Former American Idol contestant Mikalah Gordon was "in a panic" but unharmed after being robbed at gunpoint last week, her mother said.

Victoria Cavaricci said robbers accosted her 18-year-old daughter, a 2005 American Idol finalist, and a male friend early Wednesday as they walked down a sidewalk in a neighborhood about 10 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas police confirmed the robbery had occurred and said they were investigating.

"She's not physically harmed, but she's in a panic," Cavaricci said in a phone interview from her Las Vegas home, adding that the robbers took her daughter's cellphone and $5.

Gordon reached the finals of the Fox singing competition in Season Four (won by Carrie Underwood) finishing in 11th place overall. She graduated from high school in Las Vegas and now resides in Los Angeles.

Mikalah is currently recording an album that is still in the conceptual stages. She recently affirmed much of her experience with American Idol had been under a cloud of severe depression. On her official site, Mikalah has stated that she hopes to be an inspiration to young people who deal with depression and similar life issues.

Earlier this week, lawyers representing Taylor Hicks filed suit against music producer William Smith in Alabama's U.S. District Court, hoping to thwart the online sale of three songs Hicks recorded in 2001.

Smith claims that in making the songs available, he's not interested in profiting from them -- but rather wants to silence critics who've slammed Hicks' first single since he won American Idol.

"The whole thing with putting these songs out was, he was getting killed by that goofy single, and I knew he was better than that," said Smith, who owns and operates William Smith Productions in Nashville, Tenn.

"It's going to be hard to recover from the panning he's taken from that song. We're friends. I love Taylor Hicks," he continued. "I had a three-year relationship with him. That single sucks, and this was purely altruistic on my part. I wanted to show critics that were killing him that he was way more than American Idol."

Smith refers to "Do I Make You Proud," Hicks' major-label single that has received massive airplay this summer. The suit claims Smith violated copyright laws when three songs -- "Son of a Carpenter," "In Your Time," and "The Fall," which the producer said were recorded with various studio musicians -- were made available for digital download on iTunes.

The tracks were removed from the online retailer as of yesterday afternoon, in accordance with a temporary restraining order authorized by Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins.

Hicks' attorney, Michael Douglas, told MTV that the songs were recorded in 1997 and released on an album called In Your Time. Therefore, he reasoned, the tracks were copyrighted, and Smith could lay no claim to ownership of them.

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Two of American Idol's best known personalities have made the short list for the inaugural Top 49 Men of 2006 at AskMen.com. We may pretend to hate Simon Cowell, but secretly, a lot of us wish we could be in his shoes. As for the other Idol star to make the list, Clay Aiken? We know never to underestimate any measure of this man.

Out over 15,000 names submitted to the popular site by its readers, the list has been narrowed down to 100. The purpose of the poll is to find out which of these men readers consider to be the best representatives of the gender. Who among them best exemplifies what it means to be a man? Do you want Simon and or Clay to make the final cut? If so, you can vote here.

It may be the hottest TV show in the country, with tens of millions of viewers and hundreds of thousands of singles and digital downloads bought before the contestants' albums are even released, but the American Idols Live tour may be losing a bit of steam coming down the home stretch.

Maybe it's just the fickleness of SoCal -- where everyone's a star, not just homegirl Katharine McPhee -- but there are still plenty of tickets available for when the tour rolls down to Tinseltown on Saturday.

In fact, not only are they not sold out, tickets are going for below face value on Craigslist. Ticket holders are selling good floor seats at up to 40 percent below cost, with some tix going for as low as $20. That's a steal for any major artist. People in and around L.A. should take advantage of this chance while they can!

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!"

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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The next season of American Idol is four months away from airing, yet it's still on readers' minds. Yesterday, an MSNBC column posed a particularly good question about about an infamous part of the show: The really, really bad singers who populate its early audition footage.

Why does American Idol waste people's time by putting people through to the next round of auditions that obviously can’t sing? This is so frustrating to many viewers, who are drawn by the notion of -- crazy as it sounds -- picking the best.

Moreover, why do people waste American Idol’s time by standing in line for days just to make an ass out of themselves?

If you’re talking about the eventual finalists, and not the talent-less singers, the question makes an interesting point. Many fans of CBS' Rock Star cite the level of talent as one of its primary attractions, and the implicit corollary is that the talent on American Idol is weak.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Not sure how valid that theory is, seeing that perhaps the most talented Idol contestant yet, Chris Daughtry, was rejected from Rock Star.

Ultimately, the real answer is that American Idol has never been solely about talent. It’s also about creating spectacle and drama, and creator Simon Fuller and his producers are ultimately out to make a TV show. Four years ago, the audition segments were what hooked the entire nation on American Idol, and since then, the parade of idiots continues to draw massive ratings... not to mention idiots who try out next season.

Even when Idol selects people who can sing, those people need to be uber-talented, but also charisma also plays a huge role.

How else can you explain the likes of Bucky Covington and Scott Savol? Yes they can sing a little (even a lot), but they're characters. American Idol is a business above all else, and needs people that fans can gravitate to. If no one watched the early episodes in which people in cow costumes shrieked the national anthem, or raged at Simon Cowell for not recognizing their implicit genius... those kind of episodes wouldn't be on.

But they are. And we watch.

In closing, there are only two words: William Hung. The genial kid from Berkeley (pictured above) couldn't sing a lick, but he parlayed his horrible voice into three albums, a movie, an appearance on Fox's comedy classic Arrested Development, a bevy of commercial contracts and a truly frightening level of fame.

He started it. No-names with no discernible talent the nation overlooked saw Hung and thought to themselves this happen and told themselves, "Hey, I also have no vocal talent to speak of! But I, too, would like to have a large quantity of money and fame handed to me."

Hard to blame them, in a way. While it's unlikely anyone can recreate Hung-style craziness this January, that doesn't mean thousands won't try.

Constantine Maroulis, a finalist on the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, is breaking into theater. The 30-year-old will join the cast of The Wedding Singer in early September in the role of Sammy, the not-so-bright bandmate of the title character. Maroulis has signed on for an eight-week run in the show, replacing Matthew Saldivar.

While attending the Boston Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music, Maroulis appeared onstage in shows such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Jesus Christ Superstar. In 2002, he apprenticed at the Williamstown Theater Festival, where he appeared alongside Ron Leibman and Diane Venora in Donald Margulies' God of Vengeance.

For most of the next year, he toured North America and Asia as Roger in Rent and began his own rock band, Pray for the Soul of Betty. Among the highlights of Maroulis's stint on American Idol was his rendition of "My Funny Valentine" during the show's Broadway theme week. Although he was voted off (Carrie Underwood eventually won), he became one of the show's most popular finalists.

Last summer, Maroulis toured North America with the other Idol finalists and performed his version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on The Tonight Show in support of his inclusion on Hollywood Records' Killer Queen tribute CD. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is currently at work on his solo debut album, with an EP planned for early fall, and a full length release set for 2007.

She's a busy girl, touring the country and singing her heart out. But if you thought fame was going to Kellie Pickler's head, you'd be dead wrong. The down-home North Carolina girl is still the same kid we fell in love with this spring, and her personality continues to shine brightly and warm our hearts. Boy, does she love exclaimation points! Kellie was kind enough to share her thoughts on the tour with USA Today this week. Here's her journal entry:

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It feels like only yesterday when I got in line at the Greensboro Coliseum for the Season 5 auditions for American Idol. I will never forget the feeling that came over me when Paula, Randy, and Simon gave me my golden ticket and said, "Welcome to Hollywood."

That was the beginning of the rest of my life. Thank you again, everyone at American Idol -- you have made what I thought was only a dream become a reality!

Since American Idol ended in May of this year, the Top 10 Idols including myself have been on the road touring the country. We've only been on the tour a few weeks and so much has happened. Follow me on my journey with who America chose as its top 10 American Idols!

So far we have toured throughout the East Coast and we are not done yet! We have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people. I will never forget one night when we finished a show, Cyndi Lauper came backstage and just hung out with us and gave us tips on performing and taking care of our voices. We all couldn't believe that she was at our concert.

We were all in shock that she knew who we were. She was so nice and gave great advice. That same week when we were in New York, Elliott, Chris, Ace, Bucky, and I met all the guys from Nickelback. They invited us to their concert and put on an incredible concert and also gave us great advice. Once again, it was crazy to think that these legendary artists knew who we were!

When I thought it couldn't get any better I was wrong ... the next day I received a phone call from my manager saying that I was invited to be a guest cohost on The View!!!! So not only did I have the privilege to tour with the top 10 Idols but now I get to be on The View! Now I have to be honest, I was so nervous sitting beside Barbara Walters. I was so scared that I would embarrass myself.

I think that was the first time I actually thought about what I was going to say before I said it! It was also a really important day for me as I was able to exclusively announce my big news, my record deal with 19 Recordings /BNA Records!! I’m so excited to part of the Sony BMG family and can’t wait to start recording my album!

New York was definitely one of my favorite places!!!! Then we went to Washington, D.C., we were invited to tour the White House and meet the President. I have to be honest with you, when we were in the library I was a little curious, so I pushed on all of the bookshelves just to see if one of them happened to turn and lead into a secret passageway.

Then Bucky came over and told me that I was doing it wrong, and he started pulling on all the books like they were levers! It was just like you see in movies except we didn't find anything ... ha ha! Being able to meet President Bush was an honor. It is not every day that you get to say that you toured the Oval Office and met the President. Mr. Bush was very inspiring and had great words of wisdom.

Our first hometown show was Elliott's hometown in Richmond, Va. It was a great show, everyone was Elliott-crazy. I will never forget looking out in that crowd ... everyone had on bright green shirts with Elliott's face on them and were waving bright green glow sticks. Richmond was a great way to kick off our first hometown show!

Next stop....... NORTH CAROLINA!!!!!

Bucky, Chris, and I were so excited about the Greensboro and Charlotte shows! It felt so good to be home even though it was for only a few days. We were all so excited about being back in the South! Man, had we missed the Southern cooking.

The first thing Bucky did when we got off the bus was order a big glass of sweet tea! Mandisa and I were so happy when we got off the bus in Greensboro and people greeted us by saying "Hey ya’ll!!" For once we were surrounded by the same accent! North Carolina was one of the best audiences we’d had! I am very lucky to come from a state that supports me like they do!

Until next time...

Love,
Kellie!

Hit TV shows seldom make for hit video games. American Idol has already been translated into the medium, and the game flopped.

Yet another video game company, Konami, thinks it can succeed with its own version of TV's top reality show. Why? The interaction. The judges. The songs. How can you go wrong, right? "Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol" for PlayStation 2, due out this winter, will allow gamers to sing into a microphone and get their crooning rated by the show's judges.

Two of them, anyway. Konami announced that its game will include digital versions of Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. The much-maligned Paula Abdul will not be appearing, and no one has said why. AIW can only begin to imagine.

"For anyone who wants to know what it's like to audition in front of me, now you're going to find out," Cowell said, according to press release issued recently by Konami.

While Paula won't appear in cyber form to be amazed and inspired by your efforts, she'll be there in spirit, VH1 reports -- a cover of her song "Straight Up" will be among the 40 tracks players can sing to in the game.

Also included will be Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud," Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings," Bo Bice's "The Real Thing" and the Clay Aiken staple "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."

Rounding out the track list are covers of songs such as Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the William Hung / Ricky Martin classic, "She Bangs."

The "Karaoke Revolution" game requires players to sing along to versions of popular songs. The games typically depict a lone singer performing onstage. The crowd cheers, and lights and pyro flash when the player's singing is at the right pitch. The effects stop and the boos rain down upon you when the singing clangs.

Konami's "Idol" game will bring wannabe players through each of the show's signature stages, from audition venues to the finals. They can rise through the ranks of a solo-singing campaign or play with friends in sing-offs and duets. According to the company, the game will also include video footage of performances from the past five seasons' winners.