Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Concert review: Kelly Clarkson brings flirty spunk to Boca
If Kelly Clarkson proved anything in her flirty, bold set at Mizner Park Amphitheater Thursday night, it was that negative press and dire career predictions can sometimes fuel confidence rather than cowering.
There was the 25-year-old inaugural “American Idol” winner, all bold and blonde on her downgraded tour promoting that album that wasn’t supposed to sell. Rather than be apologetic or demurely gracious, the native Texan was brash, funny and in a mood that can be best be described as occasionally “nanny-nanny-boo-boo”-like.
But instead of coming off smug or cocky, Kelly Clarkson’s “My December” tour just came off like the work of a self-assured young woman’s declaration that her belief in herself paid off. And instead of just shrugging, she was celebrating. If you think that’s cocky, well, there’s the door……..
Album reviews
…Few albums arrive with lower expectations than an American Idol’s first release. Given the lackluster season and dismally amateurish summer tour that led to the most recent winner, 17-year-old Jordin Sparks, one could reasonably expect yet another stinker from the Fox/19 cheese factory.
Surprise. Aside from the clichà ©d Dream-Comes-True pap every Top 2 finalist has to sing on the season finale, in this case This Is My Now, Jordin Sparks is one of the least crummy Idol CDs….
Music Review: Various Artists, “Enchanted” Original Soundtrack
….However, good as it is, “Ever Ever After, ” performed by American Idol country megastar, Carrie Underwood, is undoubtedly the song that’s going to make it into radio rotation, being a rousing, rollicking blood-pumper that really gets the listener moving. And in case you forget that it comes from “Enchanted, ” Underwood reminds you with lyrics like, “Let yourself be enchanted, you just break through / To Ever Ever After, ” and a refrain that references back to “True Love’s Kiss.”….
“Idol” Wannabe Bites It … Big Time!
Hollywood Week took a scary turn Monday when a season seven “American Idol” hopeful wiped out on her way off stage and tumbled down a set of stairs. Talk about tanking your audition!
An on-set spy tells TMZ the unidentified woman was rushed to a nearby Pasadena hospital and was treated for minor knee injuries. So far, no comment from the show on the clumsy contestant’s condition — or if she’ll be back for the Final 12.
Usually, the most frightening things happen on the “Idol” stage.
BUCKY COVINGTON REVEALS THE FINAL TWO CONTESTANTS OF CMT’S NATIONAL ONLINE TALENT SEARCH WHEN “MUSIC CITY MADNESS: THE ROAD TO CMT” PREMIERES DECEMBER 4 ON CMT
American Idol finalist and Lyric Street Records recording artist Bucky Covington hosts a madcap re-cap of CMT’s online search for the best unsigned country act in America when MUSIC CITY MADNESS: THE ROAD TO CMT premieres Tuesday, December 4 at 10:00-10:30 a.m., ET/PT on CMT. The half-hour show takes a look at the top 64 contenders and those that didn’t make the cut, and reveals the final two contestants as chosen by the fans. The top two contenders will then battle it out in a head-to-head battle at CMT.com, and the winner will be announced Tuesday, December 11……….
‘American Idol’ loses its juice, Sparks album tanks
The latest “Idol” winner Jordin Sparks is selling worse than Taylor Hicks, the previous year’s winner……….
Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood reveal initial tour dates
Confirmed dates are starting to trickle in for next year’s US tour pairing Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.
The 24-city “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour” is scheduled to kick off Jan. 31 with a two-night stand in Uncasville, CT. Other cities confirmed so far are Roanoke, VA; Omaha, NE; and San Jose, CA. Details are listed below……..
Bon Jovi stops by more cities along ‘Lost Highway’
….Canadian rock quartet Hedley, a finalist from reality show “Canadian Idol, ” is supporting Bon Jovi in Canada. Rock band Daughtry [ tickets ], which is led by “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, will take over in the US….
Holiday concerts
….Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will headline the seventh edition of Alice Cooper’s charity bash. Also appearing will be country’s Whiskey Falls, Flo & Eddie of the Turtles, comic Mike “Blackjack” Wilson, CTA and Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers….
Kelly Clarkson Concert at
Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida
Pop singer Kelly Clarkson is set to perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida on December 1, 2007.
Clarkson tour started on October 10, 2007 and will run until the end of the year. Following the performance in Nashville, Kelly is also scheduled to start touring with country singer Reba McEntire for the …2 Worlds 2 Voices tour which is set to kick off on January 17, 2007 in Dayton, Ohio.
The popular pop singer is known for her hit single …Since You Been Gone.
The first season American Idol winner is also scheduled to tour Australia and the United Kingdom in March 2008.
Sheila E Talks “The Next Great American Band”
….The next question was about Denver And The Mile-High Orchestra, a band obviously beloved by people who have nothing good to do on Friday nights. Why have they made it so far? Wouldn’t she rather see Franklin Bridge kept and them send home?
Well, Sheila E loves them because they’re fun to watch and because they’ve had to make such a big stretch to play on the show. “It’s challenging to take these rock and roll songs that they have to pick from, and make them their own, ” she said, especially with such a sizable horn section. She thinks they could win it all, and are almost certain to make the top three alongside Sixwire and the Clark Brothers.
Of course, Sheila admits that she also just likes big band music. Too often, she thinks, anything that isn’t rock or hip-hop gets relegated to “public service, cable access, or documentaries.” She wants kids who play wind instruments to see a successful big band playing on national TV.
Another complicated topic that came up was the WGA strike. Sheila is very sympathetic to the strikers, she said, because they’re getting screwed in the same way that musicians get screwed by record labels. But Sheila is relentlessly upbeat, and there is a silver lining, which is that “Next Great American Band” is getting some extra attention. It can’t be that much, given the ratings, but every little bit counts…..
Dream comes true for Idol runner-up
…I’m not a big fan of television at all, but it’s an amazing way of communicating with people. I tell people that all I was put on this Earth to do is communicate my art to people, and what better way to do that (than) on American Idol.”
Lewis will make TV appearances throughout December, including on MTV’s TRL and Fuse, as well as visiting major-market radio shows. The label is planning an equally heavy Internet advertising blitz along with special editions of the album for iTunes and Wal-Mart….
Dolly Parton Declines to be American Idol Judge While Season 5’s Mandisa Tops Album Charts
Dolly Parton and American Idol fans are disappointed to hear that the country singer popularly known for her bumpers–err, “Jolene” hit back in the 1974 has declined an offer to become a judge on the reality singing competition.
The now 61-year-old Dolly Parton, who was born and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee, started performing at a young age and later on went to record various albums under different record labels. Some of her hits never made it into the Billboard Top 100, but her single “Jolene, ” which was produced by Bon Ferguson, became a hit when it was released in 1974.
For its upcoming season, American Idol planned to produce an episode which was entirely devoted to the legendary country singer. FOX had invited her along to be a judge for the episode, however, she turned down the offer because she believed she was too nice to critique some wannabes from America’s most popular singing competition….
Double trouble
R. Kelly, Bucky Covington, Billy Joel
….Bucky Covington
American Idol has steadily seeped into the American consciousness over the last decade, and now you can read alarmist stories by music critics bemoaning the reality-TV program being a benchmark for pop music. Perish the thought — but if the show weren’t turning out so many fresh-faced vocalists, the music industry would probably be even further in the red than it already is. Covington, one of the show’s country-leaning contestants, dropped his debut album in April….
COAST CASINOS DECK THE HALLS
Holiday specials are everywhere
….Former American Idol Kimberly Caldwell comes to Biloxi to star with Eugene Eash in an original holiday revue “Merry Christmas… Baby” Dec. 7 and 8 at IP Casino Resort. Entertainment Manager Tessa Rogers said the family show will be staged in the newly remodeled IP Showroom, which seats about 850…..
New music | Due in stores Tuesday
…. Blake Lewis, Audio Daydream (Arista). American Idol finalist tries to prove he can do more than beat-boxing….
