'Idol' odds 'n ends: Syesha Mercado promotes 'Dreamgirls' on 'Good Day LA'

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

>Syesha Mercado appeared on Good Day LA this morning to promote the LA run of the national tour of Dreamgirls, in which she's currently starring. Watch the segment below:

Syesha said she got to work with Diane Warren between Idol and Dreamgirls and that she wants people to see her as "Syesha the artist." She also said she tries to do yoga and work out to keep her stamina fresh, which is necessary for the show. Dreamgirls is at the Ahmanson Theatre now through April 4.

>Kimberley Locke premiered a snippet of her new single "Strobe Light" in a chat with fans on Monday night. A clip of the single can be listened to below:



"Strobe Light," which was produced by Cutfather and Paparazzi and is courtesy of Randy Jackson's record label Dream Merchant 21 Records, will be available to purchase on iTunes on Tues., April 6.

>Entertainment Weekly reported Tuesday that Tamyra Gray and her husband Sam Watters are expecting their first child. Tamyra was expectantly excited, as she told EW:

”I’m just trying to take care of myself and enjoy it,” she said. ”This is way harder than Idol.”

Tamyra said the baby is due in July and they will be surprised with its sex.

>Anoop Desai's new single "My Name" was released on iTunes Tuesday. He took to Philadelphia's The 10! Show on Tuesday to perform an acoustic version of the song, which can be watched below:



The studio version can be listened to here. Anoop went on to promote his new single elsewhere throughout the week including ABC News NOW.

>Lacey Brown continued her post-Idol farewell tour this week, as she stopped by CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday to chat about her short time on the show. Watch her segment below:



Lacey did fairly well on "What a Wonderful World" and had a nice back-and-forth with Letterman. If only she had sounded that good last week.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: FOX to rebroadcast Top 13 Michael Jackson episode Monday

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

>Cat Deely announced during last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance that FOX will be rebroadcasting the Top 13 episode of Season 8, during which the theme was the songs of Michael Jackson. The two-hour episode will air in its entirety at 8 p.m. ET on Mon., June 29.

>Syesha Mercado is following in Jennifer Hudson's footsteps (sort of), as she has landed the role of Deena Jones for the upcoming national tour of the musical Dreamgirls (Jennifer played the role of Effie White in the film adaptation of the musical). The tour will kick off at the Apollo Theatre before embarking on its tour. Per Playbill:

Performances will begin at the Apollo Nov. 7 with an opening scheduled for Nov. 22. The limited run will play the Harlem venue through Dec. 6

The tour will visit the following cities: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Costa Mesa, Cincinnati, Philadelphia.

>Speaking of Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar and Grammy winner was featured in a six-page spread in the July 2009 issue of Elle magazine. Excerpts of her interview with the magazine can be found below:

On being the youngest of three:
“I was the biggest baby. Even now, I find people younger than me babying me.”

On her faith:
“It only gets stronger. Otherwise, I would lose my mind. I always look at things two ways: through my human eye and then through a spiritual perspective. Everything happens for a reason, and God is in control of everything. My favorite hymn is ‘How Great Is Thy Faith in Him?’ And ‘Precious Lord’—who doesn’t love ‘Precious Lord’?”

On her mother’s encouragement:
“Anything she said I could do, I ended up doing. She’d say, ‘You know, I think you could be an actress, Jenny—you can act!’ And I was like, ‘Mama, whatever.’ And then I turn around and win an Oscar!”

The issue is currently available to purchase on newsstands everywhere.

>Daughtry will perform today at Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria. The annual free music concert will also feature the bands Core, Zweitfrau and My Excellence among others.

The photo to the right is of Chris and the boys doing a sound check prior to the concert and is courtesy of Katrinsgoodiebag.se.

>The current OK! magazine features a 17-page spread dedicated to the hottest country singers out there at the moment, and naturally both Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler are included. Two facts about the artists are:

1. Carrie Underwood has been playing softball for nine years.

5. Kellie Pickler attributes her good calves to wearing stilettos, especially ones from Christian Louboutin.

6. Pickler also hates sleeping on other people’s mattresses.

The issue is now available on newsstands nationwide.

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Keeping up with Frenchie Davis

Season 2's outspoken Aretha-like axed contestant Frenchie Davis was an early front runner until racy photos of her leaked. Despite the fact that she was never really able to compete on Idol the way she was supposed to, Frenchie has been able to secure a foothold in the entertainment industry regardless and has become a person of authority when it comes to discussing the show.

Like many Idol alums, Frenchie has found her niche in musical theatre. Having played a multitude of parts in the Broadway production of RENT beginning in 2003, Frenchie was perhaps best know for the soloist in "Seasons of Love." After taking a break to play the role of Effie in a west coast tour of Dreamgirls in 2004 prior to Jennifer Hudson immortalizing the role, Frenchie returned to RENT where she stayed until May 2007.

Frenchie has taken time to experiment in the recording studio as well, where she has recorded "Silent Night" for the Idol compilation album American Christmas, which was released Nov. 25.

She can now be found starring in the 30th anniversary national tour of Ain't Misbehavin', which will is scheduled to run until spring 2009. Former fellow Season 2 alums Ruben Studdard and Trenyce are also starring in the production.

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