American Idol
Gossip (Page 40)

She's one busy girl, but Katharine McPhee still found the time to IM with America Online as the latest participant in the site's music interview feature.

In her chat, the giggly 22-year old American Idol runner-up discussed everything from her experiences on the show, to her career plans, to her many talents (which include stalking) and even her thoughts on world affairs. Well, sort of.

Click on the link above to read the interview with the funny and talented starlet!

It's no secret that Katharine McPhee rocked the American Idol world with beauty and an incredible singing voice earlier this year.

What was a secret, up until she recently revealed it, was that the starlet battled bulimia for five years. The eating disorder, which involves self-induced vomiting, put McPhee's health in serious jeopardy. Her lowest points saw her forcing herself to throw up seven times daily.

After successfully auditioning for Idol last fall, the 22-year old (with winner Taylor Hicks, below) decided it was finally time to seek help.

"When I made it onto American Idol, I knew that food -- my eating disorder -- was the one thing really holding me back," she said. "I was bingeing my whole life away for days at a time... So when I got on the show, I said, 'You know what? I can do well in this competition. Let me give myself a chance and just get ahold of this thing.'"

Even though Clay Aiken wasn't the actual winner of American Idol two years ago, one man claimed he was won over by this crooner ... in bed! Now, however, former Green Beret, John Paulus, regrets going public with the story.

After taking the tale to the National Enquirer, Paulus isn't retracting its validity, merely stating he "regrets" announcing it to the world.

"I regret defying the trust of Clay;" Paulus wrote on his blog. "I regret hurting him, his family and his fans; I regret that I started a blog that ridiculed him. ... I apologize to Clay for that and I hope he will accept."

Referring to his decision to open up to the country's most well-known tabloid, Paulus said it was "very callow and selfish moment." He then changed his mind and tried to get the story killed - even taking legal measures - but his efforts were fruitless.

They're also false, according to the publication.

"Our reporter couldn't get him off the phone," National Enquirer editor David Perel said. Perel says he doesn't remember Paulus having a legal letter sent, but says even if there was one, Paulus is "completely distorting" the story.

"It's not a situation where he told the story one time," Perel said. "He engaged in multiple conversations with our reporter. He couldn't stop talking, and then he talked to reporters after it was out."

Sounds like more controversy than this season's decision to vote off Chris Daughtry!

Some things change, others don't. The latest American Idol winner may have had brown hair back in high school, but he's always been a charmer.

Brooke Kelley Campbell, who dated Taylor Hicks and took him to her senior prom at Hoover High School in Birmingham, Ala., says the singer was always a talented and enthusiastic performer, often becoming the center of attention in public.

"[Taylor] was such a good dancer... he was a fashion guy and he wanted to make sure that he matched my gloves and all that. My dress was green, and his tux was like a crisp green and navy plaid," said Campbell, now 29, whose romance with Hicks lasted for over a year.

Follow the link above for more reflections on the nation's newest Idol.

She may have finished second on American Idol, but she's getting all the headlines and being treated like Hollywood royalty these days.

The lovely Katharine McPhee, 22, was reportedly mobbed by tourists when she attended a recent Broadway show. Despite emerging as a bona fide star in just a few months, the singer is trying to take it all in stride and not let it go to her head.

"I try to look at it as, well, we're all hot right now, but let's remember that this is a dog-eat-dog business and it could all go as fast as it came. I just keep that in mind," a humble McPhee said of the incident, which is hardly the first of its kind.

Having inked a new record contract, and with two singles -- "My Destiny" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" -- due out on June 27, it doesn't look like the Californian will be fading away anytime soon. She will also be on tour with her fellow American Idol finalists beginning July 5 before working on her full-length debut album for RCA Records.

She was a natural on American Idol, enduring herself to fans across the nation... not to mention celebs in her native L.A.

Apparently Katharine McPhee is building quite the fan base. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have taken a liking to the American Idol runner-up, with the current rumor being that Holmes met the spunky 22-year old at the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles. The two hit it off, and McPhee has apparently been asked to perform at their wedding.

According to Hollywood.com, after McPhee lost out to Taylor Hicks on the Idol finale, Cruise and Holmes asked her right away to perform.

"Tom and Katie have become Katharine's biggest fans," a source said. "They think she's destined to become a singing legend."

That, or Cruise can't resist the whole "TomKat" name. KatKat does make an attractive couple:

Either way, Cruise and his bride-to-be are big McPhans, and it's hard to blame them (although McPhee's purported association with Scientology is a tad worrisome). The singer is also reportedly meeting with director Steven Spielberg to discuss possible film projects. Wow. Between McPhee and Chris Daughtry, it's beginning to look like coming just short of being named American Idol is the way to go.

With her new tour kicking off on June 30, pop superstar Kelly Clarkson is looking for ways to stay in shape. That's not an easy task when you have a super-busy schedule, but the Texas cutie and inaugural American Idol winner manages to get it done.

"I do kick-boxing, I run bleachers, I have to keep my endurance up or I won't make it through a show! My songs are marathons," Kelly told the Yahoo! Insider.

Her other secret to maintaining a hot bod? Banning soda.

"I was really bad with Cokes," Clarkson said. "I had, like, nine Cokes a day. Now, if I have soda, it ruins me. It almost tastes like acid."

She's so passionate about eating well that she's hooked up with Glacéau's vitamin water beverages on a new ad campaign - one designed to get kids to kick their soda and junk food habits. Clarkson remembers going to public high school and eating in the pizza and burrito cafeteria lines.

Nowadays, she's singing a different tune and encouraging teens to eat healthy by serving as a judge for the finale of "vitaminschool," a recipe contest for students.

The contest recently awarded a $100,000 college scholarship to a high school girl whose healthy school lunch recipe -- a chicken fajita burger on a whole wheat bun -- won top honor.

"Kids aren't paying attention, so why not give them a healthy option," Kelly said. "I have a lot of young fans, so that's why we teamed up. I realize there's a lot of people looking at me and if you have a voice, you might as well make it a positive one."

At 24, Clarkson has already won two Grammys, two American Music Awards and 11 Billboard Awards. Her "Addicted!" tour opens at the end of this month in West Palm Beach, Fla., and will hit 25 cities by August. She'll be singing smash hits such as "Behind These Hazel Eyes," "Because of You" and "Since U Been Gone," without any lip-synching, thank you very much.

We're looking at you, Ashlee Simpson.

"I just think that's ridiculous," Kelly says. "People will come up to me and be like, 'Why do you do two shows and then take a day off?' And I say, 'Because I'm a singer!' I won a singing competition. If you need to lip synch, if you're that ill, take a day off!"

For the second straight week, Chris Daughtry registered more downloads than this season's American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks.

Daughtry's cover of the Bon Jovi classic "Wanted Dead or Alive" (from the Idols' Encore album) registered 22,000 mp3 downloads last week, compared with 27,000 the previous week. Hicks' "Takin' It to the Streets" came in with 12,000, down from 16,000 the week before.

Taylor's single, which pairs "Takin' It to the Streets" with the ballad "Do I Make You Proud," hasn't officially gone on sale yet. It is expected to put up pretty big numbers when it does Tuesday. No figures are available for downloads of Katharine McPhee, who agreed to a record deal last week and has a single coming out as well.

The comparison between Daughtry and Hicks may not be fair, but it's an interesting one.

Simon Cowell and millions of viewers were stunned to see Daughtry finish fourth on Idol, and his early download sales reflect his popularity. If the North Carolina native can get people to buy a 20-year old song just because he sings it, imagine what will happen when he comes out with something original.

For reference, neither total is that impressive compared to the top spot -- Shakira sold 267,000 "My Hips Don't Lie" downloads last week alone.

Chris Daughtry, whose elimination from American Idol was the controversial pinnacle of the fifth season, told the Charlotte Observer that he has turned down an offer to become the lead singer of the multi-platinum rock band Fuel.

"I'm going to be doing my own thing," said Daughtry, who has made a string of appearances in his native North Carolina over the past week, including a show with his band, Absent Element, before an audience of about 6,500.

Fuel offered Daughtry the gig immediately after he was voted off of Idol last month. He would have replaced former Brett Scallions, who left the group in February. Remaining band members said they became interested in Daughtry after he performed their song "Hemorrhage" on Idol.

Daughtry's departure from Idol was so unexpected that many viewers alleged conspiracy theories. Even surly judge Simon Cowell decried it as a huge mistake on the part of voters. The 26-year old rocker has not said what his "own thing" specifically entails, but told the Observer that he met with executives in New York last week and will announce his career plans within the next few months.

He will be an active participant in the American Idol tour, which features winner Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and other Top 10 finalists. The show kicks off July 5 in Manchester, N.H., and concludes Sept. 24 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. For now, Daughtry will be living at home in North Carolina with his wife and two stepchildren.

She didn't win the fifth season of American Idol, but California singer Katharine McPhee still shined enough to warrant a record deal with the show's creator, Simon Fuller.

Following the lead of winner Taylor Hicks, who signed a contract last week, McPhee agreed yesterday to a pact deal Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Clive Davis' RCA Records. On June 27, the label plans to release McPhee's first commercial single -- a double-A side who the tracks "Over the Rainbow" and "My Destiny." The 22-year old, whose voice (and breasts) became a sensation over the course of the season, performed both on the May 23 Idol finale.

How Katharine lost to this guy Hicks is beyond us, but the people of America have spoken, and all the sane ones among us can do is learn to live with their egregious mistake for the next four years. Oh, sorry. This wasn't the presidential election. Never mind.

In any case, weeks before McPhee's single hits the shelves, 19 Records will be releasing Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud," which he sang during the finale, and its B-side, a cover of the Doobie Brothers classic "Takin' It to the Streets." His hair will be gray on the cover, in all likelihood.

When announcing Hicks' deal, the label said his debut album would surface later this year. No plans for a full-length album have been leaked yet for McPhee, who also intends to pursue an acting career. Hicks, McPhee and the other Top 10 finalists from this past season will team up for a 60-date summer tour that kicks off July 5.

And so the Idol factory rages on. To date, 20 contestants have appeared on the Billboard album and/or singles charts, and the show's winners/runners-up have sold a combined total of 33 million records. That figure includes music from Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice.