Danny Gokey is Busy 'Enjoying Life Again'

He may have lost out to Kris Allen and Adam Lambert on American Idol last season, but Danny Gokey has plenty to smile about. The former truck driver's first record, My Best Days, had the strongest album debut for a new male country artist in 18 years. And his single, "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me," is a top 10 country hit.

"I feel very lucky," Gokey, 29, says of "the progression I've made in the last year and a half." The Milwaukee native has a famously tragic back story, including the 2008 loss of his young wife, Sophia, after a routine heart surgery. As a result, in addition to pouring himself into his music, Gokey is also hard at work expanding Sophia's Heart Foundation, a nonprofit organization honoring his late wife and aimed at connecting school children with music and art.

"I've very busy and enjoying life again," he says. "I'm very happy."

Gokey – who is opening for country powerhouse Sugarland on tour this spring – adds that he "hasn't found anyone to date yet." But in his lyrics and in his life, the singer is open to the possibility of falling in love again.

Of his song "Crazy Not To," he says, it "is about somebody who has experienced the pain of love and doesn't want to go down that path again. But, they find someone so special, they'd be crazy not to pursue it."

"Women really like it," says Gokey of the tune. "It's becoming their favorite song on the album."

New Music: Danny Gokey's "My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me"

The world premiere of Danny Gokey's "My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me" is available only on www.AmericanIdol.com for the next 48 hours.

Here's the song for your enjoyment:



Season 8’s third place finalist is currently working on his upcoming debut country album, My Best Days. Danny’s new single, “My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me,” is now available for download and it’s hitting up country radio stations across the nation. The Idol alum just finished his music video for the track.

Danny’s debut album will hit store shelves on March 2, 2010 under the 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville label. Mark Bright, who produced all three of Carrie Underwood’s albums, is the producer of My Best Days.

The tracks on the album are:

My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me
Like That’s A Bad Thing
I Still Believe
Tiny Life
Get Away
It’s Only
Life On Ya
Crazy Not To
Be Somebody
I Will Not Say Goodbye

Besides Adam Lambert, Danny was my favorite finalist on Idol. Though I'm not really a country music lover, I'm sure I will be supporting his career. Hopefully he can make it big...just like Carrie Underwood.

Good luck Danny!

Is There Hope For Danny Gokey?

The likable 29-year-old singer (and my Season 8 favorite) from Milwaukee went far in the last season of 'American Idol,' with his powerful voice, tragic backstory and Robert Downey-esque good looks - but will Danny Gokey fall victim to the 3rd Place Curse of 'Idol?' Okay, "curse" might be an exaggeration, but after reading MTV's rundown of third-place finalists' post 'Idol' careers, we're a little concerned about our boy Gokey.

'Idol' winner Kris Allen, runner-up Adam Lambert and fourth-place finalist Allison Iraheta have been signed by a major label (a division of 19 Entertainment, the company behind 'Idol'), but Danny Gokey is still an independent entertainer, despite Danny's plans to release a "soulful" album with rhythm and blues beats.

Third-place winners of the past seasons include Elliot Yamin, whose first single, 'Wait for You,' went platinum. The others have not fared as well, like first season contestant Nikki McKibbin and Vonzell Solomon of season four - and Yamin's sophomore album hasn't performed as well as the first.

On the other hand, if past seasons are an accurate indicator, Allison Iraheta may have much to look forward to. The recently-signed teenager is in good company, as super-successful recording artists Josh Gracin and Chris Daughtry were fellow fourth-place finishers.

Star Sighting: Backstage Pass

At the American Idol results show on Wednesday, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden shared a moment backstage with former contestant Danny Gokey.

American Idol's Final Two Revealed!

It’s been a long road on American Idol for Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, and now the end is in sight. Last night the Final Two were selected during the live results show.

Danny Gokey, whose long-running success on American Idol was undercut by the constant bittersweet reminder that his young wife had died shortly before he auditioned, was the one sent home Wednesday night..

Danny was, actually, a much more consistent performer than Kris Allen, who now advances along with Adam Lambert. Danny had never even been in the bottom three. But Kris was the first one sent to safety Wednesday, three minutes before the end of the hour. His performance of Kanye West’s “Heartless” Tuesday night must have given him a solid boost in the voting.

Then it was Adam’s turn to get good news. He has been as consistent as Danny, only at a much more dynamic level.

So, we now head into the final week with a match up of two singers who are easily distinguishable from each other and talented in very different ways. Adam is an almost purely theatrical performer. Kris is more in the line of a subdued folk-rock-pop singers.

Will this be a tight contest? Could be. But ultimately, in my opinion, there is not competition as Adam is definitely a stronger singer and performer than Kris, but Kris has got a great following from their younger audience.

At the start of last night's show, Ryan announced that, of 88 million votes cast, not much more than a million separated the top two. Simon said the finale could be “a big ding-dong,” by which he meant a fierce competition and exciting.

During last night's show, they shared with us the Top 3's hometown visits (Danny to Milwaukee, Kris to Conway, Arkansas, and Adam to San Diego), which were quite emotional. Plus season 6 winner Jordin Sparks performed her new single, “Battlefield.” She looked amazing with her slimmer look and beautiful face. Katy Perry also performed her latest hit "Waking Up in Vegas".

After the broadcast, a coin toss determined the order of performances for next week’s finale. Kris won the toss — and Adam will sing first.

Watch the two part season finale of American Idol 8 next Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00 pm (ET). Wednesday's show will be a two-hour extravaganza.

American Idol's Top 3 Predictions

Tonight's the night when the Final 2 will be revealed on American Idol and it may turn out to be a very close race.

Based on last night's performances, and if America's got it right, the Final 2 should be Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey. I have been predicting will be the Final 2 from the beginning of the competition.

Danny's rendition of Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful" was the BEST performance of the night. Danny truly deserves the second spot in the final after this touching performance.

Adam, as always, "rocked on" with his two song choices, U2's "One" and Aerosmith's "Crazy". Personally, my feelings are that he "over sang" One and made it too theatrical as if he was on a Broadway stage. Don't get me wrong, I still love Adam, but in my opinion it was not his strongest performances.

Kris was definitely trying to capture votes from the young audience with his performances, but he had some "pitchy" problems. His voice cannot be compared with Danny for the second spot in the final.

So tonight's live results show will probably be a very tensful and interesting one. We should know by around 10:01 pm (ET) who will be the Final 2. Plus, it's a great night as the special musical guests will be Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry.

Watch the Live Results show tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) on FOX.

American Idol: And Then There Were Three!

300 Episodes, 4 Judges, and 1 American Idol...Who Will It Be?

Thousands auditioned, but there can be only ONE American Idol! Watch tonight as American Idol celebrates its 300th episode and the Top 3 finalists (Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen) perform two songs each. One song will be there personal choice and the other is the judge's choice.

After the end of the show, start dialing for your favorite and keep the best in the competition. The Final 2 will be announced during Wednesday's live results show.

Then, it's down to the last 2 contestants the following week as Idol's Top 2 battle it out for the American Idol crown. Watch the most highly-anticipated moment of the season as Top 13 reunite one last time and the next American Idol is chosen. Who will get your vote?

American Idol is on FOX tonight at 8:00 pm (ET) and then again tomorrow at 9:00 pm (ET).

Randy Jackson Predicts Adam & Danny Will Sing in Idol Finale

The competition isn’t over but American Idol’s Randy Jackson is already predicting a winner.

“Adam Lambert is definitely the lead winner if we had to choose today. He’s got the vocal chops, he’s a good-looking guy like myself, and he’s got that star potential,” Jackson said of the “fearless” performer. “I think it’s going to come down to him and Danny [Gokey] in the finale.”

Jackson, who served as the official ambassador for Amtrak’s National Train Day in Washington D.C. on Saturday, didn’t stop there with his predictions, telling People he expects judge Kara DioGuardi to return to the judges’ panel next year: “I think everybody will be back. I think you will see the returning cast.”

DioGuardi has said that she wasn’t sure she’d be back, but Simon Cowell told Ellen DeGeneres DioGuardi would return even though he doesn’t like the crowded four-person panel.

As for DioGuardi’s recent revelation that she struggled with an eating disorder, Jackson said he learned with the rest of the world, but commended her for going public. “Any struggle with any of that sort of stuff is really tough,” he said of DioGuardi. And while he hasn’t offered any words of encouragement, another judge had some choice advice: “Simon wanted her to have some doughnuts. He’s always the crazy man!”

Jackson, who had gastric bypass surgery in 2003, also spoke about his own struggle with food, telling People, he continues to “try to set realistic goals” when it comes to his health.

Jackson maintains his weight loss with a new state of mind that emphasizes moderation when it comes to eating — and having fun when it comes to exercise. “I hate the word diet. I had the word exercise. That’s why I probably love playing tennis, because at least I feel like I’m playing a game,” he says. “Or if I do work out, it’s either yoga or palates. I try and make it fun and enjoyable and make it part of every day like taking a shower and brushing your teeth,” explains Jackson, who credits the surgery to teaching him “portion control.”

Those portions are now meat free, since the Idol judge is now a vegetarian. He doesn’t “eat that much cheese” and sticks to “a little more of a raw food diet.” But having grown up in Louisiana, he admits to “miss sometimes” one southern staple: fried foods.

Milwaukee (Including Grandma!) Cheers Danny Gokey's Return

Danny Gokey is so busy these days that even his grandmother can’t get in touch with him. But she finally did see the American Idol finalist — along with tens of thousands of other wildly screaming, shouting, sign-waving, cheering fans — during his hometown visit to Milwaukee on Friday.

“Your grandma’s here!” a crowd shouted as Gokey emerged from an AT&T store, where a text message from judge Paula Abdul popped up on a tricked-out cell phone he was handed, designed just for the Idol Top 3, telling him his song selection for next week. “I don’t know that,” he said. “I’m going to have to learn it.”

When he saw his grandmother, Dottie Stelter, 73, all they had time to do was exchange hugs and “I love you’s.” “They keep him so busy I have no chance to see him,” she said. “The public deserves to see him too, but at least I got my hug.”

After early morning stops at TV and radio shows, Gokey, 29, appeared at Faith Builders International Ministries, the church where he served as a musical director and where, just 10 months before, the funeral service was held for his wife Sophia, who died four weeks before his Idol audition of a congenital heart defect. Gokey sang two Christian-themed songs, joined at one point by his friend Jamar Rogers, who had been eliminated from Idol competition in an earlier round. It was all part of the Idol’s tradition of sending the finalists home again, with Adam Lambert going to San Diego and Kris Allen returning to Little Rock, Ark.

“Pray for my voice,” a hoarse-sounding Gokey told the crowd of more than 800 people packed inside. “You want me to be honest with you? I’m not that good.” The crowd clearly disagreed, responding with thunderous applause and shouts of encouragement.

His jam-packed day also included a parade through downtown Milwaukee streets and visits to such city landmarks as the Harley-Davidson Museum, a bronze statue of Fonzie of Happy Days fame and the Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. Thousands of fans lined the streets and crowded around him at each stop. Gokey also performed a mini concert at the Summerfest fairgrounds, belting out a handful of songs including “PYT (Pretty Young Thing)” and “September.”

More than 25,000 fans, holding an array of signs including eyeglasses-shaped ones in honor of Gokey’s trademark look and others declaring, “Go! Go! Gokey!” and “I love your scream!”, went wild when it was declared Danny Gokey Day in the state. “It’s amazing. It’s unreal,” said Austin Grandinetti, 10, as he rocked out with his mother and brother. “He just seems like a really cool guy.” Another enthusiastic crowd greeted the singer as he threw out the first pitch and sang the National Anthem before a Milwaukee Brewers-Chicago Cubs game.

“My success came from this city,” Gokey told People. “It gives me more incentive to show up when I sing,” he said. “I want to win the gold for my city.”

American Idol's Top 4 Results Show

Just three contestants remain on American Idol after last night’s elimination.

Idol is now officially an "all-boys club" after Allison Iraheta was voted off, leaving Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen to be saluted with hometown parades.

Allison was often faulted for not showing enough confidence or fire as a stage personality, but there were always confidence and fire in her singing, weren’t there? At any rate, the voting audience has always been ambivalent about her — perhaps because of her youth, her hair and her style, which has been compared to Kelly Clarkson’s.

Kris (or even Danny) should have been the one to go based on his performance, but America just decided who to go based on popularity, not talent.

It seems inconceivable that Adam won’t be in the final two. So who goes next — Kris or Danny? Hopefully it will be Kris!

The night’s guest performers included No Doubt, former Idol contestant Chris Daughtry and none other than Paula Abdul. She and a chorus of male dancers performed through fog and red-fabric flames for her new single “I’m Just Here for the Music.” At the end, one of the dancers, pretending to be paparazzi, shouted, “Will you be back for next season?” She did not answer.

All in all it was a very entertaining night.

Watch the final three perform two songs, one of their choice and other the judges' choice, next Tuesday at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX. Then find out who will be in the finale on Wednesday at 9:00 pm (ET).

American Idol's Top 4 Predictable Predictions

Well, last night was Rock Night on American Idol and besides the damages to one of the columns on the stage, it was clearly a predictable night.

As expected, both Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta were in their "zone" as they both out did themselves with their solid rock performances. This was truly their night!

On the other hand, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen had the major disadvantage this week as they just don't have the voice to sing classic rock songs, so naturally they will likely be in the bottom two tonight.

Personally, I feel Kris is the one to go tonight, but knowing how America works, both Danny and Allison may be in jeopardy to go too.

Watch American Idol's live results show tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) on FOX. Tonight we will be entertained with performances by Chris Daughtry, No Doubt and Paula Abdul will premiere her latest new release.

American Idol's Top 4 Perform Rock 'n' Roll Tonight

This season's Top 4 (Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta) will be performing two songs during tonight's Rock Week show on American Idol.

It's down to the wire and only two weeks away from the finale. Who do you predict will be eliminated this week. My prediction is that it's possibly going to be Allison, though I would prefer for Kris to leave this week.

Tuned in to FOX tonight at 8:00 pm (ET) for the live performance show, vote for your favorites, and then watch the results during tomorrow's live show at 9:00 pm (ET).

American Idol's Top 5 Live Results Show

...and then there were four!

After American Idol’s remaining contestants performed songs made popular by the Rat Pack during Tuesday's show, more than 47 million votes were casted and the results were quite surprising.

Yesterday, my predicted for the top two performers were accurate. American agreed with me and kept Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta in the competition. That left Matt Giraud, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert (what?) in the bottom three for the night.

The results of having Adam in the bottom three really shocked the judges. To quote Paula "This is Crazy." She then proceed to say "I wish you could all stay together like the Rat Pack." But we all know that's not going to happen.

Then, to compound the surprise, Kris was pronounced saved, joining Danny and Allison, and putting Adam in the bottom two for the first time. Now America truly got that one wrong!

At that point, it seemed inevitable that Matt, the one contestant whose stay was lengthened by the judges’ save, was going home sweet home and he was eliminated from the competition. This must have been a sigh of relief for Adam who has been predicted to win this year's competition.

Last nights show also included performances by the legendary Natalie Cole, who looked totally amazing. We also had the pleasure (if you want to call it that) to hear season five's winner (Soul Patrol) Taylor Hicks, followed by this week's mentor Jamie Foxx belting out his latest tune.

Over all it was a crazy results show and I am confident America will make sure Adam is not in the bottom next week. Hopefully Danny is not either.

Tune into to American Idol next week when the remaining four will perform "Rock 'n' Roll" tunes live on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm (ET) and the results show on Wednesday at 9:00 pm (ET) only on FOX.

American Idol's Top 5 Predictions

In a night dedicated to Rat Pack standards, Randy Jackson was surprised at how well the five finalists were handling the classic songs. Simon at one point gave credit to the night’s mentor, Jamie Foxx, who won the Oscar playing Ray Charles in "Ray."

The five finalists truly did a remarkable job with this genre, making it tough to decide who’s going to be sent packing.

The only performance where the judges did not agree was Matt Giraud's rendition of "My Funny Valentine." Randy gave him a "6 out of 10" while Simon, who is not a fan of Matt, said he was “absolutely brilliant.” Personally, I think it's Matt's time to go home sweet home.

My two favorite picks of the night were (1st choice) Danny Gokey's “Come Rain or Come Shine” which the judges raved about and (2nd choice) Allison Iraheta's "Someone to Watch Over Me", which Kara predicted would get her into the finals. Simon on the other hand was not too impressed and predicted that she would end up in the bottom three tonight.

So based on the performances (and not how America has been voting), I predict that Matt and Kris should be in the bottom two, however I fear that Allison will be there with Matt instead and may possibly be sent home tonight.

For the results, don't miss the live show tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) on FOX. Taylor Hicks (whoever he is) will be performing tonight.

Secret Chart Reveals American Idol's Top Sellers

The secret is out.

Producers for American Idol didn’t want anyone to know which contestants are selling the most downloads on iTunes, because it might spoil the results of the show or favor one contestant over another.

But last week a glitch in Apple’s software revealed an Idol ranking, giving fans a look at who’s on top on iTunes, the New York Post reports.

Keep reading to find out which contestants are selling the most.

Adam Lambert is way ahead, taking six of the top 10 spots on the Idol list. His rendition of “Mad World,” which earned him a standing ovation from Simon Cowell, is in the No. 1 spot on the secret chart.

That’s probably not a shocker. What does come as a bit of a surprise is that Kris Allen has three studio versions of his performances in the top 10 and fan favorite Danny Gokey only has one, his version of “Endless Love” from Idol’s recent movie night.

Whether or not the iTunes sales figures are a reflection of the way people are voting is undetermined. But it does seem like Kris has been gaining on Danny over the past few weeks.

The contestants will perform Rat Pack standards on tonight’s live performance show, airing at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX.

American Idol's Top 5 Live Performance Show

The Top 5 finalists will be performing standards made famous by the Rat Pack tonight at 8:00 pm (ET) on FOX. This should be a great night for Danny Gokey and Kris Allen, however what kind of surprises does Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta have in store for us.

This week's elimination will take place during the Live Results Show on Wednesday at 9:00 pm (ET). Also on FOX. Hopefully Matt Giraud is the one going home this week.

American Idol's Top 7 (Again) Live Performance Show

Yesterday, was an AMAZING night on the American Idol stage. All of the seven remaining contestants had great performances. Some more original than others.

But the night was stolen by three incredible and original performances including Adam Lambert's "If I Can't Have You" from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Allison Iraheta's rendition of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff", and Kris Allen's performance of another Donna Summer classic (and my least favorite song from the Disco queen) "She Work's Hard For The Money". They were my top three choices of the night.

Now, this does not mean that "dreamy eyes" Danny Gokey is no longer one of my favorites. His performance of Earth Wind and Fire's "September" was very uplifting and enjoyable, it's just Adam, Allison and Kris were extremely original and performed their songs as if they were already superstars.

Anoop Desai's performance "Dim All The Lights", the third Donna Summer hit sung last night, was also delightful to the ear (except for the last note).

Unfortunately, because Matt Giraud was saved by the judges last week, tonight TWO of the remaining seven will be eliminated from the competition and in my opinion the bottom two are Matt and Lil Rounds. I hate to see Lil go before Anoop, but her choice of song (Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" was the wrong one for her). Why she did not sing a Donna Summer or Thelma Houston classic beats me.

For the live results, make sure you tune into FOX tonight at 9:00 pm (ET). David Archuleta will be performing and I have a strong feeling we will have a surprise guest performance by the Disco Queen, Donna Summer.

American Idol's Top 7 Live Performance Show

Last night's live performance show of the remaining seven contestants could easily be labeled as the "SUPER 7" show! It was probably one of the best shows this season with practically all of the contestants belting out their best tunes to date.

I will start of by saying that when I first heard Quentin Tarantino was this week's "mentor" and the Idols contestants were going to sing songs made famous at the silver screen, I was a little bit concerned. I misinterpreted Quentin's association with the show with having to hear the contestants perform unknown songs from Quentin's movies such as "Reservoir Dog", "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill". Instead, we heard lovely rendition of songs from "Anaconda", "Easy Rider", "The Rose", and "Endless Love", just to name a few.

So, after last night's performances, here's my run down of whom I think did the best and who may be in the bottom three tonight.

I will start off by saying that Adam Lambert's "Born to be Wild" performance was another original masterpiece which may eventually win him the title of American Idol 2009. Adam can really make any song his own...and truly should it with his rendition of this classic song.

Danny Gokey brought tears to my eyes with his solo performance of "Endless Love". His beautiful voice, and his emotional expression made this my favorite performance of the night. I am sure he was performing that beautiful song to his wife who was looking down from heaven.

Allisson Iraheta's and Kris Allen's performances also deserve a round of applause. They really did a remarkable job with making it their own and sounded like true professionals on the Idols stage.

Unfortunately, someone has to be in the bottom three each week and this week I believe the bottom three will be Matt Giraud, Lil Rounds and probably Allison Iraheta (due to her lack of popularity).

In my opinion, Matt had the weakest performance last night, but America will likely keep him on for a little longer and Lil Rounds end up leaving us this week. I think that will be the wrong choice as I personally can do without Matt and Anoop Desai on the show.

So for the results, watch American Idol tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) on FOX to see if my predictions were right!

American Idol's Top 8 Predictions

Well it was a better song choice night at the Idol's stage in comparison to last week's show, with a few exceptions.

I will say that my two favorite performances were from Allison and Danny (in that order). Allison did a remarkable job belting out the classic Bonnie Raitt tune. Danny also had another amazing night.

I know America does not have the same "loving" feelings that I have for Allison, but they need to forget her looks and vote based on her sing abilities. She is definitely a contestant that has an opportunity to eventually sell plenty of CDs.

Now you may be wondering, why is Adam not in my top 2 this week? Well, it definitely has nothing to do with his performance. The only reason I am not "judging" his performance this week, is because the lovely American Idol producers decided to run the show beyond the scheduled 62 minutes, therefore my DVR did not record Adam's performance because it ran into the Fringe time frame. So I missed his performance and will have to patiently wait to download it tonight on iTunes.

My predicted contestant who will be in the bottom two will be Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre. Though I would prefer for Scott to go home tonight, I believe Lil will probably be the one "packing her bags and getting out of town."

Watch FOX tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) for the one hour live results show which will feature Kelly Pickler and Flo Rida as the special entertainers.

American Idol's Top 9 Live Performance Show

Even though I anticipated this to be the best theme night with the contestants having the entire iTunes library to select their song, I felt it was one of the most boring shows in recent Idol history.

Come on people...choose songs that will entertain the audience and make them remember you for your originality by making it "Your Own". Some of the choices (Anoop, Megan and Lil) were boring and not uplifting at all. Most of the rest (Matt, Scott, Danny and Adam) were just OK!

The two best last night (in my opinion) were Allison and Kris who made it their songs. Allison sound amazing and Kris had his best performance of the entire competition.

I did like Danny and Adam's performances (and they are still my Top 2 choices) but I was not overly impressed by them.

My predictions for the bottom three will be Megan, Anoop and Lil. Hopefully Anoop or Megan will be the one to go. I just cannot handle anymore of Megan's stupid song choices and stupid way of dancing (if you want to call flapping you arms a dance). Plus, I am over Anoop's cockiness.

This year's Idol will be best without Megan and Anoop.

Watch FOX tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) for the live results show with special performances by Lady Gaga and David Cook.