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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2007 > August
August 2007
8/31: Sanjaya’s home on sale, CMA noms
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do you want to be in the same house Sanjaya lived in Federal Way, Wash.? He and his family are moving to Hollywood.
Here’s more info
Carrie Underwood was nominated for three CMAs awards for female vocalist of the year and single of the year and music video of the year for “Before He Cheats.” Miranda Lambert from “Nashville Star” is also nominated for female vocalist of the year.
Kellie Pickler is up for the Horizon Award, which is for a new artist.
Kelly Clarkson was nominated for Musical Event of the Year for her duet with Reba McEntire with “Because of You.”
Atlanta’s Sugarland announced the nominations Thursday with Sara Evans.
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8/30: Sierra in rehab, Bo rumors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A judge rescheduled ex-American Idol finalist Jessica Sierra’s trial on battery and drug charges after her lawyer said the singer is in a California rehabilitation facility, according to Associated Press.
And how about this for random? “Idol” judge Randy Jackson produced local boy Travis Tritt’s latest CD, which debuted this week at No. 28 and sold 23,000 copies on an indie label. Jackson brought out Tritt’s soulful side.
Fan Web sites for Bo Bice say his management has announced a pushed-back release date of October 23 for his sophomore CD, the same day as Carrie Underwood’s! I can’t find any direct info about it and I’m not sure what record label is putting it out or if this is even true. It would be an amusing re-match, if true. Here are references on Bonafide Bice and Bo Bice Underground..
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8/29: Idols live & other miscellany
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spoke with the flaks handling “Idols Live” and will do the same thing I did last year: go to Gwinnett Arena at 3 p.m. Sept. 12 for the media meet and greet with four or so of the “Idol” finalists, then blog from the actual concert. (Last year, we got Lisa, Bucky, Taylor and Paris.) I won’t know which four, but I’ll take pictures. I am also going to talk to Chris Sligh on Tuesday, Sept. 4. If you have any questions you want me to ask any of the contestants, email them to me at rho@ajc.com. I can’t guarantee who will show up but I will ask a question to the pertinent person.
And here are the results from Idol Chatter’s season four revisionist idol vote.. Bo fans came in and helped edge out Carrie for the top slot. Constantine fans also pushed him up from 6th place to 3rd. My favorite Nadia Turner moved up to 4th from 8th, which I’m very happy about. Vonzell lost some steam, falling from her actual finish of 3rd to 5th. Anthony Fedorov also slipped, from 4th to 6th. Jessica Sierra surprisingly did well. landing 7th, up from her actual 10th place finish. Anwar slipped from 7th to 8th. Nikko landed in 9th, which is where he finished in 2005, too. I gave him a 6th place slot in my personal ballot. Surprisingly, Lindsey Cardinale, who I thought was a yawner, moved up to 10th from 12th. Not surprisingly, Scott Savol dropped from 5th to 11th with virtually no support. And Mikalah Gordon landed in last, compared to 11th in the real competition.
Season five voting is in full force. Vote away here. It should be an interesting vote. Will Daughtry fans help him win it all this time. Or will the Soul Patrol keep Taylor on top? I bet Mandisa will do better. It’ll be interesting to see if Paris remains in the top 5. I doubt it.
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8/28: Clay, Kellie on “Smarter Than a 5th Grader”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fox knows about synergy. It’s bringing back two favorite “Idol” alums and placing them on charity versions of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” set to air this November on Thursdays at 8.
Alpharetta’s Jeff Foxworthy will quiz Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler on their knowledge of basic geography, history, science, math and English. This should be a hoot. Billy Bush, Regis Philbin and Tony Hawk are others who will take part.
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8/27: Remember Jared Cotter?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The name might have already fuzzed out in your brain, but Jared Cotter made the final 24 this year. Jared has gotten a hosting gig on the Fuse’s live daily entertainment show “The Sauce.”
He’s the R&B dude with the thick eyebrows and dedicated Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” to his parents, which befuddled many viewers, including me. He also did that funny hand thing in front of his face that Ryan Seacrest mocked. From my memory, he wasn’t a bad singer but I think that performance hurt him. In the end, it was replayed on places like “The Soup.”
Oh, and the Philadelphia “Idol” auditions Monday drew a whopping 17,000 registrants, far greater than Atlanta. It was the largest audition ever for “Idol,” according to publicists. It was a combination of geography (the only Northeast stop) and the fact it was the final audition of the year.
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8/27: The tour slogs on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The “Idols Live” tour slogs on. I need to check with Pollstar to see how the show is doing attendance wise. It hit my home market of Long Island over the weekend and that means we get to hear how those New York critics took it.
The New York Times could have been a lot meaner but did opt for that over-arching cliche: “a show that amounted to high-energy karaoke.”
Glenn Gamboa in Newsday notes that this year it’s more about “musicianship” because the “Idols” play more instruments. He was actually very kind, though he said Blake had trouble hitting his high notes. It sounds like they’ve added and changed some songs from earlier in the tour. Gina Glocksen is singing a current Pink song “Who Knew” and Chris Sligh is now trying out Fall Out Boy’s “Thanks fr th Mmrs.”
On Sunday night at the Teen Choice Awards on Fox, Sanjaya won “choice” reality show entertainer and of course, “Idol” won best reality show.
And the “Next Great American Band” (on Fox debuting Oct. 19) will feature Sheila E. (“The Glamorous Life”) and the Goo Goo Dolls’ Johnny Rzeznik as judges. Australian Idol’s Ian “Dicko” Dickson will be the third judge, possibly filling in the Simon role. And New Zealand Idol host Dominic Bowden is hosting. More details in this USA Today story.
Down in Philly, the final auditions are up and running. And it looks like the biggest, probably because it’s really the only audition for the entire Northeast. The Inqirurer said a whopping 13,000 people registered in the first eight hours.
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8/25: Blake finally signs contract
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s about time but 19 Recordings/Arista Records has finally signed season six runner up Blake Lewis to a record contract.
The album is slated for late 2007 but no title has been announced. Blake has been already working on the CD.
Here are more details.
Have a good weekend!
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8/24: Sparks single out today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is Jordin Sparks’ now.
Her single “Tattoo” is coming out on AOL’s Popeater music blog today. Here’s the link
“Right after I heard the first chorus, I was like, ‘I wanna sing that song. I have to have it. I wanna sing it,’” she told the Associated Press..
I just listened to “Tattoo” and I have to say, it’s catchy and Jordin pulls it off with aplomb. I hope top 40 radio at least gives it a chance.
Her album is set to come out November 20 with a mix of pop-rock and ballads. Oh, and a wee bit of country, too. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, anybody?
Critics are moaning about Ryan Seacrest hosting the Emmys since he’s not really a comedian..
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8/23: Elliott joins Constantine on soap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Check out Elliott Yamin on this Friday’s “Bold and the Beatiful” on CBS at 1:30 p.m. Elliott will perform “Wait For You” while Constantine sings “Fading Into You.”
Constantine has been on the show the past couple of months playing a record executive named Constantine.
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8/22: More on Ryan & Fantasia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you wanted an extended take on Ryan’s Emmy gig, the Washington Post obliges..
Fantasia is exhausted but rockin’ Broadway.. Oprah apparently convinced her to extend her stay through January despite the grueling schedule and emotional toll it takes to play Miss Celie in “The Color Purple.”
Oh, and I’m watching “America’s Got Talent” and those annoying one-trick ponies from last year called the “Quick Change Artists” (the woman’s dresses seem to change in a heartbeat multiple times) came back. But the woman slipped and fell at the beginning and it sure didn’t look like part of the act! Piers looks annoyed because yes, it’s the same act again! Then again, he might just be in massive pain over that Segway accident he got in when he broke a few ribs.
I really enjoyed the final four picks this year: the adorable 14 year old Julienne Irwin, the dignified beat-boxer/piano player Butterscotch, the engaging singer Cas Haley and my pick to win, the incredible singing ventroliquist Terry Fater. And he did. Watch him here.
The only unfortunate part about Fater winning is he will inspire a raft of really bad ventriloquists.
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8/21: Mandisa’s tour arrival Friday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mandisa came to the Georgia World Congress Center last month for the Christian retail trade show and told me she would be back soon to Atlanta to tour. Well, she didn’t wait long. She’ll be at the Love Transforms Concert at the 700-seat North Star Church at 3413 Blue Spring Rd., Kennesaw.
Tickets are $25 a piece and you can buy them here.. Or you can call the church from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 770-420-9808. You can also buy tickets at the door. Doors open at 6; concert starts at 7:30.
Love Transforms is sponsored by LifeWay and the Women’s League ministries of Cobb Vineyard, NorthStar Church, and Piedmont Church.
Her CD has sold more than 25,000 copies in its first two weeks and her single “Only the World” hit the top 10 on the Christian adult contemporary charts.
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8/21: Simon leaving Idol in 2010?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s way early but Simon Cowell has told the Daily Mirror in the U.K. that he plans to quit “American Idol” when his contract is up in 2010. At this early point, this is probably just posturing but you never know.
He said he plans to move 100% behind the camera and concentrate on his booming music and TV companies.
“I have three more seasons under contract with American Idol and that will be it. And it will probably come at the same time in the UK. I am contracted for another two or three seasons in Britain and I think by that point the public will be sick to death of me anyway and it will be time to go.”
If this blog is still around in 2010, too, well, I too will move on and focus on my booming music and TV companies, too. Ahh.. just kidding.
8/20: Seacrest hosting Emmy’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ryan Seacrest, just a week after I talked to him, not only has gotten that Super Bowl gig but today, Fox announced that he is also hosting the Sept. 16 Emmy Awards.
The tryouts in Charleston, S.C. have passed, with Miami the next target. Pretty boring coverage from the State in Columbia, S.C..
And please go to USA Today’s Idol Chatter and vote for season four revisionist Idol. Pick your top 6 from that season. I gave Nikko and Nadia higher rankings than they got on the show.I suspect Scott Savol will fall off big time. Carrie will probably win again but how the rankings play out in retrospect should be interesting. A glance at the votes so far shows broad support for a wide array of the top 12. I think my favorite Nadia, who made poor song choices and was ousted relatively early, will do much better this time around.
Now let’s look at the radio airplay charts to make this a wonderful Monday morning:
Elliott Yamin’s “Wait For You” remains at No. 4 on the Mediabase 24/7 top 40 charts, a bonafide hit for a truly good song. He was supposed to open his tour in Atlanta back in May but “Idol’ called him in for a TV appearance. He has yet to reschedule. “We are still in a holding pattern,” said Josh Anthony, the promoter for Center Stage and the Loft in Midtown. “We’re still not sure if he’ll play with us or do a radio show for Christmas.” It seems very likely then that Elliott might opt to play either Star 94 or Q100’s Christmas concerts.
Daughtry’s third hit “Over You” is leaping up the top 40 charts, now at 25.
Fantasia’s “When I See U” has fallen to No. 12.
On Mediabase 24/7, Kelly & Reba’s “Because of You” is up to No. 3, ahead of Bucky’s “A Different World,” which appears to have peaked at about No. 5. Carrie Underwood’s “So Small,” her new single,” is up to 15. Kellie Pickler’s “I Wonder” peaked in the mid-teens and is now down to 24.
On Christian A/C, Mandisa appears to have peaked at No. 9 with “Only the World” and Daughtry is stuck at 12 with “Home.” “Home” remains No. 1 on the mainstream soft rock charts, with Carrie’s “Before He Cheats” at No. 6, Kimberley Locke’s “Change” at No. 11, Elliott Yamin’s “Wait For You” at No. 15 and Taylor Hicks’ “Heaven Knows” at No. 19 (but that is only 175 spins nationwide.) On the more active “Hot AC” charts, “Home” is at No. 2 with Elliott Yamin at No. 19.
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8/17: Jordin signs contract & other news
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Here are some random bits:
It took seemingly forever for this to happen but 19Recordings/Jive Records has finally signed Jordin Sparks to a record contract. Here’s the press release. Last year at this point, at least four people (Taylor, Kat, Chris, Kellie) had contracts from season five. Jordin is the first from this season with an announced deal though Billboard.com says Blake Lewis is signed to BMG, too. The final 12 will be freed from 19 Entertainment obligations at the end of the month, Brandon Rogers told me Tuesday.
Last night, during “So You Think You Can Dance,” was an extended promo for “Search For the Next Great American Band,” another “Idol” spinoff, which is to air in late October/November/December. Are any of you interested/excited/indifferent to this? It looks intriguing to me as a nice fill-in before regular “Idol” shows up.
And USA Today’s Idol Chatter compiled more than 400 votes for “revisionist Idol” season three. Fascinating results. Fantasia won again, which is well deserved. Diana, with a contingent of fans coming in late to save her, kept her at second. LaToya London had impressive support and moved up to fourth while Jennifer Hudson jumped from seventh to fourth, not surprising given her post-Idol career. George Huff stayed in the same place: fifth. Amy Adams, who I really liked and came in 10th, jumped to sixth in revisionist Idol, surprising blogger Ken Barnes, who barely remembered her. Camile Velasco surprisingly landed in seventh, up from her real finish of 9th. I thought she was downright awful, far worse than Jasmine Trias, who finished a very weak eighth (compared to third in real life.). Jon Peter Lewis landed in ninth, slightly worse than his actual eighth place finish. Leah LaBelle, another forgettable presence, jumped to 10th from 12th. Matt Rogers finished 11th, same as the real result. Poor John Stevens, sixth in real life, fell to 12th here.
Constantine’s first CD sold a modest 9,000 copies, debuting at No. 75. (Thank you Idol Chatter here, too.) Eight other Idols are in the top 200 this week:
Kelly Clarkson 21-26, 23K 585K
Daughtry 27-30, 21K for the week, 3 million total
Carrie 32-37, 17K, 5.85 mil
Elliott 62-82, 9K 353K
Mandisa 8K, 25K total
Bucky 93-97, 8K 247K
Kellie 108-118, 6K 606K
Fantasia 170-184 4K 455K
Others:
Kelly’s Breakaway 6K, 5.83 mil
Kat 1,500, 351K
Taylor 500, 694K
Ruben 400, 233K
Clay 300, 516K
Kimberley L. 300, 15K
Paris, 300, 18K
And Ruben is planning a nightclub in Birmingham.. The working name is Ruben’s Club 205. Taylor Hicks is considering a club, too.
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8/17: Congrats Sabra on SYTYCD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Given the dynasty factor, I thought Lacey Schwimmer would bring home the crown on “So You Think You Can Dance” and join her brother Benji from season two. But surprise! She was out first among the top four. I was rooting for Sabra Johnson and she did end up winning the third season over Neil Haskell and Danny Tidwell.
What’s amazing is Sabra has had only four years of formal dance training. She shows such natural warmth, something I thought was missing from the runner up Danny, who arguably was one of the best technical dancers I’ve ever seen. I also enjoyed watching how she would change her hair around, sometimes an afro, sometimes straight.
Interestingly, Sabra is half black, half white —Â just like Jordin Sparks, winner of this past season’s “American Idol.”
CREDIT: Andy Sharp/AJC
And it was great the finale highlighted Kennesaw State student Brian Gaynor, 20, doing his robot to “Ain’t No Other Man.” The man has a spinal disorder, but it hasn’t stopped him. “Just being up here and dancing for everybody. Family, friends, judges. I mean, I was just pretty nervous being up here,” Gaynor said. Choreographer Shane Sparks wants to put him in a movie. Here’s a story we wrote about him a couple weeks ago..
8/16: Seacrest hosting duties at the Super Bowl
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The always busy Ryan Seacrest is going to host the pre-game and halftime Super Bowl shows this January, according to TV week..
Meanwhile, auditions have moved to Charleston, S.C. Registration numbers at 6 a.m. were estimated by the Associated Press to be about 4,000. I didn’t bother estimating the crowd in Atlanta at registration.
And here’s a shot of me and Jill from Clay Aiken’s concert last night:
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8/15: Clay Aiken live!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I drove straight to Chastain without a single second of traffic, which told me this wasn’t going to be a sellout. Indeed, Claymates filled up about half of Chastain Park Amphitheatre. I met up with Jill, who was kind enough to guide me through this concert from a fan’s point of view. The kind folks at Caren West PR gave us good seats relatively close to the stage.
Clay started at 8:20 p.m., looking a bit heavier than during his the “Idol” days, with that Beatle-esque moptop he wore for the 2006 “Idol” final. Here’s a shot from my lousy camera with his two backup singers (There’s a photo gallery I’ll link up to later which were taken by a professional AJC photog.)
Sure, the dorky season two runner up still seems to appeal to a certain type of middle-aged woman, but the man truly has incredible pipes and sounded great. Clay doesn’t take himself too seriously, joking numerous times about the heat and being quite gabby throughout the concert. “What’s with the humidity?” he said early on. “They didn’t give us fans! The only breeze are the bugs flying by our faces. One got stuck to me.” A fan handed him a freeze pop. He stuck it on his forehead, then noticed while singing “When I See You Smile” that the pop was sugar free. “You think I’m getting fat?” he cracked.
He bantered easily with his two long-time backup singers Angela Fisher and Quiana Parlor. (They’ve all been working together for four years now.)
He notes that he’s sweating, that he usually doesn’t perspire this badly. “I’m sweating like Ruben Studdard!” he noted. When the crowd said, “ooohh,” he responded, “I am! We’re family. I love Ruben but he sweats a lot!”
Over two-plus hours, he sang 13 songs in full (mostly covers and only one cut from his first CD) and two extensive medleys. His backup singers each got to sing a song, too.
At one point, he gets the crowd to sing the entire “Brady Bunch” theme. Then after professing watching way too much TV growing up, he proceeded to play more than a dozen TV theme songs, from “What’s Happenin’” to “Growing Pains” to “Diff’rent Strokes” to “Gimme a Break.” Oh, and “Charles in Charge.” I have to remind you that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is backing him up. This was surreal to say the least. He wore what looked like a very hot jacket and finally took it off during the “Jefferson’s” theme song, acting like a preacher. The crowd ate that up. He wore a long-sleeve white shirt with blue vertical stripes. (Vertical stripes are slimming, right?)
I did learn an interesting anecdote that I’m sure the Claymates knew already. While Clay was trying out for “Idol” five years ago in downtown Atlanta, he recalls spending two nights waiting on Spring St. thinking up songs to sing in his first round audition. But he blanked out and spurted out the theme song to “Perfect Strangers”!
During intermission, my old friend Erin Lee from Stone Mountain, who is a big Clay fan (though not a Claymate per se) came over from the fourth row of tables. She has seen Clay 29 times and five times during this tour. She noted that Clay has gained some weight but she still loves him. She did note that “his core fans travel all over for him,” then joked, “it’s the same 3,000 people at every concert.”
The Claymates brought “Clay”-faced fans and one even set a life-sized cardboard version of Clay on an empty seat. After he did “Measure of a Man,” he spied a poster that said, “I gave up a car to see you.” He asked the teen-ager what the deal was and she said, yes, her mom gave her a choice: a car or tickets to Clay. “Your mom,” he joked, “gypped you!”
He then changed the lyrics to Nilsson’s “Without You” to include the line “I can’t live, if living is without a car/I can’t live/ I can’t get anywhere!”
While singing that song, Jill nudged me and said, “he seems to be channelng Barry Manilow.”
Clay joked about the show’s modest production values. “I don’t want to spend the money on it,” he said. “That’s the truth.” Then he apologized doing only slow songs: “It’s Barry Manilow music,” he said, channeling Jill’s thoughts. “Me and Barry.”
He then set up a joke alluding to rumor’s he’s gay, a bit he’s been doing all summer. “Atlanta is the city where it all kind of started for me because I auditioned here. So this is a special night for me… I want to talk to you for just a minute about something serious. I know you’ve read this in the papers, probably seen stories in the tabloids or whatnot. Some radio shock jocks talk about it. Some of you have even thought this about me… Atlanta. I.. am… not cool.”
This segued into his first fast-paced song, a cover of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Yes, bat away those rumors by singing M.J.! :)
More amusingly, he and his backup singers then does a medley featuring “Baby Got Back,” “Like a Virgin,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “1999,” “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” “Oops! I Did It Again,” “O.P.P.,” “Yeah” (yes, he did Usher!!!), a very campy versino of “Sexyback,” “Achy Breaky Heart,” Paula Abdul’s specialty “Opposites Attract” and a return to M.J.: “Beat It.”
He was visibly out of breath by the end of that. “Butts and tractors,” he said. “I’m too cool for this now!”
While he talked about a new original song “Lover All Alone” with the melody courtesy of David Foster and the lyrics by Clay, Jill whispered to me, “Call him chatty Cathy.” The song was quite lugubrious and sounded autobiographical. He got big applause for it.
Before finishing up with “Because You Loved Me,” he teased his Claymate fans:
“We’ve been to Atlanta on almost every one of our tours. We love coming back here. We recognize a lot of your faces. (Pause.) Mostly because you’ve stalked us. We see you driving past my house. Not cool. Following us to the Waffle House after the show. Not cool. Not cool. We see your faces in our nightmares. But we really appreciate seeing you in the audience.”
Once the Celine Dion cover was over, he waved and left, dispensing with the cliched encore. The lights went up at about 10:35 a.m., 25 minutes before Chastain shuts the sound off. Jill said she heard that Clay will shake hands and meet with every Claymate after the concert. We went home. Overall, he was highly entertaining, even in the muggy heat. But I’m never going to be a Claymate. Sorry.
Set list:
Here You Go Again
Everything I Have
I Want to Know What Love Is
When I See You Smile
Right Here Waiting
TV theme song medley
These Open Arms
When the Lights Go Down (Quiana Parlor sang)
intermission
9- A Thousand Days
10- Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
11- Measure of a Man
12- Without You
13- The Way You Make Me Feel
14- Random music medley (listed above)
15- Listen (Angela Fisher sang)
16- Lover All Alone
17- Because You Loved Me
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8/15: A first-person audition account
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My brief video interview with Ryan Seacrest is here.. Feel free to mock me. I’m sure the broadcast folks have nothing to worry about.
My colleague Niketa Patel, Online Producer for ajc.com, (above with her sister Dimple on her left during auditions) was one of the many thousands who tried out for “American Idol” Tuesday at the Georgia Dome — and one of the vast majority who didn’t make the cut. Here’s her first-person account:
Auditioning for the 7th season of American Idol was a very surreal experience. I went in with no expectations and left feeling proud of myself for having taken a bold chance.
It’s something my family and I have wanted to do for a while because I have a performing arts background and have been singing in choirs and at events for years. I am a British-born Indian lady and have lived in the U.S. for eight years now. Doesn’t that give me an edge?
I jumped at the chance when I heard that the Features dept at the newspaper was looking for someone on staff to tryout. Why not? I thought. Even though the odds are very slim and Idol favors strange characters on air, I’m 26, really enjoy singing and have been strongly encouraged to audition and follow my dreams by family members and friends for years. My sister Dimple Patel is my #1 fan!
My sister and I reached the Dome at 7 a.m. this morning and I was relieved to see that most folks were already inside. Waiting in line was the last thing I wanted to do, having waited for two and a half hours on Sunday morning from 5 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. just to register.
I was amazed that there were so many folks trying out from all over the South, from Brunswick to Houston. And as usual, the crowd consisted of the very talented, mediocre wannabes and the down right weird!
The crowd had already practiced the group song one time by the time we took our seats which was ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’. How ironic considering Atlanta is home of Coca-Cola which is one of the major sponsors for American Idol.
We were asked to get on our feet about an hour later to practice screaming, waving banners and the group song again in front of the cameras. As cheesy as this was, the Idol team cheerily kept up our energy levels by making us chants and sing routinely throughout the morning.
I was actually pleasantly surprised that Ryan Seacrest showed up to welcome us and shoot the introduction and sign off for this portion of the show. He was rumored to have a prior commitment earlier this week and unable to attend. His arrival was met with much enthusiasm. Seacrest was a charmer with the crowds pausing for hugs and photos amidst his camera cues.
We then had to yell more phrases into the cameras after Seacrest left, such as ‘Welcome to Atlanta’, ‘I am the next American Idol’ and ‘Welcome to the 7th season of America Idol in Atlanta’.
As strangers became friends and people practiced in the stands, the auditions finally began around 11 a.m.
Idol had 13 tables set up with curtained partitions on the field with at least 2 producers at each station. Row by row, we were asked to walk down to the football field, walk across the pitch, to line up in groups of four.
Once directly in front of the producers, each of us had to step forward and sing our first song. We were all cut off after the first verse and chorus of one song. I sang ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ by Bonnie Rait.
Judges then asked us to step up to the table and we were given the their verdict.
Apparently, “even though we have great talent and good voices, we are not what Idol is looking for this season”. For what that’s worth!
Our wristbands were cut off our arm and we were promptly shown the exit. It was all over in a matter of minutes!
I pondered about what had just happened on my way to find my sister. Do I not have the right look? Was my voice not up to par? Was having another ‘token Indian’ on the show overkill due to the over exposure of Sanjaya last year?
I could ruminate over this endlessly but the fact of the matter is that I threw caution to the wind and while the audition felt somewhat like a poodle show overall, I will still watch Idol next year because I am passionate about singing and really just enjoy the show.
I am going to continue to sing and see where that takes me. American Idol won’t bring me down. I am game for karaoke with my coworker and friend Rodney Ho any day!
All I have left to say is oh well, another thing to scratch off my ‘’been there, done that’ list!
8/14: Constantine & Bert of Q100
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bert Weiss hated Constantine back in 2005 because he thought he was way too smug and self-important.
The Q100 team, while Bert was out last week, set him up by having Constantine show up without Bert’s knowledge. As Bert noted afterwards, it was a bit awkward until Bert owned up to his dislike of Constantine. Constantine took it well, seemed quite humbled since the competition.
Here’s a shot of the two of them Bert sent me. It’s pretty funny:
You can catch some of the audio here.
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8/14: Brittenum twins are back!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, this is my last blog entry from the field at the Georgia Dome.
I was truly joyous when I heard the Brittenum twins have returned and made it past the first round. Here they are, dressed in dapper white, Derrell on the left and Terrell on the right:
To refresh your memory on the Brittenum twins from 2005’s Hollywood auditions, here’s a trip back in time, courtesy of msnbc.com.
The guys were brash and made overdramatic statements. Then they were booted after they were accused of identity theft in relation to a car they purchased..
They have returned humbled and ready to bring out the soul again. They had a tentative deal with SoSo Def Records soon after the controversy but they said it didn’t work out in the end, blaming an avaricious lawyer. They said they now do speeches about not succumbing to peer pressure at local high schools.
“It was a blessing” to be back, Terrell said, noting that all the producers knew who they were, as did many of the other folks at the tryout. “It was a family reunion.”
And Terrell promises that this time, if they make it to Hollywood, “I’m going to shut my mouth! I will be very tasteful.”
Then he pointed at a 16-year-old gal from Douglasville, Alexandrea Renee Lushington and proclaimed, “She is going to be the next American Idol!”
Check her photo out below. There was a lot of buzz about this gal and she, like Diana DeGarmo of years yore, has been singing for years, doing national anthems at Hawks and Braves games and such.
She struck me as very poised and mature, yet sweet. She also has a cool sense of style, wearing an old Boy Scouts uniform and hat she found at Junkman’s Daughter in Little Five Points. She said she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” “I’m excited,” she said. “I’m proud of myself.” In fact, she was also the “fast pass” winner on Star 94’s “Idol” contest. This allowed her to jump to the front of the line during auditions.
Note: in 2005, the “fast pass” Star 94 winner was Mandisa Hundley, who ultimately finished in the top 10 that year. So don’t be surprised if we hear from Alexandrea again.
I finished my print story, too, so on this bizarrely multimedia day (video, blogging, pictures, print), I am hopefully done with “Idol.”
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8/14: Constantine, Ryan are here
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I managed to talk to both Constantine Maroulis and hometown boy Ryan Seacrest using the vidcam. I presume we’ll have video of my nascent attempts at broadcast journalism up later today. I’m sure I was awful. Ryan knows me and he teased me for my effort to ape the broadcast folks. For Ryan, this was literally a quick trip in and a quick trip out. He said he’ll have more time in October to see family and friends.
Constantine is here on behalf of Ganier, which is appropriate given his hair. His CD came out last week and he held it up to the camera, of course. His single “Everybody Loves,” he said, was cowritten by Atlanta singer/producer Angie Aparo.
It’s now just past 11. Auditions have finally started. They are allowing people with purple wristbands (contestants) and friends/family (orang wristbands) to go in and out, which is nice. Some folks think it’s too cold inside and come out for a bit of heat.
Here are some photos of Constantine and Ryan I took:
Brandon Rogers from season six interviews Ryan above. Ryan imitated Brandon to a tee. Brandon seemed vaguely embarrassed and bemused at the same time.
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8/14: Waiting for Seacrest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s now just past 9 a.m. Everybody is inside the Dome — except Ryan Seacrest. They need him to do the “establishing” shot where he announced Atlanta auditions with thousands behind him. Without him, the auditions can’t start. He’s running a bit late.
The publicist said 15,000 people are inside. We got in early and checked out the scene. I counted the number of seats in each section and there are 14 sections filled, from one endzone til the middle of the other one. Each section holds about 870 people, so that comes out to roughly 12,000. So it’s fair to say 12,000 to 15,000 are inside and at least 8,000 of them are there to try out. There is plenty of food for sale, including nuts, bananas, apples and lemonade. No beer that I can ascertain. There were long lines for the women’s bathrooms since at least 2/3 of the contestants are female. Some women are getting their hair done, courtesy of new sponsor Garnier, which also has a karaoke stage set up where a guy was singing “Living on a Prayer” as we walked by.
We watched an “Idol” organizer explain the process, which is pretty much what we already know: there are 13 tables lined up from endzone to ednzone. People go down by sections, line up in fours and each get to sing for 15 to 30 seconds. The few folks who get the yellow ticket to the next round go to the left. The rest get their wristbands snipped and go to the right and their journey is over. Cut in line, the guy said, and you are out. And don’t argue with the producers if you don’t get through. “The producer’s word is final,” he said. “There’s no begging, no arguing.”
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8/14: Idol auditions continued
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The “Idol” organizers let people into the Dome early. Lines were apparently huge at 4 a.m. or so, an hour before I even got here. By 5 a.m., thousands were already inside. They kept a couple thousand in the outdoor plaza waiting for Ryan Seacrest but they abandoned that idea when they heard he was running late. So they were sent inside. (We thought they’d let them in around 8.) That kind of left us on the outside stuck without many folks to interview, save for a few stragglers who are registering late.
I spoke with Brandon Rogers, the 12th place finisher from season six auditions. He’s here for TV Guide Channel. Remember him? Nice guy. He said he heard that at least 15,000 people have registered to try out so I think that gave the organizers extra incentive to get the proceedings started as soon as possible. He said that was the biggest showing so far among the four audition cities so far (San Diego, Dallas, Omaha were the others). In Dallas, people were auditioning well into the evening and that could well happen again today.
The videographer Michael Lindsay and I taped about a dozen people singing for a Web site feature in which we’ll have you judge their abilities. We heard a lot of good, not great singing, the type of auditions that the first-round producers would reject outright simply because they were neither bad enough nor good enough. A couple of folks were really bad, though nobody was in William Hung territory. The last guy we interviewed did a hilariously awful version of “Dangerously in Love” with enough camp value that he could make it to Randy, Simon and Paula on that alone. I don’t think we saw the next “American Idol” in our sampling.
I then tried to do that trivia/Jaywalking concept and it failed miserably. It simply isn’t funny when people simply say “I have no idea!” over and over again. Oh, well. It makes me appreciate how tough it is to do “man on the street” interviews and make them amusing.
We’re awaiting a possible few moments with Seacrest. And there’s always Constantine.
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8/14: Audition day arrives
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good morning blawgpound!
“Idol” wants to start on time so they are already letting people into the Georgia Dome at 5 a.m. A couple of thousands folks who got here really early were funneled to a plaza area by the Georgia Dome for “establishing shots,” in which Ryan Seacrest will introduce everybody with the big crowd behind him. Yes, hometown boy Ryan ended up coming after all. (I saw him on “Larry King Live” last night in New York talking about Merv Griffin so he must have flown in overnight.) It’s still dark so this shot won’t be taken until after 7.
A few hopefuls are actually sleeping on the concrete. Some are prepping songs on their iPods. Most are just hanging out, people watching, casing the competition, shooting the breeze. It appears some people did show up many many hours ago even thoughit really didn’t matter. People already have reserved spots inside.
Logistically, by having 80% of the people in the building by 8:30 a.m., they should be able to start auditions in time, which is no later than 10 a.m.
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8/13: Audition photos wanted/Idol musical over
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We are going to post camera and digital photos from you if you are going to be at the auditions. Please email photos to idol@i2i.ajc.com. If you can provide your name and caption info, that’d be great.
And so much for “Idol: The Musical.” It opened and closed the same day August 12. Here’s the gory details from Playbill..
The new musical, a satire on fans of Clay Aiken, began previews July 5. A press statement issued Aug. 13 reads, “Todd Ellis, the producer of Idol: The Musical, has chosen to close the show due to a lack of advance ticket sales, a lack of positive feedback from audience members and critics, and a lack of sustainable financial resources.”
Daniel Tursi directed Idol, which had replaced its entire cast during previews.
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8/13: Idol repeaters in force
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After I posted my blog entry yesterday from Idol audition registration, I spent a couple of hours honing a print story about “Idol” audition repeaters for page one today. Here it is.. I interviewed eight repeaters and got five of them in there, which seemed about right for a 25 inch story (about 800 words).
Today will be a day of semi-rest for me and I’ll be back at it again tomorrow before 5 a.m. This time, I’ll be triple-tasking: I’ll be blogging, shooting video for ajc.com and writing a color piece for the paper. It’s going to be a busy few hours at the Dome. I expect Kimberly Caldwell from season two will be around for “TV Guide Channel” and I’ve been told that Constantine will be mugging for the cameras, too. It’ll be interesting to see who else pops up for some free airtime and ink.
For those of you who did register, there’s no benefit getting there early except for media exposure or kibitzing with folks in line. Hover closer to the barriers and the odds of WAGA-TV or some other TV affiliate sticking a mike and camera in your face goes up big time. Don’t be shy! If that’s not a big deal for you, you already have a seat ticket so Just be there by 7 a.m. and you’ll be fine. Auditions should start inside around 10 or 11 a.m. Unfortunately, I won’t be allowed inside so I’ll likely hover where the first-round “winners” get through to see how many people make it.
One of the Dallas auditioners said a lot more people earlier in the day got the “yellow” sheets indicating they made it to the second round. Theoretically, the more ambitious and possibly the more interesting contestants (good or bad) lined up earlier in the day. A few will get “green” sheets, which means they were borderline and a second executive producer would give them a listen.
As noted, even if you are one of the fortunate few who gets past the first round, you’ll have to wait until October for the next audition before higher-level executive producers, including Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick.
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8/13: Idol registration begins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CREDIT: Rodney Ho
It’s now 7:17 a.m. and I’ve been here more than three hours. When I arrived at 3:45 a.m., there were already at least 1,000 people here. Security said they started letting people line up at midnight. I’d say it’s in excess of 5,000 now, wrapping halfway around the Dome. Although registration is open continuously until early Tuesday, the folks who register now will get out earlier on Tuesday. But there are at least 20 spots for registraation so lines are moving quickly. I expect waits to be very short after 10 a.m. The downside: you might have to wait awhile to audition Tuesday. (See the FAQ for more details.)
Overall, it’s very organized though at 4 a.m. they asked folks to move forward because there was too much space between some people. But instead, people squashed too close together and the organizers tried to get folks to move back, a much tougher task. At least the temperatures were reasonably comfortable and it’s not too muggy.
I’ve been interviewing folks for a Monday print story about “repeaters,” or folks who have auditioned before. It hasn’t been hard to find, naturally.
Grant Fisher (above), an Oklahoma native who recently moved to Nashvilel to pursue a music career, actually made it to see Simon, Paula and Randy last year in San Antonio and got a few seconds of airtime. He said he needs to convey more personality this time around. A 17 year old from Tampa, April Zinober, knew season six contestant Jessica Sierra personally and was inspired to try out. Teal Bradford of Duluth said the Peachtree Tavern owner paid $1,100 for her to try out in Chicago and Greensboro in 2005 and though she was rejected immediately both times, she’s going for her third round. One interesting snippet - when folks get rejected, staff snips off their wristbands into a forlorn-looking box.
Spontaneous group singing popped up and when a soloist was actually good, they received applause. When some folks began crooning “Lean on Me,” UGA student Kelly Bryant (who tried out in Chicago and Greensboro in 2005 and Birmingham in 2006 and is pictured below) said usually that means they’ll sing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” next. Alas, a minute or two later, that happened. “I called it!” she said brightly.
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8/11: Constantine coming to ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Season five finalist and “Bold and the Beautiful” actor Constantine Maroulis will be in Atlanta Tuesday for the auditions at the Dome. There’s going to be a stage set up for him to sing and I’m sure he’ll be selling his new CD, which came out this past Tuesday.
Do you want to hear it? You can sample it at aol music. It’s not nearly as bombastic as you’d think.
And if that doesn’t make you drool (or hurl), here’s a shot of Kelly Clarkson in a bikini!.
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8/10: FAQ for Atlanta auditions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the basic information about auditioning for “American Idol” at the Georgia Dome August 14. If you need more, check here.
Who qualifies for “Idol” auditions?
You need to be 16 to 28 years old as of July 28, 2007. (That means you could technically be 29 years old by the time the show starts.) You need to be a legal American citizen and have no existing record or artist management contract. You cannot have been in the finals from any past year and that includes the poor 16 people last year who made the final 40 but never got to sing for votes.
So how do I get into the auditions?
“Idol” will have registration tables at the Georgia Dome open continuously from Sunday at 6 a.m. until about 8 a.m. Monday. Provide two IDs, one with a photo. In exchange, the show will give you a wristband and a seating ticket. The earlier you register, the earlier you’ll audition. But if you don’t want to wait in line to register, come later Sunday. Most of the crowds will cluster Sunday morning to grab an early slot. If you wait til, say, Monday night to register, you might be sitting in the Dome Tuesday for a looong time.
Can I bring friends or family with me?
Yes. You can bring one person to hang out with you inside the Dome. If you’re under 18, you’ll need a legal guardian there.
What do you need to bring?
Besides your IDs, you are also allowed to bring digital cameras but no video cameras. Blankets are okay but chairs aren’t. The complete list is online at www.americanidol.com under the rules.
Will I get to camp out? Should I?
Nope. In past years, “Idol” encouraged overnight camping to generate extra press. But the show doesn’t have to worry about that anymore so it will only allow people to start waiting at 3:30 a.m. the day of the audition. And since folks have pre-registered with reserved seats, the only benefit to getting there early is to get some camera time when the media shows up. “We’re not interested in people camping out, losing their voices and getting sick,” said executive producer Patrick Lynn.
Will I get to meet Randy, Simon and Paula?
Not this week. These auditions don’t involve the trio. In fact, Dunwoody High School grad and host Ryan Seacrest won’t even be around. An Idol publicist says he’s got another engagement.
So what are my chances of singing before Randy, Simon and Paula?
If this was purely a random lottery, your chances are not good at all. Say 10,000 people in Atlanta try out. Based on observations of past participants, anywhere from 150 to 400 people make it to the second round. In other words, at least 95 percent of the people will be out of the running by the end of Tuesday.
What will it look like inside the Dome?
You’ll have a reserved seat and will be let in at about 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., the producers hope to have everyone in their reserved seats. Show execs will explain the audition process and videotape the entire group saying something like “Welcome to Atlanta!” or singing a group song. At about 10 a.m., the auditions will begin. About 13 or 14 tables will be placed on the main field with one or two producers behind them. In order, sections will be brought to the field and in groups of four, will be presented at a table.
What should I have when I get up to one of the tables?
You should have at least two songs, verse and a chorus, ready to go, because sometimes the producer will ask you to sing a second song. If you don’t have one in mind, that won’t help your chances. The producers will give most people at least 15 to 30 seconds, though Lynn said when Clay Aiken came up to him at AmericasMart in Atlanta in 2003, he cut Aiken off after 10 seconds because he knew he was a winner.
Haley Scarnato, a season six finalist who tried out in San Antonio last year, said she noticed everyone in front of her was belting out songs, almost screaming. So she went low key with Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” When the producer asked for a second song, she went for the upbeat “River Deep, Mountain High.”
So what happens if you do make it past the first round?
You have to fill out some more forms and will be invited back in October to an undisclosed location to meet with executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe, the latter also known as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance.” If you make it past them, you get a shot before Randy, Simon and Paula. You will have to sing the same songs before all of them and wear the same outfit. This way, it all looks like this was done in one day when in fact, it often takes at least three days. Randy, Simon and Paula will see anywhere from 70 to 150 people themselves over two days. In the end, they’ll usually pick 15 to 30 people to go to Hollywood.
If I do make it to Hollywood, what happens?
The Hollywood rounds are reportedly going to be taped in November or early December but won’t air until late January or early February. But contractually, you won’t be able to tell anybody about it until it airs. Naturally, names do leak out on the Web but “Idol” publicists won’t confirm any names. “Idol” will take in 120 to 200 people to Hollywood and that number will be pared down over several days to 40 or so. Unless “Idol” makes changes this season, of those 40, “Idol” producers and the judges will pick 12 men and 12 women for the semifinals. The taping in which those 24 are selected is usually done in January, several weeks after the Hollywood round.
Can I go to another city to try out if I didn’t make it through this time?
Absolutely. Last year’s winner Jordin Sparks was actually rejected in Los Angeles first before getting through in Seattle. Charleston, S.C. is the next audition site on August 18 followed by Miami August 22 and Philadelphia August 27.
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8/9: So You Think You Can Dance presale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You can get early tickets to the October 22 Gwinnett Arena tour of “So You Think You Can Dance” here at Ticketmaster..
The keyword is: CanDance
Before junk fees, it’s $37.50 to $54.50.
Given the online buzz, it’s probably Lauren and Danny who are goners tonight but personally, they all look good to me so I can’t even judge the best or worst though I do like Sabra a lot.
8/9: Ready to drop.. tunes?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A pregnant woman at the Dallas “Idol” auditions almost had her baby while singing.. She naturally made it to the next round.
“I gave it my all through the contractions. They were back to back and getting harder and harder but I was more than willing to have my baby right there,” Antoria Gillon said. “I wasn’t leaving without my golden ticket to the next round.”
She made it to a hospital and named her child Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan.
Also, I plan to do a Jay Leno “Jaywalking” type bit for ajc.com’s video section next Tuesday at the “Idol” auditions using “Idol” trivia questions. This will be my first attempt at this type of broadcast work before. (It’s different from cnn.com’s “Idol Chatter” show I did for a few weeks this past spring.). I’ll post the link here when it gets done and you can all critique my skills — or lack thereof.
Finally, Gina Glocksen is engaged..
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8/8: New Carrie music/ “Revisionist Idol”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Carrie Underwood’s new single “So Small” from her upcoming sophomore CD hit radio last week and quickly landed at No. 20 on the country chart, the highest debut this year. Here’s a spot to sample it in case you haven’t heard it yet..
It was co-written by Carrie herself and the songwriter of “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Wasted.”
I listened to it twice. It’s yet another showcase for Carrie’s soaring vocals in ballad form. I can’t say “So Small” is quite as catchy as “Jesus” or “Wasted” but it should have no problem hitting the top 5 on the country charts. (No. 1? Not so sure.)
Meanwhile, Ken Barnes at Idol Chatter is having a field day with his “revisionist” idol, allowing his readers to vote on who they think are the top 6 from each season. He’s currently on season two and the Claymates are in full force. Clay is going to win by a 9 to 1 margin over everybody else. Ruben may not even come in second. (I think Kimberley Locke might beat him out.). Obviously, this isn’t remotely scientific and Claymates have inundated the site, but even if you include only Ken’s regular readers, it’s Clay all the way! If you want to send some love to our hometown gal Vanessa Olivarez (who is getting a few votes and was unfairly ousted early that year), give her some votes people!
Fortunately, I don’t think a single person has given Corey Clark a vote. Charles Grigsby might outvote him!
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8/8: On Baby Einstein, Constantine, Clay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I saw this funny quote in an L.A. Times story about how Baby Einstein videos actually stunt the vocabulary of babies:
“I would rather babies watch ‘American Idol’ than these videos,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, explaining that there is at least a chance their parents would watch with them — which does have developmental benefits.
Constantine Maroulis’s CD came out Tuesday. I bet it will outsell both Paris and Kimberley Locke’s latest but not by too much. I still need to listen to it and provide my thoughts.
And a regular lurker and Clay fan (though she wasn’t quite comfortable calling herself a Clay “mate”) finally raised her hand and will join me for “My Adventures in Watching Clay Aiken Sing Lotsa Cover Songs” at Chastain August 15. Her name is Jill and she will attempt to restrain me from too much mockery while he sings TV theme songs and “Baby Got Back.”
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8/7: Remember Nikki McKibbin?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Dallas Morning News did an overview piece about how Idol isn’t a foolproof route to success. We all knew that. The example in the story: First season third place finisher Nikki McKibbin, who did sign a contract with RCA Nashville back in 2002 but refused to sing the country-pop songs they wanted her to sing. She got out of that contract in 2005 and since released an indie CD nobody has ever heard of (including me.)
Here’s an excerpt with actual dollar figures on what her contract was worth:
Ms. McKibbin can attest to that. She was marooned at RCA Nashville for three years, refusing to make the country album the label brass wanted her to sing. With the help of an attorney, she negotiated her way out.
A spokesman for RCA Nashville said the executive most familiar with Ms. McKibbin’s contract was unavailable for comment.
“The contract value was $375,000,” Ms. McKibbin said. “I was offered $125,000 to get out of the contract. I could have fought for the full $375,000 … but I decided to just take the $125,000 and run.”
Now she’s starting over, working as a waitress at Arlington’s Hot Rods and Hoggs and taking the grass-roots road to promoting Unleashed with her band, Rivethead. The disc is solid, a hooky and crunchy collection of rock tunes with just enough bite to keep the headbangers happy.
You can sample some of it here.
Hmm… if Nikki wanted to do a rock album, why did she sign with RCA Nashville????
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8/6: Achin’ for Aiken?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m getting a media pass plus one to the Clay Aiken concert at Chastain August 15. Would anybody like to join me and help me write up a blog entry about it? (I’d love to get a Claymate perspective on things… or if you really hate him and want to go to mock him, that works too.)
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8/5: Watch Clay sing “Baby Got Back”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clay Aiken spoke to our nightlife/leisure reporter David Graves about his upcoming tour stop at Chastain Park Amphitheatre Wednesday, August 15 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I might have to ask David for the full interview. What we posted online is only four questions and naturally, there’s nothing about his personal life. Here’s the link..
He’s going to perform songs off his last album (covers such as “Open Arms” and “Every Time You Go Away”) and upbeat songs such as “Baby Got Back” and “1999.” Yes, Clay performing “Baby Got Back.” That is not a typo folks. The Sir-Mix-A-Lot bootylicious song and Clay Aiken. That alone makes me want to go and see him just to have my jaw hit the concrete.
Here’s the review from Nashua, N.H. of Clay’s concert with the orchestra there.. He sings TV theme songs, too. Huh?
The best tickets I could find at Ticketmaster at Chastain were mid-level seats about 2/3 back, Terrace P, as of Saturday evening August 4.
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8/5: Digital downloads/CD sales
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Elliot’s “Wait For You” 22-20, 36K for the week, 464K total
Carrie’s “Before He Cheats” 34-33, 26K, 1.67 mil total
Carrie’s “Wasted,” 158, 6K, 371K total
Daughtry’s “Home” 37-44, 22K, 921K total
Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over” 68-98, 11K, 1.41 mil total
Kelly’s “Never Again” 44-59, 18K, 773K total
Kelly/Reba “Because of You” 87-69, 16K, 80K total
“Sober” fell off the top 200 last week; “Since U Been Gone” dropped out this week after selling 1.7 mil total since the chart launched.
Kellie’s “I Wonder,” 141-124, 8K, 130K total
Bucky’s “A Different World” 121-126, 8K, 131K total (It’s been a battle between Kellie and Bucky for weeks on the country chart though Bucky is doing in that front, closing in on the top 5 while Kellie is still in the teens.)
Fantasia’s “When I See U” fell off the chart.
Off the chart, Kat’s “Over It” sold 3,300 for a total of 471K.
And on the Nielsen SoundScan sales chart, Carrie’s “Some Hearts” finally passes Kelly’s “Breakaway” for biggest “Idol’ sales champ. Carrie has sold 5,813,400. Kelly: 5,813,200.
Kelly’s “My December” in its fifth week drops to 15 from 11 with 31K sold and 536K total.
Daughtry falls 22-25, 23K, 2.96 mil total. He’s two weeks away from 3 million sold.
Carrie rises 30-28, 21K for the week, and as noted, 5.8 mil total
Elliott is 81-84, 9K and 333K total.
Bucky falls 83-91, 8K and 231K total.
Kellie jumps 141-99, 7K and 593K total.
Fantasia falls sharply 125-179, 4K, 447K total. She’s still quite a ways away from 500K at this rate.
Off the top 200: Breakaway sold another 6K, Kat, 1,500 for a total of 348K, Taylor sold 900 for 692K (he should hit 700K within two months at this rate); Clay sold 500 and 516K total; Ruben sold 400, totaling 232K. Paris sold 300, totaling still 18K. Kimberley also sold 300 and has a total of 14K sold now.
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8/4: Idols live ticket sales
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve heard mixed results so far on “Idols Live” tour turnout so far. I need to do some more investigative work next week. I have a feeling it’s going to be closer to season three’s relatively poor turnouts of 40 to 60% capacity vs. the 90% plus the past two seasons.
Here’s an advancer on what seem to be poor sales for St. Paul, Minn.
There are a fairly generous number of tickets available for the Sept. 12, 2007 Gwinnett Arena on stubhub, from $36 to $651 per ticket.. As of Friday afternoon, I counted 152 tickets on sale at that one site alone. Tickets are available from $39.50 to $72.50 on Ticketmaster,. Astoundingly, more than two months after tickets went on sale and about five weeks before it hits Gwinnett, I found 10th row seats available on Ticketmaster!
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8/3: Cowell seeking “Idol” flick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sure, there was “From Justin to Kelly,” or as we in the reality world would consider our “Gigli.” But Simon Cowell seems struck on the idea of a “Rocky”-type film set in “Idol” land..
The movie’s plot is a hybrid of a fictionalized American Idol-like show and Alan Parker’s 1980s’ film Fame. “Star Struck” follows the lives of ten celebrity-hungry contestants as they pursue their fifteen minutes. “The story is told through the eyes of those ten contestants,” Cowell told Rolling Stone. “We want it to be the musical version of Rocky — an underdog story, a feel-good film. Fame was all about young people wanting to be famous, and in order to do that, they enrolled in a drama school; everyone who wants to be famous today signs up for American Idol.”
Must…block..above…image…out!
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8/2: What’s “Idol” camp like?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“American Idol” has always been big on using sponsors but the past year, they’ve piled on, with clothing, Edy’s Ice Cream and other ancillary items outside of Ford, AT&T and Coke. And there’s now even an “Idol” summer camp.
It’s in Northfield, Mass. for 10 days targeting 12 to 15 year old aspiring singers.
“So much funding for performing arts programs has been drying up over the last few years, so we are really just trying to fill that gap and encourage kids to extend themselves, take risks and pursue their dreams,” said Felicity Carr, a director at FremantleMedia, which co-produces “American Idol.”
Jon Peter Lewis from season three works at the camp.
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8/2: Rosie on Paula
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rosie mocks Paula’s failed show “Hey Paula” on Bravo. Here’s her haiku.
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