Cover Girl: Katharine McPhee

American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee quickly sheds her good-girl image with her new Stuff magazine cover shot and accompanying interview. Although, after reading the interview, the "bad girl" stuff seems a little forced. No matter, we still think she's a sweetheart.

STUFF: Are you more McNaughty or McNice?
KATHARINE: There are different sides of me. On American Idol, people saw the side that is very professional and put together. But there’s this other side of me that’s outgoing, energetic and wild—and did really stupid things in college.

Please discuss.
This one time we were walking down the street in Boston, and I was wearing this little skirt. There was this grate with air coming from underneath it. I remember standing above the grate with the air blowing up, and I was holding my skirt down. Another time, we went down to Coyote Ugly. We had so much fun dancing on the bar; the girls were taking their bras off. But I didn’t do that.

Your album cover is pretty racy. Did you do it to shock people?
People made a big deal out of that. They said, “She’s a slut, blah blah blah.” But I’m really not showing that much skin. It’s all suggested.

What was the worst thing about being on Idol?
Sometimes we couldn’t go out after midnight, and for a 21–year–old, that’s pretty crazy. And security went everywhere with me. For me, that was like, OK, this is weird. We’re just kids on a reality show!

You had the rare honor of performing with Meat Loaf. What was that like?
I really liked the guy, but no one warned me that he was going to be so energetic. The first time we sang together, he told me, “Just so you know, I like to go full–out.” I said OK, but he was, like, full–on performing it, and I was so caught off guard. All my fellow Idols were sitting in the audience laughing. I looked at him and just started laughing—no disrespect to him.

Have you always been popular with the fellas?
I was prematurely developed. As a freshman, I looked like a junior; I had boobs. Some of the older kids saw me in the yearbook and said I was cute.

So you probably didn’t have a problem finding a guy.
I came from an all–girl school, so I was determined to get a boyfriend!

Your current boyfriend is almost 20 years your senior. Do you usually go for older dudes?
When I turned 21, I thought it was a good age to explore. You’re no longer a teenager, so it’s OK [to date older guys]. I gravitated toward them, and I love them. They’re just wiser, and they’re less about themselves and more about you.

What do younger men need to know about the opposite sex?
Women sometimes act out, and men get frustrated. They don’t get that all we want is, for a few seconds, for you to be all about the girl—to snuggle her and give her kisses and tell her, “Your lips are so pretty today. I love your lips.” For me, with men, I will fixate on something. I’ll say, “I’m obsessed with your chin.” I’ll kiss his chin and munch on it, and I think that makes people feel good.

Do you see yourself settling down?
Oh, yeah. I want to have, like, 15 babies. I’ve always wanted to be pregnant. One year for Halloween, I decided to be pregnant, so I got this nun costume, and I put a big belly under it. I showed my parents and said I want to go to school as a pregnant nun. My dad sat me down and said, “Katharine, you can’t!”

Interview with American Idol's Haley Scarnato

Last week, American Idol fans said good-bye to 24-year-old Haley Scarnato. She recently sat down for an interview with AOL to dish on Simon, Sanjaya and Katharine McPhee's hair extensions.

Was that your strategy? Did people mistake your spirited performances for strutting around and playing up your overt sexuality?
I have no idea. You never can tell. I just tried to do the best that I could do, and that was that.

I know for the past couple of weeks, you were shrugging off Simon's comments about just that. But deep down, was it bothering you each week that you weren't getting much feedback on your voice, but just about what you had on?
A little bit ... they always say this is a singing competition, etc., but it is what it is. You just have to brush it off and do the best that you can do.

In retrospect, do you think that not responding to Simon's comments was the right decision?
That's who I am. I'm on national TV, and you've got to respect him. He's Simon Cowell, and you've got to set an example. It does hurt a little bit, but you just kind of brush it off and try to get through it.

What was it like to work with J.Lo as a mentor? What was she like in person?
It was amazing. She was great. She was very warm and comforting, and she had a lot to tell us. You could tell she really did want to help us. It was a very good experience on my part and I think everybody felt the same with it.

Did you get to spend a lot of time with her?
A little bit ... it was like 10 minutes, so it was good to hammer out the song and stuff.

Did you get to meet Marc Anthony at all?
Yes, we did. That was really cool, too.

What was he like?
He was great. He was really, really nice. He loves her and he adores her, so that's really cool to see. They just look really happy.

What challenge did you not expect in this competition?
That's hard, there's so much. You can't prepare yourself for something like this. You expect picking the right song is a huge deal, but just making sure it gets cleared. I didn't know it was going to be that tough to try and get the song cleared. That was pretty tough and it affected us a lot, because then if it didn't clear, we had to pick another song. It would just hold everything up. That was pretty much it.

Did any celebrity mentor give you good advice that we didn't see?
No, not really ... Lulu was amazing. That was all on TV. She and Jennifer Lopez were great. I loved them. What you see is what you get. They try to put everything in as much as they can.

Were you aware of all of the things people have been saying about Sanjaya?
Not really. Like I said, we're totally in that bubble, so we try to stay away from it, just for the sake of our own minds. Not too much, the Sanjaya thing, I hear that's an issue or something. It's kind of funny.

It's an issue all right. Considering what an issue it is, does it bother you that you got voted off before him?
No, oh my gosh! Sanjaya is a great personality; he has a great energy backstage and on stage. I think he did a great job last week. He's a great kid, and I wish the best for him and all of the other contestants.

At one point early on in the season, they said that you were wearing hair extensions that have previously been used by Katharine McPhee on the show the season before, the hair stylist reused them.
I think it's cool. It's fun. They can wash them. It was fun. It was kind of cool to wear Katharine McPhee hair extensions.

When is your wedding, and how stressful has it been being in this competition, knowing that you have that to deal with?
The wedding was Nov. 10, but we have to move it back because the tour is running into it, so we'll see how it goes.

Photo from AOL.

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Good News for Chris Daughtry Fans

Chris Daughtry is one of the most popular American Idol contestants who did NOT win the competition. Interestingly enough, both he and Katharine McPhee seem to have slightly eclipsed Taylor Hicks, the contestant who actually WON American Idol last season.

Daughtry fans are in for quite a treat. The 27-year-old rock singer will be giving a free concert with his band, Daughtry, in his home state of North Carolina on March 23rd. The concert will be at the Greensboro Coliseum and is part of the buildup to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which starts March 24th. Certainly not a place I would have expected Chris to be performing at, but hey, free is free.

Photo from American Idol.

Katharine McPhee Is on the Rise

With her first album released last week, and doing well, American Idol alum Katharine McPhee's star is definitely shining bright. It's always interesting when the second place winner seems to eclipse the winner just a bit. She's been making the rounds of the talk show circuit to promote her album, even stopping by Rachael Ray's show last week. Here's the rest of an interview she just did with TV Guide.

TV Guide: How did being on American Idol change you?
Katharine McPhee: When you're in that [competitive] place, everything you hear affects you because you're already so sensitive and stressed and tired and overworked. When people ask me, "How was the experience?" my first reaction is always negative, which is not right of me. I think I'll look back at this 40 or 50 years from now, and it'll be like, "Wow, I was part of history."
TV Guide: What was the hardest part?
McPhee: I think those Idol forums — like AmericanIdol.com — should be shut down. It's basically just an opportunity for people to say the meanest things without consequence.

TV Guide: Meaner than the judges?
McPhee: The judges never made me cry. But their comments hurt. I was constantly fighting the pain and putting Band-Aids over the wounds to keep going.

TV Guide: How did you manage it?
McPhee: I was like two people: I was Katharine, standing there, performing, but I was also watching myself perform. And judging myself. That's something I still have to grow into as an artist. I have to learn how to let go.

TV Guide: You've just released your self-titled debut CD. What was that like to make?
McPhee: The thing that was hard for me about the studio is that I love to talk. And I was so isolated in the booth. It was pitch-dark and quiet, and [the producers] would be outside talking and I'd be like, "Hello? Guys? What are you saying about me?" I would hope that my second record would be less of me judging me.

TV Guide: You judged yourself in another way: Prior to Idol, you were treated for bulimia. Are you staying healthy?
McPhee: Everything's changed for me, and it's pretty miraculous just to be in a healthy body and to promote healthy bodies. But what's still hard is body image. Sometimes I love my body and sometimes I think I look so ugly. I'm just being honest.

TV Guide: On your CD's liner notes, you tell your boyfriend (actor Nick Cokas) that you love him more than you can say. What can you tell us about him?
McPhee: I actually snuck out of the Idol house to see him in the beginning. It was great to have that touchstone, a confidant. And then, as the show progressed, I just got really wrapped up in it, and I wasn't nice to him.

TV Guide: Your CD is sassy, upbeat and very different from the power ballads you sang on Idol. Was that sort of the point?
McPhee: If anyone had ever asked me what kind of record I wanted to make, I would've said, "An R&B, pop/soul album," because that's what's on the radio right now. If the record succeeds or fails, at least I can say, "I chose to go this direction." Nobody molded me.

TV Guide: Will you be performing on Idol this season?
McPhee: If they'll have me back, I'd love to. I love the producers, Ken [Warwick] and Nigel [Lythgoe]. I want to look them in the face and say, "This is the Katharine that I wish I could've been."

TV Guide: And who is that?
McPhee: I'm a little calmer. But I also have a bit of a wild streak in me. People couldn't quite connect to me on the show because I was so reserved. But I honestly think that's because I was nervous. You have to protect yourself.

TV Guide: Did you ever break down?
McPhee: [Pause] The only time I cried was when Chris Daughtry was eliminated. They said, "Chris is going home," and the show ends and everybody's basically looking at me saying, "It should have been you." They're not actually saying that, but that's what I'm interpreting. Simon [Cowell] said, "You live to see another day." And I just started crying. It felt weird and bad.

TV Guide: Is it all too much, being on that show?
McPhee: No, because if you can't get through that, then you can't get through the business.

Photo from TV Guide.

Katharine McPhee's Star Takes Off

As the past has shown, there ain't nothing wrong with coming in second on Fox's hit show, American Idol. Look at how well Clay Aiken has done. And now, the same success is heading Katharine McPhee's way. Her first album, self-titled, was released last week. She sat down for a quick interview with TV Guide recently. Here are a few excerpts:

I've always been into pop, but it's changed. Ten years ago, Celine Dion was the pop sound; now it's more urban, so she's not really what you hear. I'm still a fan of hers, it's just not the kind of music I want to sing.

The thing about Idol is, only so many fans who followed you on it are going to want your record. After that, your music needs to take you to people who don't necessarily care about the show. I never bought Ruben Studdard's records, even though I voted for him millions of times.

Once you've been on Idol, you have to transform yourself into a legitimate artist, and that's what Justin Timberlake has done. No one remembers that he's this guy who came off a silly show called The Mickey Mouse Club, and then he was in a cheesy boy band, but, actually, he's really talented. And he's so cute.

Newsstand Friday: TV Guide

In this week's issue of TV Guide magazine:

Criminal Minds Exclusive!
The post-Super Bowl time slot gives the dark CBS drama a chance to shine. Plus: Lost recap, Katherine McPhee, Grammy Awards preview and more.

TV's baby boom!
We've got the latest on who's pregnant and what it means for favorite shows. Plus: Studio 60's shocking plot twist and scoop on Cold Case's latest musical coup.

You Tell Us: American Idol
Has American Idol gotten too mean? You weigh in.

Cheers & Jeers: 24, etc
From DB Woodside’s president on 24 to William H. Macy’s president on The Unit, we’ve got it all. Tell us if you agree or disagree.

Is It Just Me: Heroes, etc.
Join our quirky columnist Rochell D. Thomas in sounding off on Heroes, Dirt, Rosie O’Donnell and David Letterman’s skimpy new deli platter. (Yes, you read that right.)

Newsstand Friday: People Magazine

Keith Urban emerges from rehab thankful for his sobriety and for wife Nicole Kidman's support

Sienna, Dakota, Diddy and other snowbizzy types make the wintry scene at the Sundance Film Festival

Rescued teen Shawn Hornbeck resumes his life, while his parents are criticized for putting him on Oprah

Meet the Bradley-Parsons clan, the result of Linda Parsons's dying wish – that her husband, Bob, and best friend Judi Bradley unite their two families

Five aspiring singers vie for a chance to perform with Justin Timberlake at the Grammys

Marissa Jaret Winokur learned the cause of her cervical cancer and now makes sure other women know how to prevent it

After the only grocery store in Truman, Minn., shut down, high schooler Nick Graham saved the day

Cover
In an exclusive interview, Tyra Banks defends herself against the outcry of critics who have attacked the ex-model for putting on weight

Jennifer Garner answers your questions about new movie Catch and Release, her comfort foods and losing the baby weight

Want to be a better boyfriend? Actress Felicity Huffman tells you how. (Hint: More PDAs!)

With her first album just hitting stores, Katharine McPhee shows a side you didn't see on American Idol

Legendary columnist Art Buchwald celebrated the last year of his life with humor – and a post-mortem video

Not one to let a little breakup get her down, Cameron Diaz heads to Hawaii for fun in the sun with professional surfer Kelly Slater

Prison Break actress Sarah Wayne Callies sits down for a little friendly interrogation

Corbin Bleu, the teenage star of Jump In! and High School Musical, chats about fame, girls and hair

Katharine McPhee is a Cover Girl

And speaking of American Idol, last season's runner up, Katharine McPhee, is on the cover of the newest issue of Shape magazine. Given her past history of eating disorders, it was a surprising choice for them to put her on the cover, but maybe they're finally realizing that not everyone has the perfect mindset and it's ok to feature other angles as well. Good for them - She looks fabulous!