My apologies for posting two moderately depressing stories in one day. (I say “moderately” because the arts often create beautiful things from pain and suffering.) We go from Justin’s “Motherless Child” to Chris Daughtry’s “Childless Mother” – a.k.a. “All These Lives.” Mitch Allan – singer/songwriter with band SR-71 – posted this on his blog:
November 14, 2006: “The Tune is called “All These Lives” and Chris and we wrote it in a hotel room in Pittsburg after a long flight and alot of chemical enhancement. The song speaks for itself and this CD rocks!!!”
December 16, 2006: “Chris just sent me this link. A fan made this video for one of the songs we wrote together for his new CD called “All These Lives”…the video says it all. This is exactly the type of exposure we were hoping for on this issue when we wrote the song. Please pass this link on to everyone so that we can find some of these children and draw as much attention to this issue as possible.”
Obviously, one of the best things about music is it means different things to different people. “All These Lives” could apply to soldiers lost in the war, families of divorce, etc. The video is a work of love from a fan, and wouldn’t it be incredible if even just one of these lost children were found because of it? Never underestimate the power of passion!
There is a Santa Claus! In our second installment of Idol Christmas, I posted excerpts from an article article discussing a Justin Guarini performance of “Motherless Child”. Thanks to a December 16th concert at Bright Hope Baptist Church and a fabulous fan (justicelvr) from JMan’s World we now have pictures and video of another amazing performance of this incredible song. To be honest, although I was moved to tears by Justin’s performance, I had never heard or heard of the song, so I didn’t “get” it. A quick Google search brought up this information from composer Gwyneth Walker’s website:
Motherless Child is derived, in part, from the African-American spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.” The original song dates back to the era of slavery when it was common practice to sell children of slaves away from their parents.
Watching the video is a much different experience after learning the true meaning…
Justin also performed my all-time favorite song, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Needless to say, I absolutely love his slowed-down, jazzy, smooth, soulful version. I had previously posted (and enjoyed) Clay and Carrie’s version, but Justin’s performance had me crying in my keyboard. It is conceivable that I am a the tiniest bit biased, but I don’t think so…
I don’t often go to concerts – I’m only 5’2” and I don’t really like crowds (everybody is always breathing on me) – but not much was going to keep me away from the Idols Live! tour after Season Four. Aside from the terrific group of performers and performances, it was an awesome opportunity for people watching. The girl sitting in front of me was about fourteen and quite obviously an Anthony Federov fan. No one around us was standing up throughout Anthony’s turn on the stage except for her. She was waving shyly and I think she had a sign, unfortunately, he didn’t notice her or wave back. This poor, heartbroken child spent the rest of the night pouting, much to her parents’ and little brother’s amusement.
Why the story? Well, I hope that girl gets to read this interview. We have many, many wonderful contributors to the Idol blogosphere, but JD Matthews is one of my heroes. Not only does he survive living in Memphis (I’m a six-year veteran) but he does great things for the marketing-challenged Idols. His interview with Anthony - with help from the AFed community - is a knock-out. If you haven’t heard Anthony’s ‘Culpa Me’ it is also a knock-out – be sure to visit IdolWaves.com to hear it. Oh, and thanks for the AFed fansite info – sounds like some good lurking!
How adorable is Kellie Pickler? She was hilarious! I did not get to see The Tonight Show the night she was on – actually, my bedtime is 8:00 so I don’t ever get to see The Tonight Show – but fortunately for me, Go Fish has the video available. I’ll say it again, how did we ever survive in this world without YouTube and Go Fish?
Anyhoo, the skit starts out with Kellie bouncing out on stage wearing… well…let’s say an interesting choice of a dress…to chat with Jay. Kellie has decided she is going to go shopping in New York City to buy Jay a Christmas present. Our little Country Mouse has great adventures in New York City – she does a “man on the street” segment asking for gift ideas, learns to speak some Chinese (my favorite part of the whole skit), meets up with Lionel Richie and reigning Idol, Taylor Hicks. Taylor was hilarious, too – Kellie and Taylor are too cute together and the Taylor/Leno jokes aren’t going away anytime soon. Fine by me – it’s perfectly harmless and silly to boot. I won’t spoil it for you, but Kellie does end up finding the perfect New York gift for Jay.
It’s a great video – someone should get this girl a sitcom.
Press release summary:
“GoFish, a leading online video network, announced the upcoming launch of an exclusive show called Artist Voices. The program, designed to profile the lives and lifestyles of top musical talents, will provide a forum for major artists to directly connect with their fan base through a unique and interactive experience, leveraging user-generated video and the GoFish Web community.
GoFish will be partnering with The Firm, a Hollywood management company. The Firm, with a client list of music acts including Kelly Clarkson, Korn, Snoop Dogg, and “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, will be working with GoFish to creatively connect their immensely talented pool of artists with millions of their adoring fans, utilizing the phenomenal popularity of user-generated video online.
“Artist Voices will be the first show of its kind online to harness the power of user-generated video in order to connect famous musical artists and the fans who love them,” said Michael Downing, founder and CEO of GoFish. “We think this show will serve as a model for empowering the creative community to more effectively build and maintain meaningful relationships with their fan base.”
Artist Voices is a nine-week Web-based show that provides consumers with an inside view and exclusive access to some of the biggest musical artists on the planet. Fans are encouraged to upload their own videos to communicate with and pose questions to the artists who, in turn, respond and maintain a dialogue with the audience throughout the program. Whether they are on the road touring or in the studio recording their next big album, Artist Voices enables artists to reach out to their fan base and provide a sneak peek inside their lives.”
Get up close and personal with Taylor Hicks
What a difference a management company makes. You could use a lesson in effective management, 19 Entertainment - The Firm has done more for Taylor Hicks in six months than you have done for any Idol in 5 years. No one will argue that the American Idol franchise is unsurpassed as far as launching careers, but as far as managing careers, Idol has proven to be more of a hindrance than a help.
Let’s compare, shall we?
The Firm: rehearsals.com, Go Fish, Orange Bowl half-time show
19 Entertainment: ”From Justin to Kelly”, World Idol, “Idol Christmas”
Okay, I actually don’t know for sure if all Idol missteps and misfortunes can be blamed on 19 Entertainment - I’m sure some responsibility must rest on the label (but isn’t 19E supposed to fight those battles) - but my point is this: No Idol winner has had better, more modern, and widespread exposure for their debut release than Taylor Hicks. The difference in management companies can’t be a coincidence.
It’s 2006, 19E - get with the program…
I got a google alert for Justin Guarini yesterday ~ I get so excited when I see those because I am always hopeful the headline will be something like “Simon Fuller Guilty Of Sabotage! Justin Awarded $50M and A Career!” It was almost that good. It was an alert for a blog entry from Essential Justin’s Blogsite.
I am so ashamed to admit it, but my Kelly Clarkson hackles were raised after I read it. I read it, and read it, and read it and read it some more not believing that my beloved Justin board would be so far off on their take of the Kelster. I am embarrassed because after reading it again this morning, I realized that it was in absolutely no way derogatory toward KC. At all. Not even close. Mind you, I am the QUEEN of preaching for fanbase civility, respecting opinions, not rushing to judgment, “the stupid media twists everything” - and there I was irritated by a sentiment that wasn’t even there! I certainly went tumbling ass over kettle off my pulpit this morning.
Luckily, I didn’t post a response - I would have made a complete idiot of myself. However, at the same time I received the alert, I was writing an article about Essential Justin. It has since been edited….
Have I mentioned recently that I adore Entertainment Weekly? For all of you holiday procrastinators, it makes an absolutely fabulous gift – I think I’ve given an EW gift subscription to someone for the past five years. They never fail to have the best interviews – and I’ve read a zillion of them from Fantasia over the past few weeks – and not surprisingly, this is my favorite. I tried to pick out some of the best excerpts to print here, but I ended up with the entire article, so here is the EW link. Better still, why don’t you pick up the issue and take care of some Christmas shopping while you’re at it? I promise, you won’t be sorry…
The interview takes place in Fantasia’s hotel suite in New York city and the conversation runs the gamut: Her new boyfriend, her father’s lawsuit, her new album, her upcoming tour, losing “Dreamgirls”, her struggles with anxiety and fame, and her new puppy, King. It’s mind-boggling when you realize she is only 22-years-old – I can’t wait to see how her career plays out. She’s got miles and miles to go, and if her newest CD is any indication, I’d say we can look for “Life Really Is A Fairy Tale” on store shelves very soon.
Exciting news, everyone! I did a little snooping around in Santa’s workshop and got the scoop on Carrie Underwood’s Christmas list.
So, what’s the word on Carrie Underwood? Well, obviously she’s on the “Nice” list (duh!) however, it was touch and go there for a minute after the CMA barely-there dress. Fortunately, Carrie’s recently announced plans for an upcoming USO tour rescued her from the “Naughty” side. For security reasons, no specific dates or locations have been announced, but she will be traveling to the Persian Gulf this winter.
So, in a year when Carrie has won two CMA awards, been named ‘Favorite New Breakthrough Artist’ at the AMA’s, been on Oprah, toured with the adorable Brad Paisley, handed over her Idol crown to Taylor Hicks (and wasn’t forced to do a “From Bo to Carrie” movie), become a spokesperson for a literacy campaign, performed at the Kennedy Center to pay tribute to Dolly Parton, and has been nominated for four Grammys, what could Carrie possibly want this Christmas?
Dear Santa:
Can you please bring me a cookie? I’m starving! Also, I could use a nap.
Love,
Carrie
Oprah Interview
With Tony Bennett
Constantine Maroulis updated some very important information on his MySpace page yesterday- his label information. He now lists his label as “Sixth Place Records”. Yay! I love it! It’s not the major record label fans were hoping for, but hey, it’s a label, right? It’s the first step in releasing a CD, right? Bring it on!
To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of Constantine when he was on Idol. The pouting, the hair, the grin – I could see him very clearly on Broadway, but filling arenas? Well, let’s just say I was “schooled’ in Greek Boy at the Idols Live! tour. Constantine was far and away – far, far, far, and away the most entertaining performance of the night. I certainly wasn’t expecting it – hell, I went to see Vonzell for pity’s sake. She was great too – they were all good, even Scott Savol – but Constantine was the showstopper. I was a dancing, screaming, singing idiot…I embarrassed my date – well, alright, my mother – to no end, but I didn’t care. How can you not rock out to Constantine?
As far as predicting CD success – who knows what the numbers will be. I believe Constantine will fall into the Taylor Hicks category: good CD, but phenomenal in concert. YouTube is full of Constantine performances, but in spirit of the season, here is a Christmas tune.
Katharine fans rejoice! Santa hasn’t forgotten the Kat Pack this year - Katharine has two new songs out and available at Wal-Mart just in time for Christmas. Since Kat’s debut CD has been pushed to January 30th, the release is sweet indeed for the McPheever-stricken. Even sweeter, neither of these songs sound like “Open Toes”. Sorry, I just didn’t care for that one at all. I’m fairly ambivalent about the new tracks, “I Lost You” and “Dangerous” although I think they are far, far better than the three tracks that were leaked earlier. I tend to agree with the conspiracy theorists that the release of “Never Saw It Coming” was postponed due to their lukewarm reception.
“I Lost You” is a slower ballad, but honestly, am I the only one who didn’t think it sounded like Kat - at all? It wasn’t offensive cough*Open Toes*cough, but it seemed strange. Of course, my track record for picking a winner is pathetic - I didn’t like Kelly’s “Since U Been Gone” the first 20 times I heard it either…maybe I should hedge my bets and predict “I Lost You” will be my favorite song. At least it’s spelled correctly…
“Dangerous” sounds even less like Katharine than “I Lost You” to me - I don’t know…where did I put those Q-Tips? It is catchy - the club/dance mix is going to explode!
Follow the links to the songs while you can or risk getting crushed in the Taylor CD stampede at Wal-Mart.