American Idol Updates

This week’s Idol tidbits feature LaToya London, Elliott Yamin, and Carrie Underwood

London’s bridge is falling down? Season Three finalist LaToya London has gone the way of fellow Season Three finalist (and winner) Fantasia Barrino and Season Five finalist Mandisa Hundley and dropped one of her names. Unlike Barrino and Hundley, though, who disposed of their family names, London has dropped her first name. Henceforth, she is to be known as London. Good luck SEO-ing her official website. Meanwhile, London is contractually obligated to tour with The Color Purple until 2008, so that’s her bread and butter for the time being.

When Elliott prays for you, he Yamins it. Fresh after touring key malls in the Philippine cities of Manila and Cebu, Season Five finalist Elliott Yamin traveled back to the United States to promote his new single, One Word. However, a few weeks after he left, one of the malls in which he performed experienced an explosion that killed 11 people and injured over a hundred others. In a gesture that has his Filipino fans swooning even further, Yamin posted a rare post on his MySpace website that his prayers were with the Filipino people and his fans. Way to go, Elliott.

It’s a carnival ride for Carrie Underwood.  Initial reviews for Season Five winner Carrie Underwood’s sophomore album, Carnival Ride, appear to be generally good. USA Today’s Ken Barnes has rated Carnival Ride three of four stars, while Amazon.com’s readers have given it an average of 4 and a half stars out of five. More reviews to come as they come in.
“Overall, she sings quite well, displaying a lot of versatility and skill. The songs aren’t always as original and distinctive as I would have liked — a lot of Nashville formula stuff — but it’s a solid album, worth three stars in my book.” - Ken Barnes, USAToday

For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains a stream of Hangin’ On by American Idol Season Three finalist Camile Velasco. The track was made available on Camile Velasco’s MySpace website. This website does not offer Camile Velasco mp3’s for download. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment in the Comments box. Please feel free to come back for the latest and best in Christian, country, and pop music.

Camile is said to be working on her debut album in Hawaii, as well as touring the region with other Fil-American artists.

Visit Camile’s MySpace page

American Idol Season Five ninth placer Mandisa Hundley and American Idol Season Three fifth placer George Huff, two Christian Idol finalists whose albums, True Beauty and A Brighter Day, respectively, made significant inroads on the Billboard Contemporary Christian and Gospel album charts, are teaming up for a series of holiday concerts.

Titled “Christmas On Main,” the Christmas concerts are brought to the American public by First Presbyterian Church at 830 Padre Drive, Salinas, California. Schedules are as follows:

Friday-December 7, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday-December 8, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday-December 9, 7:00 p.m.

Friday-December 14, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday-December 15, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday-December 16, 5:00 p.m.

Sunday-December 16, 8:00 p.m.

Mandisa will be touring to support her upcoming holiday album Purchase Christmas Joy EP.

Visit the official website of Christmas On Main.

(For your listening pleasure, this blog post contains a stream of One Word by American Idol Season Five finalist Elliott Yamin, off his debut album Elliott Yamin. GannsDeen.com does not offer Elliott Yamin mp3’s for download. If you like what you hear, please leave a comment in the Comments box. Come back to GannsDeen.com for the latest and best in Christian, country, and pop music.)

I promise this will be the last Elliott Yamin-themed entry on GannsDeen.com for a long time. As a fitting conclusion to week-long coverage of Yamin’s Philippine tour, we are uploading Yamin’s new American single, One Word, for your consideration.

One Word is a slow-to-midtempo ballad much in the same vein of Yamin’s surprise hit, Wait For You. When Yamin tested One Word during his Philippine tour, it received quite a positive response, which could bode well for Yamin’s nationwide push when the single is officially released for airplay on October 16.

Listen to Elliott Yamin One Word mp3

Elliott Yamin One Word lyrics after the jump.

Read more

Too much to say, too much to do, all is too much right now.

Gina, my Hyundai Getz, needs her 5,000km tuneup, I miss my wife and kids, but yesterday was all about one thing and one thing only, and I got it.

This entry is a page-saver until I can elaborate more, hopefully by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my mission for yesterday, to get Elliott Yamin to sign the special Elliott t-shirt I made for Cathy, ended on a happy successful note. I made a complete ass of myself in front of hundreds of people as part of a screaming bunch of groupies known as the Yaminoys (shout out to all us cool Elliott fans!), but I got it. One week of total Elliott Yamin madness, leading to this moment.

T-shirt signed, CD signed, body completely exhausted.

When I gave the CD booklet to Cathy, she smiled and congratulated me. When I gave her the t-shirt, which said “To: Cathy, Elliott Yamin,” her eyes opened wide, she broke into a beautiful grin, and shrieked, “You did it!”

Fewer things make me happier than making my wife so happy.

Elliott Yamin’s final Ayala Mall tour performance is scheduled for tomorrow at the Alabang Town Center.

I failed to get his photo with Cathy at the Glorietta press conference. I failed to get his photo with Cathy later that day at TriNoma. I cannot fail now. I just can’t! Wish me luck!

Tourism Link of the Day: Tropical Casablanca Hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It’s a lovely Playa del Carmen hotel that is both charming and hospitable. Excellent diving opportunities abound, and the sights and sounds are unforgettable. Get best rates on the official website of this delightful hotel in Playa del Carmen.

Shortly after Elliott’s TriNoma concert, Cathy and I bumped into the sister of one of her friends. That sister was with a friend of her own. The conversation went like this:

CATHY shows off her I *heart* Elliott t-shirt.

CATHY’S FRIEND’S SISTER: Ay, nanood kayo! (Oh, you watched!)

CATHY’S FRIEND’S SISTER’S FRIEND: Nagtataka kami kung bakit andaming tao, tapos naalala ko, andito nga pala si George Eliot! (We were wondering why there were so many people here, then I remembered, George Eliot is here!)

GANNS and CATHY look at each other, stunned.

GANNS: George Eliot??

CATHY: (trying not to laugh, to her friends) George Eliot is the author of Middle March. We were here to watch Elliott Yamin, the American Idol finalist.

Mistaking George Eliot for Elliott Yamin. Sheesh. Who’s next? T.S. Eliot?

Last night featured the most horrific series of dreams. The most disturbing of all of them? Elliott Yamin joins the Yaminoys on a tour of a revamped Puerto Princesa Crocodile Farm, and is gobbled up by a 15-foot crocodile! I was so disturbed and distraught by that dream that I woke up soaked in my own sweat. Of course, true to my PR background, all I could say in the dream was, OMG, what are the Yaminions and E-Trainers going to say?! The last thing the Philippines needs is to be the venue of a high-profile celebrity death! Ack!

Seriously, major major Elliott Yamin overload these past three days. Cathy and I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing Elliott day and night. The only two other CDs that have managed to squeeze Deen family airplay since Friday are High School Musical and Putomayo’s African Playground, both of which are Nathan’s favorite CDs,and were played in honor of his fourth birthday. If it weren’t his birthday, Nate would probably have to deal with One Word, our latest favorite Elliott Yamin song.

The Yaminoys are planning a major Elliott Yamin push on the 28th at the Alabang Town Center, the final leg of his Philippine mall tour (incidentally, his first promo push outside of the United States; I guess he didn’t push through with the UK?). I excused myself from work last Friday to make it. Should I become the ultimate journalist fan-boy and accompany my wife there too?

Oi vey, decisions, decisions. I’m so verklempt!