IDOLS NO LONGER IDLE
Nikki McKibbin and Mario Vazquez, American Idol
Take heart,
Lisa Tucker: Provided that no one's given you a nickname as embarrassing as Chicken Little, your elimination from
American Idol last night is not necessarily a one-way ticket to the
Surreal Life house on your way back to obscurity. Look at Latin heartthrob
Mario Vazquez, last season's standout who quit the competition while still a judges' darling. This week he's releasing his first single, "Gallery," on J Records — and in two languages, no less. Not to be outdone,
Idol 1's third-place finisher, rebellious rocker
Nikki McKibbin, is also back with a vengeance. She's now accepting preorders through her website, nikkimckibbin.com, not only for her Chenoa Records debut single, the ya-gotta-hear-it-to-believe-it epic "The Lie," but also for a two-disc package that includes the video, a behind-the-scenes making-of DVD and her unplugged rendition of the
Mr. Big hit "To Be with You." Both Vazquez's and McKibbin's full-length releases will follow shortly thereafter. Feel better now, Lisa?
