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Idol Chartwatch, June 20, 2003by Bruce Barker -- 06/20/2003
View Printable version of this article This is it! It's the week that the fans of both seasons of American Idol have been waiting for. There is a lot to report, so let's not waste any further time on the preliminaries! Ruben Studdard: It's been a big week for Ruben! His debut single jumped into the hot 100 singles at Billboard magazine at #2 selling a reported 286 thousand copies in its first full week of release. "Superstar," which is actually the "B" side of the single, also jumped from #61 all the way to #2 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues/Rap singles chart. Its position on this particular chart this week was because of advance airplay of the song and I'll talk about that more in a moment. On the horizon for Ruben is the American Idol 2 concert tour and, in a new development, his film debut! Ruben has a cameo appearance at the end of the sequel to last year's Scooby Doo movie. The video for "Flying Without Wings" is also about to start appearing. Clay Aiken: Ruben Studdard may have made a debut that any artist would dream of, but Clay Aiken has had himself a bit of good fortune himself. For the first time in almost five years a single has debuted in the #1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. With a colossal first week Soundscan total of almost 393 thousand copies sold, Clay bested his friendly rival and "This is the Night" became the most sought-after single of the year. On the horizon in the Clay nation is the American Idol 2 concert tour and preparation for round 2 of the chart assault with the recording of both his and Ruben's debut albums. Before we go any further though, all is not sunshine for Ruben and Clay. As I have mentioned several times in the past, many radio stations have shown reluctance to play songs by Idol winners unless the listening audience applies pressure. I have heard from people in the Clay Nation and from Ruben fans as well that they have met some strong resistance when they have requested to hear the song(s) on the radio. In several cases, callers are told bluntly that their local radio station will not play either song. When reasons are given at all, they are usually either derogatory to American Idol in general or, in some cases, toward Ruben and or Clay. This Idol Backlash can be easily defeated, however. Radio stations, like any other entertainment medium, must ultimately answer to their audience. A number of the program directors that initially decided against playing the songs changed their minds very quickly when the sales figures and chart positions of the two singles became available on Tuesday. If fans of the two singers call their local stations enough to request the song, those places that are still reluctant to give the songs airplay will have no choice but to give the people what they want. Also, it has become very clear that the selling power of these two men has been grossly underestimated. Within 48 hours of the official release of the two CD singles, Walmart and Target were both reporting that the majority of their outlets were completely sold out of both "Flying Without Wings" and "This is the Night." Bins were also completely empty at most Tower Records outlets. Not only does this mean that each of the singles could have conceivably posted much higher first week sales, it also means that sales should be strong for several weeks to come shelves are restocked and those who missed out are finally able to purchase their copies. Kelly Clarkson: This week Kelly's latest single, "Miss Independent," inched up one more slot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, moving up to #16. The video for the song slips one notch this week on MTV's TRL top 10, landing at #3. Her debut album, Thankful also slips a bit this week and falls out of the top 10, landing at #13. Before fans get too alarmed though, this represented a very small drop in week to week sales and was largely caused by the appearance of no less than 6 new albums that all debuted in the top 10. The album still sold over 80 thousand copies last week. On the horizon for Kelly is the national rollout of the film From Justin to Kelly that will premiere at 2003 theaters in North America. At a very lean 81 minutes length, many theaters are able to squeeze an additional screening onto the schedule each day, which could help the revenue for the movie. Check here next week for a full box office report. It is also expected that Thankful will be reaching multiple platinum sales status, achieving the 2 million copies sold plateau on or about the 4th of July weekend. Justin Guarini: This is also a big week for American Idol season 1's runner-up. His self-titled debut album made a healthy debut on the Billboard album chart at #20. Actual sales figures for the album are not yet available, but it appears that close to 57 thousand copies leaving the shelves of America's music departments. On the horizon for the curly-haired Idol is the official release of not just one, but two singles. Both "Unchained Melody" and "Sorry" will be released. The former will be going out to Adult Contemporary and Easy Listening stations, and the latter will be sent to R&B/Soul radio stations, as well as the Top 40 format stations. Also of course, is Justin's film From Justin to Kelly. I've also heard some rumors of a small tour toward the end of the summer. Keep checking here at RealityNewsOnline for more details as they become available. As Idol fever once again sweeps the nation, the charity single, "Proud to Be an American" has crept back on to the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at #94 and the American Idol Season 2 All-Time Classic American Love Songs CD bounced up two slots to #24 on the Billboard Album chart in its 7th week of release, selling an estimated 49 thousand copies. The album has already gone gold ($1 million in sales) and will likely reach the plateau of platinum (1 million copies sold) sales within the next couple of weeks. Instead of battling the crowds in the stores only to find your favorite Idol's newest release is already sold out, why not stay at home and have the hottest releases brought to you directly? You can buy any and all of the music of the American Idol alumni right here!  Clay's Single: "This Is The Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water"  Ruben's Single: "Flying Without Wings/Superstar"  Justin's Album  Kelly's Album, Thankful  Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs Mr. Barker is co-owner of Movie Boss (www.movieboss.com), a free online movie game, and author of "Zippers," a humor column that looks at mistakes in movies. He can be reached at BBarker@movieboss.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Fame, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot! View Printable version of this article
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