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.

and don't forget to visit me here

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.