Tidbits 3/18

• The News Tribune/Fort Worth Star Telegram - are Idols "oversinging" it? (I think this critic needs to wash his ears out and actually listen to Clay, Kelly & Katharine's CD's... they are NOT oversinging anything!)

  Frequently, music fans tell me that this “oversinging stuff“ is all in my head: “What do you mean Christina Aguilera was no good at the Grammys? She sounded great!” is the kind of response I get, suggesting that not only is the phenomenon approaching epidemic levels and poisoning people’s ears, it’s leading them to believe that impossibly contorted vocal performances – Katharine McPhee’s single “Over It,” the whole of Kelly Clarkson’s “Thankful,” Clay Aiken’s discography to date – are the new gold standard.

• News Advance - American Idol & democracy ...

  Last Tuesday night, I joined most of the rest of the planet (or at least the U.S.) and tuned in for the first time. I knew about "American Idol" alums like Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood and Fantasia (would she have won if her name was Gloria or Maureen?), because the pop culture machine wouldn't allow me to ignore them.

• London Free Press - Rosie O'Donnell gives The View record ratings. "This season, she has spouted bigoted remarks at Asians, trashed Donald Trump, and mocked Miss USA Tara Conner for seeking treatment for alcoholism. She also outed Clay Aiken and dubbed fellow morning talker Kelly Ripa a homophobe."
• Sunday Gazette-Mail - "Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken finished first and second in season two. Though Aiken was runner-up, he was arguably the more famous of the two. His third album, “A Thousand Different Ways,” was released in September and debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard chart".

• There Was A Man - remembering Clay's AI2 Top 11 performance - "Somewhere Out There"