Idol Headlines for 6/6/08

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like to get into that more. I think this experience on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idol,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ trying to figure out what songs work best with your voice and trying to arrange them, has really helped and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like to see if I can write some more stuff, because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve only written like three songs all the way.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Said it once, twice….AI is the best artist development show & company in the world. Where else can virtually nobodys and semi-pro artists get the type of help and development of their talent than AI…..I predict: You will see more semi-pros who have failed record contracts going through the auditions next year and beyond. I think it’s great.

Wal-Mart thing is streaming live now. Joss Stone just performed. Haven’t said who else will be there. Boring speeches for now….

http://walmartstores.com/sites/2008Shareholders/win.htm

Heard it announced on Regis and Kelly this morning that Taylor will be on next Friday, June 13th, as part of their Broadway Week celebration leading up to the Tonys.

Truthfully Chicago-sally, I don’t think so. I mean they are really good at launching careers, and AI is indeed boot camp, but when talking about artist development and then adding the semi-pro thing it really doesn’t hold true. All of those this season that had record deals prior to the show actually got voted off. Carly, Michael, Kristy. All gone. I think that is what sunk the show this season. The perception that everyone was a ringer and all of the press about Carly and Michael in particular.

You once mentioned Kelly Rowland being a great candidate, if I read it correctly that would never fly. You can’t be a millionaire, and expect America to embrace you. Simply not going to happen. That would be getting even farther away from the original premise of the show.

I really think idol is a good launching pad, but that they actually don’t take the time to develop these guys. They expect platinum out of the box, and if you don’t hack it, you’re gone. True artist development takes time, and these guys just don’t get it. Only those who come fully formed in a specific genre seem to do well. Kelly, Carrie, and Daughtry did basically what was expected of them in their debuts, only when Kelly tried to develop and stretch her artistic wings was she shot down.

I bet both Davids have their albums out earlier than any other past winners. Where Idol in the early years used to turn amateurs w/o radio friendly styles into platinum sellers they lost their touch S5 when they couldn’t get Taylor to platinum. With the success of Daughtry, it became obvious they could sell but only with radio friendly artists.

S7 with the semi-pros and the contestants set in their genres (rock, folk, etc.) is the culmination of this. The only fly in the ointment is that people still have to wait for the albums. You can see the immediate iTunes sales is a big plus. Even a week wait for Cook’s single would have cut into sales significantly.

I agree that they are not really into artist development. They cut the cord pretty quickly with the winners/runners up when they can’t move units.

So following this format, S8 should be full of artists who already fit on the radio, will not necessarily be able to master all types of music and the favorites will begin recording their albums while on the show. The winner’s album could then be released just a week or so after the finale when interest is at a high.

The only problem is that it changes the show and I think will bring the ratings down again. I really don’t want to see a bunch of pros and semi-pros but maybe other people won’t care.

I wish I could see Taylor in Grease, but I am not sure at the moment. I had to damn near give a right arm to see Terrence Howard in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof a few weeks ago. But still, it might be worth it.

Reading the comment section in that article about David at the ballgame mad me feel sad. I just don’t get what right fans think they have in this man’s private life. I actually have always liked Kim, she seems to be just an ordinary girl, hard working, and alot of fun. She definitely parlayed her 15 minutes into a full fledged career, and she is still young. People are just so damn mean-spirited.

I think that AI is first and foremost a tv show. The high ratings of the show are much more important than whether or not the winner sells Carrie or Daughtry numbers. Advertising dollars are king. While I’m sure that 19 would love to have radio ready artists, I think Fremantle/19, Fox etc., is more concerned with having high ratings. Whatever combination of semi-pros and amateurs make that happen will be the “character casting” that they try to achieve in future seasons. JMO

I think they need a bit of both, high ratings = ad revenue. However, they need a credible recording artist and that is why the Davids were pushed so hard, they are radio ready imho. I think having bragging right in regard to having the biggest selling artist in a year is good for the franchise.

Jennifer Hudson is on the Wal-Mart webcast now…

She’s singing “And I Am Telling You”

I thought Cookie signed to RCA, why is MTV reporting both he and Archie signed to Jive?

I thought Cookie signed to RCA, why is MTV reporting both he and Archie signed to Jive?

Both labels are owned by the same parent group.

David Cook was amazing Changed up his song made it more interesting and did fine with the gee-tar on it. I never rode the kiddie bikes in Wal-mart but I’ve been guilty of playing marco polo there…

I just caught some parts of the local Idol competition (Pinoy Idol). One of the guys sang Billie Jean, the Chris Cornell/Cookie version, and got panned by the judges. He was told, in essence, that he was no David Cook and thus had no business singing a song already “beautifully sung” by DC, the American Idol.

Another contestant sang Hello and I thought he was also going to do the Cookie version, but he apparently had more sense than the other guy and sang it R&B-style and came off better.

I really think idol is a good launching pad, but that they actually donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t take the time to develop these guys. They expect platinum out of the box, and if you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hack it, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re gone. True artist development takes time, and these guys just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get it. Only those who come fully formed in a specific genre seem to do well. Kelly, Carrie, and Daughtry did basically what was expected of them in their debuts, only when Kelly tried to develop and stretch her artistic wings was she shot down.

ITA, Abbysee. AI does give you the taste of the “star” life with the pressure, long work hours and never-ending obligations. And it also provides the opportunity to get strong feedback as to what works best for your voice and how you could be packaged. But that’s not the same as true artist development, which takes much more time. In a lot of ways I think Cook was the ultimate contestant – he was already 80% there in terms of development, he just needed someone to help him go the rest of the way. This show, IMO, works best for someone who is a power singer with aspirations for the pop charts, is open to criticism, and has had some singing/performing experience – enough to have a good sense of who they are.

So following this format, S8 should be full of artists who already fit on the radio, will not necessarily be able to master all types of music and the favorites will begin recording their albums while on the show. The winnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album could then be released just a week or so after the finale when interest is at a high.

I actually think that no one wins without being able to master different styles. That’s what did Archuletta in, IMO. You have to show some versatility, and you have to grow into a “star” in front of America. Add to that the ability to hit a glory note, and you have just described every winner of American Idol.

I hope the Soul Patrol comes out tonight to support Taylor in his Broadway debut. It’s hard to know how many fans these idols keep and how many just hop off the train and move on. (Bucky, I always knew you had movie star potential.)

Cook is the most commercial male winner they’ve ever had with appeal to the ladies. It’ll be interesting to see if he can become the mega platinum seller they expect him to be.

MJ, I wasn’t sure where to put this, but I found out about two upcoming performances.

David Cook on the Tonight Show on 6/12

D2 on The View on 6/24

So excited about Bucky Covington appearing in the new Hannah Montana movie. The film “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is being filmed in TN. Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, who asked Bucky to be in the movie, will star in the film opening in 2009. GO BUCKY!!!

That’s great news for Bucky! I hope he remembers his “acting” skills from those Ford Commercials. I think I’ll be skipping the Hannah Montana movie, but I’m sure it will be HUGE.

From the Kansas City Star article linked above, I’m excited that DC thinks he’ll have a producer set in another week or two and wants to release his album “tomorrow.” It sounds like he’ll be in the recording studio sooner rather than later.

Anybody still interested in Jordin?

They released her new video today for “One Step at A Time”:

One Step at a Time

Sorry, the sound sync seems to be off, but you get the idea.

The production values are good, but she really needs a new stylist stat. It’s a beautiful dress, but on another person. The dress cuts her in half and makes her look like she suddenly grew.

I have no idea who Wendy is or why people keep writing messages on their hands.

Way to go Bucky!! This is huge. I can’t say I care much about Miley Cyrus as a singer, but, girl is a mega star. Not only that, but, Bucky comes complete with his own double

From the Taylor boards, it seems that the Soul Patrol will be out
in full force tonight. Many gifts and cards have been delivered.
He will feel loved. Anxious for the reviews !!

Thanks for the Jordin clip. Cute song and I hope it becomes a hit for her.

According to Richmond Dispatch, Wait For You is the #1 song in Japan. I don’t know if that’s true but Elliott’s really doing well there:

http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/p…n_big_in_japan/

I have no idea who Wendy is or why people keep writing messages on their hands.

Wendy is a close friend of the sparks family.. jordin called her aunt wendy . Wendy was diagnosed with melanoma earlier this year or later last. and is why jordin has the streaks in her hair.. she passed away the day of the idol finale.

beachn, let us know what they say about Taylor’s debut. For some reason, I can’t log onto the Boogie Board. My password and id says active, and I rec’vd and email so I could make sure I had the correct username and password, which I did; however, it’s still not letting me log in :cry_tb: . So keep us informed!

Taylor will be leaving his hand prints in a ceremony @ Planet Hollywood on Times Square tonight after his performance.

Yay about the Taylor hand prints! I still love me some Taylor.

Still STARVING for some JasonC news.

Jordin’s “One Step at a Time” video was well done (except it was out of sync) and I enjoyed that performance more than her performance on the finale. I thought she looked awful in that gold dress and on the Disney “American Idol Theme” thing commercial on the finale she actually looked “lumpy.” No disrespect intended, just an observation.

Jordin looked like she gained a lot of weight from what I could tell from this video as compared to her live performance on the finale. I know that the camera does add at least 10-15 pounds on a person but that is true for the video. I went to an American Idol 6 tour concert and she looked great, but they dressed her to minimize her big hips and she looked fantastic. Hey we all can’t be slim.

She must be going through a lot of stress which might explain the weight gain. I don’t know if anyone else noticed it on the finale. She’s a beautful girl; and seems very sweet; however, I personally find this song too sugary for my taste. I wish her luck and Jive has done a great job on marketing her.

Aw, that’s heartbreaking about her friend…sweet that they let her put that in the video. The next single’s decent…let’s see if she can hang onto whatever bump having Chris Brown on her last single gave her. Jordin seems like a sweetheart so I hope she continues to do well. Though I agree that whoever’s dressing her should probably be fired.

They’re dressing Jordin as if she has an hourglass shaped figure, when she is really much more of a pear shape. Just not doing her justice at all.

I too noticed Jordin’s weight gain… but she’s a growing girl still so she still has “baby” fat that will probably go away to a degree as she gets older.. I know I didn’t lost my baby fat until AFTER college.

Congrats to Archuleta!!!

It appears there will be no duets or trios on this year’s tour. According to this article, they will be doing songs they did on the show. That sucks!! We’ve seen those performances a million times. Lands, they need to do something new. Talk about being stuck in the mud!! Why would you waste your money watching something you’ve already saved on your DVR? (shakes head in amazement at the stupidity of those people)

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/american_idol_7/2008_Apr_23_tour_plans

But didnt the Idol say already on Larry King some songs they were going to be singing that didn’t happen on the show? Hmph.

Taylor fans – don’t wait up for any reviews. Critics only review opening nights in NYC. Most of the info on his performance will probably come from fans.

Hopefully S7 will be like S5 where they mixed mostly old with some new songs on the tour.

It appears there will be no duets or trios on this yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tour. According to this article, they will be doing songs they did on the show. That sucks!!

Both of those articles are a few months old. There will be mostly solo acts, however duets and a couple of group numbers will be sprinkled in, according to recent interviews with the contestants.

Still STARVING for some JasonC news.

longsong, the JasonC updates (not necessarily all news but there are little tidbits) are here:

http://mjsbigblog.com/jason-castro-sunburnt-video.htm

pj posted a link to a really nice article there recapping Jason Castro Day. It’s worth a read.

Castro shares his daydream with the hometown crowd

reports coming in on Taylor

glittery black suit, came in playing harp in an ice cream cone

amazing reception…did the finale “hand jive’ more harp…lots of people at stage door for him…whisked away in SUV to go to Planet Hollywood..

Can’t help but get back to Taylor for me. No matter who comes on AI after him Taylor set the bar performancewise and noone has surpassed it.

Wow, Buckaroo! That is huge!!! WTG, Kiddo

Thanks, MJ for an update on the tour. I was stressing! I couldn’t remember a season when they haven’t done duets.

Anybody watching “Can You Duet?” I was pleasantly surprised
to see Sixwire!

I watch “Can You Duet,” every week. I like the judges on there.

Anxious to hear some reports from those who attended Taylor’s debut in “Grease.”

Regarding SATC, saw it tonight. Loved it!
JHud’s character was a good addition and they didnt overuse her or try to throw her in your face. And she looks amazing.

Regarding Bucky being in the Hannah Montana movie, as a fellow North Carolinian (from a much smaller town than Rocky’s Rockingham), I am just so dang proud of him!

And on that note, while hoping not to be off-topic, am proud of ALL the NC idols (Rocky, Kellie, Chris, and Clay). NC represent!

And b/c I dont think this has been added yet, and hope w/ MJ that its ok to tell it: Cookie will be appearing on Jay Leno on the 12th and The View the 24th.

Have a good nite all!

Shoot, should have read the entire thread b4 posting the Cookie appearances, I see AInoob beat me to it. =) Sorry to duplicate.

Jasonnn has a new video blog up on his myspace. He is in the car with the family, they read the Herald Banner fan article, he thanks the dreadheads, and he says the tour rehearsals start on Monday.

The video is also up on youtube…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zoXp4KdIRA

The judges on Can You Duet are so much better than the AI judges. Useful comments, showing a lot of knowledge, etc. It’s actually been a bit shocking to see the contrast.