Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Lewis, Sparks steal ‘Idol’ concert
Sanjaya Malakar sported curly, shoulder-length hair and grabbed his crotch during a Michael Jackson medley Wednesday night in “American Idols Live ’07” at the I Wireless Center.
Malakar, this year’s “American Idol” whipping boy, will not be mentioned again in this review….
JORDIN SPARKS: ‹It been really crazy
Sometimes you luck into a leisurely interview with a celebrity, a chance to settle into the rhythm of a real conversation and gain a feel for their personality.
Sometimes you dont.
I was the 16th person to interview recent …American Idol victor Jordin Sparks one recent afternoon, and the telephone interview ‘ through no fault of hers ‘ was behind schedule, hurried and abbreviated……
Flint’s American idol at ease on the road
LaKisha Jones says touring less stressful than performing for judges on TV show
Flint’s LaKisha Jones describes life on the “American Idols Live!” tour in terms that are upbeat but no-nonsense.
“Every day, I see a new hotel, and every day, I wake up doing something I love to do, so I can’t complain about that, ” she says…….
Clammy hands, shaking legs: Area singers try out for ‹American Idol
When Crystal Petersen finished singing …Georgia on My Mind, she nervously told the five judges and onlookers it was her first time in front of an audience ‘ except when she gave birth.
…I literally felt like I was in labor, she said afterwards.
The 26-year-old Winona woman was one of a few dozen people who came to Saint Mary University on Thursday for a 30-second chance to make their way onto Fox TV singing reality show, …American Idol. Five finalists will move on to the regional competition next week in Rochester. If they win there, they get a paid trip to the national auditions in Philadelphia…..
‘Idol’ Audition Tour Rolls Onto Omaha
MyFox National Auditions for the seventh season of “American Idol” began last week in San Diego, and the tour hit Dallas on Monday before rolling onto Omaha, Neb., Thursday.
That’s where MyFoxKC.com staffer Meagan Kelleher is Thursday, compiling all kinds of good content for you…….
Daughtry: Too perfect – but who cares?
….Daughtry’s the real deal in the sense that his live show sounds just like his record. He can hit all the notes cleanly and without overexertion. But while the guy offers flawless takes of his album cuts such as the forceful and penetrating “Over You, ” it almost sounds too perfect.
“Used To” sounds empty and formulaic. And the explosive chorus vocals in “Gone” felt trite after following songs that exploit the same feature. To quote “Idol” judge Simon Cowell, much of Daughtry’s set sounded “affected.”
Yet, with the crowd’s roaring approval for rockers such as “There and Back Again” and its glowing approval of backlit cell phones waving in the air during radio hits such as “It’s Not Over, ” it doesn’t seem as though the audience cares.
They genuinely feel happy – as opposed to excited or fanatical – to support a guy that looks, sounds and acts like he came from the same place we’re stranded in right now.
CHRIS DAUGHTRY: ‹Were just going out there and giving out our hearts and souls.
…How did you put your band together?
I called a couple of friends up and said, …Hey, were holding auditions. Even my old band that I was in, I encouraged them to audition. It was a little awkward but we definitely got the right people for the band. It was about a weeklong process of auditioning and callbacks and auditions, just going through so many different guitar players trying to find the right one.
Was it a tough decision?
There are probably better guitar players out there that didnt make it. It was about how they could play but also about the attitude and the cohesiveness of the band and hoe well we get along together. You can kinda get a vibe off someone….
Aiken hits Asheville
Local symphony members to back singer up during Biltmore Estate show
First, …American Idol star Taylor Hicks played Asheville. Then it was Daughtry. Both were wildly popular shows at The Orange Peel club.
Now Carolina-born Clay Aiken hits town for a Saturday night concert at Biltmore Estate. And it going to the biggest local …Idol show yet, at least in turnout, with 3, 000 fans in the house…..
Sinatra poured the fuel; Elvis lit the fire
In a league by himself, most agree King is one enduring superstar
…Music producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson says there are “only a couple of icons throughout history who changed music when they appeared. To me, the two biggest impacts were Elvis and Michael Jackson. He (Jackson) is not quite in the same league.”
Among established musicians, Randy Jackson says, no one — not Prince, not Sinatra, not Justin Timberlake — has been in the same league. “Today there’s no one even in earshot. Elvis pulverized the world. Elvis is another thing — a whole ‘nother thing.”
Jackson’s fellow music producer and “Idol” judge Simon Cowell says he, too, is a major Elvis fan. To him, only Sinatra might rival Presley. “I think you have to factor in many things. No. 1, I have yet to see anybody who’s had 50 percent of his (Elvis’) charisma since the day he was launched. Secondly, at the time he was launched what he did had an incredible shock value.”
Cowell said the world is no longer subject to being shocked. “We’ve practically seen inside of Madonna. There’s practically nothing else to see.” …
Say Hey to Clay: ‘Idol’ star comes home to sing
Members of the …Clay Nation can finally exhale. Former …American Idol finalist and pop superstar Clay Aiken is coming back to his hometown tonight.
Aiken, who was born in Raleigh, will perform with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary at 8:30 p.m. Gates open at 7.
The performance is part of a 23-city tour across the nation, which began July 4 and will end Aug. 19. For each performance, Aiken is taking the stage with the backing of a local symphony………
Idol Chatter: Omaha’s signature song
San Diego had “California Dreamin’.” Dallas had “Listen to the Music.”
Omaha has “Born in the USA.”…….
Indies vs. Idols: ‘Idol’ knocks on hip new indie venue back door
Omaha. It’s a hotbed for indie-rock and home to lauded music label Saddle Creek Records.
“American Idol.” It’s a breeding ground for pop stars and sometimes the butt of jokes.
Today, thousands of wannabe singers will swarm the Qwest Center Omaha for a chance to become the next Idol.
Across the street from all the audition hoopla, the laid-back staff at Saddle Creek Records and rock club Slowdown, led by Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel, will be doing their thing.
The “Idol” and indie-music worlds are different in their approach to music – and pretty much everything else.
Here’s our not-too-serious comparison of the two scenes…….
Clarkson slipping into a sales slump
Five years after winning the first American Idol title, Kelly Clarkson may be losing it at the cash register. At least temporarily.
Her current album My December, a dark departure signaling the singer’s artistic independence and emotional turmoil, is falling short of its two peppy pop predecessors. In its sixth week on the Billboard chart, the disc dropped six slots to No. 21 after selling 26, 500 copies, down 14% from last week’s 31, 000, for a total of 562, 000, according to Nielsen SoundScan….
Oak Cliff woman labors through ‘American Idol’ audition
…Even though she had arrived early, she was in one of the last groups to audition. Until then, she hung around the stadium, where the day was hot and the wait was tiring.
“But I was fine. I was drinking water. It was $3 a bottle, and it was getting pretty expensive, but I was OK, ” she said.
The important thing, Ms. Gillon said, is that she was finally getting a chance to fulfill her dream.
“Since I was in ninth grade, I wanted to do this, ” she said. “I sing at weddings, at funerals, at family picnics.”
If she had it to do over again, would she show up at an all-day audition so close to her due date?
“I’d do it again, but I would change the time I arrived to register, ” she said.
“I’d go at 11 the night before rather than at 2:30 in the morning, because that way they would have taken me sooner.”
Riptide Announce Event Schedule for Final Home Game
…American Idol finalist Sabrina Sloan, a Studio City, California native, will sing the National Anthem at Saturday’s game. Sloan made it to the Top 24 of American Idol’s Season Six before being voted off on March 8, 2007…
Local woman heads for American Idol tryout
Amanda Mattingly cant stop singing. She sings in music competitions. She sings in the car.
…It makes me happy when I sing, said the 27-year-old bar manager at Copper Top Lounge in Bloomington.
Mattingly wants to share her love of song with others and planned a drive from Bloomington to Omaha, Neb., Thursday night to compete in an American Idol contest…..
Next Round of Idol Auditions
…The auditions don’t start until Friday but some people are doing whatever they can to be there, including driving straight from a funeral.
That woman lining up to audition said, “So the funeral was yesterday and we got home last night from the funeral at like 11:30 and we got up this morning at six and left by seven and we’re here now so, a gamut of emotions.”….
Iowans line up to be next “American Idol”
Hundreds of Iowans are among the 15, 000 wanna-be stars lined up outside the Qwest Center in Omaha, hoping for a shot at being on Fox T-V’s “American Idol.” Registration wraps up this afternoon while the auditions start Friday. Last season’s top ten performers were in Omaha for a concert last week.
Among them, Sanjaya says American Idol was an experience he wouldn’t trade for anything. Sanjaya says: “You have a lot of doubt. There are so many people, ‘Why I am even here?’ But at the same time it is really fun because you are waiting and waiting and waiting and then you finally get there it is, wow, finally my chance.” ……..
Jessica Erwin Wins Heartland Idol Title
It wasnt Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul or Randy Jackson, but it could be someday. Jessica Erwin wasnt singing for the three infamous judges of the national television program American Idol, but she did take a step closer to making that dream become a reality.
The local performer was named the winner of the KYOU Fox 15 Heartland Idol contest held August 4th at the Bridgeview Center in Ottumwa, IA. Irwin won a trip to the American Idol auditions at the Quest Center in Omaha on August 10th where she will be one of the performers vying for a spot on the TV program…..
Elvis is still in the building
Graceland’s new owner has a hunk of ideas to keep The King’s legacy alive
…In 2005, Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, sold her majority ownership in the company for more than $100 million to Robert F.X. Sillerman, the billionaire media mogul. Sillerman, whose company CKX Inc., also owns the television show “American Idol, ” wants to turn Elvis into an even bigger brand by making massive improvements to the Graceland complex and also by exerting greater control over the Elvis image…
‘American Idol’ runnerup to perform Sunday
A twist of fate put Bucky Covington on “American Idol.”
But a great voice and self-confidence got him a record contract and a hit single.
Now, the 29-year-old Covington — who finished eighth in the Season 5 Idol — will bring his country music style to the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, at 8 p.m. Sunday.
But Covington almost never made it to “Idol.”…..
Daughtry expands tour behind best-selling debut
Post-grunge rockers Daughtry, who kicked off a major North American tour last month, have added a half-dozen dates to the itinerary, which now stretches through early November.
Cities added to the fold include Evansville, IN; Albany, NY; Erie, PA; Hollywood, FL; and two nights in Newark, NJ. In addition to playing fairs and festivals, and headlining clubs and theaters all over the US, Daughtry has a few more gigs opening for Nickelback. The updated schedule is listed below…….
‹American Idol is one big Guilty Pleasure
From tone-deaf auditioners to wacky judges, show has it all
“American Idol” might as well change its name to “America’s Guilty Pleasure.”
Though the reality show genre is filled with programs that get great ratings despite having little redeeming value, “Idol” gives viewers a massive number of superficial but compelling reasons to watch. Love it or hate it, there’s no turning away…..
Cowell mocks new mum at auditions
Simon Cowell mocked an American Idol hopeful as she went into labour during the show’s Texas auditions.
Antoria Gillon was waiting to perform in front of the TV talent show’s judges; Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, when her contractions began on Monday.
Gillon decided to continue with her audition and was mocked by Cowell, who joked her labour pains were “a little too Broadway”, before sending her into the next round of the series.
The singer was rushed to hospital where she gave birth to son Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan on Tuesday.
