Image Credit: Harper Smith

Over the past 11 years American Idol has played host to 133 different finalists vying for a shot at belting out a coronation anthem at the Nokia.

As such, keeping track of all the goings-on of American Idol alumni can be a daunting task — but hey, it’s a whole lot more fun than speculating about the judging panel lineup.

Here’s what’s going on with your favorite American Idol stars:

KELLY CLARKSON: The best news of the week is for the original Idol, whose fifth album Stronger was certified platinum for shipments of 1 million copies. Driven by the success of “Mr. Know It All” and the album’s smash hit title track — not to mention Clarkson’s always-viral concert covers (Watch some HERE and HERE) — Stronger reached a sales level that Clarkson couldn’t achieve with her 2009 disc All I Ever Wanted, which included the hit “My Life Would Suck Without You” and sold just under 950,000 copies total.

While Stronger has, at this point, sold less than that (929,000 copies), it’s tally will overtake All I Ever‘s sales total in a few weeks. Not many artists can say they’re selling better in 2012 than they were in 2009, so it’s a testament to Clarkson’s widespread appeal and true talent that she’s remained a viable pop (and increasingly country) commodity. READ FULL STORY »