Chris Daughtry
News (Page 4)

No breaking news to report here, just a picture of a certain American Idol finalist turned rock god performing in the biggest of apples. Here's a picture of Chris Daughtry singing at a listening party at Retox Rock Bar in N.Y. City.

His new album, with the newly-formed Daughtry band, is going to be big. We have a strong feeling about that. Will he reach the Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken level of post-Idol fame, but only in the alternative rock genre? Only time will tell, but it wouldn't surprise us.

Here’s some information we’ve come across from around the world of American Idol. There’s certainly a lot going on with our favorite stars, as we try our best to keep you updated...

KELLIE PICKLER

Although she confessed terrible details of her childhood this week, there's been nothing but good news for Kellie Pickler (right) in terms of album sales and critical recognition.

Her CD, Small Town Girl, sold 79,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Country chart! Good for her!

CHRIS DAUGHTRY & ACE YOUNG

Tickets are now on sale for San Diego Star 94.1's Jingle Ball, a concert takeing place Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m. Chris Daughtry and Ace Young will appear, along with Jewel, Smashmouth, Five for Fighting and 3 Doors Down. For ticket information, check out the station's website.

Also, if you want to hear a preview of the debut album from the Daughtry band, the Sony music store has put up a few clips to stir fans' appetites.

FANTASIA BARRINO

The release date for Fantasia Barrino's CD has been moved from November 28 to December 12. Not clear on why this delay is taking place, but we look forward to hearing the album in December.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

The debut album was first moved from November 28 to December 5, and now, we're told it's been moved again, back to December 19, barely enough time to capitalize on Christmas sales. Of course, as tends to happen with Katharine McPhee, rumors are swirling regarding the delay. Does the starlet continue to have voice problems? Are there issues between her and the producers?

One item that has not been delayed is Katharine's appearance on VH1's Big in '06 on Sunday, December 3. She'll also be presenting on the American Music Awards along with Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken. Carrie Underwood will be a performer. The AMA's will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and will air live next Tuesday, November 21!

Here's some information we've come across from around the world of American Idol. There's certainly a lot going on with our favorite stars, and we try our best to keep you updated! Below is our breakdown...

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

As you’ve probably heard, Carrie Underwood will perform at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium December 9. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.

Speaking of Carrie, we caught her video for "Before He Cheats" the other day. Though she’s come a long way from her simpler American Idol days, it is still not easy to believe she's the kind of girl who would bash her boyfriend’s headlights in with a baseball bat.

Look at her! She's just too sweet! We don't buy the vengeful angle... we will, however, buy her music!

KELLIE PICKLER

Kellie Pickler’s CD, Small Town Girl, is in stores as of today! Be sure to check out our review in a separate post, coming very soon. Kellie will perform her first single, "Red High Heels" on The Tonight Show Friday.

BUCKY COVINGTON

Bucky Covington and his wife are moving to Nashville today. We hear he plans to go straight to the studio to record some tunes. Good luck, Bucky!

ACE YOUNG

The new single from Ace Young, “Scattered,” is officialy available for download on iTunes. We thought it was a little cheesy, to be sure, but it grows on you. And yes, his falsetto is on full display. As far as we know, though, Ace has not signed with any record label.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

Looks like Katharine McPhee’s a little gutsier than I gave her credit for. Katharine was scheduled to sing “Over the Rainbow” at the Carousel of Hope Gala, but when she saw Whitney Houston in the audience, she changed to “I Have Nothing.”

Considering the performance of that song that she gave on American Idol, it was certainly a testament to McPhee's courage to get up there and try it a second time. It paid off, though, as Whitney nodded her head in approval at the performance.

You might remember that Katharine (seen here with beau Nick Cokas, right, at the event in Beverly Hills) was roundly criticized by the judges after performing "I Have Nothing" On American Idol. The viewing audience, however, disagreed and voted her into the Top 2. Simon Cowell apologized to her on that week's results show.

TAYLOR HICKS

Taylor Hicks’ CD release date has been moved to December 5, which means he will be after Katharine (November 28) and on the same date as Fantasia. According to GrayCharles.com, he continues to work on his upcoming album, 75 percent of which is complete.

The producers are beginning to mix some of the songs. If you, like many of his fans, are eagerly looking forward to seeing Taylor Hicks in concert, the Soul Man will start a three-month tour in February and plans to "play lots of different size towns, even smaller ones."

Hopefully, that's going to be a town near you.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY

Chris Daughtry’s release date is still set for November 21, but he's ditching the first name thing... the release will come from Daughtry -- the Bon Jovi-esque name of his new band. Howard Benson, who worked with All-American Rejects and My Chemical Romance, is the producer. Chris says he realizes not winning Idol was better for him.

According to a blurb posted on puretonemusic.com, here are all 12 confirmed song titles (in sequence): It's Not Over, Used To, Home, Over You, Crashed, Feels Like Tonight, What I Want (featuring Slash), Breakdown, Gone, There And Back Again, All These Lives, and What About Now.

The site also reported that the song, "Sorry" will be exclusive to iTunes and the newly recorded acoustic versions of "Home" and "Crashed" will be exclusive to WalMart.

JOSH GRACIN

Josh Gracin’s next CD, All About Y’all will be released in early 2007. I was a little worried about Josh since his original release date came and went and his website had not been updated in months. His new single, "I Keep Coming Back" is from the same songwriting team that wrote "What Hurts the Most."

KIMBERLEY LOCKE

The second CD released by Kimberley Locke, Based on a True Story, will hit the shelves of record stores in March 2007. It will be great to hear what the Supawoman has in store for us then!

CLAY AIKEN

The one and only Clay Aiken is scheduled to appear on The Megan Mullally Show this Thursday, November 2.

And, as we reported last week, Clay will also appear on Days of Our Lives as himself December 22, serenading Steve and Kayla with “Everything I Have.” Clay’s version of “O, Holy Night” will also be featured in the episode.

FANTASIA BARRINO

Fantasia Barrino's single, "Hood Boy" is being released to radio. Her album is set to be released on December 12. You can listen to a stream at her MySpace. Lastly, Season 5 semi-finalist Patrick Hall releases his single "One For the Ages" tomorrow. The album, One For the Ages, will be available February 2007.

Chris Daughtry is a wanted man (dead or alive).

First, he performed the national anthem at an Arizona Cardinals football game.

Now, promoters from North Carolina State are reporting that the American Idol crooner will be playing at the school's homecoming event - called the Pack Howl Pep Rally and Concert.

The show will be held at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday, November 3rd with the pep rally starting at 8pm and the concert starting at 9:30pm.

Daughtry, 26, hails from McLeansville, NC. He's set to release his first album entitled "Daughtry" on November 21st on 19 Recordings/RCA Records.

The festivities won't just include Chris, of course. The NC State marching band, cheerleaders and dance team are scheduled to be there, along with Mike Morse from G105's Showgram Radio Show.

Tickets start at $10 for students and up to $20 for the general public.

"We are extremely excited about having Chris Daughtry perform at the concert and are looking forward to a great turnout," said Brooklyn Winters, Director of Special Interest & Campus Programs of the NC State Alumni Association in a released statement. "All of the activities add to the pageantry of Homecoming and we are anticipating an unforgettable weekend."

It's been a Chris Daughtry-filled day here at American Idol Worship, so we figured why not cap it off with this classic image from earlier this year. As you can see, the one-time finalist and current lead singer of Daughtry is seriously pumped up after completing an inspired performance on our favorite show:

Next to the rocker, of course, is the popular American Idol host who's kicking some butt in our latest poll. In this picture, however, Ryan Seacrest looks less like the super cool MC we're used to and more like... an MC who's somewhat confused.

Maybe he's just daydreaming about on-again, off-again girlfriend Shana Wall. Who knows. All we do know is that this pic is a definite keeper.

This is how a city gets ready for its close-up.

Three hours before University of Phoenix Stadium made its prime-time debut Monday, 2006 American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry (below) -- the North Carolina rocker with a shaved head and goatee -- belted out his practice version of the national anthem.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, the Cardinals cheerleaders dressed in sweats and went through their routines while ESPN reporters filmed live shots on the sideline. The flame-spitting machines used for the Cardinals' entrance were tested.

Then the video came on the scoreboard. Hank Williams Jr. singing the "Monday Night Football" theme song played to an empty stadium.

The warm-ups were necessary. The "Monday Night Football" game against the Chicago Bears marked only the fourth time the Cardinals have appeared on the broadcast at home since 1988.

While ESPN's fleet of seven production trucks and 400 people went through their final pre-game checks, Mark Carroll wandered around the so-called "Great Lawn" outside of Entrance No. 1.

Carroll, a Scottsdale resident and 1989 University of Arizona grad, seemed awed by the abundance of tents and tailgaters that had arrived in the early afternoon.

"That's what we've been saying all season long — it's so un-Cardinal-like," said the season ticket-holder of 10 years. "It's exciting. Something's gonna happen. Who knows what it's gonna be? Maybe a Cardinals win."

Until this year, the Cardinals rarely sold out games, meaning Phoenix fans could not even watch their team's home games on television.

There is no doubt the $455 million stadium was the reason for the prime-time trip. Monday night, the sell-out crowd waved white towels — literally, not figuratively — and shouted down the 20 percent of the crowd decked out in navy and orange.

ESPN constructed two stages to accommodate Daughtry's appearance, one on a bridge behind the end zone and one in the parking lot.

Celebrities in attendance ran the gamut from the gorgeous (Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher) to the gluttonous (Charles Barkley and Tom Arnold).

Unfortunately, Matt Leinart and the Cardinals squandered a 20-point lead and fell to the visiting Bears. But it was still a night to remember in Phoenix.

We've received word that the new band, Daughtry, is officially formed and performed five songs in Los Angeles over the weekend.

The band, which of course takes its name from frontman and American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry, was hand-picked for him by his record label.

None of his original band members made it to the new band, although they were rumored to have auditioned. However, three of the four chosen musicians reportedly hail from Chris' native North Carolina. Very interesting.

Below are his new band members, according to MrDaughtry.com, a popular Chris fan site. The new lineup for the sure-to-be kick-ass rock ensemble:

• Jeremy, 21, guitar (single), North Carolina
• Josh, 36, lead guitar (married), Carlsbad, CA
• JP, 20s, bass (married), North Carolina
• Joey, 20s, drummer (single), North Carolina

American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry is back in Los Angeles finishing his upcoming album, sources tell AIW. A decision on the first single release is yet to be made, but when it is, it'll be released to radio soon after.

According to Chris's MySpace page, his band (named simply Daughtry -- how Bon Jovi-esque) has been assembled... but he can't reveal who made the cut just yet.

We've heard some or all of the members of his pre-American Idol ensemble, Absent Element, were in the running, but nothing has been confirmed.

The band has completed photo shoots for the forthcoming album and website, and are currently rehearsing.

Daughtry (the singer) will step back into the limelight when he sings the the National Anthem on Monday, October 16, prior to the Arizona Cardinals game in Phoenix.

Daughtry (the band) is scheduled to perform on Good Morning America's fall concert series November 21.

Also, here's a tidbit from Chris' MySpace page:

"Daughtry will be performing a 25-30 minute set this Friday night @ 8pm at The Viper Room here in L.A. We're playing ALL new material from the upcoming album!! Hope to see ya'll there."

Road trip, anyone?

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly features brief rundowns of the seven Idol-affiliated album releases this fall (not counting Mario Vazquez, the Idol dropout)! The column takes its best guesses at the albums' prospects. Here's the essence of what they said about each:

Clay Aiken: "It appears those Claymates follow their leader no matter where his hair takes them."

[Translation: It's going to me a smash!]

Ruben Studdard: "The disc is still pretty standard R&B ... we're not counting out Celebrity Fit Club just yet."

[Translation: Not so sure about its potential success.]

Kellie Pickler: "Simple but sweet."

[Translation: They haven't heard any of it yet, are somewhat skeptical of Kellie's talent, but find her charming, and have no real idea how it will play in the country market.]

Fantasia Barrino: "Sounds promising, but plese, no more Lifetime flicks."

[Translation rendered unnecessary.]

Taylor Hicks: "'There's gonna be horns. I like to say brass with ass,'" Hicks is quoted as saying.

[Translation: Since it hasn't been recorded yet, they're a bit concerned, but who's really going to count out the Soul Patrol?]

Katharine McPhee: Quoting KIIS-FM/Los Angeles program director John Ivey: "'Katharine is a complete wild card.'"

[Translation: Diana DeGarmo redux? Let's hope not!]

Chris Daughtry: Quoting Ivey again: "'You can't come of American Idol and be this rock God.'"

[Translation: Chris may have a tough time getting airplay from credibility-obsessed rock radio stations that think anyone associated with Idol is a gimmick.]

The American Idol tour may be winding down - but it's not too late to catch up with many of the performers.

Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee may be taking many of the headlines, but as images below prove, other Idols have been enjoying (and sleeping during) their time in the spotlight, as well.

Fans may still be upset that Chris Daughtry was voted off the show so early - but those that have seen the rocker in person are rather pleased.

During her recent impressions of the tour, Kellie Picker left out the part about jumping aboard a police horse. But we caught her!

Life as an American Idol is tiring. Just ask - or look at - Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker.