American Idle

Not a whole heckuva lot going on from the David Cook camp of late, but one interesting side note is that Cook played his entire album from beginning to end for a few fortunate concert goers in Hammond, Indiana last night.

It marked the first anniversary of his record. Way to go, Cook!

For the second song, called “Life On The Moon,” we actually get to see Cook and his band play the tune, amid the Cookeys freaking out and threatening to do things to Cook that are unspeakable, you know, the usual. LOL

After you’ve heard a few “Ow!” and “Yeah, baby, I can do it any way you want,” anything is fair game, right? The Cook fans are out of control, in a respectable way. Right? Right?!? All I’m hearing are crickets.

The nice thing about that is that Cook played several songs which don’t get a lot of airplay, including his single “Avalanche.”

It’s a tad dark for my taste (I mean, the lighting) but it’s the song we wanna hear, right? Here it is below:

David Cook continued what seems like his endless tour on Saturday night, this time ending up in Ottawa, Canada.

Considering that Cook has always had some of the most rabid fans of all the former American Idols, you know you’re in for a show when Cook takes the stage.

Usually, the show comes from the fans, too, who have been known to throw bras and other assorted things onstage while ransacking his tour buses afterward.

Ah, it’s all part of Cook’s charm, right? Anyway, here’s Cook singing Bon Jovi’s “Livin On A Prayer,” which is obviously not a David Cook song but is entertaining with a capital E.

And, it’s an acoustic version to boot. Listen below:

David Archuleta joined Brooke White and Michael Johns during their concert in Salt Lake City last night at the Murray Theater.

Obviously there weren’t many fans there but they were indeed boisterous.

White’s singing came off as shouty, and I don’t know if that was the acoustics in the place or just the poor video quality.

By all accounts, White and Johns have played to nice, intimate settings and crowds during their tour, which is par for the course for most American Idols.

It would be nicer if the Idols played to bigger audiences, but for most Idols this is as good as it gets, I’m afraid. Unless your name is David Archuleta, in which case you are a teen heartthrob and the place goes bananas, like it did below.

Remember Amanda Overmyer? She was season 7’s Alison Iraheta with a bigger voice and bigger hair.

Anyway, she is still performing, even though I haven’t heard anything from her in months.

Maybe she went back to college, I don’t know. I know she just got married not too long ago, so that also might have something to do with it.

Other than that, it’s good to see Amanda back in the limelight again, so here’s her performance at the Mohegan Sun. Actually, it was at the Shops At Mohegan Sun.

Dude, for reals though; what is up with the hairdo here? Check it out for yourself below.

 Amanda Overmyer - “Live At Mohegan Sun”

Michael Johns has been seeing his name in the press lately with his opinions on the Paula Abdul ordeal.

Now it seems Johns has some musical plans of his own, as he’ll embark on a U.S. and Canadian tour with David Foster, father to the surrogate mother of Clay Aiken’s son.

Oh, what twisted tales some weave. Anyway, Johns will also be on tour with Philip Bailey from Earth, Wind and Fire and Peter Cetera.

Doesn’t sound like a rock concert, but it does sound like some good music will be played on this tour. Here are the details:

Famed musical showman, producer and songwriter David Foster and some of his talented friends will be embarking on a l0-city tour of “David Foster and Friends” starting in Chicago on October 21^st, including stops in New York, Boston, LA, Vancouver, Miami and other markets, it was confirmed today by Warner Bros. Records. In addition to such artists as Philip Bailey from the chart-topping Earth, Wind and Fire, Oprah protégé Charice, Chicago’s Peter Cetera and American Idol’s Michael Johns, fans can expect surprise visits at every show.

And here are the tour dates as well:

Ticket prices are $125, $85 and $55 and can be purchased by logging on to http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or by calling 1-800-745-3000 (except for Vancouver, Canada, 604-280-4444, or http://www.ticketmaster.ca/).

Or, get your Johns tickets here:

Jason Castro opened for Michelle Branch at the Grove in Los Angeles this past week, singing several new songs from his new album Let’s Just Fall In Love.

Some of the songs Castro sang included “Let’s Just Fall In Love,” “Love Uncompromised,” and “It Matters To Me.”

Listen to “It Matters To Me” below:

Obviously, from the sounds of these songs Castro will be a ballad singer, and he’s versatile enough to handle several different styles.

So I see things happening for Castro in two different ways. One, he’ll be a Michael Bolton pop singer type.

Two, he’ll be a Disney tunes guy, lending his voice to soundtracks and the like, which is actually the same direction I see Kris Allen going.

Like Bolton? Buy his album here

Michael Johns caused some controversy during his time on American Idol 7 –mainly because he was already a professional singer–and now he’s decided to speak up on behalf of Paula Abdul.

Probably the greatest singer Idol has ever had on its stage, Johns is a funny guy with a good sense of himself but he wasn’t all that cordial when it came to the way FOX, 19 and Idol treated his good friend Abdul.

And, since he’s not with FOX or 19 Entertainment any longer, he also decided to take a few potshots at his old employer, leading one to believe the age-old adage: Don’t shit where you eat.

Anyway, Johns has done that with this revelation, and then some. Don’t think 19 will invite this guy out for tea anytime soon, not after what he said here.

From E! Online:

“She’s not asking for what [Ryan] Seacrest is getting paid,” Johns told us last night at In Style editor Ariel Foxman’s Summer Soiree party at the London hotel in West Hollywood. “She’s asking for $20 million over three years, so I think she totally deserves that money. She’s a huge reason people tune in to the show…I think Fox should pull their finger out and pay her what she deserves.”

In all, Johns is merely speaking up for his friend, and he didn’t like the way FOX, 19 or Idol treated Paula. in a way I can see his point, but considering that the music industry is about as fickle as they come, I think it’s a dumb move for Johns to open up on what is obviously a touchy subject.

But that’s not all he said. Paula apparently consulted him while the negotiations went on, leading me to believe that maybe–just maybe–these two are closer than just friends.

Also from E!:

“We talk all the time,” the Aussie singer said. “She was a bit upset. She just doesn’t understand why Fox made the decision they made—especially when a lot of people got upgrades in money. But she said, ‘Look I’m not going to budge on this. I really think that’s my worth.’ ”

Johns is currently appearing with Brooke White on their tour, so buy tickets now, to what will be one of the best shows from any Idol contestant this year!

Click the Buy Now tab below.

Hey, it’s only been 18 months since we last heard Jason Castro sing anything close to a song, but it’s better than nothing, right?

Possibly setting the record for longest layoff in music history, Castro has raised the bar for all slackers in an industry filled with gold diggers and go-getters.

But I have to say, Castro’s new single–and album–was worth the wait. Not only is his single “It Matters To Me” filled with angst, and loneliness and all that good stuff, it’s got hope and solid musicianship.

And it gives Castro hope for a prosperous music career, despite the long layoff. Listening to it below will give you a sense of what I’m talking about.

As one can clearly ascertain from the video, it does not suck, not even close. The only thing is, I wished we could hear more from Castro instead of having to wait as long as we did in the first place.

A most unlikely trio took the stage today on ABC’s Good Morning America during its Summer Concert Series.

David Cook, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen (wha?) were on Manhattan’s Central Park for the concert series this morning and they shared their thoughts on Paula Abdul leaving the show.

Cook, Lambert, Allen - Interview

Needless to say, the trio were “heartbroken” that Abdul decided to call it quits. But Lambert said she’ll “bounce back.”

The other shocking news today was that the trio for together and sang a Fleetwood Mac song, “Little Lies.”

While “Little Lies” is a part of Cook’s repertoire when he performs at shows, it was surprising nonetheless to see the trio singing the song.

And, it actually sounded good, considering it was more of an impromptu thing.

David Cook, Lambert and Allen - “Little Lies”

David Cook always does things in a classy way. For example, instead of singing a song that would have been below par in comparison to The King Of Pop, Cook just had a moment of silence.

That’s a far cry from the people (no names mentioned) who actually tried and failed to deliver even a decent perofrmance of a Jackson song.

There is a reason that MJ’s The King of Pop, you know, and it’s one that a lot of people, professional singers included, are forgetting these days now that MJ is gone.

But Cook didn’t and that’s why he’s okay in my book. He’s real, he’s genuine, he’s been through some shit in his life like MJ and his fans love him. He is a true American Idol and this gesture proves it.