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Everyone's an Idol Winner

Fri., Mar. 9, 2007 11:35 AM PST by Sarah Hall

Though each season of American Idol concludes with only one winner, past contestants such as Jennifer Hudson continue to prove that "runner-up" is not necessarily synonymous with "loser."

As anyone not presenting residing under a rock is aware, Hudson, who finished seventh on the third season, recently picked up an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for her breakthrough role in Dreamgirls.

Not too shabby for an Idol also-ran who Simon Cowell once opined was "out of her league" on the show.

The 25-year-old singer-actor kept up her momentum this week in her hometown of Chicago, where Tuesday was proclaimed Jennifer Hudson Day.

Meanwhile, Avon came calling, hiring Hudson as the new face of the company's best-selling scent, Imari and its latest fragrance, Imari Seduction. The newly appointed pitchwoman made her first appearance on behalf of the company Wednesday at an awards ceremony at the United Nations.

She may have added "actor" and "spokesmodel" to her resume, but Hudson's main focus is still making music. After leaving Idol empty-handed, she landed a contract with Arista Records in November and will be releasing her debut album later this year.

Then there's Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth last season.

The rocker's debut album, Daughtry, topped the charts again this week for the second time since it was released in November 2006 and was recently certified double-platinum by the RIAA.

To date, Daughtry has outsold all of the efforts put forth by his season five compatriots, including winner Taylor Hicks' self-titled debut. In an additional boost to his record sales, Idol selected his song, "Home," to serve as this season's goodbye soundtrack, replacing last year's song, Daniel Powter's "Bad Day."

After finishing in third place last season, Elliot Yamin has not yet achieved the same dazzling success as Hudson and Daughtry, but he's working on it.

Yamin recently launched a unique promotion for his upcoming self-titled album by partnering with Dole and Yahoo! Music to offer fans a free song download with the purchase of a Dole salad bag. The full album debuts on Mar. 20.

Also revving up for a return to the spotlight is last season's eighth place finisher, Bucky Covington, who makes his debut at the Grand Ol' Opry this weekend, before releasing his first album, Bucky, on Apr. 17.

Though only the Idol winner is guaranteed a recording contract, record labels seem increasingly willing to dole out contracts to contestants with promise.

Last season, six out of the 12 finalists inked contracts with major labels, while numerous other contestants signed with minor or independent labels.

While every one of the 12 finalists remaining on the current season of American Idol no doubt aspires to go all the way, at least there's comfort in knowing that being sent home early is not always the kiss of death.