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.

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is featured on the cover of People magazine, out on stands now. All you single ladies in heat, listen up:

~The first thing Taylor notices about a woman is… “her eyes.”
~His favorite love song is… ” ‘I’m in Love’ by Wilson Pickett. Also ‘Giving You the Best That I Got’ by Anita Baker.”
~He’d marry a woman if I could find one who… “can be entertaining. So I don’t always have to be the one to entertain all the time.”

Even his high-school girlfriend, Brooke Campbell, (whom he dated for over a year) has nothing bad to say about Taylor, and said she only has fond memories of her old flame. Said Campbell, “My mom thought he hung the moon! He was one of those guys that, if he was coming to pick me up to go somewhere and I wasn’t quite ready, he would sit down in the den with my parents and just talk and talk and talk. I would come in and say, ‘OK, it’s time to go. C’mon, Taylor, let’s go.’”

She also remembers all the times they spend hanging out in a friend’s basement, “Taylor would be playing music, and that is just where we would go,” she says. “Taylor was right in the middle of it. We all went over there because there was going to be entertainment, and Taylor happened to be the entertainment.”

I guess some things never change!!! Only difference now? All of America, and most of the world, now knows and loves Taylor Hicks… and he’s livin’ it up and lovin’ every minute of it!!!

If you’ve been on your computer lately, you might have noticed that there are plenty of websites that have made cartoon mini-movies about Taylor Hicks. Some are Pro-Taylor, some are Not-So-Pro-Taylor, and some are just strange…

NOTICE: If you have no sense of humor, or tend to get homicidal if someone jokes around, please DO NOT click on the link below. On the other hand, if you like a good joke and have a good sense on humor, click away and Enjoy!!!

http://www.heavy.com/heavy.php?videoPath=/content/fakebtmts/flash_video/btmts06_idol_taylor&partner=aff31

How funny is this? Man, they sure got Randy down pat!

Ever since word got out that Steven Spielberg has expressed interest in meeting with Katharine McPhee, runner-up on American Idol, speculation has ensued as to what exactly he wants her to be a part of.

Rumors are flying wild that Katharine is in talks to star in the movie version of Wonder Woman, a result of a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Even Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman, said in an interview with Access Hollywood that Katharine reminded her of herself when she was younger, and that she had been told that by many others.

So, what of the rumors? When asked about the Wonder Woman gig, Katharine only giggled and said that she’d “need a personal trainer to get in shape” because she hasn’t “worked out in three months.” I think she would be marvelous. Katharine’s had prior acting experience, including a mini-part in a soap opera and gaining an L.A. Ovation Award nomination for her part in the play Annie, Get Your Gun.

So, looking at the photos below… What do you think? Could Katharine ever fill this red suit and tiara?

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!

It appears that Randy Jackson will be with American Idol for a few more years. Fox Entertainment president Peter Liguori tells Variety that Jackson’s skills “as a musician, A&R executive, and referee make him invaluable to the show.”

The arm-pumping, “dawg”-dispensing American Idol judge has extended his contract with the smash hit show, according to Variety, ensuring that all three judges–along with host Ryan Seacrest–will remain on the series for at least three more seasons.

Jackson was the final one to re-sign with the show: Paula Abdul, despite speculation over her increasingly confusing appearances, signed a similar three-year extension last month, while brutal Simon Cowell locked in a five-season deal at the end of last year. Jackson is notorious for keeping the peace between Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on the Fox hit reality show.

No word on how much Jackson or his judging cohorts pocketed in their new deals, but their already-huge seven-figure checks likely grew a lot thicker.

Jackson’s claim to fame was his stint as the bass player for the band Journey in the ’80’s. Jackson helped produce music for some big-name stars, including Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Madonna before he became a judge for Idol. He’s also been married to his wife, Erika Riker, since 1995.

Coming in second-place on American Idol evidently has its rewards, too. Katharine McPhee, who lost out to Taylor Hicks in the Fox show’s finale two weeks ago, has signed a record deal with Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by Idol creator Simon Fuller, it was announced today.

22 year-old McPhee, a native of California, will release the recording of two songs - “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “My Destiny” - in stores and through digital outlets on June 27.

After the Idol finale, McPhee told The Associated Press she hadn’t expected to win and didn’t have any regrets.

“It would really just be silly to feel bad for me at this point. I got a record deal, and a new car,” she told the AP.

She also said she hopes eventually to do movies as well as musical theater. This desire to do movies may soon be realized, as McPhee has received news that movie director, mogul Steven Spielberg, wants to meet with her later on in the week. She received the news immediately after the American Idol Finale.

As told to Extra, McPhee had this to say about the upcoming meeting with Spielberg: ” That [the meeting with Spielberg], for me I think, was the thing that really made this last week calming for me. I just was like, ‘Wow, Steven Spielberg would like to have a meeting with me.’ That’s incredible! I think that was the moment where I turned to a couple of my close friends, who have been through this competition, and I was like, ‘I don’t know if winning is the best thing for me.’”

Whether it be via radio or movie screen, McPhans can rest assured that this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing from Katharine McPhee.

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.