Elliott Yamin News

This is getting exciting.

First, Jordin Sparks endorsed David Cook as this year's American Idol champion.

Now, Elliott Yamin has done the same... for David Archuleta!

"It would be really cool to see a young kid like him win," Yamin said to Entertainment Weekly. "I really love his songs, and musically, he's very talented. He plays the guitar, piano... it's nice to see [Idol] bringing out the creative sides of those kids."

As for the other male contenders, Elliott?

"No one's really impressed me this season," he said. "David Cook is okay, Michael Johns (since eliminated) is alright, but it's anybody's game at this point."

Elliott Yamin recently spoke with Buddy TV about the role he plays in a critical national campaign. Here's an excerpt of the interview with the American Idol finalist:

So I know you've gotten involved in this Inspired By Diabetes campaign. Can you tell us a little bit about what that's all about and how you got involved?
Absolutely. Inspired By Diabetes is a creative expression competition sponsored by Eli Lilly, and they came to me and asked me if I wanted to help endorse it and also be a judge of some of the entries. I said of course, because it kind of hits close to home.

Of course A) I'm a type one diabetic, and B) It's kind of a creative competition. I jumped at the chance to be a part of it, and I'm glad I am. It's really great, because it's really making a direct impact and difference in children's lives, and the quality of their lives at the same time. What it is is a creative competition where contestants can enter the competition through song, through art, through drawings, through words or an essay.

Basically we're looking for people to share their stories about diabetes or their connection to diabetes in any which way. Like I said, through words, through pictures, or art, or music of course.

There's all these great, great prizes for the winners, and all the information regarding the contest can be found at their website inspiredbydiabetes.com. But the really cool thing that drew me in is the fact that for every entry the contest gets, Eli Lilly is going to donate money to a program called Life For A Child. Basically what that program is, it's basically to benefit children in 13 different countries around the world.

Most of these are developing countries, or some might be third world. Kids in these countries have no access to insulin, and they have no access to proper medical care. What Eli Lilly is doing is for every entry donating money to that charity, and I'm also donating money by sales of t-shirts and pins at my concerts to the charity as well. We just want to make sure that kids who need insulin to live don't go without.

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Elliott Yamin recently talked to Parade about his musical life, his love life and more. Here are a couple excerpts:

On Being Diagnosed with Diabetes:
“I was diagnosed at a very young age. I was 15 going on 16. It was hard for me to adjust to treating my diabetes, but it was also hard to admit that I had it. I was in denial. That was a big hump for me to get over.

I didn’t understand how I could just go from being a normal kid to having this incurable lifelong disease in a matter of a day’s time. I was very angry. I was very upset. I didn’t know how to deal with it and I didn’t want to tell people, I was embarrassed by it. And I certainly didn’t want to seem like some charity case.”

On the Love of His Life:
“I have a beautiful girlfriend at home. Her name is Jamie Paetz. She’s a model, she’s 27, and she’s very beautiful. She’s the love of my life.”

To read the full interview with Yamin, follow our link.

Here is the picture of Elliott Yamin’s next single “One Word.” It’s set to drop on October 16.

Past American Idol finalists Elliott Yamin and Constantine Maroulis will be sharing the stage along with singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin for a concert in an episode of The Bold And The Beautiful airing tomorrow.

Maroulis, who plays record promoter Constantine Parros on the daytime drama, will be joined by fellow cast members Mackenzie Mauzy and Kyle Lowder.

The concert is tied in to an online contest called "Boldface Challenge" which ran in the first few weeks of August.

Viewers were invited to choose between duets by Maroulis' character with his young protegee, Phoebe Forrester (Mauzy) and Phoebe's duet with her former boyfriend, Rick Forrester (Lowder). Videos of each duet were posted on the site of Parros' fictional record company, Boldface Records.

Viewers, who voted by text or online, were automatically entered into a sweepstakes for various prizes and a grand prize of a trip for two to Los Angeles to visit the site of the popular daytime drama.

The grand prize winner of the sweepstakes will be announced on Friday's episode, while the duet challenge winner will be announced on Monday.

During the concert, Yamin will perform his single, "Wait For You," McLaughlin will perform "Beautiful Disaster" and Maroulis will present his rendition of Celine Dion's hit "Fading Into You."

Ashley Jones stars on The Bold and The Beautiful.

But after meeting Elliott Yamin, it's obvious that this former American Idol finalist also stars in her hearts, just a tiny bit at least.

Here's their exchange backstage at the soap opera...

Ashley Jones: Let me see if I have my camera! I am so psyched. I literally watched the show to watch you. I’d stay up on my cell phone and my home phone voting for you. I would hit redial all night long. My husband thought I was crazy. Oh, my God, I’m so bummed — I can’t find my camera. How was shooting?
Elliot Yamin: It was fun. I didn’t expect the studio audience. It was cool to interact with them. I had a good time out there. I love doing things like this. We actually just did another show.

Jones: Which show?
Yamin: Lincoln Heights. It’s a similar thing, where I come in and sing.

Jones: You have no interest in acting?
Yamin: I’d like to try my hand at whatever I can dip into.

Jones: I just talked to my mom in the parking lot on my way to work. She said, “Tell him I love his song! I bought it and everything.”
Yamin: That’s great.

Jones: And you’re on my iPod. Of course you are! Who would vote for you 200 times and then not download your song? Are you still with your girlfriend? (everyone laughs) I’m not asking for myself! (rolls her eyes)
Yamin: Why, you interested? (winks)

Jones: I just read an article on you two recently.
Yamin: Yeah. Jamie and I have been together almost a year-and-a-half. It’s been great.

Jones: How’s your mom?
Yamin: She’s doing well. Thanks for asking. I’ll get to see her [this month] for the first time in about five months. I miss her to pieces.

Jones: She’s the sweetest. Not that I know her! But she’s so cute. If she ever watches the show, let her know Bridget loves her.
Yamin: I’ll let her know.

Jones: It was lovely to meet you. Thank you so much.
Yamin: It was my pleasure. Sorry for annoying your husband!

Entertainment Weekly recently caught up with Elliott Yamin. Let's see what the former American Idol finalist had to say...

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We'll have to start with the teeth, because they look great!
ELLIOTT YAMIN: And now it feels great! [The process] was excruciating. I was wrecked from the neck up. It hurt to talk. I'd had a couple cavities filled and my wisdom teeth pulled, but that's it. I would never even go to cleanings. So that was tough. I didn't think the pain was ever going to go away.

Did that make you insecure?
Yeah, a little bit. I always had a complex about my smile. I would have to smile a certain way, knowing it looked better than the other way, when my teeth were exposed. I never thought I'd have the whole mouth done, but they offered to do it for free! That was definitely the Jew in me.

You're part Israeli, aren't you?
My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and he grew up in Israel. I've been there twice, once as a baby and once when I was 15.

Did you have a Bar Mitzvah?
No, I didn't. I was a bad kid. I got kicked out of Hebrew school for making fun of [my teacher]. She was pretty strict with us and her husband was the rabbi. We used to clash.

And you dropped out of high school, too?
Yeah. I was never really good in the classroom setting. But I got my ''Good Enough Degree.'' [Chuckles]

Do you think being deaf in one ear had anything to do with it?
No. I hear okay. It's never been that big of an issue other than in crowds, or on headphones.

What about on the Idol stage when the judges are talking to you?
On the stage, you can't see, but the sound up there is good. They have tons of monitors that protrude through the floor. Sitting on the side of the stage, though, I could never hear a word Ryan or any of the judges were saying.

You watched Idol before your audition, and now you've seen another round of contestants. Was your season the best?
I think it was the best so far, and I'm not being biased. That seems to be the general consensus from everybody; this year wasn't as good as last year. It's cool to be a part of that alumni.

Your single is a Top 40 hit. Do you think performing it on Idol gave it a big boost?
It was on the rise, but yeah, it wouldn't be where it is today if not for performing on that show. One-hundred percent. Thirty million people saw it! There was an 87 percent increase from one week to the next. I was really pumped.

Why didn't you sign with 19 for management?
I felt they weren't going to pick me up on the management side or the record company side, so I called Simon Fuller personally and I said, ''I appreciate everything you've done. I've gotten amazing opportunities.'' I thanked him and told him what a great time I had on the show, then I said, ''I'd like to cede the deal with 19 Entertainment.'' And he said, ''That's cool, just don't put out a record before [Katharine McPhee], Taylor, or Chris.'' I was, like, ''No problem, I'll take my time.'' That was that. I wasn't like, ''That's f----d up, why didn't they pick me?'' I was more relieved. They were trying to manage a lot of people at one time and they didn't indicate that in the future, away from Idol, they'd give me 100 percent of the attention that I need. It wasn't the right fit.

What were your expectations for the album?
I wasn't too sure. I had preconceived notions, probably like the public did. You know, what's he going to sound like? Are people going to buy it? Not literally, but like buy it. I wanted it to be good, quality music — a singer's record, because I'm a vocalist — and something I could be happy with and grow from. I think I did that.

And the album is an independent release, so you stand to make more of a profit...
Yes. But there are so many ways to make money in this business: Touring, endorsement deals, I'm doing something with Oscar Mayer, I'm doing a Christmas album with Target.... There are all kinds of opportunities coming my way that have nothing to do with singing but are other sources of income.

Still, it must feel good to have an album that's selling so well.
It feels amazing. We worked tirelessly and it's really paying off. Pounding the radio, going to three or four stations a day, sometimes in two different states, for five weeks straight. We played every chance we got, it was almost like a country-music radio tour; meeting the fans and the listeners. But people really like the song, they like me, they like the record!

Have you come to terms with the fact that you'll likely be talking about American Idol for the rest of your life?
I've accepted it. I know I'll be forever synonymous with those two words. But so what? I knew what I was getting myself into. I didn't know the magnitude of how big it was, but I'll talk about it until I'm blue in the face. So many doors have opened because of it. Now, I get to do what I love every day.

Elliott Yamin had no formal training in singing prior to his participation in the fifth season of American Idol.

Nevertheless, he managed to make it all the way to the final three with Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. The show then offered Yamin a recording contract - but he decided to sign a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV instead in December 2006.

When asked by the Arizona Daily Star if working independently of American Idol has been advantageous, Yamin didn't hesitate in his reply:

“Absolutely. I've been involved every step of the way with every facet of this project from co-writing songs to picking out the sequencing on the record to trying to help pick where I wanted to go on tour. Everything from top to bottom. I am a partner in my own deal. I have more vested in this. I don't have to go out and sell 2-3 million records to be successful.”

Despite stepping outside the mainstream, Yamin remains close with a few past contestants.

“I keep in touch with quite a few people,” Yamin said. “Bucky Covington and Taylor Hicks were my best friends on the show. I talked to Taylor…when we were in St. Louis and Bucky a couple of weeks ago. I talk to Ace Young all the time. Ace has probably become one of my better friends post-show. He lives in L.A., pretty close to where I live. We talk about more personal stuff than the business stuff. Everyone has been so busy, they just want some normalcy."

Elliott has also been a Type I diabetic since he was 16 years old and spends time working as a celebrity advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“I think it is very important,” Yamin said of his work with the organization. “A lot of people align my struggle with calling me a role model. I don't know if I necessarily want to be one, but I definitely want to be a voice.”

Navy personnel from the U.S.S. Boxer will be greeted by a friendly face when they return to their North Island Navy Base in San Diego on June 15: that of Elliott Yamin.

The American Idol finalist is scheduled to greet and lunch with the troops, who served a double-extended deployment in Iraq.

"Visiting the North Island Naval base will be a unique and wonderful opportunity," Yamin said in a statement released on Wednesday. "I have so much admiration for men and women that service this country and the courage and strength that they possess. I look forward to being able to spend some time with them all and hear some of their stories while I visit the base."

Recently, a pair of American Idols underwent significant changes. No, we don't mean the career boosts of Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis.

Kellie Pickler may - or, we suppose, may not have - gotten breast enhancements. We don't care much either way, but a lot has been made about this celebrity gossip rumor.

It is a fact, however, that Elliott Yamin improved his crooked teeth a few months back. You can see the evidence below and respond to this question: Who looks better?