'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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What they should sing: Personal & judges' choices week

Departing from the usual three songs for three finalists format that has been used in each one of the Top 3 performance episodes for the past seven seasons, this year's crop will have to settle for two songs only: one picked by a judge (or in one case, two judges) and one personal choice (thanks again Kara!).

The judges' picks for the Top 3 are already common knowledge because each finalist received his respective song choice (or in one case, two choices) from the judges at their homecomings yesterday. Paula picked "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby for Danny, Randy and Kara chose "Apologize" by OneRepublic for Kris and Simon apparently couldn't decide between "One" by U2 or Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" for Adam since there is video of him receiving a text with both songs. Right, that's fair...

Anyway, Danny and Kris are really going to have to step it up come Tuesday if they want to advance to the finale, and that key to doing that is picking a good song in the first place. Although this is not a magic solution to the problem, it definitely sets the stage for a solid performance assuming the singer finds his comfort zone in the choice. Therefore, my song suggestions for the Top 3 can be found below:

Adam Lambert: "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Kiss)

Yeah yeah, Rock 'n Roll was last week's theme, but Adam has made a name for himself singing songs from this genre over the course of the season, so why not keep a good thing going? Adam would blew the lid off the studio with Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Nite," a '70s classic that would allow him to be as theatrical as possible all the while belting out notes at the top of his lungs, and it would not be perceived as a mess. A bit over the top perhaps, but Adam's no stranger to being accused of that.

The judges could possibly criticize Adam for picking a predictable song, but the performance would drown out any negativity they might direct toward him. And there are plenty of other songs that Adam could choose since it really doesn't matter at this point because he will be in the finale regardless.

Danny Gokey: "One Sweet Day" (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men)

Danny has not taken on an emotional, R&B-tinged ballad in a long time, and this is his chance to return to a place that fits his vocal style to a T. Danny has already performed a Mariah Carey track in "Hero" back in the semifinals, so it would not be awkward for him to play that card once more so late in the game with "One Sweet Day." Plus, Boyz II Men help Carey out on the track, which is a group whose material would be totally believable for Danny to attempt.

The lyrics in "Day" are very relevant to Danny on a personal level, and could create just the right effect on the audience to connect with them emotionally, which just might be the edge he needs at this stage. Assuming he doesn't attempt one of Carey's high notes following last week's travesty, things could look very bright for Danny this week.



Kris Allen: "Fire and Rain" (James Taylor)

Kris is in the toughest position this week because he is an underdog. What would not be right for him to do at this point, however, is to take a risk. When risks are taken so late in the game, that don't always work out the way they were intended, so it would be best for him to stick to what he's good at and let his fan base vote its fingers off. Therefore, James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" would be the perfect choice for him.

The performance would work best with Kris sitting on a stool playing along on his guitar, with no other instrumentation and nothing onstage to distract the audience from his singing. If he can excel in this way, Kris should feel pretty confident with himself.



And there we have it. If I had to guess, I'd say Danny's choice is the most likely to be correct of the three, but it would be a big surprise for any of them to end up being picked.

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