Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Carrie Underwood’s career still rising as she releases new disc
Carrie Underwood’s second compact disc, “Carnival Ride, will be ready for its first paying customers Tuesday, and the 24-year-old Checotah native still wonders how she ended up in the top seat of the Ferris wheel ‘ one of the most popular singers in country music, with a view of bigger things to come. Sure, the easy answer is that she won “American Idol. But Underwood said she doesn’t know how she got that far……..
Band contest surprisingly refreshing
Fox debuts a new show Friday6 that promises to do for rock bands what “American Idol” has done for singers.
Which begs the question, just what did rock bands ever do to Fox to deserve such ill treatment?…….
……Like many a reality show, “American Band” hasn’t been completed in time to get screeners out to critics, so what’s surprising about the 25-minute highlight reel Fox sent out instead is — and you better sit down before reading any further and finish that sip of coffee or juice right now — how good it is. The bands rock, and even the ones that don’t seem to be treated with a bemused good humor by the judges, instead of the humiliation “Idol” piles on its William Hung-style washouts……
TV Critic’s picks: ‘The Next Great American Band’
Two bands into the highlight reel sent out by Fox, I became convinced that this new competition ‘ “American Idol, ” but with groups ‘ actually might find the next great American band. First, I was surprised by a Nashville trio’s rocking version of the Sunday school ditty “This Little Light of Mine.” Then, five little boys calling themselves the Light of Doom and describing their influences as Iron Maiden (as well as “ninjas, boobs and explosions”) turned out to be not only Tiger Beat ready but also wildly talented.
Where, I wondered, was the freak show? Where were all the terrible acts that inevitably kick off one of these talent searches? And where were all the snarky comments from the judges? Finally, a group in gorilla masks showed up, and one toting a big, wooden horse head. But even some of the most offbeat acts on the highlight reel ‘ Denver and the Mile-High Orchestra, a big band with a Michael Bublà ©-ish lead singer covering the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” ‘ had charms……….
Celebs to compete on CMT
Bobby Brown … country superstar?
The R&B singer is one of several celebrities set to compete in a new CMT series designed to give one of them a chance to break out as the next big country music star.
“Gone Country, ” premiering in January, will feature John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich guiding seven celebrities through the music industry. Along with Brown, the participants include Carnie Wilson, formerly of Wilson Phillips; Dee Snider of Twisted Sister; “American Idol” finalist Diana DeGarmo; Julio Iglesias Jr.; Maureen McCormick (“The Brady Bunch”); and R&B artist Sisqo……
THE ESSENTIALS: Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood will release her sophomore album, …Carnival Ride, on Tuesday Oct. 23. Let see if the former …American Idol winner can avoid the second-time-around jinx.
¢ With the CMA coming up Nov. 4, Underwood, who won two awards last year, including best female vocalist, will be reminded about the face Faith Hill made when Underwood name was called. Underwood has been diplomatic, refusing to start a much-needed country rivalry. Look what Kanye vs. 50 Cent did for hip-hop.
¢ Who lost to Carrie? Oh, Bo Bice. He releasing an album ‘ available exclusively through Wal-Mart (how fitting) ‘ on Tuesday as well……….
‘American Band’ takes ‘Idol’ idea to the next level
….”A couple of the acts, I had to say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me, ‘ ” Sheila E. says; some bands have more shtick and style than musical skills. Others “had great marketing value but lacked musicianship. Some were great musicians, but their showmanship wasn’t good. Overall, 15 to 17 could be on a record or the radio. For them, this is a great opportunity.” …..
Carrie Underwood captures the world of country
Carrie Underwood is used to seeing crowds at the Ryman Auditorium. For three days in February, though, she had the former home of the Grand Ole Opry pretty much to herself, as she and a dozen Nashville songwriters worked on new tunes.
“We just ruled the Ryman for a little bit, ” the 24-year-old singer says. “We kind of hung out there. We ate on the stage. We thought it would be a nice place to get inspiration from.”………
Carrie Underwood Set to Perform on Good Morning America’s Fall Concert
Country singer Carrie Underwood is set to perform in New York at Times Square on
October 23, 2007……….
Are they America’s next great rock band?
L.B.’s Fifi Larue takes its shot at TV fame and a possible record deal tonight on newest `Idol’ spinoff.
Fifi Larue is the “Gothic Killer Clown of Rock ‘N’ Roll, ” and his band, also called Fifi Larue, is a motley crew. They appear in black garb and ghoulish white faces, except for one member whose face is devil red…………
Think American Idol with a tour van
Sometimes it seems like everyone in America craves the fast-track climb to the top of the music heap. The star-making machinery of American Idol has given the world such instant pop sensations as Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks. Now come the garage bands.
Hope springs eternal for the musically deluded in The Next Great American Band (Friday night, Fox and A-Channel at 8 p.m.). An inevitable evolution in the TV talent-search species, the new reality series replicates Idol in format and dreamy reach-for-the-stars tone ‘ which shouldn’t be surprising, since it comes from the same producers. It’s almost exactly the same show as Idol, except this time the contestants arrive by the vanload……….
Kickin’ it up: Be ‘The Next Great American Band’
Why do it? For tough love, maybe. And industry attention.
MY feelings about the phenomenon known as “American Idol” can be summed up in the name Kelly Clarkson. Although she’s not musically my type, I think that on the whole the world is a little better for her having a career, and she’s a spunky thing who knows when to tell the suits to take a hike. (In which respect she is an example to the young. And to the old.)
And it’s good for Americans to practice voting……..
Bo Bice, Shooter Jennings get back to their country roots
Beyond a laissez-faire attitude toward personal grooming, Bo Bice and Shooter Jennings don’t appear to share much in common. Bice is best known as the scruffy longhaired guy who lost to Carrie Underwood on the fourth season of “American Idol.” And Jennings is the son of outlaw-country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. Yet on their new albums (due Tuesday), each man sounds determined to leave behind the showbiz excesses of his past in an attempt to tap into a humble well of roots-music honesty……….
It’s ‘Idol’-ized
Given the incredible ratings success of “American Idol, ” it’s hardly surprising that the folks at Fox are trying to find a way to expand that ratings bonanza.
Much to the credit of the various people who have programmed Fox since “American Idol” burst onto the scene in 2002, the network has not diluted its success by trying to air more than one cycle of the show per year. Part of that has to do with Fox’s coverage of the baseball playoffs and World Series, but it also has to do with the fear that if the show named one winner in the fall/winter and another in the spring, “American Idol” would lose ratings momentum.
But that hasn’t kept them from trying. Fox put “American Juniors” ‘ an “American Idol” with kids ‘ on the air during the summer of 2003 and announced that it would continue through the fall. Except that the ratings were so lousy it disappeared in mid-August.
And in 2005, the network’s reality-programming chief announced “Celebrity Idol, ” a series featuring ‘ you guessed it! ‘ celebrities competing in an “American Idol” format. But that show has yet to make it on the air.
In the spirit of try, try again, tonight is the debut of “The Next Great American Band” (7 p.m., Ch. 13). Which is, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn, “American Idol” for groups instead of individuals…………
Muggs’ shot: Local group gets a big break with ‘Next Band’
Those familiar with the Detroit rock scene may have noticed a few recognizable faces in promos for Fox’s “The Next Great American Band, ” a new reality show produced by the team that brought viewers “American Idol.”
The sight of Metro Detroit’s own beloved hard blues/rock trio the Muggs has local folks wondering how the band got on the show and how big a part it’ll play.
“I’m going to try to watch it, but I don’t want to sit through two hours of the other crap, ” says Willy Wilson, promoter for the Magic Bag in Ferndale, where the Muggs frequently play. “I’m excited for them though.” …………
Casinos add ‘Star War’-style games, entertainment for younger audiences
…..Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass, for instance, has added dance floors and frequently books American Idol singer Rebecca Bond and her band Dy-Verse….
He’s ‘coming home’: Daughtry’s show at State Fair is a sellout
The hysteria that is an airport could be heard in the background. Chris Daughtry, lead singer of the rock band Daughtry, had just gotten off a plane in San Diego; he was walking and talking, juggling luggage and trying to conduct an interview while horsing around with bandmates……
Local musician takes aim at television fame
Bill West is honored his band was picked from thousands of others to participate in TV …The Next Great American Band reality show. It premieres at 8 tonight on Fox (channel 8, locally).
West band won an online contest sponsored by the Fox affiliate in Durham. The band received round-trip airfare and accommodations to Las Vegas and a chance to compete against 59 other bands from all around the United States. The event was held in mid-August.
West was in his car on Wednesday afternoon driving to a gig in Charleston, S.C., when he talked with the Times-News……
Ashlee’s Scared of Idol’s Blake
…..In a moment of the pot calling the kettle black, “Ashlee hates American idol, and thinks the show makes stars of nobodies, taking credibility away from real musicians, ” a source told OK! of the former MTV reality star turned pop star.
The source added, “They’re figuring out the release date, but it should be at the end of December. She doesn’t want to compete with crazy Idol fans.”
Although her website simultaneously declares the album’s release date to be November and December. Ashlee’s rep tells OK!, “There was never a date set, so it couldn’t have been pushed back.”
