The New American Idol, Lee DeWyze

Soon after Lee DeWyze won the title of American Idol, he opened up on a press call. The Mount Prospect, Illinois native talked about his new album, meeting other Idols, and more.

Lee never compromised who he was throughout the grueling competition. “Whether it is on the show or on camera or off the camera, I stay true to myself,” Lee stated.

“I really wanted my experience on the show to be about me and my performing and my music. I think I can connect with an audience because I know what it's like to be on the other side of it and I really remember all of that. I know what it's like to be starting, trying to do something and have a goal and trying to reach it…For me, it's just about that moment when I was up there and I put my emotions in every song. I connect with every song, as best I can, and the audience.”

The winner signed a deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Records, and is beginning to think about his album. Lee said, “I'm really looking forward to the new album I'll be making now…I'm about being as original as I can and to stay true to myself. This experience has given me a platform. It's really on a major scale, making an unbelievable album. That's really what I'm looking forward to right now…I get to take time on it. The show is interesting because you go each week and you have a song, and you're given this much amount of time. I'm the kind of person that when I'm on stage I like to build up to something. But, you know, we get a minute and a half and that's the game. That was the challenging part of it all. So, for me, I'm just excited to get on the big stage and really put on a performance, put on a show without time limits, without judging and going through the process that I did really helped because those are like the scariest conditions to be under, being judged by people in front of national television. It's a rough thing to do. But I'm psyched to make a new album, and I'm really looking forward to it.”

Throughout his run on the show and at the finale, Lee was able to talk to some of the past American Idol Finalists and he said, “They've been really amazing. Like, Adam Lambert was awesome on the show because he's a real genuine guy. He's original and I like him. He's got a good attitude and everything. I think he's real and he says it how it is. I like that about him. I got to talk to David Cook a little bit. He's one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in my life. I've noticed a trend throughout all the Idols – that they're very genuine people and they all know what it's like to be on the other side of it, like where I was at. I got to talk to Kris Allen, Ruben, I actually saw Carrie for a little bit at the Idol party. She was so supportive…I just look to them for inspiration. They've been through the same process and they've been able to make their marks on music the same way I want to make my mark on music. So, talking was really helpful because it kind of gave you the sense of direction and how it's all going to go from here. So to see that they've been successful is really awesome. I met Chris Daughtry too and he is just a cool guy. Again, just down-to-earth and original and I can relate to that. So I'm just looking forward to working with all these guys and talking to them and hopefully forming some cool relationships.”

What’s next for the American Idol? The American Idols LIVE! 2010 Tour, of course! “I'm going to be doing the tour and also recording at the same time, which is going to be intense but it's going to be fun. The fans, not just at home – everywhere – they've been just so awesome and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here….I’ll be all over the place. I'm definitely going to make my rounds in Chicago as often and as much as I can.”

I'm very appreciative of this whole experience and American Idol and what it's done for me and what opportunities it's given me. Thank you to my fans that voted, fans of the show, my friends, my family, the production staff on American Idol, all the people at 19 that have been helping me and the people that were behind the scenes – no one that I would ever get to see and meet. It's just that they have done so much that the producers, the production and everybody, and to Crystal, because it could have been her up there. It could have been either one of us and she is just an amazing person, an amazing mom, a great artist. I know she'll be successful and I wish her the best and all the other contestants on the show. I'm really close to all of them. I really hope the best for all of them and I know they hope the best for me. The tour's going to be fun. Thank you to everybody…I appreciate it.”

Catch Lee as he headlines the American Idol tour all summer long. Click here for dates, venues, and links to buy tickets.

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Top 10 American Idol Fansites

If you listen to the doomsayers and the Nielsen reports, American Idol is circling the drain. It may still handily win the night when it’s on and end-of-year reports always have it at the top of the rankings, but it can’t be denied viewership has dropped for several years. However, while there may be fewer people tuning in, those who do are as passionate about the show as they were when Kelly Clarkson won the hearts of America or watercoolers buzzed with the Clay vs. Ruben debate. These passionate, opinionated, and creative devotees can be found at one or more of these top 10 American Idol fansites.

10. David-Cook.org: Last year’s winner has a plethora of fansites devoted to him but none are as eye-catching and thorough as David-Cook.org, which bills itself as the official fansite for David Cook . With its grungy, dark blue-accented design, it appeals to the “rawker” side in all the fans who propelled Cook to the winner’s stage. The forums are the meat and potatoes of the site, offering fans an active, organized and well-moderated place to post their thoughts on Cook, American Idol, and many other topics. David-Cook.org also offers an extensive multimedia collection, most notably their large photo gallery, as well as sections for fan fiction, polls, and a charity and volunteer drive. David Cook would be proud of what this site and his dedicated fans have accomplished in his honor.

9. Masterclass Lady: Masterclass Lady, aka Rosanne Simunovic, is a singer, pianist and vocal coach who offers a unique and experienced take on the performances we watch. Her commentary on vocal technique may not be as succinct as Randy Jackson’s “that was a little pitchy, dawg” but her site is the place fans visit when they want to learn exactly why a singer blew them away or made them want to cover their ears. Masterclass Lady is a must-visit for any Idol fan wanting to experience the show on a deeper level.

8. Television Without Pity: TWOP prides itself on its hypercritical snark and it truly holds no punches when discussing the contestants and powers that be involved in American Idol. The recaps and forums are not for the faint of heart but beneath the sarcasm and pitiless commentary lies thoughtful analysis on what makes the Idol machine tick.

7. DialIdol.com: The wait between the Tuesday performance episode and the Wednesday elimination episode can be maddening. Dial Idol makes the wait a little easier with its weekly prediction of who will be going home, based on those who use their dialing software. The sample data is limited since it relies on those who still use a dial-up internet connection but Dial Idol has accurately predicted every winner since it began measuring call data and it had a 97% overall success rate in season 7.

6. What Not To Sing: WNTS is an exhaustive catalogue of American Idol data, including but not limited to contestants, songs, artists, episodes, and themes. It also provides news, rankings, and collects reviews and analysis in order to advise future contestants on what to sing or not to sing based on what has or hasn’t worked for past contestants. A statistics geek could happily spend hours browsing this thorough site, even if they’re not an American Idol fan.

5. Rickey.org: Every Idol fan worth his or her salt knows that if an episode is missed, Rickey’s blog is the place to go for high quality video and audio clips that go up seemingly as soon as they’re first aired on FOX. Rickey also provides an arena for good-natured battles between fans of different contestants. You haven’t lived through Idol fandom until you’ve seen the David Cook Word Nerds and David Archuleta Archey Angels throw down.

4. Vote For The Worst: The denizens at VFTW would probably vehemently deny that they’re a fansite but even an investment of negative energy demonstrates how much VFTWers care about American Idol. Dedicated to thwarting the perceived desires of Idol’s producers, they organize mass voting for those contestants who they feel would provide the highest entertainment factor for them and highest annoyance factor for the average Idol viewer. It’s hard to say for sure how much impact VFTW has had, although they claim season 5 winner Taylor Hicks as one of their successes. They take a tongue-in-cheek approach to the whole Idol madness and are always a fun place to visit for any fan who doesn’t take the show very seriously.

3. MJ’s Big Blog: Don’t let MJ’s simple, low key design fool you; this site is jam-packed with news, reviews, spoilers, pictures, videos, appearances, and chart information about the show and every contestant past and present. It should be a daily visit for every American Idol fan even during the off season, and when Idol’s on the air the chat and blog comments are the place to be. MJ’s Big Blog would be at the top of this list except the server frequently goes down on spoiler days (usually Tuesday afternoon right after the performance dress rehearsals) during the height of the season, frustrating many devoted fans.

2. IdolForums.com: IDF is a direct reflection of the size and passion of the Idol fanbase. As of the time this article was written, it boasted over 85,000 members and 18 million posts. The forums may be enormous but their user-friendly organization, simple registration process, customizable features, and helpful and welcoming members keep them from being intimidating. And unlike many other Idol fan forums, this one doesn’t grind to a halt during the off season. Their forums dedicated to Idol favorites and other shows that appeal to their membership keep IDF an active place all year long.

1. AmericanIdol.com: No list of top American Idol fansites would be complete without including the official site, and this superb one deserves to be at the top. It offers contestant information, behind-the-scenes exclusives, episode clips, photos, games, polls, contests, mobile content for AT&T wireless users, a store, and an active and fun social network that allows enthusiastic fans to post blogs and interact with each other on groups and discussion forums.

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American Idol 2008 "David Cook"

David Roland Cook (born December 20, 1982) is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol. Prior to Idol he released an album entitled Analog Heart, and his post-Idol self-titled album, produced by Rob Cavallo, was released on November 18, 2008 and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Cook was born in Houston, Texas , raised in Blue Springs, Missouri, and currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His parents are Beth (née Frye) and Stan Cook.^[2] He is the middle of three brothers.^[3][4] Adam is the oldest, and Andrew is the youngest. David's eldest brother, Adam, has been battling brain cancer for 11 years.

Cook's interest in music began early in life. He began singing in second grade, when his elementary school music teacher gave him a solo in a school choir performance. He proceeded to perform in virtually every Christmas and PTA program.

He received his first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, at the age of 12.^[6] He also participated in choir and drama programs in middle school and high school. At Blue Springs South High School, he performed in musicals , including The Music Man, West Side Story, and Singin' in the Rain.^[7][8][5] In addition to this, he was an active member in the Blue Springs South High School National Forensics League (or NFL), where he qualified for the national tournament twice for duo interpretation, an event that relies on performance and interpretation of a literary work.

He was also an avid baseball player during high school. After losing interest in the sport, he focused more on music. He earned a theater scholarship to the University of Central Missouri, but he abandoned theater after two semesters, graduating from the school in 2006 with a degree in graphic design. While in college, he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. After his college graduation, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to pursue a career in music, telling his family, "I just want to give myself until I'm 26 years old to get a job."
His musical influences include Our Lady Peace, Alice in Chains, Big Wreck, Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Switchfoot, Bon Jovi and Collective Soul. Immediately after winning American Idol, Cook was asked backstage by Entertainment Weekly who his top five favorite bands were. Our Lady Peace and Big Wreck were on this short list, as well as the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and 8stops7.

American Idol 2008

Cook originally did not plan to try out for the show. He came to the auditions initially to support his younger brother Andrew (who did not make it to Hollywood) and then, at his brother's urging, David tried out himself. Cook auditioned for American Idol in Nebraska, performing Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer." For his first Hollywood audition, Cook performed "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. On the second song in Hollywood, he sang "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. Cook took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments. Besides his Hollywood audition, he also accompanied himself on electric guitar for his performances of "All Right Now," "Hello," "Day Tripper," "I'm Alive," "Baba O'Riley," "Dare You to Move," and "Dream Big," and on acoustic guitar for "Little Sparrow," "All I Really Need Is You," and "The World I Know." His white, left-handed Gibson Les Paul electric guitar has the letters "AC" on it; as Cook told TV Guide, "I have two brothers, Adam and Andrew. So, because of superstition, I put their initials on everything growing up." Since the Top 12 week, he also wore (and continues to wear) an orange wristband to support a 7-year-old fan, Lindsey Rose, with leukemia.

Another of Cook's performances, The Beatles' "Day Tripper", was credited to Whitesnake. Seattle-based band Doxology has claimed that Cook's performance of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" was based on a version the band recorded over a year ago. On April 1, before performing his self-arranged rendition of Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow" on American Idol, Cook responded to Ryan Seacrest in the interview session, revealing that his performance of "Eleanor Rigby" was based on Neil Zaza's and Doxology's versions. He also reiterated the credits of Whitesnake and Chris Cornell. Despite the controversy, critics praised Cook for choosing versions of songs that fit his vocal style. Cook's arrangements of "Hello," "Little Sparrow," "Always Be My Baby," "All I Really Need Is You," "Baba O'Riley," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" were original arrangements,

Cook won the seventh season of American Idol on May 21, 2008, receiving 56% of the votes, with 12 million votes over David Archuleta as the runner-up. Cook then sang "The Time of My Life", the winning song of the 2008 American Idol Songwriter's Competition. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, identical commercials featuring Cook and fellow finalist Archuleta mimicked the Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business where he dances in his underwear playing an air guitar; they were promoting the game franchise Guitar Hero

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American Idol 2007 "Jordin Sparks"

Jordin Brianna Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American pop/R&B singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and plus-size model. She rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol, and followed her victory with the release of her debut album, which led to her reception of an American Music Award and Grammy nominations in 2008. Her self titled debut album was certified Platinum in the U.S. on December 12, 2008.

Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona to Jodi Weidmann-Sparks and former NFL defensive back Phillippi Sparks. She has a younger brother PJ (Phillippi Sparks, Jr.) who also plays football. She lived briefly in Ridgewood, New Jersey and attended Orchard Elementary School. After living in New Jersey, Sparks attended Northwest Community Christian School in Phoenix, Arizona through the eighth grade. Sparks attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School until 2006,

then she was homeschooled to better concentrate on her singing. A formally trained singer, she started taking lessons at age fourteen from vocal coach Melissa Black. She rigorously trained with her coach for almost a year, in order to perfect her skill. Sparks is an evangelical Christian and attends Calvary Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona. On her "American Idol" biography, she thanks her parents and God for her win. She wears a purity ring that symbolizes her desire to remain a virgin until marriage.

She also appeared on the cover of World, an Evangelical Christian news magazine. She won an award for best young artist of the year in Arizona for three years.

Before Idol

Before appearing on American Idol, Sparks participated in and won such talent competitions as Sprite Rising Star, Gospel Music Association GMA Academy, The Proof Is In The Pudding Contest, NBC/PAX America's Most Talented Kids, Colgate Country Showdown and the 2007 Drug Free AZ Superstar Search.

In 2006, Sparks was one of six winners who won the Phoenix Torrid search for the "Next Plus Size Model." She was flown to California, where she was used in a number of Torrid ads and promotional pieces. A full-page ad for Torrid featuring Sparks ran in the December 2006 issue of Seventeen magazine.

American Idol 2007

Main article: American Idol (season 6)

In the summer of 2006, Sparks auditioned twice for American Idol once in Los Angeles, CA (only auditioned for producers) and again in Seattle, WA after winning KSAZ Fox 10's "Arizona Idol." The Seattle audition is the one seen in the January 27, 2007 broadcast of American Idol where she earned a "gold ticket" and the right to appear in the Hollywood Round. American Idol judge Randy Jackson made the offhand prediction that, "Curly hair will win this year," which he admitted wasn't Sparks. While on the show, Sparks gained a loyal fan base known as "Sparkplugs" (even having their own official fan site). On May 23, 2007, Sparks was crowned the winner of the sixth season of American Idol having never been in the bottom three. Sparks was the fourth winner never to have been voted in the bottom three (after Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks); Cowell said "Jordin was the most improved over the whole season -- didn't start the best, but midway through this was the girl who suddenly got momentum," he included that "Young girl, likeable, and the singer won over the entertainer [Lewis]."

Sparks twice performed on seventh season, once on the Idol Gives Back results show singing her duet with Chris Brown, "No Air" and again with "One Step at a Time" on May 21, 2008, for the finale of American Idol.

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American Idol 2006 "Taylor Hicks"

Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006 as a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol, which he won later that year. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. Upon winning Idol, he was signed to Arista Records, under which his self-titled major label debut was released on December 12, 2006. His energetic stage performances and influences derived from classic rock, blues, and R&B music had earned him a following of devout fans, who have been dubbed the "Soul Patrol." He is currently on tour in Grease playing Teen Angel, the role originated by Alan Paul. The new CD, The Distance, is set to drop March 10, 2009, with the first single, "What's Right Is Right", going to AC adds January 27, 2009.

Taylor Hicks was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 7, 1976,^[3] to Bradley Hicks and Pamela Dickinson. His hair started turning gray by the time he was 14. He and his family had moved to suburban Hoover, Alabama when he was eight years old. His parents divorced, and stepmother Linda shared custody of their son until he became of age. Hicks has attributed his difficult childhood as the reason for his turning to soul and blues music for solace. He has a younger half-brother, Sean, who later convinced him to audition for American Idol.

He bought his first harmonica when he was 16, for $2 at a flea market in Bessemer, Alabama, and taught himself to play blues harp. He discovered that he possessed absolute pitch when he was able to recognize the pitches of ordinary noises and mimic them on the harmonica. Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself to play guitar when he was 19.

Hicks graduated from Hoover High School in 1995. He played varsity baseball, soccer, and basketball while studying in Hoover. He then pursued a major in business and journalism at Auburn University, but lost interest and dropped out after three years

American Idol 2006

American Idol (season 5)

Hicks auditioned for American Idol in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 10, 2005. Hicks passed the audition by the approval of judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, but not Simon Cowell, who said that Hicks would never make it to the final round. On Hicks' first performance for the voting public, Cowell called back to this quote, admitting he was wrong.

On the May 10, 2006, results show, Hicks along with Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin, were announced as the Top 3 finalists. On May 12, Idol producers brought Hicks to Birmingham for a weekend of promotional events including television interviews for the local FOX affiliate, a downtown parade, concerts, and an audience with Governor Bob Riley. May 12 was proclaimed "Taylor Hicks Day" and Hicks was given the key to the city. Also on May 12, Gov. Riley issued a proclamation making May 16 "Taylor Hicks Day".

Hicks was named the new American Idol on May 24, 2006, winning the title over McPhee, with over 63.4 million votes cast in total. The proclamation was aired to a worldwide audience of 200 million television viewers. With his win at age 29, Hicks became the oldest person to win American Idol. He was the first male contestant to win American Idol without ending up in the bottom two or three.

In June 2006, Ford Motor Company, the show's major sponsor, signed Hicks to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end sales event. He was also named Hottest Bachelor by People magazine for 2006, appearing on the magazine's cover.

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American Idol 2005 "Carrie Underwood"

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. She rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, and has become a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum and
is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Country charts in the United States and Canada: "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Wasted", and her biggest hit to date, "Before He Cheats", and the #2 hit "Don't Forget To Remember Me". Her debut album is also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history.

Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007.

It has so far sold over 2.7 million records, and has produced four number one country hits, "So Small", "All-American Girl", "Last Name", and "Just a Dream". Underwood's Christmas single, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" peaked at number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. Her current single, released in 2009, is "I Told You So". This is her fifth single from her number one album Carnival Ride. Aside from her vocals, Underwood's success is attributed to what many fans recognize as her wholesome image. As of February 2009, Underwood has sold over 9.3 million albums in the United States. Underwood was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on May 10, 2008. In February 2009, Carrie Underwood received her first "Entertainer of the Year" nomination for the 2009 ACM Awards. This is her first nomination for this category from any award show she's participated and/or been nominated in.

In March 2009, Underwood recorded Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" as the 'Goodbye Song' for the American Idol (Season 8) castoffs. The song is played during their goodbye video post-elimination. Underwood also released the song as a single on iTunes.

Carrie Marie Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma.She is of Scottish descent and she has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie. Her father, Stephen, worked in a paper mill while her mother was an elementary school teacher.

During her childhood, Underwood had performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show while also singing at the Free Will Baptist Church and later on for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club. In 1996, she was in the process of getting a contract with Capitol Records, but the deal was canceled when the recording company's management changed.

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian.After high school, she attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, graduating magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism. Underwood is a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

American Idol

Main article: American Idol (season 4)

In the summer of 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis. During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, Idol episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit "Alone" by Heart and judge Simon Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous Idol winners. Underwood is one of five winners never to have been voted in the bottom three (the others being Kelly Clarkson Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and David Cook); one of the show's producers later said that Underwood dominated the voting, winning each week handily. While on the show, Underwood gained a loyal fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears." Coincidentally, she was in the same sorority (Sigma Sigma Sigma) as Linda Denham, the creator of the original Care Bears franchise. On May 25, 2005, Underwood was crowned the winner of the fourth season of American Idol.

Underwood appeared on the sixth season of American Idol. She sang her single "Wasted" on March 8, making this her fourth time performing on the show since winning the competition in 2005. Underwood also performed at the Idol Gives Back concert singing her new song, "I'll Stand By You", (a cover of the Pretenders hit) along with Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, and others. Underwood sang the same song at American Idol's season finale on May 23, 2007. Underwood sang "Praying For Time", a former number one for George Michael, during the seventh season American Idol Gives Back mini-marathon. She also came back to perform "Last Name" on May 21, 2008, for the finale of the seventh season of American Idol. She returned again for season 8 on Wednesday, March 18 to perform a duet with Randy Travis with her latest single "I Told You So", a song Randy Travis wrote for his 1987 album Always & Forever.

On February 12, 2009, Underwood appeared with the other six American Idol winners at the inauguration of The American Idol Experience at Disney World in Florida. Carrie and the other Idol winners received a microphone-shaped trophy honoring them for winning American Idol. Underwood also took the stage to sing her hit single "All-American Girl" as well as perform a duet of "Go Your Own Way" with fellow winner David Cook.

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American Idol 2004 "Fantasia Barrino"

Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984), commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American Idol in 2004. She has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. After playing the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, she is cast to be in the film adaptation of the musical. Apart from her debut single I Believe which was also released in Australia , Fantasia has yet to release any material outside of the United States / Canada.

Fantasia Barrino was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, to Joseph and Diane Barrino. In her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia who is African American^[1] explains that a family rumor suggests her father was of Cuban descent, but there are no sources to verify that claim.^[2] Fantasia is the first cousin of K-Ci & JoJo of the group Jodeci. She is also related to R&B singer Dave Hollister.

The Barrino family traveled and performed in the Carolinas and elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label. Fantasia's singing style was shaped by the example of gospel singers like Shirley Caesar and The Clark Sisters. Rhythm & Blues singers such as Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, and Chaka Khan also left a strong impact on young Fantasia.

She attended Andrews High School in High Point. After she was raped by a classmate, she was left feeling harassed and embarrassed and dropped out of high school. She later became pregnant at age sixteen and on August 8, 2001, she gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari Barrino. She broke up with Zion's father because he was physically abusive towards her. Fantasia then briefly moved to neighboring Greensboro, North Carolina before trying out for the American Idol Auditions in Atlanta.

On December 9, 2008, The Charlotte Observer reported that Barrino's 6,200 square foot home in Charlotte's Glynmoor Lakes at Piper Glen community is in foreclosure and will soon be up for auction. Her 4,500-square-foot home, also in Piper Glen, is unaffected. On January 08, 2009 an agreement was reached to not auction Barrino's home.

American Idol

Main article: American Idol (season 3)

Fantasia made an immediate impression on American Idol with her stylized gospel-influenced sound, and her explosive stage presence. Her audition version of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" made her an early favorite in the competition. Her standout performance during the course of the show was a heartfelt staging of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges--Randy Jackson has called it the best performance in the show's history--and was named to the Emmy Awards's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

Concerns were raised over her as a single mother being a poor role model for youth.

For the final performance of the season, Fantasia offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew enormous praise from the judges; Simon Cowell remarked that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition, including the more than seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over sixty-five million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from twenty-four million in 2003. It was the highest finale vote in the show's history until the May 23, 2007 American Idol (season 6) finale. In the end Fantasia defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes. At age nineteen, Fantasia was the youngest American Idol winner until May 23, 2007, when the 17 year-old Jordin Sparks won the title.

Fantasia participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays.

Barrino's brother auditioned for the eighth season of American idol but failed to make it to Hollywood

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American Idol 2003 "Ruben Studdard"

Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American pop, R&B, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol. He received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

for "Superstar."

In the years following Idol, Studdard has released three studio albums. His fourth album is expected to be released in May 2009.

In addition to appearing on various television shows he has toured with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and in 2008 accepted the role of Fats Waller in a national tour of Ain't Misbehavin'.

Studdard, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany while his father was stationed there with the U.S. Army, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama.^[3] The youngest son of two teachers, at the age of three he sang for the first time at the Rising Star Baptist Church in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He continued singing gospel in church, performing solos as a child while his mother sang in the local choir. While at Huffman High School, he played football for which he received a scholarship to Alabama A&M University. While there he joined the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity.

After growing up listening to his mother's Donny Hathaway albums, Fred Hammond, and gospel music, Studdard began to pursue a career in the music industry, majoring in voice studies at Alabama A&M. He sang with Just a Few Cats, a popular local Birmingham jazz and R&B band founded by members of Ray Reach's UAB Jazz Ensemble, along with other local musicians. "A lot of people don't realize how hard I was trying to get into the business before American Idol," Studdard related several years later. "I was making demos and just working so hard." A back-up singer from Just a Few Cats asked him to accompany her to Nashville, Tennessee for an audition on the 2003 second season of "American Idol".

On June 28, 2008, Studdard married Surata Zuri McCants in a short, private ceremony outside of Birmingham, Alabama. There was no singing during the 30-minute ceremony - just an exchange of vows, prayers, and music provided by a string ensemble. Studdard wore a black tuxedo with white bow tie for the ceremony. His bride wore a white and ivory wedding gown.

American Idol 2003

When auditioning, Studdard sang Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky." This guided him to being one of the local finalists. On American Idol, he impressed viewers with his performances of the Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song "Superstar" (originally a hit for The Carpenters and Luther Vandross) and the Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle duet "A Whole New World"; during his time on the show, Studdard received praise from music legends such as Lionel Richie, Neil Sedaka, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Luther Vandross, and Gladys Knight.

During the televised competition, Studdard gained the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear" and was noted for his shirts printed with "205", the telephone area code of his hometown of Birmingham. Studdard also did a cover version of "For All We Know", originally recorded by Donny Hathaway, whose music he grew up with.

He won the contest over runner-up Clay Aiken by only 134,000 votes out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale, becoming the second American Idol winner and the first African American contestant and only male (as well as the oldest winner) to hold that title until 2006, when fellow Birmingham native Taylor Hicks won Idol's season five. On April 21, 2003, he also became the first American Idol winner to end up in the bottom 2 or 3 and the only male winner to do so, while Fantasia Barrino was also in the bottom 2 or 3 twice in the following season.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley declared 11 March 2003 as "Ruben Studdard Day".

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Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American pop rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly-publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002.

She was originally marketed as a pop musician with her debut album Thankful (2003). With the release of her multi-platinum second album, Breakaway (2004), Clarkson moved to a more pop rock-oriented style of music. Clarkson's third album, entitled My December, was released on June 26, 2007. According to Sony Music, Clarkson has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Clarkson has had eight of her singles become Top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100

. Her first three albums sold over 9.5 million copies in the United States. In 2008, she joined VH1's list of 10 sexiest women of the new millennium at #8. She also hit #28 on Vh1's Top 30 Hottest Rock Front Women. As of 2008 she is one of the 10 most played artists on adult contemporary radio. Clarkson's fourth album titled All I Ever Wanted was released on March 10, 2009, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Her latest single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", advanced from No. 97 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in its first week of release, breaking the record for the largest leap to the position in chart history.^[4][5]She is currently the only American Idol contestant to have reached number one in the UK. She claimed number one on March 1 2009 when "My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted number one on downloads alone.

Clarkson has sold over 9,467,000 albums in the United States, becoming the highest-selling Idol winner. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Clarkson is also ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.

Early life

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in the small town of Burleson, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose, a first grade teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer. She is of part Greek ancestry.Clarkson's siblings include her brother Jason, and her sister Alyssa. When Clarkson was six years old, her parents split up after seventeen years of marriage. As a result, her brother went to live with her father, her sister went to live with an aunt, and Clarkson remained with her mother. Clarkson frequently moved around Texas while her mother managed several professions in order to support the family. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.

Clarkson's family struggled financially, and music became her refuge after the first divorce. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School, originally aiming to become a marine biologist. In seventh grade, a teacher (Mrs. Cynthia Glenn) overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir. Clarkson told the teacher that she had never received professional vocal training. In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon. Around this time, Clarkson decided to pursue singing. She sang at her high school talent show, after which a gentleman shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson did continue to sing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship.

Clarkson worked numerous odd jobs during and after high school, such as mowing lawns, helping her contractor stepfather build porches, and working in a movie theater starting at age 16 and until she moved to Los Angeles. She also worked for Papa John's, Subway, Six Flags Over Texas, Starbucks, and sold vacuums door to door (her latter experience which she described with a well-intended pun: "It sucked.").

Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted to try on [her] own.

And [she] figured you're never too old to go to college."

American Idol 2002

Main article: American Idol (season 1)

Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on September 4, 2002, earning 58% of the vote to 42% for Justin Guarini. Choking back tears, Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of American Idol, which would subsequently appear on her debut album, Thankful. The song's music video was filmed at Pantages Theater in Hollywood, and incorporated short scenes of Clarkson performing on Idol. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one.^[11] This achievement was largely due to the impact from Idol as the CD single managed to sell 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S.; it spent five weeks at number one in Canada.

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Danny Gokey

The “American Idol” judges shocked everyone a week ago by adding an extra finalist to the mix, and apparently, the show isn’t finished with the surprises.

The beginning of the March 10 Michael Jackson-themed show brought the news that two singers would be sent home on Wednesday, while the ending promised a rule change that would
involve the judges, be revealed tomorrow, and might not be approved of by some viewers. Hopefully that rule change won’t involve more commentary from Paula Abdul, because she was in rare form on Tuesday. Anyone who doesn’t like spoilers had to be disturbed when she announced that both Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert are both bound for the May finale. With 10 weeks to go, Abdul has everyone else singing for third place. It’s a little too early to make that call, but after a night where everyone had to pick from the Michael Jackson songbook there were a few
performers that drew special attention.

The show-stoppers

Simon Cowell said that Gokey reminded him of “Michael McDonald — you’re a white man with soul.” That came after he remade the beginning of “PYT” into a slow and boring ballad. Just as the show execs were having nightmares about one of their most marketable contestants bowing out early, he broke into rocker mode and rescued the song. “Take it all in … take it all in,” Paula gushed afterwards as the crowd applauded, adding “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re on your way to the finals.”

If Paula’s right, Adam Lambert will be Gokey’s opponent, as she said “I believe in all my heart we’ll see you running all the way to the end to the finals.” Lambert was awfully over-the-top with “Black or White,” but the judges ate it up. Simon actually credited Lambert’s theater experience as a positive

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