Today’s trivia question: Which season two contestant has been romantically linked to season seven winner David Cook?
By MARK FRANKLIN
Night two of American Idol was lacking another contestant in a bikini and a contrived catfight.
But the show featured a flashback to 2008. Another laid-back Castro, this one named Michael, is headed to Hollywood, with the best wishes of brother Jason. So are three Carly Smithson wannabes … well, at least Von Smith, Jamar Rogers and Jessica Furney oversang their numbers in true Carly fashion.
As for the best of last night’s auditions, they came from Lil Rounds, a mother of three; Matt Breitzke, a welder; and Danny Gokey, a music teacher who dedicated his performance to his wife, who had died four weeks earlier. Idol just loves those heart-tugging story lines, so we’re sure to see more of Danny.
Meanwhile, after two nights, I’m still wondering why we needed a fourth judge. I mean, Kara DioGuardi seems perfectly qualified. She’s always pleasant. She always tries to find something nice to say about the contestants. She scolds Simon when he makes a snide remark.
Hmm. Hasn’t Paula been doing the same thing for years, albeit a little unpredictably (which, of course, is part of her charm). The show needed an echo?
Enough of last night. Flashback time. Today’s subject — season two winner Ruben Studdard.
He made sure everyone knew the area code for his home state of Alabama (205) by wearing it on his shirt, week in and week out.
He was nicknamed the “Velvet Teddy Bear.” His version of Barry White’s “Can Get Enough of You’re Love” prompted the ever-unpredictable Paula to proclaim: “There’s gonna be lots of baby making tonight.”
Two singles from his first CD, “Soulful,” cracked the top 10 in Billboard’s Hot 100.
But, alas, Idol couldn’t launch Ruben to long-term stardom.
Two followup CDs — “I Need an Angel” and “The Return” — didn’t do nearly as well and Ruben was reportedly dropped by his record company last year.
These days, Ruben is starring in the musical “Ain’t Misbehavin'” with Frenchie Davis (Idol fans might remember her as the contestant booted off season two because of risque photos taken years before she appeared on the show.) In fact, Ruben, Frenchie and the rest of the cast of Ain’t Misbehavin'” will be performing at the Strand Capital Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 30. (That’s them in the photo at the top of this blog.)
Here are three clips from Ruben’s days on Idol:
Ruben sings “Just the Way You Are.”
Ruben sings “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”
Ruben sings “Nights on Broadway.”
Trivia answer: Kimberly Caldwell, who has clung to her 15 minutes of Idol fame with admirable tenacity. Below, she appears last year with Justin Guarini, her co-host on TV Guide Channel’s Idol Tonight show.
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