Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and recovered from food overload.

Here’s the David Cook “Idol” promo. This is the first time “Idol” has ever used a past winner to promote the new season.

The “Rosie Live” variety show special on NBC was a huge bust Wednesday in ratings, drawing just 5 million viewers. But there was a funny sequence with Clay Aiken where he jokes with her about his sexuality. They note what they have in common (both have sons named Parker and started on reality shows), including the fact they both love… “Gabrielle Byrne.” It’s funny.

Four “Idol” contestants are teaming up for a holiday concert that is hitting 17 cities. The four are Kimberley Locke, former Atlantan Diana DeGarmo, David Hernandez and Chikezie Ezie. They are coming to Athens’ Classic Centre December 5 and 6. More info here.

You can buy tix here.. They range from $10 in the back to $70 in the pit.

David Cook moved 280,000 copies, behind Nickelback (#2, 326K) and Beyonce (#1, 482K), according to Billboard.

That’s not half bad considering album sales are down 32% year over year and is far better than the 119K Jordin Sparks opened a year ago. She has moved 956K so far and more than 4 million downloads. It’ll be interesting to see how Cook does. He’ll need a couple of big radio hits to approach her numbers. I’m not sure the first single “Light On” will do it for him.

MJ’s Big Blog lists the seven winners and their first-week numbers:

1. Ruben - “Soulful” (Dec 9, 2003) - 416,569 (# 1)

2. Carrie - “Some Hearts” (November 15, 2005) - 314,549 (# 2)

3. Taylor - “Taylor Hicks” (Dec 12, 2006) - 298,199 (# 2)

4. Kelly - “Thankful” (April 15, 2003) - 297,000 (# 1)

5. David - “David Cook” (Nov 18, 2008) - 280,000 (#3)

6. Fantasia - “Free Yourself” (November 23, 2004) - 239,389 (#8)

7. Jordin - “Jordin Sparks” (November 20, 2007) - 119,119 (#10)

And out of all first-week releases, David comes in seventh. The list at MJ provides the first-week numbers for 37 debut albums

-I received this email from a promoter about a Michael Johns appearance on December 13 at Gwinnett Arena:

My name is Trevor Short and I received your contact info from my
friend Jeff Batton. I am the promoter of the Infinite Energy Atlanta
Slam on Saturday, Dec. 13th at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. This
tennis event features some of the worlds best including US open
champions the Bryan Brothers and American James Blake. Most recently
we received a commitment from American Idol Singer Michael Johns to
perform live at our event in between the matches. The event will kick
off at 7:00 Pm with doors open at 5:30 and then following the first
match between Bob and Mike Bryan and Luke and Murphy Jensen we will
take intermission and have the chance to enjoy a performance by
Michael Johns.

*Tickets ($29.75 to $200) are available here. and more event info are available at AtlantaSlam.com.

Johns, as fans may know, came to the United States from Australia as a teen-ager to play tennis at a small college in Southern Georgia but he abandoned that dream for music in Atlanta.

-And any surprise that Brooke Burke won “Dancing With the Stars”? She earned it and became the third female to take it home.

Despite the troubles at the Big Three, the strongest of the trio is remaining a major sponsor of “American Idol” as the show enters its eighth season next year, according to Broadcasting & Cable.

Ford spent nearly $78 million on advertising with “Idol” last season and $328.5 million over the entire series.

-If you’re into “Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol,” the new one came out last week.

Here’s a rather negative review.

This is nearly the exact same game I reviewed in March except 40 new crappy cover songs have been brought in to replace the last 40 crappy covers that were in the first title, downloaded songs are now a different color on the selection screen, three new venues have been added, and the new Karaoke mode allows you to sing without scores. Beyond those changes, we’re dealing with a basic rehash. Just like before, you’ll pick a song and take it into one of a handful of modes, but the gist is that you’ll need to recite the lyrics as they scroll by the bottom of the screen while you sing on key and in time to get the on-screen arrow to cover the pitch and timing bars. Pick an American Idol mode over a straight singing session, and your performance will be critiqued by Randy, Paula, and Simon.

You can buy it for $45 a change at Amazon.. It’s available for Wii, Playstation 3 and the XBox.

Among the 40 songs include “Pinball Wizard,” “Seven Army Machine,” “Mr. Brightside,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Eye of the Tiger,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Maggie May.”

• Here’s an interview with David Cook from USA Today.

Newfound fame “is the most awkward thing,” he says. “When people look at me as a rock star, it seems humorous to me. I look at myself as a goober.”

In the next breath, when envisioning his ideal future, he says emphatically: “I just want to be an important artist. I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder. When people talk about this period in music, I want my name to be brought up.”

-The New York Post has posted some of the possible semifinalists who are in the top 100 from Hollywood Week.

There’s David Osmond, a nephew of Donny & Marie. There’s Jason Castro’s bro Michael. Anna Kaelin, the daughter of David Archuleta’s voice coach, is reportedly there, too. There’s also a husband-wife team.

It was a good night for the “Idol” brethren.

At the American Music Awards, Jordin Sparks won Adult Contemporary artist of the year (beating Daughtry) and Carrie Underwood took home best country album. And Daughtry took home best pop/rock group. Congrats all!

During Jordin Sparks’ presenting portion, she said, “I’ll stick to the script this time. I promise!” At the MTV Music Awards, she made a bit of a stir when the host mocked the Jonas Brothers promise rings and she defended them. David Archuleta looked really short presenting next to Shailene Woodley, star of ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

What’s with that eye patch, Rihanna? And earlier, that godawful dress? Great performances by Ne-Yo, Sarah McLachlan (with Pink!) and Christina Aguilera.

Karen Crandall Durden takes a shot of David Cook at the CD release party at Hard Rock Cafe in New York City last week.

-My friend Karen Crandall Durden, who came to the “Idol” concert in August with me, missed David Cook by minutes when he stopped by the Michael Johns post-concert party. But she made up for it in New York last week. She gave me her rundown of her trip to see (no, not stalk!) David. Here’s her take on the trip with photos:

As a David Cook fan who just barely missed meeting him in Atlanta at the AI Tour, I trekked up to New York City to support David for the release of his new album. Did I mention that I got to meet him this time?!? Monday’s mission was to see David perform on Good Morning America. By the time I got to the ABC studio at 5am, there was already a line about 20 people deep and the line only continued to grow leading up to the 7am hour. Luckily, with my reservation in hand, I didn’t have a problem getting in. Before the show, David & band rehearsed while we were still outside the studio.

After the rehearsal, he waved to me (!) and actually came up to the window to see some folks next to me that knew his mom, Beth, who was also in the studio.
It wasn’t until sometime after 8am that David & band actually came into the studio - everyone was going crazy when they arrived. After playing little bits of ‘Mr. Sensitive’ and ‘Heroes’ during the commercial break lead-ins and singing with Stephen Colbert, it was time to turn the ‘Light On.’ ‘Light On’ was awesome live and seeing the band perform made me even more excited to score a wristband for the following night’s album release concert.

ABOVE: Karen caught David looking at her camera.

After the show, David taped a promo for the ABC station in Kansas City and he & the band signed autographs and took pictures with the crowd. One touching moment was when he was presented framed letters from the fundraising effort ‘Cook Fans Conquering Cancer’. Mostly over the summer months during the AI ‘tewer’, fans raised almost $30,000 in honor of David for the American Cancer Society. He got pretty choked up. I got pretty close to him but he was being pulled in a lot of different directions so wasn’t able to get in the Atlanta shout-out then.

On Monday evening, I caught about 2 hours of shut-eye before heading out to Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Oh, the things people do for David Cook! If you were one of the first few hundred people that bought the album when the store opened at 8am that morning, you got a wristband to attend a private concert at the Hard Rock Café that evening by David & band. I thought that if I showed up at 1:15 am that I’d be one of the first in line. Yeah, right! When I arrived with about 5 layers on and wrapped in a hotel blanket, I was probably 50th in line.

Even though we were out on the sidewalk for about 7 hours, it was a blast! Fans had speakers and were playing the album all night. I didn’t feel so bad when even the northerners were complaining about how cold it was. Around 7am, someone from RCA, aka ‘Donut Dude’, showed up with boxes and boxes of donuts that David sent to us. So sweet! After we gorged ourselves on the donuts, some fans started passing them out to surprised New Yorkers on their way to work who thought all of us were crazy for camping out on the sidewalks. Shortly after the store opened, I got my CD and wristband!

The concert that night was amazing! I was left pretty speechless, actually - these guys sound like they’ve been playing together for years. David was a total pro on stage but also was extremely gracious and thankful. They played a number of songs off the album - my fave is ‘Lie.’ They also did a cover of ‘Little Lies’ by Fleetwood Mac to switch things up a bit in the encore. Afterwards, David signed CDs for every single person at the concert. He must have been exhausted but was a trooper.

ABOVE: Karen admires her signed CD.

When I finally met him, I was afraid I would just freeze up but he was so friendly. So here’s finally the ATL shout-out…I told him that all of his fans in Atlanta loved him and about how I narrowly missed meeting him at Michael Johns’ after-party during the tour and he was like ‘awww.’ I also told him that we’d all see him at the Q100 concert on December 15 (are you reading this Q? I desperately need a ticket!). Then I kept repeating ‘we love you’ over and over - I finally had to move on and almost left my CD at the table I was so happy. I got to shake his hand!! We are definitely in for a treat when he comes to ATL on December 15. After a few sleep-deprived and cold days in NYC, it was totally worth it to be able to see David perform on the day his album dropped - it was something I’ll never forget!

Season six finalist Phil Stacey, according to billboard.biz, has lost his deal with Lyric Street Records after his debut album sold just 36,000 albums and didn’t generate any hit singles. I’m personally surprised Lyric Street even took a chance on Phil because Phil, however a nice guy, did not seem to be a future Kenny Chesney or Brad Paisley or even Daryl Worley or Josh Gracin.

And hmmm. Clay Aiken is no longer on the RCA Records roster. He’s on other parts of the site such as this one.. So it’s unclear. His last album has sold fewer than 200,000 copies. RCA dropping him would not be a shocker. I left a message with the label to see if they will say anything.

-How about this for unusual? Kristy Lee Cook is begging to get her single “15 Minutes of Shame” a few more minutes on the charts:

My single is in a bad spot right now the high 20’s which is a bad spot to be cause it can jump down to 30’s and back up when new songs come out.. So LETS GET THIS SINGLE UP THE CHARTS!!! Work everyone you know to request my single and lets see if we can get it up by MONDAY :O) What do you think? Can we all do it? Stations all over the US doesn’t have to be your state.. let me know ya’all !!! GOD BLESS, Your the best fans!

-And in one of those stupid surveys that companies do to show how uninformed the American public is about important facts, 56 percent of Americans know Paula Abdul is a jduge while only 21 percent know “government of the people, by the people, for the people” came from Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

This type of survey showing our lack of civics knowledge comes out every so often..

— Less than half of Americans can name all three branches of government.

— Only 27 percent of Americans know that the Bill of Rights prohibits the government from establishing an official religion in the U.S.

— 54 percent do not know that the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, not the president.

Scott Collins, the TV writer at the L.A. Times, poses an interesting theory, which has yet to be tested: do people prefer scripted TV vs. reality TV during times of woe?

He brings up a bunch of shows that have seen their ratings slip off this year while only scripted shows seem to have seen their ratings go up.

His examples:”Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” is down nearly 50% among 18 to 49 year olds and among all viewers, it has dropped 35% year over year. “Deal or No Deal” is down 29%. “Dancing With the Stars” is down a more modest 9 percent (and given the age of the show, that’s really not unusual). “Survivor” is down 10%, which given that it’s the 17th incarnation, isn’t bad either. He didn’t mention it but “America’s Next Top Model” is down at least 20% year over year, too.

Shows that are up this year? “NCIS,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Gossip Girl” and “30 Rock,” to name a few.

The evidence in my mind is dubious. I suspect most of these shows are simply getting old. (“5th Grader” is the only one that is relatively young.) But it is true that new concepts for reality TV have been scarce lately, especially on broadcast TV.

It’s interesting that CBS is doing especially well nowadays. Perhaps that older demographic is looking for comfort in shows such as “The Mentalist” and “NCIS.” And I’m glad “Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” are doing so well.

I digress. I’m just wondering how much of a hit “American Idol” will take come January. Ratings dropped off some 10 percent last year. I suspect the show will lose another 10 percent this year but perhaps more if the cast isn’t that interesting. But even if “Idol” loses 20%, it’d still be the No. 1 show by a wide margin. In the fall, not a single show is averaging even 20 million viewers a week.

What’s your prediction on ratings for “Idol” this January? Last year, it was around 27-28 million after averaging 30 million plus seasons five and six. I think it will fall to 23-24 million season eight.

• Last night, I helped out with a Boys & Girls Club cook off as a “celebrity” cook. Five families from around the country were flown in to compete for a trip to Disney and a year’s supply of Kimberly-Clark products. One of the judges? Ruben Studdard’s mom Emily! She was at the opening for “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” for her son. She said she plans to go to every show when it arrives in his hometown of Birmingham in February. She also helped my team, the Archers, win. Thank you Emily!

-Chris Daughtry was an actor last night on the 100th episode of “CSI: NY.” He plays Mac Taylor, one of several who are there to be protected because a serial killer is killing Mac Taylors.

-First-day sales at hitsdailydouble.com are projecting that David Cook is battling for #2 with Nickelback behind Beyonce in first week sales. Cook is looking to sell 300K the first week. David Archuleta sold about 180K last week, a bit below projections. Taylor Swift sold about 600K.

ABOVE: Frenchie Davis with Tarn Harris, a reporter at the Atlanta Daily World.

At Fox Theatre last night, I caught opening night of the national tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ,” which was a popular musical revue on Broadway 30 years ago starring Nell Carter.

Since there is no plotline, this musical relies on, well, the music and the performers. And the three “Idol” alums aquit themselves well. We have to give Ruben Studdard a bit of a learning curve break since this is the first time he’s ever done anything like this. His voice, of course, is incredible. His dance steps? He isn’t going to win “Dancing With the Stars” but he doesn’t trip over himself either. His charm? Always there and then some, especially when he gives the audience that impish grin. His best work came in the second half, especially with the jokey tune “Your Feet’s Too Big.”

Trenyce from season two was excellent, showing great vocal restraint at times and solid dance steps.

But we have to reserve special kudos to Frenchie Davis. She really could have given Ruben a run for his money if she had stayed on “Idol” season two. Four years of “Rent” helped, too. She is a commanding presence on stage with her voice cutting deep inside. Her duet with Ruben on “Honeysuckle Rose” was hot, as was her sexy “Find Out What They Like.”

I stopped by the after-show cast party at the Georgian Terrace. Here are a few photos I snapped:

ABOVE: Trenyce with Ruben and his understudy Seth Diggs.

ABOVE: Me with Ruben.

Tracey Hardy, daughter of Nell Carter, with Trenyce.

There, I met Tracey Hardy, daughter of the late great Nell Carter who lives in Atlanta. She said the show brought back memories of her watching her mom as a child backstage. And she was deeply impressed with Davis. “I really believe my mom would have enjoyed that — though she probably would have wanted to jump on stage!” She also loved Ruben’s rendition of “Fat and Greasy.

Ruben with his Atlanta-based manager Cedric Evans.

Ruben greets Billie Allen Henderson, whose husband was the original music arranger for “Ain’t Misbehavin’ “

Billie Henderson, the widow of the man who was musical director and arranger for the first “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” flew in from New York to check it out and she left very happy. “It was marvelous, such a joy and pleasure,” she said. “It was fresh but also brought back the old values, the subtext with this wonderful cast.”

Richard Maltby, the director who directed the play on Broadway 30 years ago, said “Ruben is sensational. Every performance, he grows. He’s just beginning to find himself. At the first rehearsal, he said he wasn’t sure he could do this. But watching him, I know he can.” Maltby said when he saw Ruben in 2003 on “Idol,” he thought about doing a revival centered around Ruben. It just took five years to come to fruition! He also got “Idol” vocal c oach Debra Byrd to help out.

Frenchie said she just wanted “to do Nell Carter justice.” She was also happy to work with Ruben, noting “he’s not just the teddy bear you think he is.” She noted, “his dressing room is next to mine and there’s nothing but laughter coming from there.”

Ruben Studdard has plenty of experience on stage singing. But he has never done it professionally in a play. Tonight, we get to see how Studdard fares as Fats Waller in “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” at the Fox Theatre.

My colleague Wendell Brock interviewed him recently and here’s his story.:

The first thing Studdard says is that he hopes critics will be kind to him as he makes his professional stage debut. Joined by former “Idol” contestants Frenchie Davis and Trenyce Cobbins for this Fats Waller revue, the so-called Velvet Teddybear is crossing over from gospel and R&B to jazz. “Honeysuckle Rose” and “The Jitterbug Waltz” will be added to his song list, alongside hit singles “Flying Without Wings” and “Change Me.”

I’ll check out the play and the after party tonight and report on it tomorrow morning.

-David Cook’s album drops today. It’s ranked #2 on Amazon right now behind someone named Eithne Nà Bhraonáin.

More reviews:

The Sacramento Bee liked it.

Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day) and co-written by the likes of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, Collective Soul’s Ed Roland and new “AI” judge Kara DioGuardi, the 13 songs marry a formidable rock edge with undeniable pop sensibility.

The Miami Herald gives it 2.5 stars.:

If anyone hoped that David Cook, the first ”rocker” to win the title of American Idol, would make good on his promise to release a major label debut album that was truly his own brand of rock music, well the resulting David Cook isn’t it.

Call this catchy set of pop-rock tracks, like the Chris Cornell-written first single, Light On, a compromise. Cook rocks steadily in the Daughtry-like manner we expected, given the mainstream production polish provided by Rob Cavallo (Green Day). He sings well, in most instances better than he did on the show.

And he talks about his girlfriend Kimberly Caldwell* to People mag here.:

“I think she just gets that this is all nuts,” Cook told PEOPLE at the Do the Wright Thing Gala at the Hard Rock Café in New York last week. “She’s a nice break from the chaos.”

-Paula Abdul is “haunted” by the death of her stalker and won’t go to the house near where Paula Goodspeed died, according to an anonymous source. The New York Post reports. You decide.. In fact, here’s Abdul’s denial (and she has denied wanting to leave “Idol,” too.):

A rep for Abdul said, “There’s no validity to this. She’s been home since the incident happened. There’s no issue with spirits. Paula is shocked and saddened by what transpired. Her heart and prayers go out to the Goodspeed family.”

This is courtesy of Extra TV:

SIMON COWELL AND TERRI SEYMOUR: FIRST INTERVIEW ABOUT THE SPLIT

(Los Angeles - November 16, 2008) - In the first and only television interview about their break-up, Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour come to “Extra” to set the record straight.

When asked why, Cowell replies, “Because Terri decided to dump me…You sent me a text.” Seymour responds, “I didn’t dump you…Just time. We had a great six years and we’re the best of friends.”

Cowell reveals he and Seymour still talk every day. “I do call Terri, first, when I’ve got an issue or I’m moaning about something, or I want to bounce an idea off.” Seymour adds, “We do speak more now on the phone all the time. It’s true.”

Cowell clears up the rumor that he gave Seymour a 5 million pound ($9 million US) parting gift. “That is actually not a true story. If anything I should be getting the money,” Cowell laughs. “Rumors come around, just people read things, then they create a story. But no, there was no 5 million pounds, no.”

-Here are some early reviews of the David Cook album:

The Boston Globe writes that there’s not enough Cook in the record.

Cook was this year’s designated “rocker” on the Fox talent contest. But his eponymous debut, out tomorrow, never really goes far enough in any particular direction to stake a claim for individuality. Indeed, it’s hard to distinguish Cook’s sound from that of his own idols, like Our Lady Peace and Better Than Ezra.

The Miami Herald seconds that notion.

If anyone hoped that David Cook, the first ”rocker” to win the title of American Idol, would make good on his promise to release a major label debut album that was truly his own brand of rock music, well the resulting David Cook isn’t it.

But he ends with a kind note: It’s infectious where it needs to be, and professional. For many of Cook’s fans, it’s more than enough to tide them over til the next album.

The Daily News? Not so kind at all. The reviewer Jim Farber was an Archuleta fan

Even by the most generous math, he’s a sixth-generation copy of an original sound, descended, steeply, from Nirvana’s meaningful peak through second stringers (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden), third (Candlebox, Bush), fourth (Nickelback) and fifth (Daughtry). Cook, let us pray, will slam the final nail into this coffin.

On her MySpace page, Jennifer Hudson thanked her fans during this trying time, according to the Associated Press.:

“I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the 27-year-old Oscar-winning actress and singer said in a posting on her MySpace page Thursday evening. “My sister and I take great comfort and strength from your love and concern.”

Nobody has been charged with the murders of her nephew, brother and mother but William Alfour, estranged husband of Jennifer’s sister Julia, remains in custory as a person of interest.

Here’s the Gap ad she did before the murders:

-Paula Goodspeed changed her name to Paula to be more like Paula Abdul before she died last week near Abdul’s home, according to People.com.

*Over the last three years - since Goodspeed was dismissed from her disastrous Idol audition with derisive comments from judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson - Abdul has received more than 100 letters, numerous phone calls and uninvited visits from Goodspeed, the source says. *

-OK magazine claims Paula Abdul will leave the show after this season. I’ll only believe it when it actually happens.

-Josh Gracin and his wife Ann Marie had their fourth child this week, daughter Isabella.

Carrie Underwood remains well loved by the Nashville faithful, taking her third CMA Female Entertainer of the Year award in a row.

Her acceptance speech: “I got here through an unconventional way, and you guys didn’t have to accept me at all. Everybody in town, everybody in Nashville, everybody in the country music community has been so great.” Though she didn’t say “Idol” specifically, she thanked Simon Fuller, the mastermind behind the show.

And this year, she had a fast-rising Taylor Swift breathing down her neck. Underwood’s latest album has generated four No. 1 hits already. As a host, she was adequate though Kellie Pickler would have been better. (Her album “Carnival Ride” lost to George Strait.)

Carrie won’t win any fashion awards tonight though she did don seven dresses. Her first dress was kind of shapeless and had too much bling around the fringe. The baby-style dress (with even more bling) she wore partway through was only slightly better. And that tattery black dress with the shiny top while she sang “Just a Dream” was like two completely different dresses sewed together. The one plus: her hair looks great. And her performing skills improve every time I see her.

Actually, the dress she wore on the red carpet (below) was one of the better ones:

CREDIT: ABC/Adam Larkey

Kellie Pickler (nominated but lost to Lady Antebellum for New Artist of the Year) wore this sinfully tight leather getup. That innocent “Idol” gal from 2006? Not here! She does have too much rouge on her face. This song she sang (and co-wrote with Taylor Swift) “Best Days of Your Life” will likely do better than her first single “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” which barely cracked the top 20.

Check out some red carpet shots of Kellie, Carrie and Diana DeGarmo here in MJ land.

-Just read that Paula Goodspeed, the woman who died near Paula Abdul’s house had an obsession with her for 17 years. Really sad.

Here’s a rather strange story off the wires:.

A fan of Paula Abdul was found dead in a car parked near a home belonging to the “American Idol” judge, police said Wednesday.

The death appears to be a suicide, Capt. Jim Miller told KTTV-TV. He said the woman, who was in her 30s and was not identified, had an infatuation with Abdul.

That’s sad. Not much more to say.

-The self-titled David Archuleta disc will sell between 225,000 to 250,000 based on first-day sales, according to hitsdailydouble.com.. He will end up at #2 behind country phenom Taylor Swift, whose second CD is set to sell at least 500K.

-“American Idol” has given out $64 million in grants this year from “Idol Gives Back” to six national and international charities, according to the Associated Press.

The six charities are: The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Malaria No More; Children’s Health Fund; U.S. programs of Save the Children; Children’s Defense Fund; and Make It Right, Pitt’s campaign to help New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The first one in 2007 raised $75 million.

“Idol” has not committed to a third “Gives Back” show yet. “I would like to take a break, personally,” said FremantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz in May to AP.

I’ll be posting a blog tonight re: the CMA Awards, especially if co-host Carrie Underwood wins a few. (She probably will…)

I gotta say that MJ is making me feel lazy! Actually, I have had three other non-“Idol” stories to juggle today and am only now getting to this blog. Shame on me!

Anyway, here’s what’s going on:

-Of course, we have to acknowledge David Archuleta and his first album out today. it’s ranked #5 right now on Amazon.com. behind Enya, Taylor Swift, David Cook (at #3 and out Nov. 18) and the Twilight movie soundtrack.

Ken Barnes over at Idol Chatter liked the album, gave it three stars.

The songs — fashioned by writers ranging from Disney teen-pop specialists to the co-writer of Olivia Newton-John’s Physical, ’60s Australian rocker Steve Kipner (a teen idol in his own time and place with his band Steve & The Board) — suit him well. They sound alike for the most part, just skirting the edges of blandness, but it’s an unfailingly pleasant sound, a lush cushion for Archuleta’s sincere emoting and smooth falsetto glides.

Jim Farber at The New York Daily News also gave the album three stars.:

This has nothing to do with the album but his description of Archuleta is apt:

Though Archuleta is actually 17, he looks no more than 12. And, as a personality, he seems innocent enough to make the kids in “High School Musical” look like embittered crack ho’s by comparison. The twinkly singer exudes a presexual purity more appropriate to the puppy love of ’50s pop than anything from today.

Farber’s a discerning fan and musical expert—just check this graf out:

It might have achieved even more of that had the album’s producers not larded Archuleta’s vocals with so much echo. One of the singer’s most appealing qualities has always been the slight dustiness in his tone, the bare scratch that hints at soul. That, and his dead-on ability to connect to the emotion behind a song, made Archuleta the best singer in this year’s competition - the guy who should have won. Here, though, they’ve planed down his timbre, losing some of the intriguing sadness that, no doubt, lost him the competition but which made him a deeper singer.

MJ notes in her blog that David’s dad “Jeff appeared to be very involved in the production and song selection process for David’s album.” David had his hand in writing four of the songs.

Jeff notes there were some differing opinions with the label, and that he and David had to negotiate and compromise on songs. He stresses, however, that the label really tried to be fair. He says they did listen and let him and David have creative and production input on at least half the songs.

-And though we see “Idol” related stuff on YouTube all the time already, Fremantle has signed a deal with YouTube, according to this report.

Video sharing site YouTube has inked a deal with Fremantle Media, the producer of “American Idol” and similar programs, Reuters reports.

London-based Fremantle and YouTube — now owned by Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) — will work together to produce programs to show on YouTube. They’ll split the revenue from the shows.

-“Idol” producers say they didn’t mean to try to block Josiah Leming’s Warner Bros. album due out in January.

In Leming’s case, his contract with 19 expired “a few months ago,” the spokesperson continued, “so we are not sure what controversy people are talking about.” And in an e-mail, the spokesperson told MTV News that “19 Entertainment wishes Josiah the best of luck on his album release.”

In other words, much ado about nothing from the original New York Post report.

A nice quiet “Idol” day so here are the bits and pieces I scrounged up from over the weekend. If anything more interesting comes along, I’ll probably just update this entry.

-From the Chicago Tribune

The man police have called a suspect in the murder of actress Jennifer Hudson’s family finds out Monday whether he’ll remain in prison for violating his parole or go free while investigators continue to investigate the triple slaying.

-Jordin Sparks is launching a clothing line with Wet Seal. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

The collection, appropriately named ‘Sparks’, will begin with an assortment of holiday dresses delivering to stores just in time for the busy Thanksgiving weekend. The collection will later include casual apparel and accessories. Each piece will reflect Jordin Sparks’ youthful and collected sense of style. The line is currently set to launch on November 19, 2008 and will come in sizes XS to XL.

-Here are a couple more David Archuleta reviews:

The Sacramento Bee was more or less kind:

Singing wistful, introspective ballads, Archuleta seems comfortable in his skin - which is to say that the songs here, both musically and lyrically, are just like Archuleta: sweet, engaging and lacking any bite.

The Daily Californian was nothing short of effusive.

This album is pure, perfect pop music, the stuff of romantic middle school slow dances, and David Archuleta is perfect as a wholesome pop idol.

How about that New York Times reviewer? He likes him. He likes him not.

The music, made by many producers and songwriters, averages out different forms of radio-format blandness, with tinges of Coldplay and Shania Twain, and a few dollops of good writing: “Don’t Let Go,” co-written and co-produced by the former ’N Sync singer J C Chasez; and “Crush.” But the persona remains intact, ready for more. “Show me that good things come to those who wait,” Mr. Archuleta sings at the end of “You Can.” He sounds as lost as ever, yet this is a mark of absolute assurance.

The David Archuleta album reviews are starting to trickle in. These two are so-so.

The Salt Lake Tribune gives it a B-minus:

This isn’t an album that takes risks. Archuleta is to be commended for co-writing two songs, but those sound more filler than killer, with lyrics that settle for platitudes. But then again, who are we to look for answers for the meaning of life from a 17-year-old from Murray?

Entertainment Weekly gave it a C-plus:

On American Idol’s seventh season, David Archuleta had some personality — something you’ll struggle to remember while taking in this bland, amnesia-inducing collection.

His liner notes got on for 3,500 words. He’s truly a thankful teen!

As he told ew.com: “I completely ramble, even in my interviews or just explaining things. And I didn’t want to forget anyone! Gives you something to talk about, I guess.”

Here’s a USA Today story about him with the album due out Tuesday.

His take on the media onslaught against his dad:

“That was rough,” the younger Archuleta says. The uproar was “rude and weird, because my dad is so laid-back. There are still people who think he’s abusing me or something. I don’t think they realize I’m almost 18.”

-Season eight of “American Idol” starts on January 13 and 14, both two-hour extravaganzas. We’ll get our first look at Kara Dioguardi!

-Here’s a quick overview of how the “Idols” did last week in sales and airplay

David Archuleta sees his single stuck at 13 on the Radio & Records top 40. Idol Chatter provides the download and sales data: “Crush” is the top-selling download, moving 56K last week and now is up to 861K total.

Jordin Sparks sees her single “One Step at a Time” drop from 10 to 17 and 38 to 43 in download sales, moving 27K and 931K total. “No Air” sold another 11K and 2.38 million. Her album moves another 4K and is up to 945K. It’s going to be a slow slog to 1 million at this rate unless she gets a fourth hit out of the album.

Jennifer Hudson saw sales go up to 32K, partially from all the sad news. She dropped to 14 because of all the new albums. She is up to 387K. She’ll breach 500K easily. The single sells another 20K and 260K total. “Spotlight” drops from 6 to 8 in the urban charts.

David Cook’s “Time of My Life” single drops out of the top 40 and “Light On” has yet to break the chart. “Light On” falls to 66 from 35, with 19K sold and 208K total. “Time” moves another 10K and 980K total.

Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream” remains at No. 1 for a second week, soon to be superseded by either Taylor Swift or Atlanta’s own Zac Brown Band. Download sales move 18K and 328K total. Her latest album sells 11K for the week and 2.4 million total.

Daughtry’s “What About Now” falls from 28 to 30 with sales of 10K and 451K total. His album falls out of the top 100 for the first time to 102 with 5K and 4.27 mil.

Bucky Covington’s “I’ll Walk” edges up to 11 on the country chart.

Kristy Lee Cook’s “15 Minutes of Shame” is up to 28 from 30 on the country chart.

Josh Gracin’s “Unbelievable” edges up to 36 from 39.

A National Republic writer Alan H. Fleischmann thinks all that voting for “American Idol” helped inure younger viewers into voting for something that really matters, like a Presidential election.

And as much as some might scoff at the deleterious effects of Idol on our culture, it has created a culture of voting among our young people. Where past generations of youth might have felt cynically about their ability to affect change, the millions of Idol voters can see the palpable impact of their vote — live in prime time and with Ryan Seacrest as their Walter Cronkite. With Idol, voting becomes a habit, something done week after week, season after season. Votes are taken seriously, discussed at length at the water cooler, on Facebook and on blogs. Civics may have faded from the curriculum. Thankfully, Simon, Paula and Randy have risen as tutors of small-r republican virtue.

Do you agree? I figure it’s more Obama than any “Idol”-fueled mentality but it’s a theory. Who knows?

As this story said, there were 2 million more voters under the age of 30 than in 2004. But older voters came out en masse, too, so 18 to 29 year olds represented about 18 percent of the entire electorate vs. 17 percent in 2000 and 2004.

-Following the footsteps of Diana DeGarmo and Mikalah Gordon, season one runner-up Justin Guarini is joining season three of CMT’s “Gone Country.”

He joins funk legend George Clinton, Miss USA Tara Conner, R&B pop ’80s singer Taylor Dayne, Monkees singer Micky Dolenz, R&B drummer/songstress Sheila E and actor Richard Grieco. The show will debut in January 2009.

Do you think Justin has any potential in country? I’m a little bit skeptical given his penchant for jazz and R&B. But it’s publicity and a paycheck!

-And JTesla, you’ll hopefully enjoy this one. Carrie Underwood on the cover of Elle:

Her fantasy is to meet someone who doesn’t know who she is. “If I meet somebody, and they don’t know anything about me, that’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to actually get to know me a little bit before you go Google me?’ ”

It’s a new day and a new president…

Eric the Midget, a regular caller on Howard Stern, for years had a crush on Diana DeGarmo and would call Diana’s mom to try to reach her. He was a more facetious borderline stalker vs. the gal in Australia, who is truly psycho.

Somehow, Stern convinced her to show up and meet Eric live.

“I’m famous on Howard Stern,” she said. “That’s awesome!” She references a “top secret” boyfriend to fend off Eric’s crush.

From the Newsday blog about the encounter:

“I was definitely in kind of a little bit of shock [by the whole experience] because I don’t really listen, but I know Howard Stern. But I had a good time.” said DeGarmo, who was pressured to accept an invitation to dinner with Lynch, but gave “we’ll see” as a reply. “I’ve known about this whole thing for at least two years. I have a dear friend whose husband is a die hard fan. He’d call or text me every time my name was brought up … My mom said one ‘Do you know why Howard Stern is calling us?’ “

Here’s audio here.

And here

And here.

Here are photos.

-Daughtry sang his version of “Feels Like the First Time” as a “get out to vote” promotion on Tuesday’s “Oprah.” Here it is:

-Here’s the advertisement for the free concert Q100 is advertising December 15 at Center Stage featuring David Cook:

I may add some more stuff when I get it later.

I hope all of you have voted or will be voting on something that doesn’t involve Ryan Seacrest exhorting you to dial a 1-866 line or text-message like mad.

Anyway, this is an “Idol” blog so here’s “Idol” news:

David Cook has a video for “Light On” out. I’ll embed it when it becomes available but here’s the link. There’s a bad boy breaking up with cute blonde, who hooks up with the good guy, the nice bus boy. Cook is not acting, just singing.

• Jennifer Hudson paid farewell to her slain family members Monday. Fantasia sang at the private service. From the Chicago Tribute