"Idol" sweetheart Kellie Pickler coming our way

Kellie Pickler is the latest in an ever-growing line of "American Idol" finalists to play Dutchess County, headed to Dutchess Stadium on September 14th.

Part of the inaugural "Hudson Valley Country Fest," the "Idol" Season Five finalist will share a bill with Trace Adkins, Andy Griggs, Cowboy Crush and Sarah Johns at the Fishkill ballpark. (Click here to get all the info on the show)

Kellie has an unbelievable personal story, culminating in this dramatic performance of her hit, "I Wonder," at this Country Music Awards performance from last November.

Stay tuned to "Sean's Space" as I'm working on interviewing Kellie as the show nears.

As for Trace, he gained even more popularity this past winter as the winner of "The Celebrity Apprentice," just falling short of Donald Trump's grand prize.

Still, Trace made even more money for his charity, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, with the release of the "live" version of his hit, "You're Gonna Miss This" following the series finale."

Trace came off as the darling of the show, proving you could both raise a lot of money for charity, but be a nice guy in the process.

"Now it's time to say good-bye to all our company..."

Stopping at the Poughkeepsie Galleria on my way to work today, I saw one of the saddest sights of my life: the bare walls of the Disney Store.
Sure, I'd heard for weeks that the store was closing. I'd even been in there in recent days, trying to snag a bargain here or there. Then I saw that "LAST 2 DAYS" sign, it really hit me. Ouch!

Even til the end, the Cast Member at the register today asked me for my "autograph" as she passed me the credit card slip for my final purchase. That made me happy ... but sad, too.

Anyone who's read "Sean's Space" knows, I'm a huge Disney fan. Hence, I'd often stop by the Disney Store (even if I didn't end up buying anything) as a way of sooting my cravings between what have become annual trips to Walt Disney World.

But now, I'll have to watch more of those free Disney World promotional, vacation-planning DVDs to get my fix.

Bye, bye, Mickey!

Bonne nuit, L'Allemagne!

For those who don't speak German (like myself), there's a little shout-out to our Eastern European readers!

What I also didn't know is that if you click here you can read "Sean's Space" in German ... at least I think it's German. Cool, right?

Apparently, this is how some folk overseas have read my musings about the New Kids On The Block, "American Idol" and "Sex and the City," among others.

The more, the merrier, I say. Empfang!

Have you heard? We're famous!

Yup! There are two Poughkeepsie references in the new "Sex and the City" movie!

I was just as shocked as (seen here from left to right) Samantha Jones, Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbs and Charlotte York Goldenblatt when I heard our dear town mentioned not once, but twice in the new flick!

After my "Ms. Big" saw the movie, she told me I had to look out for a pair of Poughkeepsie mentions. So ... I sat in the theater Sunday afternoon (I swear, I was the only guy in the place, but whatever!) and waited for more than an hour for Charlotte (she's always been my fav on the show) to say those three syllables: Puh-kip-see.

Without giving anything away, Charlotte (seen here as her alter-ego, actress Kristin Davis) mentions our hometown and then a few minutes later, Carrie says it, too!

Again, without giving anything away: The references are absolutely hilarious!

The Poughkeepsie mentions aside, the movie was pretty funny and was just like a 2-hour, 15-minute episode of the show. Though there were a few slow spots and clichéd moments, it was well worth the wait.

If you remember a post from a year ago, I've been a longtime fan of the show's writing (duh, I'm a writer!) so it was a treat to see the girls on the big screen.

Would I recommend the movie? Abso-frickin'-lutely!

(Yeah, I had to clean up that last part.)

Hoping the best for those at KFEST

While you're listening to Wyclef Jean, Sean Kingston and Blake Lewis, among others, at Sunday's KFEST concert at Dutchess Stadium, enjoy and think of "Sean's Space!"

Despite having this pair of tickets, we don't be headed to the show for several reasons.

But if you're headed to the concert, feel free to head back to "Sean's Space" when you get home, leave a comment and tell all of us how it was.

"ENJOY!" Blake Lewis on Friday

For those of you who aren't in the Poughkeepsie Journal's coverage area, here's Friday's story in "ENJOY!" about Blake Lewis' appearance this weekend...

(And a big thanks to Veronica and Lisa for their insight)

'American Idol' sensation Blake Lewis ready for KFEST

By Sean T. McMann
Poughkeepsie Journal

He won over millions of fans on one of TV's biggest shows. Now Blake Lewis is looking to thank them in person.

"I love playing shows. It never gets old for me," said Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of "American Idol." "I'm just excited, and I want to give some love back to the fans."

Lewis, 26, will do that Sunday, when he performs at the annual KFEST concert, hosted by radio station WSPK (104.7 FM) at Dutchess Stadium.

Along with Lewis, KFEST will lure acts such as Wyclef Jean, Sean Kingston and Sum 41, among others, to the Fishkill ballpark.

Known for his beatboxing acumen -in short, that's the ability to produce beats and musical sounds with his voice and mouth -Lewis told the Poughkeepsie Journal earlier this month his KFEST set will essentially consist of a guitar, a keyboard and his vocal loops.

"It's kind of like a one-man-band show," Lewis said. "It'll be me and my loop pedals."

That's the formula that made him a sensation on "Idol," falling just short of the title Jordin Sparks took home.

"I could never have dreamt about 'American Idol,' " Lewis said. "I wasn't even going to try out; my friend dragged me there. It's crazy."

Literally.

At that audition, Lewis covered "Crazy," the song Seal made a hit in 1991, and impressed judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell enough to punch his ticket to Hollywood, becoming a top "Idol" contender.

"I didn't know what I was going to sing (at the audition)," Lewis said. "I didn't want to beatbox for them; they made me beatbox. They were like, 'We want you to,' but I thought, 'This is a vocal audition.' "

Once on "Idol," Lewis' vocal ability separated him from the rest, being voted into the bottom three just once following a week of country music performances.

"While on 'Idol,' he was the only singer - and still is - on the whole entire series, all six-plus years, that made me enjoy the old songs the contestants perform," Veronica Rainone, a Lewis fan from Richmond Hill in Queens, told the Journal. "His beatboxing added to his music, and gave him a great way to entertain people while singing his songs."

Millions of viewers agreed with Rainone, as their votes for Lewis' talent and popularity set up a finale showdown with Sparks. Though the then-17-year-old songstress took the title, Lewis said he had no regrets about his time in the "Idol" spotlight.

"I had fun with that experience, and I think it showed because people voted for me," Lewis said. "It's really surreal and amazing. I'm really happy people tuned in and liked my music. That's all I could ask for."
Experience gained

Being on one of America's top-rated shows taught Lewis many lessons: everything from public perception to the inner workings of a television studio.

"I was on the No. 1 show and learned how America can judge me without even hearing my voice," he said. "That's a hard thing to handle. I don't get wrapped up in those things.

"I didn't care about anything when I got on the show. I had more fun than anyone there. I'm the nerd that asks everyone everything: 'What's your job?' 'What are you doing?' The guys working on the crew were like, 'You're the first person who has ever come up to me and asked me a question.' "

Lewis released his first post-"Idol" CD, "Audio Day Dream," in late 2007, and said he's been flattered by the encouragement he's gotten from fans since "A.D.D." has dropped.

"The support is amazing," he said of his fans. "I support them so much. I keep going because of them."

By using Web sites such as YouTube and MySpace to promote his music, Lewis has helped connect with fans across the globe, building an international following.

Living in Windsor, Ontario, in Canada, Lisa Williams told the Journal Lewis and his music have deeply touched her.

"He really knows how to connect with his fans," she said. "I haven't seen him perform live in person, but just by watching the different videos on YouTube, he makes you feel like you are there. He has that vibe and connection with the audience."

Fans in Fishkill will feel that "vibe and connection" Sunday.

Now in its second decade, KFEST brings some of music's most popular acts to the Hudson Valley. Past performers have ranged from Nick Lachey and Rihanna, to Color Me Badd and Inner Circle.

Controversy marred last year's KFEST, as hip-hop and R&B artist Akon tossed a young fan from the stage, resulting in both criminal charges and a civil suit; neither situation has been resolved to date.

Lewis, though, is looking at KFEST as the next stop on the ride he's been on since garnering that international following on America's top reality show.

"So much has happened in the last year. So much fun has been had," he said. "It's really interesting: A lot of things have changed, but a lot has stayed the same.

"I'm still playing music every day, and I've got the support from a major label to make music that I'm really proud of."

"If it's too loud, you're too old!"

That's a common line my colleague Pete Colaizzo likes to throw around when recalling his younger, concert-going days, but it will be true on August 17th at 7 p.m.

That's when Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls and Metro Station head to the Mid-Hudson Civic Center here in Poughkeepsie.

I actually caught part of Metro Station's set at last week's Z-Village leading up to the Zootopia concert at the Meadowlands. They were more or less background music for me as I was doing other stuff, but let me tell you: they were loud!

Metro Station (featuring Miley Cyrus' brother, Trace, on vocals and guitar) will also be playing at KFEST this Saturday along with, among others, Blake Lewis.

Tickets for the Aug. 17th show are $26 each and they're all general admission. For all the information on the show, including ticket info, click here.