'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: 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: Michael Johns visits 'Good Day LA'

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

>Michael Johns took time to visit the guys over on Good Day LA on Wednesday for an interview with Jillian Reynolds & Co. Watch the interview below:

Throughout the interview, clips of Michael performing his new single "Heart On My Sleeve" from Jillian's other show, American Idol Extra, were shown.

>Jennifer Hudson returned to her hometown of Chicago Monday on a leg of her tour with Robin Thicke at the Arie Crown Theatre at McCormick Place. According to a review by The Chicago Tribune, she told the audience:

"I don't need to ask if there are any fighters in Chicago...'Cause that's where I'm from. And I know I'm a fighter."

Jennifer also dedicated her song "You Pulled Me Through" to her family members that were in the audience.

>Even though it seems like "I Do Not Hook Up" is just really starting to heat up the charts, Kelly Clarkson announced at a show in Tucson, Ariz., at the Last Smash Platinum Bash that "Already Gone" would be her third single off All I Ever Wanted. Watch her performance of the song at the show below:



Although conventional wisdom said "Cry" would be the third single off the disc, it seems the release will be satisfying the quota to release a Ryan Tedder track.

>Paris Bennett recently did a photo shoot with 13twentythree Photography for her upcoming album release. She is inviting fans to give their input as to which photo should be used as her album cover. See a montage of her shots below:



The song playing as the backing track is one of Paris' new songs called "Wide Open."

>With all the speculation floating around that Paula will be the judge to bite the dust following the conclusion of Idol's eighth season, that attention might be concentrated on the wrong target. Kara DioGuardi recently told TV Guide the following about the prospects of her returning for Season 9:

"I'm only here for one season....That's what we've discussed. So we'll see what happens."

It would not be a major shock for her to leave considering all the things the inconveniences that have taken place due to the addition of a fourth job.

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