July 21, 2008
The American Idol season has begun. We won't be seeing it, of course, until January of 2009, but the nearly year-long process has kicked off with the first round of auditions in San Francisco. American Idol auditions are a bit different in reality than the way they're portrayed on TV. You don't just get to show up at the site, wait in line for a couple of hours and then waltz in to see Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. No, you have to show up early, wait a long time, get a ticket, come back another day, wait some more, make it past the preliminary auditions and, if you're good or bad enough for the cameras, then you come back to see the holy judge triumvirate. It all began last Thursday morning at the Cow Palace (no actual cows) in San Francisco. Reportedly, 7,000 aspiring singers showed up for the auditions. Today, the American Idol Audition Road Show made its way to Louisville, Kentucky.
July 18, 2008
The American Idol Truth Tour. At first glance, what do you think this means? What is American Idol covering up? According to the Writers Guild of America, a lot. Not just American Idol, though, but the entire reality industry in Hollywood. Long have reality series and game shows had writers who weren't really considered writers. This is only because, if they were considered writers, they would be part of a powerful union. That means no more long hours, more pay, and more benefits. Starting today, the WGA is going to hold protests in cities where American Idol is holding its auditions; they will be protesting what they consider poor treatment of writers in the reality industry.
July 11, 2008
There is a new category this year for the Prime Time Emmy Awards, and it has me quite excited. Probably far more excited than I should be. It is for the Best Reality Show Host. The Emmy Nominations will be announced next Thursday morning, July 17, and while we have a fairly good idea who the contenders are for the major awards, thanks to leaked short lists that have hit the internet over the past couple of weeks, we have no idea who the contenders for Reality Host will be. While the categories for Best Reality Show are split into Reality Show and Reality Show – Competition, the Host category is a veritable free-for-all. If you host any sort of prime time reality series, you are eligible. Since prognostication is part of the BuddyTV repertoire, we thought it'd be nice to take a look at who likely will be nominated and who, in a perfect world, should be.
July 11, 2008
Do you have tickets for the American Idol tour later this summer and are wondering what to expect ? Or, are you just curious as to what goes on during these American Idol tours? Well, thanks to a thorough concert reviewer from the Bay Area, we have a full set list for you. Unlike last year, when the American Idol top ten collaborated on a number of songs, even forming “bands” for various performances, this year it's more by-the-book. Which means it's more boring. It's basically a countdown, starting with my man Chikezie, who finished tenth last season, and culminating in a set by winner David Cook. There are a couple of group songs, but no real intermingling. Below you will find the full set list.
July 2, 2008
Is getting pregnant a trend these days? People are claiming this in the media, and there is a good bit of circumstantial evidence to back the claim up. You have Jamie Lynn Spears, you have Ashlee Simpson, you have those 18 girls on the east coast from the same high school. Maybe babies are the new Uggs. Or whatever used to be the hottest accessory. Regardless, if anyone out there has a good explanation for all these pregnancies besides “sheer randomness,” enlighten us in the comment section below. We have some American Idol baby news for you today, as well another record deal for an alum of the latest American Idol season.
June 26, 2008
American Idol 8 is over six months away, but today is an important one for any young singer who fancies themselves the next big thing. This morning, FOX released the dates and cities for the American Idol 8 auditions. FOX and American Idol are always looking out for new, fertile markets for quality singing talent. Last season, it appeared that FOX was of the belief that much of the talent had run dry and Idol ended up bringing a number of “ringers” in to audition, singers who had music industry experience that hadn't yet broken through into the mainstream. The auditions kick off July 17 in San Francisco, and finish August 19 in New Jersey. We have the full list of cities, dates and venues below.
June 25, 2008
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.
June 22, 2008
When making an opinion about an American Idol contestant, one issue that typically comes up is how genuine they actually are. False modesty is difficult to recognize during a season, but sometimes you just get that nagging feeling that a contestant is displaying a persona out of touch with who they actually are. On American Idol 6, for instance, Melinda Doolittle was the constant recipient of this criticism; people didn't think it was possible for Doolittle to really be so modest. Turns out that she probably was, but there are always a few singers that, over the course of the season, put an act on for the camera. Last season, the one person who I can almost guarantee was being genuine is Brooke White. It's something you can just tell. Brook reeked of kindness and decency from day one, and she continues to even after her American Idol season has ended. It was recently announced that Brooke would be the spokesperson for the 'Save the World Summer” campaign.