Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
Michael W. Smith, friends set the Meyerson aglow
….American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle also joined Mr. Smith onstage. Her voice is as lush and full as her personality is charming. “Simon told me I wouldn’t be singing backup anymore, ” she said, referring to the show’s Simon Cowell. “But who would have thought in a million years that the Katinas and Michael W. Smith would be my Pips.” She was adorable. But her voice is serious business….
Exclusive Interview: Elliott Yamin, former ‘American Idol’
Elliott Yamin is a great singer. Anyone who watched the sixth season of American Idol knows this for a fact. In terms of pure singing ability, Yamin is arguably the best male singer to ever grace the Idol stage. One thing you may not know about Yamin is that he’s also a really good person. Yamin has suffered from Diabetes for years and has begun using his Idol fame to do what he can to help those who suffer from Diabetes. We talked to Yamin recently and discussed his involvement with the Inspired By Diabetes campaign, as well as what he’s been up to with his music……
Natalie Grant Headlines Third Christmas Tour
Renowned Christian artist Natalie Grant kicked off her third annual Christmas Tour over the weekend with special guests Aaron Shust and American Idol finalist Mandisa.
The …Natalie Grant ‘ A Christmas To Believe In Tour, sponsored by the Gospel Music Channel, is slated to hit 14 cities in December……..
Carrie Underwood Reveals Weight Loss, Fitmess Secrets
….She adds, “I had a harder time finding clothes that I could feel good in. It didnt help that some viewers were candid in their online postings about the Season 4 winner weight (at least one called the singer …chunky). Underwood decided to slim down but didnt change her diet or fitness routine radically to do so….
Colbie Caillat, Elliot Yamin Earn First Gold Records
Fall turned out to be a good season for the Jonas Brothers, Colbie Caillat, Paramore, The Shins, Regina Spektor and Elliot Yamin, as they all received their first Gold records, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)…….
Review: Blake Lewis’ ‘Audio Day Dream’
….Unfortunately, those songs only point out how there’s not enough playfulness on the rest of “Audio Day Dream.” Lewis’ free-form beatboxing appears on only a handful of songs and the skit featuring his alter ego B Shorty falls flat, as do a bunch of the more generic love songs, mainly co-written with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder.
He sounds too tightly wound, like he’s more driven by a fear of failure than a quest for musical greatness. It’s an understandable problem considering the pressure of delivering the album on time, but a little more daring and a lot more dreaming could have made “Audio Day Dream” so much better…..
American Idol season seven hype begins
It’s not even December, and American Idol’s seventh season is still a month and a half away — but the hype has already begun. According to an interview with Extra, the American Idol judges – Simon, Paula, and Randy — are in agreement: This is going to be the BEST SEASON EVER!!…….
Surge ’07 festival set for Sunday
….The fà ªte will feature performances by BMX stunt biking team Chaos on Wheels and live music from Christian stars Skillet, Family Force 5, Big Daddy Weave, KJ-52, Rush of Fools, LeCrae, Group 1 Crew and American Idol finalist Mandisa. Artists are expected to stick around for meet-and-greets after they perform….
CO3 releases new Christmas medley exclusively online
….The Arkansas-based duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist Chad Little and vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Dave Romero has been making an impact on Christian music fans around the world, by blending remarkably rich harmonies and powerful production on their debut CD, Determined, which is in stores now. Produced by Rick Lloyd (Third Day), the album offers up twelve tracks of hope and encouragement, filled with rich harmonies and a pop-country edge reminiscent of Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. And it’s not much of a surprise that the duo’s music often draws an immediate comparison to Carrie Underwood’s pop-tinged hits, since Little spent a considerable amount of time in the American Idol winner’s band, serving as lead guitarist, band leader and songwriter….
Blake beatboxes his way into stores
The reviews are in for …Audio Day Dream, the debut album from Blake Lewis that hits stores today ¦ and theyre pretty much unaninmous.
Unanimously bad, that is.
Yes, it seems almost no one a fan. Perhaps that why he had such a struggle securing radio airtime.
A quick sampling of what folks are saying:
Backstage at Grammys with a man in the know
….The Eeyore tendency comes across in the book, but so does his impatience for industry hubris and flimsy talents. Ehrlich winces when the subject turns to “15-minute personalities, ” as he calls them, and he prides himself that he has turned down the overtures by Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and other stars whose legacies seems to be as fleeting as a text message.
“I spend more time focused on music and people that will be remembered in the years to come, ” he said.
That may be, but Ehrlich has seen “American Idol” beat the Grammys in head-to-head competition, and he has seen that talent show’s glorified karaoke sensibility tilt the Grammys broadcast, which last year had an unknown singer who had been selected by fans perform with Justin Timberlake. There’s also the upheaval in the recording industry. These things don’t sit well with Ehrlich, but he says the music keeps him going….
Reality’s dysfunctional democracy
Call-in shows lead to questionable winners
WINSTON CHURCHILL once called democracy “the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Despite an abiding admiration for Churchill, after analyzing results from recent competition shows that place power into the audience’s hands, here’s one man’s vote to restore TV’s status as an old-fashioned oligarchy.
Not to be blunt about it, but in those “America, you decide!” events, the wrong people have a bad habit of winning.
“Dancing With the Stars'” latest misstep follows “American Idol’s” litany of false notes, which included anointing Jordin Sparks as the winner after Melinda Doolittle thoroughly dominated the sing-off showcase. Much like Marie Osmond’s durability on “Stars, ” “Idol” also kept talent-challenged Sanjaya Malakar around until even judge Simon Cowell wondered aloud whether his lingering presence would do damage to the franchise’s credibility. (Cowell has sucked enough honey from this hive that he needn’t be diplomatic, which is part of his charm.)……..
Nobody knows anything
Sometimes in the entertainment world, cause, effect and results are obvious. Other times, no matter how much you know and how much of which you are certain, youre ultimately led back to the wisdom of screenwriter William Golden Goldman ‘ …Nobody knows anything.
Golden was talking about making movies, but he could have been talking about anything. For example, …American Idol…………….
Holiday charity shows bring early presents
….Jeff Foxx’s morning Wake-Up Club will broadcast live from the store, with other Kiss personalities like Red Alert through the day.
Over the years Kiss has collected some 15, 000 coats that it hands over to New York Cares.
WQCD (101.9 FM) presents its annual Smooth Jazz Christmas Concert at 8 p.m. at the Beacon Theater, 74th St. and Broadway. This year, it will feature Dave Koz, Jonathan Butler, Wayman Tisdale and Kimberley Locke of “American Idol.” ….
