In it's first seven seasons, the show American Idol has discoved A LOT of talent. Kelly Clarkson got the show off and running in the show's first season as the champion and scored a huge #4 pop hit with "A Moment Like This" at the end of 2002. Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry have had some huge success with multi-platinum albums and #1 hit singles at their respective core formats. To date, more than thirty songs from Idol alumni have cracked the top 10 at either Pop, Hot AC, Adult Contemporary or the Country formats. Pretty amazing stuff. As a fan of the show, I do wonder if anyone from season 8 will be able to match the numbers of any of the aforementioned artists.
With the above in mind, I decided to compile a list of my all-time top 25 singles to date from "Idol alumni"... here goes... feel free to post me your list.
1. "Jesus, Take The Wheel" - Carrie Underwood
2. "Home" - Daughtry
3. "Wasted" - Carrie Underwood
4. "Just A Dream" - Carrie Underwood
5. "Breakaway" - Kelly Clarkson
6. "I Wonder" - Kellie Pickler
7. "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
8. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" - Kelly Clarkson
9. "Last Name" - Carrie Underwood
10. "All-American Girl" - Carrie Underwood
11. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
12. "So Small" - Carrie Underwood
13. "Don't Forget To Remember Me" - Carrie Underwood
14. "No Air" - Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown
15. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
16. "Because Of You" - Kelly Clarkson
17. "A Different World" - Bucky Covington
18. "Walk Away" - Kelly Clarkson
19. "Some Hearts" - Carrie Underwood
20. "Miss Independent" - Kelly Clarkson
21. "Wait For You" - Elliott Yamin
22. "I Told You So" - Carrie Underwood
23. "Tattoo" - Jordin Sparks
24. "8th World Wonder" - Kimberly Locke
25. "Over You" - Daughtry
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
No Access to ALLACCESS...
If you're a music fiend like me, then you're very well of the radio industry site www.allaccess.com. Since Wednesday morning, the site has NOT been updated! On the site you can view the top 50 songs at any format and get the latest industry news. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with all of the ClearChannel layoffs that were announced earlier in the week, but one thing is for sure: there are a lot of frustrated music fans out there right now... here's hoping the site is up and running and back to normal soon!
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama Becomes 44th U.S. President
Whether you voted for him or not, today was a very special day for our great nation and one Barack Obama. Outgoing President George W. Bush passed the torch to America's now 44th President at noon today. A record crowd of an estimated 1.8 million people crowded Washington D.C. to see the inauguration.
As our Country enters a new era, let us pray for outgoing President Bush, new President Obama, and most importantly, our nation. I do wish the very best for our new President and sincerely hope that our nation propsers these next four years under his leadership.
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As our Country enters a new era, let us pray for outgoing President Bush, new President Obama, and most importantly, our nation. I do wish the very best for our new President and sincerely hope that our nation propsers these next four years under his leadership.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Remembering Ricardo Montalban
For those of us who happen to be of hispanic descent (I'm half spanish, half german), Ricardo Montalban was a true role model to me growing up. My most vivid memories of him were from his car commercials - I'll never forget the phrase "soft Corinthian leather," his television show Fantasy Island, and his role as Khan on Star Trek.
More than anything though, he was a source of inspiration and hope to anyone of hispanic origin. His movie career spanned an amazing seven decades! A devoted husband, he and his wife Georgiana were married for 63 years until her passing late in 2007. He was also a strong man of faith, often stating that his Catholic religion was the "most important thing" in his life.
We didn't just lose another actor today. We lost a great man, a great human being, and a great role model. A true icon who spanned three generations. Rest in peace, Ricardo, and thanks for everything you did for not just minorities, but for humankind in your time here. I'm sure that as he entered the gates of heaven, the words "well done, good and faithful servant" were spoken.
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More than anything though, he was a source of inspiration and hope to anyone of hispanic origin. His movie career spanned an amazing seven decades! A devoted husband, he and his wife Georgiana were married for 63 years until her passing late in 2007. He was also a strong man of faith, often stating that his Catholic religion was the "most important thing" in his life.
We didn't just lose another actor today. We lost a great man, a great human being, and a great role model. A true icon who spanned three generations. Rest in peace, Ricardo, and thanks for everything you did for not just minorities, but for humankind in your time here. I'm sure that as he entered the gates of heaven, the words "well done, good and faithful servant" were spoken.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Good Luck D-Lowe!
As a Dodger fan, I knew this day was coming... it wasn't a matter of if, it was when and where. Most of us knew that when he pitched on October 13, 2008 against the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Philles that the guy known as "D-Lowe" had likely made his last pitch as a member of the Blue Crew. As happened so often in his career as a Dodger, Lowe left that game leading only to see the bullpen give it up. In this game (divisional playoff game 4) he left after five innings leading 3-2. The Dodgers would eventually lose that game 7-5.
In four years as a Dodger he was only 54-48 in the won-loss column. To look at his record alone would be very misleading. Twice in those four years, D-Lowe received the worst run support of any NL pitcher. With a better offense behind him, you're talking about a guy who would have won 16-20 games every year rather than only once. Over his four years as a Dodger he posted ERA's of 3.61, 3.63, 3.88 and 3.24. Yes, D-Lowe was a model of consistency - the one steady and reliable force the Dodgers had on their staff. Not as flashy as Chad Billingsley, not as hyped by the media as much as the perhaps more talented Brad Penny, D-Lowe just did his job. He took the mound every fifth day and gave the Dodgers a chance to win just about every time.
After his requisite thrashing at Busch Stadium on August 6th - he just never has pitched well there for some reason (fantasy leaguers take that as a note for the 2009 season), he was almost perfect... In his final 10 regular season starts as a Dodger, Lowe gave up EIGHT runs... yes, EIGHT earned runs allowed ih his final 64 regular season innings - a stellar 1.13 ERA to go with a 6-1 record over that time. The Manny may have gotten all of the credit for the Dodgers championship run last year, but reality is that Derek Lowe played a pretty big role himself.
Today, Derek Lowe signed with the Atlanta Braves - 4 years, $60 million dollars... Yes, that is a whole lot of cash and I must say it's well-deserved. Braves fans, you can rest assured you're getting a good one, ok almost a GREAT one if you want the truth... a money pitcher (he gave up all of two earned runs in each of his three playoff games this year). Our loss is your gain. Good luck, Derek... you'll be missed here, though rest assured, there will ALWAYS be a spot on my fantasy teams for you! Without you, I would have been a pretender and not a contender in a lot of leagues these past few years!
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In four years as a Dodger he was only 54-48 in the won-loss column. To look at his record alone would be very misleading. Twice in those four years, D-Lowe received the worst run support of any NL pitcher. With a better offense behind him, you're talking about a guy who would have won 16-20 games every year rather than only once. Over his four years as a Dodger he posted ERA's of 3.61, 3.63, 3.88 and 3.24. Yes, D-Lowe was a model of consistency - the one steady and reliable force the Dodgers had on their staff. Not as flashy as Chad Billingsley, not as hyped by the media as much as the perhaps more talented Brad Penny, D-Lowe just did his job. He took the mound every fifth day and gave the Dodgers a chance to win just about every time.
After his requisite thrashing at Busch Stadium on August 6th - he just never has pitched well there for some reason (fantasy leaguers take that as a note for the 2009 season), he was almost perfect... In his final 10 regular season starts as a Dodger, Lowe gave up EIGHT runs... yes, EIGHT earned runs allowed ih his final 64 regular season innings - a stellar 1.13 ERA to go with a 6-1 record over that time. The Manny may have gotten all of the credit for the Dodgers championship run last year, but reality is that Derek Lowe played a pretty big role himself.
Today, Derek Lowe signed with the Atlanta Braves - 4 years, $60 million dollars... Yes, that is a whole lot of cash and I must say it's well-deserved. Braves fans, you can rest assured you're getting a good one, ok almost a GREAT one if you want the truth... a money pitcher (he gave up all of two earned runs in each of his three playoff games this year). Our loss is your gain. Good luck, Derek... you'll be missed here, though rest assured, there will ALWAYS be a spot on my fantasy teams for you! Without you, I would have been a pretender and not a contender in a lot of leagues these past few years!
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Monday, January 12, 2009
Jim Rice finally Gets His Due!
We all pretty much knew that all-time stolen base and runs scored leader Rickey Henderson would be a shoo-in to be amongst those announced to be elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame today. Not surprisingly, Henderson garnered nearly 95% of the votes to easily be inducted in his first year of eligibility.
What wasn't so certain was what would happen to former Boston Red Sox superstar slugger Jim Rice. Last year, in his next to last year of eligibility, Rice received just over 72% of the votes - 3% short of the 75% needed for induction. The most feared American League power hitter of the late 1970's and early 1980's, Rice finally got his long overdue nomination today with 76.4% of the votes. Four times in the pre-steroid era, Rice slugged 39 or more homers for the BoSox, including 46 in 1978. Rice also drove in 139 that year, one of four seasons in which he drove in over 120 runs. A career .298 hitter, Rice also tallied 200 hits on four separate occasions, hitting .320 or better three years. Yes, the credentials were always there, it's just nice that he is FINALLY a member of the Hall and will now sit alongside his contemporaries like George Brett and Mike Schmidt. Congratulations, Jim on this long overdue honor!
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What wasn't so certain was what would happen to former Boston Red Sox superstar slugger Jim Rice. Last year, in his next to last year of eligibility, Rice received just over 72% of the votes - 3% short of the 75% needed for induction. The most feared American League power hitter of the late 1970's and early 1980's, Rice finally got his long overdue nomination today with 76.4% of the votes. Four times in the pre-steroid era, Rice slugged 39 or more homers for the BoSox, including 46 in 1978. Rice also drove in 139 that year, one of four seasons in which he drove in over 120 runs. A career .298 hitter, Rice also tallied 200 hits on four separate occasions, hitting .320 or better three years. Yes, the credentials were always there, it's just nice that he is FINALLY a member of the Hall and will now sit alongside his contemporaries like George Brett and Mike Schmidt. Congratulations, Jim on this long overdue honor!
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