FORMER IDOL CONTESTANT PHIL STACEY RELEASING NEW CHRISTIAN ALBUM, INTO THE LIGHT

Phil Stacey appeared a little bit country and maybe even a little bit rock 'n roll on American Idol, but with his new album he is showing who Phil Stacey actually is and being true to himself.

The new album, Into the Light, is being released on Sony's Christian label on August 25, 2009.

"Even on my country record, every song was based on a Bible verse, to me," Stacey told kypost.com. "People who knew Christian music would say, 'How could you put a John Waller song on a country CD," Stacey said, referring to a modern Christian worship leader and songwriter.

But Stacey has made a recent move "from Disney's county label to Sony's Christian label." It is the same label as Christian music star Michael W. Smith. Stacey and Smith also share a manager -- and on Stacey recorded his new album with Christian music's legendary Brown Bannister who has worked with Smith and Amy Grant.

"It was intimidating going into the studio with someone who has worked which such gifted people," Stacey told kypost. " But at the end of the day, he started out as a youth pastor, and he has a minister's heart, which set my nerves at east. We talked about the Bible and verses behind songs, and prayed before tracking. I admire Brown more as a person than for his musical background."

And this fall Stacey will be touring with Smith. "He has been so encouraging," Stacey revealed in his interview. "He'd send me texts like, 'Phil, I really like this record,' which meant the world to me."

Since his stint on American Idol, Stacey has not been able to get to Kentucky much. "Most of my family lives in Richmond," Stacey said. "My family has three or four farms out there, so I do consider Richmond home. I'm a diehard UK fan."
He did, though, sing at a rally at Man O' War Church of God which his uncle is the pastor. Stacey, by the way, is the son of a pastor, grandson of two pastors and was once a music minister himself!

On myspace, Stacey reveals, "I enjoy talking about the music, too. In fact, I love it. But the biggest hope I have is that what I do will help draw people to God -- whether that's through the songs I write, how I conduct myself on stage, or more importantly, the ways I relate to other people. Everything I did with American Idol has readied me for this platform and this album. This is where I feel at home and I can't wait for people to hear these songs."

Stacey also revealed that he had just learned that "my new song will be featured on WOW Hits 2010!!! Whoohoo!" Wow is an annual compilation album which each year features top contemporary Christian music.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH PHIL DISCUSSING AN UNEXPECTED MEETING WITH AMERICAN IDOL JUDGE RANDY JACKSON (scroll down to find the video) Sphere: Related Content

PAULA ABDUL'S MANAGER DENIES ANY DISCUSSIONS WITH IDOL

While Paula Abdul's manager, David Sonenberg, said on Wednesday that there have been "no discussions whatsoever about 'Idol' (although he "would never rule anthing out) -- many other offers for Abdul have been flooding in.

"She loves television," Sonenberg told latimes. "She has a number of exciting ideas, some of which are competitive, some of which are just theme-oriented. I think you're going to be seeing a lot of Paula, sometimes as an executive producer, sometimes as a performer or mentor and sometimes as a creative developer." Sphere: Related Content

PAULA ABDUL FANS HAVE BEEN ON WHAT SEEMS LIKE A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

Fans eager for former American Idol judge Paula Abdul to return to the show have experienced a real rollercoaster ride. One minute there seem to be glimmers of hope that Abdul will return to her judging chair when reports emerge that Idol executives and Abdul are again talking. And the next minute hopes are dashed when new guest judges keep emerging and no announcement of her return is made.

Yesterday msnbc reported earlier this week, “Just how much is Paula Abdul worth? For ‘American Idol’ bigwigs, that’s still the undetermined multi-million dollar question. … Sources claim that confused network executives are now relying on focus groups to determine her final fate.”

“It suddenly seems that those guest judges due to take musical chairs-like turns in Abdul’s old ‘Idol’ seat aren’t just filling in; they’re also helping Fox suits and their marketing associates figure out how much the past panelist is worth.”

“Fox loves focus groups,” an insider was said to have revealed to RadarOnline. “If Paula consistently scores far higher than any other person in her chair, they will feel compelled to make her an offer she can’t refuse and make this deal happen.”

And a source described as close to Abdul reportedly revealed that Abdul believes that is what will happen – that she feels confident that the show can’t go on without her.

“There will be four judges at ‘American Idol’ come January,” a separate insider is quoted. “And that fourth judge will be Paula Abdul.”

However, latimes Idol Tracker reported yesterday, “Abdul’s manager David Sonenberg, who has kept his silence since Abdul quit on Aug. 4, spoke to The Times today to deny that Abdul and her former bosses have begun talking again. He also said her fans would hear about all of her post-‘Idol’ plans soon.”

And zap2it is adding, “The Times says insiders deny the focus group story and Sonenberg says there have been no talks with Fox, saying, ‘The only (network) we haven’t talked to, because of recent events, is Fox.”

For her part, Abdul just hours ago posted on Twitter, “Don’t believe everything that you read.!” And her most recent Tweet reads, “People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t’ mean they’ve gotten lost.” While she announced her departure from American Idol on Twitter, since that time she has been relatively silent about her future plans. Sphere: Related Content

KRIS ALLEN DOES NOT IN THE LEAST MIND SHARING THE SPOTLIGHT WITH RUNNER-UP ADAM LAMBERT

American Idol Kris Allen answered some questions during a telephone interview with clevelandnews this week.

When asked whether winning American Idol had finally "sunk in," Allen responded, "I don't know if it's something that will ever totally sink in. The part that is definitely becoming evident is that I get to make an album. We're working on that right now. That's probably the biggest part for me, that I get to do something like that."

And upon being asked which of the Idol finalists he hangs out with the most, Allen revealed that they actually all hang out together a lot. "We have a lot of downtime at the arenas. We just joke around. Do nothing. Talk to each other. And then we spend a lot of time on the bus, watching "Family Guy" or DVDs. On our days off, me and Adam are usually doing things together."

Allen says that he and Adam Lambert are great friends, and it does not bother him in the least to share the spotlight with the Idol runner-up. "I'm a low-key guy," he said. "I don't demand any attention myself. I'm not saying that Adam does. It just kind of comes with who he is. I lay low and do my thing."

Two former Idol winners have helped Allen a great deal, he said. "The two people I've probably talked to the most would be Chris Daughtry and David Cook. Those guys have been super-successful. Having success like either one of those guys would be great."

Sphere: Related Content

JOE JONAS AND KELLY CLARKSON MAY GET ON BOARD THE AMERICAN IDOL GUEST JUDGE TRAIN

American Idol executives seem to be working feverishly to fill the spot once held by Paula Abdul.

Victoria Beckham, Katy Perry, Mary J. Blige and Shania Twain have already jumped on board. And now reportedly close to confirmation are Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers and first American Idol Kelly Clarkson.

Both Joe Jonas and Kelly Clarkson are close to deals reports the latimes.

Clarkson has made several trips back to Idol to perform since she was crowned the show's original winner. Currently she is touring in promotion of her latest album, "All I Ever Wanted."

Jonas is also currently on tour, promoting Jonas Brothers' "Lines, Vines and Trying times." They appeared on Idol during the Season 7 finale in 2008. Sphere: Related Content

SIMON COWELL CALLS PAULA 'TV GOLD'

Paula is "TV gold," American Idol judge Simon Cowell told foxnews today.

"She's taken the decision in her life now, which you have to respect her for making the decision," Cowell told Foxnews. "I didn't want to get involved in what was going on because it wasn't really any of my business. But I spoke to her a lot through the whole process.

"I always thought that she was the heart of the show," he continued. "I'm not the heart. I'm not even the brain actually. But she was the heart, so you've taken that away so it's a different show. I'm sad, I am. I'll probably see her next week. I'm going to listen to what she wants to do next. I will support her in anything she wants to do next. I think she is TV gold, genuinely."

Msnbc reported today that American Idol executives and Paula are in "talks" about her possible return to the show.

And Khabein.info reports that Cowell is actually trying to help Paula get back on American Idol. They say that after Paula announced on Twitter that she would leave Idol, she panicked and frantically called Simon to ask him to help her get her job back.

"She cried to Simon, 'I didn't know what I was doing. Please help me save my job," Khabein offered as a quote from an unnamed Idol staffer.

Many of Paula's fans say that they want her back on American Idol, but are growing weary with Idol executives who simply need to get the deal done. Sphere: Related Content

TALKS BETWEEN IDOL AND PAULA HAVE RESUMED -- PAULA SEEMS TO BE THINKING POSITIVELY

There was a special anticipation and excitement around the release of Dancing With the Stars’ celebrity line-up. And that excitement was less about the list in general than about whether Paula Abdul’s name would be there.

Alas, the list was revealed – and there was no Paula. But that only fueled speculation that perhaps Idol executives and Paula might be talking about her return to the show again. Would Paula return to Idol after all? Her fans certainly hoped so!

“The people at the very top of ABC were really vocal about getting her (Paula) on board for ‘Dancing,” msnbc quoted a source familiar with talks between the network execs and the Idol former judge. “By not exactly keeping it secret, it made Paula’s value more apparent to Fox.”

The negotiations are called “talks” by msnbc – “since dubbing them ‘negotiations' suggests that one side is budging.

“Paula isn’t lowering her price in any meaningful way. She wants a Seacrest-level deal,” msnbc quotes the source. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest reportedly inked a three-year, $45 million deal.

“If there is a scenario that gets Abdul back on the show, it’s likely that her return would be limited to the live shows only, according to several people who are close to the talks. This will allow the original offer made by the show to stand, but Abdul would have a shorter time commitment,” offers the msnbc article.

ABC was extremely disappointed that they were unable to nap Paula. “They didn’t really want Tom DeLay as their most-buzzed-about contestant,” a source told msnbc.

Throughout the summer Abdul has always expressed that she wanted to return to the American Idol judging panel – and there has been chatter that her friend and fellow judge Simon Cowell has been supporting her behind the scenes. Judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi have apparently been supportive as well.

So with talks resumed and a real possibility that she might be back on Idol, it is no wonder that Paula sounds so happy in her Twitter messages.

One of Paula’s recent Tweets reads, “thx for all the support. Never give up on your dreams. Fight for what you believe in. And never stop believing in yourself. xxP”

Another reads, “The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”

It seems that Paula may be thinking very positively these days! Sphere: Related Content