Miscellaneous News (Page 3)

No, seriously.

Here's part of a press release from Dreyer's Slow Churned regarding its American Idol-themed product:

Watch out Idol fans, five new contestants are taking the stage and vying to be cream of the crop! Dreyer's Slow Churned is debuting its first-ever AMERICAN IDOL ice cream flavors. Ice cream lovers are urged to cast votes for their favorite flavors - offering glitz, glam and Hollywood fun for the whole family.

The toughest Idol competition this season may be on freezer shelves: will Choc 'N Roll Caramel melt the hearts of Americans or will Hollywood Cheesecake strut its way to victory? Perhaps it will be the smooth groove of Soulful Sundae Cone that steals the spotlight. But, don't rule out the melodious trio of Triple Talent and watch out for the cool sounds and hot moves of Take the Cake - basking in confetti sprinkles.

David Luner, SVP Interactive and Consumer Products, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, North America, licensor for AMERICAN IDOL added:

"We're always looking for fun new ways to engage fans of the show and this campaign is a perfect fit. You can't get much more popular than AMERICAN IDOL and ice cream. Put the two together and you've got a real show stopper!"

So there you have it, fans. Put aside the stress of deciding betwee Sundance Head and Paul Kim for a moment. There are other, yummy choices to be made.

They may be joined by the likes of Sundance Head, Brandon Rogers and Chris Sligh someday - for now, though, here's the latest update on American Idol singers across nationwide radio dials:

• Daughtry: "It's Not Over" continues to sail up the Hot 100 airplay chart, moving from No. 25 to No. 21. It stands at number-eight on the adult top 40 chart. The single is also No. 2 (up from 4) on the digital tracks sales chart.

• Carrie Underwood: "Before He Cheats" still has a bit of life, although it's off the country chart. It remains at 41 on the Hot 100 airplay list, but with a bullet showing upward movement in airpla y, and climbs from 30- to 26 on the adult top 40 chart. Meanwhil e, new single "Wasted" jumps 25-21 on the country chart.

• Ruben Studdard: "Change Me" inches up 75-73 on the Hot 100 airplay chart, moves 24-22 on the R&B airplay chart, and continues to dominate the adult R&B list, moving 3-2.

• Fantasia Barrino: "Hood Boy" has little life left, dropping 23-31 on the R&B airplay chart, although it moves up 36-34 on the adult R&B list.

• Kellie Pickler: "Red High Heels" is starting to trip up, falling 15-18 on the country chart.

• Jennifer Hudson: Her Dreamgirls showcase, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," is going up on the R&B airplay chart, 26-23, and doing better on the more limited adult R&B chart, 23-15.

• Clay Aiken: His release of "A Thousand Days" in the adult contemporary format is just getting started on the chart, moving 29-30 but with a bullet.

• Bucky Covington: First single, "A Different World," is just getting started on the country charts, moving 47-45 in its third week.

• Kimberley Locke is back on the AC chart with "Change,"which climbs 25-23.

The following numbers and results are based on information courtesy of LYCOS, Incc, a leading community destination for broadband entertainment content.

Not surprisingly, Internet users are once again hooked on American Idol - searches for the show are up 480% in interest this week.

A bit unexpected, however, is the fact that Paula Abdul is the most searched for judge - by far - across engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Specifically, people wish to know about "Paula Abdul drunk," as 20% of queries regarding this occasionally slurred singer involve those words.

Meanwhile, searches for Simon Cowell have risen 90% this week; and those tracking down "American Idol auditions" have also done so at a more frequent pace than prior weeks.

As the weeks go by, it's safe to assume individual contestants who impress viewers will grow in popularity. Two that standout after last night would be Melinda Doolittle and Sundance Head.

The good folks at Entertainment Weekly have recently reviewed a new game for PlayStation 2: KARAOKE REVOLUTION PRESENTS AMERICAN IDOL. Here's what they had to say:

It's a sad truth that there are more William Hungs than Kelly Clarksons in this world, but even the most tone deaf of crooners should have a blast playing this videogame version of FOX's relentlessly popular TV show.

Karaoke Revolution, already a terrific game franchise, has smartly teamed up with American Idol for this latest version in the series, and for the most part it's an irresistible duet.

KR: AI retains the same gameplay engine that detects if the notes you're singing into the microphone (an optional accessory) are actually delivered in the proper key. The game is also dressed up with lotsa AI frills: the show's catchy theme song, the strange Ryan Seacrest-isms, the cheesy hotel ballrooms, and best of all, the judges' table.

Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are represented by their decent digital counterparts, but Paula Abdul is conspicuously absent, replaced by a generic-looking understudy named Laura (who just happens to share Paula's more, uh, forgiving critical sensibilties).

It's not too hard to cruise through the competition's eight rounds and win the whole enchilada when playing at the easiest skill level (and by taking advantage of the game's inability to distinguish between singing and humming). Still, Simon and Randy can be harsh in their judgments - even by real-life Simon's standards - especially if you run out of steam and commit the mortal sin of ending a song on a sour note.

There's a fair amount of variety to their computer-generated phrases though, and in a perverse way, you'll never get tired of hearing Simon singling out your performance as ''AHB-solutely ah-PALL-ing!''

KR: AI offers a much better mix of classic and contemporary songs than its predecessors. There's even a cover of ''She Bangs'' for fans dying to see if they can out-Hung the off-key master. The tunes expose the major flaw with the series, however: you can easily blow through all of the game's 40 tracks in one sitting, especially if you have the help of a few willing (and inebriated) friends.

There's also an almost inexcusable shortage of songs from American Idol alums: The list begins and ends with Kelly Clarkson's ''Breakaway.'' What's that noise? Ohh...so this is what it sounds like when Clay Aiken fans cry.

Grade: B+

For those of you with Sirius satellite radio, be advised that there are interviews set with Jennifer Hudson, Taylor and Chris.

They are as follows:

• Jennifer: Broadway's Best (channel 77) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, repeated Saturday, 5 p.m; Sunday, 2 p.m.; and Wednesday, 2 p.m.

• Taylor Hicks: Hits-1 (channel 1) on Tuesday, 7 a.m. ET, rebroadcast at 8, 9 and 10

• Chris Daughtry: Hits-1 on Wednesday, 7 a.m. ET, rebroadcast at 8, 9 and 10.

Interested in seeing your favorite American Idol contestant live or on TV? Here's a look at various schedules for the week:

Tuesday, January 9
- Constantine Maroulis opens Off-Broadway in “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris”. For ticket information, check out the Jacques Brel website.
- Frenchie Davis co-hosts Good Day New York.

Wednesday, January 10
- Daughtry is the musical guest on the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35/11:35c on CBS.
- Anthony Fedorov co-hosts Good Day New York.

Thursday, January 11
- Daughtry appears at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, CA.
- Kevin Covais co-hosts Good Day New York.

Friday, January 12
- Josh Strickland (S2 semi-finalist) co-hosts Good Day New York.

Sunday, January 14
- Jon Peter Lewis, Kimberly Caldwell, Lindsey Cardinale and Mikalah Gordon appear in a benefit for the Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center at the Civic Arena in St. Joseph, MO. Tickets are $10-$20 and are available through Ticketmaster or by calling the Civic Arena box office @ (816) 271-4717 or toll free at (800) 821-5052.

Monday, January 15
- Kellie Pickler appears in an outdoor concert at the Paddock Mall in Ocala, FL. The free 30 minute concert starts at 6 pm.
- Taylor Hicks plays golf with other celebrities during the Bob Hope Golf Classic. The 7-day tournament begins today.

Tuesday, January 16
- Diana DeGarmo co-hosts Good Day New York.

Are you ready for American Idol chocolate bars, American Idol ice cream and American Idol Monopoly games?

More revenue: All of the above are either done deals or in stages of negotiation and are part of a push by American Idol owner Fremantle Media to wring even more revenue out of what already may be the most lucrative multimedia property of all time.

Conservatively valued at $2.5 billion as a franchise, the American Idol empire already brings in $500 million a year in TV ad dollars, including a number of $30 million to $50 million core sponsorship packages, music sales, live tours - read: more sponsorship revenue as well as ticket sales --and an explosion of products from 40 licensees.

Entire program online: But that's just the beginning. Despite the TV show being crammed with ads from 137 marketers in the past two years - along with three core partners integrated into the content - Fremantle Media, the rights holder to Idol, is making room for new ad opportunities by streaming the entire program at AmericanIdol.com after it airs.

Already signed on to support the website are marketers including McDonald's and MasterCard.

Keith Hindle, Fremantle Media Licensing Worldwide exec VP-integrated marketing and interactive-Americas, said the goal is to make American Idol, which hits the Fox airwaves with season six Jan. 16, a year-round phenomenon.

"The top line about everything this season is the desire for interactivity," he said. "We are trying to kick-start that across all elements of the show. Last season, Idol attracted 570 million votes, 65 million text messages. That's a ridiculous amount of interactivity. We are taking that concept that people want to participate and are strengthening that into other things."

Sponsors Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Cingular Wireless are working harder to squeeze more juice from the Idol juggernaut for which they paid $30 million to $50 million, according to adage.com.

Ford plans a contest that will give regular viewers a chance to appear in the music videos featuring final contestants. In addition to Coca-Cola's Red Room and its ubiquitous cups - the most widely seen product placement on TV, according to Nielsen Monitor Plus - Coke will sponsor a promotion that invites viewers to submit questions for contestants through MyCokeRewards.com.

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With the sixth season of American Idol just days away, The Concord Monitor checked in with local voice instructor Ellen Nordstrom Baer of the Concord Community Music School.

Baer, an opera singer, has taught students that have made it to American Idol's top 150, along with Star Search's top 50. She's also been featured on the MTV show Made. The paper asked Baer for the inside scoop on singing contests.

• What are the American Idol judges looking for?

Someone that reaches your soul ... that connects with the audience. I believe they're also looking for things that are unusual. Maybe a different kind of lick on a general ballad.

• Clay or Ruben?

[Clay Aiken] has the audience appeal, but Ruben had the better voice, if you ask me. But Ruben, I don't know where Ruben is. (He's) the next Luther Vandross, but he just hasn't marketed himself.

• Simon or Paula?

Oh honestly, I actually like Simon. I do believe he's honest and he knows what he's talking about. I think he gives tough love.

• What's a song you would recommend no one ever sing on American Idol?

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston.

• Will any of your students be auditioning this year?

Not this year. But I do have someone who's interested in the Rock Star: Supernova show with Tommy Lee.

We're not encouraging gambling, as American Idol should be enjoyed for its entertainment value. But for those who do have a hankering for some wagering, consider the following:

The site www.betED.com is offering odds on who will win Season Six of American Idol.

Participants have a simple choice: Will the winner of American Idol be male (+100) or female (-150)?

In other words, those behind the odds seem to think a woman will come out on top this year. History does back this up, seeing as three females have been crowned champions so far and only two males.

USA TODAY recently ran statistics regarding year-end radio airplay.

It covered the calendar year of 2006, and includes data from several radio formats. Therefore, the results may differ from some of the equivalent Billboard charts. But here are where many American Idol favorites and their songs ranked:

18. Kelly Clarkson/Because of You: It was on the weekly top 100 for most of the year (46 weeks) and accumulated a lot of total audience (number of plays times number of listeners at the time of those plays, more or less). Its weekly peak was number-three.

41. Kelly Clarkson/Walk Away: On the chart for 37 weeks, peaked at 16.
83. Carrie Underwood/Jesus, Take the Wheel: On for 25 weeks, peaked at 15
96. Carrie Underwood/Before He Cheats: On the chart for 18 weeks with a peak of 18.

113. Carrie Underwood/Don't Forget to Remember Me: 20 weeks, peaked at 29.

191. Kelly Clarkson/Behind These Hazel Eyes: 14 weeks (it was a bigger hit in 2005, when it peaked at number-four)

291. Ruben Studdard/Change Me: On the chart for six weeks, with a high point of 76.

308. Bo Bice/The Real Thing: On for five weeks, peaking at 79.

330. Kelly Clarkson/Since U Been Gone: Even though it first came on the chart in 2004, and peaked in 2005 at No. 4, it still racked up four more weeks in the top 100 this year. Amazing.

351. Daughtry/It's Not Over: Its two December weeks on the chart were enough to land it here. Peak so far is No. 61 (this week); it'll be a lot bigger next year.

362. Kelly Clarkson/Breakway: Another holdover from 2004, with two stray weeks on the top 100 this year (in January). Its all-time peak was number-seven.

370. Josh Gracin/Favorite State of Mind: Josh snuck onto the chart in July for a couple of weeks, peaking at number-96.