Wonder Woman Lynda Carter Spins From Superhero to American Idol

by Tina Kells | March 3, 2009 at 04:10 pm

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She rose to fame in the 70's and 80's as the TV superhero Wonder Woman but Lynda Carter is ready to trade in the golden lasso for a studio mic. The 57-year old actress is back in the spotlight as she seeks to find a second round of fame as an American music idol.

No the brunette beauty isn't competing on the popular American Idol series, but she is branching out into music, and Lynda Carter actually has an impressive musical history. If American Idol producers are smart they'll jump on the chance to make Wonder Woman a guest judge on the show.

Lynda Carter is beefing up her resume with a new CD and a new gig as a lounge singer. Carter's silky sound and cabaret style of music have already earned her fans. The ultimate Wonder Woman is said to have the voice of an angel and is still plenty beautiful enough to sell albums along side the Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, and Rihanna.

"I didn't realize how much I missed music until I came back," she says, her tall frame swaying. "It's just a blast. It's so much fun."

That's right: Long before she donned her famous star-spangled one-piece, Carter was a singer. She's getting back to it now with a new CD and a cabaret tour, proving that the 57-year-old is still something of a wonder woman.

"She's really a very incredibly talented singer," says drummer Paul Leim, the leader of her band who has worked with Carter since her "Wonder Woman" days and also with the likes of Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers and Faith Hill.

"Hopefully, everybody will get a chance to experience the real Lynda Carter instead of the actress from the cartoon," says Leim by phone from Nashville, Tenn.

Carter's debut album, "At Last", is named for the famous Etta James song that appears in the tracks. Made up of mostly covers, Carter puts her Wonder Woman spin on classic soul wrenching tunes like "Cry Me a River," "Blues in the Night" and "Summertime," as well as upbeat songs such as "Million Dollar Secret."

Carter has lost little of her head-turning looks. On this day, she wears a short embroidered jacket, tight silk shirt and black leggings, a look few women decades her junior could pull off as well.

Besides being a powerful charity fundraiser, she turns out to be a news junkie, able to talk about presidential line-item vetoes or Tom Daschle with ease. She also embraces her inner goofball.

"I'm really kind of a corny person," she says. "I think I am so funny. I do — I crack myself up. I consistently, at least according to my children, make a fool of myself. I am a completely flawed person. It is what it is. I'm happy with it."

She'll be appearing this month on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard and then at Lincoln Center in New York. In April, there's a fundraiser in Washington and a one-night stand in Modesto, Calif. And, in June, she'll be at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.