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"American Idol" has found a new way to reach hearts and stomachs. The "Idols" have teamed up with Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream to give America a chance to vote for more than just singers.
Currently, five flavors of slow-churned ice cream are stocked in the frozen aisle of the grocery story. These flavors have been inspired by the show and have names such as Choc 'N Roll Caramel, Triple Talent and Take the Cake. While they are all for sale now, come August only the top-voted ice cream will be available. If you'd like to vote, go to the Web site vote-edys.slowchurned.com.
When you're voting for your ice cream, you also have the chance to be entered in a drawing to have "American Idol" finalist Ace Young perform in your living room. The tour will come to 10 U.S. cities and the winner will get his or her fill of all of the flavors.
While the flavors still need some time before they are in the same ranks as rocky road or chocolate chip cookie dough, Young has certainly made a name for himself.
Young came in seventh place when he appeared on the fifth season of the show and immediately loved the idea of going on tour with "Idol" and Dreyer's when he was approached by them with the idea.
"It's the best ice cream in the U.S., and I get to hang out with the fans that I have met throughout the summer," Young said. "San Diego even gets a little extra. My entire band from Los Angeles is coming and we are going to do a live show."
Young and his band are scheduled to play a free concert on Thursday at noon on the Nooners stage in Aztec Center. There will be free ice cream along with photo and autograph opportunities with Young.
Listeners should expect some high-pitched vocals. Even though Young said his music is mostly R&B, his "American Idol" performances included a bit of pop. He received a great response from a cover of "Butterflies" that he sang during the "American Idol" contest.
He chose to sing the Michael Jackson song in falsetto, which was a risk that paid off. Young said singing that song, as well as the others he performed during the show, were all incredibly stressful.
"You have to do it as good as Michael Jackson," he said. "You go on stage in front of three judges. Then everyone talks about it for a whole week and you get to recover and grow from it. It's the most stressful thing you could go through."
Young may have been sweating bullets then, but he's now enjoying the success the show brought him. He said less than a year ago he was working a normal 9-to-5 job like many other people. Though he had opened for and worked with Brian McKnight before "American Idol," it was the show that really launched his stardom, and he appreciates his time on the road.
"In the beginning (touring) was a shock, but it is what I signed up for," Young said. "You don't realize how much you actually work. You don't have a lot of time off and have a lot of stuff to do. But you fall in love with it and I get to eat ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream?"
-Ace Young is scheduled to perform at noon on Thursday in Aztec Center. The concert is free and so are the Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream samples. For more information, visit http://vote-edys.slowchurned.com.
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