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Idol Bits: News on Former ‘Idol’ Contestantsby Sting7 -- 04/20/2004
View Printable version of this article Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everything going on with former Idols. Let’s take a look at some recent news from RJ Helton, Christina Christian, Ruben Studdard, William Hung, Nikki McKibbin, and more: RJ Helton So, what does RJ Helton have in common with Beyonce? Now, they have the same manager! Idols are hot. Former Idol contestants are getting snatched up for development deals and management contracts at a dizzying rate these days! RJ Helton, who finished fifth in the first season of American Idol that crowned Kelly Clarkson, may have landed the biggest plum. “There is no doubt in my mind that RJ Helton is a world-class talent. We’re excited about his possibilities,” Matthew Knowles said in a press release. Helton’s album, Real Life recently peaked at #14 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. Helton has said that he doesn’t consider his album Christian, and neither does Knowles. He plans to promote Helton as a Christian and pop artist throughout Europe and in the United States. Helton is also scheduled to appear on PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer in May. Christina Christian Christina Christian performed “Forever or Never” on Idol last week. While reviews of the song and the performance have been… turbulent, Christina looked fantastic. But, she always has. She always will. She’d look fantastic at 4 in the morning stumbling in from a bender of Long Island Ice Teas and Cosmopolitans. Am I openly drooling? Curiously, Christina, who also appeared on the American Idol Christmas album comprised of finalists from seasons one and two, performed a song that no one knew was coming, from an album about which there is no information. Yet RJ Helton, who has an album out, and received a very strong review from Billboard (yes, I know Billboard likes almost everything, but this one was most effusive), sat simmering in the audience. Ryan gives him a drive-by hi, and RJ looked ready to deck him! Hell, even Julia DeMato, whose single is on a website that was bleeped out for us non-east coast viewers, got to prattle for a few seconds. RJ has been publicly critical about the show and the treatment of the contestants. Maybe he’s learning about biting the hand that fed him. AI3 Album An e-mailer sent me a few preview tracks of the new Idol Soul Classics Album. I’ve heard tracks from Fantasia, JPL, and Camile, and they are all incredible! Camile has never sounded so at ease and in her element with “Til You Come Back To Me,” JPL gives his own special spin to “My Girl,” showing that voice that I knew he had. Nerves claims another victim. Fantasia simply sets “Chain of Fools” on fire! This will be the most successful Idol album to date, mark my words! I can see this album spawning a number of singles. Ruben Studdard Ruben Studdard has taken it upon himself to offer another ‘sorry’ in 2004, thanks to the chicanery on his tour bus. In case you hadn’t heard the story, drugs were found on Ruben’s tour bus (Ruben was not present) when police pulled over the vehicle. The police tried flagging down the bus, and when it failed to stop, it constituted grounds for a search. I have a source who tells me Ruben was furious at this. Behind those dimples and 205 jerseys, Ruben is very religious and has a strict anti-drug policy. He’s been speaking in churches and at youth centers extolling the virtues of a drug-free existence. Anyone who works for him is told from the beginning that drug use will not be tolerated. Though it’s been reported that Ruben is “embarrassed and disappointed” by the incident, The only public comment Ruben has made publicly is a very terse, “this will never happen again.” 
William Hung Let me state for the record that I am not a William Hung fan. I don’t find his shtick at all amusing, and think it is an insult to the legitimate artists on Idol who are trying to make a career for themselves. Some folks are straining to compare him to Weird Al Yankovic or Ray Stevens, but these men are clever. Hung is just bad. That said, I don’t think he deserved the onslaught delivered by Kathie Lee Gifford, who co-hosted on Fox and Friends. Kathie Lee’s knowledge of current music buyers is about as strong as her knowledge of thermonuclear dynamics. She brayed that Hung will “stop being lovable very, very soon. In fact, he's on the verge of it now,” and that he is a “one-trick pony” (at least he has one). If there are those who want to support Hung, who I am to question them? Kathy verged on calling those who would buy Inspiration fools. While I agree with what she’s saying in principle, considering her track record with album sales, she shouldn’t be throwing any stones. Nikki McKibbin Apparently close to a record deal is Nikki McKibbin, the oft-maligned third place finisher in season one. Correction: she’s close to her second record deal. Lost in the media flurry over Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini was Nikki McKibbin’s big news. She’d signed with RCA. And no one cared. "I was angry at first," she told TV Guide Online. "I was signed to a record deal the same day as Kelly, Justin and Tamyra – I was sitting at the same table as they were! – but I was getting no press for it at all." It didn’t get any easier from there, “RCA said, 'Well, you're going to do country,' and I said, 'No, I'm not,' and walked away from the deal. I think I was a little too strong-willed for their liking," she adds. "I wasn't going to let them mold me into something that I wasn't. I knew what I wanted to do." What she wanted to do was something with a wider appear. She calls it “Stevie Nicks meets Pat Benatar meets techno!” Sounds like she could carve a niche! Nikki has been shopping her already completed album around, and I hear there are some bites. We may not be done with the self-described, “red-headed Idol stepchild” just yet! Sting7 has been a respected published writer for 16 years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He also has a curious love for pro-wrestling! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com. .Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot! View Printable version of this article
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