'Idol' odds 'n ends: Antonella "Jersey Girl" Barba premieres a music video

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

>Antonella Barba is back on the scene with a new single and music video. The Jersey girl is acknowledging what she is and after releasing the single "Jersey Girl" on iTunes back in May, she premiered her new music video for the track on her official YouTube page yesterday. Watch the video below (I'd suggest doing so with the audio off):

Well, I hear producers of MTV's Jersey Shore are searching for a theme song to the second season of the reality series. Maybe this will be a real winner? Or maybe Antonella could earn a spot in the cast. Now that would make the show worth watching!

>News of Kellie Pickler's engagement to Nashville-based songwriter Kyle Jacobs came as a bit of a surprise to many, but when considering the recent string of engagements among blonde country singers (see Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert), it wasn't too out in left field. According to an article on People.com:

The couple met through friends about 2 1/2 years ago, and Pickler, who was raised by her grandmother after her mother left and her father went to jail, says she learned how to have a healthy relationship from her new fiancé.

"Kyle took away all my fear of marriage and has shown me the way love is supposed to be," she says.

Thanks to Jacobs -- as well as a renewed relationship with her dad, Clyde Pickler, who's been sober for a year -- "I'm in the happiest place I've ever been," she says, adding that she plans to have her father walk her down the aisle.

This development is a very positive one for Kellie and caps off a great year for her career-wise.

>In what seemed to be more of an afterthought than an example of striking while the iron is hot, Crystal Bowersox was finally allowed to perform on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night. Watch her perform "What's Up?" below:





Also on the show was self-professed Idol fan and actress Dakota Fanning, who coincidentally said she was also a "huge fan" of Crystal.

>Adam Lambert was up in Canada for the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday, where he was one of 10 American and Canadian artists to perform. Watch his performance of "Whataya Want From Me" below:





Adam actually took home an award, too. He nabbed the "UR Fave: International Video" category (whatever that means).

>Danny Gokey released his second music video last week, this time for his latest single "I Will Not Say Goodbye." It premiered exactly one week ago during CMT's "BIG NEW MUSIC WEEKEND," which also featured new video premieres from artists like Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw and LeAnn Rimes. Watch the video below:





The video is pretty hard-hitting, and even though his late wife Sophia is not referenced by name or anything, it's pretty clear she serves as the inspiration for the video along with the side stories of loved ones speaking about family members they've lost.

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Rickey Minor to announce his departure as 'Idol' band leader tomorrow

If anyone noticed, Rickey Minor got a shout out in the final seconds of tonight's episode as Ryan was looking for ways to kill time since they seemed to have wrapped up about one minute ahead of schedule (and what did he expect? The show was like a lighting round with skimpy feedback sessions from the judges).

But he hadn't received too much screen time this season compared to previous seasons, so it was interesting to see him mentioned tonight. The news that he will be departing at the end of the season, however, helps put this into perspective. It was reported by TMZ earlier today that Rickey will be taking over for Kevin Eubanks as band leader over on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno beginning in June. According to "Ministry of Gossip" over at LATimes.com:

Eubanks told Leno during the taping of Monday night's show that, after 18 years, he was definitely moving on. Conan O'Brien compadre Max Weinberg's name had come up in speculation about who'd get the gig, but Team Leno and Team Coco won't mix that way after all. TMZ says the announcement will be made Wednesday on "Idol."

Now the question remains, who will replace Rickey on Idol? Hopefully no one, since that will mean the show will be over and done with. But in all seriousness, I'm willing to bet that former member of Daughtry could give anyone a run for their money.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jordin Sparks goes one day without shoes

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

>Jordin Sparks spent yesterday without shoes in support of One Day Without Shoes, the campaign TOMS sponsored that encourages people to go without wearing shoes for one day out of the year to give them an idea of what it's like to be underprivileged and not have any. Watch Jordin promoting the cause below:





Jordin was so excited that she flashed her bare foot at the camera. This is just the latest cause Jordin has taken up, including Making a Difference (MAD).

>Randy Jackson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday to discuss the show and ended up discussing the love (and lackthereof) demonstrated among the judges. Randy joked that they all make out with each other between commercial breaks. Watch snippets of the the segment below:





Leno then surprised Randy with old footage of Ellen DeGeneres kissing Leno years ago on Tonight, followed by a photo of what looked like Randy and Ryan Seacrest were about to smooch. Apparently the two were engaged in a fake "shouting match."

>Ryan Seacrest was one Ellen on Tuesday, where he dished on all things Idol with the show's host and fourth wheel Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres. Watch a clip from his segment below:





Ryan was asked by an audience member what's going on between him and Simon, and he attributed their weird relationship this season to them being "roommates" before saying they were friends. Ellen said during commercial breaks she walks behind the stage with the other judges while Simon goes to have a smoke. Very insightful.

>Blake Lewis sent out an email to his fans this week asking for support in the hopes of releasing a vinyl version of his latest release Heartbreak on Vinyl. Per his email:

I really want to get my album out to you on Vinyl, but I really, really, really need all of your help. It's all up to you guys and gals.

You are the greatest fans and I'm so thankful for all of your continued support and love for my music.

So, help me and the lovely people at my label Tommy Boy to make a decision by clicking here, and answering 3 very simple questions.

So unless you don't want Blake's album title to not make sense, you better help him out by answering those three very important questions.

>Michael Sarver exclusively premiered the album art for his next single and track list for his forthcoming album Michael Sarver on AINow.org this week. The track list is below:

1. Watch Me
2. Baby I Want You
3. Ferris Wheel
4. Gonna Be A Good Night
5. Safe
6. Give It To Me
7. I'm In The Mood
8. Let Me Love You
9. Cinderella Girl ( Remix)
10. The Way She Loves Me
11. Always Surviving
12. Tell Me
13. You Are (Remix)

The album is set for a June 29 release, while his next single, "Ferris Wheel," gets a May 25 digital release. Maybe he's going for a Carnival Ride type thing?

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Danny Gokey chats with Walmart Soundcheck about 'My Best Days'

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

>After an exceptional first week for his debut album My Best Days, Danny Gokey sat down with Walmart Soundcheck to discuss the songs on the album. Watch a teaser of his interview below:

The full interview can be watched here. Danny talks about how he thinks "I Will Not Say Goodbye" will change the music industry and that there's an energy he needs to create in the studio whereas when he's in front of the crowd it comes naturally. He also discusses how he was raised in church growing up and his family life in general.

>Former Idol judge Paula Abdul will apparently not be starring as host and judge on ABC's upcoming revival of Star Search. According to RadarOnline.com:

But negotiations with ABC broke down Wednesday night a network source told RadarOnline.com.

“A deadline was given and no agreement was reached,” the source told RadarOnline.com.

“And she was offered a lot of money.”

The network wants to air the show this season.

As of right now the deal is dead. It is theoretically possible it could be brought back to life but the source said that’s highly unlikely.

“No, it looks like we hit the end of the road with Paula,” said the source.

This is probably for the better, though. Anyone remember Paula's experiment with hosting VH1's Divas special last September? Let's just say it wasn't her shining moment. On the flip side, this opens her up to be a solid contender to serve as judge on Simon Cowell's American version of his hit show X Factor, which comes to FOX in the fall of 2011.

>As for news about current Idol judges, Kara DioGuardi was the third judge to appear on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno since Leno returned to latenight, as she sat down on his couch on Monday alongside Terry Bradshaw. Watch her interview segment below:



Kara discussed a few interesting topics, including her father's announcement that he would be running for U.S. senate in New York and who she thinks is the front runner (Big Mike). She said at the beginning of the season she thought it was a girl's year but now thinks it's a guy's year.

>Fresh off his reunion duet with Matt Giraud on last week's results show, Scott MacIntyre hit the press junket to promote his new album Heartstrings, including an interview on the Los Angeles FOX affiliate morning program Good Day LA. Watch the segment below:



Scott recalled his experiences on the Idol tour and told the show's co-hosts about an upcoming trip to Japan and his Christmas show with Alice Cooper.

>Jordin Sparks performed in concert at the Star of Texas Rodeo in Austin on Tuesday. The show marked the last time one of her backup singers, Season 3 12th-place finalist Leah LaBelle, would be supporting her on the road. Watch the two duet on "No Air" below:



It has not yet been revealed what Leah plans to do now in terms of music. Jordin will kick off the spring/summer leg of her Battlefield 2010 tour in Atlantic City on Sat., April 24.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Simon Cowell shares laughs and love on Leno's 'Tonight Show'

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

>Simon Cowell stopped by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night to talk Idol, X Factor and life in general. Not surprisingly, the topic of Simon's recent engagement to makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy came up, which prompted her to join her fiance on the couch. Watch the segment below:

Leno continued to badger Simon for the duration of the interview, asking when the wedding would be and whether he'd get married in the states or over in England. Simon also mentioned that he likes Crystal Bowersox (she was the only finalist he mentioned by name).

>Kimberly Caldwell has been out and about promoting her new album Without Regret, and on Tuesday she appeared on Ellen, the latest Idol judge's talk show. Watch her perform her new single "Mess of You" below:



Without Regret is scheduled to be out April 6 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com, while "Mess of You" is now available to download on iTunes.

>ABC's special The Bachelor: Jason and Molly's Wedding aired Monday night, featuring Jason Castro and his ukulele. He served as musical guest at the outdoor wedding ceremony in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Watch him perform "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" below:



Jason also performed his own song "That's What I'm Here For," which can be downloaded at iTunes as of today. The special averaged 9.27 million viewers, which is a mere fraction of the audience Jason was exposed to while he was on Idol.

>Jordin Sparks announced she will be lending her voice and vocals to the Nick Jr. program Team UmiZoomi for an upcoming episode. Jordin tweeted:

TheRealJordin In the studio recording a voice-over & song for Nick Jr. TEAM UMIZOOMI!
3 minutes ago via TwitBird iPhone

This news comes as Jordin continues to tweet about her songwriting sessions, as she was in the studio writing for and with DEZ Armstead among other artists.

>Kelly Clarkson has been busy overseas on the European leg of her tour in support of her album All I Ever Wanted, and concert goers at her show in Hamburg, Germany on Sunday got a bit more excitement than they were expecting when Kelly disappeared for a few minutes mid-performance. Watch a video recap below:



After performing "How I Feel" Kelly explained that for the first time in eight years she just "couldn't hold it." TMI, Kelly. TMI.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kelly Clarkson joins Lilith Fair

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

>It was announced yesterday that Kelly Clarkson will join Sarah McLachlan and her crew on the 2010 Lilith Fair tour. Per MTV News:

Kelly Clarkson will soon take her pop anthems on the road as the latest artist to join the Lilith Fair. It was announced on Thursday (March 4) that Clarkson, The Bangles, The Go-Go's, Dixie Chicks' Emily Robison and Martie Maguire's side project the Courtyard Hounds, Martina McBride and Suzanne Vega will be the latest ladies hitting the road for the female-focused festival.

No word yet on when the tour kicks off, but some of the cities on the itinerary include Boston, Los Angeles, Raleigh and Seattle. Other artists accompanying Kelly range from Ke$ha to Colbie Caillat and La Roux and Loretta Lynn.

>Jay Leno made his much anticipated return to late night on Monday when he took back the reigns of NBC's The Tonight Show. Not surprisingly, Leno had a few friends help him out, including an appearance by Randy Jackson in a taped "man on the street" segment in which Leno went door-to-door searching for a new desk. Watch the clip below:



Randy brought along his pals from the third season of his America's Best Dance Crew, who did an impromptu break dance routine in some random family's doorway. Now that's a party!

>Randy wasn't the only Idol family member to appear on The Tonight Show this week. The next night, Adam Lambert took to the stage to perform "Sleepwalker." Watch the performance below:



Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was also on the show that night, but there's no word on whether she and Adam exchanged any words.

>A few weeks after the release of "We Are the World 25: For Haiti," Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan unveiled the Spanish version of the charity single called "Somos El Mundo 25: Por Haiti" on Tuesday. The song and video features David Archuleta and can be viewed below:



The single and video can now be purchased at iTunes for $2.99, with all proceeds going to the efforts in Haiti.

>Elliott Yamin was in Chile last weekend when the infamous 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation. He was participating in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival at the time of the disaster, and so he has been updating fans of his activities via his official Twitter account, sending tweets like the one below:

Hey yall,.I am fine....no need 2 worry about my meds!...I have insulin....I will live!!..thanx ur concern everybody!!...please retweet asap 8:31 AM Mar 3rd via UberTwitter

Since the earthquake, Elliott has been spreading his story on various media outlets, including Ryan Seacrest's radio show on KIIS-FM.

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Katharine McPhee performs on 'Tonight Show' with strep throat

Katharine McPhee didn't let her diagnosis of strep throat get in the of taping a performance of "Had It All" that aired on last night's episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on NBC. Watch the performance below:

Katharine tweeted about the performance, saying:

Well I made it! My voice was a little wobbly but not bad 4 having strep and a sinus infection! That's what the Doc said. off to NY tommorow about 23 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Kat showed off more than her strained voice last nigh (if you watch the performance you'll know what I'm referring to). She will next appear on Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow.

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IDOL LIVE predix: Katharine McPhee's 'Unbroken'

The first album release from an Idol alum in the new decade comes in the form of Katharine McPhee's delayed sophomore effort Unbroken, which hits stores and digital retailers everywhere tomorrow. This is Kat's first release with Verve Forecast, following her debut via RCA in January 2007.

Besides the big changes in music stylistically, the album is also accompanied by different expectations sales-wise compared to Katharine McPhee. The latter opened at #2 with 116k copies, largely thanks to Kat just coming off a runner-up finish on the fifth season of Idol and a growing single in "Over It." This time around, however, there is no Idol excitement and Unbroken's lead single "Had It All" is only gradually moving up Mediabase's airplay chart and Billboard's AC chart.

Still, Kat's album will benefit from a lack of competition, as Ke$ha's debut LP will be the only direct threat. Plus, she's going to be out and about on the talk show circuit over the next few weeks, kicking off with a visit to Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show on NBC tonight.

Still, album sales in the dead of January have not traditionally been big sellers, and so it will not be a surprise if Unbroken does not open with eye-popping tallies. Still, there's a good chance of a consistent seller in Unbroken, especially if "Had It All" continues to rise on the charts, and so a debut week bow of 20k is most likely in store, with chart placement around #20.

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Adam Lambert performs "Whataya Want From Me" on 'Tonight Show'

Adam Lambert taped his latest televised performance yesterday as he stopped by Universal City in California for an appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien that aired last night. With less pizazz but better vocals than his much talked about performance at the AMAs last month, Adam seemed to get a good response from the audience. Watch the performance below:

Although there was one awkward moment at the end of the performance when Adam stuck his hand out to shake O'Brien's hand and he didn't see it because he was talking into the camera, things were resolved after the final commercial break when O'Brien shook Adam's hand.

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Carrie Underwood performs "Temporary Home" on 'Tonight Show'

Carrie Underwood took a break from her "Cowboy Casanova" when she visited NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien this evening, instead opting to perform the critically-acclaimed ballad "Temporary Home." Watch the performance below:

So what are the chances "Temporary Home" will be single No. 2? It seems highly likely at this point, and it would make sense for "Cowboy Casanova" to be worked at Hot AC radio ASAP, so maybe that's Arista Nashville's plan. Or maybe not...

Following the performance, Carrie sat on O'Brien's couch to chat with the host about her hosting duties at the CMA Awards last week, where she joked "it's not like hosting's hard or anything," which got a laugh out of O'Brien. She also said if Kanye West contacts her about her and Brad Paisley's joke songs about him at the CMAs she'll "blame it on Brad."

Carrie also promoted her two-hour Christmas special on FOX, which premieres Mon., Dec. 7. She will next visit Ellen on Wednesday where she will perform "Cowboy Casanova."

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Kris Allen performs "Live Like We're Dying" on 'Tonight Show'

Kris Allen made his first late night performance of his lead single "Live Like We're Dying" Friday night on NBC's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The performance kicks off the televised portion of his album promo tour, as his self-titled debut drops Tuesday. Watch the performance below:

Kris will next perform in concert on Tuesday when he visits ABC's Good Morning America. For a full schedule of Kris' upcoming appearances, see here.

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Daughtry performs "No Surprise" on 'Tonight Show'

Daughtry visited Conan O'Brien and friends on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien for the band's first late night performance in support of its sophomore album Leave This Town. In keeping with a pattern established with their previous performances, the guys performed "No Surprise." Watch the performance below:

Following the taping of the episode, Chris tweeted about the experience:

Just finished taping Conan. I had my ear monitors way too friggin loud! Hopefully it turned out ok. You can be the judge tonight:) about 20 hours ago from TwitterFon

Fortunately for Chris, everything sounded fine. In fact, they sounded better than their previous few televised performances earlier this week.

They will next perform tonight on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Allison Iraheta performs "Barracuda" on 'Tonight Show'

Allison Iraheta last night performed Heart's classic "Barracuda" on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Watch the performance below:

"Barracuda" is one of Allison's two songs on the "Idols Live!" tour, which she was promoting on the show. The fourth-place finalist was a last-minute replacement for Kris Allen, who canceled his scheduled appearance due to a death in his family.

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Daughtry performs, interviewed on 'The View'

Continuing with their full week of promotional appearances in support of their sophomore album release Leave This Town, the guys from Daughtry hung out with Barbara Walters and her crew on ABC's The View this morning, where they performed "No Surprise" and were asked a few questions by co-hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. Watch the segment below:

After the performance, Chris and his band mates talked about the experience they had writing and recording this album and how it compares to the debut. Sherri also brought up a bomb scare that happened at one of Daughtry's shows with Bon Jovi when they were on tour together, which made for a funny story.

Daughtry will next perform tomorrow night on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

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Kris Allen visits 'Tonight Show'

Kris Allen stopped by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, his first major television appearance since being declared the winner of Idol's eighth season. He sat down with Jay for a series of questions but did not perform. Watch the segment below:

Kris really showed his humorous side and that he is a down to earth guy, cracking jokes about his wife's reaction to her engagement ring and how she told him not to say he was married while on Idol because "you have to get votes somehow."

Kris also mentioned that he and Adam are close friends and told each other they both deserved to win leading up to the finale.

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Kelly performs "I Do Not Hook Up" on 'Tonight Show'

Amid all the excitement surrounding the current Top 3 finalists, it was easy to miss Kelly Clarkson on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. The song, which is her current single, seems old to many Idol fans, but it really is still only working its way up the charts. Watch the performance below:

Kelly sounded better than she has in a long time on "Hook Up," and she looked like she was having fun, which always makes a performance more believable. There was too much panning over to the backup singers (does the one on the right ever really play the guitar, or is it a prop? I've always wondered that) but Kelly was able to command the camera as usual, even by remaining stationary at the micstand.

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Ryan, Randy, Simon and Kara hit the talk show circuit

Between last night's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and today's Ellen, there was a lot of Idol judging going on. Ryan, Randy and Simon sat down with Leno on his program, which aired last night on NBC to chat about the current season and how metrosexual they all are. Watch a recap of the odd segment via E! News Now below:

Later on in the day, Kara DioGuardi appeared on Ellen to discuss what else but Idol. In the segment she did her best to defend her "weird" comments about Adam in the face of Ellen's persisting love for him. Watch a snippet of the segment below:



Ellen seems to be on an Idol roll, as Jennifer Hudson will perform her current single "If This Isn't Love" on tomorrow's episode.

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Cook hits the talkshow circuit

David Cook began making the rounds to promote his new album last week when he premiered his music video for "Light On" on one of the final episodes of MTV's Total Request Live on Wed., Nov. 12. He then performed the single on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Fri., Nov. 14. Watch the performance below:



Yesterday, he found time to sing "Deck the Halls" with Stephen Colbert and Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America. On the show he always performed "Light On," which can be watched below, and "Heroes." In introducing Cook, Sawyer got her facts mixed in saying "not since the Beatles has any artist had this many hits pop up right away off of a new album."

GMA


He will next be performing "Light On" on Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET.

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Arch hits the talkshow circuit

David Archuleta began making the rounds promoting his debut album last Thursday when he appeared on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno to perform "Crush." Watch the performance below:



That was the calm before the storm. Today he hit NBC's Today Show and MTV's Total Request Live. Watch those performances below:

Today


TRL


Arch also stopped by the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing and he will be on Live with Regis & Kelly tomorrow at 9 a.m. By the way, Arch's official music MySpace page got a makeover today, so make sure you check it out.

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David Cook on Leno

David Cook kicked off his post-Idol major media tour on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. Cook got a rise out of the audience when he flopped down on the couch, making fun of how he has not slept much at all since winning.

He discussed a wide variety of topics last night, from whether or not he was surprised he won to his infamous Guitar Hero commercial, and what that was like behind the scenes. Cook was very well spoken and seemed like he was having fun despite the fact that he must be extremely tired.

Jenna Bush, who was also on the show with her mother, Laura, said she voted 40 times for Cook on Tuesday, and that it was the first time she watched Idol.

Watch the full interview segment below:

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