American Idol

Season 2 “American Idol” finalist Kimberly Caldwell

Singing. Hosting. Acting. Modeling.

Kimberly Caldwell is taking on the entertainment world one job at a time. She’s become one of the most successful contestants from “American Idol.” And she’s loving every minute of it.

“I just try to make sure I do a little bit of everything every week,” Caldwell said. “I just try to take it week by week.”

While Caldwell, a Season 2 finalist on “Idol,” has continued to stay busy with hosting jobs for TV Guide Channel since her season, she certainly has had her eyes on entertainment for much longer. She started singing when she was 5, and she appeared on both “Star Search” and the 2001 reality show “Popstars” before “Idol” pushed her even further into the spotlight.

These days she splits her time between Los Angeles and her native Katy, Texas, fitting in weekend performances and appearances on talk shows such as Larry King Live. Caldwell, whose main gig on the TV Guide Channel revolves around “Idol” reporting, said Season 1 runner-up Justin Guarini will be joining her this season as a correspondent. She continues to stay well-connected with other former “Idol” finalists, including Lisa Tucker, Jon Peter Lewis, Trenyce, Rickey Smith, Lindsey Cardinale, Ruben Studdard and Ace Young, all of whom she has performed with at various concerts and events.

“Going through that experience and being in the top 10 or top 12, you really do have appreciation for the other people who did it because you know how crazy it was,” she said.

Caldwell said this year she will be focusing on finishing up the CD she has been working on with Diane Warren. That, of course, comes after the release of the horror film “Wrong Turn 2.” In the movie, which took the cast to Canada for filming, Caldwell said she plays a character loosely based on herself. Very loosely.

“It was based on a girl who is trying to make it in Hollywood,” Caldwell said of the character, who also is named Kimberly. “Her personality is definitely not me. It’s more of a bitchy me.”

At 5-foot-4 — “5-foot-5 on a good day” — Caldwell said she never considered herself model material. That also recently changed when she started doing charity and celebrity runway and modeling gigs, including a recent fashion show with models from the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. The multi-talented entertainer also is the spokesperson for Michael Antonio shoe collections, which she said include “the hottest modern pumps.”

“I just didn’t know I’d really enjoy the other aspects of the entertainment industry,” Caldwell said. And even with a hectic schedule, she can’t imagine doing anything else.

“Everybody goes through hard days,” she said. “At the end of the day, I never have a question of where I want to go or what I want to do.”

So, with all this work, is there ever any time for play?

“I try to make at least one or two nights a week for the people who keep me sane,” she said.

FIVE QUICK QUESTIONS WITH KIMBERLY CALDWELL
1. What word or phrase can you not go a day without saying?
“‘Work it’ is probably it my favorite.”

2. What is in your CD player right now?
“Annie Lennox and Etta James”

3. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
“I think it was ‘Happy Feet’. The first four and a half hours are really cute.”

4. How did you ring in 2007?
“I was in Hollywood. We were at a big Paramount Pictures party, and the Killers were performing.”

5. What was the last thing you ate?
Apple Jacks with Bananas
“I love cereal with bananas. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Kimberly Caldwell performs the National Anthem at the inaugural Texas Bowl on Dec. 28 in Houston.

FIND OUT MORE
Find a list of upcoming appearances and more news and updates about Kimberly Caldwell at her official Web site.