Carrie's Post-"Idol" Existence

She may have passed her American Idol title on to Taylor Hicks, but Carrie Underwood is far from idle.

The season four champ has laced up a second deal as the face of sneaker purveyor Skechers and will appear in magazine ads beginning this month.

The new campaign, which was shot earlier this month, is said to be based on a behind-the-scenes perspective of Underwood's life as a multi-platinum recording artist about to embark on her nationwide summer tour.

You've come a long way, baby.

Since winning Idol last May, the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" singer has gone on to sell more than 3 million copies of her debut album, Some Hearts (currently back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, thanks to her sales-boosting appearance on the season five Idol finale).

She also picked up Top Female Vocalist and Single Record of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards last month, and Breakthrough Video and Best Female Video at the CMT Awards in April, not to mention a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association.

Along the way, she also found the time to graduate magna cum laude from Oklahoma's Northeastern State University. You know, just in case the whole recording artist thing falls through.

Underwood is currently touring the country in support of Some Hearts through Oct. 1.

Meanwhile, in other Idol news, season five top 24 finalist David Radford (remember him?) has signed an endorsement deal with Internet service provider OWC.net, headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois. So-called "Radfans" will apparently be able to track the aspiring singer's career via a soon-to-be launched Web page hosted by the company. (Yeah, it's no million-dollar record contract, but it's something.)

And, over in taking-reality-television-way-too-seriously-land, a Plattsburgh, New York man was arrested after hitting his mother with a sharp object attached to a bicycle chain during a heated Idol discussion on May 24, the night of Hicks' triumph over Katharine McPhee.

According to the Plattsburgh Press-Republican, 24-year-old Cory Favreau was talking with his mother, Jan Chagnon, about the result and took issue with her comment that McPhee would likely have a successful career despite her second place finish.

In response, Favreau allegedly swung his makeshift weapon at Chagnon, cutting her head and sending her to a local hospital where she was treated and released. Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the altercation.

Though Chagnon told police she did not want to press charges against her son, Favreau was arrested and charged with felony second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. As of Wednesday, he was still cooling his heels in jail for failing to come up with $5,000. He's due in court June 5.

This should serve as a valuable reminder to the rest of the 30-plus million Idol devotees out there--in the end, it's just a show.

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