Say what you want about American Idol's biggest success story, Ms. Carrie Underwood—including that she can't dance, bless her heart—but it can't be said the woman doesn't have a strong set of pipes. She'll be the last major performer during the Puyallup Fair's final weekend. If there's anything in the show that remotely resembles her performance from last year's Grammy Awards, we'll just die: more ›

DRINK FOR URBAN ART: The second Northwest location of Upper Playground, a San Francisco-based urban art and clothing store, opens this weekend--and there's a swanky cocktail party/gallery viewing at Chapel on Saturday night to celebrate. The clothing and accessories at Upper Playground are the epitome of dope, but what we're really into is the art. For a sample, check out these poster prints of various artists' renderings of Obama, going for $200 a piece. We're particularly fond of this one by Mear One, an artist who will be doing a "live painting" at the Chapel party. more ›

CMT is reporting that American Idol's semi-local country darling Kristy Lee Cook has been signed to Aritsa Nashville. Actually, we initially got the news from dlisted, who verbally ripped Cook a new asshole and made all kinds of anti-hick slurs. We get it—Kristy Lee didn't shine as bright as fellow country chanteuse/hottie mctottie Carrie Underwood on the Idol stage, but she did deliver some far-better-than-average performances toward the end of her stay on the show. She was hardly a Sanjaya-ish performer. And she mastered the art of song choice—a gift that will likely serve her well in Nashville, where choosing the right songwriters is more than half the battle. more ›

Rolling Stone is reporting that Bothell-born beatboxer B-Shorty (aka Blake Lewis) was dropped from his deal with Arista Records—the folks who brought you Whitney Houston and other stars. These developments just go to prove that no damn American Idol contestant has the skill or staying power of Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. The show clearly peaked with Underwood's win, and has been hard pressed to find an actual star since. Oh well, we guess it's back to slumming in Seattle clubs for Blake Lewis. It's a shame, since he actually has some formidable talent to speak of. Here's hoping he'll do better as an indie artist. more ›

We know even Kristy Lee Cook was kind of a stretch each week when it came to locals on American Idol. But, we figured since we've fallen in such deep love with every single note that's escaped Carly Smithson's lips this year—and she's from San Diego, which makes her the second most local contestant on the show—it sort of bears mention. Anyway, we won't bore you with a recap. We'll just say we no longer have a reason to watch this season of Idol, and we may not even bother with tickets to Idols Live when it comes through Tacoma on July 12. All because, before the Top 5, they had to eliminate the most gifted artist the show has ever seen...well, the third most gifted. There's still a Carrie and a Kelly in the world. more ›

Okay, granted it was a song we hate, but we're glad we held out some hope for Kristy Lee Cook so long. She finally picked the perfect song for her. As Simon noted, "God Bless the USA" was a very interesting song choice. It will nail her the veteran vote, the redneck vote, the rural vote. We feel confident that, if Hillary could sing like that on that song, she would nail the nomination. But, we all know Hillary can't sing. more ›

Last year Seahawks kicker Josh Brown publicly announced his crush on Carrie Underwood. He'd even gotten her phone number. But soon after, Underwood was linked to Cowboys QB Tony Romo. more ›

By now, it's probably not news to you. If you've so much as walked past any place that is selling newspapers, you're unlikely to have missed the giant front-page-sized announcement that Jordin Sparks is the new American Idol. more ›

Let's hope Carrie Underwood doesn't have some virulent STD, or the entire NFL season may have to be canceled. more ›

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. more ›

Deadspin reports that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood are "a thing." more ›