Today Idol headlines after the jump ¦
American Idol Winner to Perform at Z100 Jingle Ball Friday
American Idol fans lucky enough to get tickets to the sold out Jingle Ball hosted by Z100 this Friday, Dec. 14, 2007, are in for a treat. Season six winner Jordin Sparks will be taking the stage, alongside chart-toppers such as Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Timbaland, Alicia Keys, Jonas Brothers and Boys Like Girls….
CDs mark a first Noel for these artists
….Elliott Yamin, Kimberley Locke. Former American Idol finalist Yamin takes the contemporary route (including a couple of new songs and a staple by his idol Donny Hathaway) on The Elliott Yamin Collection, while Locke’s Christmas (a digital-only release) is more traditional (albeit including Wham!’s neo-standard Last Christmas).
Yamin’s eight-song package is part of Target’s Sounds of the Season series, along with six-song mini-LPs by teenage country sensation Taylor Swift (who covers Eartha Kitt’s Santa Baby) and U.K. hitmaker KT Tunstall (more into hipper seasonal favorites by The Pretenders and The Pogues)…..
Daughtry Shows Just How Limited His Talent Really Is
…..Bounced off the show as one of four remaining finalists in May 2006, he fit the image well enough to land a record deal, and his self-titled 2006 debut has sold more than 3 million copies. Last week, he was nominated for four Grammys.
Yet his performance Sunday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino was never more than a wan rehashing of conventions cribbed from the past 20 years of hard rock, with a particular (and unfortunate) emphasis on the late ’90s and early ’00s. His songs have all the dour angst of nu-metal, but without the bite.
In fact, the 75-minute concert felt at times like Daughtry was still trying to impress the “American Idol” judges as he strove to demonstrate his range, which is limited.
With a shaved head and scruffy cheeks, he looked the part. But Daughtry is an average vocalist ‘ and not much of a songwriter, either, if you prize originality…..
Phil Stacey Signs to Lyric Street
American Idol season six finalist Phil Stacey is working with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick (Little Big Town) on his debut album. After his stint on the hugely popular show, Phil embarked on a 55-city summer tour with fellow contestants, then moved to Nashville with his wife, Kendra, and their two children.
Phil grew up singing in his father church in Fairfield, Ohio, and studied vocal performance at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. In 2003, he enlisted in the United States Navy where he served as a Musician Third Class at Navy Band Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla.
Phil album will be released on Lyric Street Records, the label that is also home to Rascal Flatts and American Idol finalist Bucky Covington.
Scoop: Britney’s Five-Finger Discount
…..Britney, Clay Aiken are most-searched celebs
Another day, another year-end list. This one comes from search engine Lycos, which says Britney Spears was its third most-searched term in 2007, and was the No. 1 most-searched woman on the site. Dubious as the honor might be, even more fascinating is that former “American Idol” winner Clay Aiken was the engine’s most-searched man in 2007. Aiken topped the likes of the late Tupac Shakur (No. 2) and pretty boy Zac Efron (No. 7)….
“C” Is For Corny
Last year …American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis has just released the video for his first single, …Break Anotha. I know, right? But honestly, Im kind of into the song. The video, however, looks like it cost less than my last trip to H & M.
Franklin Desperate for Berry, Hudson, or Fantasia
Soul diva ARETHA FRANKLIN is desperate to secure HALLE BERRY, JENNIFER HUDSON or AMERICAN IDOL star FANTASIA to play her in a movie of her life.
The Respect singer insists the three women are in the running for the lead role in a forthcoming Franklin biopic, but she can’t decide who would best fit the part.
She says, “I’m still thinking of several people (to star as the singer), and that would be Halle Berry, possibly Fantasia, she’ll be through on Broadway in January, and it could be Jennifer Hudson – you never know. There’s no final on that yet.
“I’m still observing them and their projects. Dreamgirls I’ve watched a couple of times lately, and I’m still just trying to arrive at the right decision.”
Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood to perform CenturyTel Center
Country music superstars Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood will perform March 2 at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City.
The Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Carnival Ride tour will hit 24 cities and will feature hits from both the Grammy Award-winning artists. The tour name combines the titles of each artist most recent album ‘ Urban double platinum …Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing and Underwood No. 1 debut second album …Carnival Ride…….
TV program notes — week of Dec. 23
….Monday, Dec. 24, 10-11 p.m. EST (PBS) “Christmas at Belmont.” The “Christmas at Belmont” concert is a holiday tradition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., whose music school features outstanding choral and instrumental ensembles that have received high praise nationally and internationally. This year, the annual concert comes from Nashville’s new Schermerhorn Symphony Center as “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle hosts a festive musical collage that includes a Christmas repertoire ranging from traditional carols to classical masterworks to lighthearted secular songs…..
