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. 

I take my Christmas music seriously. There are a lot of singers for a relatively few songs - for every great version, there are twenty more that really stink. No one thought it was funny when Rosanne Barr butchered the National Anthem - I get almost as irritated with The Chipmunks singing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” which is my absolute, bar-none favorite Christmas song of all time. If you’ve never seen Judy Garland sing it in “Meet Me In St. Louis” you really should. I’m not positive, but I think it was written for that movie - which, by the way, is way up there on “My Favorite Movie” list. I don’t give kudos for this song lightly, but I must say, I enjoyed Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood’s renditions immensely. How did we manage to survive without YouTube, anyway? I’m not going to bother trying to decide which one I like better - they’re different enough so that I can like them both without having to pick. And there you have it, folks - a sneak peek into the mind of a Libra…

When I was nine years old, I had a gigantic crush on Donny Osmond. Everything I owned was purple, right down to the wall-to-wall carpeting in my bedroom (for which I am eternally grateful – it was awesome!). I had two Donny and Marie records that I played over and over and over again - I swear I still know all the words - causing my family to run for cover when it was my turn to use the stereo. The day my Tiger Beat arrived in the mail was the highlight of my week – I would spend hours poring over the pages, staring at the pictures, and carefully cutting out the posters and the iron-ons. At night, I’d lay awake in my ridiculously cool purple bedroom and dream up all kinds of crazy stories - “The Adventures of Donny Osmond”. Alas, the yearning for my Donny was mine alone to bear. My friends didn’t share my affections, so the only conversations I ever had about my dearest love was my big sister yelling, “Mom! Tell Laurie to stop talking about Donny Osmond!” – I hardly think that counts. One Friday night, my parents had to hire a babysitter because I refused to leave the house – “But, Daddy! I can’t go – the ‘Donny and Marie Show’ is on!” Clearly, my predisposition to fanaticism surfaced at an early age.

Fast forward 30 years (slow down over my 20’s – they were fun) and imagine my joyous discovery of the world of internet fandom. Uber-fans UNITE! Enclosed within the hallowed forum walls lies a fairytale world for the celeb-stricken: news, videos, audio, pictures – anything you can imagine is here! The message boards bring fans together in ways never before possible – think of it as a year-round, always accessible Trekkie Convention. The best part is admittance is guaranteed – uber-fans can be young or old, married or single, working or going to school, or be of any nationality, race, color or creed. As long as you feel the love, you’ll be welcome for life. Is there anything better than sharing the thrill of a new CD or bit of information with your like-minded buddies? Feeling a sudden surge of love for Elliott Yamin? Jump on the board at the E-Train and share your mushiness with the equally afflicted. Did you just run into Constantine Maroulis at the neighborhood deli in the Bronx? There are hundreds of people at Greek Speak who are dying to hear your story! “What was he wearing? Did he pout for you? You know, did he make ‘the face’?” Are you a Carrie Underwood fan who just happens to live in Siberia? No matter. Lose the parka, grab a bottle of vodka, and belly up to the forum at CarrieFans.com – the place where everybody knows your (screen)name and they’re always glad you came.

When I was a girl, no one wanted to hear the story of how my beloved Donny saves me from a burning building: “Cradling her in his strong arms, Donny bravely dodged the flames and fled the towering inferno. Choking on smoke and tears, he looked down at the light of his life fading away. ‘Don’t leave me! I love you!’” Yeah, well…not so sure anyone wants to hear it now either, but that’s not my point… Today, I could post my stories in the fanfic section of the board and get immediate feedback: “Awww…that’s so romantic!” or “Gosh, that’s a little creepy coming from a nine-year-old.” The artists among us upload their drawings, wallpapers, banners, and blends to share their creative vision. I have several pieces of Kelly Clarkson fan art hanging in my office – at my age posters are simply not acceptable, but a beautiful black and white sketch is perfect! (Jess (awesomeaussie) at the KC Express - you rock!) I am always amazed when I read through the creative threads on boards and see all the poetry, songs, artwork, and stories. Uber-fans don’t only invest their time and money, they invest their passion.

And passion, my fellow fans, is the key. It’s the force that creates a Claymate from a mere Clay Aiken fan. It’s the magic that transforms an occasional Taylor Hicks listener into a Soul Patroller. It’s the fire that forges a Louisiana wife and mother into a Hot Damn! 10,000+ poster on the Kelly Clarkson Express. It’s what keeps the career fires burning for Bo Bice until he can make a full recovery. It’s what drives Highrollers to raise over $30,000 in 30 days. At its best, passion is love in its purest form - at its worst, a dangerous obsession. This Christmas season, celebrate your passion in its purest form with your nearest and dearest. It is a remarkable gift to share, for a life without passion is simply a long, dark road.

Fourteen years passed before I finally saw Donny Osmond in person. He was performing the National Anthem before a BYU football game and I thought, “I have never been happier than I am right this very second.” And they called it puppy love…whatever.

Whatever happened to the Idol Christmas Special? I guess that was back in the day when the Idols were endentured slaves and not artists in their own right. Oh, well - good for them and bad for me. I love Christmas music and when any Idol sings I’m over the top happy. Of course, with two Christmas tours under his belt, Clay Aiken is the Christmas Idol and I could fill every post with Clay songs, but that hardly seems fair, does it?

Kelly Clarkson: ‘O Holy Night’ - Rockefeller Center

That one makes me cry every time.

Vonzell Solomon: ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ - GMA

Oh, Vonzell, how I miss you! She was my favorite performer on the Idols Live! Tour and although this song may not be her best performance, at Read the rest of this entry »

Wouldn’t you know it?  I don’t have $175,000 to bid on this dress.  I don’t have $1.75 to bid on this dress. Here’s the link if you do.  Well, I’ll keep an eye on it anyway.  I wonder how much it would cost to get Carrie’s legs?

Kelly Clarkson - ‘Favorite Pop/Rock Female’ and ‘Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist’

Carrie Underwood - ‘Favorite New Breakthrough Artist               

Presenters -  Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, Katharine McPhee

Performers - Carrie Underwood - She performed a medley of recent hits including “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “Don’t Forget To Remember Me,” and her current smash, “Before He Cheats,” from her debut album, ‘Some Hearts’.
Carrie on Faith and American Idol: - Underwood said that superstar Faith Hill was kidding when she screamed “What?” to the camera in what looked like anger when she lost the CMA female vocalist of the year award to Underwood.

“That night I actually spoke to her immediately after the awards show was over. She assured me she was just joking,” said Underwood.

“I owe everything that I do or will do to ‘American Idol,’” she said, noting that her win, plus former “Idol” Kelly Clarkson’s in two categories “does give the show more credibility.”

But what about Clarkson being a no-show to the ceremony, and her past remarks that were critical of “Idol”?

“I’ve never had to say anything negative about ‘American Idol’ because everyone has been so supportive of me,” Underwood said.

Taylor on Wierd Al - Yankovic did a parody of Hicks on the song “Do I Creep You Out?” but he said Hicks was a good sport.

Hicks, standing a few feet away, agreed.

“It’s cool,” said the tan and tall singer. “What’s there to be mad at?”

Two-time CMA winner Carrie Underwood will be the featured performer for the 10th annual, nationally televised Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game half-time show to officially kick off the annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas fundraising campaign for 2006.

Since 1997, the Red Kettle campaign has been launched each year as part of a special live concert at Texas Stadium during the traditional NFL holiday game, this year pitting the Cowboys against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  As part of this year’s celebration, Ms. Underwood will perform songs from her quadruple platinum album, Some Hearts.

It was announced earlier this week on KellyClarkson.com two-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson will be singing the National Anthem prior to kickoff.

“Breaking For the Holidays” is a collection of all-new recordings by 10 artists, and will be released Tuesday, November 21, 2006. It is available at www.breakingrecordsmusic.com and many other Internet retail outlets.

American Idol Season Four’s Vonzell Solomon contibutes with ”It’s Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas,” and Season Two’s Jon Peter Lewis sings his Beach Boys-flavored original “California Christmas.”

Read the press release here.

Backstage at the CMA’s, Carrie Underwood revealed she is planning to release her sophomore album sometime next year.  Asked about her plans for 2007, Underwood replied, “I guess I’d say making a new album and getting back out there. Hopefully, it will do half as well as this one has, and people will respond to it and be equally as happy to go out and see a concert. … It’s kind of a blank slate right now. There are definitely a lot of things in the works, and one of them is definitely a new album.”  Half as good as “this one” means roughly 2 million copies…Some Hearts was RIAA Quadruple-Platinum certified this week. 

The certification arrives just shy of a year of the album’s November 15, 2005 release and is quite a rare accomplishment.  Carrie joins Gretchen Wilson as the only solo female country artist in the past decade to release a debut album achieving the four-million-selling landmark.