NESP Forum

'Idol' puts its stamp on postage

By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

American Idol, whose voting system helped popularize text-messaging, is going old-school with its newest communication concept: U.S. postage stamps featuring the show's winners.
As part of the Idol Gives Back fundraising effort, stamps featuring the six Idols and this year's winner will be available to fans. If the limited editions — 100,000 20-stamp sheets for each Idol — sell out, Idol Gives Back would get about $7 million, Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says.

That would be a step toward topping last year's $76 million raised for foreign and domestic charities, says Lythgoe, who hopes to break $100 million. The stamps are "a great idea, especially for philatelists. I think it's a little bit iconic, too. It's great for Idol."

Ryan Seacrest announced the stamp act Wednesday on Fox's Idol Gives Back broadcast (results show tonight, 8 ET/PT).

The stamps are not being sold in post offices. They're available online only at PhotoStamps (photo.stamps.com or linked via AmericanIdol.com), a product of Stamps.com, which offers USPS-approved, Internet-based postage services.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2...htm?csp=34

They are starting with Kelly Clarkson. And it seems like they are doing a winner a week - so we've got a couple of weeks before it's time for Taylor.

http://photo.stamps.com/Store/brand/amer...uestid=514

Cool. I finally get to "lick" Taylor!

I heard this mentioned last night on Idol Gives Back! Whoooo- a Taylor Hicks postage stamp! What next for this man?!

Who gets the $$$$$$$$ Idol,Taylor,U.S. Gov't?????? Simon? The answer will be my deciding factor.

Right on sister!! We all will get to!!! I actually would save them, not use them....and they may be self-adhesive....no licking required.

Keep us posted on this...I will buy a sheet of Taylor stamps....with the limited number we should order early.

Definitely order early. Wonder if they take pre-orders. I just told my son about them and he asked me if I was going to use them or save them...I told him I'd keep some and use some.

So I guess this means idol will have to acknowledge who WON SEASON 5????
It will be on the stamps and for all the world to see. TAYLOR HICKS



Please let it be a nice shot and NOT the one that has been on the board since he was a mere contestant. I mean any picture is ok...but some are better than others.

Can't wait to see the pic they use either! We'll have to buy
them all so we can use them for YEARS to come

On the site, they show the Kelly Clarkson ones available now, and it looks like you get different poses/shots of the Idol. Not all the same one. A variety of maybe 4 different ones! That's even better!

I'm trying to figure this out... postage rates go up in May... does this mean that by the time they get around to Taylor, he will cost more than Kelly??