July 2007 News Archive

Those hoping to become the next Jordin Sparks have their chance... beginning this week!

American Idol 7 auditions kick off today at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.  Registration actually started two days ago and according to FOX 6 in San Diego, and thousands showed up and waited in line to claim their wristbands for the auditions.

The American Idol 7 San Diego auditions follow on the heels of the San Diego Comic-Con, which was attended by over 100,000 comic book fans .

Over the next several weeks, American Idol auditions will be also held in the cities of Dallas, Omaha, Atlanta, Charleston, Miami, and Philadelphia.  A list of rules, frequently asked questions, and a release form for the auditions can be found on the official American Idol website.

We wish the best of luck to all hopefuls trying to become the latest to follow in the talented footsteps of Sparks, Carrie Underwood and others.

Katharine McPhee was on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week.

She performed “Love Story," the latest single from her debut album. Check it out below:

Kelly Clarkson tried to fight the man. But it appears as though the man has won.

Sources say that Clarkson has agreed to make a pop album for release in 2008, with songs selected by her former nemesis Clive Davis and his team.

Clarkson's acquiescence comes at the end of a long melodrama concerning her current, turgid album "My December," which features a lot of ragged self-penned songs by Clarkson about a relationship gone sour.

Davis didn't like the album, considering it was the follow up to Clarkson's multimillion selling "Breakaway." However, he released it, and the original American Idol responded by dissing him and then apologizing earlier this week.

In the meantime, "My December" is sort of free-floating away now. It will probably sell a respectable 850,000 copies in the U.S.

Wanna become the next Kelly Clarkson? The latest Carrie Underwood? Maybe even Clay Aiken?

The chance to do so begins this Monday, as auditions for American Idol Season Seven kick off in San Diego. Before the latest batch of hopeful give their pipes a run-through, USA Today asked seven of last year’s finalists to offer a few tips…

Jordin Sparks: Know that they’re watching to see if you’ll crack under pressure. Sing something nobody else is doing, because by the 10th time they’ve heard it, they’re going to cut you off early, and you need all the time they give you. Smile. Dress nice, but not so nice. Maybe smart casual.

Blake Lewis: People have to realize it’s a show, and producers want what’s best for television. You’re trying to get a job. You’ve got to be yourself and be confident. I didn’t view it as television, so it was easy. You’re not even singing a whole song. Just be true to yourself. There will always be other auditions.

Melinda Doolittle: One of my friends did the whole audition with her eyes closed. She can sing beautifully, but she didn’t connect with the judges. Even if you’re nervous, look them in the eye. Sing a song you believe in, one that you can really sell. Capture their attention. They’re looking for more than singing.

Phil Stacey: You’ve got to be real. The truth is, I would have left a better impression if I had done the music I wanted to do from the start rather than wait until I was comfortable. Blake went a long way because he was crystal clear about who he is.

Gina Glocksen: Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s going to be a long day. Don’t sing Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston or Etta James. Make yourself be noticed without overdoing it. I remember this girl at the L.A. auditions who looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She made it through.

Chris Sligh: Be comfortable. Have fun with it, and show some personality. Maybe tell a joke. I mean, three jokes got me to the top 10. Be original, be funny.

Haley Scarnato: Stay true to who you are, which is hard to do when you’re on a TV show. Focus on the song and get caught up in that moment so you won’t let everything else overwhelm you.

Forget for a moment whether or not Blake Lewis has a girlfriend. We do know for sure that he loves his hometown of Seattle.

"I'll never not live in Seattle, I love it so much," the famous Bothell beatboxer told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer in a phone interview while en route to an American Idols concert in Alabama.

"People ask me, 'Are you moving to California?' I say, 'Like, hell no.' Seattle is so wonderful."

But it isn't just the scenery that makes Seattle wonderful. It's the music scene.

"There's the fact that people moved away after the grunge scene died and there's no spotlight on this town that has so much music to offer. That's sad. So I'm going to come back and start setting up shows at like the Vera Project and do more youth events in the hip-hop community."

Lewis, who just turned 26, was an audience favorite in this year's competition, but came in second. Along with the other famous Idol from the Seattle area - the outrageously coiffed and ever-charming Sanjaya Malakar - Lewis performs tonight at the Tacoma Dome.

The lineup includes winner Jordin Sparks, as well as Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen and Chris Sligh.

The two-hour show (sponsored by Pop Tarts) begins with a group song, "Let's Get It Started," before everyone peels off for a series of solos and duets, some with a full band.

Blake was actually wary of American Idol when he auditioned for the show's sixth season.

"I'd never seen the show before," he said. "And when I first saw it, I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is so cheesy.' But it's totally different once you become a part of it. And it's so big now. It's really unbelievable the power of communication you can have by just singing a song."

Blake realized he was gaining momentum when he first sang "You Give Love a Bad Name."

"The energy from the room was just amazing," he said. "And for like two hours afterward I could still feel the energy. That was the one performance where I really felt good about myself. And you're your own worst critic."

The love life of Blake Lewis is heavily talked about.

This American Idol finalist has been rumored to be dating Antonella Barba, Jordin Sparks and even Chris Richardson. The last one may have been a joke, however.

Now, though, we have pictures of Blake and a mystery woman kissing outside of club Les Deux in Hollywood. Could she be his girlfriend? We don’t have the woman’s name at the moment, but we wish we had her game.

Lucky gal.

With more than 220,000 units scanned since the release of his chart-topping debut CD, Bucky Covington takes the lead as this year’s best-selling debut country artist.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Covington has scanned an average of 16,000 units each week and has remained inside the top 12 on the Top 75 Country Albums Chart since its release in April.

The lead single, “A Different World,” has climbed to #7 on the Billboard chart and is quickly charging towards the top 5 and beyond. The tune is currently reaching a weekly audience of over 23.5 million listeners.

It’s been a busy year for this American Idol favorite, whose touring schedule has kept him on the road for most of it. Tomorrow, Bucky will take a brief break from his touring with a visit to Idol Camp in Northfield, Massachusetts. At Idol Camp, a summer camp for aspiring performers ages 12-15, Bucky will participate in a Q&A session and perform for the attendees.

Following his visit to Idol Camp, Bucky’s upcoming tour dates include Charlotte, Milwaukee and St. Louis, plus additional shows opening for Sawyer Brown in Dekalb, Illinois, Hutchinson, Kansas and at the Detroit Lakes WE Fest.

Covington’s self-titled CD debuted at #1 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Country Top 75 Chart with not only 2007’s biggest unit debut from a new country artist, but also the best first week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any new male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992.

Having already spoke with Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle about the current American Idols Live Tour, TV Guide next sat down with Phil Stacey...

TV Guide: How's the tour going?
Phil Stacey: I'm holding up. Actually, I'm having the time of my life. I just miss my family.

TV Guide: Have your wife and baby been out to visit?
Phil: They were on the road with me until Nashville. Now I haven't seen them for a few weeks. Then we'll meet up with them again in San Diego.

TV Guide: Has your wife sent you photos so you don't miss anything with the baby?
Phil: Yeah. McKayla started crawling while I was here. And when I saw her in Florida, my wife started feeding her solid food and I was like, "What are you doing?" She was like, "It's time, honey. We can do that now."

TV Guide: What are you doing to stay in touch on the road?
Phil: Other than talking on the phone, there's really not a whole lot I can do. I'm about to buy them an Apple computer so we can do iChat and actually see each other when we're not together. But hopefully they'll be with me for most of it from here on out.

TV Guide: What are you enjoying most about being on tour?
Phil: I enjoy being with my friends, Blake, Chris Richardson, Chris Sligh, Sanjaya.... We're all on the bus together and we're having some good times. I really enjoy meeting the people who got us here and saying thank you to some of the more hardcore supporters who not only voted for you, but recruited all of their coworkers and friends to vote for you.

TV Guide: Any funny stories about fans you've met?
Phil: Well, I took Chris Sligh to my house in Jacksonville, Florida, when we were there. On our way to the auditorium — our wives were in the backseat — this car kept catching up with us. We looked over and it was this couple, and the wife was taking pictures of us while we were driving. It was funny.

TV Guide: Have you been playing a lot of Xbox on the tour bus?
Phil: Well, you know, we can't hook the Xbox up to the TV. [Laughs] So we all got our little individual personal PlayStation Portables. But usually, we just sit around and talk and hang out.

TV Guide: What are you snacking on backstage?
Phil: What am I not eating backstage. I've gained like 20 pounds since I've been here and we've only been on the road for two weeks! When we showed up in Arizona, for lunch they had jambalaya. Sometimes it will be Italian food or whatever. Then, of course, there are unhealthy chips that we obliterate before the show even starts. There's lots of bottled water to keep our voices healthy, and lots of Throat Coat.

TV Guide: All Melinda talked about were Pop-Tarts backstage.
Phil: Yeah. We actually went through a couple of shows without having any Pop-Tarts backstage. I was like, "Where's the Pop-Tarts? I need the Pop-Tarts!" I love them. The strawberry ones with frosting and sprinkles? I can't get enough of those. I'm kind of glad when people forget to bring the Pop-Tarts into our room because I will eat them. [Laughs] I'm also eating Snickers and the Reese's cups, and they don't even sponsor us. I just can't stop eating.

TV Guide: Any memorable moments onstage?
Phil: Yeah. I was singing "Into Your Love" with Gina Glocksen. We had just been backstage reading an article in the paper about Haley Scarnato's legs. After the song is over, I was like, "Ladies and gentlemen, Gina Glocksen!" That's when she usually says, "Phil Stacey!" but this time she said, "See, America? I have good legs, too!" and she just walked off the stage. That really made me laugh. Then, the night before last, we were in San Antonio and at the end of our duet, she just stopped singing and started laughing out loud into the microphone.

TV Guide: You've been to so many cities. Have you had a chance to do any sightseeing?
Phil: Not really. I think we've actually been out one time, in Houston. The guys and I basically spent the entire day at Guitar Center, each of us spending a small fortune on gear that we dragged along with us and are going to end up having to send home anyway because we don't have space for it on the bus.

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Ryan Seacrest is currently the host with the most gigs, serving as moderator for American Idol; his own Los Angeles-based radio show; the E! network's E! News; and various other endeavors, but the 32-year-old apparently has babies on the brain.

"I think it would be tough, but I definitely look forward to a little girl and a little boy," Seacrest told In Touch Weekly in the magazine's July 23 issue and Reality TV World reported. "I want more than five but less than 10."

Seacrest and Simon Cowell traveled to Africa in March as part of the reality competition series' sixth-season Idol Gives Back charity event. While the Fox telethon raised $70 million to benefit organizations that provide relief to children and young people living in poverty in Africa and America, Seacrest said it also opened his eyes to something he can enjoy in addition to being everywhere in the entertainment industry.

"I like to spend time with kids," he said simply.

Ironically, one reason Seacrest said he has an affinity for children is because they share many of the same qualities as Cowell.

"They are probably the most honest individuals on the planet," Seacrest said. "They will tell you if you're good, bad, fat or skinny."

Isn't this cute?

Simon Cowell would like to have a conversation with the new boyfriend of Paula Abdul. He wants to make sure this gentleman is a suitable match for his fellow American Idol judge.

The man in question is restaurateur JT Torregiani.

And, according to Abdul, it’s not the first time the acerbic judge has taken an interest in her love life.

“Simon is already calling me and bugging me and saying: 'Let me talk to him',” Paula revealed in an interview with World Entertainment News Network.

That's because he cares, Paula. Ain't nothing wrong with that.