Author Topic: American Idol Season 7  (Read 129226 times)

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Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #450 on: October 29, 2008, 04:59:45 PM »

David Cook SKECHERS Ad:



With exclusive worldwide rights to advertise footwear using Cook’s image through December 2009, SKECHERS will feature the 25-year-old singer in various SKECHERS styles through a campaign that will reflect his personality, interests and appeal. Launching in Fall 08 the campaign coincides with the “Pop Tarts American Idols Live! Tour 2008,” and the debut of David’s first post-idol album on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. The SKECHERS Cook campaign will include print, outdoor and in-store.

Link: http://www.skechers.com/info/as_seen_in_print

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #451 on: October 29, 2008, 08:18:02 PM »
Wednesday, October 29, 2008

ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE

"2008 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS"

Presenters Include David Archuleta

"American Music Awards" producer Larry Klein announced today that two of the hottest musical acts, Coldplay and Leona Lewis, will join the outstanding group of artists confirmed to perform at the live ceremony, SUNDAY, NOV. 23 (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC. He also revealed that David Archuleta, Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato and T-Pain will award trophies at this year's ceremony.



Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #452 on: October 29, 2008, 08:26:24 PM »

 :jumpy: David Cook Appearances

11/01/08 Saturday Night Live

11/14/08 Tonight Show with Jay Leno

11/17/08 Good Morning America

11/18/08 Album release

11/19/08 Regis and Kelly
 
11/26/08 Ellen

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #453 on: October 31, 2008, 12:33:51 PM »
An interesting article:

David Cook on Life After American Idol

He has throngs of devoted fans and will soon be releasing an album, but David Cook says his life now isn't too different than it was before winning American Idol.

"I think in one sense everything's changed but in another sense nothing has," says the reigning Idol champ. "There's all these different things around me that I didn't have a year ago. I was able to furnish a home and get a nice car and be able to treat my family to some of the things that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to do."

But, says the singer, 25, "I'm still a goober from the Midwest. Now I've just got a few more resources. I don't feel like the show changed me at all."

Cook spoke with PEOPLE after recording a performance video with his band for Walmart's Soundchecks, which can be viewed online and in Walmart stores.

The singer, who will release his self-titled debut album Nov. 18, describes his music as "eclectic rock" with some songs featuring lots of riffs and others that are "very piano driven and delicate."

"I got to show some different aspects of who I am as a person," he says about the upcoming album.

Cook's next gig: performing on this week's Saturday Night Live hosted by Ben Affleck. "I grew up watching it like everybody else so to be apart of it in any capacity is obviously a huge honor," he says, before adding that he's "really nervous."

"I'm going to make sure my shoelaces are tied so I don’t trip and fall on the floor!"

Link: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20236289,00.html

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #454 on: October 31, 2008, 12:35:15 PM »

 :jumpy: David Cook - Walmart Soundcheck Preview



Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #455 on: October 31, 2008, 12:38:21 PM »

 :jumpy: David Cook SNL Commercial #1 in HD


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #456 on: October 31, 2008, 12:41:13 PM »

 :jumpy: David Cook SNL Commercial #2 in HD

Here's David Cook's 2nd SNL Commercial in HD. Enjoy!


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #457 on: October 31, 2008, 01:00:40 PM »

David A's Blog:

Friday, October 31, 2008

Promo Wrap Up and Family Reunion

Hey alllll. Just wanted to let you know that I'm finished with the radio promotion stuff and it was soooo much fun. We went to San Diego, Seattle, Milwaukee, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Atlanta, Albany, New Haven, Hartford, Worcester, Boston, and Providence. It was cool revisiting some of the cities we went to during tour, and getting a better feel of different places. Oh and the Autumn colors in the East were amazing! I tried taking pictures but they're all horrible haha. It looks a lot better in person anyway.

So what I wanted to share today was my time in Atlanta, because I have relatives in the lovely area. What's great is that I had some time off during the promotion tour, and it just so happened to be in Atlanta! So as soon as I got there I called them up. My cousin was at work at a shoe store haha, so I wanted to go surprise her while she was working. My aunt, uncle, and other cousin came to pick me to head down there, and it was fun to see them again. They all came to the video shoot for "Crush" since it was filmed in Georgia, and that was when we last had a little reunion. But anyway, It was fun to see my cousin's reaction when we came in because she wasn't expecting us haha. So we took pictures with all the shoes and with the people she worked with, and then went out to hang out. We went to this cool place to eat called the ESPN Zone, and they had this HUGE screen to watch sports on. They also had an arcade above the eating area, and we messed around a little up there.
Another person I got to see while I was down there was Alexandrea Lushington! I haven't seen her since... February? And it was great to see her and her family again. She got to meet my relatives and we all had a really good time. (I have some pictures too so check out my photos.)

Oh I wanted to mention another thing. Since I'm back in California, we've started band rehearsals! The band is awwesooomme and are really cool guys. So while I'm here that's what I'll be doing. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but now I'm really pumped haha. But anyway I better get going here and I'll talk to you guys later!

P.S. While I was in Hartford, I made a quick appearance at the Boo Bash there which Jordin was at too! It was so good to see her again and we had a fun time just hanging out backstage. So I wanted to share one of my favorite songs on her album for today. So the song for today is Permanent Monday - Jordin Sparks. If you haven't heard it yet, she puts soo much feeling when she sings. You can really feel it in this song, and it allows a lot of emotion into it.

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #458 on: October 31, 2008, 01:19:11 PM »

David Cook ET (AOL Sessions)


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #459 on: November 01, 2008, 03:57:19 PM »

 :jumpy: David Cook's video for Light On will be posted in his site on Monday

I can't wait for Cook's musical appearance tonight on SNL  :wohoo:


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #460 on: November 04, 2008, 12:13:39 AM »

David Cook's "Light On" video


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #461 on: November 04, 2008, 11:44:48 PM »
David A's Blog:

Sweet Charity

Hey all. The radio promo tour has been going great. It's been fun going from city to city and seeing what they're all like. I'm in Boston right now, and tomorrow is the last day of the radio promo tour. It's been crazy bouncing around everywhere, though! Today we went to three states, haha. There's been some cool things that have gone on while on tour.

When were in Ohio, I visited an all-girls school after they won a contest for which school could raise the most pennies for a cancer charity. I visited the winning school, which was Seton High School (Awesome job again to all the girls there! Thanks for having me and for raising so many pennies!), and answered questions students had. What's cool is they raised 64 jugs of pennies, so I thought that was really cool of them to raise so many for a good cause. I think they said there were like 560 girls, and they had sooo much energy! Haha. They played "Crush" before I came out, and they were all singing along! It was so weird, but really cool at the same time. While I was on stage, they made me do this dance called the Wiggle-O or something that they always do I guess. It was so much fun there. And it was crazy with over 500 girls! Haha. I'll load some of the group pictures I took with them. But anyway.

The radio promotion stuff has been fun, haha. The album is out on pre-order now in iTunes! And people are already able to get a song from the album before it officially comes out, which is "Angels." It's a slightly different vibe from how I've done it before, but not a whole lot. It's one of my favorite songs, so it's cool to have that as the cover song on the album. You can also get the pre-order bonus track, which like disappears after the release date, haha, and it's one I co-wrote! So that's pretty exciting to have there. I wonder what people will think of it, LOL.

But anyway that's all the rambling I'll do for today. Hope you guys enjoy "Angels" for now and the CD later on.

TTYL,
David

Link: http://www.alloy.com/5/108/8322/1/ref/archive/5/108/

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #462 on: November 04, 2008, 11:53:47 PM »
An interesting article:

David Cook sings on Wal-Mart site

Seventh season "American Idol" winner David Cook has a deal with Wal-Mart for distributing the first performance of songs from his upcoming self-titled album.

The performance, recorded this week, will be exclusively available through Wal-Mart Soundcheck (www.walmart.com/soundcheck) on Nov. 15, the same day the album drops. The site will feature videos and interviews from the session, and fans can also download exclusive tracks.

Cook talked to People this week about life after "Idol" as he anticipates the release of his solo project.

"I think in one sense everything's changed, but in another sense nothing has. I'm still a goober from the Midwest. Now I've just got a few more resources. I don't feel like the show changed me at all."

Link: http://www.freep.com/article/20081102/ENT07/811020529/1035/rss04

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #463 on: November 04, 2008, 11:56:34 PM »
An interesting article:

SONG OF DAVIDS

'IDOL' HEARTHROBS ARCHULETA AND COOK DUKE IT OUT WITH THEIR COMPETING DEBUT ALBUMS

David Archuleta, the runner-up of this year's "American Idol," is in Cincinnati, where he's having anything but a superstar moment. The squeaky-clean, occasionally bashful and unconditionally adorable singer is appearing on a radio show with students from an all-girls school who collected 64 jugs filled with pennies to benefit a cancer charity.

If that seems like an odd way to spend a morning, it gives you just a taste of Archuleta's bizarre life these days. But then again, he's not the only "American Idol" vet named David for whom life has become an affair worthy of a "Twilight Zone" episode.

PAGE SIX: Homeless Singer Josiah Leming Might Be Blocked From Releasing Album

IDOL: Where Are They Now?

IDOL: Video Quiz

Immediately after more than 31 million people watched angsty/scruffy 25-year-old David Cook snatch the "Idol" crown from the reach of Archuleta's tiny 17-year-old arms, both were whisked away to juggle two enormous tasks: hitting the road for the "American Idol" tour, and recording their new CDs at a breakneck pace so that both could be released in time for the holidays.

"I was really nervous at the beginning because this is something I always wanted to do, and it happened so fast," Archuleta says. "The night of the finale, they're like, 'OK, you're gonna be working with Jive.' I was like, 'Whoa.' "

Now, with "David Archuleta" set for release by 19 Recordings/Jive on Nov. 11 and "David Cook" dropping through 19/RCA a week later, the world waits to see whether - much like in that other big "younger man vs. older dude" battle that'll be playing out nationwide on Tuesday - age and experience can win out over youthful charisma.

Or, in the parlance of the now-legendary "American Idol" post-show sales battle between the winner and the runner-up, whether David vs. David will be the next Kelly vs. Justin or the next Clay vs. Ruben.

Whatever the result, the path to it was nerve-racking for both.

"It was kind of all over the place, because I was trying to work on the album while I was on tour," says Archuleta, who, as he's prone to do, starts laughing in mid-sentence. "I mostly did it in LA. Some was in Utah, some was in Minnesota, some was in Oklahoma, some was in Indiana and some was in New York. Whenever I had a day off, I'd record in whatever city I was in."

Travel mate Cook, meanwhile, endured the same crazy pace. Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day) assembled many of the 12 tracks on Cook's album while the singer - who set a record the week after the "Idol" finale by placing 11 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 in one week - was still on the road with the tour.

"A lot of it was done via e-mail and telephone calls," Cook recently told Rolling Stone. "I was face to face with Rob maybe five times before I got off the tour, and I had to bare my soul to this guy. It was really scary."

One would think, after seeing Cook bring tears to American eyes with his heart-melting rendition of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" while his cancer-stricken brother Adam watched from the front row, that singing to Green Day's producer would pale in comparison. But baring your soul in any circumstance can weaken one's defenses.

"The best analogy I can come up with," Cook said about his long-distance relationship with Cavallo, "is that it was like taking off your clothes in church."

While the circumstances were similar for both singers, the nature of their recordings hewed closely to their respective pop and rock leanings.

Archuleta, a smooth crooner in the traditional boy-band mode and a novice in the studio, depended on some of the most reliable hitmakers in the business (his father, happily, sat this one out) to craft the 25 songs he laid down in order to get the perfect 12 for his debut. While he's been performing for most of his life, he found that the demands of the studio provided some unique challenges.

"There's a different way of singing in the studio," he explains, "because you're not feeding off the crowd. You take several takes, you try to balance and preserve your voice, and sometimes you can be there all day - hours and hours of recording. But it's really fun, because you get to learn the song and figure out what you want to do with it."

'NSYNC's JC Chasez, who co-wrote the peppy plea for love "Don't Let Go" with Archuleta and veteran songwriter Jimmy Harry (Kelly Clarkson's "Low"), said that Archuleta showed a maturity beyond his years.

"His voice is out of this world, and he approaches his singing very professionally," says Chasez. "Some people just jump into the studio raw, but he takes the time to warm up, sit down at the piano, run the scales. He takes it very seriously. When he goes into the studio to sing, that kid is business."

Chasez says that Archuleta's vocal strength and endurance - particularly for someone his age - is a rarity.

"After touring, people's vocals get trashed, but he sang for hours on end and he was still clean," says Chasez. "It was stunning to hear how much abuse this kid's voice can take. But because he's so dedicated to doing it the right way, it always sounds great."

While the teddy bear of the "Idol" veteran class was getting his crash course in studio work, Cook was treading on more familiar territory, having previously recorded a solo album called "Analog Heart," as well as releases with his bands Midwest Kings and Axium before his time on "Idol."

As such, Cook employed a drastically different formula for his debut, including writing or co-writing many of his record's dozen tracks himself. When he did use collaborators, they were less chart veterans than rockers, some from just mildly popular bands that Cook had long admired.

"I worked hard to write music that forced not only my hand, but the label's hand," Cook told Orlando's XL1067.com. "I wanted to put music in front of them [where they went], 'We have to put this on the record.' "

While Cook - whose first single, "Light On," was co-written by Chris Cornell and Hinder producer Brian Howes - was more the old pro, he was still felled by some scary moments, usually when working with his heroes. Meeting with Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace, one of his favorite bands, for instance, rattled the Idol. But once that went well, it set the tone for the entire record.

Archuleta, meanwhile, was working with Chasez and other successful songwriters and getting a virtual master class on the topic.

His album's lead-off track and first single, "Crush" - which has already hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on iTunes - was written by Emanuel Kiriakou (known in the business as Eman), David Hodges and Jess Cates, who between them have written hits for the likes of Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson and the Jonas Brothers. Archuleta made the most of this extraordinary learning opportunity.

"The writing of a song, it's not like, 'Oh, this line comes and then this line comes,'" says Archuleta, who, in addition to "Don't Let Go," also co-wrote the lovelorn "A Little Too Not Over You." "Even amazing songwriters have writer's block. What you learn about songwriting is [that] to become a good writer you need to take risks and [be willing to] throw out dumb ideas. When you throw ideas to other people, that'll help spark an idea for them."

Whatever lessons there were to learn, Chasez says he caught on quickly.

"When we were going over lyric ideas, he didn't let anything get by. Everything in the song, lyrically, had a purpose," he says. "He put thought and consideration into each line, and he cared about the quality of every second of the song."

One thing that caught Archuleta off-guard about the recording process was that a song he was less than enthusiastic about upon first hearing it could eventually become a favorite.

"Your Eyes Don't Lie" is a slinky song of defiance with a whistling coda, produced by Antonina Armato and Tim James from Rock Mafia. Archuleta initially had doubts about working with the veteran writing/producing team because of one of the pair's other famous clients.

"At first I was like, they work with Miley Cyrus. Why would I wanna do stuff with Miley Cyrus' people? Just because we're both young?" he says. "I don't wanna be in that category. She's really talented, but that's not my kind of thing."

And once they hit the studio, Archuleta still wasn't convinced that the song would fit his style. "I was like, I don't know how I'd sound singing that, if I'd portray the idea of the song very well," he says. "This is another love kind of song, and it was just really different."

But ultimately, he saw what talented producers like Rock Mafia (whose members have also worked with Mariah Carey and Green Day) can do, and the song won him over.

"I couldn't believe how versatile they were," he says. "They did 'Your Eyes Don't Lie' and 'You Can,' and I love that song [too]. It's a really simple song, but I just love to sing it, and I love what it's all about."

"You Can" is an acoustic tune that's sure to strike right to the heart for the "Archies," Archuleta's devoted fan base.

"It's a ballad, and it talks about falling in love for the first time, and how that one person can change the way you look at things," he says. "You can really connect to it. It's like I can feel the way they felt when they were writing it."

Archuleta also worked with Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who co-wrote the gentle ballad "To Be With You" for him with Eman. DioGuardi, who also sings backup vocals on the track, worked on Cook's debut as well. Since her work with Archuleta, she has been named the fourth judge on "American Idol."

"She's gonna be a really good judge. She's so amazingly talented," says Archuleta. "I had a little writing session with her, and it was really cool to be able to work with her."

While Archuleta's CD is being formulated for maximum radio-hit potential, Cook's will be largely what fans have come to expect from him: a rock record through and through, although one that will shift gears enough to keep fans intrigued, from the hard-edged "Bar-ba-sol" to the more grandiose "Come Back to Me."

"I just wanted to write a record that really was eclectic and had some movement," Cook told 1067.com. "There's heavy songs on this record, and songs with piano, strings and vocal. I wanted this record to be heavy and delicate, all at the same time."

Considering the timing of the two releases, the speculation about which will emerge as the king of the music charts and the fact that one of these young talents beat the other for the most prestigious title in music, one has to wonder if the two Davids are out for blood, each anxious to demolish to other - at least in terms of CD and digital sales.

The truth is, these Davids are totally BFF.

"He has seriously been like my big brother," Archuleta says of his older counterpart. "He'll still text me once in a while to make sure things are going well. He's a really caring guy."

As evidence of their closeness, Cook was seen on the "Idol" tour wearing a bracelet that said, "David Is My Idol" - but it was an Archuleta bracelet.

"I spent so much time with him, and we really got close during the show, especially at the end," says Archuleta. "He understood what I was going through more than anyone else - because he was going through it, too."

Link: http://www.nypost.com/seven/11022008/entertainment/music/song_of_davids_136390.htm?page=0

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #464 on: November 05, 2008, 05:11:49 PM »
Update on David A:

MILEY CYRUS, DAVID ARCHULETA AND MANY MORE STARS TO PERFORM ON NBC'S LIVE BROADCAST OF THE '82ND ANNUAL MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE' ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27 FROM 9 A.M. - 12 P.M. ET

Released by NBC

Meredith Vieira ("Today"), Matt Lauer ("Today") and Al Roker ("Today") to Co-Host the Parade

Balloons Taking to the Sky for the First-Time will be Buzz Lightyear, Horton, the Smurf Balloon and a Special Balloon of Artist Keith Haring's work Figure with Heart

NEW YORK - November 5, 2008 - Miley Cyrus, David Archuleta and many more stars are set to perform on NBC's live broadcast of the "82nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" from New York City. "Today" co-anchor Meredith Vieira co-hosts along with Matt Lauer and Al Roker kicking off the festivities with the parade's historic route beginning at 77th Street and Central Park West and winding down Broadway. The parade celebration will air on NBC from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in all time zones.

Celebrating the start of the holiday season will be performers from stage, screen, sports and music riding down Broadway atop one of the parade's moving stages. The stars joining the line-up include Trace Adkins, David Archuleta, Charice, The Cheetah Girls, Kristen Chenoweth, Clique Girlz, Miley Cyrus, Grandma and the Big Apple Circus, the cast of the Broadway Musical Hair, Harajuku Girls, Kermit the Frog, Lang Lang and the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Miss U.S.A. 2008 - Crystle Stewart, Idina Menzel, PushPlay, Darius Rucker, James Taylor, Uno the 2008 Westminster Dog Show Champion, Varsity Fanclub and Andy Williams.

The parade will feature many eye-catching floats and balloons and will offer many new additions, classic characters from children's books, movies and television shows, a Who's Who of popular culture icons. Joining the line-up of giant character helium balloons this year will be the Elephant "who meant what he said" the ever-faithful Horton, the super smurftastic Smurf and the infinity seeking Buzz Lightyear.

Also making its debut is a tribute to the beloved artist Keith Haring (who would have turned 50 this year), working in partnership with the Keith Haring Foundation, Macy's Parade Studio reconceived one of Haring's paper drawings, Figure with Heart, 1987, as a Giant Balloon. The balloon is a three-dimensional rendering of Haring's drawing that will appear flat against the backdrop of the sky as it might have appeared on the subway walls once favored by the artist. Haring's Figure with Heart is the latest entrant to the Blue Sky Gallery series. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began the Blue Sky Gallery series in 2005 when parade officials invited artist Tom Otterness to create a balloon version of one of his classic pieces of Humpty Dumpty. Aiming to inject contemporary art into a pop culture phenomenon, the Blue Sky Gallery series continued in 2007 with the debut of "Rabbit" by Jeff Koons.

Star power continues to march on Thanksgiving morning with performances from some of the hottest Broadway shows including 'In the Heights', 'Disney's The Little Mermaid', 'Irving Berlin's White Christmas', and more. In addition, the world-famous Radio City Rockettes will kick it up a notch welcoming the parade in style.

The 82nd trip down Broadway will also feature over 1,700 cheerleaders, dancers, singers and performers; 900 clowns; 13 giant character helium balloons; 35 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonheads and balloonicles; 10 marching bands; 28 floats; and a host of celebrity performers. Over 10,000 participants including America's best marching bands, celebrities, campy clowns, the parade's signature giant character helium balloons, fantasy floats, and the one-and-only Santa Claus; will once again convene on the Upper West Side to bring the magic of the season to life for New York and the nation.

Returning parade favorites, stars of children's television, video games, comic strips and feature films, complete the line-up of 13 giant balloons this year. Joining the three new giant characters will be Abby Cadabby, Beethoven, Dora the Explorer, Flying Ace Snoopy, Kermit the Frog, Pikachu, Ronald McDonald, Shrek, SpongeBob SquarePants and Supercute Hello Kitty. In addition to the giant characters balloons, the parade also boasts 35 novelty/ornament balloons and balloonicles giving the sky backdrop a tiered spectrum.

Magical scenes come to life on the moving stages that create a fantasy down Broadway. From an unexpected cross country journey to the lights of Tokyo subculture the newest floats in the Macy's Parade line-up take spectators on voyages through the imagination. This year's inaugural fleet include the cross-country journey of Bolt, Princess fantasies at the Castle of Dreams, the lights of Tokyo subculture on Harajuku Lovers, a representation of the creation story on the True Spirit of Thanksgiving, bright bold optimism of the Shine On float, the smurftastic world of The Smurfs, the wonder of believing on Winter Wonderland, and the joy shared during a Woodland Family Gathering.

In addition to the eight new stages, 20 floats will make a return appearance on Broadway this Thanksgiving. The returning float line-up includes 123 Sesame Street, Big Apple, Bridge To The Future, The Care Bears Winter Fun-derland, Cele-bear-ate Hugs Worldwide, Expedition to the Top of Rhino Mountain, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Jolly Polly Pirate Ship, M&M's Chocolate Candies on Broadway, Marion-Carol Showboat, Musical Innovation Bigger Than Life, New York Tin Toy, Pep Squad, Santaland Express, Santa's Sleigh, Snoopy's Doghouse, Spirit of America, Spirit of Liberty, Starship Discovery and Tom Turkey.

The beat is back on Broadway as 10 of America's best marching bands hit the pavement. The musical heartbeat of the parade, the marching bands representing their home states and the nation in this year's parade includes The James Bowie High School from Austin, Texas; Copiague High School from Copiague, New York; Fayetteville High School from Fayetteville, Arkansas; Georgia Institute of Technology from Atlanta, Georgia; The Greater St. Petersburg Area Awesome Original Second Time Arounders from St. Petersburg, Florida; Macy's Great American Marching Band with representatives from every state and the District of Columbia; James Madison University from Harrisonburg, Virginia; Nogales High School from La Puente, California; Sioux Falls Lincoln High School from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and West Johnston High School from Benson, North Carolina.

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #465 on: November 06, 2008, 01:05:09 PM »
David A. Blog:

Thursday, November 06, 2008

PERFORMANCE ON JAY LENO TONIGHT!

Heey Everybody.  This week has been the week of band rehearsals, and it's been awesome!  Everyone in the band has been way cool so far, and I've had a lot of fun rehearsing my own songs!  We have performances coming up pretty quick here, with Jay Leno tonight already.  I've been really enjoying it so far, and am looking forward for what's coming up!  It's also getting pretty close to the album release too, which I'm so pumped for.  I can't wait to see what you guys think of it, since I've been spending so much time on it heh.  Anyway, I have things to share with what else has been going on besides the band and rehearsing.  Before things begin to get really hectic and busy, I was able to have some free time and go to Six Flags Magic Mountain!  I love that place.  It's like roller coaster heaven.  I love X2, Tatsu, Goliath, and Riddler's Revenge.  All the roller coasters are pretty good there, actually.  I just don't like when your head bangs side to side on the twisty ones, it gives me a headache.

Another thing I got to do was go to the Jason Mraz concert at the Greek Theater!  We were in the 4th row center and I had such a good time!  Castro came along too, and it's always good to hang with him.  It's great the way Mraz communicates with the crowd.  He's really witty and makes it feel a lot more up-close and personal conversation he's having, despite the fact that there are thousands of people there.  I loved when he did Only Human, The Remedy, Life Is Beautiful, No Stopping Us, and I'm Yours (of course.. ha...)  Honestly I loved all of them.  Maybe I'm a little biased.... but I'm pretty sure all of the songs were just amazing.  He did Oh Happy Day too!  And that was sooo cool.  K, I'm done with that now.  We got the chance to talk to him for a little bit, even though he was getting MOBBED.  It was really neat to see how friendly and laid back he was in person.  You never know how people are going to be when you meet them, since they're usually getting dragged all over the place and under a lot of stress.  He kept his cool the entire time though, and I'm sure he's been doing this for a while now.  I had tickets for when he came to Utah on October 28th, but I had to do promotion stuff and couldn't go :(.  So I'm really glad I was able to go last Saturday!  All rightyyyy... That's enough of talking about that.  If you haven't gotten his new CD yet... you should really check it out :)

The last thing I'd like to talk about is something I did at the Universal City Walk.  It's this thing called iFly, and oh my heck!  It's roocks!  You get to fly in a tube!  I have a couple of pictures that I'll put up.  I was a little nervous at first, but it's not even scary when you get in there.  I kinda slobbered over myself, but that's ok because it was totally worth it.  I can't really explain how it was because it was... just a really different experience.  I guess it was kinda being like a bird or something... you just don't move around a whole lot and you're inside a tube.  I guess I got a DVD of it... but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to show that haha.  Anyway I've written quite a bit in this one, so I'll try to get back later.  5 Days until the CD comes out!

P.S. I know I talked a ton about Jason Mraz, but I think that only makes it even more appropriate to share one of his songs today.  So the song for today is A Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz.  It's amaaazing when he does it live too!

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #466 on: November 07, 2008, 10:38:28 AM »
An interesting article:

David Cook: 'I Just Think This Record Is Me'

The ''American Idol'' season 7 winner talks about his upcoming self-titled debut album, comparisons to runner-up David Archuleta and fourth-place season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry, and handling post-''Idol'' fame

It's after midnight, but the shoot for David Cook's first music video, ''Light On,'' is just beginning in the middle of a football field at Los Angeles' Valley College. Director Wayne Isham is bragging on Cook's personality to his cameraman and other assembled crew members. ''I loved meeting you yesterday,'' gushes Isham, who has worked with many of the biggest names in the business over the last 20 years, ''because you're the nicest guy.'' Cook demurs upon hearing that praise, telling everyone, ''Give me 15 minutes and I'm gonna be the biggest a--hole you ever met.''

The man doth protest too much...and too politely, we might add. Over the course of a nearly seven-hour shoot, wearing a T-shirt in unexpectedly chilly weather, Cook proves unflappably affable, all promises of diva fits to the contrary. But do nice guys always finish first? They might on American Idol, as Cook did in winning this past season, but it remains to be seen how the singer will fare in the rock & roll musical realm he's reentering with his first major-label album, David Cook, which hits stores Nov. 18.

A couple of weeks after the video shoot, we caught some chat time with Cook, and true to form, the singer is proving quite sanguine under pressure, as you'll see in the conversation that follows.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you ever go online and sample the insane, intense fan scrutiny there?
DAVID COOK: ''There is this one video on YouTube that I've gotten into a habit of...well, not a habit, but I've [watched] it a couple of times. It's these early-teen girls watching the finale, and they filmed themselves, and they're all Archuleta fans, which is fun. My name gets announced [as the winner], and the girls just lose it. It's painful to watch in that sense, because obviously I don't want to feel like I'm upsetting anybody. But these girls said something that's so funny, to me: ''How could they vote for that guy? He doesn't even shave!'' I love that. Because to me that encapsulated everything about people getting into the show. They embraced the littlest things about each person. I find that so interesting, from a sociological level. The things that some people gravitate toward me for are the things that other people just shun. You've got to take it with a grain of salt. But I love that everybody cares enough to have an opinion. Loved, hated, but never ignored, I guess is how I look at it.

Sometimes you can read the partisan fan squabbles that are still happening online and wonder if 20 years from now people will still be battling out the Cook-versus-Archie dynamic.
Hopefully, because that means Archie and I are hopefully still doing well! In a sense, it's fun that that whole rivalry thing got created. If you put me in the same sentence with David Archuleta, I'll be fine.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: On the show's next-to-last night, in that famous moment when Simon didn't like the Collective Soul song you chose, some people wondered, since you had been set up as a favorite, is Simon deliberately doing this to set up a backlash against himself, so it won't seem like such an easy win for you? On the other hand, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and it's possible that Simon Cowell really just doesn't like Collective Soul.
DAVID COOK: When Simon said that about Collective Soul, and said, ''You should have sung 'Billie Jean' again or something,'' it was a rare moment where I felt justified to try to defend myself, just from the stance that I'd already done it, and I didn't want to do it again. I guess the way I looked at it was, I'd rather fall flat on my face on my own terms. The fact that people responded the way they did is amazing. The [winning by] 12 million votes thing still throws me. I even conceded defeat that night to Archie. I thought he'd done amazingly. I stood on the stage and watched all three of his songs and was in awe. For a kid his age to do what he's done, my hat's off to the kid.

I was trying to analyze why even I got unexpectedly caught up in that moment. It was like, ''Yeah! Stick it to the man with your Collective Soul ballad!'' Then you step back and think, well, that's not the most rebellious thing, like doing a punk song or something.
Right, exactly.

But in the context of what was happening, it was a more subtle song than you might have picked, and that in itself could be considered a slightly rebellious act.
That song to me probably has the biggest backstory of any song I did on the show. Because I had that song in my head early, and I kept working on it, and it never felt like it was ready, so I would go with other songs. We got to the finale and I had the option to do it, and I was like, ''Man, I've just gotta do it, because if I don't do it now, I'm gonna regret it the rest of my life.'' First off, I love Collective Soul, and I think it's a great song. It seemed like a fitting way to end my run as a competitor in that show. I knew if I could pull it off the way it was in my head, that win or lose, I was cool with that. And it came off really well. That's actually one of the two performances that I watched back after the finale. I watched that one and I watched my week 1 performance of ''Happy Together'' by the Turtles, just to see the absurd transition. It was night and day, man. I changed more during the four and a half months on that show than I changed the 25 years prior.

Your very first album, which you recorded and released independently, sold a few hundred units online during Idol before it was pulled from distribution. And, of course, it's been pirated online. But the actual CD must be a real collectors' item.
Yeah, it's crazy. My mom pointed it out to me. A copy of it sold for two grand on eBay. That's about a grand more than I paid to make it.

And you were working on a second indie album when you went into Idol? What happened with that?
I had completed a second one. Neal [Tiemann], my guitar player, produced it. That very first album was intended to be by the band I was in, and by a series of events, I just ended up putting that out solo. But I started working on the second one with more of a clear [solo] intention in mind. By the time I made it on the show, I had these 12 or 13 songs recorded that have never seen the light of day, other than in the live shows.

Making your first major-label album must have seemed like the best and worst of worlds, in a way. As with every Idol winner's album, a great deal of it is being recorded while you're not there, because you have to be out on the road with the Idol tour. Did you resent having to go on tour, thinking, ''I should be writing and recording right now''?
I only hated having to change mindsets. I enjoyed touring and I enjoyed recording, and I hated having to rewire my brain between the two. That was tough....But it helped that [producer] Rob Cavallo and I really hit it off. And I was able to bring my guitar player aboard early. Neal has an idea where my head is at musically, so it was nice to have somebody in the studio, when I wasn't there, who spoke for me and spoke accurately....I'm still kind of in awe of it. To do what we did in this amount of time is no small feat. We essentially put a year's worth of work into three months.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's talk about a few of the new songs, starting with the single ''Light On,'' one of only two songs you didn't co-write.
DAVID COOK: ''Light On'' is an interesting song. It encompasses almost all of my range. It's all over the place. That's Chris Cornell at his finest. It's got some Zeppelin influence in it; it's got some '80s hair-metal influence; it's got some grunge influence. To me it's like a rock history lesson put into about a four-minute lecture. It's fun to play, but it is definitely an intimidating song.

The heaviest song on the album, by far, is ''Bar Ba Sol.'' It's got some almost some metal chords.
I'm a big fan of this band Injected out of Atlanta. We called them up and said, can we have a run at this song and see what happens? What they sent us was a demo version, so we took the idea and ran with it. It's heavy, but still a strong melody.

Was the title of ''Mr. Sensitive'' meant to be ironic in any way?
The song was unintentionally ironic. I had the harmonic riff in my head for five months. In my lyric journal, I had ''Mr. Sincere'' written down, and sincere turned into sensitive. I wanted to write about something outside myself and get a little metaphorical. He lives in a village devoid of feeling. They get so afraid of this child who has feelings that they kill him. It kind of took on this Tim Burton-like, twisted vision of James and the Giant Peach for me. But I know people look at me as that sensitive guy.

And ''A Daily AntheM'' has to do with your brother [Adam, who is fighting cancer], who people learned about from watching Idol, right?
''A Daily AntheM'' is three years old. I didn't originally write it with the intention of it being about Adam. I just wanted to write something that had a John Lennon, ''War is Over'' quality. Then I was like, oh s---, if you capitalize that letter and that letter and that letter, you've capitalized my brother's name.

You fit in with a style of rock singing that's popular right now. There's the singers from Hinder and Nickelback, guys who have a broad range, but not the real clean, Steve Perry-type of singing that was popular in the mainstream in the '80s. The guys who can sing but have more smoke or rasp in the voice seem to be favored now.
Dumb luck, man. Singing in smoky clubs for 10 years will give you a little bit of a rasp, for sure. When I first started playing in bands, I played it safe and I stayed in my midrange and all that. As I got more into it, I realized I could do more things with my voice. That's the kind of thing that's fun for me. I love having the vocal capacities to do something like that, because I realize that it's a gift and not everybody has it.

Everyone will be making the comparison you're sick of: Is he gonna have a Daughtry-like career?
Opinions and perceptions, man — I didn't let it get to me on the show, and I see no reason to let it get to me afterward. I just think this record is me, and if people want to compare it to Daughtry, awesome. He's sold a ton of records. I just hope someday the coin will flip and somebody will compare somebody else to me.

It must be hard to have perspective on what really happened with the show, even this far out from it now.
It's strange. I don't feel inherently that there's a justification for it. I realize that a lot of people watch the show, and I get the idea of the celebrity aspect of it, I guess. But I still feel like that awkward musician; I think I always will. That's a huge component of me staying kind of humbled and grounded about the whole thing: I get the flimsiness of it. I get that it could all go away. I mean, fame is fleeting....But I'm at peace. I've got guys that I'm playing with that I love to death, and I'm playing music that I think we all really get into, and as long as we've got that and a place to play, I'm good.

Link: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007164_20171835_20238699,00.html

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #467 on: November 09, 2008, 02:49:51 PM »
An interesting article:

David Archuleta On Dating & His Debut Album
 
David Archuleta is thankful for his success – so much so that in the liner notes of his self-titled debut album, due this Tuesday, he said he thanked the entire state of Utah.

“I got carried away,” he told Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush in an interview for “The Billy Bush Show.” “There are a lot of people to thank.”

Fans may soon be thanking the “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up for his album, on which he told Billy there’s “at least one song” for everyone.

“We experimented on this album and that way I didn’t get stuck in a niche,” he said. “I wanted to make sure there was a variety.”

Among his favorite songs on the album is a cover of Robbie Williams’ “Angels.”

“I think it’s one of the greatest songs ever written,” he said. “It’s such a powerful song.”

And though the young star has his “Arch Angel” fans, he said there’s no girlfriend waiting in the wings – yet.

“I’m not in a relationship,” he admitted, noting it’s hard to find time on the road to get to know someone.

“I’m not really a flirty person,” he said. “I think it’s all about feeling comfortable around someone … and being able to hang out and be goofy with them.”

For now, he’s hoping that people get comfortable with his album – but he’ll understand if they don’t.

“People are going to have their critiques and… I’m open to that,” he said.

Link: http://www.accesshollywood.com/david-archuleta-on-dating-and-his-debut-album_article_12089

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #468 on: November 09, 2008, 02:57:27 PM »
More on David A:

'Idol' runner-up David Archuleta is poised for record debut

Those who followed David Archuleta's rise on American Idol won't be surprised that the Season 7 runner-up is a little nervous about his self-titled first album, out Tuesday.

"I haven't had a ton of recording experience," the 17-year-old singer says. "Sometimes I feel like, 'Wow, I don't know anything at all.' "

Archuleta's naive, somewhat fragile persona helped endear him to Idol viewers, even if he was bested by the edgier, older David Cook. But discussing his debut, Archuleta is savvy enough to emphasize that he worked under certain restrictions, even as he expresses gratitude.

"We didn't have a lot of time," Archuleta says. "People were expecting it to come out before we got started. But it was humbling to work with these producers and writers who have had such success."

Those collaborators include Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child and new Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, as well as 'N Sync alum JC Chasez, who was taken by Archuleta's "strong grasp of his identity. He was always intelligent and professional. I think the world of the kid."

Blender editor in chief Joe Levy points out that Archuleta is "both young and poised, innocent and capable. Those are good combinations."

And, as the Jonas Brothers and others have proven, potentially lucrative ones. "When you sell records made by teenagers to teenagers, you can sell a lot of music. David has shown himself to be a people-pleaser."

Not that the tender star has avoided controversy. There was the flap surrounding his father and manager, Jeff Archuleta, who was banned backstage in Idol's waning weeks.

"That was rough," the younger Archuleta says. The uproar was "rude and weird, because my dad is so laid-back. There are still people who think he's abusing me or something. I don't think they realize I'm almost 18."

Archuleta's more ardent fans recognize his youth, but in a more "respectful" way. When he performed on the Idols Live tour, "there wasn't any underwear thrown on the stage, though that happened to some of the other kids." At least not until the final show, when his former rival and buddy Cook lobbed panties at him, Archuleta says, giggling.

Fame hasn't had a profound impact on Archuleta's love life, either. "I've gone on dates, but nothing serious," says the devout Mormon. "If you rush into going steady, you don't meet other people.

"It's like, you may think this one ice cream place is the best in the world, but then you try Graeter's or Cold Stone, and you think, 'My God, what have I been missing?' "

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-11-06-david-archuleta-debut_N.htm?csp=34

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #469 on: November 09, 2008, 03:31:07 PM »
The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Friday November 14, 2008

“American Idol” runner-up DAVID ARCHULETA

DAVID ARCHULETA: It takes a lot to ‘wow’ Simon Cowell, but David did just that. He was the runner-up to another David on “American Idol” last season, but he could just as easily have been crowned the winner. (I’ll just call him “Archie” to avoid confusion.) And he sounds like he’s been singing for 20 years... though he’s not even 18 ‘til next month! David will perform his single “Crush” from his self-titled debut CD!


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #470 on: November 09, 2008, 03:45:19 PM »

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Friday, November 14, 2008

Guest: David Cook



Performance from the CD "David Cook"


Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #471 on: November 10, 2008, 12:09:06 PM »
David A's video blog:

New York

FINALLY got another blog up giving an update on what went on this weekend.

Sorry it took so long, I just avoid making them since I have such major issues making anything that involved me talking.

I should probably find a way to take blog-making classes or something.



Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #472 on: November 10, 2008, 05:17:36 PM »
David A. News:

"TODAY" CONCERT SERIES UPDATE

Released by NBC

'TODAY'S' 2008 'TOYOTA CONCERT SERIES ON TODAY' CONTINUES INTO THE FALL

Headliners for the 2008 Fall Concert Series Include Beyonce, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Enrique Iglesias, Faith Hill, All American Rejects and Barry Manilow

NEW YORK – November 6, 2008 - In its 13th consecutive year, NBC's "Today" is bringing together the biggest names in music to perform on America's No. 1 morning program. This year's "Toyota Concert Series on Today" continues into the fall with special performances by Beyonce, Faith Hill, Enrique Iglesias and more. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's "Today" concert marks her first U.S. singing performance.

Additionally, "Today" viewers can become virtual DJs and choose one of the songs The All-American Rejects will play during their November 25 concert on the Plaza. Viewers can vote by logging on to TODAYshow.com, where they vote online and get information to text their votes. Voting ends Tuesday, November 18 at 2 p.m. ET.

Following is a list of the concerts scheduled to date.

NOVEMBER 11 David Archuleta (in studio)

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #473 on: November 10, 2008, 05:21:23 PM »
An interesting article:

David Cook Dedicates Song to Brother

David Cook isn't lacking for inspiration these days. But while his skyrocketing career is certainly fairy tale fodder, Cook needs to look no further than his own backyard. To that end, the 'American Idol' winner wrote a song called 'Permanent' -- the "poignantly personal" second-to-last track on Cook's forthcoming debut solo record -- for his brother, Adam, who is currently fighting cancer.

"I want this to be a piano lullaby to my older brother, who's been battling a brain tumor for a long time," Cook tells PopEater. "I knew that the record was lacking this kind of bare, honest, naked song. I didn't allow myself to be metaphorical or anything other than, 'This is the exact thought that I'm thinking, and I'm going to put it on paper and leave it alone.'"

While recording the song, which features a 15-piece string orchestra, Cook found himself in emotional throes. "I was crying, of course, because I do that all the time," he laughs.

As for his brother, Cook says he's doing well and it's fingers crossed for the future. "We've been very fortunate as a family to get quite a bit of good news pertaining to his illness while I was on tour," Cook says. "Hopefully it's all good news ahead."

Link: http://www.popeater.com/music/article/david-cook-dedicates-song-to-brother/243296

Offline marigold

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Re: American Idol Season 7
« Reply #474 on: November 11, 2008, 02:11:55 PM »

David Archuleta on Today Show, 11 Nov 2008