"American Idol" Fatigue: Jordin Sparks Album Barely Cracks Top 10, Oprah's "Favorite Thing" Is #1

MTV:

According to the latest SoundScan tally, sales of Noël spiked by 81 percent to 405,000, following the Grammy-nominated baritone's appearance last week on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." While Oprah may have given Groban the push he needed to reach the top, the album's ascent to #1 has been gradual but steady. The disc debuted at #10 the week after its release, scanning 64,000 copies. Ever since, Noël has been inching its way forward, not once falling out of the chart's top 10; last week, the disc assumed control of the #2 slot with 233,300 copies sold -- the highest single-week sales the LP had achieved before this week's total. The album is also the first Christmas album to top the albums chart since Kenny G's 1994 effort Miracles: The Holiday Album.

But Groban's latest triumph isn't this week's only Billboard-related bit of news. In fact, perhaps more interesting are the sales generated by Jordin Sparks' self-titled debut. Sparks -- the winner of the sixth and most recent season of "American Idol," and who many thought was the most marketable of the show's winners -- probably won't be thrilled when she learns her album has turned out the lowest first-week numbers of a debut issued by any of the show's previous winners. Jordin Sparks enters next week's chart at #10 (the sole new release to crack the top 10) with little more than 119,100 sold.

Read the whole story: MTV

Comments

[sparkandy]

There's a new Oprah story every other day on HuffPo. Is she paying for the publicity? Do the editors think HuffPo readers are Oprah bots? If HuffPo has to obsess over a celebrity can't it at least be someone interesting, like, like, well, ANYONE but a rich out of touch phony?

[liberalrebuttal]

Wow!

I didn't think a story about Oprah would bring out all the little Ron Paul White Nationalists supporters on Huffingon Post. You people are pathetic.

GO OPRAH!

If you can do that for one mans song, imagine what you will do when you campaign for Barack Obama next week.

[situationcritical]

Wow. Amazing! 7 Weeks old? 800,000 copies. What with the turtles pace of the recording industry these days?

Someone told me the biggest fib about the recording industry I've ever heard.

They tried to convince me that there was a recording released in 1982 that had a few good sales, but then slowly creeped up the charts over the course of, get this, an entire year!

They said after being on the charts a year, singles from that album sold millions of copies, each over the course of several months. Yes, you heard me right, several months!

And they also tried to convince me that 7 or so of those singles went to the top 10, and several of those went to number one, and the artist who recorded that record won 7 Grammy Awards and 8 American Music Awards in the same year!

Now this...thi­s is the clencher - they told me that album, after three years on the charts became the best-selling album of all time, and has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.

What a lie!

Thanks for reading,

M.J. Jackson
(obscure musician)

[Charity]

the article says: "...and who many thought (Sparks) was the most marketable of the show's winners."

what? who are the "many"?

the most marketable is CURRENTLY the most marketable and that, folks, is carrie underwood, by far the best singer to emerge from that show.

she is fastly replacing the likes of faith hill and shania twain (a favorite of mine in country/pop) and will be around for a long time - outlasting everyone up to this point - marketable­/sellable-­wise - than possibly clay aiken.

i echo a somewhat stunned simon who told her during the early elimination rounds that he was surprised that country music had not signed her long before she made her way to american idol.

say what you may about country/pop music, it has a huge following and carrie is sitting right on top.

jordin who?

================

[MENTAL]

.
You got to love those MINDLESS SHEEP that pay any attention to Aunt Jamima.
.

[drblack]

Oprah is one of thge most lucky people in history. She has no talent and yet makes tons of cash.
She was simply in the right place at the right time.
ANYONE could do oprahs job.
If she recommends it I know it is probably bad.
I mean "The Secret"? come on . Dr Phil? yelling , denigrating and self-righteousness doesn't improve anyones mental health.
Oprah is a scam.

[Changeling]

It's not AI fatigue. The ratings are pretty clear on that.

It's the mindless, silly, nothing pablam that the producers force the winners to do. Any sucess an AI artist has had has pretty much come AFTER they've gotten out of their AI contracts. Or not been annointed winner in the first place. (Daughtry, Aiken, etc.)

And I think joke sites like those "vote for the worst" sites take a toll. They tip the scales, especially early on. It ends up that a LOT of the "winners" of Idol have no talent. Clarkson did, Underwood did. Ruben Studdard's songs all sound like the exact same song over and over. Fantasia has a mediocre voice and a bad attitude. Taylor Hicks is just as middle of the road. A Michael Mcdonald wannabe.

I haven't heard Sparks' yet, so I can't judge, but Idol and those that vote gives artists exposure. It's the general public though (not the callers) that ultimately decide. It's clear that those with real talent succeed. Those that don't have it, don't.

[crashingtiger]

For every singer that's appeared on American Idol and sold their soul to the big music labels and recorded mediocre music, there's a hundred others who'll never appear on that insipid show (or Oprah). Why? Because they're not stupid and they actually love music and aren't in it for fame or money.

[MissingAmerica]

Could it be that this is there because of the artist? I got this CD because of Josh Groban, and the fact that he has an amazing voice. It is absolutely beautiful, and his Ave Maria is not to be believed! I was a fan, then went to a concert, and that cinched the deal. He is a remarkable talent, a humanitarian and he's humble; all this, and he's only 27! My endorsement; if you don't own Noel, buy it NOW! Greatest Christmas music ever. I expect to see a post here that says, "MissingAmerica plugs CD, and it holds at #1!!!

[Bulbul]

Actually it is the correct venue for Oprah, for a change she gave exposure to a very deserving vocalist. At presant no one equals to Josh Groban for his smooth velvetty voice and the range he goes through effortlessly !
With his talant he would have been number one without Oprah ! I have the CD as soon at it was released.

[kellygrrrl]

so can we expect to see Simon Cowell on Oprah's couch telling us what a supreme genius he is?

or perhaps a meltdown from that whacky Paula to get us back in the Idol mode.

if the writer's strike continues, Idol might be the best thing on TV this spring.

[lauram]

are we done now?