entertainmentdissected

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston- along with Marley- sprinted to the top of the box office this past weekend. Since opening Christmas Day, the PG-rated film has earned nearly $60 million. (picture courtesy of Fox/Reuters)

Jenn beats Brad! Angelina, summon Lara Croft and come to your beau’s box office rescue!

Yes, many media outlets focused on Jennifer Aniston’s latest flick beating out ex-hubby Brad Pitt’s. Aniston’s Marley & Me- based on the bestselling book about a couple and their Labrador retriever- grossed $36.4 million from 3,480 U.S. and Canadian theaters this past weekend ($58.2 million since opening Christmas Day). In the opposite corner, Pitt’s costly, 167-minute-long The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- a $150 million effort about a man who ages in reverse- pulled in $26.9 million from 2,988 theaters (for a five-day total of $43.7 million).

Pitt’s movie- which is expected to fare well when Oscar nominations are announced- performed more than respectably against Marley, but wouldn’t it have been more of a sensationalistic matchup had Angelina Jolie’s latest movie opened against Aniston’s? Granted, it wouldn’t have been much of a competition- Marley grossed more in its first weekend than Jolie’s Changeling has grossed since opening in October ($35.55 million).

Of course, Marley has a large advantage over Changeling (and Benjamin Button) in that it’s a family-friendly, mainstream vehicle- but, still, Aniston should take solace in her commercial victory, as the whole Pitt-Jolie love affair still is causing her tabloid headaches.

While many box office watchers focused on The Battle of the Exes, Adam Sandler continued his critic-proof ways, as his latest feature opened in second place over the weekend. Bedtime Stories earned $27.5 million,  and has pulled in $44.4 million since its Christmas debut. Coming in fourth over the holiday weekend was Tom Cruise’s risky Valkyrie, which focuses on a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The film- which took in $21 million ($33.6 million in its first five days)- will sail past the $44.5 million that Cruise’s ex Nicole Kidman’s Australia has grossed since opening last month.

Who will be the next pair of exes to square off at the box office? One recent, much-talked-about Hollywood split likely won’t result in a scuffle at multiplexes: Madonna is done attempting to act in films, and her directorial debut Filth and Wisdom received little attention; and Guy Ritchie’s film career has produced more domestic duds than hits.

Guess we’ll have to wait for the next Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe feature films to get a good, old-fashioned Box Office Battle of the Exes.

My apologies for “slacking” on the blog this month- it’s the end of the year and that usually brings some chaos and such (plus, losing someone this year who was most dear to me has made this time of year especially difficult). So don’t fear that lack of entertainment goings-on is to blame for the non-entries.

This past week, Eartha Kitt passed away- perhaps best known as one of the ladies who purred her way to havoc as Catwoman on the campy Batmanseries of the 60’s (Julie Newmar also portrayed the villainess in the series, while Lee Meriwether pulled duty in the big screen spin-off), she also appeared in numerous films and on stage. Aside from Batman, another of Kitt’s signature works was her 1953 recording of “Santa Baby,” which Madonna brought to modern prominence on 1987’s Special Olympics charity album, A Very Special Christmas. After expressing anti-war sentiments in 1968, Kitt experienced a U.S. backlash and concentrated on working overseas.

Meanwhile, Oscar ballots are in the mail. Nominations will be announced January 22- will The Dark Knighttakes its rightful place as a Best Picture contender? The on-screen reunion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet likely will land their Revolutionary Road in that category. Frost/Nixon and Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case of Benajmin Buttonappear as likely nominees, with no clear favorites for the remaining two spots left open, which could leave room for Batman and Company. But, don’t gasp if Oscar leaves the super-hero dazzler out of the running, given it hasn’t shown too much past love for the genre.

On the music charts, Taylor Swift’s Fearlessis holding tight to the top of the Billboard 200, selling around 330,000 units in the pre-Christmas-week frame. The album should sail past the 2 million mark this week, making it one of just three 2008 releases to scan more than 2 million copies in the USA (the other two being Lil’ Wayne and Coldplay). On the Hot 100 singles chart, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” continues to hold the top spot; her “If I Were a Boy” also occupies the No. 10 position. In fact, Beyonce, T.I. and Britney Spears each have two tracks in the top 10- so no doubt you’re seeing a lot of double when scrolling the top 10 this week.

The big television event coming in the new year undoubtedly is the start of American Idol’s eighth season. Despite recent comments chastising Idol producers for allowing a crazed, now-deceased fan (thanks to a suicide) access to her during fifth-season tryouts, Paula Abdul will remain as one of four judges this season (the original three now joined by Karo DioGuardi, who producers insist is not an Abdul replacement).

Adding a fourth judge is just one change producers are making to Idolthis season. Other changes include: decreasing the number of audition episodes (thereby lessening the exposure on the vocally challenged) while increasing the number of pre-semifinal Hollywood-round showings; having 36 contestants for the semifinal round (up from 24); reinstituting the wild card round, allowing eliminated contestants the opportunity to snare a spot in the top 12; and, axing charity telethon “Idol Gives Back,” which saw a major ratings decline this year.

On that note, much thanks for the patience, and check back more often for some in-depth dissections, interspersed with some notable entertainment buzz and news. Hope you had a nice holiday and have an even better new year.- JR

The Dark Knight- which sold a whopping 1.7 million discs on Blu-ray in its first week- waits to see if Oscar takes a view opposite to the Golden Globes. (image courtesy of Business Wire)

You think the Caped Crusader was satisfied with box office domination alone? No, no- now Batman has conquered the home video market with ease.

Warner Home Video reports that The Dark Knight- which bowed in stores last week- sold some 10 million discs in its debut frame, with a record 1.7 million coming from the high-definition Blu-ray format.

Knight is expected to become the year’s top-selling title within the coming week, toppling Paramount/DreamWorks’ Iron Man. Incidentally, it was Iron Man that The Dark Knight easily trumped to become the year’s biggest film at the box office. To date, Knight has grossed $530.7 million to Iron Man’s $318.3 million.

While Knight’s enjoyed dazzling box office success, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t show much love for the film last week when it announced the 2009 Golden Globe nominees. The film’s sole nomination came via the late Heath Ledger’s Best Supporting Actor nod, for his rather brilliant turn as the Joker. No other nominations, despite rumblings that the film and Christopher Nolan stand a good shot at scoring Best Picture and Director Oscar nods.

Now, the Globes snub doesn’t necessarily mean Oscar is out of The Dark Knight’s reach. Sure, the Globes offer a good indication of how Oscar nominations will turn out, but every now and then Oscar takes a different route with one or two contenders- and if there ever was a year for it to do so, this would be it.

The Dark Knightis epic filmmaking at its finest- the “superhero flick” stigma should not stand in the way of recognizing Nolan and company’s dazzling achievement.

Britney Spears- seen her performing on ABC’s Good Morning America last week- is the rage once again, as her latest album sold 505,000 in its debut frame. (picture courtesy of Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Titling her latest album Circus certainly fits Britney Spears, who’s probably been the most talked-about celebrity of the last couple of years, thanks to everything but her work.

In the event you spent a good portion of the last few years oblivious to the Britney Spears Circus, here are a few highlights:

* Appearing on televised interviews as if she were the new spokeswoman for the Trailer Park Trash Society

* Divorcing hubby Kevin Federline and getting into a nasty custody battle over their two children

* Shaving her locks at a hair salon after the stylist refused to do so

* Battering Federline’s vehicle with an umbrella

* Flashing her privates to the paparazzi upon exiting a limo (more than once)

* Partying hard with drugs and alcohol

* Feuding with her mother Lynne (who, incidentally, is busy promoting her new book, “Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World”- aside from Britney, Lynne’s teen-age daughter Jamie Lynn has been a handful, with getting pregnant at age 16 and then repeating that feat shortly after delivering her firstborn)

* Getting into all sorts of legal trouble thanks to reckless driving (whether it was holding her infant on her lap while driving, hitting cars in parking lots or nailing paparazzi on the street)

* Attempting to launch a comeback on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, by lip-synching (business as usual) and sleepwalking through a performance of “Gimme More”

* Being hospitalized twice for mental evaluations

And that’s just a smidgen of the mania. Remember when we thought her quickie marriage to a childhood pal- and just as quickie annulment- was a hot mess? We couldn’t have predicted what was to come if we tried.

During all the messiness, Spears’ once-rosy recording career suffered- last year’s Blackout opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and has yet to pass 1 million in sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That pales in comparison to the previous four studio albums, which sold more than 30 million units combined in the USA.

No doubt that Spears is smiling now, as her latest album Circus easily debuts at No.1 (her fifth chart-topping effort), selling more than 505,000 units, a marked improvement over Blackout’s opening sum of 290,000. Circus’ lead single, “Womanizer,” topped the Hot 100 a couple months back, becoming Brit’s second No. 1 single; this week, it even cracks the top 10 on Hot 100 Airplay, just the fifth of her career to do so. By comparison, “Gimme More” went no further than No. 48 in airplay last year.

In addition, Circus’ title track sold 211,000 digital singles last week, and is poised to enter the Hot 100 at No. 3 this week.

So, all in all, a definite comeback for who some like to call the Princess of Pop. Before her marriage to Federline crashed and she spiraled out of control, she was a mostly innocent, one-time Mousketeer selling loads of records, smitten with then-boyfriend and fellow ex-Mousketeer Justin Timberlake.

In her post-Mousketeer career, Spears first engrained herself into the public conciousness in late 1998 (shortly before her 17th birthday) with her debut single, “…Baby One More Time.” In essence, she was producer Max Martin’s female version of the Backstreet Boys and N Sync- his hard-hitting, signature sound dominated Spears’ first two albums. Like the boys, Spears became an MTV TRL favorite, and led the way for other female teen-pop gals to follow in her wake.

(One could argue- successfully- that the pop/teen-pop wave made a comeback in 1996/1997, with Hanson and the Spice Girls.)

However, unlike Backstreet and N Sync, the impact instantly was huge, becoming a cultural moment in the process. In the “…Baby One More Time” video, here was a 16-year-old girl, clad in a naughty Catholic schoolgirl uniform, suddenly becoming the pinup for young boys and the fantasy of older, potentially perverted men. She upped the Lolita ante by appearing in a bra and other risque (for her age) clothing in a Rolling Stone photoshoot.

Nothing Spears has done in her work since has come anywhere near having that kind of impact- in part, because once she turned a legal 18, there wasn’t anything particularly fascinating among the multi-million-selling albums, videos and tours.

A couple of other performances came close, though- an appearance at the 2000 VMAs- where she performed a medley of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Oops… I Did It Again- found her stripping down to a flesh-colored outfit, gyrating for everything she was worth. Sexy? Sure. Water-cooler topic for the next day? Unquestionably.

A few years later, at the 2003 VMAs, Spears was part of an all-girl threesome of sorts. Dressed as not-so-blushing brides, she and Christina Aguilera performed “Like a Virgin,” before Queen of Pop Madonna arrived on stage and proceeded to smooch both of them. All of the focus was on the Madonna-Britney kiss (poor Christina), though this moment was less about Spears and more about Madonna’s continued ability to push those never-ending buttons.

As the record sales piled up, Spears maintained her sweet, girl-next-door image, despite the sexy performances. She also kept the public guessing about her virginity while dating Timberlake, but once that relationship ran its course, people instead wondered whether the “Oops” girl actually had lost her virginity prior to Timberlake. Ah, the important must-know facets of a pop star’s career.

Shortly before the Spears Circus came to town, she released her first compilation titled Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The 2004 set peaked at No. 4 on the albums chart, and has sold around 1.3 million to date. Spears’  lack of recurrent U.S. airplay probably didn’t help matters, as “Toxic” remains her only pre-2007 track to garner significant airplay on a regular basis.

Which, isn’t too surprising- Spears’ music works mostly as in-the-moment confectionery pop. None of her albums would be considered big critical successes, and only a few of her singles have left a true lasting impression. Will we be hearing “Womanizer”- as catchy as it is- for years to come? Probably not. Most of her airplay comes from the Top 40 Mainstream format, and once it’s run its course, without success and support from Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 stations, there’s little chance of hearing her music much in the recurrent life.

No matter, though, as long-term musical relevance be damned, Spears remains a commercial force. Not many acts can command opening sales of half a million in a declining music industry, and just a handful of titles have had bigger openings in 2008. Just one female- Taylor Swift- opened bigger (at 592,000 a few weeks back).

Everybody loves a comeback, and Spears is fulfilling that need right now, and will continue doing so as she embarks on a world tour next year. It’s not all that important that she’s more of a mechanical producer’s “puppet” rather than an engaging visionary, or that she lacks the artistry and importance of, say, her mentor, Madonna.

But like her mentor, Britney Spears is the biggest female pop star- make that pop star in general- of her generation, and as long as the fans are there waiting for her next move, she’s gonna be hitting them- and us- one more time for quite a while to come.

Remember a time when physical singles actually were a viable market?

Well, more than ten years ago, record labels started releasing fewer and fewer of them, out of fear that they’d hurt album sales. Not sure where that logic was in the 30-plus years that the album and single (first on vinyl, then cassette, then CD) peacefully and successfully co-existed, but no matter.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, it was not unusual to glance at the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (which always had been a mix of airplay and sales information) and not find your favorite song. The reason being that if you couldn’t buy it as a physical single, it was not eligible to appear on the Hot 100. Huge hits like Fugee’s “Killing Me Softly,” No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” and Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” among many others, dominated the airwaves, but never appeared on the Hot 100 during their reigns.

Billboard was not ignorant to the not-so Hot 100, and took action by the end of 1998. First, the magazine expanded the Hot 100 Airplay panel to include all formats; prior, it had been mainstream top 40, rhythmic top 40, adult top 40, adult contemporary and modern rock stations. Now, urban, country, rock, Latin and other formats had a say in the outcome of the Hot 100.

Most importantly, tracks that were not available commercially (either in CD or vinyl form) became eligible to appear on the Hot 100, once they cracked the top 75 in airplay (such a rule later became null and void; if a track had enough airplay period to appear on the Hot 100, then it would).

For a time, there was an increase in the number of commercial singles, as the addition of sales for a title provided an advantage over airplay-only tracks. But, the increase didn’t last long, and soon, the Hot 100 was nearly interchangeable with the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

The next large charts shift came with the digital world in which we now reside. Sales of individual tracks at iTunes took off around 2004, and by early 2005, consumers’ choice again became an important component of the Hot 100 as digital sales became part of the mix. Nearly all tracks appearing on the chart could be purchased as a legal download, and, once again, we have a nice, competitive Hot 100.

(Album sales, in turn, have been declining steadily ever since, but that’s another story)

Believe it or not, some acts still release physical singles, but to negligible outcomes. Since 2000’s “Music,” Madonna, for instance, has released every one of her singles commercially, most of the time as CD maxi-singles. (Interestingly, she did not release her post-chart-change soundtrack hits commercially- 1999’s “Beautiful Stranger” and 2000’s “American Pie.”)

Her Madgesty’s last significant CD-maxi seller was 2002’s “Die Another Day,” which has scanned more than 200,000 units to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. By comparison, 2005’s top 10 “Hung Up” moved just under 50,000. On the digital side, however, “Hung Up” has sold nearly 1.1 million downloads. And this year, Madonna’s duet with Justin Timberlake on “4 Minutes” sold nearly 2.3 million digital singles, but less than 20,000 as a maxi-single. Hence, why most acts abandoned the physical single many years ago.

When Billboard made the ruling to allow airplay-only tracks to chart on the Hot 100, some people actually tossed some blame Billboard’s way for killing the commercial single. However, Billboard did what it had to do to represent best the most popular tracks in the country.

Sure, circa 2002-2004, the lack of a major sales factor made the Hot 100 rather uneventful, but by 2005, the arrival of digital sales reignited the charts. And, ever since, all has been right with the Hot 100.

Now, if U.S. radio would work on its issues with playing older artists, the Hot 100 would know no bounds. We’ll leave that for another day…

Doing her best Etta James in the new film Cadillac Records, Beyonce Knowles may be courting some awards recognition this season. (image courtesy of Associated Press/Sony TriStar Pictures)

After hitting the top of the music charts in recent weeks, Beyonce Knowles entered the box office sweepstakes this weekend with her latest musical film endeavor.

Cadillac Records- also starring Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright- depicts the 1940s-late 1960s musical era, focusing on the life of exec Leonard Chess, and those acts who recorded for Chess Records, such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. Knowles portrays Etta James, best known for the classic “At Last.”

The film played in just 686 theaters, but managed a No. 9 debut, taking in an estimated $3.5 million. Only No. 1 Four Christmases- which grossed an estimated $18.2 million from 3,335 theaters- had a higher per-theater take.

Unlike some other musicians’ ventures into film, Knowles has scored pretty well at the box office. Cadillac marks the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman’s’s fifth film, following 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember ($213.3 million gross); 2003’s The Fighting Temptations ($30.25 million); and 2006’s The Pink Panther ($82.2 million) and Dreamgirls ($103.36 million). 

However, Knowles’ three most successful projects were based on material that had a built-in audience. While Cadillac Records’ didn’t come roaring out of the box office gates, it could benefit from film awards nominations in upcoming weeks.

Not that Knowles needs to rely on box office receipts for success. Her third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce recently topped the Billboard 200 with nearly half a million copies sold in its first week. And, she occupies the No. 1 and No. 3 slots on the Hot 100, with “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) and “If I Were a Boy.”

Nonetheless, there’s little doubt that Knowles wouldn’t mind snagging some attention for her acting. Despite earning a Golden Globe nomination, she failed to score an Oscar nod for her turn in Dreamgirls, while co-star Jennifer Hudson not only received a nomination for Supporting Actress, but took home the prize.

Will Knowles reprise “At Last” once the Oscar nominations are revealed? If one believes the buzz, she may be as good as gold.

Believe it or not, there are no embarrassing major award nominees for the upcoming 51st Annual Grammy Awards.  

The nominees for Album of the Year- announced this week- include alternative and critical darling Radiohead, for In Rainbows(the band’s third nod in the category), as well as Alison Krauss & Robert Plant’s Raising Sand, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman and rapper Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III.

Just two songs found themselves in both the Song and Record of the Year categories: Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and Adele’s “Chasing Pavements.” Other Song nominees (awarded to songwriters) include Estelle’s “American Boy,” Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” while other Record nominees (awarded to artists and producers) include Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” M.I.A.’s ”Paper Planes” and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on “Please Read The Letter.”

Nothing really says the Grammys’ intent is to represent the best in recorded music- after all, the category is called “Album of the Year,” and that could mean whatever it wants it to. To get an idea of which albums are regarded as the best of a given year, just check out any number of critics’ lists. Doing so gives a decent indication of the albums that have left an indelible impression on those who listen to hundreds and hundreds of albums a year.

The Grammys, on the other hand, has a history of favoring (and nominating/awarding) safe, middle-of-the-road non-threatening acts- think Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Bette Midler. Each has been nominated for, and taken home, the Album of the Year Grammy. None of those acts have been big critical successes, but enjoyed great popularity by playing it safe, adhering to the formula that drives mainstream consumption.

A couple other examples of safe, largely successful Album nominees: Backstreet Boys’ Millennium in 1999, and three- count ‘em three- Mariah Carey albums. In fact, the 1990 nominees may as well have come from Billboard’s list of the year’s top-selling albums: Carey, Phil Collins, M.C. Hammer (!), Wilson Phillips and Quincy Jones (the lowest seller among that lot).

With such non-acclaimed work getting nominated, maybe it’s not that astonishing  to discover that The Beatles only won Album of the Year once (out of six tries), for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Or that Elvis Presley (among other legendary and important figures) never won a major Grammy.

One legendary act who had to wait 15 years for her first major Grammy nomination is Madonna. Few acts were bigger in the 80s, and those who were at her popularity level- Michael Jackson and Houston, for instance- received Album of the Year nominations. Like a Virgin and True Blue were huge commercial successes, and weren’t critically panned- yet no major nods, outside Best Female Pop Vocal nominations for “Crazy For You” and “Papa Don’t Preach.” 

Furthermore, 1989’s Like a Prayerwas a big critical succes, yet neither the album or its title track got any notices. We’re certain that Madonna’s controversial image and her in-your-face approach to her work had nothing to do with the snubs, right? Uh huh. No safe, non-threatening, middle-of-the-road musician found here, so it was a big NEXT when it came to nominating Madonna.

That is, until she toned down her act, became a mom and released an album that rivals Like a Prayer as her best album- 1998’s Ray of Light.Not only did she garner an Album of the Year nomination, but also Record of the Year for the title track. She didn’t win either of those, but she did snag Best Pop Album, Best Dance Recording and Best Sortform Music Video (her only previous win was for Best Longform Video in 1990).Did it compensate for all the past omissions? Of course not- but, at least it was a start.

Which leads one to wonder: Just what do the Grammys award? We know it’s not intended to mesh with amount of critical acclaim, but at the same time, it’s usually not a replica of the year’s top-selling albums. Moreso, as of late, it’s a mix of popularity (gotta get those ratings, after all), and having some notable acclaim, but simultaneously having enough name recognition (Radiohead).

Also, at times, sentimentality plays a factor- think Natalie Cole’s virtual duets album with her dad Nat, or any veteran act who never won a major Grammy, who releases a subpar album and then takes home the trophy. An act’s passing also could impact the nominations- think Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company.

So while the Grammys has gotten better in recent times (nominating acts like Eminem, The White Stripes and Radiohead for Album of the Year), there still are oddballs that pop up every now and again (John Mayer, Nelly, Evanescence, Gwen Stefani, any new Paul McCartney album- not that these are horrible, but best of a year?).

Plus, are way too many past head scratchers to make up for; in fact, making the best selections from here on out may never erase some of the laughable nominees and winners. After all, the Grammys’ alternative names aren’t the Grannies and the Shammys for nothin’.

But, at least there won’t likely ever be another Milli Vanilli scandal- the duo won the Best New Artist award in 1989, and then returned that “honor” after it was revealed that they guys didn’t sing a single note on their album. Oops!

What’s one to do when the “It” show of the week takes a hiatus?

If anybody knows, pass it on. Now that ABC’s Dancing With the Stars’ seventh season is kaput, no longer do we have a series to provide that steady water cooler discussion.  FOX’s American Idol probably is the only other reality/competition shows to rival DWTS on that level, which makes sense, given that it’s the only such series to earn higher ratings.

It’s not like there’s not plenty of other fodder out there to dissect- in movies, the Vince Vaughn-Reese Witherspoon holiday comedy Four Christmases racked up $31.1 million at the box office over the weekend ($46.1million in its first five days since opening last Wednesday). Disney’s animated Bolt actually increased slightly from last week, up to $26.6 million, good enough for second place. 

Last week’s champion, Twilight, dropped 62 percent to $26.3 million, understandable since the vampire flick isn’t exactly tailor-made for family audiences that retreated to movie theaters over the holiday weekend.  Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond adventure, pulled in another $18.8 million, for a to-date cume of $141.4 million. And, the epic Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, grossed $14.8 million in fifth place ($20 million since opening Wednesday).

In music, this week heralds the release of Britney Spears’ sixth studio album, Circus. The effort is poised to open higher than her last 2007 release, Blackout, but is it anything we haven’t heard before? That, and more Britney musings, shall be discussed sometime within the next week-and-a-half (my apologies for the delay in dissecting Ms. Spears- no fears, it’s coming).

So, definitely some alternatives to dishing the latest DWTS news and results- but, something I never thought I’d say prior to this season- March’s season eight premiere can’t come soon enough.

In the meantime, the launch of Karaoke- erm, American Idol kicks off next month. Stronger earplugs may be needed- four judges now will compete for airtime, and you just now the crop of hopefuls (and jokers who just want to get on TV) is going to have as much trouble- if not more- staying in tune at the auditions. Oy…