'Idol' odds 'n ends: Fantasia dishes on suicide attempt on 'GMA'

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

>For the first time since her botched suicide attempt, Fantasia spoke out about the ordeal when she appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday to promote the release of her latest album, Back to Me. In her interview with Robin Roberts, Fantasia said she "just wanted to be away from the noise." Watch the interview below:

Fantasia also squeezed in a few live performances for the crowd in the studio, including a televised performance of "Bittersweet."

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>Speaking of Idol alums performing on morning shows, Chris and the boys from Daughtry took to Rockefeller Plaza on Fri., Aug. 20 to perform for The Today Show's Summer Concert Series. Watch the band perform "September" below:



Daughtry also performed "Feels Like Tonight" for the television audience during the set.

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>Kelly Clarkson recently teased about a big duet with an act people have been wanting her to record with for ages, but for now fans will just have to settle for her being featured on a track with Jason Aldean. Per USAToday.com's "Idol Chatter":

The new album from country singer Jason Aldean will feature a duet with Kelly Clarkson called Don't You Wanna Stay.

Don't You Wanna Stay is due out Nov. 2, which more than likely will be before Kelly's latest disc hits retail and digital outlets.

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>It was announced about one week ago that Kris Allen will be opening for Lifehouse on its current tour beginning in October.

10/15 MGM Foxwoods, Manshucket, CT
10/16 Orpheurm Theatre, Boston, MA
10/17 Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
10/20 The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
10/23 Tropicana Show Room, Atlantic City, NJ
10/24 Dar Constitution Hall, Washington DC
10/26 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
10/29 Drury University, Springfield, MO
10/30 Choctaw Casino Events Center, Grant OK
10/31 Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston TX
11/2 Palladium Ballroom, Dallas TX
11/4 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
11/5 Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
11/6 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
11/9 Pagent, St Louis, MI
11/11 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
11/12 Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines, IA
11/14 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
11/15 In The Venue, Salt Lake City, UT
11/16 Knitting Factory, Reno, NV
11/18 Gibson Amphitheater @ Universal Studios, Universal City, CA
11/19 The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
11/20 Pechanga Casino, Temecula, CA
11/21 Masonic Center, San Fransisco, CA
11/23 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA
11/24 Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR

Kris has already opened for the likes of Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5, Keith Urban and Daughtry, so it's encouraging for Kris that Lifehouse is interested in having him on board for the remainder of its North American tour.

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>Kimberley Locke and her mom appeared on the series premiere of WETV's You're Wearing That!? on Thurs., Aug. 19. In the episode, Kim and her mom get advice from a fashion expert on how to change up their look. Watch a clip from the episode below:



Kim also recently sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" during the Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fri., Aug. 20.

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Poll of the week: Melinda does a little to earn recognition among fans

In one of the last few rounds of IDOL LIVE's poll of the week champion series for 2010, one 3rd-place finalist edged out her peers in a fairly close battle.

Melinda Doolittle's 12 votes were enough to earn her 29% of all 41 votes cast, which was the largest take of all nine participants included in this round. The sixth season's second-runner-up saw her closest competition come from Elliott Yamin, who garnered nine votes (21%), followed by Danny Gokey's seven votes (17%).

There were only two finalists who failed to grab any votes during the course of the week, as Nikki McKibbin (Season 1) and Vonzell Solomon (Season 4) went scoreless in their attempts.

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

Nikki McKibbin 0 (0%)
Kimberley Locke 2 (4%)
Jasmine Trias 2 (4%)
Vonzell Solomon 0 (0%)
Elliott Yamin 9 (21%)
Melinda Doolittle 12 (29%)
Syesha Mercado 4 (9%)
Danny Gokey 7 (17%)
Casey James 5 (12%)

Total votes: 41

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kristy Lee Cook records music and shoots deer on 'Goin' Country'

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

>Kristy Lee Cook might be a few years removed from the music biz, but that doesn't mean she can't keep busy with her second favorite past time - hunting. Catch Kristy on her new show Goin' Country with Kristy Lee Cook, which premiered today on Versus at 9 a.m. Watch a promo clip for the show below:



As you can tell by the clip, the whole show isn't about her shooting deer (probably just 80%), The show will feature cameos by some of KLC's friends, including Blake Lewis, so be on the lookout for that episode.

>Allison Iraheta and duet partner Orianthi appeared on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance? results show on Thursday to help their struggling single "Don't Waste the Pretty." Watch the performance below:

This single is currently hovering in the mid-70s on Mediabase's Top 40 chart, sitting at #74 w/ an audience impression of 0.172 million. It's available to purchase at iTunes.

>Kimberley Locke and her team want to give you an iPad - for free! The catch is, you have to be signed up on her street team and do some promo work to raise awareness for her music. The following is a portion of an update that was sent out to fans on her mailing list on Wednesday:

Our new SUMMER CONTEST has just launched which may result in YOU winning a brand new iPad, valued at $499 + tax. Members of this mailing list will need to ensure they are on the street steam in order to participate. To ensure you are on the street team, please follow the "Update Contact Info" link at the very bottom of this email and ensure the "street team" box is checked. Details for each weekly mission will be emailed on each Saturday from July 31st through August 27th. You could win an iPad just by promoting Kimberley's music on your websites.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, head over to KimberleyLockeOfficial.com for more details. Kim's next appearance will be at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 15.

>Michael Sarver's self-titled debut effort dropped this past Tuesday courtesy of Dream Records. Although the album is more gospel than country, Alison Bonaguro of CMT.com wrote about the country connection the CD has:

In fact, one song comes right out and says his dreams stretch far beyond the country line. But as you sift through the track-by-track review from the paper, it still sounds like there are a lot of country influences going on. The ones that sound like the best bets to me are "Safe," a waltz about how he will always be your home, and "Ferris Wheel," about the weightlessness you feel when you are falling in love. Then there's "Always Surviving," which I know I will love no matter what it's about, because it was written by two of Nashville's most gifted tunesmiths, Rachel Thibodeau and Rivers Rutherford.

Michael Sarver is available to purchase at Amazon for $10.99 and at iTunes for $9.99.

>With all the recent rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic that is American Idol, one Idol personality who probably won't be going anywhere is Debra Byrd, the show's head vocal instructor. Byrd just announced she will be holding a master class for aspiring singers called STAR SCHOOL LIVE! at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio.

Byrd will kick off her tour at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Saturday, August 14, at 10AM. Private instruction is available following the master class beginning at 1:00 PM. Sign up for a 30 minute or 1 hour session. For more information, please email byrd@debrabyrd.com.

STAR SCHOOL LIVE! is made possible by Olbas Pastilles herbal lozenges and microphone manufacturing company Sennheiser. Tickets are $45 in advance, $50 the day of the show and $40 for groups of 10+ and can be purchased at HouseofBlues.com.

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IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 9 Perform [Pt. 2] (4/13/10)

Tonight we blog during the second round of the Top 9's performances, which were made possible by everyone's favorite four judges as a result of their decision to save Michael Lynche. The finalists were privileged to work with last season's runner-up, Adam Lambert, in selecting songs from Elvis' esteemed catalog. Now that makes a whole lotta sense, right?

Please feel free to add your two cents throughout the 88-minute blogcast, with coverage starting just prior to 8 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast features the music of Adam Lambert, Asia'h Epperson, Blake Lewis, Elliott Yamin, Kimberley Locke, Megan Joy and Ramiele Malubay.

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Out today: Jason Castro's 'Jason Castro'

Today marks the release of Jason Castro's first post-Idol album, Jason Castro. The album, courtesy of Atlantic Records, features tracks like the first two singles "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" and "That's What I'm Here For" as well as a cover of "Hallelujah."

Although it came out last week, be sure to check out Kimberley Locke's new single "Strobelight," on which she worked with Randy Jackson. The single is courtesy of Jackson's label Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment.

Links to purchase the aforementioned can be found below:

Albums
Jason Castro, Jason Castro

Amazon - ($8.00 standard, $13.99 exclusive) - Buy: standard
, exclusive
Amazon MP3 - ($8.00 standard, $11.99 deluxe) - Buy: standard
, deluxe
Barnes & Noble - ($7.99) - Buy
Best Buy - ($9.99) - Buy
Buy.com - ($8.99) - Buy
CDUniverse.com - ($7.14) - Buy
iTunes - ($9.99 standard, #12.99) - Buy: standard, deluxe
Sears - ($8.99) - Buy
Target - ($9.98) - Buy
Walmart - ($8.00) - Buy

Singles
Kimberley Locke, "Strobelight"

Amazon MP3 - ($0.99) - Buy
iTunes - ($0.99) - Buy

The Amazon exclusive version of Jason Castro features six bonus tracks including an acoustic version of "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" and a cover of "Over the Rainbow."

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30 'Idol' alums to partake in Feeding America initiative

Ahead of next week's Idol Gives Back special, FOX today issued a press release with a who's who of former finalists that will be taking part in activities that support Feeding America’s local food banks.

As many as 30 past contestants have signed up to participate in the initiative to sort and prepare food donated to local food banks across the country beginning tomorrow. Below is a full list of scheduled appearances:

TUESDAY, APRIL 13

THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK, LOS ANGELES – Kimberley Locke, Didi Benami, David Hernandez, Amy Adams, Chikezie, Mikalah Gordon, Elliott Yamin, Kevin Covais, Michael Johns, LaToya London and Brandon Rogers will pack food in boxes for senior citizens and young children in need at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

UTAH FOOD BANK, SALT LAKE CITY – Megan Joy will assist a group of 30 volunteers who will sort through food-drive donations, divide them into categories and prepare food boxes.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14

GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY, CHICAGO – Gina Glocksen and Amanda Overmyer will join a group of volunteers to pack disaster relief boxes for Feeding America.

SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE –Lacey Brown, Bucky Covington, Melinda Doolittle, Bo Bice, Phil Stacey and Mandisa will work with other volunteers to pack disaster-relief boxes for Feeding America.

FOOD LIFELINE, SEATTLE – Blake Lewis will assist a group of volunteers in sorting and repacking products to be distributed to families in need.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15

JAN HUS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW YORK – Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, Jorge Núñez, Julia DeMato and RJ Helton will lend a helping hand to hungry New Yorkers by delivering food with City Harvest.
HOUSTON FOOD BANK, HOUSTON – LaKisha Jones will be working with a group of volunteers who will inspect donated food and prepare it to be re-distributed to 400 agencies.

FEEDING AMERICA TAMPA BAY, TAMPA – Melissa McGhee will spread hope to people in need by working with a group of volunteers to sort and package food.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16

UNITED WAY COMMUNITY FOOD, BIRMINGHAM – Ruben Studdard will label cans and pack boxes.
THREE SQUARE, LAS VEGAS – Danny Gokey will assist a group of volunteers to sort through donated food that will be used to feed local families in need.

The two-hour Idol Gives Back special airs Wed., April 21, and will feature appearances by President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former President George W. Bush, Brad Pitt, Bono, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Annie Lennox, Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, P!nk, Céline Dion, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller and more.

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'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 LIVE Blog - Top 12 Perform (3/16/10)

Tonight the competition finally begins for real as we blog during the Top 12 finalists' performances as they take on songs from The Rolling Stones' catalog. The finalists got to select from a list of 50 songs, including hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Start Me Up" and "Paint It Black." Who will pick what?

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

Tonight's blogcast features the music of Carrie Underwood, Danny Gokey, Garrett Haley, Kady Malloy, Katharine McPhee, Kimberley Locke, Melissa McGhee, Phil Stacey and Sanjaya Malakar.

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IDOL LIVE Blog - Top 12 Girls Perform (2/23/10)

After carrying the early rounds of Idol's ninth season using the Chatroll platform, I am reverting to the CoverItLive software after receiving feedback that it is the preferred way to blog during the show's episodes. I would also like to announce that Tyler will be joining me as a producer this season to help manage comments that are sent in by readers, so hopefully this season will run smoothly here at IDOL LIVE!

Tonight we begin the much anticipated live shows when the Top 12 girls kick off with their own as they perform songs from Billboard's Hot 100 (i.e. songs that have charted over the course of its history, not just current ones).

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 Allison Iraheta, Ayla Brown, Brooke White, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Katharine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson and Kimberley Locke.

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Kimberley Locke reveals "Strobe Light" as new single

Kimberley Locke revealed to fans the name of her upcoming single in an e-mail sent to subscribers of her official mailing list this evening. Kimberley, whose single "Strobe Light" was produced by Randy Jackson, wrote in the e-mail:

I have a new single coming out titled "Strobe Light". I collaborated with the talented and loving Randy Jackson. I never thought I would be working with him! I must say that we had so much fun and I couldn't be more excited about this project!!! Stay tuned for more information. I know you will!!! I appreciate all of you and you support....Without the fans there would be no celebrities!

K-Lo was also busy tweeting tonight, as she let fans know that she was taping an episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories on the Biography channel for tomorrow. "Strobe Light" is set for a March 16 release.

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Kimberley Locke's interview with Josh Skinner posted

Kimberley Locke recently sat down with Josh Skinner of WithJosh.com to for a two-part interview in which she spoke about her various recordings in addition to other things.

In part one, Kim talks about her #1 single "Eighth World Wonder" and some of her favorite songs she's recorded over the past few years. She also talked about how she's no longer with Curb Records and that she's aiming for her new dance single with Randy Jackson to be out in February.

Watch part one below:

In part two, Kim talks more about the single, how she got reconnected with Randy to produce her new single and why she chose to pursue a career in dance music.

Watch part two below:



It's Kim's 32nd birthday today, so happy birthday to her! As for Josh, he recently announced a new partnership with AINow.org for his interviews with Idol alums.

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Poll of the week: 'Christmas From the Heart' top 'Idol' holiday release

Just one day ahead of Christmas, IDOL LIVE's poll of the week shows that most readers will have David Archuleta's Christmas From the Heart playing in the background come Christmas morning.

The album took in 387 votes this past week, good for 69% of all votes cast. As expected, the next closest holiday album was Clay Aiken's five-year-old Merry Christmas with Love, which nabbed 129 votes (23%).

Also not surprising was the fact that no other Idol-related Christmas album included on the ballot came close to the two aforementioned ones, as third-place album My Kind of Holiday courtesy of Elliott Yamin came in at 4% with just 26 votes.

In this week's edition of the poll of the week, readers are asked which Idol single from 2009 is their favorite. Voting will be open for exactly one week.

Merry Christmas with Love (Clay Aiken) 129 (23%)
Christmas From the Heart (David Archuleta) 387 (69%)
Christmas (Kimberley Locke) 4 (0%)
It's Christmas (Mandisa) 0 (0%)
A Royal Christmas (Paris Bennett) 5 (0%)
American Christmas (Various) 1 (0%)
American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics (Various) 1 (0%)
My Kind of Holiday (Elliott Yamin) 26 (4%)
My Christmas EP (George Huff) 0 (0%)

Total votes: 553

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'Idol' alums flood Billboard's decade-end charts

Billboard this afternoon posted their top decade-end charts across all music genres, formats and artists, and there were plenty of Idol alums represented in the various charts. Not surprisingly, Kelly Clarkson had the most placements thanks to her successful Breakaway era, and Carrie Underwood followed closely behind with a bunch of rankings in multiple categories.

Although neither Kelly nor Carrie were named "Artist of the Decade" (that title went to Eminem), they each appeared further down the coveted chart along with Daughtry.

Full Idol selection from the charts below (courtesy of me):

Top Artists of the Decade
14 Kelly Clarkson
50 Carrie Underwood
90 Daughtry

Billboard 200 Artists of the Decade
042 Carrie Underwood
050 Kelly Clarkson
099 Daughtry
120 Clay Aiken

Hot 100 Artists of the Decade
09 Kelly Clarkson
65 Carrie Underwood
87 Daughtry
91 Jordin Sparks

Top Radio Songs Artists of the Decade
14 Kelly Clarkson

Top Digital Albums Artists of the Decade
09 Daughtry

Top Digital Songs Artists of the Decade
18 Kelly Clarkson
28 Carrie Underwood
35 Jordin Sparks
41 Daughtry

Top Adult Contemporary Artists of the Decade
06 Daughtry

Top Adult Pop Artists of the Decade
08 Kelly Clarkson
09 Daughtry

Top Country Artists of the Decade
10 Carrie Underwood

Top Pop Songs Artists
02 Kelly Clarkson

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Decade
38 Fantasia

Hot 100 Songs of the Decade
47 "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson

Top Radio Songs of the Decade
48 "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
79 "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson
87 "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson
94 "No Air," Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

Top Digital Songs of the Decade
33 "No Air," Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown
64 "My Life Would Suck Without You," Kelly Clarkson
67 "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
96 "Tattoo," Jordin Sparks
99 "Crush," David Archuleta

Top Adult Contemporary Songs of the Decade
23 "The Time of My Life," David Cook
24 "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson
26 "Home," Daughtry

Top Country Songs of the Decade
14 "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
27 "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Carrie Underwood
99 "Wasted," Carrie Underwood

Top Dance/Club Play Songs of the Decade
45 "Band of Gold," Kimberley Locke

Top Pop Songs of the Decade
06 "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson
07 "Because of You," Kelly Clarkson
16 "Behind These Hazel Eyes," Kelly Clarkson
50 "No Air," Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the Decade
08 "When I See U," Fantasia
63 "Truth Is," Fantasia
87 "Free Yourself," Fantasia

Top Ringtones of the Decade
57 "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood
76 "No Air," Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

Billboard 200 Albums of the Decade
014 Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
029 Breakaway, Kelly Clarkson
048 Daughtry, Daughtry
132 Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood
170 Measure of a Man, Clay Aiken

Top Digital Albums of the Decade
15 Daughtry, Daughtry

Top Christian Albums of the Decade
12 Merry Christmas with Love, Clay Aiken

Top Country Albums of the Decade
01 Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
26 Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood

Top Gospel Albums of the Decade
11 I Need An Angel, Ruben Studdard

Top Holiday Albums of the Decade
10 Merry Christmas with Love, Clay Aiken

Top Independent Albums of the Decade
39 Elliott Yamin, Elliott Yamin

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums of the Decade
51 Free Yourself, Fantasia

Some alums I didn't expect to see on here were David Archuleta, Elliott Yamin and Kimberley Locke, but it was nice to see them make the chart alongside the usual suspects. A full list of charts can be viewed on Billboard.com.

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IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 4 Perform (5/5/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 4 finalists' performances, which promise to be a rockin' good time. Sadly, however, the originally broad theme of "Rock 'n Roll" has been limited to "Classic Rock," which means Danny will most likely have a hard time after all. To add to everything, it looks like each of the four will be paired up and take on a duet along with his or her solo performance, which screams "gimmick" and is an all around bad idea. Hopefully no one suffers because of this. As usual, the blogcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour.

Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Jason Castro, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson and Kimberley Locke.

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IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 7 Results Pt. 2 (4/22/09)

Join us tonight as we blog during the Top 7 finalists' second round with results, when two will most definitely be leaving the competition. Were last night's disco exhibits a letdown or a success? Will Matt escape elimination for the second week in a row? There's only one way to find out, by tuning in at 9 p.m. ET and following along for our one-hour blogcast. To make things even more special, David Archuleta will return to perform.

Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Melinda Doolittle, Matt Giraud, Michael Johns, Kimberley Locke and Ramiele Malubay.

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IDOL LIVE Blog: Top 10 Perform (3/25/09)

The Top 10 finalists offer their best renditions of Motown's classics in a 50th anniversary celebration of the genre. They will be mentored by legendary Motown singer Smokey Robinson. The blogcast will last two hours on this special Wednesday episode and will begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Tonight's blogcast will feature music from Jason Castro, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, David Hernandez, Michael Johns, Kimberley Locke, Melissa McGhee, Carly Smithson and Jordin Sparks.

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IDOL LIVE Blog: Group 1 Results (2/18/09)

Join us tonight as we witness which three lucky semifinalists get an automatic go-ahead to the coveted Top 12, while nine hopefuls temporarily have their dreams dashed (at least until the Wildcard is announced). The blogcast will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will last one hour.

Tonight's blogcast will feature music from David Cook, David Hernandez, Haley Scarnato, Katharine McPhee and Kimberley Locke.

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Kimberley Locke interviews alums at motorcade

There are still plenty of recaps, photos and video surfacing from Thursday's big Idol reunion at the grand opening of the "American Idol: The Experience" attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. One of them was Kimberley Locke pulling double duty as a guest and a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight at the event, as can be seen below as she interviews many alums during the motorcade:

Raw video from the presentation of the mic trophies to the seven winners also made its way out courtesy of CitybeatWEB, which can be viewed below:



CitybeatWEB also posted video of Carrie Underwood's performance of "All-American Girl" and her duet with David Cook on "Go Your Own Way," and footage of the alums arriving on the blue carpet.

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Star-studded 'Idol' crew expected at Disney's "AI Experience" opening

The grand opening of Walt Disney World's "American Idol Experience" at Hollywood Studios on Thurs., Feb. 12, will surely be a a day to remember in the Idol world, as there will be at least 28 confirmed guests from the show itself, spanning all seasons, from winners to early exits. Six winners, four runners-up and even Paula and Ryan will make appearances. See the full list below:

Paula Abdul
David Archuleta
Fantasia Barrino
Bo Bice
Jason Castro
David Cook
Bucky Covington
Diana DeGarmo
Melinda Doolittle
Simon Fuller
Josh Gracin
Justin Guarini
Taylor Hicks
Michael Johns
LaKisha Jones
Kimberley Locke
Sanjaya Malakar
Mandisa
Syesha Mercado
Ryan Seacrest
Chris Sligh
Carly Smithson
Jordin Sparks
Phil Stacey
Ruben Studdard
Carrie Underwood
Brooke White
Ace Young

The alums will participate in a motorcade that will depart Hollywood Studios at 4:30 p.m. ET. There is a possibility that even more alums will show up, so be sure to look out for them.

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Buy tickets for Kimberley's "Locke & Loaded" cruise

Kimberley Locke is no stranger to cruise ship singing (much to Simon's chagrin), and her upcoming "Locke & Loaded" cruise with fellow Celebrity Fit Club star and expert fitness guru Harvey Walden is being marketed as "7 days of sun and fun and music and fitness and wow!"

Although the Caribbean cruise is still a good nine months away, tickets are now available to purchase for the extravaganza on LockeandLoaded.com. Prices range from $849-1,950 per person.

The Liberty of the Seas launches from Miami at 4:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 12 and returns Sat., Sept. 19 at 7 a.m. (full itinerary found here). Other Idol alums that will be joining Kimberley include Jon Peter Lewis and Vonzell Solomon, with a possible appearance by Diana DeGarmo if Kimberley can talk her into it. Guests will be treated to two concerts by Kimberley, one by Jon and one by Vonzell with additional artists getting play time as well.

There's no word yet if Kimberley's Celebrity Fit Club "friend" Dustin Diamond will join the crew on the high seas for the occasion. IDOL LIVE is willing to bet he won't.

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