New URL for the American Idol buzz blog!
Please go to the new American Idol Buzz blog at http://blogs.ajc.com/american-idol-blog/
Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > June > 04 > Entry
6/4: Nigel critiques the Davids, Archuleta concert nixed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ahh… a much more newsworthy day than yesterday!
On Cook, he noted:
He can certainly sing - and I’d like to see a bit more personality when he’s singing,” he said.
“And that was the only thing that I think our finalists lacked a little bit this year, was more charisma.”
Really? Personally, I thought Cook had comparable if not better stage personality than, say, Daughtry or Carrie. And those two have done pretty well for themselves. In comparison, Taylor Hicks was an amazing stage performer and now he’s considered a failure, relatively speaking.
In other “Idol” news:
-A charity thank-you concert in Salt Lake City with David Archuleta this Friday was cancelled. {More info here.](http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9471163):
“They’re just going to reschedule the event for a later time,” Jeff Archuleta told The Salt Lake Tribune this afternoon. “When all the minds met, everyone concluded this wouldn’t work out for this particular weekend, and they just want to reschedule it for toward the middle or the end of the [”American Idol” summer] tour,” he said.
-Jason Castro’s homecoming drew about 15,000 people in Rockwall, Texas. Impressive!
-People got quotes from Clay Aiken’s friends about his upcoming artifically inseminated baby.
“Congratulations, Clay!” says American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson. “I think he will be a good parent.”
And Carmen Rasmussen:
“I remember him saying, ‘I can’t wait to be a dad and have a family and have my own kids. He really was looking forward to being a father, even five years ago. I thought it was so cute that that was a priority for him.”
-Daughtry guested on the new Atlanta-based band Sevendust’s album “Hope and Sorrow.”
Comments
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
Nice bits and pieces, Rodney…thanks!
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this
I thought David Cook had a lot more on stage personality than Carrie(bland) or Daughtry(surly). Nigel’s just pot-stirring.
And re Clay’s friends talking about his future fatherhood. I’m not surprised. Didn’t Clay work with under-privelged or special needs kids at a camp every year. Despite all our jokes, I think he has the potential to be a terrific dad.
By Lara
June 4, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Teh Sevendust cd is awesome!!!
By JTesla
June 4, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
Thanks for all the info. Why are people congratulating Clay? Do they make cards for this sort of thing too?
By flats
June 4, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this
1ST!!!!!!!!!!!!!wooooohoooooo!!
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
I’d like to see that card, JT! :-)
By harrietth
June 4, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this
Rodney, I agree with you about Cook’s stage presence and personality. He was much more animated than Daughtry and at least as much so as Carrie. And, yes, Taylor had a terrific stage presence, but was a flop on recordings. I once knew a very talented singer in Atlanta that this was true of—he came across live as this amazing singer/entertainer, but it never translated to records or cds. But, David C allowed us to see his personality in his music. There was a window through which he communicated real emotion and was outstanding in his interpretations. Maybe D is right—Nigel is just stirring the pot.
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this
Rodney…re Archie’s concert organized by his dad…I think it got canceled because daddy didn’t get clearance from the Idol promoters…after all, they own Archie’s talent right now and every thing he does, performance-wise, belongs to them.
By Menana
June 4, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the welcome backs.
Yes Dierdra, it was very hard to come back to work. However, it doesn’t take long to get back in the swing of things. My commute to Griffin may be better since I will take all the back roads and stay off of I20, 285, 675 and 75. Company doesn’t pay me enough to travel that route. Of course, I am driving over an hour each morning as it is. I live 15 miles this side of Athens and drive to Jimmy Carter Blvd at P’tree Industrial.
Hubby and I took Dad to Charleston and he really had a good time. He got to take the boat tour to Ft Sumter, toured the USS Yorktown, the US Coast Guard ship, the USS Lafferty battleship and the submarine. All these vessels were used in WW11. Dad was in 7th heaven. It may me feel good to see him enjoy himself. At 92, I figured it was time for him to see these as he is a WW11 vet.
D: You are correct about CA. He was a summer camp counselor for special needs children and if I remember correctly, he taught special needs in school. That was one reason I like him so well. My youngest daughter teaches special needs and just visting in her classroom and watching the interaction between her and her students, I come to believe that it takes a special kind of person to work with the children. And IMHO Clay has what it takes. I think we hill make a great dad.
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this
The Charleston trip sounds wonderful, Menana. I’m glad your dad enjoyed it so much. I was hoping to take my dad to see the WWII memorial in DC but he died before it was finished.
By Menana
June 4, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Deirdre: I’m sorry that you Dad wasn’t able to see the memorial in DC. I’m sure he would have enjoyed it as mine did in Charleston. What we do for our aging parents. If you are like me, there is nothing you wouldn’t do for you Mom, like me and Dad.
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
To be fair(grrr! I hate being fair) this is the latest from mj on the Archie concert:
The big homecoming concert planned by “Team Archuleta” as a thank-you to David’s hometown fans has been canceled. But NOT by the Idol peeps, as originally reported.
According to the Archeletas, the Idol folks actually approved the plans for Archie’s homecoming, but the booking agent for the E Center where the concert was to take place had other ideas.
According to a spokesperson for the Archuleta family, things “got a little heated” as Jeff Archuleta was told by the E Center bookers that “there is no way this is going to happen.”
With the 2nd of two Salt Lake City Idol concerts–also booked at the E center–not sold out, there’s no way David can preform at that venue, or even in the same city, without creating a conflict of interest for the bookers.
According to the family, the homecoming charity event may still happen, but not until after the tour is over.
By Menana
June 4, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
Almost 4:00 and time to go home. Be back on later this evening.
You all have a safe ride home if you are leaving work.
By harrietth
June 4, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
I will be leaving at 4:30, Menana. You be safe, too.
By the way, just have to say that one of the benefits of living in SC is the early growing season. I just ate my first home-grown tomato of the season! Can silver queen corn be far behind?
By Mike
June 4, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
I love David Cook, but comments about Daughtry’s stage presence are off base.. I was at the Bon Jovi show in April when Daughtry opened.. and he and the band sounded excellent.. and the crowd was really into it..
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 4, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this
Mike, i think they’re talking about DURING AI — stage presence was not as great — i’ve seen clips of him “live” and think he’s come a LONG way…. and i think he was pretty awesome anyway. Cook started off slowly on AI also, but by the end of the contest, was OWNING the stage — and thus the audiences!
nite all!
By Dee
June 4, 2008 6:24 PM | Link to this
Daughtry has little stage presence other than the typical rocker screaming into the mic and hanging off of the stand. Cook has a far better voice and I think he will engage the audience more.
By ,,,=^..^=,,, from home
June 4, 2008 6:51 PM | Link to this
Dee, I concur that Mr. Cook has a wonderful voice, superior to Mr. Daughtry’s. His rendition of Music of the Night, alone, shows what an incredible grasp he has of the entire music concept. But i still enjoy Daughtry, LOL.
By MJ
June 4, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
Rodney,
I’ve never taken anything AI or Nigel have claimed with a grain of salt. They wouldn’t know talent if it hit them in the face and it did…when Taylor Hicks won season five by a landslide.
I have to disagree with your comment that Taylor’s CD was a failure? Having sold over 854,000 world wide at last count, being certified platinum and hearing Taylor in an interview say he had sold a million plus CD’s (also counting outside soundscan sales) would say to me, that no, his CD sales were not a failure. Taylor also has two previous CD’s that have sold very nicely, but you don’t hear about those unless you inquire about it, I’m a big fan of Taylors, so yes, I would know that.
Taylor, as a stage performer is beyond belief. His two month solo tour raked in 3.8 million, not bad for someone whose CD sales have been slashed all over the internet ny American Idol moguls. Of course, what they failed to say is that Taylor’s (AI) LABEL didn’t promote his CD whatsoever. Unlike Daughtry, whose been given everything on a silver planner, but one thing is for sure, his supposed CD sales sure don’t equal his tour profits, not compared in the least with Taylor’s. Daughtry only made 2.9 million for his solo tour.
Taylor IS a celebrity whose vocal, musical skills, entertainment savvy and stage presence is what has made him the star he is. He’s NOT just a one demential performer, but a well rounded celebrity whose accomplishments have far exceeded any of the other winners from AI or those who were booted, like Daughtry.
Catch Taylor on Broadway, where he will shine in GREASE, June 6th. Hey, the stage is his ultimate playground, watch him as he ends up starring in the lead, I wouldn’t doubt it in the least!
By War Eagle
June 4, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
Who is Taylor?
By JTesla
June 4, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
“I’ve never taken anything AI or Nigel have claimed with a grain of salt.”
Huh?
And who is Taylor Hicks?
By War Eagle
June 4, 2008 7:22 PM | Link to this
LOL JT Great Minds!!
By Deirdre
June 4, 2008 7:45 PM | Link to this
MJ…Taylor Hicks was great on AI…he’s great in small venues….but as a recording artist, he’s a total and complete failure. As for his role in Grease…it’s the role that has always been set aside to be filled by aging has-beens.
Sorry…but Taylor, as much fun as he was..is less successful than ANY other Idol winner and that includes Fantasia and Ruben…..Jordin(not my favorite by a long shot) hasn’t yet had enough time to prove herself.
By Negativo
June 4, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this
Nigel is a complete deusche bag. His pathetic, self-serving stunts to “fight African poverty” are matched only by his idiocy in evaluating David Cook’s stage “charsima”.
What a laughable fool.
By gingercake
June 4, 2008 8:56 PM | Link to this
Taylor Hicks is considered a “failure” only by numbskulls in the media who simply write what they have been told. Selling 700,000 plus CDs with no support for radio play from your record company while at the same time selling perhaps that many of your 1st two independent CDs is not a failure in any normal persons book. Plus two very successful back to back tours that took in more money than some huge sellers. Fantastic tour shows. I can not wait for the new CD , I am very impressed with who he has been working with.
By Susan11
June 4, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this
MJ and Gingercake , your comments are very accurate. People don’t look for the facts but just believe whatever they hear and just don’t know. Taylor is a far, far cry from a failure. There was a fight over his single which caused problems with the record company right off the bat. But if Taylor can’t be a successful recording artist something is really screwed up somewhere. There has to be some reason why I and thousands of others have, besides his AI CD, his first two independent CDs and a pile of MP3s of his pre AI music that we have taken the time to record off the internet and listen to them more than any other music we have. And I have a lot. Great stage performer yes, but he also has a great whiskey tenor voice that is very addictive to listen too. I remember Simon telling him “Taylor, you are a very, very good singer” If you don’t believe that look up “Something” by Taylor Hicks on Youtube.
By Negativo
June 4, 2008 9:35 PM | Link to this
Who is this Taylor you gals are arguing about?
By War Eagle
June 4, 2008 9:51 PM | Link to this
Unless I am mistaken, Rodney posted a while back that Taylor had been dropped by his record label because he was so successful.
No wait he was dropped because he sucks!
By Negativo
June 4, 2008 10:10 PM | Link to this
I see from above that JT is also baffled by who this Taylor character is, too.
Eagle, is Taylor that oriental kid who bangs?
By War Eagle
June 4, 2008 10:16 PM | Link to this
LoL Neg, you have the wrong guy. The oriental fellow has much more talent!
By Harmony
June 4, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
Hello!!!
Sorry,that I’ve been neglecting my blogging duties.I’ve been too busy!
I’ve read all the LOST info,thanks to all that contributed.
By DawnH
June 5, 2008 6:55 AM | Link to this
FIRST!!! WOO00HOOOO!!! OK - first on the blog this morning. Sorry, don’t know what got into me - I had a moment.
By flats
June 5, 2008 7:28 AM | Link to this
Nice Dawn…I was thanking about adding points for being first on the day..Congrats!
By flats
June 5, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
Sorry…Good morning mushdawgs!!!!
By Lara
June 5, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
Good morning all. One day closer to the weekend!!! Thank goodness, this has been a long week!
By Deirdre
June 5, 2008 8:09 AM | Link to this
Morning!
Another hot day ahead for Georgia.
Harmony…sorry I missed you…how’re you doing?
Hubby and I watched The Brave One last night…a movie with Jodie Foster that’s basic theme is ‘don’t get mad, get even’. It would have been better without all the philosophizing but I enjoyed it.
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
Good morning from Columbia, SC, the hottest spot in the region today. They are calling for 100 degrees, and guess what? My A/C went out last night! It was still 87 degrees outside at 9:00 PM, and inside my house the temp registered 84 degrees. Now I find out this morning that the repair folks can’t get to me until tomorrow. Tomorrow!!! It is going to be 100 degrees again tomorrow, too!! For goodness’ sake, I am going to have to move out for tonight! How hot is it in GA today?
By flats
June 5, 2008 9:02 AM | Link to this
H…I’m in s-burg!!!!!WAY TOO HOT!!!!!!!!I’m ready for football weather!!!!!
By DawnH
June 5, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this
I’m ready for cross-country / downhill skiing weather. harrietth, I think it is supposed to be in the mid-90s today. Humidity is high. I hate GA in the summer.
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 5, 2008 9:15 AM | Link to this
on semi-topic - SYTYCD narrows from 200 to 20 tonight in 2 hours. Guess we won’t get to see a whole LOT of the dancers at all, unfortunately. This is the phase I’d like to see MORE of, both in dance (SYTYCD) AND in song (AI) — the “almost good enough” being eliminated with the “good enough” put through — THOSE are the auditions that interest me the most, unfortunately, because the producers obviously do not agree … sigh
mid-90s predicted here, too. H — we don’t have air conditioning at all in my house — LOTS of fans, LOL!!! (well one room has a window unit, but…. last year running it drove my electric budget bill up by almost $70, so this year it will get sparing use!!!
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this
flats, at least you get a bit of relief in the Upstate region. Columbia is hotter than almost anywhere, with the exception of Augusta, GA. We are used to 98-100 degrees in August, but this is June, for crying out loud! We are supposed to be around 86 or 87 at the most this time of year. And no A/C! I think I will sleep at work tonight!!
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
linny, I need to invest in some of those fans. I do not have ceiling fans, which would really save me in this situation. My house gets the sun from the afternoon on, and the place I sit and watch tv is soooo hot as to be almost unbearable.
By DawnH
June 5, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this
harritth - if I didn’t have air conditioning, I would slit my wrists! From June - September, my thermostat is set at 65. I absolutely HATE the heat or to be hot. I have paid the electric company enough to have paid cash for a high end Mercedes! Don’t care.
As for the hottest I have EVER been in Georgia - went to Savannah one year in mid-July. Uh, absolutely unbearable. The people from Florida who were also staying in our hotel left early and went back to Florida because they said it was too hot for them.
Second hottest place - New Orleans in August.
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 5, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Harrietth - we found some small (i mean like TINY) Lakewood fans at wallmart last year — i call them “personal” fans — i got a bunch, and there is one near every seat in the living room, LOL, so anyone can turn one on, in addition to the big one and the ceiling fans.
I’ve noticed that there is going to be a “singing vs. dancing” contest put on by Joey Fatone and MelB — they’re going to recruit people from supposedly average offices, teach them to either sing or dance, and then the teams compete vs. each other! Not sure which channel that will be on, saw the ads last couple of days on one of the cable networks… also Cameron Mathis is hosting a game show where you can win a dream room, but the other team can win it away from you… “my room or yours” on the same channel … so it appears that DWTS contestants go on to run game shows — remember Joey Fatone also had Singing Bee (which failed miserably in comparison to Don’t Forget the Lyrics — who can beat wayne brady for god’s sake!!! love that guy!!!)
so, maybe DWTS should change it’s name to Dancing With The Stars Who Need A New Showbiz Career
LOL
later!
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
Dawn, I can only imagine NO in August. The humidity is what is so terrible about that place.
I don’t think I will slit my wrists, but I am making lists of friends with whom I might stay tonight. Short of that, I am looking for a motel room. However, as I began looking, I found most of them in my part of town are full. I live not too far from Ft. Jackson, the Army basic training base, and Thursday and Friday are graduation days—motels are full. Back to my list of friends!!
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 5, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
when i was growing up in ga, fla, and in college in south ga, air conditioning was the “treat” not the norm … it’s why we went to the movies so much, i think!
one HUGE factor i think in the bearability is whether you have SHADE over your house — and with the drought lately, so many trees are now dangerous and being cut away, the heat factor is only going to get worse :-(
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the tip, linny. I may run out to Walmart on my lunch hour and see if I can find some fans. Tomorrow between 2 and 4 PM is a long time to wait without my air.
By Deirdre
June 5, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Dawn…WHY!!!!! would you go to NO in August….that’s what Maine is for! :-)
linny….I grew up in Missouri with no air conditioning…your reference to going to the movies a lot made me laugh. We used to do that all the time…but back then, the movie theaters were so cold and the air was so dry that it was common to see people faint when they walked out into the heat and humidity.
By DawnH
June 5, 2008 10:01 AM | Link to this
D - LOL. I went to NO in August because it was a free trip. I have NEVER felt humidity like that - anywhere. I have to say, I love NO and am always ready to go again - even in August! I was there in April last year and the temperature was in the high 80s.
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 5, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
D, i too remember the phenomenon of people passing out on the sidewalk .. in fact i remember that BLAST of heat on my face as the door opens and you stepped out!!!
oh but gawd that cold air felt good!!!
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
I lived in Charlotte, NC as a child, and we did not have air cond. at all either. Like you said—movies were the one refuge. My dad had one of those tall “rollaround” fans that he kept going all summer. The oscillating fans, too, I remember. My mother turned one on in our bedroom, and it would feel soooo great as it swept by, but the wait for it to return was long, or so it seemed.
I just located three fans here at my office, and I am going home now to take them to my sister and her cat. She lives with me, but I told her the cat needed boarding. It is so hot—92 degrees inside the house now.
By Deirdre
June 5, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
I remember that blast of heat, linny…it took your breath away(which accounts for the fainting) It made me want to turn right around and go watch the movie again!
By flats
June 5, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
I was wondering of they’re any wolfpack fans from Nc state heading down to athens(gods country)!!!Hopefully we will crush you this weekend!!!!ACC schools suck all together!!!maybe yall can rise up and beat an sec team!!!!!GO DAWGS AND STOPMP THE PACK @ 12 NOON TOMORROW ON ESPN!!!!!
By Negativo
June 5, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this
When I was a kid we didn’t even have electricity to operate fans. Everything was manual then, but I was fine because I had women fanning me and feeding me grapes in my lounge chair.
Same holds true for me today, of course, as most of you probably have deduced.
By Deirdre
June 5, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
:-p~~~~ to Neg! :-)
By linny ,,,=^..^=,,,
June 5, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
back then, LOL, the whole reason for “hiding” in the theatre and watching the move like 5 times WAS the heat … in these new multiplexes, the kids hide so they can go from one movie to another … but to the same result!!! almost free (well cheap by the end of the day) all-day babysitting for the tweens!!!
By harrietth
June 5, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this
I am back from my mission to take fans to my house and rescue my sister. Took the cat to the kennel, so she is the lucky one who will be out of the heat. The house was not too bad with the fans going full blast. However, in the afternoon, say around 5 PM, I am going to walk into an oven. Oh, well. Will just tough it out.
LOL at linny! Sitting through movies five times! I did that more than one time in my life.
By JB
June 5, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
There’s a new blog up —