Win or lose, Diana is still the princess in Snellville
Diana DeGarmo may have come home second best, but there still was a parade waiting for her. A heroine’s welcome greeted DeGarmo at her suburban Atlanta hometown of Snellville, Ga., despite being bested by Fantasia Barrino in the “American Idol” finale.
“She’s going to have a great future in front of her,” Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer said.
About 2,500 people, including Oberholtzer and Gov. Sonny Perdue, gathered at the Georgia Dome to watch the two-hour broadcast of the Wednesday night finale.
“We’ve supported Diana from day one, so it’s a disappointment,” said Kristi Barksdale, whose daughter went to school with the 16-year-old DeGarmo. “But we’re happy for both of them.”
If the fate of last season’s runner-up is any indication, DeGarmo may still have a lot to look forward to. Clay Aiken, who finished second last season, went on to sell more than 2 million copies of his debut CD and enjoys just as much fame as the winner, Ruben Studdard.
Then again, she could turn out like …
Erratic rocker Courtney Love pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance when she was arrested last October while trying to break into an ex-boyfriend’s house in L.A.
She was spotted by police as she jumped up and down and gestured at a helicopter that had a spotlight on her, a prosecutor said, adding: “I think the officer rightfully suspected that she was under the influence of something.”
Love is expected to be packed off to a mandatory drug-treatment program when she returns July 16 for sentencing.
A second misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct is expected to be dropped then.
The former Hole frontwoman, who overdosed on painkillers after returning home following the arrest, still faces two felony counts of illegal drug possession, as well as assault charges for hitting a fan with her microphone stand during a concert.
If you don’t watch out, he’ll slap you, too, silly
Assault charges have been dropped against exercise guru Richard Simmons after he reached an out-of-court settlement with a man he slapped while waiting for a flight at a Phoenix airport.
Simmons, the flamboyant star of the “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” video series, allegedly slapped a 6-foot-2, 250-pound ultimate cage fighter after the man said: “Hey, everybody, it’s Richard Simmons — let’s drop our bags and rock to the ‘50s.”
Fergie’s bank account keeps getting fatter
Sarah Ferguson, Britain’s weight-challenged Duchess of York, is appearing in a new ad campaign for an abdominal toning belt.
The ads for the Flex abdominal belt began running this week and will continue throughout the year on about a dozen network and cable channels. Ferguson also will make personal appearances.
A spokesman for Compex Technologies said Ferguson’s contract specifies that her pay not be revealed, but added: “We spent a lot of money, frankly, to get her.”
And Jessica’s career keeps getting … shorter?
Hot-bodied singer Jessica Simpson says she’s the first choice to star as Daisy Duke in an upcoming movie version of “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Catherine Bach played the sexy Duke cousin, known for wearing denim micro-shorts, in the TV series that ran from 1979-85. Britney Spears had been among the stars reportedly vying for the movie role.
The birthday bunch
Actress Carroll Baker is 73. Singer Gladys Knight is 60. Singer John Fogerty is 59. Actress Sondra Locke is 57. Country singer Phil Vassar is 42. Singer Kylie Minogue is 36.