`American Idol’ concert tour will start July 1
Whether it’s David Archuleta or David Cook who wins “American Idol” next week, both singers will be part of the show’s annual concert tour.
Tickets for this summer’s “American Idols Live! Tour, ” which features the TV show’s top 10 contestants, go on sale Saturday, said series creator Simon Fuller and concert promotion company AEG Live in an announcement Thursday.
With more than 50 stops, the tour is scheduled to begin July 1 in Glendale, Ariz., and end in September in Tulsa, Okla. A Toronto concert is included, with tickets for that concert on sale Friday.
American Idol Betting Odds: David Cook favored to win it all
BetCRIS.com has predicted the following shocking odds:
Odds that David Archuleta will win: 43/20 or 32% chance of winning
Odds that David Cook will win: 20/57 or 74% chance of winning
The oddsmakers at bodoglife.com agree that Archuleta has gone from top dog to underdog:
David Archuleta: +160
David Cook: -230
Odds Gives Archuleta The Edge To Win American Idol
Las Vegas (ChattahBox) – According to the odds over at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, David Archuleta is the favorite to win American Idol over David Cook.
The odds for the 17-year old from Utah stand at 5:6, meaning the odds are less than even money.
For David Cook, he has even-money odds, 1:1.
The Nielsen Company Measures the American Idol Phenom
NEW YORK, May 15 /PRNewswire/ — With only a week before the finale of FOX’s American Idol, The Nielsen Company today reported data trends about American Idol and its contestants. Highlights include:
— TV Ratings — People age 35-49 watched American Idol Season 7 the most, making up almost 29% of the total audience. The most watched episode this season was the premiere episode on Tuesday, 1/15/08 averaging 33 million viewers.
Idol Ratings Drop, But Fox Up about It’s Prospects
Peter Liguori, Fox’s entertainment chairman, said Thursday that a creative analysis needs to take place, but “both the network and the producers really want to … see what we can do to inject it with new levels of energy and new unpredictable twists and turns, and greater levels of storytelling.”
Liguori’s dissatisfaction marks the second season in a row in which executives have found themselves missing the lightning rods that powered the show over its first five seasons. Last year, Rupert Murdoch, the head of Fox parent News Corp., said the show suffered from a lack of charismatic, magnetic “characters” it entertained in the past.
‘American Idol’ center stage Wednesday
The penultimate week of this season’s “American Idol” overshadowed everything else in primetime Wednesday, leading Fox to another nightly win.
The “Idol” results show was the night’s top show with 24.3 million viewers and a 9.0 rating/22 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research. CBS’ “Criminal Minds” (12.7 million, 3.0/7) was the next nearest rival at 9 p.m.
‘American Idol’ Hasn’t Been Kind To Male Winners — But Can The Davids Break The Curse?
Be careful what you wish for. While “American Idol” fans (and certainly producers) have been itching for what they hope will be the epic showdown between the Davids for months, now that the last woman standing, Syesha Mercado, has been tossed from the locker room, it’s worth asking: Do we really want a male “Idol”? Or, better yet, is there a jinx on male “Idol” winners?
Since season-one winner Kelly Clarkson took the mantle, two-thirds of “Idol” winners have been female and, to date, they have all managed to have very respectable (Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks) if not superstar (Carrie Underwood, Clarkson) careers. The men, on the other hand, have had a less-stellar path. In fact, so far, the two male winners, season two’s Ruben Studdard and season five’s Taylor Hicks, are the only top vote-getters to be dropped from their major-label deals.
American Idol: Battle of the Davids
Wednesday night, the final night in the Idoldome, saw at last the journey reach its irreducible core. After all the ups and downs, what the season was about was what it had seemed to be, what many hoped it would be for these last weeks ‘- the battle of the Davids, David Cook vs. David Archuleta. Syesha Mercado, having dodged so many bullets for so long, was finally dispatched at the very respectable No. 3 slot on a night as tear-jerking as any the show has yet produced.
There are two crucial episodes in each “American Idol” season. The first is the Green Mile — the show at the end of Hollywood Week in which the remaining 50-some aspirants learn one by one if they have been accepted into the Top 24, an entire episode of pure razor edge dramatic tension as each is hurled to the entertainment heavens or plunged forever into the abyss of anonymity.
Two Davids, two different Idols
It will be the battle of the Davids on the American Idol finale, as producers and fans have predicted for months. After weeks of belting it out, the two Davids were chosen Wednesday as finalists, with 56 million votes deciding the results.
Mercado is already living the dream by Carmen Rasmusen
“Dreams really do come true … anything is possible, so just make it happen.”
Syesha Mercado spoke these inspiring words to students at Booker High School in her hometown of Sarasota, Fla., last week. As a top three finalist on this season’s “American Idol, ” Mercado knows all about “making it happen.”
When asked what her happiest moment was on the “American Idol” Web site, Mercado said, “Making the top 24 ‘ it took many obstacles to overcome to make it here.”
Adversity can definitely make or break someone. For Mercado, it gave her the strength to push herself week to week. And Mercado is no stranger to adversity. Besides overcoming musical obstacles on the show, she has been jumping personal hurdles for quite some time.
More David Cook T-Shirts Available
T-Shirts celebrating American Idol contestant, David Cook , are in demand.
The American Cancer Society began selling them last Friday during Cook’s homecoming tour. They are $10 and 20 percent of the cost goes to the American Cancer Society in honor of David’s brother, Adam. Adam Cook suffers from brain cancer.
Finalist David Cook’s theater chops set the stage for “Idol” success
Sure he’s got the great voice, the musical smarts and daring, the cute grin, the word-nerd appeal to fellow crossword-puzzle freaks.
But David Cook had a stealth weapon, as he rose above the pack to be a co-finalist for this year’s “American Idol” crown.No, it’s not that strange scarf Cook often wears trailing from his back pocket like a talisman.
His special mojo: theater training.
Putting Murray on the map
“American Idol” focused its national spotlight and millions of fans on David Archuleta and his Utah hometown in recent days. So, what do the Murray residents think of all that publicity?
“Mayor (Daniel) Snarr is such a great guy, ” Tom LaPoint of Murray’s LaPoint Ford said of his friend, “but that handlebar mustache of his really makes us look like we are Hickville, USA, ” he said.
Images of the Murray mayor ‘ complete with that handlebar mustache ‘ as well as local businesses, the city and Murray High School were all included in a broadcast of “American Idol” this week.
“It definitely put us on the map, ” LaPoint said. “I think that is a cool thing.”
Seacrest: Cheap shots with Cowell are real
“American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest talked with Larry King on Thursday about next week’s finale. The show is down to its last two contestants: David Archuleta and David Cook.
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Larry King talks with “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest about the two finalists, both named David.
King also got the inside scoop on the backstage drama, the father reportedly booted from rehearsals and Paula Abdul.
Larry King: Tell us what you think of the finalist David Archuleta.
IDOL INTEL
Can you ace our quiz on past winners and present personalities? (Don’t worry: We won’t ask you to predict this week’s winner.)
New shows in the works from “Idol” creator Fuller
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Could it be? The man behind the show seen in millions of TV homes each week is, himself, camera shy? “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller admits that it’s true.
But from his position securely offstage, Fuller can revel in the success of “Idol” as it reaches the May 21 climax of its seventh season.
“Idol” continues to drive the Fox network to the top of the ratings. The show, for example, drew 27.8 million viewers the night of the Super Tuesday presidential primaries in February, according to Nielsen, easily outdrawing the election coverage on other networks.
Firefight! Nielsen Ratings Say Hispanic Viewers Dug ‘Fuego’, ‘Idol’, and ‘Dancing’
Like a pair of worn-out presidential candidates gasping for breath as they fight for their party’s nomination, AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS continued to battle for the prize of most-watched program in America. For the week of May 5-11, Hispanic viewers’ preferences mirrored those of the entire United States, with American Idol grabbing the highest ratings and Dancing with the Stars coming in second, according to figures released by the Nielsen Media Group.
Jennifer Hudson Talks ‘Sex and the City’
Jennifer Hudson says ”Omigod” a lot. Not in a melodramatic, Gossip Girl way, but in one that shows genuine awe. Like when she exclaims, ”Omigod, that was crazy, ” of her experiences on the set of the Sex and the City movie. Those three jammed-together words convey the wonder, the admiration, even the fear that the 26-year-old Oscar winner (and Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG award recipient) felt upon joining the seasoned team of actors: ”It felt like hopping in the fast lane on the expressway. I’m like, Slow down! I’m new!”
Hudson has new single, role in ‘Sex and the City’
South Side native Jennifer Hudson ‘ the Oscar-winning actress from …Dreamgirls ‘ is working on her first solo album, due Sept. 30. Her first single, ‹‹Spotlight, ƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ arrives this month.
Her new, more personal sound, she says, will surprise fans.
‹‹Everybody is so used to me sounding like Effie, but this is going to be very different, ƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Hudson says. ‹‹This is me.ƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬
Hudson, 26, says she never aspired to become an actress.
Hudson chats about ‘Sex’ film
NEW YORK – Jennifer Hudson never aspired to become an actress, which is rather remarkable, considering the 26-year-old is an Oscar winner.
Growing up in Chicago, Hudson sang gospel music in a local church choir. The big girl with a booming voice yearned to follow in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.
She was a finalist on the third season of “American Idol” but was eventually voted off. That might have spelled the end of her music career, but Hudson’s luck held, and she landed the coveted role of Effie in “Dreamgirls.” Her performance as the cast-aside star of a ’60s girl group earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award.
Jennifer Hudson reveals SATC handbag heaven
Jennifer Hudson is one jaw-dropping star. In the last few years she has turbo-charged her way from an unknown wannabe on American Idol to Oscar-winning movie star. Jennifer stole Beyoncà © limelight in Dreamgirls ¦ and now she set to share the big screen with Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex And The City: The Movie. We like the way she moves ¦
Carrie Underwood gives SunDome a rare sellout
Pop-country sensation Carrie Underwood is the second artist, ever, to sell out the Yakima Valley SunDome. Fellow country star Toby Keith was the first during his 2003 visit.
“In our market, we’re never very sure” what will sell well, says Greg Lybeck, assistant general manager for State Fair Park. “We’re always hopeful.”
The approximately 6, 800 tickets to Underwood’s May 23 show, which also features opening act Josh Turner, sold out nearly three weeks ago, but there still may be a chance to snag a seat.
Reba & Kelly’s 2Worlds Tour Spins On
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson have announced another round of dates for their successful 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour.
The new run kicks off September 25 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba and runs through late November.
Stops include Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta (September 27), Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho (October 9), Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. (October 16), Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. (October 23), John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. (October 30), Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (November 6), BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Ala. (November 14), and Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. (November 21).
Alicia Keys dazzles with singing, spectacle at Nokia Theatre
Jordin Sparks, last year’s American Idol winner, opened the show soaring and swooping through her pleasant pop tunes while a majority of the audience ate dinner in the lobby. “Are you excited to be here?” she inquired.
“I love you!” a couple of youngsters shouted. “There’s my die-hard fans, ” the relieved 18-year-old said. Used to commanding 30 million viewers, Ms. Sparks is now getting accustomed to the world of the warm-up.
Fantasia 2: The Fantasianing
On last night’s splendiferous, Sayesha-ejecting American Idol results show’ like nasty walnut chunks in maple ice cream, she was utterly ruining our pure, David-savoring experience’ third season Idol winner Fantasia Barrino stopped by the Karoakedome to perform. And yet “perform” seems not quite the sufficient term in this instance’ rather, she seemed literally belched from some fiery, subterranean afterworld miles beneath CBS Television City, accompanied by a chorus of winged backup-demons. The audience’ many of whom were still enjoying the pleasant, torpor-inducing effects of David Archuleta singing about “fishes in the ocean”‘ reacted as though they had just been smacked against the side of the head with a hooker’s club foot.
TV finally gives country music its close-up
When former WB sitcom star Reba McEntire hosts the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards from Las Vegas on CBS Sunday evening, she’ll share the stage with at least two singers ‘ Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler ‘ who came to national prominence as “American Idol” contestants on FOX-TV; another, Trace Adkins, who created new fans as a participant on NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice; and another ‘ Garth Brooks ‘ who came out of semi-retirement to craft a CBS concert special from Los Angeles in January.
As if that’s not enough, two more faces on the telecast ‘ John Rich and singer-songwriter Jewel ‘ will begin a run next month on “Nashville Star, ” a former USA Network show that’s being bumped up to NBC. And yet another, Dwight Yoakam, just set a record as the artist who’s made the most musical guest appearances on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” during the Jay Leno era.
Country is good fit for ex-Idol Phil Stacey
Phil Stacey says his first single, the country-pop anthem If You Didn’t Love Me, was a perfect fit the first time he heard it. For one very romantic reason.
“I wanted to record it because it was something I wanted to say to my wife, ” admits Stacey, a top-10 finisher during season six of American Idol. (Season seven wraps next week.)
The surprisingly solid tune was co-written by Rascal Flatts singer Gary LeVox and is inching up Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (top 30 as of this week). The object of Stacey’s musical affection, Kendra, appears briefly in the video.
Former Wichitan and ‘American Idol’ finalist Phil Stacey pairs with Tracy Lawrence as part of a country-themed batch of River Festival events Wednesday.
Holly Bascombe knows her 4-year-old daughter Celestina’s taste in movies well enough to know she’d love the kids’ rodeo Wednesday night at Riverfest. “She watches ‘Spirit’ two or three times a day, ” Bascombe, of Wichita, said, referring to an animated movie about a horse. “Spirit gets lassoed. So she’s always trying to lasso things.”
Despite some light showers, the Bascombes and thousands of other festivalgoers packed downtown Wednesday night for a country-themed batch of events around Century II.
Josh Gracin battles back
“American Idol” is the biggest TV show in America, but its track record as a launching pad for successful musical careers is spotty at best. For every bona fide discovery like Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry, there are a half-dozen Anthony Federovs or Anwar Robinsons, contestants who, after the show, fade into the abyss and are never heard from again.
Clay Aiken’s IPhone Walk and Talk
American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken chats on his Apple iPhone as he strolls along Montana Ave in Brentwood, Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Clay looked summery in his linen blazer and leather sandals as he went to have lunch with friends at Louise.
His latest album, On My Way Here debuted this week at #4 with 94, 071 units sold this week. Clay previous album, A Thousand Different Ways, started at No. 2 in 2006, with the much larger sales of 211, 000.
Phil Vassar, Jo Dee Messina launch CMA fest
Phil Vassar and Jo Dee Messina will kick off 2008 CMA Music Festival on June 5. “Having Phil and Jo Dee kick off CMA Music Festival this year is going to be a real treat for our attendees, ” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer.
Curb recording artist Messina is slated to release her fifth studio album later this year. Vassar recently put out “Prayer of a Common Man.”
Bill Anderson, Jeff Bates, Bo Bice, Lane Brody, Jason Michael Carroll, Erika Jo, Billy Gilman, Josh Gracin, Andy Griggs, Con Hunley, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Mindy McCready, Joe Nichols, and Eddy Raven were added to the lineup for the Riverfront daytime stages shows.
Additional performers include newcomers and rising stars Dean Brody, Zac Brown, Stephen Cochran, Star De Azlan, Flynnville Train, Jeff Griffith (performing with Joe Stampley), Greg Hanna, Rick Huckaby, James LeBlanc, Jeremy McComb and Jason Meadows.
Go Greek at Oakland’s Greek Festival
OAKLAND ‘ There are a variety of ways to enjoy the 36th Oakland Greek Festival this weekend.
1) Go there. It’s at the Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Oakland hills, and merely being there is a mini-trip to Greece.
2) Go ancient. Once there, you’ll find history lectures and displays in which you can learn about notable Greeks such as Thucydides, who was one of the first true historians, the father of the school of political realism and the author of “The History of the Peloponnesian War.” And Hypatia, considered the first notable woman in mathematics, who also taught philosophy and astronomy and believed in a single divine being as the ultimate source of all reality, a conviction that altered her own reality because it got her dragged out of her chariot and murdered. Talk about Greek drama.
3) Go modern. Meet “American Idol” season-four contestant Constantine Maroulis, a Greek-American who has since starred on- and off-Broadway, released his own solo album, toured, appeared on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and is a co-host on this season’s “American Idol Extra” on the Fox Reality channel. Top that, Thucydides!
Tuning Up With Kellie Pickler At The ACM Awards
The Academy of Country Music honors country music’s flashiest and sassiest at 8 Sunday night on CBS, and only ET is with nominee KELLIE PICKLER at rehearsals in Las Vegas!
ACM Awards: Things to watch out for
— Will the “American Idol” presence be felt? When last we saw some country awards — the CMT Awards — “American Idol” grads were so heavily featured that “Idol” judge Paula Abdul remarked, “There are so many ‘American Idol’ alum here that I feel this is a reunion.” Aside from CMT big winner Kellie Pickler, the awards featured Carrie Underwood and Bucky Covington. With Underwood having dominated the telecast in 2007, and Pickler the CMT queen in 2008, The Envelope’s awards guru Tom O’Neil argued that “Idol” was taking over country music. The ACM Awards will thankfully tip the balance back to non-“American Idol”-bred country, but it could be the night that catapults Pickler to superstardom, as the young singer will be performing, and is nominated for top new female vocalist.
From Idol to Angel: Hicks to Make Broadway Debut in Grease
As “American Idol” fans await the battle of the Davids ‘ Archuleta vs. Cook ‘ producers of the revival of Grease have announced that “Idol” winner Taylor Hicks will make his Broadway debut in that summer-lovin’ musical next month.
Hicks, who was the Season Five “American Idol” winner, will begin performances as Teen Angel June 6. The Alabama native, who will succeed Stephen Buntrock, is scheduled to stay with the production at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre through Sept. 7.
In a statement “Idol” winner Hicks said, “I am incredibly excited to be a part of one of my favorite musicals. The Soul Patrol’s gonna invade Broadway!”
DVD Review: ‘American Idol: Season 6 Finale Performance Show ‘ The Top 2’
Jordin Sparks, winner of the sixth season of “American Idol, has achieved only modest success, and in terms of star wattage, this was the talent show’s dimmest round to date. “American Idol: Season 6 Finale Performance Show ‘ The Top 2 is the last performance round without the endless commercials but all the full-flavored cheesiness.
The most unintentionally hilarious element of this DVD release is this onscreen message that shows up during host Ryan Seacrest’s segments: “Please do not call or text these numbers. Yes, the “American Idol producers are afraid viewers will forget they are watching a DVD and will start madly texting in support of Sparks or her runner-up, Blake Lewis. This might be something worth careful study by educators.
Not Quite American Idols
Brooke White, Michael Johns and Kristi Lee Cook dish on their idol experience.
The Billboard Q&A: Michael Johns From ‘American Idol’
At 29, Michael Johns made it into the final rounds of “American Idol” at the last possible year he could, due to age constraints. The Aussie sat down with Billboard to discuss his label luck, tennis and being one of the few married finalists on AI.
When you were growing up in Perth, was anyone in your family musical?
Everyone in my family is musical. My mum has a very pretty Doris Day-type voice. My brother and sister both play piano and sing. My stepfather is a great singer too. I was always around music growing up.
