Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Nickelback sticks to the basics
…Kicking off the evening’s rockfest was Daughtry, named for its lead singer and former American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry. Daughtry drew an unusually large crowd for a 7 p.m. warmup act.
For much of his 10-song set, Daughtry (the singer) perfectly played the role of the one-dimensional hard-rocker guy – the role that ultimately alienated Idol voters and allowed the most talented member of the A-I Class of 2006 to be passed over for the likes of Taylor Hicks and Elliot Yamin….
SEACREST: ‘I CRIED AT LONGORIA WEDDING’
AMERICAN IDOL host RYAN SEACREST cried during EVA LONGORIA and TONY PARKER’s Paris wedding on Saturday (07Jul07). The Desperate Housewives actress, 32, and French basketball ace, 25, wed in a civil ceremony on Friday (06Jul07), before celebrating their union in a religious service and a reception in the 17th century Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte the following day. But the event was too much for Seacrest when the newlyweds begun their first dance. He recalled, “(They) were just staring at each other. Then Tony dipped Eva right then and there, pulled her back up and gave her a kiss. I am crying”
Live Earth: Is Watching 26 Straight Hours Of TV Good For The Environment?
…7:24: Kelly Clarkson: The original Idol performs an uneven set that vindicates Clive Davis and his belief that My December is a total dud…
Music Review: Mandisa – True Beauty, The Debut Album From the American Idol Finalist
Coming this month from the American Idol, Mandisa, is her debut album True Beauty, a vocal project with a faithful purpose. Mandisa earlier release, “Only The World, ” recently reached the #1 spot of POP Billboard Hot Singles Sales. Radio DJs around the country have been playing and loving it ‘ noting that theyre sure to be hearing more from Mandisa soon…..
Birmingham Rocks
I like the new MyMusicBirmingham feature on the WBRC Birmingham (AL) site. The Fox-owned station employs the MySpace model to the web page, allowing users to share the latest buzz on the Birmingham music scene. The feature offers searchable listings of musical acts for the month, along with forums for discussion, video of local bands, blogs and bands’ MySpace pages.
“It’s a hyper-focused look at music in the market, ” says general manager Dennis Leonard. “MySpace does music well, but can’t boil things down geographically. So we’re the midpoint.”
Birmingham has a rich musical history and a strong connection to American Idol–Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard are both from the market.
Whether or not they’re music-mad markets, we suspect the MyMusic model to be tried out at other Fox O&Os.
AIKEN EXPLAINS AIR RAGE ROW
LATEST: AMERICAN IDOL runner-up CLAY AIKEN has explained how he became involved in an air-rage bust-up on Saturday (7Jul07) – his foot “wandered” to another passenger’s arm rest while he was sleeping. The 28-year-old was on a flight from Los Angeles to Tulsa, Oklahoma when the incident occurred. But Aiken has dismissed speculation he behaved in an obnoxious manner. He tells U.S. TV news show Entertainment Tonight, “While sleeping on a plane over the weekend, my foot evidently found a home on the arm rest of the passenger seated directly in front of me. “I didn’t realise I was causing the woman any distress until she woke me up with a quick hit to the chest. “Unfortunately, being that this happened on a plane, the FBI was called in to investigate and eventually we were all sent on our way. “I’d like to thank everyone for their concern; I am fine and have taken steps to prevent any foot wandering in the future.” FBI Special Agent Gary Johnson has confirmed there was an altercation between a male and female passenger, but refused to confirm Aiken was involved in the “very minor incident”. No arrests were made.
CD Is the New Vinyl
…That would be a shortsighted. The charts tell us a more compelling story.
Second on the chart is American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson’s My December. Go a few notches lower, and you’ll find Paul McCartney’s latest CD. It peaked at the third slot a couple of weeks ago, twice as high as his previous studio album. With a Disney soundtrack, an artist launched by a Fox TV show, and McCartney’s release on Starbucks ‘ (Nasdaq: SBUX) Hear Music label, it’s easy to see that the hottest titles are coming from unlikely sources….
Slash interview: Velvet Revolver Is At The New Level
…You were working with people like Chris Daughtry, Sarah Kelly, Derek Sherinian, and Paulina Rubio. Do these various styles intrigue you?…