Posted on 05/08/2006 4:22:13 AM PDT by silent_jonny
I still don't get why people think Tom Cruise is gay!! Oh, well...
My tag line senses are tingling!! Gotta love the Aussies! LOL
.
http://www.celebrityspider.com/news/june06/article060706-30.html
American Idols Live Claims Top Spot on TicketsNow's May Entertainment Index at #1
CHICAGO, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Wicked was finally dethroned in May from its number one spot on TicketsNow's index of best selling events. The American Idols Live tour, with 6.30% of overall sales, was the top seller on TicketsNow. The tour is shaping up to be the biggest concert series of the summer, leading the concert category with 17.05% of sales.
"With American Idol winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee bringing their substantial fan bases, it is not a surprise that the concert series is an instant success," says Kenneth Dotson, Chief Marketing Officer for TicketsNow. "This show appeals to a wide variety of our customers." Wicked didn't fall far; it dominated the theater category with 36.72% of sales and maintaining the number two spot overall, with 5.85%. Monty Python's Spamalot also had a strong showing this month coming in at number two in the theater category with 10.17% of sales.
As the summer heats up, the drama of baseball season continues to build. Baseball teams occupy five of the top ten spots overall in the TicketsNow May Entertainment Index. The New York Yankees climbed to the number three spot overall, with 4.28% of sales and claimed the number one spot in the sports category from long time rival the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox dropped to the number two spot in sports in May and to fourth in overall sales.
The battle between pop and country still continues to be a close one in the concert category.
Tim McGraw edged out Madonna in May in the concert category behind the American Idols Live Tour. McGraw notched 7.87% of concert sales while Madonna came in third at 5.47%. The rest of the top 10 concert artists include Kenny Chesney, Shakira, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews Band, Jimmy Buffett, and Roger Waters.
Following are the category leaders for May:
Top May Events Overall
1. American Idols Live
2. Wicked
3. New York Yankees
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Tim McGraw
7. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Chicago White Sox
9. Madonna
10. Phoenix Suns
Top May Sports Ticket Sales
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Chicago Cubs
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Chicago White Sox
Top May Concert Ticket Sales
1. American Idols Live
2. Tim McGraw
3. Madonna
4. Kenny Chesney
5. Shakira
Top May Theater Sales
1. Wicked
2. Monty Python Spamalot
3. Jersey Boys
4. The Lion King
5. Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo
About the TicketsNow Entertainment Index - The TicketsNow Entertainment Index tracks proprietary secondary ticket sales on a monthly basis to provide a snapshot of entertainment trends for sports, music, and theater events nationwide.
About TicketsNow Established in 1999, TicketsNow is the world's largest and most trusted marketplace for premium event tickets. More than 90% of all professional ticket agencies that list, buy, and sell secondary event tickets online utilize software developed by TicketsNow-creating the most comprehensive database of secondary event tickets in the world. Named to the Inc. 500 index of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S., TicketsNow is a premium ticket provider for USA TODAY and AOL, a member of the Better Business Bureau, and a founding member of the NATB, which promotes the highest level of ethics in the secondary ticketing marketplace.
SOURCE TicketsNow
SEE HERE FOR PICTURES :
http://pop.wizbangblog.com/2006/06/06/mcphee-gets-a-man.php
Mcphee's Boyfriend in McOlder than she is and McBalding too.
New York, NY :: American Idol season five runner-up Katharine McPhee, 22, has been spotted around New York City's SoHo the last few days walking hand in hand with her 41-year-old boyfriend Nick Covas, who also has a stage career. Nick is originally from San Francisco but currently lives in Los Angeles (like Katharine). He graduated from UCLA and his Broadway performance credits include Blood Brothers, Guys & Dolls, Mamma Mia and Once Upon a Mattress.
Wow, the popularity of this Idol tour is amazing. Thank you SIR for posting Idol news. I check this thread from time to time and appreciate your news updates.
Just more proof that this past season of AI was the hottest yet! It had the most talent and variety of any season. People are flocking to see Taylor, Chris, Elliot, etc. do their thang.
ONE MORE REASON TO SUPPORT TAYLOR.... BUY HIS SINGLE, SUPPORT A GREAT CHARITY. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ?
EVER WONDERED WHAT KELLIE PICKLER's TRUE CALLING IS ? WONDER NO MORE. WATCH THIS VIDEO...
CLICK HERE :
http://www.gofish.com/userVideoPlayer.gfp?gfid=30-1037194
Kellie Pickler is a natural for comedy. Even Sandra Bullock says so. Watch the clip and tell me if you disagree. Favorite bits are with Steve Carell, Sandra Bullock and Will Ferrell.
Sorry - I don't find Pickler funny in the least. The ditzy hick blonde thing has been done to death. She is Paris Hilton, with pone substituting for porn. Some people eat this stuff up I guess, but not me.
MORE GOODIES FOR EVERYONE JUST FOR COMING BACK :
HERE IS A VIDEO MONTAGE TRIBUTE OF TAYLORs AMERICAN IDOL JOURNEY. GREAT INTRODUCTION TO THE MAN, HIS MUSIC AND HIS VOICE :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRx66n1aH3Y
Bo Bice performed last night at Alabama Adventure (their local amusement park). He played for their summer concert series. He put on a really great show.
Anyway, some of the songs he sang were Vehicle, The Real Thing, You Make Me Better, Little Pink Houses, Feeling Alright (which I also heard Taylor perform at the Galleria hee), Sweet Home Alabama, Freebird, Whipping Post, and some others.
There was a pretty big crowd, and it was a great show. Anyway, if anyone's interested in reading about it, you can go to
http://www.al.com/music/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1149931147317120.xml&coll=2
Hey folks,
THE SINGLE "DO I MAKE YOU PROUD" ISNT EVEN OUT YET ( AS OF THIS WRITING), BUT SOME HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE USING THIS SONG AS THEIR THEME. SEE THIS FOR INSTANCE :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvmbbrkPTV4&search=taylor%20hicks
I also heard about a woman planning to use this song to dance with her father during her wedding.
HOW COOL IS THAT ? ( note : I used to think the song is schmaltzy and sappy, but hey, somehow it seems to have touched a nerve ).
STRICTLY FOR KAT MCPHEE's FANS ONLY...
Kat was a guest singer at Andrea Bocelli's concert this week.
They sang two duets.
1) THE PRAYER
She's visibly nervous but I think overall it was a solid performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaDP_Hm8H8Y&search=Mcphee%20Bocelli
2) SOMOS NOVIOS (tune : Perry Como's IT's IMPOSSIBLE )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG7U2kbC7Ag&search=bocelli%20mcphee
Taylor Hicks, The American Idol, To Make Us Proud Tuesday
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/entertainment/tittletattle/article_21222714.shtml
by Jack Ryan
Jun 12, 2006
It's a double dose of Taylor Hicks this week: Taylor releases his first two 'Taylorized' songs on Tuesday. We'll certainly see what kind of sales strength Hicks has with the release of his debut single, the double-sided "Do I Make You Proud" coupled with "Takin' It To the Streets."
The former is a typical "American Idol" writing, but the soulful Hicks does something to it that only he seemingly can do and makes it not only listenable, but enjoyable as well.
The latter is a Doobie Brothers' classic, the type of song that seems 'Taylor Made' for Hicks. Just about any Michael McDonald song you could make an argument that Hicks was born to sing.
With the Soul Patrol in full effect, there should be little doubt that Hicks' single will top the charts.
"American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks has signed on to be managed by Jeff Kwatinetz's The Firm, which just so happens to rep former "Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson, according to a published report.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the single "Do I Make You Proud," will benefit the American Red Cross. For every CD sold, 25 cents will go to the Red Cross, reports the AP.
Hicks hits the road on July 5 with the rest of his Idol castmates for the American Idol tour.
TAYLOR HICKS INTERVIEW THE MORNING OF HIS SINGLE RELEASE ( JUNE 13,2006 )
KLOU-FM St. Louis
The interview was held in an undisclosed location and was conducted by his uncle, David Craig, radion DJ and cousin of his father, Brad. Actually he is standing on the ocean as the background waves can be heard.
CLICK HERE FOR THE AUDIO :
PART 1 : http://www.gcfiles.com/audio/THRadio1.mp3
PART 2 : http://www.gcfiles.com/audio/THRadio2.mp3
PART 3 : http://www.gcfiles.com/audio/THRadio3.mp3
SUMMARY OF THE POINTS HE MADE IN THE INTERVIEW :
1) Taylor's new album will only include songs that he believes in singing.
In effect, Taylor admits that he cannot sell a song that he does not believe in ( COUNTRY ROADS anyone ?).
You cannot make him sing songs he does not feel any connection to and his album will reflect that.
2) There were many original songs for the finals night that were suggested for Taylor... almost all of them
met with his disapproval except DO I MAKE YOU PROUD, the message of which he believes in wholeheartedly.
And what a prescient perspective he has --- he said that the song can be sang in almost all occassions --
graduations, birthdays, etc.
This is the only song of the bunch that he believed in.
3) He loves his family dearly and he also appreciate the mutual support that the families of other
contestants gave... he mentioned --- Chris' family, Kellie's family and Paris' family.
4) He only got the chance to be really close to the top 5 or 6 standing because it is hard to hang around with a large
group of contestants.
5) He was most pleased with IN THE GHETTO and the arrangement and instrumentation that was provided for him. It sounded much like the Aretha Franklin's ending of the FAME series.
He personally arranged pretty much most of the ending of the songs he sang in American Idol to give them
the maximum audience impact.
He disliked his perfomance of COUNTRY ROADS. He admitted it was flat and the song was too quick ( COMMENT : I said the same thing that night ).
6) Simon was a different guy off stage than on stage. Simon is really NICE off stage.
7) He realizes that some people hate his dancing, but he's just going to be himself. If people don't like his dancing,
tough luck, it's a free country, they don't have to watch.
8) He loves Ricky Minor and the band and admires them for their ability to back up every singer and learn the
arrangement to their songs quickly.
9) He has not decided whether he's going to maintain his residence in Birmingham or LA. He's like a musical gypsy right
now. First the tour, then a decision where to settle later.
10) He hopes to be able to go back some time to the Florabama and his old haunts down south sometime and visit them and perform there. These are the places that taught him how to perform before a crowd and he won't forget them.
11) He's not in a hurry to bring out his album. He's going to make sure that his album is good before he brings it out.
He wants it to be GOOD and is not interested in a fixed date before he's happy with the results.
12) Shampoo ad for HEAD and SHOULDERS is just a rumor.
13) (JOKE) a book -- CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL PATROL --- is in the works.
14) Michael Macdonald called him to compliment him for his version of TITTS. They had a nice chat.
Hopefully, they might even be able to collaborate in a song or two together. MM by the way is going on tour with Steely Dan this year.
15) This title is a great opportunity and he's going to take the ball and run with it.
16) David asked if it was true that Taylor's new management team was planning to "pitch him for TV and movies." And, in essence, Taylor said there was truth in this and he would be interested in such...but the main thing on his mind was his music. In other words, FIRST the music, and then he'll see.
No surprise there. I've been saying all along that whenever the mention is made of Kat going into acting, I've always been of the mind that it is Taylor who would be the better actor. Hopefully, somewhere down the road, we'll see!
THE GUY's GOT HIS PRIORITIES SCREWED ON STRAIGHT. THE FACT THAT HE DOES NOT WANT TO GET DISTRACTED BY SUCH THINGS AS "HEAD AND SHOULDERS" AND "ACTING" OFFERS TO CONCENTRATE ON HIS MUSIC SHOWS THAT HE's GOT THE MATURITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MADE HIM A STAR IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IT WAS HIS MUSIC THAT GOT HIM TO WHERE HE IS NOW. HE's GOTTA FOCUS ON MAKING A GOOD THING EVEN BETTER ( AND HE KNOWS THAT ).
SL, thanks for summarizing Taylor's interview so neatly. Those of us on dialup really appreciate it! :)
I've always thought Taylor had his head screwed on straight, and this interview seems to confirm it. One thing was interesting ... he chose "Do I Make You Proud" from a bunch of different songs? I thought they were just handed the final song and told, "Here it is, sink or swim!" But it sounds like the finalists had more input, at least this year. If true, I find it amazing that Kat ended up with that stinker of a song that she did. She should have known better to attempt that thing. It was not only a rambling mess, but also outside her range on both the lower and upper end. I wonder what else she was offered that made her think that was the *best* of the bunch?
Gotta love Tay Tay!!!
I made a special trip to WalMart today to purchase Taylor's single! My son gave me the "oh mom" eye roll! hee
I'm planning to do the same thing in a little while! :)
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