Diana DeGarmo helped out Horizon Theatre Saturday night by taking part in its 9th annual Atlanta Stories fundraiser at the Georgia Tech hotel off Spring St. in Midtown. She worked with some actors and a playwright, who designed a mini-play based on her efforts to get on “American Idol” three years ago. After making it to the top 24, she was flying back to Atlanta with her mom. She was feeling deathly ill and airport security in Dallas felt given the recent SARS scare, they couldn’t let her on the connecting flight to Hartsfield. So in Texas, doctors discovered she needed an emergency appendectomy and since their luggage ended up going to Atlanta, her mom Brenda bought her an incredibly hideous dress at the hotel gift shop to wear on the plane post operation. Also, during the surgery, a fire alarm went off at the hospital, so she had to be wheeled out to the parking lot midway through the procedure!

Here’s a photo from the event I took. (That’s Dave FM’s Holly Firfer emceeing.) She’s much thinner than she was on the show. Thank eight performances a week on Broadway for that!

Although we were at the same table, Diana more or less ignored me. For whatever reason, I get a “stay away from me” vibe from her. I do know some of her diehard fans never forgave me for not being a full-on cheerleader for her cause in 2004. Check out the comments on her fan forum here and here. She must have taken that to heart though I have stated many times here I have absolutely no beef with her. She’s talented and so far, has parlayed her skills in the right way. Fortunately, her mom Brenda has always been friendly to me and she was in great spirits Saturday night.

With her “Hairspray” gig on Broadway over, Diana told the audience she’s working with Atlanta producers on a new album (no label yet.). Diana’s mom told me that the stalker from Australia Tanya Maree Quattrocchi is still harassing them a year later. Quattrocchi was arrested late last year after bombarding Diana with text messages and voicemails, impersonating her and trying to blackmail her. According to Australian press accounts, Quatrrocchi plead guilty in December but she has been free on bond and has continued to harass Diana, Brenda said. Ouatrocchi’s punishment is set for May 4 but Brenda is worried she’ll get no more than a slap on the wrist. Quattrocchi, Brenda added, to this day keeps tapping into their phone lines and hacking onto their computers. Crazy!