American Idol

Immediately following their performance at the LA stop of their tour, the "American Idols" greeted lucky fans at their Staples Center after-party on Saturday.

The ever-gracious Ace Young signed autographs for the throngs of his young female fans, while their moms gawked on the side.

Paris Bennett, who recently turned 18, handled herself like an old pro and stood on a table to handle the crush of the teenage amateur paparazzi that swarmed the pint-size pop star.

Kellie Pickler, sporting blonde extensions, proved she's just a down home gal by arriving in slippers and sweatpants.

But the scene stealer and diva of the evening was Chris Daughtry. Chris arrived with extra security,and although initially he did mingle with fans, by the end of the night you had to be asked over by The Daughtry in order to say hello.

Interestingly, LIVE lead singer Ed Kowlaczyk --who performed with The Daughtry on the "Idol" finale -- was part of Chris' entourage that night and went completely unnoticed by the crowd.

"Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, Bucky Covington and Elliott Yamin did not attend the meet and greet. The trio were busy getting across town to the Johnny Depp-owned Viper Room to take the stage with the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, which features members of Taylor Hicks' band.

Another no-show was film actress hopeful, Katharine McPhee. We're told that Kat, who is from nearby Sherman Oaks, Calif., had so many family and friends come visit her backstage that she wasn't able to attend the after-party.

After enduring bronchitis, laryngitis and a fractured foot, Katharine McPhee emerged triumphant during her performance Saturday on the American Idols Live Tour at LA's Staples Center.

But vocal skills aside, we've learned Kat's big star turn may be on the big screen.

A well-placed source tells TMZ that Kat, who has the same theatrical manager as another ailment-prone hottie, Lindsay Lohan, is one of the lucky ladies up for the highly coveted lead role in the big-screen adaptation of "Wonder Woman."

Everyone from Sandra Bullock to Kate Beckinsale has been rumored to be in the running for the starring role in the movie, which will be directed by Joss Whedon, who created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

While it's up in the air if she will be sporting those trademark red boots, tights and bracelets, you will still be able to see Kat wearing a lot less very soon.

TMZ has learned that Katharine, who has struggled with bulimia, will appear on the cover of an upcoming issue of Shape magazine, wearing a bathing suit. Now in a much healthier place, McPhee will show off her killer curves for all the world to see.

With all the prospects in her future, and despite coming in second on "Idol," It looks like Kat is no one-hit wonder, Justin Guarini be damned!

The "American Idols Live" tour arrives in Los Angeles on Saturday and tickets are still available on ticketmaster.com. In fact, they are not only not sold out - they are going for below face value on Craigslist.

Ticket holders are selling good floor seats at up to 40% below cost, with some tix going for as low as $20. A total steal especially considering concert tickets for true music idols, like Madonna, can go for as much as $350.

This is just the latest in a string of bad luck for the "Idol" contestants. Earlier this summer Katharine McPhee revealed she had struggled with bulimia and then disappointed fans when she was unable to start the tour due to severe bronchitis and laryngitis. Once she joined the group she fractured her foot on stage. And just recently "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks sued an ex-producer for attempting to sell two of his songs on iTunes.

With the new "Idol" season contestant search on the way and their fame slipping faster than Tara Reid's breast on the red carpet, fans better hurry and catch Ace, Bucky and Mandisa (remember them?) before they fade back into obscurity.

While many in the media have focused on Clay Aiken's off stage activities, Clay has been busy in the recording studio and TMZ has the new single from his upcoming record for you. The record, which will be his third release, is called "A Thousand Different Ways" and hits stores September 19th. The record will feature 4 brand new songs by Clay and 10 cover versions of well-known songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s, personally picked by Clay for the project.

Clay recently explained the record's title. "This is an album of love songs," says Clay, "but they are about all different kinds of love. Romantic love, Friendship, Unconditional love. There are a thousand different kinds of love; a thousand different ways to tell someone you love them. And, on top of that, since so many of these songs are covers, it's realistic to say that many of them have been or could be sung a thousand different ways."

You can listen to the single "Without You" here:

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Former "American Idol" contestant Mikalah Gordon was "in a panic" but was not physically harmed after being robbed at gunpoint in Las Vegas, her mother said Thursday. Gordon, 18, was roughed up by robbers who accosted her and a male friend about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday on a sidewalk in a neighborhood about seven miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, said her mother, Victoria Cavaricci. "She's not physically harmed, but she's in a panic," Cavaricci told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview from her Las Vegas home. Cavaricci said the robbers got away with a cell phone and $5.

Las Vegas police confirmed the robbery occurred and they were investigating. Gordon reached the finals of the 2005 "American Idol" competition. She graduated from a Las Vegas high school and now lives in Los Angeles, where she is pursuing an entertainment career.

Cavaricci said her daughter was "scarred and scared" and unable to talk with a reporter early Thursday. She said she had not canceled a scheduled appearance to sing this weekend at a benefit for children with cancer in Orange County, Calif.

Chris Daughtry may not have won "American Idol" but he has topped AOL's 2006 "TV's Top 5! Viewer Awards."

Daughtry's shockingly early elimination on "Idol" ranked as the fan pick for the best moment of the past TV season.

The TV's Top 5! recognizes the most talked about television moments in categories like best Trainwreck Moment and Best Steamy Smooches.

Fans voted online for their favorite nominated clips.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Chris Daughtry has left his small hometown of McLeansville for a bigger town and home.

The 26-year-old "American Idol" rocker, who finished fourth on this year's Fox talent competition, has moved to Oak Ridge, a town of about 4,000, which is north of Greensboro. NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick lives nearby.

Daughtry and his wife paid $690,000 for a four-bedroom,3,782-square-foot home with a swimming pool and putting green on a little more than an acre of land. McLeansville, also in Guilford County, has one barbershop, one grocery store and no gas stations.

"If you look at the houses here, and the type of people here, they're very upscale business people, and they're going to go about their daily life," said Steve Spalding, who works in the summer child care program at Oak Ridge Elementary.

While many observers billed Daughtry as the favorite to win "Idol," the raw-voiced rocker was voted off the show a few weeks before its finale. Southern soul singer Taylor Hicks took the competition's top award -- a $1 million recording contract.

The "American Idol" contestant opens up about her struggle with bulimia in an interview with sister and "EXTRA" guest correspondent Adriana McPhee. After building up the courage to tell her mother about her eating disorder, Katharine joined a program, which she says was overwhelming.

"I remember the first day, my first meal when I sat down with the other girls, I cried at the table," she said, "It was just like going face to face and seeing all the other girls struggling at the table and seeing myself actually wanting to eat as fast as I could to get out of there."

Now that she's fully recovered and back on the "Idol" tour, McPhee is happy to be seen as a role model to those in similar situations.

After missing the start of the "American Idol" summer tour, Katharine is ready to get back on stage. In a one-on-one interview with her sister and "EXTRA" Special Correspondent Adriana McPhee, Katharine talks about the struggle she had when her voice gave out due to both laryngitis and bronchitis right before the tour was set to start.

"It was definitely difficult, especially with the media making assumptions about what exactly it was, she's ditching the tour for a movie, all these silly things...it's just part of the business and I'm happy I'm healthy."

Katharine said she cried when she thinking she'd be letting her fans down. "I felt horrible. It's a huge disappointment. You're not only disappointing yourself but you're disappointing the people who work for you, your fans most importantly....this is like my first official day of actually speaking."

Well Allison, Justin is definitely no Kelly Clarkson. He was cut by RCA and, as a result, got virtually no promotion for his first album, "Justin Guarini," released in 2003. That album was followed by "Stranger Things Have Happened," released by Justice Entertainment. There's a buzz that one of Justin's problems is that he took a buzzer to his hair, which took away his key distinctive quality.

He didn't fare much better either when he took a stab at film -- his movie, "From Justin to Kelly," tanked.

Justin makes occasional TV appearances and he's still working on his music. But the runner up in "A.I." season one has not exactly had smooth sailing.

Related links
For the most up-to-date "Idol" news, click here.
"American Idol" photo gallery, click here.

Ok, Jodi, here's the deal. Luke revealed last week that he's been dating someone for the last year and a half, but he won't say who. However, there are problems.

Luke told Howard Stern that he and his girl are having issues, in part because of his demanding schedule. Luke added that in his relationships he never has "the guts to just leave." For Luke's sake, we're hoping his girlfriend won't react the same way to a breakup as his on-screen lover in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend."

Oh yeah, Jill! Everyone wants to know what it means, if anything. Well, we did some digging and it really does mean something. Fart in a mitten is defined as an odor that becomes trapped in fabrics, which you just can't eliminate. We're guessing the person who made the comment thinks Paris is the odor and the world is the fabric.

By the way, take a look at Paris' reaction when TMZ's Harvey Levin asked her how she felt about being called a "fart in a mitten."

Related link
Paris Hilton photo gallery, click here.

Steph, it's a good question that was up in the air until recently. The CW has resuscitated the once laid to rest "7th Heaven." All the current stars are expected to return. It looks like the big wigs at The CW looked at the show's history, which was one of the top performers on the WB, and decided to give it another chance. So plan on seeing all the Camdens back on Mondays at 8pm, beginning Sept. 25, 2006.

Related link
7th Heaven" photo gallery, click here.

Kelly, TMZ spies say Wilmer has a thing for Scarlett Johansson. The two definitely seemed like an item in the Hamptons over the July 4th weekend. But wait -- there's this problem, and his name is Josh Hartnett. Josh is officially linked to Scarlett and she has said publicly that she's very happy in her current relationship. So what's the deal with Wilmer arranging for a helicopter to fly her up to the Hamptons that weekend? If Hollywood is anything, it's complicated when it comes to romance. To be continued.

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President Bush is about to meet the one guy who got more votes than he did – Taylor Hicks.

The White House announced Friday that the President would be hosting Hicks and the other finalists from "American Idol" in the Oval Office next week – and they might get the chance to bump into Tony Blair as well. The real question, though, is: Will Katharine McPhee show up?

"American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was met by a swarm of photographers Wednesday afternoon after grabbing a bite to eat with friends at LA's trendy Ivy restaurant in Beverly Hills. The superstar emerged from the restaurant to flashbulbs and a hoard of excited fans. But Paula's fashion choice is what really caught everyone off guard as everyone was focused on her... uh... dress.

Chris Daughtry was favored by many through most of this season's "American Idol" to win it all. In fact, when he was eliminated his 'Chrisaholic' fans smelled conspiracy. Like Bo Bice fans from the year before, Daughtry followers were dumbfounded when he left the show. Fans blamed everything from "low turnout" because they all felt he was safe to "phone malfunctions." Message boards and forums lit up with theories. Other fans were less conspiratorial and blamed the show's format, reminding their peers that the show is seeking a "pop" star and not a "rock" star.

Since the show, Chris has been in the news about the next steps of his career. He was offered, then turned down, the lead singer slot in the platinum-selling rock band Fuel who lost singer Brett Scallions to solo projects. While it may have been a good fit, Chris probably did the right thing there. I'm sure Clive Davis agrees.

Katharine McPhee is working so hard on her debut album that she' s hurting her voice, and sources tell TMZ that FOX is none too happy about it.

In fact, the "American Idol" runner-up has such severe brochitis and laryngitis that she missed the opening night of the Idols summer tour.