Home > American Idol > Archives > 2007 > June
June 2007
Taylor’s coming to San Marcos!
We’re about to make card-carrying members of the “Soul Patrol” very, very happy.
Taylor Hicks will make a stop at the San Marcos Hastings Books, Music & Video store July 27 to promote his new book, according to a news release that just hit our inbox.
Hastings is located at 917 Texas 80. Click here for a map. Taylor will whip out his pen and start signing books at 7 p.m. Since this is San Marcos and there’s not exactly a lot to do on a Friday night, we’re guessing a line will form well in advance.
“Heart Full of Soul” doesn’t even arrive in bookstores until July 10, but it’s already burning up the charts on Amazon.com, thanks to lots and lots of pre-orders from Taylor’s many fans.
Idol chatter …
- Congrats to Jennifer Hudson, who snagged two statuettes at this week’s BET Awards: Best Actress and Best New Artist.
She also opened the show singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” with Jennifer Holliday. Click here to see a full list of winners, and here and here to view photos.
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Check out ‘Hey Paula’ tonight
Anna Nicole Smith — rest her soul — is no longer with us, taking with her one of the funniest — and most tragic — reality shows in TV history.
But don’t fret. The fine folks at Bravo think they’ve found the perfect replacement: Paula Abdul.
“Hey Paula,” a look inside the life of everyone’s favorite “American Idol” judge, debuts tonight at 9, with non-stop reruns peppered throughout the coming days.
The premiere, provided in advance by the network, breaks no new ground, but it’s interesting nonetheless. We see Paula crying, laughing and yelling as she races from one obligation to the next, a trio of assistants at her side. Sound familiar? Yeah, we thought so.
And, let us tell you, Paula’s a busy girl. The first half-hour installment of “Hey Paula,” which actually covers a span of a little more than 24 hours, follows the former pop princess as she preps for the Grammys, battles with the producers of the upcoming “Bratz” film, and jets to Philly to sell her line of jewelry on home shopping channel QVC. Whew!
Along the way, we’re introduced to Daniel, her hairstylist and confidante; Kylie, her not-quite-there stylist; and Jeff, her publicist, who thinks it’s OK for guys in their 40s (or maybe even 50s) to wear clothes from Abercrombie and Fitch. Note to Jeff: It’s not.
Then there’s Paula. Sure, we — along with everyone else — have talked plenty of smack about her in recent months. But, really and truly, she’s a sweetheart facing the same problems we all are — just on a grander scale:
Looks: She’s worried Joan and Melissa Rivers won’t like the $12,500 Valentino dress she wears to the Grammys. Surprise! They do.
Love: Paula, who is rarely, if ever, seen in public with a man on her arm, is lonely. “My romantic life is a horror movie,” she blurts out in a preview for an upcoming episode.
Success: The whole “Idol” thing is paying the bills, but Paula worries that’s not enough. Check out this gem, uttered on the way to the Grammys: “Last time I had a hit record, Bill and Hillary (Clinton) were still having sex.”
The verdict? Check it out. Yeah, it’s 30 minutes of your life you’ll never, ever get back, but we can think of worse ways to pass the time.
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And the ‘sexiest vegetarian’ is …
Here it is … the moment we’ve all been waiting for.
No, no … not the release of Kelly Clarkson’s “My December.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals today announced the winners of its annual “sexiest vegetarian” contest: “American Idol” alum Carrie Underwood and “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” band leader Kevin Eubanks.
More than 110,000 votes were cast in the online poll, according to The Associated Press. Runners-up were Joaquin Phoenix, Milo Ventimiglia, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jared Leto and Lisa Edelstein.
“I quit eating beef when I was about 13,” Underwood says in a news release posted on PETA’s site. “I do it because I really love animals and it just makes me sad. … I don’t like to watch commercials where they have meat. It weirds me out.”
Guess we shouldn’t invite Carrie to our Fourth of July barbecue.
Idol chatter …
- “Idol” fans planning to attend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus are in for a special treat.
Season 2 finalist Jennifer Fuentes will serve as ringmaster. She’ll also belt out a tune or two.
Catch the circus Wednesday through Sunday at UT’s Frank Erwin Center.
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Kelly, Kelly, Kelly!
Kelly Clarkson’s new album is out today.
Finally.
We’ve heard it and, quite frankly, we don’t think it’s as dark and depressing as everyone’s made it out to be. Are there some gut-wrenching lyrics? Yes. But no one ever said life was easy. Kelly knows that, we know that, and, odds are, you do, too.
American-Statesman music writer Joe Gross opines about Kelly’s recent troubles in a piece you’ll find in print and online today. The short version: It’s all about the money.
So will “My December” help turn things around for our favorite Texas musician? It’s too early to tell. Reviews have been mixed, but that apparently isn’t keeping diehard fans from opening up their wallets: It’s the No. 2 album on Amazon.com right now.
Here’s a quick look at what some critics around the country have to say:
Baltimore Sun: “On the album, she is Kelly Clarkson the artiste: moody, inward and dark. She was recently dumped by her boyfriend, a situation that inspired the mostly bitter lyrics bristling throughout the new album. The surging, electric guitar-heavy arrangements echo her angst. But does this direction work for her? It could if the songs were better crafted, if the lyrics weren’t rife with broken-heart cliches and the music wasn’t so predictable. But because Clarkson is a charismatic singer with golden pipes, the album is bearable.”
Boston Globe: ” ‘My December’ offers an appealing if uneven snapshot of a girl with a big voice and big emotions who’s in transition, looking to express herself as she experiences the final four stages of grief over the death of a romantic relationship.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Taken as a whole, it’s a blistering, unrelenting experience, punctuated by a few genuinely fun pop tracks. Echoes of other angry rock chicks (like Evanescence’s Amy Lee) can clearly be heard in Clarkson’s abrasive vocals, with most of the songs climaxing in torrents of rage. It’s far afield from the relatively sedate ‘Since U Been Gone.’ “
Los Angeles Times: “It’s not the actual content of ‘My December,’ Kelly Clarkson’s just-released third album, that currently makes it unlistenable. I’m not saying that it’s a bad album — it’s a solid, heartfelt, occasionally beautiful exercise in mainstream modern rock, and most reviews are confirming that. ‘My December’ is unlistenable in the sense that nobody can really hear it. Sometimes this happens to a work of art: The din around it from a controversy renders the thing itself mute.”
New York Post: “After listening, you have to wonder what all the bitching was about. It’s hardly the worst CD an American Idol has released (that dubious honor goes to Taylor Hicks). As Simon might say, ‘December’ is ‘just OK.’ ”
Washington Post: ” ‘My December’ is Clarkson’s Big Artistic Statement, and hers alone. And that statement can more or less be summed up like so: I hate life since we broke up — and, gee, isn’t Alanis Morissette great!?”
OK, OK … enough with what the critics have to say. We want to know if you’ve heard Kelly’s new album. If so, share your thoughts with us.
‘Idol’ auditions coming to Texas
Ready for a road trip?
“American Idol” producers announced today that Season 7 auditions will take place at seven locations across the country, including one in the Dallas area.
Look for Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson Aug. 6 at the soon-to-be-replaced Texas Stadium in Irving. Registration is set for Aug. 4-5.
Hopefuls must be between 16 and 28 years old. Read the complete set of rules here.
Plan on making the three-hour drive up Interstate 35? Let us know. We’d like to follow a few Austin-area folks as they make their way through the audition process.
Kelly Clarkson’s deep, dark secret
Ready for more Kelly Clarkson news?
Too bad, cuz here it comes: Our favorite former “Idol” admits in a CosmoGirl interview that she once suffered from bulimia.
Seriously, can someone cut this girl a break?
The Burleson native says the eating disorder developed after she didn’t get a role in a high school theater production.
“I thought if I came back and I was cuter and thinner — then I’ll get the role,” Kelly told the magazine.
Her battle with bulimia lasted six months, until a friend intervened.
“One of my guy friends caught on to it, and I just felt so ashamed and embarrassed. I literally went cold turkey and snapped out of it.”
Today, the singer claims she’s pleased with her body, something few folks — male or female — can say.
“I’ve got a butt, I’m Greek — I can’t help that. And I think it’s good for people to see normal. I love food far too much!”
At least she’s happy about something, right?
Idol chatter …
- “Idol: The Musical” appears to be a hit.
After a successful run in … wait for it … Syracuse, N.Y., it’ll make the move to the Big Apple next month.
Described as a “satirical musical comedy,” the show pokes fun at a group of obsessive Clay Aiken fans in Steubenville, Ohio.
Wow … we’re speechless. Completely and totally speechless. For once.
So many albums, so little time
Kelly Clarkson might be the one getting all the buzz — good and bad — but she isn’t the only former “American Idol” contestant ready to release an album.
Turns out there are plenty more in the works:
- Mandisa’s “True Beauty” hits stores July 31. “Only the World,” her first single, is already getting considerable play on Christian radio stations across the country and sits atop the current Billboard singles chart.
Click here to read an interview with Mandisa, courtesy of Blogcritics magazine.
- Look for “Constantine,” the first album from Constantine Maroulis, Aug. 7. Can’t wait? There’s a single — “Everybody Loves” — you can download now at the iTunes store.
Constantine’s been a busy boy lately. Daytime TV viewers can catch him on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” where he’s in the middle of a three-month guest appearance.
- Ruben Studdard heads back to the studio next month to start work on his fourth album. And, if things work out, it’ll include a duet with Fantasia.
“We met while she was on [‘Idol’] and have been friends ever since,” he tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- And, of course, we can’t forget Kelly. Dear, sweet, troubled Kelly. Look for “My December” a week from today. Can’t wait? Get a sneak preview Friday night at 10:35 on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
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Wedding bells for an ‘Idol’?
Carrie Underwood and Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo sure have looked awfully cozy in recent weeks.
Now comes word they might soon be engaged.
At least that’s what a friend — make that a friend with a big mouth — told InTouch Weekly.
Not everyone’s buying it, though: An alert reader named Jake claims on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Web site that he saw Romo cuddling with another woman at a banquet earlier this week.
Stay tuned …
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Clarkson cancels tour
Think things can’t get any worse for Kelly Clarkson?
Think again.
The Texan called off her summer tour today. Austin wasn’t on the list, but Dallas and Houston were.
A terse statement from her publicist blames lower-than-expected ticket sales.
But Kelly’s singing a slightly different tune on her Web site:
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to getting out there to perform for y’all. In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won’t be coming out to tour this summer. The fact is that touring is just too much too soon.
“But I promise you that we’re going to get back out there as soon as is humanly possible to give you a show that will be even better.
“Thanks for all of your love and continued support.”
Hmmm … maybe the execs at RCA were right. Maybe Kelly’s not-so-cheery songs are driving away fans in droves. Think so?
Read more about the postponement of Kelly’s tour in the Austin Music Source blog.
Kelly Clarkson comes out swinging
Kelly Clarkson’s lookin’ for love.
Hey, truth be told, we are, too. Not that you care. Or do you?
Anyway, the Burleson native says some surprising stuff in an interview with Elle.
Stuff like this: “My point of view is that I shouldn’t be a mother at all, because I’d be horrible. I’m not willing to be that selfless.”
And this: “People think they’re just going to meet the perfect guy. Don’t be ridiculous.”
And this: “I love my friends and family. But I have never said the words ‘I love you’ to anyone in a romantic relationship. Ever.”
The interview, which appears in the magazine’s July issue, hit newsstands the same day People reported she’s separated from manager Jeff Kwatinetz and just two weeks before “My December,” Kelly’s third CD, is set to land on shelves.
“I’ve sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. Because I’m 25 and a woman,” she says.
Bitter, party of one, your table’s ready.
LaKisha’s moving to Houston
Thousands of Michiganders, Michiganians, Michiganers, Michiganites — or whatever you want to call them — joined Gov. Jennifer Granholm today to honor the state’s most famous resident: former “American Idol” hopeful LaKisha Jones.
The ceremony, held outside the Capitol in Lansing, featured a performance by the youth choir from LaKisha’s church and two numbers by the Flint resident herself: “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and “God Bless the Child.”
Click here to see photos — and here to view video — of the festivities, courtesy of the Lansing State Journal.
But the mood wasn’t all upbeat. LaKisha shocked many by announcing she plans to move to … drum roll, please … Houston! It won’t be the first time she’s called the Bayou City home. In fact, back in 2005, she was a finalist in the “Gimme the Mike” talent competition organized by television station KPRC.
Can’t say we’re too surprised by the news. Have you ever been to Flint? Lansing? (We have.) We’re pretty sure you’d flee, too, if given the chance. Seriously, welcome to Depressionville, U.S.A. Population: You.
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Sanjaya gets silly
So you know it’s a slow news day when we’re trotting out a lame-o interview with Sanjaya Malakar.
A million apologies. Really.
Anyway, the Houston Chronicle sat down with Mr. Mohawk this week. Here are the highlights … all two of them:
Q: What’s the worst pronunciation of your name?
A: Sonia Mowlicker. Freshman year in high school. … For the rest of the year my friends called me Sonia.
Q: On a desert island, would you rather be with (contestants) Jordin Sparks or Blake Lewis?
A: Jordin Sparks, not because I like her more but because Blake Lewis is kind of loud and sometimes obnoxious. … But I do like him.
Idol chatter …
- Speaking of Blake, he’s topping Jordin on the singles charts.
Shock! Shock!
His version of “You Give Love a Bad Name” — probably Blake’s best performance all season — is No. 9 right now.
Jordin’s take on “This Is My Now” is No. 14.
Will it last? Stay tuned …
- Not to be outdone, Jordin sang the National Anthem during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night.
We liked it. How ‘bout you?
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Katharine McPhee’s name in lights
Further proof you don’t need to win “American Idol” to have a successful career: Season 5 reject Katharine McPhee has landed a starring role in an upcoming film.
Look for Kat in “The Last Caller,” described as a “dark romantic comedy.”
“This is the first thing that I read that I really wanted to do,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “I’m up for a couple of big studio projects, but they weren’t starring roles. I wanted to start off doing something a little different. It’s something that a lot of people wouldn’t expect me doing.”
The news isn’t all good, though: Fans hoping to hear Kat’s sweet voice are outta luck. She won’t be singing in this flick.
Idol chatter …
- TMZ reports Carrie Underwood’s MySpace page has been hacked.
D’oh!
The high-tech intruder posted a message, purportedly from Carrie, urging visitors to download some “amazing free ringtones.”
We’ll get right on that.
- Taylor Hicks is the latest “Idol” to pen a book.
You can pre-order “Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way” right now at Amazon.com. It’ll cost you $16.47, plus shipping.
So what’s the book about? We’d tell you if we knew. There’s no description posted just yet. We do, however, know it’s a relatively quick read, checking in at a slim 272 pages.
Oh, boy! No more sleeping pills for us.
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Paula’s peeved
Paula Abdul just can’t seem to stay out of the news.
That’s why we love her. Guaranteed blog fodder.
What now, you ask? Well, New York Post’s Page Six claims it has a recording of a juicy conversation between Paula and her reps.
Her health — which has been the subject of much speculation — is discussed at length on the tape. Paula claims she has Addison’s disease, “an adrenal disorder that causes chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and irritability.”
“I’m not happy about that phone call being leaked,” she told People magazine. “That’s illegal.”
So much for a little thing called trust.
Idol chatter …
- Speaking of Paula, Bravo has delivered our preview copy of “Hey Paula,” its latest reality show.
We’ll give it a spin in ye olde DVD player and report back prior to the June 28 debut.
- Entertainment Weekly’s “American Idol” yearbook is a must-have for fans of the show.
Available on newsstands now, it contains a pretty intense quiz that even gave us fits.
Sample questions:
What recurring role did Brian Dunkleman have on an ABC comedy?
Constantine Maroulis fronted what band before he joined “Idol”?
What type of tight, black shirts does Simon wear?
How many audience members fit in the top 12 studio? 230, 410, 550 or 720.
Clueless? Join the club.
