Idol Me Blog

American Idol winner Ruben Studdard has been awarded $2 million in his lawsuit against his ex-manager for mismanaging the singer’s money and credit cards.

Studdard, 26, of Birmingham, won the television talent show in 2003 and filed suit last year against ex-manager Ronald W. Edwards and Edwards’ promotions company, Sez Inc.

On Tuesday, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Scott Vowell awarded Studdard $500,000 for his actual losses, and another $1.5 million in punitive damages, The Birmingham News reported Thursday on its Web site.

The suit claimed Edwards misused more than $246,000 of the singer’s money.

According to the judge’s ruling, Edwards took money from Studdard’s checking and other bank accounts, improperly used his credit cards, and even used Studdard’s money to repay a $10,000 personal bank loan.

Studdard has sold more than 2.2 million records, but the damage to his credit because of the fraud made it hard to even obtain financing to buy a home.

Before winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood was just a normal “country girl gone to town.” She majored in Journalism in college and wants to get her Bio out — That is to say, the bio she wrote herself!

Read on:

“I never thought that any of this would actually happen to me. These kinds of things only happen to imaginary characters on television or in the movies…not real people.

I began my life with the best family in the world already waiting for me. I was the last of three girls, the other two being 9 and 12 by the time I came along. I had a very happy childhood full of the wonderful simple things that children love to do. Growing up in the country, I enjoyed things like playing on dirt roads, climbing trees, catching little woodland creatures and, of course, singing.

I started my musical career at a very early age singing songs in church like “Jesus Loves Me.” As I grew up, Mrs. Cooper’s music class was an easy favorite. I somehow landed all of the lead roles in the third through fifth grade musicals. As I got older, I pushed my mom to take me to local talent shows. I never won, but usually placed. I was so excited when I won a $25 savings bond or a trophy. Little did I know that those little things would someday lead me down the road I’m on today.

In high school, I still sang, but only at things like county fairs, school events, church, and car shows. I focused more on school than anything else and graduated second in my class in May of 2001. After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the “real world.”

College at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, was a wonderful time for me. I was extremely shy my freshman year, but joined Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, and my sorority sisters managed to bring me out of my shell. They always tried to make me sing at everything, but I was too embarrassed. During the summers I mustered up enough courage to sing at the Downtown Country show—a Branson-style show that included singing, dancing and comedy. It was mainly there that I learned what it was like to be in front of a crowd.

I ended up majoring in journalism, which is the reason I decided to write my own bio. I wanted to have a career in broadcast journalism. I hoped to get a behind-the-scenes job in Tulsa, OK, at one of the local television news shows.

In my last year of college, I was at home one weekend and saw on the news that many people were in Cleveland, OH, sleeping outside in hopes of auditioning for the 2005 American Idol season. People always told me that I should try out for the show, but I never thought I would be able to handle it. I decided to see where else the auditions would be held and found out that the closest place to my home was in St. Louis—hours away. After visiting with a family friend, my mother offered to drive me if I wanted to try out. And the rest is history…

Millions of people all over the U.S. saw me do my best and my worst week to week on the show. It was very stressful, but somehow I managed to keep my sanity through it all. I had never really been away from home before (college was only an hour away), so the L.A. lifestyle was new and usually confusing to me. I learned so much on the show—about myself and about the music/television business.

After I won the title of American Idol 2005, a whirlwind soon followed. I was swept away to talk shows, photo shoots and, of course, recording my very first album. Which brings me to Some Hearts. This album means so much to me. I grew up listening to country music and still hold it very dear to my heart. I have known all of my life that being a country music singer would be the most wonderful thing that I could ever do. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity, and I want more than anything for my family, friends and fans to be proud of me and of the music that I make.

In looking for songs for the album, Simon Fuller, head of 19[Carrie’s Record Label], suggested I have a meeting with some of the top songwriters in Nashville, TN. The idea of a meeting quickly turned into a weekend at Karian Studios as a writers’ retreat. I got the chance to meet with and, in some cases, help out the writers who would be working on my album. The weekend turned out to be most helpful. The writers got to know me, and a few songs that are on the album came out of that weekend.

The first single, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” was probably the first song I heard that really struck a chord with me. The song tells such a great story. And fortunately, everyone around me felt the same way about the song that I did, so recording it and making it my first single was really a no-brainer.

During our search for songs, another came across my plate that I simply enjoyed listening to. The name of it is “Some Hearts.” I thought it sounded interesting and would be fun to perform. I also liked the title of the song as an album title.

The next song that I felt a connection with was called “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.” The first time that I heard it, I cried because I was feeling homesick. I got the lyrics and managed to lose them in a stack of papers that I was sending home. My mother got the package and read through the lyrics. She called me and said that the song made her cry, too, and she only read the words. She said that is was “our song.” In that moment, I knew that no matter how hard it would be to get through, I had to record it.

During the writers’ retreat, I found a songwriter that I felt a connection with. Her name is Hillary Lindsey. She was one of the writers of “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” I knew that if any of her songs were as great as that one, I wanted to hear some more. That’s where the songs “Wasted” and “Starts with Goodbye” came in. And, as I suspected, they were just as wonderful as the first.

Writing songs is always something that I have been interested in. But I really didn’t feel like my writing chops were good enough yet to write the songs for my first album. I did, however, try my best to help. I wanted to help write a song that was strictly for my friends and family in my hometown of Checotah, OK. Obviously, the name of that one ended up being “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore.” It’s basically an account of the things that have been happening to me over the past few months.

I also feel like I should have a disclaimer on one of the songs. You may already know that I’m talking about “Before He Cheats.” This song was so different than the others. I decided to sing it because I think that everyone has a “mean streak,” and the character in the song has a very large one. I would like to say, however, that I do not condone the destruction of anyone’s property and I have never, at any time, keyed anyone’s car.

During the making of this album I learned a lot about myself. I love being in the studio, and every day I was there, I put my heart and my soul into the songs that I sang. I hope you enjoy my first album because I sure enjoyed making it!

So, in conclusion, I guess things like this do happen to normal people. I don’t know how or why I am this lucky, but I hope I continue to be for many years to come…and I hope I never forget where I came from!”

So far, Carrie Underwood’s first album, Some Hearts, has sold over 3 million copies to date.

These days, Kelly Clarkson is a very busy lady. With her new record due out in 2007, and her “Addicted” tour about to kick off for the summer, it’s hard to imagine that she’d have the time or energy to do anything else.

But leave it to the pop princess to surprise us again. She’s joined forces with Glaceau’s Vitaminwater to promote her favorite flavor (”Focus, the pink one.”), and to encourage young people to make healthier choices. Clarkson has repeatedly been criticized by the media for her weight. She says she doesn’t feel the need to conform to the standard that stars need to fit into a size 2 to be famous. She says, “I am who I am. I’m not going to change just because some people think I should. I’m happy how I am.” I say, GO, GIRL!!!

Clarkson is also actively involved with the company’s “Vitaminschool” program, where high school students prepare healthy meals for a chance to win a $100,000 scholarship. Clarkson is one of four judges who will help choose the winner in New York on June 8.

With her success, she says, she feels she wants to also focus on work that helps others. “I’ve done well enough to where I’m fine for the rest of my life,” Clarkson says, “So my whole goal now is I just want to be part of things that are positive and make a difference.”

Besides Vitaminwater, Clarkson works with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She’ll donate a portion of her “Addicted” ticket sales to Komen’s Race for the Cure initiative.

With all the greed in Hollywood these days, it’s nice to see something positive come out of a superstar. More power to you, Kelly!

She’s got a CD that’s about to turn six-times platinum, a summer-long tour, and a new marketing deal, but there’s one thing Kelly Clarkson doesn’t have - a love life.

When asked if she’s been dating anyone in particular (or at all!) Clarkson says, “No. I give up! (Laughing) Is that bad? Saying ‘I give up?’ No, really, I give up. Yeah, it’s just too hard. Like, literally, it sounds so cliché to say, ‘I’m too busy.’ But I really am…I’m 24. I’m young. So, I’ve got plenty of time.”

The first American Idol winner is definitely keeping her schedule booked with plenty of other things. Her “Addicted” tour starts June 30 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Clarkson just returned to the states after a sold-out UK tour and she says her upcoming U.S. gigs are bigger than anything she’s done before.

“I’ve never done this big of a tour,” she says, “I’m still keeping it very musical. There’s a lot of musical aspects. And that’s basically it. It’s going to be completely different from anything I’ve done, so I’m really excited.”

As if touring doesn’t keep her busy enough, Clarkson also finds time to go into the studio to record her next CD. Although Breakaway, her last album, has had four #1 singles on it, Kelly says she is not cracking under the pressure to produce a successful follow-up. She says that her newest CD will have a lot of Pop-Rock influence, but also some Bluesy undertones. She says she’s , “Taking ten steps away” from Breakaway.

As far as I can tell, Kelly Clarkson is doing just fine without American Idol. Don’t get me wrong, I think it showed Americans just who she is and how spectacular her voice is. But as far as longevity goes, Clarkson has more than proven that she has enough star power to soar without having the Idol ball and chain around her ankle.

This just in: Chris Daughtry says “No” to Fuel.

The American Idol top four finalist has turned down an offer from the multi-platinum rock band to become its lead singer. Fuel offered Daughtry the position last month after he was voted off American Idol. Had he acceped the gig, he would have replaced former frontman Brett Scallions, who resigned from the group last February. Daughtry’s performance of the band’s song “Hemmorage” on Idol resulted in record high sales of the single.

“I’m going to be doing my own thing,” Daughtry told the Charlotte Observer. Daughtry was back in his home state of North Carolina over the weekend, doing a string of interviews. He also performed live with his band, Absent Element. They performed for a crowd of 6,500+.

While Daughtry has not said exactly what his “own thing” will entail, he told the Observer that he met with entertainment execs last week and expects to announce his career plans in a few months, most likely after he wraps up the Idols Live tour.

For now, the rocker said he plans to continue living in North Carolina, along with his wife and two stepchildren.

On July 5th, Daughtry will rejoin the other Idol contestants in kicking off their Idols Live tour.

Well, well, what do you know!! Remember “Love Song” week with guest vocalist Andrea Bocelli? Apparently Mr. Bocelli was so smitten with Kat McKitten’s voice that he asked her to do a mini-tour with him before she leaves for the Idol Live tour.

The concerts will all be held in California. The first of the three concerts will be in Sacramento on June 9th. The second will be in San Jose on June 10th. The third and last concert is the “Hollywood Bowl” concert, on June 11th. The last concert in Hollywood is already sold out.

I can’t say that Bocelli’s request to sing with Katharine is a total surprise. I remember during a clip of Katharine’s rehearsal during “Love Song” week that Bocelli and McPhee broke out in song together… and sounded amazing! Andrea was full of nothing but praise for Katharine’s vocal talents.

This could prove to be a big opportunity for McPhee. With an amazing falsetto, Katharine has the vocal talent of a seasoned opera/Broadway star. No doubt with backing from Andrea Bocelli, Katharine can go many places. I think these concerts with the opera superstar may be just what the doctor ordered to get her career in first gear!

It may also prove a smart move on McPhee’s part to distance herself from American Idol, Taylor Hicks, and the omnipotent Soul Patrol. She has the potential to be a true star, and I, for one, can’t wait to see how her career progresses!

Taylor Hicks has taken the next step in his American Idol career, signing the $1 million record contract that comes with winning the hit show.

The blue-eyed, grey-haired soul man signed the contract on Wednesday with music mogul Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by American Idol creator Simon Fuller.

The 29-year-old Alabama native’s recording of two songs - “Do I Make You Proud,” his first released single, and a cover version of the Doobie Brothers classic song “Takin’ It to the Streets” - will be released in stores and through digital outlets on June 13.

With Clive Davis pushing from behind, Hicks is expected to release his full-length album later this year after the Idols Live tour wraps up.

Newly-crowned Idol Taylor Hicks said in a recent interview that he wants to “make music real again.” He also said that he’s a big fan of John Legend, and that he’s also a fan of Rap/Hip-Hop.

Hicks, a blue-eyed, slightly pudgy singer/songwriter from Alabama evidently got the notion somewhere along the way that he’s Ray Charles reincarnated. He plays his harmonica enthusiastically, sings from his heart, and is now well known for his spastic “dancing.” Hey, the majority America has fallen in love with Taylor. No matter that he may not have the vocal range of the second-place Katharine McPhee. No matter that he may not be as talented a dancer as Usher. America loves Taylor the way he is (said Simon Cowell: “You’re like a drunk dad singing at a birthday party!”). Taylor reminds us of someone we all know: a brother, uncle, dad that drinks a little too much and sings karaoke. We feel like we know him! That’s his pull on Americans.

But I have a question for you Mr. Hicks… How exactly do you plan to make music “real again”? Listening to Rap/Hip-Hop, we’re pretty sure that 50 Cent rapping about being shot 9 times is pretty real, as is Eminem when he raps about finding his wife Kim cheating on him with another man. How much more real can music get? I dare say, if music gets any more “real,” I may not have the stomach to listen in…

Well, well, well… it seems that America’s Sweetheart has a less than perfect past. No, I’m not saying that we all don’t have some things in our own pasts that we wish we hadn’t done, only that we should be glad that (for the most part) our private lives stay that way - private.

The folks who try out for American Idol know that their pasts will be under a lot of scrutiny, and this year’s winner, Taylor Hicks, is no different.

It has been reported that Hicks had prior drug charges against him. Long story short: Hicks was a 21-year-old college student when he was pulled over on I-85 near Tuskegee, Alabama in July of 1998 and arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia (a “pot pipe” in Hicks’ own words). But two years later a judge dismissed the charges after the arresting officer failed to show up in court.

Said the arresting officer, Trooper Jason Black, “I showed up several times for the case, but the one time I didn’t show up it was dismissed.” So does this mean that the times that the Trooper did show up for the court date, Taylor Hicks did not? Surely not, as this lady has researched Alabama law and has learned that, if a defendant does not attend a court-appointed appearance, a bench warrant is promptly issued for the defendant’s arrest.

So how did this occur? Macon County assistant D.A. Kalia Lane said of the matter that sometimes, “things slip through the cracks.”

So, Soul Patrol, be glad that Taylor Hicks “slipped through the cracks” and that the charges were dismissed in 2000. Otherwise, America’s new Idol may have gone the way of past Idol-hopefuls Corey Clark (awaiting trial for abusing his sister) and the Brittenum twins (arrested for prior forgery charges).

Now that Taylor Hicks has been officially crowned the very first adult contemporary “American Idol,” it’s time for the folks behind the show to actually make good on their promise to turn someone who has been a TV star for the past five months into a legitimate recording artist.

The first step, as every veteran American Idol viewer knows, is the coronation song, the show-assigned single rushed into stores with gusto in order to announce the winner’s arrival. (The runner-up’s single usually arrives around a week or so later.)

Unlike last season, when the vocal styles of country gal Carrie Underwood and Southern rocker Bo Bice overlapped enough that “Inside Your Heaven” worked well for both of them, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee required their own unique songs, as their vocal ranges and abilities were miles apart. So who, if either, will stand the test of time?

On my local radio station, Hicks’ “Do I Make You Proud?” is being played so frequently that I have resorted to re-opening my CD collection. Not that I don’t like the song; I did… the first 15 times I heard it. Now it’s starting to get a tad grating. No doubt when McPhee’s single, “My Destiny,” is released, the local stations will over-play it as well. A played-out artist is not someone’s CD I’d go out and buy. I hope there are plenty of “KatPackers” and “Soul Patrollers” to pick up the slack in CD sales that this over-playing is undoubtedly going to cause.