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American Idol Past Contestants: What Are They Up To Now?

tribeca

By tribeca
in American Idol

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VCRTracking
VCRTracking
riley702
riley702

She's a fabulous singer and yet many people just focus on her weight. That irritates me.

PamelaMaeSnap
PamelaMaeSnap

Those of you who remember me (as JazzieCazzie) from the way way way back days of TWoP might or might not remember that Rickey Smith was my all-time favorite American Idol contestant. Ever. I am really

Posted Images

SunFun

SunFun

(edited)

McPhee is talented, and deserves a better vid than that. And some clothes.

 

Justin Guarini news:

 

  • Guarini to Co-Host this year's Times Square Tony Awards Simulcast (also hosted last year).
  • Will star as Bobby in Sondheim's "Company" starting May 29. Last starred as Julio in NYC Center's "Paint Your Wagon" w/ Keith Carradine (w/ great reviews). Vid highlights of PYW (Guarini appears throughout vid, dancing/singing):

http://v.playbill.com/services/player/bcpid82993908001?

bctid=4119858038001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAEX25ttk~,qVVep19cvaUd_MvoBnuGVanJsQIaFNkH

  • In-studio recording of a duet. For fun I guess. In any case, great harmonies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTznMIo_DB8&feature=youtube

 

 

 

 

Sorry, can't figure out how to embed vids.

*ETA: Thanks MarkHB! But, apparently I'm a dummy... 6 tries, no luck.

Edited by SunFun
SunFun

SunFun

(edited)

Carrie Underwood leads nominations for CMT Music Awards

http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/2015-cmt-music-awards-carrie-underwood-leads-nominations/ar-BBjJDl3

 

CMT announced on May 13 that Carrie Underwood is the top contender for the 2015 CMT Music Awards with five nominations, including two nominations for video of the year with the Grammy-winning "Something in the Water" and "Somethin' Bad," her duet with Miranda Lambert.

 

 

Pop lyrics getting dumber, says research

http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/pop-lyrics-getting-dumber-says-research/ar-BBjXTEK?ocid=U142DHP

 

Country came out with the highest reading level, followed by pop and rock with a tie, and R&B/hip-hop had the lowest reading level.

 

Artists who came out on top included Eminem for hip-hop, Carrie Underwood for country, Nickelback for rock and Mariah Carey for pop.

 

 

 

 

Edited by SunFun
thefog

thefog

David Cook's problem - he peaked on the Idol stage.  And he was never able to shake the Idol stigma.  It was exasperated by his rabid fans who continue to quote his Idol performances as the gold standard - even though it's been over 7 yrs.  And most of that audience have long moved on.

 

That's why his post Idol career has been the most disappointing.  He's now doing crowd funding and has faded from mainstream music.  A far cry from his Idol days.  I have lost interest in his career.

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karenc3

karenc3

David Cook's problem - he peaked on the Idol stage.  And he was never able to shake the Idol stigma.  It was exasperated by his rabid fans who continue to quote his Idol performances as the gold standard - even though it's been over 7 yrs.  And most of that audience have long moved on.

 

That's why his post Idol career has been the most disappointing.  He's now doing crowd funding and has faded from mainstream music.  A far cry from his Idol days.  I have lost interest in his career.

 

 

The fans that have followed him for 7 years like his original music.  He has many fans that continue to buy his original music and go to concerts, and he mostly doesn't do songs he did on Idol during his concert.  And he's not crowdfunding his album, the album is already almost done, he is preordering through Pledgemusic, as other artists are doing now. 

 

I've followed him since Idol, and although I like his covers, I like his original music even more, including the new music.  

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SunFun

SunFun

(edited)

Updates/News/Photos:

 

-Katharine McPhee:

'Bombshell' rehearsals w/ photo:

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/a-look-inside-the-bombshell-rehearsal-with-katharine-mcphee-and-megan-hilty-350729#14

 

-Justin Guarini:

'Company' photos

http://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/Photo-Flash-First-Look-at-Justin-Guarini-Kate-Wetherhead-and-More-in-Bucks-County-Playhouses-COMPANY-20150605

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/photo-call-first-look-at-justin-guarini-in-bucks-county-playhouse-production-of-company-350683

(Play and Guarini received good to excellent reviews. Too lazy to list.)

'Paint Your Wagon' photos

http://playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/keith-carradine-alexandra-socha-justin-guarini-jenni-barber-melissa-van-der-schyff-go-for-gold-in-encores-paint-your-wagon-344521#8

(Also rec'd good reviews, still too lazy to post. Cast album coming.)

 

-Diana DeGarmo:

Promo and Rehearsal Shots of Diana Degarmo in The Wizard of Oz at the Studio Tenn Theatre Company

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/see-the-first-promo-and-rehearsal-shots-of-diana-degarmo-in-the-wizard-of-oz-at-the-studio-tenn-theatre-company-351214#1

 

-Kelly Clarkson:

http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200

# 120 after 14 weeks. 153,000 sold per Wiki. If accurate, this album might be her first real flop.

Kelly Clarkson planning 'on being pregnant' by end of the year

http://www.contactmusic.com/kelly-clarkson/news/kelly-clarkson-planning-on-being-pregnant-by-end-of-the-year_4768328

Summertime Ball 2015 photos

http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/3387415/kelly-clarkson-calls-ariana-grande-sweet-at-summertime-ball-03/

 

-Carrie Underwood:

CMT Awards really love Carrie Underwood w/ photos:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/06/11/cmt-awards-really-love-carrie-underwood-and-10-other-lessons-from-the-always-strange-show/

She basically cleaned up.

Edited by SunFun
  • Love 2
27bored

27bored

Here's a performance with Kid Rock and Kellie Pickler singing "Picture", which was originally recorded with KR and either Sheryl Crow or Allison Moorer, depending on which version your local radio station played in 2002. There's a cute moment towards the end when the song kind of falls apart because Kid Rock forgets the lyrics. But the surprise is how good Kellie Pickler sounds. Kind of sweet and innocent, but wise at the same time. Like a young Dolly Parton.

 

I'd say Kellie is more "country" than Carrie. Carrie is like a pop star who successfully transitioned into Country music, but Kellie's more the pure "country" artist. She isn't as big as Carrie, but I can see her having a long and fairly successful career.

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PhD-Purgatory15

PhD-Purgatory15

Kellie's last album (the first single was a song called "Tough") was really critically acclaimed, if not as commercially successful as her earlier offering. She's another female country artist who suffers from bro-country sucking all the oxygen out of the building. Basically if you're not Carrie, Miranda, or the female voices in LBT, Lady A or The Band Perry....it's an uphill battle.

I do think she's well respected within the industry and will continue to have a reasonable level of success...it remains to be seen if Scotty and Lauren Alaina will have staying power. They were both viable earlier but seem to have faded from the country music consciousness lately.

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27bored

27bored

Kelly...we need to have a chat:

 

First of all, girl? What's this?

 

kelly-clarkson.jpg?w=580

iheartradio-music-awards-2015-kelly-clar

kelly3.jpg

 

OK. So, yeah...

 

Kelly? It's...not so much that you're on the other side of "skinny" now. I know that's a work in progress, even though, we both know you've made enough money to hire a personal trainer/nutritionist and you don't have to go out in public looking like you ate every piece of Halloween candy in the neighborhood, then all the Thanksgiving dinner, then all the Christmas dinner...

 

I'm gonna leave that part aside for now because we all saw this coming.

 

But not only are you wearing these damn country ass, prom-at-the-furniture-store ass, going-with-the-boy-you're-gonna-have-a-baby-by ass dresses, but bitch, you bought the same goddamn dress in three colors! I don't understand! And blue one has mold on it looking like a damn fish tank that needs to be cleaned out. I mean, for real. Kelly looks like a bitch that's about perform at a country-western revue at Six Flags or some shit. Somebody tell me what part of the game this is because I am confused.

 

kelly-clarkson-live-at-the-summertime-ba

 

Y'all, fuck this shit. I'm done.

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BogoGog24

BogoGog24

Kelly's never been known for having great fashion sense, even in her skinnier days. Honestly I don't think she gives a damn what people think about her body or what clothes she wears. I don't think her outfits are flattering on her at all, but she can wear whatever she wants to. If she feels comfortable in it, that's her choice to wear it.

  • Love 5
SunFun

SunFun

Not looking like this Clarkson hasn't. Plus, she recently stated she had been forced into doing the music that her fans liked, and that could be changing. She looks oldish and out of touch with that music now. The current album hasn't done well. I think she's heading into a different direction when could affect the demographics of her audience

 

Sometimes not giving a shit isn't always a positive thing. I, for one, also get tired of her complaining about one thing or another, and pointing fingers.

MarkHB

MarkHB

I haven't followed her interviews, etc., so the "forced into doing the music that her fans liked" is news to me.  However, the thing that has occurred to me is that most of her hit singles (at least that I'm aware of) have been breakup / mad-at-some-guy songs ("Since U Been Gone" being the archetype), and now that she's happily married her head may not be in that same space anymore.

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SunFun

SunFun

(edited)

News to me, too. She talked about being forced into doing certain music/things with current label, and that she looked forward to doing what she wants when her contract ends. IMO, fans liked the previous music (and image), so her demographic might change. To be clear, "forced into doing the music that her fans liked" was NOT a quote from her. My thoughts, worded badly.

 

If I find the interview again, I'll add it to this post. We can see if I remembered correctly.

edited to add interview video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWQhn1k-XBI&feature=player_embedded

 

 

While here, a Clay Aiken update:

Per fans, Aiken was apparently on Periscope cutting his toe nails. WTF?

Edited by SunFun
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tribeca

tribeca

  • Author
(edited)

  I went to see American Idol tour last night.  It was only the top 5 this year but it was a lot of fun especially since it was Nick's home state.    We were in line next to Nick's aunt who informed us that she had to buy her ticket since the show would only give them four free ones.  She said that was not good for a big Italian family LOL.

Edited by tribeca
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Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

 

While here, a Clay Aiken update:

Per fans, Aiken was apparently on Periscope cutting his toe nails. WTF?

 

Clay uses Periscope a lot to keep in touch with fans.  Periscope is a live video streaming app that was launched by Twitter.  The cutting toenails stream was kind of unusual, but his other Periscopes have ranged from strolling through NYC with Ruben, visiting the NY Botanical Gardens with friends, chatting with his friend and co-author of his upcoming book, taking his cousin on a tour of Chinatown, etc.  Neil Diamond uses Periscope often to stream his concerts live.  It's a great way to keep in touch.

 

Aside from the above-mentioned book, Clay is in the midst of plans for an upcoming project which the fandom hopes will be announced shortly.  He moved to NYC from NC a few months ago for this venture. 

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SunFun

SunFun

(edited)

 Yep. Clay Aiken cutting his toe nails for public viewing is very gross.

 

 

Apparently, nothing.

Still sounds about right. But, I'm sure we're all waiting for his next "venture". Maybe Clay's establishing residency in NYC so he can run for political office in a more liberal location. The entertainment business seems done with him.

Edited by SunFun
27bored

27bored

I still maintain Kelly Clarkson looks like who-did-it-and-ran in those Peggy Sue dresses. Not giving a fuck is one thing -- that's a good thing to an extent -- but Kelly has an attractive girl-next-door quality to her (both her look and attitude) that can be a little more flattering than it is now. Plus, carrying around the extra baby weight is going to make it harder for her to work. It's harder to sing when you're carrying extra weight. And Kelly already doesn't have the greatest technique (meaning she has a lot of natural talent but tends to overshoot her voice sometimes...recall the Yelly Clarkson jokes from yester-year). So, she needs to do better.

 

That said, this unreleased song of hers is pretty good. It has a muted 80s R&B Michael Jackson feel that's very interesting.

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TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

I don't think she has bad technique. Maybe when she was on American Idol over a decade ago, but as far as I know, she hired help as soon as she won Idol and has kept it ongoing throughout the years. Whenever I see her perform on TV, you can tell when her voice is weaker because she won't go for the high note. Most of her performances for the last album, for instance, were very restrained because she was having problems vocally due to the pregnancy from what I'd heard.

SunFun

SunFun

Clarkson's technique isn't bad. Better than when on AI and earlier post-AI with all the constant screaming, and over-singing. Still has audible gulps for air. Too distracting for me. The weight can't possibly be of any good in stopping that. Don't like the unreleased song at all, but the pictures remind me of how really photogenic she is (granted, often aided with tricks, but still photogenic). That was always a huge plus for her. Unfortunately not any more.

 

Again, she doesn't care. Fine by me. She'll live with any consequences, not me.

27bored

27bored

Her technique isn't bad, but it's not good. Kelly has always sounded like she was yelling, to one extent or another. I think she knows how to finesse her voice a bit more on ballads than on her more uptempo, rockier material. And Kelly's never been a twig so it's like, she's always pushed her voice more than the average female pop singer. She's not like Pink, who trains a lot and spends a lot of time singing while doing other showy stuff (choreography, acrobatics). I don't think Kelly smokes or does a lot of drinking, so this is probably just weight-specific, which can be overcome, but with age and the rigors of being a pop star, she's going to have to lose weight if she expects to keep it going. I can think of a handful of her singles that she probably couldn't pull off night after night ("Stronger", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "I Don't Hook Up", "My Life Would Suck Without You", "Never Again", etc) at this stage in the game.

TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

Kelly has always sounded like she was yelling, to one extent or another.

Depends on whose listening, I guess...? I've never had that impression anyway. I'm not sure what her weight has to do with it though, since she's been overweight the largest part of her career, both when her voice was at its height and currently at its lowest. There's nothing that indicates her weight has affected her singing ability in any way.

 

I have to admit, I've always found Pink's vocal abilities a little overrated, but at least she's one of the few pop stars these days (non-singing contest related) that can sing. Lady Gaga's another one. And they're both strong performers, too.

27bored

27bored

Depends on whose listening, I guess...? I've never had that impression anyway. I'm not sure what her weight has to do with it though, since she's been overweight the largest part of her career, both when her voice was at its height and currently at its lowest. There's nothing that indicates her weight has affected her singing ability in any way.

I don't think you fully understand what I'm saying.

As far as her yelling, some of it is just her genre. Part of doing alt rock/pop is having big, throaty vocals. Kelly has always had a shouty quality to her voice that suits her music. That may be more difficult to maintain with extra weight, age, touring, and everything else that goes into being a pop star.

She can still sing, don't get wrong, but poor technique will damage her voice long term. She hasn't been this big before. Being a little more full figured than your average pop tartlet is one thing; being really overweight is another.

This is less opinion than fact. The heavier you are the more difficult is to maintain proper breathing and cardiovascular health needed for singing and performing. Even Aretha Franklin said it. She got really skinny in the 70s and said it was easier to sing when she weighed less. Mariah Carey is another one. Mariah used to be a twig and that's when she was at her best. When she put on more weight and started cinching herself into dresses that's when she started under singing. Still talented ladies all of them, but they marginalized their talent.

I have to admit, I've always found Pink's vocal abilities a little overrated, but at least she's one of the few pop stars these days (non-singing contest related) that can sing. Lady Gaga's another one. And they're both strong performers, too.

Pinks good at what she does. I don't think she oversings or overshoots her voice the way Kelly does. She can still belt them out with aplomb (ie Waiting for Love, Sober, Fuckin Perfect, who Knew) but it sounds a bit...cleaner.

TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

(edited)

What I meant is I don't think her weight has had that much of an effect on her voice so far, even if having less weight does make it easier to sing. I'm sure that will change once she crosses into her 40's. I think cigarettes and alcohol are more damaging--that's what has hurt Mariah the most. A lot of singers don't put out the most effort to preserve their voice like, say, Celine Dion who actually goes days without speaking. Of course, age takes its toll regardless.

Edited by TheGreenKnight

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