Idol Headlines for 06/25/07

Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦

Auction toasted as success

…Entertainers for the night included singers Michael Burgess, Measha Brueggergosman, Matt Dusk and Taylor Hicks, the 2006 American Idol winner who had the crowd racing to the dance floor…

Niagara Falls Review

Critics Choice
New CDs

At the end of the new Kelly Clarkson album it finally arrives: a song worth all the fuss. It called …Irvine, and it a gentle prayer, sweetened by a strummed guitar, a ghostly hint of pedal steel and (every now and then) a digitized string section. Her voice breathy and soft, the edges rounded by vibrato, Ms. Clarkson beseeches the Almighty: …Are you there watching me?/As I lie here on this floor.

And after the events of the last few weeks one half-expects a booming reply: …This is Clive Davis. Yes, Im here. Now get up…….

NYTimes

Clay Aiken Adds Dates to Magical Holiday Tour 2007

Clay Aiken has proven he’s a popular concert artist and with the summer tour opener just 10 days away, November and December dates for the Magical Holiday Tour 2007 are already surfacing on orchestra websites…..

Ticket News.com

Clarkson was right in making ‹Breakaway from Clive formula

Clive Davis is an old fogy.

And for once the record company Svengali was wrong: Kelly Clarkson did well.

Hearing that the almighty RCA Music Group mogul panned Clarkson …My December for lacking commercial appeal immediately makes the …American Idol sophomore CD a juicier study.

Unfortunately, Davis words have already done enough damage: The first single, …Never Again, has already tanked as far as radio play goes. It a shame, really, since it a powerhouse song.

And now Clarkson has canceled (or, as her desperate publicists are spinning it, …postponed) her summer tour.

But maybe Clarkson isnt meant for arenas. Perhaps her aspiration is to make creatively satisfying music – and the hell with everything else.

A …Breakaway indeed…….

Boston Herald.com

Nicole Atkins:
Songwriter Wed Like to Get to Know Better

…HARP: Have you met the …Jersey Girl’ Antonella Barba’ from American Idol?

My 12-year-old little cousin met her over the weekend and got her autograph. He said she has nice boobies…

Harp Magazine

Ztail.com can help you make the sale

…Ourstage.com

No doubt hundreds of entrepreneurs have said to themselves, “Hey, let’s do the ‘American Idol’ idea online. Let’s put together a Web site and have our fans vote for their favorites.”….

Spokesman Review.com

Review: Kelly Clarkson’s new CD ‘Miss Independent’

Kelly Clarkson picked the release of her new album, “My December” (RCA), as her breakaway from the pop-star-making machinery and into the land of singer-songwriter artistry.

To the chagrin of her record company (and star-maker of star-makers Clive Davis), Clarkson rejected songs from tried-and-true hitmakers in favor of collaborating with her own team, many of whom helped her turn her “Breakaway” album into a multi-platinum success….

Newsday.com

Ex-‘Idol’ shares grief and grit

Despite the bad buzz that has surrounded her recently — a delayed album, clashes with label boss Clive Davis, the firing of her manager, a canceled arena tour due to poor ticket sales — the death of Kelly Clarkson, pop star, has been greatly exaggerated….

Boston.com

Kids and adults hot dog it at contest

…Stringer said they are auditioning local residents for the …Sing the Jingle, Be a Star contest. Oscar Mayer is looking for someone to be in a commercial, and competitors also have a chance to win $5, 000 and go to the …American Idol finals…

Daily Herald.com

Wilkening: Summer has fair fun

…Of course the highlight for many fair participants is the Illinois State Fair set from Aug. 10-19 in Springfield.

Illinois native and country music superstar Gretchen Wilson, four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Martina McBride and rock newcomer Chris Daughtry are among this year performers. The star-filled line-up also includes Grammy Award winning band Sugarland and a teen-pop show featuring Corbin Bleu, co-star of the hit Disney Channel Original Movie …High School Musical, and Drake Bell of Nickelodeon …Drake & Josh….

Northwest Herald

World’s largest music festival marks 40th year

…This year’s lineup includes Steely Dan, Def Leppard, The Fray, Ludacris, Roger Waters, John Mayer, Tool, Bon Jovi, Daughtry, Panic! at the Disco and Toby Keith…

Wiscnews.com

Oviedo is full of ‘crazy’ talk from mayor

…Altamonte Springs has released the details for its annual July 3 bash, Red, Hot & Boom. The celebration is being touted as free family-friendly entertainment, with “the largest fireworks display in Central Florida.” It will be from 4 to 11 p.m. at Cranes Roost Park in Uptown Altamonte, off State Road 436, east of I-4. The lineup will include concerts by Saving Jane, Rooney, Lloyd, Melissa Jimenez, The Click Five, Kat DeLuna, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin…

Orlando Sentinel

60 SECONDS: Robin Thicke

…Would you have considered doing American Idol if you hadnt got your record deal?

No. For me it all about the music. I dont want anyone else to control that. It not about being a star. They f**k with the music too much and I didnt want to have to do one of those Rod Stewart jazz album things…

Metro.co.uk