Artists of the Year - American Idol Superstar - Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood

Since becoming the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood has set the standard  for crossing over into the music industry mainstream. Winning the Grammy for Best New Artist was just the beginning. Her collection of awards amassed since 2005 is almost too high to count and her impressive album sales continues to increase.

In 2012 she released her 4th album, Blown Away, and it spent its first two weeks in the #1 position on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The first single, Good Girl, is a high energy fusion of pop/rock and country that showcases the fact that she is still the best vocalist in the game right now.

The video for Good Girl became an immediate hit. In the video Carrie looks fabulous showing off a variety of high fashion, glamorous looks as she struts in her "goodbye shoes". On the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown, Good Girl leaped to #1 and it stayed there for a record breaking 14 weeks! At the CMT Video Music Awards, Good Girl ended up winning the Buckle for Video of the Year.

The second single from Blown Away was the title track. The video is a cinematic masterpiece utilizing outstanding special effects to convey the tragic story in the lyrics with a reference to the most famous cyclone  in the Wizard of Oz. Blown Away repeated the success of Good Girl and became another #1.

At the American Music Awards, Blown Away won the award for Favorite Country Album. With this win, Carrie has now won the American Music Award for Favorite Country Album for all four of her albums!

At the American Country Awards this year, for the third year in a row, Carrie has won the award for Favorite Female Artist. She now has a three year total of 11 American Country Awards - more than any other artist.

Carrie's Blown Away Tour has been selling out all over the country and she is delivering an amazing night of her hits. All of this success has lead to CMT including Carrie as one of the 2012 Artists of the Year. At the Grammy Awards every year since her debut, Carrie has been nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance and this year was no exception.

2012 has been a great year for American Idol Superstar - Carrie Underwood!!!

Artists of the Year - Katy Perry

Katy Perry

Katy Perry completely dominated both 2010 and 2011 with the most fun and fabulous string of the best pop hits ever! But why settle for just two years of world domination when you can go for three!

At the end of 2011 some fans may have been a little disappointed the the 6th single from Teenage Dream, The One That Got Away, failed to hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 like the previous record breaking 5 singles had done. But there was no need for disappointment at all. Katy had more wonderful sweets in store for the fans.

In 2012 she released a deluxe version of the album called, Teenage Dream: the Complete Confection. Katy introduced the world to a new song from this collection with a live performance of the song Part of Me on the Grammy awards. Part of Me skyrocketed to #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 the very next week! There was also a new single and video called Wide Awake that kept Katy in heavy rotation on radio all year.

But the best thing Katy gave to fans in 2012 was a spectacular all-access 3D documentary concert film that took us behind the scenes of her California Dreams Tour! This was easily the most fun to be had in any movie theater all year. It was like an amazing front row seat to see her perform all of her hits up close and personally. But even more than just seeing and hearing the great songs, we had a chance to see a glimpse of the real Katy without the costumes and make-up. We got to see a wonderful young woman be vulnerable and hurt by real life, and still be a hard working performer who is dedicated to making sure that the show goes on.

You don't become an Artist of the Year for three years in a row by being a jerk and taking your fans for granted. Katy Perry has earned all of the success she has gotten by appreciating her fans and by being committed too giving them their money's worth - no matter what!

Artists of the Year - Adele

Adele

Adele started out 2012 completely sweeping the Grammys winning both Record of the Year and Album of the Year. After that her album, 21, simply continued to dominate for the rest of the year. None of the new releases in 2012 even come close to the numbers that she has reached. In a very rare feat in this day and age, she has sold over 10 million copies of 21. For this reason alone, she has earned her place amongst the 2012 Artists of the Year.

The only new material that Adele released this year was the wonderful theme song to the latest 007 James Bond film, Skyfall. It is a grand and lush ballad that fits perfectly in the tradition of great bond themes. 

Artists of the Year - The Wanted

The Wanted

Let's hear it for the return of Boy Bands in 2012! Seriously, we were treated to some really great songs and videos thanks to The Wanted.

In any good era of Boy Bands there has to be some competitive rivalry going and in 2012 we had One Direction vs. The Wanted. They each have a collection of sleek and catchy songs, but with One Direction we have a clean cut group of nice boys, while with The Wanted we get some rougher and scruffier young men!

In their first video for Glad You Came, we are introduced to the guys as they vacation in Ibiza. It's more than just some playful fun in the sun with some cute flirty girls. We get to see all of the meeting up on the beach leading to the dancing the night away at the club. Then it wraps up with the morning after all disheveled and sweet.

The second video, Chasing The Sun, finds the guys once again out in the night time club scene. This time they are all giving into the seduction of a group of beautiful young women. It turns into a trip into the dark side as these women turn out to be vampires and one by one the guys get bitten.

The "rough around the edges" image of The Wanted is continued in their video for I Found You. Here we find the guys rescuing a girl who has been kidnapped and tied up. They find her in an old apartment building and have to beat up a group of thugs in order to get to her.

The Wanted may not be showing sales and airplay numbers as high as One Direction, but who cares? These guys are HOT!

Artists of the Year - Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan

For 5 years Luke Bryan has been bubbling under the radar releasing some pretty good songs here and there, but never really getting my attention or crossing over into the big time. In 2011 he released the album Tailgates and Tanlines and the first single was Country Girl Shake It For Me. With this song alone he definitely got my attention. It was easily my favorite song from 2011 that I loved to blast loudly while driving and loved to dance a fun and energetic two-step to.

This one single could have been it for him, but turns out the album is overflowing with great music. The next single was I Don't Want This Night To End and this one was not only a great song to dance to and blast loudly, but it also has an amazing video that really portrayed Luke as a a very likeable country music superstar star that we can all relate to and root for. I Don't Want This Night To End was part one of a video story where Luke meets a beautiful and mysterious woman, has a wonderful night, and hopes to meet her again.

Part two of the story was continued in the video for Drunk On You. Another fantastic song that is perfect for a shadow on the dance floor with your boyfriend. This video wraps things up where he finally sees her again at a stop on his tour. The current single dominating video and radio is Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.

Even though the album has been out since August 2011 it has remained one of the best sellers for all of 2012.

Luke has also enjoyed the opportunity to win numerous awards this year. He won Best Male Video for I Don't Want This Night To End at the CMT Video Music Awards. He won Favorite Male Country Artist at the American Music Awards and he was included as one of the 2012 CMT Artists of the Year. 

Luke's biggest night of the year happened at the American Country Awards where he completely cleaned up winning a total of nine awards including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Video of the Year!

An important thing to point out about awards given at the American Music Awards, the CMT Video Music Awards and The American Country Awards is that the winners are all selected by votes from the fans. Luke Bryan is clearly the fan favorite!

Artists of the Year - One Direction

One Direction

2012 will be remembered as the return of the Boy Bands. Leading the charge was the group that was actually put together after the five guys auditioned individually for the British version of X-Factor in 2010. They were all being eliminated, but Simon Cowell offered them a second chance if they joined forces and formed the Boy Band, One Direction.They immediately became a huge success in Britain and it was just a matter of time before they caught on over here.

The first song to start getting airplay here in the United States was What Makes You Beautiful. It delivers everything you want to hear from five cute young guys singing to you and its all done to a catchy great beat.

The stats about these guys are astounding. Their videos on YouTube have had over 300 Million views!!! Most artists are lucky to get to 1 Million!

They released two albums this year and both of them have gone platinum. Up All Night came out in March and has the singles What Makes You Beautiful and One Thing. Then less than a year later in November they released Take Me Home that has the hits Live While We're Young and Little Things.

They completely dominated at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards winning Best New Artist as well as Best Pop Video and Billboard Magazine named them the top New Artist of the Year. 

Artists of the Year - David Guetta

This is the first in a series of entries where I will be listing my favorite artists of 2012. I hope you enjoy it!

David Guetta

You may not even know who David Guetta is and here I am putting him on the 2012 Artists of the Year list. You might not be able to recognize his face or be able to name his songs, but trust me, you have been singing along to the them and dancing to them all year long.

David is a DJ/Producer who released an album called Nothing But The Beat in 2011 and it is jam packed with hits.

The first one to have impact was Without You with lead vocals by Usher. This track actually made my Top 10 list of favorite songs of 2011. Another song on the album has lead vocals by Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, called Night of Your Life. Both Usher and Jennifer Hudson have recent albums out, but they did not include these David Guetta productions on their final track listing. Their albums were good, but these tracks were outstanding! David has an ability to bring out the best of an artist.

The hits kept coming in 2012 starting with Turn Me On featuring Nicki Minaj. Nicki has tried to release a boat load of singles this year, but it was this hot dance floor jam that showcased her at the top of her game. If Nicki released an album of hits like Turn Me On, she might be a much more successful artist.

The crowning gem on the collection is an uplifting and empowering anthem called Titanium with lead vocals by a new artist named Sia. This song is quite simply amazing. David is transforming pop music and making it more dance floor/club friendly. At the American Music Awards this year, they actually introduced a new category called Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist just so they could recognize David for his contribution to the music scene this year.

American Idol Superstar - Katharine McPhee

The Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Katharine McPhee, spent years after the competition ended being a hard working, struggling artist. She released albums that failed to connect with fans and she starred in B-Movies that didn't allow her to shine and utilize all of her real talents. But in 2012, all of that changed...

A new show premiered on TV that was going to be about the making of a Broadway musical from beginning to end. It would feature real singers and dancers performing original songs and choreography every week. It will be called SMASH!!!

Katharine McPhee was perfectly cast as the lead character on Smash who is auditioning for the Broadway show about the life of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe. Smash became the ideal platform to allow Katharine to fully display all of the impressive talents that were hinted at in Season 5 of American Idol, but are now out there for all of the world to see.

Each week we got to see Katharine's character develop from small town girl with a dream to Broadway Star in the making. Some week's all she did was stand and sing a beautiful ballad, while in others she would be in full Marilyn Monroe make-up dancing and performing in an elaborate production numbers being tossed about by hunky male dancers. Katharine effortlessly has risen to the occasion successfully accomplishing all of the acting, singing and dancing requirements of being on an amazing show like Smash. She has now fully transformed from being a struggling artist to being a STAR!

And that was just Season One of Smash. I can't wait to see what new heights she takes us to in Season Two!

2012 has been a great year for American Idol Superstar - Katharine McPhee!!

American Idol Superstar - Scotty McCreery

Throughout the competition the judges showered praise on the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery. To some of the fans at home it might have made no sense why they were gushing all over the simple country boy with a deep voice. But now, just a little over a year later, it cannot be denied that the judges knew what they were talking about.

Scotty has become one of the most successful Miss American Idol finalists. He has already put two albums in the Top 10 of the Billboard HOT 100 and he has won the Best New Artist of the Year at both the American Country Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.

In 2012 while his debut album Clear As Day was still selling well and the singles and videos were getting airplay, he released Christmas with Scotty McCreery. Throughout December he was on the promotional tour appearing everywhere from Christmas at Rockefeller Center to Christmas in Washington performing for the President of the United States. 

2012 was a great year for American Idol Superstar - Scotty McCreery

American Idol Superstar - Jordin Sparks

Since becoming the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks has had her share of top 10 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 and plenty of radio airplay with songs like, Tattoo, No Air, and Battlefield. She has continued to grow and mature from the youngest Miss American Idol winner (at that time) to a movie star!

In 2012 Jordin made her big screen debut starring opposite none other than Whitney Houston in the remake of Sparkle. This was the last film that Whitney made before her death, but Jordin had the chance to work alongside and learn from one of her music idols and inspirations.

In somewhat of a surprise, the film sort of fizzled at the box office performing below expectations. Regardless of that, it's an entertaining cinematic experience showcasing the full range of Jordin's impressive acting, singing and dancing talents. The Soundtrack has some wonderful original songs on it including a duet that Jordin sings with Whitney Houston. It's called Celebrate and it's simply dance pop perfection.

2012 was a great year for American Idol Superstar - Jordin Sparks!

American Idol Superstar - Clay Aiken

As soon as Season 2 ended it was clear that the Miss American Idol Season 2 1st Runner Up, Clay Aiken, was the real winner of the competition. To this day, over 10 years later, Clay still holds the record for the highest one week sales of any of the finalists. In one week he sold over 600,000 copies of his debut album, Measure of a Man. In total, he has put 5 albums into the top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

In 2012 Clay was more well known for his celebrity status than for his music though. He was a popular favorite as a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice. Unfortunately, he once again ended up as the 1st Runner Up in this competition also. But throughout the season, Clay was the official "inside blogger" giving news. insight and updates for the fans to get a peek behind the scenes of the competition and the board room.

Clay has also become an outspoken community advocate lending his voice to anti-bullying legislation as well as the National Inclusion Project that strives to bridge the gap that exists between young people with disabilities and the world around them.

In between all of this activity, Clay actually did release a new song in 2012 called Bring Back My Love. It is a wonderful, classic ballad that illustrates that he is first and foremost, a premier vocalist.

2012 was a great year for American Idol Superstar - Clay Aiken!

American Idol Superstar - Lauren Alaina

Throughout all of 2011 it looked like the Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Lauren Alaina, was destined to remain in the background. That year's Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, was doing better on the charts, selling more CD's and winning more awards.

But things started to look up in 2012. She released one of the most fun and catchiest songs of the year in Georgia Peaches. It's playful energy showcases Lauren at her best and allows her to demonstrate her impressive vocal abilities. The song was also turned into a very cool line dance.

Finally, at the 2012 American Country Awards, Lauren had the chance to step out from the background and into the spotlight when she won the award for Favorite New Artist of the Year.

2012 has been a great your for American Idol Superstar - Lauren Alaina

American Idol Superstar - Jennifer Hudson

Oscar winner and Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist, Jennifer Hudson, has become the text book case to illustrate how you do not have to win in order for American Idol to be a platform for leading to huge success. After getting eliminated way too early in the competition Jennifer went on to star in Dreamgirls, win an Oscar for it and then release her debut album and win a Grammy for it.Jennifer has not slowed down at all and this year was no exception.

At the unexpected death of Whitney Houston, Jennifer was called upon to sing her signature song, I Will Always Love You, at the Grammy Awards this year. She stepped in to fulfill this honor with grace and class. Jennifer is a well-respected A-List member of the music community.

In addition, Jennifer had a popular hit this year with the theme song from the #1 Box Office movie Think Like A Man.

Also, there is much anticipation and buzz looking ahead as Jennifer has joined the cast of the hit TV series, Smash. She will be putting all of her impressive talents to work every week acting, singing and dancing.

2012 has been a great year for American Idol Superstar - Jennifer Hudson!

American Idol Superstar - Kelly Clarkson

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, has been a break out success on the music scene from the beginning. Her first single hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 and she has since been back at the top of the chart two more times. She is not just a Grammy nominee, but a Grammy winner and there are probably many fans who don't even realize that she got her start on American Idol.

This year she continued to promote her 5th album, Stronger. The single was such a huge pop hit that not only did it spend three weeks at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100, but it has now been nominated for the Grammy for Record of the Year.

Kelly has been able to be a cross-genre success not just doing well in the pop field but also making a name for herself in country music. 

In addition, Kelly is the first of the American Idols to release a Greatest Hits album. One of the new tracks included on the collection is called Don't Rush. She performed it for the fist time on the CMA Awards and it is a wonderful country pop song.

2012 has been a great year for American Idol Superstar - Kelly Clarkson.

American Idol Superstar - Phillip Phillips

It has only been 7 months since Phillip Phillips was crowned the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner and he has already crossed-over and made a significant impact on the music scene.

He performed the song, Home, on the finale and it has been on the Billboard HOT 100 chart ever since. It is now at #8, after peaking at #7 and it has been on the chart for 25 weeks. Much of this success can be attributed to the fact that the song was used as an anthem/theme song for this year's U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team. Every time one of the girls was shown winning a gold medal, Phillip's song would be playing in the background.

The success of the single has lead to strong sales for his debut album, The Other Side Of The Moon, which is currently at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in it's fourth week. It is likely that a second single will start to get promoted soon.

2012 was a great year for American Idol Superstar - Phillip Phillips. 

American Idol Superstar - Adam Lambert

The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Adam Lambert, enjoyed some great success after his run on the show. He got on the cover of Rolling Stone, released his first album, For Your Entertainment, and landed a top 10 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 with his single Whatya Want From Me. That single even earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.

While he is one of the flashiest finalists ever to come out of American Idol, in 2012 he has proven that he is not just a flash in the pan. He released his second album this year called Trespassing and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the best albums of 2012. It's an exciting and vibrant collection of dance pop music that showcases his outstanding vocal abilities.

His impressive voice has gotten the attention of legendary rock group, Queen, and they have actually asked him to perform with them at live performances.

Adam has also made a name for himself as a leader and an innovator when it comes to his sense of style and fashion. This is the kind of image that makes him high in demand for opportunities like the hosting the VH1 DIVAS concert. He kept the show interesting and very entertaining while showing off multiple costume changes and uniquely interpreting some of the best dance music of all time.   

All of this style has lead to the Mattel Toy Company actually creating an Adam Lambert doll/action figure! The original one-of-a-kind collectible comes with a certificate of authenticity, a rockin’ display case, a bejeweled mic and a mic stand. The doll was made available to benefit the AIDS organization, Project Angel Food.

2012 was a great year for American Idol Superstar - Adam Lambert!

American Idol Superstars 2012

2012 has been a wonderful year for music and the American Idols have made a very significant impact and contribution.

Even though there are new singing competition shows on now that are getting attention, none of them are getting close to the standard that has been set by American Idol. While people might be gossiping about X-Factor and The Voice, the reality is that, so far at least, they are complete failures at finding or creating new music superstars. In the three seasons that these shows have been on, there hasn't been a single finalist or winner to even make a ripple in the real world.

The American Idol winners and finalists, on the other hand, can be found actually working and thriving in the music business. Many of them have become viable stars on their own apart from their initial American Idol exposure. They are winning awards, appearing on TV shows, starring in movies, getting radio airplay and the public is buying their music!

The next few entries here are going to be about the 2012 Year in Review and how the American Idol Superstars were right there in the mix. :)

The Blown Away Tour!

Seeing the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, live in concert is always exciting, but this time it was even more exciting. For the past three years I have been able to see her at the Ravinia Festival which is a lovely outdoor concert venue. You can enjoy a beautiful picnic and a night of hearing her wonderful voice under the stars. But for this fourth chance to see her, she was playing at the United Center, so I was finally going to get to experience the entire spectacle of her blowing away a huge arena!

Since the show was on a Wednesday night and the United Center is much closer to my office than home that meant I would be heading over right after work. It also meant that I would be wearing my concert clothes of jeans, cowboy boots, plaid shirt and black sequined electric cowboy hat all day. That's right, the electric hat that I bought at Ravinia last year had to make a return appearance!

After work we all met at a restaurant to get a quick bite to eat before catching the bus to the United Center. We had bought these tickets months ago so the anticipation was very high. Everything was going as planned and we arrived at our seats in plenty of time to enjoy the energy of all the fans coming together to see our favorite country girl. The opening act was new young artist Hunter Hayes. He was very good performing his hits Wanted and Storm Warning. And then the real show got started....

The lights came down and the crowd started to roar with anticipation as we watched the video screens. It was the dramatic scenes from the Blown Away video as the tornado was shattering every window. It got louder and the energy was building as we watched every brick and every board blowing away. The videos on stage were projected on a set shaped like a house. The swirling of the wind came to a sudden stop as if the house was landing on the stage. The music for Good Girl started and the door opened and Carrie made her grand entrance on stage belting out her hard driving and 2012 CMT Video of the Year winning hit song!

After that thrilling opening, she kept the energy in high gear going into Undo It and Wasted. She looked stunning in a wonderful feather covered gown that was long in the back and short in the front to show her shapely long legs. She then sang her ballad I Told You So and her voice sounded as pure and crystal clear as always. It was surprising then after that song to see her turn away from the microphone and cough. Was it possible that she had a cold? It was hard to tell from her outstanding performance of her latest single Two Black Cadillacs that immediately followed.

After her first costume change she kept on serving up the hits with Last Name and All American Girl. Then, as if she was not feeling under the weather at all, she delivered a beautiful and heartwarming version of Temporary Home followed by her beloved first single, Jesus Take The Wheel. She closed out this set with her popular favorite from the Play On album and 2010 CMT Video of the Year winning Cowboy Casanova.

When she returned to the stage she had changed into a very cute t-shirt and cut off jean shorts. She walked to the front of the stage where some members of her band had all gathered within a smaller area surrounded by a picket fence. It was a very cute setting for her song Get Out Of This Town from the Some Hearts album. How thrilling it was when this entire section of the stage started to lift up into the air and move over the crowd on the main floor!!! Here she was now moving closer to her fans and creating a warm and intimate environment where there wasn't a bad seat in the house.

She hovered over the crowd and went through almost all of the Blown Away album. We were treated to live performances of Nobody Ever Told You, Thank God For Home Towns, Do You Think About Me and One Way Ticket. During this free spirited party anthem huge beach balls were tossed onto the main floor lending to the fun that was already being had by all. She also threw in Crazy Dreams from the Carnival Ride album during this aerial set.

They all came back to earth and the fun continued this time wearing some sleek black skinny pants and a shiny blue jacket. She continued with another track from the Blown Away album, Leave Love Alone. She was joined by opening act Hunter Hayes. While it's a great song, she seemed to be taking some on stage vocal rest during this one letting Hunter carry most of it. Maybe she does have a cold????

In somewhat of a surprise, Carrie started to rock the house with a cover of the Aerosmith classic Sweet Emotion. If you had seen her CMT Crossroads concert with Steven Tyler earlier this year, you would know that this performance, in fact, made perfect sense. But quickly returning to the country music that we all love, she was joined by Brad Paisley on the video screens to sing their wonderful ballad Remind Me. This set was brought to a rousing close with Cupid's Got A Shotgun and her huge smash Before He Cheats.

The crowd was cheering on their feet wanting to hear more. It was loud and amazing. Then, we knew she couldn't leave without giving us the title track from Blown Away and when the video screens were once again filled with the familiar tornado footage we knew the time had come. The energy in the arena had built up to an amazing climax when it suddenly stopped!

There was Carrie standing in a spotlight in an exquisite black gown. There was some light twinkling on the piano and soft strings playing. This wasn't Blown Away!!!

No, instead Carrie quite literally blew us away with her pristine and flawlessly powerful vocals on I Know You Won't. The crowd was riveted by her impressive delivery standing silently in awe of her amazing talent. Then, after knocking us over with a feather, the familiar beat started for Blown Away. It's a good thing that the United Center is a solidly built arena because the roof could have been torn off the place by the whirlwind of enthusiasm filling the place. It was an explosive end to a totally fun and entertaining night of live music.

In total Carrie Underwood performed 23 hit songs for us. And the next day we learned that she did in fact have a cold and she needed to cancel her next scheduled date on the tour. She sounded amazing as she toughed it out for us. Just another example how she has earned and deserves the title of Entertainer of the Year and all of the many other awards that she has won. I can't wait to see her again!!!

American Idol DIVAS

The 2012 VH1 DIVAS concert turned into yet another Miss American Idol Family Reunion.

The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Adam Lambert, served as host of the show. This gave him an exciting opportunity to show off numerous high fashion costume changes while also adding his unique vocal talents to quite a few numbers.  The theme of the show this year was a celebration of dance and disco music.

Adam opened the show with an outstanding rendition of David Bowie's #1 smash hit from 1983, Let's Dance. During a tribute to Donna Summer, he added his special flavor to her big hits, Hot Stuff and Last Dance. Finally, to acknowledge her significant contributions to genre, Adam performed Madonna's Ray Of Light.

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, is currently promoting her Greatest Hits collection, so she took the VH1 Divas stage to sing her single, Catch My Breath, that is included as a new track on the album.

In addition, there was a tribute to Whitney Houston with a medley of some of her best dance hits. After starring in Sparkle with her this year, it was no surprise at all that the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, would lend her voice to the mix. Jordin looked stunning in a glamorous long gown as she sounded flawless performing I'm Every Woman. Later, she returned to the stage to join in a group performance of How Will I Know.

2012 Year End Charts

The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2012 is 21 by Adele. This is quite a significant accomplishment as it was also the #1 album for all of 2011.

There were some very strong showings from the Miss American Idol finalists on the 2012 year end charts. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood comes in at #14 with her album Blown Away. The fifth album by Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, Stronger, lands at #24. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #32 with his debut album Clear As Day. Break The Spell from Season 5 Miss American Idol 3rd Runner Up Chris Daughtry is the #53 album of the year. The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Adam Lambert ends the year at #188 with his album Trespassing.

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood had the #5 Country Album of the year with Blown Away. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #8 on this chart with his debut album Clear As Day and the Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Lauren Alaina lands at #34 with her debut album Wildflower.

The Top 5 singles for 2012 on the Billboard HOT 100 are: #1 Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, #2 Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, #3 We Are Young by fun., #4 Payphone by Maroon 5 and at #5 Lights by Ellie Goulding.

Just missing the top 5 is the Miss American Idol finalist who makes the highest showing on the year end singles chart, Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is at #7 with Stronger. Also landing in the top 100 songs of the year is the reigning Miss American Idol, Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips with Home at #49. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood is on the year end chart with two songs - at #66 with Good Girl and at #70 with Blown Away.

The Miss American Idol winners also had an impressive showing on the Billboard 2012 Top Artists of the Year chart: The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson lands at #16 while The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood comes in at #31. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #93 and the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips ends up at #95.

Finally, coming in at #16 on Billboard's list of the Top Soundtracks of 2012 is Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson on Think Like A Man while landing at #18 is the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Katharine McPhee on the Smash soundtrack.

More Favorite Songs From 2012

I recently listed my Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2012. 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 2012. 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 2012 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 2012. 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.

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.

Good Girl - Carrie Underwood: This first single from the Supreme Miss American Idol's 4th album was a huge hit by all accounts topping the Country Singles Chart, winning the Video of the Year at the CMT Awards and staying at #1 on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown for a record breaking 14 weeks. Somehow it stalled at #18 on the Billboard HOT 100.

Triumphant - Mariah Carey: All of the fans had high hopes that this would become Mariah's 19th #1 on the Billboard HOT 100, but it unfortunately fell short even though it's a great song. It did manage to hit #1 on the BET 106 & Park countdown for a few weeks and the dance remix hit #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart.

Time Is Love - Josh Turner: This is the perfect song to dance a fun two-step to. It has a great beat and Josh's voice is deep and wonderful as always.

Kissed You Goodnight - Gloriana: What an outstanding ballad that perfectly captures the longing and the yearning of new love. When it's the end of a great date, all you want to do is push that great guy up against the wall and kiss him. Just do it and have no regrets!

Celebrate - Jordin Sparks: This uplifting dance track with Whitney Houston from the Sparkle soundtrack should have been huge. It has everything that I want to hear on the radio in heavy rotation. It is crazy that it was not well-received. Oh well, I enjoyed it immensely!

5150 - Dierks Bentley: When I hear this hard driving rugged jam, I feel like a hot cowboy. It's fun and sexy and I can't get enough of it. Somebody's gonna call the po po because I am playing it too loud again. :)

Touch Me - Katharine McPhee: How exciting to see the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up deliver this high energy dance throw down on Smash. The only thing that would have made it better was to hear it on the radio all the time.

Pontoon - Little Big Town: It is summer time and fun in the sun year round when listening to this light and easy celebration of floating and motor boating.

Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez: This beautiful Disney teen queen is continuing to crank out some of the best dance pop music out there. It's too bad she just keeps falling short of crossing over into mainstream superstardom. It's surely coming soon...

Georgia Peaches - Lauren Alaina: The Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up is at her best on this toe tapping jam. Still one of my favorite new line dances of the year as well.

Trespassing - Adam Lambert: The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, but none of the singles connected with radio and sales. This song is sorely overlooked and I am still holding out hope that it will get the attention it deserves.

Think Like A Man - Jennifer Hudson: The Oscar winner and Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist sounds amazing on this empowering R&B piece of advice to women.   

American Country Awards 2012

The 3rd Annual American Country Awards were once again filled with many American Idol moments.

Last year the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery walked away with the award for New Artist of the Year. This year he was asked back to present the award to this year's winner. It turned into a reunion as he announced the winner as none other that the Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Lauren Alaina. Her hit single Georgia Peaches was one of the best songs of the year and this was a very well deserved honor.

For the third year in a row the Female Artist of the Year award was presented to the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood. In addition, she also won the Collaboration of the Year for her duet, Remind Me with Brad Paisley. Carrie looked more beautiful than ever and she delivered the most genuine, humble and appreciative acceptance speech - like she always does. :) 

The Top 10 songs of 2012

The Top 10 songs of 2012!!
2012 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

No other song in 2012 completely saturated social media the way this one did. It's a completely fun and catchy pop jam everyone and their brother felt compelled to video record themselves dancing and singing along with it. While all of the homemade videos were entertaining, the official video was still the best of the bunch. Carly is looking cute daydreaming about her sexy neighbor while he mows the lawn and fixes his car, but it turns out that he ends up giving his number to the cute boy who plays guitar in her band! And to top it off, we learned a super fun line dance to this at Charlie's so it really was everywhere!

Glad You Came - The Wanted

I first heard this song on Glee when the Warblers performed it in a competition. It sounded awesome and it made me want to hear it again. Then when this version started to get radio airplay I started to like it even more. The guys voices harmonize so perfectly to the beat and the lyrics have you singing along.

Titanium - David Guetta

The empowering vocals by Sia combined with the hard driving dance beat deliver the most inspirational and motivating song of the year. This is a must on every work out playlist.

Lights - Ellie Goulding

This is the absolutely perfect song and video for playing loud while grabbing your hairbrush and dancing and singing along. The video is exactly how you would imagine your debut in the spotlight would be as you perform this song for your millions of adoring fans.

Skyfall - Adele

Exactly what a James Bond theme song should be. Lush and sensual strings embrace the mysterious and romantic lyrics. Adele provides the vocals in the grand tradition of Bond girls to perfection. 

What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

At first I thought someone was doing a remake of Summer Nights from Grease, but then it turned into a fresh and exuberant gem that is completely new and different. Still, it was an awesome part of many Summer days and nights in 2012.

Part of Me - Katy Perry

What an exciting night it was when Katy performed this song for the first time at the Grammy awards. It was no surprise at all that it shot to #1 the very next week. In 2012 she proved that she is still the master at serving up the perfect combination of a catchy pop song with an amazing video. This time Katy enlisted in the Marines in a sincere tribute to our veterans.

Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

You can't help but tap your feet and sing along with this pop rock slice of musical entertainment. There are a couple of videos for this song, but my favorite one has the zombies attacking the kids at the drive-in movie.

We Are Young - fun.

This is another song that the cast of Glee introduced long before the original became a hit. fun. has a style that completely goes against the current trends in pop music and they make it work with dramatic vocal arrangements and lots of orchestration. It's a welcome addition to the music scene.

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye

When you first heard this you may have thought it was the come-back single from Sting, but honestly, that's never really gonna happen. New artist, Gotye delivers an emotional vocal to go along with the creative performance art video. 

Idol Grammy Nominations

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, has already been recognized with 5 Grammy wins in the past including Best New Artist and Best Country Female Vocalist three years in a row.

The nominations have just been announced and there's a possibility that Carrie could be adding a 6th Grammy to her collection. She was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for her outstanding vocal performance on Blown Away.

The only other Miss American Idol to be singled out in this year's list of nominations is the Season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkson. 2012 has been a stellar year for her and it is capped off with her multiple nominations including Best Pop Solo performance for the single Stronger and Best Pop Album for Stronger. More impressively, the single Stronger is also up for Record of the Year.

In addition, there are also a few nominations for the songwriters who wrote some of the songs performed by the Miss American Idols. The songwriters for Stronger are nominated for Song of the Year and the songwriters for Blown Away are nominated for Best Country Song. 


And then there are the songwriters who composed the wonderful Let Me Be Your Star that the Season 5 Miss American Idol, Katharine McPhee performed to perfection on the TV series Smash. They are nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media. 

We'll find out who the winners are when the Grammy Awards are handed out on February 10th.

Christmas Time Is In The Air Again

The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner Phillip Phillips sees his first album "The World From the Side of the Moon" debut on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart at #4 with sales of 169,000 copies. In addition, his single, Home, has been in the top 10 of the itunes sales chart for many weeks now and it is holding strong at #12 this week on the Billboard HOT 100.

For comparison, the season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, entered at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart in October of last year with his first album, "Clear as Day." It bowed with the more robust figure of 197,000 copies sold.

In other more holiday festive news, Scotty McCreery performed at the Christmas in Rockefeller Center to promote his new collection of holiday songs. He sang Holly Jolly Christmas.

Also performing this Rockefeller Center tree lighting event was the Queen of Christmas and brand new American Idol judge, Mariah Carey. She opened the show with a super fun rendition of her anthem All I Want For Christmas Is You. Then at the end of the night she returned to perform Christmas Time Is In The Air Again from her amazing holiday collection Merry Christmas 2 You. She looked stunning is a long silver gown and her vocals were simply outstanding. I can think of no better way to kick off the holiday season!

Idols at the American Music Awards

The American Idols were once again featured prominently at the American Music Awards.

The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner Phillip Phillips was on hand as a presenter. His single, Home, is still going strong in the Top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart and his debut album will be in stores tomorrow. With this high profile appearance, it is sure to make an impressive impact on the sales charts.

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, did not win either of the awards she was nominated for, but she did get a chance to perform a great medley of her greatest hits. She started out with Miss Independent, went on to Since U Been Gone, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger, and ended with her latest single, Catch My Breath.

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, quite literally blew away all of the competition with her outstanding live vocals. She performed the third single from her album Blown Away for the first time. It's called Two Black Cadillacs and it is destined to become yet another smash hit. Carrie also won the award for Favorite Country Album for Blown Away. In a very exceptional bit of trivia, Carrie has now won the Favorite Country Album at the American Music Awards for ALL FOUR of her albums! She won for Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, Play On, and now she has won for Blown Away!

Looking ahead, there is the People's Choice Awards coming up on January 9, 2013 and there are three more nominations for Carrie Underwood. She is up for Favorite Female Music Artist, Favorite Country Music Artist and Favorite Album for Blown Away. :)

Mark Your Calendars!

There are a lot more Miss American Idol appearances coming up on TV in the coming weeks ahead.

Coming up this Sunday Nov. 18th in the American Music Awards honoring the favorites of 2012 in Pop, Country and R&B. The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is nominated for Favorite Pop Female Artist after her huge #1 success this year with What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood is nominated for both Favorite Country Female Artist as well as Favorite Country Album for Blown Away. Carrie is also on the roster of superstar performers for the night.

Then on December 10th there will be more Carrie Underwood on the American Country Awards. She has numerous nominations including Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Single by a Female Artist for Good Girl and Favorite Video by a Female Artist, also for Good Girl. For the past two years, Carrie has completely dominated on this show, we wish her the best to repeat the success again this year. In addition, the Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Lauren Alaina is nominated for Favorite New Artist this year.

The excitement continues on December 16th as VH1 presents the 2012 DIVAS Concert. This year it will be a celebration of dance music including tributes to Donna Summer and Whitney Houston. The host for the evening will be the The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Adam Lambert. He has had a great year with his #1 album Trespassing so it will be wonderful to see him perform some of the hot songs from it. Also, The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks will be one of the headlining Divas of the show. She is sure to Sparkle with her outstanding vocals taking center stage.  

The American Idols are CMA winners!

The 46th Annual CMA awards have come and gone. It was a great night of wonderful country music and, as usual for the past few years, the American Idols were very well represented. Turns out that this year none of them actually won any of the awards, though. The excitement of Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson being nominated in the same Female Vocalists of the year category with The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood turned out to be disappointing all around with the actual award going to nominee of lesser talents.

Even with this unfortunate loss, the American Idols still came out as winners as far as I am concerned.

WINNER - Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist, Kellie Pickler, made an appearance as a presenter looking fabulous and sharing her bubbly personality with the crowd. It was very noticeable that her usual long and glamorous blond hair was almost completely shaved off. This was due to her showing her support to a dear friend of hers who is dealing with cancer treatments. Kellie shaved her head and once again showed what a true star she is.

WINNER - The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, was also on hand as a presenter. After his platinum selling #1 debut album came out last year, he has been wholeheartedly welcomed into the Country Music community. Just last week he released his second album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery, and it made it all the way up to #4 on the Billboard Top albums chart.

WINNER - Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, enjoyed huge success a couple of years ago when she joined Jason Aldean on the CMA stage to perform their hit Don't You Wanna Stay. It looks as though she could be able to repeat that with an outstanding delivery of some pure pop pleasure with her performance of Don't Rush with Vince Gill. This is easily her most fun pop song that she has given fans in years. Don't Rush can be found on her new Greatest Hits album that will be available on November 19th.

WINNER - The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, was once again at the front and center of the CMA's serving as the very entertaining host of the night along with Brad Paisley. She looked stunning in an assortment of beautiful ensembles and she was funny and charming all night long. She also provided the most powerful performance of the night with her latest single, the title track from her album Blown Away. Also, the video for Blown Away, a dramatic depiction of the tragic lyrics of domestic abuse, has hit the #1 position on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown this week.

Jessica Sanchez is going in a NEW DIRECTION!!!!

It’s a done deal! The Season 11 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Jessica Sanchez, has closed a deal to recur on the best show on TV - Glee. There are no details on what role Glee executive producer Ryan Murphy might have in store for the 16-year-old California native or when she will first appear on screen. (Might she be the much-buzzed-about new love interest for Finn?!)

During her Idol run, Sanchez became an early front-runner on the strength of scorching Vegas-round renditions of “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” and “The Prayer,” followed by a spot-on rendition of “I Will Always Love You” on Whitney Houston night. Later, in a Top 7 week shocker, Ryan Seacrest revealed the girl who sometimes performed as her alter-ego Bebe Chez was the lowest vote getter, but the judges promptly vetoed America’s decision by using their sole “save” of the season. Sanchez then went on to steal the show during the Idol finale by virtue of a jaw-dropping duet with Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday on the Dreamgirls classic “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”

CMA excitement is building

The 2012 CMA Awards are fast approaching on November 1st and the excitement for Country Music's Biggest Night is building.

One of the best parts of the evening is seeing the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood host the show with Brad Paisley. This will be the 5th year in a row we will be treated to her charming personality and looking beautiful in numerous glamorous costume changes.

The CMA nominations were recently announced and the most exciting category will be Female Vocalist of the Year. After the HUGE success of Good Girl, her debut single from Blown Away, it's no surprise at all that Carrie Underwood is once again nominated. This year she will be going up against none other that the Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson in the same category! Kelly has enjoyed a lot of cross-over country music success with her singles Don't You Wanna Stay and Mr. Know It All getting a lot of airplay at Country Music radio.

Adding to the anticipation was the very fun three hour all-star concert that was on TV called the CMA Music Festival, Country's Night To Rock! It featured all of the biggest names in country music including many of the CMA nominees. Carrie Underwood was there to sing her current very powerful single, Blown Away. She also sang her classic hit, Last Name. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery was also there to join the party and sing a few songs for the fans. 

Sparkle is #1

Sparkle, the feature film debut from Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks is in theaters now.

The soundtrack to the film features three new songs from Jordin, along with three covers from the original 1976 soundtrack. There's even a duet called Celebrate with Whitney Houston, who plays her mother in the film. Celebrate is a truly joyous pop dance anthem that would be a welcome addition to any music collection.

The soundtrack to Sparkle has been sitting at #1 on the Billboard Top Soundtracks chart for the past 4 weeks.

On the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart Sparkle had a peak position of #21.

Mariah Carey joins American Idol

Here is the official press release announcing the BEST NEWS EVER!!!!!

PLATINUM-SELLING GLOBAL MEGASTAR MARIAH CAREYJOINS AMERICAN IDOL AS NEW JUDGE


Mariah Carey, one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, has joined AMERICAN IDOL as a new judge. A five-time Grammy Award-winning global superstar with more than 200 million records sold worldwide and more No. 1 songs than any solo artist in history, her 18 Billboard No. 1 singles (17 of which Carey wrote) rival all but The Beatles. Carey joins the judges' panel when AMERICAN IDOL returns in January 2013 on FOX.

"As a singer, songwriter and producer, it's going to be fun and rewarding to help find new talent and give back with AMERICAN IDOL," said Mariah Carey. "I'm currently in the studio working on my new album and its first single, 'Triumphant,' which will be out early next month. I can't wait to channel my creative energy as a part of this show which is a massive global phenomenon."

"We are proud to have one of the world's greatest-ever female singers join our show," said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. "Mariah defines the word 'Idol' and will inspire every singer that has the honor of performing in front of her."

"Mariah Carey is a global icon whose list of musical accomplishments is unprecedented," said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia. "Having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, she's a true artist, ideally suited to identify and nurture AMERICAN IDOL's next great music superstars. We warmly welcome her to the IDOL family."

"Mariah Carey is the real deal. Not only is she one of the best-selling artists and performers on the planet and one of the world's most gifted vocalists, she also is a successful songwriter, record producer and actress," said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. "She has a deep knowledge of music and a career insight that will make her a really amazing asset to our judges' table and to our contestants.

It's the dream of almost everyone who auditions for IDOL to sing like Mariah and we couldn't be happier to have her be part of the show."

With a distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting and producing talent, Carey has defined the modern pop performance. As a singer/songwriter/producer, she has been recognized with five Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award, the World Music Award for World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium and BMI's Icon Award, to name a few. She has two consecutive and unparalleled Billboard Song of the Decade titles: "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men); and "We Belong Together," further marking her massive presence on the charts since her 1990 song debut "Vision of Love." Mariah became the second artist in history and the first female performer to have a song debut at No. 1 with "Fantasy" (1995), the groundbreaking collaboration with O.D.B. of the innovative rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Carey's original holiday classic, "All I Want For Christmas is You," redefined its place in pop culture as one of the greatest holiday hits of all time when it reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2011, 17 years after its debut. Carey's influential and stellar contribution to the music industry spans multiple genres and is showcased through a multifaceted hit catalogue as well as a long list of diverse collaborations.

Carey's ongoing impact transcends the music industry and has left an indelible imprint upon the world at large. She recently made a substantial mark in film with her critically acclaimed role as a social worker in Precious, the 2009 film based on the novel Push, by Sapphire. A Congressional Award recipient, Carey has generously donated her time and energy to a range of domestic and international philanthropic causes near to her heart, including The Fresh Air Fund/Camp Mariah (a retreat where inner-city children explore career development), Save the Music Foundation and Make-a-Wish Foundation, among several others.

Carey is currently in the studio, writing, recording and executive-producing her next album for Island Def Jam Music Group, with the lead single, "Triumphant."

AMERICAN IDOL has been the No. 1 entertainment program among Total Viewers for the past nine consecutive seasons. To date, IDOL alums have produced 349 No. 1 Billboard hits and garnered nearly 250 million iTunes downloads. Last year, Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery released his debut album, Clear As Day, which dominated the Billboard Country Albums chart and has gone platinum, selling more than one million copies. Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips' first single, "Home," which was released May 23, has been certified gold.

Good Girl getting BETTER!

We already know that the video for Good Girl, the first single from the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood's album Blown Away has been honored with the 2012 CMT Video of the Year.

So Good Girl has taken its place as the best of the best, so how can it get even better? Well, how about by re-writing the record books at the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown!

This week Carrie Underwood and Good Girl have just spent their 14th week in the #1 position on the countdown breaking a 13 week record that has been held since 2010.

Who knows what huge successes are yet to come with Carrie Underwood and the outstanding collection of music, Blown Away? This is just the first single, but a teaser for the video for the title track has been released and it looks like it will keep the momentum going. I can't wait to see it!

An even bigger SMASH!!!!

The first season of Smash, starring the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st runner up Katharine McPhee came to an end a few weeks ago. It was by far the best show on TV this season as it was packed with outstanding performances of amazing original songs. Smash easily rivals the all-around entertainment standard that has been set by Glee and I am looking forward to both of these shows coming back next season.

The anticipation for the return of Smash was recently heightened with the announcement that taking her place in the cast along side Katharine McPhee will be none other than the Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson!!!! I mean seriously, this sounds too good to be true, but it has been confirmed in Entertainment Weekly!

How exciting it will be to have these exceptional Miss American Idol talents delivering new material to us every week on Smash. There is no premiere date set for the show's return, but it is not expected until January at the earliest. I seriously cannot wait!!!!! 

Carrie wins Video of the Year!

The 2012 CMT Video Music Awards was a very fun night of great music and it was a virtual who's who of Miss American Idol winners and finalists.

Things got off to a great start when the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood walked away with the first award of the night. She won the CMT Collaborative Video of the Year along with Brad Paisley for their outstanding duet, Remind Me.

The next award then went to another Miss American Idol winner. This time it was Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery nabbing the CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year for The Trouble With Girls. Scotty also got the chance to sing his latest single Water Tower Town.

The Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Lauren Alaina, was also nominated for the CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year for her very fun hit Georgia Peaches, but it seems like she is destined to finish behind Scotty when they go up against each other. In addition to taking the stage to perform Georgia Peaches, Lauren also provided commentary throughout the show regarding the Twitter activity of the fans favorite artists. It was no surprise that Carrie Underwood was at the top of the trending artists.

Season 9 Miss American Idol finalist Casey James was also on hand to perform his latest single and then the floodgates opened of Miss American Idol finalists and winners as presenters. Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler was in the house as a nominee for Female Video of the Year for Tough and she presented a CMT Buckle. The Season 6 Miss American Idol winner Jordin Sparks also graced the stage to present a CMT Buckle.

Then a pair of Season 11 Miss American Idol finalists, Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon, got one of the most prestigious honors of the night when they had the privilege of introducing the blockbuster, showstopping performance by Carrie Underwood. She exploded on stage singing the energetic jam Good Girl. She completely electrified the cheering crowd and the rousing number came to a powerful end as the arena was filled with golden glitter falling from the rafters.

Shortly after the amazing performance of Good Girl, the Supreme Miss American Idol's name was called to the stage to accept the biggest award of the night. Carrie Underwood and Good Girl won the CMT Buckle for the 2012 VIDEO OF THE YEAR!

Phillip Phillips is #10

The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips, can now claim his first hit on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart. His single, Home, that he sang during the finale, sold a very impressive 278,000 downloads in it's first week available and it enters the chart all the way up at #10.  

With Phillips' single landing in the Top 10, he ends a three year absence in the upper portion of the chart for the debut single from Miss American Idol winners. The last victory single to reach the Top 10 was The Time Of My Life from Season 7 Miss American Idol winner David Cook that peaked at #3 in 2008.

For the record, the Season 8 Miss American Idol winner, Kris Allen, hit #11 in 2009 with his winning song No Boundaries. The Season 9 Miss American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze, was only able to get to #24 in 2010 with his winning song, Beautiful Day. And last year, the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, hit #11 with his winning song I Love You This Big.

Incidentally, for the first 5 seasons of American Idol, the show was able to generate a #1 smash hit on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart starting with A Moment Like This by the Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. The Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Clay Aiken, topped the chart with his single This Is The Night. Fantasia, The Season 3 Miss American Idol winner hit #1 with I Believe. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, reached #1 with her winning victory single Inside Your Heaven. The last #1 winning single came from the Season 5 Miss American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks and his hit Do I Make You Proud.

Idols on the Charts!

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood leads the pack of 6 albums on in the upper portion of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart this week. Her release Blown Away is holding at #3 for a 2nd week after spending its first two weeks at #1. 

The newly crowned Season 11 Miss American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips' "Journey to the Finale" album debuts at #11 with 24,000 units sold. The set is exclusively sold via the iTunes Store. 


The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Adam Lambert is at #12 with his album Trespassing.
 
The Season 10 Miss American Idol 2nd Runner Up, Haley Reinhart starts out at #17 with her debut album Listen Up! with 1st week sales of 20,000 copies.

With 18,000 copies sold, the "American Idol Season 11 - Top 2 Season Finale" EP starts out at #21.  This is a collection of songs by both Phillip Phillips and the Season 11 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Jessica Sanchez.

Further down the list at #26 is the debut of the 2nd album the Season 8 Miss American Idol winner, Kris Allen. His collection called Thank You Camellia sold 17,000 copies in its first week. Allen's self-titled debut started at #11 with 80,000 copies sold in 2009.

And the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is....

The Season 11 Top 12 finalists opened the show with a very fun group performance of the Bruno Mars track Runaway Baby. It was great to see Colton, Deandre, Skylar and Hollie out there showing off what they can do.

Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison. 

The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....

Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.

Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.

Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.

Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.

Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!

Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.

The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.

Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb

Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.

Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.

Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!

He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.

  

Adam Lambert is #1

The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Adam Lambert makes a strong debut at the #1 position on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with his second release, Trespassing. He had first week sales of 77,000 copies sold.

This is a very significant moment in Miss American Idol history as it is the first time that one "American Idol" replaces another at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. His arrival bumps last week's leader, The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away," down to #3.

In addition, with a Miss American Idol ruling the chart for three weeks in a row, it's the longest that "Idol" has monopolized the #1 slot. There have been two-week runs atop the list, but always from a singular album -- like Carrie Underwood just did these past two weeks with "Blown Away."

This is Adam Lambert's first #1 album and is his second major label studio set. It follows 2009's "For Your Entertainment," which debuted and peaked at No. 3 with 198,000 sold in its first week.

Adam Lambert is the seventh Miss American Idol finalist to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart following Season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkson, Season 2 winner, Ruben Studdard, Season 2 1st runner up, Clay Aiken, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, Season 5 3rd runner up, Chris Daughtry, and Season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery.

Jessica VS. Phillip

We have reached the Season 11 Miss American Idol final face-off between Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips.

Jessica went first and started with a performance of Whitney Houston's #4 hit from 1993, I Have Nothing. Her voice is perfect for this type of ballad that requires a singer with an impressive vocal range like hers. She looked very classy as she delivered a wonderful rendition. For the next round Jessica tackled another song from an accomplished diva. This time it was The Prayer by Celine Dion. Once again, this young 16 year old finalist proved that she can easily rise to the vocal challenge. It was simply beautiful. Her final song was an original composition called Change Nothing. This mid-tempo pop selection allowed Jessica to connect her outstanding voice to some new material and genuinely make it her own. She belted out some amazing power notes that clearly proclaimed that she is the best singer left in the competition.

Phillip took on the classic Ben E. King song Stand By Me that originally hit #4 in 1961. As usual, Phillip lacks the vocal range, skill and talent to actually sing the song well. The lyrics were merely spoken with no melodic inflection at all. He then decided to musically mutilate the Billy Joel song, Moving Out as he had done earlier in the season as if once wasn't enough. The saving grace of his performances was the last one as he stood center stage for an original song called Home. And stand center stage is all that he needed to do as the band played loudly and the background singers did all the work to drown out his minimal voice. He was also upstaged by a marching band that thankfully pulled focus away from his clumsy awkwardness.   

As showcased tonight, Jessica Sanchez should easily win the Season 11 Miss American Idol Crown. She has the looks, style, stage presence and most importantly, the outstanding and impressive vocal range to take her time from this competition and translate it into a long career in the music industry.

Idols dominate the 2012 Billboard Music Awards

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood is sitting comfortably at the #1 position on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for the second week in a row with her album Blown Away. Her performance of the title track from the album was without a doubt the highlight of the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. Her vocals had all the power and drama necessary to bring the story of abuse and revenge to life for the crowd of cheering fans. It was combined with wind from giant fans, bursts of smoke, glitter falling to the ground and Carrie looking amazing is a flowing red gown.

In addition to Carrie, the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks was also there to participate in a tribute to the late Whitney Houston. Jordin performed a stellar rendition of I Will Always Love You with wonderful vocal perfection and heartfelt emotion. Jordin will soon be co-starring with Whitney in the remake of Sparkle that will be in theaters later this summer. A new duet with Jordin and Whitney was just released from the Sparkle soundtrack today called Celebrate. It's a fun and upbeat dance groove that has potential to be huge hit.

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, was also at the Billboard Awards to perform the third single from her album Stronger. This week Kelly is returning to TV on a new show called Duets where hopefuls will compete for the chance to sing and record a song with her.

Finally, the winner of this season's Celebrity Apprentice was named and unfortunately it was not the Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Clay Aiken. For some reason, Donald Trump decided to give the honor to Arsenio Hall instead. Once again, Clay has found himself in the 1st runner up position.

The Results - Top 3

Jessica, Phillip and Joshua opened the show with a group performance of a song that Earth Wind and Fire took to #9 in 1978, Got To Get You Into My Life. As the only one who can really sing, Jessica really shined while the boys were simply her back-up singers.

While waiting to find out which of the three finalists are going to be competing in the finals next week, we were treated to some interesting entertainment. Lisa Marie Presley made her very first appearance on the American Idol stage to perform her new single. It was pretty hard to describe. There were some elements of retro classic rock in there along with some mystical, hippie vibes. Hopefully this high profile opportunity will result in the career boost that she's looking for.

The highlight of the night came from a dynamic and explosive performance from the Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Adam Lambert. He sported his signature shiny look along with some neon yellow as he delivered his amazing vocals on the single Never Close Our Eyes. With this performance, he is likely to see the album, Trespassing, make a very big debut on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart next week.

It was then revealed that Jessica Sanchez would be going head to head with Phillip Phillips next week in the Season 11 Miss American Idol finals. Joshua Ledet was the lowest vote getter of the week, so he must be eliminated from the competition.

I am very happy that I got my prediction wrong this week and that Jessica has made it to the finals. She is a world class, top-notch vocalist and I am very excited to see how she completely blows Phillip off the stage next week.

The Top 3 Perform

The top 3 finalists will each sing three songs tonight: 

Randy Jackson selected an a bluesy Etta James song, I Would Rather Go Blind, as the judge's choice for Joshua Ledet to sing. It was more of the retro-same usual for him. He delivered the same over the top gospel tinged classic R&B vocals that he always does.

Jennifer Lopez selected a song that became Mariah Carey's 13th #1 hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, My All, for Jessica Sanchez to sing. This tender ballad allowed Jessica to show off even more of her outstanding and impressive vocal range. In addition to sounding wonderful, she showed off her incredible breath control as she tackled this very difficult musical composition.

Steven Tyler selected a song called Beggin for Phillip Phillips to sing. He is who he is and that's all that he is. Same clothes he always wears. Same guitar. Same painful, strained attempt at singing.

For his own personal song choice, Joshua Ledet decided to sing the classic and inspirational John Lennon anthem, Imagine, that hit #3 in 1971. It started out better than it finished. He showed some classy vocal restraint on the first verse that illustrated how less can be more sometimes. He completely lacks subtlety in every vocal interpretation that he provides as he ended up taking it over the top when it was unnecessary.

For her own personal song choice, Jessica Sanchez decided to sing the Aerosmith song that spent four weeks at #1 in 1998, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing. Without a doubt she sang it better than Steven Tyler ever could have no matter how hard he tried. In her hands it was an entirely new song elevated to a higher plane of enlightenment.

For his own personal song choice, Phillip decided to sing a watered down and bland version of Disease by Matchbox 20. Same clothes he always wears. Same guitar. Same painful, strained attempt at singing.

Mary J. Blige took No More Drama to #15 in 2002. This is the most current thing that Joshua Ledet has attempted in a long time and it's an example of what he might sound like on the radio someday. What he lacks in versatility he makes up for with his energy. So unlike the song title, he brings more drama with an extra serving of drama on the side.

Mariah Carey took I'll Be There to #1 in 1992 (her 6th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100). This is a song selection that is supposed to combine the maturity of Jessica's amazing voice with her actual youthful age of only 16. Once again, she sounded incredible and totally ageless. She simply has a rare vocal gift that is exemplified by her ability to do such a great job on Mariah Carey classics.

We've Got Tonight hit #6 in 1983 by Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton and it is one of the most romantic and beautiful love songs ever written. Phillip Phillips was a complete mess trying to sing it. He looked like a deer in the headlights nervously forgetting the lyrics and failing to hit any of the notes accurately. It was a sad, flat and lifeless attempt.

There's no point in making predictions anymore. Phillip doesn't get any better and yet he is still around, so he's clearly on a path to winning the Season 11 Miss American Idol crown next week. The judges have gushed with praise for Joshua all season long. Jessica is the most talented vocalist the competition has seen in a few years so she is probably the one who is leaving the competition tomorrow to make room for a Joshua/Phillip face off in the finals. 

Blown Away and Trespassing

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood is soon to be sharing the top 10 of the Billboard 200 Albums chart with another member of the Idol Alumni Association.

The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up has just released his second album, Trespassing.

As you can see, both of these great albums have made it into my CD collection.

Great job - Clay Aiken!!!!

http://clayaiken.com/news/79301

The Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Clay Aiken, made a wonderful appearance on Face The Nation in support of Same Sex Marriage. He has boldly stepped into the the role of an advocate and activist. See the link above to see the entire segment.

In addition, Clay has made it to the final two on the Celebrity Apprentice! Hopefully he will end up the big winner and take the $250,000 for his charity. Back in Season 2 on American Idol he was in the finals with Ruben Studdard, and now on Celebrity Apprentice he goes up against comedian Arsenio Hall. It would be a real shame if he ends up being the 1st runner up again.....

The Results - California

The top 4 finalists opened the show with a performance of a song that peaked at #4 in 1966 - California Dreamin by The Mamas and The Papas. Given the theme for the week, this was the perfect song to allow Jessica and Hollie to show off their wonderful voices and impressive vocal range. For the next hour, they had to wait patiently to find out if they would be moving on in the competition....

The first distraction came from the Season 7 Miss American Idol winner, David Cook. He performed his latest single called The Last Song I'll Write For You. It was a simple little soft-rock number that didn't leave much of an impression.

Then the finalists got a chance to see Jennifer Lopez get up from behind the judges table and perform her current dance pop hit song, Dance Again. For the past two years in a row now that Jennifer has been on American Idol, she has been able to get herself back on the radio with hit songs and back on the charts. This has turned out to be a very good career move for her. 

In the last minutes of the show it was finally revealed that the Season 11 top three finalists are: Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips. Unfortunately that means that the lovely and talented Hollie Cavanagh has joined the list of finalists who have been eliminated too soon from the competition. As the show came to close she performed her version of The Climb and demonstrated that vocally she is simply outstanding. She is such a sweet and attractive young woman and definitely has potential to have a career in the music business someday.

The Top 4 sing California

The Top 4 finalists are singing songs in the theme California Dreamin along with a second song that they wish they had written themselves.

Phillip Phillips got the show off to a less than dreamy start with his dreary rendition of Have You Ever Seen The Rain that Credence Clearwater Revival took to #8 in 1971. John Fogerty has a strong and distinctive voice, but Phillip's vocals were completely weak and forgettable.

Journey climbed all the way up to #11 with Faithfully in 1983. Hollie Cavanagh performed this romantic power ballad with grace and confidence. Her vocals were just as outstanding as always belting out the big notes with complete purity.

You Raise Me Up delivers a climatic punch when originally performed in 2004 by Josh Groban. Even with a gospel choir backing him up, though, Joshua Ledet wasn't really able to get the song off the ground. His lead vocals were simply lacking the power and range that is necessary to really sock it to us.

The legendary blues/jazz/R&B singer Etta James was known for her honest and true interpretations of heartfelt lyrics on songs like Steal Away. Jessica Sanchez has the mature vocal range to effortless do justice to an Etta James classic.

Maroon 5 went to #5 in 2004 with This Love, but as a duet with Joshua and Phillip it felt forced and out of whack. Neither of them has the personality or vocal range to get close to the character found in the original. Then compare it to the artful vocal blending and harmonizing found when Jessica and Hollie take on the 1989 #1 smash Eternal Flame by the Bangles. They are both so talented and this song really highlighted their strengths and skills. It was beautiful. All four of the remaining finalists ended up sounding pretty good on the huge mega hit Waiting For A Girl Like You that spent 10 weeks at #2 in 1981. In a nut shell, the strength of the girls voices helped to cover up and compensate for the vocal shortcomings of the boys.

Volcano by Damien Rice is the kind of song and the kind of music that Phillip Phillips likes best. This explains a lot. It was boring and vocally flat. The musicians on stage with him and the girl singing background vocals with him were more interesting and entertaining than he was by leaps and bounds. 

I Can't Make You Love Me is a #18 hit for Bonnie Raitt in 1992. Hollie Cavanagh shared a more vulnerable side of herself with this tender and expressive performance of the song. Her voice is so crystal clear and she wears her emotions all over her face for everyone to see.

It's a Man's Man's Man's World hit #8 in 1966 for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Joshua Ledet provided a very straightforward and predictable version of the song. It was very true to what James Brown is famous for, but there was nothing exceptional added to it.

The Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist, Jennifer Hudson, went on to win an Oscar for her earth shattering performance of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from the film DreamGirls. Jessica Sanchez simply has the vocal gift necessary to do this song justice. She stood still center stage and yet was able to blow the roof off the place with her voice alone.

The duet tonight between Hollie and Jessica was a sample of how exciting and entertaining the finals of Season 11 could be. They are both very talented and likeable young women and hopefully will have impressive careers ahead of them. I am very hopeful that this final face off could become a reality, so the prediction this week for the bottom two has to be Phillip and Joshua. After weeks of lackluster performances, it's finally time for Phillip to leave the competition.

Carrie Underwood is #1

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood easily trounces the competition this week as her fourth album, "Blown Away," debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200.  According to Nielsen SoundScan her first week sales were 267,000 sold.

"Blown Away" marks the third chart-topper for Underwood on the Billboard 200, following 2007's "Carnival Ride" with first week sales of 527,000 and 2009's "Play On" with first week sales of 318,000.

Also debuting in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart this week is the "Smash" TV soundtrack featuring music from the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Katharine McPhee. It starts out at #9 with first week sales of 39,000.

In other news, the Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Clay Aiken, is doing very well on this season of the Celebrity Apprentice. He has made it to the top 3 without getting fired! Clay is competing on the show for the greater goal of raising money and awareness for the charity of his choice. The last person standing will be "hired" as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to his designated charity which is the National Inclusion Project.


http://www.inclusionproject.org/

Before Clay Aiken became a music superstar, he worked at a summer camp and was disappointed when he saw that disabled children were not allowed to participate in many of the programs. So Clay eventually helped start National Inclusion Project, which works with schools and summer camps to help create a curriculum and programs that integrate kids with and without disabilities. The National Inclusion Project partners with different organizations, trains their staff and makes sure that their programs are more inclusive for children of all types. Clay is excited at the opportunity to put his charity on the map and to stand up for kids who are frequently on the sidelines.

The Results - The 60's

Joshua, Phillip and Jessica were revealed to be safe while Hollie and Skylar were in the bottom two. While waiting to find out who was going home, they were treated to a very good concert of live music.

27 weeks ago British supergroup Coldplay made a big debut at #1 on the Billboard Top Albums chart with their collection Mylo Xyloto. They should expect to see a nice rise up the charts from this weeks position at #65 after tonight's performances. First they sang their most recent hit, Paradise, that hit #15 back in November 2011 and they followed that up with the first single from the album, Every Teardrop is a waterfall that peaked at #14 in June 2011.

While Coldplay was very good, the real showstopper and highlight of the night came from the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood. She just released her fourth album this week and she returned to the American Idol stage to sing the title track, Blown Away. This young woman is truly the best thing that ever happened to American Idol. She has become a huge superstar selling more albums than any of the other Miss American Idol finalists and winners. After seeing the way that she truly commands the stage it's no surprise at all that she is the top seller. This dramatic song showcased her amazing and powerful vocal range and she simply looked radiant and stunning as she recreated the beautiful pose from the album cover as she belted out the last verse of the song.

Somehow the finalist who should have been sent home tonight, Phillip, is still safe, while the cute and talented Skylar Laine had to hear that news that she is leaving the competition too soon. She performed her signature tough country girl song, Gun Powder and Lead one last time.

Skylar is the only one who I correctly predicted to be one of the lowest vote getters. It makes absolutely no sense, after hearing clips of Phillip's awful version of Time Of The Season again, that he is still around. His complete lack of vocal range and inability to hit any high notes is an insult to all of the finalists who been sent home before him. His place in the top four would have been much better filled by Colton, Deandre or Skylar. 

The Top 5 sing the 60's

The Top 5 finalists performed music from the 60's and the British Invasion.

Sweet, lovely and talented Hollie Cavanagh got the night off to an outstanding start with a fun and fabulous performance of the Phil Spector standard, River Deep Mountain High. She looked fantastic as she completely broke out of her shell and worked the stage to perfection. Her vocals were just as pure and flawless as always. It was amazing then, that she was able to raise the bar even higher with her next song, the #1 hit by Leona Lewis from 2008, Bleeding Love. This rendition was so vulnerable and raw that every lyric went directly to each and every listener's heart on a genuine and personal level. Hollie stole the show even further when she sang Jackie Wilson's #6 hit from 1967, Higher and Higher, with Jessica and Skylar as her back-up singers.

Phillip Phillips was a complete mess for the entire night. First he completely sucked the life out of the 1967 #1 smash, The Letter by the Boxtops by forcing it into his safety zone of screaming with no melody. On a duet with Joshua, Phillip exposed that he has no vocal range at all when he destroyed You've Lost That Lovin Feeling that was a #1 hit for the Rightgeous Brothers in 1967. And just to prove that he is completely incapable of learning his lesson, he tried to hit high notes once again on a dreadful version of the Zombies #3 song from 1969, Time Of The Season. It was sad and embarrassing to see him sitting there painfully straining to hit notes that were so far and away out of his range.

Country girl Skylar Laine brought her big voice and big personality to the #14 hit from 1969, Fortunate Son, by Credence Clearwater Revival. She clearly loves to be on stage and has a great time giving her fans what they expect. She followed that up with Dusty Springfield's #4 it from 1966, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. It was really great at the beginning showcasing an impressive vocal range, but it got pretty sloppy and unfocused by the end.

The Temptations #13 song from 1966, Ain't Too Proud To Beg was the first selection to get the Joshua Ledet treatment. It was pretty close to the original and his vocals didn't really add anything exceptional to the mix. His second song choice was To Love Somebody, that the Bee Gees took to #17 in 1967. It was good once again, but it's hard to imagine what he can bring to new material.

Jessica Sanchez looked wonderful as she took the stage to sing Tina Turner's signature song that peaked at #4 in 1971, Proud Mary. While it lacked the over the top showmanship that Tina is famous for, Jessica delivered the vocals necessary to make it work. But that was just a taste of her exceptional vocals. When she sat center stage to interpret You Are So Beautiful (#5 in 1975 by Joe Cocker) it was exactly what this show is all about. She sounded simply beautiful hitting a full range of pure notes so effortlessly.

Making a prediction for the bottom three this week is very easy because the top two are so clearly far ahead of them. Hollie and Jessica are wonderful singers and performers who have so much potential to be releasing hit singles and be getting loads of radio airplay. That leaves Skylar, Joshua and Phillip to be in the bottom three. The one who should be going home this week is the one who has zero potential to release a hit single and get any radio airplay. Phillip should just get out of the competition now.  

New Music!

It's a very big day for new music from the Miss American Idols.

First and foremost, the long wait is over for a new release from the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood. Her 4th studio album, Blown Away, hits stores and itunes today. It contains her latest single, Good Girl, that is now in it's 5th week at #1 on the CMT Top 20 Video countdown.

Also in stores today is the soundtrack to the hit TV show SMASH starring the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st runner-up, Katherine McPhee. It contains her extremely fierce dance track Touch Me along with many other great songs like Let Me Be Your Star.

Finally, the number one movie at the box office for the past two weeks has been Think Like A Man and it includes a theme song performed by Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson. It's a great collaboration with Ne-Yo that showcases her amazing voice.