Mike Fisher said of dating Carrie, "It’s been good!"  He described the first time they met saying that they, "met at a concert in Toronto about a year ago, in October, "through a "friend of a friend.”

He was asked what his favorite song of hers was and he says he loves “Temporary Home” off of her upcoming album, Play On. He gushes, “I like it when she sings a good rock song.” Though he is super supportive of Carrie, he says that she’s not quite as encouraging when he tries to sing some of her tunes.

He tells NHL Online, “I try to sing some of her songs, [and] she just laughs!” They are both busy people, and he said that Carrie is constantly doing something. Mike claims that, “She’s talented and she’s getting rewarded for it. That’s good to see."

Aw! It’s so cute to see how nicely he talks about Carrie. Sounds like she’s found herself a nice man!

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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Danny Gokey spoke a bit about what he thought might have been the reason why Adam Lambert did not come out as the winner for this latest season of the show. He had some reasonable explanations! Alison Iraheta admitted that Idol has helped her come out of her shell a bit. Scott MacIntyre also joked about needing a recommendation for Dancing with the Stars after all the dancing that he did on the show.

Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Matt Giraud:

Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy and Michael Sarver:

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American Idol

He talked about his upcoming album (due out the day before Mother’s Day) on which he had the chance to work with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis who, in case you aren’t familiar with them, have an incredible track record in the industry.  I’m really looking forward to hearing what they came up with! When Jamie asked what fans can expect from the album, Ruben said: “It’s just a lot of great, classic songs. I got a chance to do a record with some guys that I looked up to in my adolescence, and that’s Boyz II Men. Yeah, I did a song with them, a Bryan Adams record, “Heaven.” I did a song with Kenny G, “Careless Whispers.” It’s just a lot of great music.  Terry kept saying that he wanted us to pick songs that people can really see the Ruben that they voted for [in] and not somebody that let people pick the songs. They just wanted to hear I could really, really sing.

Ruben also explained why his album The Return, released in October 2006, was pulled from the shelves: “Man, the record company (J Records) designed my cover, my inserts… You know Louis Vuitton?  They kind of got upset about it. Yeah, that’s what happened. Me, I got sued. Britney Spears, DaBrat, Alicia Keys—we all got sued for using their logo as a part of our product.”

In the end, J Records’ “parent company, Sony BMG, was sued for trademark infringement by LVMH. All of the label’s music that featured Louis Vuitton’s toile monogram and multi-colored logo had to be removed from stores, and the label had to pay LVMH 100,000 euros.”

Fortunately, the album is being repackaged so fans will be able to get it along with the new one that is coming out this spring.

Ruben also tells Sister 2 Sister about how he ended up changing labels, the current status of his relationship with his godfather who has been missing since he stole money from the Idol champ and more.  Pick up the March issue to read it all – it’s on newsstands now!

If you need a little more Ruben in the meantime, here’s a cute video of Ruben explaining how he wanted to propose to his wife, Zuri, and how he eventually did it, after his first two plans were ruined.

image and quotes used with permission

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American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, has a lot to say lately. It seems like every day there’s some new quote or interview that sheds some small light into her life. She has definitely had her share of struggles over the years, but she is trying to put a positive spin on it all.

In a recent interview with OK! Magazine, Paula had the following to say:

“I was premature at birth. I weighed two pounds, three ounces. When I came home from the hospital the doctor said I was one of the bravest babies he’d ever seen. I’ve made a career of falling on my ass or falling on my face and getting up again.”

Please be nice…

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Click on the image to listen:

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“The secret of my success is that I make other people money,” he said. “And, never ever, ever, ever be ashamed about trying to earn as much as possible for yourself, if the person you’re working with is also making money. That’s life! The more they’re making, the more money I want.”

For his American Inventor winner, who will take home $1 million, Simon has certain expectations – they must make a product that he thinks is worthwhile. “You’ve got to relate to the product,” he said. “Something where you go: ‘God! I wish I’d invented that.’”

Last year’s winner invented a baby car seat which spins in a crash, lowering the impact on an infant.

“Its gonna take a long time to get it manufactured because you’ve got to go through obviously, tons of safety checks, and the government gets involved, but it will go on the market,” Cowell said. “And I believe when it goes on the market it will save thousands and thousands of lives. So, it’s fantastic!”

He is not as enthusiastic about some of the other submissions he has seen. “We even had a guy who had to be escorted out by security this year, who came in with the best invention in the world and when we asked him what it was: it was the wheel,” he said.

One of the show’s four judges is boxing legend George Foreman, who didn’t invent the famous grill that bears his name. But his heavyweight endorsement earned him a reported $150 million.

If Simon were a contestant on this show, he knows what he’d bring in as his invention. “I’ve invented good shows, and I think that when you invent TV shows, it’s a very similar process,” he said. “You’ve got to get it financed, then you’ve got to get it made. Then you’ve got to make it popular. They’re all inventions, aren’t they?”

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American Idol cutie from season 4, Anthony Federov, is starring in the Fantasticks. He really is a fantastic singer – I wish I could go to the show

Anyway, here’s a recent interview for the “Fed”eration.

Congratulations, Anthony! You’ve gone from being a Top 4 finalist on the most successful TV show to being the star on the longest running musical, The Fantasticks. How you feeling?

It’s a challenge. I’m really enjoying myself because I’ve never done acting before. It’s all coming out of the blue. Exciting, but scary too. Fortunately, it’s a tremendous cast who’s been doing it for a very long time so they can guide me through the whole thing.

You’ve had a few challenges to get to this point – childhood medical issues, not arriving in this country until you were 9. How have these shaped you?

Every experience I’ve had throughout my life has made me stronger. The fact that doctors told me I’d never speak – - what was once my curse is now my blessing. I mean, with my story and everything that happened, I really have a chance to motivate people. It’s a great thing when you can inspire people to reach for their dreams.

Speaking of which, what advice do you have for folks aspiring to be the next Idol?

My biggest advice to those doing the show in the future: Stay true to yourself. I know, it’s cliché, but I mean it – - stick with what got you there in the first place. American Idol is so big, you start to play head games with yourself. Stay true to yourself, don’t overthink it because it will catch up with you in the end.

How does performing for The Fantasticks’ off-Broadway audiences compare to your 30-million TV audiences?

It’s a different kind of experience, performing before a live audience. This might sound strange but it’s a whole lot harder to perform in front of 200 people than 30,000 people. There’s no way to cheat, you have to connect – You have no microphones. That’s what makes it special, you really have a chance to interact with your audience.

What does being the national spokesperson for the Sarcoma Foundation of America mean to you?

As you know, my brother passed away from Sarcoma seven months ago. When that happened, I found a second calling. Today, I’ll do everything I can to spread the word about Sarcoma cancer. People don’t realize that 20% of cancers young kids get are Sarcomas. I strongly encourage people to go visit www.curesarcoma.org and to educate themselves.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on my record as we speak. When I’m not doing the play, I’m working on a record. Simon Cowell told me the only thing that can make you successful is the right songs. So that’s what I’ve been doing, working on my right songs.

You’ve performed a variety of genres and you have a lot of different styles of your own. So what are your right songs?

Well, I see myself as a male version of Celine Dion, with a little Josh Groban. Powerful, hip ballads, some upbeat. I promise, you’ll like it!

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So, Lindsay Lohan, who recently was found passed out in her car and is in rehab again gets the cover of People magazine this week, while American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, gets a teeny tiny little corner. Is there no justice in the world? Well, before anyone starts feeling sorry for Jordin, I should remind you that, although she has appeared in magazines as a model in the past, she’s never been on the cover of one. Congrats Jordin! The article is good so if you haven’t picked up a copy, buy one – now!

Incidentally, I have absolutely nothing against LiLo or rehab (I’m happy that she’s getting help, actually), so please don’t go crazy on me!

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I’m going to leave this interview in it’s original form because it just says it all:

“This story is very significant to the Indian community,” says Jillian Rechi, or Jayaradhe as she was known in the Hare Krishna movement a decade ago.

The story is about her children Shyamali and Sanjaya Malakar who became famous overnight, thanks to the talent contest American Idol.

“Both Shyamali (Rosaria Malakar) and Sanjaya (Joseph Malakar) embraced their Indian cultural roots.”

Recchi, who spent over two months recently with her 17-year-old son in Hollywood, was often joined by daughter Shyamali, and on one occasion her former husband Vasudeva Malakar, who left his construction business and chores at the Hare Krishna temple in Seattle, to be with his children.

Since her divorce nearly a decade ago, Recchi, who since remarried, raised the children mostly on her own. She says she has not been a member of the Hare Krishna congregation for many years but the Indian spirituality is deeply ingrained in her and her children.

“I consider the Hare Krishna way of life to be my spiritual foundation,” said Recchi, who met her future husband Vasudeva while she was a devotee at the Seattle Hare Krishna Temple 21 years ago. “I do not live in the temple though.”

“Vasudeva was a classical Indian singer-musician-teacher for many years in Seattle,” she continued. “He taught harmonium and bhajans to students at home. There was always Indian music in our home. I was a musician and played the flute, though I didn’t pursue it professionally. We sang in the car with the children.”

After the divorce, Shyamali and Sanjaya moved to Hawaii with their mother and lived there from 1996 to 2000. Both were in Hawaii children’s musical theatre.

“Shyamali was always a precocious, intelligent child,” Recchi says of her first born, an aspiring model, singer and actress. She was eliminated from the American Idol contest early on.

“She read by the age of 3, and had an amazing memory. She would listen to a song once and remember it. Sanjaya, too, had a great talent for singing and music early on. As soon as he was talking, he was singing, dancing and running around. Of course, they are always around music.”

When Sanjaya continued to make steady progress in the competition, despite a lot of negative criticism, Recchi closed down her home business for a few months. “I have always had my own business,” she says.

“Currently, I am an independent distributor for in-home water purification filters and distillers. I also manage and maintain some rental properties. This gives me flexibility of hours to be with and do things with my kids. I wanted to prioritise that; I didn’t want to put my kids in daycare. I wanted to be there for them while they were growing up.”

The children were exposed not only to Indian but also to contemporary and older American music, by Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, their mother added.

“It was their choice to participate in the competition,” she says. “I told Sanjaya he couldn’t enter because he was too young. He was very sad; my family got involved and finally decided he could try.”

“When Shyamali got booted out, she took it really well. It didn’t discourage her; she still wants to continue and pursue a music and acting career.”

“For Sanjaya, unfortunately, I wasn’t there with him when he was voted out,” she says, a trace of sadness in her voice. “I was with him for a solid two months, but I flew back to Los Angeles to be with him the day after he was eliminated.

Sanjaya had a feeling he would get voted out after he saw a tape of his performance later that night. He mentally prepared himself for elimination: of course, he didn’t tell me that!”

She says her son has taken this as a learning experience. “This will, I think, launch him into a very successful career,” she says. “He wants to be an entertainer, whatever that might encompass. He has a real passion for singing; he also loves to act, he has thought of modeling and wants to be a spokesperson for charitable work.”

What is the best advice she has given Shyamali and Sanjaya?

“As a mother, I always felt my children would go on to do great things,” she said. “I taught them that whatever platform they might end up on, they should use it positively.”

“They are very compassionate. People can see that. I think that was really why Sanjaya had such a large fan base. He is a genuine person who is not egotistical, very compassionate, and very well grounded.

Even though they are very attractive people, I don’t think they let that go to their heads because they realise it is a God-given gift. Any gift they have comes from God; they are just an instrument of that.

That helps them stay grounded and focussed on the bigger picture. I would say that is probably one of the biggest things I have tried to give them as far as life lessons go.”

source image courtesy of Rickey.org

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