Now it’s time to hit the land where we found Katharine McPhee: Los Angeles. As expected, there were poseurs aplenty. But there was signs of life, too. A whopping 40 people made it to Hollywood (okay, they made it down the street.) Too bad we only saw three of those singers who made it through. Just three! What’s that about???

Olivia Newton-John guested on “Grease: You’re the One That You Want” this past Sunday. Tonight, she’s on Idol. She’s an equal opportunity promoter. And she’s more of a softie than Paula. In other words, she added virtually nothing to the proceedings based on what little we saw.

“Idol” naturally starts with Mr. Nutty. I’m the most exciting entertainer on planet Earth,” proclaims Martik Manoukian. He enters, strips off his shirt and makes some panther moves and sounds. The singing, as Simon says, was “horrendous.” And he’s out.

Sholandric Stallworth looks like Barry White, sounds worse than Jack Black and yelps “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again.” Yes, he yelps.

Marianna Riccio is horrid. That was 16 years of vocal training? “You sounded like Cher after she’s been to the dentist,” Simon notes. She begs on her knees. “Please, please, please,” she said. She brings her mom. “You’re not good enough,” Simon said. Paula rolls her eyes. “Mom was foxy,” Simon noted.

Unlike Birmingham, where politeness reigns, the contestants in L.A. reek of desperation.

Alaina Alexander from West Hollywood has a decent smoky quality to her voice. “I thought that was really really really great,” Simon said. Finally, somebody who goes through.

Phuong Pham fashions herself to be the next Taylor Hicks. Um… no. Her “Dancing in the Streets” would cause people to run away from the streets. “I wasn’t sure what was worse,” Simon said. “The singing or the dancing.”

The best of the show was Brandon Rogers. He was a backup singer for the likes of Anastacia and Christina Aguilera. He’s impressive, wooing Olivia and Paula. “You got a sigh from the ladies,” Randy said. “Of everyone we’ve seen today, this is by far the best audition,” Simon said. “For the first time, I can see this guy making the finals. You have a likability about you which is something you and I share.”

Brian Miller possesses boyish charm and a spiritual tone to his voice. “Forgettable,” Simon said. “Based on the voice, I say yes,” Randy said. The ladies say yah. Three out of four gets him to Hollywood.

Idol then pulls out the tearjerker story, courtesy of Sherman Pore, who has no other reason to be there except for his back story. Part of the problem: at age 64, he’s about 36 years too old for eligibiility. But the producers let him see Randy, Simon and Paula. His wife had just died from cancer and he had a petition with more than 300 names to allow him to compete. The guy sang “You Belong to Me” and he was actually really good, which made it truly sweet. Even Simon was touched. “I won,” Pore said afterwards. “I am a winner.”

Back to the real competiton. Or not. Personality-packed, flirty (to Simon) Cavett “Sparkles” Carr went down, literally.”You’re making me nervous,” Simon said. Her boyfriend Darold Gray (20??? He looks 30!) did even worse. He was flatter than my writing!

Eric Mueller, in any key, was another waste of time. And he used the Randy/Paula guide to singing, which Simon was so amused about, he tried to ask Eric about it after the fact but Randy and Paula shooed him away.

And they didn’t make the folks do the same song — or if they did, they never showed it.

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I ended up with two copies of the Katharine McPhee press kit, which includes several color photos of her and her new CD, plus a DVD. Among my favorite bloggers, please email me at rho@ajc.com if you’d like my spare copy. I’ll pick out the best plea on why they like Katharine and you get the gift! I’ll also post the plea so make sure what you write is something you’re willing to show the world.

In my copy of TV Guide for next week, which features our buddy Topher McCain, Katharine McPhee does a Q&A. When asked the hardest part of doing “Idol,” she said oddly, it was the message boards. (Huh?)

“I think those ‘Idol’ forums — like Americanidol.com — should be shut down,” McPhee told TV Guide. “It’s basically just an opportunity for people to say the meanest things without consequence.”

Q: Meaner than the judges?

A: “The judges never made me cry. But their comments hurt. I was constantly fighting the pain and putting Band-Aids over the wounds to keep going.”

Q: How did you manage it?

A: “I was like two people. I was Katharine, standing there, performing, but I was also watching myself perform. And judging myself. That’s something I will have to grow into as an artist. I have to learn how to let go.”

Indeed, Kat, let it go!

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Tatiana McConnico, 17, of Austell made an impression on last night’s “American Idol” and went off to Hollywood. We have no clue if she makes the final 24 but regardless, a quick google search of her name and she pops up a few times.

She won, for instance, a teen pageant in the Virgin Islands in 2003. Check this out..

She played Dorothy in the Kenny Leon version of “The Wiz” back in 2005, according to this news item. And our AJC theater reveiw even mentions her positively in a review of the play.

Four years ago, she performed on CBS’s Star Search.. Here’s her head shot from the CBS site:

She performed in “The Color Purple,” according to this story.. Wendell again namedrops her in his review.

We’ll see in two weeks how far she gets.

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“American Idol” finally showed up in Birmingham, the city that gave us Bo Bice, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks. And we know there’s got to be a few Atlantans who drove over there to represent.

I’m amused the producers still give the impression the huge crowds come the same day as Simon, Randy and Paula when in fact that’s not true. Of course, there’s plenty of talent and a lot less wackiness in da South. And being only an hour, it goes by relatively smoothly with many of the ousted contestants being oddly polite, saying “thank you” when given lousy assessments (i.e. Lakia Hill). That’s the South, bless our hearts!

Erica Skye provides us the first impression of Birmingham 2007 with “Unchained Melody,” Simon’s favorite song. Naturally, she’s terrible. “It’s like neverending torture,” Simon said. “You are an absolutely hopeless singer.” Paula even gets up and leaves the table because Erica won’t leave.

We know that “Idol” doesn’t always show the singers in any order so who knows at what point this is during the day.

Katie Bernard is the Orlando gal with the high-pitched talking voice though it’s not as high pitched as, say, Paris Bennett last year. She does a Tamyra Gray song, “A House is Not a Home” and is not bad. Randy says yes. Simon says no. So it’s up to Paula. Paula is standing up again. Unlike Seattle, where she seemed sedated, she’s hepped up today. Katie brings in her husband and Paula says yes. “She made my day,” Paula said.

We’re back from commercial break and here’s a loacl gal and another female teenager, 17-year-old Tatiana McConnico from Austell. She looks adorable. Can she sing? Yes, she can! Randy and Paula look charmed. “100% yes!” Randy said. “Might be the best voice I hear in Birmingham!” I may be talking to her soon!

Diana Walker is from Atlanta, too, but she doesn’t look quite as promising. She’s a little pitchy but entertaining. “I get standing ovations,” she said. “When they stand, do they exit real quickly?” Randy said. Wow. Isn’t that Simon’s line?

Bernard Williams of Pleasant Grove Al. gets a rare no from Paula, two yesses from Randy and Simon. “You have great tone but completely off key,” Paula said.

Then there’s Atlanta’s Margaret Fowler, who hopes to overwhelm the judges. Well, the gal in the bright yellow shirt does. She claims to be 26 but looks much, um, older and the producers even place a question mark next to her name. “I have no idea what this show is anymore,” Simon says. “You look like some Easter bunny nightmare experiment. You’re not 26. Your singing is atrocious. You won’t go to the next round. You might as well own up. How old are you?”

“33.”

“I’m going to ask again. How old are you?”

“I’m 50.”

Case closed.

Now enters Jamie Lynn Ward of Reidsville, N.C., this year’s Kellie Pickler. She’s cute with a passable voice but a stop-in-your-tracks back story. “I live with my grandma and my daddy’s paralyzed,” she said. “My stepmom cheated on him so he shot her, then shot himself.” Paula gives a nuanced take on her voice (cut the nasal) and Simon and Randy look shocked because they all agree. She’s in!

The judges are in a good mood and they have good reason. Next is Jack Osborne. Oh, no, it’s actually Chris Sligh of Greenville, S.C., who says people think he’s Osborne. “I really want to make David Hasselhoff cry,” he said, referencing to the “Baywatch” star getting teary after Taylor won last year. His “Kiss From a Rose” is surprisingly good. “I like you very much,” Paula said. “You have a good sense of humor and you’re different.” He’s in, too.

It’s now day two. Victoria Watson of Gainesville, Fla. shall be known as the gal with the six-foot-long hair. She even brought in her mom with equally long hair. The two male judges (Paula had a “family obligation”) said no to her rather stiff presentation of a Josh Groban song.

Team Nichole (that’s her and her family y’all!) is part of the final portion of this hour’s audtiions. Nichole Gatzman of Muskogee, Okl. does a version of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About.” that I thought was better than Pickler II’s audition despite her nasal problems. “You have a lot more work to do,” Randy said. Oh, well. I liked her.

Mouthy Brandy Patterson brings back “Like a Virgin.” She’s not nearly as bad as Keith Beukelaer from season two (remember him?) but they clearly have her on air for her bizarre excuse for singing poorly. “It’s the floor,” she said. So she sings on the carpet. It’s no better, of course. “I take back everything I said,” Simon joked. “You’re hopeless on the floor, even worse on the carpet. It’s absolutely going to be never.”

Onward and upward to Los Angeles tonight!

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Usmagazine.com reports that Courtney Love got a call from “Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe asking if she’d like to be a guest judge on the show. No word on whether she’d said yes or might be auditioning to replace Paula Abdul. This sounds like a big publicity stunt. Let’s replace Paula Abdul with someone considered less stable. Yah, that’s the ticket!

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I was amused by this email pitch about American Idol from a professor saying that the show has a negative effect on kids. Here it is. Judge for yourself:

NEWS SOURCE

TOPIC: Media Expert Weighs in on Implications of American Idol’s Staggering Ratings

SOURCE: Dr. Rob Williams, professor and history of media studies at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt.

Last week ratings for President Bush’s State of the Union address narrowly surpassed those garnered by FOX’s powerhouse American Idol. And the show isn’t just popular with adults: Media Life Magazine reports that AI was the most widely viewed show by viewers in the 2- to 5-year-old market.

Rob Williams, media literacy advocate and professor of history and media studies at Champlain College, argues that while competition in a real, everyday sense has proven to be healthy for myriad reasons, “shows like American Idol ultimately have a negative effect on kids. Media-constructed competition-in this case a carefully manufactured stage show for corporate profit—is something very different. So many so-called reality shows are built on the premise of competition. Viewers are often surprised when the layers of that reality are revealed—scripts, production techniques, coaching behind the scenes, etc. Ultimately, we live in a 24/7 commercial media spectacle, and American Idol is a classic example of that. The bottom line is that this is about ratings and profit maximization, and where we stand as individuals or as a culture does not matter.”

Prof. Williams can also discuss:

The importance of media reform and the need to re-regulate media policy to decentralize power away from the massive conglomerates that sell sensationalism as news;

Why and how our culture of media spectacle is internalized by children and adults alike, and how lifelong media literacy education provides the tools for intellectual self-defense;

How to talk to our kids about the media and encourage them to think critically about the media they consume.

Rob Williams holds a degree in U.S. history from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in U.S. Western and U.S. history from the University of New Mexico. Currently a professor of history and media studies at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., Rob is also a historian, writer, and musician. He serves as a Vermont-based media literacy consultant, runs a film production company, and is board president of the Action Coalition for Media Education (www.acmecoalition.org), a nonprofit educational coalition devoted to media education, independent media production, and grassroots media reform and justice initiatives.

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With her new CD out today, “Idol” runner up Katharine McPhee is on a major promotion tour of talk shows this week and even has a guest appearance this Thursday on “Ugly Betty.” Her new self-titled CD is a potpourri of styles, a bit of R&B, a smidgen of pop and a couple of soaring ballads.

Question #1: Will top 40 radio take to her kiss-off song “Over It”? It’s pleasant enough but let’s just say it’s no “Too Little, Too Late” or “Irreplaceable.” She sang it Monday on Leno.

Quesiton #2: Will anybody buy the CD? I predict it will open modestly, at about 40 to 50,000 copies and do about as well as Justin Guarini or Diana DeGarmo, in the 150K range. But if radio loves her singles, that could change in a heartbeat.

You can listen to the CD here on AOL.

I did a cursory first listen of the release. There are actually better songs than the single “Over It,” including several catchy top 40-style songs, including the lead song “Love Story.” The ballad “Home” has potential. “Open Toes” is a fun dance confection. “Not Ur Girl,” a song she helped cowrite, is a decent pop tune. “Do What You Do” sounds like it should have been given to Nelly Furtado or Fergie. “Better Off Alone” is a snoozer of a torch song. In fact, the second half of the CD is pretty much filler and the release as a whole feels cobbled together by committee rather than a statement on who Katharine McPhee is. But that’s what we expected, eh?

Here’s a so-so Boston Globe review.

This is the mediocre AP review

Here’s a Q&A in which she answers with impressively bland answers.

For example:

What should fans expect from this record?

It’s not a record that I’m just trying to be like, “Oh, I want to be like everybody else.” It’s something I really relate to and it’s something that is a part of me. I think when you walk away from this record you’re going to feel like you know a part of me better — the girl who was in college or the girl who was in high school versus the girl who was on “Idol.” You just get to know a little bit more which is important for a new artist.

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Topher McCain, the 28-year-old Papa Johns employee from Kennesaw who called his wife a [bleep] before the judges last Tuesday, nabbed a quick paying gig at a teen club called the Warehouse on Cobb Parkway this past Saturday night.

And yes, I was there. Without the pressure of the TV cameras and Simon Cowell staring him down and with the benefit of backing tracks, could he pull off a decent performance? On the most part, he did. He’s not quite an “American Idol”-quality vocalist but he’s a perfectly adequate karaoke singer. And though he’s no Kenny Chesney or Mick Jagger in terms of stage presence or sex appeal, he had his moments of zen.

CREDIT: Rodney Ho

I pulled up a little late as he was finishing up his karaoke version of “Footloose.” He then jumped into Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” Several of the teens opened their cel phones, a modern version of the old Bic lighter sway. He then sang “Walking in Memphis,” a tune he said he should have sung instead of “Footloose” during his audition. Then again, Topher’s rendition of “Footloose” certainly made for good TV, partially because it’s such an oddball choice for an audition.

After a lovely singalong with “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, he introduced Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” by saying “this reflects my 15 minutes of fame.”

He started okay but lost steam vocally partway through. Fortunately, an exuberant audience member Cameron Parker got him going again by spontaneously jumping on stage to do an air guitar version of Richie Sambora’s bridge solo, then sidled up to McCain to sing the chorus.

“That was an example,” McCain said on stage after he finished the song, “of bad karaoke.”

Parker, 15, who had jumped on stage, said he had heard about McCain’s “Idol” appearance and was curious to see if he was really that bad. “I enjoyed what he did,” Parker said. “He tried his best. He got me pumped up.”

After his 30-minute performance was up, McCain said he felt generally good about his performance. And he plans to continue singing in karaoke contests and country fairs. His next competition is at an “Idols”-style karaoke contest at Faces Lounge in Marietta Feb. 12.

As for the bleeped expletive he hurled at his wife Polya, he said he was caught offguard by the question, thus the spontaneous answer. Still, he said, “I don’t regret saying it.” Polya hasn’t talked to him in ages and his TV appearance hadn’t inspired her to reconnect with him either as of Saturday night.

We emailed Polya Sunday. She responded Monday with a curt no comment.

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You and I will be able to vote on the song the ultimate Idol winner will sing. Naturally, a panel of judges will narrow it down to 10 songs first from whatever submissions they get from aspiring songwriters. Here’s the story

Once the top 10 songs submitted by songwriters are chosen, “Idol” viewers will get to decide which is performed by the singers on the show in its final round, said executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.

“It’s going to be offered to America to decide what should be the ‘Idol’ song this year,” Mr. Lythgoe said in an interview with TelevisionWeek Publisher Chuck Ross for TVWeek.com’s Backlot Talk podcast feature.

This is a great added feature. We’ll definitely have fun with this one!

And as usual, here are the insights of exex producer Nigel Lythgoe in TVWeek as Chuck Ross talks to him about various contestants from this week’s auditions. It’s a fun read for you true addicts out there.

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Credit: Getty Images

Did you like Ace Young? He is one of the few finalists from this past year without a real record contract but he did help co-write Chris Daughtry’s big hit “It’s Not Over.”

Here’s an update on Ace’s life on mtv.com. I purposely linked to the html version because the regular version of mtv.com is a ridiculous mess packed with annoying videos and visuals that makes the regular cable network resemble PBS in comparison.

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“So You Think You Can Dance,” the not-as-popular summer cousin of “American Idol,” is hitting Atlanta for auditions on April 5 at the Fox Theatre. Casting is open to persons between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of the audition who are either U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the U.S., or possess a current legal visa allowing them to seek employment in the U.S. without restriction as to employer. The show, by the way, is created by the same folks who do “American Idol.” More info at fox.com/dance

Speaking of dancing, those “Dancing with the Stars” folks (including Drew Lachey and Lisa Renna) are at the Gwinnett Arena tonight. I have a friend’s going-away party to go to tonight so I’m going to have to skip that show, but if anybody goes, certainly tell us how it went.

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Jimmy Kimmel, whose show is not seen in Atlanta, brought Jonathan & Kenneth from the Seattle auditions to the Bob Hope celebrity golf classic, to mingle with the likes of Ray Romano, Huey Lewis, Don Cheadle and George Lopez. Even Taylor HIcks came by to give them support at the 1:50 point of the the video on youtube. Decatur’s Chris Tucker looks mystified while he sings “God Bless America” with them at 4:05.

Access Hollywood.

Here’s another video of Kenneth & Jonathan from Access Hollywood

Finally, here’s a story about Rosie O’Donnell, who harangued against the treatment of the pair last week on “the View,” giving the two guys a free trip to Disney World.

And yes, as noted below, where’s Nick Zitzman??? We miss him!

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(From Topher’s myspace page.)

Topher McCain, a 28-year-old Papa John’s employee from Kennesaw, is not one of those bitter “American Idol” contestants who felt he was humiliated on TV. No, the Paula Abdul fan enjoyed his appearance Tuesday during the Memphis auditions before 31 million viewers.

“I give kudos to ‘American Idol,’ ” he told me today. “They showed me as kind of punchy when I made those comments about my wife, but overall, they portrayed me as a generally classy nice guy gentleman.”

Indeed, he probably solidified his airtime by calling his wife the b-word, which was kindly bleeped out by “Idol” producers but made Simon and Co. laugh.

On camera during Tuesday’s episode, McCain said his wife cheated on him, then decided to leave him. (He said they are currently separated, not divorced.) If she wanted him back after he became the Idol, he wouldn’t take her because he has a support system that loves him and his singing.

McCain has not heard from his wife since the show aired. (I’m trying to track her down to get her side of the story.)

In retrospect, he said he probably shouldn’t have sung “Footloose,” a 1984 party tune by Kenny Loggins he used from the very beginning of the “Idol” auditions. “It had been my good luck song,” he said.

He had to go through three rounds before facing Randy, Paula and Simon. In fact, he had to go to Memphis twice: the first three rounds before show producers, then a month later to meet the three big judges.

The judges told him he sounded too karaoke. “I’m tempted to ask if you sang that the night before your wife left,” Simon said. Ouch.

He added that Topher sounded like a guy who was drunk at a wedding and was about to fall off a stage. McCain took the critique well, even joking afterwards that that was what he was going to do.

His second choice might have been more appropriate for the audition location: Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.”

“That’s a song I do in karaoke,” McCain said. “Also, when I do benefit concerts.” So does he do “Footloose” drunk? “I do that quite sober,” he said. “When I get drunk, I sing ‘God Bless the Broken Road.’ “

His 15 seconds of fame got him a gig at a teen club this Saturday at 9 p.m. at the Warehouse on Cobb Parkway. He’ll do 30 minutes of country and pop hits with backing tracks.

Joe Polo, who runs Ponier Music (the music store that the club is part of), said he was actually impressed with McCain and his cohones.

“I’ve seen way worse,” Polo said. “I was on his side. When I found out he was from Kennesaw, I wanted to have him show us what he can do. He chased his dream. He went for it. He went into the belly of the beast!” As a musician, in fact, he was “jealous” that McCain was able to get the opportunity to sing before millions.

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Idol takes a big slice into New York, which has not had much success in generating big talent. Constantine has lived there. Last year, Chicken Little was from Long Island. But metro New York hasn’t done as well as, say, Atlanta or Birmingham even.

This time around, there’s clearly some talent and the show, while flabby as two hours can be, manages to be entertaining enough. We actually see 10 singers (out of 35) that make it to Hollywood. Of those ten, Porcelana is the most interesting, but best friend Antonella is my favorite.

Guest judge alert: Carole Bayer Sager. Clearly, Paula didn’t want to be anywhere near her so they have Randy in between as the cushion. Singer-songwriter Sager (“A Groovy Kind of Love,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud”) resembles Joan Collins!

Nyawker Ian, clearly on TV for the sake of being on TV (he’s already been on “So You Think You Can Dance,”) does a horrible version of “Gloria” and camps up his so-called post-rejection “outrage.” “I’m bored of you,” Simon intoned. And so are we. Bad start for “American Idol”!

Back story of the day comes in early: Sarah Burgess lies to her unsupportive dad to be here, traveling all the way from Ohio. She cries. Reality-show points! She’s cute and she’s actually good, good enough to make it through. “She touched me,” Paula said. “Dad, I can do this!” she says to the camera. “Don’t be mad,” she tells him. “I’m glad,” he said. Awwww….

Then there’s “Big Fat Greek Wedding” gal Fania Tsakalakos and possibly the worst version of Toto’s “Africa” since Toto’s version of “Africa” came out. Yeek!

Ashanti Johnson, who has been to Hollywood twice before but hasn’t gotten far enough to disqualify herself, does a rather fluttery version of “Lovin’ You.” She’s not bad but I don’t like her. She is eliminated this time around. “I have fought so hard for this,” she said. “I have worked harder than anybody.” She’s eloquent, but the begging fails. She reeks of desperation. Even Paula is stone-coldhearted. Good TV, though.

Then it’s best friends, giving the Idol producers an excuse to get them on the beach in bikinis for “back story.” Amanda Coluccio goes first with “Crazy.” It’s okay. “Very generic,” Simon said. But she goes through with reservaitons. Antonella Barba. She’s not trained but is much better. “You’re good and have a great look,” Sager said. She’s through too!

Clifton Biddle thinks he’s Chris Daughtry doing ZZTop’s “Tush” (stamping including) but instead he gets the booted out on his you know what. Then he plays a lovely harmonica but this is a singing competition, right?

Kia Thornton is a keeper with a little Aretha. She’s not quite at Fantasia level but worthy of going to Hollywood. “You don’ t need to oversing,” Sayer said and I agree. Still, the emotional Kia is on her way!

On day two, with Simon “hung over” and absent, a confident Jenry Bejarano is an adopted 16 year old of a loving Bolivian family and sings like a dream. Paula is feeling it and he’s “easy on the eyes.” And he’s through, no doubt.

Nakia Claiborne has spirit and a bold voice with “Dancin’ in the Street.” She makes Mandisa seem sedate in comparison. Then she sings a second song “Dreamin’” and seems really flat. It’s in fact awful. Next. I actually feel bad for her because she seemed so sincere and sweet.

Sarah Goldberg is a bit off kilter. She admits she’s not a singer. “I’m tone deaf,” she said. “Even if I don’t sing, I can be the next American Idol. I’ve never sung before so you can teach me how to sing.” Wh-wh-what? Huh? She needs… something. At least she didn’t get a ticket to Hollywood. Phew!

After the break: why was there a 47 year old trying out singing “New York New York”???

Jori Steinberg is adorable with a modest history (She’s actually met politicans from Canada! That’s a back story?) “Paced it well,” Simon said. “Presence is great,” Paula said. I’m not a huge fan of the song but she’s got talent.

Then there’s a female version of Rocky: Porcelana Patino. She’s a sexy tenor with attitude to spare. “You are unique” Bayer-Sager said. She’s in! We won’t forget her. And she hugs it out with the judges.

Christopher Henry is the king of cabaret, which is clearly not going to get past the judges. “You should be singing in a dress and stillettos,” Simon said. And finally: Simon and Paula duke it out! She wants to give Chris constructive advice and Simon just wants him to leave.

Rachel Zevita is a chameleon with an opera background. She does three very different styles of song but remains intriguing. “You’re all coming to Hollywood,” Simon cracks. She gets all cocky: “The South has a lockdown. This year, it’s New York. We need some life, some color. It’s me!” We’ll see about that.

Chris Richardson does a little Donny Hathaway and evokes a bit of Elliott Yamin. He clearly has potential. “You’re very special,” Paula said. “I say yes.” And the rest do, too.

Nicholas Pedro, who quit last year during the Hollywood round after he forgot lyrics, wants redemption with “Fly Me to the Moon.” He’s got a great voice and grabs Paula’s heart as well as everybody else’s, too. “You just made it back!” Simon said.

A very nervous Isadora (Julie?) Furman tanks and ends New York with a thud of monstrous proportions.

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Chris Daughtry’s new CD, in its ninth week, reached No. 1. That’s highly unusual. Most CDs nowadays debut at No. 1 and drop from there. He debuted at No. 2 and has hovered near the top ever since. He sold 65K, up to 1.29 mil total. That’s not a terribly inpressive no. of copies sold but this January, sales have been sloth like overall. His single “It’s Not Over” is at No. 12 and should be in the top 10 in a matter of days.

Daughtry (that’s his band name) will be at the Loft in MIdtown April 6 at 9 p.m. (doors open at 8 p.m.) Tickets go on sale Feb. 2 at noon. It should sell out fast because only about 600 people can fit in the Loft. It’s $20 general admission. I wouldn’t be surprised if the promoters moved him to Center Stage, which fits 1,000. A second date is possible, too, depending on demand. More info here.

Carrie Underwood sold another 33K and moved back to No. 9 and is up to 4.76 million. Her fourth single “Wasted” is at No. 26.

Kellie Pickler, after doing an appearance on “The View,” rebounded with 14K sold (up from 9k) and now has sold 387k total. Her single “Red High Heels” is at No. 14 but it’s losing steam, according to www.allaccess.com. She’s opening for Brad Paisley and will be at HiFi Buys Amphitheater August 4.

Fantasia is hangin’ in there, up to 66 from 68, with 12K sold, up from 11K. She’s up to 254K. Her song “Hood Boy” is stalling out at No. 22 on the urban chart.

Ruben sold another 3,000, edging up to 196K. His single “Change Me” drops to No. 3 on the urban AC chart.

Clay sold 1,900 and has reached 496K.

All Billboard Top 200 numbers courtesy of Idol Chatter.

Bucky Covington has a single at No. 48 called “A Different World.”

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First season co-host Brian Dunkleman, who left after season one in a bit of a huff, decided to kiss and make up with “American Idol” by doing voiceovers for the syndicated “Idol Rewind” show, which revises season one.

So why not Justin Guarini, the runner up in 2002 who became the butt of jokes after his first album bombed and more or less disappeared after he complained publicly of his treatment by RCA in 2003. He has joined TV Guide’s “Idol Tonight” show. Hey, it’s a paycheck!

TV GUIDE CHANNEL GREENLIGHTS POPULAR ŒIDOL* SERIES ŒIDOL TONIGHT* FOR A SECOND SEASON AND SIGNS FORMER AMERICAN IDOL FINALIST JUSTIN GUARINI AS ON-AIR CORRESPONDENT

First Runner-Up On American Idol Season One Joins Co-Hosts Former Season Three ŒIdol* Finalist Kimberly Caldwell And Former ŒPopstars* Winner Rosanna Tavarez As They Cover The Nation*s #1 Rated Show

LOS ANGELES * (January 24, 2007) * The television phenomenon and viewer frenzy of American Idol are back. TV Guide Channel®, a leading entertainment network providing original programming to 80 million homes, announced today that it has green-lit a second season of IDOL TONIGHT, the exclusive live pre-show for American Idol which will air on Wednesdays beginning in March. Additionally, TV Guide Channel announced that American Idol season one runner-up Justin Guarini will join the cast of IDOL TONIGHT as a correspondent, sharing the spotlight with the networks resident *Idol experts Kimberly Caldwell (former American Idol finalist) and Rosanna Tavarez (winner of Popstars).

By renewing IDOL TONIGHT for a second season, TV Guide Channel continues to provide our viewers with the most comprehensive coverage of the great ŒAmerican Idol,* said Ryan OHara, President of TV Guide Channel. *This season, we are excited to have former ŒIdol runner-up Justin Guarini on board as a correspondent. We look forward to his commentary and expertise on all of the excitement for the current ŒIdol* season.

Beginning in March, 2007, IDOL TONIGHT will premiere on TV Guide Channel, live from Television City studios at the doorstep of American Idol. Capturing all of the excitement, anticipation and energy from thousands of auditioners who show up each season for a shot at stardom, the show will feature interviews with former American Idol finalists, industry insiders, fashion stylists, vocal coaches and more. Then, its up to America to decide who will become the next *American Idol. Stay tuned for more details and programming information on TV Guide Channel*s in-depth live red carpet-finale event.

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I’m going to be in class tonight so I’ll be blogging late on tonight’s Memphis auditions. But feel free to start commenting while the show is going on.

In the interim, here’s a fascinating overview of how the auditions actually work from the man who oversees www.votefortheworst.com. We learn that the song montages from each city aren’t even taped in front of Randy, Simon and Paula, but was done earlier in the weeklong process.

While Randy told me they see 400 people over two days (that does seem excessive), this writer says it’s more like 100 per city. (Maybe in Randy’s mind, it feels like 400.)

It’s interesting that Fox will sometimes air a different audition that Simon & Co. didn’t even see, that they’ll create events that didn’t really happen or shape the editing to make someone seem nicer than they really are. (Um… Katharine McPhee?). Some finalists claim Kellie PIckler kept forgetting words in Hollywood yet because of her back story, she got through.

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TV Week, like last season, does an exclusive interview each week with one of the Idol executive producers. This season, they also add a transcript so you can just read it over. Here’s the link to last week’s talk with Ken Warwick.

Here’s his take on the songwriting competition:

Chuck Ross (of TV Week): I’ve been reading on various fan things and I think in other publications that you guys might do a competition for the last song. Do you think that’s actually going to happen?

Mr. Warwick: We’re looking into it at the moment. It will happen, I think. The thing is that we sit around at the end, two or three weeks before the finale, and we listen to the songs that the record company sends us, and invariably go, “Yeah, it’s alright. But it’ll be a No. 1. Of course it will. But it’s not the best song we’ve ever heard.”

So this year we’re actually throwing the competition open to the public to sit down, compose a song, write it, send us in a demo. I think a panel from the record company will actually sit down and listen to the mass that come in and they’ll give us a handful of the best songs, and when we get down to near the end of the series, we’ll probably do a show where … we’ll probably get some of the old Idols to sing them and then America will judge and pick the song from there. So in the end, not only do they pick the singer and the Idol, they pick the song too.”

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Is Fox tempted to kill the golden goose? The show will certainly run at least 45 hours this season for the third time.

TV Week counted the minutes.

Season one: 1,350 minutes (22.5 hours)

Season two: 2,496 minutes (41 hours)

Season three: 2,701 minutes (45-plus hours)

Season four: 2,440 (40 plus hours)

Season five, 2,714 minutes (45-plus hours)

“Last year we all sat down and came up with 45 hours, which we didn’t feel abused the show,” said Preston Beckman, executive VP for strategic program planning at Fox. “This year we feel it will be at least 45, but it may be marginally longer.”

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Jonathan Jayne, who was featured extensively on Seattle auditions last week, apparently was an active participant in the Special Olympics. That in and of itself fueled criticism that “Idol” is picking on the mentally challenged. Jayne, who recently appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show, has apparently reveled in the attention. And the Special Olympics just released a press release supporting him and the show:

Special Olympics Washington Athlete Auditions for ‘American Idol’

Monday January 22, 2:45 pm ET

SEATTLE, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ — Special Olympics Washington (SOWA) applauds the efforts of Jonathan Jayne for his recent audition on the reality program “American Idol.” Jayne is a longtime SOWA athlete who competes in multiple sports with the City of Renton Parks and Recreation program.

The vision of Special Olympics is to help bring persons with intellectual disabilities into the larger society under conditions whereby they are accepted, respected and given the chance to become useful and productive citizens. “We hope that everyone can learn to be more accepting and inclusive of persons with different abilities,” said Jill Ward, Public Relations Director for Special Olympics Washington. “Jonathan is a shining example of an athlete who is able to apply himself both on and off the field of competition. We wish him well in the pursuit of all his goals.”

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Not much new emanated from the Fox "American Idol" session for TV reporters on Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena but we gleaned a few morsels for the hungry masses.

Paula Abdul repeated her defense regarding her oddly loopy Seattle TV interview a few days back. She was doing three straight hours of interviews with different Fox affiliates and that was near the end. She said her behavior emanated from a technical glitch which made her hear two different morning shows at the same time.

She also marvelled at the scrutiny that video, which was on youtube for awhile, created. "Having a music career... and being the best choreographer, it's as if that didn't happen," she said. "I'm a judge on the world's biggest show. I love it. It's often daunting. Sometimes it's daunting."

Simon then confessed that he had tricked Paula into saying that line about that nonsensical moths and melon balls last season. She had said to Simon she didn't know what to say about a particular performance so he suggested a fake Chinese proverb, which she proceeded to repeat. "I publicly apologize," Simon said, magnimoniously.

Paula thanked him by kissing him. People, she noted, always say, "What's wrong? She's drunk. She's drugged!" (She has denied in the past she drinks or takes drugs.)

Randy then denied that the Coke cups on the judges' desk only has soda or water in it, not anything alcoholic.

Many critics also kept hammering home the contention that "Idol" is meaner this year than years' past, which is debatable at best. "I don't think we should be censors on the types of people we let on the show," Simon Cowell said. "What we're trying to do is be representative."

I asked a question about the coronation songs and whether the open songwriting competition will help improve them. Simon primarily answered the question, noting he only really liked Kelly Clarkson's song "A Moment Like This."

Ultimately, he said he's not sure if a songwriting competition will help. "Finding a world-class song is harder than a great singer," he said. "I'd hate to be on that [songwriting competition] panel."

I asked executive producer Ken Warwick after the session why they were cutting back on the time frame of Hollywood episodes. Unfortunately, he didn't give me a real straight answer. At best, he implied that the audition episodes were stronger this year so they wanted to spend more time with them. It's probably because they pull in such strong ratings, better than the Hollywood editions. He also wouldn't say whether the Hollywood cutdowns this year wasn't as compelling as years' past.

He also confirmed the Diana Ross appearance but wasn't sure about Mariah Carey. He also said if Paul McCartney can't do the Beatles episode, producer George Martin would be a solid second best.

And he said he isn't going to stop Cowell from making fun of contestant's physical characteristics since that plays into the part of what a pop star is. He also said the show doesn't have the time to do deep due diligence on every contestant to ensure they aren't, say, mentally retarded.

Warwick earlier explained during the session that there is a method to the "compilation" videos where multiple contestants sing, say, "Kiss" (in Minneapolis) or "Don't Cha" (in Seattle). They ask contestants early on that they need to learn that song and play it over the loudspeakers frequently while contestants wait. So if they don't know the song by the time they get to Simon, Paula and Randy, that's their problem. (The woman who had trouble with "Kiss" in Tuesday's episode did use that song as her primary audition tune, Paula said.)

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Simon Fuller, the uber-creator of "American Idol," not only saw his show hit new heights this past week but he also engineered the huge deal that brings David Beckham to Los Angeles worth potentially $250 million over five years.

 Here's the New York Times story about that.

Peter Liguori, president of entertainment for the Fox network, said, “He’s changing American culture as we speak.” Referring to Mr. Fuller’s delivery of “Idol” and Beckham to the States, he added, “It’s a testament to his being smart and recognizing what’s in the zeitgeist.”

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How about this for strange? Geeky teen Kevin Covais, the 11th place finisher from this year’s “Idol,” is going to rap on Fayetteville resident Paris Bennett’s CD, according to this story.

“What people don’t know is that he can rap,” Bennett told mtv.com of the diminutive, bespectacled Covais in her squeaky speaking voice. “He loves Kanye West. He’d rap whole songs. He used to freestyle backstage. I was like, ‘I have to do that on my album.’ ” The title? “Let Me Rap.”

I’m not sure this is a good idea but I guess we’ll have to hear the result.

Paris shot a video for her first single “Ordin