American Idol

Ruben Studdard lost his recording contract, and now the Season 2 American Idol winner may be heading to court.

The singer is suing concert promoter Peachez Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, according to a report on TMZ.com. There are few details about the lawsuit, other than Studdard is looking for a whopping $45,000 from Peachez. Studdard alleges breach of contract.

The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court against the company, which is described as a specialty marketing company for the entertainment industry. No further details are available just yet.

American Idol, Ruben Studdard

Season 2 finalist Clay Aiken, seen here in a photo from his role in Broadway’s Spamalot, has been the center of sexuality conversations for years. Just this week, ABC News reported a story that suggests Aiken may be asexual.

There has been much speculation about the sexuality of a handful of male contestants in previous seasons of American Idol. But nobody has been allowed (or so some now out contestants say) to compete as openly gay — until now, perhaps.

Last night, Iowa native Leo Marlowe made it through to Hollywood after saying, “My mom always said she raised the perfect homecoming queen, too bad it wasn’t one of her daughters.” Simon praised him, even for being open about who he was without being obnoxious.

Cowell has been criticized in past seasons for his comments against more feminine male contestants. In Season 5, he suggested contestant Charles Berry shave his beard and wear a dress, “Because he would make a great female impersonator.” Not exactly a glowing review.

So, in a season where producers are promising to focus more on the contestant’s background, could Idol be bracing itself for the possibility of a gay winner?

It would make sense, especially considering the history of the show. The original Pop Idol winner, Will Young, is openly gay. He was the first reality Idol of any kind in the world, and he has found fair success in the industry. Young currently is working on his fourth album.

Then there’s the big gay history of American Idol. Season 1 featured Jim Verarros, an openly gay singer-turned-actor, who said in many interviews he was not allowed to discuss his sexuality during the show. But he also said he doesn’t think the show is anti-gay.

“I really don’t think that they’re trying to single out gay and transgendered people,” he told gay Web site AfterElton.com in 2006.

In October 2006, Season 1 finalist RJ Helton made headlines by publicly coming out on a SIRIUS Satellite Radio talk show. There had been speculation about Helton’s sexuality, but he also was known for his religion. Helton previously had released an inspirational CD, Real Life, in 2004.

“I can have a faith but can’t be who I want to be. So a lot of it was just personal things I needed to overcome and just be proud of who I was,” Helton said on the radio show. “… Just because I am gay does not mean I can’t love God.”

Anwar Robinson, a Season 4 finalist, was outed — sort of — when bloggers found a “man seeking man” posting on BlackPlanet.com in March 2005. Again, many people say Robinson never was closeted. His sexuality didn’t come up when I talked to him last year.

Then, the most famous of all speculation cases is Clay Aiken. The Season 2 runner-up’s sexuality is a favorite discuss for fans of the show. Just this week, ABC News released a story suggesting Aiken may be asexual. In a world where there are much larger issues to focus on than sexuality, it seems odd ABC — a network most would say is a reputable news source — would spend time talking to experts about his sexuality. Then, again, we’re also living in a world where Britney Spears making making daily headlines for going to Starbucks is the norm.

So, will Leo Marlowe or any other contestant this season be allowed to stand on the Idol stage, say, “I’m gay,” and still get America’s support? Will they be able to recognize their same-sex significant other in the audience? I’m just not sure. I guess we’ll have to wait for the possibility of an openly gay singer to break through the Top 24.

American Idol, Clay Aiken, Jim Verarros, Anwar Robinson, RJ Helton, Leo Marlowe

American Idol Season 2 finalist Trenyce Cobbins, now 27, is rumored to be dating R&B singer R. Kelly.

You may remember Trenyce Cobbins from being an American Idol finalist on Season 2. And R. Kelly, well, these days the R&B singer is making headlines for being on trial for having sex with a minor.

What you may not know is the two allegedly have been having a long-distance relationship since April. According to reports, the two met through mutual friends and have been flying across the country to spend time together since meeting.

Trenyce was a top 5 finalist during Season 2, which Ruben Studdard won. R. Kelly currently is promoting a new CD, Double Up, which comes after his Trapped In the Closet series.

American Idol, Trenyce, Trenyce Cobbins, Ruben Studdard, R. Kelly

They are the moments we watch an entire season to see. It’s that last few minutes of the finale when the winner is announced and the first performance as the nation’s newest American Idol.

So, in preparation for Tuesday night’s Season 7 premiere, let’s take a few minutes to remember those moments from the first six seasons.

Kelly Clarkson: A Moment Like This

Ruben Studdard: Flying Without Wings

Fantasia Barrino: I Believe

Carrie Underwood: Inside Your Heaven

Taylor Hicks: Do I Make You Proud

Jordin Sparks: This Is My Now

American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks

Clay Aiken isn’t talking about “it.”

It, as it turns out, is his sexuality. And the fight the Season 2 American Idol runner-up allegedly had with a woman on a plane last year.

During a recent interview with Newsweek to promote his work on Broadway’s The Monty Python’s Spamalot, writer Ramin Setoodeh began asking the personal questions that ended up cutting the interview short.

“I’m not going to talk about it,” Aiken reportedly responded after the questions.

Trying to salvage the interview, Setoodeh apparently gave Aiken a chance to talk about what he wanted. But it was too late.

“We’re done,” Aiken said. “I thought Newsweek would be more reputable. I’m surprised. This is Newsweek. It’s not the National Enquirer.”

While I don’t think it’s necessarily crucial to ask such personal questions, I’m shocked Aiken was taken by surprise when the questions were asked. After all, look at the criticism other stars get these days. It just comes with the territory — no matter if it’s from Star Magazine or Newsweek. Everyone wants the juicy personal stuff.

Clay Aiken, American Idol, Season 2

Jordin Sparks responds after it’s announced she was the sixth winner in American Idol history. Sparks was the fourth female and youngest winner ever on the show.

Four girls. Two guys. In the first six seasons of American Idol, twice as many females have won the top prize — a recording contract and instant fame. And the two guys recently lost their recording contracts. So, does it matter if you’re male or female when it comes to capturing America’s votes on the FOX reality hit?

I’m not sure it does, but here’s a look back at the lives and success of the first six Idol champions.

Kelly Clarkson
Born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, this 25-year-old has enjoyed major success since becoming the first American Idol winner. In September 2002, Clarkson beat out runner-up Justin Guarini with 58 percent of the votes.

Clarkson, who is set to start touring this week with country superstar Reba McEntire, has released three CDs — Thankful, Breakaway and My December. Thankful debuted in April 2003 at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and since has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. Breakaway sold more than 11 million copies, and last year’s My December has been certified platinum (1 million copies).

The original Idol is a Grammy Award-winning musician, and she seems to be slowing down no time soon. Let’s just hope she doesn’t attempt to recreate Grease in another box-office flop like From Justin to Kelly.

Ruben Studdard
Born Christopher Ruben Studdard, the 29-year-old was known as “the Velvet Teddy Bear” and often wore jerseys featuring “205″ to honor his native Birmingham, Ala., area code. Studdard garnered 134,000 more votes than runner-up Clay Aiken to take the Season 2 title. About 24 million votes were cast for that season’s finale.

Studdard has released three discs — Soulful, I Need an Angel and The Return. Soulful debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, but none of the CDs have garnered major attention. In all, Studdard has sold just more than 2.4 million albums total, which led to his recently being dropped from J Records for falling short of label expectations.

Aiken has released four CDs since the show and has become a much more successful artist. In fact, aside from Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, no finalist on the show has sold more albums.

Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino simply became Fantasia when she started her rise to the top during American Idol’s third season. She drew much attention — and a little controversy — for being a single mother. She ultimately beat out runner-up Diana DeGarmo in May 2004 by earning 1.3 million more fan votes.

After taking the title, Fantasia released her debut, Free Yourself. Four Grammy nominations followed. In 2006, her second CD, a self-titled album, was released. But it has been success on the Broadway stage in The Color Purple that really has helped Fantasia make a splash on the music scene. The singer also released a book on the heels of announcing she struggled with literacy.

The critically praised acting Fantasia does on stage in The Color Purple certainly is not the same kind of praise she got from her role as herself in the made-for-TV movie Life is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story. Of course, it was Lifetime’s second-most-watched program ever.

Carrie Underwood
She has, without question, become the most successful American Idol winner. Carrie Marie Underwood, now 24, beat out Bo Bice to take the Season 4 title.

Upon the release of her debut, Some Hearts, it was clear Underwood soon would be a country superstar. She won numerous country music awards, as well as two of the four Grammys in which she was nominated for in late 2006. Some Hearts produced a number of hit singles, helping it lock in several weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard country charts.

Last year, Underwood released her sophomore effort, Carnival Ride, which was certified double-platinum in December. The singer has sold more than 13 million albums in just two years.

Taylor Hicks
He arguably has the most vocal fans of any American Idol winner. Despite the Soul Patrol’s support, Taylor Hicks (born Taylor Reuben Hicks) has not found major success on the music charts.

After beating out Katharine McPhee to win Season 5, Hicks released a self-titled disc featuring the blues and classic R&B sounds he was known for on the show. Unfortunately, the disc failed to sell even 1 million copies and resulted in being dropped from his record label earlier this month.

Hicks is a strong live performer and continues to tour post-Idol, just as he did before rising to fame on the reality hit. Much like many other contestants, Hicks also released a book about his life, Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way. It officially is the longest title for any memoir released by an Idol contestant.

Jordin Sparks
She was the youngest American Idol winner ever. So, it was quite an impressive run for Jordin Sparks (born Jordin Brianna Sparks), who beat out beat-boxing Blake Lewis to win the Season 6 Idol crown.

The teenager, much like other winners Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks, never was in the bottom two or three during elimination episodes of the show. Sparks’ self-titled debut CD was released in November and features the first single, Tattoo. The CD has sold more than 450,000 copies since its release.

Sparks recently released her second single, No Air, which is a duet with Chris Brown.

So, what do you think? Even though the numbers and awards seem to show Carrie Underwood is the most successful winner to date, do you think someone else is the ultimate American Idol?

American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks

J Records is wasting no time cleaning up the American Idol winners that aren’t pulling in the cash.

The label dropped Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard in December, and now Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks is getting the boot. “Taylor is going to record his next album on his own,” a label representative told Entertainment Weekly. “He is no longer on the J Records roster.”

Hicks still is one of the most popular winners from the show. His fans — the Soul Patrol — have kept the singer touring across the country. In an interview last year, he told me, “It is important to stay working as a musician. If you’re not working, you’re not getting paid. You can say that for anybody.”

American Idol, Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard

Touring theater company Big League Productions announced plans for a 30th anniversary tour of the Tony Award-winning Ain’t Misbehavin’. And American Idol likely is going to be represented on the tour bus via Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis.

Studdard won Season 2 of Idol and Davis, who was dismissed from the show after admitting to taking racy photos, starred in Rent on Broadway.

The national tour will be in 2008 and 2009, according to the Big League Web site. Specific dates have yet to be announced. Ain’t Misbehavin’ first was produced on Broadway in 1978 and featured the late Nell Carter. The show won Tony awards for Best Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.

Studdard has struggled to find huge success post-Idol, but the singer has released four CDs — Soulful, Flying Without Wings, I Need an Angel and The Return. A fifth release is expected sometime in 2008.

Aside from Rent, Davis also has performed in Mahalia — A Gospel Musical, Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar. The singer also played Effie White (the role that made Jennifer Hudson an Oscar winner) in the touring production of Dreamgirls.