Sanjaya's Nationwide Commercial Debuts

Jim, this one’s for you…

Here, finally, is Sanjaya’s Nationwide commercial.

Personally, I think Sanjaya is fine and he does a good job singing the Nationwide jingle. I just don’t think the commercial is all that funny.

Be sure to let me know what you think…



In addition to the commercial, Nationwide has set up a website, Sanjaya-ize.com that allows visitors to upload a picture and try on various hairstyles, outfits and accessories worn by Sanjaya in the new ads and during “Idol.” You can share the look with the Nationwide Sanjaya widget. You can visit the website here.

Archie Debuts Huge!

As I promised you, David Archuleta had a huge debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with his first single, “Crush”…

“Crush” debuts at #2 after selling 166,000 downloads. It’s the best chart debut in more than 18 months and it’s the best debut by an “Idol” finalist with a song not performed on the show.

So what song was barely able to fend Archie off? Rihanna’s “Disturbia.”

If you still haven’t heard the song yet—and shame on any top 40 radio station that isn’t playing it for you—you can hear it here.

And you know I’m a Cook fan, but this song is GOOD…

Daughtry Sings for CNN

TVGuide.com reports that Daughtry has been chosen by CNN to record the theme song for their League of First Time Voters initiative.

The song? The band’s cover of Foreigner’s “Feels Like the First Time,” which will appear on the upcoming deluxe version of “Daughtry.”

The song will premiere tonight on “Campbell Brown: Election Center,” but you can hear it here now.

By the way, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, who wrote the song has given Daughtry his approval by saying the song is “very cool” and “more than captured the essence of the original.”

Carrie Inspires Sebastian to Go "Country"

During the premiere of “Gone Country 2,” former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach credited Carrie Underwood with his genre switch…

He told host John Rich that he had two reasons for wanting to go country. First, he’d been a Willie Nelson fan since he was a kid. And second, Carrie Underwood. Bach said “Carrie’s got my song.” He figured if she can do his song, then he could do country.

When Rich asked Bach what he thought about Carrie having his song, Bach said, “She’s got good taste.”

The song he’s referring to is Skid Row’s “I Remember You,” which Carrie is known to occasionally perform in concert.

You can hear it for yourself here.



One of Bach’s competitors on “Gone Country 2,” Mikalah Gordon actually competed with Carrie in season four of “Idol.” Of course, I use the word “competed” rather loosely. However, I’m pleased to report that Mikalah has seriously toned down her personality for “Country”…

“Gone Country 2” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CMT…

Archie Tops iTunes

Archie is on his way…

David Archuleta’s “Crush” is currently the #1 song on iTunes.

Look for it to have a big debut on the Billboard chart next week…

JPL's New Single

I ran across the new single from Jon Peter Lewis this week, and I have to say it’s pretty good.

“Break the Silence” is the title track from JPL’s latest album. It has been released to Adult Contemporary stations and is starting to get some play…

You can see the video here…

Mikalah Goes "Country"

So if you’ve been looking for more Mikalah Gordon—although I can’t believe that you have been—you can get it tomorrow night.

Mikalah is one of the contestants on “Gone Country 2,” along with Sebastian Bach, Lorenzo Lamas, Jermaine Jackson, Chris Kirkpatrick (*N Sync), Irene Cara and Sean Young.

You have to admit. It will be interesting…

It’s also interesting that with as much disdain as John Rich has for “American Idol,” he still always has a former contestant on his show…

“Gone Country 2” premieres Friday, August 15th at 8 p.m. on CMT…

Photo Credit: Ron Jaffe

Provided by CMT

Clay Returns to Broadway

It was announced today that Clay Aiken is returning to the role of Sir Robin in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” on Broadway.

Clay’s second stint in the show will run from September 19th-January 4th.

Although I’m happy for Clay since he obviously enjoys the Broadway stage—and it seems to enjoy him—I’m also a little disappointed since this means no Christmas tour and very little album promotion.

I’m hoping that it doesn’t mean, however, that there will not be a tour at all for his latest CD. That would just be wrong...

Will Michael Jump Into the Fall Album Fray?

Michael Johns has posted a message on his MySpace site that promises an album in the not-to-distant future…

In the message, Michael said he hopes to have a record done by Thanksgiving for a January or February release. He’s also hoping to have a single released in November. Michael did not elaborate on what kind of an album it would be or on what label it would be released.

In the meantime, Michael will be headed back to Australia to do a charity event in October and then he will return to the states to do a private show with Carly Smithson in Las Vegas.

Michael also reports that he will be doing a concert at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Pep Boys 400 and will be singing the National Anthem before the race on ABC October 25th…

“Daughtry” Goes Deluxe

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year and a half since Daughtry released their multi-platinum debut CD. Now, that CD is getting the deluxe treatment…

“Daughtry: The Deluxe Edition” features the original CD with four bonus tracks: “Feels Like the First Time,” a performance of “It’s Not Over” from the MSN Control Room, an acoustic with strings version of “Home” and the “Idol Gives Back” version of “What About Now.” It will also feature a DVD with videos of “It’s Not Over,” “Home,” “Over You,” “Feels Like Tonight” and “What About Now;” live performances from AOL of “Breakdown” and “There and Back Again;” plus an interview.

“Daughtry: The Deluxe Edition” hits stores September 9th…

Photo provided by RCA Music Group

"Time" Gets Some Olympics Play

Kudos to NBC for using the most appropriate song in the world for its Olympics coverage ending montage last night—-David Cook’s “Time of My Life.”

The song also played over NBC's closing montage of Friday's Opening Ceremonies...

My Night With Josh Gracin

Last night, Josh Gracin took the stage at the Scioto County Fair. And as expected, it was a great show.

However, if I have one complaint, it would be that Josh seemed to employ too many of the same tricks that he did the last time I saw him. He even opened the show with the same recording featuring soundbites from the “American Idol” judges. Personally, I think Josh has been successful enough in his own right to drop the “Idol” intro…

His first song was a more uptempo version of “I Wanna Live” and then he proceeded to perform for a solid hour and a half with only a small break before the encore.

He sang all of his singles, including his two (surprising) misfires, “I Keep Coming Back” and “Favorite State of Mind,” his latest hit, “We Weren’t Crazy” and his new single, “Unbelievable.” He also did two of his favorites from his first CD, “Wheels” and “Turn It Up” and three additional tracks from his new CD “Livin’ It Up,” the Tim McGraw cover “Telluride,” and my favorite, “Found,” which I hope will eventually be a single.

As for covers, the two most significant ones were Robert Palmer’s “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor Doctor)” and a beautiful rendition of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.”

But I have to say the thing that stood out for me the most at the concert was the crowd…

A large group of people actually left after the second song and small groups left throughout the rest of the show (especially during “I Can Only Imagine”). But the real kicker came at the end. Josh had yet to sing “Nothing to Lose,” which I knew was his encore. But when he and his band (who is awesome, by the way) left the stage abruptly at the end of “Turn It Up” (without even trying to sell it as an actual exit) people actually started leaving—a lot of people. Did they really think he would leave without doing his biggest hit? Some of the people leaving were actually surprised when his band returned to the stage.

But having seen Josh before, I knew what was next. I knew that Josh would appear somewhere other than the stage and I scanned around the grandstand looking for him (The people around me must have wondered what I was looking for.). Sure enough, Josh appeared in the middle of the crowd to the left of the stage where he was absolutely mobbed by cameras. How he was even able to sing (“Ain’t Goin’ Down ‘Til the Sun Comes Up, by the way), I have no idea.

Josh then retook the stage to finish “Sun” and then go right into “Nothing to Lose,” which got a big reaction from the fans, since I think that was the only reason most of them were there. But even before he finished it, there was another mass exodus…

However, I was in place following Josh with my camera, because as soon as he grabbed the water bottles from the stage I knew that he would spray the crowd and I wanted to be ready to capture it. In fact, I was so busy following Josh with the camera that I missed a member of his band falling while trying to run away from Josh. But Josh got a nice long laugh out of it.

If you ever get the opportunity, I highly recommend seeing Josh in concert. Just be on the look out for water AND flying t-shirts. Josh loves to throw them into the crowd. And don’t worry if you’re not sitting right in the front. Josh has an excellent arm—excellent enough to reach a certain blogger seated a ways back from the stage…

If any of you were at the concert, feel free to share your reaction. Just post a comment or send me an e-mail at hdstaytuned@hotmail.com...

Congrats to Clay!

On his website today, Clay Aiken announced the birth of his son…

Parker Foster Aiken was born at 8:08 a.m. (How cool is that?) at a hospital in North Carolina. He weighed in at 6 lbs., 2 oz, and is 19 in. long.

Clay said Parker is “healthy, happy and as loud as his daddy.” Clay added that the baby’s mother, Jaymes—who he called his “dear friend”—is doing well.

Clay began his blog post with a simple message to his fans:

Hello All...

I know it's been a while. I'm sure you know, it's been a full full
summer. Sorry we haven't spoken in so long. But, I'm sure you know... I hate
putting the cart before the horse. Not my way to tempt fate. But I wanted to
stop by, if only for a second, so you could be the first folks I tell.... HE'S
HERE!

Clay closed the post by promising to share more “at some point in the future.”

You guys know that I’ve been a little torn about this story, but the truth is I’m really happy for Clay and I hate that someone exposed something he clearly wasn’t ready to tell. And you have to appreciate him sharing the news with his fans first.

I just hate that this news is going to lead to another week of jokes at Clay’s expense instead of another week of appreciating Clay’s new album, which is still playing in my car…

Clay, if there’s any chance you’re reading this, I wish you nothing but the best and I hope that once things have settled down, you’ll find it in your heart to go on tour soon. We miss you.

Hey, what can I say? I’m a Claymate…

Kellie's Drop Date

Kellie Pickler’s new album, “Kellie Pickler,” will hit stores September 30th, according to AmericanIdol.com…

The album will include her current single, “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” as well as “Best Days of Your Life,” which she co-wrote on the road with Taylor Swift. Swift recorded background vocals for the song.

Also on the album is “Rocks Instead of Rice,” which she co-wrote with the writers of “Before He Cheats.” It’s about a woman at the wedding of a former boyfriend. She performed the song during her appearance at the Paramount Arts Center last month.

You may remember that September 30th is also the date for Jennifer Hudson’s release. I warned you this fall was going to be expensive…

Photo provided by BNA Nashville

Carrie Duets With...Elvis?

Sony BMG has announced the release of “Elvis Presley Christmas Duets” which will pair Elvis with some of country’s biggest female stars.

Ah, the magic of technology…

Carrie Underwood will duet with Elvis on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

The CD was recorded in RCA Studio B in Nashville, the same studio where Elvis recorded his original 1971 Christmas sessions.

The CD will be previewed August 14th during Elvis Week in Memphis. It will hit stores October 14th…

Congrats to Bo!

Congratulations to Bo Bice and his wife, Caroline, who welcomed their second son this week.

According to People.com, Caleb joins his big brother Aidan, who will be three in September.

Will the Davids Face Off Again in November?

MTV News is reporting that the Davids will release their albums on the same date in November.

I have been unable to confirm this, but Amazon lists Archie’s release date as November 4th. And we know that Cook’s release is expected in November (No date has been set.). So, if Archie’s date is firm, that means either Archie is releasing before Cook or MTV is right.

I certainly hope they are not. Releasing the CDs on the same day would be a total disaster. “Idol” has a real chance to perk up its sales here and a competition would completely blow it.

I’ll keep you posted…

Photo provided by RCA Music Group

Is Archie looking for the Miley touch?

So while, David Cook is working with a Green Day producer, David Archuleta is going the way of Miley Cyrus…

E! News is reporting that Archie is working on songs with Rock Mafia Records, the duo who have worked with Aly & AJ, Vanessa Hudgens, Mariah Carey and most recently Miley Cyrus on her new hit single, “7 Things.”

According to the E! report, Archie and his father, Jeff, who is also apparently his manager (Uh-oh), recently met with Rock Mafia and decided they should go “in that direction,” hoping for a “Miley touch to the album.”

Interesting…

Josh Gracin: "It's Like Working the Midnight Shift"

Friday night, Josh Gracin takes the grandstand at the Scioto County Fair.

But today, he took a few minutes to talk to me about Friday’s show and his new single…

“The show is very high energy,” he told me. “I run around all over the stage. We try to give the crowd the best show possible. I’m trying to bring country music to people who normally don’t listen to country. I want the crowd to feel happy, not feel like they went to a turkey show.”

The last time I saw Josh in concert, he performed several covers, but when I asked him if he could reveal what ones we might see Friday night, he just laughed. “I can’t give up all of the surprises,” he told me. He did however admit that the songs can change with each show.

Tonight Josh is in Martinsburg, WV. Tomorrow he’ll be in Wheeling and Wednesday, he’ll be in Point Pleasant, NJ. So what’s the toughest thing about being on the road? “Getting in the swing of things. Just trying to fit into everyone’s schedules. At home I have to fit in with my wife and kids’ schedule and on the road I have to fit into a different schedule. It’s hard when you’re on stage until 11 o’clock at night and you can’t wind down until 1 or 2 in the morning. It’s like working the midnight shift.”

Josh’s home schedule is about to get even busier as he and his wife are expecting their fourth child in the fall—a girl. That will give Josh three girls and one boy, but he’s used to being outnumbered, having grown up with four sisters.

It’s obvious how important Josh’s family is to him as he talks about his new single, “Unbelievable,” which he wrote for his wife of seven years, Ann Marie. “I sat down and wanted to write a song—obviously about my wife—but also a song that people can relate to…Like ‘Brass Bed’ [a top five hit from Josh’s debut album]. Women like it, but guys do too…I wanted to write it from a guy’s perspective so guys could sing it and not feel stupid for liking a love song. I just wrote the things that come to mind when I look at my wife.”

Although Josh has left his days on “American Idol” far behind him, I couldn’t resist asking him just one “Idol”-related question. What is the most popular question you get about “American Idol”?

Without hesitation, Josh answers, “What was Simon really like?” And without me asking, he goes on to tell me that Simon is a normal guy who’s good to talk to.

It seems to me that he’s not the only one…

Josh Gracin will be in concert at the Scioto County Fair Friday, August 8th at 8 p.m. on the grandstand at the Scioto County Fairgrounds in Lucasville. Admission is $7.

Photo provided by Lyric Street Records

Coming up tonight...

So tonight I'll be posting my interview with Josh Gracin.

In the meantime, take a listen to Josh's new single, "Unbelievable," which he wrote for his wife, Ann Marie.

Josh is extremely proud of this one, and he should be. It's gorgeous...

More later, so stay tuned...

Nigel Is Indeed Out

So, it’s official. Nigel Lythgoe has left “American Idol.” However, he has not left 19 Entertainment, as some have erroneously reported…

You may remember that Nigel is also the president of 19 Entertainment Television.

In a statement to the media yesterday (as quoted on TVGuide.com), Nigel said he would be traveling to South Africa, Australia and Canada to work on local versions of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“[As such] I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on ‘American Idol’ and will be devoting my time to a new venture with Simon Fuller.”

In the statement, Fuller praised Nigel’s work and said that they were “now looking at developing a number of shows” through the joint venture…

Super Exciting News About Cook's Album!

Ladies and gentlemen, I now have some of the most exciting Idol news I have ever reported.

Are you ready?

Clive Davis is not involved AT ALL in David Cook’s CD.

WOO-HOO!

Cook told EW.com, “I never heard his name brought up.”

DOUBLE WOO-HOO!

Of course, this is probably because of the shakeup earlier this year that removed Clive as the head of SonyBMG (now about to drop the BMG, by the way), but who really cares what the reason is, right?

So who is involved with Cook’s CD? He tells EW.com that Rob Cavallo, who produced Green Day’s “American Idiot,” is producing the CD. Also, Cook has written with Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) and Ed Roland (Collective Soul).

No big surprise then that Cook promises the CD will be a “rock record.”

Which may mean that the “Idol” single “The Time of My Life” won’t make the cut. Cook told EW.com that he hasn’t made a decision yet, but he doesn’t “want any song to stick out like a sore thumb.”

So I’m guessing that’s a no…

Cook added that “in every meeting that I’ve had with 19 and RCA, they’ve been very supportive of what I want to do with my record.”

I feel the absence of Clive already, don’t you?...

Kristy Lee Cook's "Fifteen Minutes of Shame"

Yesterday it was Archie’s first single. Today, it’s Kristy Lee Cook’s first single, “Fifteen Minutes of Shame”…

The song is undeniably catchy, but I’m still not all that impressed with KLC’s vocal chops…



What do you guys think?

More Breaking News: Archie's First Single!

David Archuleta has released his first single, “Crush” and guess what? It’s good…

It’s clear that they’re going to go the Jordin Sparks pop route with Archie, and considering the airplay Jordin’s been getting these days, that’s not a bad thing.

According to a post on YouTube, the single will be available on iTunes August 12th.

You can hear it here.



Be sure to let me know what you think…

Breaking News: Nigel Out?

TMZ.com is reporting that Nigel Lythgoe has left “American Idol.” Nigel has served as the show’s executive producer for all seven seasons.

The report quotes sources as saying that Nigel had told people he just wasn’t “passionate” about the show anymore and that it was time for someone else to step in.

TMZ.com also reports that Nigel is working on a new venture with “Idol” guru Simon Fuller and that he plans to spend more time focusing on “So You Think You Can Dance,” where he is an executive producer and judge.

No confirmation on this story yet from any other sources, but if it is true it leads to a question…

Did Nigel really step down of his own free will or was he asked to leave in order to shake the show up creatively?

I didn’t always agree with everything Nigel did, but I think he will be missed…

What do you guys think?

Josh Gracin in Scioto County This Week

Don't forget that Josh Gracin will be at the Scioto County Fair this Friday (August 8th) at 8 p.m.

I had hoped to get a word with Josh, but I've learned the hard way not to make any promises.

I do plan to be at the show, however, so I hope to at least bring you some pictures...

Photo provided by Lyric Street Records

Ruben Coming to Paramount

So, as you probably already know, the Idol I’ve been hinting at coming to the Paramount Arts Center is none other than season two winner Ruben Studdard…

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” is coming to the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland April 28th. The touring show stars Ruben and Frenchie Davis, who was famously booted from season two.

I’ll have more details on this one later.

By the way, “Misbehavin’” will also be at the Clay Center in Charleston January 7th…

This Week...

So as you can see, there is still no Bucky interview. I'm sorry I got everyone's hopes up.

But don't worry. I'm still working on it. I hate to let you guys down...

However, for the rest of this week I will be away from my computer.

I'll see everyone next week...

"Idol" Goes Wii

“American Idol” is preparing to enter the world of Wii…

“Nintendic” is reporting that Konami will release “Karaoke Revolutions Presents: American Encore 2” for the Nintendo Wii this winter.

The game will allow players to stand in front of Randy, Paula and Simon and be judged. According to “Nintendic,” the game’s technology actually recognizes and scores vocal pitch and rhythm. There are 40 news songs from the 70s to today to perform.

Start warming up now…

"Idol" Gets Emmy Love

“American Idol” received four Emmy nominations this week and its host received another…

“Idol” was once again nominated for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program (“The Amazing Race” has won this award every year of its existence.). It was also nominated for Outstanding Picture Editing of Clip Packages for Talk, Performance, Award or a Reality-Competition Program for its David Cook Homecoming clip; Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety, Music Series or a Special for “Idol Gives Back;” and Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for “IGB” (“Idol” won this award last year.).

And the fabulous Ryan Seacrest was nominated for Outstanding Host of a Reality-Reality Competition Program.

There is buzz that “Idol” has a good chance of beating “Race” this year IF it submits the finale and not “IGB.” Some experts believe that David Cook’s emotional win would be hard to beat…

I say Christian’s big win on “Project Runway” is the real competition…