With this year’s "American Idol" having run its course last week, the television schedule is running without fresh "Idol" episodes for the first time since January.
But there are still plenty of "Idol" graduates in circulation — especially in country music, where Carrie Underwood, Josh Gracin, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington and Phil Stacey can all be heard on the radio dial. One guy who completely understands all that is Trace Adkins, who saw his celebrity increase when he made it all the way to the final episode on NBC’s "The Celebrity Apprentice." The "Idol" competitors practically demand a recording deal, Trace says, because of the exposure they’ve received.
"That’s a no-brainer," he laughs. "When somebody’s been on network television that many times, any record executive that has sense to put his pants on the right way should sign that act — if nothin’ else, just for one album, ‘cause that first one is gonna sell. The next one might not, but that first one will."