Chris Daughtry record out and more Idol tidbits

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Idol Tidbits, November 20: Chris Daughtry CD Drops This Week

by Donna Reynolds -- 11/20/2006

It’s a big week for Chris Daughtry fans. His much anticipated CD, Daughtry hits the stores on Tuesday, and he’ll be out and about promoting it. Other Idols are also making appearances this week. Read on to find out who, what, when, and where!

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Can a fourth-place Idol finisher be the ultimate winner? I don’t have the answer to that, but we are about to find out if Chris Daughtry can defy all the odds and become the first non-finalist to go platinum. His fans are ready and Daughtry will be released on Tuesday (you can buy it through the link at the end of this article). Chris’ first single, “It’s Not Over,” is making headway in some markets, and RCA is banking on Chris to bring in the bucks. To that end, he’ll be doing some heavy promotion for the CD in upcoming weeks. Here’s a list of shows on which Chris will be appearing:

November 21 - Good Morning America

November 22 - Live with Regis and Kelly

November 28 - Ellen DeGeneres

November 28 - Jimmy Kimmel Live

December 4 - Billboard Music Awards (presenter)

December 8 - Southern Sports Awards

We’ll be reporting on Chris’ sales numbers in the December 1 edition of Chartwatch. Stay tuned. This is going to get very interesting!

Upcoming Idol Appearances

Don’t miss the American Music Awards show on Tuesday, November 21. Carrie Underwood has been nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite New Breakthrough Artist. She will be performing a medley of her hits on the show, which airs at 8:00 p.m. on ABC. Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, and Katharine McPhee will serve as presenters.

Taylor will also be performing at the annual ninth annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special on NBC. The show, which will be hosted by Al Roker and Ann Curry, will also feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Sting, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, Sarah McLachlan, Enya, John Legend, and Martina McBride. All this in just an hour! The show airs at 8:00 p.m.

If you were hoping to catch Taylor and Katharine on NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, you may be disappointed. Although they were both rumored to be participating, Diana DeGarmo is the only Idol who has been confirmed. She will be on the King Tutenstein float, singing “The Pharaoh Strut.” Paris Bennett and Ace Young will be in the Philadelphia parade, and Carrie Underwood is performing at halftime at the Dallas/Tampa Bay game on Fox Thanksgiving afternoon. Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m.

Kimberley Locke will be part of the next edition of VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club. The show will debut in April 2007. The cast also includes Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch), Dustin Diamond (Saved By The Bell), pop singer Tiffany, country clown Cledus T. Judd, hip-hop’s Da Brat, Ross "The Intern" Mathews (The Tonight Show), and rapper Warren G. ANT returns as host for the fifth edition of this popular series.

Finally, Clay Aiken will be a guest on the Tyra Banks Show on Wednesday, November 22.

Idol Buzz

Two AI3 alumni are getting a lot of attention lately. Last week was the first press screening of Dreamgirls, and despite an all-star cast, including Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx, the buzz surrounding Jennifer Hudson’s performance as Effie is deafening!

Roger Friedman of Fox News writes: “But the highlight of the endeavor is Hudson, playing the part of Effie White, which Jennifer Holliday made famous on Broadway. That’s not just because Effie gets to sing the two best songs in the show.” High praise indeed! He continues: “But you can’t change the fact that when Hudson launches into ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,’ all hope is lost for any actor who wants to come close to her in this movie or any other this year. The song is sensational, the presentation is dynamic, but the performer is simply stellar, bar none.” Click here for a clip of Jennifer’s performance. It is truly amazing!

Can a sixth place finisher become the first Idol alum to win an Oscar? While nothing is certain, Jennifer will most likely be nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, and could well win it all. Dreamgirls opens on Christmas day.

Fantasia's second album is due out on December 12, and has already generated quite a buzz. In fact, it was featured as one of EW's "25 Fall Albums We Are Excited for" (#19) along with such notable artists as John Legend, the Who, Beck, Ciara, Janet Jackson, Alan Jackson, Maroon 5, and Jay-Z (#1). No other Idol made the cut.

The self-titled CD offers up collaborations with producers Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, and Babyface, as well as songwriters Diane Warren and Sean Garrett, among others. The first single, "Hood Boy," features Big Boi of OutKast, and was produced by Tone Mason and written by singer/songwriter Johnta Austin. Missy Elliott co-wrote and produced "Turn This Party Up!" "Two Weeks Notice," and "No Stoppin'," while Swizz Beatz was in charge of "Surround U." Producers Dre & Vidal wrote "I Nominate U" and "Baby Makin Hips."

Other album cuts include "Not The Way It Is," written by Sean Garrett, and "I Feel Beautiful," written by Diane Warren and produced by Babyface.

Not such good news for Constantine Maroulis, though. The Wedding Singer, in which he has been appearing since early October, will be ending its Broadway run on December 31. But Constantine won’t be out of work for long. He’s joining the cast of the off-Broadway production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on January 7. The show is running at the Zipper Theatre (336 West 37th St.).

And finally, check out the newest JibJab production of Weird Al Yankovic's parody of "Do I Make You Proud" ("Do I Creep You Out"). They've created a clever little video of a stalking Al/Taylor. It's pretty funny, actually. Then, go to rehearsals.com, and watch the latest Taylor video in which he has some fun with the parody. Good stuff!

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