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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
7/15: Don’t expect too many Idol changes next year, Ace Young CD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry. My laptop hard drive started making this grinding sound yesterday so tech is moving all my info onto a new drive. In the interim, I’m using a “pool” laptop and it’s taking me a long time to get access to everything I need temporarily. So I’m sorry if I’m a bit slow today trying to access information. (And I can’t upload photos for some reason on this computer.) Hopefully, I’ll have my computer back by the end of the day.
Anyway, at the Television Critics Association press tour meeting that I’m missing in Los Angeles, Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly confirmed all the info we’ve already heard about “Idol” next season. The same judges and host are back, of course. The network is reverting back to more half hour results shows and there will be fewer audition episodes. We suspect they are going to expand the Hollywood auditions and do more “flashbacks” to the auditions from there. This probably means fewer bad bad singers, which appeals to most of the readers here but honestly, those episodes often bring in the biggest ratings so Fox is taking a risk there.
And given the success of Jason Castro and Brooke White, two contestants we know would not have made the top 12 without instruments, instruments are coming back. No surprise there.
While I tihnk “Idol” lost ratings simply because it’s seven years old and nothing lasts forever, Nigel Lythgoe blamed broader trends: “I don’t believe the ratings dipped for American Idol,” Nigel theorized. “I believe the ratings dipped for network television. And if you balance the whole ratings slide against American Idol, American Idol didn’t slip in comparison to everything else that moved downwards.”
Technically, he’s right. The dropoff in ratings for “Idol” was less than or on par many major shows such as “Desperate Housewives,” “House” and “Lost.” I’d say “Idol” lost about 8 percent of its total audience year over year, a bit more of its younger viewers.
-It’s been awhile since we’ve had a new “Idol” release. Well, season five finalist Ace Young finally has his day in the sun. He’s the ninth contestant out of 12 from that season to release a CD, the most of any season thus far.
He wished he had become successful without “Idol.” (How dare he say such things! :) )
“On ‘American Idol’ you sing other people’s songs and you get criticized for it,” Ace told the Boston Herald. “That doesn’t really create an artist.”
“As a songwriter, I’ve always been an artist first. The hardest thing for me was doing the show,” he said. “It’s a TV show first and a competition second. If I could have a career without it, I’d go that way. You get better support that way,” he said.
Does he think he’d be getting this much press without the “Idol” connection? Embrace it, Ace!
He received a Grammy nomination last year for helping co-write Daughtry’s hit “It’s Not Over,” so obviosuly Ace has some skills in the songwriting department.
And though Ace has the help of songwriter Desmond Child, his album lacks direction and focus, says the Dallas Morning News critic.
A fairly stout debut, but because Mr. Young tackles too much he fails to stand up - or out. Hey, Blake Lewis: You have company.
Here’s a more positive take on the album, courtesy of the Rocky Mountain News.:
His Michael Jackson tendencies - vocally and arrangement-wise - come through most on the single Addicted. He reins it in on the rest of the disc, letting his personality come through on songs like A Hard Hand to Hold.
-And yes, the “Idols Live” tour hits David Archuleta’s home and it’s pandemonium, I tell ya, pandemonium! Check out how much love he gets here.. And here via the Deseret News..
The screaming audience made it impossible to hear Murray’s “American Idol” runner-up sing his version of Robbie Williams’ “Angels.” It was obvious a lot of the 10,000-plus audience members were there to see the “American Idol” runner-up but not necessarily hear him.
-We thought two contestants were going to be canned tonight from “Nashville Star” but only one did after all. The final multi-person group (the lame teen duo Laura and Sophie) was finally eliminated. They will not be missed. John Rich was still angry at one of them (I don’t even know which is which) for rolling her eyes last week while Jewel was talking. I actually thought they did alright tonight with an age appropriate song by Taylor Swift but nobody will miss them except their family and friends.
This is the first night in which all the contestants sang actual country songs! And they were better for it. Ashlee Hewitt, the blonde gal, is like 100 other Nashville blond singers. I see nothing special about her and her “Cowboy Take Me Away” made me think of how great Paris did two years ago with that song during her initial audition. Gabe Garcia, who did a song by Georgia’s Billy Currington, is a virtual lock for final two, given his great voice, but the man simply lacks stage charisma. That won’t change. Coffey has stage presence but his vocals don’t cut it for this competition. I did feel for him as he sang “It’s Your Love.” He really brought some emotional weight to the song thinking of his mom. I enjoyed Melissa Lawson’s take on a great Martina McBride song but the judges thought she was over the top. Shawn Mayer? I couldn’t care less. She did okay with that Carrie Underwood song “Before He Cheats” but added absolutely nothing new to the proceedings. She’d get a good response at a karaoke bar.
