The original poster wanted this to be the official Constantine Maroulis "Love Thread", but did not put "Love Thread" in the subject. If that is a requirement in order to not have Constantine bashing in a thread, then maybe we should start over.
Maybe the original poster can add Official Love Thread to the title?
Here's a short bio:
Constantine Maroulis. Born in Brooklyn, raised in New Jersey. Constantine, born September 17, 1975, was raised in Wyckoff, NJ. He is the youngest of three children. After graduating from Ramapo High School and trying to make it in theater, Constantine was accepted in the prestigious Boston Conservatory. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a degree from the Berklee College of Music.
Early in his career, Constantine appeared in several theatrical productions. Most notable being the 2001 Seacoast Repertory Theater's production of Hedwig, and the Angry Inch, in which he played the lead of Hedwig. He has said that role was pivotal for him. He knew the theater was for him.
In 2003, Constantine landed the lead role of Roger in the national touring production of RENT. It was during that time when he was selected to be the front man for the alternative rock band, Pray for the Soul of Betty. Betty followed Constantine on the RENT tour and the band played gigs in the same towns as the musical.
After his RENT gig, he was fortunate enough to be selected to be a contestant on the fourth season of American Idol. This was the first year when the age was raised to 28 and also the first year a live band was incorporated into the show. Constantine's rich tenor vocals, impressive stage persona and willingness to work hard led him to the final rounds of the show that year.
Although he came in sixth, he used AI as a springboard for many projects. His rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody on AI earned the praise of judges, viewers and a personal invitation from Queen guitarist Brian May to cover their hit song on the 2005 album Killer Queen. Kelsey Grammer also saw his flair for comedy, and after AI, he was signed by Grammnet Productions and ABC for a situation comedy pilot that, unfortunately, was not picked up.
After a short tour with Pray for the Soul of Betty in January/February 2006, the group decided to disband and go their separate ways. Constantine toured the northeastern US in the summer of 2006, trying out music for was to be his debut cd. Constantine had signed with Atlantic Records with the intent to make the cd under their label, but in the long run decided to go the indie route. Constantine created his own company, Sixth Place Productions. He released his debut cd on August 7, 2007.
In August of 2006, he announced he was going to take over the role of Sammy in the Broadway musical version of the Wedding Singer for eight. His run was extended to 12 weeks. Immediately following the Wedding Singer, Constantine took on the very difficult music of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris in an off Broadway production.
Hollywood was the next step in Constantine's career. During the spring and summer of 2007, Constantine appeared on the CBS top rated soap, the Bold and the Beautiful. He played a character called Constantine Parros, and the character was loosely based on his own life.
In 2008, Constantine has co-hosted American Idol Extra during the 7th season, toured his music extensively, filmed several pilots, completed a residency at the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and played the role of Judas in a New Jersey based production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Over the past few years, Constantine has also participated in and sang at events benefiting many charitable organizations. He has been involved with Broadway Cares, Make A Wish, the North Shore Animal League, Autism Awareness, and Ethan Zohn's Reality All-Star Soccer festival, among many others. As a result of his accomplishments Constantine was honored with the Humanitarian Artistic Achievement award from the Hellenic Times Scholarship Foundation in 2007.
Although some may think fame and fortune comes easy to those lucky enough to compete on American Idol, it takes a lot of hard work to prove oneself and make it in the entertainment industry. Four years after his run on American Idol, Constantine Maroulis' future remains bright.
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I've got more, but I'll have to post later.
Jekyll & Hyde back on Broadway! / Rock of Ages - 5 Tony nominations! Awesome!
