American Idol

Do American Idol, 19 Entertainment, Clive Davis, RCA and Arista Records have any sort of obligation to former American Idol contestants?  Technically and legally they do not.  The music industry is a cutthroat business, and the record companies are obviously free to sign and drop artists as they please.  But, given that the talent is what makes American Idol tick, shouldn't the record companies give former Idol contestants every chance to succeed?  Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, and Ruben Studdard are three high-profile former Idols who have been dropped by their record labels.  American Idol news abounds today, including the latest Idol to be dropped from their label, Ruben's marriage, David Archuleta's debut album and Simon Cowell's jaunt into the film business. 

Blake Lewis is Dropped

Blake Lewis recently let loose the news in an interview that he has been dropped by Arista Records.  His debut album, Audio Day Dream, sold around 300,000 copies (which isn't awful), but contained zero singles of note.  At this point, Lewis's career will be a difficult one to salvage.

Ruben Gets Married

Ruben Studdard, former American Idol champion, is getting married this Saturday.  Surata Zuri McCants is the lucky lady.  This appears to be a fairly spur of the moment event; Ruben acquired a marriage license on Monday.  Ruben is also currently working on a new album. 

David Archuleta Sticks with the Pop

David Archuleta, despite having no studio time thus far, has already begun writing material for his upcoming debut album, though he's not sure if any of his material will be recorded.  At last weekend's Hollywood premiere of Wall-E, Archuleta told reporters, “"I love to write songs because it's a way to express yourself. It's cool. But I don't know if any of my songs will be on [the album]. That would be cool if any of them did make it, but it's a matter of finding the best songs. I definitely want to just write more and see if there are any songs that are suitable for it."  In addition, Archuleta stated that his plans for the album are to go “the pop route and find a nice balance between young stuff and those songs I can be expressive with.” 

Simon Cowell in the Theaters

Simon Cowell has signed on to produce the film “One Chance,” the real-life story about Paul Potts, an cell-phone salesman/opera singer who found fame on Britain's Got Talent.  It's a legitimately touching story and could make for a solid film.  Check out this video of Potts' first appearance on Britain's Got Talent:



-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: MTV, FOXNews, AP, The Hollywood Reporter
(Image Courtesy of FOX)