Taylor Swift a headliner come April 23 Taylor Swift, last year’s best-selling recording artist, will kick off her first major headlining tour April 23 in Evansville, Ind. (No ticket sales date released yet.) “I’ve been working really hard to make this show as multidimensional as possible,” says Swift, 19, who will include multiple costume changes and a fairy-tale castle in her three-act set. Kellie Pickler will open all dates of the 50-city Taylor Swift Fearless Tour. USA Today Bucky’s CD is Top-Selling Country Release With album sales totaling 400,000 units, according to Nielsen Soundscan sales reporting, Bucky Covington’s self-titled first CD is the best-selling country debut release of the 2007 class. The singer’s debut album, Bucky Covington, delivered three consecutive top 10 hits at country radio - “A Different World,” “It’s Good To Be Us” and “I’ll Walk”. He’s also the best selling debut artist of the 2007 class, and is one of only three male country artists since 2005 to have three consecutive top 10 singles from his debut album. Bucky is currently in the studio with producers Mark Miller and Dale Oliver recording new music for his sophomore CD. The first single from the new project is expected to release in the coming weeks. Fans can also see Bucky make his big screen debut on April 10 in Hannah Montana The Movie. American Idol More Idol Headlines after the JUMP… Read more »

The show began with showing the people/crowds in both New York City and Puerto Rico.  Instead of doing one set of auditions and then another like I expected - things switched back and forth between places. Adeola- She sings a Jennifer Hastings song.  She says she has been compared to Mariah Carey and Mary J Blige.  She quit her job, handed in her resignation right before coming to the auditions because she knows that she is the next American Idol and she won’t be needing her job anymore.  She sings … Simon says, “Did you actually deliver the resignation letter ?”  He goes on to tell her that he will personally call her boss to help her get her job back.  She needs her job.  Paula says, “It’s not your thing.”  Kara tells her to keep her day job.  It’s no times 4. I have no trouble agreeing ! After the audition Ryan makes a call to Adeola’s boss.  Simon speaks with him and tells him that the audition went poorly but she’s a good person.  Simon asks the man if he would give Adeola her job back.  Her boss says she is a good person and yes she can have her job back.  Adeola says that there is some good in Simon after all and he just proved it. Jorge- He sings “My Way” - I don’t understand a word until the very end because it’s in Spanish but I thought it was very pretty. Paula says, “Very nice.  How do ou sing in English ?”  He sings part of “What a Wonderful World” for the judges.  Paula tells him he has a nice voice.  Kara says she felt his Spanish song more.  He is told that hehad some pronounciation issues with the English song.  They vote.  Yes times 4. I really don’t know if I agree on this one.  Have  you seen the Wedding Planner ?  He reminded me of the guy she is set up to marry by her father … don’t know why, but he did. Jessica- She sings “I Surrender” by Celine Dion.  She’s audition in Puerto Rico from Michigan.  She has won many constests and goes on and on about the 700 contests she has been in.  She can’t say enough about herself and her wins.  When she gets into the audition Paula asks her about the 700 contests, she tells Paula she has won many of them.  She sings … Simon, “I mean honestly, come on.”  Jessica says, “You don’t like it ?”  Simon tells her no he doesn’t like it, it was awful.  She wants to sing something else.  Simon keeps telling her no she can’t sing anything else, he doesn’t want to hear it.  She keeps pleading.  Eventually Paula says to let her try but Simon won’t have it.  Jessica pleads and pleads.  Randy tells her that her voice is not on point.  Paula is trying to give her pointers so she can improve.  No times 4. I agree completely and am confused about all these contests she’s won. We see a bunch of auditioners that say they made mistakes in their auditions. Melinda- She talks about how she likes to dance in the nude in front of her mirror because it releases her soul.  she is shown dancing around waiting for her audition to happen.  She goes into her audition and Simon tells her she is very fresh looking.  He wants to know about her.  She says she wants to be a nudist and live in a nudist colony and that she wants to change humanity with her singing.  Simon tells her to imagine Randy naked as she sings.  She sings.  She does a good job of it too.  All of the judges just love her and have lots of good things to say about her.  Yes times 4. I agree. Jackie- She sings “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.  (Just a side note, this is one of my favorite songs) She says she has been singing her whole life and all she knows is entertaining.  She goes into her audition.  Paula asks her to tell them about herself.  She says she’s been doing this for 10 years.  She starts her song … I am thankful when she is stopped and asked to sing something else.  She murdered “I’m Yours” by adding way too much flare and being way too over the top.  The beauty of that song is how subtle the style is. Simon wants to hear another song.  He tells her he wants to hear her “normal” voice.  She sings another song.  Randy and Kara like her.  Simon starts talking and as he is talking part of the windo falls down behind him.  Jackie gets a shocked look on her face and Simon says, “Oh just carry on” and he keeps talking.  It’s yes times 4. I disagree.  I think she was  just too much, she tried too hard, she thinks she’s so fancy and really she’s just too … much.  Blech ! We see a bunch of auditions that resulted in no.  Then we see a bunch of auditions that had some (terrible) dancing, also resulting in no.  We get to see part of an odd audition with a middle aged man in leather holding a radio … Joel- He sings “To Be With You” by Mr. Big.  He comes into his audition as an Ipod.  He has a huge cardboard cut out he is standing behind and he is acting like he is an Ipod.  He starts to sing and the judges ask for another song.  Joel kicks over the Ipod and sings another song. Simon stops him because he “hates” it.  (Oh thank you Simon !)  Joel pulls a lion puppet out of his pocket and begins to sing “Circle of Life” and the judges can’t get over how weird/odd his audition has been.  He just didn’t seem *right* if you know what I mean.  No times 4. I more than agree. He ran out of the audition room yelling “YEAH I got a no !”  We then see him running around in a Superman costume yelling and hollaring and he jumps into a swimming pool. Nick “Norman Gentle”- He is wearing a pastel shirt and he has a sweat band (pink) around his head and his shirt is tucked into his shorts.  He reminds me of Richard Simmons.  Simon starts off the audition by telling him that he doesn’t want any comedy.  He just wants an audition.  Norman Gentle takes off his head band and untucks his shirt and tries to get serious.  He sings. Simon really doesn’t like it.  Norman Gentle says, “You hurt me where you get kicked sometimes.”  Simon says, “I would think you might like that.”  Norman Gentle is quick to reply with. “You mean like you like it when Ryan does it to you ?”  All of the judges get a kick out of that and think he is very funny.  He goes on to sing Amazing Grace trying to be very serious.  Paula says she loves him.  Kara is entertained by him.  Paula says yes.  Kara tells him he doesn’t have a shot in hell.  Randy ends up saying yes.  Simon says no.  3 yes, 1 no. I really don’t know what they were thinking saying yes to this guy … We see blips of some yes auditions now.  After a commercial we come back to blips of a bunch of bad auditions. Monique- She sings a Surpremes song.  She has brought her very adorable little brother with her.  We see him talking to Paula before the auditions asking where Simon is.  Paula tells him Simon is always late because he has to put on his make up which is more than what she wears.  The little boy believes her and asks if Simon really wears make up.  In the audition room the little boy has a present for the judges.  He places a broken shell in front of them for the bunch of them to share.  Simon asks him if his sister is any good, he says that she is.  Monique begins to sing.  Simon stops her and asks her to sing another song.  She does. Simon and Kara say that she picked a bad song range for her age.  They don’t feel her song choices were good for her developing voice.  The judges really don’t think that she is ready.  They vote.  Randy and Kara say no.  Paula and Simon say yes.  2 times no and 2 times yes, it’s a yes. I agree.  She has the right attitude and really wants it. Alexis- She sings “Like a Prayer” by Madonna.  She auditioned last year in Philadelphia.  We see footage from last year .. she is wild and crazy and odd and very rude and not at all gracious.  She is dressed in leather and looks like a badrump.  This year she is wearing a gold sparkly dress.  Last year she had two middle fingers for Simon, this year she says she has new fingers for him, and holds up her thumbs.  She is shown being very kind and polite to other people waiting to audition.  She sings. My son is sitting here holding his ears saying, “Mommy make her stop.”  Simon and Kara agree with my 5 year old.  They say she is worse this year than last year.  Simon says now it is established that she can’t sing.  Alexis gives him the finger on her way out and says, “Thank you, you’re an a**hole.” Patricia- She sings “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”  This is the building her parents got married in and she hopes more good things get to start here.  The judges greet her in the audition and she sings. Simon says he doesn’t think it is good enough.  He feels it’s a really poor choice of song.  She is given 30 seconds to change their minds.  She sings a verybeautiful Spanish song.  Randy says yes, Paula says no.  We are about to hear what Kara and Simon say when we are shown Ryan outside the audition room waiting with her very large family … and she come sout with a golden ticket.  The family has drums and they are singing and dancing - loudly.  Randy from in the audition room says that there is a whole marching band in the hall and they should all go dance.  The judges go out in the hall and dance. 9 Golden tickets were handed out in Puerto Rico.  26 Golden tickets were handed out in New York.  Next week starts Hollywood week !

Has ‘American Idol’ lost its way? ‘American Idol’ debuted in the summer of 2002 with little fanfare as a summer replacement show with the tagline “The Search for a Superstar.” There were many skeptics who said the show would bomb and that Americans were too sophisticated to go for a repackaged TV talent show. Of course, the critics were wrong. The first season was an unqualified success, due in large part to the discovery of Kelly Clarkson, an unknown cocktail waitress from Texas who charmed America with her outstanding vocals and goofy personality. Kelly went on to live out the dream, selling millions of albums and epitomizing the stated purpose of the show. Idol Thoughts More Idol Headlines after the JUMP… Read more »

This week… Diana DeGarmo appears at the Rutledge Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, Nashville 1/26, The Jordin Sparks Experience benefit takes place at Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine, Tampa FL 1/27, Jordin Sparks and Chris Richardson perform at the 2nd Annual Jordin Sparks Charity Concert 1/28, Elliott Yamin performs at the Rooftop Cocktail Benefit, Los Angeles, CA 1/29, and Melinda Dootlittle performs at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville CT 1/31. For more information and Idol Appearances, check out the Idol Appearances Page… Don’t Miss… The last of the American Idol Season 8 auditions are this week… Monday 1/26 - David Cook appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live (repeat) 12:05/11:05c ABC. Tuesday 1/27 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, Jacksonville, FL, FOX 8/7c, Paula Abdul appears on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno NBC 11:35/10:35c. Wednesday 1/28 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, Salt Lake City, UT, FOX 8/7c Thursday 1/29 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, New York City/San Juan, FOX 8/7c Sunday 2/1 - Jennifer Hudson sings the National Anthem at the Superbowl in Tampa, FL. 6 pm EST, NBC.

For the past couple of months I’ve been featuring Hollywood spoilers from Joesplace. With the new season of American Idol beginning in less than 24 hours, now is a good time to review what we know so far.In an attempt to keep it all straight, I’ve created a page with photos and information on all of the contestants rumored to have made the Top 50.

• Check out my Top 50 page HERE, or linked above in the header. I’ve also added a list of notable Hollywood contestants to the page.

FYI, Ann Marie Boskovich, Kristen McNamara and Von Lee Smith have all taken their music off-line–an indication that they may have made the Top 50 (All Top 50 contestants are required to take their music down by January) And, according to this news article, Hollywood contestant Ricky Braddy is rumored to have made the Top 50.

Local band Out’n the Cold also stated in a recent band newsletter that Braddy is slated to appear on the show. “One more hometown talent from the Elizabeth City area making it big … is young Mr. Ricky Braddy.” The newsletter said. “Ricky is in the final 50 for this year’s ‘American Idol.’ So if you watch the show on Tuesday, 13 Jan., you might get a chance to hear him. We’re mighty proud of you Ricky, and we’re pulling for you to make it to the finals; good luck.”

The Top 50 list so far: Adam Lambert, Angela Martin, Felicia Barton, Brent Keith Smith, Jakob McKay, Jacklyn “Jackie” Tohn, Junot Joyner, Justin Williams, Kendall Beard, Lil Rounds, Michael Bartul, Reggi Beasley, Ryan P.A. Johnson, Stephen Fowler, Taylor Vaifanua, Terrence T.K. Hash. I’ll be updating the list as we find out more…