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May 19, 2013

ruben studdard

Biggest 'American Idol' Scandals

by AOL TV Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 6:00AM

Like every TV show, 'American Idol' couldn't survive without a headline scandal.

In just seven seasons, 'Idol' has had its fair share of juicy gossip items: nude photos; arrests; wrong numbers -- not to mention Corey Clark's alleged affair with Paula Abdul.

We've compiled a list of the biggest 'Idol' scandals ever. After the jump, click through our gallery to relive moments every 'Idol' wants you to forget.

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American Idol: Live Results Show #13 (season finale part 2)

by Liz Finn-Arnold, posted May 23rd 2007 11:49PM

Blake vs Jordin(S06E41) I am exhausted, truly exhausted. TV should be relaxing. But American Idol's two hour event shows are emotionally-draining. They wear me out. And tonight's show was especially BIG. I'm surprised Ryan didn't call it the "biggest show ever." It actually ran over 2 hours by about eight minutes.

But everything between 8:00 and 10:05 was just filler or commercials. We came here tonight to crown the next American Idol. The judges give their final thoughts. Randy says, "It's Jordin, baby." Paula is just proud of everyone. She congratulates them both. Simon congratulates Jordin (his pick based on the last song Tuesday night).

74 million votes were cast Tuesday night (for a combined total of 609 million votes cast over the season) and this year's American Idol is ...

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MadTV's American Idol spoof - VIDEO

by Liz Finn-Arnold, posted Jan 16th 2007 12:41PM

This is an old clip from MadTV, but I just found it, so it's new to me, and probably to many of you too. The clip, called "Since We Were On," spoofs the first three seasons of American Idol winners (Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino) and runner-ups (Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo), as well as Simon Cowell, and the unforgettably-bad William Hung.

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Are American Idol losers the real winners?

by Liz Finn-Arnold, posted Jan 16th 2007 12:23PM

Kellie Pickler and ConstantineHoward Cohen of MiamiHerald.com seems to think so. In today's post he points out that several AI finalists didn't take top prize, but the show still helped catapult them to success. Jennifer Hudson's Golden Globe win last night certainly puts her on the top of the list for "Most Successful Ex-American Idol Losers," well, at least for the time being.

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Will the next American Idol hail from the South?

by Liz Finn-Arnold, posted Jan 12th 2007 4:02PM

Fantasia BarrinaIf I were a betting woman, and I'm not, I'd bet that the next American Idol probably isn't going to emerge from the Seattle, Minneapolis, New York, or L.A. auditions. I only say this because they never have before. In fact, all five Idols hailed from southern or southwestern American states. Therefore, I will be paying extra-close attention when AI airs the Memphis, San Antonio, and Birmingham auditions.

Take a closer look, after the jump.

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TV Squad Daily with Brigitte - VIDEO

by Brigitte Dale, posted Dec 20th 2006 3:55PM

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:
The video's embedded after the jump below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.


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Ruben Studdard becomes weight loss evangelist

by Anna Johns, posted Dec 20th 2006 12:41PM

ruben studdardRuben Studdard is at the helm of a statewide effort to encourage people in Alabama to lose weight. Ruben, who won American Idol in 2003, lost more than 100 pounds when he began a weight loss program last summer. He is asking 25 percent of Alabamans to lose 10 pounds in eight weeks. Studdard's weight loss program, called Scale Back Alabama, kicks off January 4th. Alabama is ranked as the "heaviest state" in the nation with 28.4 percent obesity.

Ruben says he was motivated to lose weight because of a family history of diabetes and heart trouble. He did it in a very extreme way, though. He went to Duke Diet & Fitness center for a month to learn how to become a healthy eater. His mentor for weight loss has been Idol judge Randy Jackson.

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How much for an American Idol to appear at your party?

by Julia Ward, posted Dec 18th 2006 4:21PM

Kimberly CaldwellThanks to My Super Sweet Sixteen, we all now know that no party is complete without a surprise, private performance by a pop idol. Fortunately, the cast of American Idol is more than willing to shill themselves out for your next shindig. Their asking prices, however, range from $300,000 for Kelly Clarkson to $2,000 and change for second season finalist Kimberly Caldwell.

The New York Post has kindly given us a run-down of Idol artist fees. Whether you pay $75,000 for Ruben Studdard or $30,000 is going to depend on how well you're connected within the entertainment industry, but is $75,000 too much to ask for your guests to hear "Sorry 2004" live? You can also expect to pay more for an Idol mini-concert versus an Idol meet-and-greet.

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Coming this winter: American Idol karaoke game

by Anna Johns, posted Aug 24th 2006 2:17PM

american idol karaokeKaroake Revolution is releasing an American Idol version of its game for PlayStation 2, complete with original American Idol tunes and judgements from Randy and Simon. Players can cover one of 40 songs, including Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud", Bo Bice's "The Real Thing", Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings", and Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway". You can also channel William Hung, by singing "She Bangs". Once you've finished your song, Randy and Simon will have some remarks for you. Paula Abdul's not involved, but you can cover her '80s hit "Straight Up".

This sounds like a game for the pre-teen set at slumber parties or their very first boy-girl parties. I can see it now: an 11-year-old girl's night is ruined when Simon tells her she's the worst singer ever.

[Via TV Filter]

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Ruben Studdard wins lawsuit against former manager

by Anna Johns, posted Jun 16th 2006 1:17PM

ruben studdardSo, this is where Ruben Studdard has been! He's fighting for his money in court. Poor fella. He had to sue his former manager, Ronald W. Edwards and Sez Inc. for taking his money. Studdard, who won the second season of American Idol, claimed that Edwards improperly used $246,000 of his money. And when I say 'improperly', I mean Edwards used Ruben's money to pay off a personal $10,000 bank loan. Not cool, man.

An Alabama judge agreed that Ruben had been screwed over by his former manager and ordered the guy to pay $2 million-- $500,000 for actual losses and $1.5 million for punitive damages. The mis-use of his income hit his credit hard, making it impossible for Ruben to even buy a house! Unfortunately, it looks like Ruben might not get the money back because Edwards filed for bankruptcy last year.

Fame. She's a bitch.

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American Idol: Elliott & Elvis are BFF

by Lacy Hall, posted May 10th 2006 7:37AM

ai logoIt's always been a dream of mine to take a road trip to Tennessee to visit Graceland and Dollywood -- a white trash pilgrimage of sorts. I don't foresee that happening any time soon, so I'll make do with American Idol's homage to Elvis, and keep my fingers crossed for Dolly's night next season.

Everything about tonight was backwards -- the favorites sorta sucked, and Elliott finally found his moment to shine. My crappy internet connection keeps going out, so enough of the pleasantries...let's do this! 

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Simon's prediction: it will be Chris vs. Taylor

by Bob Sassone, posted May 7th 2006 4:38PM

American Idol judge Simon Cowell told Good Morning America last week that he thinks the finale is going to come down to a battle between two guys, Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks.

Of course, he also said that he wouldn't be surprised if Katherine McPhee got into the final two somehow (gee, way to go out on a limb there, picking three when there are only four contestants left). I guess the one he's least confident about it Elliott.

This article says that if it's down to Chris vs. Taylor, it will be "Ruben vs. Clay, Part II." Huh? Why, because Chris and Taylor also both happen to be men? That's kind of a lame comparison.

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American Idol: Microphone malfunction

by Lacy Hall, posted May 4th 2006 12:19AM

ai logoHere's my theory -- if Paris would've dropped a big wet smoocher on Seacrest while he was trailing her with that battery pack, then she wouldn't have gone home tonight. It would have been the perfect climatic moment during her performance of Prince's "Kiss," and God (being a huge Idol fan, and understanding the ironic nature of the moment) would have shifted some votes away from Elliott and given them to poor Paris. But alas, that didn't happen and Paris is going home, and Elliott (her partner in the bottom two) has survived another week.

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Idol stars: What are they up to?

by Anna Johns, posted Jan 22nd 2006 12:11PM

People online has a nifty little photo-story updating us on some of our favorite American Idol contestants who didn't win the title. Here are a few:
  • Diana DeGarmo: after spending the holidays entertaining the troops abroad, she's joining the cast of Hairspray on Broadway on February 7.
  • Frenchie Davis: proving that racy photos on the internet aren't the end of all things, she's a cast member of Rent on Broadway, where she's been since she was prematurely booted off the show in 2003.
  • William Hung: thinking he's entitled to more than 15 minutes of fame, he's still performing crap from his three, yes three, albums.
  • Tamyra Gray: the one who should've gone against Kelly Clarkson in the finale, Tamyra is working on her second album and persuing more acting roles.
  • Josh Gracin: lookin' a little thick around the middle, Josh just kicked off a tour where he is opening for Trace Adkins. He and his wife, Ann Marie, now have two children.
  • Corey Clark: ah, who the hell cares?
The story also includes new photos and updates on Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London, and Justin Guarini.

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Y'all watched American Idol, didn't ya?

by Anna Johns, posted Jan 19th 2006 11:33AM

Holy smokes. FOX is back on top now that American Idol is back on the air. More than 35 million people watched Tuesday's two-hour season premiere. That's the biggest season premiere yet for the talent show, and the competition hasn't even begun! That number is darn close to Idol's highest ratings ever, when 38 million people watched the final results show between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. No wonder the rest of the networks waited to hear FOX's Idol plans before scheduling their Winter/Spring programming.

While there may be a heck of a lot of American Idol fans in this country, there are even more football fans out there. American Idol's season premiere comes in as the #2 most-watched show during the 2005-2006 television season. Number one is the Rose Bowl college championship, which drew 35.6 million viewers earlier this month.

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