American Idol Fan

Late in the American Idol Season 7, shortly after Luke Menard was eliminated from the show, it was reported in the media and on his own blog that he is battling cancer.  He is undergoing chemotherapy treatments twice a month to help battle the deadly disease.  Well now, with the help of two of his American Idol buddies, David Cook and Michael Johns, there is a Paypal account set up where people can make donations to help with the expenses of treatment. 

Here is part of Luke’s blog post:

A few days ago I received a call from David Cook and Michael Johns. They said they held up signs at a recent concert that said “Give back to Luke Menard.” I was very surprised and pleased that they are so willing to help out. They seemed more excited on the phone that they were going to really make a difference. Michael Johns said, “Man, you need to set up a paypal account now!” He said that several of their fans were asking how to donate to us and that they were all asking for this info. Well….here it is. lukeandrewmenard@gmail.com.

If you can only give a $1, please do. I have been watching my brother-in-law battle cancer and he is currently dying after a 2 1/2 year battle. Please help however you can.

Carrie Underwood, Season 4 American Idol winner, has has several achievements throughout her phenomenal country music career. She has won three Grammy Awards, two ACM awards for female vocalist of the year, and CMA female vocalist of the year.  Now Carrie has broken new records with ringtones.  Her hit song, Before He Cheats, sold a million ringtones.  This achievement has made Underwood only the second country music singer in history to have a song RIAA certified as a Platinum Mastertone.

Carrie now becomes the first country artist ever to have two songs hit Platinum Mastertone status with the Grammy-winning Jesus, Take the Wheel.

Congratulations on another achievement, Carrie! 

Kellie Pickler has had a great country music career since she was voted off of Idol on Season 5.  I loved to watch Kellie perform on the show and enjoyed her natural, funny, quirky attitude.  While Kellie definitely doesn’t need help with her singing, she admits to OK! Magazine that she has to have her hair and makeup people.  Some people may think it’s a “diva” attitude that she won’t do her hair and makeup on her own but that’s not the case.  Kellie says she needs the reinforcements because she is unable to do it on her own. 

Kellie tells OK! Magazine:

“Well, I have a team of highly-trained professionals that get me ready because I can’t do it on my own,” she tells OK!. “When I’m out on tour, I usually just do it myself but for TV and photo shoots I usually have people that help get me ready because it’s so stressful anyways.”

Kellie is just a simple country girl and she would much rather prefer to have the natural look. She admits that she only wears makeup when she has to. She does have one addiction with makeup, however, and that is mascara. She jokes with OK! and says that she has “40,000 mascaras”.

To read more of Kellie’s interview and to see her OK! Magazine photo shoot, click HERE.

Blake Lewis has had a lot of ups and downs since being runner-up on Season 6 of American Idol, but he continues to perservere.  Blake was supposedly dropped from his record label (there has been conflicting information surrounding this, however.  Blake claims he wasn’t dropped.) but now he reports on his MySpace page that he is ready to sign with a new record label and will be releasing a new single soon.  This is what Blake has to say about the new record label:

I’ll be signing with a new record label and will have a new single out soon. I mean brand spank me new! Can’t wait for you to hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally, a label that wants to work…. Whattt???? It can’t be.. So stoked!

What he has to say about his new single:

The new record is going to be on the lines of How Many Words and Surrender. Rock/Electro/Pop with a little Bshorty love.

I guess we will have to wait and see what comes of Blake’s new album.

Want to see where Blake is touring? You can view all of his tour dates by clicking THIS LINK.

Jennifer Hudson has really come a long way since American Idol!  She has done amazingly well in movies and now presidential candidate Barack Obama has asked her to sing the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

“Access Hollywood” says that Barack Obama asked Jennifer Hudson to sing the National Anthem on Thursday night when he formally accepts the party’s nomination. 

Hudson won an Oscar for her role in the hit movie, Dreamgirls.  Her debut album, Jennifer Hudson, is set to be released the end of September.  Her new film, The Secret Life of Bees, with Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning, will be at theaters in October. 

Season 5 Idol contestant, Ace Young, will be added to the Broadway Grease line-up as he portrays the role of Kenickie.  Ace will join the cast on September 9th and will perform with the musical through January 18, 2009.  Ace will be coming in just as Taylor Hicks, Season 5 Idol winner, wraps up his role as Teen Angel.

According to current media reports, a new judge will be added to the line up for Season 8 of American Idol.  Kara DioGuardi, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, will be added to the current mix of judges we have been so used to all of these years.  How will adding another judge be helpful?  To me I think it will just create even more chaos and confusion among the judges and we will hear more meaningless “critiques”, if that is what you call them!

Don’t get me wrong…I like my American Idol, but I do get annoyed with Randy Jackson’s “dawgs”; Paula Abdul’s incoherent ramblings and Simon Cowell’s rudeness.  Now we have to listen to one more person who says that she is going to speak to Simon the way she does everybody.  I smell more drama!  Kara also told reporters today:

“I’m just gonna have my opinion, be honest and I don’t foresee any problems. I’m really excited about this, and up for the challenge.”

DioGuardi has written songs for superstars like Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, and Kelly Clarkson.

Source

Are you a Syesha Mercado fan?  While I thought Syesha was an excellent singer, I was surprised to see her make it to the top 3 on Season 7 of American Idol.  

In the video above, Syesha blogs, or “vlogs” while on the Idol’s summer tour. You will see with her goofing off in the video are Jason Castro, Brooke White, another one of my faves, Carly Smithson, Chikizie Eze, Kristy Lee Cook and Ramiele Malubay.  As you will see, there is a lot of foolishness in this video but the Idol gang has to unwind somehow from their busy touring schedule! 

Syesha deserves a lot of credit and respect for how far she went in the Idol competition.  Her family’s background of drug addiction (both parents) and homelessness didn’t leave Syesha much hope for a bright future.  But she has beat the odds and has come out on top and is proud of who she is.  Your fans are proud of you too, Syesha!

Kristy Lee Cook will release her first album since Idol - the debut date is set for September 12th.  Kristy Lee Cook has had previous album out back when she was a teenager but it didn’t do well.  She was signed with Britney Spears’ label I believe. 

Kristy will sing Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” on this album.  She sang and performed this song beautifully on Idol.  Are you Kristy fan and will you buy this album?

I was thrilled when David Cook won Season 7 of American Idol. My son was having me vote for him all along. He wasn’t my favorite to begin with but as the season started to wind down and there were only five or six left, he started to grow on me…and in a good way!

David Cook’s single, The Time of My Life, has been a popular single and my son and I are impatiently waiting for his album to be debuted in November.

David Cook has many female fans in the 30 + age group (Cougars) that helped him win the title. David Archuleta, runner-up, had more teenage fans vote for him. Enjoy the video!