Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Around the region
Spring Grove girl selected to sing at White Sox game
SPRING GROVE ‘ Singer Juleah Barrettsmith will sing the national anthem at U.S. Cellular Field today before the White Sox battle the Boston Red Sox. She expects to perform about 2:40 p.m.
…Just to have that many people attention at one time, one place is pretty cool, she said.
Barrettsmith auditioned for the next season of …American Idol after appearing on the fifth season with her sister, Brooke. Juleah was cut during group auditions, and Brooke was cut when the top 44 contestants were trimmed to 24.
Juleah said she was not allowed to reveal the details of the latest audition. But her father, Scott, said Juleah was negotiating with multiple record labels after Brooke signed a contract in connection with Sony/BMG to produce four or five albums.
Blake Lewis inks deal with Arista
The runner-up on the last season of American Idol, the poor guy who had to face Jordin Sparks and come in second, was Blake Lewis and he has followed her recent footsteps, signing a record deal…….
The beatboxer goes on
We’re in the money. Bothell’s own Blake Lewis has a record deal connected with the label managed by “Idol” creator and destroyer of young egos, Simon Fuller.
Simon wasn’t among Blake’s biggest fans last season, but seems to have changed his tune. “I know (his fans) are going to love his first album, ” Simon said. No doubt Simon is going to love the sales from Blake’s first album.
Jordin Sparks’ Now Begins, Um, Now
ARTIST: Jordin Sparks
TITLE: “Tattoo”
WEB DEBUT: Aug. 24, 2007
ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: The new single by the most recent American Idol winner opens with some “Umbrella”-like dirty keyboards, but those are quickly pushed to the background in favor of a midtempo ballad that has its percussion dotted with a sampled “hey!”–for edge, maybe? “Tattoo” tries really hard to synthesize a lot of the big pop trends of the last month–the aforementioned synths, the easy strum of “Irreplaceable” (who “Tattoo” shares a producer with), that almost-distracting “hey!” that made me wonder for a second if she was going to break into “It Takes Two”–and it would be almost successful if not for the vocals: They are mixed way high, giving the whole thing an adult-contemporary gloss. I know, I know, Idol is a singing competition so of course you’d want to put the vocals front and center, but wasn’t Jordin’s selling point the fact that she was “only 17”? This track makes her sound like she’s older than me–and that’s not even taking into account the fact that the age of consent for getting tattooed in her home state of Arizona is, in fact, 18….
‘Idol’ Runner-Up Lewis Gets Busy On Debut CD
….”It’s your favorite ’80s mix tape, ” Lewis told Billboard.com last week of the album. “[It’s] very inspired by Michael Jackson, Prince, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, the Cure. It’s all over the map, really — very influenced by ’80s hip-hop, old school breaks, whatever.”
“They’re letting me down the album I’ve always wanted to make, ” he added. Lewis will be on the road with the American Idols Live tour through Sept. 22…..
Jordin Sparks: “I’d Kill Blake!”
Legally she might be too young to get a tattoo, but that didnt stop American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, who is currently on the “American Idol Live Tour”, from singing about it.
Friday morning, her debut disc’s first single, “Tattoo, ” premiered on Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo, broadcast on New York radio station Z100 and Miami’s Y100. Despite the early hour (7am!), the singer gushed about how happy she is.
“Everything is coming so fast. My life has totally turned upside down but I love it, ” she said. Sparks also chatted about her new album and addressed those Blake rumors!
On asked whod she …Do, Marry or Kill?, Blake Lewis, Chris Daughtry or Ruben Studdard: In a figurative speech, just because he gets on my nerves sometimes, Id kill Blake. I would probably marry Ruben and you can [guess] the rest. This is hard!…….
Blades of Glory DVD Review
…..If not for the previous section, those who aren’t fans of fourth season “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice would still have reason to enjoy his music video for “Blades of Glory” (4:40). In addition to the obligatory movie clips and footage of Bice performing and playing piano, it contains some of the deleted footage of Ferrell and Heder singing (actually, they’re mostly made to look like they’re lip-synching)…..
Elliott Yamin works TV ahead of fall outing
“American Idol” alumnus Elliott Yamin is hitting the media circuit hard over the next couple of months as he prepares to launch the second leg of his North American tour.
The singer/songwriter is set to hit the road once again beginning Oct. 5 in Chicago. He’ll make his way from the Midwest to the West Coast, visiting a couple of Canadian provinces along the way, through late November. Fellow pop/R&B singer Josh Hoge and breaking pop-rock band The Last Goodnight will open for Yamin during the club/theater trek, details of which are listed below……..
Legend cranks up heat on Hot Stove
….On the other side of the musical spectrum, Wrentham native and …American Idol semifinalist Ayla Brown performed a cover of Natasha Bedingfield …Unwritten – which, she reminded the audience, was the song that got her booted off the show – as well as the title track off her new album, …Forward, and the 90s dance-hop-inspired …Absolutely Everybody. …..
Carly’s confidence stronger than ever
….Of all the big-name performers that have worked with the Idols so far, Jepsen said grammy winner and the first American Idol Kelly Clarkson is one of her favourites.
…She is unbelievably talented and she is very down to earth, said Jepsen, admitting despite her best attempts she still gets star-struck……
Friends reunite with college buddy, Taylor Hicks, for show
Theyve had the funny moments, like the time they almost froze to death together before a Macon, Ga., gig because the exhaust pipe in their …Tropic Traveler tour bus pumped mouthfuls of carbon monoxide every time they tried to turn on the heat…….
