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Jim Verraros

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Jim Verraros

James Conrad Verraros (born February 8, 1983) is an American singer/entertainer and native of Crystal Lake, Illinois who is most notable for being one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol. Because he was raised by deaf parents, he is fluent in American Sign Language. Verraros is of Greek descent on his father's side and German, Irish, French and English descent from his mother's side.

Personal life

Verraros quickly became a celebrity in the American gay press because of a controversy that erupted when Fox Broadcasting Company made him remove gay-related comments from his network-sponsored American Idol web site in the summer of 2002.[1] While Verraros was out to fellow contestants and Idol employees, he did not mention his homosexuality on air.[2] Following the end of the show and the subsequent tour,[2] Verraros came out publicly in an article in The Advocate.[3]

Professional career

Verraros released his album Unsaid and Understood (2004) through the indie label Red Queen Music - Sound Axis. It won the 2004 Outmusic Award for Outstanding New Recording - Debut Male.

The album was revamped and picked up by Koch Records and released as Rollercoaster (2005), Verraros' mainstream debut, which garnered several dance floor hits, including the Top 25 Billboard Hot Club/Dance Chart hit "You Turn It On." "I Want You" and "You're Getting Crazy" have both charted in the Top 30 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The album was produced and co-written by Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Gabe Lopez and features four songs co-written by American Idol finalist Angela Peel. The album had a limited release deal through Koch Records. His new album, "Do Not Disturb", will be released in 2009.

As an actor, Verarros is a star of the 2004 gay-themed comedy Eating Out directed by Q. Allan Brocka and produced by Ariztical Entertainment, as well as its 2006 sequel, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds. Verraros was considered for a role on the Here! series Dante's Cove. Verraros has appeared four times on The Feast of Fools podcast - once in November and December 2006 and twice in January 2007.

Verraros has two MySpace pages housing unreleased songs as well as some tracks from his debut album, Rollercoaster.

He is an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bulls.

Filmography

Discography

Albums

Album Information
Unsaid and Understood
  • Release: 2004
  • Red Queen Music - Sound Axis
Rollercoaster
  • Release: April 26, 2005 (U.S., Canada)
  • Label: Koch Entertainment
  • Singles:
    • 2005: "You Turn It On" #21 Hot Dance Music/Club Play
    • 2005: "I Want You"
    • 2005: "You're Getting Crazy"
    • 2005: "Outside"
    • 2005: "Welcome to Hollywood"

References

  1. ^ "Idol gossip". The Advocate. 2002-09-03. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  2. ^ a b "Can gay contestants win on 'American Idol'?". Associated Press. Baltimore Sun. 2008-03-07.
  3. ^ Steele, Bruce C. (2003-01-21). "A teen Idol's dreams". The Advocate. BNET Business Network.
  4. ^ a b "Jim Verraros". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
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