The Unofficial Danny Gokey FanSite

Happy Birthday, Kimberley Locke!
Happy Birthday, Syesha Mercado!
Congratulations, Jason Castro!
‘American Idol’ fans, get your calendars out
Five more questions with Katharine McPhee
dannygokey: Come out & see me live-Go 2 www.dannygokey.com 2 find what station u can tune into 4 an in depth interview & where u can see me perform live
dannygokey: In Miami~Great place 2 start the promotional tour again-Very busy week & a lot of singing-Excited 2 pull out more new songs @ the live shows

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

Season 2s third place finalist, Kimberley Locke, celebrated her birthday yesterday. Though it has been seven seasons since Kimberley was on American Idol, she is still busy making music, working with charities, and more.

The R&B singer has released three albums: One Love, Based on a True Story, and Christmas. Her debut album One Love includes the hit single 8^th World Wonder. This track made Kimberley the first Idol finalist to debut at #1 on the singles sales charts with a non-Idol single. Last month, Kimberleys name appeared on Billboards Decade End list for her cover of Band of Gold, which appeared at #45 on the Top Dance/Club Play Songs of the Decade.

On December 3, 2009, Kimberley took part in TJ Maxx & Marshalls Carol-oke event to raise money for Toys for Tots. An active charity participant, Kimberley has been involved with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, YouthAIDS, the Davy Foundation, Camp Heartland, Pink for a Cure, and the Entertainment Council of Feeding America. On November 9, 2007, Kimberley was presented with the Red Ribbon award for her exceptional involvement with AIDS and HIV awareness.

Currently, Kimberley is teaming up with Idol judge Randy Jackson to work on her fourth album. She told PopEater “Of all the judges, Randy is the one who always knew what was going on in my career. I admire him and what he has done in the business… … read more
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Happy Birthday, Syesha Mercado!

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

Season 7s third place finisher, Syesha Mercado, celebrated her birthday on January 2^nd. How did Syesha welcome her 23^rd birthday? She starred in two live shows as Deena Jones in the national touring production of Dreamgirls. The tour started on November 7, 2009 at the Apollo Theater, and is currently scheduled to run until July 25, 2010 in Kansas City, MO.

Starring in a renowned Broadway musical is fitting for Syesha. During Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway night of Season 7, the judges felt that Syesha was really in her element when performing.

In a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Syesha mentioned, It’s always been a dream of mine to appear on Broadway, and Deena is a role that I can relate to. We both grew up in the projects. Our moms supported us and were our No. 1 fans. Deena and I both have moments of second-guessing ourselves when we don’t believe in our talents and abilities. Dreamgirls director Robert Longbottom said, Syesha is a star. She’s got it in her DNA. There are times when I’m not even sure that she’s aware of how good she is, which is refreshing.

Syesha is also working on her own music and hopes to release an album one day. On January 25 at 6:00 PM, Syesha will be performing a concert at the House of Blues in Chicago. For more information on when Syesha and Dreamgirls will be at a town near you, check out the Weekly Idol Scoop.

<… read more
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Congratulations, Jason Castro!

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

Season 7s Jason Castro has something to sing about. The fourth place finalist wed his girlfriend and high school friend Mandy Mayhall. Jason popped the question on Halloween when he and Mandy were dressed as Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. The couple tied the knot on Saturday, January 2^nd in Texas, and he sent out a message on his official Twitter account which stated, Yesterday I married the girl of my dreams… It couldn’t have been more perfect! Now, honeymoooon!!!

January is a very exciting and busy month for Jason. He got to ride on the Fox 4 News float during the Dallas New Years Day Parade. On January 12^th, Jason will release his first EP, a collection of five songs entitled The Love Uncompromised EP. January 20^th starts Jasons new tour in which he will join singer-songwriter Matt Hires and Caitlin Crosby as they travel from coast to coast. Hopefully Jason will get the opportunity to relax on his honeymoon with Mandy before he hits the road on tour.

Congratulations, Jason!

In October, Jason released a music video for his debut single, Lets Just Fall In Love Again. Watch the video.

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‘American Idol’ fans, get your calendars out

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

"This….is American Idol!"

How is it possible that we are one week away from Ryan Seacrest's signature pronouncement? Unbelievably, the ninth season of "American Idol" begins on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

For you millions of "Idol" fans, there are some important dates to build your social schedule around, so read on.

Season 9 premieres with the Boston auditions on Jan. 12, 8 to 10 p.m., on Fox, of course. The Atlanta auditions are next on Jan. 13, from 8 to 9:15 p.m. (DVR users beware!)

Three additional weeks of auditions will air this way: Chicago auditions on Jan. 19, 8 to 9 p.m.; Orlando auditions on Jan. 20, 8 to 9 p.m.; Dallas auditions on Jan. 26, 8 to 9 p.m.; Los Angeles auditions on Jan. 27, 9 to 10 p.m.; and Denver auditions on Feb. 2, 8 to 9 p.m. "The Road to Hollywood" auditions airs on Feb. 3, 9 to 10 p.m.

The "Hollywood Round" episodes will air Feb. 9, 8 to 9 p.m.; Feb. 10, 9 to 10 p.m.; and Feb. 16, 8 to 9 p.m.

The top 24 (12 males, 12 females) will be announced on Feb. 17, 9 to 10 p.m.

And then democracy (or its reality TV sister) takes over:

The top 12 female semifinalists will compete on Feb. 23, 8 to 10 p.m. The following night, Wednesday, from 8 to 10 p.m., the male semifinalists will perform. The first results show will air on Feb. 25, 8 to 9 p.m., when two male and two female contestants will be sent home.

The top 10 females will perform on March 2, 8 to 10 p.m. The top 10 males will compete on March 3, 8 to 10 p.m. On March 4, the results show will air, 8 to 9 p.m., sending two more females and two more males home.

The top 8 females compete on March 9, 8 to 9 p.m. The top 8 males compete on March 10, 9 to 10 p.m. The top 12 are announced on March 11, 8 to 9 p.m.

The top 12 take the stage on March 16, 8 to 10 p.m., on their quest to join the ranks of Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, Taylor, Jordin, David and Kris.

–Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Atlanta auditioneers arrive to compete. / Credit: Fox

LAT's new Idol Tracker

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Five more questions with Katharine McPhee

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

My Conversation with season five runner-up Katharine McPhee (who releases her second album, "Unbroken," on Tuesday) is now up, but if you're itching for another dose of McPheever, here are a few more tidbits that didn't make the cut.

Your season of "Idol" had David Foster and Andrea Bocelli as mentors, both of whom you worked with after the show. Who do you think would make good mentors for season 9?
They should have Kelly Clarkson come back and be a mentor. She's someone who has the success to back it up, and also the experience to understand what the contestants are going through. And I still think David Foster would be a great one to have back. He's had such longevity in his career; I think it's important to have that.

Do you keep in touch with Taylor Hicks?
I don't, actually. Not because we don't like each other, but we all had to change our numbers so many times and a lot of us lost touch. I keep in touch with Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry. I don't know why I don't keep in touch with Taylor. I like the guy.

I read that you recently re-watched some of your "Idol" performances. What did you think, in retrospect?
I mean, you're not gonna have a great week every week, but honestly, I was surprised how bad some of them were. Maybe in the moment people didn't think they were bad, but looking back at how much I've grown… I could see where I was uncomfortable, where I was pushing, where it wasn't about the simple storytelling of the song, it was about trying to perform, and that really doesn't work. It's not about selling the song, it's about telling the story. I really wasn't a developed singer and didn't have much performing skills. When I'm on stage now, the simple act of breathing through the songs and being able to control my voice more [means] I've grown a lot, and "Idol" really worked that growth. Coming off of that show was a lot of growth, my first record was part of that growth, traveling around and doing gigs and little radio shows around the country—all that literally taught me how to be a recording artist.

The movie "The House Bunny," in which you played Harmony, starred the brilliant Anna Faris as a Playboy Playmate. Would you ever consider posing for the magazine?
I don't think that will never happen. Unless I, like, lose my mind at some point. I already made the mistake of being in Stuff, a magazine that doesn't even exist anymore. I was pressured into that. I didn't really want to, and I was assured that it was going to be tasteful. And you know what? I've come to the realization that with those magazines, if they're wrapped in plastic, they're probably never going to be tasteful.

[Note: for demonstration's sake, the cover in question...]

Now that you're signed to Verve, which has such a long list of accomplished artists, who of your label-mates are you proud to be affiliated with?
Jamie Cullum. I've seen him live and I think he's incredible. He's huge in the UK, but not a lot of people here know who he is. And Herbie Hancock is another one. He won album of the year at the 2008 Grammys and he's just a total musician. Then there's Ledisi—she's such a powerful R&B artist who I love. It's such a diverse record label, it's hard to choose!

– Shirley Halperin

Photo: August 2007 cover of Stuff Magazine

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dannygokey: Come out & see me live-Go 2 www.dannygokey.com 2 find what station u can tune into 4 an in depth interview & where u can see me perform live

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

dannygokey: Come out & see me live-Go 2 www.dannygokey.com 2 find what station u can tune into 4 an in depth interview & where u can see me perform live

Follow Danny’s Twitter

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

dannygokey: In Miami~Great place 2 start the promotional tour again-Very busy week & a lot of singing-Excited 2 pull out more new songs @ the live shows

Posted: 04 Jan 2010 05:33 PM PST

dannygokey: In Miami~Great place 2 start the promotional tour again-Very busy week & a lot of singing-Excited 2 pull out more new songs @ the live shows

Follow Danny’s Twitter