Attention all Kradison fans! Want your favorite Season 8 "Idol" star's autograph? MTV News and Elle magazine can hook you up!
In honor of the December issue of Elle — which features a three-page spread starring Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta — MTV News is holding a contest to find the #1 fan for each contestant. How can you show your level of fandom?
Easy! Pick up a copy of Elle, read Joey Zee's "A to Zee" column about each contestant's sense of style and do your best to replicate your fave's fashion in your own photo!
Are you gaga for Glambert? Flat-iron your hair, bust out the eyeliner and squeeze into your tightest leather pants. Are you a Krisbert? Rock the plaid and unbutton your shirt to dangerous depths. Or is Allison Iraheta your #1? You'll need a fiery red mane and an aura of general awesomeness.
Keep in mind we're not looking for exact copies of the photos in the Elle spread. Be creative! Whoever captures the essence of their favorite singer will be handsomely rewarded.
With what you ask? Three winners (one for each contestant) will each receive a copy of Elle signed by their favorite "Idol." The Kris fan will get a John Hancock from Kris, the Adam fan will get a signature from the Fierce One and the #1 Allison follower will get a copy signed by Her Royal Rockness.
Here's how you enter: Go to Your.MTV.com, create an account (if you haven't done so already) and then upload your photo! The deadline for submission is November 30, 2009 at Noon EST. I'll be going through the pics and selecting a winner personally, so make them fun, friends!
The contest is officially underway, so Kradison krazies, get your dress-up on now!
Dye your hair with Kool-Aid and start joking about cutting, because 30-second snippets of Allison Iraheta's major label debut Just Like You have hit the web. Everybody knows I was less-than-thrilled with the super-poppy, heavily-processed vocals of Iraheta's Max Martin-produced single "Friday I'll Be Over U." But will the rest of her album make me happy? Let's go through these too-short snippets and see.
» "Friday I'll Be Over U"
This.
» "Robot Love"
In this pulsating electro-pop ditty (which samples Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part II"), Iraheta is pissed that her boyfriend is in love with a robot. Whether said robot is an actual lady cyborg or just an iPhone is to be determined. Also TBD? Whether this song will have a discernible melody. We're on track two and I'm already thinking "filler?" Ruh-roh.
» "Just Like You"
Good news: I'm finally hearing Allison's voice without a bunch of studio trickery around it. Bad news: The mid-tempo chorus is as generic as it gets, both melodically and lyrically. Good news again: The verse sounds more promising, where the sassy teen sings about deleting a dude's texts.
» "Don't Waste the Pretty"
Whoever gave Iraheta this bland track should be choked. (Like this!) Did Roxette or Savage Garden write this? Was this left over from a Natalie Imbruglia CD? (It turns out the offending parties are Michael Dennis Smith, Stefanie Ridel, Miriam Nervo and Olivia Nervo.) "Don't waste the pretty on life/ 'Cause soon it's gonna fly on by." How did this new-age feel-good gunk make it on to the Rocker's album?
Read more...
The David Archuleta outtake chronicles continue!
One of the fun things I learned about the "American Idol" star during our Christmas carol extravaganza is that he is ceaselessly curious. When he wasn't stopping to look at every single bulletin board or framed poster hanging on MTV's walls, he would turn the tables and casually interview me. "Know any good New York City restaurants? What music are you listening to these days? What kind of bird do you have?" (Long story.)
But this line of questioning was my favorite from the day, if only because it sparked us having a brief chat about recent "Idol" rocker, Allison Iraheta.
If you remember, Simon Cowell went out of his way to knock Allison's personality during her "Idol" journey. Despite the fiery-haired rocker delivering some of the best vocals of the season — and displaying more authenticity than any other teenage "Idol" contestant — the cranky Brit would go on and on about how he didn't think she was appearing particularly likable. This insane, illogical and frustratingly recurring talking point led to several angry fist pumps from my living room couch.
Clearly, David Archuleta is on Team Allison with me. His face lit up when he talked about how much "personality and spunk" she has. And when I brought up how adorable it was when she jumped out of her "bottom three" chair to give him a hug when he showed up during an episode, Archuleta smiled and — dare I say it? — blushed.
Cue the "Awwwwwws!"
By James Dinh
It was just last night that a representative for 19 Entertainment confirmed to MTV News that former "American Idol" contestant Allison Iraheta's debut album would be called Just Like You. Now Entertainment Weekly has revealed the the cover of Iraheta's debut album, which is due in stores December 1.
With necklaces, wristlets and belts, Iraheta gives us a smirk that says, "Yeah, I was on 'American Idol,' but I'm also just your average friendly rocker girl next door." She poses in front a scratchy maroon-colored backdrop with streaks of red, blue, and purple in her hair. It's quite a colorful entry from one of the more dynamic personalities from the last season of "American Idol."
The angst-filled first single "Friday I'll Be Over U" leaked earlier this month. Produced by Max Martin, the "AI" alum sings about a guy who lied and deceived her — a topic many 17-year-olds like Iraheta can relate to.
Allison, who seemed pleased with the final product, talked about producer Max Martin in a recent interview with Popeater. "He came up with an awesome song and sent it to me and we cut it and it was just amazing. He definitely knows how to put himself in other people's shoes," she said of Martin, who is responsible for some of the biggest hits from Britney and Kelly Clarkson.
What do you think: Does Iraheta's album cover beat Kris Allen's cover? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!
Allison Iraheta was my favorite "American Idol" contestant this past season. (Kris Allen fans just had a collective heart attack.) I loved her husky, mature voice and her authentically awkward 17-year-old attitude. The Kool-Aid hair, the squeeing over meeting David Archlueta — despite Simon's insistence that she had no personality, Allison seemed like the most real teenager "Idol" ever featured.
An extended sneak peek at Iraheta's rockin' first single, "Friday I'll Be Over U," is now streaming at PopEater, and not surprisingly, the song is geared toward listeners her age. The Max Martin-helmed tune has the feisty teen dissing a dude who didn't turn out to be who he claimed to be.
The song reminds me of a lot of things — Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," even a Le Tigre track. What it doesn't remind me of, however, is the Allison Iraheta I fell in love with on "American Idol." My favorite "Idol" performances had the rocker wailing complicated melodies and infusing them with a touching vulnerability. (See: "Someone to Watch Over Me" or "Cry Baby.") "Friday I'll Be Over U" keeps Allison's volume at 11, save for a too-brief breakdown around the two-minute mark. In the chorus of the song (which sounds just as '80s-inspired as anything Blake Lewis ever released), Iraheta tells her boy, "You got me/ To forget me/ So Friday I'll be over you." I can't help but think that Allison could be singing that about Max Martin, who seems to have forgotten that Allison Iraheta can saaaaang.
Read more...
By Eric Ditzian
"American Idol" veterans are making the transition from amateur sensations to paid professionals. Champ Kris Allen, runner-up Adam Lambert and fourth-place finisher Allison Iraheta have all signed record deals with 19 Recordings. So, which contestant from the show's eighth season will be the next to ink a recording contract? Which highly ranked singer will get left out in the cold? Let's discuss.
Who's Next?
Those who play it safe probably have their finger on Danny Gokey. With his velvety singing voice and heartstring-tugging backstory, he was among the front-runners all season. Gokes was never in the bottom three until he got booted off the week before the finals. But I'm not convinced about his viability as a commercial recording artist. A recent conversation I had with producer Howard Benson (who has worked with Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry) only solidified my thinking that Danny's going to struggle in his post-"Idol" career. Will he get signed? Sure, on name recognition, if nothing else.
But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the next "Idol" crooner to make it big will be fifth-place finisher Matt Giraud. Read more...
By Eric Ditzian
At first, I was not an Allison Iraheta fan. I might even have been an Allison Iraheta hater. But the 17-year-old "American Idol" contestant won me over with her passionate rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me" during last week's Rat Pack tribute night. And her performance on Tuesday — a soulful cover of Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby" — had me thinking the cranberry-haired rocker was headed to the top three — and perhaps further.
But she was booted off on Wednesday's broadcast, while Danny Gokey and lived to sing — or squeal? — another day. So, where does Iraheta go from here? A look back at former "Idol" contestants who got knocked off in the fourth spot provides both hope and concern for those of us eager to see Iraheta have a long, rocking career. Read more...
By Angelique Smith
If you love rock, you probably loved "American Idol" contestants Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta last night. The pair blew the judges away with their duet. And if you want to learn more about Lambert's "Whole Lotta Love" and Danny Gokey's "Dream On," we've got you covered.
Ciara told us all about her Fantasy Ride, which came out yesterday. After releasing the daring "Love Sex and Magic" with Justin Timberlake, it is obvious that she is not holding back.
Mixtape Daily caught up with Lady Gaga on the set of Wale's new video, where she talked about how Kanye West actually understood the real meaning of "Poker Face" when he unleashed the remix to the song.
After learning the sad news that Dom DeLuise passed away on Monday, MTV Movies Blog picked the actor's top five performances, including Dominick DiNapoli in "Fatso" and Tiger in "An American Tail."
As part of his major comeback, Eminem is launching an iPhone video game to accompany his new album, Relapse.
By Matt Wenzel
Matt Giraud finally had to face his fate last night on "American Idol." Check out our recap of the show, and see how fans of Kris Allen and Adam Lambert reacted to the front-runners' appearance in the bottom three.
Check out our analysis of the trailer for Eminem's rather bloody upcoming "3 A.M." video.
Heidi Montag is done shooting her music video in Mexico, and it's time for Speidi's honeymoon. Will they Tweet throughout that too?
Forget all the hype about Susan Boyle, we'd like to concentrate on Allison Iraheta, the original underdog with the amazing voice.
Aren't 7-Eleven Slurpees delicious? Hmm, are they still delicious when there are Terminator robots stuck to the straws?
No matter how many octaves Adam Lambert can screech, there's only one contestant this season that I call my "American Idol," and, ironically enough, her initials are A.I.: Allison Iraheta!
The newly 17-year-old singer had me from her first crazy interview, in which she acted like she'd stumbled off the set of "Intervention." She solidified that love minutes later with a knock-your-ass-to-the-ground-and-now-your-butt-bone-hurts-but-you-don't-care-cuz-it-was-that-brilliant rendition of Heart's "Alone." Allison was the original Susan Boyle — a girl who, on first impression, you thought was a loon. But then when she opened that bedazzled-braces-clad mouth, you were blown away.
Allison's run on "Idol" has been super impressive so far. She's had more "wow" moments than judges' faves Matt Giraud and Danny Gokey combined. "Alone," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "I Can't Make You Love Me" and, most recently, "Someone To Watch Over Me." With each performance, Allison reveals a new layer of musicality, understanding and maturity.
But here's the frustrating part: Simon Cowell clearly has something against Allison. He's only unabashedly gushed over her twice on the main stage, and those were her two weakest performances. Every time she delivers a song worthy of the "Idol Hall of Fame," Simon dismisses her outfit. Or draws on Paula Abdul's face with a crayon. Or knocks Allison's "lack of a personality."
Read more...
