'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kris Allen sets a date - Nov. 17

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>After weeks of speculation about the exact release date of Kris Allen's debut album, it has finally been confirmed via the Season 8 champ himself that the yet-to-be titled album will hit stores and digital retailers on Tues., Nov. 17. Courtesy of Kris' official Twitter account:

KrisAllen4Real Hey guys! The album is set to release Nov 17th. about 16 hours ago from TwitterFon

The good news for Kris is that this date is ideal considering its proximity to Thanksgiving, and thus, "Black Friday," but the bad news is he will have plenty of competition unless some artists shift their album release schedules. Other albums set to drop on the date include Leona Lewis' Echo plus albums from John Mayer and Norah Jones and, although not nearly as much of a threat, Jason Castro's debut on Atlantic Records is due out that day.

>Taking a break from co-headlining a tour with the Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks joined Britney Spears' "Circus Tour" on Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Watch her perform "Battlefield" below from the Tues., Aug. 25 show:



Jordin will re-join Britney's tour tomorrow in Boston, Mass., following a performance set with the JoBros at their Cleveland, Ohio stop yesterday.

>David Archuleta (or more likely, someone from Jive) blogged about his forthcoming Christmas release for the first time on his official music MySpace page, as he posted the following on Wednesday:

David's Christmas album 'Christmas From The Heart' is now available for pre-order only @ amazon.com. Click HERE to order yours today! The album will be released on October 13, 2009!

As stated above, the album can be pre-ordered on Amazon for $9.99 and will be out Tues., Oct. 13.

>Another runner-up, Blake Lewis, has been in the news for more than his album cover and track list this week. Brian Mansfield of USAToday.com's "Idol Chatter" blog reported the sixth season's runner-up is in tax trouble. Per the blog post:

The Detroit News' Tax Watchdog blog reports that the Internal Revenue Service filed a lien against Blake for nearly $125,000 in July.

The post goes on to say a spokesman for Blake has denied he is in any hot water and that the taxes have been paid, but there is no evidence that a lien release has been filed. Sit back, this could get interesting.

>The first official auditions preview premiered on AmericanIdol.com, which is hosted by Season 8 11th-place finalist Alexis Grace via TV Guide Network. Watch the video below:



If this is the best Idol can do to start getting people excited for Season 9 (minus all the Paula press and celebrity guest judges), then things do not look too promising.