The World Idol results show ratings are in. It finished 4th with a 4.7/8.

Well, there's a few reasons for this. First off, Clay's always had a rather devoted, large and okay, fanatical fan base. Sure, there's promotions that labels do, but a lot of public appearances and stuff that leads to "being everywhere" is all about supply and demand. Shows want ratings, magazines want sales, and what helps in that is giving the product the customer wants. Sure, Rolling Stone could put say... Pauly Shore on the cover, but few people would rush out to buy it. However, putting Clay on the cover leads to increased sales from his fans who collect everything and anything Clay. Similar deal with tv, if ratings go up when Clay's on, then shows are going to want him on.

Now while Ruben has fans - and probably a good size fanbase - he's never had the utter craziness that's surrounded Clay.

It's been discussed several times on the grassy knoll thread but Ruben winning gave him what was probably a boost (or crutch have you). If Clay had won, there's a good chance that Ruben could have faced a lot of the problems that Justin has recently. Ruben getting the title and Clay's overwhelming fan base assured that 19E really has two idols for one this year.

And as said above, expect to see more of Ruben now that his album is out.

Oy. Get ready for the marketing blitz. You thought the first two were sponsorship whores?

WHAT??!! More frickin' sponsorship??? *groan* I'm so going to have to tape this and watch it later. The Pimpmercials and product placements were too much the first time around, but this "a lot more retail and in-store marketing" scares the shit out of me!

Fuck, this is going to suck...

The hilarious thing about that marketing quote is that I can totally picture the oily smooth-talking yuppie network spokesperson talking like that. "We're gonna see.....". I bet he's the type who flashes his Blackberry around and says "let's touch base on that next week" and "let's monitor that going forward".

But yeah, all those products shoved down our throats is going to be really tough.

This sucks all kinds of cheese. So what are we going to see, something like the montage things we saw last year, only now we'll find the least athletic of the Idulls [Jerry Maguire]holding a Coke, wearing their own shoe, playing a Sega game *featuring them*, while singing their own song in a new commercial, *starring them*, broadcast during the Superbowl, in a game that they are attending?[/JM]

Crappy stupid contrived product placement.

Oh lord, we're going to have to suffer through endless Subway commercials? Don't they know that pretty much everyone on the planet wants Jared to DIE!?!?!

Maybe they want to a Subway thing with Jared and Ruben.

Lord, and I thought the sponsorship last season was ridiculous enough.

Don't worry so much - those were the exact same sponsors they had last year, except maybe for Subway. If you were willing to sit through the commericials once, you'll be able to get through them this time. Probably what they're talking about is that Coke will run one of those bottle-cap contests where if your number matches the one on the screen, you win a date with a contestant or something along those lines. They did that last year too, as I remember...

Companies have to be rah-rah about these things, otherwise the apocalypse will happen...

I need to revise what I said earlier, you're going to see the hillbilliest of the hillbillies holding a Vanilla Coke, driving their Ford (F-150), talking on their AT&T Wireless phone, eating a Subway sandwich, while singing their own song.

Also, Subway is now pushing their new "Atkins Friendly" product over the Jared thing. So we'll see which of the AI folks they think needs to be on a diet? Or maybe 19 is going to push Ruben into doing that one, because they are convinced he needs to lose weight. What. Ever!

The Sacramento Bee reports on a rumoured Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken tour to begin sometime early this year.

Boy, any concert-goers had better be in the mood for an evening of trill-tastic ballads.

I want to hear their live performance of "Lady Marmalade." In full Moulin Rouge costume.

So I'm walking through my local Barnes and Noble looking for a half-price calendar and and am practically hit in the face by a nightmarish sight. A full display of Randy Jackson's opus, his forray into scripture, What's Up Dawg?

Yes I picked it up. Not "picked it up" as in bought it! How could you think that of me? But I did physically pick it up and browse through it for five or six minutes. Predictably, it appears to suck. Also, it appears to be a short read--maybe no longer than Britney's marriage if you take lots of extra time between chapters to help the swelling in your brain go down.

Kromm - I found it endlessly amusing that, on the Amazon page you linked to for Jackson's "book," this tome is listed under "Customers who shopped for this item also shopped for these items":

When Clay Sings by Byrd Baylor, Tom Bahti (Illustrator) (It's a book about pottery of the American Southwest.)

Hee! Can you imagine the disappointment of the Clay fans once they click on that book and then realize it's not about Ol' Glory-Note Aiken?

Hee! Does "shopped for" mean they actually bought the book before figuring out it was about pottery?

Norwegian newspaper reports that 19 Management wants to sign Kurt. Run, Kurt! Run far away!

A case of advertising gone awry...
There is an article in this weeks Business Week discussing how TIVO is forcing advertising to look for other ways to promote their products besides commercials -


I think its safe to say the writer has never watched an episode of the show. What happened to the days when journalists checked the facts in their stories? Poor [product-placed cola]. After all the time and effort they spent strategically placing their product throughout the show and their main rival gets the credit for it in a national magazine.

According to this article, there actually may be a full band in the semifinals this season. Which would be an improvement over Schroeder's piano. Cover your eyes when you see the photo of Moe, Larry, Curly and Rainbow Sprinkles, because they think they are the reincarnation of a "fab four":

American Idol 3 tidbit

From the above article (regarding the semifinal round):



Nooo! I actually really liked the fact that there was no audience at this point. The small orchestra I can deal with (although I did think just the piano accompaniment really made the performers step it up because all they had to rely on was a piano and their voice). But I don't like the audience idea AT ALL. There will be nothing to make it any different than the finals, and I liked just having the performers and the judges without having to hear the stupid audience boo everytime a judge says something remotely negative. I really hope Lythgoe changes his mind.

Man, I bet this year is a bad trainwreck. It looks like they know that they shot their wad, and are trying desperately to change the format, make it look like the judges are fighting, etc., to keep interest. But are they smart enough to pull it off?

I would watch if Nigel Lythgoe catfought with Simon Cowell. "I was the original Mr. Nasty on Popstaaaars, Simon." They could trade their stock insults at each other, and then have at it.

I don't like the idea of adding an audience to the semifinals of this season. I actually really liked hearing the singers perform only accompanied by a piano. It gives you a chance to see how strong a performer is. These were always my favorite performances to download as well, since you don't hear people "woo"ing or screaming in the background. MC Sammy D is right, if they add an audience, there will be nothing differentiating the semifinals from the finals.

How about investing in an orchestra or band for the finals? Now that would be an improvement.

The TV Guide Channel will be airing a 1 hour AI special this Wednesday, January 14 at 6 PM EST. It's supposed to feature behind-the-scenes stuff on the new season or something. I don't really know. What I do know is that it will be hosted by everyone's favorite Marlboro Barbie! Yay. Only, not. I would like to not watch it, but I'm AI's bitch so I have to.

From the above article:



All comments about the arrogance of said judges aside, I'm wondering how "professional" these "staffers" are to have let Carmen, Josh, Craggle, Marlboro Barbie, etc. through? Just wonderin'.

Also, I am 100% in agreement the jcpdiesel21 with regard to saving the orchestra for the finals. I'd also like to add that it would be great if the band changed to fit the theme. i.e. fiddles and acoustic guitars for "country night" or a true orchestra for "Big Band night" (Please let there be a Big Band night!!) and so on. But no audience in the semi-finals! Definitely not.

I wonder if they will have the parents on again? That seemed to sort of fizzle out, didn't it?

here

They have invaded everywhere.

If you go to this link after today you will need to goto the calender and click on today's date.

Word, jcp! But being the cynic that I am, I have to wonder if this isn't how they'll get their more "conventional" popstar through a bit easier. A less-than-stellar voice is more easily disguisable with a full band (and audience?) than it is with only a piano ... de-emphasizing the voice and placing more emphasis on the pretty package around that voice.

That really makes a lot of sense. I wondered why those cheapskates would want to spend actual money on their cashcow.

Does TWoP count as "The Media"? If not, I'm not sure where to put this. Anyhow, just wanted to alert you all to Gustave's extended AI analogy in the latest 24 recap.

The Village Voice has "reviewed" Measure of a Man. Here's a tidbit (it's a short piece, so I lifted the most incomprehensible part):

Okay . . . I'm misapprehending my rock signifiers, I think. Can someone help me?

ETA if you missed the VV review of Ruben's "Superstar," you can link to it at the bottom of Clay's review. It's also wonderfully palaverous.

Someone send the Village Voice some clarity medicine--it's an emergency.

Am I the only one who noticed that in the AI article noted above, they were actually talking about having the orchestra and the audience for the cuts before the semifinals? They are actually referring to the "Glendale" part of the show, since they say this will take place for the final 130, when the judges trim the field to 32. This just seems weird to me, but then, again, this is AI, so what do I expect?

WTF? Haven't they sung accapella in Glendale for the past two seasons?

BTW, heads up on an AP article coming this Friday. It'll be a sort of expose on the fact that Simon Fuller takes a 50% manager cut of the Idols' earnings (as opposed to the normal 15-20 percent) and that Will Young has made approximately $750,000 since he won Pop Idol almost two years ago.

ETA: I don't have a source at the Associated Press, but someone in the PRoC does. Maybe this article won't come out.

Do you know someone in AP? Do you have spies?

Wow, that's sad. $750,000 is a nice chunk of money but damn, 50 percent? You know it all goes right up Fuller's nose, too. Poor kids, they do put the whore in famewhore.

I seem to recall that at the Glendale auditions last year, when they were doing the trio singing, there was a band. Maybe I'm completely on crack, but I don't think those were tracks. They certainly didn't make much of an attempt to show the band, but for some reason I seem to recall there was...

Yeah, I sort of like the cold, austere semi-finals. I do hope this report proves untrue.

Maybe they're trying to weed out the Julia Demato type who can't handle a full audience.

That particular review is awful, but the rest of their music section is usually excellent. Too bad one of their better writers like Jess Harvell or Chuck Eddy didn't review this instead.

I'm not sure if this counts as "in the media," but the MadTV episode from last season with the AI folks is on Comedy Central tonight. It's worth sitting through the bad non-AI skits just for Kelly's "duet" with "Whitney Houston." Hee.

The Associated Press article is up. 'Idol' Creation Makes Fuller a Fortune (Or: Simon Fuller Owns All Your Asses)





Ego, much?

I like Ruben's quote :



The brutha is deep.

Anyway, how long is the contract between the AI winners and 19E? Is it two years; is it forever; or something in between?

Wow. Those kids would be getting better percentages from their local pimps.

Yeah, I thought prostitution was only legal in Nevada. Well any future idol will be walking into Simon Fuller's web with his/her eyes wide open. I guess they can rationalize it as the price one has to pay for fame. I only hope Justin can find a rich socialite to support him. Liza's available. So is Liz.

The TV Guide channel had a "one hour" special on American Idol tonight (actually less than twenty minutes of content). There wasn't really anything new, just talk of some "big" guest judges, vocal coach Debra Byrd saying that "there are a few standouts," and Randy and Ryan both talking about how good the girls are this year. Also, they caught up with Kelly, Ruben and Clay and Clay mentioned that he had already spent time with the top 36, so it looks like they're upping the number of wannabes once again (unless I heard wrong or Clay misspoke). Hopefully, it just means that there will be nine contestants each week for four weeks and not that AI found some way to spin the numbers and get five groups, plus wild cards.

Oh, and the special was hosted by Kimberly Caldwell, who seems to have dyed half of her hair black. It's very skunky-looking, with the blonde lying on top of the black. It looks as trashy as you might expect.

Now this really creeps me out:

So they can't get rid of him. If you try it's possible this this is where this comes in handy:

This makes me not want to vote for anyone because you're really pushing them into bondage. Some victory.

Nooooooooo! No more guest judges! All of their "criticism" will be Shift-F1!

36 semi-finalists? Good god.

Sounds to me like 35 semifinalists, which could be divided to make five weeks of semifinals, seven contestants each week, two finalists chosen each week, with two wild cards.

There was a little talk last year about Paul McCartney being a celebrity judge. We will see.

There was a thirty minute special on the Honolulu auditions of American Idol tonight. I will put some of the details in spoiler tags, just in case.

- The Honolulu auditions will supposedly be a one hour broadcast.

- According to Simon, Houston had the most horrible singers, and that someone from Houston might just dethrone Keith as the worst singer in the world.

- The judges and Ryan were met by hula dancers (little kids) at the airport. Simon was actually all smiles, even picked up one of the little girls and gave her a kiss.

- Paula will be sporting a hideous looking top and sarong.

- According to Simon Fuller, the people in Hawaii were really nice. No matter what the judges said, the people who auditioned always ended with a "thank you" - a stark contrast to the New York and Houston auditions.

- In other audition sites, the judges usually have the American Idol logo as a backdrop. In Hawaii, the judges have Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach.

- Look out for a guy wearing a Winnie the Pooh costume.

- All of the judges were raving about a sixteen year old girl, supposedly one of the best Simon has seen. The girl sang a Whitney Houston song.

He actually was dumped, in every sense of the term, because he was sleeping with Emma Bunton. Supposedly while they were doing the deed, he would make her cry out "Girl power!" Ooooh dirty talkin'!



Not even Ringo would pull that sort of shit.

My, my, the world must be imploding: Simon stops by NPR.

Among other things, he admits to the silver spoon in his mouth; that "American Juniors" was a travesty; and that the title "From Justin to Kelly" initially struck him as an Ed Wood movie about a transvestite.

He also hints that Houston, indeed, provides some god-awful "singers."

But really, hearing Kelly/Ruben/Clay as musical segues between segments on "Fresh Air"? Ay, qué lástima.

I was really hoping for better than a 16 year old girl who sings Whitney Houston songs. Sigh.