girls rock !!

Kelly Clarkson set the record for the largest jump to No. 1. on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when her American Idol victory song A Moment Like This jumped 52-1 on the chart in October 2002.

Kelly makes history again this week with My Life Would Suck Without You zooming 97-1 which is the largest leap in the chart’s 50-year history. The new single sold 280,000 digital downloads in its first week of availability.

The achievement is doubly interesting as it just beats the previous holder - and another of our favourites - Britney Spears’ 96-1 jump for Womanizer.

My Life … introduces Kelly’s new album All I Ever Wanted which is due for release on March 17.

New York City & San Juan were the last two stops on the American Idol auditions tour. As usual, there was plenty of talent on display - even if a King Kong moment had the judges somewhat alarmed.

To prove her commitment, Adeola Adegoke gave up her job. The judges were honest when saying her voice was not good enough, and took pity on her situation. To such an extent that Simon Cowell even spoke with her boss to get Adeola’s job back.

In contrast, Jessika Baier (photo 1) already pays her way from taking part in 700 singing contests so far, and has been successful enough to pay for travel, her car, her guitar and to follow her dream. Singing I Surrender by Celine Dion was a big risk and failed to impress.The constructive criticism from the judges seemed to be ignored, and by quite a few others as well. This season of Idol again proves how tough the music business can be.

The Age of Aquarius seems to have returned with the positivity and huge smile of Melinda Camille (photo 2), and her version of Feelin’ Good was enough to give all the judges a “4 Yes” vibe.

Singing I’m Yours by Jason Mraz was not quite enough to convince the judges that 27-year-old Jackie Tohn (photo 3) should progress, so then this “unpredictable and surprising” (Paula) contestant sang country style to gain the votes. “I liked the husky tone” (Randy) and “I want to hear what else you can do” (Kara) led to the sun screen crashing down behind the judges. Suddenly there were 4 votes for Jackie. What next?

Bringing along her little brother proved an advantage for 16-year-old Monique Garcia Torres (photo 4) and singing You Can’t Hurry Love showed a strong and sweet voice. But the attempt at I Turn To You by Christina Aguilera gave some judges a concern. Randy and Kara thought Monique should wait another year. Paula said yes, however, and Simon was so impressed by the confidence of the 10-year-old brother he used his casting vote for a Hollywood ticket.

When Patricia Lewis Roman (photo 5) sang I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the judges were unsure. Their advice was not to sing such a huge song as you are always going to come off second best. Then she sang something sweeter and got the votes.

Overall, then, a curious round of auditions which should make Hollywood interesting - at the very least. One large question is what the judges will decide during the elimination rounds in Hollywood. There appear to be a large percentage of very talented singers this year, so the decisions will not be easy.

And we expect big contests between the judges as well - what are the bets on battle lines being drawn between girls v boys ?!?!?

Salt Lake City is home of the Osmonds and, perhaps no surprise, there is a new generation of singers on the rise, including David Osmond who decided to audition for American Idol. If that doesn’t prove the power and importance of Idol then I don’t know what else could.

As it happens, David (photo 1) has a good voice and received the votes necessary to get to the next stage in Hollywood.

A different story for the next hopeful who said you can’t judge a book by the cover, although heavy metal goth tends to be a fairly conclusive style. Anyway, Tara Mathews (photo 2) sang Fly Away from the Moulin soundtrack - it just was not good enough. Simon was direct and the other judges felt a bit awkward, but someone needs to tell some people they need to think of very different careers.

A good luck rabbit - life-size - just about caused Simon to explode, when Greg the Rabbit (photo 3 with Simon Cowell) supported Chris Kirkham. Neither the rabbit nor Chris got the votes. It was looking like David Archuleta was the exception to the rule for Salt Lake.

Fortunately, the girls were the stars of yet another audition show. Frankie Jordan (photo 4) has a smooth jazzy style to her vocals and received 4 “Yes” votes. Megan Corkrey was certain Idol was another crossroads in her life - especially as the audition took place on her 23rd birthday. With another jazzy voice and a great range, the votes were positive. Go the girls !!

Simon said Megan (photo 5) was one of his favourite auditions, and Kara “loved the glow” so another 4 strong Yes votes. And then along came 16-year-old Taylor Vaifanua with a tropical island background - just the sunny style to woo the judges, and she did.

This episode’s heart-warming story concerned 17-year-old Rose Flack (photo 6) who lost her dad when she was 13, and then lost her mom 2 years later. The death of both parents was a great shock, but Rose found some inner strength to carry on, along with help from the Bye family. Choosing to sing I Feel The Earth Move by Carole King was also brave, but the judges again responded well to a jazzy vocal.

Looks like the Hollywood stages are going to be fierce and emotional.

Randy Jackson’s namesake town laid on a police escort and a few auditions were fun in Jacksonville, Florida, including bringing your dog along for support. Sharon Wilbur (photo 1) has a good voice, and squeaked through, along with her pet Sasha. And Kara received a big surprise - a kiss from Paula!

Miss Florida Latina USA, also known as Julissa Veloz (photo 2), intrigued the judges and has a huge voice. She received the ‘fun’ vote and will proceed to Hollywood. Julissa seemed the best of day one. The audition went sour for Darin Darnell, but was a strong lesson for all contestants - the music business is tough and if you get nervous or upset then it’s not for you.

Naomi Sykes (photo 3) brought a friend along, Samantha, who sat on Randy’s lap (photo 4), so Paula sat on Simon’s to extend the love-in. Meanwhile, back to Naomi, her version of Minnie Ripperton’s Loving You was not good. So day one was, overall, not good.

Day two was much better, especially 16-year-old Jasmine Murray’s version of Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie. “Cute, commercial and a very good singer,” said Simon, and the other judges agreed.

Although Anne Marie Boskovich (photo 5) has a great voice and is very attractive, Simon wanted to see her come back in as a star, not a nervous singer who lacked self-confidence. She took the advice.

Changes to shoes, hair and make-up all went well, and a golden ticket to Hollywood followed. Anne Marie had another surprise and astonished the judges when she sang a section of a song that Kara had once sung live in Nashville a few years ago.

Overall, 16 contestants received Yes votes, so not a brilliant show for talent, but very useful for people to see how difficult it is to impress. A magic combination of both voice and personality are needed to set a contestant apart - and above the others.

In usual fashion, the British media has over-hyped the talents of its sports stars. So no surprise that adult players in the Australian Open were beaten far earlier in the tournament than all the commentators and journalists were saying. Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon - and it’s the girls.

First is last year’s Wimbledon junior champion, Laura Robson. Now, some of us would say she is more of an Australian player than British, as her early years and tennis training started in Melbourne. Nonetheless, the 15-year-old has powered through to the third round in the Girls Singles. Her tennis and attitude are great, and we wish her well. The only trouble on the horizon is the British press, who have started hyping “their” new star.

Also doing well and keeping pace in the rounds with Laura is Heather Watson, another so-called Brit except she is from Guernsey in the Channel Islands but never mind.

Following two 6-2, 6-1 matches in the early rounds, Heather is through to the fourth round after a tough 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 match against Miyabi Inoue.

Go girls - the British public need you !!

Our photo shows Heather (right) with Tara Moore.

Singer Katy Perry was one of the star guests at the 14th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards on January 8, 2009 in Santa Monica, California. Although the majority of the winners and nominations seemed to be following this year’s party line of the critics - Slumdog Millionaire, etc - on the female side of the ledger the field was more open.

In fact, there was a tie for Best Actress and the other nominees were perhaps the strongest for a few years:

Winner (tie):
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Nominees:
• Kate Beckinsale - Nothing But the Truth
• Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Melissa Leo - Frozen River

The winner for Best Supporting Actress was well deserved, although again this category presented a really strong field:

Winner: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Nominees:
• Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Vera Farmiga - Nothing But the Truth
• Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

The selection for Best Song is interesting to us with the inclusion of Miley Cyrus as we may see a lot more from this aspiring songwriter (oh, and singer and actress):

Winner: The Wrestler (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) from the film The Wrestler
Nominees:
• Another Way to Die (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) from the film Quantum of Solace
• Down to Earth (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) from the film Wall-E
• I Thought I Lost You (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) from the film Bolt
• Jaiho (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) from the film Slumdog Millionaire

The People’s Choice Awards are there to provide recognition for the best in popular culture, as voted by the people (rather than critics). The ceremony for the 2008 winners was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 7. Performers at the show included Carrie Underwood, who was also winner of three awards.

The ceremony was hosted by Queen Latifah, her third year in a row, and she was a nominee in the awards as well.

The winners and nominees for our favourites read like a who’s who of great talent. Here’s our selection of the bright spots in the music categories, which also show the importance of American Idol in the modern music industry:

Favorite Female Singer - Carrie Underwood

Other nominees: Alicia Keys, Rihanna

Favorite Country Song - Carrie Underwood for Last Name

Favorite Pop Song - I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry

Other nominees: Disturbia by Rihanna, No Air by Jordin Sparks f/Chris Brown

Favorite Combined Forces - No Air by Jordin Sparks f/Chris Brown

Other nominees: 4 Minutes by Madonna f/Justin Timberlake, Love like This by Natasha Bedingfield f/Sean Kingston

The winners and nominees in the movies categories were a surprise, as they do not follow the preferences of the critics. As it happens, we are quite happy with that state of affairs:

Favorite Female Movie Star - Reese Witherspoon

Other nominees: Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightley

Favorite Leading Lady - Kate Hudson

Other nominees: Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah

The People’s Choice Online Community are a nationally representative sample of people aged 13 or older. For each category, a set of candidates is determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses and music sales. The voters then choose their favorites in Television, Movies and Music.

Whether it’s American Idol (Katrina Darrell, Casey Carlson), new music releases (Ciara, Rudenko, Pink, Britney Spears), or even Fame Academy or Star Academy (Sofia Essaidi), the modern trend is for the stars to be in photos or in videos a la cleavage, whether bikinis or revealing tops.

Ciara’s new single Never Ever has a riff from If You Don’t Know Me By Now (made famous by Simply Red) and a funky video to suit. As a song, it is okay, yet as a video it will probably receive plenty of airplay.

Way back in 2004, Goodies received plenty of airplay because it was a great song, reaching No. 1 in many countries. Only 1, 2 Step since then has climbed the charts that well, as 2008’s Go Girl only managed 78 on the US Hot 100 and failed to chart elsewhere. Ciara (photo 1) is on the comeback trail.

Leonid Rudenko is a successful songwriter and producer, but to widen his international appeal Data Records’ new video for Everybody stars new face (and cleavage) of Charleene Rená (photo 2), who will also be on tour to promote the track. Born and raised in Moscow, 23 year old Rudenko is a rising star in dance music, from early experiments when just 10 years old and now with people like Pete Tong & Judge Jules among his fans.

Reality TV shows are no strangers to semi-clothed potential stars, with the Fame Academy and Star Academy franchise being very successful with ‘promoting’ newcomers, especially in countries like France and Italy.

Just as Big Brother is a lot more explicit in European countries, so Star Academy has provided great ‘boosts’ to girls like Sofia Essaidi (photo 3) - and her bikini. More recently, Sofia has seen great success in the title role of the award-winning stage show Cleopatre which also happens to feature  fantastic costumes for Sofia.

Dance music does not have many attractive female DJs, songwriters or producers. So, like with Rudenko, the marketing is often very modern and revealing, capitalizing on the hot summers of Ibiza and the minimal clothes of the thousands of dance fans.

So the album covers and online marketing tend to be highly populated with gorgeous bikini-wearing models and dancers (photo 4). This is, of course, not us complaining. We are merely keen observers of modern music marketing.

Two gutsy modern amazons are through to the fifth round of the Australian Open tennis slugfest. With determination and powerful play, plus a few scares, 22 year old Dinara Safina of Russia won a 3-set battle against promising 19 year old Alize Cornet of France.

No. 3 seed Dinara Safina struggled in her second set against Cornet, just 19 for two days, and also looked in trouble in the third when down 2-5. Yet, as we know from Wimbledon last year, Safina can fight back from extreme situations. Safina is not a careful player, and goes for strong shots no matter what the score. In the end she won 6-2 2-6 7-5 courtesy of that nail-biting 59-minute final set.

Photo (left) shows the athleticism of Safina.

The other promising star from France, Marion Bartoli, has been nipping around a top 10 place for a couple of years and, win or lose, she always impresses with her determination. At 5 ft 7, Marion is a ’shorty’ in the modern game and yet she powered through No. 1 seed Jelena Jankovic with a straight sets win 6-1 6-4. That was the end of Serbian hopes this year. Bartoli has been a semi-finalist at the US Open and a popular runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon final. Her next match, against No. 7 seed Zvonareva could also be a thrilling encounter.

Photo (right) shows the determination of Bartoli.

Just in case you were in any doubt that Miley Cyrus is a force to be reckoned with as an adult rock star, she has answered some critics on her video blog.

First up, there is the issue of Miley wearing rock t-shirts, especially ripped ones. With appropriate horn signs Miley says she is a great fan of Iron Maiden and it is not an act. Miley also throws in a bit of rapping, along with a quick piece of singing courtesy of Queen.

And just to top it all off, Miley explains that riding her motorbike is more green than using a car. Whatever the reasons, wearing Iron Maiden tees on a motorbike is as rock-chick as you can be!!