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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > June > 25
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
6/25: Ruben Studdard marrying an Atlanta gal, Paris Bennett engaged?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ruben Studdard’s manager Cedric Evans called me this morning to confirm the people.com report a couple days back that he is indeed getting married to Surata Zuri McCants, 30. The marriage will happen this weekend in Birmingham.
Better yet, she’s an Atlanta flight attendant. He met McCants at an October, 2006 Wal-Mart CD signing I attended back. Here’s a photo of him I took that day:
Here’s the original blog entry about his Wal-Mart visit.
Evans didn’t know (or wouldn’t say) what the honeymoon destination is.
But he did confirm that Studdard is going back to his “Idol’ roots by doing an album of covers. (Clay did it!). In his case, he’ll do R&B classics by the likes of Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. Working with Minneapolis producers Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Studdard is nearly done and Evans said he’s aiming for an August release date. (Lewis and Jam helped produce his farewell song for “Idol” this season “Celebrate Me Home”).
Rehearsals for “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” (with Frenchie Davis) starts in October and Studdard will use his off time to promote the album.
His latest “The Return” has sold about 237,000 copies and J Records dropped him earlier this year. But he’s still with 19 Recordings.
-Photographer Robb Cohen (freelancing for the AJC) attended the AARP Divas concert with the likes of Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick and Ann Nesby. Here’s a shot from his photo gallery featuring Ann and her grand-daughter Paris Bennett:
Cohen said Bennett, 19, has a big diamond rock on that proper left finger so who is she engaged to?
Here’s an even better shot of her ring and other, um, attributes:
-TMZ reports that Kelly Clarkson has purchased a $1.5 million home in Nashville..
Yes, Reba McEntire and Kelly are tight buds now and Kelly now has Reba’s hubby as her manager. We can expect some serious twang on Kelly fourth album.
Based on the photo at TMZ, the home looks relatively modest (especially for that price), but this may not be Kelly’s primary residence. She owns a huge ranch in Texas, too.
-I just noticed this June 12 item about season four third-place finisher Vonzell Solomon. She was recently busted with a gun at an airport. But more importantly, Bank of New York was foreclosing on her house June 16.. Ouch! Maybe Kelly can help her out!
According to the News Press:
Solomon, 24, who finished third on the Fox Network’s popular talent contest three years ago, bought the south Fort Myers house Jan. 6, 2006, from Betty Hack for $405,000.
The purchase was made with two mortgages: one for $312,800 and the other for $78,200, court records show.
Solomon is working to pay some bills doing that Branson, Missouri “Idols” gig with Carmen Rasmussen, R.J. Helton, Scott Savol, Haley Scarnato and Brandon Rogers. Help her out by buying tix here.. She’s there through July 20.
-Melinda Doolittle sang live during the first dance at the wedding reception for her cousin LaDonna Bradford today at Rockefeller Center. Bradford and her hubby Darnell Suggs from Atlanta won the “Race to the Altar” race a couple weeks ago and got married today live on the TV show. Thank you MJ for catching that:
