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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > July > 09
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
7/9: David Cook gets Skechers endorsement
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Joining Carrie Underwood (right), David Cook has nabbed a Skechers endorsement, the start of what should be a very lucrative couple of years for the “Idol” winer.
This is from the press release, which hard-working MJ over at her blog nabbed:
Launching in Fall ‘08, the campaign coincides with the “PopTarts American Idols Live! Tour 2008,” and the debut of David’s first post-Idol album on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. The SKECHERS Cook campaign will include print, outdoor and in-store.
I have to give her credit. She’s been all over the Idols Live tour coverage.
-If you want an unapologetically raving review of the Los Angeles “Idols Live” concert, check this L.A. Times blogger Richard Rushfield. This piece could have been written by an “Idol” publicist, it’s so over the top positive, almost comically so.
Yes, he even liked Ramiele! These are words I have never written nor will I ever:
Throughout the season, Ramiele brought a spirit of fun and youthful mischief to the show that made her unforgettable even after her early departure.
And he believes Carly Smithson to be the best singer in the show’s history. I beg to differ on that count. On a pure volume standpoint, she’s up there with LaKisha, Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia. But I’m not sure she really connects with the audience the way Kelly or Fantasia did (thus, her sixth place finish).
That might make a good question of the day— who’s been the best vocalist in “Idol” history from a pure pipes standpoint?
-Here’s a much better, actual review of the concert from Variety.
Not every “American Idol” finalist realizes it yet, but the post-broadcast tour is an extended audition that’s just as important as the first go-around that landed them in the money on the Fox TV show. This time, however, they are playing to audiences who pay for music, fans looking for stars to invest in down the road. Those who present coherent stage personas that connect with their “Idol” performances — the two Davids, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Carly Smithson and, surprisingly, Chikezie — are helping their careers. Those who see the tour as a chance to reconnect with past televised glory — Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Malebay, Michael Johns — are wasting a golden opportunity.
(I do love how Variety magazine shortens words—“perf” for performance and “aud” for audience.)
And the writer was more realistic about Ramiele:
Ramiele Malubay, decked out in junior dominatrix wear, was weathered by her third song, her voice too thin to power through anything but soft accompaniment.
Plus, here’s an interesting U.K. take on Jordin Sparks. There, she had a big hit with “No Air.”
Chris Brown’s doing just fine with ‘Forever’, but Jordin Sparks, truth be told, is facing an uphill struggle. Nothing on her debut album is in quite the same league as ‘No Air’, and she doesn’t have much of a profile outside the US.
