Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Daughtry stretches tour through December
The rockers of Daughtry are still riding high on their debut album and have once again extended their US tour.
The band, which is currently in Europe, will return stateside Nov. 4 for its first of two gigs opening for Bon Jovi at Newark, NJ’s new Prudential Center. Daughtry’s November schedule focuses on the East, until the band heads to Los Angeles for the American Music Awards, where it is up for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and Favorite Breakthrough Artist. The post-grunge rockers are scheduled to perform at the Nov. 18 ceremony, which will take place at the Nokia Theatre and air live on ABC-TV.
In late November, the group will head to Europe once again before launching another US run that kicks off Dec. 4-5 with a two-night stand in New York City. East Coast dates are planned through Dec. 21. The US itinerary is listed below, while overseas shows can be found at Daughtry’s website………
Idol Underwood takes us on a ‘Ride’
….So far, she’s won over fans across the country with her pretty face, girl-next-door charm, and powerhouse voice. Yet, there are some in the country music industry who have criticized Underwood as the mere product of a popular reality TV show – someone undeserving of such heavy praise, having taken a shortcut to fame and commercial success. Also, the rise of her songs on pop radio has led some critics to brand her as singing inauthentic country. The anticipation for her follow-up album has been overwhelming as America waited to see if Underwood would live up to the high expectations that had been set for her…..
Kelly Clarkson gets raw
Kelly Clarkson beat out thousands of singing hopefuls to become the 2002 “American Idol” winner and went on to grab more success with her 2003 debut album, “Thankful, ” which went platinum in sales.
By her 2004 album, “Breakaway, ” Clarkson shed her nice-girl image with hits such as “Since U Been Gone” and showed the world she can write hot tracks like “Because of You.” According to Billboard, the album sold 11 million copies, and Clarkson took home two Grammy Awards in 2006.
While Clarkson performs at the Fillmore Detroit on Sunday, the artist had scheduled a summer tour to spread the word of her third release, “My December, ” a darker, more mature musical offering. Then she suddenly cancelled the tour, including an August gig in Metro Detroit, causing rumors of a stress- and album-induced breakdown to swirl about…….
For The Record: New releases from Carrie Underwood, Robert Plant & Alison Kraus and Robert Casadesus
“You can call me ‘not country’ until your blue in the face, but I sing country music, ” Carrie Underwood recently told Entertainment Weekly.
Whatever you may want to call it, the real emphasis in that sentence should be on the word “sing, ” because, if nothing else, Carrie Underwood can sing. The Oklahoma native won “American Idol” in 2005 because she could hit that crucial moment in the song and raise the roof every time.
It carried over into her major-label debut, “Some Hearts, ” one of the biggest-selling records of the decade so far. If you liked that, you’re going to love the second helping, “Carnival Ride.”………
Kevin Max and Joanne Cash To Perform At Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival
…..About Kevin Max:
As one-third of dcTalk, Kevin Max has sold over 8 million records worldwide, won four Grammy Awards, and had a Top 40 pop hit with …Just Between You and Me, which also received significant airplay on VH1 and MTV. Max returns December 26th with his latest solo album, The Blood – A very personal project that allowed him to step back from his usual rock stylings in favor of a musical exploration of Gospel. This deliberate departure features high profile collaborations with an extraordinary cast, including Vince Gill, Amy Grant, American Idol finalist Chris Sligh, Joanne Cash, Erica Campbell of Mary Mary and a long-anticipated reunion of dcTalk (featuring Max, Michael Tait and TobyMac)….
Sheila E’s drums of steele
Sheila E on The Next Great American Band.
We may not need another talent show creating more instant celebrities out of mediocre Americans, but The Next Great American Band might be the one that actually finds real artists. Taking the American Idol format, American Band is looking for musical groups instead of solo artists. They’ve got a solid panel of judges too, including musicians John Rzeznick and Sheila E. Frankly, any opportunity to speak with Sheila E is worth it, so thank you, Next Great American Band………
Carrie Underwood & Chace Crawford Eat at Justin’s
It’s one of the cardinal rules of dating ‘ no messy barbecue! ‘ but that didn’t stop Carrie Underwood and new arm candy Chace Crawford, who stepped out in New York Tuesday night with a meal at Justin Timberlake’s restaurant, Southern Hospitality.
The American Idol champ, 24, and the Gossip Girl actor, 22, stopped at restaurant Destino earlier in the night before following up with more food, drinks and dessert at the pop star’s restaurant. The pair ate BBQ wings, Timberlake’s “Grannie’s Pecan Pie” and looked “pretty lovey dovey, ” according to an observer.
They were spotted again on Wednesday, when he watched Underwood perform on Live with Regis and Kelly. A source tells PEOPLE that one person surprised to see Crawford backstage was his own Gossip Girl costar Blake Lively, who was also a guest.
The Hill is alive with Reverb-erations
Guster lead singer Adam Gardner addresses Congress today, on biodiesel and greening the music industry.
….Is there an artist whose tour youve been dying to work on?
I know Radio Head will be touring next summer, and I would love to be involved with that. And Coldplay as well’ theyll be touring 2008. I would love to get more into the Hip Hop world, and more into the Country world. I know Tim and Faith are very into environmental issues, and theyve contacted us. Id love to do the American Idol tour. Just to reach all sorts of different demographics….
Somebody to paint: A conversation with Grace Slick
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Q. Any contemporary artists that youre fond of?
A. There a band I just love called Del Castillo, out of Texas. I love Daughtry, who came out of …American Idol.
Celine Dion has really only had one hit song in this country, but her voice is so good. But what she does onstage gags me, because it too orchestrated and corny. When you say something about your heart, you dont point to your f’ ’ in heart. Leave your hands alone, honey. Just stand there and sing.
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A diverse musical lineup highlights this year’s fair
…Kellie Pickler
Best known for her country twang and lovable attitude on the fifth season of “American Idol, ” Kellie Pickler will be a newcomer to the Coastal Carolina Fair this year.
While on “Idol, ” Pickler shared her personal journey from living with an abusive father to finding refuge with her grandparents who encouraged her to believe in herself.
After her experience on “American Idol, ” Pickler went to Nashville to sign her first record deal with BNA label head Joe Galante. The young starlet began touring and recording, and she hasn’t looked back since.
“What I’ve learned the last year is that no dream is too big. You can let things bring you down or you can use them to make you stronger, ” she said. “I used everything that happened to me as fuel to get me where I am today. You can’t give up on your dreams ’cause sometimes, that’s all you have.”
Pickler will perform Friday at 9 p.m. on the Lakefront Stage….
CMA nominee Carrie Underwood cements her grip on country music
Each year, the Country Music Association awards offer an instant update on Nashville.
Viewers see that the music has changed a little and some careers have changed a lot.
For the latter, surf through the CMA’s with Carrie Underwood who has three nominations this year. Peek at:
— 2005: As the CMA’s arrived Nashville, Tenn., viewed her hesitantly. She was the “American Idol” winner, then 22 and promising.
The show’s producers let her perform “Jesus, Take the Wheel, ” her upcoming single — but only if she trimmed it for time.
“I hate cutting songs down, ” Underwood says. “I was saying, ‘But it’s a story song!'”
Worse, a flu bug had just struck. “By midday, I realized it wasn’t just nerves. I was like, ‘I’m going to get sick in the middle of the song.'”
She didn’t and the song soared.
— 2006: Everything was different this time………
CD Reviews
Carrie Underwood’s sophomore album will take you on a “Carnival Ride” of musical ups and downs. Riding high off the success of her first album, Some Hearts, Underwood manages to keep the momentum going with her follow-up.
Carnival Ride starts off with a bang. The first track, “I’m Flat on the Floor, ” features feisty fighting words with a bit of a rock-and-roll twist. Guitars, fiddles, banjos and drums infiltrate this emotional album, which starts on a high note but gets into heavier stuff on “I Know You Won’t.”
“So Small, ” the first single off the former American Idol’s latest release, has already promised to be a radio hit. With inspirational lyrics and a full set of background instrumentals, the song preaches a message we have all heard time and time again. Yet somehow it proves to be worthy of second, third and fourth listens……..
Writers Guild Postpones FremantleMedia Rally
The Writers Guild of America West http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6493271.html called off a planned demonstration against FremantleMedia http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6489311.html Wednesday due to the wildfires in Southern California http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6493783.html. The union said it would reschedule the event for a later date.
WGAW has been stumping for better working conditions for game-show/reality workers. FremantleMedia is one of the biggest names in both of those genres, with American Idol, The Price Is Right and Family Feud among its productions.
