'American Idol' runner-up Diana DeGarmo joins the cast of 'Carrie'

From "Hairspray" to pig's blood: "American Idol" runner-up Diana DeGarmo is heading to Broadway once more, this time for "Carrie."

DeGarmo, who last starred as Tracy Turnblad's best friend Penny in "Hairspray," has been cast in the industry reading of "Carrie," a star-studded presentation that producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum ("Rent," "Avenue Q," "West Side Story") are hoping will help them revive it as a theatrical production.

Based on the Stephen King novel, the 1976 horror film starring Sissy Spacek as a telekinetic outcast, was previously staged as a musical in 1988. The production became one of the biggest flops in Broadway history, running for only five performances and losing $8 million. 

DeGarmo will join other cast members Sutton Foster, Marin Mazzie, Jennifer Damiano, Matt Doyle and John Arthur Greene.

The titular role has not yet been cast.

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Diana DeGarmo. Credit: Getty Images

On finale eve, Idols of years past gather and compare notes

Every May as the world convenes in front of TV sets to choose our new pop despot, a certain college of cardinals gathers around the main stage. For the 80-some singers who have stood on the "Idol" stage before, finale time is like a giant family reunion, a time to reconnect with their comrades in arms, with whom one, two or six years ago they fought through a bloody season and toured the nation before being scattered to the four winds to seek their fates in the swirling tides of contemporary music.

On finals eve, the gathering place of this fabled fraternity was in a off-the-map basement on the opposite edge of downtown from the Nokia. On Monday night, the Edison bar was the scene of the most intimate of "Idol" conclaves as about two dozen Idols past gathered for a party thrown by Fox Radio to celebrate the finals.

Into a quiet alley, down a long stairwell, one found a cozy little gathering where Kimberley Locke and Bo Bice, Diana DiGarmo and Hayly Scarnato, Melinda Doolittle and Jason Castro hobnobbed with those few who have walked the lonely path of the American Idol. And talking with them, one gets a sense of the many directions a post-"Idol" career can go.

'American Idol' Daily: visiting with the Christmas tour

I had the opportunity Tuesday afternoon to drop by the rehearsal studios of the American Stars in Concert for the Holidays tour.  In an unassuming studio space in Burbank I found Idol giants Kimberley Locke, Diana DeGarmo, Chikezie and David Hernandez running through a rendition of "Mr. Sandman" adapted to the season as Mr. Santa (see videos below). 

Leading the performers through their paces was the associate music director of "American Idol," the man who has taken the giants through their songs since season one, Michael Orland. Below are excerpts from my chat with him, followed by my conversation with the Idols themselves. 

LAT: How has it been working with this group, whom you knew back when?

Michael Orland: So great to see how far they've come. Kimberley I've worked with recently. She did a cruise and I went along as musical director. Diana is an incredible performer. She was great on the show but she was 16. Now she's 21. She's amazing, so talented.

LAT: So what have you been up to since the finale?

MO: I'm just back from doing the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show, with 18 Rockettes, camels, little people as elves and a living nativity scene. Right when I got back from Radio City, I did Hollywood Week at the Kodak Theater for season eight.  It was fun watching the newbies.

LAT: Can you spot the stars?

MO: I definitely can spot them. I remember in season two I spotted Clay, Ruben, Kimberley and Frenchie Davis out of the crowd. I definitely saw some incredible performers this week. They're all numbers at this point, I don't even remember names, but I definitely saw some incredible singers.

LAT: What advice do you give them?

MO: We tell them, when they come in for Hollywood Week, we've already done Carrie, we've already done Ruben, we've already done Chris Daughtry. Don't copy them. You've gotta be original.

American Idol Daily: Idols everywhere

After a momentous few days in the history of Idol Nation, the news front fell relatively quiet.

The biggest news, in this reporter's opinion, was the announcement of a mini-tour of ex-Idols, The Idol Mania Live tour. Actually, thus far it seems to be more of a show than a tour with only one date announced yet on the website -- in Sarasota, Fla., on Dec. 6. According to the website, the concert will feature, unlike the official tour, songs written by the Idols themselves. The participating cast includes Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis, Gina Glocksen, Vonzell Solomon, LaKisha Jones, Ricky Smith, Mikalah Gordon and Melissa McGhee.

Writing on her MySpace blog about the show, season five finalist McGhee tells:

I can't tell you how awesome it feels to jump back in. I took a little time off to regroup after Idol, but I have definitely missed it and can't stay away! With a new sound and new music I am totally psyched to be starting back on tour with amazing performers and being able to share our hearts with everyone! Thank you everyone for all of your support and I am completely excited to get the album out!

For season six's runner-up, Blake Lewis, who has been very outspoken in his criticism of Idol in recent interviews, returning to perform under the Idol umbrella, even in this unofficial version, must provoke some mixed feelings to say the least.

The tour is the largest incidence I have seen of what seems to be a trend of outside-the-tent, unofficial Idol conclaves. While season seven was still in progress, a few of the also-rans from the top 24 put together a mini-tour of a few cities. The lounge of Hotel Niko in San Francisco featured a different lineup of former Idols each week. The ability of the Idol brand to fill a room and curiosity about and enthusiasm for those who have battled and bled in the Idoldome is endless.

Meanwhile Idol Mania tour member and stalwart of the show's smallest caucus (female rockers) Gina Glocksen has released her first self-written song. She says of the number on her MySpace blog:

I just posted my first recorded original called, "Taking the Keys". I really hope that you enjoy it! I've just been through the situation too often where I'm out with someone, and they embarrass the hell out of me, so, I wrote about it! I hope you'll share it and let it be known that i'm NOT even CLOSE to being "done" with music. I'm here to stay and this is just the beginning!

The song can be found here. Congratulations to Gina -- an Idol pioneer and one of the bright lights of a  difficult season.

55 days to season eight!

-- Richard Rushfield

Photo: Gina Glocksen. Credit: Fox