The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Blake Lewis began making the rounds in support of his forthcoming album, Heartbreak On Vinyl, beginning with an appearance on New York City's FOX affiliate morning program, Good Day New York, on Mon., Aug. 3. On the show, Blake spoke with its co-hosts and performed the album's first single, "Sad Song." Watch Blake's performance below:
Blake said the album is about the death of the physical medium of music, and it will additionally be available to purchase on vinyl records. The album will be out on Tues., Oct. 6.
>David Archuleta posted his latest blog entry from his tour with Demi Lovato on his official Ning site on Tues., Aug. 4. A snippet from the entry is found below:
After the Pittsburgh show, we had the North Carolina show, and then went down to Florida! The state where I was born and lived my first 6 years of life haha. We had a day off there, and so I got to spend it with some friends who are amazing people! I also got to spend time with my Grandparents! I love them. My grandparents were actually able to come to all 3 of our shows in Florida, and it was so great. I honestly don't remember the last time I was able to spend that much time with them, so I'm really grateful for it.Arch also talked about some second cousins he did not know existed until he did research and ended up inviting them to his show, and ended the blog entry by encouraging his fans to research up on their families to see if they had any relatives they did not know about.
>Jordin Sparks spoke with ABC News about her new album, Battlefield, in addition to her thoughts on Chris Brown and Paula Abdul. Watch the interview below:
Jordin should get points just for speaking to Darius Brown while getting her nails done. That must take some talent.
>Amid all the Paula mania that happened this week, the controversy raised by Ju'Not Joyner got two more voices to contribute to the discussion. Ayla Brown, a semifinalist on the show's fifth season, told ABCNews.com:
"A few weeks in, when I was rehearsing, Ken and Nigel came in and said, 'You know, we knew you were pretty but we really didn't know you could sing this well,'" Brown said. "It made me think that I was on the show, and some people are put on the show, just to get ratings."Similarly, Justin Buckles, a former production coordinator for Idol, said that the way the show's contestants are treated "is slave labor and I am not afraid to say it."
>Daughtry's highly anticipated AOL Sessions were uploaded to AOL Music last week. Watch the entire set below, starting with "No Surprise."
Other songs performed during the set include "Possum Kingdom," "Every Time You Turn Around," "Home" and "Ghost of Me." In addition to the performances, the band participated in a Q&A session.
