Monday, June 28, 2010

Flashback: Tamyra Gray's "A House Is Not a Home"

Tamyra Gray was the favorite to take the crown running up to the close of Idol's first season, but her premature ouster will remain one of the biggest disappointments in the show's entire history. Despite giving memorable showings on a weekly basis over the course of the Summer of 2002, they weren't enough to propel her to the win. One of her most spectacular performances happened during Top 5 week when she sang Luther Vandross' "A House Is Not a Home" on Burt Bacharach night. Watch it below:



Since this performance, Simon Cowell has seen many, many performances on TV, and so even though he has most likely seen superior performances to this one, he probably would still agree this is "on-par with Whitney and Christina."

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Friday, June 25, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Antonella "Jersey Girl" Barba premieres a music video

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>Antonella Barba is back on the scene with a new single and music video. The Jersey girl is acknowledging what she is and after releasing the single "Jersey Girl" on iTunes back in May, she premiered her new music video for the track on her official YouTube page yesterday. Watch the video below (I'd suggest doing so with the audio off):



Well, I hear producers of MTV's Jersey Shore are searching for a theme song to the second season of the reality series. Maybe this will be a real winner? Or maybe Antonella could earn a spot in the cast. Now that would make the show worth watching!

>News of Kellie Pickler's engagement to Nashville-based songwriter Kyle Jacobs came as a bit of a surprise to many, but when considering the recent string of engagements among blonde country singers (see Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert), it wasn't too out in left field. According to an article on People.com:
The couple met through friends about 2 1/2 years ago, and Pickler, who was raised by her grandmother after her mother left and her father went to jail, says she learned how to have a healthy relationship from her new fiancé.

"Kyle took away all my fear of marriage and has shown me the way love is supposed to be," she says.

Thanks to Jacobs -- as well as a renewed relationship with her dad, Clyde Pickler, who's been sober for a year -- "I'm in the happiest place I've ever been," she says, adding that she plans to have her father walk her down the aisle.
This development is a very positive one for Kellie and caps off a great year for her career-wise.

>In what seemed to be more of an afterthought than an example of striking while the iron is hot, Crystal Bowersox was finally allowed to perform on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night. Watch her perform "What's Up?" below:





Also on the show was self-professed Idol fan and actress Dakota Fanning, who coincidentally said she was also a "huge fan" of Crystal.

>Adam Lambert was up in Canada for the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday, where he was one of 10 American and Canadian artists to perform. Watch his performance of "Whataya Want From Me" below:





Adam actually took home an award, too. He nabbed the "UR Fave: International Video" category (whatever that means).

>Danny Gokey released his second music video last week, this time for his latest single "I Will Not Say Goodbye." It premiered exactly one week ago during CMT's "BIG NEW MUSIC WEEKEND," which also featured new video premieres from artists like Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw and LeAnn Rimes. Watch the video below:





The video is pretty hard-hitting, and even though his late wife Sophia is not referenced by name or anything, it's pretty clear she serves as the inspiration for the video along with the side stories of loved ones speaking about family members they've lost.

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #25 (7/3/10)

Play OnFor the third straight week, Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" remained the top Idol-related single on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of July 3.

The single, which has been on the chart for eight weeks, was off two spots from #23 on the previous edition of the chart, but it still held steady within the important benchmark of the Top 25.

The only other single from an Idol alum to make the cut on this edition of the chart was Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me," which was actually up one spot to #41.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are below:

Hot 100
25 23 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
41 42 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Poll of the week: Alexis Grace emerges as favorite 11th-place finalist

It was Season 8's Alexis Grace's turn to shine in in IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series. This past week found readers voting for their favorite 10th-place finalists, and Alexis came out on top.

Pulling in nine votes, Alexis scored 56% of all 16 votes casted. No one else was able to come close, as Paige Miles of Season 9 and Amanda Overmyer of Season 7 tied for second with two votes (12%).

Alexis's win will send her through to the final round of the champion series, which we will revisit once all other placements are decided. In the next round, readers will be asked which 10th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Charles Grigsby 0 (0%)
Matt Rogers 1 (6%)
Mikalah Gordon 0 (0%)
Kevin Covais 1 (6%)
Stephanie Edwards 1 (6%)
Amanda Overmyer 2 (12%)
Alexis Grace 9 (56%)
Paige Miles 2 (12%)

Total votes: 16

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HITS estimates: 'Play On' #24 w/ 16.3k

Play OnAnd then there was one (again), as Carrie Underwood's Play On was once again the only Idol-related album to chart on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart for its latest edition.

After seeing a nice bump in sales last week due to her wins at the CMT Music Awards, Carrie's third studio album was up another 2% in sales to 16.3k copies. Despite the continued strong sales trends, the album was bumped down one spot to #24.

Billboard will have official chart data for the Billboard 200 later in the week.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

'Idol''s age min. drop - good or bad?

As you have heard by now, one aspect of Idol's host of "improvements" being sought ahead of its 10th season is the lowering of the minimum age to audition to 15. As you can imagine, this is a big deal in the vacuum that is the show's (early) off-season, and there is no shortage of opinions on the move.

As for me, I think it has come three seasons too late. Whereas there have been many viable young teens over the course of Idol's history that have fallen by the wayside when up against older, more experienced performers, it was not until Season 7 when teens pretty much were overlooked by voters (with the exception of David Archuleta, of course). Since then, the motto has virtually been NTNA - no teens need apply - when it comes to audition hopefuls. If they could go back in time, producers probably would have ensured a Justin Bieber-type to win the title. But really, if Miley Cyrus could make it big at 15, why not an Idol contestant?

Judging from the general sentiment stirred up from the reveal, I'm not alone in my doubts.

MTV News's Jim Cantiello writes "Why The 'American Idol' Age Limit Change Is A Bad Idea":

The last time "Idol" tweaked its age range was season five, where they upped the limit to 28 years old. The result? Taylor Hicks, a dude who looked 58, ended up winning. So if "Idol" is going the opposite route, does that mean America might be crowning a 15-year-old who looks seven come next May? In a year, will America be tired of pop stars who look like zygotes?

Marc Hirsh of NPR.org had more to say, including:

But even if we ignore the "Me, too!" mentality behind it (which is hardly new in the pop-music industry, or any entertainment industry, for that matter), Idol's sudden need to capitalize on the demographic that still needs Mom or Dad to drive them around ignores the simple truth that “talent” is not the same thing as “artistry.” This is a distinction made all the more important by the fact that Idol talks about contestants almost exclusively in terms of the latter word while rarely mentioning the former.

And Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music opined:

Honestly, I personally would rather see the audition age limit raised, not lowered, on "Idol." Keep in mind that the biggest success story of all reality singing competitions in recent years has been 48-year-old Susan Boyle, and that Season 9's biggest "Idol" sensation was, arguably, 64-year-old General Larry Platt. Now, I'm not necessarily saying that senior citizens need to join the "Idol" ranks, and yes, I do understand that the show's producers probably want to seem more relevant to the top 40 marketplace in this tween-pop age. But I do believe this show improved when its age limit was raised from 25 to 28 in Season 4, thus allowing more seasoned singers with both performance experience and life experience--Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Michael Johns, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Casey James, Michael Lynche, et al--to make it through.

Still, not everyone was being a downer about the move. In fact, Jordin Sparks, once a teen champ herself, offered some words of wisdom to young hopefuls via Twitter:

I auditioned at 16 & won at 17. The pressure/criticism you're under...it's a lot to handle! But talent & maturity will speak for itself! :)
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

If you're 15 & going to audition for the make sure you're ready! Good luck! I'm rooting for you! :D
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

Good luck to anyone auditioning! The pressure is gonna be crazy for everyone, not just the youngins! Stay focused! :)
about 4 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone

In any case, we should have a good gauge of what kind of crowd shows up for Season 10 by the time auditions roll around on July 17 in Nashville.

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'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #23 (6/26/10)

Play OnAlthough there are no sales data from the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart, We at least were able to get a hold of the publication's coveted Hot 100 chart for the chart week of June 26. Of interest to us of course was the performance of Idol-related tracks, and the most recent issue's data wasn't as exciting as it could have been.

Leading the pack was Carrie Underwood, whose "Undo It" was up two spots to #23 for the week, marking its peak on the chart. Adam Lambert, on the other hand, actually held steady with "Whataya Want From Me" at #40 for the second-straight week, which was a little bit surprising considering its recent trajectory.

On the Bubbling Under chart, Fantasia held her own with "Bittersweet" off her forthcoming third studio album release, as it was up #18-14.

Even though there aren't any sales to examine this time, below are full chart positions courtesy of Billboard.

Hot 100
23 25 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
40 40 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"

Bubbling Under
14 18 Fantasia, "Bittersweet"

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Monday, June 21, 2010

Flashback: Rickey Smith's "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today"

Rickey Smith was somewhat overshadowed on Idol's second season by more powerful vocalists like Ruben Studdard and more controversial personalities like Corey Clark, but he still managed to deliver some memorable performances during his time on the show. In case you're having a hard time remembering some of them, watch his version of "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" during Top 10 week's Country Rock theme below:



Although it wasn't a masterpiece and didn't give most "the chills" as it did Paula, this performance showed that Rickey's vocals were not one-dimensional and that he could offer audiences more than just a first-rate impression of Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor.

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Friday, June 18, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: New (old) Jordin Sparks tracks a'leakin'

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>It seems Jordin Sparks is now getting the Kelly Clarkson treatment, as a few songs have leaked over the past week including "Die Tryin'" and "Alive." Listen to "Die Tryin'" complete with annoying DJ voice overs below:



You can also listen to a clip of "Alive" here. Both songs were most likely leftovers from the Battlefield era, so it's probably unlikely either will appear on her forthcoming third album. Still, not a fun situation for Jordin.

>The nominees for the 2010 Teen Choice Awards were revealed Monday, and as usual there was no shortage of Idol-related entries in the various categories spanning music and TV. See a list of all categories including Idol-related entries below:

Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
“American Idol”
“America’s Next Top Model”
“Dancing with the Stars”
“Project Runway”
“Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew”

Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star
Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, “Jersey Shore”
Lee DeWyze, “American Idol”
Brody Jenner, “The Hills”
Bret Michaels, “Celebrity Apprentice”
Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, “Jersey Shore”

Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star
Crystal Bowersox, “American Idol”
Kristin Cavallari, “The Hills”
Lauren Conrad, “The Hills”
The Kardashians, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, “Jersey Shore”

Choice Music: Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Jason Derulo
Drake
Adam Lambert
Usher

Choice Music: Female Country Artist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson

Well, some of those look like they'll be a cakewalk (Carrie's, Adam's), but others will be a little bit tougher (Crystal's). The 2010 TCAs will be broadcast on FOX on Mon., Aug. 9.

>Although he's been out of the Idol picture for the past two seasons, it would be out of character for Nigel Lythgoe to keep his opinions of the show he produced for seven seasons. In a recent article published by Canada's Times & Transcript, Nigel was quoted as saying Season 9 "wasn't a vintage year" among other things. Per the article:
"The team took their eye off the ball a little bit and was more worried about the judges and what was happening with them than it was regarding the talent last year. It became about Kara (DioGuardi) joining and making the fourth judge, Paula (Abdul) leaving, Ellen (Degeneres) joining and Simon leaving and much more about them and concentrating on that than on the talent that they were finding."
Even though Nigel can be annoying much of the time, he's right on the money here. However, I wouldn't put it past Nigel to be using this strategy in the hopes of plopping himself at the judges' table in the spot reserved for the "acid-tongued Brit."

>Crystal Bowersox is currently collaborating with Wayne Wilkins ahead of her forthcoming debut studio album, and as Billboard reported yesterday, Crystal is already impressing him with her songwriting experience. Per an article on Billboard.com:
"She's the real deal," producer/songwriter Wayne Wilkins -- who hit the studio with Bowersox on Wednesday (June 16) -- tells Billboard.com. "I've only worked with a couple of 'Amerian Idol' contestants before, and in terms of songwriting, she's the most developed on that front. She literally could sit in a room with anybody, grab a guitar and start writing."

Wilkins has previously collaborated with Jordin Sparks on "Battlefield" and David Archuleta on songs like "Touch My Hand," and he said Crystal already brought an album's worth of material to the table. The two have also been writing with Priscilla Hamilton. Sounds like things are running pretty smoothly over in Camp Crystal.

Back To Me>Speaking of upcoming Idol-related albums, Fantasia's team updated us on the status of her upcoming release, including a title, track list and album cover. For starters, Fantasia's third studio effort is titled Back to Me, and it will be released on Tues., July 27. Per the press release:
Comedian, actor and radio personality Steve Harvey also became involved in the album process by coming up with the album title after a recent radio interview with the songstress. “Steve Harvey suggested the album title and it describes perfectly where I am in my life right now,” states Fantasia. “I’ve willingly let the world into my life through my book, the Lifetime television movie and now the VH1 reality show. Now, it’s time to go back to how things used to be when America first laid their eyes on me on American Idol. I want to focus everyone’s attention back to me and back to music that everyone can relate to and enjoy.”

The album's lead single, "Bittersweet," is currently #9 on the Urban Adult Airplay chart. Back To Me is now available to pre-order at Amazon.com.

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Poll of the week: David Hernandez favorite 12th/13th-place finalist

It was a wipeout in IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series, as readers were asked which 12th (or 13th)-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons.

It was most likely due to lack of participation that David Hernandez garnered 72% of all votes cast, which equates to 13 of the 18 votes. No other finalist managed to get more than one vote (5%), which suggests no 12th/13th-place finisher has a solid fan base.

Regardless, David will advance to the final round of the champion series, which we will revisit once all other placements are decided. In the next round, readers will be asked which 11th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Vanessa Olivarez 1 (5%)
Leah LaBelle 0 (0%)
Lindsey Cardinale 0 (0%)
Melissa McGhee 1 (5%)
Brandon Rogers 0 (0%)
David Hernandez 13 (72%)
Jasmine Murray 1 (5%)
Jorge Nunez 1 (5%)
Lacey Brown 1 (5%)

Votes so far: 18

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

HITS estimates: 'Play On' #24 w/ 16.1k

Play OnAfter taking a break for one week, Carrie Underwood's latest album returned to the top spot among Idol-related entries on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart.

Play On was actually up one spot to #24 this week thanks to a strong night for Carrie at the 2010 CMT Music Awards last Wednesday. The boost, which was the result of Carrie's two big wins including Video of the Year and a scorching performance of "Undo It," upped the album's sales total by 16.1k copies, marking a week-to-week increase of 5%.

Having a less thrilling week on the chart was Clay Aiken's most recent cover album Tried & True, which was off 43% in its second week to an 11.3k take. On the chart side it was down #12-38.

Billboard will have official chart data for the Billboard 200 later in the week.

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Adam Lambert premieres "If I Had You" music video on VH1.com

VH1.com this afternoon premiered Adam Lambert's latest music video. In his third music video (not counting that sloshy "Time For Miracles" crap), Adam opts for the most eccentric forest party one could imagine for his latest single off For Your Entertainment, "If I Had You." Watch the video below to come to your own consensus of what exactly is going on:



If you ask me, it seems that Adam is going for Twilight meets an even acidier Alice in Wonderland that would probably be described as one of New York's hottest clubs by Bill Hader's Stephan character during SNL's Weekend Update segment in what is surely a tribute to his Burning Man days. Although I guess if anyone can make it work, it's Adam, so more power to him.

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Flashback: Trenyce's "The Power of Love"

Back on Idol's second season, Trenyce was a serious contender for the title but was upstaged by more personable finalists like Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. Still, she was able to put together some strong showings, including her performance of Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" during Top 8 (Billboard No. 1s) week. Watch the performance below:



Simon might have called it "cabaret," but fans liked it enough to keep Trenyce around for a few more weeks.

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Friday, June 11, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Ryan Seacrest wants another talk show?

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>Is it possible Ryan Seacrest could become the next Oprah? There are rumors floating around that he's considering launching back into the daytime talk circuit with a show of his own, but not until 2011. Per Zap2It.com:

According to LARadio.com, Seacrest and CBS are sidling up to talks for Seacrest about hosting and executive producing a show that would premiere in the fall of 2011. It would also likely be a package deal that would include his radio shows as well.

The rumblings about Seacrest making a move come as the end of his current radio contract nears its end. He's currently with KIIS-FM, a Clear Channel-owned station, but his deal there expires in November.

If anyone is thinking to his or herself, "wait a minute, didn't Ryan already have his own talk show?" your mind isn't playing tricks on you. Back in '04 Ryan spent his afternoons on On-Air with Ryan Seacreast, which had a lifespan of only a few months.

>Adam Lambert's "Glam Nation Tour" with fellow Season 8 finalist Allison Iraheta and Orianthi kicked off at the Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre, Pa., on Fri., June 4. Watch fan video of him performing "Fever" below:



Adam, Allison and Orianthi will next perform at the Shining Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minn.

>As his peers previously had done, Lee DeWyze stopped by CBS's late night talk show The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday to chat with host David Letterman and perform his winning single "Beautiful Day." Watch his performance below:



Lee's talk with Letterman was, well, rather boring but he seemed more personable than usual. Lee talked about working in a paint store and the full year process of him working with Idol, calling Simon a "genuinely nice guy."

>Only three months since joining the Hair tribe, Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young will be looking for a new paycheck as they were given their two weeks notice yesterday that the Broadway revival will be closing its doors at the Al Hirschfeld Theater on June 27. Per Broadway.com:

The closing release emphasized that Hair recouped its entire $5,760,000 investment four months into the run and has generated a profit. The show weakened at the box office after the original cast departed for London, grossing $351,992 for the week ending June 6 and playing to 46.50% of capacity. The London production, which opened in April at the Gielgud Theatre will close on September 4, and according to a statement from the producers, “Many of the members of the current Broadway Tribe and London Tribe will take part in the tour.”


If you were planning on seeing Diana and Ace in the show sometime this summer, there's still time to see it over the next two weeks. See here for tickets starting at $37.

>New shots from Jordin Sparks's video shoot for her cover of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" have surfaced. The video, which is directed by Philip Andelman ("Battlefield"), will appear on the special Blu-ray/DVD release of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, which will be out Tues., Oct. 5, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

The photos are courtesy of JordinSparks.cc and come after EW.com posted a first look of the scene from the video two weeks ago. The song, which was originally a duet between Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, will be sung solely by Jordin.

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #25 (6/19/10) [plus sales figures!]

Undo ItLast week's top represented Idol on Billboard's Hot 100 chart saw his single drop a whopping 48 spots in its second week for the chart week of June 19, which was made only more exciting by the appearance of digital sales figures for the first time in months.

Carrie Underwood held down the fort with her newest hit "Undo It," which was once again at #25 for the week. The single sold 64.1k tracks and now stands at 284.1k. Continuing to descend the chart was Adam Lambert and his "Whataya Want From Me," as it slid #35-40 and pulled in 29.1k for a total of 1.296 million.

And then there was Lee DeWyze, who witnessed his winning cover of "Beautiful Day" tumble #24-72 thanks to a 61% drop in sales to 37.4k tracks. It has sold 132.6k after two weeks. Lee's other tracks on the Hot 100 - "Hallelujah" and his duet with Crystal Bowersox on "Falling Slowly" - were down as well, but not as badly. The former dropped #44-76 and sold 33.4k while the latter fell #66-80 and sold 29.7k. Their totals stand at 96.4k and 73.7k, respectively.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are posted below:

Hot 100
25 25 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
40 35 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
72 24 Lee DeWyze, "Beautiful Day"
76 44 Lee DeWyze, "Hallelujah"
80 66 Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox, "Falling Slowly"

Full sales figures and chart positions courtesy of tsw2008 over at Pulse are posted below:

Hot Digital Songs
020 018 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It" 64,144 -7% 69,159 284,118
045 012 Lee DeWyze, "Beautiful Day" 37,392 -61% 95,162 132,554
052 020 Lee DeWyze, "Hallelujah" 33,407 -47% 62,988 96,395
056 038 Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox, "Falling Slowly" 29,655 -33% 44,002 73,657
057 049 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me" 29,113 -8% 31,737 1,295,939
119 032 Crystal Bowersox, "Up to the Mountain" 14,578 -70% 48,864 63,442
127 105 Kris Allen, "Live Like We're Dying" 14,024 -10% 15,645 1,457,226
161 061 Lee DeWyze, "The Boxer" 10,900 -58% 26,245 37,145
164 139 Daughtry, "Life After You," 10,569 -10% 11,801 736,555
168 157 Carrie Underwood, "Cowboy Casanova" 10,322 -1% 10,374 1,369,386
180 159 Carrie Underwood, "Temporary Home" 9,886 -4% 10,273 502,113

Total sales are in bold.

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CMT Awards wrap-up: Carrie Underwood doesn't buckle under pressure

Despite having to sit through a mess of an awards show, Carrie Underwood could do nothing but smile at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. Carrie won two awards, including the coveted Video of the Year distinction for "Cowboy Casanova."

Carrie must've said "awesome" a dozen times upon taking the stage to receive the buckle, as she was as appreciative as always of her fans' support. She was also sure to sneak in a kiss with her fiance, Mike Fisher, before making her way through the crowd, as seen in the photo on the right.

Earlier in the show Carrie took home a buckle for CMT Performance of the Year thanks to her "Invitation Only" performance of "Temporary Home" in addition to introducing Tim McGraw for his performance of "Southern Voice" and taking the stage to perform her current smash hit "Undo It." Watch her performance (including an awkward 10-second mute mic at the beginning and Kara DioGuardi's bumbling intro) below:





Although Carrie was clearly the star of the night, Kellie Pickler also got a lot of face time despite losing out in the only category she was nominated for, Collaborative Video of the Year. Kellie helped Kid Rock kick off the show when she contributed to an all-star performance of the host's "Cowboy." She also presented an award with football bad boy Terrell "T.O." Owens and was seen "partying" backstage with Rock.

As for my predictions, I was right on with Carrie's win for PotY and loss for FVotY and Kellie's loss for CVotY, although I was [gladly] wrong about Carrie not taking home VotY.

Also in the house was Danny Gokey, who found the time to catch up with fish out of water presenters Snooki and "The Situation" from MTV's Jersey Shore. According to a tweet of his, Snooki told him her mother is a fan. Really?

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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Poll of the week: Harry Connick, Jr. should replace Simon

In the latest poll of the week IDOL LIVE readers selected Harry Connick, Jr. as their replacement of choice for the newly departed Simon Cowell.

Connick, Jr. roped in 13 votes, good for 41% of all votes cast in the sparsely-voted-in poll. Tying for second place were Shania Twain and Bret Michaels, each netting five votes (16%). No other potential candidate seemed to excite voters, not even Piers Morgan, as he only managed four votes (12%).

We will now embark on our annual poll of the week champion series, as readers will be asked which 12th(or 13th)-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Bret Michaels 5 (16%)
Clive Davis 2 (6%)
Diddy 0 (0%)
Elton John 1 (3%)
Harry Connick, Jr. 13 (41%)
Howard Stern 0 (0%)
Piers Morgan 4 (12%)
Russell Simmons 0 (0%)
Ryan Seacrest 1 (3%)
Shania Twain 5 (16%)
Whitney Houston 0 (0%)

Total votes: 31

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IDOL LIVE predix: 2010 CMT Awards

Two Idol alums are up for awards at tonight's 2010 CMT Music Awards, with a combined four categories available for them to nab.

Carrie Underwood is shooting for her "Cowboy Casanova" video to earn her a CMT Award in the Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year categories, while she could be victorious in the CMT Performance of the Yearcategory thanks to her live performance of "Temporary Home" for the network. Kellie Pickler, on the other hand, could win in the Collaborative Video of the Year category as a result of her teaming up with friend Taylor Swift on the "Best Days of Your Life" video.

Read my predictions for how things will go tonight below (predicted winners are in bold):

Video of the Year
Kenny Chesney – "Out Last Night"
Brad Paisley – "Welcome to the Future"
Jason Aldean – "The Truth"
Lady Antebellum – "Need You Now"
Miranda Lambert – "White Liar"
Zac Brown Band – "Toes"
Carrie Underwood – "Cowboy Casanova"
Taylor Swift – "You Belong With Me"Toby Keith – "American Ride"
Keith Urban – '"Til Summer Comes Around"

Female Video of the Year
Miranda Lambert – "White Liar"
Taylor Swift – "You Belong With Me"
Reba McEntire – "Consider Me Gone"
Carrie Underwood – "Cowboy Casanova"

Collaborative Video of the Year
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins – "Hillbilly Bone"
Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams – "Heaven' from 'CMT Crossroads"
Kellie Pickler featuring Taylor Swift – "Best Days of Your Life"
Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews – "I'm Alive"

CMT Performance of the Year
Carrie Underwood – "Temporary Home" from Invitation Only: Carrie Underwood
Lady Antebellum – "Lookin' For A Good Time" from the 2009 CMT Music Awards
Tim McGraw – "Southern Voice" from Invitation Only: Tim McGraw
Reba McEntire – "Consider Me Gone" from Invitation Only: Reba
Brad Paisley – "Then" from the 2009 CMT Music Awards

No real surprises here. Hopefully Carrie does pull through and wins the CMT Performance of the Year, because that is probably where her competition is the weakest for this type of awards show. Watch "Cowboy Casanova" and "Best Days of Your Life" below:

"Cowboy Casanova"



"Best Days of Your Life"


The CMT Music Awards will be hosted by Kid Rock and will be broadcast live on CMT at 8 p.m. ET.

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

HITS estimates: 'Tried and True' #12 w/ 19.7k

Tried and TrueFor the first time in many weeks we had a new Idol-related album represent the franchise at the front of the pack, as Clay Aiken's latest disc Tried and True narrowly missed the Top 10.

Clay's album sold 19.7k copies in its opening bow, which marks his lowest sales week for a launch to date. Clay's second cover album (third including Merry Christmas with Love) debuted at #12, which is the lowest placing for one of his opening weeks.

Clay's previous openings are as follows: Measure of a Man (#1, 613k), Merry Christmas with Love (#2, 270k), A Thousand Different Ways (#2, 211k), On My Way Here (#4, 94k).

The only other album by an alum to appear on the chart was Carrie Underwood's Play On, which was off three spots to #25 thanks to a 5% sales dip. The album took in an additional 15.3k copies for the week.

There's a good likelihood Play On will see an up-tick in sales on the next edition of the chart, as Carrie is set to perform at tomorrow's CMT Music Awards.

Chart rankings courtesy of Billboard will be posted later in the week.

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RCA posts press release on Lee DeWyze's forthcoming album

As you may or may not know, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox each got a record deal out of their winner and runner-up statuses on the most recent season of Idol, but it wasn't until yesterday that the actual details of Lee's album release schedule were made public.

Read the press release courtesy of 19 Recordings/RCA Records below:

New ReleaseAmerican Idol Season 9 Winner Lee Dewyze Signs to 19 Recordings / RCA Records
Dewyze's Debut Album is Set for Release in Fall 2010

LOS ANGELES, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- American Idol Season 9 winner Lee Dewyze has been signed to 19 Recordings/RCA Records. He is preparing to start work on his debut album which is due for release in fall 2010.

The 24 year old Mount Prospect, IL native impressed millions throughout the season taking home this year's American Idol winning title. Dewyze is a self taught musician who began singing and playing guitar in his teens. Auditioned in Chicago, Dewyze was the only male contestant never to land in the bottom three during American Idol Season 9.

"Lee is the People's choice, the working class hero who won the hearts of America to become The 9th American Idol," says Simon Fuller – Creator of American Idol and Founder of 19 Entertainment. "Lee has a powerful voice, integrity and a passion for music that literally brought tears to his eyes. We are all looking forward so much to Lee recording his new album to be released in the late fall."

"Lee struck a real chord with the American public this season on Idol. His humility coupled with his vast talent and musicianship should make him a big artist for a long time to come," says Barry Weiss, Chairman & CEO RCA/JIVE Label Group. "We at the RCA Label are excited to work with Lee and 19 on an album that speaks to his widespread appeal."

"Looking back on the last few months and all I gained from my experience on American Idol, it is incredible to know that this is only the beginning for me. Being signed by 19 Entertainment/RCA Records is a dream come true," says Lee. "I know that by working with them, I have the support that will allow me to record the best possible album I can – an album I'm proud of and confident in."

Lee will be recording his album over the summer while on the road with the American Idol's Live tour. The tour kicks off July 1 in Auburn Hills, Michigan and ends September 14 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

So, what do you think? Will Lee's album be as rushed as the rest of the debuts have been? Will it be more David Cook or Kris Allen? Either way I'm willing to be a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" will appear on there.

Crystal signed with Jive Records, but we've yet to see a press release detailing her release.

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Monday, June 7, 2010

Flashback: Kristy Lee Cook's "Anyway"

Kristy Lee Cook had a rough time at the beginning of Idol's seventh season due to some pretty poor showings and not so great song choices ("Faithfully"?), but she really hit her stride during Top 8 week when she sang Martina McBride's "Anyway." Watch the performance below:



It's apparent the real reason Kristy Lee delivered a respectable performance was because she was able to sing a country song, but the fact that she was able to muster good enough vocals to shine on the song does in fact signal she had some talent in there somewhere all along.

Simon's almost overboard praise of Kristy Lee's strategic song choice went a long way in helping fans forget about his critiques of her in the past. Although she only lasted one week after this performance, Kristy Lee proved she was not the undeserving contestant many pegged her to be early on.

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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Lee DeWyze sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" at NBA Finals game 2

Lee DeWyze continued the tradition of having the most recent Idol winner do National Anthem duty at an NBA Finals game, as he did so at game 2 of the Boston Celtics / LA Lakers championship series this evening at the Staples Center in LA. Watch him sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as televised on ABC below:



How'd Lee do? Was he in tune? I have my opinions but I'll let you be the judge. Speaking of past National Anthem performances at NBA Finals games, be sure to check out those done by Kris Allen (2009), David Cook (2008), Jordin Sparks (2007), Taylor Hicks (2006), Carrie Underwood (2005) and Kelly Clarkson (2004).

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Friday, June 4, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox perform on 'Today'

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox paid NBC's Today Show a visit yesterday to perform in concert at Rockefeller Plaza. Watch them duet on "Falling Slowly" below:



Lee took the stage to perform an acoustic version of "Beautiful Day," while Crystal did an acoustic rendition of "Me & Bobby McGee" as Michael Orland accompanied the two on piano. In their pre-performance chat with Meredith Viera, Lee was asked what his favorite brand of paint was, and he gave a cop-out "the're's plenty of good ones" answer." Crystal said she'd like to use her celebrity to raise awareness for diabetes, especially in underdeveloped countries.

>After staying out of the limelight for an extended amount of time, Clay Aiken seems to be taking on a higher profile as of late, with a performance on ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday and details of yet another cover album leaking out. Watch Clay and his new hairdo perform "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" below:



Clay's latest cover disc, Tried and True (more like "Tired and Too Much"), hit stores on Tuesday to little fanfare. Before his performance on GMA, Clay chatted with co-host Robin Roberts and called summer tour mate Ruben Studdard "one of the best performers on stage" he knows.

>David Archuleta has been busy on his book tour in support of Chords of Strength, which is described as "a memoir of soul, song, and the power of perseverance. So far he has hit up Ridgewood, N.J., New York City and Long Island. Below are a few tweets courtesy of Arch from his travels during the tour:

Finished the book signing in Manhattan! Andy Garcia, Kasey James, and DiDi Benami all stopped by. Such a cool surprise!
9:19 PM Jun 2nd via txt

"you smell like really good baby powder." well I haven't heard that before but thanks! I'm glad I don't smell bad! Haha
about 12 hours ago via txt

Lake Grove on Long Island was awesome!! Thanks so much too everyone who came and thanks to Barnes and Noble too!
about 9 hours ago via txt


While in the city, Arch also performed "Works For Me" on FOX & Friends yesterday with friend Toby Lightman. He will next be at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn., tomorrow at 2 p.m.

>Allison Iraheta's latest single was unveiled earlier this week. Her third release will be a revamped version of "Don't Waste the Pretty" featuring Orianthi, who Allison will be touring with this summer. According to Michael Slezak at EW.com:
The Orianthi-infused “Don’t Waste the Pretty” hits iTunes June 8, according to a rep at Allison’s label.

Jive must really believe in Allison since they've previously released two singles that have failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, especially considering they only got behind two singles on David Archuleta's first release and Jordin Sparks's Battlefield.

>Diana DeGarmo visited CBS's weekend morning program The Saturday Early Show over Memorial Day Weekend to perform a few songs from Hair, which she is currently starring in on Broadway. Watch her perform "I Believe in Love" and a snippet of her song of appreciation of the men and women serving in our military, "Thank You," which was fitting for the weekend, below:



Last week, Diana together with SunTrust Bank unveiled a campaign called "Solid Salute," which allows people to send personalized e-greetings to men and women in uniform using her song "Thank You." You can also download the track for free at LiveSolid.com.

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Thursday, June 3, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Lee DeWyze's "Beautiful Day" #24 (6/12/10)

After taking a week off from posting about how tracks by Idol alums are faring on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, we're back in business for the chart week of June 12, which is complete with the latest data on new entries from Season 9 finalists.

Beautiful DayLeading the way was Lee DeWyze's coronation cover of "Beautiful Day," which debuted at #24. This is by far the worst debut from a winner's initial post-Idol single, coming in a whole nine spots lower than Jordin Sparks's "This Is My Now," which debuted at #15 back in 2007. Lee also saw three other tracks debut on the Hot 100, as "Hallelujah" came in at #44, "The Boxer landed at #88 and his duet on "Falling Slowly" entered at #66.

Finishing just one spot behind "Beautiful Day" was Carrie Underwood's "Undo It," which improved 34 spots to #25 after jumping 14 spots from #73 on the previous chart. Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me" continued to decline, as it was off six spots to #35 after falling only one spot on the previous chart.

And Crystal Bowersox had just two songs make it into the Hot 100 (including "Falling Slowly"), as her lead single "Up to the Mountain debuted at #57.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are posted below:

Hot 100 (6/12/10)
24 -- Lee DeWyze, "Beautiful Day"
25 59 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
35 29 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
44 -- Lee DeWyze, "Hallelujah"
57 -- Crystal Bowersox, "Up to the Mountain"
66 -- Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox, "Falling Slowly"
88 -- Lee DeWyze, "The Boxer"

Hot 100 (6/5/10)
29 28 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
59 73 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"

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Poll of the week: "The Time of My Life" is coronation song of choice

The Time Of My LifeIt looks like IDOL LIVE readers still love their magic rainbows, as they selected David Cook's classic "The Time of My Life" as their favorite coronation song among all nine singles released by winners over the course of Idol's storied history with cheesy songs.

Cook, who has been able to shed the embarrassing lyrics despite having an actual radio hit with "Life," would probably appreciate the 31 votes cast in favor of the track, which enabled him to take 44% of all 69 votes cast over the past week.

Not surprisingly, "A Moment Like This" was runner-up in this competition, as the original coronation single by Kelly Clarkson nabbed 14 votes (20%), while Carrie Underwood's "Inside Your Heaven" was right behind with 11 votes (15%).

The only real surprise was that "No Boundaries" didn't finish last. Kara DioGuardi must have worked pretty hard to vote five times, giving the track she wrote 7% of all votes cast. Less surprising was how badly Lee DeWyze's "Beautiful Day" performed, as it could only manage four votes (5%). The other four tracks were basically negligible.

In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their choice to replace Simon Cowell as judge would be. You will have exactly six days to vote.

A Moment Like This 14 (20%)
Flying Without Wings 0 (0%)
I Believe 2 (2%)
Inside Your Heaven 11 (15%)
Do I Make You Proud 0 (0%)
This Is My Now 2 (2%)
The Time of My Life 31 (44%)
No Boundaries 5 (7%)
Beautiful Day 4 (5%)

Total votes: 69

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

HITS estimates: 'Play On' #22 w/ 16.1k

Play OnCarrie Underwood continued to be queen of consistency with her latest album Play On, as it was the lone Idol-related album to make the cut on the most recent edition of HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart.

The album was actually in the green for the week, as a 37% boost fueled by Carrie's performances on the Idol finale were enough to excited 16.1k fans to purchase it. Play On was up 13 spots to #22 for the week.

There is a chance actual sales figures and chart positions courtesy of Billboard could be posted later in the week, so it might be worth looking out for if you're in the neighborhood.

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