Lots to look forward to!

It's only the second night of the Season 10 American Idol auditions and we've already seen some very impressive talent. It looks like we're going to have a lot to look forward to and it's going to be tough to decide who to root for. This is quite a big change from the way it was last year...

Speaking of things to look forward to:

We are just a few short days away from the release of a new single from the Oscar winning, Grammy winning, Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist - Jennifer Hudson!!! You can hear a sneak peek of it at her website:

http://www.jenniferhudson.com/

The brand new album is called I Remember Me and it will be in stores and available everywhere on March 22nd.

Season 10 Begins....

Season 9 of American Idol was weak to put it mildly. None of the finalists had much energy or style and the ratings dropped significantly. It was the last year for judge Simon Cowell who has decided to move on and start another talent competition show. Also, the addition of superstar judge Ellen Degeneres failed to add any excitement to the show so she ended up leaving after only one season.

The Season 9 Miss American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze, has barely made a ripple in the music business with low album sales and minimal radio airplay. The 1st Runner Up, Crystal Bowersox, is doing only slightly better with a little more critical acclaim, but still not much sales or airplay.

So the 10th Season of American Idol has a lot of pressure to deliver the goods or go down in flames. The only judge returning is Randy Jackson who will now be joined by multi-platinum selling classic rocker, Steven Tyler and superstar hit maker Jennifer Lopez.

On tonight's premiere episode of auditions the judges were all optimism and enthusiasm for their first group of hopefuls. While I approached the premier with cautious anticipation, I am very happy to report that there were some very impressive voices moving forward to the Hollywood round. There was also just the right amount of emotional stories attached to these talented young singers to make you want to root for them and look forward to what else they might be able to do.

Also, the producers thankfully gave us very few mean and humiliating scenes from the delusional try-outs. So for now, American Idol is still my favorite show. :)

More favorite songs from 2010

A few weeks ago, I listed my Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2010. Just for clarification let me explain that those songs all had to meet the eligibility for that list by reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 during 2010. I happen to be one of those people that believes that "It's not a hit until it's a hit on Billboard". Just in case you don't know, in order to reach the top of the Billboard HOT 100, a song must get the most sales and radio airplay for any given week.

There were lots of other songs that I loved in 2010 that failed to make the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart. Here's a list of some of my other favorites in 2010. One thing that I can say about all of these songs is that it's a shame it didn't get more sales and airplay to do better on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart....

Undo It - Carrie Underwood: The Supreme Miss American Idol and Season 4 winner is doing a great job with sales and airplay on country radio, but her crossover to mainstream pop stations this year was limited. Undo It is a great song to dance a sexy shadow to and she sounds amazing performing it live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtJYvDBKek

If I Had You - Adam Lambert: The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up is very well loved by the critics. There are numerous things written about his amazing talents and potential. Unfortunately, he must be too good for the mainstream because his fantastic single If I Had You just wasn't connecting as broadly as it should have. This song and video embodies his unique willingness to bring some all out glam high energy exuberance to the pop world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmXQFwlD7vk

Round and Round - Selena Gomez: She is the star of the Disney Channel series the Wizards of Waverly Place, but her singles in 2010 show how she is the Disney Diva most worthy of musical attention. She is very cute and she knows how to match her vocal talent with a fun and catchy song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcvO2t8Ntg

Our Kind of Love - Lady Antebellum: The best selling album of 2010, Need You Now, was packed with great songs from beginning to end. This song became an instant favorite at Charlie's for dancing a county line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaOKbvpxnTo

Naturally - Selena Gomez: This is just another example of the wonderful pop sounds this teen queen was offering during 2010. Just look at how many YouTube plays this hot track has gotten: 79 Million! Makes you wonder why that other Disney star was getting all the attention when Selena Gomez was clearly so much more awesome....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YR4dKArgo

Feel It - Sean Kingston/Three 6 Mafia: Just one listen to this hot club jam and it was perfect for the opening sequence of the 2010 cheerleading routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FThuVI_maAs

Something Bout Love - David Archuleta: I've said it numerous times this year, but I just don't understand why this great single was overlooked by radio. The Season 7 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up has served up a wonderful slice of pop heaven with this great song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhRvd0bzIoE

Little White Church - Little Big Town: This fantastic song is exactly why two stepping is so much fun! Grab your best friend and whirl around the dance floor to this knee slapping, hand clapping witty celebration of love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B077Dw_zDe0

Bittersweet - Fantasia: The Season 3 Miss American Idol winner gave fans her best single ever with Bittersweet. It perfectly showcases her passionate voice and ability to perform heartfelt lyrics so you can really relate to what she's singing about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80lh4Oj2Ys4

Giddy On Up - Laura Bell Bundy: After starring on Broadway in Legally Blonde - The Musical, Laura Bell Bundy came out with this infectious country anthem that immediately became the favorite new line dance of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xfFbB2CRo8

In the ideal world, great songs from Country, Pop, Dance and R&B would all find their way to the upper positions of the Billboard HOT 100....