American Idol Winners

Be careful what you wish for. While "American Idol" fans (and certainly producers) have been itching for what they hope will be the epic showdown between the Davids for months, now that the last woman standing, Syesha Mercado, has been tossed from the locker room , it's worth asking: Do we really want a male "Idol"? Or, better yet, is there a jinx on male "Idol" winners? Since season-one winner Kelly Clarkson took the mantle, two-thirds of "Idol" winners have been female and, to date, they have all managed to have very respectable (Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks) if not superstar (Carrie Underwood, Clarkson) careers. The men, on the other hand, have had a less-stellar path. In fact, so far, the two male winners, season two's Ruben Studdard and season five's Taylor Hicks, are the only top vote-getters to be dropped from their major-label deals . The tale of the tape tells it all: Underwood and Clarkson are the undisputed "Idol...

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - April 18, 2008) - Lyric Jeans, Inc. ( PINKSHEETS : LYJN ), the parent company behind the LYRIX brand for girls, today announced that 9-year-old Dakota Prado from Brooklyn, New York, was selected the winner of its "Be An 'American Idol' for a Day" sweepstakes held at Macy's Herald Square in New York City. Dakota's favorite "American Idol" contestant this season is David Archuleta, and she loves songs by past "American Idol" winners such as "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson and "Dream Girls" by Jennifer Hudson. This will be her first trip to Los Angeles from her native New York, where she attends the 3rd grade at a magnet school specializing in media and the arts. As the winner of the sweepstakes Dakota will be flown to Los Angeles with her grandmother and will receive a LYRIX wardrobe to wear to the season finale of "American Idol." LYRIX is a rock n' roll apparel lin...

Fans of “American Idol” will get a chance to lick all seven winners of the hit Fox reality show — in the form of a stamp, that is. Fox has announced a partnership between “Idol” and Photostamps.com to release unique collectable postage stamps of past “Idol” winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks, along with the upcoming season seven champ. All 50 U.S. states will get an exclusive design. Every week, Photostamps.com will print 100,000 sheets of each winner, with each state having its own design featured on 2,000 of the sheets. A stamp of season one champ Kelly Clarkson is already available for purchase on Americanidol.com and Photostamps.com . Past season winners stamps will be available for purchase online every Tuesday for the next six weeks. Proceeds from the “Idol” stamps will benefit the “Idol Gives Back” charity organization, which benefits Children’s Defense Fund, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,...

Right now, I would say it's currently a toss up between Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood as to who is the most popular American Idol winner. Over time, though, I believe that it will more than likely end up that Carrie Underwood becomes the most popular American Idol winner. While Carrie may have only recently released her second album (Carnival Ride), her debut album (Some Hearts) has sold at a faster rate than Kelly Clarkson's first album did. Also, I think Carrie is more likely to have crossover appeal (not only can Carrie appeal to the country audience, she can also appeal to pop and adult contemporary audiences as well). Kelly, while she may have the pop and adult contemporary appeal, is much less likely to find any real success on the country charts. And it also doesn't help that Kelly's third album, My December, didn't sell as well as her previous efforts. So far, it looks like Jordin Sparks won't be much of a contender for the title of the "most ...

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Former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood performed at the Mullins Center last night as part of her first headlining tour. She focused on most of the songs from her newest album, "Carnival Ride," along with some older fan favorites from 2005's "Some Hearts." The three years since her "American Idol" win have transformed the Oklahoma native into a completely different performer. Her stage presence has evolved, focusing more on pumping up the crowd than on showcasing her vocal talents. Underwood started off shakily with the first track off her new CD, "Flat on the Floor." She rose out of the stage from underneath, which made for an exciting entrance, but the vocals through her first few songs were mediocre as she began her set. Following the first five songs, she changed into a floor-length blue dress and transitioned into Grammy award-winning song "Jesus Take the Wheel." The song was one of her earliest singles and the...

Kellie Pickler gained infamy for her dim-witted charm on Season 5 of American Idol , and has since gone on to some success in the country music field. She had a memorable return to the show that launched her career last year, facing off against Ryan Seacrest who wondered if she'd picked up a new pair of ... oh, anything with the money she'd made since leaving the show. Now, she's offering sage advice through People magazine, to this year's crop of Idol -wannabes. I'm sorry, but there's plenty of people I'd gladly take advice from, but "Pick Pickler" is hardly one of them. I still can't decide if the bumpkin idiocy is a farce, in which case she's brilliant, or real. If it's real then ... wow! Pickler's words of wisdom are pretty much the same that anyone would give about celebrity or success. Hell, lottery winners go through the same problems she mentions. "It's not necessarily you that changes but it's the people aro...

On Tuesday night's 900th seventh "American Idol" audition episode of the season, Ryan Seacrest brought the gang back to his hometown, Atlanta. There was talent, there were tears, there were Ryan's parents. (If Dennis Kucinich became a televangelist, he'd look exactly like Papa Seacrest.) And of course, there were awards to be given. Giddy-up... The Scooter Girl Prize for Proof That We Shouldn't See More "Good" Singers in These Audition Episodes : Joshua Jones For a couple of seasons, die-hard "Idol" fans (myself included) have been begging for less William Hung and more Paris Bennett in the audition episodes. But after seeing glass worker Josh Jones score a golden ticket, I think I speak for many when I say, "We were wrong." Aside from the fact that the dude had to sing with his back to the judges so as not to distract them with his crazy "demonic" eyes, his Queen audition sounded a tiny bit too Tiny Tim for my taste. ...

Just in time for the seventh-season kickoff of American Idol comes word that Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard have been dropped from J Records thanks to lackluster album sales. (Studdard is still represented by Idol creators 19 Management.) Meanwhile, Season 5 third-place finisher Chris Daughtry continues to steamroll over the top-40 playlists and big-box music sections of America. Why is this making me wonder if fans of the upcoming season's contestants will withhold their votes en masse in the show's second-to-last week? Source : www.idolator.com

NEW YORK - Taylor Hicks might have won “American Idol,” but he doesn’t have his record deal anymore. The soul singer, who claimed the “Idol” title in 2006, has apparently been dropped by J Records, a label within Sony-BMG, which signs the show’s singers. “Taylor is going to record on his own for the next album,” said J Records publicist Liz Morentin, who did not give further details regarding Hicks. Another “Idol” winner — Ruben Studdard of season two — left his contract with J Records late last year, but continues his contract with 19 Entertainment, the company managed by “Idol” creator Simon Fuller. Studdard is now at work on an upcoming album, but it will not be distributed by J Records, Morentin said. Studdard’s previous album, 2006’s “The Return,” has sold only 236,000 copies. Roger Widynowski, spokesman for 19 Entertainment, did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking comment on Hicks’ situation. Hicks’ self-titled, post-“Idol” album, released in December 2006, d...

Better late than never. Nearly three months after her crowning, sixth-season American Idol champion Jordin Sparks has officially signed a recording contract. The 17-year-old Glendale, AZ native -- who was the youngest Idol winner in the show's history -- will cut her debut album with 19 Recordings/Jive Records. Jive is part of the Zomba Label Group, a division of Sony BMG. 19 Recordings is part of 19 Entertainment, the company founded by Idol creator Simon Fuller. "We're thrilled to welcome the partnership with 19 Recordings and Jordin Sparks as the first Idol winner to make her home at Jive," said Barry Weiss, CEO and president of Zomba. "Her poise, her amazing vocal ability, her relentless optimism has been apparent to millions of fans all around the world. We're honored to have this burgeoning worldwide superstar on Jive Records." Idol's five first winners had all signed with Arista Records, J Records, or RCA Records -- three labels that are par...

"It just turned out pretty cool, I guess," she said, giggling and brushing back her long dark hair. In addition to transforming nobodies into stars, "Idol" has become a coveted forum for established artists to be seen. Wednesday's star-studded event included performances by Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and Green Day. Sparks, who is from Glendale, Arizona, and is the daughter of former National Football League player Phillippi Sparks, started singing as a toddler and auditioned for "American Idol" as soon as she could after becoming eligible at the age of 16. "She sings so good it's hard to believe that she's 17," music legend Robinson told reporters after the show. "To sing like that you would have to have lived for a long time." Heading into the competition's final week, many thought the show's top title was up for grabs, with "Idol" judge Simon Cowell saying viewers would have to decide be...