Top 10 Earning American Idols

Forbes Magazine has released a top ten list of the American Idol alums who have garnered the most bucks over the past year. Forbes' "rankings of the top-earning American Idol alums are based on earnings from album sales, concerts, endorsements and other income from May 2009 through April 2010."

Forbes reporter Dirk Smillie notes that "the pop music market, now saturated with close to 100 of the show's alums, is showing signs of Idol fatigue. Earnings by some of Idol's top vocalists have nosedived over the past year. The show that reshaped television and the music business just isn't minting cash for its stars like it once did."

No. 10: Kris Allen
$672,000

No. 9: Clay Aiken
$800,000

No. 8: David Archuleta
$1.4 million

No. 7: Jordin Sparks
$1.8 million

No. 6: Jennifer Hudson
$2 million

No. 5: David Cook
$2.3 million

No. 4: Kellie Pickler
$4.3 million

No. 3: Chris Daughtry
$5.4 million

No. 2: Carrie Underwood
$7 million

No. 1: Kelly Clarkson
$8 million

There are definitely some surprises on this list. Kellie Pickler # 4? Really? Wow, those red high heels and certain "enhancements" shall we say are definitely paying off. Original Idol Kelly Clarkson continues to rule the charts almost 10 years after her triumph on the original incarnation of the show, which is truly remarkable.

It will be interesting to see which of these stars will fade away and who will continue to shine in the years to come.

Stay tuned!

Carrie Underwood in Atlantic City

Continuing with the American Idol theme, country queen Carrie Underwood heads to Atlantic City for a March 19th performance at Boardwalk Hall. Her hit "Before He Cheats" was a huge pop music crossover hit. I really liked that song, though I hope no one ever comes up my car with a "Louisville slugger" with rage, taking out "both headlights." Yikes!!

Bluegreen at Atlantic Palace would be my choice for a great place to stay if I could get to this concert. The Atlantic city resort offers dazzling accommodations in the heart of the Atlantic City boardwalk. With Bluegreen in the mix, good times are a sure bet.