Blake Lewis made an appearance at the Topanga Canyon Boulevard AT&T store in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Saturday, where he signed autographs for fans in addition to posing for photos. The appearance, which lasted about two hours, was in support of Blake's a signed limited edition double LP of Heartbreak on Vinyl, his sophomore release.
American Idol Season Six Runner-Up Blake Lewis (left) posing for a picture with a young fan, Abby Charbonneau (right), during an appearance at the Woodland Hills AT&T retail store on Saturday, August 7, 2010. Photo: AT&T handout.
Event attendees had an opportunity to win signed copies of Blake's limited edition double LP “Heartbreak on Vinyl” scheduled to be released on August 24. Additionally, they were able to take advantage of the promotion on the new Android™ 2.1 Powered Samsung Captivate with the super AMOLED screen. Upon purchasing the new Captivate, attendees became eligible to receive two tickets to the upcoming American Idol Concert Tour at the Staples Center, on Fri., August 13.
Late last month Blake gave his two cents on the Idol judging musical chairs, saying:
"It's a sad day to read about Ellen leaving and rumors of Kara now leaving, too. Ellen will be sadly missed on AI. She added humor to the panel. If it’s true that Kara is leaving, too, there will be an even greater hole to fill. Like every great show that recasts its characters, the ones leaving will be missed and hopefully the new members will be embraced. I heard other rumors of J LO and Steven Tyler as potential new judges. I think this is what the show has been needing since I was on - constructive comments from huge stars who have made it doing what the contestants want to do. Britain has already done this and it's worked. I’m interested to see what the new American Idol will have to offer."
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Upon officially acknowledging his return to Idol for the show's 10th season (and his first since Season 7), Nigel Lythgoe made one of his trademark controversial statements: that he'd fully support (and actively try) to get Paula Abdul back on the judging panel. As unlikely as this actual scenario sounds, Nigel said it anyway:
One of his first ideas is to bring back one of the show's most beloved judges: Paula Abdul. Lythgoe told Daily Variety that despite her commitment to headline a new dancing show on CBS, he'd love to get Abdul back in the "Idol" fold. "I still love Paula," he said. "She's signed to CBS, probably exclusively, but I'd recommend we have her in a heartbeat."
Nigel also said he wants to focus less on the judges and to lessen the reliance on shoving contestants' back stories in audiences' faces. Well, knowing that, count me among those thrilled to have Nigel back in charge!
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>Katharine McPhee's Unbroken ballad "Say Goodbye" might not be getting the single treatment, but it will at least be heavily featured in the upcoming Christian film I AM. Part of the song's attachment to the film includes a music video complete with scenes from the movie and shots of Katharine herself. Watch the video below:
I AM, courtesy of 20th Century Fox, is described as the following per its website:
I AM offers an insight into the true nature of our God, and fights the damaging stereotypes of His character through a gritty, non-linear drama with a plot weaving around average people violating the Ten Commandments -- one by one. We see that these commandments were not edicts from a jealous God, but a love letter to humanity -- a warning to those who don't understand the massive consequences of even the smallest sins upon ourselves and the world around us.
It will premiere on Sun., Oct. 10 (National 10 Commandments Sunday), in churches across the country before being released in theaters.
Rascal Flatts $702,500
Kiss $500,000
Keith Urban $487,500
Drake $155,000
Selena Gomez $100,000 Kelly Pickler $40,000
Kris Allen $12,500
Chris Young $7,500
While it's not too surprising Kellie is pulling in more than Kris at the moment since she's a more established artist, is it even conceivable that Rascal Flatts are pulling in a whole $200k more per show than Kiss? That's more than surprising.
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>Tamyra Gray and her husband, Sam Watters, spoke with People.com about how they welcomed their daughter Sienna Marie into the world last month. Tamyra told People about the unusual manner in which they came up with her name:
“I know it sounds weird, but back in February I had a dream where she told me her name. I shared my dream with Sam and we decided we’d wait and see. It took us eight hours after her birth to name her and at the end, we went with her suggestion.”
Tamyra, now 30, said despite waiting until delivery to find out the sex of her baby, she knew instinctively that she'd be having a girl and now she has "someone to share in [her] love of fairies and tea."
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>Blake Lewis will appear at the AT&T retail store in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 7, where he will greet fans, pose for pictures and sign autographs between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. More info per a media alert:
Event attendees will have an opportunity to win signed copies of Lewis’ limited edition double LP “Heartbreak on Vinyl” scheduled to be released on August 24. Attendees will also be able to take advantage of the promotion on the new Android™ 2.1 Powered Samsung Captivate* ($199 after mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement), with the super AMOLED screen. With the purchase of the new Samsung Captivate attendees will receive two tickets to the upcoming American Idol Concert Tour at the Staples Center, Friday, August 13.
The AT&T store is located at 6203 Topanga Canyon Blvd (between Victory Blvd. and Erwin St.). Earlier in the week, fans who pre-ordered the special edition of Heartbreak on Vinyl on vinyl received the bonus MP3 track "Till We See The Sun," with just a few copies of the special edition vinyl disc available for pre-order ahead of its release on Aug. 24.
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
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Jordin Sparks spent yesterday without shoes in support of One Day Without Shoes, the campaign TOMS sponsored that encourages people to go without wearing shoes for one day out of the year to give them an idea of what it's like to be underprivileged and not have any. Watch Jordin promoting the cause below:
Jordin was so excited that she flashed her bare foot at the camera. This is just the latest cause Jordin has taken up, including Making a Difference (MAD).
>Randy Jackson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday to discuss the show and ended up discussing the love (and lackthereof) demonstrated among the judges. Randy joked that they all make out with each other between commercial breaks. Watch snippets of the the segment below:
Leno then surprised Randy with old footage of Ellen DeGeneres kissing Leno years ago on Tonight, followed by a photo of what looked like Randy and Ryan Seacrest were about to smooch. Apparently the two were engaged in a fake "shouting match."
>Ryan Seacrest was one Ellen on Tuesday, where he dished on all things Idol with the show's host and fourth wheel Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres. Watch a clip from his segment below:
Ryan was asked by an audience member what's going on between him and Simon, and he attributed their weird relationship this season to them being "roommates" before saying they were friends. Ellen said during commercial breaks she walks behind the stage with the other judges while Simon goes to have a smoke. Very insightful.
>Blake Lewis sent out an email to his fans this week asking for support in the hopes of releasing a vinyl version of his latest release Heartbreak on Vinyl. Per his email:
I really want to get my album out to you on Vinyl, but I really, really, really need all of your help. It's all up to you guys and gals.
You are the greatest fans and I'm so thankful for all of your continued support and love for my music.
So, help me and the lovely people at my label Tommy Boy to make a decision by clicking here, and answering 3 very simple questions.
So unless you don't want Blake's album title to not make sense, you better help him out by answering those three very important questions.
>Michael Sarver exclusively premiered the album art for his next single and track list for his forthcoming album Michael Sarver on AINow.org this week. The track list is below:
1. Watch Me
2. Baby I Want You
3. Ferris Wheel
4. Gonna Be A Good Night
5. Safe
6. Give It To Me
7. I'm In The Mood
8. Let Me Love You
9. Cinderella Girl ( Remix)
10. The Way She Loves Me
11. Always Surviving
12. Tell Me
13. You Are (Remix)
The album is set for a June 29 release, while his next single, "Ferris Wheel," gets a May 25 digital release. Maybe he's going for a Carnival Ride type thing?
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Blake Lewis revealed his new single choice, "Heartbreak on Vinyl," and sent a link for fans to listen to a remix of the song by LA Riots in an e-mail sent to fans. In the e-mail, Blake also mentioned a fan-made video that made Yahoo!'s Top 10 Most Awesome Music Videos of 2009, which can be viewed below:
In addition to the LA Riots remix, the single will include remixes by Chew Fu and Bimbo Jones and will be available digitally on Tues., Jan. 19.
>Carrie Underwood will take a stab at acting in her first guest appearance on a CBS sitcom when she stars in an episode of How I Met Your Mother. Per The LA Times:
Underwood will make her acting debut on the CBS sitcom as a love interest for Ted (Josh Radnor), CBS confirmed. Her character, Tiffany, is an enigmatic pharmaceutical sales rep.
The newly-engaged Carrie recently took her comedy skills on a test drive on her variety special that aired on FOX last month. The episode will air sometime in March.
>Katharine McPhee's latest stop in support of her sophomore album Unbroken was on NBC's Today Show, which aired yesterday. Kat spoke with co-host Hoda Kotb and America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan. Watch the segment below:
After fending off the usual comments about her "new" (and by "new" it's really 8-9 months-old) hairstyle, Kat spoke about why she decided to name her album Unbroken and what was behind her covering the quirky song "Brand New Key."
>Two Idol alums launched new blogs this week. Kimberly Caldwell recently tweeted about her new blog, which basically seems to be a Twitter feed on her site:
Check out my blog: kimberlycaldwell.tumblr.com Good news about the pup! 3:21 PM Jan 7th from Echofon
Meanwhile, Felicia Barton similarly revealed her new blog, as she announced via her own Twitter account:
thanks to everyone that is following me on my new blog!..I am really excited about it!!!... www.followingfelicia.blogspot.com 11:11 PM Jan 7th from web
>Since CBS failed to broadcast David Archuleta's halftime performance at the Brut Sun Bowl in San Antonio, Tex., on Thurs., Dec. 31. Watch him perform "Don't Stop Believin'" below:
David also sang his songs "Crush" and "Zero Gravity" during the halftime set. Prior to halftime he also sang "God Bless America."
Daughtry's sophomore album Leave This Town continued its downward spiral on HITS Daily Double's Top 50 building album sales chart, once again fulfilling its duty as the only Idol-related album to have sales estimates high enough to report.
Leave This Town moved an additional 14.4k copies, down 11% in sales. It slipped 12 spots on the chart to #45. Whether or not this album will hang on for one more week remains to be seen. As for the likelihood of Blake Lewis' Heartbreak On Vinyl making an appearance in the sales estimates, don't count on it. But stay tuned just in case.
After a week of full sales data for the previous week's charts, finalized album sales figures courtesy of Billboard should hopefully be out by the end of the week.
After his first album Audio Day Dream failed to excite listeners beyond his Idol fan base, Blake Lewis returns to the music scene with his sophomore effort Heartbreak On Vinyl. The album, which is courtesy of Tommy Boy Entertainment, features 13 songs including the lead single "Sad Song."
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
Blake has been tweeting about the release constantly over the past week and is understandably excited about the album. For example, Blake wrote:
Just got done chatting with some great fans and friends. Now I'm gonna release and take it in that my album is out tomorrow. Exciting!!! about 2 hours ago
from webOn the eve of the album's release, Blake chatted with fans on his official Web site.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>After treating fans to a sneak peek at his latest music video on Fri., Sept. 18, Blake Lewis premiered the full video on his official music MySpace page this past Tuesday. Watch the video below:
The video was directed by Ana Veselic. Blake's forthcoming album Heartbreak On Vinyl is due out Tues., Oct. 6, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.
>In other Idol runner-up news, Justin Guarini is back in the news, this time for his upcoming marriage to high school friend Reina Capodici. According to The New York Post, Justin said of the news:
“I’ve traveled all over the world but I found the woman I love right in my own backyard,” Guarini told RadarOnline.com. “I’ve known Reina since I was 15 but we didn't actually start dating until two years ago … Her mother was my English teacher in junior high school!”
The news was originally reported by RadarOnline.com. The wedding will take place at a private estate along the Delaware River tomorrow (Sat., Sept. 26).
>Melinda Doolittle and her friend Kelley Norris recorded a "happy birthday" vlog for Ross Matthews of Inside Dish with Ross Matthews, which was embedded on Melinda's official Web site yesterday. Watch the clip below:
Portions of the vlog were incorporated into Matthews' webisode that aired yesterday, where it played alongside birthday messages from people including Perez Hilton and Lydia Tavera of Big Brother fame.
>Some interesting numbers came in for the 2009 "Idols Live!" tour courtesy of alt.tv-americanidol, showing that it grossed a mammoth $30.1 million in total revenue. Other interesting tidbits:
Total Attendance: 483,512 Number of Tickets Available: 564,938 % Capacity: 85.6% Average Gross: $578,301 Average Attendance: 9,298 Average Ticket Price: $62.19
It was also interesting to see that the last five cities were sold out (Bridgeport, Portland, Providence, Syracuse, Manchester) and the city with the worst attendance was Vancouver (8,203 of 12,533 [65%]).
>Jordin Sparks was recently featured in a segment on the British ITV's Good Morning Television (GMTV) program for a behind the scenes look at her tour with The Jonas Brothers. The segment, which aired yesterday, followed Jordin around backstage at her concert in Las Vegas, Nev., and can be watched below:
As mentioned by the GMTV correspondent that filed the segment, Jordin's current single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)," which was heavily featured in the segment, will be released in The U.K. on Mon., Oct. 12.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Just a few weeks ago, Kelly Clarkson let it slip that fellow Idol champ Jordin Sparks would be joining her in VH1's Divas special. Now, it was Jordin's turn to announce the addition of another Idol alum at concert event, as she told Paulette Tobin of The Grand Forks Herald that Jennifer Hudson would also be performing. This brings representation from the franchise at the broadcast to four, as Paula Abdul was recently announced as the show's host.
>Coming just one week after the official announcement of his fellow Top 2 comrade's album release date, Adam Lambert subtlety let it be known that his self-titled album would be out on Tues., Nov. 24. In a tweet sent out on Wednesday, Adam said:
over 86K raised by http://www.donorschoose.org... !! thank you guys so much! keep it coming! fyi my album drops Nov 24th ! 8:46 AM Sep 2nd from web
Adam is reportedly working with producers such as RedOne and Max Martin and looks to have a big opening week thanks to his album being released the week of Thanksgiving. Competition will come from Lil' Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Susan Boyle and a re-release from Lady Gaga.
>It was recently announced that Diana DeGarmo has been selected to serve as a celebrity judge the New York Musical Theater Festival's (NYMF) "Next Broadway Sensation" contest, which will award one winner the chance to perform his or her own solo concert among other things. According to TheaterMania.com:
Confirmed celebrity judges include actors Diana DeGarmo, Jonathan Groff, Bailey Hanks, Orfeh, Donna Lynne Champlin, Kacie Sheik, and Allison Case; composer/lyricist Paul Scott Goodman; and record producer Noah Corman.
The three rounds of the competition will be held at New World Stages in New York, N.Y., on Sun., Sept. 13, Sept. 20 and Oct. 4.
>Keeping busy with his writing and storytelling skills, David Archuleta on Wednesday posted a new blog post on his official Ning network site about recording his Christmas album and performing the last concert of his summer tour in Alaska. Arch said in part:
I've been recording in LA and Utah this week and it's been quite the work but I'm really excited for it all to come together! I really like airplane rides though because it gives me time to write and get really detailed in my journal haha. Anyway... I know that may have seemed kinda random but I've been on airplanes quite a bit this last week. But I think the Christmas spirit is rubbing off on me because I've never started the Holiday season spirit this early in the year before haha. It feels good though.
He also gave a friendly shout out to fellow Season 7 alum Jason Castro and said he likes his new single, "Let's Just Fall In Love Again."
>Blake Lewis' album release is still one month away, but he eagerly e-mailed fans on his mail listing this morning to alert them that he will be sending links to preview select songs off Heartbreak On Vinyl over the next four weeks. He kicked things off this morning with a link to listen to the album's title track, "Heartbreak On Vinyl."
Just this week, the track lists and album covers for the sophomore albums from two Idol runners-up were released. Katharine McPhee and Blake Lewis, each of whom coincidentally have their latest albums to drop on Tues., Oct. 6, as the former's Unbroken and the latter's Heartbreak On Vinyl will each court fans of their new sounds.
Below are the track lists and album covers for the forthcoming releases, with Katharine's courtesy of Tommy2.net and Blake's courtesy of Amazon.com.
Katharine McPhee - Unbroken 01. It’s Not Right 02. Had It All 03. Keep Drivin’ 04. Last Letter 05. Surrender 06. Terrified (with Jason Reeves) 07. How 08. Say Goodbye 09. Faultline 10. Anybody’s Heart 11. Lifetime 12. Unbroken 13. Brand New Key
DVD (Deluxe Edition): 01. Making of Unbroken 02. Track by track video commentary 03. Making of the "Had It All" music video 04. Photo album
Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl 01. Heartbreak On Vinyl 02. Binary Love 03. Freak 04. Sad Song 05. Rhythm of My Heart 06. Afraid 07. Left My Baby For You 08. SuperScratchaVocalisticTurnatableLicious 09. Rebel Without A Cause 10. Our Rapture of Love 11. The Point 12. The Remedy 13. Love or Torture (Please Don't Stop)
Both albums can be pre-ordered on Amazon, with Katharine's available as a CD ($13.49) and CD/DVD ($15.99) while Blake's is only available as a CD ($13.99). Also, Katharine's lead single "Had It All" and Blake's lead single "Sad Song" are both available to download on iTunes.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Daughtry announced the cities and dates for the first leg of its highly anticipated arena tour in support of the band's latest album Leave This Town. The tour, which includes 36 dates, begins Oct. 19 in Topeka, Ks., at the Kansas ExpoCentre and wraps up at the Roberts Center in Evansville, Ind., on Dec. 20. Theory of a Deadman and Cavo will open for the band.
>Katharine McPhee's single off her forthcoming sophomore album Unbroken has been revealed. In a tweet sent by Kat yesterday, it was revealed that the single title's name is "Had It All":
My brand new single, Had It All, debuts in 5 days! about 5 hours ago from Tweetie
A demo of the song, which was co-written by Mitch Allan, David Hodges and Kara DioGuardi, can be heard below:
In preparation of her album's release on Tues., Oct. 13, Katharine continued to work on her music video for the song on Wednesday.
>When Season 8's Top 10 finalists swung through Albany, N.Y., on their "Idols Live!" tour on Wednesday, The New York Daily News had fun with the concert by comparing the tour stop to democracy and the lack thereof in the empire state's capitol. The newspaper's columnist Michael Daly commented in part:
His fellow Idol singer Lil Rounds echoed the same sentiment, as if it were only what decency requires.
"Anybody that supports you, you want to give them the best that you have," she said. "I want to give them everything I have."
Compare that to legislators who are willing to do anything to get whatever they can for themselves at the expense of the very people who put them in office.
The attitude of those bozo bums toward the voters could not be any more different from that of Idol singer Matt Giraud.
"You want to thank them," Giraud said of those who voted for him. "They gave you what you have."
Although the odds of Albany's political woes being remedied anytime soon are long, it is nice to know the people of New York had something to distract them in these long late August days.
>Blake Lewis continued to make all the right moves leading up to the release of his sophomore album Heartbreak on Vinyl. Blake released a nine-song digital maxi-single of remixes of his single "Sad Song" on iTunes for $8.91 and has been out on the road promoting the record by appearing on local radio stations and newscasts like Chicago's Kiss 103.5 FM.
>Apart from recently recording her sophomore album Battlefield, Jordin Sparks has been keeping busy in the studio. She just recorded a track for the soundtrack of the upcoming Disney direct-to-DVD release of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. According to writer/producer Bryan Todd via his official Twitter account:
Jordin Sparks and Jordan Pruitt song turned out amazing for Tinkerbell and The Lost Treasure. Soundtrack out 9-22, Movie out 10-27-2009! 11:29 AM Aug 3rd from TwitterFon
The song is called "Road to Paradise" and will be released with the rest of the soundtrack on Tues., Sept. 22. It can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.
For the second week in a row, an Idol alum has a shot at seeing their sophomore release debut atop the Billboard 200, as Jordin Sparks releases her much-anticipated Battlefield. The album features tracks like "Walking On Snow," "Faith" (written by Jordin and Toby Gad) and second single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)."
Also out today is Brooke White's first post-Idol album, High Hopes & Heartbreak, courtesy of June Baby Records. It includes songs like first single "Hold Up My Heart," the follow up "Radio Radio" and a cover of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody."
On the singles front, Blake Lewis drops "Sad Song," the lead off single for his forthcoming album Heartbreak on Vinyl.
Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:
The deluxe edition of Battlefield includes two bonus tracks: "Papercut" and "Postcard," in addition to a separate DVD that has four videos: "Hangin' with Jordin Sparks," "Battlefield Behind the Scenes," "Battlefield Photo Shoot" and the music video for "Battlefield." Fans that pre-ordered the album on iTunes also receive another bonus track in "Vertigo."
With all the new material from alums of Idol's sixth season, Blake Lewis wants to let fans know he is not sitting idle. In an e-mail alert sent out to fans today, Blake premiered his new single "Sad Song" on OpenDisc.net. Listen to the single below:
Did anyone catch the word "battlefield" used multiple times in the lyrics throughout the song? Interesting, eh? The song is a much more techno-sounding than most of the tracks found on Blake's Audio Day Dream, and has European influences.
"Sad Song" is the lead single off Blake's forthcoming sophomore album Heartbreak on Vinyl, which is due out Tues., Oct. 6, and can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.
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