THE DIMEPIECE: Katharine McPhee

Beautiful with a voice to match. Image from beyondhollywood.com.

I know this is a men’s magazine and sometimes you find the greatest inspiration from the least manly places.

For this particular article, I got my inspiration from a Chris Botti concert.  (Yeah, yeah, yuck it up.)  Opening for him was Katharine McPhee, former American Idol contestant from Los Angeles, California.

Surprisingly, when she came onstage, she was wearing 5 inch heels and a very body fitting (and classy) black dress.

Bam – instant ESM Dimepiece.

Move a little to the left... right underneath the sun... cue the electric fans... perfect. Image from myplay.com.

Here’s a little excerpt from her Wikipedia entry:

Born in Los Angeles, California, McPhee moved with her family to Sherman Oaks at age 12. 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 her daughter’s musical talent and decided to train her. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer. McPhee has an older sister, Adriana. McPhee is of Irish, Scottish and German descent.

McPhee attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, where she performed in school plays and musicals. She graduated in 2002.

McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. She left the college on the advice of her manager and returned to Los Angeles to try out for television pilots.

McPhee struggled with eating disorders in the past. She told People Magazine that at age 13 she began starving herself and exercising compulsively, and she became bulimic at age 17. McPhee gained weight in college due to her binging. After seven years of illness, she finally entered a three-month rehab program after successfully passing her American Idol audition; her rehab stint ended just before the Idol semifinals started in February 2006. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 pounds due to eating better as part of her treatment. Now, as she told Teen Vogue in May 2007, “I eat whatever I crave—I’m just really careful about portions.”

Whatever the case, she looks amazing now.  For more information, you can check out her official website on katharinephee.com.

.....can't think of anything witty to say. Image from Mahalo.com.

If this were a Valentine's gift, it would be awesome. Image from beyondhollywood.com.