Saturday, July 31, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #24 (8/7/10)

Undo ItThere wasn't a whole lot of noteworthy movement among Idol-related tracks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of Aug. 7, but here's the skinny anyway.

Carrie Underwood once again held steady at #24 with her latest hit "Undo It." Adam Lambert's latest release, "If I Had You," followed this trend, as it stayed put at #69.

Fantasia was the only alum to see her track change places from last week's chart, as her "Bittersweet" was off three spots to #95.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are below:

Hot 100
24 24 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
69 69 Adam Lambert, "If I Had You"
95 92 Fantasia, "Bittersweet"

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Simon reacts to Ellen's departure

That didn't take long. Simon Cowell has already spoken with The Hollywood Reporter (courtesy of Billboard) regarding the news that his pal (and onetime first day enemy) Ellen DeGeneres won't be pulling up a chair between Randy and Kara anymore:

"As I got to know Ellen, I grew to really, really like her. I have huge respect for her because she's always been in control of her own destiny."

Wow, for a really lame, generic statement, that's too nice to say anything about.

It's incredible to think that Simon's very last episode (aka the Season 9 finale) ultimately was Ellen's last episode as well. Only the former got a grandiose farewell tribute and the latter got nothing. It's too bad, but Ellen was probably too big for the Idol brand. Maybe she'll be back for more when Seacrest finally takes his final bow? While judging is not something she's cut out for, hosting is absolutely right up her alley.

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Jennifer Lopez replaces Ellen DeGeneres - is she the right fit?

As you may or may not know by now, Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning to Idol as a judge for Season 10, and Jennifer Lopez will be replacing her on the panel. My reaction: thank you Nigel!

Of course, none of this would have been possible had Nigel Lythgoe not returned to his role as Executive Producer earlier today, and as much as I don't like him as a person, he does know how to make some smart business decisions.

My reaction isn't so much about any particular like for J. Lo, instead my general dislike of Ellen as a judge. Apparently she kind of felt the same way about the idea of staying on past her inaugural season, as made evident in the full release from FOX below (courtesy of Nikki Finke & Nellie Andreeva over at DHD):

Ellen DeGeneres has decided to bow out from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL next season. DeGeneres served as a judge during the ninth season of IDOL, the No. 1 hit series on television.

“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the AMERICAN IDOL producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

“We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of IDOL,” said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”

“It was a joy to work with Ellen,” added Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She brought an incredible spirit to IDOL and was a great new addition to the team. While we’re saddened by her decision, we are very appreciative that she gave us ample notice so that we could work through it together.”

“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”

“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the AMERICAN IDOL family,” added Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

As for the growing rumor that Steven Tyler has been offered Simon's spot, that is also a move that would be alright with me. Steven is obviously a legend in his own right with Aerosmith and all, and he can actually sing, plus he's been in the industry long enough to know the ins and outs (no offense, Kara).

Speaking of Kara, expect her to walk the plank next. Her one-year contract has yet to be extended and considering the next round of auditions begins in just a few weeks, it's unlikely she'll be offered an extension at this point.

So while this story is far from over, everyone can go to bed knowing there is some sanity restored to Idol going forward, and that's a good thing for everyone.

What do you think about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges? Are the good fits? Could Nigel & co.have done any better?

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Poll of the week: Pickler picked once again among sixth-placers

In what had to be the most competitive round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series, Season 5's Kellie Pickler ruled her fellow sixth-place finalists.

Kellie nabbed 13 votes, or 35% of all 37 votes cast, compared with Season 7's Carly Smithson's 12 votes (32%) and the club's newest member, Siobhan Magnus of Season 9, at nine votes (24%). These three independent women were the only ones who really excited IDOL LIVE readers, and it's easy to see why when considering their not so popular comrades from the six other seasons.

In the next round, readers will be asked which 5th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Christina Christian 0 (0%)
Carmen Rasmussen 1 (2%)
John Stevens 0 (0%)
Constantine Maroulis 0 (0%)
Kellie Pickler 13 (35%)
Phil Stacey 0 (0%)
Carly Smithson 12 (32%)
Anoop Desai 2 (5%)
Siobhan Magnus 9 (24%)

Total votes: 37

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

HITS estimates: 'Play On' #39 w/ 10.3k

Play OnAlthough sales were down a little bit more this week for the sole Idol alum to be included in HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart, things were more consistent that anything.

For example, Carrie Underwood continued to be the only alum to have her album appear on the chart, and based on the past few months, this fact continues to be emblematic of the idea of being "consistent." Her third studio effort, Play On, was down three spots to #39 on the heels of a 10% drop in sales to 10.3k copies. Although it seems that the album could slip below the 10k threshold in the near future, it's important to remember summer usually isn't the kindest sales period for months-old music, so all things considered its 1.658 million total to date looks pretty good after not even a year on the market.

As per usual, Billboard will have official positions available for the Billboard 200 on Thursday.

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Flashback: Allison Iraheta's "Cry Baby"

Season 8's Allison Iraheta was one of the best performers for her age to ever appear on Idol's stage, and her performance of "Cry Baby," as made famous by Janis Joplin, was a near crowning moment for the then 17-year-old, especially considering it took place on Rock 'n Roll night during Top 4 week - the same night on which she had an unforgettable duet with Adam Lambert on "Slow Ride." Watch the performance below:



Despite the great range displayed by Alison on "Cry Baby," she was eliminated the following night. Alison might have been the victim of a crowded, talented Top 4, but at least she went out on a high note.

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: total of 26,000 turn out for Milwaukee, Nashville auditions

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

>The Season 10 auditions kicked off in Nashville on Thurs., July 15, where about 10,000 hopefuls stood in line on the first day (16,000 in all performed in front of producers). This week, auditions journeyed to Milwaukee, where another 10,000 turned out for a shot at becoming the next Lee DeWyze. Per a post by EW's Michael Slezak:

“The numbers of people turning up to the American Idol auditions in Nashville and Milwaukee have been incredible,” said show creator Simon Fuller, in a release. “These attendance figures are significantly up on the last few years, and there is clearly renewed excitement and interest in the show, which is great to see.”

Ryan Seacrest took us on a behind the scenes tour of the Bradley Center to see what things are like, well, behind the scenes. Watch the piece below:



Auditions will next hit New Orleans, La., on Monday. If you're interested in giving Season 10 a shot (and at this point, you might as well throw your hat in the ring!) be sure to check out AmericanIdol.com/Auditions.

>As you've probably heard by now, Chris Isaak is the latest replacement for Simon Cowell being floated around. The rumor du jour comes on the heels of a Reuters and Hollywood Reporter piece claiming Isaak met with FOX twice in recent weeks for consideration of taking over for Simon. Per the piece:

While Fox insists no decision is imminent, the clock is ticking to replace Cowell as preliminary auditions get under way for the talent show's 10th season. Peter Rice, the network's new entertainment chairman, has said he expects the new "Idol" judge to join the audition roadshow by early September.

Other potential replacements that keep coming up in the media include Harry Connick, Jr., Bret Michaels and now...apparently...Donald Trump (huh!?). If Team FOX care about sparing fans from hearing about all this speculation, they'll hurry up and name a replacement fast.

>Lee DeWyze took time to speak with AmericanIdol.com about how the tour has been going with his fellow Season 9 Top 10 finalists. Lee covered a limited range of topics dealing with the tour and offered up a limited range of answers questions posed by both fans and AI.com. One of Lee's more interesting responses:
As the American Idol, Lee is the headliner of the Season 9 tour. Since he’s the last person to perform at each show, what does he do to pass the time while he’s waiting for his set? “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Lee remarked. “I have time to listen to a full album, so I’ll pick one and listen to it. I just try and chill, because if I just sit around and wait, I’ll get tired. During Casey’s and Crystal’s sets, I’ll go watch them and listen to the crowd and get pumped up.”

Lee said he's aiming for a "folk-rock" sound on his forthcoming album and he's been writing "everything so far." Lee, who apparently has been writing since he was 16 years old, said he's anticipating his hometown stop of Chicago because all his family and friends will be there. Read the full interview at AmericanIdol.com.

>Kellie Pickler had to break some bad news to the organizers of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Centerville, Mich., as she backed out of her scheduled show to close out the fair on Sept. 25 due to an extension of Rascal Flatts' tour, on which she is an opening act. This news came in conjunction with fellow country artist Chris Young's withdrawal as an opening act scheduled to perform at the fair on another day. Per an article from SturgisJournal.com:
“Next year we wouldn’t be able to touch Kelly Pickler or Chris Young … they’ll be priced way out of our league,” Johnson said. “If they honor the rate we were giving (for the September shows), it’d be a bargain.”

Ironically, Johnson noted, Rascal Flatts was an opening act at the fair several years ago.
Johnson did not indicate what the fair was to pay Pickler, saying only that it was a five-figure amount. Through Wednesday, about 950 tickets to Pickler’s show had been sold. Ticket prices ranged between $25 and $35 each.

All in all, not a good situation for the organizers of the fair.

>Jordin Sparks sat down with Oliver Trevena of YoungHollywood.com this week to chat about her Battlefield tour and other things on her mind. Watch the segment below:



Jordin recounted a memorable moment on the tour where a pregnant woman was waiting by her bus and she said "the baby's coming," Jordin was asked to sign her shirt and was freaking out because the baby needed to be delivered. She said she had never encountered that before (not many have, Jordin).

She also talked about her upcoming 3-month stint on Broadway in In the Heights, which kicks off on Thurs. Aug. 19.

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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Poll of the week: Jennifer Hudson eclipses fellow 7th-place finishers

The winner of the latest version of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series for readers' favorite seventh-place finalist of all nine seasons was no surprise.

Jennifer Hudson of Season 3 took in nine votes, or 37% of all 24 votes cast during the course of the week. While this number isn't very high at all, it's pretty easy to believe that J-Hud is the most popular seventh-place finalist of all time due to her post-Idol success.

The next closest placing was was Season 7's Kristy Lee Cook's showing in second thanks to seven votes (29%), while Season 9's Tim Urban nabbed four votes (16%).

In the next round, readers will be asked which 6th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Ryan Starr 1 (4%)
Kimberly Caldwell 0 (0%)
Jennifer Hudson 9 (37%)
Anwar Robinson 2 (8%)
Ace Young 1 (4%)
Sanjaya Malakar 0 (0%)
Kristy Lee Cook 7 (29%)
Lil Rounds 0 (0%)
Tim Urban 4 (16%)

Total votes: 24

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Katharine McPhee continues work on Hunger-Free Summer campaign; contest announced

As previously mentioned, Katharine McPhee has been busy this month with the Hunger-Free Summer campaign sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America. Kat's latest appearance came last Monday, July 12, at the Project Access Resource Center in Santa Ana, Calif., as pictured to the right.

Per the ConAgra Foods Foundation, the goal of the campaign is to help fund 10,000 meals for schoolchildren that go hungry during the summer when there are no food options provided for by the school systems. Kat has been a supporter of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council for nearly a year.

Also in relation to Kat, IDOL LIVE would like to announce a contest coming in the near future for a chance to win Kat's latest album, Unbroken, which will involve answering trivia questions. Be on the lookout for that exciting opportunity! (AP Photo/ConAgra Foods Foundation, Drew Kelley)

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Out today: David Archuleta's "Something 'Bout Love"

Something 'Bout LoveAfter somewhat of a dry spell as of late in regard to music releases from Idol alums, David Archuleta dropped his latest single "Something 'Bout Love" today. The single, which was written by Arch, S*A*M and Sluggo and Chris DeStefano, is the lead single off the Season 7 runner-up's forthcoming sophomore album The Other Side of Down.


Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:

Singles,
David Archuleta, "Something 'Bout Love"

Amazon MP3 - ($1.29) - Buy
iTunes - ($1.29) - 
Buy


The Other Side of Down can now be pre-ordered at DavidArchuleta.com.

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HITS estimates: 'Play On' #36 w/ 11.4k

Play OnCountry's Queen Carrie Underwood continued her reign as top-selling Idol alum this past week as supported by her position on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart.

Carrie's Play On stayed on course, dropping a mere six percent in sales to 11.4k copies. The disc was off four spots on the actual chart to #36, but it retained its title as sole Idol-related album on the chart. Play On is easily the best-selling album by an alum in the 2010 calendar year.

As per usual, Billboard will have official positions available for the Billboard 200 on Thursday.

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Flashback: Amy Adams' "The Power of Love"

Before an actress of the same namesake burst onto the scene, Season 3's 10th-place finalist, Amy Adams, was the most well known celebrity with the name. The popular pink-haired makeup artist used her spunky appeal to sail into the finals thanks to her showing on Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" during Group 3's performance episode of the semifinals. Watch the performance below:



Amy's theatrical take on the song was enough to catapult her into the finals, but she didn't last long. Simon Cowell's criticism that Amy was more "'Cabaret Idol' than 'American Idol'" most likely was true, as she had a winning personality but her vocals were never able to compete with those of some of her powerhouse peers on the show that season.

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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Crystal Bowersox and Didi Benami show kindness at 'GMA' concert

After my scathing review of Season 9's Top 10 finalists' group medley of "It's My Life" / "My Life Would Suck Without You" on ABC's Good Morning America two Fridays ago based solely on television coverage, Tony Rossi of The Intersection offers up a review of his own since he actually attended the concert in Central Park in person. Per Tony's blog post:

The two I would single out especially are Crystal Bowersox and Didi Benami. Because I have 2 friends who work for GMA, I was lucky enough to get backstage and meet a few of the singers.
He then goes on to give evidence of Crystal's and Didi's kindness:
A young girl accompanied by her grandfather was in a scaffolded area under the stage hoping to talk to and get autographs from Crystal & Didi. Both Crystal and Didi literally had to get on their hands and knees to interact with this young fan and sign her pictures.
This account is great to hear since I was so hard on their singing. I'll reiterate that even though I was disappointed with how the performance came across over the broadcast, this season's finalists seem to be some of the kindest. In fact, I'd go as far to say this season's Top 10 is very similar to Season 6's Top 10 for this reason in addition to a few others regarding their stage presence and vocal abilities.

Also, below is a backstage interview with the Top 10 posted by GMA that I just stumbled upon:



The interview includes footage of Lee and Michael beat boxing in between performances in addition to questions about things we don't know about the finalists.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee DeWyze performs "Hallelujah" on 'The View'

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

>Continuing in his "Idols Live!" tour-promoting mode, Lee DeWyze stopped by The View on Monday for a brief chat with co-hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd in addition to an acoustic performance of "Hallelujah." Watch the segment below:



Lee didn't have much to say in the interview, but that's not surprising considering the questions he was fielded. Luckily, he delivered an alright performance to make up for it.

>Also on The View this week was Clay Aiken, who served as guest co-host on Tuesday's episode. Surprisingly, Clay "cussed" during a segment in which the ladies discussed spoiled children (or something to that effect). Watch Clay's exit interview in which he apologizes below:



The full episode can be viewed on ABC's website. Clay is planning to begin his "Timeless Tour" with fellow Season 2 alum Ruben Studdard on Fri., July 23 in Asheville, N.C., on which he will promote his new album Tired & True.

>Katharine McPhee promoted her work with the campaign being sponsored by ConAgra Foods and Feeding America on Friday's episode of On the Record with Greta Van Susteren on FOX News Channel. Watch the segment below:



In addition to talking about the campaign, Kat also said she will spend roughly three months putting together her upcoming yet-to-be-titled Christmas album, which she already began recording.

>Kris Allen took a break from his tour with The Barenaked Ladies on Thursday to finally film the music video for his current single "The Truth" in the California desert, however before much could get filmed, rain canceled the operation. Kris was set to film the video with his love interest, model Cindy Vela, and Pat Monahan of Train, but according to one of Kris' recent tweets, it will resume on Monday.

Photos from the set of the shoot were released, however, showing that Kris' wife, Katy, is standing by to show him some support.

>David Cook posted one of his world famous vlogs this week to tease fans about his upcoming release. It basically consists of black and white shots of recording sessions in the studio. Watch the vlog below:



David sang roughly six seconds of a new track, which turns out to be David Hodges' "Hard to Believe."

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #25 (7/24/10)

Undo ItCarrie Underwood's latest single continued to make headway on the latest edition of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of July 24.

"Undo It" was up two places for the week, ranking at #25, it's highest spot on the chart to week. Adam Lambert followed with two singles of his own, with "Whataya Want From Me" slipping #45-49, while his latest release, "If I Had You," was up #85-73.

Carrie wasn't the only winner represented on the Hot 100, though, as Fantasia finally saw her "Bittersweet" debut at #94 after weeks of languishing on the Bubbling Under chart.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are below:

Hot 100
25 27 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
49 45 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
73 85 Adam Lambert, "If I Had You"
94 -- Fantasia, "Bittersweet"

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Poll of the week: Michael Johns keeps the S7 streak alive

Season 7 ruled supreme for the second week in a row as its entrant in the most recent round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series was victorious.

Michael Johns garnered the most votes of all Idol alums that placed eighth, with 17, or 60% of all 28 votes cast for the week, No other alum came close to this take, with Season 8's Scott MacIntyre grabbing four votes (14%) and Season 9's Katie Stevens three (10%).

In the next round, readers will be asked which 7th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

A.J. Gil 0 (0%)
Rickey Smith 0 (0%)
Jon Peter Lewis 1 (3%)
Nadia Turner 1 (3%)
Bucky Covington 1 (3%)
Haley Scarnato 1 (3%)
Michael Johns 17 (60%)
Scott MacIntyre 4 (14%)
Katie Stevens 3 (10%)

Total votes: 28

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Katharine McPhee dedicates time to "Hunger-Free Summer Initiative"

Katharine McPhee has taken up a worthy cause this summer, as she will be dedicating some of her time to helping the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America with their "Hunger-Free Summer Inititative" to help strike out hunger among low-income kids. She kicked off the initiative last Wednesday when she appeared at the New Image Youth Center in Orlando, Fla., to lend a helping hand. Per a press release:

The Hunger-Free Summer initiative aims to close that gap through a $5 million donation from the ConAgra Foods Foundation to Feeding America. The goal of the Hunger-Free Summer initiative is to provide at least 25 percent more meals for children in need over the next five years, and will account for a significant portion of ConAgra Foods Foundation’s goal of delivering one million meals to children in need this summer.

Katharine seems to be very interested in the campaign, as she said:

“This summer, I am going to be traveling across the country to Feeding America food banks from Orlando to Los Angeles – to volunteer my time and, more importantly, to raise awareness about this important issue,” said McPhee. “I want to challenge every community to come together to help end child hunger in the United States.”

Kat also appeared in Irvine, Calif., yesterday. Other cities Kat will be making her way to this summer include Little Rock, Ark. on Wed., July 14 and Houston, Tex., during the week of July 26. (AP Photo/ConAgra Foods Foundation, Phelan M. Ebenhack, HO)

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HITS estimates: 'Play On' #32 w/ 12.1k

Play OnHITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart read like it was Groundhog Day, as only one Idol-related album was represented for yet another week.

Carrie Underwood saw her Play On slide three spots to #32 this time around. It was off 7% sales-wise, bringing in 12.1k copies for the week. At this point, is it really too much to ask to have another alum get his or her CD on this chart?

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

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Flashback: Patrick Hall's "Come to My Window"

Patrick Hall began the semifinalist of Season 5 as one of the top contenders among the male contestants, but suffered from the infamous "cannon fodder" syndrome. That is, he was barely shown during the auditions through Hollywood week period. Still, Patrick received more positive feedback than negative for this performance of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window" during Top 24 performance week. Watch it below:



Simon was right on the money when he said Patrick looked like he was anxious and like he was missing his piano. But he was also right about him having a nice voice. Although Patrick never had a chance to "go back to his roots" on the show, he at least proved to be one of a handful of semifinalists who should have gone further in the competition than they did.

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Friday, July 9, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee, Crystal and crew perform in concert at GMA

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

>As noted in the previous post, Season 9's Top 10 performed in concert on Good Morning America as part of the ABC morning program's Summer Concert Series in Central Park. While the group medley was abysmal, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox did pretty well with their solo offerings. Watch them both below:

Lee singing "Treat Her Like a Lady":



Crystal singing "Piece of My Heart":



You can tell by the close-up shots and quick camera cuts that there was a very sparse crowd at the show. Lee, Crystal and the rest of the gang will next perform in concert at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

>Two Idol alums separated by four seasons and many placings will perform in concert tonight in an intaimte show at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville when Diana DeGarmo of Season 3 and Cardin McKinney, Hollywood contestant from Season 7, take to the stage alongside Robin Meade and Victoria Shaw. Tickets are still available to the show, which is meant to showcase songwriting and acoustic singing, begins at 9 p.m.

>Carrie Underwood will be getting married tomorrow! After a few months living life engaged to each other, Carrie will wed her Ottawa Senators player, Mike Fisher, in a ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Ga. To be sure the pesky photogs stay away for the day, Carrie went all out. Per an article at SFGate.com:
...the happy couple has booked every room at the venue to house their guests for the night, costing a whopping $268,000, according to local paper The Herald Journal.

The publication's editor, Carey Williams, says, "She has blocked off all 251 rooms at the hotel."
The article also said Carrie will be arriving in style via a helicopter. Not a bad way to start the weekend.

>Kris Allen will be taking part in the benefit concert for the people of Tennessee who are still recovering from the floods that ravaged the Nashville area in May. The concert will take place at the Cannery Ballroom on July 23 and all proceeds will go toward the efforts being undertaken by the Community Foundation. iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove will also perform at the concert. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketweb.com.

>Katharine McPhee is doing her best to ensure her current single "Terrified" stays on the right track at radio, so she had a webisode filmed to document the recording session she had with Zachary Levi of NBC's Chuck. Watch the webisode below:



As for how the single is performing on the charts, it's safe to say "Terrified" has seen better days. It has virtually disappeared from all charts, both airplay and sales.

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Was the Top 10's performance on GMA this morning a joke?

In case you missed it, Season 9's Top 10 finalists took a break from their busy Idols Live! tour (in fact, they even moved a show for it) this morning on ABC's Good Morning America. Following solo performances by Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, it was time for all 10 finalists to take the stage for a medley of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Below is how it all went down:



I don't think there's ever been less of a reason to attend an Idol concert as this one. It was like George Stephanopolous and Robin Roberts raced up and down 42nd Street and grabbed the first 10 young people they saw, rushed them to Central Park, pushed them up on stage and forced them to sing on the spot.

Now, I'll give them the excuse that the cramped stage minimized their ability to move around, so dancing in place a la Aaron Kelly was pretty much the only other option. But c'mon, that was an embarrassment to group performances. The sloppy harmonies, the awkward poses the cameramen caught, the rampant out of tune singing, it never ends. In fact, it's more sad than anything, because they seem like a great group of people.

So as the show cancelations keep a'comin', is anyone really surprised why the tour is flailing around? I would not pay to see this on stage, and apparently many others feel the same.

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Thursday, July 8, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #27 (7/17/10)

Undo ItThere were positive movements among tracks by Idol alums all around on the latest edition of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of July 17.

Once again making headway with her latest single was Carrie Underwood, as she saw "Undo It" rise three spots to #27 after dipping a few spots the previous week. Also happy about this week's chart is Adam Lambert, as two of his singles gained ground. "Whataya Want From Me" was up two spots to #45, while his latest single "If I Had You" moved ahead #94-85.

Meanwhile on the Bubbling Under chart, Fantasia's "Bittersweet" continued its snail's pace inching up the chart, this week crawling ahead another two spots to #4.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are below:

Hot 100
27 30 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
45 47 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
85 94 Adam Lambert, "If I Had You"

Bubbling Under
04 06 Fantasia, "Bittersweet"

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Poll of the week: Ramiele Malubay lullabies her fellow Top 9 finishers

Once again there was not a ton of interest in the selection of alums pitted against each other as 9th-place finalists received very few votes in the latest round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series.

Pulling out in front was Season 7's Ramiele Malubay, who nabbed 33% of all 24 votes cast, which came out to eight whole votes for the singer of Filipina descent. These eight votes were enough to put Ramiele comfortably ahead of the next best finisher, as Megan Joy of Season 8 only managed five votes (20%), followed by Mandisa of Season 5 with her four votes (16%).

Other than those mentioned above, there wasn't much else to sing about regarding this week's results. In the next round, readers will be asked which 8th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Jim Verraros 0 (0%)
Corey Clark 0 (0%)
Camile Velasco 2 (8%)
Nikko Smith 0 (0%)
Mandisa 4 (16%)
Gina Glocksen 2 (8%)
Ramiele Malubay 8 (33%)
Megan Joy 5 (20%)
Andrew Garcia 3 (12%)

Total votes: 24

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

"Idols Live!" tour: sched. changes left and right

If you didn't know already, the Season 9 "Idols Live!" tour kicked off last week in Auburn Hills, Mich., on July 1. Since then, there have been plenty of poor reviews pouring in, and the news got much, much worse today for the waning franchise.

After foreboding warnings from the touring finalists themselves via Twitter last week, one shoe dropped as eight dates were re-scheduled, one venue was moved to a smaller-size venue and six dates were canceled altogether. Instead of wrapping up on Sept. 16, the tour will now conclude on Aug. 31. Below is the list of all dates that have been modified:

JUL 09 FRI BRIDGEPORT, CT NEW DATE! ARENA AT HARBOR YARD
JUL 21 WED PITTSBURGH, PA NEW DATE & VENUE! FIRST NIAGRA PAVILION
AUG 21 SAT PORTLAND, OR CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU OMAHA, NE CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU DES MOINES, IA NEW DATE! WELLS FARGO ARENA
AUG 27 FRI KANSAS CITY, MO CANCELLED
AUG 27 FRI MINNEAPOLIS, MN NEW DATE! TARGET CENTER
AUG 28 SAT CHICAGO, IL NEW DATE! UNITED CENTER
AUG 29 SUN TOLEDO, OH NEW DATE! THE HUNTINGTON CENTER
AUG 30 MON CINCINNATI, OH NEW DATE! RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER
AUG 31 TUE INDIANAPOLIS, IN NEW DATE! CONSECO FIELDHOUSE
SEP 07 TUE WINNIPEG, MB CANCELLED
SEP 09 THU TORONTO, ON CANCELLED
SEP 10 FRI BUFFALO, NY CANCELLED
SEP 11 SAT CLEVELAND, OH CANCELLED
SEP 16 THU PORTLAND, ME CANCELLED
All other dates are in tact (for now). If 19E didn't get the message that Season 9 was a bust, the returns and reviews being generated by this tour must be blatant enough to hammer the point home. Just wait until the first few stops' figures are made public. They will most likely be another black eye for Idol. Hopefully the 10 performers can use their talent to help turn things around.

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HITS estimates: 'Play On' #29 w/ 12.9k

Play OnThe most recent edition of HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart found a lone Idol alum represented by her album.

Carrie Underwood's Play On may have been off two spots for the week, but it was only down 2% sales-wise, which isn't a bad drop all things considered. The album has continued to sell at an impressive pace, and the weekly take of 12.9k was an example of that.

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

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Flashback: Katharine McPhee's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

Katharine McPhee was known not only as Idol's fifth season's female vocal powerhouse-in-chief, but she also made strong statements through her performance style. One of her most memorable performances came during Top 5 week, when she performed KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Birth Year/Current Billboard Chart theme night. Watch the performance below:



It's quite clear that Katharine's decision to perform the song on her knees had something to do with why to this day it is one of the most unique displays on the Idol stage. The fact that she got so much praise for this choice led Kat to reprise the song during the finale, which lacked the magic the first performance had. This was just another example of the importance of leaving well enough alone, which has been a recurring them throughout the show's history. Still, it is one of the most memorable performance ever delivered.

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Friday, July 2, 2010

'Idol' odds 'n ends: David Archuleta premieres single "Something 'Bout Love"

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

>David Archuleta threw his hat into the ring of new summer music releases yesterday when he premiered his new single "Something 'Bout Love" on his official website, DavidArchuleta.com. Listen to the single below:



The single will be available to purchase on DavidArchuleta.com on July 13 and will be available everywhere else, including iTunes, on July 20.

>Blake Lewis yesterday alerted fans to his limited edition vinyl release of Heartbreak on Vinyl that is due out Tues., Aug. 3. According to Blake on a video of him describing the package uploaded to his official website, the signed, double LP special edition includes an unreleased remix of "Til We See the Sun," access to Blake's VIP Opendisc site and more. There are only 500 copies that were pressed, so if you really need to have this collector's edition, pre-order here for $24.99.

>Jennifer Hudson saw her "Behind the Music" special air on VH1 on Monday, which documents her humble beginnings in Chicago to her early rise to stardom on Idol to her role in Dreamgirls and the family tragedy that gripped her in the fall of 2008. Below is a snippet from the special that covers some of her time on Idol:



An all-star roster of contributors were interviewed for the special, including Jamie Foxx, Randy Jackson and Queen Latifah. The special will most likely repeat throughout the month on the music-themed cable network. More clips are available to watch in addition to the full episode at VH1.com.

>Rumors this week strengthened of Simon Cowell's successor, and Bret Michaels, who was once considered to have less than an outside shot at the seat at the judges' table, now seems to be gaining steam. Following an interview with PARADE magazine that was published on Monday, Michaels was asked to interview with the people over at FOX. In the PARADE piece, Michaels says the following of why he'd like to be a judge:
"I'm not built exactly like Simon Cowell, but, at the same time, I respect what he did. But I would have to bring my own personality. I think if they have someone in there to try to imitate Simon, it would be a mistake; he's an original. Bring Bret Michaels in to be original to who and what I am. Bring someone who can bring a little grit, true grit back to the show."

Michaels went on to say "Helly yeah" he would've tried out for Idol had he been a rocker looking got make it into the business nowadays because "you get instant exposure to millions of people" even though you run the risk of being considered "disposable." Stay tuned for more developments in the quest to fill the shoes of the British one.

>It's been one week since Fantasia release her music video for her current single "Bittersweet." Watch the video below:




"Bittersweet" is available to purchase on iTunes and is of course off Fantasia's forthcoming album Back to Me, which is due out July and is available to pre-order at Amazon.com

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Thursday, July 1, 2010

'Idol' Hot 100: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" #30 (7/10/10)

Undo ItIt was deja vu for Carrie Underwood as her latest single retained the pole position among tracks by Idol alums on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the chart week of July 10.

Carrie's "Undo It" was off five spots to #30. Despite seeing his single "Whataya Want From Me" continue to fade with a #41-47 drop, Adam Lambert witnessed his latest single "If I Had You" debut on the chart at #94.

Also present was Fantasia's "Bittersweet," which once again missed the cut for the main chart but inched ahead one spot to #6 on the Bubbling Under chart.

Full chart positions courtesy of Billboard are below:

Hot 100
30 25 Carrie Underwood, "Undo It"
47 41 Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"
94 -- Adam Lambert, "If I Had You"

Bubbling Under
06 07 Fantasia, "Bittersweet"

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HITS estimates: 'Play On' #23 w/ 13.2k

Play OnContinuing a new streak, Carrie Underwood was again the sole artist representing Idol on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart for its most recent edition.

Carrie's third studio album, Play On, adhered to its title as it played on to the tune of another 13.2k copies, off 19%. It was actually up four spots on the chart to #23. Alright, so it's no Eminem-size sales week, but it ain't bad for early summer.

Official chart data for the Billboard 200 is now available.

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Poll of the week: Chikezie is easily favorite 10th-place finalist

There was a little more competition than usual, but Season 7's Chikezie Eze was comfortably the preferred 10th-place finalist of all nine season in the latest round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series.

Chikezie took in nine votes, good for 34% of all votes cast, which was above Didi Benami's six votes (23%) and Michael Sarver's four votes (15%). Neither Chris Sligh (Season 6) nor Julia DeMato (Season 2) received any votes.

In the next round, readers will be asked which 9th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for six days.

EJay Day 0 (0%)
Julia DeMato 0 (0%)
Amy Adams 1 (3%)
Jessica Sierra 5 (19%)
Lisa Tucker 1 (3%)
Chris Sligh 0 (0%)
Chikezie 9 (34%)
Michael Sarver 4 (15%)
Didi Benami 6 (23%)

Total votes: 26

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