Click here to hear Kimberly's music. The player will open in a new window. Email: (More info) Since March 2003 Best Viewed @ 1024x768 resolution Designed by Kristin Photos from Michael Antonio online Bookmark Site	Kimberly Caldwell may always be remembered as a Top 12 finalist on the second season of American Idol. However, since the day after she was the sixth person voted off the show, the affable TV Guide Channel co-host has done much to ensure she's front and center in the hearts and minds of America. "The second interview I did after I was voted off, was like 6 a.m. the next day," she says. "This guy approached me and said he thought I'd be great as a host. I was like, 'I don't know.' Now it's actually become my day job." In that year, 2003, Kimberly posed for men's magazine Maxim in a feature on "Reality TV Girls." She was also a correspondent for the short-lived, extreme sports show on FOX, 54321. In 2004, the 24-year-old served as the American Idol reporter on a string of news programs: Fox News Live, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Showbiz Tonight on CNN Headline News, and general reports for the TV Guide Channel. Kimberly also began co-hosting "Reality Chat" with former WB Popstars contestant Rosanna Tavarez. It became her regular gig. Every week, they dish about the nuances of assorted reality shows. The duo also hosts Idol Tonite, interviewing former AI contestants and pumping up the audience before they watch each Tuesday night's AI performance show. "Because I was a contestant early on, I definitely have an inside view and the scoop of what's going on," Kimberly says. "And with Rosanna, my co-host, we work really well together." Just when it seemed that singing would take a backseat to Kimberly's career as a journalist, she began work in 2004 on her as yet unreleased debut album. She's working with AI judge and producer Randy Jackson, along with iconic songwriter Diane Warren. "Everybody was close on the show, and afterwards, Randy approached me and said that he and Diane wanted to do an album with me," Kimberly recalls. "I was like, 'Of course! Here's my number!'" They experimented with a handful of genres for the record's focus before settling on country rock. "Diane's been writing me a lot of great songs and she's also given me songs she'd written previously that she felt suited me and that hadn't been recorded. I've actually been writing and recording some of my own stuff too, which is really exciting." The transplanted Texas, who hails from the same hometown as baseball great Roger Clemens, is still settling into life in the sprawling city of Los Angeles. "It's definitely a culture shock! Every time I go back to Texas it's a culture shock, and every time I come back it's a culture shock. It's really different here, and so are the people. I miss the southern hospitality, but at the same time, the weather here is awesome. I went to Texas recently and went fishing and swimming in the lake. That's definitely more up my alley than hanging out in the LA hot spots. But, I wouldn't be able to work and do what I do here, in Texas." With a whirlwind career in front of the cameras and a burgeoning recording future, what does she consider most exciting these days? "Those are my good days when I go in the studio, which isn't that often because I've been traveling and working so much. That's my first love and my first passion," she says. Imagine... had Kimberly not appeared on American Idol, perhaps she'd still be toiling in 9-to-5 day care obscurity, changing diapers and mediating hair-pulling episodes. She fully understands the impact American Idol has made on her life. "For anybody to say that they're anti-American Idol is just silly," she says. "Once you've been on the show, you've got your foot in the foor. You're already a household name. As soon as you get off the show, you have to take all the opportunities that come to you, make the right decisions, and then work your butt off to keep your face out there. And if you don't, you're going to fall through the cracks. "I think this is definitely where I'm supposed to be on this journey of my life. And I think that there's a lot still to come. I want to retire by the time I'm 40. We'll see what happens!" [back]