Idol Headlines for 7/6/08

The Chaparral’s Exclusive Pass to American Idol – Part One!

Have you ever dreamt of sitting down and interviewing one of your favorite American Idol contestants? Well, for this college newspaper in the Coachella Valley, that happened! The Chaparral gained exclusive coverage on July 2 to interview contestants Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, and Chikezie before they hit the stage in San Diego. Over the next few days, we will be posting several interviews and accompanying pictures to whet your Idol appetite. So watch this space!

To start, here Carly Smithson. Smithson, 24, was born in Dublin, Ireland, but moved to the United States to pursue a music career. She auditioned for the fifth season of American Idol but was disqualified because of her work visa. However, she got a second chance this time around and made it to the sixth place in the competition. Here what the San Diego native had to say.

The Chaparral

The Chaparral’s Exclusive Pass to American Idol – Part Two!

Have you ever dreamt of sitting down and interviewing one of your favorite American Idol contestants? Well, for one small college newspaper in the Coachella Valley, that happened! The Chaparral gained exclusive coverage on July 2 to interview contestants Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, and Chikezie before they hit the stage in San Diego. Over the next few days, we will be posting several interviews and accompanying pictures to whet your Idol appetite. So watch this space!

Next up, here Chikezie. A native of Inglewood, California, Chikezie, 22, auditioned four times for American Idol, making it to Hollywood Week in the sixth season and the top 10 in the seventh. Like Carly Smithson, he auditioned in San Diego.

The Chaparral

American Idols Live: Archuleta wins the night

In the spirit of the night, with all the on-the-scene, up-to-the-minute blog posts about the UFC and boxing matches dominating the Las Vegas Sun, it seems fitting to weigh in briefly on the night’s other major event in Vegas: the “American Idols Live” concert at the Thomas and Mack Center.

The three-hour event was not a competition, and (blessedly) there was no troika of judges to proclaim “pitchiness, ” etc. But it appeared to this witness that the walkaway winner of the evening was 17-year-old David Archuleta. Sure, he was the runner-up on the actual show that spawned this concert and its 53-show tour (Vegas was stop #4). But Archuleta brought his A-game (or some other sports cliche) and proved he’s on course to be a musical star in the long term.

Las Vegas Sun

Former ‘Idol’ finalists still going strong

The former “Idol” finalists are serving as the entertainment at San Francisco’s Rrazz Room for a nine-week stint, showing off their above-average singing voices, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

The three singers, who reached the early portions of the final rounds on the popular TV series, performed Wednesday, singing tunes such as “Last Dance” and “If I Would Ever Leave You.”

The trio also took time to discuss the televised competition, telling audience members about performing for notoriously critical “Idol” judge Simon Cowell.

The Money Times

3-Minute Interview: Jon Peter Lewis

What was the best thing about …American Idol? The 60 million viewers.

What was the worst thing? The song-and-dance numbers.

Your music now doesnt sound like …American Idol, does it? Not at all. We weren’t going to do something that would be expected on …American Idol.

How would you describe your sound? Moody pop music ‘  but it’s not going to make you jump off a bridge.

Examiner.com

It takes two

Ever since their breakup, she’s suffocating and he feels lost at sea. Both wonder how they’re supposed to breathe without each other.

That’s the musical question posed by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown in their current smash duet, “No Air.” Hearing the intertwined voices – the anguish! the drama! – of these two teen soul-pop sensations is a reminder of previous hit duets throughout the years, when singers would come together to create a fusion either playful or romantic.

Boston.com

US Idol Down-Underwood

AMERICAN Idol’s most successful graduate, Carrie Underwood, is being enticed to Australia by her locally based record label, Sony BMG, which has been desperate to bring the stunning blonde country singer to our shores since she won the fourth US Idol series in 2005.

Underwood has sold more than 10 million copies of her two albums and won three Grammy Awards.

Given the singer’s massive success, Underwood has simply been too busy to focus on any markets other than that of the US.

She has yet to take off seriously in Australia, although she certainly has a strong fan base.

“We’re committed to breaking her in Australia, ” said Sony BMG Australia chief Denis Handlin.

news.com.au

Carrie Underwood: ‘Some Hearts’ / ‘Carnival Ride’

Unless you’re an American Idol aficionado, Carrie Underwood is probably the biggest star you’ve never heard of. In May 2005 this blonde, pretty 22-year-old from the small town of Checotah, Oklahoma won the fourth season of the world’s biggest talent show, beating a hairy Southern rocker called Bo Bice in the final. She hasn’t looked back since, selling eleven million albums, nabbing a trio of Grammys and placing a succession of well-constructed, honestly-sung country-pop songs on various US charts.

Now, nearly two-and-a-half years after her debut came out in the States, Carrie Underwood’s two studio albums are being released in the UK. Fanfare is conspicuous in its absence, but you can’t blame Underwood’s label, Sony BMG, and manager, Simon Fuller, for keeping things low-key. Country superstars whose names aren’t Dolly or Shania don’t tend to do very well on these shores; neither is the American Idol tag any guarantee of UK chart success – just ask Chris Daughtry.

digitalspy.co.uk

Why are the Brits so mean? And why do we love it?

When people need to hear the brutal truth, reality TV brings in the Brits.

Simon Cowell unleashes his acid tongue on …American Idol. Piers Morgan drops snide quips on …America Got Talent. Gordon Ramsay has regular screaming fits on …Hell Kitchen. Unlike their American counterparts, these judges revel in being painfully blunt.

…If youre asking why Brits succeed on American TV at the moment, I think it because we tend to be more honest and we tend to express ourselves in a more frank way, said Morgan, an ex-tabloid editor in Britain.

Boston Herald.com

About mj santilli 34832 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!