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.

Millions recall when Mario Vazquez shocked the American Idol world by dropping out of the competition last year.

But until now, only a select few knew how weeks earlier, he gave one particular viewer a different kind of emotional jolt.

After a 16-year separation, Vazquez's father, Mario Rivera, was channel-surfing in his living room when he spotted his son on the show.

"He saw my audition tape and tripped out. He cried to my aunt, 'Mario's there! Mario's there!'" Mario Vazquez told People Magazine.

Not long afterward, in that very living room, father and son reunited.

"My dad wasn't around when I was born," says Vazquez, who was raised by his mom, Ada.

Understandably nervous about seeing his father, the singer, 29 (whose self-titled debut album was released late last month), brought a gift for him and flowers for his grandmother and aunt.

"It was emotional. I'm not too big on crying, but I was definitely choking up inside. I want to have that bond fathers and sons have. I think we're almost there. And now I have twice the family I had before," Vazquez said.

Although the show worked wonders for his personal life, American Idol couldn't fulfill Vazquez's creative side.

"I felt (winning) Idol would be restrictive. I don't want anyone telling me how to sound or what to sing. That's why I'm an artist," he said.

So he dropped out to sign a record deal unfettered by the show, ending up with Arista (ironically, now the home of Idol winners Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks). He says his new album is "much dancier and edgier" than an American Idol version would have been.

Whether or not fans embrace the disc, he has no regrets about leaving the competition.

"I'd rather be known as the guy who got away," he said.

Yesterday's American Idol Picture of the Day showcased a confused Kelly Clarkson, a bored Randy Jackson and a politician embroiled in scandal. That's difficult, if not impossible, to top, but we like today's image just the same.

Below, we have new-look Clay Aiken, who's making the rounds promoting A Thousand Different Ways after spending most of the last year and a half outside the public eye, and two fans who happen to be singers themselves -- not to mention actresses. And sisters!

Flanking Clay are Haylie Duff, 21, and her better-known, younger sister, Hilary Duff, 19. Good to see the ranks of Clay Nation continue to swell!

It's no secret that America's most popular show has spawned its share of successes... and those who have faded from the limelight pretty quickly.

A number of contestants, however, have surfaced on Broadway in recent months. How are our American Idol favorites doing? EW takes a look:

CONSTANTINE MAROULIS
SHOW: The Wedding Singer
GRADE: B+

Despite having won over millions from the beginning, Constantine Maroulis did not enter The Wedding Singer with much optimism from theater insiders.

But in this bizarre college-theater production masquerading as a big-ticket Broadway show, Constantine stood out as one of the top three things on stage. (He comes in right behind the woman playing Robbie's psycho ex-girlfriend Linda and the plane on a stick that appears in Act 2.)

Turns out everyone's favorite Greek rocker spent a summer as an apprentice at the Williamstown Theater Festival, and actually has a degree in musical theater from the Boston Conservatory of Music. A degree!

So it shouldn't be surprised to discover that, in his role as Robbie's bass player and best friend Sammy, Maroulis exhibits terrific comedic timing, not-terribly-awkward dance skills, and a New Jersey accent that's both convincing and consistent.

Audience members might be surprised, however, at how rarely Maroulis is the center of the show -- Sammy's sidekick status has not been elevated to compensate for the Idol vet's relative fame, and he's got but one big number, "Single," a boys'-night-out anthem in which he must concede spotlight space to chorus members.

Maroulis may have lost out to Carrie Underwood on American Idol, but the kid is a natural Broadway baby and he looks like he's having fun... imagine what he could do when not forced to sport a mullet.

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Really. San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is about to be featured in a new reality series entitled Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes.

The series follows two executive producers of American Idol, Nigel Lythgoe (right) and Ken Warwick, as they learn about owning a vineyard and making wine. The two friends purchased a 168-acre vineyard in San Miguel in the fall of 2005 and the show was born of their experiences.

The series will be made up of eight 30-minute segments and will launch on Fox Reality on November 22. Our only regret? No Simon Cowell berating their wine when it's not up to snuff! Now that would be worth watching.

The series began taping this past summer and is currently recording the exploits of Lythgoe’s and Warwick’s first harvest. At the vineyard, which they have renamed Villa San Michelle, they are growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The partners have retained Kent Terry, the previous owner of the vineyard, as a consultant.

Most recently, Lythgoe was an executive producer and judge on the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance and Warwick was the executive producer of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. The partners continue to be executive producers on American Idol as the highly rated show heads into its sixth season.

NOTE: We won't necessarily be able to come up with one this good every day, but if we do, you'll see it. American Idol Picture of the Day will be a regular, if not a daily, feature. The images we find for this feature may be timely, classic, touching, funny, or just plain strange. We feel this one falls under the latter.

It would be pretty hard to top our first-ever edition. In this pic, taken earlier this year at a Grammys on the Hill dinner in Washington, D.C., we have, from left to right: Embattled Congressman (and "sexually-charged IM" author) Mark Foley, Lou Gossett, Jr., our own Kelly Clarkson, producer Terry Likona, and American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

This collection of characters alone makes for a good head scratching, but what's really funny is that Foley and Likona look thrilled to be there, Gossett and Clarkson look utterly confused, and Jackson looks like he wants to be anywhere but there at that moment.

The wonderful Kellie Picker seems to be gaining credibility these days, as she is set to storm the most hallowed bastion of country music, the Grand Ole Opry, on October 27, playing on a bill that includes Glen Campbell and bluegrass great Del McCoury.

A North Carolina native, Pickler was a finalist on last season's American Idol. The previous season's champion, Carrie Underwood, is currently one of country music's brightest stars. Carrie performed, and was well received, on the Opry, so the precedent is there for Kellie.

Underwood, by the way, returns to the Opry stage herself on November 7. Pickler's debut album is due to be released later that month. Good to see these country cuties making names for themselves!

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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The USA Today American Idol blog has an intriguing range of comments on the general topic of Clay Aiken's album sales, which we discussed yesterday.

Widespread reports of insufficient stock at retail stores, conflicting accounts of many of his fans buying multiple copies, the feeling that his record label, RCA, and its CEO, Clive Davis, have abandoned Clay -- there's no shortage of debate about our man and his musical direction.

The covers concept for Clay's new album, A Thousand Different Ways, has taken some criticism in the media, and if you are among those who believe it's hurting Clay's sales, Davis certainly must take responsibility for the idea of the album.

But on the flip side, Clay has talked at length about the concept and why he believes in it, so who are we to say?

What we really find fascinating are the reports of RCA abandoning Clay, who has been a strong revenue-producing artist, but again, we're not exactly privy to the internal politics of the relationship there.

Maybe Clay Aiken could truly thrive if he escaped RCA and made a different sort of album? Maybe the superstar-level sales are still on the way? It's all conjecture at this point, honestly, but the ongoing debate is certainly interesting and we'll continue to follow it.

Kellie Picker will return to her home state next week when she performs the national anthem at the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The American Idol finalist grew up approximately 20 miles from the speedway in Albemarle, N.C. As fans know, she recently hit the airwaves with her debut single, "Red High Heels."

Pickler's first CD, "Hometown Girl," will be released on Oct. 31 by 19 Recordings/BNA Records.

Pickler recorded the CD between her commitments to the American Idols Live Tour 2006, which took the stars of the hit television program to 55 cities during a 10-week span this summer. The CD contains several songs Pickler co-wrote, including her debut single.

"I'm so excited to sing the national anthem at the race in Charlotte," said Pickler. "The national anthem is a challenging song and when you sing it you have to start off low so you can hit that high note.

I'm proud and honored to have been asked to perform it for such a prestigious event."

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, is also psyched.

"With her small-town charm, Kellie caught the imagination of the American public during the American Idol competition .. her popularity will rival that of many of the drivers when she performs for the Bank of America 500. She represents all that is good about Americana."