June/July Idol News - 2010

Hi gang, it has been awhile since I posted the latest from our idols. Sorry I have not kept up with this as well as I should but life keeps getting in the way if you know what I mean. Anyhow figured I would at least post the news from June and July. Here goes:

Several idol birthdays have come and gone. I will only be listing the actual dates of each. For further idol news on your favorites, check out American Idol website or their personal sites.

June 1st:

Casey James - 28 years old - season 9
Mike Lynche - 27 years old - season 9
David Hernandez - 27 years old - season 7
Kevin Corvais - 21 years old - season 5

June 2nd:

Brooke White - 27 years old - season 7

June 15th:

Lisa Tucker - 21 years old - season 5

June 21st:

Kris Allen - 25 years old - season 8
Christina Christian - 29 years old - season 1

June 22nd:

Scott MacIntyre - 25 years old - season 8

June 23rd:

Randy Jackson - 54 years old - Judge on AI

June 29th:

Kellie Pickler - 24 years old - season 5

June 30th:

Fantasia - 26 years old - season 3

July 6th:

A.J. Gill - 26 years old - season 1
Gina Glocksen - 26 years old - season 7

July 15th:

Haley Scarnato - 28 years old - season 6

July 20th:

Elliott Yamin - 32 years old - season 5

July 21st:

Blake Lewis - 29 years old - season 6

Wishing all our birthday people belated wishes!


Music News:

Several of our idols have released new music and also have had some of their prior music reaching new heights in the downloads from the net. They are as follows:

Kris Allen has sold over one million downloads of his single "Live Like We're Dying"
Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" has passed the half of a million mark in downloads
Adam Lambert's song "If I Had You" has sold 74,000 downloads

A new album is coming from David Archuleta called "The Other Side of Down". It comes out September 14th. Keep in mind that Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox will also be releasing debut albums sometime later this year.

Clay Aiken released a new album in June called "Tried & True". This guy can sing anything and sound good I think. Clay lends his smooth style of singing to some great "cover" songs on this album. He is currently on tour with Ruben Studdard on the "Timeless Tour". Check out the dates on AI.

Fantasia released her latest album called "Back To Me" on July 27th.


Awards:

Season 4's Carrie Underwood just picked up two more awards to add to her collection. On the CMT Music Awards which aired on June 9th she picked up "Video of The Year (Cowboy Casanova)" and "Performer of the Year (Temporary Home)". Congrats!

Several Emmy nominations have been given for American Idol which include not only the show but host Ryan Seacrest. Check out AI for a complete list of the nominations.

The Teen Choice Awards are coming on August 9th. Our list of idol nominations is impressive. Nominated in different categories are Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert, David Archuleta, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Ellen DeGeneras and last but not least the actual show American Idol. Bravo and congrats to all!


Best wishes to Carrie Underwood and her new husband Mike Fisher who married on July 12th.

Kellie Pickler will soon be a bride as she and fiance Kyle Jacobs got engaged on June 15th.

Way to go girls!


Idol Appearances and Tidbits:

Season 7's David Hernandez performed as Prince Charming in a modernized version of the classic story "Cinderella" on June 20th in Dallas, Texas. This updated version called "Cinderella Rock" was written and directed by season 9's Todrick Hall. David also appeared at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on June 26th. This busy guy is also working on a new album.

Another alumni working on a new album is Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) from season 8. Since idol Nick made a comedy video called "Brit Slap" which I think you can see on Itunes and Youtube. He also spent 14 weeks as a correspondent on the "Wendy Williams Show".

Jackie Tohn from season 8 performed at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, California on June 21st. She also recently appeared on the television show "Memphis Beat" which aired on July 20th. You can check out her website for full details on her many achievements as an actress not to mention she has lots of music out there for people to enjoy.

David Archuleta of season 7 released his first book on June 8th called "Chords of Strength" which covers his bout with vocal cord paralysis, how he overcame it and also his journey on American Idol.

On July 29th, season 9's Allison Iraheta teamed up with Orianthi for her appearance on So You Think You Can Dance. They performed their latest single called "Don't Waste The Pretty". I was not wild about Allison's debut album but this song is a pretty good one I think. It is getting radio play and also has charted on Billboard. One last note about Allison is she is touring with Adam Lambert currently.

Katharine McPhee of season 5 is also traveling as she has teamed up with "Idol Gives Back" for the charity "Feeding America". She is covering the country going to different food banks to help with the cause of feeding children during the summer months. A very worthy cause indeed.

Last but not least is the news that Ellen DeGeneras has bowed out of American Idol as a judge. Seems she did not like hurting people's feelings plus it did conflict alot with her own show. Replacing her is a surprise as Jennifer Lopez will be a new judge. Nice to see they have someone who actually knows music and has had a successful career as an artist. However I will miss Ellen as I thought she did pretty well on the show. One last note is a rumor is circulating that Kara DioGuardi has been fired from the show. This is definitely another surprise and I am now wondering who else will be judging on the new season with Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. No word yet on who will be replacing Simon for sure. Wow, the show is certainly making major changes but I know I will be watching regardless as I am so addicted to this show.

Well gang, that is a wrap for now on the latest news. Check out the "Anything Taylor" section for some new news on our favorite idol. Take care all!

I heard Jennifer Lopez would be taking a judges seat on AI next season. I am a fan of hers and look forward to seeing Jennifer on the show. As for who will replace Simon....rumors are flying around that Steven Tyler might be the pick. I'm not so thrilled with that idea. I think someone like Gene Simmons would be better. Just my opinion, of course.
I saw Allison on SYTYCD. I must say she looked amazing and sounding better than ever.
Also, congrats to Carrie Underwood on her recent marriage and Kellie Pickler's engagement. Yay!

sidenote: I read somewhere that Taylor is writing new music for a new album. Possible release date will be some time early next year. That being said.... I can't wait. Also looking forward to Lee and Cystal's new Cd's. ~sigh~ Are you guys like me? Trying to keep up with all these new Cds is driving me crazy. LOL

Hey Deni, glad to see you are back. I so agree about Steven Tyler taking a spot as a judge. I fear he may be a little crazy if you know what I mean since he recently just got out of re-hab. True he has had a successful career as a musician and singer but I agree someone like Gene Simmons would have been better. I was also hoping P. Diddy would have taken a spot but that is definitely a no-no now with Jennifer on the panel. I am wondering if Randy will bow out of the series once his contract expires next year. If the show does go bye-bye, I will miss it like crazy.

One last note however is I think this new panel might draw more people in as both Jennifer and Steven do have lots of fans. Guess we will find out in January.

So agree. What would we do every Tues and Wed night without American Idol to watch? LOL

I dunno have my doubts this year we shall see