HOW many times does it happen that the number 2 american idol finisher (in 2006) becomes the number 2 sexiest woman (of 2007) in the world?

www.fhmonline.com/girls_100_sexiest_2007.asp

Talent and Beauty certainly = Katharine McPhee

I guess that's why my Dad keeps tellin everyone that Katharine's the best he has seen in over 50 years of following the entertainment scene

With the voice of an angel, the body of a goddess,acting abilities and a great personality, I'm sure proud to be a katharinefan

That's the best news I've heard in awhile.  You go Peace, Love & McPheev!   We love you and believe in you. 

This is so awesome...just look at the list of beautiful women that Kat beat out...amazing but of course, not surprising

looking at these pictures, brings me back when I first saw her on AI, this girl deserves all the credit in the world, coming this far!

Yes, this was first announced in April.

But thanks for the great reminder of a fantastic feat Mattsie!

Hmm... One has to wonder about the validity of a "Sexy Babe" list that doesn't include such notables as Maria Menounos and Robin Meade.

Oh well... Just the same, congrats to Kat for coming in second... yet again.   No small feat considering the other hotties she beat out.

David foster is right on groucho.Katharine would make an excellent Miss America

your dad is a wise man

25 is the age limit in the beauty pageants.

At 23, Katharine can still join the miss america pageant. She is in top perfect shape and she would be in the best position to win. However, she might get disqualified on the talent category if she chooses to sing because she has gone professional as a singer. Nevertheless, she could offer another form of talent which I'm sure she has plenty of. She would look great in a 2 piece swim suit showing off those long strong legs as she gracefully walk that ramp. Katharine's flawless skin is perfect with or without makeup on. Her big brown dreamy eyes would outrightly jump out on you, and melt you in almost paralyzing strike. And when she flash that contagious smile showing those perfect teeth or when she speak in that baritone voice, prepare for a more enduring captivation. She would look smashingly stunning in a long evening gown showing off how blessed and how well endowed and generously proportioned she is on the feminine aspects of her body starting from her beautiful hair and face down to her feet. She would answer the question intelligently and deliver it with a knock-out punchline that we will never forget. Plainly and without contention at all, people would be awed by a lovely, happy, inspiring and talented, 5'8" tall timeless american beauty. Even now.

Katharine McPhee, 23 (rare beauty and talent)

Well, she is Miss Universe With Talent (according to Foster) so why stop at Miss America?  But yeah...there's a reason we all love her so much.  She's not perfect but she's close.  The issue is...how does she get more people to notice this?  Too many are still hung up thinking she's something she has proven time and time again not to be.  Sigh.

I've missed these kinds of posts, Mattsie.

Ok, no need to kill me for the truthful observation, but here's something to consider so we could perhaps understand better. There's a little bit of inconsistency that the cynic masses could not just easily connect with. She looks young and has a pop record but she doesn't exactly behave as natural pop as possible for her age. She is fabulous and has the stigma look of a movie star rather than a singer. I bet if Katharine could only star in a production much like "The Sound of Music", "A Star Is Born" or even like "The Bodyguard", she would emerge or evolve really huge, like the veterans Julie/Barbra/Whitney that took the awards.

Female movie stars must have certain physical looks to keep up with the competition - to look more fabulous each day. Acting is entirely a different business in itself. The veteran actress Lauren Bacall, whose trade mark is her deep and sexy voice, once mentioned in her autobigraphy, "If you look well in photographs, it should be enough" (paraphrased). She was refering to being an actor in Hollywood. That to me says a lot. But as we know, after husband Humphrey Bogart died, Lauren returned to New York and pursued a brilliant career in the theatre, winning 2 Tony awards as Best Actress (Musical) in 1970-"Applause" and in 1981-"Woman of the Year". So, then again, acting and singing (together) might just well be the best recipe for being a great artist.

All singers must be able to connect emotionally with their fans and audience everywhere in the songs they sing. Fans look for a trend out there jiving with the singer's personality that they could connect with. Ballad singers must sing their passion in a certain unique way and must try hard to establish that early on. Balladeers must be felt good by the listeners. This is to raise and ensure a large following. Whitney Houston did that.

Whereas, "pop" singers must be able to entertain with good repertoire -singing/dancing and down to earth techniques. Pretty female singers should have an advantage on this category already. But with how pop music is crossed over with rock and r&b/rap nowadays, the singers sometimes are forced to sing "edgy" songs with sexual overtones to attract buyers. This is where I could say that Pop is a harder format to get into, considering that there are too many pop singers around.

I remember Carrie Underwood saying, "I'm glad to be singing in this format". She said that after she received her 2nd or 3rd award in the same night (during the last CMA). Carrie knows country singing is passionate singing and she has succeeded in connecting with the country fans and she recognizes its impact. Carrie doesn't even have to dance when singing and fans buy her records. She is one pretty singer and she's got even more advantage. I'm only saying this not to discredit those that are not pretty but to make a point that singing could be an entirely separate talent on its own to be given credit for. As far as I'm concerned, all singers are pretty. Believe it or not, I go for talent first and talent to me is pretty enough.

There is a human tendency called "vulnerability" which every human person could fall into. People are vulnerable to the more beautiful, more attractive, more talented, more passionate, more natural. But then again, singers must be able to find their voices and emotion in the songs they sing. Therefore, it is almost imperative to only record songs that really define their vocal range and personality.

I don't have any problem or doubt at all with Katharine's singing talent and acting aspirations. In fact, I think her singing and her acting must really go together. Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand are great singers and actresses and they succeeded in their long careers. Katharine is the epitome of a specially-talented woman that is rare to find, like Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand. To finish at  #2 in a singing contest nationwide is no ordinary feat! She must have great fans that support her. Just one observation- I think Katharine must find herself moving to the direction of movie musicals because I believe she could be the next  or NEW Judy Garland/Julie Andrews/Barbra Streisand.

A singer in Hollywood can do a lot more real wholesome entertaining movies than non-singing actresses, if total and complete entertainment is to be the standard or trend. I remember liking so much the movie "Chicago" because I love music and movies, and to see and hear Catherine Zeta Jones and Queen Latifah sing (in their own voices) and act was indeed a double treat!!

Lastly, if there's another thing yet to be said, may I remind everyone of another legend, Linda Ronstadt, whose debut album came out in 1967. I can't help but get an almost visual/vocal comparison jive between Katharine and Linda. Well, Linda helped redefine what it means to be a contemporary artist. Hope we can all learn a great lesson from her musical career.

Here's Linda Ronstadt's Bio.

Here's Linda Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou".

Linda Ronstadt went bare foot on "Different Drum"

Joe, I hope I didn't bore you but I know I'm going to get a good response from you and I could hardly wait.

To all KM fans, let's continue to support Katharine in her journey - be it in Hollywood or the recording studios.

To Katharine, I'm crazy about your voice really and I hope that you could do more ballad songs in the future - with a little touch of "standard". Please excuse this narrative if I may be so bold and good luck in all your endeavours. (From a devoted forty-ish fan.)

Good to see you back around here, Mattsie, with your usual thoughtful posts. To elaborate on what you said above in the first paragraph: I think Kat (or her management) agree with your statement and may be setting her on that course. You've likely seen me expound around here on the issue of being true to who you are in the arts world--even if it means doing something that isn't a part of what everybody else is doing. When you're an artist, you should just be what you truly molded yourself into (and spent university money to learn ) rather than conforming to mainstream audiences.

It's understandable that Kat wanted to be the new pop star in the mold of what Mariah Carey used to be. She was probably just trying to act out a childhood dream that she had since she was barely four years old. We all remember her telling about listening to MC when a young kid and wishing she was in that role. So I think Kat's inclination to try to be a hip pop artist was just straight from her soul--while it gave off the vibe that she was trying to be something she isn't. Whether she learned that lesson herself or not, she obviously hasn't said. What is clear is that someone got that message...and she's being steered more into that classic direction--at least on the charity event circuit and other high-profile events. What she ultimately settles on is probably still in development. Once she works one-on-one with DF...they'll likely settle on something original that provides the best of both worlds and no arguments.

I'm just glad you're reminding people that what you truly are as an artist doesn't have to be some kind of stigma. No matter what you do in the arts--you're going to have a strong audience if you're insanely talented. Kat's too compelling not to succeed in the more classic realms. Maybe she feels like she's damned looking like a glamorous movie star from yesteryear. Even that doesn't matter, because she possesses enough to override a lot of that. That is, if allowed to talk and not just be seen.

We all know she stated she wants to be the next Streisand. But I think she also secretly wants to be a new Mariah or Britney...so I've long detected a tug-of-war on what she wants to truly be. So I hope that middle ground I keep alluding to can happen eventually. It isn't easy to balance those two extreme worlds of music or overall entertainment.

And then, of course, we still have that little problem of beauty versus the talent. It's interesting to go back and study past actresses/musicians who had to deal with that. Almost all of them had to deal with the issues behind it for their entire careers with nothing really resolved. I saw an old quote online recently (while doing research) from Vivien Leigh in the 40's or 50's who was thought to be one of the world's greatest actresses...but also insanely beautiful. She acknowledged that critics don't take you seriously if you look "reasonably good" in your publicity photos. Critics would frequently attack her when doing complicated Shakespeare roles on the stage--just because she had classic beauty. However, she was able to look more plain in some of her later film roles--and won a second Best Actress Oscar because of it (for "Streetcar Named Desire"), so it all depends on how far you want to go to erase the persona of beauty.

In Kat's case, it might help her to do a film someday where she looks like a monster or overly Plain Jane. That gets into people's heads pretty fast (especially in a high-profile film) and helps you gain quick respect. It worked for Charlize Theron when she took the lead in "Monster"--despite scaring a few people in the process.

When it comes to albums--not creating overly glamorous albums covers would probably help. I'm hoping Kat can convince the honchos in charge the next time to use a (relatively) conservative pic on her album cover so the music can be taken seriously. It doesn't have to be an album cover dressing her in an evening gown a la Jane Monheit.

I happened to notice an email that my Dad had sent to Dr Phil who is hosting the TNT special.

"Phil, as I reflect on my 69 yrs, there are certain things, people, entertainers and events that are called "ONCE IN A LIFETIME HAPPENINGS" in which many people never forget. I am happy that you will be having Katharine McPhee appearing on your TNT Christmas special, as more people should enjoy her and witness that she is one of those "ONCE IN A LIFETIME PERFORMERS".A star on Hollywood Blvd is waiting for her."

I'd say that Dad is fully entrenched in MCPHEEVER!!

Sorry if you feel that way trsf but  I appreciate your insight. I meant,  talent and beauty, together, is rare. But talent alone is pretty enough for me. The beauty part is a bonus. No, I'm not serious about the beauty pageant either. Someone brought it up and I acknowledged it.

Going back to starring in movies and singing. Katharine needs a very good manager/publicist/agent to get her the perfect roles and/or the trademark breakthrough of her life. We've had several legends to learn from. As Whitney Houston said, "Learn from the best to be the best."

BTW, the child actress Natalie Wood, born 1938, was only 23 when she starred in "West Side Story" in 1961.

Maddie, here we are again. Greg and Groucho, I'm glad to be back! Hey Amanda, thanks, too!

glad to see you back and posting those ever so well thought into posts, mattsie. and you know where i stand with Katharine and these movies A Star Is Born and West Side Story. somebody now please tell Katharine because Oscar awaits. repeating myself, "Nat" is reincarnated and is now "Kat"

I agree with you, Greg. The Monster movie is such a turn around for Charlize Theron. I have a few suggestions too. But maybe some of you might accuse me of deglamourizing our princess. It will not work, though. Kat is the spokeswoman for big sexy hair. It would defeat the purpose if she shortens her hair now. Someone told me that Kat could wear wigs to hide the length of her hair and join other events like marathons, sporting events where she doesn't have to dress up and wear high heels. I say, why not get Kat to join "Dancing with the Stars"? Wouldn't it be nice?

I think some people would probably want to see the other side of Kat - the natural down to earth Kat. Maybe not the "Fear Factor" kind of girl but someone like that. But I'm sure the movies might do the work when they come out. Right now, what we see is a well-sheltered Kat. Chaperoned by her BF around, we don't see an independent Kat where she handles herself on her own. That's not a big thing, ok. Maybe, like going to a comedy club and making a surprise appearance by performing a funny act - or something or somewhere else where she could connect with the common or different groups of people but without wearing the fab or glam look.

You see, it's really hard to change that persona and we're not trying to change Kat at all. But because Kat was born and raised around Los Angeles, a big city, it's a harder cliche to be in. A big city girl like her, going to private and prestigious schools, with a nurturing family has less hardships to tell than those in different predicaments. With hardships or non big city situations in life to tell, it makes a good story to tell, you know. Demographics play a very crucial and important role in any singer's life because they have to sing their life once in a while in their songs. But of course, it's still too early in the game. What I'm looking for is the emotion that should tie up with Katharine's songs when she is to sing pop-ballads. A large portion of american population are living in the country. It's larger than those living in the urban areas. It would take a real good story in a good song to create a good record that would break the barriers between the city and country dwellers that buy music records. That would be David Foster's territory now, I suppose.

Ok, more than any other single artist, Britney Spears was the driving force behind the return of teen pop in the late 90's. Britney took over that spot where Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey once occupied. Came along Christina Aguilera and Britney had a competition. With Beyonce, the Simpson sisters, Fergie, and others in the scene, it would look like a battle of talents (strategies), beauty and wits. Comes in Katharine McPhee, who was a favorite in american idol, singing the classic "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Wow, we thought we have found the next Judy Garland! But wait, Kat didn't want to record classics or ballads yet, so she did pop. Meanwhile, the brewing pop mix of 80's 90's and 2000 artists is just too thick to penetrate. Remedy? Look for a thinner mix -- pop-ballads and musicals. Or get out of the thick pop brew and get into a different locale -  the movies, where Kat is right now. It's the best choice, I think.

Hi maddie, thanks for the post! It's Kat now, not Nat anymore. But wait, a remake of Easter Parade would be an excellent project for Katharine.

Judy: Beyond the Rainbow - A&E Biography Special (1996)

Flash required

Yep!  The Leno performance captured what Katharine can be as a PERFORMER.  Now, she can obviously do a lot of wonderful things just as a singer but that she can sing & dance so well is a bonus.  Carrie's happy she's a country singer because...well, there's a few reasons.  One, Carrie can't dance so being in country, she doesn't have to.  Two, country fans seem to be a lot more loyal to their artists than pop fans.  Three, it doesn't seem to me that country radio is nearly the minefield of strangeness that Top 40 is.  Ugh.  I'll never understand some of this stuff that goes on in Top 40 radio after watching it the last year.