Katharine McPhee may be grabbing the headlines with her recent appearances as TV guest hosts and attempts to break into theatre production, but don't count out Taylor Hicks in the quest for media royalty.

The reigning American Idol winner, 29, has singed a deal to write a book, People reports -- and commanded a sizable advance of $750,000 from Random House's Crown imprint. Hicks's agent, Alan Nevins, says the memoir will be ghost written by David Wild, whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone.

The book, Heart Full of Soul, hits shelves in Spring '07.

Hicks, once a struggling singer in Alabama clubs, will chronicle the obstacles he overcame on his road to success, and discuss the whirlwind of emotions he felt along the way. We're big fans of Taylor, and have no problem with him cashing in on his talent. But at 29 he may well become the youngest performer to ever publish a memoir!

In other news, Taylor will appear alongside fellow American Idol stars and Alabama natives Ruben Studdard (Season Two winner) and Bo Bice (Season Four finalist) on a new billboard from the state's Bureau of Tourism and Travel.

According to the Associated Press, the billboards will feature photos of the trio, and will be emblazoned with the message, "Where America finds its voice. Alabama."

Lee Sentell, the state's tourism director, said that six billboards will go up shortly before the American Idol auditions begin in Birmingham, Ala., on August 21. They will be displayed for four months leading up to the start of Season 6.

Between 10,000 to 15,000 hopefuls are expected to try out as Fox holds auditions in Birmingham for the first time. Given that the city boasts two of the five AI winners (Hicks and Studdard) a huge turnout isn't surprising. It turns out the two Birmingham products have more than that in common -- Taylor's middle name is Reuben. Who knew!

Today is a big day for the Season Two duo which first captivated audiences back in 2003. Clay Aiken has officially announced that his third album, A Thousand Different Ways, is due out September 19. Now, the man who bested him on American Idol, Ruben Studdard, says he will make his return to R&B with his third album, set for release September 26.

The album’s title, fittingly, is The Return. Its first single, "Change Me" hit radio stations July 31 and is already getting plenty of air time.

Studdard's third CD signifies his mainstream after recording the successful gospel album, I Need an Angel, in 2004, MSNBC reports.

"I’ve had people ask me where I’ve been in the past few years so I thought calling it The Return made sense,” said Studdard.

The first track, which refers to the nickname Ruben affectionately earned on Idol, also served as inspiration for the album title.

"The first track on the new record is 'The Return of the Velvet Teddy Bear,' so I just shortened it and made it the title of my CD," Studdard said. "With The Return, I’m letting all the people who’ve followed me from American Idol until now know that basically I’m back."

The 27-year-old Alabama native's debut album, Soulful, was released in 2003.

Studdard, who has been in his home state working with his foundation and music camp this summer, will be performing with some fellow Alabamans -- the R&B/Soul quartet Just A Few Cats -- on August 10 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

As we reported yesterday, Clay Aiken is gearing up for the release of his long-awaited and highly-anticipated new album. A Thousand Different Ways will hit shelves September 19 (giving it a nice two-month buffer before the November 14 Idol onslaught), and consists of 14 songs, 10 of them covers.

Clay will cover a variety of songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s, in addition to his four original recordings. Here's the complete track listing, and list of original artists when applicable, for A Thousand Different Ways. Thanks to USA Today for providing this.

In alphabetical order:

-- "A Thousand Days" -- NEW
-- "Because You Loved Me" -- Celine Dion
-- "Broken Wings" (Mr. Mister)
-- "Every Time You Go Away" -- Hall & Oates (original), Paul Young (best-known)
-- "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" -- Bryan Adams
-- "Everything I Have" -- NEW
-- "Here You Come Again" -- Dolly Parton
-- "I Want to Know What Love Is" -- Foreigner
-- "Lonely No More" -- NEW
-- "Right Here Waiting" -- Richard Marx
-- "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" -- Elton John
-- "These Open Arms" -- NEW
-- "When I See You Smile" -- Bad English
-- "Without You" -- Badfinger (original), Nilsson (best-known)

Interestingly, Aiken will receive a co-writing credit for "Lonely No More," while Jon Bon Jovi co-wrote "These Open Arms." In a press release about the album, Clay expressed his excitement in recording songs from his youth.

"These are songs I heard growing up. I loved them then and I still love them today, but we decided to do them a little differently. They have new arrangements, and we put our own style on some of them," he said.

Aiken, 27, expounded further on the pure emotion of some of his selections, and how that led to the name of the new album:

"This is an album of love songs, but they are about all different kinds of love. Romantic love, friendship, unconditional love. There are a thousand different kinds of love; a thousand different ways to tell someone you love them. And, on top of that, since so many of these songs are covers, it's realistic to say that many of them have been or could be sung a thousand different ways."

We're eagerly waiting to hear the different ways in which Clay performs these classics, as well as his new material!

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.

Tears filled Shannon Smith's eyes as she was crowned the 2006 Twin Tiers Idol Wednesday night at a mall in Upstate New York.

The Elmira Star-Gazette reports that the Breesport, N.Y., native, 19, was overcome with emotion as she was enveloped in a sea of family, friends and other contestants as they hugged and congratulated her. Portions of the Janis Joplin classic, "Me and Bobby McGee," which Smith sang twice during the contest, could be heard over shrieks of excitement.

Four weeks ago, the competition began with 20 young hopefuls vying for an all-expenses-paid trip to audition for Season 6 of Fox's American Idol. The field was narrowed down to 15, then 10, then five, and finally, to Smith.

"Excited. Overwhelmed," Smith said in describing how she felt after being handed the large Twin Tiers Idol trophy.

Next on the to-do list for Smith, who works as a teller at Elmira Savings Bank in Southport, N.Y., will be to head to East Rutherford, N.J., on August 14 to audition for the program that has made household names out of singers such as Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.

"I think I've got to work really hard... definitely," Smith said, adding that her experience in winning the Twin Tiers Idol competition should help her prepare. "I've definitely learned that variety (in music) is a good thing, and you want to connect with your audience."

She's not kidding about the variety. Smith treated spectators to a sample of her yodeling as well as singing skills during the competition.

Wednesday's ceremony was a chance for Smith and her fellow contestants who made it to the top five -- Jeremiah Tyler, Juliana Johnson, Olivia Fagan and Katie Geary -- to have some fun. They each began by singing their favorite song from the contest, then performed a medley from the musical "Grease" with judges Brenton Sheppard and Wendy Owens.

The contestants, who grew close during the competition, as we have seen for years on American Idol, found they had plenty of support as they sang once more for fun. The crowds grew from between 400 and 600 the first week of the competition to between 1,700 and 2,000 Tuesday night, the last night for the public to vote for the Twin Tiers Idol.

"We've had such tremendous support from the community. It's heartwarming for me to know that I can help these young up-and-coming singers," said Cheryl Guild, marketing director for the Arnot Mall, the event's venue.

Despite being largely overlooked by the show's producers, American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin nonetheless won over a legion of fans with spirited performances this spring. Last weekend, he helped one special fan's dream come true.

The singer, who finished in third place in the most recent season, took time during the American Idols Live tour stop in his native Richmond, Va., to hang out backstage with Amanda Jones, a die-hard fan who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

To the left is a picture of them that appears on People magazine's website.

Jones, 19, from Jonesboro, Ark., received her diagnosis just two weeks ago, and immediately had two questions for her doctors:

-- Is the disease curable?
-- Could she go to Richmond to see American Idols Live?

"I had to see my Idol in his hometown," says Jones, who not only made it to Richmond on Saturday night, but -- thanks to a connection through a Yamin fan forum -- nabbed a backstage pass from a friend of Yamin's who'd heard about Jones' diagnosis.

She was ecstatic.

"He is, by far, one of the sweetest people I ever met. He was rubbing my back and told me not to worry and that everything would be okay," Jones said.

In May, Jones camped out at Graceland in nearby Memphis to catch a glimpse of him when the top Idol contenders visited Elvis' former home. Now, she says, Yamin has become her inspiration. A true Idol -- regardless of what the voters decided on the third-to-last episode.

"He's my hero. He went through so much in his childhood, struggled through so much, and in the end, he came out on top. That's what I pray and hope I can do," she said.

Yamin, 28, suffers from Type 1 diabetes and is 90 percent deaf in his right ear. After a series of ear infections during his childhood, and ear-drum replacement surgery at 13, he says his hearing hasn't been right. As for his ability to sing in spite of that?

"I don't know how to explain it, because I'm not a religious person. It's a gift," he told People in March.

Backstage at the Richmond show, Yamin, who is expected to sign a record contract in the near future signed Jones's program, writing:

"Amanda, thank you for all your support. I thank you for driving a long way to see us. God bless you, sweetheart."

In return, Jones gave Elliott a card and a LiveStrong bracelet. As she turned to leave, Yamin hugged her one more time.

"That just boosted me up," Jones said. "I forgot I was the kid with leukemia."

American Idol Season Two winner Ruben Studdard made an appearance at the Dothan, Ala., City Commission meeting Tuesday, where officials handed him a key to the city and proclaiming the day "Ruben Studdard Day." The lovable star, who hails from Birmingham, Ala., is now an honorary citizen of Dothan as well.

Studdard hosted a concert Tuesday night at the Dothan Civic Center, joined by the kids in his music camp, which gives area youths a chance to sing and play instruments in an effort to support the arts.

As Ruben performed the free concert, which was open to the public, his happy campers provided the instrumentals and backing vocals.

Dothan mayor Pat Thomas said he was exceptionally proud of the work Ruben has done with the city during the past week.

While the concert was free, the singer's non-profit organization, the Ruben Studdard Foundation, is accepting donations that will go toward scholarships. The scholarships will be given to Alabama students who are interested in studying music.

The man Ruben edged out to become the second American Idol, Clay Aiken, is heavily invested in a plethora of charitable organizations, both his own and in conjunction with others. It's good to see Ruben following a similar path with his own foundation!

Set your VCR (or DVR, or TiVo), Clay Aiken fans. Below are some details about a television "exclusive" featuring the singer tonight, along with other pieces of information from Clay's camp. Thanks to a member of Clay Nation for forwarding this along...

-- Entertainment Tonight promises a "Clay Aiken Exclusive" on Wednesday's episode. The subject will likely be the newest information on the release of Clay's forthcoming CD, A Thousand Different Ways. We aren't sure if this exclusive will be an interview, or a performance, but it should be interesting, as Clay has not been interviewed by the media since December. Be sure your local listings for the time and channel of the syndicated show.

-- According to Clay's blog, found on his official fan club site, A Thousand Different Ways is set for release on September 19. An official press release containing more information is expected later this week.

-- On Monday, Promosquad's "Rate Songs" Jukebox began playing clips of two new Clay songs: "1000 Days" and "I Want To Know What Love Is," a cover of the Foreigner hit that Clay recorded as a duet with Suzie McNeil (of Rock Star: INXS fame). Yesterday, Promosquad also added snippets from a third track, "Without You," a remake of a 1972 Harry Nilsson song from 1972.

-- Last week, as we reported, Clay asked fans to support UNICEF in its mission to aid children displaced and injured by the recent Middle East conflict. By Friday, fans had raised over $47,000, accounting for a full 17 percent of the funds donated for the crisis there.

UNICEF called the response to Clay's plea "unprecedented," and by Monday, the amount had risen to over $66,000. Fans who wish to donate may do so by following the link above.

Yesterday, American Idol Worship pondered why it is taking so long for this season's third-place finisher, Elliott Yamin, to sign a recording contract.

It appears we weren't the only ones wondering just that, as People magazine reports today that the 28-year old is fielding a couple of offers.

"He's entertaining offers. There are two companies interested," a representative from Yamin's management company said.

Yamin, who lasted longer than many thought he would in Season Five on the strength of his voice (imagine that) rather than a catchy marketing hook, is featured prominently in the current American Idols Live tour. In turn, speculation from fans over when and if they'll be seeing an album from the Richmond, Va., product has run rampant.

"Elliott is involved in a lot of charity work and has put a lot of time into that and then went straight into the Idol tour," the singer's rep said. "It's hard to entertain offers while he's been on tour, and he's just waiting for the right offer. He's got a few things in the works and will have something firmed up very soon."

With winner Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee, popular Chris Daughtry and adorable Kellie Pickler all under contract already, this is great news for Yamin's fans.

It appears as if Elliott has become rather adept at bringing up the rear, if you will. During the Idols' trip to meet with President Bush at the White House last Friday, Yamin came sprinting into the room, five minutes late, wiping his forehead and exclaiming, "Phew!"

The reason for his tardiness?

"He was sleeping," fellow Idol finalist Ace Young said.

Yamin later described the incident to his hometown Richmond Times-Dispatch.

"I had press to do this morning. My sleep was interrupted, and I was trying to make up for it," he said. "The tour manager called me at the last minute and said, 'We'll have a taxi to take you there for the photo.' And that's what I did."

The 10th-place finisher in any contest is rare noteworthy, but anyone who watched Lisa Tucker on American Idol knows she's no ordinary contestant.

Tucker, who turned 17 in June, is making a name for herself on the current Idol tour with a restrained capability and strong voice that we never got to see enough of this spring. Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly caught up with Tucker and got the scoop on her improved performances, as well as her post-Idol plans.

Here's the interview:

EW: I have to be honest with you: You were the biggest surprise of the Idol tour for me. When you sat down at the piano and sang those Elton John tunes, I was impressed. What's the difference between your current performances and what we saw on TV?
LISA TUCKER: On the show, you're performing for the audience in the house, but you're really performing to the cameras. On the tour, we just get to do our thing in front of all the people who voted for us. And not worrying about being judged afterward helps too. [Laughs]

EW: Seriously, though, do you connect with the music more sitting on that piano bench?
LISA TUCKER: You know, I'm so comfortable sitting there and playing. I feel like I really am connecting with the audience, making that eye contact, even though I'm not in front of the stage reaching out into the crowd. I'm making a different kind of connection.

EW: Do you ever dream of playing a small jazz-club tour? It seems like it would suit you.
LISA TUCKER: Well, I actually used to do that before American Idol. I'd play House of Blues and different clubs — even though I was underage. [Laughs]

EW: I was going to ask, they let you past the door?
LISA TUCKER: [Laughs] Exactly, give me a wrist band and kick me out after I'm done.

EW: How did you get involved playing those venues as a teenager?
LISA TUCKER: My brothers were actually in a hip-hop group. So they'd perform at House of Blues, and I'd perform there with them, and it opened doors for me.

EW: Given your early start in the business, then, what's your response when you hear people say that singers should have to be at least 18 to be on American Idol?
LISA TUCKER: I definitely think this is what I was meant to do at this time. I think both Paris and I proved you don't have to be 18 to [be right for] this competition — we definitely brought the artistic element and musical maturity to it. Age was just a number, you know? On the tour, I'm playing piano, and a lot of people don't do that.

EW: Still, do you ever wonder if maybe you'd waited a couple more years to audition, you might've had a chance to win the whole competition?
LISA TUCKER: Not in the musical aspect of it — even though I'm still developing in that regard. But maybe being comfortable in front of all the cameras... Then again, I had done stage performances and I had done Star Search with all the cameras on me, so not necessarily. This time was a good time to go for it. I think if anything with my age, you have to be worried about the emotional aspect of it, not necessarily the performance aspect of it — going through Hollywood week, going round by round, dealing with the judges, and press, and everything like that. You definitely have to be emotionally prepared for it.

EW: Was that a factor for you? I think we forget most kids your age would be worrying about studying for a calculus final.
LISA TUCKER: Which I still had to do. [Laughs]

EW: Exactly. And yet you were also facing the prospect of being critiqued by Simon Cowell in front of millions, which might upset even a well-adjusted adult.
LISA TUCKER: You know, we had school on the set, three hours every day studying, then going on stage in front of millions of people, so there were a lot of things to balance out. And there is definitely a large, large stress aspect to the entire show. It's tough at a young age, but you have to remember, It's a TV show, it's a TV show. You take what the judges say with a grain of salt.

EW: So what's the next career step when the tour's done? Any urge to go back to school and be a boring teenager for a while? Or do you say, hey, Jennifer Hudson and Josh Gracin didn't finish in the top three, and they've done okay?
LISA TUCKER: I definitely believe in striking while the iron is hot. I just graduated from high school, I plan to wait a year to go to college, and during that time I'm going to record an album, and there's a new sitcom in the works, although that's being played by ear.

EW: Are you signed to a label?
LISA TUCKER: There's a couple we're thinking about. We haven't made any decisions yet. We're just waiting it out.