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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2006 > December
December 2006
12/31: Idol diet secrets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A writer over at realitytvworld read the latest Us magazine so we don’t have to. Us provides diet “secrets” of the likes of Taylor Hicks, Jennifer Hudson and cover gal Carrie Underwood. Yes, that’s what I get to feed you all as we count down: 17 days until season six!
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12/28: Carrie dating a QB!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wow. Carrie Underwood is growing up. Not only is her CD still going strong after more than a year ((It’s No. 4 this week, pushing her sales to 4.6 million!), but she is now dating a Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo.
Here’s a link to a Fort Worth Telegram story about it.
Excerpt:
In an article in Wednesday’s Journal Gazette/Times-Courier of Charleston, Ill., Romo told the sports editor of his hometown paper that no, he’s not dating Dallas diva Jessica Simpson, but he is seeing Underwood, the 2005 American Idol and emerging country music star.
And again, I’m crediting the Idol Chatter blog for sales totals in the week leading up to Christmas. There are seven Idols on the chart this week which is impressive.
Chris Daughtry remains in the top 10 at No. 8, with another 250K sold, pushing him just over 1 million copies sold before the New Year! Wow! His single “It’s Not Over” continues to rock as well.
Taylor Hicks dropped sharply from No. 2 to No. 15 with 202K sold, hitting 500K in two weeks. That’s respectable but it’s clear he’s not going to sell as many copies as Daughtry.
Kellie brought in another 63K, dropping from 56 to 61, with a grand total of 336K.
Shockingly, Kellie outsold the second week of Fantasia, who saw sales droop 53% and her position on the chart drop from 19 to 63. She sold 62K for a grand total of 195K.
Clay;’s album dropped from 124 to 143, moving 24K. That means 483K so he’s guaranteed a half million next week. His Christmas CD from a couple years ago brought in 21K for 1.3 million total.
Ruben fell off the Top 200, selling 14,800, three copies short of making the top 200. He has now sold 181K.
12/28: Kat McPhee’s song list
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back from New York from vacation, I stopped by the office briefly before I had to go to Augusta to help with James Brown coverage. RCA Records sent us the Kat McPhee song list along with a bunch of glam shots of Kat. What these titles actually mean in terms of what they sound like, we’re not sure yet though the spelling of “your” and “ur” generally means it’s an R&B song.
Love Story (written by Nate Hills, James Washington, Corte Ellis) Produced by Danja
Over It (Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Ruth-Anne Cunningham) Produced by Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg
Open Toes (Nate Hills, James Washington, The Clutch; Balewa Muhammad & Candice Nelson, Katharine McPhee) Produced by Danja.
Home (Kara DioGuardi) Produced by Marti Frederiksen & Kara DioGuardi
Not Ur Girl (Nate Hills, James Washington, Corte Ellis, Katharine McPhee) Produced by Danja
Each Other (Nate Hills, James Washingotn, Corte Ellis) Produced by Danja
Dangerous (Nate Hills, James Washington, Corte Ellis) Produced by Danja
Ordinary World (Walter Afanasieff, Emanuel Kiriakou, Lindy Robbins) Produced by Walter Afanasieff & Emanuel Kiriakou. (Definitely not the Duran Duran song.)
Do What You Do (Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas, James Fauntleroy II, Makeba Riddick, Rob Knox) Produced by The Underdogs
Better Off Alone (Austin Carroll, Susan Marshall) Produced by Emanuel Kiriakou
Neglected (Nate Hills, James Washington, Kara DioGuardi, Balewa Muhammad, Katharine McPhee) Produced by Danja
Everywhere I Go (Babyface, Ernest “Bishop Young Don” Dixon) Produced by Babyface.
12/26: Clay on soap today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clay is on Days of Our Lives today at 1 p.m. on NBC. He taped his appearance in October.
12/25: Kat McPhee’s cover shot
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a publicity shot of the lovely Kat McPhee - possibly the cover of her first CD. Merry Xmas!
12/23: Kinnik Sky in play
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remember Kinnik Sky, the local gal who made it to the final 20 or so earlier this year? She’s now in a play called “For Better or Worse,” with Montell Jordan and David Tolliver at the Civic Center from January 16 to 21.
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12/22: Ruben goes on weight loss campaign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After Ruben Studdard lost nearly 100 pounds himself, he’s now trying to get others to lose weight too, at least in his home state of Alabama.
Here’s an AP story.
“I’m not where I want to be, but I’m on the right track, and I’m excited about encouraging other Alabamians to begin their own weight-loss journeys,” said the 28-year-old singer, whose third album, “The Return,” was released in October by J Records.
12/22: Taylor has zero radio airplay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I earlier reported Taylor (No. 2 debut, 298K), Carrie (No. 6, 199K, 4.19 mil total), Fantasia (No. 19, 133K) and Chris (No. 7, 181K, 795K total) stats. Here are some more, courtesy of the man with the SoundScan stats, Ken Barnes at Idol Chatter, plus additional stats I gleaned off Mediabase 24/7 radio airplay. While radio airplay doesn’t correlate as strongly to sales anymore, they still matter to a significant degree in terms of keeping a record in the public’s eye.
Kellie Pickler keeps chugging along, moving up to 52 from 56 and another 45K sold. She’s now sold a respectable 274K. Clay is up to 119 from 124 with 19K sold and 460K total. He’ll reach 500K but not much more than that at this stage with no radio airplay and no major tour forthcoming. Ruben, even with a No. 1 R&B AC single, looks like he’s in trouble, ranked at No. 192 and 9,700 sold for a total of 166K. It’ll be interesting to see what his second single will be (if there is even a second single) to help revive his sales hopes.
On the singles chart (according to Mediabase 24/7), Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over” (in less than a month) jumps to No. 27 on the top 40 charts, No. 19 on Hot AC, No. 28 on active rock, No. 47 on alternative and No. 22 on mainstream rock charts. Top 40 is clearly embracing the song and it’s on a trajectory for an easy top 10. Star 94 has given it 29 spins in the past week while Q100 has given it 34 in its first week out on that station. It’s a far better song than, say, “The Real Thing,” Bo Bice’s single, which cracked the top 20 earlier this year. If the momentum keeps up, Daughtry’s CD will see its sales fly well past 1.5 million by March and two million by June.
Taylor doesn’t have a single out for some odd reason. I guess there’s no place to place his music. He’s getting seriously zero airplay from his current CD—not a single track from his CD was traced at all on any radio station that Mediabase 24/7 keeps up with the past week. And that’s probably hurt his first-week sales and may mean he will have trouble selling much more than 1 million copies. Will his label find a home for one of his songs somewhere? I think “Runaround” could go to AC and Hot AC.
Kellie’s single “Red High Heels” edges up to No. 19 on the country chart from 20, with 1,734 spins, up from 1,601 a week earlier. The single has been out about three months and has a passable chance of going top 10. She’s the third Idol to hit the top 20 on the country chart after Carrie and Josh Gracin. Kicks played it 13 times, down from 16 a week earlier and has spun it 155 times since Sept. 12. If the single keeps gaining strength, 400K is not out of the question for her. And its success virtually guarantees the label will support a second single.
Fantasia’s “Hood Boy” moves up to 24 from 27 on the urban charts (963 spins, up from 916 a week earlier) and 52 from 62 on rhtyhmic top 40 (that’s like 95.5/The Beat). It’s showing steady progress and could go top 10. V-103 played it 13 times, down from 20 a week earlier (112 total spins since October 30). Hot 107.9 played it only twice. If the single builds, Fantasia’s sales won’t drop off the way Clay’s and Ruben’s have. I expect she’ll get a second single and video.
Ruben’s single “Change Me” has been spun 12 times by 102.5 and 4 times by V-103 the past week. V-103 has played it about 200 times since July while 102.5 has done the same since August. The song peaked out on the urban charts a few weeks ago at No. 30 and is down to 42. He is still at No. 1 on the less influential urban AC charts (1628 spins vs. 1613 a week earlier).
12/21: Elliott gets teeth fixed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I am on vacation for the next week, but I will post as much as I can before I get back Dec. 27. (Yes, a laptop means I can blog anytime, anywhere.)
Here’s an old item I didn’t write about when it happened and is on the cover of “People” mag this week: once snaggle-toothed Elliott Yamin got $50,000 in surgery done from a Beverly Hills dentist gratis.
Here’s the story.
Yamin admitted that he was “long overdue for a dentist appointment.” He also thought that if his teeth were better aligned, he could stop thinking about the mess his mouth was in and better express his emotions on stage.
The songwriting deal with Sony’s publishing division should prove lucrative and there’s a “soulful-sounding” debut album due early next year, People said Saturday
12/20: Young Jeezy beats Taylor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s own Young Jeezy easily outgunned Tayor Hicks, selling 352K in his first week out with “The Inspiration.” Taylor Hicks’ self-title CD debuted at No. 2 and sold 298K, comparable to Carrie Underwood a year ago with 315K. Interestingly, Carrie remains hot in her 57th week with yet another 198K sold and No. 6 ranking on the Billboard charts.
Hicks actually sold less than No. 4 finisher Chris Daughtry a few weeks ago, who opened at 304K. Daughry sold another 181K and is now up to 795K, with a chance of hitting 1 million by the first week of January.
The top 5 debuts among “Idol” finalists are:
Clay 613K
Ruben 417K
Carrie 415K
Daughtry 304K
Taylor 298K
If Hicks can get some radio airplay, his CD might sell more than 2 million and 1 million is guaranteed even without radio.
Fantasia opened at No. 19 with 133K. That’s not bad but far from her debut back in 2004 of 240K. Still, it’s far better than how Ruben has done.
I’ll get numbers for Kellie, and Ruben and Clay’s latest when I get’em.
12/20: Big midseason surprise??
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Fox execs generally try to keep things low key, not trying to overhype, managing expectations.
But in The Daily News, “American Idol” executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz (there’s a new name!) promises there’s a mid-season event “that will blow America away.”
What could they possibly do? We know they’re doing a songwriting contest but that can’t possibly “blow America away.” Any ideas folks?
As we regulars know, “Idol” has managed to see ratings go up every year since season one, a virtually unprecedented situation. We’re now entering season six. Is this the moment where things start to finally slip?
Frot-Coutaz said a drop is not out of the realm of possibility.
“Look,” she said, “it’s always in the back of your mind. The only thing we can do is make the best show we can and find the best talent as possible. The rest, some of it is up to Fox and how they promoted it. The rest is the competitive landscape. If we keep giving [viewers] something entertaining, it will be fine.”
Does anyone know if Frot-Coutaz is new? I’ve never heard of her!
12/19: Favorite Idol moments
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s getting to that time: what are some of your most memorable Idol moments from 2006?
I can’t imagine it was the Brittenum twins? (Remember them?)
But how about:
Kellie’s calamari comments?
Paris’s amazing initial audition?
The reaction of Chris Daughtry when he was surprisingly voted off?
Taylor yelping out “Soul Patrol!” again (and again and again)?
Clay and his “twin” during the finale singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”?
Ace showing off his scar?
Or was it something related to an alum?
The Faith Hill reaction after Carrie won the CMA for best female vocalsit? Fantasia’s film? Jennifer Hudson’s upcoming rendition of the Jennifer Holliday classic, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going?” Clay covering Kelly Ripa’s mouth on “Regis & Kelly?”
12/18: Want an Idol at your wedding?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The New York Post reports that various “American Idol” contestants are offering their services to sweet 16 parties, weddings and other celebrations.
The range, the story says, is $2,000 for Kimberly Caldwell from season two (she’s on TV Guide channel) to $150K for a Ruben Studdard.
How much would you pay for various “Idol” contestants to show up at your wedding and sing a few songs?
12/16: Kellie’s Leno appearance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before she came to Atlanta, Kellie Pickler taped a segment Christmas shopping for Jay Leno in New York City, which aired Thursday. (She appeared live on the show as well.) Here’s the clip on gofish It’s extremely funny and Taylor makes a hilarious cameo. The charming Kellie hits FAO Schwartz, swings a light saber, interviews Al Roker and Lionel Richie, makes a comment about crabs, tries to read French, tries to learn Chinese and tries to learn Italian. Enjoy!
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12/15: More on Hudson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The buzz on Jennifer Hudson is deafening right now. We know the story now. She was rejected by Clive Davis and everybody else after she left “Idol” in 2004. The Wall Street Journal wrote a story yesterday about her but since it’s subcription only, I’ll summarize the story. It noted that she was able to book regular gigs singing at gay nightclubs, backed by prerecorded music. The gay community, Hudson told the paper, is “where I got the majority of my fans from ‘Idol.’ ”
She also got session work, including guest vocalist on a song with Meat Loaf (yes, the Meat Loaf who sang with Kat McPhee on the finale this year.) She was one of 800 who auditioned for “Dreamgirls,” besting Fantasia. Her lawyer got a video of her screen test to agents at WIlliam Morris, who signed her. Davis saw the screen test and was blown away. “It seems like everyone in Hollywood has seen the screen test,” Hudson joked.
BMG signed her at a much higher price than if they had done so in 2004. It says they are likely spending more than $1 million to sign, record and promote her. The label offers generally generous royalties of 16% to 17% to contestants, the story says, and spends lavishly on production. The producer of “Idol,” 19 Entertainment, has become more generous than it used to be, sharing more revenue from the tours and allows contestants to work with other managers. Her Morris agents said she turned down other film offers to focus on her singing career in 2007, with Davis personally overseeing the recording of her debut CD.
12/14: Taylor at Tabernacle March 9
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We know Taylor Hicks will be touring until he’s 90 years old, doing the nursing home circuit. And he’s already got an Atlanta date on his itinerary: March 9 at the Tabernacle. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this Saturday for $30 apiece. He’s already done two “Idols Live” appearances and a post-concert Smith’s Olde Bar shindig this past September. This will be his first concert in which his current CD will be highlighted.
12/14: Early sales for Hicks, Fantasia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Based on projected one-day sales Tuesday courtesy of hitsdailydouble.com, Atlanta’s Young Jeezy may outgun Taylor Hicks for the No. 1 slot next week but it should be a battle. Early projections have Young Jeezy at 325 to 350K while Hicks is around 300K. (That was about what I predicted with no information at all yesterday.)
Fantasia is targeted to hit 150K, a bit below my prediction of about 200K. Her single s doing okay on the mainstream urban radio charts, up to No. 27 from 32 a week earlier, according to Mediabase 24/7.
In last week’s sales news, Chris Daughtry moves another 155,000 copies in week three, dropping from 3 to 7 on the Billboard top 200 but now up to 614,000. One more week and he’ll be pass Bo Bice for second best non-winner to this point. Even if “It’s Not Over” is not a radio hit, he should clear 1 million with no sweat off his bald head. So far, “It’s Not Over” is getting a decent reaction. It’s at 37 on the top 40 charts, 24 on the Hot AC charts, 31 on active rock and 49 on alternative after just two weeks, according to Mediabase 24/7.
Kellie Pickler moves up to 52 from 57, with 34,000 in sales and 228,000 total. If “Red High Heels” keeps climbing the country charts (it’s up to 23 on Radio and Records), she could easily clear 400K or even 500K.
Carrie Underwood continues to sell boatloads of CDs more than a year after the release of “Some Hearts.” She moved 126,000 and now has sold 4.1 million. (She’s ranked No. 10, up from 13)
Clay sees a small Christmas pickup as his CD moves from 135 to 119, with 15K in sales and 441K total.
Ruben drops to 182 from 176 with 8,400 copies moved and 157K total.
All these numbers above are courtesy of USA Today’s Idol Chatter. I don’t think Ken Barnes, the writer, has ever read my blog. I can’t recall him ever citing it though MJ was nice enough to do so Wednesday on her most excellent AI blog.
12/12: Kellie at Arbor Place
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kellie Pickler drew what looked like more than 500 people (that’s an eyeball estimate) to the entrance of Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville this evening. Tons of little girls on parent’s shoulders. I arrived in the middle of “Small Town Girl,” her first song, at 6:05 p.m. (Traffic on I-20 did me in.). There was no way for me to get closer than 25 feet. The front area was packed. She wore a green jacket, black fitted T-shirt and tight jeans. I couldn’t tell what her shoes were in the beginning. She then did her homage to her grandmother “My Angel,” followed by the amusing “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.”
She had a guitarist and bassist behind her, not taped tracks, which is a sign Sony BMG isn’t skimping on the promotion. Sound was good outside, the weather perfect with nary a wisp of wind. She acknowledged her favorite classic female country artists including Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette, jumping into a surprisingly robust “Stand By Your Man.” She then finished with “Red High Heels,” and the crowd sang along. (The song is now a top 25 hit.) Wylie Rose, the Kicks 101.5 DJ, then got her to take off one of her shoes, which was naturally a red high heel. “I wear a 6 and a half if anybody wants to know,” Pickler teased.
Her publicist Buffy Cooper said she has been wearing herself pretty thin lately vocally, thus they limited her to five songs. But she sounded good, that slight hint of raspiness adding texture to her voice. She looked a little tired but when she smiled, that fatigue disappeared.
She then spent several minutes signing as she walked from the stage to the “Tanner Health Source,” a mall spot which had a back room. There, she took some photos with Toys for Toys reps, had a few minutes to unwind, then took a limo at 7 p.m. to Hartsfield. From there, she’s off to Los Angeles to be on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (taping tomorrow, airing Friday at 5 p.m. on WGCL-TV) and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Thursday (to air that night.). They had also taped Pickler a few days ago in New York City shopping a gift for Leno, a spoof that is also supposed to air Thursday.
Here’s are a couple of shots of her I took from my cruddy digital camera stage left. This was as close as I could get:
Here is Kellie with Santa:
Also left off a couple of questions from my interview. Robert Butler supplied them. I asked them.
Me: You had a boyfriend in Albemarle. What happened?
Kellie: We broke up. I think that it’s hard for me to be in a relationship right now. I think it will be hard to find someone who could put up with me.
Me: You don’t read music and can’t play an instrument. Would you like to learn?
Kellie: I do want to learn to play the piano. I can play a little piano by ear but I’m not like Beethoven.
Me: Have you gotten vocal coaching?
Kellie: No, I haven’t. I don’t want to be programmed. I just want to be Kellie.
12/12: Kellie Pickler interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
i caught Kellie Pickler by phone last night in Nashville after she flew in from Dallas. She’s at Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville tonight at 6 p.m. for a free concert. She’ll have pre-signed CDs but won’t have time to do a personalized meet and greet. (She’s off to LA to tape the “Ellen DeGeneres Show.”) Bring a toy for Toys for Tots.
As for the conversation, she sounded harried and was apparently packing and unpacking in her apartment while she had the speaker phone on. For several questions, I couldn’t hear half of what she was saying and had to ask her repeat stuff. As a result, this wasn’t exactly the best Q&A on earth. The biggest news: she won’t talk to her estranged mom after her mom was tracked down by the Charlotte Observer. Check out the Observer story here. Overall, Kellie’s as sweet as ever and I’m looking forward to catching her tonight at Arbor Place.
Me: What are you up this week?
Kellie: I’ve been flying all over the place. Went to Tampa, Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta tomorrow, then Los Angeles to do Ellen and Jay Leno.
Me: Before Idol, you had never flown before. Now you’re pulling in frequent flier miles, eh?
Kellie: I’d never been on a plane. Now I can’t get off of them.
Me: Do you like flying?
Kellie: I’d rather ride on a bus everywhere.
Me: Are you enjoying all the promotion?
Kellie: I love my job. I’m very very happy.
Me: Are you at all surprised how well your CD has done so far?
Kellie: I am. I continue to shock myself. It’s nice to think people are interested.
Me: Who have you met in Nashville so far? [She moved to Nashville from her tiny hometown of Albemarle, N.C. in September after the “Idol” tour wrapped up)
Kellie: Everyone. But the person who I want to see is Dolly Parton.
Me; Any clue when you’ll get to meet her?
Kellie. I don’t know. She’s on tour in Europe right now.
Me: How did you manage to get your CD out so quickly?
Kellie: I recorded the album while we were on the tour. We had 60 shows in 90 days. Every single day we had a day off, I was in the studio. Sometimes, I’d record after the show until 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning.
Me: What’s up with your sitcom? [There has been talks about her playing an ingenue in a sitcom.]
Kellie: That’s early in the project. It wasn’t supposed to be released but someone blabbed it everywhere. We’re working with writers from “That 70s Show.” If it happens, we’re not shooting until next year.
Me: What’s on your iPod?
Kellie: I bought an iPod while I was on tour. I lost it the next day on the airplane. I bought another one. I don’t even know how to work the dang thing. It’s still in the box. I don’t know how to download music off the computer.
Me: Do you miss Albemarle since you moved to Nashville?
Kellie: I do miss the people, but I lived there for 20 years. I’m not someone to just be in one place. I always dreamed of living in Nashville. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Me: How has your diet changed since you left Albemarle?
Kellie: I eat the same. I don’t change my diet. I did gain a lot of weight on American Idol, especially on tour. I put on 20 pounds. We ate junk food all the time and we’d have supper at 11:30 p.m., then go to sleep. I’ve gotten about 10 pounds of if off since then.
Me: How many pairs of shoes do you own now?
Kellie: I don’t even know. I haven’t been here long enought to unpack!
Me: How are things between you and your dad? [About the time the show was airing in the spring, Clyde Pickler was let out of a Florida prison after serving a three-year sentence for stabbing a neighbor. He hasn’t really been there for her. She was raised by her grandma, who died four years ago.)
Kellie: I don’t really speak to him very much. It’s hard to pick up where we left off.
Me: Who’s your family now?
Kellie: The people I’m closest to are not blood family. I learned blood doesn’t make you family. It’s people who are there for you and support and pray for you and want to see you do well. It’s kind of my adopted family in Albermarle like my best friend Summer Miller. Her parents Jerry and Caroline. They pretty much adopted me.
Me: I do an American Idol blog for my newspaper. Here are some questions I got from my readers. Marvin Atchison asks what your next single is going to be? He thinks “I Wonder” [a heartbreaking ballad about her mom, who has spent very little time with Kellie] would be good.
Kellie: It’s yet to be decided. We were not exactly sure but we’ve narrowed it to a few. “I Wonder” is one of them. It will definitely be a single. It might be second or third [after the current hit “Red High Heels”]
Me: Sarah Bowlin asked if you have had a chance to talk to your mom yet? Are you speaking to her since she talked to the Charlotte Observer? Here’s a link to the story from Nov. 17 In it, her mom said she loved Kellie and voted for her but never abused her the way Kellie said she did during the brief times she was with her daughter.
Kellie: No. I’m done. I have no desire to talk to her. I’m going to be honest with you. The guy who wrote the story, he knew a week before they even contacted me. They called me about it the night before it was published. So I just said no comment. It really hurt me that my local paper would do that to me. I’m their home girl. The sad thing is she hasn’t changed a bit. I don’t understand how you can justify your actions. It hurt me. I was finally at a point in my life dealing with closure with the whole situation not having my mom around. I was going through the forgiveness process. Then that came out. It just proved to me she’s the same person she was 10 years ago. I think it’s best to move on, just put the past in the past. I’ve made it 20 years without her help. I can make it the rest of my life. My grandmother was my mother. If anybody says something, I say my mother passed away four years ago.
At this point, I hear a snippet of Christina Aguilera in the backround and the mood lightens.
Kellie: I love Christina! “Back to Basics” is incredible. I listen to her all the time before I perform.
Me: From Kellie Bean #98, she asks, do fans mob you in Nashville? Or are folks in Nashville used to seeing country music singers?
Kellie: I think Nashville has respect for its artists. It’s not shocking to walk into the supermarket and see Kenny Chesney buying potato chips. It’s not big deal to people here. If you go downtown where all the honky-tonk bars are, where the tourists are, you’ll get mobbed. If you go to the grocery store or the mall, I’ve never had any problems. One thing people do is call me Carrie [as in Carrie Underwood, season four winner]. More people call me Carrie than Kellie! I had this boy turn to me at the Mall of America two days ago and asked me if I was Carrie Pickler. Carrie and I have talked about it before. People mistake her for me all the time, too. She gets called Kellie. It must be the blonde hair!
Me: Tina asks a pretty random question - Do you have a Christmas tree up in your new condo?
Kellie: I haven’t. I’m really lazy. I’m a bah humbug. I like Christmas. I’m not putting up a tree. A friend of mine texted me while I was the Grand Ol’ Opry. I bought you a Christmas tree. I texted her back. You better throw that in a ditch. She gets here and brings me a nightlight Christmas tree. But as soon as I took it out, the Christmas tree broke off the light. So I don’t think the Lord wants me to have a Christmas tree.
Me: Nicole Brubaker says she works at Sonic and was wondering what was the hardest part of work there? And what did you do there?
Kellie: [She paused awhile to think this one over]: The hardest part working at Sonic is as a waitress, you have to deal with different types of people, nice people, mean people and people who are just ugly. Sometimes it’s the attitudes you get. But I guess that happens anywhere.
12/12: Taylor and Fantasia release day!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s the day Fantasia and Taylor square off with releases on the same day. My first-week predictions: 300K for Taylor and 200K for Fantasia. Our music critic Nick Marino gave a thumbs up for Fantasia’s self-titled CD. We didn’t get Taylor’s in time for review (though I guess they could have listened in advance on Yahoo if the music folks had asked me!)
I’ve tried to get interviews with Taylor and Fantasia but no luck yet. I’m too low on the totem pole. But AP did talk to Taylor here.
*When the concert wrapped in September, Hicks began his tutelage with legendary music mogul Clive Davis to craft an album that would be a fitting follow to his star-making “Idol” turn.
It was an “intimidating” experience, Hicks said, describing himself as “stubborn about my artistry and my creative integrity.” But he’s happy with the result. The album’s 12 tracks “a great representation of me as an artist,” he said.
Davis said he helped Hicks “define who he is.”
The album sounds like “modern whomp music,” Hicks said.
“He’s a modern soul man,” Davis said. “But we have stretched him a little. He’s getting in touch with other aspects of music and his versatility.”*
MTV news also got some time with Taylor. In it, he noted he plans to write a memoir, too.
“It’s the life experiences of a struggling musician on the road for 10 years,” he said. “What I’ve learned and what I can apply to everyday life that could possibly help other people in the same situation.”
Fantasia spoke with USA Today. You can sample her CD on AOL Music before you buy it..
An excerpt from the USA Today story:
*For Fantasia, she wanted more live music and up-tempo tunes.
“I remember going into the studio early on, and it just wasn’t right,” she says. “I wanted a modern-day Aretha Franklin meets Tina Turner. They finally got it. I told them to give me something that makes you feel good.” *
She also has cut ties with American Idol as Clay and Kelly did. She is no longer managed by 19 Management in favor of R&B/hip-hop powerhouse Violator Management.
A Newsday reviewer splits opinions about Taylor and Fantasia. Glenn Gamboa gave a so-so review to Taylor (“Taylor Hicks” (RCA) doesn’t give him much of a chance to show off his strong voice or his unique soul-patrol personality. It’s choked with bland leftovers and ill-fitting covers that make it the latest in a line of “American Idol” alumni debut albums that are almost always disappointing.) But he gave a solid one for Fantasia. He notes that “Fantasia takes a bit of Beyoncé flash, a bit of Mary J. Blige soul and her own keeping-it-real growl, laying the foundation for a leap from singer to budding superstar diva.”
12/11: Diana stalker pleads guilty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to the Australian paper the Age,, the woman who tried to extort money from Diana DeGarmo Monday pled guilty to blackmail and stalking. She demanded between $15,000 and $25,000 to go away last spring.
Between March and June, Tanya Maree Quattrocchi of Melbourne, Australia, called DeGarmo’s cel phone 369 times and text-messaged her 570 times.
The paper said in April, Quattrocchi emailed the singer’s producer pretending to be her and was given two of her unreleased songs she later threatened to release publicly if DeGarmo did not meet her online, it said.
“No matter how many times I changed my passwords or tried to keep my information safe, she would always break back in,” DeGarmo told the court in a statement. She eventually had the FBI get involved and the agency taped a conversation between the two. She “terrorized me for almost five months of my life that I can never get back.”
12/9: Mandisa signs with EMI Nashville
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mandisa, an “Idol 5” finalist who is clearly going the gospel route, has signed with EMI Nashville, according to her Myspace page.
According to the site, “She is currently meeting with producers in order to determine who will be a good fit to produce the songs for the album. The album is slated to be released in the spring, and a more definite date will be announced soon.”
Though Mandisa has lived in Nashville for awhile, she was able to get onto “Idol” thanks to Star 94 and she has a brother who lives in town.
12/8: Paris signs with indie label (UPDATED)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Idol Chatter blog at USA Today a couple days ago noted that Fayetteville’s Paris Bennett had signed a record deal with an indie label but didn’t identify which one. Well, she’s kept it in the family. Paul Jones, her uncle, is heading the label in question, 306 Entertainment, which is based out of the Twin Cities, where Paris grew up. He noted that the site has not been updated with Paris’ name yet but there are three other artists on the label: J. Isaac, Jamecia (her mom) and Knowledge MC. (The 306, Jones said, stands for the room number of the hotel in Memphis where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in 1968.)
Jones said Paris is still working on her first album, due out in March and not surprisingly, it will be R&B pop. “It will be something all her ‘American Idol’ fans will love,” he promises. “She loves ‘American Idol’ everything. She loves what they’ve done for her. She’s appreciative.”
I was sent a couple of her songs, including a mid-tempo dance tune “B-Bye” and a Mary J. Blige-style R&B tune “Dreamin’ ” which has a hook that reminds me a bit of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style.” Jones said “Dreamin’ ” is going to be made available in January on iTunes. Among the producers she’s working with are Jon Jon Traxx, who has worked with Beyonce; Darren Lighty (who wrote the hit “Too Close” by Next) and Rodney Jerkins, who has produced for Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and Mariah Carey, to name a few.
She’s working on her her album primarily in Minneapolis but still considers Fayetteville her home base and hopes to eventually find a place in Atlanta for herself at some point, Jones said.
Paris’ publicist in New York, Double XXposure, is setting up an interview for me by phone for next Thursday so if you have any questions for Paris, email me at rho@ajc.com. And I’m supposed to be talking with Kellie Pickler by phone Monday prior to her Arbor Place Toys for Tots appearance Tuesday Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. so if you have any questions her, pass them along, too.
12/7: McPhee’s new album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kat McPhee finally talks in more detail about her new album to Billboard. Tentative title is “Never Saw It Comin’.” She said it will be “rhythm pop.”
“It’s not like really R&B or really poppy, but there are a couple of tracks that are really good for the ‘American Idol’ fans who voted for me and knew me as the ‘Over the Rainbow’ girl,” she said.
Release date is the end of January 2007 right now.
Chris Daughtry’s album, while ranked No. 2 this week on hitsdailydouble, was a smidgen behind “Hannah Montana” at No. 2 and Incubus at No. 1 and landed at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. Carrie moved up to 13 and is about to hit 4 million in sales. Kellie Pickler is at No. 58 in week 5. Her sales are well over 190,000. Clay moved back up to 135 from 155 in his 11th week. He’s now well past 420K. Ruben dropped to 176 in his 7th week and he’s around 148K. Will Pickler ultimately outsell the season two winner?
12/6: Check out Taylor’s CD in advance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
VH1 here has Taylor’s CD available to sample.
It should satisfy Taylor fans. Lots of Doobie Brothers-type riffs, brassy Steve Winwood-like sounds and exuberant old-school rock, plus a few heartfelt ballads. I think he held his ground and did an album that reflected what he wanted, which may not make it a triple platinum seller driven by radio hits but will solidify his hardcore base. My prediction is he’ll sell in the Fantasia/Ruben 1.5 to 2 million range but not how Kelly or Carrie have done.
Tell me what you think!
12/6: Lost escapes Idol
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABC’s “Lost” lost a lot of audience this past spring going up against “American Idol’ so the network has decided to move the show to 10 p.m. Wednesdays starting in February. In its place is a couple of, um, sacrificial lamb sitcoms: “Knights of Prosperity” and “In Case of Emergency.” I’ve seen a couple of episodes of “Knights” and it’s a wee bit oddball but not bad counterprogramming vs. the “Idol” results show. “Lost” now faces off against “CSI:NY” and “Medium.”
Idol countdown: 41 days!
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12/6:Taylor track list/Daughtry stays at #2
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Daughtry sales dropped 50% in week two but he stayed as the runner up, this time to the new Incubus, according to Hits Daily Double. So he’s up to 450K in sales, already more than Clay’s latest and triple Ruben’s total. And his single “It’s Not Over” technically hits radio stations today. If it becomes a hit, he should easily cruise to platinum, only the second non-winner to reach that pinnacle. Only Bo Bice, Josh Gracin and Clay Aiken have outsold him among non winners and he’s on pace to surpass Josh in a couple of weeks and Bo within a month.
Here’s info from billboard about Taylor’s CD, out Dec. 12:
The silver-haired Alabama native will be putting his own spin on Smokey Robinson classic “Ain’t That Peculiar,” originally performed by Marvin Gaye. “Wherever I Lay My Hat,” written by Gaye, and “Dream Myself Awake,” by Thomas, are also included. The Adams/Jim Vallance-penned “The Right Place” was originally written for Ray Charles to perform shortly before his death.
“Soul Thing” and “The Deal” were both written by Hicks and released on his second independent album “Under the Radar” before he auditioned for the popular television show.
It’s ranked at #17 on Amazon as of the moment I checked. It’s priced aggressively at $9.72.
Here’s the track list:
“Runaround
“Dream Myself Awake”
“Heaven Knows”
“Gonna Move”
“Wherever I Lay My Hat”
“Give Me Tonight”
“Just To Feel That Way”
“The Maze”
“Places I’ve Been”
“Soul Thing”
“The Deal”
“The Right Place
12/5: Carrie wins five Billboard Music Awards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Billboard Music Awards, which I didn’t watch, aired Monday night on Fox and Carrie Underwood won the following:
Album of the Year, “Some Hearts”
Country Album of the Year, “Some Hearts”
Female Billboard 200 Album Artist of the Year
Female Country Artist of the Year
New Country Artist of the Year
Not a bad take! This was based on SoundScan sales, not a vote of any sort.
12/5: Brits think Simon is sexy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a silly poll to ponder: a UK Sun story says British women think Simon Cowell is the 2nd sexiest man, ahead of Brad Pitt but behind 007’s Daniel Craig. Feel free to insert your gratuitous joke here.
12/4: Taylor on Leno
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I heard Taylor’s first single “Runaround” from his new CD coming out Dec. 12 on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which aired Friday. Here’s the clip on gofish.
Will it be a big top 40 hit? Probably not but I dare them to play it. Unlike Bo’s first single, this one definitely feels like a Taylor song. He opens and closes with his harmonica. The tune’s brassy, bright and bluesy. I like it. Very old school, like “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood. Color me impressed. Sure beats “Do I Make You Proud?” And is his hair shorter than we’ve seen it in awhile or is it just me?
And if anybody cares, Kat McPhee won “Big It Girl” on the “Big in ‘06” VH1 awards show Sunday night.
12/2: Pickler at Arbor Place Dec. 12
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kellie Pickler from this past season is holding a free concert Dec. 12 at Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville. Kellie will take the stage at 6pm with special holiday selections and music from her debut CD “Small Town Girl.” The only price of admission is a new unwrapped gift to benefit Toys for Tots. She was ill in August when the “Idols Live!” tour came to Gwinnett so I haven’t seen her live yet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it but I’ll give it a try.
12/1: Hicks comments “misunderstood”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Comments Taylor Hicks said to Relix implying he was disavowing the show were taken out of context, In Touch reported.
Hicks said when he told Relix magazine series execs pressured him into recording his first single, “Do I Make You Proud,” it was not meant to degrade the musical TV show in any way. The story said he also said he didn’t plan to watch the show anymore.
“Those words were taken completely out of context,” the singer claimed. “I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to be on ‘American Idol.’ It’s a show that teaches a lot of young people about music and ties families together. I’m very grateful.”
Hicks will be on Leno tonight. He’ll probably clarify his comments then, too. When I first saw the Relix story, I was skeptical. Sure, Hicks wanted to use “Idol” for further his career, no duh, but he sure isn’t going to bite the hand that fed him.
And proving that William Hung’s 15 minutes have now extended far past their expiration date, check this out.
