About 9, 000 pack Amway Arena to sing for ‘Idol’ producers
ORLANDO – “American Idol” producers estimate about 9, 000 people are crowded into the entrance to Amway Arena in anticipation of auditioning for the popular Fox reality show.
Many of them arrived in the predawn hours, only to be herded like cattle into chutes in preparation for filming an opening segment with the show’s host Ryan Seacrest.
When Seacrest arrived, the crowd went wild.
“The next ‘American Idol’ better come from Orlando because I’m sweating like a pig, ” he told the screaming throngs.
He also told them the “show keeps getting bigger and better.”
Idols living their American Dream ‘†and it’s kind of sweet
That power was out in full force last night at GM Place, where the Top 10 finalists from Idol’s eighth season took to the stage.
The concert had everything an Idol diehard could want: campy group numbers, questionable wardrobe decisions and flashes of star quality. Unfortunately, for half of the performers, this 52-city tour is probably as good as it’s going to get.
Michigan-born Matt Giraud was the first performer to look like a viable recording artist. The crowd, full of families, middle-aged women and pre-teens, swooned collectively when he bust out some slick piano skills during a stirring performance of ‘Georgia on my Mind.’
Tweens go wild for American Idols at GM Place
Here’s a tip: Exclamation marks should always be used sparingly, and should not be used to describe a concert tour.
Oh, sure, you could place one informally, say, at the end of “That sucked!” or “A marvelous evening of music!” as you leave the venue.
But in the name itself? Never.
Especially when said tour is called American Idols Live! and features a veritable who’s who of the televised version’s top 10 from Season 8.
Seriously, who are these people?
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Concert review | “Idol” Top 10 give fans a fun, fresh show
If the number of earsplitting screams and shrieks erupting from every mention of his name or glimpse of his face on the JumboTron was any indication, glam rocker Adam Lambert was the superstar of the “American Idols Live!” 2009 summer tour’s concert Tuesday night at the Tacoma Dome.
But the rapturous response to Lambert, runner-up in this year’s version of the guilty-pleasure TV talent marathon “American Idol, ” did not convey the whole story of a show that’s better paced, better designed, better backed up and, overall, better sung than last year’s Idol blowout in Tacoma.
“American Idols Live” opening night: the wrapup
In the end, I think most people at the Rose Arena in Portland on Sunday night went home happy. The Top 10 finalists in Season 8 of “American Idol” were excited to play before such a large and adoring crowd, and for the most part they delivered.
I’m not going to get into an in-depth of each individual’s performances — I’m leaving that for Times arts critic Misha Berson, who will be attending Tuesday night’s show in Tacoma and have a complete review online the next morning. Instead, here’s a hit list of that things that left the strongest impression with me:
American Idol’s Anoop Desai Reports From the Road
Two shows down and only 50 more to go on the American Idols Live Tour 2009. Starting today, we’ll be catching up with each of the American Idol top 10 once a week to get the lowdown on the tour.
Anoop Desai, who came in sixth, kicks things off with a chat about the tour’s first stop in Portland, Ore., on July 5.
Adam Lambert on Megan Joy: ‘She Is Gorgeous’
Next up in our Idol interviews are Adam Lambert and Megan Joy, who are more similar than you think.
What was Adam’s first impression of Megan, and what does the blond beauty say about his style, and the person he loves? Find out below, and check out AI clips on Fancast.
What did you think of Adam when you first met him?
Taking Idol on the road Lambert’s ‘fantasy’
It’s Idols out of the box! Or in Adam Lambert’s case, Idol out of the closet!
Idolmania hit Vancouver Wednesday, as the top 10 finalists from Season 8 of American Idol came to town to prove they have the goods to deliver live, outside the televised Idol bubble.
Throngs of of eager fans waited dutifully outside GM Place, hoping to get a glimpse of their favourite Idol.
Concert preview: ‘Idol’ brings Joy to the world
Besides Bikini Girl, the surprise win of Kris Allen, the is-he-or-isn’t-he debate regarding Adam Lambert, and the complete absence of a contestant with a surname of Archuleta, there were still plenty of things worth watching during the most recent season of “American Idol.”
And all — with the lamentable exception of Bikini Girl — will be on display Tuesday at the E Center, when the 10 finalists of “Idol’s” 2009 season will perform individually and in group numbers in a live version of America’s No. 1 television show.
Season 8 compilation tops this week’s American Idol albums
Walmart’s American Idol Season 8 tops this week’s list of the best-selling Idol-related albums, coming in at #34 on Nielsen SoundScan’s list of the 200 top-selling current albums with nearly 14, 000 sales.
Other sales-related info worth noting:
‘ ¢ Jordin Sparks’ Battlefield remains the most-downloaded Idol track (it’s the 26th most-downloaded current track, and 41st overall, according to SoundScan) with slightly more than 47, 000 digital scans.
How Idol albums have fared in 2009 sales
Some of you have expressed an interest in data that will give you a better idea of how the American Idols are faring in the music world at large. Since we’re about halfway through 2009, I figured this might be a good week to take a look at some of Nielsen SoundScan’s year-to-date album sales, which will provide a frame of reference.
Seven Idols have albums among this year’s 200 top-selling albums, according to SoundScan (Carrie Underwood has two). Compilations by Chris Botti and David Foster that feature Idol artists also made the Top 200.
Chart Watch Extra: Michael Jackson’s Top 40 Downloads
Digital downloading was a little more than a futuristic fantasy in November 1969 when the Jackson 5 first hit the charts, but it’s a reality today. This week, 47 songs that feature Michael Jackson crowd Nielsen/SoundScan’s list of the top 200 songs with the most paid downloads. That’s down just a hair from last week’s eye-popping total of 50 MJ songs.
I have compiled a list of Jackson’s top 40 songs in terms of total paid downloads (not just this week, but during their entire runs). Eight of the songs are from his 1982 classic, Thriller. (That’s the entire album except for “Baby Be Mine.”) Jackson’s follow-up albums, Bad and Dangerous, each have six songs on the list. His 1979 classic Off The Wall has five.
Leave This Town (2009)
Chris Daughtry is not in the business of delivering musical tofu, or escarole, or any other newfangly food-type metaphor. The American Idol season 5 finalist is a man of straightforward meat-‘ ¨and-potatoes rock principle, and so far it’s served him very well: His’ ¨ self-titled late-’06 debut yielded a clutch of appropriately beefy top 20 singles, and went on to become the best-selling album of 2007.
The blueprint of follow-up Leave This Town ‘†chugging riffs, angsty-sensitive lyrics, here-come-the-soaring-double tracked-‘ ¨choruses ‘†may feel utterly familiar, but it’s undoubtedly what the people (the people not being up for, one guesses, any major stylistic switcheroos) want.
Underwood to perform for soldiers
Soldiers based at Fort Campbell will get an unprecedented welcome-home present on Aug. 14, and civilians are invited, too.
Carrie Underwood, John Rich, Rodney Atkins and Jake Owen are among the stars who will play for free during the post’s Week of the Eagles. The homecoming event is held every other year for soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles” who have returned to base after overseas deployments. But this is the first time that the event’s music has stretched over two days, and the star power outstrips anything in its history.
“People just expect there to be a military, but they don’t see faces and they don’t know names, ” Underwood said. “It’s very important to just go and raise awareness and bring some cheer to people who might not get it all the time, people who are stuck in another country, away from their family and friends and kids.”
Underwood works on new album during break
Carrie Underwood is lying low this year; there’s no tour on the schedule and you can count on one hand the times she’s performed in public so far in 2009. But that doesn’t mean she’s taking it easy. The reigning Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year is at work on a new album, due to be released Nov. 3 on 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville. A new single is planned for late summer.
“I can’t multitask that well, I suppose, ” she said of taking time off from touring to record. “I like to be focused on one thing and do the best possible job I can, no matter what that one thing is, whether I’m completely touring or completely writing or completely recording. That’s how I operate. Right now, it’s been really nice. I’m still working very hard, but I get to go home to my own bed at night, which is really nice.”
Jonas Brothers: Wild about the boys
The most impressive of the three opening acts was 2007 ‘American Idol’ Jordin Sparks, 19, who was vastly improved over her appearance with Alicia Keys at Target Center last year. Not only did she sound soulful on her hits ‘Tattoo’ and ‘No Air, ‘ but she showed thoughtful timeliness and pure talent by doing a moving a cappella version of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile, ‘ which Jermaine
Jackson said Tuesday was the favorite song of his late brother, Michael Jackson.
“So You Think You Can Dance”: Double the dancing
6ac7With the top six couples performing two dances apiece, we had a LOT of show tonight, so let’s get right to what happened on the dance floor. Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi kicked the evening off with a Doriana Sanchez disco. Ade was worried about looking “wack” if they didn’t have the proper amount of disco “swagger, ” but he had nothing to worry about. I thought he looked great handling the genre. Melissa, I thought, could have given herself in a little bit more to the snap and crackle of disco, but the judges were very forgiving, because she’s a ballet dancer and disco is way outside her comfort zone.
‘SYTYCD’: Talking with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney
Mary Carole McCauley got a chance to catch up with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney yesterday. The 21-year-old is in the Top 12 on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Here’s Mary:
After portraying an alien attempting to impregnate her human prey, Caitlin Kinney fully expected to be in danger of elimination last week on Fox’s hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance.
Before Thursday night’s results show was broadcast, the lithe, 21-year-old from Annapolis rehearsed the “dance for your life” solo required of competitors who receive the fewest viewer votes.
Jackson Service Draws 31 Million Viewers
About 31 million people in the United States tuned in to the television coverage of Michael Jackson’s star-studded farewell on Tuesday afternoon, Nielsen said, easily making it one of the most-watched memorial services ever.
Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s brother, at the artist’s memorial service.Gabriel Bouys/Reuters Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s brother, was among those who performed at the artist’s memorial service, one of the most watched in history.
That said, the audience totals for a combined 18 channels were only slightly higher than the ones for the ‘American Idol’ singing competition on Fox.
A potpourri of channels, including ABC, CNN, Univision and VH1 Classic, showed the nearly three-hour service on Tuesday, leading some critics to draw comparisons to state funeral services for former presidents. Indeed, Mr. Jackson’s memorial at the Staples Center drew more attention than the three-hour funeral for President Gerald Ford in 2007, which was watched by an average of 15 million viewers, Nielsen said.
Michael Jackson Memorial Cost Los Angeles $1.4 Million
Tuesday’s memorial service for Michael Jackson cost the cash-strapped city of Los Angeles $1.4 million, a figure that includes paying for more than 3, 000 police officers (nearly one-third of the entire force), trash pickup, other sanitation and traffic control.
Despite fears that more than 1 million unticketed fans would descend on the city and gather outside the Staples Center to be near the event, most reports had the crowd in the vicinity of the arena at just a few thousand. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city, which is $530 million in debt, is not likely to defer much of that cost through a PayPal donation site set up for public donations, which has collected only $17, 000 to date.
