A scorecard of past 'Idol' participants

By SCOTT MERVIS
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

A look at the current scorecard shows that the ladies from "Idol" are faring a lot better than the guys, with the exception of Daughtry.

Here's who's up and who's down _ or, in the words of Randy Jackson, who is "da bomb" and whose career looks "a little pitchy."

DA BOMB

_ Carrie Underwood: The all-American girl from Oklahoma just won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, and, after nearly 70 weeks, her debut record, "Some Hearts," is still in the Top 20 on the charts. She can wail and she's here for keeps.

_ Jennifer Hudson: The Season 3 reject bypassed the Grammys and went straight to the Oscars, winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Dreamgirls." She hasn't released a debut yet, but she's signed to Arista and is on the singles charts with "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."

_ Kelly Clarkson: The Season 1 winner will drop her third record, "My December," this spring. It follows 2004's five-times-platinum "Breakaway," which yielded four Top 10 singles and won two Grammys. Even some rock snobs were singing along to "Since U Been Gone."

_ Katharine McPhee: It's still early in the game for McPhee, who finished second last year to Taylor Hicks. Her self-titled debut came in at No. 2 on the charts and sold 116,000 in the first week. It's now down to No. 44, but an "Idol" appearance is pending.

_ Kellie Pickler: The country singer from North Carolina is of those sixth-place overachievers. Her debut, "Small Town Girl," hit the charts at No. 9 and after 18 weeks around the Top 100, just shot up about 30 places to No. 66. She's set to star in a sitcom well-cast as a naive girl from a Southern small town.

A LITTLE PITCHY

_ Taylor Hicks: Last year's upset winner released a solid debut in December, but the Soul Patrol does not appear to be as strong as expected. It debuted at No. 2, but is now languishing down in the 100s on the charts. One source in his camp says he's a slow grower: "He's more Dave Matthews than Britney Spears."

_ Ruben Studdard: The soulful teddy bear and Season 2 winner got off to a good start, with a No. 1 debut in 2003 and a Grammy nomination. But he lost some momentum with the gospel album a year later, and his third album, last year's "The Return," was neither very good nor very successful on the charts. He could use some people around him who know how to make an album.

_ Clay Aiken: The Season 2 runner-up has a rabid following of Claymates who will continue to support his theater tours, but he's hardly become an American idol to the country at large. There was a three-year wait for his second record (following a Christmas release), which debuted at No. 2 but petered out quickly.

_ Bo Bice: The first rocker to spring from "American Idol" (he came in second to Underwood in 2005), Bice tried to make the record that Daughtry did, but the singles weren't plentiful and, despite debuting at No. 2, it did not have a long run on the charts. He lost some steam because of health problems, so don't count him out.

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN:

_ Fantasia Barrino: The third-season winner (2004) is a hot performer, as she proved here opening for Kanye West. Her debut album, "Free Yourself," was a hit, debuting in the Top 10 and earning four Grammy nominations. The self-titled follow-up that came out in December has struggled, only reaching No. 19. On the plus side, she will star in "The Color Purple" on Broadway in April with fellow "Idol" La Toya London.

_ Diana DeGarmo: The 2004 runner-up's debut didn't make much impact, but then she did "West Side Story" and "Hairspray" on Broadway and is planning a new album this summer.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?

_ Constantine Maroulis: The long-haired rocker is on and off-Broadway.

_ Josh Gracin: The country singer has a release due early this year.

_ Kimberly Locke: The soulful singer, who finished behind Aiken and Studdard, has a new record on the way.