Idol Headlines for 10/24/07

Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦

Clarkson downsized but not out

Kelly Clarkson may have had to downsize her tour ambitions but there was nothing small about her performance at the Orpheum Theatre last night, except maybe the running time.

But when you give as much vocally as the inaugural “American Idol” does – no lip synching, thank you very much – it’s easy to understand why she keeps things to a tidy 75-minute running time………

Boston.com

Genuine: Kelly Clarkson played the Orpheum last night
Powerhouse pipes fuel Idol worship

The scrooge in me is still annoyed that Kelly Clarkson apologized to stuffy old Clive Davis – especially after I went to bat for her new CD.

But the fact remains that all the speculation over whether she made a mistake in releasing her self-penned …My December only perpetuates the problem at the argument core: rock and roll isnt meant to be so calculated. Last I checked, it still considered a raw form of self-expression.

Also tiring is all the talk about how Clarkson not a convincing-enough bad girl; does that mean she cant occasionally take the liberty to play one through her music? Does she need to live it in order to sing it?

It might help, but really the answer is no. And at the Orpheum last night, Clarkson proved that indeed, she can sing it – and with feeling………….

Boston Herald

‘American Idol’s’ star on the wane

What is the lifespan of an idol?

In the case of Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first season of the “American Idol” television series in 2002, the answer seemed to somewhere in the neighborhood of five years.

After winning the making-of-a-pop-star showcase, Clarkson went double-platinum with her debut “Thankful, ” won a couple of Grammys for the rocking “Breakaway” and looked to be well on her way to a stellar career.

It was under slightly different circumstances that Clarkson arrived at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday night, touring in support of her latest release “My December.”

While TV continues to turn out new “American Idols, ” the bloom started to come of the rose for its original export. In fact, this was Clarkson’s second attempt at getting on the road this year. In the summer, her original tour plans were scrapped due to poor ticket sales.

Although the arena was not sold out for her casino appearance (there were hundreds of seats open in the upper bowl), the fans that still support Clarkson do so with fervor……….

MassLive

The Year’s Top Artists Perform on ‘The 41st Annual CMA Awards’

The list of Country luminaries performing on “The 41st Annual CMA Awards” reads like a who’s who of the format’s finest and freshest faces with the announcement today that multiple nominee Alison Krauss and Horizon Award nominees Jason Aldean and Kellie Pickler have each been added to the list of performers for this year’s gala………

Broadcast Newsroom

Abdul Slams Idol

Paula Abdul finally has an original thought but you can bet that Idol producers wish she’d do back to being a Randy Jackson parrot. Here is the Contact Music report: American Idol judge Paula Abdul has slammed the talent show for “destroying the souls” of aspiring singers.
The 45-year-old singing star – who appears on the reality TV series alongside music mogul Simon Cowell – admits she would never have appeared on a talent show to launch her career.

She says, “I don’t know that I’d have it in me to put myself out there like that. It’s excruciating, soul destroying.”

AntiMusic

Nielsens: Red Sox victory gives Fox a boost

….
¢Not so great. The two-hour premiere of Fox’s Next Great American Band, the latest spinoff from the American Idol team, jammed to a weak 3.6 million viewers Friday and was last week’s worst showing on the Big 4 networks.
….

USAToday

Carrie Underwood gets rootsy on solid sophomore CD

Most contemporary female country singers start out on the traditional side, then grow increasingly pop as they become more successful. Carrie Underwood reverses that trend on her second album, “Carnival Ride.”…..

AZStarnet

Dancing with the Stars 5: Top 8 Results Recap

…The entertainment portion of the evening is passà © at best. Jennifer Lopez performs an energetic set, but it is her older material that is most enjoyable. Lopez continues to be a model of professionalism, though. This isn’t a Britney Spears moment. Still, for Lopez to attempt to reenergize last year through American Idol, and this year through Dancing with the Stars is a bit tragic…

Buddy TV

Fox Looks Good in Sox

For Fox, baseball’s Red Sox Nation is the all-new Simon Cowell.

The network, which usually spends the fall killing time until the annual January return of Cowell and company on American Idol, rode the Boston Red Sox’s playoff run to the top of the latest Nielsen Media Research rankings……..

………Ratings-wise, Fox’s The Next Great American Band (91st place, 3.6 million) is more like the next Celebrity Duets, rather than the next American Idol…….

EOnline

Carrie Underwood Tries To Overcome Coheed And Cambria, Serj Tankian, Cobra Starship And More, In New Releases

…Fallen “Idols”?: We can hear enough about “American Idol” contenders when they’re on TV, but when it comes time for them to release material, some of them are actually making their albums hard to find. Elliott Yamin put out his NBC Sounds of the Season: The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection in Target stores only last week, and now Bo Bice is delivering his new album, See the Light, exclusively to Wal-Mart. Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman and ex-Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell helped make sure Bice’s second effort had a Southern touch…..

MTV.com

Get Peachy With Katharine McPhee

‘American Idol’ beauty Katharine McPhee took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to Atlanta Peach magazine. In the issue McPhee talks about beauty, her great bod, and her sense of style. Here are some highlights from the interview…

Hollyscoop

Carrie Underwood takes us on ‘Carnival Ride’

“American Idol” fans like their stars to sing big and busy. That encourages some of them to throw their voices around with such wacky abandon it’s as if they were being paid by the note.

Somehow that never happened to Carrie Underwood, the most country-savvy of the kids shot to stardom by the “Idol” juggernaut. She’s a first-class power hitter to be sure – more so than ever on her just-released second CD, “Carnival Ride.” But Underwood prefers to focus her belts, offering few embellishments or melismas along the way…..

NY Daily News

Where Your Money Went

Remember last spring when “American Idol” had an entire episode devoted to raising money for charity? Ever wonder what happened to that money? It’s buying mosquito nets in sub-Saharan Africa and sending fresh fruits and vegetables to 200 U.S. food banks.

The “Idol Gives Back” episode featured celebrities like Bono and Madonna and raised more than 75 million dollars…..

Fox28

Music Review: Bo Bice – See the Light

The Real Thing is the real equation apparent in this sophomore album released by Bo Bice following his time in the American Idol spotlight.

This is the real thing – in the world of Bice. He rolls and rocks and revels in the rock-a-billy stylings that this man is obviously most comfortable expressing himself in. This is the real thing when it comes to Bo Bice’s heart, his soul. Turning on the album, the listener is treated to a hearty mix of southern, soulful rock and roll with a twang of country-at-heart thrown into the mix……..

Blogcritics

Clay Aiken sets out on holiday trek

Clay Aiken is gearing up to spread the holiday cheer on his “Christmas in the Heartland” tour, which launches next month.
But first, the “American Idol” alumnus has a couple of special shows on deck. On Friday (10/26), he’ll take part in the star-studded “Neil Sedaka 50 Years of Hits” tribute concert in New York City, which benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Then, on Nov. 6, Aiken will head to Las Vegas to serve as the exclusive musical guest for the “Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice” show with 2006 Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen and a host of other champion skaters. That program will be taped for a Christmas Day broadcast on NBC-TV.

Aiken’s holiday outing is officially set to kick off Nov. 26 in Wichita, KS. The tour will visit theaters across the Midwest and East through late December. The itinerary is listed below…….

Live Daily