it's tryout time, folks...

And some changes are afoot while assurances that the next season of American Idol will look a lot the same.

Paula, Randy and Simon will be back as a team.  Undoubtedly they will be joined by those ever-present, ever-pleasant, ever-annoying guest judges, but the trio that we love to love or love to hate will remain intact through AI4.  Season four.  Wow.  Does time fly or what?

The big change?  Well, okay, so the change isn't that big, and it's not at the end I was hoping for but...the age range has been altered.  In the first three seasons, the cut-off age was 25 -- 26 if a contestant wannabe was 25 during the tryouts.  Of course, the minimum age, as we saw in abundance last season was 16. 

Many, including myself, were hoping the producers would increase the minimum age limit after last season, after a final 12 that was so heavily high school.  The minimum age remains the same, but the maximum age has increased from 26 to 28.  Hopefully this small change will allow for much greater diversity in the contestant pool.  Unfortunately, it might also allow Scooter Girl to try again.  Oy.

Try-outs for AI4 begin next week -- August 4 -- in Cleveland, Ohio.  From there out intrepid band of judges will have their ears toasted in Las Vegas, Orlando, D.C., Anchorage, and three other cities.

The first episode of American Idol, Season 4 is scheduled for January on FOX.  Can't wait!!!

 

don't know about you...

But I am officially no longer amused.  The novelty wore off in March.  This has now become blatant exploitation of a tired fad.  It is not funny.  Leave this kid alone.

Rant concluded.  Go back to what you were doing.

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.

and don't forget to visit me here

 

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.

and don't forget to visit me here

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!!

and don't forget to visit me here

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...

and don't forget to visit me here

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?