Trivia time: Season three Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson won as Oscar as best supporting actress for her role in “Dreamgirls.” Name two of the other three films in which she has appeared. Answer appears at the bottom of this blog.
By MARK FRANKLIN
Wow, this is going to be some week. We get treated to not one, not two, but three American Idol audition shows.
I knew we were in trouble last night when the judges granted a golden ticket to the first two singers shown — Joshua Ulloa, who made more noises than notes; and Sharon Wilbur, who showed up to perform with a cute little dog named Sasha. Hollywood round survivors? Somehow I doubt it.
Then Paula tried to kiss Kara. And Ryan sat in Kara’s lap. And Paula sat in Simon’s lap. Goofy time had arrived.
And I wondered just what was in those Coca-Cola cups sitting in front of the judges.
We got to meet one contestant worth remembering — Anne Marie Boskovich, who got sent out of the audition room with … well, basically, an order to look more sexy … then returned with less clothing, more makeup and slightly tossled hair. She sang very, very well before the changes, but she didn’t get her golden ticket until after she returned looking “more like a star.”
I’m beginning to sense a theme here. I mean, there was bikini girl #1. Then bikini girl #2. Now this. The road to higher ratings is … more sexy.
Speaking of sexy, I turn on my home computer last night, go to the Web via AOL and who’s staring back at me? None other than Kellie Pickler, one of my all-time favorite Idol contestants.
Seems Kellie just signed on as a celebrity spokeswoman for Sexy Hair. She’ll be featured in an ad campaign that kicks off in April and runs through the rest of the year in Allure, Cosmopolitan, etc.
Sexy Hair’s press release quotes Kellie as saying: “I need all the Sexy Hair I can get!”
Ah, that Kellie. She ‘s always had such a way with words. Besides, mentioning her gives me an excuse to slap her photo in this blog. That’s Kellie, sexy hair and all,�at left.
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But we transgress. Back to the show, which heads off to Salt Lake City tonight.�Sure, there will be more auditions. Sure, there will be more silly. But there’s likely to be�more sexy hair, too, judging from this mug of another Kelly, Miss Clarkson (right).
The original Idol�will be previewing her new video for “My Life Would Suck�Without You” on tonight’s show. It’s the single for her soon-to-be released album,�”All I�Ever Wanted” (scheduled for a March 10 release). The song�still cues up every time you visit Kelly’s Web�site.��
And now it’s time for today’s flashback.�
Poor Diana DeGarmo didn’t stand a chance in the season 3 finale of American Idol. Not going up against a singer like Fantasia.
Looking back at the clips from season three, it’s a little surprising Diana made it all the way to the finals. She was only 16 and she always showed up on stage with a winning smile and bubbly personality, but her vocals were seldom awe-inspiring. Many Idol fans likely forget she had finished in the bottom three in three of the first six weeks that year, yet somehow survived.
For Diana, post-Idol musical success has proven elusive. Her only album, 2004’s “Blue Skies” peaked at number 52 on Billboard’s music charts. She performed on Broadway for a while. Most recently, she’s gone country, in more ways than one.
“Gone Country” is a reality show on CMT (County Music Television) in which performers from a variety of backgrounds compete for the right to cut a country single. Diana appeared on season one, when the list of competitors included — believe if or not, Dee Snider (remember Twisted Sister?), Maureen McCormick (remember Marcia Brady?) and Bobby Brown (remember “My Prerogative”). That’s Diana�pictured at the top of this blog with some of her “Gone Country” cast mates; she’s the one on the left.
Diana, again, didn’t win, and the song she sang in the finale, “Right Back Where We Ended,” is borrrrrrring. But she’s reportedly working on a country album and might be onto something. On her MySpace page, you can check out another country song, “Thank You,” where she sounds darn good.
Here’s a look back at Diana’s days on Idol.
Diana sings “Turn the Beat Around” on Gloria Estefan Week. Simon likes the performance, but gives Diana’s dress “a zero.”
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Diana sings “No More Tears” on Donna Summer night and gets rave reviews from everyone.
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Trivia answer: Jennifer’s 2008 film credits include “Sex in the City” (playing Carrie’s personal assistant), “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Winged Creatures.” If you aren’t up on your Super Bowl trivia, you might not know that Jennifer will be singing the National Anthem before Sunday’s game. It will mark her first public appearance since the murder of her mother, brother and nephew back in October in Chicago.
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