Idol Headlines for 08/02/07

Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦

Daughtry plays it safe at state fair

Chris Daughtry stood out on American Idol because his hard-rocking sound contrasted so strongly with the more string-heavy sounds of the other contestants. But he playing in a different field now, and it going to be harder for him to differentiate himself.

At last night fast-moving concert at the Celeste Center at the Ohio State Fair, Daughtry pleased a large crowd by sticking with the familiar: He has released one, self-titled album, and he played the songs from it without venturing into new territory…..

Columbus Dispatch

Daughtry: ‘We love our popularity’

Nobody in America has sold more records in 2007 than Chris Daughtry ‘ 3 million and counting.

Given that proof of popularity and his 2006 run on …American Idol as the show resident rocker sex symbol, you might think Daughtry head is growing with his record sales….

Argus Leader

Aretha Franklin planning own biopic featuring ‘Idol’ star

Motown singer Aretha Franklin today announced plans to cast a bevy of stars in an upcoming film about her life, with American Idol sensation Jennifer Hudson starring as the “Queen of Soul.”….

Redding News Review

Stevie Wonder to sing at L.A. news conference

…The singer/songwriter is slowly emerging from a lengthy period of relative inactivity. In 2005, he released his first album in 10 years, “A Time to Love.” It debuted at No. 5 on the U.S. pop charts, and has sold 469, 000 copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He helped promote the album by appearing on an episode of ratings juggernaut “American Idol.”

Rueters.com

“Idol” Star Plays Gospel Idol in Musical Mahalia at Hartford Stage Beginning Aug. 2

Frenchie Davis ‘  the former “American Idol” contestant who played a lengthy run in Broadway’s Rent ‘  heads the cast of the Hartford Stage presentation of Mahalia’A Gospel Musical, which begins performances Aug. 2…..

Playbill

Twins to audition for ‘American Idol’

They look alike, down to their slender 5-foot-5 swimming and diving team frames.

They’ve got the same lively brown eyes, wavy black hair and engaging smiles…..

Courier Press

Symphony and ‹Idol make unlikely team

Let be honest. The majority of teens, star-struck women and reluctant husbands who packed the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion on July 25 were there to see Clay Aiken and not the Nashua Symphony Orchestra. But by the end of a hot, mosquito-infested, skunk-infused concert, the orchestra, who was hired by the double-platinum pop star for his New Hampshire performance, received a standing …O from the audience full of Claymates, as well as Aiken and his people…..

Nashau Telegraph

Music Reviews: Disaster averted in ‘December’

KELLY CLARKSON ‘  “My December”

The brouhaha over Kelly Clarkson’s “My December” is one of the oldest stories in the entertainment biz: Sensitive artist needs to listen to her muse and move forward creatively; seen-it-all music exec doesn’t hear a single……

Modbee.com

Snap Judgment: Carrie Underwood’s ‘So Small’

Okay, I’ve never been the world’s biggest Carrie Underwood fan. I railed against her throughout American Idol’s fourth season ‘  mainly because I didn’t think robots belonged in the competition ‘  and her first post-Idol single, “Jesus Take the Wheel, ” was the kind of dreary pabulum that only reinforced my negative view. But then something surprising happened…..

Popwatch

It’s a real world, after all
UA student joins small club of reality-show stars with local ties

…A Tucsonan since the age of 4, Stark went to Palo Verde High Magnet School. In 2004, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona School of Music. Two years later, she found herself among the top 44 contestants on “American Idol.”
After her “Idol” experience, Stark continued to perform in the Old Pueblo. Her voice has been heard in concerts with the Tucson Pops Orchestra and other local groups. She played a jazz concert at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church last Saturday.
She also worked as a DJ for Mega Oldies KGMG (106.3-FM) and is recording a pop-jazz album with the UA’s Park Avenue Records.

AZStarnet

Albums of the week

Katharine McPhee – Katharine McPhee: For those not up on their televised talent contests, Katharine McPhee was runner-up in the fifth series of American Idol. As Liberty X, who outlasted Hear’Say, would testify, it’s not the winning that counts on shows such as this, it’s the taking part.

But why should we care about someone who came second in the American series? The short answer is we shouldn’t. There’s nothing on the Californian’s debut that won’t have been heard before, and although Katharine does mean impressions of Beyonce and Christina, it’s a lot easier to stick with what you know and listen to their albums again.

Soulful opener Love Story is a brief high, but McPhee’s fame is destined to vanish as quickly as it arrived: Rating 2/5

Virgin media