American Idol Quick Wrap 5/1/13~ May Day May Day!

As, I was watching last night’s American Idol, I kept screaming at the TV: “May Day, May Day”! No, not just because it was the first day of May, but because the top four were crashing throughout the vocal battle last night. Well, ok, 3 of them were crashing at times, because Miss Candice Glover seriously killed it on both of her songs. The fierce four sang “Songs from 2013″ with surprisingly blah results and the over-worn theme of “Standards”. Unfortunately, Angie, Amber and Kree all seemed a little tired or defeated and you could see that this long journey is starting to get to them with tons of stress and pressure. And while that was apparent, in a few of their numbers, the ladies voices were glorious as always… I wish I could say the same about the judges who were battling each other again. I’m sorry but I think Mariah may have to get the boot alongside the incredibly annoying Nicki and useless Randy next year. And, um, while Harry Connick Jr gave good advice and was an amusing mentor, his hard criticism really defeated the girls and he sounded like a real jerk at times. However, in the long run, he actually could be a really good and honest judge should the producers consider him for next year… And while they contemplate that, let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions for last night.

American Idol Performance Rankings for 5/1/13

~the great

1. Candice- “You’ve Changed”: with the best vocal and performance of the night, Candice simply killed it on this beautiful standard. She made the song seem current and infused it with the perfect mix of emotion and heartbreak. Astounding.
2. Amber- “My Funny Valentine”: reprising the song that got her into the top twenty, Amber changed it up a bit and gave another flawless vocal. It was a beautiful and heart-tugging performance that stands as one of Amber’s best to date. I really hope she can pull out a miracle and make it another week with pipes as amazing as hers.

~ the good

3. Kree- “See You Again”: with what I consider the most emotionally connected performance of the night, Kree brought me to tears on her cover of Carrie Underwood‘s new hit. I wish it had just been her and the guitarist because she could’ve had an “Idol Moment”, but it was still a great performance and Kree’s best in weeks.

4. Candice- “When I Was Your Man”: tackling Bruno Mars’ recent # 1 smash, Candice delivered another solid performance. She really connected with the audience and made the song sound like it was written for a woman. She’s not only a supreme singer but a great storyteller.

~ the ok:
5. Kree- “Stormy Weather”: while her vocals were strong and the song started out good, it just left no impression and fell flat. Kree really never quite connected to the song and her bluesy tone was lost as she followed Harry Connick Jr’s advice. (He steered her wrong despite his smart advice on the standards for the other ladies). That said, it was one of the better of the “Standards” half of the show. I just wish the judges and Harry hadn’t highjacked the whole critique section and made a mess of things.
6. Angie- “Someone to Watch Over Me”: while the production of the song was overwrought , Angie’s vocals were clear and lovely. There were some standout moments that were a nice counterpoint to her over-singing in the rest of the song. And she did look gorgeous, but it was a little forced and Disney-fied and that finally note was so out-of-place and obnoxious.
~ the eh:
7. Amber- “Just Give Me A Reason”: my girl Amber faltered on the current # 1 song in the nation by P!nk and Nate Reuss. Her vocals were fantastic of course, but she seemed lost otherwise. She was stiff and in her head. Also, this is clearly not a song that she would record and you could see it in her unconformability. I just wish she had done Rihanna’s “Diamonds” instead of Angie.
~ the bad:
8. Angie- “Diamonds”: I’m sorry, but this was not good. While Angie sang it well and has a great voice, her interpretation of the song turned it into a bad jazz club joint and lost all the meaning and heat of the song. It was all kinds of forced and her fake pleading to the camera did her no favors either.
9. The Top 4 -”Wings”: um, what was that? No introduction was provided or explained for the ladies singing the new top 40 song by UK X Factor girl group Little Mix and it just felt weird. Also, none of them got to showcase their vocals and there were dancers and pyrotechnics that took away from our talented top four. Uncle Nigel and the Idol Producers, what the hell was that?

Predictions~
Bottom 2: Amber and Kree
Going home: Amber
* However, this is a crazy week in Idol history as fourth place is where we saw shocking boots for Chris Daughtry and Tamyra Gray. So, with that in mind, I wouldn’t be shocked if Angie fell into the bottom and got the boot. She did go first and was not very good last night, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if she suddenly lost support and fell victim to the fourth place curse. But you know she got a ton of votes last week so, we will see.

So, there you have it. The ladies faltered a bit as we’re nearing the end of a long and exhausting race. America’s votes from the last two weeks will be combined for tonight’s results and Amber may finally be in danger (boo!). But, could there be a shocking elimination? As long as it’s not Candice, I will be able to handle it. Will you? Let me know who your favorites are below and watch the American Idol results tonight on Fox.

And I’m done with “The Voice”

So, if you watched last night’s episode of The Voice, you saw the show’s best and most talented contestant, Amanda Brown, get eliminated. It was horrifying and upsetting and another in a long line of singing show voting injustices. Following in the footsteps of singers like American Idol’s Jennifer Hudson, Carly Smithson, Pia Toscano and Chris Daughtry getting the boot before they should’ve, Brown was sent packing. With that news, I am sending the show packing. If you read my recap from Tuesday night, I was very dissatisfied with the show as it devolved into an overproduced X-Factor type mess (much like its first two seasons). So, with the show’s continuing decline and the wonderfully talented Ms. Brown no longer in the running, I am done with The Voice. There’s really no reason to watch for me anymore. So, sorry but my recaps are done for this season. We’ll see if I return in the Spring when there will be some new judging blood in Usher and Shakira (replacing the delightful but derivative Cee Lo and the incredibly rude, egotistical and annoying Christina Aguilera). Until then, I would recommend mjsbigblog for good recaps and news on the show…. And I’ll just look positively towards a new season of the only talent show that actually produces successful pop stars and remains the gold standard, American Idol.

John Mayer and Idol’s Phillip Phillips charge onto the Charts

Grammy winner John Mayer and newly crowned American Idol winner Phillip Phillips share a lot in common. Both are attractive, guitar strumming, raspy voiced white guys, and now they’re both making waves on the Billboard Charts... Mayer lands his third # 1 album with his latest, Born and Raised, which sells 219,000 copies. Phillip’s compilation album from season 11 of American Idol debuts at # 11 while the combo-album from the season finale episode,  American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP, featuring his competition (and the girl who should’ve won) Jessica Sanchez also debuts at # 21. Sanchez’s season competition album debuts way down at #126. Two other Idol contenders also hit the charts as season 10′s third place finisher Haley Reinhart barrels in at # 17 while season 8 champ Kris Allen disappoints with a # 27 debut for his sophomore album. He may have won that season but he has been upstaged time and again by that season’s runner-up Adam Lambert who hit # 1 with his sophomore album, Trespassing, last week…. For more on all these albums and the Billboard 200, head here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
4. Apocalyptic Love- Slash (debut)
5. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 10)
6. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 9)
7. The Hurt & the Healer- Mercy Me (debut)
8. Once Upon Another Time EP- Sara Bareilles (debut)
9. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 6)
10. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)

And other American Idol contenders on the BB200 (along with Carrie Underwood above) ….
11. Journey to the Finale- Phillip Phillips (debut)
12. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (lw~ 1)
17. Listen Up! – Haley Reinhart (debut)
21. American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP- Phillip Phillps & Jessica Sanchez (debut)
27. Thank You Camellia- Kris Allen (debut)
33, Stronger- Kelly Clarkson * a former # 2 album that just passed 800,000 copies
73. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery * a former # 1 album that has sold over 1 million copies
126. Journey to the Finale- Jessica Sanchez (debut)

Back on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Philips also makes an auspicious debut as his coronation single “Home” hits the top ten debuting at # 10. This makes him the first Idol winner to hit the Hot 100 top ten with their coronation single since season 7′s David Cook. He also becomes the 13th Idol alum to hit the top ten on this chart following Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, David Archuleta, and Adam Lambert…. Perhaps, I may have to eat my words about Phillips but I am still very skeptical that he will ever have any real pop hits with his upcoming debut album. That said, he’s off to a nice start. We’ll see how things turn out…. Holding onto # 1 is Gotye while Carly Rae Jepsen fights hard in the runner-up spot. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here.

Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks at # 1, the longest chart topper of 2012
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 6)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (debut)

And here’s the lead off single from Mayer’s new album, “Shadow Days”

My ALL NEW American Idol Season 11 Top Seven Buzz Rankings

If any of you were wondering why I didn’t post about the ridiculousness of last week’s American Idol results show, I just couldn’t bring myself to…. After hearing the season’s best singer, Jessica Sanchez, got the lowest amount of votes and was almost eliminated, I was just plain angry. How could American Idol voters be so stupid or lazy or just ignorant? Why oh why was this happening again? I was overwhelmed with memories of the loss of Pia Toscano too early last year (and the unsettlingly early departures of Tamyra Gray in season 1, Jennifer Hudson in season 3, Chris Daughtry in season 4 and Carly Smithson in season 7) and I just didn’t even want to talk about it…. Now, it’s almost a week later and I have calmed down. I’m grateful that the “Save” actually existed for once, and I am grateful the judges saved Jessica (but duh, we knew they’d do that) I’m also excited she has another chance this week. I, mean seriously, she is this season’s best singer and has the best chance to become an Idol pop powerhouse ala Kelly and Carrie, since Jordin in season 6. (That would also make her the first female winner in 5 years.)… So, let’s hope Idol voters will get their acts together and vote up a storm for Jessica this week!… That said, my girl takes a tumble in the buzz rankings… And that means it’s time for my all new totally unscientific American Idol Season 11 Buzz Rankings for the top seven singers…

American Idol Season 11 Top 7 Buzz Rankings (redux)

1. Colton: looks like the boy with the skinniest legs on Earth and a major Jesus crush is headed straight to the finals. He has never been in the bottom three, always gives consistent and strong performances, and the girls love him. Even though I found him a little forgettable this week, he is on a roll and rises to the top of my rankings for the first time. It’s also time I stopped underestimating the power of the cute white boy in this year’s competition. (last week~ 3)
2. Skylar: she gave another strong performance this week and improved upon a former Idol‘s song. (That was Kellie Pickler I’m speaking of people). She also went first in last week’s lineup and still remained safe. I think this year’s country contender could end up being the last girl standing after all. (lw~ 4)
3. Phillip: it pains me to put him back in the top three, but even after another bad week of weak performances, he still avoided the bottom three. He is the heir to the “white guy with guitar” Idol mantle title of the past few years. So, he could hang on way longer than this one trick pony should…Oh and he’s cute, so there’s another cajillion votes for him each week too. Ugh (lw~ 5)
4. Jessica: ok, you may think I’m crazy to have her this high after she almost went packing… However, I am hopeful last week was just an anomaly. She is clearly the best singer on the show (yes, I’m repeating myself cuz it’s true) and deserves to make the top five at least. (And hello win the whole shebang, but I may be dreaming)… Anywho, I think her fan base will get off their lazy bums and activate this week to keep her in the game. Plus, you know she’s gonna throw down this week to prove herself. (lw~ 1)
5. Joshua: what on Earth was he doing in the bottom 3 last week too? He gave the other best performance of the night and has been consistently good throughout the competition… Did people just feel like he was “safe” too and they didn’t need to vote? Do tween girls not vote for good singers? (Um, we know they don’t) What more can he do to stay in the game? (lw~ 2)
6. Hollie: she gave one of the weaker performances of the week, but this big voiced cutie avoided the bottom three somehow. I think she has a bigger fan base than anyone might expect. Well, she is from Texas and that is a real big state… Plus she has all those Irish votes, and who doesn’t love her super strange accent? (lw~ 7)
7. Elise: I’m rather worried about Elise. She gave two really good performances and still landed on the silver stools of doom. And that’s a position she has found herself in many times this season despite her considerable talent. I feel like she’s gonna need a miracle or a big misstep from one of her peers to last another week in the race. (lw~ 6)

So, that’s the buzz. The two best singers are in trouble and the two heart throbs can do no wrong. Plus, the two blonde ladies are still hovering at the bottom of the pack. Will either of them survive? Can Jessica and Joshua make big comebacks tomorrow when they sing one song from the past decade and one “soul” classic? Will people ever realize that Phillip is NOT all that and a bag of chips? And will it end up being a Skylar v. Colton finale?  Stay tuned…

And before I go, please take another look at the brilliant Jessica Sanchez and her incredible performance of “Stuttering” from last week… Pick up the phone for this girl people!

My Top 8 American Idol Buzz Rankings!

Clearly American Idol viewers opened their ears for once and heard Heejun sing because he was finally booted off the program last week. Sure, he was a funny guy, with a good heart and a nice tone to his voice. However, he had no star quality, took the show for granted, mocked the program and caused the early ousting of my dear Erika! …. Alas, I need to get over that… At least he’s gone and we have a really good top 8. But just how good are they? Well, I’d say this seasons talent is up there with the best season’s like 5 (Daughtry, Katharine, Elliott), 7 (David Cook, Carly, David Archuleta) and 10 (Scotty, Pia, Haley, Lauren). But who has the current buzz to head to the front of the pack? Well, it’s time to take a look at my all new completely unscientific American Idol Buzz Rankings below….

My Season 11 Top 8 American Idol Buzz Rankings~

1. Jessica: hanging on to the top slot by the thinnest of strings, my favorite singer in the race had another great week slowing down a Beyonce jam into her own slinky groove. Jessica has the talent, ambition and is very creative with each of her song choices and performances. I’m surprised the judges aren’t pimping her more especially if we finally want a girl to win this thing! (last week~ 1)
2. Phillip: Mr. Phillips almost overtook my Jessica again this week with a really strong and totally not annoying performance of a song by Johnny Lang no one’s heard of. That takes some gumption and some great follow through. At this point, it feels like a Jessica/Phillip finale fight. We shall see… (lw~ 3)
3. Elise: holy crap, Elise is in my top three and I couldn’t be happier. She has killed it the past two weeks and finally had an Idol moment with her Led Zeppelin cover last week. Could our bluesy dark horse be a threat for the title? I hope so. (lw~ 6)
4. Colton: he went first and sang his favorite “praise” song and was super pitchy last week, yet he still was not in the bottom three. That means this pretty Idol has some serious support. I do think he needs to change things up a bit before all his songs start sounding like Daughtry clones. And PS- shut it with the god talk. You’re turning off more voters than you know with that. Trust me, Jesus doesn’t care if you win American Idol. I think he’s got more important things on his plate. (lw~ 2)
5. Skylar: yes, she was in the bottom 3 last week, but I think the fact that she went so early in the show was the real problem. She performed well and is so darn likable. I think she will bounce back this week no problem. (lw~ 4)
6. Joshua: I have no idea why America loved his wonky and pitchy performance last week. I do know that I think he’s got a great voice and is very likable, so that clearly helped. I just wonder how viable a pop artist he would be. (Hello, not much~ but he could be a great R&B and Gospel singer). This week should be interesting for him with the 80′s theme. (lw~ 7)
7. Deandre: ok, he’s a cool cat with a great falsetto and fabulous hair, but I just don’t get it. I feel like he has so much growing to do as an artist and needs to pick better songs that more people know. That said, his obscure Eric Benet pick, kept him out of danger and the judges loved it. I still feel like he’s one misstep away from getting the boot. (lw~8)
8. Hollie: oh my sweet dear little Hollie with the big voice. What are ya doin? Yes, you sing great most of the time, but you’re in a free fall. I just hope this talented girl picks a great fun upbeat song and really connects with the material so she can make a big comeback and land a place in the final five like she deserves to. (lw~ 5)

So, it seems Hollie is on a dangerous downward path, while Elise is flying high and Deandre continues to scoot by unscathed. But what will happen this week with that aforementioned 80′s theme? We’ll see. Tune in to American Idol Wednesday night on Fox and then head back here for my take.

Billboard Counts Down the Top 24 American Idols of All Time

Tonight, American Idol really gets down to business as the Top 12 boys (well, 13 because apparently there’s going to be a surprise wild card pick) perform live for the first time. Tomorrow, the top 12 girls sing and Thursday we will have our first results show. This is when the show really gets good if you ask me, and the talent looks very strong this year. My early favorites are Jessica Sanchez and Creighton Fraker. For more on all of this year’s contenders, head to mjsbigblog here.… Now, looking back at the best American Idol contestants of all time, my favorites are in order:
1. Kelly Clarkson
2. Carrie Underwood
3. Adam Lambert
4. Jennifer Hudson
5. Carly Smithson

Each of them has had great success, (Ok, Carly is just the lead singer of the Evanescence left over band We Are the Fallen, but hey she’s had a top 40 album with them!) and won or been nominated for big awards. With that said, Billboard is counting down the most successful Idol alumni according to sales, radio airplay, download track sales, and streaming plays etc which make up their charts. (Remember this is only for domestic tracking, so the worldwide success of Lambert, Clarkson, and David Arhculeta doesn’t count here). And I’ve got the list for you below. For all the stats, head to Billboard here. Take a look and let me know who your faves are as well.

Billboard’s Top 24 American Idols of All Time:

24. Crystal Bowersox (2nd place, season 9)
23. Kimberley Locke (3rd place, season 2)
22. Lauren Alaina (2nd place, season 10)
21. Blake Lewis (2nd place, season 6)
20. Bucky Covington (8th place, season 5)
19. Katharine McPhee (2nd place, season 5…. but hey she’s a TV and movie star now. Hello, I love Smash!)
18. Bo Bice (2nd place, season 4)
17. Taylor Hicks (winner, season 5)
16. Josh Gracin (4th place, season 2)
15. Scotty McCreery (winner, season 10)
14. Kellie Pickler (6th place, season 5)
13. Elliott Yamin (3rd place, season 5)
12. Kris Allen (winner, season 8)
11. David Archuleta (2nd place, season 7)
10. Jennifer Hudson (7th place, season 3…. but um, she has an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, BET, Image Awards, the list goes on and on…. So there!)
9. Adam lambert (2nd place, season 8)
8. Ruben Studdard (winner, season 2)
7. David Cook (winner, season 7)
6. Fantasia (winner, season 3)
5. Clay Aiken (2nd place, season 2)
4. Jordin Sparks (winner, season 6… and soon to be seen in Sparkle, her film debut starring the late great Whitney Houston)
3. Chris Daughtry (4th place, season 5)
2. Carrie Underwood (winner, season 4)
1. Kelly Clarkson (winner, season 1)

And just because she’s amazing, please enjoy Kelly’s current # 1 smash “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”

Hot New Music~ Elliott Yamin “3 Words”

Season 5 of American Idol has to be considered its zenith. The show had its highest ratings, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were on their way to superstar status, and the top ten finalists were arguably the best top ten they’ve had to date. While the season is also dubious for having arguably the worst winner in the history of the show in Taylor Hicks (however, season 9′s Lee Dewyze is fighting him for that title), eight of the top ten finalists grabbed record deals. And one of them, the one I thought should’ve won the whole season, Elliott Yamin, is about to release his third album. His beautiful new single, “3 Words” has hit written all over it and it just surfaced on the web. Take a listen below and for more on Elliott and his new album, head here.

Elliott Yamin “3 Words”

(And yes, that was season 5 So You Think You Can Dance finalist Kayla in the video in case you were wondering).

As for those singers who grabbed deals from season 5… here’s a quick rundown on their careers to date…

Mandisa: the Christian diva landed in 9th place and has released 3 hit gospel/Christian albums to date. She’s also received 2 Grammy nominations.
Bucky Covington: the country singer finished in 8th has had several top 40 country hits and is readying his third album for release later this year.
Ace Young: that season’s stud landed in 7th and grabbed a Grammy nominations for co-writing Daughtry‘s “It’s Not Over”. He has since released a solo album and he’s also become fixture on the Broadway stage appearing in hits like Hair.
Kellie Pickler: the country cutie wound up in 6th but has had massive success in her field with a platinum debut album and a gold follow-up. Her third record featuring the hot new country hit, “100 Proof” hit stores just two days ago.
Chris Daughtry: in what was arguably the biggest shocker elimination in the show’s history (except for maybe Pia last year), Chris was sent packing in fourth. He did get the last laugh though with his debut album, Daughtry, amassing 5 big hit singles, over 4 million in sales and 4 Grammy nominations. The followup, Leave this Town, went platinum and landed 3 more hits. His latest album, released in November, is almost gold and their current single “Crawling Back to You” is top ten on the Hot AC charts.
Elliott Yamin: you heard his new single above, but this third place finisher has also had a mega smash from his first album “Wait for You”. His debut album went gold and the follow-up featured the hit “Fight for Love”. His new record is due in the spring.
Katharine McPhee: while she’s released 3 albums, including her debut which sold 375,000 copies featuring the hit “Over It”, this second place finisher is more known for her acting these days. She appeared in the films The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D and is now the star of the midseason NBC musical drama Smash. (I’ve seen it and it’s brilliant and Katharine’s career is about to explode.)
Taylor Hicks: I couldn’t stand him but middle America loved him and he won that season. His debut also sold over 800,000 copies despite no hit songs. Since then he has been dropped form his label and records independently now release several more albums.

American Idol and the Grammy Awards

Earlier this week, three former American Idols received Grammy nominations bringing the total nominations for the franchise to whopping 38 and four of the singers have won the Award. Original Idol Kelly Clarkson won twice while season 4 champ Carrie Underwood has five trophies. Both ladies grabbed nominations this year along with season 5 singer turned Christian powerhouse Mandisa. We’ll see if any of them can take home the Grammy on Feb 12th, but I’d say Kelly has the best shot for her duet with Jason Aldean “Don’t You Wanna Stay” in the Country Duo/Group Category…. With this week’s nominations, I thought I’d take a look back at the history of the Grammys and American Idol…

American Idol Singers and the Grammys~

Kelly Clarkson, season 1 (6 nominations, 2 wins)
Best Pop Vocal Female-”Miss Independent”
Best Pop Vocal Female- “Since U Been Gone” (WIN)
Best Pop Album- Breakaway (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “Because of You” with Reba McEntire
Best Pop Album- All I Ever Wanted
Best Country Vocal Duo, Group, Collaboration- “Don’t You Wanna Stay” w/Jason Aldean (pending)
* Of note, Kelly’s latest album Stronger was not eligible during this year’s voting period (ending Sept 30) and it should be in the running next year.

Ruben Studdard, Season 2 winner (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best R&B Male Vocal “Superstar”

Fantasia, Season 3 winner (8 noms, 1 win)
Best R&B Album- Free Yourself
Best Female R&B Vocal- “Free Yourself”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal- “Summertime”
Best Female R&B Vocal- “When I See U”
Best Contemporary R&B Album- Fantasia
Best R&B Vocal Collaboration- “I’m His Only Woman” w/Jennifer Hudson
Best R&B Album- Back to Me
Best Female R&B Vocal- “Bittersweet” (WIN)

Jennifer Hudson, Season 3- 7th place (4 noms, 1 win)
Best Soundtrack Album- Dreamgirls
Best R&B Female Vocal- “Spotlight”
Best R&B Vocal Collaboration- “I’m His Only Woman” w/Fantasia
Best R&B Album- Jennifer Hudson (WIN)

Carrie Underwood, Season 4 winner (9 noms, 5 wins)
Best New Artist (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Jesus Take the Wheel” (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Before He Cheats” (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “Oh Love” w/Brad Paisley
Best Female Country Vocal- “Last Name” (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “I Told You So” w/Randy Travis (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Just a Dream”
Best Female Country Vocal- “Temporary Home”
Best Solo Country Vocal- “Mama’s Song” (pending)

Chris Daughtry (of Daughtry), Season 5- 4th place (4 noms, 0 wins)
Best Rock Song- “It’s Not Over” (songwriter)
Best Rock Vocal Duo/Group- “It’s Not Over”
Best Rock Album- Daughtry
Best Pop Vocal Duo/Group- “Home”

Ace Young, Season 5- 7th place (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Rock Song- “It’s Not Over” by Daughtry (songwriter)

Mandisa, Season 5- 9th place (3 noms, 0 wins)
Best Contemporary Pop Gospel Album- True Beauty
Best Contemporary Pop Gospel Album- Freedom
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album- What if We Were Real (pending)

Jordin Sparks, Season 6 winner (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Pop Vocal Collaboration- “No Air” w/Chris Brown

Adam Lambert, Season 8 runner-up (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Male Pop Vocal- ”Whataya Want from Me”

Those are some pretty great stats. Looking at other singing competitions, only Nashville Star has produced a Grammy contender in Miranda Lambert who took home her first award last year. I highly doubt any of this year’s X Factor singers will wind up in Grammy’s good graces and the finalists of The Voice are already a memory. However, this year’s Idol winner Scotty McCreery could be a big contender next year as he is having a hugely successful post-Idol career with a #1 album that just went Gold and two top 30 country hits so far… And we’ll see if Idol can produce more Grammy winning superstars when season 11 begins on January 17th next year.

And before I go, please enjoy Kelly Clarkson’s wonderful Grammy performance of “Because of You” from the 2006 ceremony where she became Idol’s first Grammy winner.

Kelly Clarkson “Because of You” (live at the 2006 Grammys)

Michael Buble throws down Some Christmas Cheer on Chart newcomers Rihanna, Nickelback and Daughtry

Americans are clearly in the mood for a Canadian Christmas as Michael Buble’s holiday album eecked out a victory to be the biggest album in the country for the post Thanksgiving week. His album narrowly beat fellow Canadians Nickelback with their latest crapfest, Here and Now, by just 2%. Rihanna had to settle for a 3rd place debut for her 6th top ten album, Talk that Talk. At least she still has the # 1 song in the country with “We Found Love”… Other debuts came from Mary J. Blige who grabbed her 9th top ten record with My Life II: the Journey Continues Act 1 and Daughtry whose Break the Spell became their third consecutive top ten. (Unfortunately, it’s also their first to not hit the top)… Speaking of reality tv vet Chris Daughtry, he’s joined in the top ten by American Idol’s current champ Scotty McCreery who returns to the upper echelons with his former chart topper, Clear as Day, at # 9. One of his competitors from this season, James Durbin has a much less exciting debut way down at #36 with Memories of a Beautiful Disaster selling only 28,000 copies. It’s unlikely he’ll come anywhere close to McCreery’s current total of 587,000 or even runner-up Lauren Alaina’s total of 162,000 for her former top ten record. Faring even worse than Durbin was the winner of The Voice, Javier Colon, whose debut tanked with just 9,900 copies sold for #139.
Debuting outside of the top ten was Taylor Swifts live record Speak Now Live World Tour at # 11, Big Time Rush’s new one Elevate at # 12 and the Ultimate Hits from Bob Segar & the Silver Bullet Band at # 19…. For more on all these numbers, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Christmas- Michael Buble (last week~ 2)
2. Here and Now- Nickelback (debut)
3. Talk that Talk- Rihanna (debut)
4. Take Care- Drake (lw~ 1)
5. My Life II: The Journey Continues Act 1- Mary J. Blige (debut)
6. Under the Mistletoe- Justin Bieber (lw~ 5)
7. 21- Adele (lw~ 3)
8. Break the Spell- Daughtry (debut)
9. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 13)
10. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~ 9)

And here’s the new top ten on the Hot 100 Singles chart…

Hot 100 Top Ten Singles:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 1)
2. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 1)
3. “It Will Rain”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 5)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~ 6)
5. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 3)
6. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 4)
7. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~8)
8. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 7)
9. “The One That Got Away”- Katy Perry (lw~ 10)
10. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw ~ 16)

Before I go, here’s a fun treat, the current # 2 in the country, LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”. Watch for this one to finally hit the top next week.
LMFAO “Sexy and I Know It”

Evanescence, Adele and Idol’s Lauren Alaina lay claim to the Charts

Grammy winning rock group Evanescence last hit the charts five years ago with their first chart topping album, The Open Door, and now it’s deja vu as their third album, Evanescence, debuts on top this week. Selling 127,000 copies, the group headed by Amy Lee easily fends off Adele, the new disc from rockers Five Finger Death Punch and a strong second week for American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. He lands at # 4 just ahead of this year’s runner-up, Lauren Alaina, who makes a nice impression with her debut, Wildflower, selling 69,000 copies (the tallest amount for an Idol runner-up since Adam Lambert sold close to 300,000 copies). With Alaina and McCreery’s dual top fives, this marks the first time since season 7′s David Cook and David Archuleta that the top two finalists both landed top ten albums. The other seasons to accomplish this feat were season two (Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken), season four (Carrie Underwood & Bo Bice) and season five (Taylor Hicks & Katharine McPhee.) In fact season five’s third and fourth place finishers, Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry (of Daughtry) also landed top five debuts. For more on the new Billboard 200 Albums chart, head here and check out the new top ten below.

Billboard 200 Top Ten Albums:
1. Evanescence- Evanescence (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. American Capitalist- Five Finger Death Punch (debut)
4. On A Clear Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 1)
5. Wildflower- Lauren Alaina (debut)
6. Duets II- Tony Bennett (lw~ 3)
7. Ashes & Fire- Ryan Adams (debut)
8. Own the Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 4)
9. Tha Carter IV- Lil Wayne (lw~ 6)
10. Eleven- Martina McBride (debut)

Here’s the new single from Evanescenc~ “What You Want”

Over on the singles chart, there’s no stopping Adele as “Someone Like You” lands a fourth week on top. Check out the new top ten on the Hot 100 Singles Chart below.

Hot 100 Singles Top Ten:
1. “Someone Like You”- Adele (last week~ 1)
2. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/ Christina Aguilera (lw~ 2)
3. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 3)
4. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 4)
5. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~5)
6. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 7)
7. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~8)
8. “You Make Me Feel…”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~ 9)
9. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 6)
10. “Young Wild & Free”- Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars (debut)