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How is Idol Worship Apparent in the Modern World?

2009-06-07T02:42:00.000-07:00

When we talk about idol worship we think of primitive tribes dancing around a totem pole, or the Israelites dancing around statues of the god Baal, or the ancient Greeks in their temples of Zeus. But when the Bible talks about false idols it really refers to any form of worship which has replaced the worship of God. Using that as a definition, we see that we in modern times are probably the most heathen of all civilizations in history. since we have so many false gods. By not believing in the one and only God we leave room in our hearts for any number of false gods to encamp themselves. We are a world of fanatics, enthusiasts, experts, fake authority figures, role models, celebrities, superstars, movie stars, sports stars, local heroes.

Anyone who appears on our TV screens for more than 15 minutes is branded with the ominous title of celebrity. We even have TV shows called Pop Idol and American Idol, the bulk of which is taken up with less than average talent. As consumers we adore and pursue avidly certain designer labels which attain enormous proportions in our lives. What all these things have in common is that they are there to fulfill a need for security, self-esteem and meaning. When people feel unloved they search blindly and in a panic stricken mode for something that will make them loved. Donning a particular fashion label or adoring a certain pop celebrity gives us a share in something that we perceive as worthwhile, a successful brand or worthy name, in other words we adopt ourselves into that "family." This "family" of ocurse, is an illusion. It is not real. There is no love and support in hard times, only a grab for our cash during the good times.

So what is wrong with hero worship? Nothing at all if it is operated under the umbrella of the one true saviour Jesus Christ. But worship without the real God leads to disappointment, frustration, anger, poverty, family break-ups, failed careers, sexual perversion, manifest greed, corruption, and many other nasty consequences. Jesus is the only idol who gives back more than He receives. When you devote your life to Jesus, you don't just get a nice wardrobe, you get eternal, selfless joy.

Milton Johanides is a retired businessman, church elder, writer and artist. He has been featured on BBC TVs Songs of Praise, owned numerous art galleries and once ran an award winning picture framing business in Scotland. The views expressed in these articles are his own. Web address: http://www.x-ibit-it.com

Men of the Year - True Love and False Idols

2009-06-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, a fashion post all about the guys! Pay attention, dudes...and ladies who want their man to be all lookin' good and stuff.

The latest trend is all about taking if from the streets. We've seen a growing number of design houses begin to incorporate graffiti artwork, but none with the authenticity and artistic flair of True Love & False Idols.

"We hope you like our line. We love making it. Our inspiration is our lives, our friends, our music and cities," say Alex and Alex, the men behind the brand. One is a straightedge punk kid from the O.C.; the other an ex graffiti artist from Venice.

They got together back in 2005 after working together at another fashion line. The two Alex's fused their diverse backgrounds into a street couture collection that blends punk rock, hip hop, graffiti and Southern California influences to create art-driven designs for men that don't look all sissified.

They are perhaps best known for their embroidered cashmere hoodies and their intricate graphic tees, which are available on their web site trueloveandfalseidols.com and in stores across the good 'ol US of A.

You may have already spotted TLFI on mega-hit shows like American Idol, The Hills and America's Next Top Model, or on the back of a few of the most fashionable guys in the game like Jamie Foxx, T.I., Sean Paul and Ryan Seacrest. The next hot guy sporting TLFI should be you {or your boyfriend}.

Copyright © 2008 Young Hollywood LLC. All rights reserved.

Wes Ferguson is a lifestyle expert and entertainment writer living out the Young Hollywood dream in beautiful Westside Los Angeles. (http://www.younghollywood.com)

How is Idol Worship Apparent in the Modern World?

2009-06-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

Simon Cowell - An Idol Of Our Times

2009-06-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

It is my belief that the popularity of the American Idol and X-factor judge, Simon Cowell is down to a recognition, deep in the belly of the collective, that it's healthy to revolt against sycophancy and tell it like it is. There's certainly nothing plastic, or false, about Mr Cowell's honesty on his talent search show.

Infact, it seems that Simon was born with a form of Tourettes Syndrome. Every time he's called to judge someone, he hears them sing and exhibits an uncontrollable urge to say what millions are thinking -- but few would dare utter out loud. His no-holds barred approach resonates strongly in the psyche of the 'authenticity challenged' millions worldwide who are saying, "Hey, it's great to see you" or "Have a nice day", whilst really wanting to tell the person to take a hike.

This is Simon's fascination; his ability to eschew any facade and still be accepted by the social elite. In his uniform of tight black tee shirts, he is like a modern day comic book hero. Superman may have his costume of indestructibility but Simon has his cloak of opinion, and uses it to great effect.

Looking to his birth chart it's easy to locate the letter that Simon Cowell should wear on his body; P for Pluto or Power. This is the secret of his success. Venus, ruler of his Sun is in close conjunction with Pluto, in the picky, detail oriented sign of Virgo. The Venus/Pluto conjunction is perfect symbolism for his ability to take singers (Venus) and transform (Pluto) their life and fortunes.

From a wider standpoint though, as viewers we are not responding to Simon, per se, but to the energies of Neptune (plastic, imagery, illusion, music) in Aquarius (the collective). Throughout the 1990's and early 2000's we were all subjected to an incessant barrage of images on celluloid, or via broadcast and print media, about how perfect and harmonious our lives and interactions with one another should be. Unfortunately, the majority of us were merging into that ideal of perfection, rather than living authentically and being who we are. Now though, the illusion is slowly beginning to shatter.

When someone like Simon comes to public awareness he embodies the shadow side, whilst also appealing to the ideal - hence the title of the show. Like the 'perfect' celebrity who shocks us with their anorexia or drugs battle, revealing a hitherto unguessed fallibility, unconsciously Simon Cowell represents the shadow of the collective psyche and has forced us to look at the side that we would rather deny exists. This is perfectly expressed through Neptune sextile to his Venus/Pluto conjunction and is reiterated by his Moon (midday) being close to the Galactic Centre. Simon's birthtime is not publicly available but, as I have noted before, people who are born with a personal planet close to the Galactic Centre at 26 Sag, often seem to come to worldwide prominence.

Simon Philip Cowell was born on 7 October 1959 in Brighton, England. It is commonly believed that Libra is the sign of diplomacy with a penchant for sitting on the fence. However many in the legal profession, and those who act as Judges in any connotation, are often born under the sign. Librans may have to weigh up decisions about themselves but, when it comes to dealing with other people, they get to the point quickly and succinctly (Aries rules 7th).

Mars in aspect to Simon's Mercury increases the ability to be 'cutting.' Additionally with Saturn (the planet of authority) and Jupiter (the planet of Judges) in their own signs, he is confident of his 'rulings'. This Mars in sextile aspect to Uranus (and the Moon at midday) speaks of his delight in shocking the public and generally stirring things up a little. Sextiles always point to communication or travel issues and the same planets incline him to be to-and-froing in his 'flash' cars, or private jets.

For someone who makes a living out of handling images it is hardly surprising that Simon Cowell should manage his own extremely skillfully. For all his apparent arrogance though, rest assured that this is someone who is his own worst critic, who sets impossibly high standards for himself and can even be shy.

The Moon in close proximity to his natal Saturn reveals that his emotional control is as strictly controlled as his public image; but what you see is not necessarily what you get. Although he openly flirts with Paula Abdul, assiduously cultivates an image of being a ladies man and is seen to be in a relationship with Terri Seymour, rumors persist about Mr Cowell's sexual persuasion. Astrological correspondences simply cannot denote whether someone is gay for that's a matter of personal choice. What is revealed with this birthchart is that with Mars conjunct the Sun in Libra, sextile from experimental Uranus, this person is likely to be charismatic -- to members of both sexes. Combine this with Venus conjunct Pluto and, well, let's just say, I'm sure Simon Cowell has great success in the 'lurve' department but probably ensures his lover hangs up his/her clothes and signs the Official Secrets Act before any encounter. With Mars in the sign of Venus, which is itself in the sign of Mercury, this tells us he probably prefers his lovers to be slightly androgynous looking, youthful, and clean! He'll be particularly attracted to exotic looking women (Moon Sag).

Here's a man who is literally idolised because he embodies the societal dream for fame and riches. However before those who aren't desirous of 'fools gold' rush to pledge their distaste for the Man, let me just conclude by saying that without Simon Cowell in this world, a large proportion of the population would still equate candor with social and business suicide.

Cowell has shown there is another way. If only politicians could see that truth is a bitter but necessary pill, and doesn't preclude adoration, then he will have done us all a great service and moved us a step closer towards a more honest society. In this respect he truly has become a powerful truth idol of our times!

Kathryn Cassidy writes on a variety of topics on her blogs A longer version of this article can be viewed at collaboratingwithfate.blogspot.com along with many more astrological articles. Topics of a more esoteric nature can be viewed at cosmiccipher.blogspot.com

Hollywood Still the Center of the Entertainment World

2009-06-05T03:37:00.000-07:00

New York may be the center of the theatre and financial world, but now and then we're reminded that Los Angeles is the center of the entertainment universe. Events throughout the year remind us that the stars of television and motion pictures revolve around Hollywood, most prominently with shows like American Idol and 24 finishing their seasons in Los Angeles. Yes, 24 took place in Washington D.C., but the cast celebrated the show finale a week early on the west coast, as described below.

The attention to Hollywood starts in a subtle way on New year's Day with the Rose Parade. Floats showing themes from movies, TV shows and popular culture make up a substantial percentage of the parade, cruising up a Southern California boulevard on what is usually a beautiful clear morning. The preparation leading up to this American tradition is immense, with huge grandstands being set up in mid-December. A rose-colored paint stripe runs down the center of Colorado Boulevard marking the parade path. The float drivers, tucked way inside their colorful vehicles with no windows looking forward, can mainly look down to see the stripe. Outside spotters with radios help them know about stopping, starting, faster, slower, etc.

Then there's the buzz around the Academy Awards in March. This continues for weeks in the media. In the days leading up the the awards show the streets around the Kodak Theatre in the heart of Hollywood are closed down. Viewing stands are erected, canopies raised and, finally the red carpet is rolled out.

By the time the statues have been given out, American Idol is well along towards its finale in Mid May. The semi-final shows are televised from the CBS TV studios in town, even though it is a Fox network show. Although the competition starts in cities throughout America and Puerto Rico, things heat up when the qualifiers head to California for Hollywood Week. Then for the next couple of months Ryan Seacrest, the judges and the Idol contestants are Live From Hollywood!

Sprinkled throughout the year are various movie premiers that focus the world on Los Angeles. Sometimes it's a television show. With the season finale of Fox TVs 24 upon us, Jack Bauer and the rest of the team were celebrated at a premier in West Los Angeles recently. The occasion was an advance showing of the final 2-hours of the 24 season; this was almost a full week before the rest of the world finds out what happens with Tony, President Taylor, Jack and Chloe.

This writer was able to score tickets to this event, which included a big-screen showing of the two episodes, followed by most of the primary cast joining each other onstage for discussions and a time for Questions and Answers. Beforehand there was the usual media action, with dozens of photographers checking out the stars.

During the discussion time afterwards, Guest Star John Voigt (blown up in a car bomb unfortunately) said that he watched the whole thing at the back of the theatre. He said he thoroughly enjoyed how the crowd was so immersed in the plot, and knew the little nuances of facial expressions by chloe and others. We were told that the cast really treats each other like a family, even when Tony and Jack are beating the tar out of each other. There were cast members from this and previous seasons in the VIP portion of the audience. We do know that it is no surprise that Jack Bauer survives for another season.

It won't be long before there will be another movie or TV premier in Hollywood. It may be superficial, but it is certainly a big part of our culture.

Michael is a Southern California native and writes regularly on a variety of topics, most recently on various travel opportunities in SoCal. Visit the SoCal Guru's Hollywood tips and To see a photo of the rose-colored paint stripe along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. The site offers insight and tips for your best Southern California vacation

David Archuleta Biography

2009-06-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

The David Archuleta Biography begins on December 28, 1990 when he was born in Miami Florida. His mother, Lupe Marie, was a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras. When he was six, his family moved to Sandy, Utah which is near Salt Lake City.

Soon after that, he got into music after watching the Les Miserables video. He got was first noticed when he was 10 when he won the Utah Talent Competition's Children's Division with his rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."

One year later, he made his television debut on the Jenny Jones show. The segment was on future Latino stars.

When he was 12, he was the Junior Vocal Champion on the Star Search 2 series.

Shortly after that, he was diagnosed with partial Vocal Paralysis. He decided not to risk surgery and now says he is fully recovered, but for several years, he limited his singing performances.

He was inspired by the first season of American Idol and was especially taken by the performances of Tamyra Gray and eventual winner Kelly Clarkson.

He was also inspired by his mother who frequently performed Salsa music alongside his four sisters. He has said that music from Latin America has been a big influence in his life.

But there have been a number of popular American musicians who have influenced him as well including Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, and Bryan Adams. Archuleta says he tries to infuse pop music with a soulful vibe.

Archuleta was selected to compete on American Idol when he was just 17. Because he was a minor, his parents had to be with him. He also had to attend school during the competition.

Like season 2 contestant Clay Aiken, Archuleta did not let a second place outcome keep him from making great music deals after American Idol was over. He signed with Jive Records and released the self titled David Archuleta record on November 11, 2008 which has already sold 1.5 million digital copies.

And that is the David Archuleta biography - one that has a whole lot more writing to do as this young musician's career progresses.

If you want to download "Crush," "A Little Not Too Over You," or any of the other great songs from the David Archuleta album FREE and LEGAL, go to http://www.freemp3now.info

Primetime 2007 - Fox's Lineup

2009-06-05T03:32:00.000-07:00

K-Ville – Set in New Orleans two years after hurricane Katrina, K-Ville is produced by Jonathan Lisco, and focuses on the valiant police who stood at their posts during and after hurricane. Doing their best to maintain order amid the chaos that still reigns. K-Ville stars Anthony Anderson, Cole Hauser, Maximiliano Hernández, Blake Shields, Tawney Cypress and John Carroll Lynch.

Anchorwoman – This is a new twist – an old concept, failing TV station brings in stunner new anchorwoman to boost ratings. The interesting twist is the stars don’t play other people - they play themselves. No false names, this is them. Starring Lauren Jones, Phil Hurley, Annalisa Petraglia, Dan Delgado, Michelle Reese.

Back To You – Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton are together in a new comedy from Fox and Stephen Levitan. In the 90’s Chuck Darling and Kelly Carr made Pittsburgh local TV their domain. But, things change, Chuck moved on to fail at his next career move when Youtube posted a video of an off-air tirade. Now he’s back, and if he can get over the rivalries with Kelly, maybe they can recreate the magic of the 90’s and bring their station back to the top.

Canterbury’s Law – Take a rebellious attorney determined to take on the system and change it for the better. Put her together with her Law Scholar husband, and assemble a team of rebels and cast-offs who have everything to offer the right leader, and you have Canterbury’s Law. A new take on courtroom drama where the legal system is about to get rewritten, because when it comes to Law, Canterbury makes it, or breaks it. Starring Julianna Margulies as Elizabeth Canterbury, as well as Linus Roache, Ben Shenkman, , Trieste Dunn, and Jocko Sims.

Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares – After Hell’s Kitchen Ramsay will return with an American version of the successful British series. Give Gordon a week and a failing restaurant, and he’ll turn it around, no excuses. We all know the temper of one of the world’s top chefs. Now see him in unscripted action as he turns a failing restaurant into a four or five star phenomenon in a week.

Nashville – A new documentary-style soap opera set in Nashville. Where dreams are sung and failures stand out louder than success. Behind very song there is a story, and Nashville will show many of those stories.

New Amsterdam - Set in modern-Day New York, this series focuses on a man made immortal by Native American magic back in 1642. Now he and the city are one, he feels it's pain and can solve crimes committed within it's borders like no other. He is John Amsterdam. Starring Nikolaj Coster Waldau(Kingdom of Heaven) as John Amsterdam, Zuleikha Robinson(Rome) as Eva Marquez, Alexie Gilmore(Find Love) as Dr. Sara Dillane, and Stephen Henderson(Law and Order: SVU) as Omar

The Sarah Connor Chronicles - With the end of T2 - we were left with Sarah and John on the run from society. Knowing that Skynet would not stop, and having to find their own way in a vastly more complicated world than when this all began. This series explains the events that occurred between T2 and T3 - and in some ways reinvents the franchise in a new and dynamic direction. Starring Lena Headly as Sarah Conner and Thomas Dekker as John, the cast is rounded out by Richard T Jones as an FBI agent who is converted to their cause, and Summer Glau as a student at John's school who is not at all what she seems.

The Search for The Next Great American Band - American Idol for groups has finally come to Primetime TV. A reality competition that will whittle down to 10 finalists who will then compete for votes until here is only 1 left who will get a major recording deal and the chance to become a musical superstar. Any band will do, can you make the cut?

The Rules For Starting Over - What do you do when your marriage ends, you try again. This comedy features Craig Bierko(Boston Legal) as Gator, Rashida Jones(The Office) as Kate, Johnny Sneed(The Guardian) as Tommy and Shaun Majumder(Harold and Kumar go to White Castle) as Freddy

When Women Rule The world – A new reality TV show that puts a group of alpha men into a subservient role to a group of women. Week after week one man will be eliminated until only one man remains, the one who can best allow himself to be led by the women. Can a group of women work together to ensure they can lead effectively?

Fox Fall and Spring Schedules
MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK

9:00-10:00 PM K-VILLE

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE

WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM BACK TO YOU

8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH

9:00-10:00 PM BONES

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?

9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title)

9:00-10:00 PM NASHVILLE (working title)

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Fox Spring 2008 Schedule

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM K-VILLE (January)/PRISON BREAK (Spring)

9:00-10:00 PM 24

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE

WEDNESDAY (January)

8:00-8:30 PM BACK TO YOU

8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL

WEDNESDAY (Spring)

8:00-8:30 PM BACK TO YOU

8:30-9:00 PM THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES (working title)

9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL Results Show

9:30-10:00 PM 'TIL DEATH

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?

9:00-10:00 PM CANTERBURY'S LAW

FRIDAY (Spring)

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

SUNDAY (Spring)

7:00-7:30 PM KING OF THE HILL

7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM FAMILY GUY

9:00-10:00 PM THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Tim Morrison is the designer of TV Stocks Online, the world's first fully developed television stock market simulator totally functional with live data from Nielson figures and user interactions. Join the growing fantasy market, share your opinions on current TV and see if you can pick the winners and losers out of the current Primetime television lineups.

How To Become An Overnight Success

2009-06-05T03:30:00.000-07:00

Taylor Hicks, Evelyn Adams, William "Bud" Post, Eldrick Woods, Suzanne Mullins, and Joanne “Jo” Rowling all have something in common. For at least one time in each of their lives, they were an overnight success.

Many Americans, at least, will recognize Taylor Hicks as a 2006 winner of the popular TV show, "American Idol". British subjects have cause to be proud of Joanne "Jo" Rowling who is more easily recognized by her pen name, J. K. Rowling. Those who still don't recognize her have almost certainly heard of the boy wizard she created who goes by the simple name of Harry Potter. Harry's a bit of an overnight success himself, and he has taken J. K. Rowling along on a magical ride. Who's Eldrick Woods? Oh, if I had just said Tiger Woods, you would have picked up on it right away, and where's the fun in that?

Who are Evelyn Adams, William Post, and Suzanne Mullins? We'll get to that in a moment.

There are essentially two ways to become an overnight success. Taylor Hicks, J. K. Rowling, and Tiger Woods exemplify the first way.

Taylor Hicks became an overnight success in the middle of 2006 when he won top spot on the "American Idol" TV show. That much many "American Idol" fans and music buffs around the world now know. What many don't know, or even think about, is that Taylor Hicks spent a decade as an independent artist before his overnight success. Had you been at the Playboy Mansion, the Talledega Motor Speedway, or in Auburn, Alabama on the right night, you might have gotten to hear him perform. Over the years, he did get to perform with such legendary names as James Brown, Tom Petty, and Jackson Browne. However, up until the night he won the "American Idol" competition, HIS name was not exactly a household item.

Joanne Rowling was turned down by Oxford College in her younger days and worked variously as a researcher and secretary and also in Portugal as a teacher of English. In the early 90's, she got the initial idea for the young wizard who eventually became Harry Potter, and began writing. She completed her first novel while she was unemployed. She was living at the time on what we in America would call "welfare". When she first tried to market "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", a close friend, who was on her side, advised her to "get a day job" because he didn't feel she had a chance to make much money in children's books. The first printing run was one-thousand books and half of those were sent to libraries. Today, those first one-thousand books are each one a collector's item in itself. While this ex-secretary and English teacher must surely be pleased by the fantastic income she has made from the Harry Potter books and movies, she is possibly even more pleased by the fact that in 2006, in a poll by "The Book Magazine", J. K. Rowling was selected as "the greatest living British writer."

Okay, so how did Tiger Woods get in a list of overnight successes?

Well, you may have seen a small trend in the mini-biographies of Taylor Hicks and J. K. Rowling. Although they fit into the category, even a cursory scanning of their lives shows they paid their dues for some time before success found them. In fact, the overnight success they experienced came about after years of disappointment, standing on the bottom rung of the ladder, and in some cases, not even being near the ladder.

Tiger Woods has been called by some a "golfing prodigy", and that is not an unrealistic assessment. However, even a Tiger Woods does not get to where he is today by strapping on a set of cleats and wandering out onto a golf course with a nine iron and a dream. He learns, practices, fails, assesses, moves forward, falls down, gets up, and starts all over again.

In other words, an overnight success very seldom happens overnight. The success comes after a lot of effort on the part of the successful person.

After a memorable performance, a great pianist was approached by one of the audience. The fan spoke glowingly about the performance and finished with the remark that she wished that she could play as well. Perhaps with more truth than tact, the pianist replied to the effect that she was wrong. She could NOT genuinely wish to play as well as he. Otherwise, she would practice for hours a day year after year as he did, rather than simply "wishing" she could play as well.

Overnight success is so named from its apparently sudden appearance on one's doorstep. However, success is not too good at finding people unless they have built a pathway for it to follow, and perhaps lit a beacon as well.

I mentioned that there are essentially two ways to become an overnight success, and I have concentrated on the first group for a reason. If you wish to join that group, YOU are the one in control of the situation. If you seriously want to be in the first group, you now have an idea of what you might need to do.

So, who are Evelyn Adams, William "Bud" Post, and Suzanne Mullins? They too were overnight successes. They each won a lottery.

Evelyn Adams actually was an overnight success twice. She won the New Jersey lottery in 1985 and 1986. She won a total of 5.4 million dollars. She lost it all, donating part of it to some needy Atlantic City slot machines. "Bud" Post won 16.2 million dollars in Pennsylvania but eventually wound up living on his social security. Suzanne Mullins won 4.2 million dollars in 1993. She lost all of it and went even deeper in debt through poor decisions on its use.

There's another term sometimes used for an overnight success. That term is "flash in the pan". Many people who are seeking what they see as success will often wind up as just a flash in the pan at best unless they are willing to get out the necessary tools and prepare the pathway so that success can find them.

Tiger Woods, J. K. Rowling, and Taylor Hicks were willing to build the pathway and keep it cleared. Their names will be familiar for years to come, and they can always claim the victor's laurel wreath for becoming an overnight success.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and a University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting and a keen interest in health, self improvement, happiness, and success. He is also a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions over the years. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has a blog on writing and poetry at Ravensong-Poetry.blogspot.com and is the owner of TexasPrepaidCellular.com.

Auditioning For Canadian Idol Or Any Idol Show? Heed This Advice!

2009-06-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

We were watching the second last show of the American Idol 2007 auditions the other night ... you know the ones that make you laugh and cry all at once ... when a talented young musician who's staying with us asked "What's wrong with her voice? Why is she choking or or doing something weird with her throat as if she has something stuck there?"

An award-winning singer/songwriter, who also performs as an impersonator from time to time, had the answer immediately. She said: "You've got to remember a lot of the younger ones have grown up with Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and that whole bunch. Britney's little "uh", that sound like she makes like she's swallowing her tongue, was part of her trademark. It's what made her stand out from the rest. She needed a gimmick, especially since she really isn't much of a singer. So now, these kids come in and copy that, thinking it's good singing. They just don't know any better!"

Her comments make a ton of sense. If you want to impress these judges, and remember, you might never get in front of the decision makers themselves as there are several rounds of other judges beforehand, then for heaven's sake, don't copy the gimmicky things a major artist uses. For that matter, don't copy a major artist at all!

If you want to sing a Christina Aguilera or Whitney Houston song, first off remember that it's impossible, even for judges, to not immediately compare your delivery to theirs. Big artists like this are probably best avoided unless you truly have the chops to pull it off.

But if you do decide to do something made famous by the famous, then MAKE IT YOUR OWN. Don't sing it just the way they do. If they do a run here, or a scat there, you do something different. If you can't think of what to do, if all you can do is copy them i.e. do a karaoke performance, then don't expect the judges to wax ecstatic over your delivery. The judges are looking for original singers, ones who know who they are and have enough talent to give any song an original spin. After all, if you do win Canadian Idol, American Idol, Australian Idol or whatever Idol you enter, you will be given original songs to perform and there won't be anyone to copy. It'll be up to you and your producers to deliver a song that people haven't heard in a way they want to hear it.

In short, YOU must be able to SELL an original song. A company is going to invest millions in marketing you. We already have a Britney, a Christina, a David Bowie, a Justin Timberlake etc etc. The world doesn't need a carbon copy of these. They've already been done! And the last thing the judges, or those who are going to turn you into the next big thing want is what the world's already seen and heard.

So final word: when you go into your audition, be original or don't audition. And being original is not about dressing up like a fool or gyrating around a pole or lying on the floor. That'll probably get you into the funny pre-lim show, but that's as far as you'll go. If that's all you want, then forget what you've just read. But if you really want a shot at becoming the next "IDOL", then make sure you stand apart from the rest with your original version of whatever you sing. Good luck!

Viga Boland is the webmaster of IDOL DREAMS.

Download and Watch American Gangster the Ethical Way

2009-06-05T03:27:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of links you can find in order to download and watch American Gangster. The successful movie was uploaded by nearly every website dealing with video streaming and/or video downloading.

"American Gangster" was much anticipated, and the moment it was released, the copy was there online for downloading. In fact, the screener of the movie had appeared on the Internet even before the movie was released! Now, you can find its DVD-rip online without much of a hassle.

However, as you can figure it out, most of the sites, offering you to download and watch American Gangster for free, are simply illegal. They might excuse themselves by claiming they bear no responsibility of what links their users share. Quite often, you can see the disclaimer, saying that the site does not host any of the video materials; therefore, it does not violate copyright laws. But the truth is that there is a lot of copyright infringement going on and these sites choose to ignore it, because they are interested in attracting visitors and getting money from advertisements.

So, do not fool yourself thinking that people just share great free stuff out of generosity. More than 90% of all sites offering free movies, especially the latest ones, are harmful for your computer, installing malware to spy on your Internet surfing habits and even get your private info. Many will also try to make you click on their ads, even if you do not want to.

If you are on a file sharing network, more trouble adds to malware and pop-ups: virus attacks will be unavoidable, so all you have to rely on is your anti-virus program (which is never a 100% guarantee). In fact, it is quite possible to get your PC infected with the very first file you download from another user. So, if you have never tried it, happily keep being away from torrents.

To download and watch "American Gangster" the ethical way is possible, but it will not be free of cost. Sites, selling DVD quality movies legally, charge per movie download or per view. It is quite fair, but might not be affordable for a movie buff, who looks to watch a lot of movies on the Internet. There are ways to save, however, without risking your security and running into a trouble.

Take a minute to read my blog, which discovers the ethical, yet affordable ways to download and watch American Gangster.

Read about the top services for full length movie downloads like American Gangster today

Steps Required To Becoming A Participant On A Reality TV Game Show

2009-06-05T03:22:00.000-07:00

Reality TV shows have taken the world by storm and have become quite popular. You always hear of people having to get their American Idol fix each week or you'll be sitting in the doctor's office hearing general conversation about the latest episode of Survivor. It isn't like they contain any type of artistic wonder to them, but they are, however, cheap for to make and there are always new ways being developed that exposes the lives of people on TV.

The truth is that real life is not boring. It is interesting to see what it is someone is going to do next, especially if they are known for doing things that are considered to not be normal. However, these people get on these shows somehow, which means there are certain criteria that has to be met. Sure, we look at some of them and wonder what kind of criteria a show has when some of the participants may seem somewhat psychologically imbalanced, but it is those people that make reality shows even more interesting.

So how do people get onto reality shows such as the Bachelorette, American Idol, The Apprentice, and other such shows?

Let's look at American Idol. We all know that there is an audition process involved. We watch them on TV and we laugh our heads off at some of those who think they can sing and can't or who are just trying to get on TV. These are people that are amateurs, seasoned singers, but none of them are under any type of entertainment contract. The ages of 16 to 26 are permitted to audition at the designated venue before 8:00 a.m. on audition days. However, other reality shows may require that those applying to become participants on the show be at least 18 or 21. These are considered open call interviews, which a lot of reality shows such as the Apprentice will do in order to increase the choices of possible participants

All reality show auditions require that a release form be filled out and presented. Identification and a photograph are also required. Participants are usually interviewed at some point. For shows such as the Bachelor and the Bachelorette, the applicants must be single. The worst thing these shows want to learn is that a married man or a married woman is simply trying to get on TV. However, those wishing to participate can apply on their own or be nominated by someone else. Shows such as these also require a video that does not exceed three minutes must accompany the application and be mailed to a specified address.

For the shows that require travel in order to interview, the show will not pay the travel expenses, so it is up to the potential participant to fit the bill. Such reality shows that require this is Survivor and the Apprentice. An application is sent into the show along with a photo to a specified address. If chosen for the interview, the potential participant gets to go to Hollywood or another designated location for the interview. Most also a video no longer than three minutes that introduces the prospect to the

However, it is fair to say that the applications are on the reality show's websites and those wishing to participate must be vigilant in listening for when the show starts asking people to apply. Many of the applications require photos and three minute video introductions and will require the prospect to fit the bill for their travel expenses if chosen for an interview. Then again, open casting calls are a great way to quickly get attention, so it is important to look out for those as well.

HNE Castings is the leading agency that casts people exclusively for reality tv shows. HNE Castings has been on business for many years casting contestants for shows like Survivor, America's Next Top Model, American Idol and more.

American Idol - Stairway to Newer Gods

2009-06-05T03:19:00.001-07:00

As the name might suggests, American Idol is the nationwide search for one singer who can be crowned the undisputed music sensation. It can be said that this is one of the most perfect talent reality shows ever to appear on the tube. First started in the year 2002, American Idol has come a long way ever since its initial years. This was initially broadcasted by the FOX Network.

Presently the competition has reached its 8th edition. The format almost remains unchanged. This is one reality show that tests the mettle of the contestants and consistently puts them through grinding rounds of auditions in front of the judging crew who do their best to shape and sometimes break their morale. This show is created by Simon Fuller a UK based entertainment executive.

After two rounds with the executive producers of the show, the chosen ones finally get to meet the judges face to face and do their best in front of them. This is a show that has won applauses from all over the world and primarily is seen by millions of people. The show has a few rounds of eliminations and the audiences get to vote their favorite contestants after an initial round of auditions. The person with the least number of votes is eliminated. The American Idol format has become so popular that many other countries have started hosting similar shows.

There are a few rules that are applicable in the American Idol contests and any singer bound by a contract is not allowed to take part in this competition. He/she also needs to be American citizen or need to be permanent residents of America. Since Season 4, the upper age limit of the contestants was raised to 28 years from 24 years. The contestants who are chosen for the Hollywood round face eliminations by a different member of the judging panel consisting of Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.

This trio has been joined by Kara DioGuardi from Season 8 of American Idol. After the Hollywood round comes the Semi Finals and then the chosen participants all face each other at the Final round. In the Finals various themes revolving around various successful artists are prepared for the contestants. This includes the likes of Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Queen and Jon Bon Jovi to name a few.

In the finals, as per each performance, an episode of the results reveals the breakdown of public voting and the most popular contestants names remain a mystery. The bottom three contestants are all named or it can be said that the least popular contestants are summoned to the center of the stage and the bottom two from the three are soon revealed and finally the contestant having the lowest number of votes is bade adieu.

He or she says goodbye after giving one last performance. The finale sees only one contestant who remains as the proverbial "last contestant standing" and he or she is declared the winner. In the year 2008, the venue of the finals was changed from the Kodak Theatre to the Nokia Theatre that holds an audience of over 7,000. The winner is announced at the following results show. The winner or rather the survivor receives a total of $1,000,000 record deal with a very popular mainstream label and each year American Idol winners have recorded their maiden labels within the first few months of winning.

The winner is then managed by the American Idol-related 19 Management. In a few cases there are some finalists who have got the opportunity to get signed by the show's management company and have received a few record deals with a partner of the major label. This is American Idol where anxiety, pain, tears, public opinion, outburst, ridicule, and fate shape a winner.

Check out the latest news on American Idol and all American Idol Episodes

American Idol - Stairway to Newer Gods

2009-06-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

Real Estate Agent Personal Branding - Learning From American Idol - Part 7

2009-06-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

The Triumph of Authenticity

This American Idol season finale confirmed what was evident last year as well: The triumph of authenticity. Authenticity in personal branding for real estate agents is the most important lesson from this show.

Both finalists are genuine and unpretentious which is what America responded to with a record breaking 100,000,000 (approximately) votes. The fact that more people identified with, and voted for, Kris did not take away from Adam's success. Nor, did it take away from the other contestants in the top five-- Matt, Alison and Danny who also exemplified authenticity. Certainly, last year's "Battle of the Davids" was not a war between opponents, but two distinct styles, each with an authentic brand signal.

All five finalists this year were clear examples of distinct brand categories:

Kris - soft rock
Adam -- hard rock
Danny - pop
Alison -- rhythm & blues- female
Matt -- rhythm and blues-male

The nature of the American Idol competition is such that only one person wins. That is not the case in the real estate marketplace. They could have structured the Idol competition so that there was a winner in each brand category. This would then better mirror the competitive landscape in real estate where there can be a market leader in each niche such as condos, waterfront properties, individual neighborhoods, etc. It would also mirror the voting public who votes with their dollars when they actually buy songs or albums. Those who prefer rhythm and blues would not necessarily buy Adam's albums.

In your real estate practice, always keep this in mind: The fact that people like to do business with people that represent their personal values means that there is always room at the top. There is plenty of business for excellent real estate agents. The key is to make your brand signal so clear and strong that you attract your ideal clients and make it easy for them to identify you as their ideal agent as fast as possible. Simply stated, personal branding, done right, accelerates the match making process and is especially satisfying when that signal is authentic.

This concludes our American Idol series on personal branding. We hope you enjoyed it!

Ron and Alexandra Seigel are the managing partners of Napa Consultants, International the leading luxury real estate marketing firm, specializing in web design, personal branding, and company branding. Gain the competitive edge in your luxury real estate marketplace. Visit our highly acclaimed blog, the Language of Luxury. "Get Fluent. Get Affluent!" Learn more about gaining and sustaining market leadership at http://www.NapaConsultants.com

Winning As the Dark Horse

2009-06-05T03:08:00.000-07:00

It's amazing the lessons we can learn about life simply by paying attention to popular culture. I know that the American public watches too much television, but you can learn the lessons of life without turning on the tube simply by keeping your ears open to what's happening. There have been two instances this week that reinforces the idea that no matter what others say; it's your belief in you that will carry you across the finish line.

"Dancing with the Stars" crowned their new champion and the champ is none other than gymnast Shawn Johnson. All season and even till the end the entertainment critics had pre-coronated Giles to be the winner, but the public who gets a voice saw things differently than the producers and the judges. If we need repetition for emphasis than look no further than the most recent "American Idol" finale. The underdog Kris Allen was crowned the new "American Idol" over the judges pick Adam Lambert. On Tuesday night's American Idol the judges basically placated Kris into receiving the consolation prize without knowing the results, aren't they embarrassed?

What does this mean for you following your diagnosis of a chronic or life-threatening illness? Even the experts get it wrong. Even the experts, those with all the education may not have all the answers. Even the experts can't control the uncontrollable like your attitude, perseverance, and spiritual determination to get well. Even the experts can't predict with absolute certainty who will cross the finish line to health and healing and who will incur greater challenges.

That's the funny thing about life; we try so hard to map things, chart things, and account for things and there are just some things that go beyond being boxed into a corner. In both reality shows the dark horse didn't simply give up; they went out and left everything they had on that stage. Why? Because in that moment it wasn't about a title, a trophy or a contract, it was about being at peace with themselves. It was about the self-knowledge and commitment to fulfilling their own beliefs about themselves. It was about their personal integrity and not wanting to live a life full of regrets. Do you leave everything you have on the stage of life? Are you holding back thinking you may need some reserves? Let me tell you that you will always have enough fight when it's necessary.

Being the dark horse means that everyone around you has to be prepared for surprises. When you aren't favored to succeed you have a bit more freedom to create new paths on your journey to wellness. Being the dark horse doesn't mean that people have given up on you...they will only give up on you if you give up on you.

Would you like other suggestions for promoting health and healing in the face of adversity? Get your FREE copy of the special report "The 5 Pillars of Health and Healing". As a bonus I'd like to offer you the multimedia program "Instilling Hope for Health". Want to benefit from my experience with illness and twenty years of working with clients who have been diagnosed? Get your FREE report and multimedia program at http://www.survivingstrong.com
Watch weekly inspiring health and healing videos at http://www.survivingstrongtv.com

David Cook Singer

2009-06-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

David Cook, singer and winner of the seventh season of American Idol, is a popular musician known for songs such as "Light On."

Prior to his appearance on the popular American Idol reality TV competition, Cook released an album called Analog Heart. After winning, he released a self titled album, David Cook which has gone platinum.

Cook has lived in the southern Midwest all of his life. He was born in Houston, TX, raised in Blue Springs, MO, and now lives in Tulsa, OK. He is the middle of three brothers.

David Cook showed an early appreciation for music after a music teacher gave him a part in a Christmas play in 2nd grade. Through junior high and high school, he was active in school choirs and musical theater. When he was 12, he received his first guitar.

In addition to his musical interests, he was also active on the school's baseball team and in the forensics program (he qualified for the national tournament twice in high school).

He went to the University of Central Missouri on a drama scholarship, but did not pursue theater as a major. He graduated in 2006 with a degree in Graphic Design.

After college, he made a deal with his family that he could spend the time up until he was 26 pursuing music. After that, he would get a "real" job.

Fortunately, that time never came as Cook was a breakout success on American Idol. The funny thing though is that he never even meant to try out for the show. He simply went to the auditions to support his brother. But when the brother didn't make the cut, he encouraged David to give it a try. Cook's audition piece was Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer."

After his American Idol victory on May 21, 2008, Cook had a record shattering 11 hits on the Hot 100.

In January, 2009, Cook started the Declaration tour.

And that is the story, to date, of David Cook, singer.

If you enjoy the music of David Cook singer you should go to http://www.FreeMP3now.info where you can legally download free music by Cook including popular hits like "Light On" and "Come Back to Me."

American Idol - Will The Show Go On?

2009-06-05T03:06:00.000-07:00

American Idol continues to set new records each week with the number of votes garnered from viewers when the time comes to selecting which contestant they liked best and preferred to have them stay in the competition. It is astounding as that interest remains in a talent show that is now into its seventh season, and while television ratings might have dipped slightly this year, it is undeniable that fans still love the show, and would remain devoted as long as there are willing contestants. And the latter numbers in the tens of thousands each year when American Idol auditions are held in the various cities across the United States.

With its seventh season now nearing its climax as one contestant gets eliminated each week until the final two pit their singing talents against each other, there has been a general lack of controversy and scandal this year, unlike that of previous seasons when many American Idol fans tagged onto every news bit that emerged from the show. Even the three judges of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson got into the act at times which drummed up even more media hype. This season's contestants appear to be genuinely interested in singing and having a chance to establish themselves in the music industry, rather than generating fanfare and interest from other sources.

However, there has also been a noticeable lack of personalities this year. The initial drama generated from the likes of Asia'H Epperson, Kristy Lee Cook and Amy Davis has quickly dissipated as two of them were eliminated early in the competition, while Kristy Lee Cook has been shown to lack any performing abilities and vocal range. The men themselves have looked shy or apprehensive on stage, with the exception of David Cook, whose overbearing confidence can be easily construed as overriding arrogance by many.

Without a doubt, the remaining contestants such as David Cook, David Archuleta, Michael Johns and Brooke White have showcased their vocal talents. But the lack of a performance edge has dulled the show on many occasions. Proponents of the show would applaud this development as they would now be able to concentrate on the genuine singing abilities of the finalists, but this could easily alienate the other fans of American Idol who are genuinely enamored of the star qualities from previous editions such as that of Katherine McPhee's, who is now a regular feature in celebrity gossip columns. Whether this would lead to a stronger show in the long run is anybody's guess, but American Idol is as much about show business as it is about singing, and it remains to be seen if the producers' decision to go mainly for talent this year would be worth the risk.

David Johns is a keen fan of Asia'H Epperson for season 7 and American Idol in general. He enjoys reviewing the show every week and provides insightful critique of each contestant's performance

Melinda Doolittle - The American Idol for Season Six

2009-06-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

I like being entertained and if you have been watching this seasons' Idols in competition, you will probably agree with me and think they should just hand over the crown to Melinda DooLittle now.

Yahoo TV is reporting an October 7th, 1977 date of birth for DooLittle. Which happens to be a date that is very near to last years winner Taylor Hicks' date of birth. But Hicks has several different sites reporting inconsistencies on his date of birth. Some sources are saying it was 10/6/76, while others are saying it is 10/7/76, and still yet there are others that say it was on the 8th, and even one site reported January 24...

...and it is really driving this stargazer nuts, I mean really, you are either born on the 6th or the 7th, in October or January. I am wondering how these folks make it to work on time.

Anyway, getting back to Melinda DooLittle, and hoping that Yahoo TV got her birth data right, I took a look at DooLittles' stars for 10/07/77 in Brentwood, TN at sunrise.

Melinda is having what is called in astrology her Saturn Return. It simply means that the planet Saturn, in its transit right now, is coming to pass the same exact position it held when Melinda was born.

This astrological occurrence (Saturn Return) usually happens for all of us around the ages of 28, 29, and 30. It is a time when we want to do what we came here to do. We want to quit messin' around and get down to life's business. This Saturn Return for Melinda is happening in the sign of Leo--and the sign of Leo is the sign that rules talent, creativity, and the stage. Being an American Idol contestant is perfectly fitting.

Now although Melinda has her progressed Moon moving through the sign of Leo and ready to conjunct her natally placed Saturn--and that is a very good thing for Melinda as it gets her recognition (Saturn) as a stage performing powerhouse (Leo) with massive popularity (Moon) --but I am just not sure if that is enough to get her the crown.

I was hoping to see several favorable transits from Jupiter to her natal and progressed planets as was with past season idol winners. Especially when I don't trust the American Idol voting process. I mean really, they make such a big deal over these voting numbers each week but never a big deal of how these numbers are exactly processed --and so, when you know that an anagram for the phrase AMERICAN IDOL is DEMONIC LIAR it sort of leaves one, at least me, in an doubtful frame of mind as to the voting integrity of American Idol. Oh, but I still watch each week. I told you, I like to be entertained, and this Melinda DooLittle knows all about delivery and entertaining.

Now speaking of anagrams the letters in the name MELINDA DOOLITTLE when rearranged become ALL-TIME NOTED IDOL. Ya gotta love it.

So I am thinking, perhaps the time of Melinda's birth will place transitting Jupiter accordingly--like on her ascendant or midheaven--and she will be our next American Idol. Or perhaps this other anagram I found ELIMINATED TO DOLL will come into play meaning that one of the younger gals beat her out. Gina or Jordan come to mind.

Whether Doolittle is meant to have the Idol crown or not (which only an exact time of her birth will tell for sure) there is one thing for certain--her life from here on in will not be the same...

...as Melinda's progressed Sun has just moved over progressed Uranus and is getting hit with a trining transit from Uranus. So there is will one surprise after the other for Melinda. And one way or the other, voted in or voted off, Melinda DooLittle will be in a recording studio somewhere belting out one goose-bump song after the next. Oh my, but wait...

...I just noticed one more thing. The planet Neptune, which is the planet that inspires music, measures 13 degrees of Sagittarius at Melinda's birth, which in total degrees of celestial longitude measures to become the number 253. This number 253 can become the date 5/23 , which this year happens to fall on a Wednesday, which is after Tuesday, which is a date that has in the past been very near the date when other American Idols got their crown.

I guess we will just have to wait and see if MELINDA DOOLITTLE and the name anagram DOMINATE IDOL TELL will put her at the finale.

Renee Francis is a professional Astrologer located in Southern Colorado. Miss Francis offers a wide range of astrological services from natal chart erection to astrological report services. She also schedules private phone consults and designs specialized workshops around a groups own interests.

Miss Francis' real unrelenting passion for the stars however lies in her own independent study into the matter of missing children and the use of using the stars and planets as a tool in location and profiling possible suspects.

When Miss Francis' isn't charting the stars for others, or playing around with the words that can be born of people names, she waits to hear from you.

When you visit her site Astrology for Today she offers visitors the opportunity to get a Free Full Color Natal Birth Chart with a free subscription to her newsletter wherein she shares her avid interest teaching others how to be their own best Astrologer.

American Idol Can Lead to Amazing Profits!

2009-06-05T03:03:00.000-07:00

American Idol is hugely popular on TV in the US, but the internet allows it to be popular worldwide. This kind of exposure means it can be used to generate online profits - here's what I mean...

As the weekly show airs, the amount of traffic related to the subject increases. It's relatively easy to find keywords to focus on, and what I mean by keywords is the words that people are typing into search engines to get their information.

On the day of the show, the quest for information about how was voted out gets to a stage where those keywords become some of the hottest searches online, full stop! This is huge information, because it means that we know where there is a load of online traffic, so all we have to do to make profits is to put something in front of that traffic which we can monetize.

This could be as simple as a blog post - it's free to do, and if we set up blog with adverts that make us money, which can be set up fro free, and if we use the relevant keywords in our blog post title, it will hoover up a good portion of that traffic, which in turn will lead to profit.

That may seem too easy, or only small change, but those too concepts are wrong. Yes, it is easy, but in fact it's the ease of the process that puts people off, who simply cannot believe it can be that simple. Secondly, the small change can add up if you repeat the process over and over, and once you get used to it, you can crank out the pages, and then leave them to build up free profits for you.

So you can see, it's possible to make amazing profits online from American Idol.

Gordon Bryan is a writer from the UK. Find out more about how he uses current events to generate profits and grab his free traffic generating technique at: http://www.gordonbryan.com/currentevents

3 Tips to Pass American Idol

2009-06-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

The first round of American Idol Audition is very different from the show you see on TV. The producers, not Randy, Simon and Paula, will pick up the persons who they think might have potential out of tens of thousands of contestants. Here are some useful tips.

Go to a hotel near the venue and have a good rest. Usually the audition begin at 8 a.m. Any line up before 6 a.m. is not allowed. You better get there between 6 a.m and 8 a.m. Leave plenty of time to traffic since there will be a big crowd. Bring some food and water with as you may have a long line to wait.
Dress smart. Since there are only 15-30 seconds for each contestant, put on some dress which make you standing out. according to the game rules, clothing that reveals tattoos, has designer names, sports teams, or any other logos or brand names, or bears the name or likeness of a celebrity, living or dead are not allowed. My advice is to dress like a real, stylish, and attractive you. Dress like American idol winner will not help since the producers are looking for people with potential.
Pick up the right song to show your voice. Since you've got just 15-30 seconds, make the best use of it. Do not pick up a song that is poplar, cool, or different. Choose the song carefully to make sure show off your unique voice. My advice is to show in front of your family or friends. Let them tell you which song they think represent you best. Also prepare 1 or 2 backup songs in case the producer really like you and ask you to sing something else.

If you want to pass American Idol audition and make yourself shown on TV. Click the link below to find out the absolute "lock and key" to you getting past the first round. http://www.buyer-review.com/americanidol/

Simon Cowell: The Man Behind the Scowl

2009-06-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Ah, Simon Cowell: the wit, the jabs, the accent. If you’re like me – a fan of American Idol (Hi Sanjaya!) – you probably find yourself having a love/hate relationship with good ol’ Simon. On one hand he’s cute, he’s funny, and he’s extremely honest: he’s seemingly what every girl wants to find in a man. But, on the other hand, he’s a little too honest. He’s not the type of guy a woman should approach in a new pair of jeans and ask, "Do these make me look fat?" Sometimes Simon should simply plead the fifth.

Still, you have to respect his honesty. In a world where lying and brown nosing run rampant, Simon has taken a stand and said what most people are afraid to say: exactly what he thinks. This leaves many of us curious about who he really is; just who is the Cowell behind the scowl?

Simon Cowell was born in Brighton, England to a music industry property executive and a socialite. From a large family – and here we thought he was an only child – Simon has three half brothers, a half sister, and a younger brother. A family of success, many of his siblings are multimillionaires.

After dropping out of school at the age of 17, Simon teetered between a few random jobs before, with the help of his father, landing a job in the mail room at EMI Music Publishing. Going from the mail room to where Simon is now may seem like something straight out of television, but for Simon - a man known for blending TV with real life - this "television like plot" proved to be his reality.

He soon began to climb the ranks of EMI, periodically leaving to pursue other endeavors, only to return when those endeavors failed. In 1985, however, the failing temporarily ceased: Simon, along with a coworker, launched an independent record label called Fanfare Records. For four years Fanfare saw success, but in 1989 – when the mother company of Fanfare discontinued – Simon was met with bankruptcy, debt, and a move back in with his parents.

In late 1989, Simon landed a job as an A&R representative for BMG. Here he signed a number of pop acts who were well received and began releasing novelty recordings. These featured, among others, songs from The Teletubbies and The Power Rangers.

In 2001, Simon was given his proverbial gavel and became a judge on Pop Idol, a British television reality series that featured undiscovered young talent in the United Kingdom. Like its spin-off, American Idol, Pop Idol involved viewers calling in to vote for their favorites.

Born from Pop Idol, American Idol hit the airwaves in 2002 and - with Simon at the judging helm - became an instant hit. The success of American Idol is based on many factors - America’s love for music, the excitement of discovering talent that would otherwise go unnoticed, the ability to participate in the choice that is made - but one huge factor is simply Simon. Without people tuning in to see what he will say, American Idol would not have garnered such a huge fan base.

While working on American Idol, Simon also serves on the judging panel of The X Factor, a British talent show airing on Saturdays. Produced by Simon’s production company, The X Factor aims to find performers who possess that indescribable factor capable of making them a star. Unlike Pop Idol or American Idol, The X Factor has no age limit, allowing anyone over 14 to participate, and allows both solo singers and groups to enter the competition.

In 2006, Simon secured himself - both financially and in pop culture - by signing a five year contract worth 38 million. In addition to American Idol, Simon is involved with American Inventor, America’s Got Talent, Celebrity Duets, Grease is the Word, and Rock Rivals.

Love him or hate him - or go back and forth - American Idol would not be the same without Simon Cowell. He brings an element of surprise and brutal honesty to the show. Sometimes he seems cruel, but most of the time he simply appears like a man whose bark is way worse that his bite.

The biggest thing fans really have to appreciate about him is that when he sees someone who is a good singer, he doesn't play games: he tells them they're great and when he says it we know he means it. It is a sentiment dear to the heart, and one he conveys in my imagination each time I sing in the shower.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a gift for stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

The Idol-Makers

2009-06-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

The end of the television season in May included the usual array of cliffhangers on shows like “Alias,” the departure of Noah Wylie from “ER” and the finale of the highly-rated “Everybody Loves Raymond” after 210 episodes. On the last day of “Sweeps,” more than 29 million people tuned in to see the crowning of the fourth “American Idol.”

With a recording contract and the key to a private jet in hand, Carrie Underwood, a 22-year-old college student from Oklahoma, said her victory was “the best night of my life.” Next week her first single debuts, most likely near the top of the charts. From there, she’ll take her shot at stardom, hoping to match the multi-platinum album sales of the first “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson and second-year runner-up Clay Aiken.

In terms of total viewers, “American Idol” ranked first this season, and fans cast nearly 500 million votes during the competition. If your franchise business was like “American Idol,” a celebrity panel and national television audience would soon be judging your employees “on stage.” As an Idol-Maker, it is your role to give them the guidance they need to perform at their highest level, so you get the outcome you seek.

Success Handler Action: If Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell called today and said they will be in town next month to review your employees, what steps would you need to take to get them ready for their big moment? Even if the phone doesn’t ring, preparing your employees for being the best in their jobs will make your small business soar. After you finish reading this E-Newsletter, use these questions to identify your biggest employee training opportunities:

~ Who is having the most difficult time executing their jobs in the manner you would like?

~ What are some of the things that keep happening frequently without improvement?

~ Where are areas you find yourself saying, “If only someone would ________?”

~ When mistakes occur, which individuals struggle to take responsibility?

~ Why are some of you employees not achieving the growth you expected this year?

“American Idol” had a big snafu this season when “pure human error” led to the wrong voting phone numbers appearing on the screen, and Fox had to throw out the results that night. While errors in your small business are not necessarily apparent to millions, they still impede your progress. Communicating the right way to do things and redirecting your employees’ efforts when needed is essential to improving your results.

Success Handler Action: Effective leadership begins in your recruiting and hiring, and continues through training and motivation. This means you have to regularly mold and polish your employees in order to prosper. Here are five ideas for turning them into outstanding performers:

1. Make sure your employees understand the vision you have for your small business.

2. Clarify your expectations, and how you will measure each person’s role.

3. Act like a director…leading them back on track when they stray off script.

4. Use “The Oreo Cookie Approach” to feedback – Compliment / Confront / Compliment.

5. Treat every day like an entertainer would: the joy is in the performance.

Carrie Underwood is the survivor among more than 100,000 wannabes who auditioned for this season’s “American Idol.” The show is a cultural phenomenon that creates a celebrity and makes a lot of money for a lot of people. While your employees may never sing on national television or receive a million-dollar talent contract, if you dedicate time, energy and resources to helping them develop their skills and shoot for the stars, you will be the big winner.

Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he’s been there – as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

How To Be A Blogging Idol Instead Of An Idle Blogger

2009-06-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

To be successful at Search Engine Optimization, it’s important that you continually test out new theories and ideas. Before I use new SEO techniques on a client’s website, I always test them on one of my own. In order to better understand the application of SEO to blogs, I decided to implement the following experiment:

I would create a blog for each American Idol contestant. Using a pseudonym, I would blog each candidate until they got booted off the show.

Once the final 12 candidates were decided, I would step up my posting pace. Being that this was an SEO project, I didn’t aim to provide any valuable insights into the candidates…I only planned to “blurb” news articles that mentioned each contestant.

The goal at the end of the project (besides gaining useful knowledge) was to have 1-2 “sustainable” blogs in place, while generating massive traffic the week of the final show.

Several weeks into the project, I discovered two things:

The Bo Bice Blog received considerably more traffic and better search engine rankings than the other blogs I had created.
Bo Bice was the first Idol contestant in 4 years that TOTALLY ROCKED. I very much wanted him to win.
So, while keeping my SEO experiment going, I decided to really “blog” about Bo Bice. In doing so, I learned many valuable lessons about creating a successful blog that can generate sustainable traffic, including many repeat visits.

Beginners Lessons:

Have a narrow focus: The quickest way to drive traffic to your blog is through excellent search engine rankings. If you blog about lots of unrelated topics, you won’t rank well for any of your key terms. Even if you don’t know much about SEO, you can still create a blog that will rank well in the search engines. Pick a narrow topic and keep your posts on topic. Choose a group of keywords relevant to your chosen topic and make sure you feature these terms prominently in your posts.

Build a base of content: Unless you already have a built-in audience, very few people are going to read your early blog posts because they will be extremely hard to find in either the blogosphere or the search engines. So, save your best content for when you’ve already developed a steady stream of web traffic. Blogging newspaper articles is a good way to build up relevant content quickly. All you need to do is subscribe to Google news alerts to get relevant articles featuring your top keywords. As your receive new articles, create a blog entry for each article, excerpt a relevant snippet (making sure to credit the source), and comment on the piece. This might not be interesting to your readers…but the objective here is to reach a point where you can start creating original, unique content that people will actually read because your blog can be easily found. For the more advanced beginners, adding an RSS feed that is focused on your targeted niche will also be of great value to your blog.

Try to make several posts each week. You’ll be amazed how much content you can build up in a short period of time.

Monetize your blog (if appropriate): I placed a combination of contextual and affiliate advertising on my blog. The advertising revenue on my blog was poor given the amount of traffic I generated…however, if you are blogging successfully in areas of business and technology, you could make a good deal of money from such advertising. Google AdSense is a ubiquitous way for bloggers to earn money from blogging. Once you’ve placed the AdSense javascript snippet in your blog source code, Google’s contextual ad technology will automatically choose ads relevant to your blog content and when someone clicks on the ad, you get paid.

Advanced Techniques:

“Blog and Ping”: There is a reason why news spreads so rapidly through the blogosphere. When you update your blog, depending on your blog host, a “ping” might be sent to one or more blog search engines that track the blogosphere, showing that you’ve made a new post to your blog. People who have subscribed to your blog, or people interested in your blogging topic, can be notified about your post and read it / link to it. An active course of “blogging and pinging” will help greatly in building links to your blog and generating more traffic.

Websites and software exist that will allow you to manually send pings to dozens of known blog search engines. Ping-o-matic is a website that allows you to ping 18 different blog search engines on demand. I’ve been using RSSSubmit from Dummy Software to submit all feeds to over 70 such services at the push of a button.

“Conventional” Link-Building: To maximize your blog search engine rankings, I strongly recommend building links for your blog just as if it were a website. I did not do this for the Bice blog and that oversight (probably) came back to bite me.

Google’s “Bourbon” update hit several days before the American Idol final and this blog was the only “Bourbon” casualty in my entire portfolio…vanishing from Google the Saturday before the final. My intuition (plus other anecdotal evidence) tells me that had I built a foundation of links outside the blogosphere prior to Bourbon, the blog would not have been hit…of course, I’ll never know. The blog reappeared in Google with its excellent search engine ranking 10 days after the Idol final, depriving me of a tremendous volume of Bo Bice web traffic for the time surrounding the final…Thanks, Google:.)

Linkmarket.net is by far the best link-trading site on the Internet. They now have more than 20,000 sites that are potential link partners. For $24.85 per year, you have unlimited ability to trade links with any site on the network. No matter what your site niche is, you should be able to find hundreds of potential trading partners and generate large numbers of inbound links quickly.

Press Releases: Online press releases are an excellent way to generate notice for your blog. I created a press release announcing the launch of the blog, and once I decided to “actively” blog Bo, I wrote a release each week recapping the show and featuring highlights from the blog. Online press releases can get thousands or even tens of thousands of reads…especially if you are writing on a “hot topic”. Many of the press release readers will become blog visitors.

PRWEB and PRLeap are the two most prominent online press release bureaus. Both allow free submission of releases and both allow you to pay for better “placement”. Your press releases will also get spidered into the search engines and (sometimes) will end up in Google or Yahoo News as well. I’ve seen my Bo Bice press releases as high as #3 in Google News for a “Bo Bice” search.

Best Idea Yet

When my blog reached a consistent 500 visitors a day, I decided to actively solicit posts from Bo’s fans. Sure, most blogs give readers the ability to post comments…but I thought that if I ran the comments as actual posts, I could create a “buzz” about the blog and generate large numbers of repeat visits. I ended up getting 5-15 e-mails every day from Bo’s fans wanting their information to be posted on the blog. So long as the post met my minimum blogging criteria, I ran the submission. Traffic spiked immediately and the quality of the submissions was generally excellent.

My idea worked strategically because the readers unknowingly submitted content that was SEO’ed for the keywords that were the focus of my blog… “Bo Bice”. By running reader posts, I generated large amounts of SEO’ed content that helped generate and maintain my top search engine rankings. And, my “Blog and Ping” strategy ensured that each and every new post (several per day) was broadcast all over the Internet.

Top Search Engine Rankings Confer “Authority Status”

For most of the duration of American Idol 4, I ranked #2 -4 in Google, and #6-15 in Yahoo for “Bo Bice” and I learned such rankings conferred an enormous amount of “authority” in my chosen subject. A sampling of my e-mails I received included:

After Bo performed “Vehicle” by “The Ides of March” (the first time), an original member of the band e-mailed a message to Bo’s fans through the blog. He even asked me if I knew how to reach Bo…which I didn’t.

A CBS Early Show Producer contacted my blog to promote Bo’s appearance on the show…asking his fans to show up at their New York studios.

What’s more, I received multiple messages from the person running the AOL American Idol fan poll soliciting votes for Bo.

Results:

Currently, my Bo Bice blog is generating sustainable traffic with very little work on my part (barring any unforeseen search engine calamity). As the American Idol Concert tour rolls this summer and as Bo gets to work on his first post-Idol album, I expect the traffic to increase.

One doesn’t need to be a SEO ace to be able to create a blog that can generate a large number of visitors. Whether you wish to blog for business lead generation, ad revenue, or personal reasons, if you follow the techniques described above, you can create and sustain a well-trafficked blog by following the techniques listed above.

Todd Mintz is the Director of Internet Marketing & Information Systems for S.R. Clarke Inc., a Real Estate Development and Residential / Commercial Construction Executive Search / Recruiting Firm headquartered in Fairfax, VA with offices nationwide. He is also a Director & Founding Member of SEMpdx: Portland, Oregon's Search Engine Marketing Association.

Let's Elect Presidents American Idol Style

2009-06-05T02:57:00.002-07:00

I am tired of the way politicians run the way we elect a president. Wait, you thought you had a say in all this?

I'm tired of the Obama/Clinton and bystanders dog and pony show. Meaningless drivel. Debates. Ha. It's like watching Judge Judy or The People's Court! Election debates, like advertising in America has fallen to the level of the people who watch it, which is why we click through it. You'd have to have a pretty simple mind, or a Family Guy/Simpson's mind to believe that the orchestrated "electiontainment" we view on TV actually constitutes meaningful discourse on which we make decisions. Back up. Remember. Americans don't make decisions. We don't make choices. We are not proactive. We are reactive, and let things like George Bush, Bill Clinton, Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton happen to us.

Like Zig Ziglar says. Americans don't make choices. "We get up everyday no closer to hitting goals we never set for ourselves in the first place." Then we protect the candidate we believe should be the next President. Get real. Voting for next President of the United States has become something akin to going door-to-door soliciting small B2B accounts for Staples or Office Depot. As soon as you walk in the receptionists say, "No thank you. The bosses like Office Depot and I know they don't want to change." What? You think all these guys woke up this morning with the first conscious thought on their mind being, "Today I am going to defend my current office supply company to the death.!?" They just don't like you. And our choice in candidates is not a choice. It is the lesser of two evils. They are not leaders and most of us pick a candidate based upon who we think will do the least additional harm. Leader of the free world. Not. Presidents should be picked under the criteria "Entertainer of the Year.

We should do away with the electoral college, primaries and caucus states as they bear little resemblance to the popular vote. Bush lost the popular vote. Instead, think more in terms of voting on American Idol. Lets just have the candidates perform over a sixteen episode season and America can text in the winners of each week's competition. Then again, would Taylor Hicks be better? Doughtry seemed to do OK. Let's call the show American President. Anyone in Hollywood want to help me produce the show with Simon Cowel as one of the judges? Who cares how old the voters are who text in. We have adults voting now and we pick unqualified on-the-job-trained Presidents.

Martin Calle is Chief Creation Strategist at Calle & Company, the consumer packaged good industry's leading innovation management, knowledge creation business transformation company. Calle & Company invents, and reinvents, the world's most powerful consumer products, brands and categories specializing in new product concept development, new category and segmentation creation, breakthrough new product positioning and elemental product, packaging and delivery system design. Martin Calle's after-market creativity impacts today's corporate consumer brand portfolios significantly.

Filipina Dating - Four Qualities Of Filipino Girls

2009-06-05T02:57:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for a Filipino girl? If you have Filipino friends then you already know what are Filipino girls like. However, for the benefit of those still searching and looking for a Filipino girl, these are some qualities you would surely like to know.

First, Filipino girls are known for their exotic oriental beauty and sweetness. There are many beautiful Filipinas who are famous worldwide, and have won international awards on beauty contests.

Some very popular Filipino Americans have even made it to Hollywood and American television, like Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Tia Carrere, Phoebe Cates, Reggie Lee who played Bill Kim in "Prison Break (Season 2)", Victoria Principal of "Dallas", Victoria Recaño of "CSI: Miami", Rob Schneider of "Saturday Night Live", Anna Maria Perez de Tagle who played Ashley from "Hannah Montana", Tamlyn Tomita of "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Karate Kid - Part II", Cheryl Burke who is a participant in "Dancing with the Stars", Vanessa Minnillo and many others.

In the international music industry, there are the likes of Allan Pineda of The Black Eyed Peas, Kirk Hammett who is the lead guitarist for Metallica, Enrique Iglesias, Julio Iglesias Jr., Nicole Scherzinger who is the lead singer for the Pussycat Dolls, and many others. Filipino Americans who were "American Idol" contestants includes Jasmine Trias of American Idol (Season 3), Camile Velasco of American Idol (Season 3), Melinda Lira of American Idol (season 4) and Ramiele Malubay of American Idol (Season 7). Also the first Asian supermodel in the 1980s who is Anna Bayle, and the famous Hollywood Fashion Designer Monique Lhuillier, who was born and raised in the Philippine province of Cebu, are both Filipino Americans.

Second, Filipino girls are not only beautiful, but are also charming and cheerful. Filipinas have a positive disposition in life making them delightful and friendly.

Third, the Filipino girl is often times conservative about how she conducts herself, particularly in public. A Filipino girl is usually prim and proper in her actions. This is because the Philippines is a country with many old fashioned ways.

In the courtship aspect, a real Filipina from the Philippines will respect her elders, have close family ties, strong religious beliefs, and will take a man seriously if only he is really willing to visit her family and introduce himself formally to her parents. It is considered disrespectful if a man courts a Filipino girl without informing her parents! In the Philippines, you should know that it is always expected that the man must show his face to the Filipina girl's family or else her whole family will not approve of you!

With that, Filipina women are expected to be playing hard to get. It is also one way by which the Filipina woman can measure the sincerity of her man. Love and romance is a very serious matter with conservative Filipina women, whether they are from a city like Manila, Cebu or the provinces.

Fourth, many Filipino girls have a heart of gold. They are also very sweet, loving, romantic, loyal and really faithful to the man they love. So, if you want to marry a Filipino girl, you should win the love in her Filipina heart, and you can have your Filipina beauty as your Filipino bride. However, be patient in your courtship and be really sincere in your intentions and you will surely win the love of her Filipina heart.

So, if you are looking for a Filipino girl as a girlfriend, or to be your future Filipino bride, do not wait for it to happen to you. Take action now.

Join online Filipino dating sites and meet the Filipino girl of your dreams!

Looiking for a Filipina? Visit http://www.filipinakisses.com and meet single Filipino girls for Filipina dating, online chat, serious relationship or more! Good luck!

Get your copy of The Western Man's Guide for Finding a Filipina Bride

Does Clay Aiken Have a Girlfriend?

2009-06-05T02:56:00.000-07:00

Does Clay Aiken have a girlfriend? The popular singer who first came to fame on the second season of television's American Idol didn't talk about women for a long time saying he preferred to keep that aspect of his life private. But in a 2008 interview, he admitted that he was gay.

Aiken didn't win on American Idol - he came in second to Ruben Stoddard, but RCA still offered him a contract. His first solo item was called "The Measure of a Man." This album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Chart and sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week.

Since then, he's recorded four more albums. They are: Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008).

He's been on television since his debut on American Idol. He has been on both Saturday Night Live and the Tonight Show.

Does Clay Aiken have a girlfriend? Well, on Saturday Night Live, he was in a skit where star Jimmy Kimmel's then girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) admitted to having an affair with the singer. But that was a joke.

He does have a son, Parker Foster Aiken, with the woman who was the executive producer of his last three albums, Jaymes Foster.

Clay Aiken has also returned to American Idol from time to time. He appeared in season 5 on a night when all of the singers featured his music. He also provided the voice over for the 2007 AI Rewind show.

When you ask "Does Clay Aiken have a girlfriend" you may be missing the point of his music. The pop star has a musical gift that he chooses to keep separate from his private life.

Want the latest music from Clay Aiken? Get 25 Free MP3s now!

Watch American Ingenuity at Work on Satellite TV

2009-06-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

Imagination and Creativity! Those are the most critical components behind the popularity of the reality TV show American Inventor. Get inspired by watching on satellite TV as ordinary people turn their ideas into revolutionary new products. American inventor, the name of the show, is a dead giveaway for the general idea - inventions made by American entrepreneurs - but it doesn't fully explain the whimsical appeal of the show itself. Invention is transformed into competition, as 12 Americans, selected from hundreds of entrants, try to make their own invention the best of all.

The format of the show allows for a keen understanding of each personality and project. The group of inventors selected are split up into groups of three, and each show then focuses on one group at a time as the three people compete against one another. Each creator is given a budget of $50,000 dollars to optimize their invention â€" an amount that can be plenty or insufficient depending on the techniques and materials involved for each tool, product or toy. Some are eliminated during each episode while others move towards the top prize.

Some sassy Brits are the brains behind American Inventor. It was created by Peter Jones, who participated in a similar version in the UK, and produced by the same people who brought us American Idol, including - you guessed it - Simon Cowell. Their success with other reality shows is evidence enough that this show has got a lot to offer. There have been just two seasons thus far, and with any luck they will return with a third season soon.

The inventions on the show range from the weird to the everyday. Some are so simple and unexpected as to be a real contribution to society. A Season One competitor produced a training vest that helps athletes learn to catch a football, particularly aimed at helping receivers. The product is getting an endorsement from Jerry Rice and will actually get manufactured and be available for purchase in the future.

There are other excellent inventions: Who doesn't want a clip to use when the lock on a bathroom door is broken? And no doubt the world would benefit from a toilet that stopped the spread of bacteria when it flushed. In season two there was a breathtaking invention that certainly deserved to win - a convertible and backless bra made by contestant Elaine Cato. Happily, even without winning it still piqued the interest of several manufacturers and is now sold by Maidenform. That's the beauty of the show - although there is indeed a winner who carries away a cool million in business resources and support, most of the inventions are useful and clever enough that they get picked up by big brands and are successfully developed into reality.

Trying to find the best Direct TV deals? Whitney Alen can help. She's a whiz when it comes to satellite TV and everything related to it - Direct TV HD programming, packages and equipment.

Top Ten American Idols Ever

2009-06-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

American Idol has begun to carve out a nice little niche for itself. Perhaps this is an understatement, considering we’re talking about the most popular show in the country. But, I’m talking about a legacy. The American Idols have become stars after appearing on the show, which is a rarity for reality TV. If you look at a show like Survivor, the victor of each season gains a little bit of momentary fame, but usually that fame fades after a few months. American Idol, to gain credibility, needs their winners to continue being famous even after the show ends.

Now, watching American Idol, there are many cynical viewers who would argue that the fame is only momentary as well, and that none of the singers will ever be famous. Thankfully for American Idol, the singers who have won the crown have gone on to claim fame on their own accord.

Just look at season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. She is a Grammy nominee, she has had number one singles and she can be viewed outside of the realm of American Idol. Carrie Underwood is a huge name in country music these days. Maybe most impressively, Jennifer Hudson, who didn’t even win American Idol, is now nominated for an Oscar.

The point of this is that the Top Ten American Idols Ever, the article by BuddyTV, displays how much potential and star power the American Idol alumni actually have. The show will continue to be successful and one of the reasons is because that the alumni are becoming famous.

For more information about American Idol or especially about Top Ten American Idols Ever please review this site http://www.buddytv.com

American Idol on Your Cell Phone?

2009-06-05T02:52:00.000-07:00

There is probably not one person in the civilized world who hasn't heard of American Idol. From the US to Europe and all the way to Asia, American Idol can be heard from the lips of avid fans. Fox Network really lucked out with its version of the UK Pop Idol. Created by the now famous Simon Cowell and Simon Jones, American Idol has reached a level of popularity unmatched by even the NBA Playoffs and the Superbowl (check the Nielsen Ratings). It was supposed to be called Pop Idol but due to the increase in patriotic sentiment after the 9/11 attacks the name was changed to American Idol.

As with any other very successful ventures, American Idol has made available a plethora of merchandise. From T-shirts to caps and posters, anyone remotely interested in American Idol can find this merchandise with hardly any effort. Of course, today's technologically inclined society has not failed to capitalize on the success of American Idol. The TV show itself makes use of advances in communications technology to involve the viewer in the show. As anyone would know, American Idol makes use of toll free numbers to take in viewer votes. One could also use text messaging to cast a vote.

Now you can take it one step further by putting American Idol on your cell phone. If seeing the show twice a week is not enough for you, then bring the show with you wherever you go. Hear the live performances of your favorite American Idol contestants every time your cell phone rings. With Cingular's offer of live performances as ringtones, you can now get the latest performance less than 24 hours of the show's broadcast. Cingular Wireless launched this offer in late March this year. You can also browse their available list of other performances for this season.

If you have been a fan for a long time, then you would appreciate the ringtones which feature hits by previous American Idol winners. Hits by Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Fantasia Barrino are all available as ringtones these days. Of course, the all too familiar American Idol theme song has not been left out. If you love American Idol, chances are you are in love with Ryan Seacrest as well. Hear his voice any time you want by downloading the "Seacrest Out!" salute.

American Idol merchandise for the cell phone is not limited to ringtones. Instead of just dreaming of your favorite American Idol contestant, why not get a hold of his or her photo and set is as you cell phone's wallpaper? You might even find a really good one and use it as your screen saver.

If that is not enough, you can buy the new LG F9100 American Idol Phone. This new cell phone is available through Cingular Wireless. It features a slider QWERTY keyboard, 5-way navigation joy stick, and weighs in at only 33.5 grams! The screen is wide enough to have the clearest view of your favorite American Idol contestants. Unfortunately the cell phone is currently available in the US only.

Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of GetMeRingtones, a site specialising in the different genres of ringtones, including polyphonic ringtones, and MP3 ringtones.

American IDOL A Sham?

2009-06-05T02:51:00.000-07:00

Normally I would not write or comment about reality TV shows but we have really reached our limits and I just had to voice an opinion. I have watched almost all of this seasons American IDOL show, mainly because I like the music, but I have become discouraged that the show may not be a real talent show. I understand that voters can sway the results but who actually knows the results are what they tell us they are. In the past I thought that it was real because some of the winners were down right awful and they still received the votes to win.

This year we had two great finalists and it seemed like a pretty decent Top 10 but yet we had some in the Top 10 that in my opinion never should have made it on the show and were just carried through so that they could send them home and build the ratings to the big show down. Are we expected to believe that all the shows are real and the producers and TV moguls are not having influence on who goes and who stays? Perhaps I am naive and these results are all real but I just cant buy it. I feel I have been cheated, but of course the ones I thought would win were sent home so maybe I have become biased.

I just wanted to vent and get it out there and this seemed like the best way! I only hope that the results are really based on talent and not just ratings for TV. We are lied to and cheated enough without our entertainment becoming corrupted to. Alas, the show must go on, right?

Randall Gray is the owner of several businesses and is just becoming adept at working the net. This is his first article and he hopes you enjoyed it. You can vist and blog with Randy at the link below http://gagenterprises.blogspot.com

American Idol - David Cook Finally Takes the Title

2009-06-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

American Idol, probably the most watched show in the history of entertainment finally crowned it's winner David Cook at the Nokia Theatre in grand finale fit for a superstar. It was touching to see him get overcome by emotions after his last performance. Maybe reflecting on his long journey on American Idol was just too much for him and he was glad it was finally over.

There's no doubt both Davids are extremely talented. But I'd always been rooting for David Archuleta through out the season and I still believe he delivered. Cook is definitely a great singer but his performances I thought were a bit lackluster for a grand finale compared to Archuleta who delivered knock out after knock out which prompted Simon Cowel to declare him winner of round 1 and 2 of the 3 rounds. It's just as well though. At just 17 the boy is too young. He has a very powerful voice but most of the time he just didn't know what to say when asked questions. But hey! It was not a talking competition.

I think America was afraid to catapult him to teenage megastardom lest he meets the ogre that ate former teenage star's Britney Spears' brains. He's already a star by virtue of his big voice and immense talent but maybe having not won the title will give him a chance to cool off and complete his studies. The youngster had trouble even dealing with the possibility of being crowned American Idol Season 7. Throughout the show he looked mostly overwhelmed - like he would faint at any time. David Cook on the other hand is more mature at 25 years and is better placed to handle the pressures that are likely to come with is new job. I hope their careers will blossom like for some of the former winners of American Idol.

Speaking of former American Idol Winners, I was really shocked at the performance of one Fantasia Barrino on the show a few weeks ago. Talk of change of musical style! She was never my favorite even during her season but at least she had a sweet voice and actually used to actually sing! This time she landed onto the stage with blazing red hair, red lips and red nails and shouted herself hoarse. Whatever she's smoking she needs to stop. Even Simon Cowel was caught on camera gawking in obvious disbelief. Other past winners like Jordan Sparks and Kerry Underwood seem to be doing much better.

Top Ten American Idols Ever

2009-06-05T02:49:00.000-07:00

American Idol boasts the largest audience in the history of the United States. It seems like everyone I’ve ever met not only watches the show, but is passionate about it. This is the beauty of American Idol. People can grab on to a specific contestant and root for them as the season progresses. They are characters in a sense, but quite unlike ones on normal TV. You can’t predict what they will do, how they will sing on a given night, or when they’ll be going home. American Idol is wholly unpredictable and, as a result, we fans grow attached.

BuddyTV’s list of top ten American Idols is great one because it is diverse and gives us all a video of each member of the list. If you had, say, forgotten how good Justin Guarini was, now you can remember. The top spot on the list is held by none other than Kelly Clarkson, who has set the bar almost impossibly high for the rest of the winning idols. Her career since the show has been an unmitigated success, surpassing any expectations that could’ve been placed on her. No one has yet achieved her heights, yet Carrie Underwood looks to be on her way.

For a nice Idol refresher before going into the new season, check out the BuddyTV top ten list. They’re coverage of American Idol has been sensational as the premiere date inches closer and closer. If you can’t wait until season 6 gets in full swing or you’re reading this while it’s on, BuddyTV has all the info you could ever want.

For more resource about Top Ten American Idols Ever or especially about American Idol please check this website http://www.buddytv.com

American Idol - How Memorable Is Your Performance?

2009-06-05T02:48:00.000-07:00

As a rule, I don't spend much time watching the flurry of reality shows that have swept across the American public. In fact, had it not been for Barry Manilow appearing on a segment last year, I would have probably missed the American Idol phenomena completely.
I would have also missed out on the enormously entertaining interaction between Simon Cowell and the ever changing rounds of Idol hopefuls. In particular, the auditions for each new year's talent is fantastic.

Simon is very honest, possibly to a fault. If you happen to be on the list of those he really does not like, his comments can range from blunt to brutal.
"That was totally unmemorable"
One of Simon 's most often used statements is, "I won't even be able to remember your name, much less what you sang."

The answer, it seems, is for performers to find something different in their voice, style and performance that causes people to remember them. It is not that the performance was bad. It was just ordinary. And that made it forgettable.
Last year I wrote a number of articles based on Seth Godin's book, "The Purple Cow". Godin's view is that brown cows are common and ordinary, and therefore forgettable. His encouragement is for an organization to find ways of being a "purple cow" because that would be memorable.
How does someone become a "purple cow"? Here are some of Godin's examples.

Wonder Bread
In 1912, Otto Rohwedder invented sliced bread. It was a great idea, but did not catch on until 20 years later. Wonder started a marketing program that transformed the industry. It was not the sheer innovation of the product that led to success, but the innovative marketing of Wonder.
Is your agency looking for innovative ways to present protection to your customers?
Morton Salt
Morton has made salt for over 50 years. And salt is certainly "forgettable". But folks in France did something remarkable. They began extracting salt from seawater, and selling their "Sea Salt" for $20 per pound.
When is the last time your agency explored ways to make protection memorable?

"This is a singing competition"
Simon is also always reminding the contestants that "This is a singing competition." The person may have danced and performed well, but their vocal was weak. Since American Idol is a singing competition, it didn't matter if they did other things well if the vocals were weak.
If you asked your staff what business they are in, the most likely answer is the "service business." If service really is the defining responsibility for your agency, then it stands to reason that, in the event of a loss, your customers will thank you for your excellent service, even if they lack protection and lose everything.

The reality is you are in the business of protecting people's stuff - and this must become the standard by which you judge your success or failure. This means that your agency may need a significant overhaul to change how your staff views the competition they are in. You may process, service and do other things well, but you are in a "protection competition". Ultimately, that is what you will be judged on.

Would your staff say their job is more "processing" or more "protection?" It's important for them to clearly understand what kind of competition you are in.
"That was not a good song for you"
I'm not sure how songs are selected. But whatever the process, many contestants experience a "disconnect" and perform the "wrong" song.
What makes a song wrong? Apparently it has something to do with selecting a piece they can't sing well based on their individual strengths as an singer.

Jim Collins, in his management classic "Good To Great" refers to businesses that miss greatness by choosing to do business in areas they are "good" at. Collins makes a case that great companies are the ones that only do what they can be "great" at. In other words, they make sure the song they sing takes advantage of their individual and unique ability to win the competition.
Doing what you are great at means giving up a sacred cow of our industry - generalist mentality. Many agencies are so fearful of losing business that they actually give up the opportunity to do more business. Collins talks about a "hedgehog" principle - find what you have demonstrated the ability to be good at - and do that.

One of his examples is Walgreen. This amazing organization recognized that they could be there very best at being a convenient neighborhood pharmacy. Not only do they refuse to do business in shopping malls and other "mass market" venues, they will even close an existing store if an opportunity is available to open a brand new store 100 yards away - if that new location happens to be on a corner lot. Why? Because corner locations best fit their model of greatness.
"Are you willing to stop doing what you are "good" at and make a commitment to doing the things you are "great" at?"

As you consider how America will vote for your agency, also never lose sight of what is perhaps Simon's greatest exhortation of all - have fun!
Sometimes the contestants, and our agencies, get so caught up in the commitment to grow that we stop enjoying the journey. Without fun, the journey is pointless.
One thing I like about American Idol is the fact that America votes for the winner, not the judges. With numbers of voters that rival a presidential election, one person becomes America's idol. But remember, these same people vote for your agency on a daily basis. The question is, "How will they vote?"

How will America vote for your agency? Is your agency a memorable winner that is recognized for its greatness, or will you come in second place? Might be an interesting topic for your next staff meeting!

Ted Baker is the president of Advanced Automation, which for 17 years has offered agency consulting services addressing a variety of management and agency development issues. He also is an author and frequent conference speaker. Ted can be reached at questions@advancedautomation.com

ABC's Lost versus Fox's American Idol

2009-06-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

What's good on TV these days? Gone are the golden days of half-hour gameshows and soap operas, with the exception of maybe Hollywood Squares and General Hospital. So what's new in the menu? Come the new millenium, the world is slapped with some programs never before seen on television. Here, I would like to compare two of television's recent prized possessions.

Lost
If given only one word to describe this incomparable piece of fiction, it would be 'unique'. You won't be able to find a similar show anytime soon; it's genre ranges from mystery to suspense and maybe even thriller. Taking place in a faraway jungle-island, Lost is a depiction of several very different characters together, or sometimes separately, facing the dangers the island has to offer. How could one fabricate an intricate, believable story with this setting? The creators of Alias managed to pull it off with impressive results.

Adding to its uniqueness is that every episode focuses on one character, a portion of his/her past (with cleverly placed flashbacks), and how each of them overcomes the difficulties in their hearts. While the plane crash survivors deal with conflicts within themselves, the secrets of the island slowly unfolds. None of them could imagine what lies beyond the sandy beaches and the green jungles. There is even a hint that all of them might be there because of destiny. (I would not call these spoilers, there is so much more to the story)

The first season has earned itself an astounding array of awards, much deserved undoubtedly.
If shows like The O.C and Smallville are breaths of fresh air, Lost would be an oxygen tank. Even through half of season 2, the end doesn't look anywhere close. So much of open space for story-telling, a whole island, in fact. Five full stars, hands down.

America currently awaits episode 15 of Season 2 while Malaysia anticipates its third episode on AXN-Asia.

American Idol
An ocean-consuming success that has gained world-wide following even up the fifth season; this is American Idol. Reality TV has no prouder offsprings. This twice-a-week (now thrice) show attracts at least two kinds of people: the aspiring stars and their fans. Every year, thousands of hopefuls went the extra mile to take that one shot at stardom, or to simply make fools of themselves (intentionally or not).

The first section of American Idol sees the process of finding the needle in the haystack to pick the best of rest by three contrasting (though not necessarily contradicting) judges. This is one thing never before conceived, never before televised method of making stars out of singers. The filtering process gives a chance for the people at home to start liking some of the lads and lasses they see on the tube. Once the jaded shows begin, fans can vote for their favourite performers to keep them in the competition week after week. A system like this gives the audience a chance to determine the outcome of the show, making this television show a two-way transaction. Hence the mass appeal.

Everything about this show is absolutely, or relatively new in the face of the world. Singing competitions often don't get televised, viewers only get to sit and watch before this, and they don't have to adore fictional characters anymore. It's the real thing: the winner proves him/herself to be the most likable (nobody said it's a talent show, it's all about America's chosen one). All in good effort to produce albums that people would rush to the stores to buy; a profitable collaboration of television, record companies, and the phone company.

Comparing these two very different television shows may not be give you a new outlook on them. But my conclusion is that the realm of TV has expanded its borders tremendously over the past decade. Entertainment through the same medium cannot be generalized anymore; it's a whole new world with different continents.

A communications student at HELP University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Chinese urbanite making sense of the world and noting observations. Just a amateur blogger aiming for the sky. http://www.wongkeenhing.com

ABC's Lost versus Fox's American Idol

2009-06-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

American Idol Advantage

2009-06-05T02:45:00.000-07:00

If you have always had the dream of being the next American Idol and would love an opportunity to broadcast your talents on the show, then you have come to the right place for that information. In case you didn't know, some of these American Idol contestants were just regular people, with regular jobs like Mr. Chris Daughtry who worked as a service clerk, but onstage his singing talent spills out and he has such emotion and passion. Mr. Rueben Studdard work at a department store and when he sings, its like hearing a young Luthur Vandross. These two guys are my favorite American Idol contestants and winners, (Chris should have won). Isn't it amazing that these Idols are just like you and me? The only difference is that they were given the opportunity to showcase their talent and I would like to share with you a great source that could give you that opportunity to be the next American Idol contestant OR winner.

You Can Make it Past the First Round of the Auditions with 4 Simple Techniques! Really, there are 4 simple techniques that will get you through the first auditions and straight on the show. The American Idol Advantage:

The first is tip #1: Understand How The Early Auditions Work. You need to know exactly what the show is really about before you get there to audition.

Tip #2: Realize That The Initial American Idol Auditions Are Not Really About "Talent." Truth is, talent and star quality are a dime a dozen in the tryout phase of the show. Everyone who has any singing skills at all (and even those that don't) show up and tryout.

Tip #3: You Have To Win The Judges Over. All you have to do is satisfy something that the judges are looking for in a performer

And finally, Tip#4: You must prepare to win the judges over. After you really understand Tip # 3 you need to take that thought 1 step further and begin to formulate a game plan to win the judges over.

There is no other way to explain it, you need to do your homework if you're going to make it past the very first auditions. This book, is in all, specializes in audition training and preparation. I am not saying that you will definitely win American Idol BUT it is quite easy to audition and make it past the first round and get selected for the show. I know that we all have hidden talents and have those dreams of becoming a star and catch ourselves singing and performing in front of the mirror. We have all asked the famous question, "What if?" We have our passions, dreams and most definitely, our doubts. We all have allowed fear to invade our dreams and lives. So, take a look at the past Idols and realize that if they can do it, so can you. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Never believe that you aren't good enough, basically, never give up! Don't wait another minute to make YOU happy. Unleash your talents to America, full fill your passion. Life rewards action. Start believing in yourself and show America that you are the next American Idol!

COPYRIGHT 2008

Jcw-enterprise

***Click under "American Idol" category.***

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Kris Allen - American Idol Winner

2009-06-05T02:44:00.000-07:00

Kris Allen was the surprise winner of the American Idol 8th Season. Everyone, including Allen himself, expected that Nick Lambert would take the crown and the million dollar record contract attached to it.

His "boy next door" image apparently resonated with the 100 million plus votes that came in from across America.

He is recently married to wife Katy who was often on hand throughout the season to cheer him on. Allen also was active in various Christian ministry before joining the Idol season including serving as a Worship Leader at New Life Church in Maumelle, AR and going on short term mission trips to countries such as South Africa and Thailand.

There is some sense that Kris Allen won the so-called "Christian vote" on the show. On the next to the last show when there were three contestants including Allen, Lambert, and Danny Gokey, only 1 million out of 88 million votes separated Allen and Lambert. Gokey was very similar to Allen in that he was a music minister prior to joining American Idol. It is likely to think that many of the Gokey votes shifted to Allen in the show's finale.

Nick Lambert, on the other hand was a flashy rocker who sported black fingernail polish on the show. He preferred artists such as Led Zepplin over Allen's frequent choice of Kayne West.

While Kris Allen is guaranteed the music contract by virtue of being the winner of the show, Lambert will probably be signing his own contract quite shortly. The runner up has become more successful than the winner in many seasons as was the case of Clay Aiken and David Archuleta.

But, in reality, it seems that both Kris Allen and Nick Lambert have promising futures in the music world.

Want the latest music from Kris Allen? Singles from his 2007 album "Self Made Shoes" are now available! Get 25 Free MP3s now!

American Idol - More Than Just a Singing Competition

2009-06-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

American Idol is perhaps the biggest singing competition in America these days, and it's really not hard to see why. Broadcasted over Fox Network in the United States, it is aired internationally in more than 100 countries outside the United States such as; Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and India. And with viewer ratings ranging from 9.9 million viewers during the first season up to 37.7 million in the sixth season, this singing competition, which has also been dubbed as a reality show, is undoubtedly one of the most phenomenal programs to be broadcast on television.

In fact, American Idol has come to be regarded by many as an authoritative television executive, a force to be reckoned with, such that even rival television networks have come to rearrange their program schedules around American Idol in order to diminish their losses. Fox has even accordingly used American Idol to publicize and promote its other programs during its airing. Needless to say, American Idol is a major advertising hotspot for some of the biggest companies and products in the United States.

American Idol was created by British show business mogul, Simon Fuller, in 2002 and the main thrust of the show is to search for the best singer in the United States through a succession of singing contests. Contestants are filtered from literally hundreds of aspiring American Idol hopefuls across the United States. During the initial auditions, contestants are screened and chosen by four judges; recording producer Randy Jackson, Grammy award-winning pop songstress, Emmy award-winning choreographer and dancer Paula Abdul, music manager and mogul Simon Cowell. Recently added, was the multi-Grammy nominated songstress and composer Kara DioGuardi.

Judges decide the top 24 contestants who then face off in a series of weekly competitions, each with different themes. Examples of themes that have been used include disco, big band, Motown, Billboard hits, and even featured singing artists like Dolly Parton, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Queen, Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, The BeeGees, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Sadaka. It is during this later stage of the show when the public vote is used to decide the top 12, eventually narrowing it down to the top 2 by voting a contestant out every week.

American Idol is hosted by Ryan Seacrest who used to host game shows for children. In the first season, he co-hosted the show with funnyman Brian Dunkleman.

First aired with little fanfare as a summer stand-in television show in 2002, American Idol has since developed and grown an immense fan base all through to its eighth season this year. Needless to say, the show has produced award-winning and popular singing artists, starting off with the winners of the first seven seasons, namely Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, and David Cook. Noteworthy are also the runners-up of the first seven seasons, who are Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Bo Bice, and David Archuleta.

Anthony Reyes is also the author of the review at Singorama

American Idol star Katharine McPhee has Inconsistent Debut

2009-06-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Katherine McPhee caught the eyes and ears of millions during season 5 of Fox television’s “American Idol” and hopes to transform her success on the show into a successful music career.

If her first album is any indication, let’s just say her future remains uncertain.

Periodically, McPhee’s self-titled debut shows some shades of the artist we come to know and love on television. But, for the most part, the songs on this album seem to take McPhee in a completely different and unexpected direction.

The best tracks on the album are probably “Ordinary World,” “Better Off Alone,” “Everywhere I Go” and “Home”. All seem to reflect the vibe she gave off on “Idol” and showcase her truly powerful and beautiful vocals.

However, after these four songs, the majority of the album seems to reside somewhere in the vicinity of mediocrity. Most of the tracks have what seems to be an unnatural R&B feel with very little originality. Some of those that seem to fall into this category are “Over It,” “Not Ur Girl,” and “Neglected.”

The least impressive songs are most definitely “Open Toes” and “Dangerous,” the first being unimaginative, the second having a very lack luster hook.

Overall, the good outweighs the bad and the album is probably slightly better than average. I don’t doubt it will sell well, especially to R&B enthusiasts. But, if Katharine wants to survive a tough recording industry, she might have to tweak some things for future releases.

I’d rate this album a 3.5/5 or a C+.

The Role of Toll Free Numbers in Reality Programs

2009-06-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

There are many different kinds of programs in television that we see everyday. They are usually shown once or twice a week. The famous ones that we see are the soap operas like Brothers and Sisters or Grey's Anatomy, situational comedies like How I Met Your Mother or Two and a Half Men, talk shows like The Tyra Banks Show or The Ellen Degeneres Show and the many quiz shows like Jeopardy or The Wheel of Fortune.

Introducing a new type of television program is very risky since audience familiarity plays a very important part. The advent of reality television shows during the 80's is an exception. Today, reality television shows are one of the most, or maybe the most famous among the television program types. Examples of reality television include America's Best Dance Crew, Dancing with the Stars and American Idol which have grown immensely since it started 8 years ago.

These reality shows make use of their own toll free numbers for audiences to vote for contestants. Whoever gets the most number of votes from the audience is in and whoever has the lowest number of votes is kicked out from the competition.

Let's focus on American Idol. They usually have 12 contestants for the past 7 season but for season 8, they made it 13 which is really surprising to audiences and makes it even more controversial. Now, how do toll free numbers work in these kinds of programs? Let's take for example the 13 contestants of American Idol. What happens is, these contestants get their own set of unique toll free numbers so audiences can vote for them by calling their respective toll free numbers. For American Idol, they are considering their viewers not only because they make use of toll free number service but they also made it into a vanity number by including the word IDOL in the whole set of toll free numbers so that audiences will easily remember them. So if I'm one of the avid viewers of the show and I want to vote for contestant number one, all I have to do is call the toll free number 1-866-Idol-01 or 1-866-4365-01, but as you can see, it's easier to remember if we make use of the vanity number rather than a plain number, right?

It only shows that the popularity of toll free numbers have increased massively because television programs, specifically reality television shows, are now making use of them to involve their audiences - and it has proven that, indeed, it's working.

Big Blue to GE - I'm the New American Idol

2009-06-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

IBM is one of the "giants" of American industry, with a history dating back to the 19th century.

In case you haven't noticed, Big Blue is no longer just a "tech" company. It's now a company that just happens to be tech.

This company has been busy. Just Google "IBM Acquisitions" and check out the Wikipedia table of its buying spree since 2000. Sun Microsystems is its latest target.

Big Blue has always had plenty of cash but now it's flaunting it, right in the midst of a credit crunch that has many other "conglomerates" begging credit rating agencies for mercy.

The shopping spree is changing Big Blue fast. It's now involved in, or looking to be involved in, major sectors of the U.S. economy: Healthcare, Energy, Industrial, Transportation, Nanotech, Financial/Consulting, Communications, and Retail.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That's like GE, right? Exactly.

Big Blue may be the new GE.

So what?

Well, if you are new to investing in stocks, and you're thinking about creating a "diversified" stock portfolio, you really could just buy Big Blue and you'd be diversified. You'd even get global exposure since it now earns around two-thirds of its revenue from outside the U.S.

However, would you really want to have a one stock portfolio of just IBM stock?

Many years ago, when I started to get into stocks and wanted to create a diversified portfolio, one of my options was to just buy GE and call it a day.

When it comes to gauging the health of the U.S. economy, GE is considered the "bellwether" company because it's involved in pretty much every major sector of the economy. As GE goes, so goes the economy. GE moves markets...I'm not sure Wall Street still sees it this way but that's a debate for another time.

Anyway, I decided not to buy just GE back then. In fact, I didn't buy GE at all. Regardless of its "blue-chip" status, I figured it would be too risky to put all my eggs in one basket. I also reasoned that holding GE would have made my portfolio too heavily weighted in certain sectors of the economy where GE was heavily involved - as i added more stocks to the portfolio.

Today, I hold neither GE nor IBM in my current portfolio, but I'm as diversified as the S&P 500 Index. Think about that as you construct your stock portfolio.

So is Big Blue now the new face of the U.S. economy?

It's too early to tell. However, one thing is clear. The current financial crisis has GE in the financial doghouse, while Big Blue is living it up with its buying spree. We may be witnessing the emergence of a new idol of the U.S. economy.

Gbenga Alaran is the founder of Aran Meta Investments, an internet marketing firm that helps small businesses develop their online footprint.
He is also a seasoned individual, long-term, investor. On his Worst-known Portfolio Manager blog, in addition to insightful commentary on the ebbs and flows of the stock market and the economy, he shares with new and established individual investors, tactics, strategies, and insights he gains from the individual management of his own stock portfolio.

What Do You Have in Common With American Idol Kelly Clarkson? Insomnia

2009-06-05T02:39:00.000-07:00

It is always a comforting feeling to know that we are not alone when we suffer through something. But what is even more comforting to realize is that our favorite celebrities, who are constantly admired in the public eye, share the same problems that us regular folks have.

It would make sense that someone as famous as singer Kelly Clarkson would suffer from sleepless nights. People in the public eye have to constantly prepare for a concert or event, and are always concerned about their appearance and overall image. Is it any wonder that they get any sleep at all?

Kelly Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002. This was a far cry from her life as a waitress in Texas, so things changed drastically for her in a short amount of time. Since then, she travels from city to city, and is in and out of the studio working on her next hit song.

Between jetlag from touring, constantly finding time for creativity, and maintaining some semblance of a social life, Ms. Clarkson must be tired. We know that jetlag can provide severe setbacks in our sleeping patterns, and bouts of insomnia can ensue after a great amount of traveling. So, if someone is not only traveling across time zones within the country, but all over the world, this could prove to be quite tiresome. However, because Kelly is so busy, she does not always have the time or circumstances to take in a full night of sound sleep.

Kelly Clarkson recently admitted to an online British publication that she does in fact struggle often with short-term insomnia. She is known to write many of her own songs, and she feels that the nighttime always provides the best impetus for the creative process. Because she stays up so late completing a great chunk of her work, her sleeping habits might tend to be scattered.

If someone with Kelly Clarkson's fame and money can suffer from something like insomnia, it is no surprise that millions of people do as well. While we may not do as much traveling out of the country as she does, many of us feel that if we stay up later, we can get much more work accomplished. With our busy schedules and constant worries, it is no wonder that the average person only receives about five hours of good solid rest.

The next time you think it abnormal that you are up until all hours of the night, consider that Kelly Clarkson could be up at that very minute, working on her next multi-platinum-selling album.

But regardless if one or twenty celebrities suffer from the same type of sleeping disorders, it is important to work on rectifying the problem as soon as possible. Just because something is very common among rich and poor alike, does not mean that it is ok. Isn't it time to Breakaway from unhealthy sleep habits and sing yourself into a blissful slumber? And perhaps you can dream about all of the good fortune that you could have, just like Kelly Clarkson.

Sherry Harris is the author of the successful e-book "101 Amazingly Simple Ways to Beat Insomnia". Get the FREE e-book at http://www.ScentToSleep.com - Knock-out insomnia for good with aromatherapy sleep mist, so you can wake up refreshed and energized - visit us now.

American Idol Gina Glocksen Defends Sanjaya Malakar?

2009-06-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Gina Glocksen, the third finalist booted out from the American Idol, had discovered that the media is interested more about Sanjaya Malakar than her own experience on the show. Gina Glocksen, however, answered several questions about Sanjaya and, being his friend, she defended him.

When asked if it is difficult for them to know if Sanjaya placed higher among the bottom three? Glocksen said it's quiet tough the the eight finalists made it and she did not. She also added that Sanjaya Malakar is different, meaning that every finalist is unique in his or her own way. Sanjaya is Sanjaya, Jordin is Jordin, Chris is Chris and Blake is Blake, she explained. But for her, America is done with her and she's fine with it.

What does Gina think about Sanjaya hanging in the American idol every week? Gina Glocksen said that she is very proud of the boy because he's still there and comes out every week and gives his all.

Do the American Idol contestants know what is going on outside the show? Glocksen told them that the show is really good at keeping them insulated from the things that are being said about them in order to protect them and not let their performances be affected through the entire week. However, they are free to browse through the Internet, but Sanjaya doesn't bother with it, much less read what is being said about him. Gina Glocksen doesn't read what is being said about her as well, and neither do the others.

Gina says Sanjaya doesn't go to her to ask for hairtsyling tips. Each one does his or her own thing for the competition. She also commented on the ever-changing hair of Sanjaya. It was awesome, she says.

Are there any grumblings or bad feelings about Sanjaya in the group, specially when it seems that Sanjaya is just putting on a show to amuse audience and thus keep him there week after week? Gina Glocksen said that people are pretty fair about what they say in front of people.

Who is the real Sanjaya? Gina Glocksen answered that he is exactly what you seen on TV. Sanjaya doesn't care what anyone thinks. He only does his things to be proud of himself. She loves Sanjaya for being like that, she adds.

The author, Jose Feliciano, frequently writes about various topics. You can read his other informative articles at his websites, Used Cars Online and My Autistic Boy. This article may be freely published as long as the author's info including the links remain intact.

The Sanjaya Controversy

2009-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

I’m a big fan of online encyclopedias: they offer the information of tangible reference books without the risk of paper cuts (those things will sting). In fact, I am such a fan of online encyclopedias that I visit them on an almost daily basis. If I don’t know the meaning of a term or I want to know when the new Milli Vanilli movie is coming out, I simply turn to my friends at wikipedia or Britannica.com. I don’t want to get too mushy but, truth be told, they complete me.

However, a visit to one of these online encyclopedias the other day left me shocked by something I saw: Sanjaya has his own entry. Now, I want my own one too.

Even for those people who don’t watch American Idol, it’s nearly impossible not to know who Sanjaya is: he’s all over the news. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if President Bush - in lieu of devising a timetable to pull US troops out of Iraq - just devises a timetable to pull Sanjaya off of American Idol. We, as a culture, seem to be a little Sanjaya obsessed.

For anyone who doesn‘t surf the Internet, listen to the radio, or watch television - in other words, for the Amish - Sanjaya is an American Idol contestant who America, and particularly the judges, don’t really seem to be idolizing. The tune that many people are singing is that he just isn’t very good.

Still….He’s Not That Bad

People can say Sanjaya can’t sing, they can say he doesn’t deserve to be on the show, they can even say that he - gasp! - is having a bad hair day. But, I don’t get it. I really don’t. First of all, nobody seems more anti-Sanjaya than Simon, Randy, and Paula. But, aren’t they the ones who put him through to the top 24 to begin with? If he’s so very bad, then why did they - with no say on the voter’s part - even give him the chance to win. He can’t be that bad or he would have never even made it to Hollywood.

In another thought, I don’t really see what makes Sanjaya so much worse than past contestants: he is certainly not the first person on American Idol to overstay his welcome. If we travel back in time to last season, we remember that Chris Daughtry was a better singer than Taylor Hicks or Katharine McPhee and if we keep going back to season one, we’re reminded that many people believed Tamyra Gray should have finished ahead of both Nikki McKibbin and Justin Guarini. There, there, Mr. Guarini, you still have From Justin to Kelly under your belt. No one can ever take that away from you.

American Idol, way before Sanjaya took center stage, has always been about who can get the most votes; singing talent takes second chair.

The Howard (not K.) Stern Influence

The fact that Sanjaya was picked by the judges to compete and the fact his singing is not so horrible that it can be compared to a cat tied to the hood of a car leads me to wonder if Howard Stern is fueling the Sanjaya controversy. Howard Stern fuel a controversy? I know…C-R-A-Z-Y!

Stern is at the helm of an American Idol ship: he launched a campaign via his radio show imploring American Idol viewers to vote for Sanjaya. His reason behind this plea is simple: priding himself as a bit of a pot stirrer, Stern is urging people to vote for Sanjaya for seemingly no other reason than he’s the least talented contestant. Even if Howard Stern starts paying people to vote for Sanjaya, it doesn't really matter: a vote's a vote.

Love him, hate him, or go on a hunger strike until he gets kicked off, Sanjaya is a pure example of what celebrity in this day and age is all about: it doesn’t come down to who has talent (right, Paris Hilton), it merely comes down to who gets the most press and publicity. Celebrity is a game and Sanjaya - with his signature locks and bashful smile - is about to check mate everyone else.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a gift for stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

Housewives and Idol Bring God Into Over 40 Million Homes

2009-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Desperate Housewives and American Idol, two of the most influential shows in today's pop-culture, have surprised many viewers by bringing God into the script and song.

A few weeks ago, American Idol aired their annual, "Idol Gives Back", a live broadcast raising funds and awareness about some of the worlds top charities.

Many of the night's highlights can be found on Youtube. The most talked about and inspirational one of all, is the one titled "Shout to The Lord American Idols on Idol Gives Back".

If you were not apart of the masses that watched it a few weeks ago on Fox, you will discover that all of the remaining contestants actually performed the gospel tune on the live broadcast the night before, viewed by over 18million.

It is amazing to see one of the most inspirational songs written in the late 90's make its comeback through the most watched show on television.

This happened just months after a spirit-filled band, "The Clark Brothers", won The next great American band, a secular contest that was aired on fox as well. A few weeks back they guest-starred on Idol and performed a captivating rendition of "Jesus on the Mainline".

There has been more attention focused on Jesus through primetime TV this year, than ever before. There has been a true awakening of people's spirits, as they begin to feel the emptiness and void that comes with having no true focus of God in the center of their lives.

Even America's most talked about show, Desperate Housewives, which is known for its scandalous scripts, recently addressed the issue of faith in their much anticipated come-back episode.

One of the main characters, Lynette Scavo, broke down and admitted that she was searching for true answers in God, after surviving a tornado and her own battle with Cancer.

In this episode she actually went to church and asked the preacher some of life's most difficult questions about faith and God. This was the highlight of the episode, and is sure to have sparked provoking thoughts into the minds of its viewers.

There is an acceptance of church and Christianity in today's society that has been missing for years. This stems from having a generation that is hungry for true faith, and true answers.

As churches begin to focus on relationship over religion, we are finding that more and more hungry souls are coming to know Christ in a more intimate way than ever before.

People are searching for something to put their faith in. In a world that is full of turmoil and strife, there is a generation that is starving for justice, equality, and true faith! As, it was stated by the top contestants on the nations #1 reality show, "nothing compares to the promise I have in you"

Chris Chism

San Diego Churches
Churches

Detroit Churches
Churches

Writers Should Learn From American Idol

2009-06-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

If you've been watching American Idol, you will know who Simon COWell is. If you know this masochistic fellow, you'll know that his, often, sarcastic remarks are based on the fact that the contestants were too 'copy-cattish'...and that they try to sing and do the songs in the way the original singers did it. In all honestly, I would have to admit that Simon Cow (love him, by the way but think he ought to shut his trap once in a while) is right...that if one chooses to sing a song by Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey on American Idol, you're headed for doom because unless you do it better than them (0.000019% chance in Hell anyone could), you're better off roasting yourself on a BBQ pit!

But this applies not only to singer-wannabes. This applies to writers as well. now, the point about being creative, whether as a singer, a writer, an actor, a painter, a chef, a whatever is to some up with something completely original...or at least do it or write it in such a way that people would read it or take a look at it and say, "Gosh, that is so YOU".

That's easier said than done, of course.

Even after having written many articles and web content for close to a decade, it's still not easy stopping myself from mentally comparing myself to some of the better writers on the Internet today - some of them my friends and some of them people I wish I could be! Because of this mentality, writers will be headed in one direction - the inability to identify themselves as a writer. Which defeats the purpose of being creative, anyway! Being creative as a writer means that you have to think like yourself and do away with thoughts about what others might think about the stuff you've created or written.

The success of other can be emulated and you can always try to write something close to what John Grisham would have (or have) already published or going to publish in the future but thinking about it on another level - how much of what you've written or sung would be what you really are as a singer or writer. Much like those American Idol contestants. You could be singing 'I will survive' on stage but when you're performing, how much of all that is really you, and being a singer or writer, having your identity is crucial. As a singer, you get molded into a product so that the record companies can sell you (your talents) for a healthy profit. As a writer, the scenario is a little bit different - writers are not products but whatever we produce is. So, it's really got to have a lot more of 'us' in it than anything else.

However, it's a fact that finding your own identity as a writer takes time and experience (hopefully not too many painful ones) - and if you are patient and are willing to learn, there's absolutely no reason why you can't be a writer with your own identity and style.

Marsha Maung is an established freelance writer who has established herself as one of the most kick-ass SEO and web content writer we have today! Well, it's a stretch but.....Today, this Malaysian-based freelance writer focuses her time in providing top-quality original articles for her clients' websites, blogs, newsletters, etc and is slowly branching out into fiction writing and will soon explore publishing (finally) some of her many unfinished fiction books. For more information on Marsha, visit her website at http://www.marshamaung.com or for down and dirty details on life as a freelance writer and full-time mother, visit http://marshamaung.blogspot.com

Learning to Sing - Do the Idols Just Do It?

2009-06-04T06:39:00.002-07:00

Many want to learn to sing, so do most Singers use Music Theory or do they just get up on American Idol and make it happen?

Without asking each one individually we can't find out there level of music knowledge. But you have to guess that they either intuitively know some of the theory such as rhythm and pitch or they have an awareness of the underlying music elements that contribute to their being signers and performers.

I was never taught how to use my voice. Sure there were the early years when you didn't know any better and you just joined in. For many of us, more than I care to mention, we were just never shown or encouraged enough to sing or to get any good at it.

An American Idol Example

On the 2009 American Idol show both Paula and Simon made comments about one of the performances as being "karaoke like" or a mimic of a what the original performer had created. In other words they did not own the performance.

This is a problem that all want to be singers have to face. We have to ask, just how do I own my performances and give the audience my personality and vision of a song.

Finding a way for the rest of us to work on our aspirations of singing is all about becoming aware of how we relate music theory concepts with singing. It can be one of the first steps in accomplishing a goal towards making ourselves better singers.

Not Necessary, But what if?

The technical music elements are not a necessity when it comes to singing, but my guess is that natural talent will only take you so far before you plateau and become just another mediocre singer.

Now people really do have natural talent and they get along ways in their careers. Most often relying on others that know theory to compose and arrange for them. However it's the signers that compose and create their own music that you have the most admiration.

I always wonder if they applied music theory to their craft just how much better they could become. I can think of many examples of those that know and understand theory to craft a variety of styles of songs.

Both Elton John and James Taylor are prime examples of the musicians that know the craft and music theory. Just take a look at any great artists discography and you'll quickly realize that they have a grasp of music theory as either composer or player.

Thoughts on Music Theory and Singing

One of the first things that comes to mind is that if you want to learn or compose a song for a singer you better be able to read music. You need to know note values, note symbols, timing, rhythm, tempo and a host of other music elements to be effective at it.

Even in the typical start to singing notes with 'do ray me, etc' the singing lesson it is a major scale you are singing. It would be nice to know the difference between a major and minor scale as well as the key for which you are singing the notes for songs.

If your into studying singing, don't let the opportunity of learning music theory pass you by it will help improve your skills and knowledge. It can and will serve you well in your endeavor.

Find out more perspectives on learning to sing and lessons on music theory at http://mlblog.musiclearningworkshop.com/36/learning-to-sing and explore further working with music theory.

Brad Chidester develops resources at the Music Learning Workshop where you can find several workbooks designed to accelerate your music theory study at http://www.MusicLearningWorkshop.com/getting-it-down-cold-workbooks.html to support accelerated learning of music.

The Dynasty Of American Idol

2009-06-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

"American Idol", the most-watched television show in United States, made its debut on June 11th, 2002 and became an almost instant success. This show quickly became a hot topic for everyone and soared to the top of the viewing charts. Everybody and his brother were discussing the performances and pumping up their favorite performer. Office pools were started and people tracked the performances like a stock broker charts stock prices.

If you don't watch American Idol, you'll be left out of many conversations. People are nuts about American Idol and they never miss an episode. When the topic of conversation turns to American Idol, people are absolute fanatics.

Why has American Idol enjoyed such success?

Mostly because it's so engaging in the ongoing process of elimination that leaves only one final competitor to be the highly acclaimed American Idol. And the home audience gets to participate in the selection & elimination process by phoning in votes for their favorite performer.

Other talent shows, such as 'Star Search' didn't accommodate home viewer participation, so the home audience could only passively watch what happened. American Idol actively involves the home audience by allowing them to be the final judge of who will be the Next American Idol.

Want to get the inside scoop about American Idol?

That's easy - just goto http://The-Next-American-Idol.com and you'll find everything there is to know about this season's American Idol. Contestant bios, trivia, judge bios, photos, videos - if it has to do with American Idol, you'll see it at The-Next-American-Idol.com

Carson Danfield is an "Under the Radar" Internet Entrepreneur who's been quietly selling various products for the last 8 years. Although you've probably never heard of him. there's a good chance you've visited his websites in the past and even purchased some of his products.

Want to know who will be the Next American Idol?

Just watch out at http://The-Next-American-Idol.com and have fun.

American Idol: Who will Walk Away the Winner?

2009-06-04T06:37:00.002-07:00

And then there were two. As American Idol Season 6 comes to a close, we find ourselves once again calling psychic hotlines and consulting the Magic 8 Ball in hopes of predicting who will win: Blake Lewis or Jordin Sparks. It comes down to this folks (did I sound like a sports announcer because that was totally what I was going for): man versus woman, teenager versus twenty-something, curly locks versus beat box.

In one corner we have Blake Lewis, a man who has style, originality, and an aura that is sure to swoon every teenybopper with a subscription to Tiger Beat. In the other corner we have Jordin Sparks, a woman who has presence, passion, and a voice that very few seventeen year olds can ever claim as theirs. Both are good choices, and both will undoubtedly enjoy successful music careers, but only one can be the American Idol. So, who's going to win: Lewis or Sparks? This is one expedition that can't be shared jointly.

If anyone asks me - and oddly enough no one has - I would have to go with Jordin. Don't get me wrong, Blake is a good singer, he's entertaining, and he's a highly original performer, but it seems that he occasionally relies too much on antics to draw away from his singing voice. Jordin, on the other hand, is very "what you see is what you get" and what you get with her is pure talent. When it comes down to it, Jordin is a better singer and this is, after all, a singing competition.

Still, the way things have gone in past and present seasons, this could mean very little. In the beginning, this competition seemed to belong to either Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, or Sanjaya's hair. In the end, as Lakisha lost some of her oomph and the Sanjaya fanfare was put to a rest, Melinda still appeared poised to win, to be declared the American Idol, to thank the judges, and to sail off into the sunset with the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard.

But, like almost nearly every American Idol to date, this one was full of a major shocker. With Melinda gone, it's anybody's game. In fact, I am secretly hoping that people will vote for me. I don't really sing, but I was in choir in seventh grade…before I was asked to leave.

When it comes down to it, the winner is already decided: the final competition means very little. Those who vote will continue to vote for "their person" regardless of the last performance. Blake fans are Blake fans and Jordin fans are Jordin fans. No last performance is going to change that.

Regardless of the outcome, if Blake wins or if Jordin walks away victorious, both of these people are set to have record deals thrown at their feet and fan mail thrown into their mailboxes. Yet still, I have to go with Jordin as the winner. If not for her singing voice, then because of my last name.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a gift for stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

American Idol: Are the Heroics Coming to a Close?

2009-06-04T06:37:00.001-07:00

I will admit it: I watch American Idol. I enjoy it, but I’m not into it as much as some people. Take my sister for instance: she is what we call a "voter." I have never had it in me to cast a vote; I guess I just don’t care that much.

Despite my abstaining ways, I have to admit that American Idol, or A.I. as the real cool kids say (for the purpose of this article, I am one of the cool kids), is a good show and a great concept. Not only has it launched the careers of several talented people who may have never been discovered, but it unites America in a celebration of song. With the music programs in so many schools subject to budget cuts, it’s nice to see America supporting the Arts: this will not be the day the music dies.

As good as AI has been in the past, I can’t help but wonder if it has lost some of its spark. Don’t get me wrong, the potential idols are, as usual, swimming with talent: as someone whose own musical peak ended after a third grade recorder performance, I have the utmost respect for people who can perform. Yet, it just doesn’t seem as passionate anymore, leaving me to point blame in a few directions.

The Tryouts: Now, I like to point and laugh at the people who think they can sing as much as the next person, but the tryouts have increasingly become bad…really bad. I can appreciate the people who try out singing opera or those weak in talent but rich in friends telling them that they are the next Celine Dion. At least these people are relevant. Those who try out knowing that they are well over the age range, or those who try out not to sing but to dance, juggle, or wow the judges through miming (I am in a box), are really just pointless. There's plenty of entertainment to be had in the people who simply are convinced they can sing: only singers in the required age range should be allowed to audition.

The Judges: I like Simon. His opinion, to me, seems to be the most important; he is the hardest to impress. Still, his temperament borders on just plain mean at times. Crude, rude, and full of ‘tude, it wouldn’t kill Simon to be a little more positive; hopefully this British man is still not holding 1776 against America.

Randy is somewhere in between the other two judges. In my opinion, he is the best judge. Sure he says "dawg" an awful lot, but he gives constructive criticism and lets people down easily. Paula, on the far end of the spectrum, doesn’t seem to judge much of anything. Is it just me, or does Paula Abdul not know how to tell anyone anything negative? Even if their singing is awful, awful, awful, she still mentions that she likes their hair, their makeup, or every third sequin on their sparkling shirt. She’s nice, you have to give her that, but she could use a little more rigidity. Straight up now tell them, Paula. They don’t have to love you forever.

The Voting: As someone who admits that they don’t vote, I really shouldn’t be criticizing the voting system. It’s like someone who didn’t vote in the elections complaining about the government. I know I shouldn’t complain, but heck, I still will. The voting on AI has become increasingly less about talent. The past few seasons we’ve seen some people who should have won voted off before they had a chance and we’ve seen some people who should've been sent packing, have the finals in the bag.

This was bound to happen: any contest that is based on voting ultimately becomes less about talent and more about popularity. If a person who is not finalist materials has a ton of friends, a ton of family, and knows everyone at the large university they attended, they have more of a chance at winning than someone who is way more talented but knows far less people.

The way to resolve this, at least in part, is to give America some of the vote, but the judges continuous say as well. It will kind of be like a popular vote meets electoral college American Idol. That, after all, worked wonderfully in the 2000 Presidential election.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a little bit of stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world

American Idol Auditions for Season 6!

2009-06-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again -- the time when thousands line up in arenas all over the United States hoping to get a chance to audition their talents (or lack thereof) in front of judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. These audition hopefuls often endure a couple of days of intense summer sun, pouring rain, no showers and no comfortable beds just to get a chance to throw out what might be just ONE note of music to associate judges who sit in tents screening thousands.

At American Idol auditions, very few people actually see the inside of a building. Instead they wait in long lines to approach an associate judge at a table in a tent. Once you get to the front of the line, you are moved in a cattle call fashion to where judges sit at tables ready to hear you sing a note or two. It takes hours and hours to get this point, but there is merely a second in your favor for one of these judges to see if you're otherwise amazingly good or excruciatingly bad. From what we hear, there is not much in the way of middle ground. You have a chance of moving forward to auditions stage 2 if you have a great voice or if you are horrific looking or sounding. Sad, but true. Many very good singers do not get through this stage at all. At this point, American Idol is seeking the best freaks and geeks who fill up the extremely popular audition specials that will start in January of 2007. Those who know their voice will most likely not carry them through to see Nigel Lithgoe or Simon Cowell will dress in chicken suits, clown shoes, cyborg costumes or exceedingly low cut shirts. Anything to get in to the building where Nigel Lithgoe and Simon Fuller make up the next stage of the judging process. If you are either fantastic or horrific, you might just get that shot in the dark to see Randy, Paula and Simon.

Cameras wait in the parking lots of each audition location to catch the cast-offs cry, collapse on the pavement, or else storm the cameras to get their own justice on American Idol. At the auditions, everyone does what it takes to get their few moments on television. And if not, they’ll certainly be back next year.

This year’s 7 audition cities include: Birmingham, AL, Los Angeles, CA, San Antonio, TX, East Rutherford, NJ, Memphis, TN, Minneapolis, MN and Seattle, WA.

Find more out about American Idol Auditions at http://www.idol-mania.com

American Idol or American Bully?

2009-06-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks on American Idol they have been auditioning singer from all around the country in search of the lucky finalist who will have the awesome opportunity to go to Hollywood. I have watched many of the early tryouts and have heard some great and not so great singers. My hat is off to these people who spend days in a long line hoping to ultimately perform for the three celebrity judges.I like to hear the many stories they share of people who have met new friends while waiting in line for the big chance. One story in particular was about two young men pumped up, excited, supporting one another and ready to demonstrate their originality to the judges only to be voted down, joining the long list of others who have failed to make the grade. The difference between these two individuals and the others who have met the same fate is that they were not only told they would not be going to Hollywood but they were also laughed at and teased.I understand that not everyone can win. If everyone won there would be no definition for losers. If everyone won there would be no room for improvement and growth. American Idol’s Simon Cowell crossed the line when he told the contestant he “looked like a monkey.” To make matters worse the two other judges Randy and Paula just gigged and laughed like children supporting a bully on a playground. Judges like referees have to have the freedom to make the calls to keep the game interesting. Not every call or opinion is to everyone’s liking but to say something like that is crossing the line. Each week I present my Anti-bullying/Anti-violence programs to hundreds of students, corporate staff and associations. We discuss tolerance, respect and kindness, sharing tips and suggestions on how to end this kind of negative behavior at work, school or in the community. Then we turn on the Fox Network’s hottest show American Idol to observe a bully in action.
Bullying is “imbalance of power,” one person uses their power to hurt or verbally harm another individual. A victim is someone who is weaker or lacks social skills and the ability to defend themselves. In this situation there is an imbalance of power because we have a so-called celebrity teasing a weaker “regular” person. The regular individual can’t defend himself because the celebrity has the ability to control not only the situation but also the final product air on the Fox Network.The good news is that in the days following the broadcast, people called into radio stations around the country and have joined in on the discussion asking that Simon apologize to these individuals and for the Fox Network to not allow this kind of bullying behavior. Fox has listened to the concerns of their viewers and have tamed down the insults aired on American Idol. This proves that when we come together to stand up against the bully we can weaken their power.It is my hope that the bullies of the world aren’t using this program to validate their verbal/physical bullying and victims don’t use this as another excuse to stay silent.

For more on bullying visit http://richardpaul.com/articles_american_idol.shtml.

Michigan educational/motivational speaker and author Richard Paul and his Duck Sense programs mission is to present creative, entertaining and fun school shows and youth conference keynote speeches/teen workshops that promote self-esteem, acceptance, reduce conflict and help put an end to school violence.

His school assemblies, youth workshops, motivational educational books and CD’s have one common thread which is to build character, stop the bullying, understand and respect diversity and offer up success skills to help end teasing and promote anti-violence in schools.

From his many articles, to his sought after fun, character advancement, motivational audio CD "Duck Sense" and his straightforward "Tackling Conflict Head On", chapter in a new nationally recognized book entitled "The Better Bottom Line", Richard shares the success tools and techniques to help promote a safer, friendlier, happier, productive environment.

Find out more about Richard Paul at http://www.richardpaul.com

American Idol Votes - Yah Right!

2009-06-04T06:34:00.001-07:00

Were you part of the millions of voters that called to cast your vote for your favourite American Idol throughout the years? Did the person you voted for win? Well, don't worry because it's all a hoax! You see, producers (like my dog Randy) have the ability of knowing where the talent is, who will make it long term, and what will be their best ROI (Return on Investment)! So let me ask you this, if they know who will be the biggest money maker but the "public" votes are going towards a dead end singer...what do you think will happen? You guessed it...they will rig the whole vote thing!

I mean, who the heck controls the votes? I've been in business long enough to know that even if there seems to be some sort of quality check and guidelines, there's always a way to pass an envelop full of cash to make things happen. You know, in today's society (especially North America), money talks and the rest walks! Think of it America, there are so many ways to rig votes. I'm sure there are genius programmers out there have either created software that can "text message" a thousand votes a minute or have hacked the American Idol voting platform themselves to enter thousands of votes for their favourite. So now can you see that if Simon doesn't take control of the votes, the hackers will! Just like in the government...we control nothing!!

So the next time you vote for your favourite American Idol, politician, Rockstar, etc...just admit to yourself that the higher power will determine who wins and not you. But go ahead and have fun wasting your time calling in just to make yourself feel good and in control!

Carl R.
VIG Member
If you would like to know more about IG (important giver) and VIG (very important giver)membership, please visit my web site below:

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The CNJMB Goodwill Group team...where it's all about GOODWILL

Sanjaya Malakar - Too Bad It Isn't A Cute Contest

2009-06-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Sanjaya Malakar - how did this name get into my world? I’m not a teenybopper (or whatever young fans are called today) and I’ve never even watched American Idol. Gasp! Did I really say that? Yes, I’m one of the probably three people in the world who have never watched American Idol. But there is Sanjaya, smack dab in the middle of my living room, singing (or what passes for singing in his mind) his little heart out – on a news clip on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

Sanjaya is this year’s William Hung. I speak with authority on William Hung too because I have also never seen him on American Idol! That doesn’t mean that William Hung has not crept into my life too. But so has Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and from way back when, Jimmy “Inka Dinka Doo” Durante (the old Shnozzola). Neither of these men could sing. They couldn’t even carry a tune. But what they could do was perform. They put on a show. They entertained us. For whatever perverse reason (their musical talents notwithstanding) we liked them.

Louis Armstrong of course could play a mean trumpet and is regarded as one of the two greatest jazz musicians of all time, along with Charlie “Bird” Parker, and Jimmy Durante played the piano and was a comedian. They had definite, tangible talents but you’d have to have a tin ear to think that they could sing.

They sure could put on one hell of a show and make us smile and laugh and just plain enjoy ourselves while they were entertaining us.

Poor Sanjaya, he entertains a lot of people but in the wrong way. Instead of laughing with him, thousands are laughing at him. They say he can’t sing. Ok, from what I’ve heard of him on the news clips that might be a fair assessment.

But that dazzling smile, the gorgeous good looks and glorious mane of hair is enough to make this mature woman smile! I remember back in the day when another “singer” made it big. This singer was not on American Idol of course, because it didn’t exist then, but was on an equally entertaining show that started it all – American Bandstand with Dick Clark. Before Dick Clark the show was hosted by a local Philly disk jockey by the name of Bob Horne, but that’s another entertaining story in and of itself.

The singer to whom I refer is none other than the fabulous Fabian. Could Fabian sing? Most definitely not with a capital N! He couldn’t carry a tune out of the proverbial bag. But what he did have is exactly what Sanjaya has today – good looks, gorgeous smile, confidence and “it.”

Just what “it” is, I can’t say. All I know is that Sanjaya entertained me with his unabashed enthusiasm (from what I’ve seen on the TV news). Perhaps it’s because he reminds me a good deal of my youngest son who also had the huge dark brown eyes and long brown hair and the unbridled enthusiasm.

It’s come to my attention (after Googling Sanjaya) that a lot of people want him voted off of American Idol. I suspect that no matter what happens, whether he’s voted off or goes on to win the contest (doubtful but what do I know? I don’t watch the show) he will have a successful career ahead of him. Perhaps not as a singer but maybe as an actor (again, remember Fabian? Okay, not a good example, Fabian couldn’t act either!) or maybe as a male model.

To everyone who wants him voted off the show because he can’t sing and they claim it’s not fair to other good singers, I say lighten up. From what I’ve read and heard about American Idol, I would ask, do you really think it’s a legitimate, honest show? It sounds more like a circus to me and in the end the most worthy singers will most likely prevail. So let’s allow the Sanjaya’s and William Hung’s of the world to entertain us too in their own inimitable style.

Who knows, perhaps Sanjaya will now be instrumental in making me watch American Idol. Nah. I don’t think so. As cute as he is, a three minute snippet of him on Countdown with Keith Olbermann is enough for me. Speaking of cute and adorable, Keith Olbermann wins hands down. I even heard him say that he can sing. Now if he goes on American Idol I’ll definitely be watching.

Sheryl Letzgus McGinnis is the author of the book "I Am Your Disease (The Many Faces of Addiction)" published by Outskirts Press. You can read about, and purchase the book at http://www.iamyourdisease.com

I am a retired medical transcriptionist and radio DJ who also did voiceovers for TV. Married, with one living son, having lost my youngest son Scott, who was a paramedic and an RN to the disease of addiction. Happily married for 40 years to Jack, 8th grade science teacher. My oldest son Dale is soon to be a graduate student in Ecology and Environmental Biology.

We live in Palm Bay, Florida. I am originally from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and am a citizen of both Australia and the US. We are owned by one dog and two cats!

SEO Lessons Learned From Stumbleupon, American Idol And "The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing"

2009-06-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

One of my SEO friends recommended that I try a social website called stumbleupon to improve my generic rankings in search engines. Of course I was skeptical at first, but I tried it anyway. Stumbleupon shows you random websites that are based on your interests. I thought to myself, oh great, now I have to sit and look at a bunch of poor quality websites. But after I set my preferences, I expected the poorest and most irrelevant sites imaginable. To my surprise, I was able to stumble upon some very interesting websites and I found myself bookmarking about 5% of them. I rarely bookmark a site unless it has someone incredibly useful to offer. The reason that the websites were more relevant and better than what you would normally get from a standard query on a search engine is because over 2 million stumbleupon members can vote whether your site was useful or not and they can leave positive or negative comments about them.

This exercise started to make me think about my own sites. Do my websites offer something useful to visitors within 2-5 seconds? Do my websites make me to appear to be an authority on the subject? Are my websites easy to understand and navigate through? Do my website offer clear benefits to visitors?

I tried posting several of my websites up on their advertising section just to see how stumbleupon users would react to them. One of my websites received a lot of praise because I offered a useful free video on the top right of the home page that was relevant to my URL name and the landing page content. That particular video cost me $8k to produce and I was once tempted to set it up as a pay-per-view on google video but then I decided it would be best to offer it free to draw new and repeat visitors to my site.

I also tried entering one of my client’s websites that has a recognized brand name. Within minutes it received 3 very positive reviews. In fact, two of the reviewers happened to be former employees of the company.

It was great to get the instant feedback for my websites and the exercise opened my eyes to some things I can do to further improve the way my websites project themselves to the public. Now I almost think of my websites as contestants on American Idol that might be voted off for poor content or delivery.

How can your websites avoid a “thumbs down”? I suggest asking as many of your friends to criticize your websites until the text, images or media on your sites themselves radiate “The Law of Attraction”. In other words, try to determine the positive ways your website should project itself to reach the targeted customers you are trying to attract.

You may also consider reading a book by Al Ries & Jack Trout called “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing”. Try to align your positive messages about your products and services with these immutable laws of marketing. Start using the new demographic tools that some search engines such as stumbleupon are use to target customer interests and preferences. This information should help put you on the right track for increased traffic and higher conversion rates.

Christian Wilson - Born in North Hollywood and raised in Mexico, Brazil, New York, Idaho, Utah and the beautiful islands of Tahiti and Hawaii. Graduated from BYU Idaho and BYU Hawaii where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Adminstration. Christian spent the last 25 years in business, computers and marketing - primarily as a computer programmer, retail manager, nutritional supplement manufacturing consultant and last 8 years as a SEO/SEM consultant.

A Marketing Lesson From TV's American Idol-Season 6

2009-06-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

The other evening my family was watching American Idol in the room next to my home office. While I tried to tune out the horrible singing (I enjoy the show when it gets down to the serious singers, but I can't stand the auditions!)

It's a "train wreck" in my opinion.

But the ratings are huge. In fact this is the show's biggest season ratings-wise, so I guess America loves a good train wreck!

Anyway, back to my story. As I was working and trying to tune out the show, I couldn't help but overhear Simon Cowell ask the following questions to several contestants:

"What makes you unique?"

"What sets you apart?"

Since this is a point I drive home to my clients, and one they often struggle with, I found it interesting that it was coming up in this context.

But then I remembered the making of an American Idol is as much about marketing as it is about talent. In fact, this holds true for the music and entertainment industry in general.

Just look around at some of today's top stars. Brittany Spears. Paris Hilton. Lindsey Lohan. Madonna. Angelina Jolie. Rosie O'Donnell. Donald Trump.

Love 'em or hate 'em, they are brilliant marketers.

They have each created a very specific image and they don't vary from it. They know what they stand for and they flaunt it consistently. They understand marketing and the concept of standing out and standing for something.

They understand the concept of USP - Unique Selling Proposition.

They know when they are true to their image they will attract as well as repel people. But that's okay with them. They know you can't please everyone.

Because if you try, you fall below the radar into a sea of mediocrity. A sea of me-too stars whose faces you never see on Entertainment Tonight.

Your Marketing Step

I encourage you to look at your business and ask yourself those same two questions Simon Cowell asked the American Idol contestants, plus a few more - 10 to be exact!

(1) What makes you unique?

(2) What sets you apart?

(3) Does your business have a clear identity?

(4) Does all of your marketing consistently promote that identity?

(5) Do you ever waiver from this identity?

(6) Are you struggling to figure out exactly what identity will best serve your business?

(7) Are you floundering in a sea of me-too products and services?

(8) Are you too busy modeling your competitors instead of finding your own unique voice?

(9) Do you struggle to explain what you do, in a way that resonates with your ideal clients?

(10) Are you frustrated with the response you're getting to your marketing?

Knowing how you are unique and what sets you apart are critical components in your marketing success. Yet determining what that USP is can be one of the biggest marketing challenges you'll face.

I don't know how many of the singers Simon Cowell questioned were able to give him a definitive answer. But my guess is most couldn't. Don't fall into this same trap with your business.

Uncover your Unique Selling Proposition - it's the key that unlocks the door to your business' success.

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing Systemto make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

How to Run an American Idol Office Pool

2009-06-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Interested in American Idol and want to start your own office pool but are unsure how to get started? Running an American Idol pool in your office can really bring the troops together regardless of their interest level in the show. While playing in one is fun, starting your own American Idol Office Pool can be a daunting task.

Scoring Points in an American Idol Office Pool

The purpose of any office pool is to score the most points, and an American Idol Pool is no different. Every Office Pool requires scoring events that are compelling and contribute to the enjoyment of participation. For an American Idol Office Pool, one of the most popular methods of scoring involves the following three components:

1. Weekly Elimination

2. Bonus Questions

3. Overall Winner

The American Idol show begins with several weeks of auditions, so it is best to start your pool when the contestant number is down to the final 12 or even final 24. Before that point, it can be difficult to recognize the contestants or determine favorites.

Weekly Elimination

For any Office Pool it is critical to choose events where the results provide the greatest variety of outcomes. Choosing the winner of a football game, for example, provides only 2 outcomes and will only split your players into two groups. The more variety you find, the more enjoyable the pool is for everyone. In American Idol Pools, the most obvious scoring event is when contestants are eliminated. While it may seem there are still only two outcomes here, creating a dynamic scoring system can dramatically change the diversity in the results.

To achieve this, scoring can be handled in a variety of ways, including 1) static point value (e.g. 5 points for correctly guessing who is eliminated); 2) probability weighting (e.g. 5 points for obvious contestants, 10 points for less obvious, 15 points for contenders); or 3) player-controlled weighting (e.g. player puts 1 point on contestant A, 2 points on B, etc.)

Because of the limited number of events to score, a weighting system works best for American Idol Pools. One popular model involves assigning points to the contestant who your members think will be eliminated. This method provides for the most variability among competing members in the pool and keeps results interesting.

Bonus Questions

In addition to awarding points on elimination, some pools like to use bonus so that members feel an interaction with the show. The key to bonus questions is that they be about events that are integral to the American Idol television show and have a limited number of answers. For example:

* Who will be the first person to be declared safe ?

* Name a singer in the bottom three who doesn't go home?

* Will a boy or a girl go home tonight?

Setting point value for Bonus Questions can be difficult, so follow this simple rule of thumb: award more points for risk takers but not so much that weekly elimination points are made irrelevant.

Overall Winner

The final method of scoring points in an American Idol Pool is for correctly predicting the Overall Winner. Clearly, if someone is able to predict the overall winner while there are still 12 or even 24 contestants that should be worth a lot of points and it adds to the fun each week for everyone playing along.

Are the Points Balanced?

When setting up an American Idol Office Pool, the philosophy should center on increasing the enjoyment of the show, while keeping as many pool players interested in the competition as possible. Try not to hand out so many points for an overall pick that anyone that loses theirs drops out of the race. Don't set bonus question points to be so valuable that weekly elimination selections aren't worth the effort. Balance points to try to ensure the largest percentage of the membership remains interested and engaged.

Keeping Really Bad Predictors Interested

What about those people in the pool that after 2 weeks feel they have already fallen too far back to even bother? A strategy that works well to keep everyone interested is to award a small prize to the person who scores the least number of points. This way, halfway through the season when their overall winner pick is already out and they are too far behind to see a way to win, they can start intentionally picking poorly. It's harder than it looks!

Conclusion

Participating in an American Idol Office Pool can be a lot of fun, and running one doesn't have to be a burden. An American Idol Office Pool should be designed to enhance the experience of the show for fans and non-fans alike. Remember to create an engaging point system for relevant events, spice things up with bonus questions about the show, evaluate your point balance and find ways to keep most of the people interested throughout the whole season.

Jim Grosch & Kevin McHugh founders of funofficepools.com have managed office pools for over 10 years before starting funofficepools.com, a site developed to help with the laborious day-to-day tasks of managing popular office pools. Today, the site hosts American Idol Office Pools, Dancing with the Stars Office Pools, CBS Survivor Office Pools and College Football & NFL Office Pools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Mchugh

American Idol Season 2- Where are They Now?

2009-06-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

I don't want to mention names, but thanks to certain people (ahem, me) we know what happened to the contestants from American Idol Season 1. Some of them became famous singers, others found success behind the music. American Idol Season 2, the sophomore year, produced even better results. Not only have Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kimberly Locke - first, second, and third place winners respectively - enjoyed success on the airwaves, but many other contestants have also gone on to great fame in music, stage, and television.
Josh Gracin: Due to previous obligations, Josh Gracin returned to Marine life immediately after he was voted off American Idol. His military commitment prevented him from touring with the other contestants. This, however, did not hurt his chance for fame. With the help of Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flats, Gracin was signed to Lyric Street Records and released his first album in July of 2004. This was a certified Gold Record.

A few months later, Gracin was honorably discharged from the military; the government gave him permission to put down his ammunition and picked up a microphone for good. He sang on movie soundtracks and on a Jim Brickman album in 2005 and produced both a single and his third child in 2006. His newest Album, All About Y'all, is set to be released in spring 2007. There is also speculation that Gracin may replace the lead singer of the band Lonestar, who is allegedly leaving sometime this year.

Frenchie Davis: Despite being one of the better known idols from Season 2, Frenchie Davis was disqualified before the finals after photos of her posing topless surfaced on the Internet. Regardless of this, Davis was able to stick a proverbial tongue out at Idol producers by finding her own fame. After getting the boot on American Idol, Davis found her feet, first on the red carpet and then on the stage.

In 2003, she served as both the Grammy’s correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and a cast member of the musical Rent where she sang solo and with an ensemble in various acts. Davis then went on to find fame in the stage production of Dreamgirls. Though she has since returned to her role in Rent, it is rumored she will leave in May 2007.

Kimberly Caldwell: After America rewarded her with seventh place, Kimberly Caldwell went on to pose for Maxim, and serve as a Fox news correspondent for 54321, a short lived extreme sports show. Becoming well versed in the correspondent’s role, she also procured a job as an American Idol reporter for Fox News Live, Ryan on Air, Showbiz Tonight, and the TV Guide Channel. Rumors are circulating that Caldwell has her hopes set on becoming an anchorwomen for the Fox network.

Though Caldwell's life as a correspondent has seemingly taken her away from making music, this is not necessarily the case. In 2004, she began recording her debut album, one produced by Randy Jackson and containing songs written by Diane Warren. It has, however, yet to see the light of day.

Carmen Rasmussen: After making it back into American Idol’s good graces during the Wild Card round, Carmen Rasmussen was eventually eliminated with sixth place under her belt. The youngest Idol finalist of the season, Rasmussen went from singing to acting, procuring a role in Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy. But, she didn’t cut her chords, vocal or otherwise, and released an EP entitled Carmen in 2004.

The year 2005 saw her marry the son of Utah’s Lt. Governor, while 2006 saw her make three appearances on NBC’s Fear Factor; she finished in second place. Rasmussen then went back to her musical roots and signed with Lofton Creek Records in February 2007. Her first album is scheduled to be released in spring 2007.

Vanessa Olivarez: Amid controversy, Vanessa Olivarez became the first finalist eliminated from Season 2. Some speculate that her elimination came as a result of her making a rude comment, one that was scripted by network writers. Nonetheless, once eliminated, Olivarez did away with American Idol, and for a time, America: she moved to Canada.

While in Canada, Olivarez continued to pursue music and released a single that reached number 9 on the Canadian charts. She was also cast as lead in Hairspray, a Toronto production in which she received rave reviews. After returning to the United States, Olivarez reunited with the host of American Idol by appearing on On Air With Ryan Seacrest. She also joined two musical groups, Butterfly Stitch and South 70.

Like the contestants from the first season, many of those from American Idol Season 2 were able to use their exposure and experience as a way to get their foot into the music and entertainment industries. This is a trend not likely to stop anytime soon: once people discover talent, they tend to find a place to put it.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a gift for stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

When Success Shines Through Failure in American Idol

2009-06-04T06:24:00.002-07:00

Like about 200 million other people around the world, my wife and I settled down to watch the American Idol Grand Finale earlier this week. With the benefit of satellite, we watched live from our tropical island home by the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. We were already happy, as our two favourites, Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks had, the previous evening, been where they belonged, singing in the final. Whoever won did not matter; we loved them both, but after Taylor Hicks final song, he did look the likely winner. However, they would both, as well as Chris Daughtry, have made worthy American Idols.

There were many memorable moments during the American Idol 2006 series, but for me one of the most memorable, and significant, came with the announcement of Taylor Hicks as the winner. I was delighted for him. He has been an inspirational entertainer all the way through the American Idol series, never flirting with the exit door (despite Simon Cowell's attempts to shove him there), and with a unique ability to take just about any song, turn it into his own, and bring the audience to its feet. Taylor Hicks is...well, Taylor Hicks; never afraid to do his own thing and entertain the audience. Even if Simon Cowell wrote a funeral dirge, Taylor Hicks could turn it into something special with his unique character, and have the house rocking.

Taylor Hicks being announced as the winner was, of course, the peak of the series; it was what all the contestants had been aiming for since the auditions. However, for me there was something very special about that moment, that some may not have been so aware of: the reaction of Katherine McPhee. Her reaction was one of genuine delight for Taylor's success. There were no artificial congratulations, no tears of disappointment, no sombre face because she had lost the final; just magnanimous delight for Taylor Hicks being voted American Idol 2006.

Katherine McPhee is a born star, and she will have a good singing career, a dream come true for her. Yet, despite her stunning beauty and exceptional singing talent, she remained modest even at the pinnacle of the show. In her own failure to win the contest, she simultaneously recognised with magnanimity the success of Taylor Hicks, and glowed in her own success of getting that far herself. She did not exude one iota of failure in her demeanour as the announcement was made. If anything, she epitomised success.

Seeing Katherine McPhee at that moment reminded me of how intermingled success and failure are. Even the same achievement can be viewed by one person as a success, and another as failure. No doubt there are some mean spirited people who will dismiss Katherine with a simple “oh, she was beaten, she failed.” But anyone who genuinely respects achievement of any type would appreciate what she has done to get as far as she has, and in such style.

The parents of Katherine McPhee must be very proud of what their daughter can do, has done, and will do in the future. But they should also be very proud of themselves for bringing up such a delightful young woman, who can take her moment of disappointment and turn it into a celebration of success, both for her and her conqueror, Taylor Hicks.

This success article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website

American Idol - Tips For Song Selection

2009-06-04T06:24:00.001-07:00

Song selection is both an art and a science, especially for American Idol audition. Song selection is very important whether you are doing covers or original material, or a combination of both. The rules and audition format for each city where American Idol auditions are held keep changing each year, so be sure to check the American Idol site and prepare exactly what they specify for the city where you plan to
audition.

1. American Idol Audition

So, if you're thinking of auditioning for the next round there are a few things you need to be ready for to make it by the
judges. There is no other way to explain it, you need to do your homework if you're going to make it past the very first and following auditions. To become American Idol you need to give these auditions your absolute best shot if you want to make it. Factor in how an American Idol auditions is always a magnet for the really strange over the real singers. To have to listen to those people who confidently claimed that their tones sound like Freddy Mercury in the American idol audition is already emotionally and physically (to the ears of course) torturous.

2. American Idol Songs

The first rule to American Idol song selection is to pick a song that you can sing. I have seen too many good vocalists singing poor songs,
which effectively reduces an artist's chances of success. The second rule to song selection is to choose a song people know. If the judges don't know your song, they will have little idea if you are singing the song correctly or not and that tends to bring scores down. The third rule of song selection is to pick a song that shows off all you have to offer. Be true to yourself and your voice to get your best shot at this business of singing. The forth and final rule to song selection is to choose a song that suites your personality. If you are shy and quite with a soft voice, you're probably better off singing a ballad than trying to fake your way through an outgoing dance song.

3. Searching for Songs

You can search for songs with a keyword, phrase and/or composer. Perform a lyrics search by artist name, title, or song lyrics text or check out the top song lyrics searches and see the most popular love songs on The Love Lyrics Encyclopedia. Searching by titles or keywords is much faster than searching the whole text (these are "indexed" searches, and take only about a tenth the time a full-text search requires), but they only work if you know the song's title or can guess at the keywords. There is a search method for preparing a sensitivity table which can be updated with a correlation value between a search keyword (for example, cheerful song or refreshing song) and a feature word (for example, cheerfulness or energetic). After searching a song, look for the words 'Karaoke Lyrics' under song info.

4. Karaoke Tips For Next American Idols

Karaoke is supposed to be easy, breezy, and stress free for American idols contestant, where lining up an hour's worth of songs should only take 30 seconds.
You have a great selection of karaoke to choose from and presented in a good package. For example, each Pocket Songs PSCDG album contains a complete performance with a professional vocalist as well as the karaoke tracks of each song, for the at-home performer. The cutting edge technology of the computerized karaoke system is a big plus for the die-hard karaoke junkie, and I can see lots of entertainment potential with the added features of the digital system. Sing at karaoke clubs as much as possible. Record yourself singing along with the singer or piano accompaniment with melody and make sure your voice matches, especially on high notes, low notes, fast phrases and runs. Record yourself again and listen for any pitch problems.

Song selection is important for every party involved in American Idol audition, especially if you want them to have a lot of fun. Practice your song in front of the mirror and make sure that your singing sounds good. When you want to become American Idol there are many things that are involved in the worship event and worship leading, but song selection is a really important one.

Alex Goldman will give you 1000s of dollars in free American Idol contest preparation resources, info, video, tools, tips and Free ebook from his site : http://www.americanidolspro.com

American Idol - 5 Business Secrets For The Entrepreneur

2009-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

American Idol top 24 contestants took the stage. It was the much anticipated top 12 male finalists which is followed by the even sexier top 12 female performers. What does that have to do with a business owners' business in a word everything. American Idol is not just for teenagers. Sure it is the teenagers for the most part who have the patience to text message to make sure their favorite idols stay in the competition. But what can business owners learn from American Idol?

It is brilliant marketing. The season begins with the modern day version of TV bloopers with the viewers laughing even mocking the contestants who do anything to get on TV while Simon insults them sometimes in a very humorous way. Yet Simon evokes an even deeper emotion when we begin to grow attached to our so-called favorites who go on to Hollywood. With the famous, "Welcome to Hollywood" phrase. We now become deeper invested in the outcome of these contestants.

With each level of the competition, the human stories develop around each contestant as we are drawn in deeper to their personal lives which include their failures and triumphs. The next step is the narrowing down from the thousands of contestants to the top 24. What is this similar to a highly successful product launch.

The 5 Secrets any Business Owner must model in their business to be enormously successful.

Secret 1- Branding: The contestants start to brand themselves right from the beginning auditions.

Secret 2- Stories: Stories are constructed to draw the viewer in of why they are applying for American Idol.

Secret 3- Unique: In order to be successful the contestant must develop unique qualities and make themselves memorable?

Secret 4- Risk: The contestant must be willing to take risks and show their weaknesses to win us over.

Secret 5- Failure: The contestant must be willing to fail by stepping out of their comfort zones.

Does your business have these 5 secrets in its marketing tool box.

Gail M. Barsky, ProfitsMakeOver, Inc. works primarily with small business owners. Gail's proven systems and strategies help business owners' increase: the size of customer transactions, profit margins, the frequency of purchases, the number of years customers do business with you, referrals and boost conversion rates. Gail works only with a handful of personal clients. Her results have been impressive and have earned her substantial recognition and notoriety. Gail frequently offers "Breakthrough Business Development Seminars & Workshops."

For more business tips see http://www.profitsmakeover.com/blog

American Idol - How the Show Works

2009-06-04T06:22:00.001-07:00

If you don't know how American Idol works, maybe you could tell us what rock you crawled under from. The hit show American Idol has caused such a stir because the success or failure of a particular singer rests in your able fingertips. The show only presents you with the most qualified and from there; the rest is up to you.

How does American Idol actually work? Basically, to be on American Idol, you must first be a legal US citizen, a permanent US resident or have papers to prove that you are legally allowed to work in the United States. You should be between 16 and 28 years of age and must be an amateur singer. If you have any recording contract, or are already represented by a manager, you will be deemed ineligible to participate in the show. In addition, you should also not be one of the top 30 to 44 contestants of previous AI seasons.

If you comply with these requirements, you can proceed to the nearest audition center and wow Randy, Paula and Simon with your singing prowess. If you manage to impress two of the three judges, your next stop will be Hollywood, where you and the other finalists from the other states compete for a spot in the finals. In Hollywood, the finalists will not only be judged according to their vocal quality, but on how they work as a team as well.

It is only when the judges have selected the final 12 contestants will the battle to win America's hearts begin.

How do these contestants become the next American Idol anyway? During the entire run of the finals, the contestants are tasked to sing, not just any song from any genre, but songs that fall within a specific musical category (western, Broadway, rock, etc). This is done not to make life terrible for these star wannabes, but to show their versatility as performers. After each contestant finishes his rendition, the judges will give the contestant a critique of his or her performance. The negative criticisms are not meant to demean the participant, but to help him or her further improve his or her performance. When the judges are through with their critique, a number is flashed on the screen and those who believe that that particular singer should be crowned as the next American Idol will cast their votes via SMS (short message system) or by punching in a specific set of numbers on their touch-tone phones. These votes are then tallied and the next day, the contestants who received the three lowest votes are asked on stage and the one with the lowest votes get to take a final bow and say goodbye to the crowd. The procedure repeats itself; though sometimes, the participants sing more than one song, and every week, a contender goes home until only one - a product of your votes, and the next American Idol remains.

Dave Reynolds writes on a number of different subjects, from autos and personal finance to gadgets, cell phone skins, games, and electronics

American Idol Episode 33 Season 8 - The Remaining Five Finalists Perform

2009-06-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

This week on American Idol Season 8, the Top 5 Contestants heat things up with the Rat Pack Performances. Jamie Foxx (actor/comedian/singer) is their mentor this week. I thought Jamie Foxx was an outstanding choice for this week's mentor with his impeccable talent and experience. I thought he really showed he cared for each and every one of the contestants' performances.

So to kick things off, Kris Allen sings his heart out with a ballad, "The Way You Look Tonight" and gains approval from judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi. Simon Cowell, on the other hand, was not as enthused as the rest, by commenting that he thought Kris' performance was "Wet" but thought Kris' performance was "Still good." Ryan Seacrest tries to get Simon's definition on what he meant by "Wet" but Simon's only reply was "Not dry!"

Allison Iraheta is up next and also decides to sing a ballad, "Someone to Watch Over Me" and the judges seemed to think she shined throughout the song, but Simon Cowell was sure to comment that he did not feel her "Confidence" while performing and felt that she "May be in trouble". I thought Allison sounded a lot like the musician, Pink or even Christina Aguilera. She brings a sultry sound to a nice, slow ballad.

Matt Giraud also did a ballad choice tonight with, "My Funny Valentine" and the judges seemed to really like it, including Simon Cowell with his comment, "I thought you were absolutely brilliant" and Matt appears to be improving his vocals and performances as each week passes. But I get a feeling he may be one of the next to be eliminated since he is no stranger to being in the bottom 3 and already been saved from elimination once.

Danny Gokey comes in with an amazing performance of "Come Rain or Shine" and the judges all seemed to think Danny was outstanding with his vocal range. Danny has such an amazing voice that is definitely recognizable and welcoming. He is doing a great job at remaining steady in the competition so far.

Adam Lambert is simply one of my favorites because of his confident ability to create a version of a song like no one has ever heard before. His performance was, as usual, outstanding with the song, "Feeling Good" and I certainly "felt good" after hearing his arrangement and was impressed with his creative take on the song.

My prediction for tomorrow's elimination may possibly be, Allison Iraheta. It would be unfortunate, because she is the last female contestant on the show. Only because she does seem to have a few areas of struggle, but I still think we are at the point in the contest where struggle is not accepted at this point. But if she is not eliminated, I believe she is at least in the bottom 3. And if that were to happen, it will be down to the men to shine to the top for a win!

Connie is a TV Gorge critic and reviews many popular tv shows see this review here at American Idol Episode 33 Season 8

Real Estate Agent Personal Branding - Learning From American Idol - Part 5

2009-06-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Dialing-In to Your Inimitable Brand Signal

This is part of article series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

Perhaps the biggest challenge for luxury real estate marketing professionals, when it comes to personal branding, is consistently maintaining your true brand signal and not just imitating others. Dialing-in to your own original signal and staying true to that signal without imitating others can be a daunting task. It requires factoring out what other people think about you while still matching the needs and expectations of your target market.

You must strike a balance between giving people what they want and expect and delivering that in your own inimitable way. Playing it safe by conforming to what has been tried and already accepted can become a trap if approval of others is what you are seeking. Pleasing yourself is all important. Imitation is a cop-out.

For a couple of weeks, Lil Rounds was not dialed-in to her brand signal. You can almost hear the static in her voice, like a radio that is not quite tuned into the station. Simon said, "This was, to me, you singing to stay in the competition with a safe song". In earlier weeks, Lil was an original. Once you have heard her clear, pure signal it is not difficult to sense when she is off signal. But, can she hear the static too?

Sometimes you just have to get off signal to more clearly know how to dial back in. It is a matter of fine tuning. This applies in all forms of branding. In the case of American Idol, the contestants get instant feedback from the judges. As a luxury real estate marketing professional, you can master the personal branding "dial-in" process yourself without outside judges. Just become sensitive to the way you feel when you are on your true signal and recognize how you feel when you are off signal. Being spot on signal feels great. Everything else does not feel as good.

Ron and Alexandra Seigel are the managing partners of Napa Consultants, International the leading luxury real estate marketing firm, specializing in web design, personal branding, and company branding. Gain the competitive edge in your luxury real estate marketplace. Visit our highly acclaimed blog, the Language of Luxury. "Get Fluent. Get Affluent!"Read the entire AMERICAN IDOL SERIES at http://www.NapaConsultants.com/popular-articles

The Top 12 of American Idol Reviews

2009-06-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

American Idol is at full swing again back with Season 7 and the top 24 are singing trying to get their way into the top 12 and eventually become the next Idol and get that big recording deal. So how good is the talent this year? If you have been watching some of the episodes, you will notice that there is a good mix of younger talent this year which some are only 17 years old. Some of the 17 year old contestants are David Archuleta, Alexandrea Lushington, and Garrett Haley all of which have showed they can sing. David is one that has been highly sought by all three judges and appears to have a good voice as well.

There has been some controversy in some people questioning the amateur talent because some of the singers have been on talent shows before or even signed a record deal before they made it through to the top 24 of American Idol. Whether or not they might have been in a professional position once before, it shouldn't really affect their performance as this is a competition.

What kind of singer will become the next American Idol? Typically in each season there is always a good mix of pop, rock, country, and even jazz type singers and it appears that in season seven, there is just that. The key to making it in the top is that you have to sing well, stand out from the rest, and have great confidence throughout your performances. In the past, this seems to be the key to success.

You can learn more about individual American Idol Contestants here.

What Can Learn About MLM From Watching American Idol

2009-06-04T06:17:00.002-07:00

I know it sounds crazy but it's true... you really can learn a lot about MLM from watching American Idol. Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? Well check this out!

American Idol is the most popular show on T.V.... Why? Could it be Ryan Seacrest's perfectly coifed head? Could it be Simon's tiny black t-shirts? The crazy people who think they can sing but really sound like a dying cat? Or could it be that America's favorite show holds little nuggets of knowledge for the home based business owner? Hmmm...

A.I Rule Number One: Keep on keeping' on!

Have you ever seen an audition with someone who has a horrible voice but they just keep singing anyway? Simon tries to stop them and Randy tells them "it just wasn't good dog" but they still keep going.

Ok, ok I know it's really annoying on the show but in life that is exactly what you have to do. Keep on singing- er prospecting no matter what. You might have to hear a hundred no's but if you keep on going you'll get some yes' too!

A.I Rule Number Two: The world is full of Simons

He might be mean and nasty but he's always going to be on the show and trust me there are a lot of Simons out there! People are always going to tell you you're crazy when you first get started in a home based business it's just a fact of life. Ignore them and move on. Remember for every Simon there is always a Paula.

A.I. Rule Number Three: You gotta stand out!

Boring people never make it on American Idol. Even if they are really talented and have great voices if you're dull you're probably not gonna make it past the first audition. If you really want to succeed in a home based business you're going to have to learn to stand out. No you don't have to dress in a chicken costume... well unless you want to. Just don't blend it with everyone else!

A.I. Rule Number 4: Don't fake it

You don't have to pretend to be someone else to have success. You can have success in any business as long as you're the best version of yourself. The voters, um I mean prospects, can always spot a fake and nobody likes a phony.

Dan Himes
http://www.portlandsuccess.com
360-936-9039

Danswayout@gmail.com

Real Estate Agent Personal Branding - Learning From American Idol - Part 4

2009-06-04T06:17:00.001-07:00

This is part of article series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

Imitation vs. Interpretation

In luxury real estate marketing the tried and true fundamentals still work. For example, rapidly returning phone calls and emails, staying in touch with your data base, remembering birthdays, giving great closing gifts will always help to build a successful practice. But, what is your personal interpretation of these fundamentals, your unique brand of executing these basics? Are you an imitator or do you offer your own artistic interpretation of the fundamentals?

Some of the contestants on American Idol this season have been in search of their authentic brand signal. Anoup was off his signal when he imitated the same style as the original artists' version of Caught Up (Usher). Because it was an imitation, it came across to the judges as a "wannabee" performance, rather than a personal, artistic interpretation of the same song.

Imitation may be known as the sincerest form of flattery. However, interpretation is taking the established form and pushing it in new dimensions. This was evident in Khris' performance of "Ain't No Sunshine, When She Is Gone!" A 30 year old song became new again. You can clearly distinguish the difference between imitation and artistic interpretation by listening to these two performances on the American Idol website.

Study what your competition does when it comes to executing the fundamentals of building a solid luxury real estate marketing practice. If they are market leaders, you can count on the fact that they have been consistent in applying their winning formula. But, do not imitate their style. Create your own style. Be creative. Be authentic. Think of yourself as an artist. Interpret the fundamentals in your own way. Discover your own inimitable brand signal.

Ron and Alexandra Seigel are the managing partners of Napa Consultants, International the leading luxury real estate marketing firm, specializing in web design, personal branding, and company branding. Gain the competitive edge in your luxury real estate marketplace. Visit our highly acclaimed blog, the Language of Luxury. "Get Fluent. Get Affluent!"Read the entire AMERICAN IDOL SERIES at http://www.NapaConsultants.com/popular-articles

Real Estate Agent Personal Branding - Learning From American Idol - Part 1

2009-06-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Pick the Right Brand Category. Pick the Right Song!

American Idol judges seem to admire those contestants who know who they are in terms of their brand category (country, rock, rhythm and blues, etc) and those who stay within that genre. Real estate agent personal branding requires the same clarification of brand category. That is why selecting a niche and sticking with it is so important.

American Idol, Carrie Underwood's brand category is country. David Cook's category is pop rock. Fantasia's category is rhythm and blues. Once you clarify your brand category you must find your own "voice" or your authentic "brand signal" within that category and you must choose the right songs to showcase your unique talent.

Song choice is extremely important. Many artists fall into a trap when it comes to choosing songs. They encounter what appears to be a paradox: the choice between artistic integrity and commercialism. The trap is that the two are considered to be in opposition. Commercialism is considered the excessive emphasis on profit making. If you opt for commercialism you are selling out. But, keep in mind that American Idol is about creating commercially successful stars!

The underlying false premise here is that there is a scarcity of songs from which to choose. The truth is that there are plenty of songs that may be chosen that are both commercially appealing and right on your brand signal.

In creating your real estate personal brand, the right brand category is a niche that you can really be excited about. In luxury real estate a niche might be waterfront property or metro high-rise condos, or luxury fractionals. The key is to find a category that you can be passionate about. Then find a unique approach to represent yourself as the expert in this niche. That is what picking the right "song" is all about.

There is no scarcity of approaches. You want to resonate with the widest possible audience. For example, an agent in Florida calls prospective home seller who own very expensive estates and tells them to walk outside in 15 minutes and look up! He then gets into his helicopter and hovers over the estate and calls the homeowner back. Then he asks for permission to land on the grounds and take the homeowner for a whirl around the neighborhood as he points out all of the properties he has sold. A listing agreement is signed before he lands!

Is this your song? Pick the right brand category. Pick the Right Song for you!

Ron and Alexandra Seigel are the managing partners of Napa Consultants, International the leading luxury real estate marketing firm, specializing in web design, personal branding, and company branding. Gain the competitive edge in your luxury real estate marketplace. Visit our highly acclaimed blog, the Language of Luxury. "Get Fluent. Get Affluent!"Read the entire AMERICAN IDOL SERIES at http://www.NapaConsultants.com/popular-articles

Real Estate Agent Personal Branding - Learning From American Idol - Part 3

2009-06-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is part three of our article series entitled: Real Estate Agent Personal Branding: Learning form American Idol. It is a fun and easy way to learn the principles of personal branding. You do not have to be an Idol fan to enjoy!

A Moment of Transformation

For luxury real estate marketing professionals who seek to gain or sustain market leadership building your personal brand is a necessity and finding your unique brand signal is an imperative. The pursuit of market leadership may seem on the outside like acquiring the lion's share of market share. But, it is actually the quest for tapping into your inner voice. When this occurs you most certainly will experience a transformational moment.

At the point when American Idol narrowed down the number of contestants to just ten, the show featured some stellar performances. Several of the contestants found their brand signal. Their voices and their performances were authentic -matching their talent and their innate artistic style. When you hear it you know it. The judges referred to it as having a "moment".

In sports, the term most often associated with this is "being in the zone". It is a time when what seemed unattainable manifests. It is a time when everything clicks. It is when a real estate deal falls into place and all parties are aligned. It is when you are in the flow of life.

About Adam Lambert's performance, Simon remarked," tonight you have become a tar". His performance moved Smokey Robinson, that week's mentor and songwriter ("Tracks of My Tears") to give him a standing ovation. This was Adam's transformational moment.

Tapping Into Your Inner Voice

Allison Iraheta sang "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" which brought rave reviews from the judges. She found her voice, found her brand signal and connected to the core of her being. What is particularly remarkable about Alison is that she is only 16 years old. In this performance, according to one of the judges, Alison tapped so deeply into her inner voice, her unique brand signal, it was, "from God, you cannot teach that!"

Once you find your unique wavelength, once you tap into your inner voice, you cannot go back to the same old way of doing things without a feeling of angst. Your talent grows; your performance gets better and better. You cannot accept anything less.

True market leaders compete only with themselves. They constantly keep reaching for their best and look to improve no matter what the circumstances are. They like the leading edge, they constantly explore it. They don't let themselves be swayed by events of the day. They mind their own business. They consistently stay on their brand signal.

Ron and Alexandra Seigel are the managing partners of Napa Consultants, International the leading luxury real estate marketing firm, specializing in web design, personal branding, and company branding. Gain the competitive edge in your luxury real estate marketplace. Visit our highly acclaimed blog, the Language of Luxury. "Get Fluent. Get Affluent!"Read the entire AMERICAN IDOL SERIES at http://www.NapaConsultants.com/popular-articles

David Cook - American Idol Winner

2009-06-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

David Cook is an American rock singer and songwriter. He was born in Houston, Texas on December 20th, 1982 and was raised in Blue Springs, Missouri. On May 21, 2008, he won the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol. David Archuleta was the first runner-up.

Cook auditioned for American Idol in Omaha, Nebraska, performing Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." He originally did not plan to try out for the show as he was going on a trip to China; he came to the auditions initially to support his younger brother Andrew (who did not make it past the auditions) and then decided to try out himself. For his first Hollywood audition, Cook performed "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Later in the week he performed "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain.

Cook took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments. Besides his Hollywood audition, he also accompanied himself on electric guitar for his performances of "All Right Now," "Hello," "Day Tripper," "I'm Alive," "Baba O'Riley," "Dare You to Move," and "Dream Big," and on acoustic guitar for "Little Sparrow," "All I Really Need Is You," and "The World I Know." Since the Top 12 week, he has also been wearing an orange wristband to support a 7-year-old fan, Lindsey Rose, with leukemia.

Cook won American Idol season 7 on May 21, 2008, receiving 56% of the votes. Cook then sang "The Time of My Life", the winning song of the 2008 American Idol Songwriter's Competition. David Cook's strong vocal and guitar-playing skills should help him obtain plenty of commercial success after his impressive American Idol victory.

To download David Cook ring tones, please click on the following link, choose your mobile carrier and sign up: http://www.exclusive-ringtones.net

Who Really Were the Winners on American Idol

2009-06-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

If you have ever stopped and watched the show, you have no doubt noticed that there are several people who manage to be extremely successful without actually winning the show. With this in mind, how is it possible for people to ultimately be successful if they do not win? Who really were the winners on American Idol? Yet at the same time, there are several people who are capable of winning the show but yet never manage to find ultimate success. The horrible reality is most people are not capable of finding true success on the show.

With so many people trying out for American Idol each year it is extremely important to locate the best talent in the country. At times, this can be really easy to do, however on other occasions it can be much more complicated as people struggle to determine which contestants are really best. With a large number of contestants, there are plenty of opportunities to learn exactly what it is that you are looking for in a musician. Nevertheless, while we as viewers are afforded the ability to truly select what we want for the American Idol, it is much harder for the contestants to determine what they need to do to be truly successful.

For many idols, the dream of being truly successful is extremely hard to actually fulfill. For other contestants it is something that is extremely easy to accomplish. For example, contestants such as Chris Daughtry are capable of pulling the audience into their performances, which can make it extremely easy to go on to a truly successful recording contract. As you have no doubt noticed, there are several former American Idol contestants who have been faced with extremely bad commercial success after winning the show.

One of the best examples of this is the small size of the careers of winners like Fantasia, Taylor Hicks and even Ruben Studdard. While artists like Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and even Kelly Clarkson have gone onto astronomical success. The newest winner, David Cook is just getting started after winning and it is unclear just how successful he will really be. With a truly great appeal it is possible that he can go onto become the next Carrie Underwood, but he could turn out to be the next Taylor Hicks instead.

Regardless of which end of the spectrum each contestant falls, there is nothing at all that guarantees success. Of course, the show itself always takes pride on ensuring that at least the winner is offered a recording contract, however much beyond this is left to the actual contestant and the type of music that they select to pick out. Many people might think that each of the winners will go onto huge success, but as prior indications have shown, this is sometimes far from the actual truth.

For the contestants who are lucky enough to find total success it is a great accomplishment. However, it is very important that the other contestants not be ruled out as well. There are often times when the contestants who do not actually win the show go on to be much better commercial success than the actual winners. Just take a look at Season 5; while Taylor Hicks was the actual winner, Chris Daughtry has been much more successful. This could even lead you to question whom ultimate won the show, while Taylor walked away with the number one position, Chris has walked away with awards, more money and much more commercial success.

Watching each contestant develop into someone that you are actually interested in watching grow professionally can be a lot of fun. There are several times when it is lots of fun to watch the underdeveloped contestants grow into actual artists. With plenty of opportunities to prove themselves, American Idol does allow plenty of great artists a perfect springboard for their musical career, how they choose to use their springboard varies, but after being sent home as a 4th place contestant I'm sure Chris Daughtry would agree that winning the actual contest is not all that matters.

ERIE CAPIPE is a pseudonym of a web researcher and web content writer of various topics.

For more articles about American Idol, check out this blog, http://mondotrabaho.info/american-idol

American Idol - Tips For Song Selection

2009-06-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

Amercian Idol Star, Jordin Sparks, Selects DubLi to Help Fight Hunger

2009-06-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

American Idol's favorite; Jordin Sparks took the stage again this weekend but this time it wasn't to entertain a crowd of fans, this time she was hear to speak with DubLi business owner's, in Scottsdale, AZ, about networking together in an effort to fight hunger in children everywhere.

Ms. Sparks did perform for her audience and some of us are big fans but Jordin was here on a more serious matter, fighting hunger in children across the US and across the world. She was here to announce that she is again teaming up with American's Fun Shopping Portal; DubLi, to help kick-off and promote two of her favorite charities "Blessings in a Backpack" an initiative for preventing children across the US from having to go hungry and "On Earth Campaign" a program to decrease worldwide poverty.

Blessings in a Backpack is an initiative to assist families, experiencing financial difficulties by sending an extra backpack home with kids every weekend, containing healthy foods and snacks.

Some children are only getting meals and snacks during the week at school or at daycare. We all know the importance of good nutrition and studies have proven that the better the nutrition the better the test scores and attendance.

The kids help assemble the backpacks, which assists in teaching some nutritional facts and keeps the process fun along the way. The program currently feeds over 11,000 kids every weekend but needs your assistance to continue and grow.

DubLi has donated and is placing (2) $10,000 debit cards on their Unique Bid Auctions, with all of the auction proceeds going to these two charities. The DubLi online shopping portal will feature the first debit card on the Unique Bid Auction in April with the proceeds going to Blessings in a Backpack. The second debit card will be featured in May and all proceeds of this unique bid auction will go to the On Earth campaign.

History of Charitable Initiatives with Jordin Sparks and the DubLi Online Shopping Portal:

In 2008, DubLi partnered with Jordin Sparks charities to raise $5,000.

In 2009, Blessings in a Backpack, is a charity that they will partner with this year.

American Idol Super Star, Jordin Sparks has teamed up with American's Fun Shopping Portal; DubLi, to help kick-off and promote "Blessings in a Backpack" an initiative for preventing children across the US from having to be hungry.

Visit http://www.onlinehoppingmlm.com to learn more about the DubLi business opportunity and to collect your FREE DubLi Credits to Try this New Fun Shopping Portal...who know, maybe you could be the winner of one of the $10,000 debit cards.

The World Needs Bad Singers

2009-06-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

With all the furor over Simon Cowell’s apparent abuse of the disillusioned, most of the press seems to be missing the point of the audition phase of American Idol these days. Most, except for BuddyTV.com.

I mean why does the show seem to gather its largest audience during the audition phase and the finale? The ratings for American Idol look like a banana. The answer is quite simple. People want the bad singers as much as they want the great, so it is therefore American Idol’s responsibility to deliver them. Even more so, though, people want to see Simon smack the disillusionment from their heads.

Take American Idol: Season 6, Episode 6 Recap (please). Also dubbed the “American Idol Los Angeles Auditions”. Should we expect any larger concentration of out of their goard goofballs on American Idol than those from Hollyweird itself? Every year the LA episode is the spectacle of this phase of the audition segments. If we needed any better example than Goddess Bunny to show us that Hollywood is full of deranged wanna-bees with sadly twisted views of the talent they posses, it would be the American Idol Los Angeles Auditions.

Throw out your psycho-babble spewing shrinks and disabled advocacy groups, the world does not despise these poor souls… we love them! Why else would we tune in by the millions to watch them do their thing! Worse yet is the folks who criticize this spectacle as exposing a disingenuous screening process… yes captain obvious, they really do want the bad singers and colorful characters in the audition phase. They make the show worth watching.

There is nothing better than enjoying American Idol with folks that get it, so it was fascinating to read Buddytv’s American Idol: Season 6, Episode 6 Recap and finally get the honest to goodness down-low on what makes audition season so enjoyable: the freaks, the geeks, and the serial killers. God bless em all.

For more resources about American Idol or even about American Idol: Season 6, Episode 6 Recap please follow http://www.buddytv.com

American Idol - Sanjaya Conspiracy?

2009-06-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, there is no doubt Sanjaya Malakar was not the most talented idol contestant, but I really do believe, he was one of the most entertaining. I personally would tune in just to see what his hairstyle would be the current week, and hoping his performances would get better. Millions of viewers will concur with me on his entertainment value, as he survived all the way to the top 7. My question is, could he have gone farther? Did American Idol boot him before his time?

After the top 12 results show , Sanjaya was gaining momentum each and every week. He was not even in the bottom three until he was voted off. Contestants such as Chris Richardson and Phil Stacy were consistently in the bottom three. However, when Sanjaya was voted off, these two were in the top bracket!

Sanjaya had the support of Howard Stern, and his millions of fans. Sure, Stern does not have the audience he used to when he was on terrestrial radio, but he does have approximately five to six million. He urged his fans to vote early and often for the San-Man, and many did. They used any method available to register as many votes as possible for the lovable underdog. This is what may have lead to Sanjaya's demise.

At the end of each American Idol broadcast, read the fine print. It says something to the affect that the producers have the final decision and the rights to disqualify any votes that appear to have been automated or unfair to give one contestant an advantage. Now, some Stern fans have admitted they used fiendish software to cast hundreds if not thousands of votes in one shot for Sanjaya.
Were thousands of votes eliminated or disqualified?

Look, sure American Idol lets us, the viewers, vote for the next superstar. However, do you really think they would let the least talented become the next idol? Sanjaya had fans, but he was not the best singer, not by a longshot. In the end, American Idol will do what's best for American Idol.

Farewell Sanjaya. You will not be forgotten for at least another week or so, when your done with the talk show circuit.

Tim Chirillo is an internet developer, single dad and tv buff. Check out his web site Yawn Tv for tv reviews, tv shows, and entertainment news. More info on the american idol tv show

Lessons Learned From American Idol

2009-06-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

American Idol is unquestionably the greatest marketing (and money making) machine in the history of the music industry. Their uncanny ability to position, promote, and transform obscure talent into household names before they record or release a single, is unparalleled and unprecedented. Some hate the show, others love it, but everyone has an opinion about it. With the American Idol 5 tour grossing 35.2 million dollars in only 59 dates and the Nielsen ratings for the debut of the sixth season coming in at a whopping 37 million viewers, it's more than just a show; it's a franchise with a show - and the show is a runaway hit with no signs of slowing down.

This article sheds light on five invaluable lessons that are imparted upon music artists who watch the show with dreams of one day becoming a commercial music success, or the next American Idol.

5.) MAINTAIN UNDERDOG STATUS. Taking tons of voice lessons, having a previous record deal, a famous family member, or great looks should be downplayed. America loves to root for the underdog in general - and on this show in particular. The show's viewers recognize that there's a thin line between confidence and cockiness. Chris Daughtry (season five contestant) crossed that line and walked into a brick wall of humility and exited from the show wearing a genuine expression of shock and dismay on his face that was perfectly captured by the cameras and re-played constantly by the media. Lesson learned: The minute you display cockiness, people pick up on it and are less willing to help you.

4.) USE THE FEEDBACK. Simon, Randy and Paula provide "constructive feedback" to contestants after every performance for the purpose of correcting flaws and improving future performances. Some use it. Some don't. Every American Idol winner does. This feedback (as entertaining or critical as it can be) often proves to be the tipping point for contestants on the edge like Elliott Yamin, who was advised to loosen up. Had he taken heed to that advice, the American Idol title would not have eluded the competition's best male vocalist of season five. Lesson learned: Use the advice offered by those with experience to your advantage.

3.) BE HUMBLE. Justin Guarini (a crowd favorite among the show's coveted female viewers) fell from grace and front-runner status in the first season during an egotistical exchange with Simon Cowell (while he was getting constructive feedback) in which he pronounced, "I don't care what you think...they like me," he said, pointing to the crowd and being rooted on by their cheers. "That's all that matters." He apologized the next week...but it was a mistake that would haunt him and inevitably cost him what appeared to be a certain victory. With one ill-timed (and ill-advised) exchange, he displayed cockiness and arrogance, which allowed Kelly Clarkson to surge from behind and clinch the victory. Lesson learned: Don't cheer for yourself; let the voters do it for you.

2.) BE LIKEABLE. Taylor Hicks (winner of season five), ingratiated himself with his animated personality and off-beat dancing. The light-hearted sassiness of Fantasia (winner of season three), the mild-mannered southern charm of Ruben Studdard (season two winner), and the wholesomeness of Carrie Underwood (winner of season four), exemplify the endearing qualities that American Idol viewers relate to and vote for. Lesson learned: We are motivated to do things for those we like - voting is just one of them.

1.) CHOOSE THE RIGHT SONGS. Ruben Studdard did a masterful job of choosing songs that not only showcased his vocal talents and strengths, but also his versatility. His rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" distanced him from the pack and assured his victory. Fanatasia's rendition of "Summertime" assured her of a record deal, and Kelly Clarkson's courageous cover of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman," helped to position her as a true vocalist. In each scenario, the consistent selection of the right song and its perfect marriage with the singers' voice, vocal range, and performance skill, proved to be the winning formula for American Idol winners, and it's also the formula for a successful career as a commercial recording artist.

Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He currently teaches at San Francisco State University where he is an adjunct professor of music industry studies. His affiliations include National Association Of Record Industry Professionals (associate director); CLA (speaker); West Coast Songwriters (consultant); The Muse's Muse (producer of the Muse's Muse Awards); and SBA (business advisor).

Tips To Achieve Perfect Pitch Vocals To Compete In American Idol And Perform Like Hanna Montana

2009-06-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

For centuries the world's greatest musicians and composers have had a secret weapon that only few knew about. The astounding fact is that every single person has this same ability lying undiscovered inside! This special ability is pitch recognition, more commonly known as perfect pitch and relative pitch. These two skills have been the guiding force behind some of music's biggest names.

Here are some interesting facts that you should know:

10% of students at the leading music schools, including Julliard School of Music, have perfect pitch.
A symphony orchestra usually includes 20% - 40% of musicians with perfect pitch.
Numerous leading surveys have concluded that at least 50% of today's top recording artists have either perfect pitch, relative pitch, or both!

Perfect pitch can be taught to anyone regardless of their genetics or age. This method has been taught to musicians who are in their 50s and 60s! It is simply a skill like any other. There is no such thing as a natural, only a student. Attaining perfect pitch is done through ear-training and learning how your voice sounds not through your ears, but through the ears of your listeners. The fact is, we sound differently to ourselves than we sound to others. Even more so, we sound differently on a recording than we do live. As an experiment, record your voice onto your voicemail and listen back. It sounds different. Now, if you have access to a higher quality recording microphone, you can practice some sounds at different pitches to hear where you're at vocally.

Now, after these experiments, don't delete or erase those recordings. You'll want to listen to them again after your vocal training course. There are many courses available, some not so good, and some written by true experts.

Record yourself singing along to a song. Listen back to your recording. Take notes on the following points:

Are you in Tune with the music? - your notes should match the song.
Is your voice weak or strong? - shouting is NOT Singing!!
Are you breathing correctly? - you should not be short of breath
Do you struggle to reach the notes - pick an easy song to start with!
Are you gasping for air between phrases - learn to breath in the "rests" between phrases

Record yourself again with another song. Listen to the difference in your practice recordings as you progress. Proper vocal care is also important, and there are several things you can do to ensure your voice is in peak performance every day:

Drink water to keep your body well hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Your vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a proper water balance helps keep them lubricated. Foods containing large amounts of water are excellent hydration-conscious snacks, including apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes, plums, bell peppers and applesauce.
Allow yourself several "vocal naps" every day, especially during periods of extended use. Try to avoid speaking for 30 minutes straight, a few times a day.
Don't smoke, or if you already do, quit.
Don't abuse or misuse your voice. Avoid yelling or screaming, and try not to talk loudly in noisy areas. I
Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed even when singing high notes and low notes.
Pay attention to how you speak every day. Even performers who have good singing habits can cause damage when they speak. Many skilled singers don't continue their healthy habits when they speak.
Don't clear your throat too often. When you clear your throat, it's like slamming your vocal cords together.
When you're sick, spare your voice. Don't talk when you're hoarse due to a cold or infection. Listen to what your voice is telling you.
When you have to speak publicly, to large groups or outdoors, think about using amplification to avoid straining your voice.
Humidify your home and work areas. Remember, moist is good for the voice.

You have numerous options for vocal study courses. Don't be fooled by the cheap immitations, or the "American Idol Singer's Training Kit", even the people who endorsed it, Randy and Paula, laughed at it last year on the show. A professionally produced product, backed by years of experience is what you want to look for. You could opt for a vocal coach, but be prepared to pay a premium for this privilege. Home study courses are an attractive alternative, but may not completely replace the skills of a live coach. The Perfect Pitch vocal training product has helped countless people become the vocalist that they strive to be.

Mark Williamson is the founder of JohnnyForex.com. Mark routinely hand picks informational products that help others achieve their goals, whether they are self improvement, or home business related.

The Perfect Pitch vocal course

How to Ace the American Idol Auditions

2009-06-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for tips on how to get through the American Idol auditions, then read further. You will find pointers here on how to impress Paula, Randy, and most importantly Simon Cowell. Hopefully, these will prove useful enough for you and actually get that yellow pass to Hollywood.

First Step

The initial basis of whether or not you'll get through the American Idol auditions is whether you can actually sing! The opinions of your immediate family, your relatives, and your close friends do not give you a reliable indicator of your talent. Find a music teacher or a voice coach, preferably someone you don't know, and get an honest objective assessment of your vocal abilities. The more plusses they rate you with, the better the chances you have.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Even the most successful singers spend time practicing. Unless you are incredibly gifted with a singing voice that can bring people to their knees, you will definitely need it. And even if you are lucky enough to have such a voice, practice never hurts your chances.

Practice your stage performance. Granted, you're performing for an audience of three. But at this point, they're the three most important audience members for you. Review American Idol's previous seasons' shows. Short of prancing around like Taylor Hicks, subtle but meaningful movements should be enough. Plan an appropriate wardrobe as well. Don't go overboard, though. Just because you plan to sing a country song doesn't mean you have to dress up like a cowboy competing in a rodeo.

Singing Isn't Enough

Develop your personality. AI isn't a talent search. It's a popularity contest that only uses your singing talent as one basis of judging. Simon Cowell isn't auditioning for a Songbird or Opera Star; he's looking for an American Idol! An idol is someone the public admires because of looks, personality, and style, as well as singing talent. Even if you have a golden voice, but are about as exciting as a rock, chances are they won't put you through.

On the Day of The American Idol Auditions

Get in line as early as you can for the day you plan to audition in. There's going to be hundreds of people who think they have what it takes or are just want a chance to appear on TV. There are two things you want to avoid: getting cut out because they aren't taking anymore entrants, and getting in when the judges are already too tired or too frustrated to notice that you're actually good.

Auditioning in Front of the Judges

When you finally get inside, remember this: DON'T OVERDO IT! Don't overextend your vocal range. Don't exaggerate your transitions. Don't overact while you're performing. If you feel you have to butter up the judges, don't end up kissing their behinds.

The only time when it's OK to overreact is when you leave the audition room with that yellow sheet of paper. Hopefully, with these pointers, you will pass the American Idol audition phase and do move on to Hollywood.

Copyright (c) Althea Marie Tan - The Content Annex is a content development company that offers comprehensive writing solutions for busy entrepreneurs. Visit http://www.thecontentannex.com for more information.

American Idol - How to Become a Star

2009-06-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

What does it take to become a star? Others think that you need talent or beauty, some say you need connections, still others believe that you should have the money and the right heritage. Assuming you have most if not all of those so-called requirements, how do you get talent scouts to notice you and how to you launch your career into superstardom? First you need to be discovered.

Before the advent of reality television, aspiring stars would camp out in front of casting director's offices, or take several mini roles in forgettable films hoping that their raw talent would shine through. Now, the road to success is easier.

Shows like American Idol make it easier for people to follow their dreams. These shows give would-be stars a place where they can hone their talents through the guidance of experts in the field. Aside from being groomed, the participants and their performances are televised, thrusting them into the limelight and making them household names almost instantly.

In American Idol, the show still segregates the good from the bad via auditions but once you get through the initial screening and the Hollywood Hell Week, you're more or less sure that you would have gotten your 15 minutes of fame.

If you think that being in the final 12 is already a ticket to success, then you are mistaken. If you watch video clips of American Idol from the start of the season to the end, you will see subtle differences in every performer. The once quivery voice of one will become stronger and more powerful as the days progress; the uncoordinated clothes and unflattering do of another transforms into something more fashionable and appealing right before your eyes.

Being a star is not only about raw and unadulterated talent, it's about being at the right place at the right time. It's also about the total package. It's not just about having an exceptional singing voice; it's also about looking like a star and carrying yourself like one.

In addition to these, you must also be endeared by the viewers or the fans. We have seen talented actors or singers who cannot be classified as "stars" because of the very limited following they have. It's difficult to explain, to put is simply, you must look self-confident without appearing too full of yourself.

There are no hard and fast rules to becoming a star; nor is there one sure way to stardom. The formula for success varies from person to another. Being a finalist in American Idol may pave your way to stardom, but staying in the limelight is something you have to work on and do by yourself. So heed all the nasty comments of Simon, work on your talent as well as your charm. These, plus hard work and determination, are your true tickets to stardom.

Dave Reynolds writes on a number of different subjects, from autos and personal finance to gadgets, laptop skins, games, and electronics.

The American Idol Phenomenon

2009-06-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know the first season of American debuted less than five years ago? It made its premiere on June 11, 2002. The show quickly became a topic for talk "around the water cooler" as people discussed the singing ability of the contestants still on the show and debated who should get cut and sent home next.

By the time the season finale aired on September 4, 2002, the Fox network realized they had a big hit show. The other networks weren't concerned. Not yet anyway. That has changed though. The other networks no longer try to compete against American Idol and expect their Tuesday and Wednesday night shows that air at the same time as American Idol to take a dip in the ratings. Dancing With the Stars, another popular show where the viewers get to vote on who stays and who goes home, is not going to air their upcoming season on Tuesday and Wednesday nights like they have in the past. They are going to air their show on Monday nights and have their results show on Tuesday nights with the Tuesday night airtime being right after American Idol ends.

American Idol is now the number one show in America, by far. In fact, they could lose half their viewership on any given night and still be in the top 10 television shows.

Not watching the show can put people at a social disadvantage because discussion of the show is a hot topic almost anywhere a person goes. That's why I started watching it in season two. I was sick of everyone I knew talking about it and feeling like I was an outcast because I knew nothing about the show. Now, I'm addicted to it as are millions of other Americans. And the ironic thing is the concept for American Idol didn't originate in the United States.

American Idol is based on a British television show called Pop Idol. And yes, Simon Cowell was part of Pop Idol. Simon, along with Simon Fuller developed Pop Idol and then brought the concept to the United States as American Idol.

Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Ryan Seacrest have all been part of the show since it first aired but did you know Ryan had a co-host the first season? His name was Brian Dunkleman. Brian left after the first season. He was unhappy with his role on the show, the producers were unhappy with his performance, and Simon Cowell was openly critical of him. Dunkleman is involved with American Idol again though. He does voice over work on American Idol rewind, a show rehashes everything that happened in past seasons of American Idol – you know – just in case you missed it or want to see it again.

But why has American Idol become the phenomenon it now is? After all, it isn't the first singing competition to be aired on television. Star Search had singing competitions and was on the air for 12 years but it never became a mega hit. The key might be in viewer participation. Star Search had some participation but only from the studio audience whereas American Idol gives anyone with access to a phone the ability to be part of the decision of who goes and who stays. And the voting public gets to make 100 percent of the decision once the top 24 contestants are picked. The judges get to speak their mind each week and they hope the voters will listen to them, but ultimately the viewers decide. I think that is a big part of what has made American Idol so popular. The viewers get to make the decisions. It gives viewers the feeling of control and power.

Combined with the viewers making the decision of who goes and who stays is the contestants themselves. They are everyday people just like you and me who happen to be talented singers, usually anyway, and have not yet been discovered. Plus, the judges and producers have a good knack for not only choosing contestants who can sing but ones with personality as well which makes the show very entertaining.

There are likely very few people living in the United States who have not heard of American Idol. You almost have to be living under a rock to not know about it these days. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I think it's good. It's a family friendly show without violence unless you count Ryan and Simon's or Paula and Simon's fights.

The phenomenon doesn't show signs of slowing down. How much bigger can it get? Who knows? All we can do is wait and see.

D Ruplinger is a writer and blogger for the site ForeverIdol.com If you want to get the latest American Idol news and get the most recent Idol gossip, then visit Forever Idol.

Addicted to American Idol

2009-06-04T05:08:00.000-07:00

I am an American Idol addict and can't help myself from tuning in every week. My wife and I have followed the program since the second season when Reuben Studdard beat out Clay Aiken for the title of America's best karaoke singer.

It's good to see they have reduced showing auditions of the least talented hacks... alleged singers. After following the program for the past several years, I have learned that we are living among fraudulent voice coaches and less than truthful family members.

For example, how many God awful singers have we heard say their singing coach encouraged them to audition for American Idol?

Furthermore, we can also gather that many idol wannabe family members are liars. It's apparent that mom or dad just can't face the reality that little Johnny or Sally Sue just can't sing.

Instead of telling their child he or she can't sing, they encourage them to have their self confidence destroyed by a judge. Is that what a parent calls tough love?

I would have loved to have been an NFL player, but with two left feet and no coordination, I knew I was probably better suited to work in an office instead of bulldozing linebackers.

Singing is a God given talent...either you can sing or you can't. Furthermore, if you can sing, it won't guarantee success. It takes the ability to sing and a commanding stage presence to make it in the music business. It also takes a lot of luck because what's Kelly Clarkson today can easily be tomorrow's Oingo Boingo.

Music fans are fickle and unpredictable. A successful singer can change with the times, reinvent themselves and cater to all the masses.

One needs to look no farther than Jon Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen. Both of these men are music legends. They have both been around forever because they can connect to any generation.

I will continue watching American Idol because it's exciting to watch some nameless karaoke singer become an overnight singing sensation.

Eventually, most of them will fade from our memories and their Cds will end up in a landfill. This is fine though, because everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame...even an American Idol.

For now, American Idol is a great feel good story.

In an economy that is downsizing and laying off people at record rates, it's a chance to prove that the American dream still exists.

William Greene operates a social dating website titled http://www.socialhearts.com He is also trying to discover what separates bad relationships from good ones. He welcomes your good and bad relationship stories at http://www.socialhearts.com/Relationships.html

Take a Tour of American Idol

2009-06-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

With all the hoopla about American Idol, what comes to mind is a party that is based on the judging of talent. Though it's unlikely that too many children watch the show—the younger ones at least—this is a theme for perhaps pre-teen to adult. It can be a fun idea to get some friends together and pretend they are performing on American Idol and let the others at the party judge their talent. Remember, it isn't real, so you don't want to go crazy except the person who is appointed to be Simon.

Since you're only sponsoring a party time event, you don't have to have an entire band, but rather like a Karaoke night. You want to set up an area for the judges to sit, perhaps a makeshift judging stand using a picnic table or any other kind of table that is available. All of your guests at the party can cast their votes and choose the one person who will go on to bigger and better things. Not being a fan of television, I don't know all of the prizes that are awarded for winning, but since you are only doing a mock performance, you can decide what kind of prizes you want to offer.

For those who are real fans of American Idol, having an opportunity to perform or vote, even if it's only mock, can be exciting. It may be really fun if you can do it in the summer in your backyard and invite your neighbors to come participate.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for American Idol party supplies and fun party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including American Idol Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

American Idol Review

2009-06-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

American Idol first debuted on American television under the name of American Idol: The Search for a Superstar. It is part of an Idol series which started in the United Kingdom as Pop Idol, and now has versions all over the globe including Australian Idol and Singapore Idol. All shows run under a similar basic format and operate as talent shows meant to find the best undiscovered talent in each country. Although founded as a singing competition, American Idol has grown into a massive marketing machine that is driven by sponsors who pay a million dollars for a 30 second commercial during run time. Product placement is another key moneymaker for American Idol; you'll often see contestants drinking of Coca-Cola plastic cups or lounging backstage in the Coca-Cola Red Room, complete with a red leather Coca-Cola couch.

American Idol is shown on the Fox network in the United States and managed by 19 Entertainment. Initially shopped around and rejected by many other networks, American Idol has found its permanent home and has become a huge hit for Fox, partly due to the presence of judge Simon Cowell. The acid-tongued Brit, Simon Cowell, was initially a judge on Britain’s Pop Idol, and has since become an American household name due to his blunt and searing critiques of many of the American Idol contestants. Simon Cowell has since produced American Inventor and the latest television talent competition, America's Got Talent.

The success of American Idol is irrefutable, having won the top spot on Neilson Ratings for the last 4 years and earning a larger viewership than the Olympics, The Grammy Awards and the NBA Playoffs.

American Idol is hosted by the affable Ryan Seacrest who we first meet during the audition process. The talent competition holds auditions in several US cities including LA, Memphis. Salt Lake City and Boston, where associate judges weed through thousand of Idol hopefuls in booths and tents in arena parking lots.

If a contestant has what it takes to entertain American television audiences, then he or she is passed through to Directors Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller. If the contestants impress either or both of these two men, the contestant is then able to reach the highest stage of judging -- meeting Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Once the contestant performs a song or two for Simon, Paula and Randy, the final judgment on whether they will advance to Hollywood is given. Each contestant needs two out of three votes, and if the vote is in the contestant’s favor, he or she gets the famous yellow ticket and is sent to Hollywood for a week of exhausting performances and tough judging. At the end of Hollywood week, the top 24 have evolved and usually represent a diverse group of males and females of all races and musical genres.

There are several criteria one must meet in order to try out for Idol. All audition hopefuls must be between the ages of 16-29 years of age and not have a recording contract or talent representation. Release forms must be signed by all in order to enable American Idol to use your voice or image during any part of its broadcasts.

For more Reality T.V. updates please visit the American Idol Updates site at http://idol-mania.com

The Barrettsmith Sisters - a Closer Look Behind the Curtain of American Idol

2009-06-04T03:11:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that Brooke and Leah Barrettsmith of Spring Grove had the adventure of a lifetime competing on Fox’s megahit TV show American Idol. Before we explore their experiences, here is a short description of how the show works in case you've never seen the show.

Before getting a plane ticket to Hollywood, a contestant must first endure three days of grueling auditions in one of the major U.S. cities chosen to host the preliminary auditions. The producers of American Idol are well aware that the success of the show is based on people without talent as well as those who have IT. Many people tune in just to see the judges ridicule a contestant to the point of tears or to watch the contestant’s angry reaction to being sent packing. For example, in this year’s show two male twins are feature because they are very outspoken about the judges and verbally protective of each other. Another contestant called “Cowboy” jumped on the judges’ desk to sing part of his song.

The camera is focused on the expressions of the American Idol judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson as much as on the contestants. Cowell’s scathing comments are now ritual and crowd-pleasing. Abdul and Jackson regularly criticize Cowell. At times the contestant’s talent is so obviously second rate that all three judges can barely contain their laughter.

Contestants must be U.S. citizens and between the ages of 16 and 28. This year 16 year-old contestant Kevin Covais revealed that talent transcends age. At the opposite pole is prematurely gray 28 year-old Kevin Hicks whose unique voice might carry him to the finals.

The top 24 semifinalists are removed from public contact much like a secluded jury. The must take drug tests. Some contestants have been disqualified during the show for failing these tests. All contestants must sign a contract that prevents them from using cell phones except for family calls and emergencies and the Internet where they might discuss the show in a chat room. They may not watch TV news shows or listen to radio shows or read the newspapers. TV fans take over the voting on the phone at this point. The judges are consulted and make comments on performances but they no longer vote at this level.

The “finalists” are the last 12 contestants. The drama heightens after weeks of further eliminations until a single contestant is chosen as the winner

The adventure of Brooke and Leah Barrettsmith began on a cool day in September, 2005. They arrived at Soldier Field in downtown Chicago at 5:00 am escorted by their father, Rev. Scott Barrettsmith. “We needed to be there early enough to get a good place in line,” said Brooke. Nearly 20,000 contestants auditioned in Chicago that day. Some of them were from New Orleans because that city was picked as an audition center but it was washed away by Hurricane Katrina.

Contestants were led into the Soldier Field in groups of 300. Brooke and Leah wanted to audition together so they held hands. “Don’t separate us!” they said to American Idol employees.

Only 300 hopefuls survived the first day. Brooke and Leah were relieved to be one of them. “There were thousands of totally depressed people there,” said Scott. The Barrettsmiths spent their nights at a nearby hotel. “We literally got the last available room,” said Scott.

Days two and three were as hectic as the first. American Idol executive producers told the Barrettsmiths the “needed personality” to move on. “I had no problem showing personality,” said Brooke. Brooke befriended Mandisa, a semifinalist from Tennesse. “I can tell you are a Christian,” said Mandisa. “Girl, let’s pray!” When told that Leah planned to sing a Christian song called “Blessed” the producers said they preferred secular songs. “They did not want to show favoritism,” said Leah. During the audition, though, Leah sang “Blessed” anyway. “I was having trouble with my first selection and just stopped and switched,” said Leah.

“We asked to go into the audition together,” said Brooke. In an unusual move the producers permitted that. In an televised interview Leah said, “I believe in my sister and she believe in me just as much so I love her and we are going to do this together as much as we can.”

For the first time Brooke and Leah confronted the now famous American Idol judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

Brooke led off and sang a short section of her Shoop Shoop song. Then Leah sang. Randy said to Leah, “I like your voice I think you are good. I would say yes to Leah.” Paula Abdul said, “I think you are both talented and different in your own ways, so I’m either going to say ‘yes’ to both, or ‘no’. Simon said, “Well, I would say ‘no’ to both of you.” There was a short silence. Then Randy said, “We have a quandary, judges.” Simon said, “I am going to apply Randy’s ‘yes’ to both of you, so now it is down to Paula.” Paula said, “I love my sister. I love the fact that you are here together supporting each other. I think you both need to work, but you can do that and come back to Hollywood.” Brooke and Leah reacted with happy exclamations and a big hug. Meanwhile Randy said, “Welcome to Hollywood, sisters, sisters!”

Brooke and Leah told the producers about the Richardson corn maze. Sensing a good story the producers sent a camera crew to Spring Grove to film the sisters playing in and around the corn maze. “The filming took about 10 hours including dinner with the crew,” said Brooke. “All that for a two minute segment.”

In Hollywood

The next stage of auditions began on December 4th in Hollywood. “About 200 people out of tens of thousands made it to Hollywood,” said Brooke. Brooke and Leah made the trip without parents or relatives. They spent the first day touring Hollywood with half of the contestants while the other half went through auditions. They wore distinctive American Idol tags to promote the show in Los Angeles. They stayed in a hotel, two to a room. “The show did not skimp on the accommodations,” said Leah.

Both were successful in their first audition. In the second audition Randy said to Leah, “You didn’t bring it today. It’s the end of the road.”

Leah was surprised by the action. “What you see on television is not always the way it actually happened,” said Leah. “They do a lot of editing to make the show more dramatic. When I was singing, for example, it appeared that the audience was bored and quiet on TV. Actually the audience was cheering and clapping while I sang. They were yelling ‘let her through!’ “ At another point you see Leah looking startled on TV as though she was reacting to the negative decision. “That shot was totally taken at another time and edited into the space,” said Leah.

The show puts the contestants into small groups for one segment. “I don’t know why they make us sing with a group,” said Leah. “It really has nothing to do with why we are there. I think they are trying to put a lot of stress on the contestants for the TV cameras. They are very strict. You better not be a minute late for a meeting. They treat you like dogs.”

Brooke backed up Leah’s concerns. “They love the crying and the drama. They love to frighten you,” said Brooke. “Sometimes the judges are totally acting. They seemed to be faking.”

“I think they are pushing for a guy to win this year,” said Brooke. “They are focused on guy talent.”

American Idol rules say that a contestant cannot be signed professionally. The show makes the contestants sign a contract that restricts their professional activity for one full year. “We are locked up until August,” said Brooke.

Leah will soon be moving to Nashville to continue her singing career. “I will be doing more mainstream music,” said Leah.

Brooke is committed to remaining in the Christian music scene. “Christian music is much more relevant now,” said Brooke. “My career has taken a turn for the better. God used American Idol to change me. I am now even more into music ministry.”

Greg Cryns is the founder of http://www.mchenryonline.com McHenry Online. He is also a local correspondent for the Richmond Report in northern Illinois and the founder of http://www.wahmsearchengine.com - Wahm Search Engine.

All About American Idol

2009-06-04T03:10:00.000-07:00

American Idol is a sensation across not only America but even in many countries across seas as well. There’s just something people love about the idea of some unknown person coming out of nowhere and becoming world famous overnight. Actually American Idol was not the original; over in the U.K. a reality program called Pop Idol was what spawned the American Idol series. Of course this is a show run by a corporation after all, and as such the show was created to find new singing talent and advertise them through the shows viewers. Then the shows producers would gain exclusive rights to manage the idols and for merchandising. Even if the idol wanted to quit or go with someone else. Still, this show does keep up to its word and gives anyone with the guts to tryout a genuine chance at fame and fortune.

There are loads of great ideas you can use for this party theme. The most obvious is of course to have a marathon viewing session of the shows six seasons. You may just want to shorten it by showing the best episodes, or perhaps just the winning episodes or the patty could last for days. Another great choice would be karaoke. You could organize your own version of American Idol with your party goers playing the contestants and rating each other. Decorations can be a little vague for this theme, but if you want you could try to set up a mini stage, or at least a wall scroll of one. Stars, Streamers, confetti, and any other all purpose decorations would be a great idea.

You should make sure to purchase plenty of disposable paper plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. As well, as tablecloths and table covers, to make after party clean up loads easier. If you look around you can find American Idol themed party supplies.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for American Idol party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

American Idol Is The Best

2009-06-04T03:09:00.000-07:00

American Idol is one of the most watched programs in the United States. American Idol is a singing competition, which started out in the year June 2002. In this program, the contestants who believe that they can become an idol come to perform in front of the three judges. The judges of this program include Randy Jackson who is a record producer, Paula Abdul who is a former pop start and Simon Cowell who is the producer and manager. In America, American Idol is featured on Fox Network, whereas in Canada it is screened on CTV.

American Idol has been known for the razor sharp comments of Simon Cowell. This show has proven to be a great opportunity for individuals who want to make a career as a singer. All the winners of the different seasons have made a tremendous success in the world of music as they have sold millions of records throughout the world. This show is for the ones who think that they can prove themselves and can stand out among all. There are different people who think that Simon Cowell should not pass bad remarks to the contesters, but otherwise this show is a mega success.

The first winner of American Idol was Kelly Clarkson in the year September 2002. Kelly has been a huge success and signed a contract with the RCA Records. Just after she won the American Idol season, she released two singles, and the song “A Moment Like This” jumped to the number one position of the Billboards, which broke the record set by The Beatles. Other winners of American Idol include Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks. Right now Season 6 of American Idol is underway, promising a lot of opportunities to its winner.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for American Idol party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

How to Kill Your American Idol Audition With These 3 Singing Tips

2009-06-04T03:08:00.000-07:00

I've just been watching the American Idol auditions and watching with interest the amount of people who really want to sing but think just opening their mouths and letting the lyrics out is enough. Of course most of them have no idea that they can't do it and are upset and surprised when the judges tell them they suck and don't let them through. This is a shame because I believe that anyone can learn to sing well if they know what to do, so this article will show you some tips on how to improve your singing voice so you can go great in your next American Idol audition (or any other singing audition). Simon Cowell watch out!

Singing Tip #1

Open your mouth! Have you ever watched an opera singer and look how exaggerated they make their mouths look when singing? That's because to reach certain notes you need to open your mouth up. One of the biggest mistakes that contestants make is that they don't open their mouths wide enough to let the sound out and thus end up sounding flat or pitchy. Singing is not like normal speaking, don't worry what it looks like just get those lips wide and let the sound escape.

Singing Tip #2

Rhythm and timing is a big problem for some people especially since there is no music to accompany you. So a great tip is to lightly tap your foot in time to the melody. The judges won't really notice it and it really helps in keeping your timing perfect.

Singing Tip #3

Choose a song that suits your voice. Unfortunately not every singer can sing every song so you need to find something that is right for your voice. This is easy enough to do, choose a handful of song styles and try out a few of them. The ones that suit your voice should feel comfortable and easy and so that's the style of song you should choose to sing for the judges.

If you are really serious about making a career of singing or making a good audition performance you need to take some time to practice and train your voice. Don't expect to walk in and kill it unless you have unbelievable talent - you'll need to work at it to impress the judges.

Want to really knock the judge's socks off? I've reviewed a great online course that will teach you to sing like a pro within 3 months. Read the review here: http://learnto-sing.blogspot.com/.

Watch American Idol Online for Free

2009-06-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you this service that works with internet TV. I had been very frustrated with trying to get TV on my pc and laptop. Most of the softwares I ended up promised 10000 TV channels online but they turned out to be nothing but scams. There are hundreds upon hundreds of online TV scams that promise to offer ridiculous number of TV stations.

Guess what? Most of them are fake TV softwares that don't work. Some of then are even very highly priced since the only time these guys get to sell any software is once in a long time and they make sure to make their money fast.

Let me also tell you that there are also very few softwares that have a high quality, reliable and that work. These are very few and far in between. I had to look for over three months before I landed on at least one online TV software that works.

With the software, I have been following most American TV shows online like 24, hills, American idol and many more. In addition I managed to watch and record the whole NFL football league games last year. I have saved most of the important NFL, NBA and NHL Hockey games into a retrievable external hard drive memory of about 5Gigabytes.

I spent most of this year watching the reruns of TV shows and sports from the saved copies. I actually like the idea of telling my friends that I have the whole of the NFL 2007 season games saved up in my computer...they usually go gaga.

I have been using a satellite TV software from the satellite TV to pc company. The software itself is called the pc 2007 elite edition and last time I checked, it was the number one most downloaded satellite TV software online.

Some of the advantages of the satellite TV software for pc that I have seen so far are that it has very high quality picture and sound.

The pc 2007 elite edition which is marketed online by satellite TV to PC Company has over 3000 channels including many English channels. The other international language TV include those in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Indian, French, German, Dutch and over 50 other languages.

The company also retails the computer TV system at a low one time fee of $49. The benefits that come with paying this fee include a lifetime membership with future upgrades offered free of charge.

The TV channels that come with pc 2007 elite edition software also include 1000 online radio stations. These free internet radio channels include many genres such as rock, reggae, gospel, country, R & B, Soul, Hip Hop, Jam, classical, Jazz among many others.

All in all the biggest advantage that I have found with this software is the fact that, once I downloaded it on my laptop, I'm able to travel along with my TV channels. I mean, I have watched FOX, NBC, CNN, ABC and many others in places like Asia and Africa without a satellite dish. I only had just the software and broadband high speed internet.

You too could Watch American Idol, 24, Hills, American Gladiators Online Free by downloading the PC 2007 elite edition Here

American Idol - Building An American Dream

2009-06-04T03:06:00.000-07:00

When it comes to reality search, American Idol is one of the pioneers. It started in June 11, 2002 with the original title American Idol: The Search for a Superstar on its first season. American Idol is a talent search that is open to all people from different walks of life through its nationwide auditions. It has opened a door of opportunities to all Americans who want to showcase their singing talents. The show is a well acclaimed talent search that scout for only the best talents and potential superstar quality and becomes the ticket to fame and fortune of most American Idol winners.

The show can be considered as a three-way process of bringing out the best not only on the contestants and their family but that of the judges and the followers or viewers as well. It is not only a talent search launched to search for the next singing sensation but it is also subconsciously a challenge to the judges as well. What makes American Idol more interesting is the most awaited part of the judges' turn to make a comment. Oftentimes the judges can be outrageously funny or sometimes they can be so blatantly frank with their comments.

Of course people who dreamed or hoped to proceed to the next level would be hoping against hope to get a "Yes" or "You're moving on..." once they are on the auditions of the American Idol. It seems like when people took their chances they surely expect to bring out the best in themselves knowing that they will be auditioning to a very prestigious talent search, where only the brightest star shines.

The show perks up the spirits of Americans to attain the brightest future in the music industry. The prestige, fame and fortune they can attain can be too glamorous and exhilarating that even their families feel proud to their loves ones who just made it to the audition. The thrilling winning moments are highly enigmatic and can immediately magnet fame and fortune to the American Idol winner.

In American Idol only the best performer has the shining moment of being the American Idol. The other performers though are all winners in their own merits and some even managed to sign a recording contract.

American Idol is there not only to bring out the best in a person but American Idol is there to inspire Americans to dream big. it has become a stepping stone for an American dream to come true.

You can watch Kelly Clarkson's American Idol performances - how Kelly went from a small town girl to an international superstar. It's quite a fascinating thing to witness, so watch American Idol and relive the excitement of the first shows.

The 4th American Idol Judge - Who is Kara DioGuardi?

2009-06-04T03:05:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that American Idol was the most watched show of the 07-08 season its ratings were down over the previous year.

In order to combat this they have chosen to shake things up a little. Kara DioGuardi will be doing the shaking.

By creating a fourth judge there will now be something new to watch on the insanely popular show. How will they all interact together? Will Paula Abdul have some relief, since she is no longer the sole female judge on the panel, or will her typically flighty, "pie in the sky" comments seem even more juvenile compared to thoughtful, constructive comments from the other three judges.

Kara DioGuardi, 38 is one of America's most successful song writers. Pop stars which have recorded her songs include Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Santana and Pink.

She is without a doubt qualified to judge America's next pop star especially since there is a good chance she may write a song for him/her someday.

Her addition does bring up the question of what they are going to do about a tie since the judges could very well be split down the middle. Perhaps Randy and Simon will arm wrestle to see if the contestant goes on to Hollywood. That would be a nice twist.

At this point in the year the auditions have already been recorded. I am a little surprised that nothing has leaked out yet concerning the chemistry between the four judges.

I think an exciting and interesting choice was also made when they decided to hold one of the auditions in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Not exactly an international flavor will be added but it will be interesting to see the result of an infusion of Latino influenced music.

For those of us that are hankering for a little American Idol, the eighth season debuts on January 13th. It is just a little more than a month away.

Dan Bimrose is the creator of coffeeandprozac.com a website devoted to making people think, laugh or cry. Daily Opinions, Editorials, and Stories He suggests dropping bread crumbs so that you can find your way back on a daily basis. Dan has also just unveiled his latest website tuesdaysreleases.com which provides a convenient place for people to discover the latest DVD movies which have been released at their local video store.

The Funniest American Idol Moments Ever!

2009-06-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

American Idol is one of the most popular reality television shows to appear on our televisions to date. Here, I will provide the details on what I believe the funniest American Idol moments ever! If you are a fan of this show, you are sure to remember these ever-popular moments! If not, you can review these moments on YouTube.

1. In the first season, there is an episode of American Idol in which Simon is absent, but there is a cardboard figure sitting in. Paula and Randy proceed to act out and say things that much resemble those things in which Cowell would say. Not only did they have a blast, but all of the members of the audience and those watching the show at home really had a wonderful time!

2. The next video displays a funny moment from the last season of American Idol. The contestants had to perform two songs. However, after the first song, they receive feedback from the judges. When it is Paula Abdul's turn, she begins to expound on Jason Castro's song choice. The only issue is, she is providing feedback on BOTH of his songs - despite the fact that he only sang once! As you observe the video, you can see the audience start to laugh and Ryan Seacrest appearing to be slightly uncomfortable. While you do feel bad for poor Paula, it is actually quite funny! Check out the video now! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzVGKJ4tgkU

3. The next funny moment from American Idol is when the show takes calls and Simon's first kiss ever calls in! It is absolutely amazing at the color Simon displays while he is being questioned by his first kiss at the age of nine! She wants to know if her kiss or Paula's kiss is more memorable. Simon is really excited to talk to his "first crush" despite the fact that it really shocked him!

4. One of the most favored aspects to the American Idol show are the funny auditions. On YouTube, you can find American Idol's top 5 worst auditions! These are really funny! You can hear individuals giving it their all in order to win a spot on America's most popular television show ever. You can find this funny video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MoEsz42fnw

5. Last, but not least, if you have not seen the "affair skit" that American Idol produced when rumors were flying about Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul having an affair, you have got to check it out! This is so funny! It may not appear to be funny at first, but if you watch the show, you will be laughing right from the start! Towards the end of the video, after Simon "wakes up", you will be shocked at what - or who - is in bed with him!

As you can see, there are many different funny American Idol videos out there that you can watch and enjoy. Give them a shot, and have a great laugh!

Want to see more really funny things?

"American Idol" Rocker Chris Daughtry and His Band Release Strong Debut Album

2009-06-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

The debut album “Daughtry” by Chris Daughtry and his band is a solid building point after coming off of his success as an unlikely rocker type finalist on the Fox network's “American Idol”.

If you’re an “Idol” fan, you are probably no stranger to this bald-headed North Carolina native and his rock-based but highly versatile musical style. And in this first release, Daughtry is more than effective.

The album starts off strong with a rock tune packed with emotion in “It’s Not Over”. From there, Daughtry and his band move on to take the listener on a ride through everything from power ballads to hard rock to songs with a bit of a poppy or even country edge to them.

To break it down, I’d rate the songs something like this:

1. It’s Not Over – 3.5/5

2. Used To – 3.5/5

3. Home – 3/5

4. Over You – 4/5

5. Crashed – 3.5/5

6. Feels Like Tonight – 3/5

7. What I Want – 4/5

8. Breakdown – 3/5

9. Gone – 3.5/5

10. There and Back Again – 3.5/5

11. All These Lives – 3.5/5

12. What About Now – 3/5

The keys to this album are two fold. First off, Daughtry’s voice proves to be more than sufficient to belt out an array of catchy and powerful lyrics. Second, the similarities to, and inspirations of, notable rock superstars like Fuel, Live, Bon Jovi and more, makes for a nice mix and good overall recording.

I rate this album 3.5/5 or on a grading scale a solid “B”. If you like what this guy did on “American Idol” or are a fan of mainstream rock, you should definitely enjoy this.

American Idol: Top 12 Guys - Quick Thoughts

2009-06-04T03:02:00.000-07:00

American Idol began its live Hollywood auditions on Tuesday and the results were, well, lackluster. The top 12 males performed and to say that they were a little nervous would be an understatement. The fact that they were all performing in front 30 million American viewers also couldn't have been too exciting. Being a newbie to the whole American Idol process, I was totally taken aback at how mediocre all the performers sounded. I presume they'll get better as the weeks go on, but first impressions go a long way, and the first impressions viewers received last night weren't very good at all.

There were a couple of bright spots. The main one, for me, however, had nothing to do with the performances. American Idol being a live show and all, it allows for unscripted banter between the host and the judges. Last night, we saw a little tiff between Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest that seemed to go well beyond playful teasing. Simon seemed genuinely upset with the way Seacrest was running the show and didn't like being called out for simply speaking his mind and telling the truth.

Otherwise, there were a couple of okay performances, but no stunners. I certainly can't imagine any of these guys winning the whole thing and becoming the next American Idol. Hopefully, we'll see some better performances from the females tonight, as well as improved performances by everyone as the show goes along. That's one of the best things about American Idol: watching performers grow as the show goes along. Last night was only the beginning.

For more information about American Idol: Top 12 Guys, Quick Thoughts and especially about American Idol please review this web site http://www.buddytv.com

American Idol Birthday Party Ideas

2009-06-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

American Idol is a hugely popular show that allows various pop star wannabes to follow their dreams and become the next American Idol. Of course, most fall flat on their faces and for some that is all part of the fun of watching the show. However, there are a few individuals who achieve their dreams of pop stardom on the show, and have created some of the best music of the 21st century.

Your children most likely watch the show, and they are going to start emulating the pop stars they see. As well, they are going to come to you and ask for an American Idol themed birthday party, so it is good idea to be prepared. Thankfully, through some imagination and these party ideas, it will be easy to be prepared.

Make an Outfit

Some of the people that audition on American Idol are remembered for what they wear. So, give the kids a paper bag to wear over their clothes, and then let them put various pieces of flair on it to make it unique. Let them paint it, put streamers on it, and anything else they can think of to make them stand out.

Audition Time

The biggest part of American Idol is the auditions, so if you are going to have an American Idol themed birthday party, then you are going to need to have auditions. However, there is a big difference between your auditions at the birthday party, and the auditions on the actual show. You have to be a lot nicer than Simon is, because you do not want the kids crying because you are mean. So give them goofy answers like 'It was good, but I think if you did it in a deep voice it would be better.' Once the kids do it in a deeper voice, make them go deeper and deeper in their voice until they are giggling about how it sounds.

Happy Birthday

Once the kids have all auditioned, tell them you are going to record a CD now for them. Then, have all the kids, including the birthday boy or girl, sing Happy Birthday. Using just a computer and recorder, you can easily record it and burn it onto a few CDs for the kids. If you have a color printer, you can even make a label that features all of them auditioning. If you want to go the extra mile, put pictures of them auditioning on the CD for them.

At some point, you can expect your children to ask for an American Idol themed birthday party. It may seem like a daunting task, and it is unlikely you will get Simon Cowell out to the birthday party, so you need to use your imagination. However, if you also use these party ideas, you can create a wonderful birthday party for your children.

For even more great American Idol Birthday Party Ideas, visit Birthday Supply Depot.

The Right Way to Audition For Either Canadian Idol Or American Idol

2009-06-04T02:59:00.002-07:00

We all want that instant fame. We want the fame that Jennifer Hudson, Paris Bennet, Carrie Underwood and other past American Idols got. However do we really have the talent to get it? Well, I have been watching both Canadian Idol and American Idol since it first came on the air. I kept asking myself, why would so many people embarrass themselves on the national television for? Why a lot of people were devastated when they did not get the golden ticket.

I mean if the judges thought a particular person was not a good singer then obviously they were right. They had been in the music industry for long periods of time; they knew exactly what they were saying. People should not take their criticism to heart. If the judge said they didn't have the ability to be a good singer then don't fight them on it. Just let it be. Maybe you have talents to do other stuff.

My recommendation is that, before someone goes to the Canadian Idol or American Idol audition they should host a singing party and invite their close friends over. Try to sing a few songs for them. Ask them to be as honest as possible. They should also ask their friends that if they have enough talent to make it to the final 34 or whatever the number is when the Canadian or American people start to make the decision. If the judges didn't eliminate them then Canadian/American people would.

Please keep in mind, Canadian/American Idol is a singing competition; people are going to competing with the best of the best national wide. I mean if you are really cocky, ignorant and you think you are the best; then I hate to tell you this but I am sure you are not. I am sure there is someone in the country that is just that much better than you. If you don't have the talent to compete with the best of the best, then don't go to the audition and embarrass yourself on national television.

Think about it, can you really compete with the stars like Jennifer Hudson, Paris Bennet, Carrie Underwood etc. They sure didn't embarrass themselves. They definitely have the talents.

I guess every cloud have its silver lining. The show would be really boring if they did not show any bad singers. However with that said, I just hate looking at no talent people who embarrass themselves on national television.

You can put your comments on other topics similar to this on my blog at

http://youropinions101.blogspot.com

Do tell your friends about it. Thanks

Should You Try Out For American Idol?

2009-06-04T02:59:00.001-07:00

As a vocal coach, I have lots of people ask me if I think they should try out for a vocal contest or talent show.

I answer by asking them the following questions:

* Are you really ready for rejection?

The fact is, no matter how well you can sing, losing a contest is a very real possibility. What they are looking for may be a character, or even a bad singer so the judges can trash them. Yes, some of the judges do care, but it's in the nature of TV to create "Survivor"-like anxiety and thrill, no matter what it does to the psyche of the contestant.

* If you win or get recognition by getting in the finals... are you mature enough to deal with fame and glory, and then your possible fall from grace?

Sometimes, especially when you are young, if you begin to be worshiped as an "Idol", you begin to feel invulnerable and you get yourself into trouble not listening to wisdom because, after all, you are a singing "god". There is great pressure to perform, and those who are prone to substance abuse or perfectionism sometimes fall into terrible patterns of self-sabotage. Fame is a dangerous ocean, one needs to know oneself truly well and choose to make oneself accountable to others to navigate these waters. I think that's why we do best to give God the glory, because glory is tricky business for human beings.

Roman conquerors had an interesting tradition... as the conquering hero drove his chariot between throngs of cheering crowds, a slave was directed to whisper into his ear "All fame is fleeting... all fame is fleeting".

* Do you really have something something worth saying... to occupy the position of being a role model to others?

This, after all, is the only real good that can come with being famous... it gives you a pedestal to give something of value to others. Can you occupy that position and use it for good? Really?

* Can you NOT judge your voice according to the outcome? If you lose, will that affect your desire to sing?

This is a red flag... and it speaks to your motivation for using your gift. I heard it said that George Strait went to a little bar in Texas and sang. When asked why he would do such a thing, he said that this was where he started and if he lost his position in the business, he would still go back to singing wherever he could because it was who he was and what he loved to do, regardless of the size of his audience. If you are called to sing, SING.

* And finally... are you really vocally as good as you can be?

Don't shortcut this step, because you are seen at these auditions, and first impressions are lasting. Great vocal training can turn a good voice into an incredible one. If you are a big fish in a small pond, can you truly swim in the big pond yet?

Auditioning can be a fun learning experience, IF your answers to these questions let you know you are ready. If you want to gain some performance experience, and your answers to these questions let you know you are ready, sign yourself up! If not... there's always next year. Don't think you have some deadline to decide. If you go and you see someone heart-broken, share these thoughts with them.

To keep it in perspective, just know that I don't think Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Kurt Cobain, Carly Simon, Toby Keith or Bruce Springstein would have made it to the finals. The very best competition is with YOURSELF!

If you'd like to increase your vocal ability and sing better then you ever have, check out the professional vocal training available on my website...

Judy Rodman -singer/songwriter/producer/vocal instructor, developer of... Power, Path & Performance™ vocal training - Learn from a pro who's been where you want to go!

website, vocal training products and blog: http://judyrodman.com newsletter: http://judyrodman.com/newsletter-signup

Judy Rodman has over 30 years of professional experience as a session singer, award-winning recording artist, stage and television performer, a multi-genre hit songwriter, a studio producer and vocal consultant, and a highly sought-after voice teacher.

The American Idol 'Secret' to Goal Achievement

2009-06-04T02:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I told you about one of my clients who's a world-famous musician and what he told me about how he and his band 'made it'.

I got some great email comments about that post so I thought I'd tell you about another of my clients (also a celebrity) who beat the odds and and made a career, a life and a ton of money by following her dreams... and taking action on them.

My client went through audition after audition for the UK show 'Pop Idol' which is the sister show to American Idol over there in the states.

Her amazing voice, passion for her music and obvious love of performing quickly won over the judges in the early stages and she eventually made it to the televised stages of the show.

All good so far, right?

Now, if it had come down to passion, performance and skill as a singer alone then she was always the clear choice for the winner's spot as she had those areas down to a tee but there was a fly in the ointment.

Quite a big fly in fact.

You see, the trouble with most of the music and television industry is that they tend to go for a 'certain look' and, well, no two ways about it, my client didn't have that look.

In fact, by her own admission, she was far, far from that look.

She was over 200lbs heavier than that look!

Every week she'd have to read newspapers and trashy magazines putting her down saying "She's got a great voice but no-one who looks like THAT will ever win a show like this!"

Every week she'd take the stage and perform in front of a live audience and a TV viewing audience of MILLIONS who, whilst rooting for her on the one hand, were writing her off on the other with statements like "Well, she's done well to get this far but I can't see her getting any further"

And every week... she proved them all wrong!

Week after week, despite the 'negative support' ("You should be really happy to have got this far, but don't expect more") she was standing on the stage at the end of the show whilst others who, by appearances at least, seemed more likely to win were sent packing.

Come the final, people were still saying "she's good but..." and, despite what she'd already accomplished, were as certain as certain could be that she couldn't possibly win.

They were wrong.

Dead wrong.

Despite everyone telling her to 'be realistic', or 'be happy with with what you've accomplished' or even 'you'll never make it' (and an even more vicious beating up in the national press), this powerful, passionate and purposeful singer went ahead and achieved 'the impossible'.

She won!

Later, when I started working with her for a TV show we were filming together, I had the opportunity to ask her why she thought that she succeeded where everyone thought she would fail.

She told me "My belief in me was stronger than the doubt of others. Besides, most of those who were putting me down never even had the courage to apply for the show, let alone get up there on the stage and show the world what they were capable of. Just by being there I was already a winner..."

Four things stand out to me most.

First, she put herself forward, not for the thing that seemed 'logical', or 'do-able', or 'sensible' but for what she wanted most of all and, because of this, she invoked the power and the passion to accomplish her hearts desire.

Second, she took massive action and got 'into the arena' rather than sitting on the outside 'thinking about it' like most people tend to do. This immediate, massive and persistent commitment to pursuing her dream was a huge part of making it happen.

Third, she believed in herself fiercely. More than this, she refused to accept the judgement of others as to what was possible or not. In doing so, she made what she wanted far more important than what others thought and freed herself from the bonds of others (we could all do with learning this valuable skill).

Fourth, she provided a valuable service to millions of people, not only through the gift of her voice but through the hopes and dreams she rekindled by pursuing and finally winning her prize.

Imagine what would happen if you took and applied these four 'American Idol' steps to your goals and dreams.

Imagine if you focused on what you most wanted to be, do and have in your life rather than limiting yourself to what others say is logical or possible.

Imagine if you took immediate, massive and consistent action to bring that 'silly idea' of yours to life.

Imagine if you could learn to believe in yourself so much that you pursued your goal regardless of the judgements of others.

Imagine if your dream was based upon providing an amazing service to others and rekindled their hopes and dreams.

Imagine....

Dax Moy is the author of the best-selling MAGIC Hundred goal achievement program which has been used by thousands upon thousands of people to move their goals beyond goal SETTING and into goal GETTING.

for more information about Dax and The MAGIC Hundred visit http://www.themagichundred.com today

The Thrill is Gone For Me - Why I Do Not Watch American Idol Anymore

2009-06-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

I remember I used to have to rush home every Tuesday and Wednesday from the office, just so that I could watch dreams being made or shattered on American Idol. I even watched the night that Simon Cowell had some not so nice things to say to now, Academy Award winner, Jennifer Hudson. I remember many of the seasons as if it were yesterday, but this season, I do not know any of the contestants names, I do not know the name of the newest judge added to the roster, and while I have been seeing hoopla on the Internet surrounding the final episodes, I just cannot bring myself to turn to American Idol this year.

Maybe I have lost faith in the set up of its system, maybe I do not believe that once a person has won, they will go on to do anything greater than most of the other contestants - with the exception of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, and the 'non-winner,' but truest winner of them all, Jennifer Hudson, who was not fed the pipe dream story of going on to this glamorous record deal upon winning. I really cannot put my fingers on when and where the Idol mechanics changed for me, but all that I know is, is that they changed.

If I had to speculate why I am harboring such pessimistic feelings about A.I., I would have to say that it is not fair how a person can become an American Idol statistic, after being praised and glorified so heavily on the show, then after their win, a few months later, you never hear about them at all. So, you mean to tell me that I spent a whole few months rushing home to see who is going to win week after week, until we get to the finale, then a winner is chosen, and that's that? Somehow, I feel cheated, I feel as if I could have spent my time doing something other than watching for a winner that will not be heavily promoted once their stint on A.I. is up. I guess I really stopped seeing the logic in it.

Well, no matter who wins this season, I hope that all of those that vied for the coveted winner's spot, realize that their dreams do not end there, and that they should persevere on to other things...their lives do not begin and end with American Idol, and apparently, neither does mine.

Kenyetta 'Native' McKinney, M.A. is founder and CEO of Grind Mode Media, LLC - the home base company for http://www.grindmodepress.com - an all-in-one media service site for Affordable Electronic Press Kit Creations (free trials), Press Release & Music Distribution, Biography and Press Release writing is also available. The company is also owner of innovative, entertainment social website - http://www.grindmodeconnect.com, and popular entertainment magazine - Grind Mode Magazine. She is a journalist, publicist and media relations specialist in the Philadelphia area, and a graduate of Penn State University.

American Idol Contestants Using the Best Anti Aging Creams

2009-06-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

Considering their age, it seems rather bizarre to think of young adults using wrinkle creams to enhance their appearance. But when you consider the amount of pressure placed on these people to look their best, it makes a bit more sense. So much of the outcome on American Idol has to do with appearances, so why not use the latest scientific breakthroughs to treat imperfections. This thought process has led this year's American Idol contestants to use the best anti aging creams.

When most of us think about anti aging creams, they think about removing wrinkles and sagging skin, but that is not all that these anti aging creams do. They also treat many other signs of aging. They can reduce pore size, which is beneficial to people the contestants' age, anti aging creams firm and tone skin, they remove discoloration effectively, and they regenerate new skin cells keeping the contestants skin looking rejuvenated and fresh.

Now you may be thinking, I have never come across a product that does all of that. But as we said, these are the best anti aging creams around. They are designed to completely treat all of the symptoms associated with aging, however many of those symptoms apply to all ages. For example, we all can use firm and toned skin when trying to look our best, and as we are young our skin does a good job at providing that for us. But why not give it some help when you are presented with the opportunity of your life.

These revolutionary products are known as complete rejuvenation systems. And while they are generally used by people experiencing the aging process, looking to prolong some of its effects, more and more public figures are using this system to simply 'touch up' their already magnificent skin. These unique systems provide a multi layered treatment for your skin that penetrates the lowest layers of your skin and the upper layers, all at the same time. By stimulating growth of new cells, collagen and the protein elastin, skin looks refreshed, smooth, and toned like never before.

This process of treating the skin like this was actually created for the healing of burns and other wounds. But as scientists got a better understanding of the results, it became the perfect treatment for wrinkles, which are nothing more than a wound that needs to be healed. Now while our American Idol contestants are not terribly wrinkled, the process still renews the skin cells and wipes away discoloration, leaving our idols looking their absolute best.

To industry insiders, this development is nothing new. People have been trying to get their hands on a product that can solve so many problems within a relatively short period of time. The fact that this complete rejuvenation system does that, makes it easy for people to purchase all the treatments they need in one system, designed to work together to speed the results.

In an age where people will do anything to become rich and famous, it is not at all alarming that younger adults are using these anti aging products to look their best. And why not, when you think about all of the success previous American Idol winners have achieved you would be silly not to do everything you can. Most of these contestants are already using moisturizers and other products to look their best in front of the cameras, why would anti aging products be any different. This simple treatment provides the powerful ingredients needed to make a visible difference, and do so quickly. With results like that, it is surprising that all people of all ages are not using this product, not just the idols. And while these systems are designed for the anti aging community, manufacturers say that more and more younger adults have begun use to prevent some symptoms that they may have in common with elderly users. Perhaps someday they will make a product that is not called anti aging, but rather anti imperfection treatment.

The author has been writing wrinkle cream reviews on the best wrinkle creams for years. His contributions to blog and article sites have made his opinions well respected in the industry. His recent glimpses into Hollywood stars and their use of the best anti aging creams is a new found passion and will continue to drive his works.

Critical Lessons From American Idol - The Importance of Self Awareness and Candor

2009-06-04T02:52:00.000-07:00

Importance of Self Awareness

At the beginning of each season, American Idol attracts thousands of people with a dream. They want to become the next American Idol, yet in reality that dream will come true for only one person. A handful of others will fall short of the title, but still go on to launch big careers -- think of Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry.

In the pre-Hollywood rounds, the judges travel across the United States to screen contestants. They usually identify about one hundred people to send to Hollywood who have decent potential. The early rounds bring out four categories of contestants:

Legitimate contenders - they have real talent and potential.
The earnest long shots - they love to sing, but don't really expect to make it. When they get cut, they gracefully accept the decision.
The attention seekers - they have no real talent, but they hope their craziness gets them a few minutes of fame.
The clueless -- they think they are good but they are not.

I find this last group - the clueless - to be the saddest. They have gone through life thinking that they can sing, but they simply do not have what it takes to compete at this level. When they are finally told the truth, they are shocked and angry.

For sustained career success in any field, a person needs full self awareness of one's true abilities, how they are perceived by the marketplace, and what level of performance is required for success.

Importance of Judgment, Candor and Compassion

In many organizations, people are clueless for much of their careers. The problem is that they never get candid feedback from their peers, colleagues, and bosses about their performance. A critical, yet rare skill for a manager is the ability to communicate directly to that person with candor and compassion. The manager must say what is really going, what is expected, and how to improve.

In many organizations, people try to pretend that judgments about performance do not exist. But this notion is simply untrue and contrary to human nature. My daughters are quite perceptive in assessing the talent of the contestants. We have extensive discussions about who is performing well and who is not. We all judge performance of people in every venue of our lives on a daily basis. We talk about how we liked the food or service at a restaurant, the speediness or attitude of the grocery clerk, of the most valuable player in the game.

In organizational life, we all evaluate our peers, bosses, and subordinates. We evaluate how people did in a presentation, a meeting, or even in writing an email. For knowledge workers, these venues are where performance occurs. Unfortunately, most discussions about performance take the form of gossip - which is complaining about a problem to everyone except the person who can actually fix the problem.

The judges on the show (Simon, Paula, Randy, and now Kara) each show different styles when it comes to judgment, candor and compassion. Paula has tons of compassion - she is nice to everyone -- but she hates to make a decision and communicate her opinion. Randy shows all three traits from time to time, but he is inconsistent. Simon is extremely candid, yet this can come across as harsh and lacking compassion. The new judge, Kara, brings a different perspective and it will be interesting to see how she evolves.

It is tragic for the clueless participants that the first real assessment of their abilities is coming on national TV. No one along the way has been compassionate to tell them the truth, so when they do learn it is shocking. The same thing happens in organizations all the time - people do not get honest appraisals of their performance or potential, so when the truth finally comes out, they are shocked. Meanwhile, the assessment of their performance is happening all the time in the background at every moment.

How about you? As a leader, are you comfortable giving candid feedback with compassion? What would it mean for your organization if you could do so? If you really want to see your organization improve, compassionate candor is the place to start.

In upcoming articles, I'll discuss other lessons from American Idol, including the importance of performance before rewards, the importance of song choice, and finding your authentic audience. Watch and learn.

Ron Wilder is the author of the upcoming book, Business Model Breakthrough: The Executive's Guide to Leading Business Model Innovation and Execution. Is your business model broken? Download, free, the first chapter of Ron's book from http://www.alignedaction.com/welcome/free-newsletter to learn what you must do. Ron helps business leaders create and execute winning business models, to develop the business acumen needed to identify and capitalize on opportunities, and to take action to build successful, sustainable businesses and fulfilling lives. You can reach him at http://www.alignedaction.com