 on the chart side.
Next up was David Cook, whose self-titled album took in another 8k despite sliding 12% for a total of 1.106 million copies. It fell eight spots to #55. And then there was Chris Botti's Chris Botti Live In Boston, which slipped #46-60 thanks to a 15% decrease in sales. It moved an additional 7.8k copies for the week and has now sold 69.2k.
Following 10 spots behind at #70 was Jennifer Hudson's debut album, which sold 6.9k copies and was 28 spots below where it was the previous week. It was down 26% in sales and now has a total of 714.1k. David Archuleta was up next at #110, up from #183 the previous week. David Archuleta was the only Idol-related album to see substantialpositive movement on the chart, as it was up 59% in sales to 4.6k copies for a total of 690k.
Kellie Pickler's Kellie Pickler slipped two spots to #133 with 3.9k copies, which was down only 3% from the previous week. It has now passed the 200k mark, standing at 201.5k copies. Daughtry's debut album declined #160-164 thanks to a 7% sales dip to 3.1k. It has now sold 4.423 million since its release back in November 2006.
And it was Mandisa and her Freedom that rounded out the Billboard 200 with 2.9k copies sold for the week for a total of 11.1k according to Billboard. On the chart side it was up three spots to #178 and stayed relatively unchanged percentage-wise from week to week.
Full sales figures and chart positions courtesy of Touch That Chick on Pulse as follows:
021 019 Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted 18,290 -6% 19,402 508,678
026 017 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 16,525 -17% 19,822 2,804,617
055 047 David Cook - David Cook 8,031 -12% 9,097 1,106,166
060 046 Chris Botti - Chris Botti Live In Boston 7,768 -15% 9,111 69,230
070 042 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 6,938 -26% 9,436 714,056
110 183 David Archuleta - David Archuleta 4,587 59% 2,877 689,798
133 131 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 3,850 -3% 3,966 201,512
164 160 Daughtry - Daughtry 3,072 -7% 3,288 4,422,604
178 181 Mandisa - Freedom 2,930 0% 2,921 11,148
Total sales are in bold.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
'Idol' BB 200: 'All I Ever Wanted' #21 (5/9/09)
Daughtry's sophomore release set for July 14
Coming on the heels of news that Daughtry will premiere its new single "No Surprise" on Wednesday's Idol results show, Chris and the boys did a vlog informing fans of the exact date of the band's upcoming sophomore release. The big date to mark on your calendars is Tues., July 14. Listen what they have to say below:
The single was co-written by Chris and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, which means it will probably sound like a Nickelback song. Have no fear, though, if anyone knows how to churn out radio-friendly hits while maintaining their rock credibility it is radio's "golden bands."
What they should sing: Rock Week
IDOL LIVE has shied away from suggesting songs for this season's finalists up until this point, but now that it's down to the wire, I feel it is the perfect time to throw a few suggestions their way.
As previously announced, Tuesday night will mark the Top 4 finalists' journey into the territory of rock 'n roll songs, which is a very general genre that is an umbrella to all sorts of possibilities for songs from many sub-genres, which means each contestant should be able to take advantage of the theme and pick something that fits their musical identity perfectly. That said, here are the songs I think would work well for each remaining finalist:
Adam Lambert: "Somebody Told Me" (The Killers), "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)
So it goes without saying that Adam will excel with this theme. Basically all he has to do is sing any rock song, or any non-rock song in a rocked-out arrangement, and he'll be fine. Therefore, my song suggestions have more to do with what I think would fit his vocal style best than what he needs to sing to advance to the next round.
To kick things off, Adam would do wonders with The Killers' biggest hit to date, "Somebody Told Me," because he would be able to run around the stage and play his theatrical card, which would add to the spectacle and be swimming in excitement. In fact, this performance could potentially be the most entertaining showcase this season if he does everything right.
His second song choice of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen would not be new to the Idol stage, but it is suited almost too well for him. His vocals could add even more character (if possible) to the classic, and it would be the perfect test to see if Adam really does measure up to Freddie Mercury, whom he seems to be compared to all the time. It would work better if he did not mess with the arrangement, but I could see him switching up a few things to make sure he is not pegged as a Freddie M. impersonator at a cheap karaoke bar.
If Adam takes on the above songs, it would further strengthen the musical direction he would like to pursue in peoples' minds,setting the stage for him to emerge onto the scene post-Idol.
Allison Iraheta: "That's What You Get" (Paramore), "You Learn" (Alanis Morissette)
Alright, alright, I know what you're thinking: why should Allison sing something by a band whose lead singer reminds many of Allison? Well, it's because Allison's performing skills would really radiate on "That's What You Get." Hayley Williams of Paramore really knows how to tear up the stage, and this song is the perfect fit for Allison and her personality. Sure, it would not be solely about the vocals, but her racing around the stage would more than make up for it. Plus, it's current, and since Allison is only 16 years-old, it would fit her perfectly.
In order to cull any "copycat" allegations leveled against her by the judges, Allison would be best served by coming out on stage for her second go round with the rock genre singing something with heart, soul, and less rock than roll. Therefore, an Alanis Morissette song would be the absolute right direction for her to pursure, and there is not a better choice than "You Learn" for Allison to accomplish this goal with. Just her at the micstand, using her extremely powerful lungs to belt out an staple female rock anthem that is full of emotion. To make things even more meaningful, it would be insane if she did an acoustic ore even an unplugged version of the song to potentially create a "moment" for her.
If Allison follows through on the above song choices, it would be hard to deny her a spot in the Top 3.
Danny Gokey: "Somewhere Only We Know" (Keane), "Everything" (Lifehouse)
Everyone and their mother is pegging Danny to fall flat on his face come Tuesday. Well, maybe that's a bit strong, but they definitely are not expecting an A+, out-of-the-park performance from him they way they are from Adam. This opens the door for Danny to really surprise the audience by delivering an unexpected one-two punch that will still allow him to remain in his comfort zone.
Therefore, I believe Danny would best be served by tackling Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" for his first performance and finish off the night with an emotional rendition of Lifehouse's "Everything." By doing "Somewhere," he will effectively surprise most by performing a well known British rock song that may seem mellow on the surface but really carries a deeper meaning. Plus, it can't hurt when it comes time for Simon to give his two cents.
On "Everything," Danny would start off a bit slow in an effort to lull the audience into a dreamlike state and then come out of nowhere and follow through on the "rock" portion of the song. The song's lyrics could also carry a personal message for Danny, which might result in an even stronger result, and would definitely be a way for him to connect with the audience. In other words, this could finally be his "moment."
Kris Allen: "Back 2 Good" (Matchbox Twenty), "Round Here" (Counting Crows)
Kris has "'90s rock" written all over his face, and this week should be used to show how radio-friendly his vocals really are. By selecting "Back 2 Good" by Matchbox Twenty and "Round Here" by Counting Crows, he will be able to maintain his "good guy" image while at the same time taking a few risks with his vocals. The arrangements really do not need much switching up, and Kris' voice is leagues different than Adam Duritz's and Rob Thomas', so he could not be accused of being "copycat."
Kris could also really go out on a limb on "Back," especially on the final chorus where he really lets loose and ratchets up the intensity factor before returning to a soft, smooth finale on the song. It would help if he did not play the guitar, but it would be a little difficult to imagine him wanting to leave it off the stage here. "Round Here" is a different story, though, as he would most likely have to use his guitar to add another element to his overall performance. That's not to say his vocals could not do the job on their own, but it would feel more complete if he did play it. This performance would come across as genuine Kris and at the same time would really help build his "street cred."
Again, these song suggestions are purely my own personal opinion of what would be best suited for the remaining four contestants, and it is probable that none of them will even be performed come Tuesday night. It would be pretty cool, though, if at least one choice were correct.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Poll of the week: Adam's "feeling good" about the results
In IDOL LIVE's most recent edition of the poll of the week, it was another week of being on top for Adam. Season 8's most talked about finalist added another 78 votes to his running total, which made up 51% of the total votes cast this past week. This extends his lead as the first-place finalist in the poll of the week series.
Kris once again came up short, but this week it was not even all that close. Kris brought in 36 votes (23%), way behind Adam. Danny was next with 20 votes (13%), with Allison (12 votes, 7%) and Matt (5 votes, 3%) brought up the rear.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 4 favorite finalist. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 36 (23%)
Matt Giraud 5 (3%)
Danny Gokey 20 (13%)
Allison Iraheta 12 (7%)
Adam Lambert 78 (51%)
Total votes: 151
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Lil Rounds (5 votes)
10th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
09th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
08th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
07th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (51 votes)
05th - Anoop Desai (99 votes)
04th - Allison Iraheta (82 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (193 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (333 votes)
01st - Adam Lambert (406 votes)
Analysis: Producers are trigger happy for drama
The end result of tonight's Top 5 results show was anything but unexpected. The means we took to get to the result, however, are another matter. But if anyone is surprised that Adam landed in the "Bottom 2," let's just take a look at the factors in play here.
First, Adam has never been in the Bottom 3, nevermind the B2. Therefore, the chances that he could skate into the finale without ever being in the latter were very slim. So what do the producers do? They psych out all of Adam's fans, who have become complacent over the past few weeks. I mean, it's hard to argue with such high numbers on DialIdol, isn't it? But there will come a day when a power hungry Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta fanbase votes and texts its way to a victory in that scenario.
Even though there were only five finalists remaining when votes were cast last night, which supported the notion that anyone could end up in any order when the results came in, there was zero chance that Adam was actually in the B2 following a highly praised performance in the pimp spot. The assertion that his polarization could be a reason to alienate a lot of the audience remains true, but again, that would not be enough to warrant a trip to the B2 on its own. There are still just as many supporters as there are those who do not vote for him.
But stepping back from the results for a moment, Adam made one of the most boneheaded moves when he picked Allison's and Danny's group based on who "did the best last night," which meant he assumed he was among the best performers of the night. Now, he really cannot be faulted for this because, well, everyone else thought he was among the best and that he would be in the top vote-getting group when Ryan began splitting the five of them up. Still, he should have taken a page from the rest of the finalists from seasons past that refused to pick a group and/or just sat/stood in the middle of the stage in protest.
Once people can come down from being hit by the blow to the face of Adam being in the B2, it's really no surprise that Matt left in fifth. As even he mentioned to Ryan following the revelation of the results, he was like a cat with nine lives on the show and is appreciative of how far he made it. Matt is right: he got a ton of chances to extend his time on the show and it was just his time to leave this week. Matt even sounded better on his encore than he did last night, and could have a career as an R&B singer if he chooses to pursue that route.
As for the rest of the results, it was no shock that Danny and Allison landed in the top spots based on last night, with Simon's ridiculous underwhelming critique of Allison's stellar vocal showing sending fans into a frenzy, undoubtedly accounting for a large chunk of the 47 million votes cast last night. And Kris was not up to anything new, as he ended up in the middle of the pack once again. Dark horse? Perhaps.
Moving on from the results, the producers had to reach for three guest performers tonight to act as filler, and could not have picked an odder combination. First up was Natalie Cole, who looked classy and sounded as crisp as ever on her song. Then came Taylor Hicks and his "Seven Mile Breakdown," which injected some life into the show but felt kind of out of place amid the backdrop of Rat Pack era week. He seemed to really appreciate being asked to return and perform, though, and reiterated that he loved being back on the Idol stage. All in all, it was not an amazing vocal performance but it was more on the exciting side than what we could have had in his place.
And then there was this week's mentor, Jamie Foxx. As if Foxx was not out of place after last night's critiques, he was even more out of place tonight when he autotuned the life out of his "#1 single" (according to Ryan. Is that song really #1 in the country?!) "Blame It." He did more twirling than even pretending to lip-synch, as he forgot to hold the mic up to his mouth more than a few times. And then for him to say the Top 5 finalists were the most talented singers he had heard in the past few years? After that performance, Jamie, that is more of a diss than it is a compliment. And didn't he recently say something on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to the effect of "just remember one thing: everything I say, I don't mean any of it." Right, we'll take you up on that.
Moving on, the Ford music video was dumber than usual this week, as the scenery was painted in color after beginning with a boring and lifeless grey scale landscape. The behind the scenes footage of seeing the finalists "baking a cake," however, was definitely worth every penny. We got to see Danny and Allison throw cake in each others' faces! We saw Kris, Adam and Matt breaking plates and strangling each other in cake batter and flour. How is that not entertaining?
There was really nothing else exciting about this results show, though. The group performance was good even though there was no lip-synching, and then Simon actually acted humble knowing that his critiques were less spot-on than Kara's and Randy's (keyword: acting).
My original predictions did not do all that well this week, as Allison was my first pick to leave in fifth place when I put in my predictions all those weeks ago. My pre-show predictions, however, were much more on the right track, as I had Matt going home with Kris in the B2 and Allison as the third member of the B3. Obviously the latter two guesses were wrong, but I had Matt going home and that's all that matters. Right?
One thing's for sure, though: next week's showcase of rock songs will be a sight to see.
'Idol' Hot 100: "My Life Would Suck Without You" #17 (5/9/09)
It was a mixed bag on the Idol front when looking at Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of May 9, with four tracks by three alums making the cut of track data that was made public.
Kelly Clarkson's first of two singles to make the chart was "My Life Would Suck Without You," which slipped four spots to #17 for the week. Her second single to make the chart was "I Do Not Hook Up," which rocketed #88-46 thanks to the release of the song's music video.
Also on the chart was Carrie Underwood with her single "I Told You So," which actually improved one spot on the chart to #36. Jennifer Hudson rounded out the Idol representation with her single "If This Isn't Love," which fell
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
17 13 Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You"
36 37 Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So"
46 88 Kelly Clarkson, "I Do Not Hook Up"
70 63 Jennifer Hudson, "If This Isn't Love"
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 5 Results (4/29/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 5 results show, when the final four finalists will be revealed in dramatic fashion. We're willing to be the results will be more exciting than Taylor Hicks' "welcome back" performance of "Seven Mile Breakdown" in addition to performances by Jamie Foxx and Natalie Cole. but there have been bigger surprises in this show's history. The blogcast will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will last one hour.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from David Cook, Anoop Desai, Blake Lewis, Lil Rounds and Carrie Underwood.
Digital sales roundup: "My Life Would Suck Without You" #32 (4/24/09)
Idol-related tracks on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart were easy to find, with Kelly Clarkson once again leading the way. Her single "My Life Would Suck Without You" slipped #32-25 for the week with an additional 38k downloads sold, which was marked by a 23% sales dip. It now totals 1.734 million.
Kelly was also represented by her current single "I Do Not Hook Up," which lunged forward 98 spots to #41 with a 180% sales boost to 29.8k downloads, making for a 78.4k total to date.
Kellie Pickler was up next with "Best Days of Your Life," which fell four spots to #39 thanks to a 29% dip in sales to 31.2k downloads. It has now moved 262.2k files to date. And David Archuleta's "Touch My Hand" saw a 999% boost to 12.9k downloads, signaling an entrance at #107.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
032 025 Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You" 37,953 -23% 49,347 1,733,771
039 035 Kellie Pickler, "Best Days of Your Life" 31,185 -29% 43,941 262,170
041 139 Kelly Clarkson, "I Do Not Hook Up" 29,791 180% 10,630 78,387
107 --- David Archuleta, "Touch My Hand" 12,875 999% 558 46,471
Total sales are in bold.
Justin Guarini writes song for 'New Moon' soundtrack
Justin Guarini has thrown his hat into the ring for landing an original song on the soundtrack of the upcoming Twilight: New Moon, the sequel to the mega successful box office smash based on the series by Stephenie Meyer. The song he wrote is called "I Can't Live" and was co-written by Nashville's Tammy Hyler and Shaye Smith. Listen to the song below:
It certainly sounds like something that would appear on the first soundtrack, so that increases its chances of making the cut for the second one. Justin is not the only artist to be pumped about possibly having a song on the soundtrack, as artists like Selena Gomez and Madonna have been asked about recording original material for it.
To add to it all, Justin's chief rival on the first season of the show, Kelly Clarkson, was asked by fans about wanting to have a song on the soundtrack while she was in Holland, and she actually said "Cry" could work well on the soundtrack.
Wouldn't it be something if both of them could claim a track on the soundtrack?
IDOL LIVE predix: Top 5 Results
Nothing will come as a shock tonight when a finalist that should have exited the competition two weeks ago finally goes home in fifth place. Even though the producers (and Ryan) will try to hype up the notion that anyone that goes tonight will come as a "shock," there will be no such thing.
The predictability factor will be out in force for tonight's results:
Bottom 3
Allison, Kris, Matt
Bottom 2
Kris, Matt
Eliminated
Matt
Matt really has done the best job possible all things considering, and he was able to deliver a very strong performance last night in a week that was really his to shine during. That said, he has gone as far as possible considering the major competition he has been paired with, and will gracefully bow out with a reprise of "My Funny Valentine."
Things that are working against Matt are the finite possibilities of who can go home at this point, the fact that he chose a song that was basically already perfected by two finalists on this show (Melinda Doolittle in Season 6 and Constantine Maroulis in Season 4) and most importantly Simon's shenanigans with his good old reverse psychology.
As for the finalists that will receive a wake up call tonight, Kris will certainly be one, joining Matt in the Bottom 2. If there is a Bottom 3 formulated from this crop of five, it would have to be Allison that fulfills the spot, but Ryan will most likely skip ahead to the B2 in order to create a sense of suspense.
In my original predictions, I had Allison leaving tonight, but even though that technically could still happen, I really do think Matt's time has come to a close for the final time. But of course, there is only one way to find out whether or not this commonly held prediction comes true tonight.
About last night: A pack of rats and a Foxx deliver
The debacles from the events over the past few days were looking to put a damper on last night's catalog of songs from the Rat Pack era, but everything seemed to fall in place by the time 8 p.m. ET rolled around. There was not one bad performance, even though the Top 5 finalists had to scramble last minute and drop one of the two songs they had been rehearsing in order to ensure there were no time overruns. And Jamie Foxx actually gave some good tips despite having to deal with negative perceptions going into tonight.
After Foxx's lengthy intro montage and his "surprise" unveiling to the finalists was shown, Kris took the stage and did a subdued but smooth rendition of Frank Sinatra's staple "The Way You Look Tonight." Kris' vocals were a little bit better than usual, but it's fair to say they were consistent and the use of his falsetto enhanced the overall result. Simon's critique of the performance being "wet" may or may not resonate with the voting public, but it is quite apparent that the other three judges thought highly of it. What could end up hurting Kris is the fact that he went first, which seems like it would be a non-factor this late in the season, but it is always a possibility.
Following Kris was Allison, who looked a lot more mature and sounded years beyond her age, even more so than usual. She sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone to Watch Over Me" with grace and poise, proving that even the rocker chick can simmer down for enough time to show that she is capable of delivering heartfelt low key showcases. Allison was also able to get a few Christina Aguilera-isms in and even belted out the last few notes. Her performance was a few notches better than Simon's weak 7 out of 10 score, and Kara let him know he was "crazy" for his critique since she was so sure that Allison is not a one-trick pony and that she didn't need anyone watching over her last night.
More importantly than any of her critiques, Allison truly looked like a contender regardless of Simon's questioning of how badly she wants to win it. This should be enough to keep her out of trouble tonight.
Someone who had his name written all over last night's theme was Matt, as he is a jazz music major at Michigan State. That being said, he did not do the best with his rendition of "My Funny Valentine," which was made famous on this show by Melinda Doolittle on its sixth season. Matt was his regular self with hat and all, but his lack of piano playing was actually missed a bit last night. Still, his vocals on the classic standard were among his best yet, which was noticed by Simon.
The deal with Simon, however, is that he was using his signature reverse psychology on Matt, which will be realized by the majority of the public when tonight's results are read. It's true that Matt deserved some praise for his efforts, but Simon was the noticeable sore thumb sticking out among the rest of the judges with the exception of Paula, who gave her usual dribble drabble about seeing a "pure and simple side" of Matt. Randy and Kara were actually dead on when they noticed a lack of emotion and connection to the song, and these comments will ring true once things become more clear tonight.
Danny, on the other hand, came out and gave the performance of his life with "Come Rain or Come Shine," which he needed to do in order to revitalize his chances for the title. Danny started off in his usual rhythm and blues mantra, but near the end he really came alive despite incorporating his usual growls into the otherwise smooth vocal performance. It was not a surprise that the judges raved about the showing, and even Simon's comments about Danny finding his confidence and agreeing with Kara that he had swagger seemed appropriate. Even though he did not get the coveted pimp spot, Danny showed that he could still deliver despite the assertion that his Idol star has waned over the past few weeks.
And then there was Adam, who really wore his theatrics on his sleeve with an over the top take on Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." The performance fit Adam to a T, and was definitely a sight to see with a dramatic descension of the staircase lit in hot pink florescent lights. The vocals were a bit too much, though he had a great note near the end that has seemed to be lacking from the current season of Idol. There was a time when the glory note was considered the cherry on top of a performance, but it has since fallen from popularity.
As usual, the judges had no qualms about Adam's showing, and Simon's "a cow moos" comment injected some humor into the critiques. It goes without saying that Adam is not going anywhere tonight.
After looking back at last night's performances, it can be said that this was perhaps the best performance episode of the season, with no one being so blatantly bad that they warrant a ticket home. Someone does have to go, however, and it will probably be another obvious boot. But just to cover all the bases, there have been stranger things to happen on this show.
One last note: Jamie Foxx was actually a more effective mentor than many thought he would be. There were times when his advice made a lot of sense and he seemed to care about what he was saying to the contestants, even though he probably did not mean much of it. He's still not a nice person, but whatever.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
HITS estimates: Kelly 19.1k, Carrie 16.7k
The Idol representation was one less this week on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart.
David Cook's self-titled album dropped off the sales slope of the Top 50, but that had no effect on Kelly Clarkson and her ability to regain the pole Idol-related position with her album All I Ever Wanted. It actually increased 7% to 19.1k copies, representing a two-spot advance to #21.
Carrie Underwood wrapped things up with her Carnival Ride, which fell #17-26 to 16.7k copies, down 13% for the week.
Final numbers courtesy of Billboard should be available sometime later this week.
Preview of Elliott Yamin's album
An album preview of Elliott Yamin's forthcoming sophomore album Fight For Love was leaked recently, featuring clips of the album's 12 tracks. Listen to the preview below:
This time around, Elliott is sure to pull out a few more radio-friendly R&B offerings with pop-tinged hooks. From the album's extremely catchy first single and title track to the mid-tempo love track "You" and the radio ready "Apart From Me," things are sounding promising for this era.
Fight For Love comes out Tues., May 5, a week from today, and features production by big named industry figures including Jermaine Dupri and Stargate.
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 5 Perform (4/28/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 5 finalists' performances, when four guys and a girl take on songs from the Rat Pack era. The question is, which contestant will play which role? Our bet is as follows: Adam = James Dean, Allison = Joey Bishop, Danny = Sammy Davis, Jr., Kris = Frank Sinatra and Matt = Peter Lawford. Alright, so maybe that's a stretch, but it's the best we've got. As usual, the blogcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour with Jamie Foxx serving as the contestants' mentor.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Kevin Covais, Bucky Covington, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee and Jordin Sparks.
Tonight: one song only and another Foxx
Idol has gone back on its word. Instead of having the Top 5 perform two songs each, as previously advertised on AmericanIdol.com, we will only get to hear one song from each from the era of the Rat Pack.
Also, as announced this morning by Paula on the Tommy and Brook Show Jamie Foxx will be mentoring the finalists tonight. Foxx, who is starring in that flop movie about a homeless musician, recently had to apologize for making disparaging comments about Miley Cyrus.
Perfect choice for a mentor, producers! Because when I think of Rat Pack music, Jamie Foxx is the first "artist" that comes to mind...
P.S. since Natalie Cole is performing tomorrow night, why couldn't they judt have switched her role with Foxx's? It's not like anyone wants to hear that "Blame It" song more than they have to, but it would at least be beneficial to the contestants in that Cole's expertise and advice would be much more meaningful.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Flashback: Ryan Starr's "Last Dance"
In the spirit of last week's exposition of disco songs by the current cast of Idol finalists, it is worth taking a look at the performance that sent Ryan Starr home in seventh place during disco week all the way back in Season 1. Watch Ryan's take on Donna Summer's "Last Dance" below:
This performance got Ryan the boot, and is what started a series of "cursed" songs, as it would later be responsible for sending LaKisha Jones home five seasons later. Still, Ryan was ahead of her time
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Jordin Sparks to premiere new single "Battlefield"
As previously known, Jordin Sparks will perform on Idol's Top 3 results show set for Wed., May 13 (Katy Perry will also perform her new single "Waking Up In Vegas"). What was not known at the time was the song she would be performing, and that is no longer a mystery. As reported by SingersRoom.com on Friday:
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is prepping her sophomore release and according to music insiders, a song titled "Battlefield" will lead off the disc.
The mid-tempo R&B track was written by Grammy nominated producer/songwriter and One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder, whose long list of accolades includes hits for Ashanti, LeToya Luckett, Timbaland, Jennifer Hudson and Rihanna.
The song title sounds like something Tedder would write, and conventional widsom is that the song will have a "Halo" / "Already Gone" vibe, which is great for Jordin but it might be risking coming on the heels of the former. Either way, it will surely be a performance no to miss.
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Tamyra Gray in the studio with Ryan Tedder
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Tamyra Gray has been in the studio working on some material, though it has not been made public what the material will be included on. Last week, she made it known that she was in the studio with Ryan Tedder and The Runaways, which are top-notch writers and producers. Maybe a comeback is in the midst?
>A music video for "Touch My Hand" leaked this week days before it was used to accompany David Archuleta's performance of the song on Wednesday's Idol results show. It found itself onto the Asian video sharing site and can be watched below:
The audio is actually from his AOL Sessions performance of the song because, well, all the other files on YouTube have had embedding disabled by theofficialdavidarchuleta. The song is Arch's third single off his self-titled debut but does not have an adds date at the moment.
>Chris Sligh attended the 40th Annual Dove Awards on Fri., April 23, which aired on the Gospel Music Channel. He lost out in the two categories he was nominated for, though: the coveted Best New Artist and the Song of the Year categories.
>Michael Johns announced that his new single "Heart On My Sleeve" would be going for adds at radio on Mon., April 27. This is not listed anywhere on FMQB nor AllAccess, though, it was only mentioned as a message via his account on Twitter.
>Leslie Hunt, a Top 20 contestant on the sixth season of Idol, got married on Fri., April 17, then she did a show the next night before heading to San Francisco for her honeymoon. On the honeymoon, she and her husband rented a red mustang and drove up to the Napa Valley for a few days. What an awesome chick.
Friday, April 24, 2009
'Idol' BB 200: 'Carnival Ride' #17 (5/2/09)
For the first time in a while, Carrie Underwood regained the pole Idol-related position on the Billboard Top 200 chart with her sophomore album for the chart week of May 2.
Carnival Ride slipped one spot to #17 with another 19.8k copies sold, down 39% from the previous week. It has sold 2.788 million in all and continues its march with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Following Carrie was Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted, which slipped to the second-highest-charting album for an Idol alum for the first time in its chart life thanks to a hefty 51% drop in sales. It sold 19.4k copies for the week for a total of 490.4k and was down #12-19 on the chart side.
Next up was Jennifer Hudson and her debut album, which rocketed 60 spots to #42 thanks to a 36% sales increase from her performance on last week's Idol results show. It moved an additional 9.4k copies for a total of 707.1k. Chris Botti's CD/DVD combo came in a few spots behind at #46, down from #37 the previous week, with 9.1k units sold. The album, which features a track by Katharine McPhee, was down 44% and has sold 61.5k in all.
One spot behind at #47 was David Cook's David Cook, which fell from #28 the previous week, or a 57% sales drop. It also moved 9.1k copies for a total of 1.098 million. Kellie Pickler's sophomore effort saw a 37% decline in sales to 4k, marking a 19-spot drop to #131. Its total now stands at 197.7k copies.
Next up was Daughtry's debut album, which actually improved #161-160 despite a 23% sales dip to 3.3k copies. It has now totaled 4.420 million. Mandisa's Freedom followed at #181, down from #154 the week before. It moved another 2.9k copies for the week, adding up to a total of 9.7k according to Billboard.
And David Archuleta's debut album rounded things out with a 50-spot drop to #183 with 2.9k copies sold. It was down 47% in sales from week-to-week and has now sold 685.2k in all.
Full sales figures and chart positions courtesy of Touch That Chick on Pulse as follows:
017 016 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 19,822 -39% 32,280 2,788,092
019 012 Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted 19,402 -51% 39,857 490,388
042 102 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 9,436 36% 6,925 707,118
046 037 Chris Botti - Chris Botti In Boston 9,111 -44% 16,235 61,462
047 028 David Cook - David Cook 9,097 -57% 21,365 1,098,135
131 112 Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 3,966 -37% 6,276 197,662
160 161 Daughtry - Daughtry 3,288 -23% 4,279 4,419,556
181 154 Mandisa - Freedom 2,921 -35% 4,522 9,746
183 133 David Archuleta - David Archuleta 2,877 -47% 5,449 685,211
Total sales are in bold.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Paula opens up to 'Nightline'
A cloud of controversy has surrounded Paula this week, with rumors swirling that she blew up during talks of her contract with Idol producers, which is set to expire at the end of this season. Tonight she opens up to Cynthia McFadden on ABC's late night news magazine Nightline, on which she dishes on a host of topics including Kara as the fourth judge, her medical history and whether or not anyone could ever replace her as a judge.
Watch a clip of Paula talking about how she found out about Kara being added as a fourth judge below:
A snippet from the conversation about Paula's future as a judge on the show can be read below:
"This is my last season under contract," she told "Nightline" in an exclusive interview. "I love the show, I do. I love what I do on the show and I'm loving it more this season than ever."
And whatever the future holds, don't count her out.
"Don't bet against me," she said, "because the most powerful kryptonite I possess is the connection with the people."
Now, this is not the first time ABC News has tried to inject itself into an Idol controversy. Back in 2005, ABC's Martin Bashir interviewed Season 2 expelled contestant Corey Clark about his charges that Paula had a romantic relationship with him while he was on the show in 2003. The charges were denied by Paula and a FOX internal investigation turned up nothing, leaving Corey to look like an idiot that just was interested in peddling his album release.
This left ABC News with a black eye, so it is interesting that it has taken until now for the organization to go after one of its chief rivals. This time around it is not as cutthroat, though, as Paula is directly involved in the report and will obviously defend herself when some of the more controversial questions are lunged at her.
Paula's interview will air on Nightline tonight at 11:35 p.m. ET.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Poll of the week: Adam and Kris steal the show
Nothing out of the ordinary happened on IDOL LIVE's poll of the week, as Adam once again took hold of the competition with an additional 80 votes cast in his favor. He garnered 43% of the 182 total votes cast. This puts him in front of Kris for the first time in the overall standings.
Kris was once again the runer-up in vote totals for the week, as he received 47 votes (25%). Danny was next with 22 votes (12%), and Anoop took in 14 votes, good for 7% of the total take.
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 5 favorite finalist. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 47 (25%)
Anoop Desai 14 (7%)
Matt Giraud 7 (3%)
Danny Gokey 22 (12%)
Allison Iraheta 11 (6%)
Adam Lambert 80 (43%)
Lil Rounds 1 (0%)
Total votes: 182
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Lil Rounds (5 votes)
10th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
09th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
08th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
07th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
06th - Anoop Desai (99 votes)
05th - Matt Giraud (46 votes)
04th - Allison Iraheta (70 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (173 votes)
02nd - Kris Allen (297 votes)
01st - Adam Lambert (328 votes)
Analysis: Last week's save costs Lil & Anoop
Tonight went pretty much according to plan. Two finalists that really had no chance to win took their final bows and performed as contenders for the last time. The interesting thing to come of this is not as much as a whimper or whine could be heard from the audience over the ousters, which supports the notion that it really was their time to leave.
This is not a knock to Anoop or Lil, as the two of them should be proud of themselves for achieving the success they have attained on this show. But even they knew the two of them had overstayed their welcome, which supports why Lil went out with a smile on her face and Anoop left with poise, although visibly disappointed.
The judges were even long on praise for Lil, with Simon saying he was still a big fan of Lil's and with Randy saying this was just the beginning for her. The judges unfortunately did not have time to address Anoop's elimination, but they probably would have echoed something similar for him had they been able to get their last two cents in that could have been made possible by shaving 30 seconds off the disco medley (what was that, anyway?)
Moving right along to the disco medley, was that supposed to get the audience on the floor and in the mood to shake their groove thing? If so: mission absolutely not accomplished. It's always great to see legends perform their hits decades after they become hits, but sometimes you can't help but feel bad for them when it comes to their performances. I mean, Freda Payne was nearly out of breath by the time she finished shuffling across the stage through "Band of Gold" and KC of KC and the Sunshine Band looked like he was going to go into convulsions while surrounded by four much younger dancing girls. Thelma Houston was not much better on "Don't Leave Me This Way," as she looked like she took a page from Big Bird Margret's styling book (if anyone remembers who I'm referencing, you get two bonus points).
Then we were greeted by David Archuleta, who really was feeling his performance of "Touch My Hand" as he did his best to command the stage. Although he has long graduated from the Idol academy, one could have thought he was just another contestant on this season. It will take a few years, but soon enough Arch will be way beyond the Idol brand. He sounded great and was nice to Anoop and Allison as they sweated things out in the Bottom 2.
Not to be overlooked, Paula's much-hyped choreographed group performance by the Top 7 of Michael Jackson's "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" did not fail to impress. There were aspects that could be seen as being extremely cheesy, and the lip-synching was beyond obvious this week that it almost took away from the dancing, but they all worked will together considering it was put together in two days.
There are a few things that should be noted following these results. For the first time ever, The Top 5 does not include any minorities. Not that this will be a major issue, but some may seize upon this fact and take the opportunity to call the show racist (which is, after all, ridiculous). Also, this is the first time there is only one female among the Top 5, although the opposite was had in Season 3 when George Huff was the single remaining male contestant of the Top 5.
As for my original predictions and pre-show predictions, I was wrong about both finalists on the former (had Matt going in 7th with Scott going in 6th), but I was half-right on the latter. I correctly predicted Lil would be leaving in 7th place, but thought Matt would go in 6th, whereas Anoop got the honor instead. Looking back at the results and keeping things in perspective, tonight was a good night overall. From here on in, however, it will be a bumpy ride indeed.
'Idol' Hot 100: "My Life Would Suck Without You" #13 (5/2/09)
It was another blah week on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for Idol alums for the chart week of May 2.
Kelly Clarkson kicked things off with "My Life Would Suck Without You," which slipped two rankings to #13. She also was represented by her current single, "I Do Not Hook Up," which made it onto the Hot 100 at #88 after spending last week on the Bubbling Under chart.
Carrie Underwood's single "I Told You So" took a mild tumble this week, sliding #29-37, while Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life" saw upward movement with a #50-48 advance on the chart.
Tracks by Kellie and Kelly were not the only Idol-related ones to see positive movement, as Jennifer Hudson's "If This Isn't Love" saw a nice 23-spot gain to #63 thanks to Jennifer's performance on last week's Idol results show.
Full chart positions courtesy of bks over on Pulse are posted below:
Hot 100
13 11 Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You"
37 29 Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So"
48 50 Kellie Pickler, "Best Days of Your Life"
63 86 Jennifer Hudson, "If This Isn't Love"
88 -- Kelly Clarkson, "I Do Not Hook Up"
IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 7 Results Pt. 2 (4/22/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 7 finalists' second round with results, when two will most definitely be leaving the competition. Were last night's disco exhibits a letdown or a success? Will Matt escape elimination for the second week in a row? There's only one way to find out, by tuning in at 9 p.m. ET and following along for our one-hour blogcast. To make things even more special, David Archuleta will return to perform.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Melinda Doolittle, Matt Giraud, Michael Johns, Kimberley Locke and Ramiele Malubay.
Digital sales roundup: "My Life Would Suck Without You" #25 (4/17/09)
Although two Idol-related singles that previously had been on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart were able to make their way back onto it, expectantly sagging older favorites made up the majority of the chart for the week.
Once again leading the pack was Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You," which sold another 49.3k, placing its total at 1.696 million. It only slipped two spots to #25 on the chart, down 21% from the previous week. Kelly also saw her latest single, "I Do Not Hook Up," re-enter the chart at #139 for the first time since the week of her album's release. It moved 10.6k downloads for the week thanks to a sales increase of 49%, marking a total to date of 48.6k.
Another Kellie followed, as Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life" fell #34-35 in the face of a 6% dip in sales to 43.9k downloads. It has now sold 231k. Another country gal, Carrie Underwood, saw her single "I Told You So" take a 37% decline to 34k for the week, resulting in a total of 418.1k. On the chart side of things, it was down 15 spots to #46.
The last Idol alum to be represented on the chart according to numbers revealed this week was Jennifer Hudson by her single "If This Isn't Love" at #86, which saw an increase in sales by 172% to 19.1k following her performance on last week's Idol results show. Its total now stands at 103.1k.
Full numbers and chart positions courtesy of bks on Pulse as follows:
025 023 Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You" 49,347 -21% 62,152 1,695,818
035 034 Kellie Pickler, "Best Days of Your Life" 43,941 -6% 46,825 230,985
046 029 Carrie Underwood, "I Told You So" 34,008 -37% 54,145 418,107
086 --- Jennifer Hudson, "If This Isn't Love" 19,112 172% 7,030 103,132
139 --- Kelly Clarkson, "I Do Not Hook Up" 10,630 49% 7,141 48,596
Total sales are in bold.
IDOL LIVE predix: Top 7 Results, Pt. 2
Tonight's results will be a major turning point that helps hammer across the idea that DianIdol is not the be all, end all, of Idol results spoiling. This season has already been a disaster for the venerable predicting site, but it's not at fault. People just simply do not know how to read the results. They think just because someone is positioned at the top they received the most votes, and freak out every time their favorite is dwelling near the bottom of the chart. This will hopefully wake a few people up for good.
Alright enough wasting time, here is how things will most likely go tonight:
Bottom 3
>Danny, Lil, Matt
Eliminated in 7th Place
>Lil
Eliminated in 6th Place
>Matt
It has yet to be determined how Ryan will go through the results in a double elimination like tonight, but it's a good bet he will bring down the Bottom 3 and knock out the 7th-place finalists from that, leaving the next two lowest vote-getters. From there, he will read which one was next in line in terms of low vote totals, and therefore the sixth-place finisher.
So by following this model, it appears that Lil will finally leave, just as Simon said. Forget the fact that she is listed as the highest vote recipient on DialIdol, forget the whole sympathy factor, forget everything. If Lil could end up in the B3 with a performance in the pimp spot, it would make much more sense for her to leave going first. Who else could logically leave tonight other than her? Even though this show is not always about singing well, there are lines that can be drawn from time to time and tonight will be about who needs to go.
The judges' use of the save last week will be rendered pointless when Matt leaves tonight. He chose a cursed song (LaKisha Jones, anyone?) and did not sound much better than last week. Plus he did not get glowing reviews and that's a bad combination when you're short on fans. The third member of the potential B3 is probably going to be Danny, which will be as close to a shock as we'll get for now. This scare will pump up his fans and guarantee they kick it into gear in time for next week's two hours worth of voting. Although Allison looks to be in trouble tonight, she will be the major beneficiary of Lil's departure, as she could go as far as Top 3 by being the only remaining female in contention.
In my original predictions, I had Matt going home in 7th place and Scott leaving in 6th place, so the former is still a good possibility. Still, I think there's a greater chance he moves up a spot and is the second one eliminated tonight.
About last night: Vocals trump arrangements, apparently
If there's a single thing one should take away from last night's disco showdown, it is the assumption that with the exception of Adam and Kris, the judges would have preferred to hear straight-up arrangements rather than modified ones that suit the finalists better.
It seemed as if every performance had at least one judge putting a damper on the manner in which the song was performed, which is usually not how things go on this show. The positive thing about tonight was the fact that all four judges actually were allowed to get a word in (edgewise, maybe, but in regardless), yet they still managed to finish a minute or so after nine.
But it were the performances that really made the night what it was, for better or for worse. Kicking things off without even so much as a pre-performance video package (what a shame...), Lil got into her groove with "I'm Every Woman." First of all, how many times has the song been sung on this show over the years? Here's a hint: too many. Once again, Lil showed complete and utter disregard for the judges and their warnings with this song choice, and although she was able to hop around the stage with a few bright spots in her vocals, Simon was right on in accusing her of being "copycat." Simon was even more correct when he said this will be the last week we see Lil perform as an Idol finalist. If not, something in the Idol universe has gone horribly wrong.
Deciding to switch things up this week was Kris and his guitar, as the pair performed an unexpected song in "She Works Hard For the Money" (aka Donna Summer song #1). Although hundreds of thousands of Kris' fans most likely simultaneously held their breath in the 30 seconds prior to his performance, they let out a collective sigh of relief as soon as he began his acoustic take on the disco classic. Kris' vocals were as smooth as usual, but the way he configured the song to fit his personal style is something that should be admired. The judges agreed, although a few of them seemed to drag their feet (mainly Kara). Paula had to throw a hitch in what was an otherwise positive critique session, though, as she rambled on about Kris not being afraid to go shopping in women's departments. But Simon was able to paddle back to the center and delivered a glowing review. It would be a semi-shock to see him leave tonight.
Someone else who switched up his song's arrangement to result in a solid performance was Adam, as he defied Simon's $10,000 fake bet that he'd pick a Donna Summer song, instead opting for "If I Can't Have You" from Saturday Night Fever (or Saturday Night Live if you're asking Kara). With a little help from Michael Orland, Adam was able to take a well known song and turn it on its head. It was not his strongest showing to date, but it was a lot better than a few of the night's other performances. However, Paula's tearing up definitely could have been done without.
On the other side of the spectrum, Danny's take on "September" was a little on the overrated side. The dancing was improved, but the vocals were just not really up to speed. The strange thing was everyone pretty much gave Danny a pass on his vocals and praised him for making the song work for him, even though he did not mess with the arrangement. It probably would have worked better had he switched it up a bit, but Simon liked it so that's all that counts. If Kara's into foreshadowing with her "I hope we remember this by the end of the night" comment, it could be very much a possibility that Danny will land in the Bottom 3, although it would be a stretch to believe he's going anywhere.
Another finalist that did not change up the arrangement and once again did not get chewed up was Matt, as the most fortunate member of the Top 7 sang the cursed (in Idol terms) "Stayin' Alive" (aka Bee Gees song #1). Matt's vocals were a mess and his performance was extremely hectic, with the backup singers going out of their element by joining him front and center. Everything about the showing was too much: too much effort put in, too much vocals, too much moving around, too much not good enough. Yet the four talking heads were relatively easy on him, with Paula saying he threw a "strike" and Randy saying he "can really sing." Even though he gave it his all, it looks like Matt's journey on this show is finally over.
Last night's best performance came smack dab in the middle thanks to Allison's well-planned rendition of "Hot Stuff." The song is usually performed in a near joking manner, and Allison managed to transform it into an rocked-out experience. From the beginning when she was sitting vulnerably on the stairs to the last veteran-sounding run, she was able to take command of the stage as well as captivate the audience. But once again, the judges did not like this modified arrangement, with Randy borrowing a page from Simon's page when he called it "overindulgent." That's overindulgent, Randy? Really? And would you guys have preferred to hear another predictable, karaoke-sounding "Hot Stuff" songfest? I guess so.
And to close out the show was a new Anoop with a new look. He still had his old smooth vocal style, though, and his take on "Dim All the Lights" (aka Donna Summer song #2) was pretty solid. Once again, though, the current-sounding arrangement was nothing short of a major miss according to Simon, as were Anoop's vocals, as he called it his worst showing yet. That is for sure a stretch, and Randy, Paula and Kara were more on the money here (something that rarely happens this season). Maybe next time Anoop can do without the pink, though (just ignore Paula on that one, Anoop).
And with that, it's going to be close. At this point it seems like it would be fairly obvious as to who's getting the send-off tonight, but there are a few surprises to be had yet. There has yet to be a "shocker" of an elimination this season, and it might just happen tonight.
Just one more thing: I got answers to my two pre-performance questions. First, only two of seven finalists "took the boring route" and sang Donna Summer songs. Second, only one finalist "opted for the toe-tapping tunes of The Bee Gees."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Simon on 'Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'
Simon Cowell last night sat down with Craig Ferguson and his elaborate mug on CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Things discussed included Simon's two parking spots at CBS Studios, the amount of gabbing that goes on between Paula and Kara this season, and whether or not Simon will return when his contract runs up. Watch video of the segment below:
So it seems like Simon really is planning on leaving once his contract ends. As to whether the show would continue post-Cowell, that is anybody's guess. I personally think Piers Morgan could be tapped to fill in if the series is still sitting high atop the rest of the TV mountain. If not, it would probably be the right time to hang up the mics.
IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 7 Perform (4/21/09)
Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 7 finalists' second try at trying to impress the American voting public, this time by singing the best disco has to offer. How many contestants will take the boring route and sing the songs of Donna Summer? How many will opt for the toe-tapping tunes of The Bee Gees? There's only one way to find out: tune at 8 p.m. ET and follow along to the hourlong blogcast.
Tonight's blogcast will feature music from David Archuleta, Blake Lewis, Kady Malloy, Alaina Whitaker and Brooke White.
HITS estimates: Carrie 19.3k, Kelly 17.8k
There were big falls all around for albums by Idol alums on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart this week.
For the first time in a long time, Kelly Clarkson's album All I Ever Wanted slipped to the no. 2 Idol-related entry on the chart, as it slipped #12-23 with 17.8k copies for the week, down 57% from week to week. It was Carrie Underwood's album Carnival Ride that reclaimed that title, taking in 19.3k copies and slipping only 41%. On the chart side, it was only down two spots to #17.
The only other Idol alum to be represented in the Top 50 chart was David Cook, as his self-titled album fell another 58%, bringing in 8.7k copies and falling #28-45 on the chart.
Final numbers courtesy of Billboard should be out by the end of the week.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Flashback: Michael Johns' "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"
Just one week before his shocking elimination, Michael Johns took on one of the most heartfelt songs from Dolly Parton's catalog, "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," and turned the Idol stage into a veteran's showcase pedestal during Top 9 week. The magical performance can be relived below:
Although his time left on the show was not long, Michael showed that one spectacular performance could turn the tide in one's favor, even if only temporarily. If he had been given the chance to extend his time on the show, it's a good bet audiences would have seen comparable performances from MJ.
Vonzell Solomon asks for help deciding on single
Season 4's third-place finalist, Vonzell Solomon, is calling on fans to help pick her new single based on four clips that have been posted on her official MySpace page. The four singles are "Rise Above," "D*I*R*T*B*A*G," "Gotta Boss" and "Bad Chick."
All four snippets sound like they have real potential, as their productions sound similar to what can be found in other R&B/Hip Hop tracks that are hot at the moment. In fact, they all sound like they could fit right at home on Beyonce's latest album, I Am...Sasha Fierce. Let her know which one you prefer by posting on her MySpace. IDOL LIVE actually thinks "D*I*R*T*B*A*G" has the most potential, and would suggest it as Baby V's new single.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Kelly's "I Do Not Hook Up" music video leaks
Kelly Clarkson's latest music video for current single "I Do Not Hook Up" yesterday leaked on the Asian video sharing Web site Youku.com. Watch the video below:
It seems Kelly is looking to use comic relief here, and it actually works, especially with the tripping on the bar counter. In case you would like to see what it looks like in high definition on the small screen minus the watermarks, the video will officially premiere tomorrow on MTV and MTV Hits beginning at 6 a.m. ET.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sanjaya + Blago + Costa Rica = Good TV? NBC thinks so...
The latest Idol alum to sign on to another reality series is none other than Season 6's Sanjaya Malakar. It was only two years ago that he was sent packing from the show after weeks of controversy from the media at large, but Sanjaya apparently feels it is the right time to return to the small screen.
Access Hollywood reports that everyone's favorite fauxhawk-sporting Washington state resident will appear on NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which is set to premiere on Mon., June 1. Other celebrities slated to star on the monthlong extravaganza are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV's The Hills, Janice Dickinson and disgraced former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Well it's good to know that Sanjaya will be in good company.
The premise of the show is that the unsuspecting celebs will be dropped in an undisclosed location (this time, the jungles of Costa Rica) and they will be challenged to make their way back to civilization. Sounds like an adventure!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Kelly's "I Do Not Hook Up" music video to premiere Monday
Kelly Clarkson's new music video for her latest single "I Do Not Hook Up" will premiere on Mon., April 20, beginning at 6 a.m. on MTV and MTV Hits, and will air on both networks throughout the entire day. Watch a snippet of the video below:
As a single, "I Do Not Hook Up" is performing very well considering it just recently went for adds at Top 40. As of the most recent update from Mediabase, the single is sitting at #33 with 1,744 spins and an audience impression of 13.477 million for the week.
'Idol' odds 'n ends: Fatnasia lands VH1 reality series deal
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>It was announced the other day that Fantasia would be the latest Idol alum to star in another reality series following her stint on the show that made her famous. Fantasia will have VH1's cameras follow her around to film her life, with a premiere date tentatively set for early 2010. There does not seem to be a true plot for the show, just another "watch what this celeb does in their daily lives" kind of deal.
>Back to Bacharach and David, the latest musical to feature Diana DeGarmo as one of its main stars, premieres Sun., April 19, at The Music Box @ Fonda in Los Angeles, Calif. The show will run until May 17 and also features former Idol Season 6 Hollywood round contestant Tom Lowe.
>Katharine McPhee and her team introduced a contest that allows fans to submit splash designs for her official Web site. Watch Kat's vlog on Kyte.com regarding the contest below:
For complete rules and instructions on how to submit the designs, check here.
>Blake Lewis has been blogging for T-Mobile's Grammy Celebration Concert Tour. In his latest blog entry, dated April 14, Blake wrote the following about a show at San Francisco's Warfield:
Last night's GRAMMY Celebration Concert Tour Presented By T-Mobile Sidekick show was EPIC!! N.E.R.D. tore the house down. I've been waiting for years to see them and they did not disappoint. Two drummers on stage = huge sound! Natasha Bedingfield added her beautiful soul to the show right after N.E.R.D. and man! We've played a couple shows together and I have to say that this one, was the best I've seen. Her voice is too good. And her arrangements are killer! Super jazzy and sexy. Loved it.
I had fun playing at The Warfield. So much history and beauty. I think last night on a scale of 1 to 167 it was a 143. Hell yes!
Love, Peace and Beats.
Until next time.
BL
Blake will next travel to Boston on Mon., May 4, when he covers a show by Kelly Clarkson and Lady Gaga at the House of Blues.
>It was announced that Daughtry will participate in the Tampa Bay Rays' Summer Concert Series presented by Hess Express on Sat., Aug. 1. The concert will begin promptly following the game and will be free to all of its ticket-holding attendees. In other Daughtry news, Chris has now established a Twitter account.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
'Idol' BB 200: 'All I Ever Wanted' #12 (4/25/09)
The scene on the latest Billboard Top 200 chart for Idol alums was a pretty good one thanks to Easter weekend, Idol results shows and the ACM Awards.
Advancing two spots to #12 on the chart was Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted, which rose 18% in sales to 39.9k copies. It has sold 471k in all and should just miss going gold next week.
Also seeing positive movement was Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, which jumped #33-16 thanks to Easter sales and the ACM Awards. It took in 32.3k copies for the week, up 99%, and has totaled 2.768 million. David Cook was next with his self-titled album, which sold 21.4k copies, down 14%, for a total of 1.089 million. On the chart side, it dropped eight spots to #28.
In its second week, Chris Botti's CD/DVD Chris Botti In Boston, which features Katharine McPhee, slipped 24 spots to #37 and decreased in sales by 55% to 16.2k copies. It has sold 52.4k copies after two weeks. Next up was Jennifer Hudson's debut album, which moved another 6.9k copies, down 9% from the previous week, which dropped #89-102. Its total now stands at 697.7k copies and should see a nice increase on next week's chart following Jennifer's big performance on last night's results show.
Kellie Pickler's performance on this week's chart is just a sign of things to come for Jennifer's album, as Kellie Pickler's sophomore album shot up 174% to 6.3k copies, marking a re-entry on the chart at #112. It has sold 193.7k copies since its release last fall. David Archuleta also saw some gains this week, though not on the same scale. David Archuleta improved by 20 spots to #133 and sold another 5.5k copies, up 35%. It has now totaled 682.3k.
Mandisa's Freedom, on the other hand, was down 12% to 4.5k copies for a total of 8.3k copies according to Billboard. On the chart, it was down #123-154. Daughtry's Daughtry, which was #154 last week, slipped further to #161 with 4.3k copies to round out the Idol representation on the Billboard 200. It was up 6% and now has its total sitting at 4.416 million.
Full sales figures and chart positions courtesy of Touch That Chick on Pulse as follows:
012 014 Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted 39,857 18% 33,897 470,986
016 033 Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride 32,280 99% 16,231 2,768,270
028 020 David Cook - David Cook 21,365 -14% 24,769 1,089,038
037 013 Chris Botti - Chris Botti In Boston 16,235 -55% 35,746 52,351
102 089 Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson 6,925 -9% 7,631 697,682
112 --- Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler 6,276 174% 2,292 193,696
133 153 David Archuleta - David Archuleta 5,449 35% 4,045 682,334
154 123 Mandisa - Freedom 4,522 -12% 5,145 8,275
161 154 Daughtry - Daughtry 4,279 6% 4,034 4,416,312
Total sales are in bold.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Season 8 tour dates announced
The dates and venues for the 2009 "Idols Live!" summer tour have been released, and the outlook is pretty bright for the Top 10 finalists. Below is the entire schedule according to AmericanIdol.com, which is of course subject to change at any time:
July 5 Portland, OR (Rose Garden)
July 7 Tacoma, WA (Tacoma Dome)
July 8 Vancouver, BC (General Motors Place)
July 10 Sacramento, CA (ARCO Arena)
July 11 Oakland, CA (Oracle Arena)
July 12 San Jose, CA (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
July 14 West Valley City, UT (The E Center)
July 16 Los Angeles, CA (Staples Center)
July 17 Ontario, CA (Citizens Business Bank Arena)
July 18 San Diego, CA (San Diego Sports Arena)
July 20 Glendale, AZ (jobing.com Arena)
July 23 Dallas, TX (American Airlines Center)
July 24 Tulsa, OK (BOK Center)
July 25 N. Little Rock, AR (Alltel Arena)
July 26 Memphis, TN (FedExForum)
July 28 Tampa, FL (St. Pete Times Forum)
July 29 Sunrise, FL (BankAtlantic Center)
July 31 Duluth, GA (Arena at Gwinnett Center)
August 1 Charlotte, NC (Time Warner Cable Arena)
August 2 Greensboro, NC (Greensboro Coliseum)
August 4 Washington, DC (Verizon Center)
August 5 Baltimore, MD (1st Mariner Arena)
August 7 Atlantic City, NJ (Boardwalk Hall)
August 8 Newark, NJ (Prudential Center)
August 11 Long Island, NY (Nassau Coliseum)
August 14 Hamilton, ON (Copps Coliseum)
August 15 Rochester, NY (BlueCross Arena)
August 16 Hartford, CT (XL Center)
August 18 Boston, MA (TD Banknorth Garden)
August 19 Albany, NY (Times Union Center)
August 20 Philadelphia, PA (Wachovia Center)
August 22 Pittsburgh, PA (Mellon Arena)
August 23 Cleveland, OH (Wolstein Center)
August 25 Columbus, OH (Schottenstein Center)
August 26 Auburn Hills, MI (Palace at Auburn Hills)
August 28 Milwaukee, WI (Bradley Center)
August 29 St. Louis, MO (Scottrade Center)
August 30 Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
September 1 Minneapolis, MN (Target Center)
September 2 Rosemont, IL (Allstate Arena)
September 4 Madison, WI (Alliant Energy Center)
September 5 Indianapolis, IN (Conseco Fieldhouse)
September 6 Grand Rapids, MI (Van Andel Arena)
September 8 Reading, PA (Sovereign Center)
September 9 Wilkes Barre, PA (Wachovia Arena)
September 10 Bridgeport, CT (Arena at Harbor Yard)
September 12 Portand, ME (Cumberland County Civic Center)
September 13 Providence, RI (Dunkin' Donuts Center)
September 14 Syracuse, NY (WarMemorial at OnCenter)
September 15 Manchester, NH (Verizon Wireless Arena)
It appears that this year's stops seem to be more focused in the upper portion of the country, specifically the northeast and upper midwest. And as usual, the west coast is pretty well represented this year. Some new destinations have been added this year, including Boston (woohoo).
Poll of the week: Adam's fans are born to be wild for him
Adam was once again victorious in IDOL LIVE's poll of the week, but it was not as close this time around. Adam took in another 109 votes for the week, or 45% of the poll's total votes cast, which puts him at 248 votes overall since the series began Top 13 week.
Kris was the runner-up once more, as his fans managed to get him 86 votes, or 35% of the total votes. It was not even close for anyone else, as Danny (16 votes, 6%) followed with Allison and Matt each tied for fourth place with 10 votes (4%).
In this week's poll of the week, readers are once again asked to vote for their Top 7 favorite finalist. The poll will start anew rather than just continuing with the current results. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Kris Allen 86 (35%)
Anoop Desai 9 (3%)
Matt Giraud 10 (4%)
Danny Gokey 16 (6%)
Allison Iraheta 10 (4%)
Adam Lambert 109 (45%)
Lil Rounds 1 (0%)
Total votes: 241
Running total for Season 8:
13th - Jorge Nunez (1 vote)
12th - Jasmine Murray (4 votes)
11th - Alexis Grace (6 votes)
10th - Michael Sarver (8 votes)
09th - Scott MacIntyre (17 votes)
08th - Megan Joy Corkrey (48 votes)
07th - Lil Rounds (4 votes)
06th - Matt Giraud (39 votes)
05th - Allison Iraheta (59 votes)
04th - Anoop Desai (85 votes)
03rd - Danny Gokey (151 votes)
02nd - Adam Lambert (248 votes)
01st - Kris Allen (250 votes)
Analysis: Judges make a bad decision
Well, at least one good thing can be said of tonight's results: the save is no more.
The rest of tonight's outcome was poorly concocted. It was a big mistake and will most likely cost a more deserving contestant his or her life in the competition next Wednesday. This is not to say that Matt is not a good guy, as he has a unique voice and has a great personality. But there are so many reasons he should not have been saved tonight, and a few of them are as follows.
First of all, Matt was a wild card contestant, meaning he was technically already "voted out" once. It was only after the judges gave him a second chance that he made it back into the competition. Secondly, Matt did not do extremely well last night, and received two lukewarm critiques from Randy and Kara. Thirdly, Matt sounded even worse tonight in his "singing for his life" opportunity, once again cracking on his falsetto near the end. Simon even made note of this in addition to saying that he thinks Matt has no shot at winning the competition prior to revealing the judges' decision.
For that comment alone, this save is pathetic. It is obvious that the judges are just trying to stir things up to increase the drama factor and it can be seen as nothing but a buzz builder and lame attempt to increase the show's sagging ratings this season. Simon knows this very well of course, but he apparently does not care anymore. He did not stand up for himself, unless of course it was three against one. That would make sense, but he never said he disagreed with the decision, so who really knows. After the show, however, Simon talked with Extra correspondent and former girlfriend Terri Seymour, saying he doesn't know why he saved Matt, but he did not get "caught up in the moment." Great rationale, Simon.
It was pretty apparent that the judges would exercise the save once Paula and Kara were shown swaying together during Matt's performance, as they appeared too jubilant to be sending him home. But now it's important to put tonight in the past and focus our attention on next week's possibilities.
First thing's first: Anoop is a total goner regardless of how he does. Secondly, disco week has not been traditionally kind to Idol finalists, and it would suggest that a front runner could very well be going next week thanks to the double elimination. The finalist that seems to be the most vulnerable in this situation is Allison, as she was not in the Bottom 3 this week so her fans are probably complacent right now, whereas Lil's fans once again got another kick in the pants, which could ensure her safety. Matt will most definitely not be going home next week because his fans realize they got a once in a lifetime opportunity with tonight's save, and they will be sure not to waste it.
The two obvious front runners that will not be going anywhere are Adam and Danny, though it would not be a shock to see one of them in the Bottom 3. Kris is the other vulnerable finalist next week, especially since he doesn't seem like much of a disco kind of guy. But we'll wait and see.
As for the rest of the show, Jennifer Hudson proved that she really is a great artist and although she showed signs of nervousness, she pulled it off in the end. The audience did not seem too into it but "If This Isn't Love" is one of those songs that's hard to really get into at a live performance.
A "singer" that could take a pointer or two from Jennifer was the night's other guest performer, Miley Cyrus. She looks more grown up than she has in the past, but her vocals are still very weak and do not justify her fame. It is a shame because her new single, "The Climb," is a solid song in its own right, it just belongs to the wrong owner. Hopefully Idol cancels Katy Perry's guest performance slot for Top 3 night before she can continue the streak of bad guest performances.
There was really nothing else interesting about tonight's results episode, as the Ford music video was boring and so were Ryan's questions to the finalists. One other thing of note was the montage of the Top 7 finalists attending the premiere of Zac Efron's new movie 17 Again, which received a huge amount of promotion from its four-minute commercial of sorts in front of 20-plus million. Oh, and by the way, the movie opens on Friday if you somehow missed that important tidbit.
On the results front, I would have been correct in both my original predictions and pre-show predictions with Matt receiving the fewest votes, but of course the judges had to go and screw that up. Maybe that's the real reason I'm upset? Regardless, this is really disappointing. Hopefully next week makes up for this horrible turn of events.
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