Her story was inspiring: a barely literate single mother auditions for American Idol and becomes a national sensation. Fantasia Barrino, winner of season three of “American Idol,” hasn’t had much career success on the pop charts since her win, but she did write a memoir, star in a movie of her life and in the Broadway production of “The Color Purple.” But these days, the singer is raising some eyebrows by taking up with a married father of two. Oh, Fanty - say it ain’t so!

American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino is dating a married father of two who left his wife and young children to move in with her, Star has learned.

Fantasia, 25, first met 30-year-old Antwaun Cook, a hunky former college football player from Charlotte, N.C., while he was working at his T-Mobile store in August — and the attraction was instant.

By mid-September, the insider says, Antwaun, who also works as a real estate agent, dumped his teacher wife and their sons, ages 4 and 1, and moved into Fantasia’s $1.3 million mansion in Charlotte’s ritzy suburb of Piper Glen.

“I’m not going to deny that the word ‘homewrecker’ is floating around,” a friend of the singer tells Star.

And adding fuel to the fire: Fantasia has tattooed Antwaun’s last name on her left shoulder to match one he has, says the friend. “She got it to honor her man!”

[From Star]

The most surprising part of this story: Fantasia still has her $1.3M mansion. Last I heard, she was broke and her home was in foreclosure. Maybe she paid off her debt with money she received from her new VH1 reality show. Either way, it sounds like she’s not making the best choices these days. I do wonder though - did this Antwuan character look at Fantasia and see a meal ticket? Could he be another K-Fed? Will he take care of his children? Only time will tell.

Keshia Knight-Pulliam, otherwise known as Rudy Huxtable, is all grown up and starring in her own reality show. Photo: WENN.

Remember in the infancy of the TV abomination known as the reality show, when any schmoe could become an overnight sensation? These days, you can’t be a nobody, but you can be a has-been or a person of questionable refute to get a show of your very own. Earlier this week we told you about Octomom and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attempts at being reality stars, and now former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino and “Rudy Huxtable” herself, Keshia Knight-Pulliam will be getting theirs.

Fantasia Barrino must have loved being on reality TV. The former American Idol star will be back in the game come early 2010 – starring in a new unscripted series on VH1.

“Fantasia has one of the most fascinating stories in show business, from her tough upbringing to her meteoric rise on the national scene thanks to American Idol,’” Jeff Olde, executive vp original programming at VH1, tells the Hollywood Reporter.

“Her challenges from fame and her unwillingness to fail have combined to create a larger-than-life talent who appeals to music lovers around the world. So many people wanted to work with her on this, but Fantasia is now part of the VH1 family, and we’re so happy to have her.”

The nine-time Grammy nominee, who has also been on Broadway and played herself in the Lifetime movie version of her autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, will chronicle her life as a recording artist and young single mother on the series.

“Fantasia’s life has been an open book, but at 24 years old, her story has just begun,” executive producer Randy Barbato said, according to the Reporter. “We look forward to smashing expectations and revealing the fresh, funny and unexpected side of this one-of-a-kind country girl and superstar.”

[From People]

Rudy from “The Cosby Show” has grown up, and she’s about to show off her life on cable TV.

Oxygen said Wednesday that it’s developing a reality show about actress Keshia Knight Pulliam and her live-in boyfriend, Atlanta area entrepreneur Kaseem Penn. It will explore what it’s like being young, rich, single and co-habitating. No air date is set for the show, titled “Keshia and Kaseem.”

Come summer, Oxygen will premiere a series called “Dance Your Ass Off.” It’ll be hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won a Tony for her performance in “Hairspray” as Tracy Turnblad, the full-figure teen who yearns to dance on a TV show in 1960s Baltimore; she’s also appeared on “Dancing With the Stars.” In the Oxygen show, competitors try to show off their dancing skills and lose weight _ sort of like “The Biggest Loser” with rhythm.

Since being bought by NBC Universal, Oxygen has been seeking an audience of trendsetting women, generally aged 18 to 34. Its theme is “live out loud.”

Oxygen’s most visible stars are Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott, who are filming the fourth season of their own reality series based on their lives. The network announced a broad development deal with the pair to make a TV movie, a makeover show that features the couple, and Web content based on Spelling’s book “Mommywood.”

[From Huffington Post]

I always knew Keshia was going to be a beautiful girl. I wonder what made her want to get back into the spotlight after all these years? I have to ask - would you watch either of these shows? I say, no way. My TiVo is already chock full of stuff I barely have time to watch now. I suppose if you’re a hardcore fan of “The Cosby Show” or “American Idol,” there could be some interest there. But I’m wondering where this trend will end. Who’s next? How much worse is it going to get?

Photos of Fantasia Barrino landing at LAX: Fame. Photos of Keshia Knight-Pulliam at the premiere of Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail: WENN.

It was kind of a mystery how American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino was able to keep one of her massive homes in Charlotte, North Carolina, after she failed to pay the mortgage. The $1.3 million home was about to be put up for auction in early January, but somehow Fantasia struck a deal and was able to keep it. This was after she almost lost another home in Charlotte after failing to pay fees to the neighborhood association and after she was sued by a car dealership for failing to make payments on her $240,000 Mercedes.

Now we know how Fantasia was able to keep her home after all her money problems. American Idol judge Simon Cowell stepped in and secretly made payments on the house. He is said to have not wanted to let anyone know or to draw attention to himself, but the National Enquirer found out about it and is running this story in their latest issue:

Court papers show that her 6,500 square-foot house, which Fantasia bought in 2007 for $1.3 million, was to be sold off Jan. 12 to satisfy an unpaid load.

But then at the eleventh hour [Cowell] galloped to the rescue - enabling Fantasia to reach an agreement with her mortgage holders and stop her home from being auctioned.

“Simon didn’t want to take any credit for it, he just wanted to help her out of a jam,” disclosed the insider. “He was hoping to keep his good deed a secret. He didn’t want to cause Fantasia any further public embarrassment.”

The singer’s problems were caused by overspending, divulged a close source.

“Fantasia was particularly naive. People around her told her she was a star, so she spent like a star. Fantasia has learned her lesson the hard way.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, February 16, 2009]

It sounds like Fantasia wouldn’t have been out of a place to live if she lost that home as she supposedly has another house in the area, which she may have purchased for family. That was kind of Simon to pay the mortgage for her anyway. He’s worth at least $200 million, according to Wikipedia, but he didn’t have to help her and it sounds like he did it out of the kindness of his heart. Simon is a pain in the ass but he seems to have a soft spot. Usually it involves attractive women who sing well.

Fantasia recently told E! News that she was hoping to get a reality show and that she would return to school to complete her GED, as we reported last week.

Update: Thanks to commenter Kimble who noted that Fantasia said on the red carpet at the Grammys that she didn’t have Simon Cowell’s number and that he didn’t help her with her mortgage payments.

Simon Cowell and Fantasia Barrino are shown on 3/10/04 at an American Idol party. Credit: Splash News

2004 American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, 24, revealed in her memoir, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, that she was illiterate and could not read words she wasn’t familiar with. She said at the time that she was learning to read to her daughter Zion, now seven. Barrino dropped out of school in the 9th grade and now told E! News that she has plans to go back to high school and get her degree. It sounds like she’s going to get her GED, although the article doesn’t specify that.

Barrino recently made headlines when it was revealed that her second home, a lavish mansion near Charlotte, North Carolina, was in foreclosure and would be auctioned off. She eventually reached a deal with the bank and was able to keep it, although she has a history of failing to pay off car and home loans.

Like a lot of other celebrities who have come on tough times, Barrino hopes to get a reality show in which she can earn some cash and prolong her chance at fame:

The American Idol star, 24, says she’s ready to hit the books and earn her high school degree after giving up the chance to do so when she dropped out of school about a decade ago in the ninth grade.
“I’ve been talking about it for so long,” Fantasia told me earlier today. “I have a lot of young people who look up to me, like my 15-year-old brother and 7-year-old daughter. It’s something that I really need to do and that I want to do.”

The singer, who rose to fame and fortune as the winner of Idol’s third season, says she’s back on solid ground after dealing with the possibility of one of her homes being foreclosed and put up for auction.
“I had to sit back for awhile and had to get some things settled,” she said. “I had been with a lot of people not doing what they said they were going to do. I didn’t have time to sit back and cry. I didn’t have time to go to a mental health counselor. I had to keep my s–t on straight—excuse my language!—and handle my business, because it’s not just about me. It’s about me and my whole family.”

Fantasia announced last month that an agreement had been reached so she could keep the home.
With that out of the way, Fantasia can focus on other things, like her award-winning career as well as keeping off the 20 pounds she recently lost. She’s hoping to release her third album later this year. And, as is the norm these days, she’s also shopping around a reality show about her life with production company World of Wonder.

On Sunday, she’s up for a Grammy for “I’m His Only Woman,” a duet with her “best friend in the world” Jennifer Hudson.

“I’m going vintage on the red carpet,” Fantasia said. “I have lost 20 pounds, so now I can get into vintage, because the women back then were petite. They were very small.”

She added, “2008 was a crazy year for Fantasia. ‘09 is totally different. ‘09 is my year.”

[From E! News]

It bothers me for some reason when people talk about themselves in the third person. It’s like the height of narcissism. I watched that season of American Idol and thought Fantasia was full of herself, but she worked hard for her success and she has an incredibly strong, unique vocal ability. She has to learn to manage her money and assets and maybe she’ll come away with more skills to improve in that area when she goes back to school. It’s got to be so hard to try and cope with only minimal reading skills and good for her for going back for her GED.

Fantasia Barrino is shown on 12/7/08. Credit: WENN

Apparently “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino has quite the long history of not paying her bills. Last month we told you that Fantasia’s $1.3 million home was in foreclosure and would be auctioned off if she didn’t do anything. Though she’s had an entire month, Fantasia has failed to respond to any of the sheriff’s office’s dozen attempts to get in touch with her. The sheriff’s rep claims that they try to help people and give them the opportunity to pay before auctioning off someone’s home. Yet Fantasia doesn’t seem to be interested. And this isn’t the first time she’s failed to pay up on significant debts.

Fantasia Barrino - who faces the loss of her $1.3 million home here in a debtor’s auction set for noon Monday - is apparently ignoring the looming legal threat, officials told The Post yesterday. The inspirational “American Idol” winner owes a Florida credit company $65,000 - money she borrowed in 2006 to pay back taxes she owed the IRS.

Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputies, who are responsible for enforcing civil court orders, have tried at least a dozen times to reach Barrino at the home and by phone, said Sgt. J.W. England, a supervisor of civil judgments. A deputy spoke a couple of times to Barrino’s mother, but never reached the star, who appears to be ignoring attempts to save her house, officials said. “We try very hard and give the defendant every opportunity to pay,” England said yesterday.

Over the course of about a year, Barrino has never responded to court documents, and no lawyer ever appeared in court to represent her, said Larry Goldman, a Charlotte attorney representing the credit company, Broward Energy Management. Barrino, 24, has made no payments and filed no documents since The Post reported a court-ordered lien on the property in Charlotte’s upscale Piper Glen neighborhood last month. “My client has continuously asked me why they won’t just pay it,” Goldman said. “I just don’t have an answer.”

[From the New York Post]

My goodness. It sounds like Fantasia has some money management problems. And like she’s living a lifestyle that’s more expensive than what she can afford. The Post goes into a few of her larger recent debt issues.

In 2005, Barrino nearly lost another home she owns in Charlotte as well as her red $240,000 Mercedes Benz. She apparently ignored a lien on that home, valued at $740,000, brought by the neighborhood association after she failed to pay fees and other costs. The case was eventually dismissed, according to court documents. Last year, Barrino failed to pay a promissory note on $187,809 she borrowed to buy her Mercedes. The dealership that sold her the car sued, but the matter was resolved.

[From the New York Post]

I wasn’t aware that semi-famous former “American Idol” winners could afford $240,000 cars. Actually, I guess I’m right: they can’t. Fantasia starred in “The Color Purple” on Broadway for a bit but left without an explanation. She was in a Lifetime movie and has put out some music. But she hasn’t been as wildly successful as other winners – nor has she completely faded into oblivion like some. She’s somewhere in the middle, but buying cars like she’s Carrie Underwood. Fantasia obviously needs to get her finances in order, and hopefully (miraculously) pull something together by Monday.

Here’s Fantasia at the Grammy’s in February. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.

These tough economic times are getting harder and harder. Though it generally doesn’t hit celebrities as badly as the regular folk, they aren’t totally immune to the effects of the recession. American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino is about to lose her home. It’s in foreclosure and is going to be auctioned off on January 12th, according to Boogaloo.

…It looks like third season American Idol winner and 8-time Grammy nominated R&B singer Fantasia Barrino is about to get booted from one of her Charlotte, NC homes. According to recent reports and county records, big voiced Miss Barrino’s 6,232 square foot house has been foreclosed on and unless she can make good with a pile of cash will be auctioned to the highest bidder on January 12, 2009.

Property records show Miz Barrino purchased the 6 bedroom and 5.5 bathroom pond-front mansion on Bevington Place in March of 2007 for $1,300,000.

However, the children can rest easier knowing that it does not appear that Miz Barrino will go homeless as records show that she also owns a second house on nearby Seton House Lane that she purchased in July of 2004 for $740,000.

[From the Real Estalker]

Boogaloo has an image of the bankruptcy papers, so the story is definitely legit. It’s sad, but few people have another house to fall back on, so it’s not like Fantasia’s going to be forced to move in with her family or anything. According to Wikipedia, Fantasia is going to be in the movie version of the musical version of “The Color Purple.” She starred in the Broadway play after Oprah picked her for the part. So she’s got a project on the horizon. Hopefully this will be the end of her financial troubles.

Here’s a photo of the house that’s being foreclosed, along with Fantasia at the 11th annual ‘Cracked Xmas’ fundraiser event in Los Angeles yesterday. Images thanks to WENN and PR Photos.