Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, has everyone seen the People magazine special: “American Idol: Where Are They Now?”

If not, you might want to check it out.

Being a People special, it sells for $11.99. And you might have to head to a newstand or bookstore to find it.

But it’s about 130 pages of pure Idol, and the closest thing I’ve come across to a tribute to Idol’s 10 years of success.

The magazine starts off with short features on the Idol rich, folks we all know, including: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Kellie Pickler, Adam Lambert, Constantine Maroulis, Scotty McCreery, Katharine McPhee, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.

But most impressive is the fact that People has provided brief updates on every finalist from every past season.

I had no idea that Season 1’s Ryan Starr was still singing (for deejays), that Season 4’s Lindsey Cardinale is hoping to release a county album this year or that Season 7’s Ramiele Malubay had launched an online crochet business (Bowties & Cutiepies).

It even updates us on a few noteable non-finalists, like William Hung, who’s now 29 and crunching crime statistics for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

And it keeps the focus where it shoudl be — on the contestants — though it also includes at least a page on each of the Idol judges (except Kara D. and Ellen).

Anyway, since Idol seems content to ignore the contributions contestants have made to its success over the past 10 years, it’s nice to know someone thought they were worthy of a tribute.