Katharine McPhee
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As Katharine McPhee came oh-so-close to winning American Idol this past season, a star from a different FOX show was cheering her on throughout the competition.

Rachel Bilson, who portrays the adorable Summer Roberts on The OC, says she following her former high school classmate very closely ... and tried to help her achieve victory.

"I went to support her and watched a taping of the show. I voted 100 times," Bilson said.

Alas, it wasn't enough, as Taylor Hicks walked away with the singing crown. But Bilson still has fond memories of performing with McPhee back in the day.

"We did a musical together. She was a freshman, I think, when I was a senior, so she's a few years younger, but we were friendly."

Bilson says she likes to sing "alone," so don't count on her trying out for American Idol 6. But will McPhee ever appear on The OC? You never know.

We may have gotten to know and love Katharine McPhee based on her singing talents, but the American Idol runner-up has different aspirations.

She's already signed on with boyfriend Nick Cokas and others as co-producer of a Broadway play, and now several sources tell AIW that McPhee is one of several final contenders for the coveted lead role in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Wonder Woman.

Big-name stars such as Sandra Bullock and Kate Beckinsale have also been rumored to be in the running for the starring role, however, so the chances of seeing the name Katharine McPhee atop this movie poster may be slim.

You never know, though. Katharine's pal Rachel Bilson (with McPhee, pictured) dressed up as Wonder Woman for her comic-loving boyfriend (Adam Brody, her on- and off-screen beau) on an episode of The OC, so maybe there's some kind of connection there.

It's great she's trying out, regardless of whether Katharine lands the role. McPhee employs the same manager as actress Lindsay Lohan, so it's clear she wants to break into the field. The film will be directed by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among other works.

Regardless of whether she'll be sporting Wonder Woman's trademark outfit of red boots, tights and super hero bracelets, fans will still be able to see Katharine in a different kind of suit very soon. McPhee, whose struggle with, and victory over bulimia has been well documented, will appear in a bathing suit on the cover of the upcoming issue of Shape magazine.

Now in a much healthier place, both mentally and physically, the 22-year old McPhee will be showing off her body and talking about how she overcame her eating disorder. We look forward to it -- she's our wonder woman, for sure!

She may have come up just short on American Idol, but Katharine McPhee has led the way in terms of controversy -- much of it unjustified -- ever since she got big.

Before a recent show in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the American Idol runner-up opened up to Us Weekly about her bouts with bulimia and bronchitis, along with what's up next in her career and personal life.

On the backlash received after missing time on the current American Idols Live tour with laryngitis and bronchitis:
"People were like, 'Why did it take so long to get over being sick?' I felt like I was under attack. Here’s the thing -- vocal cords are very sensitive parts of the body that need to be taken care of... I still have to see doctors across the country to make sure my voice is healing. I could show you my throat X-rays, but I’m not going to. I live my life truthfully."

On her battle with, and recovery from bulimia:
"Everyone on tour has been very supportive of me. I didn’t put [the story] out there for sympathy. If it helps anyone, then great. Also, I remember when Kelly Clarkson spoke up and said, 'I’m not gonna bend to the pressures.' She lets her body do what it wants and she looks fabulous. You can tell she works out and takes care of herself. It’s so important to have positive, beautiful women as influences."

On rumors she’s a diva:
"I am a strong woman. But on American Idol, people were saying things like, 'Oh, she’s stuck-up.' It’s hard because no matter what I do, there will always be people who don’t like me... I would love to sit down with Julia Roberts or Oprah [Winfrey] to hear about how they deal with [the pressures of fame]."

On her boyfriend, Nick Cokas:
"We have a great time. We love to text-message when I’m on the road. And at home, we like to get dinner and see a movie. We’re like old people!"

On her future plans:
"I want to make a good album... a few months ago, I had a meeting with Steven Spielberg. I was so in awe that he had time to sit down and get to know me!"

Katharine McPhee may have just fought severe laryngitis for three weeks, then fractured her foot on stage upon joining the American Idols Live tour, but you wouldn't know it to look at her. Well, except for the cast.

Point being, the starlet is still in great spirits. McPhee, 22, who tripped and broke her foot backstage at an August 1 concert while sprinting to see Kellie Pickler's performance, is shown below in Sunrise, Fla., having a good laugh with Pickler and their fellow Idol finalist, Mandisa.

"I’m a hobbler on the stage!" she joked to Us Weekly.

McPhee also made herself available to young fans at the Marriott hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before boarding the Idols' tour bus.

"You just don’t realize the number of people you reach on that show until you go into smaller towns," she said.

Just days after joining the American Idols Live tour after recovering from a nasty bout with bronchitis and laryngitis, Katharine McPhee has suffered yet another setback.

The 22-year-old American Idol runner-up and venerable media darling injured herself Tuesday by tripping backstage before a concert at Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C., the New York Post reports.

Not wanting to disappoint fans, McPhee carried on, singing two songs while wearing slippers. X-rays taken at a hospital afterward revealed a hairline fracture in her left foot. In spite of the injury, McPhee says she will remain on tour.

"She's in discomfort, but she's fine. She will continue on the tour and is not defaulting," said Roger Widynowski, a representative for McPhee's record label, RCA.

Although the Idols' nationwide tour kicked off on July 5, McPhee missed the first three weeks, citing doctors' orders not to sing while she was sick.

She was scheduled to debut with her fellow finalists Elliott Yamin, Taylor Hicks, et al., on July 27 in Pittsburgh, but her flight was cancelled due to bad weather. Katharine finally made her first performance June 28 in Washington, D.C. Announcing that she was still under doctors' orders to limit her vocalizing, she skipped the group numbers, but sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."

Katharine's boyfriend, actor/producer Nick Cokas, is certainly getting a workout these days. Having served as her de facto interpreter during her throat ailments, he may now be asked to carry McPhee up flights of stairs! How romantic.

There's so much Katharine McPhee news these days, we can barely even digest it all. With her voice rested and career opportunities abounding, the 22-year old co-hosted The View with Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck yesterday morning. Katharine looked glowing as usual, and was unfazed when her co-hosts gave her some friendly razzing over the age difference between herself and beau Nick Cokas.

The dialogue:

Joy: "Don’t you have a boyfriend also now these days?"
Katharine: "Yes."
Joy: "Tell us about him."
Katharine: "He’s cool. His name’s Nick and we’ve been together for about a year."
Barbara: "He’s a little older than you?"
Katharine: "Oh, a little... 19 years!"
Elisabeth: "What does your dad think about that?"
Katharine: "Everyone was pretty cool about it in the beginning. You know, it happens a lot, and it is a lot of years but I’ve always been a little bit older than I am."
Joy: "Think of it this way; when you’re sixty he’ll be eighty."
Katharine: "I mean it isn’t really that big of a difference... once you’re old, you’re old!"

Not sure how Barbara Walters felt about that last comment, but it's good to see McPhee healthy, happy with Nick and in good spirits.

The Katharine McPhee sightings continue. Bouncing back from laryngitis and bronchitis, the budding starlet unveiled her ad campaign for Sexy Hair in New York on Wednesday, and this morning, co-hosted The View. Below is a picture of McPhee promoting the hair campaign, taken from People magazine.

The songstress, 22, is probably en route to Pittsburgh at this moment to join the rest of her Season Five Idol counterparts on tour. While she's anxious to make her debut on tour, don't expect any of the soaring vocals that led her the final twosome in May -- yet.

"I just have to sing easily so I can get through the tour," McPhee said, adding that she's been giving her voice the needed TLC by guzzling water and getting plenty of rest. "[My vocal chords] are very sensitive. I bruised (them) because I was doing so much coughing."

McPhee told USA Today ignored all the scuttlebutt regarding her absence from the tour. She denies any tales of battles with the record label or her fellow contestants.

"During Idol, I did not read any negative things or positive things. But the thing about being home for three weeks and being sick: You get bored, and you go online," she said. "I did happen to run into some things like that. It's all baloney. I got sick, and I had some work I had to do on my chords. The important thing is that I'm back."

Having recovered from a severe bout of bronchitis and laryngitis, Season Five runner-up Katharine McPhee is finally set to join the American Idols Live tour today.

Doctors ordered the 22-year-old California cutie to rest her voice completely since she was diagnosed at the beginning of the month, but several public sightings of McPhee over the past few weeks have cast doubt -- probably unfairly -- on the legitimacy of her illness.

McPhee has been photographed several times with boyfriend Nick Cokas, who has been serving as her de facto interpreter. She also came under attack for her decision to attend a photo shoot on July 6, the day after the tour began without her.

Then it became known that Katharine, along with Cokas and others, is producing a new Broadway play entitled Red Herring, written by Michael Albanese.

Personally, we aren't sure what the big deal is. If Katharine is using her downtime to focus on her other interests, so be it. As for rumors that her condition was not as serious as she let on? Keep in mind, people, that McPhee battled an eating disorder for years, then sang her heart out on American Idol for months. That combination would certainly be enough to wreak havoc on one's vocal chords, wouldn't you say?

Mark it on your calendar, fans.

November 14 will be the day of reckoning -- as well as a day likely to see heavy record sales across the U.S. American Idol winner Taylor Hicks will face off against two of his formidable counterparts from the Fox series once again, as his debut album is released right alongside the efforts of runner-up Katharine McPhee and the always-giddy, newly-signed Kellie Pickler (pictured).

Not only will this mark the first time that Idol finalists have shared a release date, but all three will be crooning for RCA Music Group, having been signed by Idol creator Simon Fuller.

Along with Chris Daughtry (also signed by RCA), the three artists have been all over the news and the digital downloads charts already, so the November release date will be an interesting test of who has the biggest fan base. Unless fans just want to buy all three CDs of course. Good luck to all.

Katharine McPhee, the runner-up in the recent season of American Idol, will be the co-producer of a play that will run during the 10th annual New York International Fringe Festival, Playbill reports.

Along with Nick Cokas (who also happens to be McPhee's beau), Robert Hawk, Angelina Bruno and Jeff Kasal, McPhee will be presenting Red Herring, a new play by Michael Albanese. Jonathan Silverstein will direct the production, which will run at Manhattan's Connelly Theatre from August 12-26.

About her decision to co-produce Red Herring, McPhee said she was drawn to the project immediately after reading the script.

"As soon as I read this play, I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of. Audiences know me best from American Idol, but my passion has always been theatre. So much quality work comes out of the Fringe Festival," she said. "Artists can take real risks and challenge convention. Michael has written a beautiful play that is thought provoking, entertaining and fresh. I am thrilled to bring this incredible play to this year’s Fringe Festival."

Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a Tony nominee for 2003's production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, will be featured in a cast that also includes Take Me Out’s Shane McRae. The creative team comprises Matt Hodges (scenic design), Tara Hawks (costume design), Lucrecia Briceno (lighting design) and Emily Wright (sound design).

According to press notes, Red Herring is set in Death Row, with two men separated by a wall. The play seeks to answer the question of whether an unlikely friendship can defy limitations and keep hope alive for men in desperate situations, while also exploring the levels of forgiveness, fear and compassion between fellow human beings.

McPhee has been following doctors' orders and resting her voice for the past few weeks while her fellow American Idol finalists tour the U.S. Hopefully she can rejoin them soon, but at least she's putting her down time to good use!