Taylor Swift to sing on premiere of NBC’s Nashville Star
The 2008 Best New Female Vocalist of the Year, Taylor Swift, is set to perform on Nashville Star as part of the show’s two-hour season premiere. Touted as the first country music star of the MySpace generation, Swift (18) is also the first female country artist to write or co-write every song on her debut platinum-selling album. One of country music’s youngest songwriters, her single “Our Song” spent six weeks atop Billboard’s country chart.
The show’s premiere will also feature highlights from the auditions and reveal the Top 12 Finalists who will be crooning their way into your hearts this summer. I know Nashville Star sounds like the country music version of American Idol but judge John Rich begs to differ. Read what he said about the show, any comparisons to Idol, and Paula Abdul back the NBC / Universal summer press event held in May.
Nashville Star premieres on Monday June 9th, 9-11 p.m. ET, on NBC. Will you be watching?
Big David Climbs to the Top of American Idol
David Cook, who earned comparisons to Chris Daughtry all season, ended up going one better than the chrome-domed chart topper.
The 25-year-old former bartender (emphasis on the “former”) was named the winner of the seventh season of American Idol Wednesday night, besting velvety voiced runner-up David Archuleta by 12 million votes despite the massive amount of fawning the judges did over the 17-year-old ballad specialist last nightand the really unnecessary amount of criticism Simon Cowell directed at Cook, who more than held his own.
“When I went back home and watched it, it wasn’t quite so clear-cut as we called it. David, I will take this opportunity to apologize, because I think I was verging on disrespectful to you,” Cowell, who apparently reads the comment sections on all the blogs, told Cook before the big reveal.
“You’re tryers, and you’ve both given it your best. You’re both nice people and, for the first time ever, I don’t really care who wins. I think you’ve both done terrific,” the Brit said.
“I’m honored and proud to be sitting here,” Paula Abdul said “This is anything but a finalit’s the start of the destination of your career.” All right.
A record 97.5 million voteswith, as Ryan Seacrest teased at the beginning of the broadcast, 56 percent going to one David and 44 percent toward the otherdecided this year’s contest, which for most of the season seemed to be in Archuleta’s pocket, at least as far as voter appeal and basic vocal skill were concerned.
But Cook, with his piercing gaze, garage-rock vibe and a deep, raspy timbre that is equally suitable to the sort of records Clive Davis is gonna want to make, hung right in there, going from dark horse to obvious contender to fan favorite.
When Seacrest announced the news, Archuleta, if not relieved, seemed perfectly happy to finally turn the spotlight over to his fellow David, secure in the knowledge that his star is only going to rise (and looking more composed than he usually did after a round of gushing accolades from the judges).
Tears immediately made their way into Cook’s eyes, and then the stoic, shrug-favoring rocker had to cover his face and take a moment while the emotion flooded through him.
“I started this seasonmuch to Simon’s chagrinas the word nerd and I’m absolutely at a loss for words,” the new American Idol said. “Thank you guys. This is amazing. Thank you.”
The finale concluded with Blue Springs, Mo.’s favorite son crooning the winning ballad from this year’s Idol songwriting contest, “Time of My Life” by Regie Hamm.
Then, although the homebound audience didn’t see it, the man of the hour was reportedly supposed to shout , “I’m going to Disney World!” when asked what he was going to do next.
Really. (Albeit because Idol producers Fremantle Media and 19 Entertainment have licensed the rights to build the American Idol Experience, an attraction opening in January 2009 at the Orlando theme park.)
Actually, there were quite a few Disneyfied touches in this Idol finale, which for the most part was thankfully light on audition-round horrors and shameless promotions (oh, there were some, of course) and heavy on tasteful collaborations, big-ticket performers and celebratory pop, as befitting a show that supposedly exists to better the state of the music industry.
From ABC (owned by Disney) personality Jimmy Kimmel yukking it up for the crowd to Disney Channel heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers making that crowd scream its collective head off, the Mouse House had a larger than usual presence tonight.
Perhaps because it’s looking to lure the kid-friendly David A. into the fold? (Miley sure would make a great prom date…)
Otherwise, some highlights of tonight’s two-hour sendoff:
- Jason Castro, who some called a breath of fresh air and others referred to as this season’s Sanjaya, reprising his touching cover of “Hallelujah.” The difference: Castro takes us over the rainbow, while Kimmel jokes about valet-parking his car and wondering how much to tip Sanjaya.
- The surprisingly unscrewy duets: Syesha Mercado joining Seal on “Waiting for You”; Brooke White stripping down (acoustically) for Graham Nash, who embodies the sound she was striving for all season; OneRepublic with Archuleta; Cook and ZZ Top; Donna Summer and Bryan Adams doing the medley thing with the top gals and guys.
- A ’70s-era clip of Gladys Knight singing “Midnight Train to Georgia” with some oddly recognizable Pips: Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. A shameless promotion for the upcoming comedy Tropic Thunder, but hot just the same. And all money earned from downloading the video on iTunes goes to charity.
- Seacrest opting not to get too fancy when announcing the results and getting to the point with class and respect.
Lowlights:
- The admittedly shameless promotion of the upcoming Mike Myers flick The Love Guru, which would have been acceptable if only the movie didn’t appear so disturbingly unfunny.
- Making the Top 12 wear all white during the opening medley. Are they supposed to be pretending they’re in heaven? Or driving ice cream trucks?
- Could Amanda Overmyer have wanted to be there less?
On the fence:
- David A. and David C. doing their best Tom Cruise-in-Risky Business impressions in dual commercials touting the jam-tasticness of Guitar Hero.
- George Michael. We weren’t too bothered by the ballad, but it would have been more fun to see him in “Faith” mode.
While viewership has been down overall this season, off about 7 percent from last year, plenty of people have remained enthralled with the star-making going down in this corner of the country.
Last night’s performance showdown attracted 27.1 million people, a clean victory over the last two thirds of Dancing with the Stars’ three-hour finale overkill, for which 20.1 million viewers tuned in to see Kristi Yamaguchi hoist the mirror-ball trophy.
As always, it will be interesting to see how many fans this year bet on one of two Davids and watched him ride all the way to the finish line.
Whedon, Abrams, 24 Prequel, Oh My
Fox speaks geek.
The network unveiled falland springschedules fit for Comic-Con, replete with new series by Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, a Family Guy spinoff, a returning Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and a 24 prequel.
The autograph lines are to the left.
Today's announcements were not all fanboy fun. There were sober assessments of American Idol. There were cancellations, most notably of the heavily promoted comedy Back to You.
And there was a ringing endorsement of Paula Abdul.
"We love Paula. She's coming back," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said of the oft-judged Idol judge.
But asked if he was happy with Idol overall this seasonthe show is down 5 percent on Tuesdays, and 10 percent on Wednesdays, neither an unusual decrease for television, circa 2008Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori sounded surprisingly like he wasn't. Not entirely, anyway.
"I would say I'm satisfied creatively," Liguori said, "but not necessarily satisfied with the performance."
"Both the network and the producers really want to take a look at the show for next year."
No specific changes were discussed. And after Reilly reminded that Idol, seven seasons old and still bigger than anything else on TV, was "not exactly in its death throes," Liguori chimed in, "This show still has a lot of juice in it."
Out of juice were the likes of New Amsterdam, Unhitched, The Return of Jezebel James, K-Ville, Nashville, The Next Great American Band and Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton's Back to You, all shunned for spots in the fall and spring.
Though Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was never as big as its big premiere in January, it earned a fall berth. Ditto for 'Til Death, a perennial borderline show that will live to see its third season.
24, which sat out all of this past season because of the writers' strike, will launch its long-delayed seventh season in January. Viewers' reward for the wait: the two-hour prequel that'll air in November. Fox says the story will find Jack Bauer in South Africa. In the timeline of the series, it'll take place "a few months" before the clock on season seven begins ticking.
In all, Fox announced two new fall shows, including Fringe, a sci-fi-ish thriller from J.J. Abrams featuring the prime-time return of Dawson's Creek's Joshua Jackson.
Dollhouse, the Joss Whedon project starring Eliza Dushku as the leader of gang of personality swappers, will launch in the spring as part of Fox's annual American Idol-is-back schedule.
The other new shows:
- Do Not Disturb (working title): A fall comedy about the antics at a hotel, starring Carpoolers survivor Jerry O'Connell.
- Sit Down, Shut Up: A spring animated series about the antics at a high school, from Arrested Development's Mitchell Hurwitz.
- The Cleveland Show: The Family Guy spinoff, set for a spring launch, starring the Griffin family's neighbor, Cleveland Brown.
- Secret Millionaire: A new reality series in which millionaires are dispatched to rub elbows with the little people, and make their rich selves feel better. Oh, and do good and stuff, too.
Here's a night-by-night look at Fox's fall lineup:
Sunday: The OT (football postgame show), The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad
Monday: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prison Break
Tuesday: House, Fringe
Wednesday: Bones, 'Til Death, Do Not Disturb
Thursday: The Moment of Truth, Kitchen Nightmares
Friday: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics
Saturday: Cops, America's Most Wanted
And here's a night-by-night look at Fox's spring schedule:
Sunday: Various reruns, The Simpsons, King of the Hill/Sit Down, Shut Up, Family Guy, American Dad/The Cleveland Show
Monday: Dollhouse, 24
Tuesday: American Idol, Fringe
Wednesday: Bones, American Idol (30 minutes), TBA comedy
Thursday: Hell's Kitchen, Secret Millionaire
Friday: Bones, 'Til Death, Do Not Disturb
Saturday: Cops, America's Most Wanted
Head over to Watch With Kristin for more on the new TV schedules!
Idol Clears the Way for Dueling Davids
We're going to have a real humdinger next week.
With 56 million votes giving Simon Cowell the pairing he hoped for, Syesha Mercado was eliminated Wednesday, meaning David Archuleta and David Cook are left to sing it out on the seventh-season finale of American Idol.
"There's too many words…I don't know what to say," Mercado said before launching into her final song, an encore of last night's Alicia Keys cover, "If I Ain't Got You." "I just want to say thank you."
So, with that out of the way…
While Randy Jackson has thrown an inordinate amount of "da bombs" at Archuleta, both Cowell and Paula Abdul have expressed their belief in Cook's ability to take the title.
"I feel like I'm looking at the next American Idol," Abdul said while gushing over the husky-voiced singer at one point earlier in the season, while Cowell has said, seemingly despite himself, "you know, you actually could win this entire competition."
If it remains a singing contest, however.
Though music critics seem to appreciate more what Cook has to offer the industry, other people with TV sets have had Archuleta pegged to win it all since day one, be it because they love him or because he's marketable.
But whether calm-and-collected 25-year-old alt-rock or bashful-and-awestruck 17-year-old Disney-pop ultimately wins the day, at least the playing field was leveled a bit tonight, with all three finalists having to sit through a seemingly endless procession of video montages and commercial breaks before learning his or her fate.
And although Archuleta, as per usual, was summoned to center stage first, the 11th-grader then got a taste of what it feels like to sweat out those last few minutes of the show.
Then again, perhaps the youngster didn't need that kind of stress.
"Gosh! I just can't believe how many people came out for this…Sorry, I didn't mean to cry or anything. Gosh!" the incredibly flustered teen, tears streaming down his face, told the hometown crowd during his trip last week to Murray, Utah.
"It was a little embarrassing," Archuleta said tonight about the producers' clip choice.
Not that he was alone, however.
"I didn't expect to cry so much," Mercado sobbed as her limo drove her away from an appearance in Sarasota, Fla. "I didn't expect this…I feel so happy. This is my dream, I'm living it."
Cook, who once upon a time was only in Omaha, Neb., to root for his little brother but got cornered into auditioning for Idol, handled the possibly career-making news with his usual aplomb, flashing that appreciative yet not-entirely-shocked smile.
Not that he didn't sniff a few tears back, too, after doing the weather at the local Fox station, throwing out the first ball at a Kansas City Royals game and having a parade thrown in his honor during an extremely productive jaunt back home to Blue Springs, Mo.
"You guys did an amazing job. You should be well proud of yourself," Jackson told all three before the Davids sat down and Syesha was forced to sing. "Give yourselves a big round of applause."
So, did America get it right? Or did it all go so very wrong weeks ago?