Kelly Clarkson Apologizes to Clive Davis

Even though her CD has dropped out of the Top 10, Kelly Clarkson is staying in the news because of the apology she proffered to Clive Davis on her Web site (a step that Simon Cowell recently advised her to take in the press):

In a posting of her Web site, Clarkson writes, "A lot has been made in the press about my relationship with Clive. Much of this has been blown way out of proportion and taken out of context.

"Contrary to recent characterizations in the press, I'm well aware that Clive is one of the great record men of all time. He has been a key advisor and has been an important force in my success to date. He has also given me respect by releasing my new album when he was not obligated to do so.

"I really regret how this has turned out and I apologize to those whom I have done disservice. I would never intentionally hurt anyone."

KELLIE PICKLER LOVES SPEED

... As in driving fast, or so she told Newsweek in an interview they recently conducted with her. Kellie Pickler also told the 'zine that she'd love to fill the empty host chair on "The View." Read on:

You sound like you're outside.
I'm doing a show in Wisconsin, opening up for Reba [McEntire], so, yay! I'm lying on the bunk of my tour bus right now.

Do you ever drive the bus?
They won't let me for some reason. I don't know why.

Well, do you have a license?
Yeah! I'm a good driver. I wanted to be a NASCAR driver. I love driving fast.

What's the fastest you've ever driven?
I once got pulled over going 95 in a 35. Let me tell you, I cried my way out of that ticket. But it was real dangerous, I shouldn't have done that. It was early in the morning and I was driving to school. We had this weird tardy thing. If you're tardy three days to class, you'd get suspension.

You were great as a guest host on "The View." I think they should offer you one of the open seats.
Omigod. I'd so do it. I've got an opinion about everything. They film two shows in the same day. So I'd tour during the weekends.

Maybe Barbara Walters will be reading this.
I know! I've been waiting for them to call. Every time I've done the show, everyone tries to create all this animosity, and there's really none. They've all been really nice to me.

Except for Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Actually, she's the nicest. Some people tend to forget it's called "The View," so everyone's got to have their own point of view. It's not called "The Facts."

Are you and Carrie Underwood friends?
We went to the "Idol" concert together. It was nice to have a girls' night out.

How was Sanjaya?
It was kind of weird. The music, the mix, was so loud I could hardly understand what anybody was singing. I think they were having some technical problems. Everybody sounded great, but Carrie and I both had a hard time listening.

Have you seen "Hey, Paula?"
What's that?

Paula Abdul's reality show.
She has a reality show?! I don't watch TV ever. If I do watch TV, it's either Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel. Have you seen "Planet Earth"? It's amazing. It's up close and personal with different things on the earth, like animals, plants and trees. Stuff we don't know that's out there.
Sounds like school.
It does. But it's not.

Do you know Kelly Clarkson?
No. I haven't met her. She was at CMA's because she sang a duet with Reba, but I didn't get to meet her there. Everybody was rushing all over the place. I hope to meet her soon. Every time we're at the same place, it's like we're dodging each other. I was at the NASCAR race a few months ago, and she was performing the day after. Each time, we're in the same area but we never meet.

Have you heard the new album?
I haven't heard it, no.

You should get it.
Yeah. I will if I ever get to the store. I live on the bus.

Don't you have iTunes?
Yeah, but I'm so stupid I don't know how to do it. I'm an electronic illiterate.

So you don't have an iPod?
I do. But there are no songs on it anymore. My friend downloaded one of my CDs, "Dolly Parton's Greatest Hits," but I accidentally deleted them all. I bought one of those new iPhones, but I don't know how to work it.

How did you meet your boyfriend?
Jordin? I'm, like, which one?

Ooh. You have more than one?
Jordin [Tootoo, a NHL player for the Nashville Predators] and I are actually neighbors. It's really funny. I didn't know anything about hockey. He's never even heard of "American Idol." This lady that works at the complex I live in says there's a guy named Jordin who wants to meet you. I'm like, "Ok, I guess." He leaves her two tickets for a game to give me. I'm like, "Lisa, you're going with me." I don't know what the guy looks like. I've never been to a hockey game. All I know is that his name is Jordin Tootoo. So I go to the game, every time a new player comes on ice, I'm looking for player 22. All of a sudden, this guy comes out on the ice, rips his clothes off, throws the guy on the ice, punches the crap out of the guy. I'm like, this hockey game is turning into a boxing match! Lisa is like, "That's Jordin." I'm like, I have to go out with this monster? Afterward, we went to dinner. There were knots on his forehead, his knuckles were all bloody. Great first impression. But he kicked the dude's butt. So at least I feel protected. One thing led to another and now we're a little item, I guess you could say.

How long have you been dating?
Since January. But we've never had an official boyfriend-girlfriend day. It just kind of blossomed. I don't know what day we committed to each other.

KELLY CLARKSON, NIGHT WRITER

According to Star Pulse, Kelly Clarkson struggles with insomnia - because her songs keep her awake at night. The singer admits many of her lyrics and hits come to her as she's trying to get to sleep and has to write them down or record them on the spot.

She says, "The moment a song comes to me, I have to get it out. That's why I have a hard time sleeping, because a lot of those times are at night."

KATHARINE McPHEE RAW

Watch video of Katharine McPhee's photo shoot for Vegas magazine at Raw Vegas. The Season 5 "Idol" runner-up dishes on how she fell in love with her "Vegas" show-stopper, showgirl cover look, and offers viewers a tasty treat -- a few bars of one of her favorite tracks.

PETER NOONE: PREFERS MAGGOTS TO IDOL

Well, it's a sure bet that Peter Noone won't be invited back to mentor on "American Idol." According to Contact Music, the lead singer of the '60s group Herman's Hermits, who mentored the guys during British Invasion week during Season 6, now admits he hates the idea of hopefuls appearing on such a big show before they've made it. Noone says, "If I were a young performer today, I'd take the bowl of maggots if people said, 'Do you want to be a contestant on American Idol or eat a bowl of maggots?' I'd say give me the bowl because I can get through that quick. I think it's probably much better to play in bars and then play the next-best bar than start on such a huge stage. If people are going to hate you, they may as well hate you in a small room."

PRODUCER NIGEL LYTHGOE: WE MADE MISTAKES

EW reports that at the Television Critics Association summer press tour,
"American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe said that last season "Idol" suffered by focusing more on famous mentors than on contestants -- and says the show can learn from "So You Think You Can Dance."

Lythgoe, the executive producer of both shows who also serves as a sharp-tongued judge on "Dance," said we should all expect some changes on "Idol" next season. "We realized we made mistakes on Idol last season," he said. "We were so engrossed with the mentors and didn't really focus on the Melinda Doolittles of the show. We didn't know them as much as the Kellie Picklers of last season."

Lythgoe is referring to the marked difference in the ways the two programs showcase their contestants: In recent seasons, "Idol" has tended to shun details about its singers to instead focus on the big-name stars who come to the show to perform and work with the contestants, especially in later episodes. "Dance," however, spends quite a bit of its airtime featuring the back-stories of its dancers and their struggles to get on the show.

"We're all attached to them a little more," Lythgoe said about Dance's focus on its contestants' lives. "I think that's affected us all a little bit more. There are little emotional hooks that come out." As for an "Idol" tune-up plan for season 7, Lythgoe revealed the production team is always looking to "tinker with the program," adding that ultimately he'd like to see the "Idol" contestants be as strong as his prized top 10 on "So You Think You Can Dance."

And what of Sanjaya? Of course, the faux-hawked menace snuck his way into the discussion. Speaking about the top 10 dancers seated behind him on stage, Lythgoe said: "There isn't a Sanjaya here, although I do think Sanjaya helped the last season of 'Idol.' I think there's enough talent with enough great stories to warrant the fact that we are basing it on their talent. No one needs to alter their hair on this program."

PERKS OF THE PRESS

A firsthand experience by a journalist for the Hanford Sentinel covering the Idols Live Tour:

FRESNO -- Ben's been a security guard at the Save Mart Center for several years. He first got the job to help pay his way through school, he told me.

Ben and I got to be quite good friends Friday evening. I was at the Save Mart Center "on assignment" to cover the American Idol Live! concert, camera bag and notepad in hand, just like the good old days. But I was over an hour early, so had some time to kill. And that's where Ben came in.

We talked about our taste in music, and he told me some wild stories about out-of-control teenage girls at the Chris Brown concert the week before. As the minutes ticked by, vendors and other security staff trickled in as Ben and I chatted. A couple of EMTs walked by pushing an empty gurney. Probably for a passed-out fan, I thought.

I was sitting on the cold, stone floor, listening to what I thought was piped music. It sounded pretty good, and my feet were soon tapping away. Suddenly, the music stopped and I heard laughter coming through the sound system. Then a voice started singing "Let's Get It Started" by the Black Eyed Peas and again I heard a voice say "That was good, that was good."

It was at that moment that I realized it was Them! They were going through sound checks ... and they were just a stone's throw from me.
Suddenly Ben's walkie-talkie crackled: "We are go for doors, we are go for doors!" Fans of every age, shape and size started pouring in. A girl and her brother each carried homemade signs. Hers said "Blake rocks my world." Her brother's said simply "Blake, you rock."

Then it was time. Along with four other members of the media, I was escorted down into the bowels of the Save Mart Center, a bit like walking through an underground maze at an airport. When we reached our destination, we were greeted by the Idol tour PR person, who explained the procedure for taking photos. We had about 10 minutes, she said. First, Blake will be on stage, and then Jordin will join him, coming up on a lift in the middle of the platform ...

The rest frankly was a blur. Within minutes we were standing next to the barricade in front of the stage where we would take pictures, and I made small talk with one of the Save Mart Center's staff as we waited for our cue.

I looked up. A blond-haired guy in a staff uniform walked to the middle of the stage as the announcer welcomed everyone to the concert. He looked kind of familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. Then he pulled off his cap -- and his blond wig -- to reveal spiky brown hair and an impish grin. It was Blake Lewis. Before I had time to hoist my purse and camera bag over my shoulder, the center of the stage opened up, and there was Jordin.

The next 9.8 minutes went by at light speed. I was snapping photos, trying not to fall over the cameramen who were filming for the overhead screens. Before I knew it, I was an arm's length from Chris Richardson, Sanjaya, Gina and Melinda. I wasn't sure if they'd all been dieting, or if TV really does add 15 pounds, but they looked great! Getting swept up in the moment, I suddenly realized how much I missed the reason I got into journalism in the first place.

The fans were going wild. They were screaming and reaching out across the barricade toward the stage. I watched their faces; this was awesome! I looked over at the Idol PR person and smiled. "Thank you," I mouthed.

After three songs, we were motioned away from the stage, and I had to relinquish my camera to the PR person, for "safe-keeping," I was told. I made my way to my seat just a few rows back from the stage. It was L18, but I don't think my rear ever touched the chair. Everyone in the floor area was on their feet, camera cell phones snapping photos and video footage.

Within minutes, my ears were ringing from the loud music and the women screaming wildly behind me. I got caught up in the emotion: "Wuhoo!" I yelled as Sanjaya, dressed in a white jacket, gray T-shirt and red jeans, sang and moonwalked to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." "Wuhoo!!"

In between songs, the guys joked and ribbed each other. They talked about their friendship, and about the first time they all met. Sanjaya and Chris Sligh remembered "the bald guy," Phil, who good-naturedly went along with the ribbing. They really seem like best friends, I thought to myself.

Then Blake took the stage again, seeming right at home behind the microphone. "Everyone take out your cell phones and wave them like this!" he said, moving his arm from side to side. I looked behind me and the auditorium was suddenly filled with hundreds of fireflies as cell phone screens danced in the dark. It was magic.

Blake took off his jacket, revealing an untucked blue shirt over gray pants. He wrapped one hand around the mic, and the sound of techno filled the air, his beat box rhythm mesmerizing us all with its intensity. The crowd went wild. Did it get any better than this?

The Idols' performances were a whirlwind, one after the other. They ran across the stage, shaking hands with fans, and then back to the middle, hugging each other and acting like they were having such a good time. As each one sang, the stage backdrop showed footage from their initial auditions. These fresh-faced hopefuls had been turned into polished performers, and I secretly wondered if that was a good thing.

After an hour and 15 minutes, it was time for an intermission. I finally sat down. L18, a red plush chair, was comfortable. I had come down from the euphoric adrenaline rush, and I was exhausted. My camera battery had long since died, and my phone's memory was full from the photos I had taken. I didn't relish the thought of battling the traffic when the concert was over, so I decided to go home.

Driving back to Hanford, my ears still ringing, I felt good. I wished I'd gotten to say good-bye to Ben, the security guard, but I was sure he was off somewhere doing the job he said "paid the bills."

What had I enjoyed most about the evening? Sanjaya strutting across the stage, LaKisha, Haley and Gina as dance-hall girls singing "Lady Marmalade," or Jordin singing her heart out in a duet with Chris Robinson? No, I thought to myself. It was being a journalist.

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2007

Arbitration for 'Idol' Sex Harrassment Suit

Fox News reports that arbitration was ordered in a case brought by a former assistant production accountant for the company behind "American Idol," who claims he was fired for complaining of sexual harassment by a male contestant.

Magdaleno Olmos filed suit March 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging wrongful termination and violation of the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act. He is asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Along with American Idol Productions Inc. and former contestant Mario Vasquez, named defendants are Fremantle Media North America Inc., Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and Fox Broadcasting Co., all listed in the lawsuit as co-owners of the popular show.

All of the defendants "knew or should have known that Vasquez was gay or was widely rumored to be so," the lawsuit states.

Vasquez dropped out of the top 12 talent search competition during the fourth season of "American Idol" in March 2005, saying he wanted to focus on personal aspects of his life.

The lawsuit alleges that Vasquez withdrew from the show after Olmos came forward with his complaints and discussed them with executives and attorneys for American Idol Productions and the other defendants.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael C. Solner ruled today that Olmos knew when he was hired that he was signing an agreement to arbitrate disputes and not file a lawsuit. Solner granted a defense motion to send the case to arbitration and put a hold on the lawsuit.

Defense attorney George R. Hedges praised the ruling.

"It's the right decision," Hedges said. "His claim has no merit."

Olmos' lawyer, Thomas S. Campbell, opposed putting the case in front of an arbitrator. He told Solner it was unclear whether Olmos received a handbook from the company that explained the arbitration process to him. He also said the language of the arbitration rules gave an unfair advantage to his employer.

Olmos claims the sexual harassment began in February 2005.

On one occasion, Vasquez followed Olmos into a restroom at CBS Studios, where "American Idol" is taped, and knocked on the door of a stall Olmos had entered, according to his lawsuit.

When Olmos opened the door, Vasquez, who had lowered his pants, pushed him further into the stall, touched him in a sexual way and tried to unzip his pants while asking "if he wanted oral sex," the lawsuit alleges.

Olmos claims he was able to get out of the restroom, though Vasquez grabbed his arm to try to stop him from leaving.

Olmos chose the restroom over one that was closer to the "American Idol" stage because he wanted to avoid running into the show's participants, according to his lawsuit.

Due to Vasquez's celebrity status, Olmos claims he "was afraid to defend himself physically against Vasquez's sexual harassment and battery for fear of losing his job."

When Olmos complained to a supervisor, the latter questioned whether he initiated the incident, according to his court papers. He also claims the supervisor told him nothing could be done and that he would probably be fired for reporting the alleged harassment.

On numerous other occasions, Vasquez stared and smiled at Olmos. But when he complained to a supervisor, he was told "that he was crazy, was imagining this and should keep this information to himself because no one would believe his account," according to his lawsuit.

Olmos alleges he was fired in May 2005 in retaliation for his complaints against Vasquez.

Olmos began working for American Idol Productions in October 2002, and his contract was renewed each of the next two years, according to his lawsuit.

SPARKS SAVING HERSELF FOR MARRIAGE

And talking about sex, new "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks isn't having any until after she gets married. That's right, US Weekly magazine according to Reality TV World, reports that Sparks is saving herself for marriage.

Even though Sparks sports a platinum band on her wedding finger, don't expect to see the American Idol sixth-season champ walking down the aisle anytime soon.

"This isn't a wedding ring, and there's no boy anywhere," Sparks told Us Weekly in the magazine's June 18 issue.

Instead, the 17-year-old Glendale, Ariz., native said she's worn the "purity ring" with the inscription "True Love Waits" since she was 13. Sparks is the youngest Idol winner out of the Fox mega-hit's six installments, and while other Idol champs and finalists are reportedly smitten by everyone from professional athletes to television news anchors, Sparks says she isn't in any rush to get involved in a romantic relationship.

"I haven't been in love yet," she told US. "I am saving myself for marriage."

Due to her Christian upbringing, virginity is just one of the values that Sparks says she believes in. "I think that [abortion] is wrong," Sparks told Us. "I'm not going to try to debate people on it; that's just my opinion... I believe what I believe."

PICKLER: BOYFRIEND HER BIGGEST FAN

Mean-
while, love is in the air for Season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler , who told People magazine that her boyfriend, Canadian hockey player Jordin Tootoo, and she have this in common: "We're each other's biggest fans."

The former "American Idol" contestant, 20, and the Nashville Predators right wing, 24, met after they bought condos in the same Nashville complex, where Tootoo spotted Pickler and asked for her phone number.

Pickler told People they were friends at first, but the relationship had turned romantic by spring. "We're from real different places, but they're both small towns so we're a lot alike too," she said (she's from Albemarle, N.C.; he grew up in Rankin Inlet, a small town in Nunavut in Canada's Northwest Territories).

Now, she says, "We let each other shine in our moments and are so proud of each other. I go to games and I'm the fan in the Predators jersey, screaming my head off. He comes to my concert with a Pickler T-shirt and he does the same."

Fittingly, their first date was to a hockey game, a sport about as foreign to Pickler as Tootoo's native tongue, Inuktikut. (The first player of Inuit descent to play in the NHL, Tootoo is also fluent in English.)

"We had a little communication problem at first," Pickler says with a laugh. "And I had never been to a hockey game -– we didn't have hockey in Albemarle. I had no idea what was going on, but I loved it anyway. It's so fast and exciting!"

When she was interviewed, Pickler was planning a break from Brad Paisley's "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour to travel north of the border to spend a week with Tootoo and his family.

"I'm just so excited about seeing where he is from," she told the magazine. "It will be a totally different culture and I'm fascinated by other cultures. I have no idea what to expect. I know they do a lot of hunting and fishing and they eat what they kill. It's not like there's a Subway down the street. It's also been snowing up there, so I'm going to learn to drive a snowmobile. If it's anything like 4-wheelin', I'm set!"

SANJAYA'S MOM ON HER KIDS ... AND MORE

Jillian Recchi (or Jillian Blyth or Jayaradhe as she was known in the Hare Krishna movement a decade ago) talked to Rediff.com about her children Shyamali and Sanjaya Malakar who became famous overnight, thanks to "American Idol."

"Both Shyamali [Rosaria Malakar] and Sanjaya [Joseph Malakar] embraced their Indian cultural roots."

Recchi, who spent over two months with her 17-year-old son in Hollywood, was often joined by daughter Shyamali, and on one occasion her former husband Vasudeva Malakar, who left his construction business and chores at the Hare Krishna temple in Seattle, to be with his children.

Since her divorce nearly a decade ago, Recchi, who since remarried, raised the children mostly on her own. She says she has not been a member of the Hare Krishna congregation for many years but the Indian spirituality is deeply ingrained in her and her children.

"I consider the Hare Krishna way of life to be my spiritual foundation," said Recchi, who met her future husband Vasudeva while she was a devotee at the Seattle Hare Krishna Temple 21 years ago. "I do not live in the temple though."

"Vasudeva was a classical Indian singer-musician-teacher for many years in Seattle," she continued. "He taught harmonium and bhajans to students at home. There was always Indian music in our home. I was a musician and played the flute, though I didn't pursue it professionally. We sang in the car with the children."

After the divorce, Shyamali and Sanjaya moved to Hawaii with their mother and lived there from 1996 to 2000. Both were in Hawaii children's musical theatre.

"Shyamali was always a precocious, intelligent child," Recchi says of her first born, an aspiring model, singer and actress. She was eliminated from the American Idol contest early on.

"She read by the age of 3, and had an amazing memory. She would listen to a song once and remember it. Sanjaya, too, had a great talent for singing and music early on. As soon as he was talking, he was singing, dancing and running around. Of course, they are always around music."

When Sanjaya continued to make steady progress in the competition, despite a lot of negative criticism, Recchi closed down her home business for a few months. "I have always had my own business," she says.

"Currently, I am an independent distributor for in-home water purification filters and distillers. I also manage and maintain some rental properties. This gives me flexibility of hours to be with and do things with my kids. I wanted to prioritise that; I didn't want to put my kids in daycare. I wanted to be there for them while they were growing up."

The children were exposed not only to Indian but also to contemporary and older American music, by Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, their mother added.

"It was their choice to participate in the competition," she says. "I told Sanjaya he couldn't enter because he was too young. He was very sad; my family got involved and finally decided he could try.

"When Shyamali got booted out, she took it really well. It didn't discourage her; she still wants to continue and pursue a music and acting career.

"For Sanjaya, unfortu-
nately, I wasn't there with him when he was voted out," she says, a trace of sadness in her voice. "I was with him for a solid two months, but I flew back to Los Angeles to be with him the day after he was eliminated.

"Sanjaya had a feeling he would get voted out after he saw a tape of his performance later that night. He mentally prepared himself for elimination: of course, he didn't tell me that!"

She says her son has taken this as a learning experience. "This will, I think, launch him into a very successful career," she says. "He wants to be an entertainer, whatever that might encompass. He has a real passion for singing; he also loves to act, he has thought of modeling and wants to be a spokesperson for charitable work."

What is the best advice she has given Shyamali and Sanjaya?

"As a mother, I always felt my children would go on to do great things," she said. "I taught them that whatever platform they might end up on, they should use it positively.

"They are very compassionate. People can see that. I think that was really why Sanjaya had such a large fan base. He is a genuine person who is not egotistical, very compassionate, and very well grounded.

"Even though they are very attractive people, I don't think they let that go to their heads because they realize it is a God-given gift. Any gift they have comes from God; they are just an instrument of that.

"That helps them stay grounded and focussed on the bigger picture. I would say that is probably one of the biggest things I have tried to give them as far as life lessons go."

And according to the New York Daily News, Sanjaya hasn't given up hopes for a career in showbiz. "My first objective is to legitimize my music," he told Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden, "then do modeling and acting." But his brief fame may soon be overshadowed. Buzz is that his sister Shyamali has been offered nude magazine spreads. Not that she'll be tempted, says Sanjaya: "She was never the type to flaunt it."

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2007

Kellie Pickler: New Boobs, New Boy

While we can't confirm that the boobs actually are new -- Kellie Pickler coyly refuses to confirm or deny knowing that she'll lose the attention for them once the public knows for sure -- we can confirm that the new boy, er man, in her life is NHL Nashville Predators forward Jordin Tootoo.

Pickler confirmed the relationship with Tootoo, 24, in a recent interview US Weekly magazine. "We've been seeing each other since January, but we kept it under wraps," said Pickler, 20.

Tootoo, who is originally from Churchill, Manitoba in Canada and has an Inuit Eskimo lineage, reportedly invited the Albemarle, N.C.-native to one of his games and the romance began to blossom from there.

"I am this country bumpkin and he's an Eskimo," said Pickler, who plans to visit his central Canada hometown this summer. "I'm going to build an igloo!"

Unfortunately, Kellie has had issues besides love to deal with lately. Her father, Clyde Pickler, was arrested for the second time this year. The elder Pickler was arrested May 18 on a felony count of obtaining property under false pretense and three felony counts of larceny of a motor vehicle. Clyde "Bo" Pickler Jr., 42, is accused of stealing abandoned and disabled vehicles and illegally selling them to scrap yards. Bond was set at $26,000.

Pickler was released from jail in 2006 after a serving a three-year sentence for stabbing his neighbor. He was arrested on Feb. 7 this year in Albemarle, N.C., for allegedly assaulting his new wife with a steak knife. He was subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, misdemeanor assault on a female and a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats.

According to CMT.com, Pickler's father is scheduled to appear in court on July 9 in Albemarle, N.C. for the May 18th arrest. He was also scheduled to also appear in court two weeks ago (May 24) for a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle without a license and again next week (June 12) for a separate misdemeanor larceny charge. Kellie Pickler’s dad also sold her out – literally. Last year, a source told Us Weekly that Clyde auctioned off some of his daughter's belongings on eBay while she was on the Idols tour during summer 2006. "It was personal effects that he had from her childhood, like shoes," said an Idol insider. "When Kellie found out, she was crushed. Everything was gone."

Kellie interviewed a couple of weeks ago by
WCNC in Charlotte, N.C. Here are some excerpts:

"My life has definitely done a 180," Pickler said as she sat in her small bathroom talking about how her life has changed in the tour bus she is travelling with Brad Paisley. "It's not every day I get to sit on my toilet and have people watching me with cameras."

Pickler said it's hard leaving her hometown friends for the bright lights of Nashville, where she currently lives. But Pickler did want to talk, even about the plastic surgery rumors regarding her breasts.

"Oh my boobs?" Pickler said. "I don't care. You know what? The most important thing is you're happy with what you see when you look in the mirror. You just have to brush off the people that criticize you and put you down because it's not really about this [gestures to her chest], it's about what's in here [points to her heart].

"And your real friends are gonna to love you no matter what you look like whether you're a negative A cup or a triple D. They're gonna love you just because you're you," Pickler said.

In true Pickler fashion, she said what was on her mind, even when she talked about dating. "Some of the most attractive guys are ugly as soon as their mouths open," she said.

And she admitted to a flirtation with a Nashville hockey player. "Everyone always says we're the hockey-tonk hook-up in Nashville. It’s kind of cute."

The singer said it started with dinner and they’ve been hanging out ever since. "He has introduced me to so many different types of food," Pickler said. "I’ve been eating raw fish. It's kind of weird. I ate eel the other day."

But she's far from settling down. "If it's meant to be then it will happen," she said. "And if not then I'll just be an old hag with a bunch of cats."

Speaking about the mother who abandoned her when she was young, Pickler said she has no idea where her mother is now. "I don't have contact with her."

Does she want to know? "It's kind of like there's been a huge bridge that's been burned you know and sometimes it's kind of hard to repair so I don't know what I'd say. I don't know what I'd do. ... We all go through obstacles in life but at the end we make it," Pickler said.

Pickler, a beauty school drop out, also tried nursing. "I even tried paralegal for crying out loud. I thought well maybe I could help my dad out a little bit! I'm kidding dad."

Of her grandmother, who helped raise her and died before her 'American Idol' success, Pickler said, "I want her to be tangible. I want to hold her. I want her to hold me. It's hard."

Where she came from is so much a part of where she's going. "I just feel like finally my dreams are coming true."

This week, according to Netmusiccountdown.com Pickler earned the Look Of The Week in US Weekly's June 4 issue for the ACM Awards. Her gown was designed by Max Azria.

Kellie also had to say this in the May 28 issue of OK! magazine, according to Reality TV World:

On her breasts: "I'm a girl that likes to be the center of attention, and right now I am, so I feel like maybe I should let the mystery live on. If I say yes or no, nobody's going to care anymore. I'm going to keep playing this game with everybody."

Of Ryan Seacrest's attention to her chest when she performed on a Season 6 results show, Pickler said, "I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. It was no biggie, it's Ryan and he's going to do his job. I don't take anything personally. I thought he was implying have I bought a house, a car. He kept saying, 'What have you bought?' And I was like, 'shoes,' which wasn't a lie. I've stacked up some shoes! I thought he wanted me to keep listing things."

But the 20-year-old added that going under the knife for the sake of beauty isn't totally out of the question. "I'm all for it. When I'm older I'm getting everything sucked, tucked and cut off," Pickler jokingly told OK!

Speaking of her father, she said, "It was hard to pick up where we left off after the show because our lives had changed. When he was incarcerated, I was 16. It had been four years since I'd seen him. When he came home I was a grown woman. We're not close."

Pickler said that her fling with Nashville Predators forward Jordin Tootoo isn't that serious yet. "I'm not looking to settle down. I'm only 20," she said, adding she'd like the relationship to develop naturally. "The most important thing to me right now is enjoying my youthful years and continuing to sing country music and focus on my career."

"Now that I have the career that I want -- and a job I love -- it make life better. ... I feel blessed. I want to continue putting out great country music and living my dream."

VIDEOS OF SIMON COWELL, THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Although no complete video of the show exists that we could find for fans on this side of the pond, we were able to locate and compile a bunch of videos of guest appearances from the British version of "This Is Your Life" honoring Simon Cowell that was telecast in the UK over the weekend. For your viewing enjoyment ...

Il Divo and Leona Lewis sing "Somewhere" from "West Side Story" to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


"X Factor" winners Shane Ward and Leona Lewis pay tribute to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul pay tribute to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


The members of the group Westlife pay tribute to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


Ricky Gervais pays a humorous tribute to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


Girlfriend and "Extra" correpondent Terri Seymour pays tribute to Simon Cowell on "This Is Your Life":


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