What you may not know about American Idol's Ace Young...

Submitted by myspaceoryours on March 6, 2006 - 6:00pm.

His good looks, great singing and intense gaze have made him a favorite to win this season's American Idol competition. But there is more to Ace Young than meets the eye. If there was a contestant who didn't need to American Idol platform to skyrocket to fame, it would be Ace Young. Ace has many accomplishments under his belt that would make any wanna-be superstar green with envy.

Did you know that at the age of nine, Ace not only wrong the song "Reason I Live" for the soundtrack of "The Little Vampire", but also performed it? Now what does a nine-year old know about a reason to live? But that's just the beginning.

Ace has also opened up for Brian McKnight and New Edition, so he's obviously had an opportunity to hone his performing skills. And as if that wasn't enough, Ace has also ventured into the world of acting. He had a guest-star stint on UPN's Half & Half. He played a baseball player...pursuing a career in music, of all things.

But there's even more to the Half & Half connection. He is rumored to be dating actress, Essence Atkins, who plays Dee Dee on the show. So let's review, he's a songwriter who's recorded one of his own songs on a movie soundtrack, opened up for two superstar R&B acts, acted in a sitcom AND has a celebrity girlfriend. My only question is, what is he doing on a show like American Idol?

American Idol is supposed to be some kind of rags to riches story, where an uknown talent is discovered by America and given "Idol" status. But it seems to me, Ace Young was already doing pretty well for himself without the help of American Idol. Will this affect my vote? Maybe, but maybe not. There's no denying his talent. I just don't know if I'm as impressed by him now that I know more about his background. We'll have to wait and see how he fares this week, but my guess is he'll sail through into the Final 12.