This year, who will be your American Idol?
Ah, January. The first month of the year. A winter month. A month where millions of families in America gather in the living room to spend quality time with each other, playing board games while eating cookies.…
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26 - Donna
Bo could sing anything and make it sound great. RCA had the final say on what they wanted his album to sound like. IMO he kicked ass on his cd and I'm looking forward to cd#2.
27 - fred
i cant wait until american idol comes on tonight...i wonder who be rejected
28 - BoLisa
Bo's cd was not authentic Bo, but it was a good cd. I think that nobody can argue the fact that the boy can sing. And his performances are off the scale! I'm hoping and praying that his second cd will be more successful for him. He deserves it.
29 - Shemrah
Dear author,
You are totally right on the money here...
"Bice was a southern rocker, who had a growly, powerful voice and an amazing stage presence. In a legendary Idol performance, Bice threw caution to the wind and sang without any musical accompaniment."
This is what separates the good from the great...Bo doesn't sing 'at' the audience, but 'to' the audience and if you've ever been to one of his concerts, you definitely feel the connection, bigtime. This is amazing stage presence! I doubt American Idol will ever see full package talent, such as the likes of Bo, again.
He is a true success story.
Only a very mere 164 votes put Carrie over the top to become American Idol 4.
If you want to learn more about the Petition to RCA supporting Bo's bid to become an original recording artist on his next CD, here is the site to visit,
It's all good.
30 - Kaonashi
Thanks again for the comments everyone.
Many of you recommended that I see Bo in concert. Sadly, I can't see anyone in concert due to lack of funds. As my little blurb says at the end of this article, I'm a grad student. The last concert I went to was for American Idol Season 2, and I paid through the nose for that ticket!
I did see a short performance with Bo -and Constantine!- on YouTube. They were at the House of Blues. It was pretty cool, and nice to see the two of them performing together.
31 - denise
The petition has nothing to do with how cd#2 is going to sound like. I really wish you people would let that petition go. It's really a waste of time and a bit crazy. Give up already! Do you honestly think Olive gives a damn about a petition Bo's fans are signing? It's just crazy and frankly I wish you people would just go away!!!
32 - Lulu1001
Thanks for the blog. No need for people to get upset about the TRT comments. Bo's happy as a sandboy and it's all good.
Sorry you haven't seen Bo live. He's something else. Check out this Youtube video if you get chance. One of Bo's friends is a filmmaker and he shot this wonderful footage:
33 - Babooshka
Someone up thread said Hicks had gone platinum. I read he barely made gold. Anyone know which is true. I do know that some concern has been expressed that he didn't sell as well as was expected. Perhaps because he's not very good really.
34 - debbie
I really have to disagree about your comment about Bo Bice's CD, The Real Thing! I really think it showcased Bo's versitality as a recording artist. Pop music today is dominated by rap artists. The fact that Bo was able to successfully put out a CD so uniquely different from what people expected of him, makes me excited to find out what he has up his sleeve for the next one..
35 - tss
You know why Claymates are so incredibly loyal to Clay?? We KNOW what happened that night that Ruben was 'handed' the 'title. If Clay received the title he so deserved, I don't think we would be so defensive regarding anything negative towards Clay. We would still be incredibly loyal to Clay, of course, but not so defensive because the idiots who continue to say 'But Ruben won; why isn't HE more successful' wouldn't be saying that. Ruben was never, ever as good as the judges tried to make him out to be. He played it safe and had a hard time breathing while singing. Clay has proven 'A Thousand Different Ways' that he was and is the true Idol. He was/is exactly what the producers and/or judges were/are looking for in an IDOL. Ruben's last cd has sold less than 160,000 in the 2+ months since it's release. Not very good at all for a so-called 'winner'. If the two of them were given 3 voting lines and 4-6 hours for the fans to vote-Clay's multiple millions MORE votes than Ruben's would of been tallied officially. If Ruben's mother got in 200 votes and Clay's only 2 - that tells you something, doesn't it??????
Shemrah how do YOU know Carrie recieved only X-amount of votes more than Bo??? No numbers were ever given out. The ones that Ryan tried to give out for Clay vs. Ruben were just made-up numbers. 13,000; 130,000; 1,300???? Clay really won by millions over Ruben. Ryan's voice choked up when he saw Ruben's name on the card due to being in shock!!! Also, Ryan admitted on his radio show- he no longer has the winner's name on the card, since Season 3-it is BLANK!!!!
36 - Kaonashi
Lulu 1001- thank you for the YouTube link. Great video :)
Babooshka- good question. I tried to find information about Hicks' album going platinum, but with no luck. A Wikipedia article on Taylor says that his album went gold, but that's it. Not even his official blog, graycharles.com mentions his album going platinum. I'll look around the Billboard website to see if I can find some answers.
tss- thanks for stopping by. I've been waiting for a Claymate to offer her two cents.
37 - Lulu1001
Taylor Hick's CD has so far sold 559,000 copies - I know platinum is based on shipped, not sold at retail, but with sales like that, retailers may be planning to return a lot after Christmas so the album won't be certified platinum just yet.
Ever since its release, Taylor's sales pattern has been almost exactly Bo's - although he was a ittle higher in the first 2 weeks and a little lower since then. Retailers will know this and if they DID order big, my guess is they've already applied for returns authorizations.
Bottom line, I don't think Taylor's CD will be certified platinum any time soon. If a single or a tour helps sales, then it might happen.
38 - u2vixen
Bo rocks. Here's an extended version of his original Whiskey, Women and Time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzuHtayAsDI
And an acoustic number in Atlanta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi3_UKufoBg
The Real Thing makes it to No. 1 on TRL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IuDCteuHoY
39 - StaffWriter
"The only true failure that AI has ever really had is runner-up Justin G"
Justin, unlike any other contestant, was forced to wait 9 months after the show ended to release his album ~ after 9 months the Season 1 hype was over and Season 2 was underway. If Kellie P., Katharine, or Bo had been in the same situation, I doubt their numbers would have been much better than Justin's ~ he did sell over 100K, btw. To label Justin a failure is unfair and harsh. His career continues and he is making a living doing what he loves to do ~ I'd call that successful ~ wouldn't you?
40 - Kaonashi
StaffWriter- the music industry IS unfair and harsh. Countless musicians have spent their whole lives trying to break in the industry, but you or I will never hear about them. That's life.
Like it was mentioned earlier, I think we can all agree that everyone who has been on the show is successful in their own right. However, considering that his album didn't even make gold, not to mention that the public has not really heard from him since, I'd say that Justin was not nearly as successful compared with some of the others from the show.
41 - Amy
Ah, unfortunately I too was expecting a "Claymate" to comment THAT way. Usually I just let it go. I'm a fan of Clay and his voice; I even go to multiple concerts around the country. I buy his music because his voice moves me and I've made great friends because he's become an enjoyable facet of my life. But I never shared the furor over his 'loss' on AI2. I often think it was better that he came in second. He's a very, very smart man with an incredible gift---his voice, of course, but also his sense of purpose. His concerts are unforgettable and I'm just hope he'll continue to share his talent with us.
42 - Ann
Kaonashi, I really enjoyed your article! As a big fan of Spirited Away, I love your name, too. :)
I am a huge fan of Clay's. There is something about him and his voice that can't be explained really. He has a great voice and personality and major personal magnetism!
I am not so upset about his loss on AI. That was a good thing. He's worked all the harder and has become very famous for being successful in spite of not winning and getting the backing that the
AI winners received.
What I am really upset about is the name calling by some talk show hosts and some writers. They can't seem to leave him alone. Conan O'Brien is obsessed with him!
It is a good thing he has amazing inner strength and fortitude. Many lesser people have folded under that kind of pressure.
Talk about some people not being fair! Some of the media should be treated the way they treat Clay. That is the harshest thing I could wish on them!
I am a fan of Bo Bice's too, as well as so many other Idol's. They had to have great talent just to get to the top 12, or in Justin's case the top 10.
I am concerned about Bo's health. His problem could have taken his life, it is major!
Keep up the good work. Not all Claymates are wacko. We are just so tired of Clay's being mistreated in the media. (Not by you)
Thanks,
Ann
43 - Kaonashi
Amy- I think you and I can agree that Clay coming in second didn't hurt him at all. I mean, Jennifer Hudson came in sixth place, and I think she's doing just fine :)
Ann- Thank you for calling me a member of the media! Oh, and just remember- about comedians and other people in the media calling Clay names and poking fun of him...it's when they stop mentioning him at all is when you should start worrying. What's that old saying? Even bad publicity is good publicity. Think of poor Justin Guarini.
44 - Jeff Denton
Get the absolute best recaps online at author Linda Sharp's Don't Get Me Started blog! They are hilarious, always spot-on and INSTANTLY ADDICTIVE!!!
45 - Mia
This is such a well-put article. Kudos to you for all these accounts. I agree that season 3 was so-so. Although, I must admit that season 3 was the very first AI season that I was able to watch, and at that time, I was content with the contenders' talent. What made me stick to the show was the rants of Simon Cowell.
Season 4 had good singers in the top 12. But nothing can beat the American Idol-worthy top 10 of season 5. Kat McPhee was my favorite.
This season 6, no matter who wins, this is definitely a Sanjaya season. For the novelty that he is, I think he'll stay longer in tinseltown more than any other Idol finalist.... But then again, i could be wrong:-)
46 - Kaonashi
Mia- Thank you for the kind words. Yes, Simon has a way of keeping people tuned in to what he's going to say next. That's why he gets paid the big bucks :)
I can't begin to predict Sanjaya's ultimate fate. No doubt he'll stick around for a short while. I forsee him gracing teen magazine covers and perhaps starring in a tween friendly sitcom on the Disney Channel.