Music in the ‘Cuse

‘American Idol’ Season 7’s Amanda Overmyer was memorable for her gritty vocals, white-striped hair, and decidedly uncomfortable facial expressions when forced to endure the cheesy ‘Idol’ group numbers.  Amanda was a bit too different, however, and only made it to eleventh place.

Because she left the show so early and was not included on the tour, we didn’t really get to see was any of her original work. And that’s too bad, because, judging from her newly released CD, Solidify, it’s really quite good.

Solidify is an interesting mix, bordering on country rock, but with a bit of a heavier edge. Standouts on the album are “Play On,” “A Long Time,” “Fight Like a Son,” and “Fail to Compromise.”

You can listen to clips from the album or order downloads here. Check it out.The hard copy CD is also available for purchase from her site.

Back in Season 5, you may recall the somewhat confusing audition of Zachary Travis , a young man who sang Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” while wearing high-heeled boots, a rather feminine top, and a shoulder length bob. Travis was summarily rejected by the judges, with Simon calling him “atrocious” and  “confused.”

Travis didn’t take this well at all, and after telling the judges that he was often mistaken for a girl, he blamed his failure to advance to the Hollywood round on the judges’ bigotry. Bottom line, Travis couldn’t sing.

Nearly three years later, Travis has found a new career path . He has lost the girly hair and has become a hot new face (and more) in gay porn. Using the name Kirk Cummings, Travis has appeared in a several adult films, including The Crew and The Best Men.

But don’t dispair. Travis (as Kirk Cummings) hasn’t given up his musical aspirations and even has a music video up on YouTube! Watch it if you dare!

Now this didn’t take long. Barely six months after signing a deal with Arista Records, Season 7’s Kristy Lee Cook has been dropped by the label.  Cook debut album, Why Wait, was released September 16, and has sold a rather anemic 25,000 copies to date. Her single, “Fifteen Minutes of Shame,” did a little better and continues to track on the Billboard Hot Country singles chart.

So what happened? Apparently, the album was recorded in three or four days, and Cook was given “leftovers” - songs that had been written for other artists, including Carrie Underwood, but which they had rejected. Despite the rushed production, the album received halfway decent reviews.

This was Cook’s third and probably final shot at a record deal.  In 1999, she signed with RCA Records/Arista Nashville, but was dropped before releasing an album. In 2001, she signed with BMI When she was 17, Cook signed with BMI, and again, was dropped.

Cook released an independent album, Devoted, in 2006 on Ren-Hen Records.

‘American Idol’s’ Paula Abdul is speaking out about the way the show’s producers handled Paula Goodspeed, the woman who had been stalking Abdul and who ultimately committed suicide in front of Abdul’s house.

Abdul told Barbara Walters that the producers knew Goodspeed had been stalking her and they passed her through the audition process anyway.

“I said this girl is a stalker of mine and please do not let her in,” Abdul told Walters. “It’s fun for them to cause me stress. This was something that would make good television.”Goodspeed appeared on the show more than once.

Abdul said that Goodspeed had been writing what she called “disturbing” letters for over 17 years and that she had found Abdul’s house by following her home.

In ‘Idol’s’ seven seasons, there have been hundreds of individuals who were put through to the judges for “entertainment value” and then mocked by millions of people on national TV. Some have spoken out, while others skulk away, mortified. This particular case is not at all surprising, based on what has been the philosophy of the show’s producers.

Apparently, however, this season there will not be as much focus on the bad singers and the audition rounds will only be aired for three weeks, rather than four.  That’s good new for those of use who are tired of watching people humiliate themselves on national TV!

Two months after Clay Aiken came out of the closet as a gay man, reports are circulating that he is involved in a relationship. Star magazine has broken the story that Aiken has been dating Broadway dancer Reed Kelly.

Kelly is currently appearing on Broadway in Wicked. Aiken and Kelly attended Rosie O’Donnell’s Building Dreams for Kids gala in November and insiders say that it was obvious they were a couple. The two met when Aiken was appearing in Spamalot earlier this year.

Aiken revealed that he is gay in a People magazine cover story in September.  His son, Parker, was born in August.

Star promises insider information on Clay’s alleged romance in its print edition on sale December 10.

If these reports are true, I say, good for him!

Several reports indicate that Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino, is losing one of her Charlotte, N.C. homes to foreclosure. County records show the home, which is located on Bevington Place, will be sold at auction on January 12, 2009.

Fantasia purchased the home in March 2007 for $1.3 million.  But fear not, Fantasia will not be homeless. She owns another house on Seton House Lane in Charlotte that she bought in July 2004 and for which she paid $740,000.

So, Fantasia, what happened here? Bit off a little more than you could chew financially?  Or maybe she took a chance on a little real estate speculation and got stung when the market tanked.

Not that I’m gloating about Fantasia’s misfortune, I’m not. But I do think this little tidbit should be a warning to other Idols who get a sniff of the big bucks and then proceed to go out and overspend. In this economy, we all have to learn to cut back and live within our incomes, whether they be large or small or somewhere in between.

We’ll see how this shakes out.

I started watching American Idol midway through the first season and was immediately hooked. The premise of the show was fascinating - take ordinary people and propel them into the national spotlight with the promise of a recording contract, and possibly fame and fortune. I loved it.

The first season’s winner, Kelly Clarkson, did not disappoint. She went on to sell over 19 million albums worldwide, and in the process, gained the respect of her peers and the music community in general.

I haven’t missed an episode since my first, but to be honest, over the past two seasons, my enthusiasm for the show has waned, and I’ve become a lot more cynical about all things Idol! Maybe I just overloaded, I don’t know. I was writing columns for Foxes on Idol and maintaining a blog on syracuse.com. I recapped every episode and wrote opinion pieces and a weekly Idol Chartwatch column. It was probably just too much Idol.

I was not all that happy with the level of professionalism of the Season 7 contestants and still don’t think people who have had recording contracts with major labels should be allowed to participate. They’ve had their chance; why not let someone with no experience have a shot at fame. Carly Smithson is a good example of this. Her history probably turned off some viewers and her inability to connect with the audience pretty much doomed her anyway.

Or maybe it’s because I finally realized that Idol is first and foremost a TV show that depends on ratings to generate revenue dollars. It’s about entertaining the audience, and if that means putting through a controversial contestant or manipulating song selections, wardrobe, or whatever so be it.

Previous seasons’ contestants are bound by contract not to talk about the inner workings of the show for what is believed to be five years. So far, no one has spilled the beans although there have been some intriguing leaks. In fact, Sanjaya Malakar from Season 6 is about to publish a book, Dancing to the Music in my Head .  Whether he gets into the nitty gritty of Idol’s inner workings is yet to be seen.

For now, I’m getting into Season 8 spoilers and haunting the Vote for the Worst message boards looking for tidbits of information. I’m certainly not “excited” about the upcoming season, at least not in the way I used to be, but it’s still something to do to wile away the long winter months!

Season 3’s Jennifer Hudson has been nominated for four Grammys.   Hudson has been nominated in four categories - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (”Spotlight”), Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals (”I’m His Only Woman” with Fantasia), Best R&B Song (”Spotlight”), and Best R&B Album (Jennifer Hudson).

Other Idols nominated include Carrie Underwood (Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Last Name” and Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media “Ever, Ever After” from Enchanted) and Jordin Sparks  (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “No Air,” her duet with Chris Brown).

The awards will be presented Feb. 9, 2009. The show airs at 8 p.m. on CBS. Click here for a complete list of all the nominees.

Season 3 fifth place finisher, George Huff, has just signed on to tour with Michael W. Smith’s “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Show.”  The tour, which kicked off December 5 in Olathe, Kansas, also features Season 6 third place finisher, Melinda Doolittle.  The tour wraps December 19 in Peoria, Arizona. Click here for a list of all the tour dates.

George, who is currently signed with Koch Records, is working on his second CD, which will have more of a gospel flavor that his first album, Miracles. The album is expected to be released in the spring or early summer 2009.

George, a native of New Orleans, has made Dallas his home base since Hurricane Katrina devastated his neighborhood in 2006. But he’s rarely home, continuing to tour and make personal appearance all over the U.S.  Recently, he kicked off the holiday season at the Galleria in Houston, singing songs from his first release, My Christmas EP.

“It’s great when you get to sing your music to put them in the Christmas spirit,” he said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle . “That is joyous.”