5/27: More on Josiah Leming, David Cook

Welcome back from Memorial Day Weekend. I’m more or less off this week, out of town, but throwing in a few tidbits when I can. I’m also going to miss Jordin Sparks opening for Alicia Keys tomorrow at Philips Arena. Bummer.

-Josiah Leming talks about his Warner Brothers record deal with mtv.com.

“I signed my deal with Warner Bros. about a month and a half ago, and I’m glad to finally announce it. The songs are written, the arrangements are done, and right now it’s time to work with the producers,” he said. “I’m so excited. I’m just beaming inside right now. Since I signed the deal, it’s been a lot of wait, wait, wait. Now it’s finally come. I’m in this awesome studio, working on songs. … It’s amazing. This is everything I ever wanted.”

Then he goes all “indie” and critiques the show as “glorified karaoke” because it doesn’t allow original tunes by the singers. That’s true. And since he got this record deal from the exposure, he has zero complaints:

*”As everyone clearly saw, I poured my heart and soul into the process and into the competition. But looking back now, things could not have gone any better. Things happened perfect,” Leming said. “I got the exposure. … People liked me, which was amazing, and I love my fans more than anything. I’m happy I didn’t make it.”

More about him and his ill mom in this USA Today story.

Already a soulful songwriter, Leming says his mother’s condition has further sharpened his senses. “Her being close to death brings me closer to death,” he says. “It makes every single moment, every word and melody, count as if it were the first and last ever.”

-And here is David Cook on “Ellen,” on his whirlwind trip through TV talk shows, courtesy of MJ’s Big Blog:

And Linny, yes, Cook’s coronation song is No. 1 right now on iTunes, not a surprise. He also has two other songs in the top 10, including the song he sang on Tuesday.

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