'Idol' odds 'n ends: Season 10 auditions adds last-minute Los Angeles stop

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

>TMZ is reporting that Jennifer Lopez is back in the good graces of Simon Fuller and co., as she will most likely sign a deal next week that will permanently put her in the seat once held by Simon Cowell/Ellen DeGeneres.

Sources connected to the negotiations tell TMZ ... contrary to some news reports ... there has been no drama and no diva demands. As one source puts it, "It's been typical negotiating."

Well, I guess TMZ has been at the forefront with all the replacement judge drama, so this bit of info is probably as reliable as anything else out there. As to whether or not J. Lo is "the key to re-energizing the show," that is certainly still up to debate.

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>The nominations list for the 44th annual CMA Awards was revealed on Tuesday, and one Idol alum was able to score some nods as usual. Carrie Underwood is up for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Play On. Although Carrie has a pretty good track record at these award shows, it looks to be Miranda Lambert's year, as she received a record nine nominations and looks to take home a lot of awards.

Still, it's good to know Carrie received more nods than Taylor Swift, who is only up for one category - FVotY. The 44th annual CMA Awards will air live on Wed., Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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>Just as the disappointing Season 9 Idols Live! Tour concluded on Tuesday, Season 10's auditions have been extended to later this month when auditions will be held at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Wed., Sept. 22. Per Idol's website:

For the milestone 10th season of American Idol, we just couldn’t stay away from Idol’s hometown, Los Angeles, CA. In fact, this is the show’s sixth time holding hometown auditions in L.A. The goal during hometown auditions is to get a ticket Hollywood, and successful singers in L.A. won’t have to travel very far for the final round of auditions. Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Andrew Garcia are among the talented Idol stars from the City of Angels. L.A. is where the Idol finalists reside while competing for the prize, and it’s the place many Idol alumni settle to pursue their music career.

It's pretty interesting that the producers think adding a last-minute stop in LA of all places will help ensure we don't get another Season 9, since LA is one of the blandest, most uninteresting places to find talent. But whatever, if they want to attract teens from skipping school for the day, they're certainly free to do so.

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>Katharine McPhee has landed another role, this one in the horror pic Shark Night 3D. Other actors recently added to the cast include Sara Paxton (The Last House on the Left) and Dustin Milligan (Extract). Per DigitalSpy:

The trio will join the recently announced Sinqua Walls, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz and Joel David Moore in the 3D horror movie.

The Final Destination and Snakes On A Plane helmer David R. Ellis is behind the camera for Shark Night, which centres on a group of people who are attacked by sharks while on vacation in the Louisiana Gulf area.

Well, at least it's not Piranha 3D. But Kat, is this really the best you could do? Shark movies never hold a candle to Jaws, and 3D is getting pretty tiring by now. Still, it's good to see she's continuing to get roles.

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>After only a few performances on Broadway in the musical In the Heights, Jordin Sparks injured her hip last Saturday during a show. She was understandably bummed, but like the pro that she is, she turned to Twitter to apologize to her fans and offer them a token of appreciation for coming out to see her:

"Thank you so much to everyone who came tonight. Sorry I couldn't sign. :( It's hard to stand/walk. Hopefully the physical therapist can fix me! :)

"If you'd like, you can send your playbills/tkts/pics w/ a stamped return envelope to the theatre & I'll get them back to you. Thank you for understanding. It means the world. Love you guys. <3"

Jordin is now back in tip-top shape and said she is "so attached to the cast & show already!"

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Katharine McPhee's 'Unbroken' trivia giveaway - win a copy!

If you do not yet own Katharine McPhee's latest album Unbroken, here's your chance to win a copy through IDOL LIVE's Unbroken trivia giveaway! Just answer the following question and follow the instructions below to get your hands on the CD.

Question:
Katharine recently took part in the Hunger-Free Summer Initiative to help raise awareness for child food insecurity, appearing on On the Record with Greta Van Susteren to promote the initiative. About how many children did she say go hungry during the summer?

Instructions:
To qualify to win a copy of Unbroken, please tweet or email your answer to the above trivia question to @IDOLLIVE or idollive.net@gmail.com (if you choose to tweet, please include your email address within the tweet).

If you are one of the first three to get the trivia question correct, you will receive a congratulations email requesting your name and mailing address. Upon receipt of the winners' names and mailing addresses, the CD will be mailed to the winners.

Please note: IDOL LIVE is not responsible for any delays or issues relating to mail delivery of the CD. The contest will be open until Friday, Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submissions will be accepted until three winners have submitted their mailing addresses. Upon receiving all three, a blog post will announce the conclusion of the giveaway for the week. Any further questions should be directed to idollive.net@gmail.com.

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Katharine McPhee concludes Hunger-Free Summer Initiative in Houston

Katharine McPhee last week capped off her contribution to the U.S. Hunger-Free Summer Initiative for Kids co-sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America this summer in an effort to combat child food insecurity. She sang for children at the LINC in Houston, Tex., on Tues., Aug. 17, including a performance of her cover of "Brand New Key," which can be watched below:

Over the course of the summer of 2010, 23 food banks received funding, including the Houston Food Bank, to champion the fight against child hunger by developing new approaches to increase awareness of the problem and access to services that can aid in achieving the goal of eliminating hunger. Kat traveled the country, performing at multiple community locations including in Orlando, Fla., and Santa Ana, Calif., that help children receive adequate nutritional meals when out of school.

For more information on the initiative, visit the official websites of the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America.

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Poll of the week: Arch attacks rest of runners-up

It wasn't even a contest for the latest round of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series for 2010, as perennial favorite David Archuleta destroyed all eight fellow runners-up for the weeklong voting period.

Arch earned 545 of all 567 votes cast over the week, good for 100% (even though the poll itself says his total stands at 96% - something is obviously awry). Surprisingly, not even Adam Lambert's fans spent time on the poll. Let's see if Arch's fans can repeat in two weeks when he faces off in the champion series final against all other winners from each round.

In the next round (the second-to-last, by the way), readers will be asked which winner is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Justin Guarini 1 (0%)
Clay Aiken 4 (0%)
Diana DeGarmo 2 (0%)
Bo Bice 2 (0%)
Katharine McPhee 4 (0%)
Blake Lewis 1 (0%)
David Archuleta 545 (96%)
Adam Lambert 4 (0%)
Crystal Bowersox 4 (0%)

Total votes: 567

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Nigel wants Paula Abdul back as a judge

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

>Upon officially acknowledging his return to Idol for the show's 10th season (and his first since Season 7), Nigel Lythgoe made one of his trademark controversial statements: that he'd fully support (and actively try) to get Paula Abdul back on the judging panel. As unlikely as this actual scenario sounds, Nigel said it anyway:

One of his first ideas is to bring back one of the show's most beloved judges: Paula Abdul. Lythgoe told Daily Variety that despite her commitment to headline a new dancing show on CBS, he'd love to get Abdul back in the "Idol" fold. "I still love Paula," he said. "She's signed to CBS, probably exclusively, but I'd recommend we have her in a heartbeat."

Nigel also said he wants to focus less on the judges and to lessen the reliance on shoving contestants' back stories in audiences' faces. Well, knowing that, count me among those thrilled to have Nigel back in charge!


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>Katharine McPhee's Unbroken ballad "Say Goodbye" might not be getting the single treatment, but it will at least be heavily featured in the upcoming Christian film I AM. Part of the song's attachment to the film includes a music video complete with scenes from the movie and shots of Katharine herself. Watch the video below:




I AM, courtesy of 20th Century Fox, is described as the following per its website:

I AM offers an insight into the true nature of our God, and fights the damaging stereotypes of His character through a gritty, non-linear drama with a plot weaving around average people violating the Ten Commandments -- one by one. We see that these commandments were not edicts from a jealous God, but a love letter to humanity -- a warning to those who don't understand the massive consequences of even the smallest sins upon ourselves and the world around us.

It will premiere on Sun., Oct. 10 (National 10 Commandments Sunday), in churches across the country before being released in theaters.


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>On average, who do you think charges more for the gigs: Kris Allen or Kellie Pickler? If you answered Kris, TheSmokingGun.com has evidence to the contrary:

Rascal Flatts $702,500
Kiss $500,000
Keith Urban $487,500
Drake $155,000
Selena Gomez $100,000
Kelly Pickler $40,000
Kris Allen $12,500
Chris Young $7,500

While it's not too surprising Kellie is pulling in more than Kris at the moment since she's a more established artist, is it even conceivable that Rascal Flatts are pulling in a whole $200k more per show than Kiss? That's more than surprising.


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>Tamyra Gray and her husband, Sam Watters, spoke with People.com about how they welcomed their daughter Sienna Marie into the world last month. Tamyra told People about the unusual manner in which they came up with her name:

“I know it sounds weird, but back in February I had a dream where she told me her name. I shared my dream with Sam and we decided we’d wait and see. It took us eight hours after her birth to name her and at the end, we went with her suggestion.”

Tamyra, now 30, said despite waiting until delivery to find out the sex of her baby, she knew instinctively that she'd be having a girl and now she has "someone to share in [her] love of fairies and tea."


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>Blake Lewis will appear at the AT&T retail store in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 7, where he will greet fans, pose for pictures and sign autographs between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. More info per a media alert:

Event attendees will have an opportunity to win signed copies of Lewis’ limited edition double LP “Heartbreak on Vinyl” scheduled to be released on August 24. Attendees will also be able to take advantage of the promotion on the new Android™ 2.1 Powered Samsung Captivate* ($199 after mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement), with the super AMOLED screen. With the purchase of the new Samsung Captivate attendees will receive two tickets to the upcoming American Idol Concert Tour at the Staples Center, Friday, August 13.

The AT&T store is located at 6203 Topanga Canyon Blvd (between Victory Blvd. and Erwin St.). Earlier in the week, fans who pre-ordered the special edition of Heartbreak on Vinyl on vinyl received the bonus MP3 track "Till We See The Sun," with just a few copies of the special edition vinyl disc available for pre-order ahead of its release on Aug. 24.

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Katharine McPhee continues work on Hunger-Free Summer campaign; contest announced

As previously mentioned, Katharine McPhee has been busy this month with the Hunger-Free Summer campaign sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America. Kat's latest appearance came last Monday, July 12, at the Project Access Resource Center in Santa Ana, Calif., as pictured to the right.

Per the ConAgra Foods Foundation, the goal of the campaign is to help fund 10,000 meals for schoolchildren that go hungry during the summer when there are no food options provided for by the school systems. Kat has been a supporter of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council for nearly a year.

Also in relation to Kat, IDOL LIVE would like to announce a contest coming in the near future for a chance to win Kat's latest album, Unbroken, which will involve answering trivia questions. Be on the lookout for that exciting opportunity! (AP Photo/ConAgra Foods Foundation, Drew Kelley)

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee DeWyze performs "Hallelujah" on 'The View'

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:



David sang roughly six seconds of a new track, which turns out to be David Hodges' "Hard to Believe."

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Katharine McPhee dedicates time to "Hunger-Free Summer Initiative"

Katharine McPhee has taken up a worthy cause this summer, as she will be dedicating some of her time to helping the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America with their "Hunger-Free Summer Inititative" to help strike out hunger among low-income kids. She kicked off the initiative last Wednesday when she appeared at the New Image Youth Center in Orlando, Fla., to lend a helping hand. Per a press release:

The Hunger-Free Summer initiative aims to close that gap through a $5 million donation from the ConAgra Foods Foundation to Feeding America. The goal of the Hunger-Free Summer initiative is to provide at least 25 percent more meals for children in need over the next five years, and will account for a significant portion of ConAgra Foods Foundation’s goal of delivering one million meals to children in need this summer.

Katharine seems to be very interested in the campaign, as she said:

“This summer, I am going to be traveling across the country to Feeding America food banks from Orlando to Los Angeles – to volunteer my time and, more importantly, to raise awareness about this important issue,” said McPhee. “I want to challenge every community to come together to help end child hunger in the United States.”

Kat also appeared in Irvine, Calif., yesterday. Other cities Kat will be making her way to this summer include Little Rock, Ark. on Wed., July 14 and Houston, Tex., during the week of July 26. (AP Photo/ConAgra Foods Foundation, Phelan M. Ebenhack, HO)

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee, Crystal and crew perform in concert at GMA

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

>As noted in the previous post, Season 9's Top 10 performed in concert on Good Morning America as part of the ABC morning program's Summer Concert Series in Central Park. While the group medley was abysmal, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox did pretty well with their solo offerings. Watch them both below:

Lee singing "Treat Her Like a Lady":

Crystal singing "Piece of My Heart":



You can tell by the close-up shots and quick camera cuts that there was a very sparse crowd at the show. Lee, Crystal and the rest of the gang will next perform in concert at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

>Two Idol alums separated by four seasons and many placings will perform in concert tonight in an intaimte show at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville when Diana DeGarmo of Season 3 and Cardin McKinney, Hollywood contestant from Season 7, take to the stage alongside Robin Meade and Victoria Shaw. Tickets are still available to the show, which is meant to showcase songwriting and acoustic singing, begins at 9 p.m.

>Carrie Underwood will be getting married tomorrow! After a few months living life engaged to each other, Carrie will wed her Ottawa Senators player, Mike Fisher, in a ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Ga. To be sure the pesky photogs stay away for the day, Carrie went all out. Per an article at SFGate.com:

...the happy couple has booked every room at the venue to house their guests for the night, costing a whopping $268,000, according to local paper The Herald Journal.

The publication's editor, Carey Williams, says, "She has blocked off all 251 rooms at the hotel."

The article also said Carrie will be arriving in style via a helicopter. Not a bad way to start the weekend.

>Kris Allen will be taking part in the benefit concert for the people of Tennessee who are still recovering from the floods that ravaged the Nashville area in May. The concert will take place at the Cannery Ballroom on July 23 and all proceeds will go toward the efforts being undertaken by the Community Foundation. iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove will also perform at the concert. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketweb.com.

>Katharine McPhee is doing her best to ensure her current single "Terrified" stays on the right track at radio, so she had a webisode filmed to document the recording session she had with Zachary Levi of NBC's Chuck. Watch the webisode below:



As for how the single is performing on the charts, it's safe to say "Terrified" has seen better days. It has virtually disappeared from all charts, both airplay and sales.

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Flashback: Katharine McPhee's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

Katharine McPhee was known not only as Idol's fifth season's female vocal powerhouse-in-chief, but she also made strong statements through her performance style. One of her most memorable performances came during Top 5 week, when she performed KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Birth Year/Current Billboard Chart theme night. Watch the performance below:

It's quite clear that Katharine's decision to perform the song on her knees had something to do with why to this day it is one of the most unique displays on the Idol stage. The fact that she got so much praise for this choice led Kat to reprise the song during the finale, which lacked the magic the first performance had. This was just another example of the importance of leaving well enough alone, which has been a recurring them throughout the show's history. Still, it is one of the most memorable performance ever delivered.

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Top 10 most memorable Simon Cowell moments - Pt. 1

As Simon's run on Idol comes to an end tomorrow, let us look back on some of his most memorable moments over the past nine seasons. If you don't agree with some of them , feel free to offer your own lists.

No. 10: Simon calls a re-vote for no reason

Although the following clip is nothing special, it is emblematic of all the many mean spirited moves Simon pulled over the course of his auditions-judging sessions. In the clip below, Simon rejects the two Molfetta twins - twice, all "for sport" according to Paula:

Although sometimes Simon's comments went over the line, they were usually all in good fun. Hey, a judge has to have fun on this show or else it would be unbearable.

No. 9: Simon gets his way and still gets a hug from Paula

Simon and Paula had a long history over the course of the first eight seasons on Idol, with many of their encounters ending in sarcastic comments and witty comebacks. Back on Season 2, the two judges got into one of their most heated debates, eventually requiring the assistance of producer Nigel Lythgoe:



What made Simon the king of these arguments was his ability to come out victorious without looking completely undignified. As much as they both enjoyed each other's company, they especially enjoyed these opportunities to release a bit of steam.

No. 8: Simon doesn't roll his eyes at "Virginia Tech" mention

This one might be harder to remember, but back during Season 6 the tragic school shooting at Virginia Tech touched all Americans for a time. But when the story came up during Chris Richardson's post-performance bit, Simon's facial expression was taken the wrong way due to an unfortunate camera switch:



Immediately following the "eyeroll," fans were accusing Simon of rolling his eyes at Chris bringing up the tragedy because he thought Chris was clamoring for votes. That was, however, obviously not true, instead Simon was still reacting to Chris's "nasally singing" justification. A simple misunderstanding, no doubt.

No. 7: Simon apologizes for being hard on Katharine McPhee

There have been very few times over the course of Simon's tenure on the show when he's had to retract his critique after watching it back on TV. During Season 5's Top 7 results show, Simon apologized to Katharine McPhee for being a little harsh in his comments the previous night:



There have been other instances when he's backed off from his tongue lashings, just as he's come back with harsher critiques on some occasions after watching the performances back. But this one in particular was memorable.

No. 6: "Do we have a bigger stage this year?"

Simon is obviously known for his off the cuff quips at others' expense, and these usually come out during the audition rounds. But perhaps the most memorable instance of this happening was back in Season 5 when he joked about Mandisa's weight, asking after she received her golden ticket "Do we have a bigger stage this year?" Watch the moment below:



Later in the season when Mandisa came before the panel to hear her fate as to whether she made the Top 24, she confronted Simon on his comment, resulting in an honest apology from the Brit.

Stay tuned for the Top 5 most memorable Simon moments, as they will be posted tomorrow.

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Music videos: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It"; Katharine McPhee's "Terrified"

Two high profile Idol-related music videos premiered on Friday, as Carrie Underwood and Katharine McPhee each had vids of their latest single released exclusive to different outlets.

Carrie's latest single "Undo It" saw its music video premiere on CMT.com. The video features Carrie set against a black background in grainy black and white in addition to tons of concert footage. Watch the video below:

Not to be outdone, Kat's video of her reworked song "Terrified" featuring the star of NBC's Chuck, Zachary Levi, premiered on her VEVO channel. Watch the vid below:



Although the video features an overdone girlfriend/boyfriend storyline, the fact that Kat's would-be lovechild with Kara DioGuardi plays the female lead is a plus. The video was directed by Judson Pearce Morgan.

Although neither video is available on iTunes yet, both tracks can be purchased at Amazon MP3. Download "Terrified"
and "Undo It".

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Out today: Melinda Doolittle's 'Beyond Me'

It's been a while since an Idol alum released a book, so Melinda Doolittle is taking up the task and representing the franchise with her. In her own words:

Beyond Me talks about the behind the scenes of IDOL, but much more than that, it contains life lessons I've learned along the way.

Also out today on iTunes is a revamped recording of Katharine McPhee's next single "Terrified," which features the vocals of Chuck star Zachary Levi in place of Jason Reeves.

Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:

Books
Melinda Doolittle, "Beyond Me"

Amazon - ($12.81) - Buy
Barnes & Noble - ($13.67) - Buy
Borders - ($18.99) - Buy
Target - ($14.83) - Buy

Singles
Katharine McPhee, "Terrified (ft. Zachary Levi)"

iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy

An interesting note about Beyond Me is that fellow Season 6 alum Jordin Sparks wrote its foreword.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: American Idols Live! Tour 2010 dates revealed

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:



If you're up for contributing to Jordin's cause, be sure to pledge not to text while driving.

>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."

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IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 6 Results (4/28/10)

Last night was nice mostly because it didn't run over, but there were also a few decent performances. Maybe it's because we're getting down to the wire and the majority of the cannon fodder are gone? Or maybe it's just the standards have been lowered so much that they have nowhere to go but up? Either way, I'll refrain from complaining.

Tonight we surprisingly cannot expect a performance from this week's mentor, Shania Twain, however Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and...Shakira...will all be there to perform. To see who I predict will be leaving tonight, see here.

Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 9 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast features the music of Daughtry, Jasmine Murray, Katharine McPhee, Kristy Lee Cook, Matt Giraud.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jordin Sparks does duet with Natalie Grant at Dove Awards

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

>Jordin Sparks opened the 41st Annual Dove Awards Wednesday night with a duet of a song she wrote for Natalie Grant called "Human." She also held a press conference following the event, some of which can be viewed below:

Jordin said it was an honor to perform with Grant because she grew up listening to her music. The Dove Awards will be broadcast on GMC on Sun., April 28 at 8 p.m. ET.

>Kara DioGuardi looks to be setting up a replacement career in the event that this is Idol's last season (and let's face it, it should be the last season), as she teamed up with Jason Reeves on the two artists' song "Terrified" on TBS's Lopez Tonight. Watch the performance below:



First she poses for a photo shoot in a magazine and now she performs "Terrified" on a late night program? It looks like Kara D is trying to steal Katharine McPhee's thunder.

>Kelly Clarkson posted some ramblings on her personal blog for the first time in months to address a series of billboards featuring her advertising for a tobacco company in Indonesia ahead of the tour stop in Jakarta set for Thurs., April 29. Kelly said she never had knowledge that this company would be using her image to sell its product, adding:

Unfortunately, my only option at this point was to cancel the show in order to stop the sponsorship. However, I can’t justify penalizing my fans for someone else’s oversight. This is a lose-lose situation for me and I am not happy about it but the damage has been done and I refuse to cancel on my fans.

She went on to say it's hard to be used as "some political pawn." It's hard to believe Kelly's handlers didn't look into this in the first place, but hopefully they'll learn from this.

>Not to be outdone, David Archuleta wrote his own blog today, in which he documented how his writing sessions in LA are going and how he performed at the BritWeek Gala Event honoring Sir Richard Branson on Thursday night. Arch said in part:

I worked with Guy Chambers, who wrote Angels with Robbie Williams, and Erika Nuri from The Writing Camp. I also had writing sessions last week with Sam Hollander and Sluggo, who my friend Travis from We The Kings actually told me about because he has worked a lot with them. I also worked with a bunch of other really great writers, who you've probably seen me talk about on Twitter. But I actually have another writing session today with the Nexus lol. And I'll let you guys know how that goes too!

He also spent a good chunk of ink warning about earthquakes and proclaiming he was not paranoid (riiiiiiiight, Arch!)

>Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens made the usual round of Idol eliminated contestant appearances over the course of the past few days, with CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman being one of the stops on Monday. Watch the two former finalists perform "Superhuman" below:





Letterman told Katie to get into publishing because "that's where all the money is," while he joked that Andrew is on his way to "...who knows," before adding he was sure Andrew would be fine.

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IDOL LIVE Blog: 'Idol Gives Back' (4/21/10)

If you thought last night was a star-studded experience, be prepared to be blown away tonight by lots of guest performers and celebrities, including Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Ben Stiller, Black Eyed Peas, Carrie Underwood, Elton John, Jim Carrey, Jonah Hill, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige and many more.

To see who I predict will be leaving tonight, see here. Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast features the music of Danny Gokey, Daughtry, David Archuleta, Diana DeGarmo, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis and Michael Johns.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kara DioGuardi poses nude for 'Allure'

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

>Kara DioGuardi was one of five female celebrities to pose nude for the latest issue of Allure magazine. The photo, which can be seen to the right, shows a side of Kara none of us have seen before. Of the shoot, Kara said:

"This shoot was less about beauty than about taking a risk and showing people a side of me they never have seen," says the American Idol judge. She was proud to have the confidence to strip down for the camera after struggling with binge eating and depression in her early 20s. "Back then I was a size 6 or 8; now I'm more like a size 2. Food is not what I use to anesthetize myself anymore." She didn't diet or work out like a maniac in preparation, but she did make one change: cutting way back on salt. "I can really retain water," she says.

Others to take part in the shoot, which was titled "THE NAKED TRUTH: 5 CELEBRITIES BARE IT ALL FOR ALLURE," include singer Colbie Caillat and actress Regina Hall.

>Katharine McPhee has been busy filming her new NBC pilot The Pink House, and there have been a few moles that have gone to tapings to report back. Below is a very low quality video capture of a scene featuring Kat:



According to reports, Kat and her fellow female co-star Ashley Madekwe are not the main focus of the show, but are still integral to the plot. Instead, the two guys who move from Mineapolis to California, played by Michael Cassidy and Zach Cregger, are the main focus.

>Kris Allen performed a set at the Zone Lounge in Sacramento, Calif, on Tuesday, where he had nothing but positive things to say to his fans, especially about Walmart and Chris Daughtry. Watch him talk about the two former topics and perform his original "Send Me All Your Angels" below:



Kris talked about how there are "three Walmarts in every town" in Arkansas and how Daughtry teased him when he visited the Season 8 Idol contestants during rock week. Daughtry helped Kris co-write "Angels," which is why his name came up during the pre-performance banter.

>Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young chatted with BroadwayWorld.com about their experiences in the Broadway music Hair thus far alongside fellow castmember Kyle Riabko. Watch the interview below:



Diana, Ace and the rest of the new tribe can be seen at the Al Hirschfeld Theater at the following times: Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday @ 2pm & 8pm, Thursday - Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm.

>Ayla Brown, who joined the team over at CBS's The Early Show last week as a special contributor, appeared yesterday to do a piece on a six-year-old cancer patient named Hannah Lowe, and a song Ayla wrote and recorded for her through the Songs of Love Foundation. Watch the piece below:



The song, appropriately titled "Hannah's Song," is now available to download for a small $5 donation. Funds raised through the organization will go toward putting smiles on the faces of children like Hannah, so go ahead and donate for a good cause!

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IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 9 Perform (4/6/10)

Tonight Teflon Tim and the rest of the Top 9 take the stage to trip over themselves singing songs from the overdone Lennon/McCartney songbook. Will it be a repeat of Season 7's Top 12? Or maybe that season's Top 11? Or maybe it will be worse than both? I'm going with the latter just to be safe. Fortunately for us, "Imagine" isn't eligible since it's solo work by John Lennon.

Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast features the music of David Archuleta, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Kristy Lee Cook, Lil Rounds, Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar and Taylor Hicks.

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IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 11 Perform (3/23/10)

Tonight the Top 11 finalists take on songs that have landed at #1 on the esteemed Billboard Hot 100 chart, not the horrid "teen idol" theme that was originally misreported elsewhere. Therefore, it is only fitting that Miley Cyrus will serve as the contestants' mentor. Right?

Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast features the music of Blake Lewis, Bucky Covington, Carly Smithson, David Cook, David Hernandez, Diana DeGarmo, Jason Castro, Katharine McPhee, Leona Lewis, Michael Sarver and Stephanie Edwards.

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