Justin Guarini News

Justin Guarini and Kimberley Locke didn't win American Idol - but that hasn't stopped a Texas outlet mall from asking these finalists to perform at its opening.

Justin and Kimberley will be entertaining discount shoppers at the grand opening of The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso on Friday, October 12. To add insult to injury, Kimberley's name is even spelled wrong in one instance below:

What's next, Bo Bice singing in the parking lot of a movie theater?

The following article on one of the first American Idol finalists is courtesy of The Flint Journal...

Justin Guarini is on a roll.

It's kind of a quiet one, but it's a roll all the same.

The first season runner-up in American Idol, the 28-year-old with the million-dollar smile and golden voice has been treated more like chump change since the Fox mega-show pulled him out of obscurity five years ago this summer.

His debut album tanked, much to the delight of haters everywhere.

There was that dreadful "From Justin to Kelly" movie, a box-office flop cited by some as one of the worst movies ever. A few lean years followed. Everyone but Guarini himself had counted him out.

But Guarini is very much on his way back. And on his own terms.

"It's about perserverance," he said last week. "You've got to persist."

Boy, has he.

Born in Georgia, Guarini joined the Atlanta Boys Choir at age 4. His father, a former Atlanta police chief, and mother, a TV journalist, divorced when he was young. He moved to suburban Philadelphia with his mom, assumed the last name of his stepfather and joined the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Boys Choir.

A performing career seemed a certainty as Guarini performed with an a cappella group, Midnight Voices, and worked in theater as a writer-director.

He was preparing for a possible role in "The Lion King" on Broadway in 2002 when he auditioned for "Idol," then a summer series based on a popular British singing talent show. "I didn't really know what the show was when I first auditioned," he recalled, so winning wasn't a consideration at first.

"When I found out what it was, my goal was to make the Top 10," he said, which would ensure his inclusion on any "Idol" CDs and the subsequent concert tour. "From there, it was just ride the roller-coaster, and it's been a roller-coaster to say the least."

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Justin Guarini was an early advocate of LaKisha Jones on the recently completed sixth season of American Idol.

"LaKisha was my favorite going in," he said, noting that Jones' strengths included "obviously, the voice, she's just very sweet and the story was perfect. She's from Little Town, USA, had a daughter. She had a real reason to fight for first place and fight to make it big in the industry. She has a powerhouse voice."

Jones, who will perform at The Palace of Auburn Hills Aug. 12 with the American Idols Live tour, finished fourth this season.

Guarini says her demise boiled down to "song selection and not showing enough versatility."

"She's very good at what she does, but you've got to really roll with the punches on 'Idol,'" he said. "It's definitely a marathon. There's a lot of stamina involved."

TVGuide.com recently sat down with the first-ever runner-up on American Idol, Justin Guarini. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

TV Guide: Any early favorites?
Guarini: Lakisha Jones. I really like her.

TV Guide: When the Corey Clark scandal hit, did you feel jealous that Paula Abdul hadn't hit on you?
Guarini: [Laughs] I was just hoping that because of the hair thing, people wouldn't get us confused. Corey even tried to drag me into that... but fortunately I'm not a [creep] and have a good publicist, so I was able to get the truth out there.

TV Guide: As Kelly's runner-up, do you get to assume the duties of the American Idol if her sales start slipping?
Guarini: [Laughs] I'm still trying to get over the fact that we agreed to drink the Kool-Aid if From Justin to Kelly didn't do well and she totally reneged on that deal! But I'm working on my third CD, and this one is going to be the album I wish I had made the first time.

TV Guide: Who knows, From Justin to Kelly could become the Rocky Horror of this generation.
Guarini: Oh, my god. It'll be the "Beach Horror"! People can [sing along] and wear those afro wigs from the party store!

Nothing new here. Just a retrospective look by People at the runners-up in American Idol's brief history. These five singing standouts may have come in second, but they're still Idols to millions. Well, sometimes.

Here's the magazine's photo feature of the fabulous five who dazzled us on American Idol and (almost) went all the way.

KATHARINE MCPHEE / American Idol Season 5 Runner-Up
After opening up about her struggle with bulimia, Katharine McPhee became a role model not just for her voice (which Simon Cowell called the "best of the competition" in 2006), but for her courage. The 22-year-old, who has found love with actor Nick Cokas, will release her self-titled debut album on January 30. "I am just the person who didn't want to settle for not having everything I dreamed of," she says.

BO BICE / American Idol Season 4 Runner-Up
Bo Bice, who lost the 2005 title to country sweetheart Carrie Underwood, has been enjoying his family life with wife, Caroline Fisher, and 15-month-old son, Aiden. The rocker is also working on a follow-up to his 2005 chart-topping debut, The Real Thing. "They allow me to go out and pretend I'm a rock star for three-quarters of the year, and when I get home, they ground me," said the candid, often self-deprecating Bo Bice.

DIANA DEGARMO / American Idol Season 3 Runner-Up
Second to Fantasia Barrino in 2004, DeGarmo released her debut album (Blue Skies) at only 17 years of age. She's found greater footing, however, in the field of musical theater. "It's led me ... where I want to be, a singer for the people," she told the Dallas Morning News in July. Diana DeGarmo won raves last year as Penny Pingleton in Broadway's "Hairspray," and is back with the show after doing a summer tour with Brooklyn: "The Musical."

CLAY AIKEN / American Idol Season 2 Runner-Up
Yes, we are forced to do a double-take every time we're reminded he didn't win. Ask the "Claymates" - his legion of fans - and they'll tell you the same. The 28-year-old North Carolinan, who recently released his third album, A Thousand Different Ways, is known for his sharp wit and big heart. And oh, that voice. But there's something else Clay Aiken would like to accomplish: starting a family. "I want to be a father so badly," he told People in September.

JUSTIN GUARINI / American Idol Season 1 Runner-Up
He once described his post-American Idol career path as a "free fall," but despite his setbacks, Justin Guarini (who lost to Kelly Clarkson in the show's 2002 first season) hasn't given up. He's currently at work on a follow-up to his recently released jazz album, Stranger Things Have Happened, and is filming a comedy, Fast Girl. "To be able to go around the country and keep making music, the one overriding emotion I have is gratitude," he said.

When it comes to post-American Idol careers, a certain movie title comes to mind: From Justin to Kelly not only stands as the worst after-Idol decision ever, but the title perfectly sums up the divide between what can happen if things go terribly wrong or terrifically right.

MTV.com recently reported on the direction careers can take once FOX cameras top rolling.

Justin Guarani has had the most disastrous career of any former winner or runner-up since Idol began. Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson has arguably had the greatest, with her third album one of the most anticipated releases of 2007.

So what did Kelly do right and Justin do wrong? It's not easy to pinpoint, but it's safe to say translating American Idol fame into legitimate stardom is no easy task. Fortunately — with Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler and other Idol alumni attempting to launch careers this fall — those who have been there were willing to share some lessons learned.

American Idol advice
"Really stick to what got you to the finals," Guarini offered. "That's the most important thing. I think that at times with my first album, it was a little bit of 'throw it at the wall and see what sticks,' whereas I hope with these guys, they're going to stick with the sound that got them there."

Since parting ways with the management and record label associated with Idol, Guarini has juggled managers (including Jennifer Lopez mastermind Benny Medina) and publicists, something season-three finalist Jennifer Hudson cautioned against."You wanna have everything in place, make sure you've got your whole team together, because you're gonna need that support behind you," said Hudson, who is garnering Oscar buzz for her role in Dreamgirls after a slow start. "Just be ready, because it's gonna be crazy. You're gonna be thrown back out into the world, but you're not gonna be that same Jennifer that nobody knew."

Like Hudson, fellow season-three finalist Jon Peter Lewis failed to get a major-label contract right out of the gate (although Hudson just inked a deal with Clive Davis' Arista Records), but he's since self-released an album and is touring regularly.

"I would say that anybody from Idol, winner or loser, has to learn to take good advice," JPL said. "There's a lot of people who are gonna tell you a lot of things, and you gotta look past the B.S. and listen to people when they have a good thing to say."

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An all-ages crowd of about 500 gathered at Foster Field in West Texas to see and hear finalists from American Idol on Tuesday, the San Angelo Standard-Times reports.

Some danced, some sang along. Some nabbed autographs from their favorite performers. Others just sat in the stands and enjoyed the performance.

Bob King and his wife, Barbara, were given tickets up front as a present for their 47th anniversary, but traded tickets with a couple of kids from the stands so they could enjoy the show from good seats without the extra noise.

"The performers are good, and I enjoy watching the young kids enjoy it,'' said Barbara, excited to see her favorite pick from the show last season, Kevin Covais.

"I wanted him to win. He's a nice kid."

The audience also loved William Hung, the season three reject who became an unexpected fan favorite, and Justin Guarini, the first American Idol runner-up.

Brenna Gethers, a popular American Idol finalist, said before the show, "I'm looking forward to bringing some good music to Texas," and she delivered. Her a cappella version of Selena's "I Could Fall In Love" was a hit with the audience.

Performers included Anthony Federov, Olivia Mojica, Lindsey Cardinale, Will Makar and Melissa McGhee. But Perhaps the most popular Idol Tuesday night was season two winner Ruben Studdard (pictured) who noted that this was his first visit to West Texas.

Pearl Hardin won her tickets by being the 24th caller at a local radio station Tuesday morning. She and her 14-year-old daughter, Brittney, said they were excited about seeing Studdard.

Rebecca Baxter brought her 10-year-old daughter, Allison. The Baxters recently moved to San Angelo from Tampa, Fla.

"At least San Angelo is big enough to bring in some big name entertainment. Hopefully it will kick-start bringing some other shows here," Baxter said.

Barbara King agreed.

"I just don't think there's enough entertainment like this in San Angelo, so we go to whatever comes. We've got to back the city," she said.

Justin Guarini still can't believe what happened four years ago.

“No one had any clue what would happen,” Guarini said on American Idol Rewind this week.

As the show gained rating, the singers became media stars. Even the non-winners, such as Guarini. But then he went from burgenoning pop sensation to semi-forgotten reality performer.

At 27, however, Guarini seems to retain the sunny nature that dominated TV in the summer of 2002.

“That’s when my hair had its own ZIP code,” he joked. It was also the year being viewed now on American Idol Rewind.

A non-network show being sold to individual stations, Rewind includes scenes from the show, plus backstage footage and current interviews. It's currently focusing on Season One of the FOX smash.

Guarini was 23 at the time. His dad had led Atlanta’s police department, while his mom, Kathy, had been a CNN reporter; his stepfather was a doctor. Justin had been singing in public since he was four.

Nevertheless, that wild mane was what stuck out.

“I was fortunate to have some early branding, with my hair,” Guarini said.

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We're sure Ruben Studdard will hit the talk shows and major performing arenas soon, in order to publicize the release of his upcoming album, The Return.

Tonight, however, the American Idol winner will appear at the 17th annual Henry Street Heritage Festival, Roanoke, Virginia's celebration of African-American culture.

Studdard’s visit to Roanoke will be more appearance than performance, according to the people from Vibe 100 who brought him here.

“Ruben will go on right before the Bar-Kays,” said Walt Ford, programming director for Vibe 100, Roanoke-Lynchburg’s classic soul and rhythm and blues FM radio station.

Meanwhile, Justin Guarini, one of the most popular contestants in American Idol history despite not winning his season, makes his local debut tonight at the Commerce Bank Arts Center in New Jersey.

Guarini will be joined by The Business, a popular local band, as well as three actors: David Proval (Richie Aprile on The Sopranos), Johnny Williams (Johnny Roast Beef in Goodfellas) and Sal Mazzotta (Mafioso) of Glendora, whose Eagle Films is producing the concert.

American Idol's second season winner, Ruben Studdard, and the first season runner-up, Justin Guarini, will be taking part in a mini-tour in Texas the first week in October. The tour will be called, fittingly, "Superstar Idols Live!"

The concerts will be sponsored by several Texas radio stations. Joining Ruben and Justin will be Olivia Mojica (Season 2), Anthony Federov and Lindsey Cardinale (Season 4), Kevin Covais, Brenna Gethers, Will Makar and Melissa McGhee (Season 5), along with the incomparable William Hung.

Here are the dates and ticket info:

San Angelo, TX
October 3, 2006, 6:00 p.m.
Foster Field Stadium
Tickets: $25-90; 325-942-6587 or Etix.com

Laredo, TX
October 4, 2006, 6:00 p.m.
Laredo Veterans Field
Tickets: $25-90; 956-723-BASE or Etix.com

Edinburgh, TX
October 5, 2006, 6:00 p.m.
Edinburgh Stadium
Tickes: $25-90; Etix.com

Corpus Christi, TX
October 6, 2006, 7:00 p.m.
Concrete Street Amphitheater
Tickets: $35-85; Ticketmaster.com

Beaumont, TX
October 7, 2006
Beaumont Civic Center
Tickets: $30-50; 409-833-7747 or Ticketmaster.com