Idol Headlines for 12/19/07

Not saying having a kid this early in her career will just about kill her career, but she won’t be able to bounce back as high after having a baby because Fantasia isn’t at the top of her craft yet. It’s not like Beyonce was pregnant, Bey has years and years of climbing to the top and has records, movies, commercials, endorsements, a lot of things going for her. So she, like Jlo, can have a kid and come back big time.

Not sure about Fantasia. she hasn’t toured that much if any and her records have done just so-so. She just seems to more the “domestic” type than the ‘career’ type. Just saying.

Fantasia already has a daughter. She had her before Idol, yet, she won the show and carved out a career for herself. She’s a strong woman. She’s a talented woman.

Not everyone’s idea of success is the same.

The Midway State, the third band on stage, actually was greeted by a smattering of boos, but soldiered on anyway.

I really hate it when crowds boo that way. It’s not the band’s fault and they are just trying to make it. Send an angry letter to the venue/promoter if you are unhappy with the number of opening bands. Remember that your favourite was probably an opening band at some point.

After “Home,” a noticeable amount of folks headed for the exits even though the band had more music to play:

“Hey, where yà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢all going?” Daughtry asked.

Rough crowd.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m getting kind of tired of all of the American Idol wannabes polluting the airwaves. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care if your name is Carry, Kimberly, Yamil, Ernesto, or Sneaky Pete

I’m kind of hoping we get a contestant this year called Sneaky Pete.

Chris Richardson posted on his MySpace about a possible signing:

“Subject: To My Fans
Body: Thank You…..I know you all must be tired of waiting for the music and most recent news. I apologize for the time it has taken. I’m still shopping around for a deal. Universal Republic seems to be where I am leaning as well as the Red Distribution (Elliot Yamin). Nashville is where I am right now writing with a guy named Josh Hoge on a few tracks produced by Ryan Tedder from One Rupublic.”

If Universal is really interested, he should take that. A major label beats an indy like Red IMO. He’s working with the same people who worked on Blake’s album.

I’ve been working on a season 6 update. Look for that soon…

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m kind of hoping we get a contestant this year called Sneaky Pete.

I’d vote for Sneaky Pete. Just as soon as I get done voting for the choirs.

TV Guide Net Expands To Radio

Debut Broadcasting Corp., a radio broadcast/syndication company, will create the show, fronted by former “American Idol” finalist Kimberly Caldwell. Caldwell already hosts two TV Guide Network shows-”Reality Chat” and “Idol Tonight,” an “American Idol” pre-show.
The show will be primarily original entertainment reporting. Some content on her TV shows will be re-purposed for the radio show, which begins airing in late December……….

Media Post

This is my objective take on Taylor’s show tonight:

It was absolutely fantastic!!!

This time, Manila DID represent! Woohoo!!!

Chris R. would probably make more money with a deal through RED. If his CD catches on and sells well which is a big if IMO. Elliot has done well with RED I suspect because he has excellent management and one or two key industry connections (in addition to his talent). A deal with a major might be better for developing his talent and image (ie. develop him as someone not quite so Timberlake-esque.)

purplesmile — Wow – you sound like you had a great time at Taylor’s concert.

Elliott started out with a much bigger fan base than Chris Richardson.
If the winner/runner up of S6 can barely sell 100K their first week, how many albums can Chris Richardson sell. Then, he’ll have to do all his own promo and many people will be into S7. It’s a very tough road to climb and a real gamble. It’ll also be hard for Chris R to get played on the radio. Even though Wait for You was a hit, most stations have passed on One Word and there’s no label to push it. So I think major label is his best bet.

I certainly did, Paula!

For the Soul Patrol and other interested parties:

Here is a short video clip made by a Yaminoy friend (who occasionally posts here as merrr), from snippets taken by her dad of Taylor‘s performances tonight -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmomMce-d8g

A funny anecdote: merrr’s nice mom and dad treated our group to crepes before the show and while we were eating, merrr’s mom told us/me (when I was pointed out as also a Taylor fan) that she “never liked Taylor…from the beginning!” What do you know…after the show, she was a Taylor convert! She apparently enjoyed Taylor’s performances, but her more “noteworthy” remarks (paraphrased)? “He is very handsome…more good-looking than George Clooney!” Heh.

BTW, Taylor had the same setlist as last night’s. He again opened the show with The Runaround and closed it with White Christmas. Same great performance by Taylor (but he added more tags, I think, including Easy to The Maze; and his DIMYP was much better ;D), but the big difference, to me, at least, was that this venue is nicer (smaller, but much nicer) and the crowd (there were no empty seats and lots of people outside the cordoned area) certainly showed him more love this time. (I was seated right in front of screaming and dancing fangirls and fanboys, heh.) I got better seats, too, and a meet and greet with the guy, as well as had my UTR and TH CD jackets signed. All in all, I had a fantastic time.

purple: Thank you for the info, the music links, and comments on your Taylor experience. Much enjoyed by me for sure.

Taylor is one who is made for live performing. No way one can get even a hint of what this guy is about if you don’t see him in concert. OK, maybe a hint, but he really does take you to church live.

Thanks for the recaps, photos and video clips, purp! Taylor will put on heart stopping performance every time regardless of weather or not he’s familiar with the whole band or a substitute player. So, I’m sure the band appreciated the opportunity to get a better feel for his music. It was definitely apparent in the play by the saxophonist and drummer! BTW, can’t believe the drummer is so young ~~~ he is quite good.

Oh, yeah~~~ “going to church” with Taylor is an experience to be savoured and relived over and over. Live is the only way to experience a concert — if you can do try to catch one. :clap_tb:

Purps, if you wanted to gather all your comments together and email them to me as a recap, I’ll post it out front. .

I’ll try to, mj. Thanks.

I posted this in the Idol Sales thread but for those who aren’t into the numbers, I’ll put it here too. I’m sad for Ruben. I had heard about this in the works back in October. Maybe Ruben can get a new deal and be free of Clive’s AI machine. I hope so.

Ruben Studdard dropped from J Records?

I hope this isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t true. Rumor is American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 2nd season winner, Ruben Studdard was dropped from J Records today due to poor record sales of his last disc. If it is true, Ruben will be picked up by another label pronto. He is truly a talented brother who is deserving of all the accolades he has received.

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an email I received from a loyal reader:

Hey Sandra,
I just wanted to let you know my brother tours as a background singer for Ruben Studdard and he was just informed today that Ruben was dropped by J Records. The sales were just too bad from his last album. He has only sold 234,000 copies.

sandrarose.com

Looks as if word is getting around about Taylor in Manila. His live shows are dynamite! His Filipino band is superb! They’ve quickly caught on to his jam style and are following his lead beautifully. Real pros!

Thank you for the videos and comments. Hope you can go again tonight!

FANTASIA IS NOT PREGNANT — YAY! She’s just tired from the rigors of the Broadway show.

Purps -

I’m glad you enjoyed the show! You certainly sound enthusiastic (I’m not sure about objective, though! LOL)

Thanks for sharing your feelings, pics and video. Love the anecdote about your friend’s mom. Comparing TH favorably with George Clooney is always a “sign” that someone’s been “taylorized!”

Purplesmile, thank you once again for great reporting and visuals…we need our visuals! Love the story about the Taylor convert, too.

Chicago-Sally, where did you get the news that Fantasia isn’t pregnant? Just curious!

And thanks again, purp! Wonderful stuff!

Update from TMZ on Jessica Sierra:

http://www.tmz.com/2007/12/19/dr-drew-to-make-idol-housecall-in-court/

Just like being on “American Idol,” your fate changes week to week — and fallen idol Jessica Sierra has had a bad news/good news week. Vivid Entertainment CEO Steven Hirsch tells us preview clips from Jessica’s sex tape will drop on the web today — and for the good news (for her) — celeb rehab specialist Dr. Drew is going to appear on her behalf in criminal court…..

And Chris Sligh:

http://www.tmz.com/2007/12/19/idols-chris-sligh-party-like-a-not-star/

Can’t make it to Vegas or Miami to party on New Years with real celebs? Then how about a fun-filled night in Westerly, Rhode Island — with one of your favorite “American Idol” wannabeens of yore?!….

I really hate it when crowds boo that way. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the bandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fault and they are just trying to make it. Send an angry letter to the venue/promoter if you are unhappy with the number of opening bands.

Well, the problem was (as I addressed in my recap which I sent to MJ), is that NONE of these opening bands were advertised in ANY of the press for the concert. So people showed up before 8:00 (some were there before 5:45, when we first checked out the scene at the venue) and stood in line to see Daughtry, and they did not appear on stage for the first time until 2 1/2 hours after the show started. I alone stood for 6 1/2 hours last night, so there’s no telling how long some of the first people there stood.

I didn’t boo the bands, because I don’t like that either. But I WAS very frustrated and annoyed (as was just about everyone else at the concert) that these bands were not advertised, because after having a full, long day at work, I probably would have shown up later, so I didn’t have to sit through 2 1/2 hours of opening acts. Normally I like opening acts, but this has been the week from hell for me, so I wasn’t in the mood for it. I just wanted to see who I paid to see: Daughtry.

And that reviewer must have been seeing things a bit differently, because it seemed to me that most people stayed til the end. And “Home” was the second to last song anyway. My friend and I left (with a good number of people) after “There and Back Again”, which was the last song. It wasn’t a rough crowd at all. They were loud and crazy just about the whole hour and a half that Daughtry was on stage.

It wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a rough crowd at all. They were loud and crazy just about the whole hour and a half that Daughtry was on stage.

I wonder if the band that was booed and the bands that preceeded the whole hour and a half of Daughry excitement would have agreed with this assessment.

I’m still anti-booing. Especially booing people who are not at fault. Instead of booing, make it known to the management that you are not happy. That’s the best way of ensuring that your message is clearly delivered to the correct people. Now the management probably just thinks Daughtry fans think that The Midway State sucks so much they’ll boo them. If people are frustrated, vent on a Daughtry’s official site so that his promotional team knows to do a better job of advertising the band’s concerts in the future.

I know that you are anti-booing too. I just think this qualifies as a rough crowd (especially with the early leaving as reported by the journalist. Maybe he was biased because he wasn’t at the front). I suppose that the bands are lucky that they didn’t have to perform behind chicken wire as people lobbed beer bottles at them.

“Rawhide!”

I wonder if the band that was booed and the bands that preceeded the whole hour and a half of Daughry excitement would have agreed with this assessment.

I’m sure they would have, in regards to the context in which I made the statement. There’s pretty much no denying it. I didn’t say that the crowd was wild and crazy the whole time. I said they were during Daughtry’s set. Even the Orlando Sentinel reviewer said as much. It might have been a rough crowd for the opening bands, but as I said, no one even expected them to be there. And honestly, all of them got cheers. Not wildly enthusiastic cheers as the reviewer says Daughtry got, but they all got a smattering of applause too. I, in fact, cheered for the last band quite a bit because I really liked them.

Instead of booing, make it known to the management that you are not happy. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the best way of ensuring that your message is clearly delivered to the correct people. Now the management probably just thinks Daughtry fans think that The Midway State sucks so much theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll boo them. If people are frustrated, vent on a Daughtryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s official site so that his promotional team knows to do a better job of advertising the bandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s concerts in the future.

That’s great in theory, and I agree. I’m likely to write a couple of letters because I was NOT happy with the situation at all. However, I doubt that those in attendance thought, “let me get out my blackberry and start composing an email to Daughtry’s management and/or the tour promoter at the Hard Rock Live because I’m unhappy with this situation.” More likely, it’s a case of reacting in the heat of the moment and a thought process of “I’ve been standing for almost 4 hours and I just want to see who I paid to see and expected to see.”

ETA: Oh and forgot to mention – I wasn’t at the front. From where I was standing, I had a pretty clear view of the whole place, and while a few folks did start heading toward the exits after “Home”, I didn’t see the “noticeable amount” that the reviewer saw. The more “noticeable amount” walked out with my friend and I after “There and Back Again.”

FANTASIA IS NOT PREGNANT à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  YAY! Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just tired from the rigors of the Broadway show.

Please PLEASE don’t post declarations like this unless you can post links or sources to back it up. Sources sources sources.

I’m going to start deleting stuff that isn’t sourced.

However, I doubt that those in attendance thought, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“let me get out my blackberry and start composing an email to Daughtryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management and/or the tour promoter at the Hard Rock Live because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m unhappy with this situation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  More likely, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a case of reacting in the heat of the moment and a thought process of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been standing for almost 4 hours and I just want to see who I paid to see and expected to see.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

LOL. I would get much more enjoyment out of sending an ANGRY e-mail to somebody actually responsible than booing hapless struggling musicians. I need to get myself a Blackberry (I admit this may be a regional thing. There are lots of jokes about how Canadians get really riled up and send angry letters. We don’t riot, we trudge off to our computers. No wonder we invented the Blackberry. LOL).

At the time, what I would have done is marched over to the bar and asked politely to see the manager (not the bartender’s fault either). I would then have told the manager I was displeased. I would probably at least gotten a free drink coupon out of the manager. Maybe even my admission price back.

Really. I feel quite strongly about this. Adults should have enough control over their emotions to be able to handle a little bit of disappointment and waiting. Most children are taught this in pre-school.

Frankly, I blame professional sports. I was shocked when I attended my first pro basketball game and people were booing and trying to distract the free-thrower with wiggly balloons. WTH? This behaviour was actually encouraged by the management. In all my years, I had never seen people behave this way at a school or university basketball game. It would have been considered poor sportsmanship and reflected badly on our school. Cheering for one’s own team is enough. Professional sports are encouraging rude behaviour and some louts take that to other venues Although, I suppose there have always been rude people and rough crowds.

So, Boo on the Booers. If you are that child-like, you shouldn’t be up past 8 pm anyway. I accept no excuses for their behaviour in this case.

Here’s the link mj: http://www.usmagazine.com/rep_fantasia_barrino_is_not_pregnant

The “report” that she was pregnant was unsourced rumor, as was the allegation that she missed 50 shows and had left the Color Purple. It’s all a pack of lies.

Fantasia Barrino is “not pregnant,” a rep for her Broadway show, The Color Purple, tells Usmagazine.com.

Several blogs recently reported that the American Idol champ, 23, and rapper Young Dro were expecting.

“Fantasia is not pregnant and the Internet rumors are entirely untrue,” Barrino’s rep confirms to Us.

The New York Post also said that “an upcoming visit from the stork might explain the star’s numerous absences from the Broadway smash The Color Purple.”

But the show’s rep tells Us:

“It is true that she has missed some performances because she has gotten sick from time to time over the nine months, but doing eight shows a week is a lot so she missed a few.”

I’m not sure if this has been posted, but Oprah is taking the Color Purple back to the big screen. I wonder who’s going to play Celie

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/113331.html

Winfrey was asked during a recent press conference whether or not she had intentions to adapt the musical into a film. “Actually, I am,” the media-mogul proffered à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ leaving many to speculate on who will nab the choice roles in the film. . . .

The Color Purple box office soared when “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino succeeded LaChanze in the role, garnering the Broadway newcomer love letters from the New York Times and several other publications.

From where I was standing, I had a pretty clear view of the whole place, and while a few folks did start heading toward the exits after à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Homeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“noticeable amountà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that the reviewer saw.

“Noticeable amount” is a subjective measurement and the reviewer may have a different threshhold.

Plus, maybe a “noticeable amount” snuck out while you were watching the band play and bumped into the reviewer who was madly typing his review on his Blackberry annoying him and changing his perspective on the amount of people it takes to be “noticeable”.

This is a non-winnable argument. In corner A you have journalist saying one subjective thing and in corner B you have fan saying the opposite. I wasn’t there, so I can’t make a call on this one.

How about this: “If the crowd was booing and leaving in noticeable amounts before the end of the concert, they were a rough crowd”. Then, everybody can fill in their boolean values into the logic statement and be happy with the assessment of the crowd.

All I was doing was commenting based on what a reviewer said. Quick! Somebody post “Sneaky Pete”‘s myspace page so we can talk about him.

Cheering for oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own team is enough.

I would never boo a musician, even if I thought they sucked.

I may boo a bad call, but probably not a particular player in a sport.

Of course, perhaps yelling “Blood makes the grass grow! Kill ‘em! Kill ‘em!” is in poor taste, too, even if it’s within the confines of my own home. :ponder_tb:

The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“reportà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that she was pregnant was unsourced rumor, as was the allegation that she missed 50 shows and had left the Color Purple. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all a pack of lies.

Thanks for the link. While the article addresses the pregnancy rumors, it doesn’t really address the missed shows only to say that she “missed some.” It could be 5 or it could be 50–not exactly proven to be a “pack of lies.”

The Color Purple rep said she missed “a few” shows. That seems far from 50, but I guess people can believe what they want.

Anyone watching Clash of the Choirs?

My mom was watching and I heard them from upstairs and went to the TV to see them. Nick Lachey’s choir was up. Holy crap! I don’t know what the name of that song was, but as Paula would put it: TOUCH DOWN! It was an EXTREMELY risky choice (and a single flub by just one person would have made it sound terrible), but they were flawless; it was masterfully done.

Now if only I knew the name of that damn song…

ETA: OK my dad just named the song for it. It was “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

The Color Purple rep said she missed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a fewà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  shows. That seems far from 50, but I guess people can believe what they want.

Her statement is vague, and it’s open to interpretation. It doesn’t prove anything. That’s all I’m saying.

PURPLEà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ PARENT?

DOES Fantasia Barrino have a bun in the oven? Yes, say several reliable bloggers including celebrity writer Jonathan Jackson,

The “reliable” celebrity blogger is Jonathan Jaxson. A self admitted AI reject [season2 he says] trying to gain a foothold among the better known gay celeb bloggers. He has published equally unsubstantiated crap about other AI alumni in the past. He’s a Perez wannabe.

He is as reliable as a Ouija board.

Fair enough, mj. She still has another 20 or so performances before January 6th, so I don’t think the Color Purple is going to get specific on numbers.

//He is as reliable as a Ouija board.//
Very true.

Jaxson was the original source of the pregnancy rumor. Here’s what he said on his blog today after Page Six picked it up:

“They may have spelled my name wrong, but hell we made it to Page 6 AGAIN!!!”
Hmmm. Doesn’t that say it all?

Did Ruben ever get any promo? I wasn’t an idol watcher that season but it sure seems like CLay got a lot more promo than Ruben. If he indeed was dropped by his label, I hope things work out well for him.

The King of Soul (Patrol)

…And, make no mistake about it, Taylor is a true showman à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and an original that clearly outshone McPhee who had gone for the hopelessly clichà ©d, sexy siren stereotype.

Such candor is rare for usually guarded celebrities. But thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s exactly among the qualities that endeared Taylor to the world à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  a refreshing character that is purely about the music and rarely about being self-conscious with projections and affectations…

The Philippine Star

Purple, so glad you had a good time! Thanks for sharing all your pics and vids.

Lu, if Ruben got promo, it didn’t reach my end of the world… at least in terms of his most recent allbum. Good luck to him.

Lu, if Ruben got promo, it didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t reach my end of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Mine either. The only promo I know of is when my daughter talked about seeing him on Sesame Street – she loved him!

Well, I think Ruben owns a club in Birmingham, so hopefully this won’t be a big financial setback for him.

All I was doing was commenting based on what a reviewer said.

I realize that. And I was offering a counter-argument to the reviewer based on MY personal experience at the concert – which I thought was acceptable. No, I wasn’t drinking, and no, I wasn’t so excited that my logic was distorted. From where I was standing, if a “noticeable amount” of people started leaving, I would have seen it. And, to me, when there are a couple thousand people in the room, 5 leaving on this side and 10 leaving on that side is not a “noticeable amount”. Hundreds? Yeah, that would be. Though I would have loved if they did… I might have been able to get closer to the stage for the last song instead of standing by the bar.

But, I’ll drop it. The debate about who left and who didn’t really is quite silly, isn’t it.

No, I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t drinking, and no, I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t so excited that my logic was distorted.

I would never ask those questions or imply that.

But, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll drop it. The debate about who left and who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really is quite silly, isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it.

Yup. This sometimes happens. Bring on Stinky Pete!

Purple. Thanks for all the great reports and articles you are finding. I enjoy reading them.

I just found your “Idol Appearqances” tab. Thank you!

Solved a long term frustration.

You’re welcome, Kirsten.

I realize that. And I was offering a counter-argument to the reviewer based on MY personal experience at the concert

Thanks Sarah… appreciate hearing your perspective.

“Thanks Sarahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ appreciate hearing your perspective.”

As do I. I can’t wait for your review, would have loved to see them play at a venue like Hard Rock! The next time they play in my area is the stadium tour opening for Bon Jovi, which I will have to pass up cause tickets are so expensive, even for really crummy seats. And you got to see them cover “All These Lives” and “Imagine”, so I am officially jellus, cause they weren’t doing those 2 covers when I saw them this past summer. Did they do their new song, “Back to Me”?