it's diana's turn

Diana DeGarmo's single CD, Dreams, plus I Believe and Don't Cry Out Loud is being released today.  So we'll see soon how the American Idol and the American runner-up fare in CD sales.

Diana's CD is currently #27 on the best-selling list at Amazon.com, where this CD is, of course, available.  It is also available, as is Fantasia's, in an exclusive download offer from Walmart.com, where you can purchase all three songs separately for $.88 each.

Time will tell where Diana's single will fall on the charts, but Fantasia's release of I Believe, with Summertime and Chain of Fools, debuted at #14 on Billboard.

If you're interested, here's what I did.  I downloaded Diana's Don't Cry Out Loud.  Out of the six songs, it's the only one I really liked and didn't have. 

I just don't like Dreams.  And I'm not a big fan of I Believe -- either version.  And I figured I will hear more than enough of both songs at the supermarket.  I have Fantasia's Chain of Fools; it's the song she recorded on the AI3 Soul Classics CD.  I heard enough of Summertime, plus I have it on VHS.  I loved Melissa Manchester's version of Cry so much that I have it on 45 (for those of you who do not understand what that is, ask your parents), and I have it again on CD.  Diana worked with Melissa in the studio on this recording, so I was interested in hearing what effect that had on the song.

If you buy it, expecting a redux of her AI3 performance, you'll either be disappointed or thrilled.  It is different.  First, of course, it's the full version, not the abbreviated version she had to sing on the show.  Manchester's imput is obvious in the vocals, and Diana shows much more depth in this performance than I've heard from her so far.  The instrumentation is virtually identical to Manchester's recording. It was worth the $.88 ($.94 with tax), but I'm not sure how often I'll listen to it.

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fantasia's single released. it's crunch time

Fantasia Barrino's CD single I Believe has been in stores now for 24 hours.  It is currently #2 on the Amazon.com bestseller list, and in a week we'll know if this year's American Idol has the same selling power as the ones who preceded her.

Of course, the number most AI watchers look at is 400,000.  That is the number of CD singles last year's runner-up Clay Aiken sold in the first week after the release of his This is the Night.  Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard both had success with their debut singles, but not to the same extent.

So all eyes will be on the Billboard chart next week to see where Fantasia falls.

And in other news, Amazon.com is announcing that Diana's single Dreams will be released next week, June 29 where previously it was reported as July 29.  Looks like someone at Amazon doesn't proofread.  But the sales for Diana's CD are climbing.  Currently she is #31.  Expect that to rise as we get closer to its release date, just as Fantasia's did.

So all eyes will be on Diana DeGarmo next week.

Fantasia's single is also available at walmart.com, for those who would prefer to simply download it.  All three songs are available for $.88 each.  One would assume the same exclusive will hold true for Diana next week.

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idol three tour starts soon...

The countdown is starting for the kick-off to the American Idol tour, which begins in a couple of weeks.  The schedule can be found just about anywhere, and tickets are still available for most of the venues.

Of course, considering little Miss Jasmine's success, last-minute Hawaii dates were added, so the tour runs through the end of September.  Just in time to get most of them back into high school!

Here's a link, if you want the full schedule:  dates, locations and tickets.

Anybody going?  If so, we want to hear all about it!!

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do you love simon? then you might love this too

Yes, Simon Cowell's book, I don't mean to be rude, but... has been out for quite some time now.  I know that.  It's been sitting on my bookshelf since March, collecting a significant amount of dust while waiting for the spine to be tickled, much less cracked.  My grandkids got it for me as a present, the little sweethearts. 

They are the reason I started watching American Idol in the first place.  They would come over and spend oodles of time sitting in a serious discussion of the talents of Ruben over Clay or Kelly over Justin.  I couldn't figure out who this Justin guy was that my granddaughter was totally ga-ga over, until they explained this show.  Then they started singing songs from my youth that were new discoveries for them.  That's when I just had to watch this show.  If a television show, even one on FOX, could give a 40 (something)-year-old and a 9-year-old fodder for a great discussion, why not?  And I think I've become more of a fan now than they are.  But we still have great debates.  (I was the George fan; the granddaughter drooled over Jon Peter -- ack!)

But, I digress.  It's a slow news summer on the Idol scene, which makes keeping this blog current a bit challenging.  So I decided to peel the Simon book off of the shelf, dust it off, and give it a read.  I'm not a book reviewer, but I'll do my best.

If you enjoyed the first two seasons of American Idol, and you like Simon, you'll like this book.  I was able to finish the book, cover to cover, in a matter of an afternoon.  It's a simple, sometimes funny, always egotistical in a Simon sort of way, retrospective of the genesis of the show through its second year.  Of course, to get there you will learn all about how Simon became the music industry legend-in-his-own-mind that he has become.  (And, in a odd way, there are lessons to be learned about tenacity and self-belief along the way.)

It is easy to read, which makes it a quick one, perfect for an afternoon by the pool or a rainy day activity.  (It was raining here.  Again.) 

Simon gives his impressions of the contestants from the first two seasons.  (Remember, this book was released before we'd ever heard of Fantasia or John Stevens!)  If you're a Clay Aiken fan, you'll like most of what he has to say.  If you're a Kelly Clarkson fan, you will too.  Plus he lets us in on some of the "house" rumors of relationships and in-fighting.  Dirt, I tell you, there's dirt!

Throughout the book, he rates his "best of" and "worst of" moments that are worth the price alone.  But, in all honesty, I skipped the final chapter on "how to become an American Idol."  Even if I wanted to, I'm well past the age limit.  But a 20 year old with a great voice might find useful advice there.

Before I recommend a book I always ask myself if I would buy it again.  (In this case, though, the question is "would I buy it.")  I would.  I don't know that it will go in my library, but it was a fun way to entertain myself through a rainy afternoon.  It is a bit pricey in the hardcover edition, but I'm a hardcover bigot, I admit that.  Therefore, my best suggestion -- wait for the paperback or go to the library.  There's nothing so earth-shattering in the book that you need it today.  And, unless he comes out with an edited edition detailing all of the dish from season three, there's no need to shut down amazon or barnesandnoble.com or to overwhelm Wal*Mart at this point in time.

But, remember...if you buy it and hate it, it's not my fault.  If you buy it and love it, you're welcome!

Please, please feel free to leave your own reviews in the comments.  I love getting comments!

Just fillin' the time until the next season of Idol...

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checking in with the idols on amazon...

With all of the attention on the release of Fantasia and Diana's CD singles over the next few weeks, and both of the girls' positions on the best selling list, it's always interesting to check in with the Idol contestants from the past two seasons, to see who has what out and how they're doing.  All of the images and figures, again, come from amazon.com, where you can buy each of these CDs. 

Tamyra is leading the Idols, with her newly-released CD coming in at number 76.  Anyone buy it?  If so, leave us a review in the comment section.  All of us considering a purchase would appreciate your evaluation.

Coming in at the number 87 top seller at Amazon is Josh Gracin!  Remember Josh?  He was number 4 in season two,  our U.S. Marine friend and country music fan.  He has just recently released a country album.  Want more of Josh?  Visit his website, joshgracin.com.  Good to see you again!  If you have Josh's CD, let us know what you think.  Please! 

Now my girl Kim Locke's CD has been out since early May, so we wouldn't expect her to rank exceptionally high on the Amazon best selling chart.  Kim was the third place finisher for season two, remember?  Numbers do fall with time, after all.  I have this CD, and, while I don't think I would have purchased it had it not been my girl Kim, some of the cuts on this are worth the price of admission, most notably, her duet with Clay Aiken. Without You.  And, despite what many critics say, I really like her single 8th World Wonder.  So, if you're a Kim fan, it's worth the money.  Kim's CD One Love is currently #137 at Amazon.

 Now we're getting into the CDs that have been out there many, many months.  Let's see how they're doing.  First up, my man Clay.  Measure of a Man, not my favorite CD, which debuted at #1 on pre-sales alone, is now #297.

 And Kelly, our very first American Idol, has her CD, Thankful, coming in at #429.  Again, not one of my favorite CDs, but worth it for Beautiful Disaster.

And our teddy bear, Ruben, the second American Idol, has his CD, Soulful, bringing up the rear of the Idolites at #610.  If this CD didn't include Ruben's rendition of the Bee Gees' How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?, I wouldn't buy it again.  But for that song alone, it was worth the price.  I burned that track, and then gave the CD to my granddaughter, the hugest Ruuuuuuuben fan on the planet!  

Any thoughts?              

and they're playing that game again...

Just as they did last year, the RCA people are at it again.  Playing musical chairs with the release dates for Fantasia and Diana's singles.  Fantasia's, originally scheduled to be released this week, has now been pushed to June 22, while Diana's is (as of today) still scheduled for July 29.

Apparently there have been adjustments and rearrangements to both girls' recordings to warrant the change in plans.

However, neither girl is burning up Amazon.com's best seller list, as did Ruben and Clay last year.  Clay and Ruben held down spots number 1 and 2 on the pre-sale of their CD singles.  Not so this go-round.  As of today, Fantasia (and, by the way, it's just Fantasia now -- she's a single-named gal now) is holding down the #15 spot, while Diana is coming in at #73, a big drop from a couple of weeks ago.

So those of you who were preparing for a dash to the record store this week will have to wait.  Next week Fantasia fans!

and don't forget to visit me here.

 

diana single release date postponed

Diana DeGarmo's single CD of Dreams, along with Don't Cry Out Loud and I Believe, now has a release date of July 29.

Originally it was scheduled to debut this month, exactly one week after Fantasia Barrino releases the same song next week.

No word yet why the delay, but AI fans will recall that both Clay and Ruben had preliminary release dates postponed more than once last year.

But, at least here's a look at the cover.  And it's available for pre-order here.

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yo dawg wassup dawg yo

Add Randy Jackson to the list of American Idol folks making their way to daytime.

According to TV Guide Online, Randy Jackson will guest on General Hospital, playing, what else, a judge in the current L&B music industry storyline.  His episode is scheduled for June 29.   (Of course the dates are tentative considering the events of this week and the television coverage of them.)

You da man, dawg.

 

calling all matthew metzger fans...

 

Matthew Metzger, one of the 32 finalists and a wildcard selection, has been cast on the daytime drama One Life to Live, as Duke Buchanan, the son of Kevin Buchanan, now all grown up and looking as old as his father.  Hmmm.

Look for Matt to begin in his new role sometime this summer.

Whether you loved his voice or hated it, ya'll gotta admit, the kid's a cutie!

Fantasia!

And we have our first look at the CD cover for Fantasia's first single, I Believe.  It will go on sale Tuesday, June 15.

In addition to I Believe, Fantasia will recreate Summertime and Chain of Fools.

It will be interesting to watch the numbers for Fantasia, in comparison with the release numbers for Kelly, Ruben and Clay.

Diana's single will be released one week later.  As soon as I can find what I think is the actual CD cover, I'll put it here. 

But it's Fantasia's turn first.  Are you going to buy it?

diana single announced and so are the songs

And, so we know.  And it's just as we expected/suspected.  RCA Records has announced that Diana DeGarmo will release a CD single on June 22, exactly one week after Fantasia Barrino's CD single is released on June 15.  And we know a bit more about each girl's song selection.  And it's kind of weird.

According to Amazon.com, both girls will record that Tamyra song I Believe.  Diana will add Dreams, with Don't Cry Out Loud in there as a bonus.  Fantasia will include Summertime and Chain of Fools.  You might recall that it was Fantasia that sang Dreams on the final night of Idol.  Both CDs are available for pre-order.

Might it not be possible that, since we've heard I Believe about one hundred times already, with both girls recording it we might stop believing after about a week?  Sometimes I just have to question the wisdom of these choices, much like I did last season.

It remains to be seen.