Pickler has bubbled all the way to the top

As a contestant on “American Idol,” Kellie Pickler was a magnetic entertainer whose country charm and bubbly (if not bubble-headed) personality earned her millions of fans.

But when Pickler was voted off the show after reaching the final six, she fretted about whether her fame would last – with good reason.

Though winning the nation’s most popular TV contest has guaranteed platinum-plus sales for the champs, it’s a different story for those who come in second, third or 10th. Except for Clay Aiken, runners-up have had pitiful album sales.

“It was a little scary because it made me wonder, ‘Am I going to fall into that same group because I wasn’t first runner-up or the winner?’ ” Pickler says in her now-famous Southern drawl.

But what made her an “Idol” standout – her voice, her hard-luck upbringing and her colorful persona – may make Pickler, 20, most likely to succeed among “Idol” alums.

Her first album, “Small Town Girl,” debuted at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard country chart.

“She’s a very special lady in terms of her personality … (fans) can relate,” says Joe Galante, chairman of Sony BMG Nashville.

Pickler’s history is already well-known to “Idol” fans – and the tabloids.

She was raised by her grandparents after her mother abandoned her as a child. Her father spent years battling substance abuse and watched her “Idol” run from a prison cell, where he was serving time for stabbing a man (he has since been released).

While her backstory may have won her sympathy, her sometimes daffy persona drew criticism in some quarters.

During “Idol,” Pickler was known as much for her Jessica Simpson-like gaffes as her pipes. She portrayed herself as a naive Southern girl with a simple background – which she still maintains. (She asks wondrously about the contents of sushi, which she says she’s never eaten.)

Some skeptics wondered whether she was just playing a role.

“That’s something that really bothered me in the beginning because I wasn’t used to being criticized in that way, as far as really being picked apart by people that I didn’t even know,” the petite blonde says quietly.

“Now I’ve learned that there’s gonna be people that love you and want to see you do well, there’s going to be people who just don’t care much for you, and they’re waiting for you to fall.”

Jack Isquith, executive director of music industry relations at AOL Music, says it’s all part of the buzz that surrounds Pickler.

“I think she’s a little controversial because there’s certainly been talk about whether she played dumb on ‘American Idol,’ ” he says.

“There’s lots of comments of her being pretty … and there are a lot of comments on her being a real singer. There’s a curiosity.”

The birthday bunch

Organist Booker T. Jones (Booker T. and the MG’s) is 62. Rock legend Neil Young is 61. Actress Megan Mullally (“Will and Grace”) is 48. Actress Angela Watson (“Step By Step”) is 32. Actress Anne Hathaway (“The Princess Diaries”) is 24. Singer Omarion (B2K) is 21. Actress Macey Cruthird (“Hope and Faith”) is 14.