Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Remember Carmen Rasmusen?

Back in season two, she was the youngest contestant to make the American Idol finals.

A wild card pick that year, she wound up finishing sixth, went on to compete a couple of episodes on “Fear Factor,”  then gave country music a whirl by releasing a 2007 album (“Nothin’ Like the Summer).

Today, she’s Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, having married Bradley Herbert in 2005. He’s the son of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

Carmen and Bradley have two sons, Boston and Beckham, the latter having been born just last October.

What’s all this leading to?

Glad you asked.

Carmen is also a writer, and her latest endeavor is an entertainment blog she started last month for the Deseret News in Salt Lake.

So far, she’s written about Martina McBride and Sheryl Crow. But it’s her latest blog that’s most interesting — a countdown of her favorite Idols from the past nine seasons.

She writes about having formed “a special bond” with fellow contestants, “the only ones in the world who know what it’s like to be emotionally slashed by Simon Cowell.”

And she recalls how the media wondered whether she and Clay Aiken were “an item” back in season two, when they were often seen together.

I won’t give away her picks. Let’s just say some are surprising, others not so much. You should head here to check it out.

And, hey, Carmen, keep blogging about Idol. It’s always nice to read insights from an insider.

Editor’s Note: Carmen’s music is still available on iTunes. Her 2007 book, “Staying in Tune,” is available from Amazon. You can follow the Idol CD history link above to a mini review of her album and most other past Idol albums. And there’s another link to Carmen’s Idol performances under “9 Years of Idols” above.