- Brandy: A Fine Girl [article]
- Brittany Murphy:
All Grown Up [article] - Holiday Movies
2005: Pride and... [slide show] - Nicole Kidman:
Portrait of a Lady [article] - Meet Our Power
Women [article]
Does it matter that you were voted off the island, didn't receive a rose or got booed off the stage? Nope, not even close. Just take a look at these six reality TV losers who went on to reap the gold.
Clay Aiken
The Show: American Idol(need you even ask?)
Place: Runner-up to winner Ruben Studdard
From Loser: We tuned in week after week, not just to hear his soaring, crystal-clear voice, but also to see his incredible transformation from geek to girl-magnet. Not only did North Carolina-bred Aiken eke out the last wild-card slot on American Idol, he bowled over the competition (how on earth did Corey Clarke get more votes in the preliminary rounds than Clay?) once he made it to the final 12. As the contestants were being narrowed down, Clay emerged as a huge fan favorite. When he belted out "Bridge over Troubled Water" in the final round, a star was born, win or lose. Unfortunately for Clay, lose he did...by a mere 134,000 votes out of over 24 million. Fans screamed "FIXED!" and threatened to file a lawsuit. Clay, meanwhile, accepted the loss to Ruben graciously and set out to record a little album that he hoped would do moderately well.
To Last Laugh: That little album went on to become the little album that could. In 2003, Clay obliterated sales records with the release of Measure of a Man; 613,000 units flew off the shelves in the first week alone. And prior to dropping the full-length CD, Aiken sat on top of the charts with the single version of "Bridge over Troubled Water," placing ahead of Studdard's "Flying without Wings." These days, Clay's busy touring with Kelly Clarkson, enjoying the success of his smash hits "Invisible" and "The Way," and taking time to give back. Never one to forget his roots, Clay established the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which opens up doors for people with autism and other physical and mental disabilities. Ruben isn't exactly doing poorly, but clearly the winner of American Idol's second season is Clay, regardless of whether or not he carries the official title.