'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kris Allen, Jordin Sparks to perform at Z100's Jingle Ball tonight

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

>Tonight marks the biggest Jingle Ball of all, as New York City's Z100 Jingle Ball takes place at Madison Square Garden. Among the list of artists are none other than Kris Allen and Jordin Sparks. Other artists scheduled to perform include Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Boys Like Girls. More content on the Jingle Ball can be found on Madison Square Garden's official site including photos and video from past shows with other Idol alums.

Last night at another Jingle Ball hosted by fellow clear channel station, Boston's Kiss 108, Bieber helped Jordin out on "No Air," as he sang Chris Brown's part of the duet. Watch a bad-quality fan video below:

Jordin will next perform at the Y100 Jingle Ball in Miami tomorrow night, which will be co-hosted by Adam Lambert.

>Speaking of Adam, he was busy this week being named one of Barbara Walters's "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009," an annual TV special that aired on ABC Wednesday night. His segment lasted about two and a half minutes and can be viewed below:



Adam's interview and performance of "Whataya Want From Me" on The View also aired this week in which he said his "Dreidel spins the other way."

>While getting paid an insane amount to perform in the Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas last weekend, Carrie Underwood was caught by TMZ's cameras on Monday while she was relaxing on the beach. Watch below:



Carrie always seems to gain attention when she's out on the beach. Wonder why?

>In other Carrie news, she announced her 2010 tour promoting her latest album Play On. The tour will kick off on Thurs., March 11, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa., and will conclude on Sun., May 30, at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash. Opening acts include Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia, the later of whom helped out Carrie on her track "What Can I Say." Billboard has a full list of dates and destinations.

>Jessica Sierra became the latest parent in the Idol world, as she gave birth to Kayden Cash Sierra on Sat., Dec. 5, at UCLA Medical Center. She told RadarOnline.com:

"Things happen in life, and don't let your past get you down. You can always overcome -- you can overcome anything you want to and be a better person. Don't let people tell you that you can't."

The baby's father is apparently an ex-boyfriend. IDOL LIVE wishes Jessica the best in her new role as mother.

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Kara outs Adam on 'The View'?

Alright, so if there's anyone out there who still has questions about Adam Lambert and his sexuality, Kara might have cleared a few things up for them. Or did she?

Appearing on The View Friday morning, Kara was asked a myriad of pointed questions by co-hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters, and when it came to a question about Adam and the media hailstorm surrounding his sexuality, Kara went the extra mile in stating:

"I don't think that Adam [Lambert] was ever in [the closet]."

This frankness caught Walters by surprise, as she then asked "Do you really think he was openly out?" and she said "I think he was...I never thought he wasn't." Watch the interview segment below:



Kara was also asked about whether or not she will be returning to the show next season as a judge, and she said she didn't know yet. Maybe this preemption of the Rolling Stone cover issue featuring Adam will be the final nail in the coffin making sure she doesn't return?

But maybe not. Last night, Adam was photographed leaving a club in West Hollywood while holding hands with a man named Drake LaBry, who has long been speculated to be his boyfriend. Either way, won't Adam become a lot less interesting in the eyes of the media once he finally does come out? It seems the media wants to discuss nothing but this one controversy, and it's getting boring.

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Randy Jackson appears on 'Ellen'

Randy Jackson appeared on Ellen this morning to chat about tonight's season premiere. He and host Ellen Degeneres talked about Simon and his love life and decided to play matchmaker. Watch the clip below:

Possible women for Simon to hook up with included Joan Rivers and Barbara Walters. Simon would be extremely pleased.

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Paula & 'Idol' execs not sharing holiday cheer

It looks like Paula is trying her hardest to make this season season of Idol her last as a judge. TMZ is reporting that Idol execs told Paula to tone down her loud chastising of them while making stops on her recent press junket to promote her jewelry.

The latest development according to the gossip site is that Paula was told to "put a lid on her feud" with the show's producers prior to her appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman last night.

Things started to go sour publicly yesterday when Paula told Barbara Walters in an interview on Sirius' XM Radio that producers did not heed her warnings of the consequences of letting her crazed fan/stalker, Paula Goodspeed, make it to TV time on Idol. She said:

"It's fun for them to cause me stress. This was something that would make good television."

This caused a certain famous former producer to fire back, with Nigel Lythgoe telling People.com:

"The very fact that this happened, I'm really sad for her family. It happened about four weeks ago. For it to come back four weeks later, I'm really sad we're still talking about it."

Sure, Nigel. The only reason you're sad that it's still being discussed is because it makes you and your crew look bad. The longer it stays in the public domain, the worse things will be for Idol producers' reputations.

As a result of this latest Paulaversey, look for an announcement of Paula's intentions to leave the show to come midway into the eighth season. Considering all the times it seemed Paula was about to get the axe, it's kind of sad it had to happen this way.

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