Fantasia Barrino
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As season-three winner Fantasia Barrino gets ready to make her Broadway debut in The Color Purple tomorrow, she wanted to set the record straight about her tough past.

She tells the New York Post that she was never illiterate.

"I dropped out of school in the ninth grade, and when I said I had trouble reading, they took it that I couldn't read at all," she says. "I knew the basics, but some words that were unfamiliar, I couldn't figure them out."

However, the "brand-new" Fantasia wants the world to know this: "I'm da bomb now, babe!"

Apparently, she is. Since Oprah handpicked Fantasia to play the lead of Celie in the Broadway musical, she's been racking up box-office ticket sales – to the sweet tune of $6.5 million.

ut the $6 million-dollar-American Idol champion isn't nervous about living up to the hype: "I just want everyone to know that I have worked my butt off."

There's good news for Fantasia Barrino: the American Idol winner will perform on the stage that made her famous tonight.

But there's bad news for Antonella Barba supporters: she seems to be the most likely to get the boot.

The beautiful singer didn't impress anyone with her rendition of "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith last night. Randy Jackson said: "I have to keep it real, it was really pitchy ... real bland."

And, as you'd expect, Simon Cowell was even harsher:

"The good news is you're an attractive girl; the bad news is it didn't work. It (the song) was way, way, way too big for you."

Of course, the judges have been wrong before. Viewers now have full control over who goes and who stays. Still, Barba backers better heat up those phone lines if they wish to see her last another week.

With her self-titled album hitting stores today, Fantasia Barrino should be pleased about a recent review of it in The Sun-Sentinel. We've paraphrased the article below:

Fantasia Barrino wraps up a busy 2006 with her sophomore album, Fantasia (RCA). The most offbeat of the five American Idols, the people's choice of 2004 is the R&B singer with the endearingly froggy voice and a rags-to-riches biography that was, this year, literally made for television.

Star and subject of Lifetime's The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia continues what is something of a fairy-tale run. The second album is no better or worse than 2004's Free Yourself. But it's enough, thanks to a handful of standout tracks, to keep this personably sincere entertainer safely on the show-biz treadmill for at least another year.

Some collaborators want to hide the singer's peculiar timbre and to mask the spiky anguish and urgency in her voice. The results of this airbrushing are mixed. Not The Way That I Do seems to be an effort to confuse Fantasia with Ciara, peddler of Goodies. Uneligible is a Janet Jackson layer cake, although Fantasia - all 20 or 30 dubbed tracks of her - surfs the song's fat, continuous synth line as nimbly as any dance-club diva.

Sunshine borders on psychedelia as the natural quality of Fantasia's verses is quickly submerged in waves of over-production. Baby Makin' Hips, a lope on high heels, is better at dressing up without suffocating itself. And the uptempo single Hood Boy, with its itch-scratching sample of the Supremes' Happening, sounds like a thumping Missy Elliott track - except Missy didn't write it.

Instead, hip-hop's first lady wrote and produced Two Weeks Notice, a tender R&B ballad with a soft melody and wordplay reminiscent of R. Kelly and Brian McKnight.

At the risk of typecasting, Fantasia's hardscrabble background has imprinted both sadness and determination on her voice, and when Fantasia allows those qualities free play the album shines. In the gently stubborn Bump What Ya Friends Say and the determined ballad I Feel Beautiful, Fantasia is the teacher, preacher, role model and honest-to-goodness human being that made her such an inspired choice of Idol watchers.

** We'll be sure to post other reviews we find of American Idol albums, now and in the future.

The battle begins tomorrow. The most recent winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks, will be releasing his first solo album.

Also hitting record stores across the nation: the latest effort from another Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino.

Which artist will sell more records? Which CD is better? A blogger over at Entertainment Weekly weighs in:

My gut feeling is that Taylor's week 1 sales will be a tad higher. After all, his season is freshest in American Idol fanatics' minds, and one should not underestimate how many fortysomething chicks out Christmas shopping for their families will be willing to part with a twenty-dollar bill to support their favorite gray-haired hip-swiveler.

That said, I think 'Tasia may move more CDs in the long haul.

I'm almost done listening to her new disc and I've heard at least four potential smashes she could use to follow up the fierce first single "Hood Boy" - "When I See You," "Uneligible," "Not the Way That I Do," and the insanely addictive "Baby Makin Hips."

As far as I'm concerned, Fantasia does for 'Tasia what Breakaway did for Kelly Clarkson; it transforms her from reality-TV sensation to full-fledged artist - and hopefully, a multiplatinum one at that.

Here’s some information we’ve come across from around the world of American Idol. There’s certainly a lot going on with our favorite stars, as we try our best to keep you updated...

KELLIE PICKLER

Although she confessed terrible details of her childhood this week, there's been nothing but good news for Kellie Pickler (right) in terms of album sales and critical recognition.

Her CD, Small Town Girl, sold 79,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Country chart! Good for her!

CHRIS DAUGHTRY & ACE YOUNG

Tickets are now on sale for San Diego Star 94.1's Jingle Ball, a concert takeing place Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m. Chris Daughtry and Ace Young will appear, along with Jewel, Smashmouth, Five for Fighting and 3 Doors Down. For ticket information, check out the station's website.

Also, if you want to hear a preview of the debut album from the Daughtry band, the Sony music store has put up a few clips to stir fans' appetites.

FANTASIA BARRINO

The release date for Fantasia Barrino's CD has been moved from November 28 to December 12. Not clear on why this delay is taking place, but we look forward to hearing the album in December.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

The debut album was first moved from November 28 to December 5, and now, we're told it's been moved again, back to December 19, barely enough time to capitalize on Christmas sales. Of course, as tends to happen with Katharine McPhee, rumors are swirling regarding the delay. Does the starlet continue to have voice problems? Are there issues between her and the producers?

One item that has not been delayed is Katharine's appearance on VH1's Big in '06 on Sunday, December 3. She'll also be presenting on the American Music Awards along with Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken. Carrie Underwood will be a performer. The AMA's will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and will air live next Tuesday, November 21!

Here's some information we've come across from around the world of American Idol. There's certainly a lot going on with our favorite stars, and we try our best to keep you updated! Below is our breakdown...

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

As you’ve probably heard, Carrie Underwood will perform at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium December 9. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.

Speaking of Carrie, we caught her video for "Before He Cheats" the other day. Though she’s come a long way from her simpler American Idol days, it is still not easy to believe she's the kind of girl who would bash her boyfriend’s headlights in with a baseball bat.

Look at her! She's just too sweet! We don't buy the vengeful angle... we will, however, buy her music!

KELLIE PICKLER

Kellie Pickler’s CD, Small Town Girl, is in stores as of today! Be sure to check out our review in a separate post, coming very soon. Kellie will perform her first single, "Red High Heels" on The Tonight Show Friday.

BUCKY COVINGTON

Bucky Covington and his wife are moving to Nashville today. We hear he plans to go straight to the studio to record some tunes. Good luck, Bucky!

ACE YOUNG

The new single from Ace Young, “Scattered,” is officialy available for download on iTunes. We thought it was a little cheesy, to be sure, but it grows on you. And yes, his falsetto is on full display. As far as we know, though, Ace has not signed with any record label.

KATHARINE MCPHEE

Looks like Katharine McPhee’s a little gutsier than I gave her credit for. Katharine was scheduled to sing “Over the Rainbow” at the Carousel of Hope Gala, but when she saw Whitney Houston in the audience, she changed to “I Have Nothing.”

Considering the performance of that song that she gave on American Idol, it was certainly a testament to McPhee's courage to get up there and try it a second time. It paid off, though, as Whitney nodded her head in approval at the performance.

You might remember that Katharine (seen here with beau Nick Cokas, right, at the event in Beverly Hills) was roundly criticized by the judges after performing "I Have Nothing" On American Idol. The viewing audience, however, disagreed and voted her into the Top 2. Simon Cowell apologized to her on that week's results show.

TAYLOR HICKS

Taylor Hicks’ CD release date has been moved to December 5, which means he will be after Katharine (November 28) and on the same date as Fantasia. According to GrayCharles.com, he continues to work on his upcoming album, 75 percent of which is complete.

The producers are beginning to mix some of the songs. If you, like many of his fans, are eagerly looking forward to seeing Taylor Hicks in concert, the Soul Man will start a three-month tour in February and plans to "play lots of different size towns, even smaller ones."

Hopefully, that's going to be a town near you.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY

Chris Daughtry’s release date is still set for November 21, but he's ditching the first name thing... the release will come from Daughtry -- the Bon Jovi-esque name of his new band. Howard Benson, who worked with All-American Rejects and My Chemical Romance, is the producer. Chris says he realizes not winning Idol was better for him.

According to a blurb posted on puretonemusic.com, here are all 12 confirmed song titles (in sequence): It's Not Over, Used To, Home, Over You, Crashed, Feels Like Tonight, What I Want (featuring Slash), Breakdown, Gone, There And Back Again, All These Lives, and What About Now.

The site also reported that the song, "Sorry" will be exclusive to iTunes and the newly recorded acoustic versions of "Home" and "Crashed" will be exclusive to WalMart.

JOSH GRACIN

Josh Gracin’s next CD, All About Y’all will be released in early 2007. I was a little worried about Josh since his original release date came and went and his website had not been updated in months. His new single, "I Keep Coming Back" is from the same songwriting team that wrote "What Hurts the Most."

KIMBERLEY LOCKE

The second CD released by Kimberley Locke, Based on a True Story, will hit the shelves of record stores in March 2007. It will be great to hear what the Supawoman has in store for us then!

CLAY AIKEN

The one and only Clay Aiken is scheduled to appear on The Megan Mullally Show this Thursday, November 2.

And, as we reported last week, Clay will also appear on Days of Our Lives as himself December 22, serenading Steve and Kayla with “Everything I Have.” Clay’s version of “O, Holy Night” will also be featured in the episode.

FANTASIA BARRINO

Fantasia Barrino's single, "Hood Boy" is being released to radio. Her album is set to be released on December 12. You can listen to a stream at her MySpace. Lastly, Season 5 semi-finalist Patrick Hall releases his single "One For the Ages" tomorrow. The album, One For the Ages, will be available February 2007.

The father of American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino (right) has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the publisher of a book about his daughter, alleging that it contains "false, exaggerated, sensational, intentional and malicious untruths."

MSN reports that in papers filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Joseph Barrino seeks damages from Simon & Schuster, which released Fantasia: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale in 2005. The book was made into a TV movie, starring Fantasia, that aired on Lifetime in August.

Among the details disputed by Joseph Barrino:

• That he was hostile to the music industry
• That he asks his daughter for money when she visits him
• That his children's musical careers were more important than their education

Joseph Barrino's attorney, Kendall Minter, issued the following statement:

"The unfortunate publication of Fantasia's life story by Simon & Schuster seeks to capitalize on her American Idol success through disparaging certain members of her family. The lawsuit seeks to redress these wrongs and restore the integrity of the family members."

Although Simon & Schuster's website lists Fantasia Barrino as the book's author, the lawsuit alleges that the singer's grandmother, Addie Collins, was the ghost writer. Fantasia is not listed as a defendant.

Barrino reveals in her book that she was functionally illiterate and had to fake her way through some scripted portions of the TV show. A Simon & Schuster rep said that the company has not had a chance to see the court documents and would not comment.

The 22-year-old Barrino, a high school dropout and unwed mother at age 17, was the American Idol winner in 2004, the show's third season. Her debut album, Free Yourself, came out the same year and received four Grammy nominations.

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly features brief rundowns of the seven Idol-affiliated album releases this fall (not counting Mario Vazquez, the Idol dropout)! The column takes its best guesses at the albums' prospects. Here's the essence of what they said about each:

Clay Aiken: "It appears those Claymates follow their leader no matter where his hair takes them."

[Translation: It's going to me a smash!]

Ruben Studdard: "The disc is still pretty standard R&B ... we're not counting out Celebrity Fit Club just yet."

[Translation: Not so sure about its potential success.]

Kellie Pickler: "Simple but sweet."

[Translation: They haven't heard any of it yet, are somewhat skeptical of Kellie's talent, but find her charming, and have no real idea how it will play in the country market.]

Fantasia Barrino: "Sounds promising, but plese, no more Lifetime flicks."

[Translation rendered unnecessary.]

Taylor Hicks: "'There's gonna be horns. I like to say brass with ass,'" Hicks is quoted as saying.

[Translation: Since it hasn't been recorded yet, they're a bit concerned, but who's really going to count out the Soul Patrol?]

Katharine McPhee: Quoting KIIS-FM/Los Angeles program director John Ivey: "'Katharine is a complete wild card.'"

[Translation: Diana DeGarmo redux? Let's hope not!]

Chris Daughtry: Quoting Ivey again: "'You can't come of American Idol and be this rock God.'"

[Translation: Chris may have a tough time getting airplay from credibility-obsessed rock radio stations that think anyone associated with Idol is a gimmick.]

The Charlotte Observer reports that a member of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, his sister, and an American Idol champion are launching a chain of beauty salons, from which they hope to earn significant revenue and donate the proceeds to single mothers.

The project's driving force is Rosalind Beaty, sister of Panthers safety Mike Minter. Charlotte resident and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino will be the third partner.

Their first shop, Imaj Salon & Spa, is scheduled to open in Concord, N.C., this fall. It's going in across from Concord Mills mall at the Colonnade at King's Grant shopping center, next to the Little Dooey Barbecue & Blues restaurant.

The group hopes to franchise the store and channel all of its profits into establishing a faith-based, non-profit home in Cabarrus County. The home would be for single mothers who need to get back on their feet.

Fantasia, who recently starred in a successful TV movie about her own incredible life story, continues to branch out in terms of her career aspirations. It's great to see this star, whose American Idol rags-to-riches we all know, use her good fortune to help others in unfortunate situations. She continues to be an inspiration to us all.

The first telecast of The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale attracted about 6.6 million viewers Saturday, the second largest audience for a Lifetime movie in in the network's 22-year history.

The telecast of the much-anticipated Fantasia Barrino biopic ranked second among all cable programming last week, trailing only an episode of The Closer on TNT. An encore Sunday night ranked seventh for the week with an impressive 5 million viewers.

Some people loved it. Many were inspired. Others were not so impressed. American Idol executives say they are portrayed unrealistically. The AIW staff has read many reviews and thought readers might want to hear what other fans are saying. Here's what one Idol blog, foxesonidol.com, had to say:

Lifetime movies generally fall into one of two categories -- the "I don’t love you anymore and now you must die" dramas or "my life has been hell but I have overcome the odds" inspirational true stories. Both are normally full of clichés and are usually fairly predictable, but frequently, the inspirational true stories really are inspiring.

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