Idol Headlines for 07/30/07

Wow, that Portland review is really excellent for Blake! Of course it’s just one person’s opinion, but still it’s always fun to read such glowing remarks about your favorite Idol, am I right?

A certain Blaker Dad e-mailed Team Plaid a pic of Bshorty test driving his prize Mustang.

Both reviews were good ones of Blake. Thanks for the link to the pics, Star.

I hadn’t watched Kat’s appearance on Leno but that’s one short dress. :blink_tb:

Blake gets good reviews and is being managed by 19M. Clive seems to have passed on him which seems very strange. That’s a first for idol as I can’t remember anyone signed by 19M who was also signed by Clive or am I wrong? The no deals yet for Jordin and Blake story is the most interesting development of Season 6 to me. It’s almost August, they’re starting auditions of S7 and still no news. That’s just plain crazy.

I agree Jpfan. I too think the most interesting story right now about Season 6 is the no record deals that we know of for both Jordin and Blake.

For what ever his reason, Clive passed up Blake. I am shocked as well for even if I don’t think Blake has a great voice, I think he has 3 C’s that increases his chance of being successful: charisma, current, and creative. Maybe Clive didn’t like the A.D.D. album proposal.

I am still thinking that Jordin will be signed since she is the winner.

Maybe both of these Idols are being too difficult with negotiations and we know what Clive does to “difficult” artists :nono_tb:

Lewis is now working on his debut album, writing songs on tour and preparing to record the rest of them. He has six songs done for the album that he expects will be entitled à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A.D.D.,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Audio Day Dream,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and will be released on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

I wonder who’s paying for all this. The album will be released before Thanksgiving? How does that work with no recording contract?
I keep thinking that Jordin is holding things up for Blake. They want her signed (or whatever) before Blake’s contract is announced.

What a great review for Blake. He turns heads everywhere he goes that’s for sure. I am not surprised, he is great. The tour is becoming all about him. Heh.

How do you guys know Clive passed up Blake? These are all still rumors. We still don’t know what officially happened.

I am not worried about Blake though, he will get a record deal no matter what, I still think he already has many offers on the table and he is just waiting for his AI contract to expire.
Go Blake!

Its going to be interesting to see how 19 handles Blake demographic wise and if they’ll be able to market him while pleasing his young fanbase. Every concert review I read seems to focus on the shrieking young girls. I wonder if 19 will milk that. Based on the way Blake talks he’s all about music but I can see 19 salivating over getting him all over tween mags if these concert reviews are any indication.

Here’s a thought re: the contracts. Is it possible both Jordin and Blake managed to get deals outside of BMG and neither can say anything until the 90 days are up? I find the silence from Jordin’s end the strangest thing yet. Is Fuller managing Jordin too or is the thing about her dad managing her true?

Perhaps Blake will go the Indie route like Elliott particularly since Blake appears to be calling all the shots on his debut album unlike the vast majority of artists who get record deals with the big labels. The big labels are the ones who dictate what they want when they sign an artist not the other way around.

If an Idol could pick and choose whether or not they wanted to sign if Clive wanted them and could shop around to various labels even if Clive wanted to sign them then I suspect that the vast majority of Idols would have done just that but that is not the case.

Since we are not privy to the AI contract who knows.

Blake’s situation reminds me about Ace’s last year in which he was writing his music for his debut album and was shopping for labels that would sign him. Still awaiting Ace’s debut single and album.

If an Idol could pick and choose whether or not they wanted to sign if Clive wanted them and could shop around to various labels even if Clive wanted to sign them then I suspect that the vast majority of Idols would have done just that but that is not the case.

Normally, but doesn’t something seem really different this year? If we’re going to talk about previous years there has always been official announcements for anyone who had a BMG deal, ususally by June at least. Obviously that isn’t the case this year since even the Jordin, the winner, has had no press release. IIRC the labels always send those out. No physical CD singles put out by RCA like has been done in the past. Of course there’s also what Phil Stacy supposedly said about Jordin struggling to get signed. Something is definitely different this year so I wouldn’t judge by previous years.

I didn’t follow Ace much so I don’t know his situation. What was his setup after the tour? Did 19 sign him? I don’t particularly trust Simon Fuller a great deal, but as a mananager I would be shocked if he allowed Blake to go without a CD release for the amount of time Ace has. Even if 19R stuck it out there themselves like they did with the EP’s this year.

It’s my understanding that the winner’s recording contract is with 19R and then “traditionally” licensed out to Sony/BMG. I’m reading the fine print on the Daughtry CD (yeah, yeah, I know Chris D. wasnt’t the AI 5 winner, but still…) and it reads Management: Simon Fuller 19E (similar to Blake); copyright: 19R under exclusive license to RCA.

My guess would be that 19R is funding Blake’s upcoming CD, but Blake has not been licensed to Sony/BMG. If anything, I’d venture that they (19R/E)will create a “virtual” label similar to Elliott’s. Simon Fuller seems to have a knack for finding the next big thing… and with a committed management team Blake could do well.

If Blake is the next big thing why isn’t Clive Davis signing him? He’s not that senile yet is he? He passed on Elliott but that would have been 5 Clive signings for the season. Right now, S6 has 0.

If anything, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d venture that they (19R/E)will create a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“virtuaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ l label similar to Elliottà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s.

19 Records is already a label and they have released at least one CD on their own before (Tamyra Gray’s).

If Blake is the next big thing why isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Clive Davis signing him? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that senile yet is he?

Honestly… I don’t think Blake is the next best thing, but Simon Fuller seems to.

Thanks Kirsten. So I guess 19E has signed idols before who weren’t on Clive’s label. Eventually, they’ll have to announce something. I think at the end of August, they’re all free to sign anyway.

I don’t really know if Simon Fuller sees Blake as the next big thing, but for whatever reason he must think he can make some money off him. He’s managed lots of people in the past who weren’t under Clive Davis’ thumb.

Has there been any hint of any other 19E signings? I’m wondering about Melinda in particular.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really know if Simon Fuller sees Blake as the next big thing, but for whatever reason he must think he can make some money off him. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s managed lots of people in the past who werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t under Clive Davisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ thumb.

Musically… how many others?

Musicallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ how many others?

I’m assuming you mean other than Idols? Simon Fuller and 19M managed Amy Winehouse and got her a contract with Universal (Fuller is the one who wanted to send her to rehab and she said “No. No. No”)

The other famous group he manages is the Spice Girls (which he created). They fired him back in 1997, but he seems to be back with them since he is arranging their new world tour. They were signed with Virgin.

19Management actually preceeds Idol. It has had other famous clients such as Annie Lennox.

19Management actually preceeds Idol. It has had other famous clients such as Annie Lennox.

Isn’t Simon Fuller involved with David Beckman’s/Posh Spice’s relocation to LA? (Shameless self-promtion because my son’s on a national NCCA championship soccer team.)

Okay I’m confused but the newest release form that the people who audition for Season 7 must sign contains a provision regarding a management contract but nothing regarding a recording contract that I can see (not a lawyer here). Anyone know if the Idol winner is guranteed a recording contract any more? In fact, it doesn’t seem as if the winner is guaranteed anything anymore. Is this different from past seasons? Here is the provision:

In addition to the rights granted elsewhere in this Release, I understand and agree that if my appearance, … is used in connection with the Program, I may be required, in consideration of Producer possibly including my appearance, … in the Program, and at Producerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s election, to enter into the following agreements with Producer and/or Producerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s designee(s), the terms of which shall be subject to good faith negotiation: (a) an agreement for the management of my career in the entertainment industry (including, but not limited to, my acting, singing, songwriting, or other services); and (b) an agreement for the use of my name, voice, conversation, likeness and biography in connection with advertising, endorsements, merchandising, and/or sponsorships. I understand and agree that such agreements shall become fully effective only at the election of Producer and/or Producerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s designee(s), which election shall occur on or before that date which is three (3) months from the date of the initial broadcast of the final episode of the Program for this Season (the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Election Periodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ).

I still think Blake will be signing with a major label outside the BMG franchise. Maybe Universal or Columbia. I have a feeling.

Anyways, I am pretty sure the offers are on the table, he keeps saying his debut album will be released Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Why would he say that if there wasn’t any label offers?

I don’t think he will be going indie at all. Simon Fuller is 100% behind him and that is great for Blake. He will get tons of promotion.
Can’t wait for the announcement.
IMO Jordin is slowing everything down because she isn’t signed yet.

Okay Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m confused but the newest release form that the people who audition for Season 7 must sign contains a provision regarding a management contract but nothing regarding a recording contract that I can see (not a lawyer here).

Really? Wow that’s interesting. Also kind of messed up.

Isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Simon Fuller involved with David Beckmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s/Posh Spiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s relocation to LA? (Shameless self-promtion because my sonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s on a national NCCA championship soccer team.)

Yep. My husband is a soccer nut so I’ve actually been following the Beckham stuff.

Here’s a couple of interesting articles about Simon.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1595332_1616684,00.html

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_22/b3935425.htm

Wasn’t there a rumor floating around that Fuller wanted Blake to have his own sound and be away from the AI label? Or am I dreaming this?

Yep. My husband is a soccer nut so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve actually been following the Beckham stuff.

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a couple of interesting articles about Simon.

Totally off topic here… but does your husband have an opinion on Freddie Aud’s transfer to Portugal, I think it is?? On topic… Adu was dating JoJo (top 40 artist) for a few years… she has now convinced one of my son’s teammates’s to forgoe a soccer career to concentrate on a hip-hop recording career… heard the tracks last night — should have stayed with sports!!

AI is still advertising that the prize is a major recording contract. From the website;

SEASON 7 AUDITIONS
With auditions scheduled in seven cities across the nation, the phenomenal American Idol begins its search for the next singing superstar. Once again, talented singers will have an extraordinary opportunity to perform before millions of TV viewers and become household names, with one winning the American Idol title and a major recording contract.

I don’t know why they haven’t announced Jordin’s contract. Maybe they are handling things differently for some reason.

I have the feeling that August 23/24th will be an interesting day.

ETA:

A certain Blaker Dad e-mailed Team Plaid a pic of Bshorty test driving his prize Mustang.

I love that pic! I wonder what color Jordin picked.

Wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t there a rumor floating around that Fuller wanted Blake to have his own sound and be away from the AI label? Or am I dreaming this?

I had heard that too. It was being said that this was the reason why a) they never released YGLABN as a physical single (still doesn’t explain why Jordin’s single wasn’t released either) and b) why they’ve been having Blake sing “She Will Be Loved” the way that he wants to.

I don’t know if Fuller sees Blake as the next big thing or not, but I think he sees potential there. Again, you DON’T need to have the best voice or even a really good voice to be a star. There are so many other qualities required. I personally think Blake does have a good voice, but he certainly has the other qualities required in spades. He’s getting good reviews probably because he is getting the best crowd reaction across the board and well, from what I hear he does sound good live. Also, these two especially glowing reviews come from the NW where Blake hails from. He brings something completely new to the idol table and that in itself is probably appreciated. He was apparently the first idol ever to really have a hand in arranging all of their songs on idol. I think that says something about Blake the musician.

“I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t follow Ace much so I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know his situation. What was his setup after the tour? Did 19 sign him? I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t particularly trust Simon Fuller a great deal, but as a manager I would be shocked if he allowed Blake to go without a CD release for the amount of time Ace has. Even if 19R stuck it out there themselves like they did with the EPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s this year.”

Trina, 19 did not sign Ace at the end of last year. Ace’s strategy has been to write his own music and then shop his CD around. He said in an interview a while back that he didn’t want some label telling him that he needed to add “a little cowbell” to his songs. In May he signed with S-Curve Records which specializes in the careers of up and coming artists. I suspect it has taken longer to put his album together than Ace anticipated which would explain the late release, but from what I hear it’ll be worth the wait. Ace has described his new music as R&B with a dance vibe.

[Blake] was apparently the first idol ever to really have a hand in arranging all of their songs on idol.

Heh. That’s what Ricky Minor said about Taylor last year too. Maybe they say that about somebody every year. American Idol has had musicians as contestants from the first season (Justin, for instance, played piano and guitar). Lots of songwriters too. Tamyra was pretty prolific (not very good, but prolific). So, it’s possible people have always been arranging their own songs.

Taylor didn’t really change up songs or arrangements from what I could tell. Blake has a real talent for that and definitely worked the songs to suit him and his style more than any contestant I’ve ever heard.

I’m not going to get into a debate about which Idol was the most unique arranger or who deviated the most from their source material. I merely refuted the comment about Blake being the first to arrange his own songs. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that many have arranged their own songs on Idol. People who come on the show are often multi-talented.

Blake wasn’t even the only Idol this year doing his own arrangements. Doesn’t take anything away from his skills.

I’m just setting the record straight.

Blake will get signed don’t you worry. Hey I have from an inside source that his CD is all pretty hush hush right now but that it is KILLER.

I really can’t wait for his album.

Taylor didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really change up songs or arrangements from what I could tell.

Not in every song, but it’s most evident in “Try a Little Tenderness” and “In the Ghetto”.

And then of course Chris S. did his Endless Love tomfoolery.

But I think Blake most blatantly changed songs.

Taylor didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really change up songs or arrangements from what I could tell. Blake has a real talent for that and definitely worked the songs to suit him and his style more than any contestant Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve ever heard.

He’s mentioned on more than one occasion that he wrote and arranged all the endings to the songs he did once he got into the top 12 – it’s most noticable on his renditions of “You Send Me”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “In The Ghetto”, “Taking It To The Streets” and “Try and Little Tenderness”.

Insiders?????????? :wallbash_tb:

:lol_tb:

I liked The Outsiders better.

“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”

:wink_ee:

Unnamed inside sources are always reliable :blink_tb: Hey maybe this “source” can find out all the supahsecret label info for him and Jordin?
The only thing “hush hush” is the label situation. Blake isn’t exactly quiet in talking about the CD.

Totally off topic hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but does your husband have an opinion on Freddie Audà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s transfer to Portugal, I think it is??

Is that definitely happening?? The last I heard him and his friend talking about it sounded like it was still in the negotiaton stages and they were willing to send him there for some crazy amount of money, like 8 million I think. I’ll have to ask him when he gets home!

IMO, Taylor’s arrangements weren’t about creating radically reworked versions of songs as much as effectively condensed versions that worked well for Idol purposes. On occasion, he did come up with some inspired new ideas – particularly the way he ended (Ray Lamontagne’s) “Trouble.”

Blake’s arrangements were more about aggressively restyling a song. Which he did well, for the most part. (I even liked his version of the Supremes song, though it didn’t go over well with the panel.)

Both showed real talent in this regard, I thought.

If you like Daughtry and Bon Jovi, you can see them both:
Nov 4 2007 Newark, NJ -Prudential Center (Daughtry opening for Bon Jovi)

Nov 7 2007 Newark, NJ -Prudential Center (Daughtry opening for Bon Jovi)

Looks like Elliott will not be releasing a second single until October because Wait for You hasn’t peaked yet. Too bad because I want that second single. I think Taylor and Blake managed to personalize their songs quite a bit with Blake adding beatboxing and Taylor bringing in his performance skills.

Clive seems to have passed on him which seems very strange.

Hardly a surprising outcome (if true), all things considered.

Another day ‘angsting’ over Blake’s fate? LOL. I offered my layman’s opinion in chat early this morning that Blake has probably struck a deal with 19R — exclusive of any affiliation with Sony BMG — which is a label in it’s own right. It’s the only scenario I see that ‘fits’ with all his interview talk.

Fred – How about a little Idol for Dummies… can you splain 19R? Is Clive still affiliated with AI? Why no Clive on final 3 night?

Q&A With Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks has many reasons for singing a happy tune. Still riding the wave from his American Idol success, this Southern native has been on the road touring, falling in love and promoting his book of memoirs called Heart Full Of Soul. While he was enjoying an afternoon break, Hicks took a few minutes tell to Star’s Ilyssa Panitz what’s behind the smile on his face.

Entire article here:
http://www.starmagazine.com/taylor_hicks_writes_book/celebrity_news_gossip/entertainment/12581

From http://www.perezhilton.com:

Remember Corey Clark???

Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s being held by North Little Rock police pending a court appearance Tuesday morning.

They finally named the contestant threads on TWOP.

Another day à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹angstingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ over Blakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fate?

Funny thing is that the Blake fans aren’t even the ones who started it. Personally? I can’t fucking stand handwringing.

I’m not worried. Frankly, I’d be willing to bet he’d be as content to stay underground and do his own thing as he would be to sign with a major label and be a HUGE! STAH!

I never got the feeling from him that he wanted to be this huge Adam Levine/Justin Timberlake/Robin Thicke popstar clone. Even early on in the competition, I thought he seemed surprised that people were responding to him the way they were.

sorry, but what does TWOP mean? I can figure it out…

On all those Ace comments, Blake is finishing recording his CD first, then trying to get a label/signing. Since he’s already got 7 tracks done, it seems like a good plan so far. With his popularity on AI (show) and AI (concert) and talent as a musician/singer, I can’t imagine him not having his debut released by Tues before Thanksgiving. Blake himself said he’s got the release date set, and I’m sure he will do everything in his power to make things work out the way he wants it to.

Kelly, TWOP = Television Without Pity.

I think my favorite thread title is:

Jared Cotter: Let’s Get It On, Mom And Dad

Blake and Ace are two totally different situations. Blake is a runner-up, Ace came in 7th. Blake is with 19Evil in some capacity, Ace isn’t/wasn’t. To my knowledge, Ace didn’t do a lot of recording during the tour last summer, while Blake is.

Didn’t someone mention that Taylors version of Try a Little Tenderness (or maybe it was You Send Me) was a copycat of Aretha Franklin. I know Taylor didn’t change Jailhouse Rock at all. And In The Ghetto was a horrible campy arrangement.

More “Idol” wannabeens are finding ways to make sweet music. “A.I.” castoffs Sabrina Sloan and Sundance Head have been signed by Universal Records Motown. Grammy time!

FromTMZ.com

I don’t get Sundance and/or Sabrina. I agree with Simon, she sounded like she should be singing in a resort somewhere. Motown picks up all the scraps.

Let’s be real peoples: Everybody wants a record contract with BMG, whether it’s a subsidiary like Arista or Epic….every so-called singer and wannabe singer would kill to be a member of the BMG group…why? Because they put a lot of money (and pay money) into their artists….Elliott is a rarity…okay? Not many artists can go indy and have a hit record and Elliott would not have done it without Idol.
Honestly, would you know who Elliott is if he wasn’t on Idol and if he didn’t subsequently work his butt off going on every Tv show and playing every club?
Jennifer Hudson was turned down before the DG movie…Clive passed on her, she went indy and nobody heard from her….and guess where she is now? With BMG, only because of the mania around DG.

Nobody wants to be on Motown or Virgin, or wherever, because they want to be with the biggest company in the world and that’s BMG. So I wish these indy Idols the best luck…Blake may be another exception of someone who goes indy (shops his CD to the highest bidder) and makes it….but he made it with Idol, not w/o Idol.

If you want to shoot for the stars and be a BIG STAR you want to be with BMG (and the William Morris Company and CAA), and other big boys.

So, hubby was coming home from work today and passes the street that Qualcomm Stadium (in San Diego) intersects and it took him like 2 hours to get through that MESS because of the AI7 auditions. He said there were cars *everywhere* and total chaos. Heh! If he woulda asked, I coulda told him to avoid that area like the plague…. it’s big news here.

To be fair it’s very likely I would have missed any reworking of songs that Taylor did because I really paid him very little attention. I do think that Chris S tried his hand at rearranging at least a couple of songs and Chris D was really good at selecting songs that suited his style. Kelly C was also quite good at really making songs “her own” as they say. Blake is different because his style is so different from the usual AI thing. He’s also imo the idol with the most Chutzpah.

Didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t someone mention that Taylors version of Try a Little Tenderness (or maybe it was You Send Me) was a copycat of Aretha Franklin. I know Taylor didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t change Jailhouse Rock at all. And In The Ghetto was a horrible campy arrangement.

Radname – go listen to Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock and you’ll see that Taylor totally reworked the ending arrangement to that song. Since there was an encore the following week, even that was slightly different than the day before. In The Ghetto, prolly Taylor’s BEST week, was also changed. Go listen to that as well. And the MOST changed, Try A Little Tenderness – go listen to Otis Reddings version and the reworking of the song will be quite apparent. Hopefully you’ll be able to find the originals of these songs.

Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s be real peoples: Everybody wants a record contract with BMG, whether ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a subsidiary like Arista or Epicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.every so-called singer and wannabe singer would kill to be a member of the BMG groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦why? Because they put a lot of money (and pay money) into their artistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.Elliott is a rarityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦okay? Not many artists can go indy and have a hit record and Elliott would not have done it without Idol.
Honestly, would you know who Elliott is if he wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t on Idol and if he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t subsequently work his butt off going on every Tv show and playing every club?

I totally agree… and so does Elliott. He has said on many occasions that he’ll never dis the show because if not for the show none of this would have happened for him.

Elliott is a rarityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦okay? Not many artists can go indy and have a hit record and Elliott would not have done it without Idol.

Take it one step further and nobody that wasn’t on Idol would have a hit record – that goes from Kelly Clarkson to Clay Aiken to Carrie Underwood to Taylor Hicks. Everyone should be thankful for their exposure on AI.

Kelly, TWOP = Television Without Pity. Blake and Ace are two totally different situations. Blake is a runner-up, Ace came in 7th. Blake is with 19Evil in some capacity, Ace isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t/wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. To my knowledge, Ace didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do a lot of recording during the tour last summer, while Blake is.

thanks, star!

If Blake truly wanted to stay underground why did he bother auditioning for idol? I do agree that he seems into music and not fame as the main priority. I’m not handwringing about Blake. I’m sure since 19 signed him, he’ll be fine. It’s just very odd that it’s August and nothing has been announced. The Perez Hilton site linked above also has a little gossip on Taylor.

Hmmm….”a major recording contract” seems kind of vague doesn’t it? What happened to $1Mill recording contract?

Only time will tell if the bottom 5 and the castoffs from past seasons will be successful. Only Jennifer Hudson to my mind came in the bottom 5 and is a super-stah! Can someone name another Idol who came in the bottom 5 and is a super-stah? Maybe Kellie Pickler, who is on her way but hasn’t arrived yet.

Is there a castoff that’s a super-stah? I don’t think so. Most of the bottom 5 and the super-stahs are doing small events, summer festivals, nothing really significant. They’re not even opening acts for major stars.

Can someone name another Idol who came in the bottom 5 and is a super-stah?

For me personally, I don’t give anyone the classification of “SuperStar” until they have a on-going viable career. One album, one movie, one shot after AI doesn’t tell me much. There’s been SO many people who hit it big *once* and they you lose track of them after a year or so.

When any of them are still a force 5 or more years down the road, then, I think , we can have a better grasp on “superstardom”. For all we know, Jennifer Hudson may not make another movie or maybe the next movie will flop – same for those making albums. Let’s see longevity that matches the careers of an Elton John, Bob Dylan (who hit #1 on Billboard 40 years after his first album), The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon or Paul McCartney. Those are superstars to me.

Alas, I’ve wandered into Wonderland again.

Today at work I finally got to watch Blake’s performance of “She Will Be Loved”. I’m not a huge Maroon 5 fan, but liked Blake’s version much better than Maroon 5′s, though I wished the sound quality had been better. And that loop pedal setup – man, one word – Yeah! Very creative, that Blake. He seems to have a lot of tween fans as well as a lot of age 20-plus year old fans, so I think he’ll be fine! Audio Day Dream, love this CD title.

To weigh in on the Taylor AI 5 performances, I’ll have to agree with Abilymom, griz and SODF. Try A Little Tenderness, to me, stands as his best performance evah on AI, and Ricky Minor and the band were totally hittin’ on that song. This, followed closely by Trouble, In the Ghetto and You Send Me. He totally branded all these songs. Actually, he put his stamp on everything he did, imo. “Country Roads” is the only performance that I did not burn onto a CD.

Ace also rearranged a few songs. He did a great job on “In the Still of the Night.”

And apparently, Queen and Ace came to an agreement on his rearrangement of “We Will Rock You” and Brian May defended him on his blog b/c they made it look like they didn’t like it.

Anyway, Blake didn’t hit it out of the park with all his arrangements, but I appreciate anyone who makes it into something more than a karaoke contest.

I really didn’t notice any MAJOR changes in Taylor’s arrangements other than a few woos and fitting the time. He didn’t impress me so much on the show, so perhaps I wasn’t paying enough attention. I learned to appreciate him more after I saw him with Limbo.

I don’t know what Taylor personally did to the songs themselves. I had read that Ricky Minor said Blake was the first to do the arrangements himself without major input from the studio musicians. All of the contestants have “different” arrangements and of course, they can suggest to Rickey how they want it all to sound, but from what I understand, Blake actually had a major hand in charting it all out. Of course, Taylor has the capability to do the same thing as well. However, based on how TPTB treated his poor soul on the show, I highly doubt they’d ever give him credit for any of it. I personally think Taylor is 100% better in life than he was on Idol. On the show, he sometimes came off as a joke, but in reality, he’s anything but.

Alas, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve wandered into Wonderland again.

I’ve jumped through the Looking Glass!

I was reading the season 7 auditions thread over on the AI boards and one person that auditioned said it was announced that Nigel was allowing musical instruments this year. Don’t know if that means for the audition only or for the show, surely just for the auditions? Just thought I would mention it in case anyone reading is going to audition and plays an instrument.

This is the first season that musical instruments have been allowed on Canadian Idol. The contestants used them for the auditions as well as the competition. AI just might be following suite.

If they allow musical instruments IMO it should be during the auditions and/or during the final 10 performances. Otherwise it won’t matter, because they still have to SING IN KEY! LOL!

question to the board: Now that Sundance and Sabrina have a Motown contract…..what exactly does that mean? Because Motown hasn’t been a major player in recordings in over a decade….does that mean they signed a contract and got upfront advance money? or does that mean they just signed a contract and will be in the studio recording covers and no money involved?

I’m always confused about these record signings. AI says $1Mill rec contract, which I interpret to mean, you will record XX amount of CDs and we will advance you $1Mill.

Somebody school me. Thanks.

Alas, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve wandered into Wonderland again.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve jumped through the Looking Glass!

And, I just fell down the damn rabbit hole.