Ladies In Action: Katharine Hope McPhee

American Singer Katharine McPhee Biography and new photos 2011

Katharine Hope McPhee Biography:
Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American Pop/R&B singer who was the runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006.

American Singer Katharine McPhee

Early years
McPhee moved with her parents and sister to Sherman Oaks when she was 12 years old. McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee (stage name Peisha Arten), a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and decided to train her. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer and her older sister, Adriana Burch McPhee (born June 30, 1982) is an aspiring producer as well. McPhee has a pet Chihuahua named Nena that sometimes accompanies her to photo shoots and recording sessions.
McPhee graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School. At Notre Dame, McPhee was a student body vice president, a varsity swimmer, and a thespian. She performed in school plays with her elder sister Adriana; both sisters were Homecoming Princess nominees in their senior year.
Afterward, McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. McPhee left the college due to her manager's suggestion that she try out for television pilots in Los Angeles. In a People news article it was reported that she was rejected in "only 195 out of 200 auditions." She was eventually cast as "Paramount Girl" in the 2006 musical film about the life of Hank Garland, Crazy Other early acting endeavors included lead actress in local professional productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. She was nominated in 2005 for the Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for her lead role in Annie Get Your Gun. McPhee was also part of a failed mall-based MTV soap opera entitled You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister. In the soap opera she was jealous of her popular younger sister.

American Idol
McPhee was persuaded by a boyfriend to try out for American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang "God Bless the Child," originally performed by Billie Holiday. Paula Abdul said that McPhee was "absolutely beautiful", Randy Jackson hailed her audition as potentially the best so far that season, and Simon Cowell complimented her for being "current" and her audition being "absolutely fantastic".

Katharine McPhee

In the final cut-down show for the Top 24, McPhee was one of the first to be put through and, in excitement, kissed all three judges on the lips.
McPhee listed Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight as her favorite artists in the American Idol interview of the top 24 semi-finalists.
During the week leading to the third round of the semi-finals, she was rumored to be quitting due to pregnancy. However, during the performance show on March 7, 2006, she denied this accusation, attributing it to a poor choice of clothing. Host Ryan Seacrest, with tongue-in-cheek, later asked about her and fellow Idol contestant Kevin Covais; McPhee denied any relationship.
During the week preceding the top three show, McPhee visited her former high school for her hometown celebration.
McPhee's run on American Idol led to the popular use of the term "McPheever", coined by Ralph Garman of Los Angeles radio station KROQ's morning show Kevin and Bean. She also referred to her fans as the "Kat Pack".
McPhee was congratulated by Congressman Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks, the 27th district of California, who raised a flag in her honor at the United States Capitol on the day of the finale show.
McPhee was credited with performing K.T. Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" during the Idol final run.
During the competition, McPhee roomed with fellow contestant Kellie Pickler, and when Pickler was eliminated, she roomed with Paris Bennett.[9]

Post-Idol
On June 6, 2006, Sony BMG and 19 Entertainment announced that McPhee had signed to American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Sony BMG's RCA Records.
McPhee's debut single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "My Destiny" peaked at #60. Thirty-two weeks after its release, Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny had climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts. It was 2nd highest best-selling single of 2006 after Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud?".
McPhee toured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and performed in three of his concerts during his tour in the United States from June 9 through June 11, 2006.
In June 2006, McPhee revealed to People magazine that she previously suffered from bulimia. After a period of about five years, she began treatment after qualifying for American Idol. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lbs.
You start doing something you love doing and the weight just started falling off me. I was still eating... It was a really amazing thing that happened with me and my body has just been kind of falling to its natural state and I don't know if it's finished going where it wants, but it's doing its thing.