'Idol' odds 'n ends: Blake Lewis premieres "Sad Song" video

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

>After treating fans to a sneak peek at his latest music video on Fri., Sept. 18, Blake Lewis premiered the full video on his official music MySpace page this past Tuesday. Watch the video below:

The video was directed by Ana Veselic. Blake's forthcoming album Heartbreak On Vinyl is due out Tues., Oct. 6, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

>In other Idol runner-up news, Justin Guarini is back in the news, this time for his upcoming marriage to high school friend Reina Capodici. According to The New York Post, Justin said of the news:

“I’ve traveled all over the world but I found the woman I love right in my own backyard,” Guarini told RadarOnline.com. “I’ve known Reina since I was 15 but we didn't actually start dating until two years ago … Her mother was my English teacher in junior high school!”

The news was originally reported by RadarOnline.com. The wedding will take place at a private estate along the Delaware River tomorrow (Sat., Sept. 26).

>Melinda Doolittle and her friend Kelley Norris recorded a "happy birthday" vlog for Ross Matthews of Inside Dish with Ross Matthews, which was embedded on Melinda's official Web site yesterday. Watch the clip below:



Portions of the vlog were incorporated into Matthews' webisode that aired yesterday, where it played alongside birthday messages from people including Perez Hilton and Lydia Tavera of Big Brother fame.

>Some interesting numbers came in for the 2009 "Idols Live!" tour courtesy of alt.tv-americanidol, showing that it grossed a mammoth $30.1 million in total revenue. Other interesting tidbits:

Total Attendance: 483,512
Number of Tickets Available: 564,938
% Capacity: 85.6%
Average Gross: $578,301
Average Attendance: 9,298
Average Ticket Price: $62.19

It was also interesting to see that the last five cities were sold out (Bridgeport, Portland, Providence, Syracuse, Manchester) and the city with the worst attendance was Vancouver (8,203 of 12,533 [65%]).

>Jordin Sparks was recently featured in a segment on the British ITV's Good Morning Television (GMTV) program for a behind the scenes look at her tour with The Jonas Brothers. The segment, which aired yesterday, followed Jordin around backstage at her concert in Las Vegas, Nev., and can be watched below:



As mentioned by the GMTV correspondent that filed the segment, Jordin's current single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)," which was heavily featured in the segment, will be released in The U.K. on Mon., Oct. 12.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kris Allen sets a date - Nov. 17

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

>After weeks of speculation about the exact release date of Kris Allen's debut album, it has finally been confirmed via the Season 8 champ himself that the yet-to-be titled album will hit stores and digital retailers on Tues., Nov. 17. Courtesy of Kris' official Twitter account:

KrisAllen4Real Hey guys! The album is set to release Nov 17th. about 16 hours ago from TwitterFon

The good news for Kris is that this date is ideal considering its proximity to Thanksgiving, and thus, "Black Friday," but the bad news is he will have plenty of competition unless some artists shift their album release schedules. Other albums set to drop on the date include Leona Lewis' Echo plus albums from John Mayer and Norah Jones and, although not nearly as much of a threat, Jason Castro's debut on Atlantic Records is due out that day.

>Taking a break from co-headlining a tour with the Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks joined Britney Spears' "Circus Tour" on Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Watch her perform "Battlefield" below from the Tues., Aug. 25 show:



Jordin will re-join Britney's tour tomorrow in Boston, Mass., following a performance set with the JoBros at their Cleveland, Ohio stop yesterday.

>David Archuleta (or more likely, someone from Jive) blogged about his forthcoming Christmas release for the first time on his official music MySpace page, as he posted the following on Wednesday:

David's Christmas album 'Christmas From The Heart' is now available for pre-order only @ amazon.com. Click HERE to order yours today! The album will be released on October 13, 2009!

As stated above, the album can be pre-ordered on Amazon for $9.99 and will be out Tues., Oct. 13.

>Another runner-up, Blake Lewis, has been in the news for more than his album cover and track list this week. Brian Mansfield of USAToday.com's "Idol Chatter" blog reported the sixth season's runner-up is in tax trouble. Per the blog post:

The Detroit News' Tax Watchdog blog reports that the Internal Revenue Service filed a lien against Blake for nearly $125,000 in July.

The post goes on to say a spokesman for Blake has denied he is in any hot water and that the taxes have been paid, but there is no evidence that a lien release has been filed. Sit back, this could get interesting.

>The first official auditions preview premiered on AmericanIdol.com, which is hosted by Season 8 11th-place finalist Alexis Grace via TV Guide Network. Watch the video below:



If this is the best Idol can do to start getting people excited for Season 9 (minus all the Paula press and celebrity guest judges), then things do not look too promising.

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Jordin Sparks performs "Battlefield" on 'Late Night'; chats on 'Today'

In her second nationally televised performance of the day, Jordin Sparks last night give it her all on stage at NBC's late night talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Unsurprisingly, Jordin sang a rousing rendition of "Battlefield," and the audience members overlooking Jordin and her band most likely would agree. Watch the performance below:

Earlier this morning, Jordin was interviewed by Kathie Lee Gifford and Tori Spelling on The Today Show about her tour with the Jonas Brothers and her new album Battlefield. Watch the segment below:

In addition to discussing her vocal hemorrhage scare last year, Jordin was asked if she has any crushes on the JoBros, to which she replied "No, oh my goodness no. They're great people but no."

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Jordin Sparks performs "Battlefield" on 'Good Morning America'

To kick off her promotional campaign for her sophomore album Battlefield, Jordin Sparks stopped by ABC's Good Morning America to perform a few songs off the record in addition to chatting with GMA meteorologist Sam Champion. Watch Jordin perform "Battlefield" below:

In her short interview, Jordin talked about preparing for "Jonas Mania" before joining the Jonas Brothers on tour. By the way, can anyone identify the Idol alum serving as Jordin's back-up singer? (hint: she's the rightmost back-up singer).

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IDOL LIVE predix: Jordin Sparks' 'Battlefield'; Brooke White's 'High Hopes & Heartbreak'

Season 6 champ Jordin Sparks is the second major Idol alum to release an album in the span of a week, and just like Daughtry's first album, Jordin's self-titled debut eventually was certified platinum. The two releases also were each released Thanksgiving week, albeit a year apart (2006 for Daughtry, 2007 for Jordin Sparks).

This fact makes predicting first week sales for Jordin's latest album Battlefield a bit trickier, as proved by my overambitious prediction for Leave This Town just one week ago. Another important factor to consider in predicting the kind of numbers the album will open to is the relevant competition.

Opening against Jordin are Demi Lovato, Brooke Hogan, Sugar Ray to name a few. Out of that crop, the biggest threat to Battlefield is Lovato's Here We Go Again, which is benefiting from a top-selling single and Disney-related promo from her Disney Channel show Sonny with a Chance. As for Hogan, her single is not faring nearly as well, and with limited promo she should expect a very soft release.

Jordin's first album opened at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart with 119.1k copies, but again, this was Thanksgiving week and nearly two years ago. The story this time around will undoubtedly be the fact that "Battlefield" is not half the single "Tattoo" was, which will diminish the chance of a big opening week. Although Jordin is a part of the hottest tour (Jonas Brothers) at the moment, and she has more than 200k followers on Twitter, on which she has been alerting fans about her album's release for weeks now, it appears that a safe bet for a prediction would be somewhere in the 65k range. As for where it will place on the BB 200, a Top 10 showing at #7 sounds about right.

As for Brooke White's first post-Idol album High Hopes & Heartbreak, an extremely healthy pre-release week on iTunes has earned it between 8-10k according to estimates. In its first week of nationwide release, a slightly higher take should be expected, probably somewhere around 16k. On the chart side of things, an increase to #35 seems like a plausible scenario.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Paula Abdul "optimistic" about returning

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

>Paula Abdul spent her day filming a guest appearance on Lifetime's upcoming dramedy Drop Dead Diva, which premieres Sun., July 12. She will play a judge that hears a case about a store refusing to carry clothing for plus-sized women and her episode will air sometime in September.

While on the set, Paula said she is "optimistic" about returning to Idol as a judge, although a new contract has yet to be drafted. In her own words:

“I’ve been invited to stay the duration of the show, however long it lasts.”

Her most recent contract expired at the end of the show's eighth season. Aside from the contract drama, Paula has been keeping herself in the public eye, aided by her pivotal role in the Sacha Baron Cohen film Bruno, out today.

>One week ahead of its release, Daughtry's sophomore album Leave This Town was added to VH1.com's "The Leak" section, which allows fans to stream albums in their entirety prior to being released. The stream came at the best possible time, as it coincided with the album's pre-release illegal leak.

>The other big Idol album due out this July, Jordin Sparks' Battlefield, has a release date only a week-and-a-half away, and Jordin is currently touring with The Jonas Brothers. At Wednesday's show in Minneapolis, Minn., Jordin sang "Smile" by Natalie Cole in remembrance of Michael Jackson, as it was his favorite song. Watch fan video of the performance below:


Although Jordin's album has not leaked in full, as many as four tracks have found their way onto the web, including "Walking On Snow," "Emergency (911)," bonus track "It Takes More" and her next single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)." Naturally, she is not happy with the leaks, as she tweeted the following:

is SO angry right now. We give you promo copies for you to listen to. NOT to post all over the Internet. Jerks. >:O 9:05 PM Jul 6th from TwitterFon

and followed it up with:

Sorry! Its just so frustrating! If it was up 2 me I wouldnt give copies. Its not my call. I get a few days b4 the album but 2 weeks!? Cmon! 9:19 PM Jul 6th from TwitterFon

Apparently Jordin is just as human as the rest of us.

>Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will host American Top 40 (AT40) this Sunday, taking over for Ryan Seacrest, the radio show's actual host. Per a tweet from Ryan alerting fans of this week's guest hosts, Adam said he regrets saying Kris is cute. Slow news day I guess?

>Katharine McPhee announced Wednesday another promotion via her official Twitter account to help raise awareness of her forthcoming release on Verve Forecast Records. The contest allows fans to enter to win a 16GB iPod Touch and a T-shirt autographed by Kat herself (a total prize package is valued at $300) by signing up at TheCelebrityCafe.com. Fans may enter once per day until Fri., July 31.

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'Idol' alums nominated for Teen Choice Awards

As certain as the sun will rise and Ryan Seacrest will tell people they are safe, the Teen Choice Awards are once again returning to FOX this August. And, as usual, Idol alums dominate the list of nominations.

This year, the most interesting category to watch will be the "Male Reality/Variety Star" category in the TV section, where both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are nominated. This is interesting, as the category is usually reserved only for the Idol winner. Adam received one other nomination in the "Red Carpet Icon - Male" category in the Other Stuff section, which he will easily win in.

Another rather interesting observation in terms of Idol effects is the "TV: Personality" category, which features two personalities from Idol (Simon Cowell and Ryan) and two from America's Best Dance Crew, which is produced by Randy Jackson.

But the Idol alum to score the most nominations is David Archuleta, as he is up for "Music: Breakout Artist," his single, "Crush," is up for "Music: Love Song" and his tour with Demi Lovato is nominated for "Music Tour."

See a full list of Idol-related nominees below:

TV: Reality Competition
America's Best Dance Crew
Dancing With The Stars
American Idol
America's Next Top Model
The Bachelor

TV: Personality
Ryan Seacrest - American Idol, E!
Simon Cowell - American Idol
Tyra Banks - America's Next Top Model
Lil Mama - America's Best Dance Crew
Mario Lopez - America's Best Dance Crew

TV: Male Reality/Variety Star
Kris Allen - American Idol
Brody Jenner - Bromance
Adam Lambert - American Idol
Ryan Sheckler - Life of Ryan
Rob Dyrdek - Fantasy Factory

Music: Single
Miley Cyrus - The Climb
Britney Spears - Circus
Katy Perry - Hot N Cold
Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You
Lady Gaga - Poker Face

Music: R&B Artist
Beyonce
Jaime Foxx
Jennifer Hudson
Ne- Yo
T- Pain

Music: Breakout Artist
Asher Roth
David Archuleta
David Cook
Kid Cudi
Lady Gaga

Music: Love Song
Crush - David Archuleta
Halo - Beyonce
How Do You Sleep - Jesse McCartney
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Lovebug - Jonas Brothers

Music: R&B Track
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A ring On It)
Jennifer Hudson - If This Isn't Love
Kanye West - Love Lockdown
Ne-Yo - Mad
Soulja Boy Tell 'em Featuring Sammie - Kiss Me Thru The Phone

Music Album Female Artist
Carnival Ride - Carrie Underwood
Fame - Lady Gaga
Fearless - Taylor Swift
I am… Sasha Fierce - Beyonce
One Of The Boys - Katy Perry

Music Album Male Artist
Relapse - Eminem
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - Jason Mraz
David Cook - David Cook
808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West
Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne

Music Tour
Jonas Brothers
Britney Spears
Demi Lovato/David Archuleta
Taylor Swift
American Idol Tour

Other Stuff Red Carpet Icon - Male
Justin Timberlake
Adam Lambert
Jonas Brothers
Zac Efron
Kanye West

The 2009 Teen Choice Awards, hosted by The Jonas Brothers, will be broadcast on Mon., Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Voting runs from now until Aug. 1 and is open to anyone between the ages of 13-19 (or anyone who says they're between this age range).

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Jordin confirms all U.S. dates for Jonas Brothers tour

It was announced a few weeks back that Jordin Sparks would be joining the Jonas Brothers on their upcoming international tour. Now, it can be confirmed that Jordin will be appearing on all North American stops beginning with a concert in Dallas, Tex., on June 6. According to a Q&A she did with Eonline.com last week:

I am so stoked. What I’ve got confirmed so far are the U.S. tour dates, and it is a pretty long tour. I think it’s close to 50 dates, and they keep adding more. I met them a couple years ago, and they are really great people. We've kept in contact and our paths have crossed. I am very excited to go on tour with them. It’ll expose me to a whole bunch of other fans.

To add to the tour news, Jordin just tweeted a few hours ago the following:

Confirmed: ALL US TOUR DATES w/ THE JONAS BROTHERS. See you there! :)

A full list of international tour dates can be found on the Jonas Brothers' official Web site. Below are all North American dates as of today:


06.20.09 Dallas, TX New Cowboys Stadium
06.22.09 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
06.24.09 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
06.26.09 Nampa, ID Idaho Center
06.27.09 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
06.28.09 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
06.30.09 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
07.02.09 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
07.04.09 Provo, UT Stadium of Fire
07.05.09 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
07.07.09 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
07.08.09 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
07.09.09 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
07.10.09 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
07.11.09 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
07.13.09 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
07.14.09 E. Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center
07.17.09 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
07.20.09 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
07.24.09 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
07.25.09 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
07.26.09 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
07.28.09 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
07.29.09 Kanasas City, MO Sprint Center
08.01.09 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
08.03.09 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose
08.04.09 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
08.05.09 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
08.07.09 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
08.08.09 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
08.11.09 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena
08.13.09 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
08.14.09 Houston, TX Toyota Center
08.15.09 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
08.16.09 Birmingham, AL BJCC
08.18.09 Tampa, FL St Pete Times Forum
08.19.09 Ft Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center
08.21.09 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Arena
08.22.09 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
08.23.09 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
08.25.09 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
08.26.09 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
08.27.09 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
08.29.09 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
08.30.09 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
08.31.09 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jordin to tour with Jonas Brothers

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

>It was announced on Wednesday that Jordin Sparks would be appearing with the Jonas Brothers on a select few stops of their 2009 world tour. Although the dates on which she will perform with them have yet to be released, it would be a good bet that she will be at the Jobing.com Arena on Aug. 11 in Phoenix, Arix.

>Carrie Underwood got a day-late birthday present when boyfriend Mike Fisher scored a goal for the Ottowa Senators on Wed., March 11. Carrie was shown celebrating the goal and Fisher said he scored the goal for Carrie as a b-day present in a post-game interview. Bet Tony Romo could never do that!

>Amidst a hectic promo week, Kelly Clarkson's Walmart Soundcheck performances were added to the retail giant's Web site earlier this week. In addition to being interviewed, Kelly performed a medley of hits including "Walk Away," "Since U Been Gone," "My Life Would Suck Without You," "I Do Not Hook Up" and "Because Of You."

>Katharine McPhee last night unveiled her first vlog since signing with Verve Forecast on her official Web site. Watch it below:

Kat's fake piano-playing is genuis, as it displays her fun personality that is often overlooked. She also revealed a personal e-mail address, kat@katharinemcphee.com, that she will use to correspond with fans.

>The most recent issue of Playboy featured an interview with Micheal Johns in the "Rock the Rabbit" segment. In the interview, he discussed his musical influences, which range from Paul McCartney to Otis Redding, and his T-shirt design concept that involves making a maze out of many bunnies repeating.

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Carrie, Jennifer to perform at the Grammys

It was today announced that Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson will be featured performers at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. RealityTvWorld reports the following on Jennifer's busy month after keeping such a low profile for a long period of time:

Hudson's Grammy performance will be the latest in a string of upcoming appearances for the singer, who had secluded herself from the public in the wake of the murders of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in October. In addition to performing at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on February 6, the singer will also perform the national anthem to kick off Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, FL on Sunday, February 1 on NBC.

Other artists slated to perform at the venerable music awards show include Coldplay, the Jonas Brothers and Katy Perry.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Alums get NAACP Awards noms

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

>The list of nominees for the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards was made public this week, and Jennifer Hudson leads all nominees with seven nods. Other Idol alums to receive nominations for the show, which will air Thurs., Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. on FOX, were Jordin Sparks, Fantasia and Idol's band leader Rickey Minor. Idol itself also got two noms - one for the seventh season and one for the latest "Idol Gives Back" special.

>Davd Cook posted a "Happy New Year" vlog from his house last night on his official YouTube account in which he mentioned a college tour beginning in mid-February, the availability of merchandise at the shows and online and the introduction of his new puppy, Dublin. Watch the vlog below:

>Jordin also made headlines this week when she taped a congratulatory message to the Jonas Brothers for their Grammy nomination before performing with them at a variety show in Nashville. After being told she had to restart her message, she says something that sounds very much like the F-word, but she claims that she did not say it in a status alert from Jan. 6 on her MySpace:

What the heck!? I didnt say the F* word!!! Can we just make that clear?! Geez.

Jordin has spoken so we believe her, but you be the judge.

>TimRyansReelHawaii.com yesterday reported Katharine McPhee has signed on to star as one of the three lead roles in the film Wedlock, which will begin filming on Oahu in mid-February or early March. The $6 million budget film centers around the daughter of a Croation mob boss (Kat) trying to seek citizenship in the U.S.

>New judge Kara DioGuardi gave an interview with The New York Times that was published yesterday about her stint on the upcoming season of Idol. She said that if Simon does not let her speak it will be an issue. She also said the following interesting point:

"If rock was in style, I would do rock songs," she said. "If R&B was kicking, I would do R&B." It was a decision born of creative interest but also personal need. "I wanted to be independent. I didn’t feel it like a girl having pressure. I felt man pressure."

Another interesting fact about Kara is that she had a record deal with MCA Records early in her career but nothing ever came of it.

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Poll of the week - Fans surprised at Daughtry snub

Although it appeared that IDOL LIVE readers were most shocked at the fact that Carrie Underwood's album Carnival Ride failed to receive a nomination for Best Country Album for the majority of the duration of this past week's poll, it appears some Daughtry fans wanted to give their two cents before the poll closed.

And so the final results of the poll asking readers what surprised them the most about the 51st Grammy Award nominations regarding Idol-related noms, the fact that Daughtry did not receive a single nomination received 76 votes (36%). Next was the fact that Carnival Ride did not get a nom for Country Album, with 68 readers (or 32%) finding that to be the most surprising development.

33 votes (15%) were cast representing disbelief that Jordin Sparks did not get a nomination for Best New Artist (but the Jonas Brothers did), and 17 people were surprised by nothing.

In this week's poll of the week, readers are asked to vote on what is their favorite 2008 Idol Christmas release, either album or single. You will have exactly one week to vote.

Jordin wasn't nominated for New Artist 33 (15%)
Carrie's 'Carnival Ride' wasn't nominated for Country Album 68 (32%)
Jennifer received four nominations 10 (4%)
Daughtry didn't receive a nomination 76 (36%)
Carrie's "Last Name" was nominated for Female Country Vocal instead of "Just a Dream" 4 (1%)
Nothing surprised me 17 (8%)

Total votes: 208

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'Idol' alums nominated for 51st Grammys

There were a few Idol-related shockers at the special (yet pointless) one-hour 51st Grammy Awards announcement special, most of them having to do with who wasn't nominated.

CBS shamelessly stretched out the televised announcements for a few select "important" categories in tonight's special, with only one nomination in a major category going to an alum. Jordin Sparks was nominated for her single "No Air" along with Chris Brown in the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category.

But it was Jennifer Hudson that got the most nominations for an alum, as her "Spotlight" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, her duet with Fantasia of "I'm His Only Woman" received a nom for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals and her debut album, Jennifer Hudson, got a nomination for Best R&B Album.

One of the more surprisingly revelations was how few nominations Carrie Underwood received. She was able to manage a nom for "Last Name" in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category and for "Ever Ever After" from Enchanted in the Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media category.

Full Idol-related category list follows:

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
* Lesson Learned - Alicia Keys & John Mayer
* 4 Minutes - Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
* Rich Woman - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
* If I Never See Your Face Again -Rihanna & Maroon 5
* No Air - Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
* Me, Myself And I - Beyoncé
* Heaven Sent - Keyshia Cole
* Spotlight - Jennifer Hudson
* Superwoman - Alicia Keys
* Need U Bad - Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Ribbon In The Sky - Boyz II Men
* Words - Anthony David Featuring India.Arie
* Stay With Me (By The Sea) - Al Green Featuring John Legend
* I'm His Only Woman - Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia
* Never Give You Up - Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton

Best R&B Song
* Bust Your Windows - Salaam Remi & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Deandre Way, songwriter) (Jazmine Sullivan)
* Customer - I. Barias, Raheem DeVaughn, C. Haggins, K. Oliver & J. Smith, songwriters (Raheem DeVaughn)
* Heaven Sent - Keyshia Cole, Jason Farmer & Alex Francis, songwriters (Keyshia Cole)
* Miss Independent - M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & S. Smith, songwriters (Ne-Yo)
* Spotlight - Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)

Best R&B Album
* Love & Life - Eric Benét
* Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA - Boyz II Men
* Lay It Down - Al Green
* Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson
* The Way I See It - Raphael Saadiq

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
* For These Times - Martina McBride
* What I Cannot Change - LeAnn Rimes
* Last Name - Carrie Underwood
* Last Call - Lee Ann Womack
* This Is Me You're Talking To - Trisha Yearwood

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
* Down To Earth (From Wall-E) - Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman, songwriters (Peter Gabriel)
* Ever Ever After (From Enchanted) - Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
* Say (From The Bucket List) - John Mayer, songwriter (John Mayer)
* That's How You Know (From Enchanted) - Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Amy Adams)
* Walk Hard (From Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story) - Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan & John C. Reilly, songwriters (John C. Reilly)

The real travesty was the fact that Leona Lewis lost out to the Jonas Brothers in the Best New Artist category. Truly an embarrassment to the music industry.

A full list of nominees for all 110 categories can be found on Grammy.com. The 51st annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS on Mon., Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

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Melinda's 'Coming Back to You' in January

Season 6's resident shy powerhouse, Melinda Doolittle, has finally set a date for the release of her much awaited debut album. Coming Back to You, a mix of "the fiery electricity of Tina Turner’s early years with the slick production and lush instrumentation of today’s pop-soul renaissance" per her reps, will hit stores in January courtesy of Hi Fi Recordings, whom she signed with in July. In a statement, Melinda said:

"I'm so excited to be using live instruments and to be singing music that really paints a picture. I knew my task was to just go in the studio and be me and the music would take care of the rest."

The album's producer, Mike Mangini, has worked with The Jonas Brothers and Joss Stone in the past. It looks like Melinda's in good company.

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VMA wrap-up: Jordin steals the spotlight

Although she went home empty-handed Sunday at MTV's 25th annual Video Music Awards, Jordin Sparks shook up the scene at the Paramount Pictures lot with her heat of the moment defense of the Jonas Brothers after their decision to wear purity rings was mocked by host Russell Brand (who?) in his opening monologue.

Jordin was so upset by his remarks that she had to give her two cents when it was her turn to introduce T.I. alongside John Legend. Watch her response below:



The comeback has been receiving a lot of press and online buzz, mostly positive. On the awards front, Jordin's video for "No Air" lost out to Tokio Hotel's "Ready, Set, Go!" for Best New Artist and Britney Spears' "Piece of Me" for Best Female Video. Maybe next year, but it's not like it's a Grammy or anything.

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