Left over from Part 1: Brand-new interview with   Blake Lewis.   OMG he sez a naughty word!   Start the prayer thread stat! Heh.   Seriously, it’s good–talks about his long history in hip Seattle music circles.

Now, on with the rest of the Season 6 update.

Phil Stacey – After getting the  “all clear” from the Navy to tour this summer with his fellow Idols, Phil was able to relax and enjoy the weeks after he was booted off the show.   There was a benefit for tornado relief  in Witchita, KS, where Phil once lived, that raised $60,000 for the folks hard hit  in Greensburg, KS, a homecoming  at his alma mater  Lee  University, and an  opportunity  to perform  at the Riverbend music festival in Chattanooga TN.   Plus,  he put on  a surprise performance  at a strangers’ wedding.  Really.  Phil says that  the CD he hopes to make will probably be found in the country section of  your local  music store.

Sanjaya Malakar -  After filming a pilot  for a new reality TV show, Sanjaya  Ãƒâ€š  presented at the  AZN Asian Awards (BTW, Rickey’s is the best site for all things Sanjaya…) and teamed up with Will Farrell to  play practical jokes.   No, Sanjaya really is not  performance artist Bill Vendell.   Sanjaya tells Stepping Out magazine, “My first objective is to legitimize my music, then do modeling and acting.”

Haley Scarnato – OK.   Girlfriend is nowhere to be found.   Except at  Ãƒâ€š  Paula Abdul’s birthday party.   See you on tour, Haley.

Gina Glocksen -  Gina also attended Paula’s party. While she was back home in Chicago, IL, she took in a performance  by fellow Top 24 contestant Leslie Hunt.

Chris Sligh – Want to know about Chris?   He’ll tell you himself in his own  chatty blog  (check out the tour spoilers!).   I like Chris’s honesty.   He just needs to say no to the message boards…  After he was kicked off the show–too soon in my humble opinion–he did a mini homecoming tour with his band  Ãƒâ€š  Half Past Forever.   Their most excellent album,  ”Take a Chance on Something Beautiful”  has been  available on Amazon since March.   The band,  (sans Chris, as he’s still under contract to 19) signed a new distribution deal  that will make the record available in stores like Wal-mart and Target.  Yay. It’s set to be released on July 10. The band will begin touring at the end of September after the Idol tour wraps up.  

Honorable Mention: Top 24 contestant, Sundance Head, has a major label deal in the works–with Universal.   This article is about  his dad, Roy Head, who had a Top 2 hit in the mid-sixties, but Sundance is part of the interview. He talks about his deal,  American Idol,  and waiting out his contract.

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