The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Continuing in his "Idols Live!" tour-promoting mode, Lee DeWyze stopped by The View on Monday for a brief chat with co-hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd in addition to an acoustic performance of "Hallelujah." Watch the segment below:
Lee didn't have much to say in the interview, but that's not surprising considering the questions he was fielded. Luckily, he delivered an alright performance to make up for it.
>Also on The View this week was Clay Aiken, who served as guest co-host on Tuesday's episode. Surprisingly, Clay "cussed" during a segment in which the ladies discussed spoiled children (or something to that effect). Watch Clay's exit interview in which he apologizes below:
The full episode can be viewed on ABC's website. Clay is planning to begin his "Timeless Tour" with fellow Season 2 alum Ruben Studdard on Fri., July 23 in Asheville, N.C., on which he will promote his new album Tired & True.
>Katharine McPhee promoted her work with the campaign being sponsored by ConAgra Foods and Feeding America on Friday's episode of On the Record with Greta Van Susteren on FOX News Channel. Watch the segment below:
In addition to talking about the campaign, Kat also said she will spend roughly three months putting together her upcoming yet-to-be-titled Christmas album, which she already began recording.
>Kris Allen took a break from his tour with The Barenaked Ladies on Thursday to finally film the music video for his current single "The Truth" in the California desert, however before much could get filmed, rain canceled the operation. Kris was set to film the video with his love interest, model Cindy Vela, and Pat Monahan of Train, but according to one of Kris' recent tweets, it will resume on Monday.
Photos from the set of the shoot were released, however, showing that Kris' wife, Katy, is standing by to show him some support.
>David Cook posted one of his world famous vlogs this week to tease fans about his upcoming release. It basically consists of black and white shots of recording sessions in the studio. Watch the vlog below:
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Simon Cowell's big sit-down on Oprah's couch (out of studio, far away from a studio audience) aired on her eponymous show yesterday, and he didn't hold back on any topic, addressing things ranging from his brushes with depression to "horrific mistakes" that led to him living out of his car when he was younger. Watch a clip below courtesy of The Insider:
Simon said he thinks this season has been too much about the judges, but what does he expect when a) the contestants are horrible and b) it's his last season. The judges are the most interesting part of this season.
>Casey James talked with the press today following his ouster Wednesday night. Casey was asked about "losing his shirt" during his audition in Denver and whether or not he would have done it again if he had the chance to go back to that point. Casey said:
"There's a possibility (that) had I not done that I might not have made it past that first round. It definitely wasn't something that I thought of, or even realized was going to happen. (But) it obviously worked out," he added.
Casey also appeared on Ellen this morning to talk about his time on the show. Watch a clip of his segment below:
Ellen was sure to say she thought he was a "great singer" and Casey mentioned how he hadn't seen Idol before he was on it because he didn't own a TV (something we all already knew), but he added that he finally bought one as well as a PS3. Good choice, Casey.
>Forbes.com released a list of the Top 10 earning Idol alums for the May 2009-April 2010 year, and it is less than spectacular. Even though the top earners are still raking in millions, the totals are far less than they were just years ago. Below is an abbreviated list of the Top 10 earners:
01) Kelly Clarkson ($8 million)
02) Carrie Underwood ($7 million)
03) Chris Daughtry ($5.4 million)
04) Kellie Pickler ($4.3 million)
05) David Cook ($2.3 million)
06) Jennifer Hudson ($2 million)
07) Jordin Sparks ($1.8 million)
08) David Archuleta ($1.4 million)
09) Clay Aiken ($800,000)
10) Kris Allen ($672,000)
When last season's winner is making less money in a year than a runner-up from seven seasons ago, that tells you something about the trajectory of this show and its contestants.
>Tomorrow's big KISS Concert sponsored by the Boston Top 40 radio station KISS 108 FM will feature three Idol alums, as it was announced yesterday that Ayla Brown will join a roster of 17 other acts including Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Per a press release:
Brown, who will graduate from Boston College on Monday and is now a special contributor for CBS’ The Early Show, joins an impressive lineup of 17 fellow artists and bands including Ke$ha, Jason Derulo and Kevin Rudolf. Fellow American Idol alums Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are also scheduled to perform.
Upon receiving word that she was invited to take part in KISS Concert, Brown said she was ecstatic.
"I’m so excited that KISS asked me to perform at KISS Concert because they always put on a first-rate show," Brown said. "Just to share the stage with some of the biggest names in music is a great honor.”
Ayla will perform at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass., at 2:15 p.m, while Kris will take the stage at 8 p.m. and Kris will close out the show at 9 p.m. A live webcast of the concert will be available at KISS108.com beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
>Bo Bice was out promoting his brand new album 3 this week, which included a stop at FOX & Friends on FOX News Channel. Watch him perform "You Take Yourself With You" below:
Bo explained the significance of the album's title, including the fact that he and his wife have three kids and this is his third studio album since finishing as runner-up on Season 4. The album is available in stores nationwide and at digital retailers including iTunes and Amazon.com
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Since there are fans dying of anticipation ahead of this summer's "American Idols Live!" tour (yeah, right), the franchise decided to inform the world of the tour stops on Tuesday. The highlights of the tour? Besides the Top 10 finalists that will be contractually obligated to perform from July 1 until Sept. 14, some exciting stops include the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., on July 15, the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., on Aug. 8 and the United Center in Chicago, Ill. on Aug. 30. A full list of tour dates reveals that 49 shows will be performed in 49 cities, including two Canadian locales.
Tickets go on sale beginning Fri., May 14, at 11 a.m., with the majority of them becoming available on Sat., May 15, at 10 a.m.
>It's as close to being official as possible: Kris Allen's second single will be "The Truth," the Toby Gad/Pat Monahan-penned ballad. Interestingly enough, Jive ordered the production of a version featuring the vocals of Monahan, the lead singer of Train, on the bridge, which will most likely be the version sent to radio. Listen to the redone version below:
Kris has yet to weigh in on the selection of "The Truth" as his second single, but regardless of what he thinks of it, he will be performing the song on the Idol finale. You can't ask for a bigger promotional opportunity than that.
>Jordin Sparks was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday along with U.S. Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood and congressional members to raise awareness for Allstate's "X the TXT" campaign. Per the press release, Jordin said:
"Sending a text is not worth taking a life," said Grammy-nominated Jordin Sparks. "Unfortunately, it can be easy to forget the dangers of texting and driving when you get behind the wheel. That's why it is important for teens, their friends and families to acknowledge the risks and pledge together not to do it."
Jordin also appeared on FOX News Channel to promote awareness of the campaign, which can be watched below:
>Ryan Seacrest recently announced that he will lend his voice to a character in the upcoming Dreamworks release Shrek Forever After, and now we know what his character will look like. Only known as "father of Butter Pants," the character was revealed in a screencap posted on Ryan's official site on Wednesday as seen on the right. Per the post on Ryan's site:
Coincidentally, the pudgy character of Butter Pants is played by "Shrek" director Mike Mitchell who says the scene that Ryan appears in is indeed a "pivotal moment" in the storyline.
Ryan's voice talents will be heard in theaters nationwide beginning Fri., May 21.
>Katharine McPhee announced Thursday she has recorded a new version of her song "Terrified," which features the vocals of Chuck star Zachary Levi instead of co-writer Jason Reeves, who is featured on the album version and seems to be in "Camp Kara" when it comes to his allegiance judging by his recent performance of the song with Judge DioGuardi on Lopez Tonight. Of Levi, Kat said in an e-mail:
He is amazing and the new version is incredible. Next week you'll get to hear the song and there's a great video to go with it as well.
Presumably, the single will hit iTunes on Tuesday. You can already see a rough clip of the video, which will be airing in movie theaters nation wide as part of "Screenvision."
Katharine McPhee made multiple appearances this past week in support of her sophomore album Unbroken, which was released this past Tuesday. Kat stopped by FOX News Channel's On the Record with Greta van Susteren for a 10-minute chat on Thursday, which can be viewed below:
In addition to the usual chatter about her music and hairstyle, Kat was able to discuss her involvement in the "McPhee Outreach" program that has enabled her to fund a pre-school for about 90 kids in the African nation of Burkina-Faso.
Yesterday, Kat performed "Had It All" and "Keep Drivin" on CBS' Saturday Early Show during the show's "Second Cup Cafe" segment. She chatted with co-host Erica Hill about her songwriting and what it was like for her to take time off from recording between her first and second albums. Watch the performance of "Had It All" and a short interview below:
Kat also made a few small appearances, including a few performances on New York's CW affiliate WPIX, where she also performed "Had It All" and "Keep Drivin."
IDOL LIVE would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season. Please enjoy this time of year by spending time with loved ones and don't forget to do a good deed, especially in this time of need.
As a way to celebrate the occasion, please enjoy David Archuleta's performance of "Angels We Have Heard On High" from his Christmas album Christmas From the Heart from his appearance on FOX News Channel's FOX and Friends morning program on Wednesday:
Don't forget to watch Kris Allen perform "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at Walt Disney World's annual Christmas Day Parade, which will air on ABC at 9 a.m. ET. The performance was taped on Dec. 3.
Continuing with his post-Idol press tour, Kris Allen appeared on FOX News Channel's Huckabee program, which aired last night. He spoke with the show's host, fellow Arkansas native and former governor of the state Mike Huckabee, and even performed an acoustic set of The Beatles' "Yesterday" with a little support from the governor. Watch the performance below:
Kris talked about his marriage to wife Katy and his mission trips to Thailand and elsewhere, where he said people always had a smile on their face and meant a lot to him and his fellow aid workers. He also said his family and friends keep him grounded, and that his musical influences growing up were Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.
Kris also joked by suggesting maybe he could be the governor of Arkansas someday and Huckabee said "it's a good gig."
Looks like we missed one Idol alum that was in Times Square last night. Season 4's Constantine Maroulis was on FOX News' U Party 2009 to promote his off-Broadway show Rock of Ages' transfer to the great white way in April. Watch his interview with Courtney Friel below:
Constantine said Rock of Ages will make its debut at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 7, with previews beginning in March.
Jordin Sparks put herself in the line of fire last night when she appeared on FOX News Channel's debate show Hannity & Colmes to discuss her much talked about moment at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards. Jordin stated her view on promise rings and how it feels to be a a member of a select group that often draws mocking from the liberal entertainment industry. Watch the interview below:
Conservative co-host Sean Hannity said he was a "big fan" of Jordin's while liberal co-host Alan Colmes said he "admires" her for staking her ground.
"It’s great to be open about everything I’ve had to overcome and this turned out to be the best thing — I am so, so blessed. My grandma filled that void of not having my mom in my life, so she was like my grandma, my mom and my best friend all in one."
Kellie also said fellow Season 5 alum Katharine McPhee has been somewhat of a "sister" to her:
"Katharine has been like a sister to me. So I was very, very honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding."
Kellie's new single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful," is up on her official music MySpace page and will be available to purchase at digital retailers on Tuesday.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
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