July 2008 News Archive (Page 2)

American Idol’s top 10 finalists hit the road July 1. Below, the singers comment on life on the road:

David Cook: “So far so good. We’re getting our feet wet a little bit and the crowds have been amazing!”

David Archuleta: “It’s been great at every city [so far] and so much fun … to watch other people perform and see how [the audiences] react to them.”

Michael Johns (pictured), who is also married, sees his wife as much as possible: “She’s coming tonight and she went to Phoenix. She’s going to go to New York and Miami and Dallas,” he says. “The touch of a woman is never too far away.”

Brooke White: “When we’re on the bus, we’re asleep or eating a bowl of Lucky Charms."

Kristy Lee Cook is joining Arista Nashville records... for the second time!

Yes, this is the same label that signed Kristy Lee when she was 17 years old, only to drop the young musician before she recorded any albums.

The Oregon native is currently on the road with American Idols Live! Tour 2008. Her first single - the playful, up-tempo “15 Minutes of Shame” - will hit country radio on August 11.

“I’ve wanted this for so many years," Cook said. "To have the chance to be a country singer, to make the music I love, and to have enjoyed the support of so many American Idol fans this past season, it all means more than I can put into words. Thank you so much to everyone. I’ll do my best to make you proud!"

Following a wildly successful debut album, Chris Daughtry admits that the pressure is on for its follow-up.

"I don't want to put out anything that is second rate or be accused of going through a sophomore slump," Daughtry told Entertainment Weekly. "So we're taking our time on it."

What can fans expect from the band's second CD, likely to hit stores in the late spring of 2009?

"It's going to be a big huge rock album. We are working with the same producer — Howard Benson [All American Rejects, My Chemical Romance] — same band and some of the same writers so it feels very comfortable this time around."

We can't wait.

Paris Bennett, the fifth season American Idol finalist that received a surprisingly early boot that year, is expecting her first child.

The Rockford, Illinois-native's mother, Jamecia Bennett, told The Minnesota Star Tribute that the father "chooses not to be in the public eye," adding that Bennett "has a ring" and is expecting to have a baby shower in August.

We wish her - and other expecting young mothers such as Bristol Palin - nothing but the best.