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Kellie Pickler

Kellie’s album, Small Town Girl, drops on Tuesday, making her the first of the season five finalists to release an album. Kellie co-wrote five songs on the album, and has injected her personality and emotion into the mix. “I Wonder” is particularly compelling in that it is addressed directly to Kellie’s mother, who abandoned her as a toddler.

The CD was produced by Blake Chancey who has worked with the Dixie Chicks. Kellie worked with Aimee Mayo who has written for such country luminaries as Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.

Kellie has recently moved to Nashville, and in an interview with CMT, said that she drove a U-Haul loaded with shoes and picture frames, which she received from her fans, to Nashville by herself. She is leasing a condo temporarily before deciding whether to make the move permanent. Kellie really is a small-town girl, and is reportedly still dating her hometown sweetheart.

Kellie will appear on the Today Show, on November 1, The View, on November 2 and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, on November 3.

Clay Aiken

Clay will be releasing a five-track Christmas EP on November 28. The album, All is Well, is only available from Wal-Mart. The track list reportedly includes "All is Well," "Christmas Waltz," "My Grown Up Christmas List," and "O Come O Come Emmanuel."

On November 2, Clay will be appearing on Megan Mullally, and will sing "A Thousand Days." He will also duet with Megan. On November 14, he’ll tape an episode of Days of Our Lives in which he will sing "Everything I Have." The show airs December 22.

Taylor Hicks

Taylor is busy recording his CD, which is still due out on December 5. He been working with Grammy winning producer Matt Serletic, who is best known for his work with matchbox twenty, a group that he discovered. He also produced Carlos Santana’s “Supernatural,” and has worked with Collective Soul, Stacie Orrico, and Rob Thomas. Meanwhile, if you're hungry for a little Taylor fix, check out his steaming hot performance of "Hollywood Nights" on Rehearsals.com. Now that's the Taylor Hicks I've been missing!

Taylor is set to make a number of appearances in the coming months. Here are some of the confirmed bookings:

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/23 on NBC 9:00 a.m. to noon)

NBC Christmas Tree Lighting (11/26 on NBC 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

Billboard Awards (12/04 on FOX 8:00 p.m.)

TNT Christmas in Washington (12/17 on TNT 8:00 p.m.)

Carrie Underwood

Congrats to Carrie Underwood, whose single, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” was named Song of the Year at the recent American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) awards ceremony. The song was written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson.

Carrie has been nominated for several Country Music Association (CMA) awards, including female vocalist of the year, song and video of the year for “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and the Horizon award (best new artist). The show will air on November 6 at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.

Carrie will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight (October 30) and Ellen DeGeneres on November 1 singing “Before He Cheats.” She also has a number of concerts scheduled for November and December, including several shows with Brad Paisley.

Chris Daughtry

Chris Daughtry’s CD, Daughtry, is set to drop on November 21, and his first single, “It’s Not Over,” should be released for radio airplay this week. Chris will perform in Raleigh at North Carolina State University's homecoming on November 3.

Ace Young

I would be remiss if I didn’t give Ace Young his props here. Despite not having a record deal, Ace has released a single, “Scattered,” which is available on iTunes. The song is getting radio airplay in several large markets, and is doing respectably well for an indie release.

But Ace isn’t just about the music. His non-profit group, Highrollers with Heart, is in the process of raising money for a special "Family Amenities Area" at Denver’s new state-of-the-art Children's Hospital, scheduled to open Fall 2007. The group has set a goal of raising $26,000 to honor Ace’s birthday (November 15). Click here for more information or to make a donation.

The group is also planning a 2007 Ace Calendar and fans are invited to submit their photos of Ace for consideration. A fee of $5.00 is required with each submission. If your photo is selected, you get credit plus a free calendar. All proceeds will benefit the Children’s Hospital.

Katharine McPhee and Jennifer Hudson

Katharine McPhee and Jennifer Hudson performed Saturday night at the Carousel of Hope benefit concert in L.A. Proceeds from the event will go to the Barbara Davis Center for children’s diabetes. Katharine’s album will be out on November 28, and she will be hitting the talk show circuit. Here’s a list of her scheduled appearances:

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/23 on NBC 9:00 a.m. to noon)

The Today Show (11/30 on NBC)

Live with Regis and Kelly (12/04)

Billboard Awards (12/04 on FOX 8:00 p.m.)

Jimmy Kimmel (12/14 on ABC)

The Megan Mullaly Show (12/15)

Home for the Holidays (12/22 on CBS)

Poor Elliott Yamin

3rd place and no mention of him, He seems to have fallen off the face of the earth

Yeah I love Eliot.

Last I heard he was signing with an agent or something.

I hate they have so many coming out at once. I don't think Kellie will do well-better off doing sitcoms she is.

I think Taylor will do ok-he has a huge fanbase obviously.

Chris will be the big winner-I have heard very good things and he had great people working with him.

Katherine may do great. She seems to be getting alot of promotion around her album and she has the pop appeal but she has had a rollercoaster ride since the finale with her vocal problems and all that. I hope she does well but I have soured on her a bit since I heard she has a bit of a diva-tude.

Good for Ace. I liked him and he had decent vocals. He was just too much like Constantine for me and is very threatrical. He should consider theater or the entertainment world. He has the look.

I went to the Idols Live tour back in August (Kellie was out for a few days unable to talk ... no one in line was all that bummed ... and during the show she DID come out and wave and Bucky joked that they were all glad she couldn't talk) ... Katharine had her broken foot and at least did two songs. Elliot and Chris were good, but the music for them was too loud and drowned out their singing. Taylor was great (better than I remembered ... seeing him live vs. on TV is very different). I have to admit, Season 5 had amazing talent.

Anyway ... I hated Ace initially but he wowed me on the live show ... very very good.

Chris *sigh* What a hottie. He could sing the cereal box to me and i would love him