American Idol Season 8Top 5 Results

Bottom 3:
Matt Giraud
Kris Allen
Adam Lambert

Kris is safe!

Eliminated: Matt Giraud

We're down to the Top 5, and aside from Alexis Grace being the first finalist eliminated, we've had no shocks. So it's time to get America scared. And how do the producers do that? By making everyone think that Adam is actually in jeopardy of leaving. C'mon, ratings are down. Do you really think the producers are going to let their lightning in a bottle escape before the finale? No way! But they want to make sure you're not too bored to tune in for the next three weeks, thinking you already know who has won.

Ryan Seacrest tells us there were 47 million votes this week, the most they've had all season. He introduces the Ford commercial which features the Ford Fusion and is set to "Energy" by The Apples in Stereo. In actuality, the video has the least energy of any all season. It really looked like a commercial -- any commercial. Boring!

Watch video of Ford commercial set to "Energy"

Next was the Group Number. It was a medley of "It Don't Mean a Thing" (or, as Ryan called it, "I Don't Mean a Thing," which, perhaps, was what Matt was singing) and "I Got Rhythm." There wasn't much in the way of choreography, but the Top 5 sounded pretty good together.

Watch video of the Group Number, "It Don't Mean a Thing/I Got Rhythm"

Yet more video filler, which will push the show over by 6 minutes. It features the Top 5 making cakes for Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta, who both celebrated their birthdays during the past week. Their gift from the producers voters this week will be that they are declared safe and not in the Bottom 3. Of course, a food fight erupts in the mansion, no doubt encouraged by the film crew. (Is it just us? We hate it when reality shows feature destruction in the mansions they rent. Why is frat house behavior considered acceptable behavior?) Ryan asks who started the food fight and all hands point toward Danny. Ryan hands Danny an envelope which, he says, contains "a gift for you, from all of us here." It is a $6,000 bill from the company that cleaned up the mansion after the food fight. Danny asks Ryan, "You mean 'American Idol' doesn't pay for this?" Ryan says, "Maybe we'll take care of it ... if you win." Is this a clue of what's to come?

Watch video of Idol mansion food fight

Speaking about Tuesday night's show, Simon Cowell says that when he watched it back he decided everybody was good and that it was the best show yet. Later, when the Bottom 3 is revealed, he will be chided by Ryan on how wrong his critiques were on Matt and Adam -- he loved both, whereas Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi had some issues with their performances.

It's time to get down to the results. We're playing the Top 7 game, but with five contestants. Ryan asks Matt to step to stage left, then Danny to stage right. Allison goes right, Kris left. Ryan asks Adam to pick which group he thinks he belongs in. Adam says, "I love everybody. Why'd you do that to me?" then "Based on last night?" Ryan says, "Sure." Adam turns right, and pointing to Allison and Danny, says, "Probably that group." Ryan sends Adam over to them, then joins him and says, "Adam, Allison and Danny, not your Bottom 3." Taking Adam by the arm, Ryan leads him over to Matt and Kris and says, "This is your Bottom 3." Shock! Dismay! Producers' fix! Actually, for our money, we think Matt, Kris and Adam deserved to be the Bottom 3. Allison and Danny look stunned as they are declared safe.Ryan asks the judges for their reactions. Paula says it's crazy, but someone has to go. Simon says it's not crazy, America has decided who they like and let's not take anything away from Allison and Danny, Randy says no matter what happens all five are unbelievably talented. Ryan says, "Kara, when I said that Adam was in the Bottom 3, I saw your jaw drop," something Kara says she always does when Adam performs. Uh-huh. Kara: "Yeah, my mouth went open again. That's what happens with Adam." Randy "coughs." Kara: "Yeah, I know. (laughs) You know what I mean, Randy." Yeah, Kara, only too well.

Later, for dramatic effect, Ryan will release Kris back to safety first.

Watch video of Matt, Kris and Adam becoming theBottom 3 and Kris being released back to safety

Performances, we've got (too many) performances. First, to evoke the week's theme, Natalie Cole sings "Something's Gotta Give," from her 2008 CD "Still Unforgettable." Lean, long and fit in a gold tunic dress, she looks fantastic, but is (sorry) occasional pitchy. In spite of her enthusiasm, the band is better than she is. So it goes.






Watch video of Natalie Cole singing "Something's Gotta Give"

Next up is returning Season 5 champion Taylor Hicks, singing "7 Mile Breakdown," the second release from his new CD, "The Distance." As with Cole, Taylor is looking long, lean and fabulous. His hair is short (a good idea), but he is trying to sneak in those Taylor bangs again (not a good idea). Although we loved the first release off "The Distance," we're not crazy about this one. But he sounds good and throws in a little harmonica. We can only imagine how Simon must be cringing. When he finishes, he gets a standing O from the audience and judges, including Simon, who, we're sure, did it out of courtesy only. Taylor can't get over the standing O from the judges, especially Simon. Their lack of love for one another is epic. Ryan asks Taylor to give advice to the finalists, and as he does, the camera pans back to Simon. The look of disgust on his face is priceless.

Watch video of Taylor Hicks singing "7 Mile Breakdown"

Finally, in what seems to be a tit-for-tat arrangement for his agreeing to "mentor" at the last minute, Jamie Foxx gets to perform "Blame It," his current No. 1 hip-hop release from his latest CD. Simon also calls him "my best friend" as Ryan introduces him. Hmmm, now that's an interesting friendship.





Watch video of Jamie Foxx singing "Blame It"

It's time for the moment of, ahem, "truth." Matt or Adam, Adam or Matt? Seriously. OMG, it's Matt! Who would have guessed? Er, everybody. For one teeny, tiny second Adam does a real good job of trying to convince us he thinks it's him when Ryan says his name first. Heh, nice acting skills, Lambert. We watch Matt's journey video, he sings "My Funny Valentine" again. It starts out a thousand times better than Tuesday night and with great phrasing, then plunges into horrible pitchiness as he tries to riff. But Matt pulls it back in time for a killer ending. Then Ryan inexplicably and intentionally stretches the show an extra two minutes talking with the judges and discussing next week's theme and guest mentor. Running out of things to say, he even plugs the local news, all this when the program is already 5 minutes into OT. If that wasn't intentional, what is?

Watch video of Matt Giraud being eliminated

Next week, the theme is rock 'n' roll, with guest mentor Slash from Guns N’ Roses. On Wednesday, Daughtry performs a song from their new album. Gwen Stefani returns to the Idol stage with No Doubt to perform as well.

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© 2009

New Releases by Former Idols

TAYLOR HICKS
Listen to the Season 5 winner's first single, "What's Right Is Right" from his upcoming album "The Distance" here. It's strictly adult contemporary, but we really like it and are looking forward to hearing the rest of Taylor's new CD. You can purchase "What's Right Is Right" Tuesday on iTunes. "The Distance" drops on March 10.

GINA GLOCKSEN
You can listen to "List of Regrets," the Season 6 ninth-place finalist's first single on her MySpace page. According to Gina's official site, the song should be on sale on iTunes this month. It's decent pop/rock, but nothing that will make you say, "I MUST have that song."

SANJAYA MALAKAR
The seventh-place Season 6 finalist simultaneously released a memoir (as in book) and five-song EP this past Tuesday, both called "Dancing to the Music in My Head" (the book, cowritten by Alan Goldsher, carries the subtitle "Memoirs of the People's Idol"). The EP is available exclusively on Amazon.com. You can listen to snippets of it here. We haven't read the book, for which Malakar told Howard Stern he received a $100,000 advance, but we'll take a pass on the music after listening to the preview. You can read a qna with Malakar here.

MICHAEL JOHNS
The Season 7 finalist performs on the soundtrack to the documentary "Don't Look Down." You can hear snippets of the CD here. You can hear the entire duet of "Life is OK," with fourth-place finisher Brooke White on her MySpace page. This is a really nice cut.

MANDISA
The Season 5 finalist has released a new upbeat gospel track, "My Deliverer," from her forthcoming CD "Freedom," dropping on March 24th. Also also check out the single art to the right. Mandisa is looking hotter than ever. You can listen to it here

MELINDA DOOLITTLE
The Season 6 third-place finisher is "Coming Back to You" with her first CD, scheduled to drop on Feb. 3. Meanwhile, you can preview a full-length cut of the first release, "It's Your Love" and snippets of five other songs on Melinda's MySpace page or previews of all 13 songs on Amazon.com.

KELLY CLARKSON
The original and, some think, best-ever Idol has a sure hit with "My Life Would Suck Without You," the first release from her upcoming album, "All I Ever Wanted." This catchy return to pop-rock is a must-hear for anyone who likes Kelly. You can listen to the full version on Clarkson's MySpace page. The album's drop date has moved from March 17 to March 10. Hey, make it even earlier, it'll make us happy. Hope there's an "Idol" guest spot for Clarkson this season.

ANTONELLA BARBA
"Playing Games," written by her Season 6 co-semi-finalist Paul Kim (who is also featured on the song). It's not for sale, but it should be. If Antonella and Paul had sounded this good on "Idol," they probably would have made the finals (especially that season). Paul also demonstrates an enviable knack for songwriting. In fact, we were amazed when he told us, "I wrote that song in like 15 minutes, during the drive to the studio, lol." You can hear "Playing Games" on Antonella's MySpace page.

CHRIS SLIGH
The Season 6 finalist (and one of our favorites) and his songwriting partner, Clint Lagerberg, wrote "Here Comes Goodbye," which Rascal Flatts recorded and releases on radio Jan. 26 as their first single from their new album, "Unstoppable," due out April 7th. You can listen to Chris' considerable songwriting chops here.

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© 2009

American Idol Top 3 Results Show

See our prediction on who will win American Idol featured on AOL Television. We are on Page 11 of 12.

Eliminated: Syesha Mercado

Next week, David Cook and David Archuleta face off in the finale.

Watch video of the elimination of Syesha Mercado:


Even though we saw 59 minutes more than we needed to in order to learn the only thing we cared about -- who had made it into the finale -- at least most of those minutes were dedicated to the Top 3 finalists and not lame fluff such as the viewer call-in Q&A. Even the one entertainment act, Fantasia, was a former Idol. So it was pretty much an all in the family night. And, much to our surprise, we have to congratulate The Evil Puppeteer and Co. for finally getting a results show right. Wednesday night was all about congratulations and celebrations instead of humiliation. No twin silver stools. Everyone on the couch all evening unless they were being reviewed and being paid tribute to.

At first we wondered why the producers were showing everyone's journey video Wednesday night, even if they weren't leaving. Then we realized that the runner-up, the contestant who should be lauded as much as the winner, never gets anything at the finale, other than the opportunity to congratulate the winner. There is no runner-up journey video -- ever -- until this season, which corrects a serious flaw from former years.

The show opened with the Top 3 performing "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." Vocally it sounded fine. But as in former weeks, the choreography was amateurish and looked worse than a high school musical. Why can't these singers be left to just sing? Do we have to pretend they can dance even if they can't? They just end up looking foolish walking detetminedly back and forth, and up and down the stage, trying to simulate a "routine." Following the commercial break this week's "Idol" Ford commercial featured the Top 3 singing "Heaven" and imagining themselves as superstars. At the end, an amusement park fortune-telling vending machine a la the Zoltan machine in the film "Big," dispenses three keys to Ford vehicles instead of cards with their fortunes. For Cook and Archuleta that will become a reality next week when both are gifted with new Ford Mustangs during the finale.

Watch video of Top 3 singing "Ain't No Stopping Us Now":


Watch video of the making of Ford commercial, "Heaven":


Watch video of Ford commercial, "Heaven":


Ryan Seacrest "revealed" that in the closest contest of any Idol season (though we're sure the Season 5 Top 3 contest between Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin was even tighter), America had cast 56 million votes on Tuesday night, then recapped the performances from the night before.

Next, he introduced Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino, who, sporting orange-pink humongously ugly hair, performed her latest release, "Bore Me." Well, she certainly bored us. What has happened to the Fantasia we once loved? We hate the music she has released since winning "Idol," including this number. However, during the performance, the camera panned to Simon Cowell, who had the most incredulous "What the fuck?" look on his face. It was priceless and worth sitting through Fantasia's dreck just to see that.

Watch video of Fantasia Barrino performing "Bore Me":


The remainder of the evening was dedicated to the videos of each contestant's hometown visit followed by the journey video of each. Up first was David Archuleta. Was this an omen that he would be booted Wednesday night? Unfortunately, no. Watching David's video, we realized that we had been unfair to him. He doesn't giggle all the time. He sometimes talks. And when he does, all he says is "gosh." That's pretty much it -- gosh. Watching him with David Cook next week is going to be like watching Wally and The Beaver. Can't wait to see how many times Archuleta says "gosh" then. Pray he doesn't win. If he does, he'll certainly have a gosh gush.

Anyway, he goshed his way through his hometown of Murray, Utah, from the cheerleaders to the number of people who turned out ("Gosh, where did they park?"). And, of course, he cried. But, then, so did Sysesha and David Cook during their hometowm jaunts.

Watch video of David Archuleta's hometown visit and journey:


Syesha went home to Florida, first to Sarasota, then to Bradenton. Highlights of her visit included someone handing her a baby as if she were a politician, a visit to her high school and a helicopter ride. Normally very self-controlled, we were surprised to see how emotional Syesha became when she had some private moments (if you can call being filmed for TV in a limousine or a helicopter private moments).

Watch video of Syesha Mercado's hometown visit and journey:


Finally, it was David Cook's turn. He went home to Blue Springs and Kansas City, Mo., where he performed a mini concert, appeared on radio, dropped in on his elementary school music teacher to thank her and give her a bouquet of flowers, and threw out the first pitch at a Kansas City Royals game. He, too, was overcome by it all and teared up. He was accompanied during the parade, as well as onstage Wednesday night on the live show, by his younger brother, Andrew (his older brother, Adam, was also at the hometown celebration, but couldn't attend all the festivities because of his illness). Cook never intended to audition for "Idol." He headed to Omaha with Andrew to offer moral support to his younger sibling. Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows, only time.

Watch video of David Cook's hometown visit and journey:


Finally it was time for the results. Instead of the normally torturous routine, Seacrest simply announced the two finalists moving on to the finale. It was clean, it was short and as painless as it could have been for Syesha, who be joining the Davids at the results show next week, but no longer as a contender.

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© 2008

Paula Abdul Plays Truth or D ... er, Truth

Yesterday, decked out in a white suit and big smile, Paula Abdul appeared on Today and was interviewed by Matt Lauer. Here is the way it went, according to NBC sister station, MSNBC:

Paula Abdul is famous for so many things — singing, dance and choreography, jewelry design, cheerleading camp director, "American Idol" judge — that she's become famous for being famous.

Now, she's subjecting her very public life to even closer scrutiny with a new reality show called "Hey Paula." But if it shows her in her many moods, some nicer than others, it doesn't answer all the questions that have been raised.

Is she a drunk? Is she addicted to painkillers? Is it true she has no social life? What was the deal with that word-slurring, incoherent television clip?

To address those issues, TODAY co-host Matt Lauer suggested a game when Abdul appeared on the show Wednesday.

"Let's play Truth or Dare," he said. "I don't know what the 'Dare' would be, but let's play 'Truth,' okay?"

Abdul, wearing a white suit and black top accented with a necklace of many strands and big, showy earrings, smiled broadly, saying, "If it's kissing you, Matt ..."

"No," said Lauer. "No. We both would have problems, wouldn't we?"

He asked the first question, about "the now famous, or infamous, interview where you were said to be slurring your words. People said, 'Paula Abdul was drunk.' What was the truth?"

"I've never been drunk in my life, Matt," Abdul said, mouthing the words she and her publicists have been repeating ever since January, when the clip showed up on YouTube. It was a taped session with the “American Idol” judges explaining their votes and came at the end of a long day of question-and-answer sessions related to the hit show.

On it, Abdul slurred words, said some things that made little or no sense, and finally collapsed dramatically on fellow judge Simon Cowell.

"The whole thing about me being a judge on ‘American Idol’ is, it is the toughest job for me, because I have to think about something positive to say even when they're trying to rise above adversity, " she said. "So sometimes when I'm excited and want to get something out to say, I'll stop."

But, Lauer repeated, has she ever been drunk?

"I'll have an occasional sip of wine or a drink that has an umbrella in it and sugar," she said.

"There's a report that you were addicted to painkillers," Lauer then said.

"I've never been addicted to painkillers," she said. "Painkillers don't work for me."

In 1992, Abdul suffered serious neck injuries in a plane crash and for years was in constant pain that, she has said previously, no drugs could combat.

"I've had 14 cervical spinal surgeries," she told Lauer. "The hardest thing for me is I've had to learn to live in pain."

Now, she said, she gets injections of a biogenic drug called Emo that is normally used for skin disorders. She called it "a Botox for nerves to stop them from glomming on to each other."

So, said Lauer, "There is no smoking gun, there is no scandal here that people need to know about?"

"There absolutely isn't any scandal," Abdul said. "I'm open and willing to talk about it. It's not my job as an entertainer that I have to talk about it, but I'm willing to, and I've helped a lot of people."

The 45-year-old pop icon has also entertained a lot of people. She got her first brush with stardom what seems like a lifetime ago as a dancer on the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleading squad. She became a choreographer for the famous team and still runs cheerleading camps.

She also launched a singing career, recording six No. 1 singles from 1989-91 and selling more than 30 million recordings. She also won a Grammy Award, seven MTV Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People's Choice Awards, and two Kid's Choice Awards.

In 1992, she waged a public war with bulimia, and in 1994 her marriage to Emilio Estevez ended in divorce. A second marriage to clothing heir Brad Beckerman lasted just 17 months.

Finally, six years ago, came an invitation to become a judge on Fox's new show, “American Idol,” and through that she's become even more of a star as she built a reputation of being "the nice judge" and counterpoint to Cowell's acerbic style.

"Hey Paula" is an attempt to show what her life is really like, she told Lauer.

"I didn't go into this thinking, 'Let's try to create more controversy.' I have a 21-year history in this business of many things that I do and many hats that I wear. And when I was doing this show, it was a very concentrated period of time — launching the new season of 'American Idol,' launching my new jewelry line, launching a fragrance. For me it was, 'Let's document all that.'"

"So what do you think is going to surprise all your fans?" asked Lauer. "What are they going to learn that they didn't know about you before?"

"Probably that I work around the clock and that I was very much sleep-deprived," she said. "Most of all, that I'm just as goofy and just as normal as everyone else. I go through hard times, I go through good times."

Among the already famous hard times on her show is a scene where she is changing in her limo for an overnight plane flight and discovers that her assistant had packed a pair of ultratight jeans instead of the sweat pants Abdul had requested.

In the clip, when the assistant says, "I didn't realize they were that tight," Abdul tells her to "shove it down your throat." It was, Abdul told Lauer, a joke about her weight and nothing more.

The one thing missing from the reality show is anything about Abdul's love life, which, Lauer reminded her, she once called "a horror movie."

"It's looking upwards," Abdul said, smiling. "Things are good right now. There is someone in particular."

Asked if the someone was the person who escorted her to the premiere of "Hairspray," restaurateur J.T. Torregiani, the co-owner with Tara Reid of Ketchup, a West Hollywood hot spot, Abdul said, "Yeah."

It was the last question in Lauer's game, after which he said, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Abdul patted Lauer on the knee and said nothing.

Watch video of the interview here.

TAYLOR HICKS HAS COME TO RIGHT PLACE, BABY

Here's an awesome video of Taylor Hicks on "The View" yesterday promoting his book, "Heart Full of Soul." His book is only getting a medicore reception, but this performance of "The Right Place" on the show should make anyone a believer in his heart full of soul.



And if Taylor looks happy and peaceful, it could be because his relationship with anchorwoman Caroline Lyders continues going strong. They are pictured here together a few days ago at a NASCAR event at Kentucky Speedway, and it wasn't hard to believe that he was singing directly to her yesterday.









BECKY O'DONOHUE TRICKS IT OUT

Well, with cars anyway. Rueters reports that MTV debuts a new car-makeover competition series at 10 p.m. Sunday, "Trick It Out," hosted by former "American Idol" contestant Becky O'Donohue, who was a Season 5 semi-finalist. She and twin Jessie both tried out for Idol, but only Becky made it to the semis. She was quickly eliminated in the first round last year, but the guys loved her.

REBA ON KELLY CLARKSON: SHE REMINDS ME OF MYSELF

Net Music Count-
down reports that Reba McEntire met with the Nashville Press yesterday in advance of the release of her upcoming duets album, featuring 11 songs with some of the greatest music stars of two centuries. Reba was happy to talk to us about the debut single, "Because of You," with Kelly Clarkson, a person she says reminded her a lot of herself.

"I first met her on the final show of 'American Idol' and the first time I met her we were doing rehearsals for that TV show. And I thought here's this spunky little person from Texas, who made it big and wins "American Idol," and she's still very down-home normal, it hadn't gotten to her head yet, I'll give her a little time. Fast forward I meet her again (appearing on "Reba"), and she's still this bubbly, funny, down-to-earth great person that I met earlier. And I thought, 'Wow, hasn't effected her.'

We began hanging out together and she's cute and funny and entertains the hound out of me ... and she's very opinionated, she does stand up for what she believes and reminds me a lot of myself and I just fell in love with her."

Reba's "Duets" album hits stores September 18th.

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© 2007

Season 7 Rumors Begin Already

Wow! The memory of Idol's Season 6 isn't even cold yet -- the tour just began for gawd's sake -- and already the rumors for Season 7 have begun, perhaps because auditions are looming. To wit: The they're getting rid of loopy Paula Abdul favorite has been reactivated. This time she's not being replaced by Courtney Love or even Britney Spears (why replace one incoherent idiot with another?), but by Sharon Osbourne!

True or not, Mike (Mr. Rumors While U Wait) Walker of the The National Enquirer -- that pillar of accurate journalism -- is reporting that due to prompting by none other than Paula's alleged BFF Simon Cowell.

The Enquirer says that the producers are tired of Abdul's bizarre behavior on the show and are planning to replace her with Sharon Osbourne. Abdul recently sparked rumors she was drinking or on drugs after she appeared on interviews talking incoherently and looking rough. Producers reportedly think Abdul is hurting the show with her unprofessional appearances.

"They're looking to give 'Idol' a face-lift, and they think Sharon -- who's rated highly with viewers on Simon's other show, 'America's Got Talent' - will bring a fresher look. And they're sure Sharon will play will off Simon’s sharp tongue," one of those (made up?) anonymous sources said.

Abdul allegedly promised she would clean up her behavior but evidence of that has yet to be seen. Producers are reportedly ready to make the deal with Osbourne, but no plans have been finalized yet.

Well, of course they haven't, as the whole thing is either a trial balloon by the producers (unlikely) or created out of whole cloth (very likely) by the tab during the dull Idol off-season.

BTW, only a month ago Walker reported that not only was Abdul being replaced by Britney Spears, but that Randy Jackson was getting the boot as well. Uh-huh.

SANJAYA LOOK-ALIKE CALL

A posting in yesterday's San Jose Mercury News:

Can you look like "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya [Malakar]? If you can, the Mercury News wants to take your picture to honor the "American Idol Tour" visit to San Jose.

We are scheduling photo studio time on Saturday for the first 20 Sanjaya look-alikes who respond to our call. The photo shoot will be at the Mercury News offices. For more information, send an e-mail to features@mercurynews.com.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD'S NEXT RELEASE

CMT revealed that Carrie Underwood's new album is officially set for Oct. 23 release. The title is still to be determined for the project, and recording sessions are still underway with producer Mark Bright, who produced seven tracks on Underwood's 2005 debut album, "Some Hearts." Having co-written one song on "Some Hearts," the new album is expected to showcase more of Underwood's songwriting. "Some Hearts" has sold almost 6 million copies and sold almost 1,095,000 copies since January to remain the best-selling country album so far in 2007.

Before she repeats, however, Underwood can be heard on Brad Paisley's latest album, "5th Gear," on the tune "Oh Love," and she's set to help kick off New York's Fall Fashion Week by performing Sept. 6 at the fourth annual Fashion Rocks! gala at Radio City Music Hall.

FRENCHIE DAVIS STARS IN MAHALIA JACKSON MUSICAL

Playbill reports that the cast is now complete for the Hartford Stage presentation of "Mahalia – A Gospel Musical," starring former "American Idol" contestant and Broadway "Rent" star Frenchie Davis.

Part of the 2007 SummerStage season, the show will take the stage Aug. 2 for a run through Aug. 19.

Hartford Stage associate artistic director Jeremy Cohen directs the work written by Tom Stolz that centers on music star Mahalia Jackson. Billed as "equal parts gospel musical, biography, and revival meeting," Mahalia takes a "look at the music and Civil Rights pioneer and is guaranteed to lift audiences out of their seats with such songs as 'His Eye is on the Sparrow,' 'How I Got Over,' 'Deep River' and 'Move On Up a Little Higher.'"

Davis was a part of the second season of FOX's "American Idol" and has gone on to earn the VH1 Diva Award, star in a national tour of "Dreamgirls" and a European tour of "Little Shop of Horrors" and perform on Broadway in "Rent."

Joining Davis in the cast will be Miche Braden and JMichael. Braden has appeared at Hartford Stage in "The Devil's Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith." Newcomer JMichael made his acting debut in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson."

The design team features Jeff Cowie (scenic), Dan Covey (lighting), Reggie Ray (costumes) and Michael Miceli (sound).

Tickets for Mahalia at Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford, CT, are available by calling (860) 527-5151 or click here for more information.

HEART FULL OF SOUL FOR U.S. TROOPS

PR.com reports that Jewelry Sprout is sponsoring the Proud of Our Troops drive by asking the public to support and uplift U.S. troops by sending them "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks's inspirational book "Heart Full Of Soul." Jewelry Sprout is accepting both the hardcover and the audio versions of the book.

The Proud of Our Troops drive started on June 26, 2006. Part 1 of the drive ran for 21 weeks. 3,157 "Do I Make You Proud" CD's by Taylor Hicks were sent to our men and women overseas. Part 2 of the drive ran for 27 weeks. 2,751 Taylor Hicks CDs were sent to U.S. troops.

www.soldiersangels.org Soldiers' Angels will be distributing the books to U.S. soldiers in each branch of the Armed Forces who are overseas and to soldiers who were wounded in active duty and are recuperating in hospitals. Click here for more information.

HEAD OF THE DAWG POUND SAVES CATS

According to Island Packet, more than 300,000 cats have been adopted from shelters across American since Morris the Cat (from 9Lives cat food) and Randy Jackson (from "American Idol") kicked off the Million Cat Rescue last September.

"Dawg, I'm telling you, dude, this is a crisis. Too many cats need homes," Jackson said by phone. "The good news is that many have been adopted as Morris [and his trainers] travel around the country promoting adoption."

In fact, Jackson put his own paw where his mouth is, adopting the first cat in the march toward 1 million adopted cats. He named the cat Dawg, of course.

On "American Idol," that's how he speaks -- in "Randy-eze." Asked about his own version of English, Jackson chuckles. "Man, that's been my thing for as long as I've been doing it," he says.

Translated, Jackson's been using his own "speak" since launching his long career in the music biz. He's done it all, from playing bass with the '70s rock band Journey to performing alongside such stars as Herbie Hancock and Elton John. He's a Grammy award-winning producer who's worked on more than 1,000 gold and multi-platinum albums. Still, Jackson was pretty much unknown outside the industry until "Idol" began in 2002.

The show was an instant success. "It's very predictable, really," he says. "I can predict that every season there will be surprises. Man, this past season had so many surprises. I was surprised myself. I never would have predicted a 17-year-old girl could win the whole thing. Then came Jordin Sparks. I knew this poised girl with the curly hair and the big natural gift was something special immediately. I can't say I knew she'd win."

"Once we got into the season it clearly became our craziest," Jackson recalls. There was Sanjaya [Malakar] who kept advancing, although it seemed clear all the judges -- even the usually gleeful Paul Abdul -- cringed after his performances. "He had Swaggerdom," explains Jackson.

When it came down to the final three, Jackson said he thought Melinda Doolittle would advance. "She was certainly the steadiest performer week in and week out. For sure, I thought Melinda would duke it out with Jordin. That would have been amazing."

Instead, beat-boxer Blake Lewis landed in the finals with Sparks. As he said repeatedly on "Idol," Jackson is amazed by Sparks' poise. "Listen, man, she has the talent, the potential to be the biggest Idol ever."

When he's not working on "Idol" or promoting pet adoption, Jackson still produces. He recently produced a CD by Sam Moore (half of the vintage Sam and Dave duo), and enlisted stars like Mariah Carey, Vince Gill, Bon Jovi and Eric Clapton to participate. In September, he has a solo CD scheduled for release. "It's a kind of Quincy [Jones] thing, where others participate, too," Jackson hints. "But that's all I can say now."

Click here to learn more about the Million Cat Rescue and when Morris may be visiting your town.

PAULA'S SO HUNGRY, SHE COULD EAT A ... DOG!

If you can stomach it, here are more of Paula Abdul's "adventures" on her reality series, "Hey Paula":

Episode 4, Part 1


Episode 4, Part 2


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© 2007

Taylor Hicks on Track ... Literally

Nothing says summer like a truck race at the Speedway accompanied by some good old-fashioned American rock and soul. Former "American Idol" star Taylor Hicks brought his "Soul Patrol" to the track last night for a gig before the Built Ford Tough 225, says Cincinnati's The Enquirer.

Hicks, 29, who also sang the national anthem, told the paper in a pre-appearance interview that he had no worries about taming the boisterous Speedway crowd, having spent plenty of time at the track in his native Birmingham, Ala. The Speedway gig is his only scheduled appearance in the area. He called us from the road and shared some of his boundless enthusiasm for scoring the gig of a lifetime.

You probably didn't know this, but a local guy you may have heard of named Peter Frampton just played the Speedway a few weeks ago.
Well, that's a tough act to follow, especially when you're talking about Peter Frampton, but that's great. I'm excited about coming to the Speedway.

Are you a NASCAR follower?
I do follow NASCAR. I'm actually singing the national anthem at the Homestead race (in Florida), the last NASCAR race of this year. And I'm from Alabama, so there's the Talladega connection.

Have you ever played this area before?
I actually haven't. The "Idol" tour hit Louisville and I've come through there a couple of times and hit Louisville before "Idol." I'm looking forward to coming through there and setting up shop.

What would surprise people about your show?
I think it's very musical. I never got to play instruments on "Idol," and now I get to play guitar and harmonica. I do mostly originals off of my albums, "Under the Radar" and "In Your Time," and some covers. There's definitely a songwriting, soulful aspect to my music.

You're unusual for an "Idol" winner in that you do have such a musical background and so much touring experience. Has that helped you on the road?
It has. Experience playing in clubs for 10 years and trying to make it really teaches you about who you are as an artist and a person. So when you do catch an opportunity like this, it allows you to stay the same person and understand the business a lot better than someone who hasn't been in it. I think people walk away feeling that their votes did count and it was the right vote because it is such a musical show.

What's the first thing fans typically say when they meet you?
Soul Patrol!

Do you regret it a bit now that you put that out there?
Not at all. The more the merrier.

The Speedway crowd can be a bit rowdy. Are you prepared for that?
I played the infield at Talladega, so I'm very aware of the hoopla and I love it! I was born in a honky-tonk, so the more honky-tonk the better.

Where has your "Idol" success taken you that's been the biggest surprise, the place you never imagined you'd get?
The White House. That was amazing. I got to meet the president and give him a "Soul Patrol" T-shirt. I haven't seen him wear it yet.

And watch a video of Taylor Hicks singing the national anthem at the Kentucky Speedway:


IDOLS IN NASHVILLE

A short video with concert and interview clips from WKRN of the Idols recent visit to the Sommet Center. Phil Stacey and Chris Sligh discuss moving to Nashville, Sanjaya Malakar talks about his hair, and BFFs Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks their bonding. The anchor also reports that Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler attended the concert and watched it from a suite.

KIMBERLEY LOCKE'S DUST-UP WITH DUSTIN DIAMOND

According to "Extra," former "American Idol" contestant Kimberly Locke is riding high.

Locke told Terri Seymour that she's got a new album, a new figure and a new outlook.

Locke became a Jenny Craig spokeswoman last year, determined to lose weight and get healthy. "My goal with Jenny Craig is 40 pounds, so I'm so close I can taste it," she revealed.
She said her new album, "Based on a True Story," comes straight from her painful breakup with her fiancé last year. "I got really nasty, and I don't ever want to go through that again," she admitted. "So I wrote about it."

Locke also changed things up to get in shape. She appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and says she's lost four to five dress sizes, but the is not shy about the tension on "Fit Club" between her and former "Saved by the Bell" geek Dustin Diamond.









Dustin poked fun of her not winning "American Idol," and his comments got under her skin. "Had he come up to me and said, 'Don't take it personally,' that's a different story," Locke said. "But don't make me the butt of your jokes."

But Kimberly not nursing a broken heart. When asked by Seymour if she's ready to start dating again, Locke responded, "I'm already dating honey. I didn’t stop!"

SABRINA SLOAN SPEAKS

BuddyTV has an exclusive interview with Season 6 semi-finalist Sabrina Sloan (but, seriously, was everyone really knocking down her door?):

First, can you tell us a little bit about what made you audition for American Idol last season?
Yeah, I've been a fan for the last five years watching the show from the first season, and my friends and family were always telling me, “You could be on the show, you can totally compete on that show. You should go audition.” And I was actually in New York, on Broadway, kind of doing my thing but I wanna go, you see every year people get kicked off that should stay, and it's kinda controversial who ends up winning. But I thought I absolutely have nothing to lose, I just really wanna try and get in the show and I decided this year I had to do it.

When you went into those auditions, did you think you had a pretty good chance to move on once you got there and saw the competition?
I did. It wasn't too overwhelming, actually. I flew to Minneapolis from here to audition. I live in LA, but when they were in Pasadena, I was throwing my best friend her bachelorette party in Las Vegas so I missed the LA audition and ended up going to Minneapolis. And it was still a huge, huge crowd but I actually got really lucky and got in kind of in the first couple of hours and like out by 8 am so it wasn't like the long, long day that I thought it would be and I...I felt like, yeah, I mean when I walked in, you don't know what people sound like necessarily but the characters around you so you kind of feel like, “Well, I've got just as good a shot as anybody else.”

One of the things I think viewers don't get to see enough of is the Hollywood week and kind of what happens there, you know. Can you explain to us a little bit about your experience in Hollywood week?
Hollywood week was crazy, cause I watched it on TV too so you just think it's so...you're up all night, it was crazy. And it's intense. It's a little like boot camp, it's a little like, you know, kind of a sorority rush cause you're on lock down in the hotel and you're around people you don't really know, you're rooming with somebody you didn't know before, maybe you just met and day in day out, going up and singing a song and getting cut and like hanging out for the day, like the girls day where they took us out at Long Beach and it was a good four days, five days and by the end of it, it gets really intense during that group daytime when you're working with three or four people trying to memorize lyrics or put together a song, a routine for the judges. It was a whole lot of pressure and not a lot of sleep and at that point everybody really wants it bad because everybody gets into Hollywood thinks they absolutely belong in the show so it gets really competitive at that point.

When you got the news in that big room that you made it to the top 24, what were your initial reactions, were you expecting that or did you think you had a chance to be sent home at that point?
The thing is with the show you never know and I've treated every step of the process as kinda like a callback. It was like, “Okay, I made it to the next step but I haven't gotten on the show yet,” and that was the big ultimate goal, so for me it was kind of that last step. Like, I've come so far. You know, I really, really asked the show, please tell me and they left me till the last three or four girls and so I was really sweating it out cause there weren't many spots left, and you never know. I mean, there are people that you thought would probably go home that went home but then there are people that shouldn't go home that went home so by time I got up there I was like fingers crossed and okay I'll see what happens.

Being in the top 24, being a semifinalist, what was the thing that took you most by surprise during that whole experience?
I think a lot of people that went home in Hollywood week. You may see some of it on the show, even stuff that was you know, edited out like there were some stellar people that you would go, “Oh, for sure, they're gonna be on the show. They're a contender to win the whole thing.” And then they wouldn't, they wouldn't go through, it was like one little lyric forgotten or you know, you'll never never know and it's hard to keep that mindset that once you go on the show you can go at anytime and it's not all about just talent. It's kind of the whole package, there's a lot involved, so you really just never know when it's gonna be your time.

This season had a fair amount of controversy. What's your take on both Antonella's thing and then Sanjaya making it as far as he did?
Right, right. I mean, it really comes down to it being not about the talent once you get on the show and when you leave it up to America to choose, and you have all the different variables and people voting because they don't like the show and you know, voting based on popularity, or whatever it is, I mean that's kind of the draw to the show. Who's gonna leave, even the upsets are what make the show popular. Because you can get mad and scream and go they don't deserve to go home and I can't believe it, but it's kind of the name of the game. So, we've got contestants that have to be prepared for it and I think this year definitely had some of those elements, but the point is that everybody who's on the show deserves to be there cause they have the votes, so whether it's because of their voice or not because of their voice, because of something else, if they have the number of votes, they're in. It's not like So You Think You Can Dance where the judges have some sort of say in who stays or some of the other shows. That's the thing about what makes American Idol, American Idol, that America is the deciding factor.

I think most would agree that you were one of the better pure singers on the show. Were you then pretty surprised to be eliminated when you were?
I was surprised then. I was. As much as I tried to say, “Okay, I could be going home,” I didn't want to and I really wanted to be in the finals and really didn't think it was my time, so it was hard. It was really hard to leave that night and I was a little bit taken back and you just got to look at it as a huge blessing and so many doors open because of it so I would do it again no matter what.

What have you taken away most from the whole Idol experience?
I would say just to stay true to myself, because I feel like I did that all on the show. I didn't pull any tricks or try to do anything other than do what I do and sing, all the interviews that I've done afterwards people kind of recognize my character, you know, they appreciate me staying true to who I was and that came across and I really had no regrets about any of the choices I made on the show. So, it's something you worry about going on to such a huge stage in front of 37 million people and putting yourself out there to be torn apart and be judged by everyone and no matter what people say, good or bad, about what I did or who I am or what I look like, you know, I just I feel confident that I got a good job and I deserve to be there.

Since being on Idol, how has your life changed and what have you got in store for the future?
Life changes because people definitely recognize you and even now that the show's over, the finale's over, you really start to realize once you're off the show what a huge, huge machine American Idol is and how many people really watch cause people still recognize you and I definitely can't go bummed out to the 711 anymore, cause undoubtedly somebody will say “Hey!” And the huge opportunities…I hope I can make a record pretty soon and working out a deal with a major record label, and just some kind of cosmetic promotion opportunities and I was an actress and singer before Idol so God created agents and they live here in LA. Hopefully some acting opportunities too, but lots and lots of doors open so it's been really, really great.

IS SIMON COWELL STEPPING OUT ON TERRI SEYMOUR?

Well, they really don't say, but today's Sunday Mirror is trying to titillate us with that possibility:

Jasmine Lennard has broken her silence on her relationship with Simon Cowell and admitted: "I adore him."

The 21-year-old model was rumoured to be having a secret fling with the 47-year-old "X Factor" judge last year when she was spotted leaving his £11 million home in West London. Cowell - who has a long-term girlfriend Terri Seymour - insisted they were merely "discussing projects".

Now Jasmine, who split with night club owner Mark Alexiou amid the revelations, has ignited the rumours again in a magazine interview in which she says: "Everything he says is golden, because he has so much experience. I have a lot of respect for Simon. I adore him." The "Make Me a Supermodel" star also revealed she is seeing someone "very precious" - but would not say who.

Asked to explain the initials SC tattooed on her wrist, she said: "It's someone who is important to me and I'm happy to have the tattoo there for the rest of my life.

"I'm seeing someone, but I can't talk about it because whoever I'm seeing is very precious to me in a way I cannot describe in words, and I'll do everything I can to protect that person."

... Researching Lennard, we found this story that ran last July in the same paper:

Simon Cowell has been allegedly cheating on girlfriend Terri Seymour for six months, it has emerged.

The "X Factor" judge, famed for his razor tongue, met society girl Jasmine Lennard, 21, in a posh restaurant in January and began seeing her after sending a flirty note.

News of his affair with Jasmine is bound to devastate model-turned-television presenter Terri, his most serious girlfriend.

Their relationship is reported to have been on the rocks recently.

Jasmine, who has overcome drug addiction and is thought to be bisexual, has since made several secret visits to his £7.5million home while Terri, 32, is away.

The pair have dined together in public and Jasmine has even visited the X Factor studios.

A source told The Sun: "They spend most of their time together in Simon's house when Terri is at their other home in Los Angeles.

"Sometimes they go out, but only with other friends so as not to arouse any suspicion."

The pop tycoon's affair was exposed just before midnight on Tuesday, when Jasmine was photographed leaving his house. It was the eve of her 21st birthday.

The young model, who has a boyfriend, emerged in a heavy fur coat, despite the stifling heat. But beneath, she wore racy black lingerie, the newspaper reports.

The model saw in her 21st birthday by spending an hour-and-a-half with him on a downstairs sofa.

They headed to his bedroom at 1.30am, where a lamp was turned on and they shared a steamy clinch by the window.

An hour later Jasmine emerged from the four-storey mansion in Holland Park.

Her friends believe she is in love with the multi-millionaire.

One revealed: "Jasmine is absolutely besotted with him and thinks he feels the same."

However, Simon's secret lover has had a troubled past and was once at celebrity rehab clinic The Priory alongside Kate Moss. At just 14 she was on the Pill and regularly smoked marijuana.

By 18, she was hooked on cocaine and ecstasy and went on to have sexual encounters with both men and women, according to The Sun.

She claims cleaning up her act by checking into The Priory got her out of "the gutter".

Simon, who has been dating Terri for four years, has previously admitted he has a roaming eye but insisted he was not a love-cheat.

Asked two years ago if he was faithful to her he replied: "Well, I am a bit of a flirt but I'm pretty good.

"My eyes do wander, and daily. It's what you do after those eyes that counts."

However, one of his former loves, pop singer Sinitta, claimed he was incapable of being faithful.

It is also sure to upset Jasmine's club owner boyfriend Mark Alexiou, who once dated Sophie Anderton.

But Simon's spokesman last night claimed his rendezvous with Jasmine at his home was innocent. He said: "Simon has known Jasmine for some time. They had a meeting to discuss TV projects."

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© 2007

Fantasia Extends Stay in Footlights

Fantasia Barrino has decided to stay with the Broadway show "The Color Purple" through the end of the year. She was originally scheduled to be in the show for just six months, which would have taken her through the beginning of October.

Rush & Molloy report in the New York Daily News that the songstress is also negotiating with the producers of a big musical to be based on the life of Ada (Bricktop) Smith, an African-American expatriate in Paris in the 1920s who became a nightlife queen. Bricktop rose from humble beginnings in Alderson, W. Va., to become the toast of Paris in the Roaring '20s, where she was first employed overseas by Cole Porter to teach dances such as the Charleston at his parties.

By 1929, she owned her own nightclubs such as The Music Box, Le Grand Duc and her famous Chez Bricktop, where she entertained Porter, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" for her. She even worked with Josephine Baker and Mabel Mercer.

Chuck Seffan's doing the lyrics for the musical, and composer Ron Abel will weave together new arrangements of the era's great jazz standards along with his original tunes.

Abel will announce the project Sunday night at Birdland during a performance of his hits and original music he has composed for the show, to be sung by Michele Lee, Lucie Arnaz, Valerie Pettiford, Billy Stritch and Sally Hayes.

He'll be joined by the show's producers, Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson - who are also working on a Broadway version of "The First Wives Club" - with composer Marvin Hamlisch expected in the audience.

Barrino's manage-
ment says she hasn't yet brought the project to their attention and confirm that she will remain in "The Color Purple" through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, those working on "Bricktop" hope the show will hit Broadway in early 2009 after a trial run in Chicago.

On Friday, July 13, Fantasia will perform live on ABC's "Good Morning America." She'll also answer some selected viewer questions on the show. If you'd like to submit a question, fill out the information online here.

NEW MERCH -- IDOL APPAREL

In a licensing agreement announced Monday, FremantleMedia, the production company and official licensor for "American Idol," inked a deal with Lyric Jeans, Inc. to create a "lyric-inspired" American Idol brand of apparel.

"American Idol is the most powerful and iconic music brand in popular culture today and the perfect tie-in for our creative concept," said Lyric Jeans president Hanna Rochelle Schmieder. "We couldn't have dreamt of a better partner. Now music and fashion lovers everywhere can feel like a pop star and express themselves through our lyric-driven lifestyle brand."

Lyric Jeans will develop apparel for department stores, mid-tier and mass market retailers, focusing on the demographic of contemporary juniors and girls with the expansion into children's wear a possibility. Lyric Jeans already produces clothing featuring song lyrics made famous by The Beatles, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees and other artists.

"Lyric Jeans has taken a unique approach in personalizing musical expression through fashion," said Nora Wong, FremantleMedia North America's manager of consumer licensing. "Lending the 'American Idol' name to this apparel line is a fantastic extension for both brands and gets to the heart of what the American Idol brand is all about."

IDOL VIDEO INTERVIEWS IN GREENVILLE, S.C.

Greenville Online has a series of video interviews with the Top 10, including homie Chris Sligh who is excited that the tour is playing in his South Caroline hometown.

KELLY CLARKSON ... SMOKIN'

The UK's The Sun says that Kelly Clarkson looks smokin’ hot on the front cover of next month's Blender magazine. (Check it out at right.)

Looking very rock chick in a black bustier, heavy make-up and dishevelled hair, the singer looks a shadow of the cute All-American youngster who shot to fame on American Idol in 2002.

Inside the magazine, Kelly admits she is terrified that an innocent snog could land her with an STD. Asked how many boys she has kissed, she responded: "Four? No, wait. Oh my God, five!"

She then explained: "I have major trust issues. I just don't make out with people. That's a waste of my kisses and time. And it's so personal. It's like, my face."

A TALE OF TWO TAYLORS

Taylor Hicks, onstage, belted out a tune as the sun set over the field at Belmont Country Club on July 8. Taylor Love, 2, in the front row, danced around in her pink, orange and white sundress with her family -- mom Aimee, dad Mike, brothers Adam and Kyle, and Nana Sue.

The Loudon-Times Mirror reports it was a great end to a week the Love family had been anticipating for a long time - a week when the family could be together - no chemotherapy treatments, blood transfusions or emergency room visits.

After almost a straight month in the hospital fighting stage IV neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, Taylor Love, of Ashburn, spent a week at home with her family, living as a toddler instead of a patient.

She marched in the community parade and took in the fireworks on the Fourth. She went to the library for story time and spent time playing with her brothers. It was a week the family cherished since they found out Taylor might have to have a second surgery to remove three regrowth tumors on her left kidney. Taylor has been battling the cancer since December.

Backstage before the concert, Hicks met Taylor and her family. The shy blue-eyed Taylor quickly warmed up to Hicks and sat on his lap, showing off her white sandals with their pink, purple and green flowers and butterflies. Hicks was given one of the "Taylor" bracelets that friends of the family, Lara Bryson and Rochelle Courtney, make and sell to help raise funds for the Loves.

Hicks sported it onstage, saying, "It's on and it's going."

"One of the positive things about being a celebrity is the ability to help people and to bring focus to certain needs and issues," Hicks said.

As the concert continued, Hicks bent down to pay Taylor some special attention. He blew her a kiss and handed her a harmonica. "She played it all night," Aimee said.

The Love family had a special part in Hicks' Sunday night concert, part of the Loudoun Summer Music Fest. The $3,500 raised from a raffle will help the family as Taylor fights this disease.

Special Love, a nonprofit support group for families dealing with cancer, and a beneficiary of this year's Loudoun Summer Music Fest, gave the Love family a $500 donation.

Along with this major community event sponsored by the Loudoun Foundation, another event took place June 29 that brought the community together for fun and fundraising.

Family friend Stacey Brown put together a charity volleyball tournament and family fun night at the Dulles Golf and Sport Center, raising more than $10,000 for the Loves.

"It is overwhelming and extremely generous," Aimee said about the outpouring of charity toward her family. "It says a lot about this community."

ON TOUR WITH JORDIN SPARKS

TV Guide interviewed the Idol champ yet again in Sunrise, Fla.:

When did you get to Florida?
We got to Florida on the 1st, so we've been here for a week, you know, tanning and soaking up the sun and rehearsing ...

Have you done any sightseeing yet?
We had a day off where I rode the WaveRunners and we all just kind of chilled. It was really fun.

Was that your first time on a WaveRunner?
It's like a Jet Ski, which I have driven before, and I just had a blast. It was me, my mom, Blake [Lewis] and Chris [Richardson]. It was really relaxing. There was a Jacuzzi, and we swam in the ocean.

Did people look twice in the water when they saw you speed by with Blake and Chris?
Yeah, there were a couple of people, but it's OK. We took a lot of pictures and signed some autographs. For the most part, people were really cool and were probably like, "Oh, they're on vacation, too."

Did you get to go do anything else?
We get off pretty late from these rehearsals, but Gina [Glocksen] had a party because it was her birthday this past week. We went to her aunt and uncle's beach house, which wasn't very far from the hotel. We went to Outback Steakhouse after that and ate. It's been just great.

Did you all sing "Happy Birthday" to her?
We did. And everybody got her individual things. My mom and I got her a card that has a chicken on it, and when you open it, it plays the "Funky Chicken" song. I wrote inside how much I love her, and I gave her a pair of shoes from the finale that she really wanted.

Did you wear them with the Badgley Mischka gown?
No. They're the shoes I wore with the white dress because she was like, "If I ever get married, I want these shoes!"

What was her reaction to the gift?
We embraced and started crying!

Any surprises about the tour rehearsals, anything you didn't expect?
It's been crazy because we only rehearsed with part of the stage back in California. So when we got here and the actual full stage was here, it took some getting used to because it's bigger than we thought it'd be. We've just got to learn how to breathe right and pace ourselves. When we walked in, we were all looking around at the empty seats. This arena is huge and there's going to be people filling up these seats! I can't believe this is actually happening.

Do you still feel like you're dreaming?
I am, and it's so much fun. I can't believe opening night is tonight. My adrenaline is pumping at a million miles per hour.

What will you do to get ready?
I'll probably just pray and breathe, talk to Melinda [Doolittle] and my mom, and just go out there and do what I do because I love performing. When there are big crowds, I feed off of their energy. I just can't wait to get out there.

Will you pig out on pizza at crafts services beforehand, or are you one of those people who gets nervous and can't eat before a show?
No, I can't eat before a show. Maybe it is a nervous thing, but I always feel like, if I eat, I'll feel too full and I can't push my notes out. But I pig out afterwards!

Have you seen your tour bus yet?
Yes, we have, and it looks awesome. We've got our bunks and they've got little TVs on the inside, and we've got a front area and a back area.... It's a really nice bus. I picked the middle bunk because it goes three up, three across.

When I saw you at the TV Guide cover shoot, you said you were going to bring books on the road. Reading anything good?
You know, I brought a couple with me but I can't remember what they are! I haven't had any time. They've just been sitting in my bag, which is really, really sad for me. It hurts to know that there are books sitting around unread.

I'm sure you'll have time while you're driving tonight. What's the next city?
We go to Tampa right after this.

So you actually sleep on the bus?
Right.

Have you outfitted the bus with any fun gadgets or toys?
We just got on them yesterday so we really haven't had time to do anything yet, but I'm sure when we get to different cities, if we have time to stop, we'll pick up some stuff to decorate.

I know the boys went out and bought Xboxes and PlayStations for their bus, so I was just wondering.
I know! Blake bought an Xbox 360, so that'll be on his bus. I'm like, "Maybe we should get one."

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© 2007