February 21, 2009 | 11:50
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"American Idol" Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee is set to appear on an episode of CBS' "CSI:NY" in April. On Feb. 18, People got a peek of the 24-year-old L.A. native on-set with "CSI" star Gary Sinise. She acted in 2008's "The House Bunny" and will costar in "The Storyteller," which is expected to be released in October 2009. In the CBS hit show, the singer plays a singer ... who's a "crime victim who resorts to murder as revenge," People reports. Tune in to see McPhee put her acting muscles to work for the latter part of her television role.
-- Leslie Anne Wiggins
January 30, 2009 | 11:27
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Kellie Pickler announced on her MySpace blog today that she will join fellow country singer, pal Taylor Swift, on tour. The Season 5 "American Idol" finalist and Swift will kick off the Fearless 2009 tour in Evansville, Indiana, and go on to play 52 cities over six months. The close friends, whose circle reportedly also includes Carrie Underwood and Katharine McPhee, have already collaborated on a song--Pickler's second single, "Best Days of Your Life". Pickler hints there's more to come:
"It's always fun to be on tour and be with the fans, and to be out with Taylor, who is like a sister to me, is really awesome. We wrote my current single, 'Best Days of Your Life,' on tour together last year, and I'm sure we're going to write on the road together this year, too. So guys: you've been warned. Don't make us mad, because you might just hear about it on the radio!"
Kellie’s current single, "Best Days Of Your Life," is a musical revenge song that she co-wrote with Taylor, who lends background vocals on the album as well. When her self-titled, sophomore album debuted at number one on Billboard's Country Album Chart in the fall of 2008, Kellie Pickler became only the sixth country artist in history to have both their first and second albums debut at number one.
Tickets to the May 22 Los Angeles concert will be the first to go on sale, on Friday Feb. 6 at 10am through Ticketmaster.
--Leslie Anne Wiggins
photo: Vince Bucci/Getty
January 27, 2009 | 12:05
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Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee has many labels: singer, model, actress, television host, newlywed, Kara DioGuardi look-alike. Now she has a new one, the classic jazz label Verve. Billboard reported McPhee has signed a deal with the music group and she's recording her label debut, due this year. This news comes nearly two years after her previous album release with RCA.
-- Leslie Anne Wiggins
Photo: Robert Caplin / For the Los Angeles Times
December 24, 2008 | 12:49
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In a post on her MySpace page, one of the great Idols of our time, Katharine McPhee, neither confirms nor denies rumors about her upcoming album (word was it was a collaboration with David Foster) but tells Idol Nation that something -- something big and mysterious, is indeed afoot. She writes:
I know that there has been a lot of mystery at times as to what is going on with my record and career but please be patient. Next year is going to be a really exciting year and as I always have said, I don’t like to talk about anything until it is in writing. You are all the best fans in the world. Always so encouraging and caring and loyal and supportive. You are amazing!
She also takes the time to thank her fans for their support of the Africa aid project she has been involved with:
I also have to thank you for supporting the project in Africa. It is very dear to my heart and you all jumping in and helping out financially is fantastic. These children and the community will be impacted forever. It is one of the poorest countries in all of Africa and has one of the lowest literacy rates. This is a small but powerful step in helping change from inside the education system of this small country. Thank you thank you thank you.
The post drops further hints of a forthcoming Facebook page and grand McPhee online hub to at last bring her people together and end the diaspora of McFeever sufferers everywhere.
-- Richard Rushfield
