'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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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox perform on 'Today'

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

>Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox paid NBC's Today Show a visit yesterday to perform in concert at Rockefeller Plaza. Watch them duet on "Falling Slowly" below:

Lee took the stage to perform an acoustic version of "Beautiful Day," while Crystal did an acoustic rendition of "Me & Bobby McGee" as Michael Orland accompanied the two on piano. In their pre-performance chat with Meredith Viera, Lee was asked what his favorite brand of paint was, and he gave a cop-out "the're's plenty of good ones" answer." Crystal said she'd like to use her celebrity to raise awareness for diabetes, especially in underdeveloped countries.

>After staying out of the limelight for an extended amount of time, Clay Aiken seems to be taking on a higher profile as of late, with a performance on ABC's Good Morning America on Tuesday and details of yet another cover album leaking out. Watch Clay and his new hairdo perform "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" below:



Clay's latest cover disc, Tried and True (more like "Tired and Too Much"), hit stores on Tuesday to little fanfare. Before his performance on GMA, Clay chatted with co-host Robin Roberts and called summer tour mate Ruben Studdard "one of the best performers on stage" he knows.

>David Archuleta has been busy on his book tour in support of Chords of Strength, which is described as "a memoir of soul, song, and the power of perseverance. So far he has hit up Ridgewood, N.J., New York City and Long Island. Below are a few tweets courtesy of Arch from his travels during the tour:

Finished the book signing in Manhattan! Andy Garcia, Kasey James, and DiDi Benami all stopped by. Such a cool surprise!
9:19 PM Jun 2nd via txt

"you smell like really good baby powder." well I haven't heard that before but thanks! I'm glad I don't smell bad! Haha
about 12 hours ago via txt

Lake Grove on Long Island was awesome!! Thanks so much too everyone who came and thanks to Barnes and Noble too!
about 9 hours ago via txt

While in the city, Arch also performed "Works For Me" on FOX & Friends yesterday with friend Toby Lightman. He will next be at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn., tomorrow at 2 p.m.

>Allison Iraheta's latest single was unveiled earlier this week. Her third release will be a revamped version of "Don't Waste the Pretty" featuring Orianthi, who Allison will be touring with this summer. According to Michael Slezak at EW.com:

The Orianthi-infused “Don’t Waste the Pretty” hits iTunes June 8, according to a rep at Allison’s label.

Jive must really believe in Allison since they've previously released two singles that have failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, especially considering they only got behind two singles on David Archuleta's first release and Jordin Sparks's Battlefield.

>Diana DeGarmo visited CBS's weekend morning program The Saturday Early Show over Memorial Day Weekend to perform a few songs from Hair, which she is currently starring in on Broadway. Watch her perform "I Believe in Love" and a snippet of her song of appreciation of the men and women serving in our military, "Thank You," which was fitting for the weekend, below:



Last week, Diana together with SunTrust Bank unveiled a campaign called "Solid Salute," which allows people to send personalized e-greetings to men and women in uniform using her song "Thank You." You can also download the track for free at LiveSolid.com.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Blake Lewis unveils new single choice

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

>Blake Lewis revealed his new single choice, "Heartbreak on Vinyl," and sent a link for fans to listen to a remix of the song by LA Riots in an e-mail sent to fans. In the e-mail, Blake also mentioned a fan-made video that made Yahoo!'s Top 10 Most Awesome Music Videos of 2009, which can be viewed below:

In addition to the LA Riots remix, the single will include remixes by Chew Fu and Bimbo Jones and will be available digitally on Tues., Jan. 19.

>Carrie Underwood will take a stab at acting in her first guest appearance on a CBS sitcom when she stars in an episode of How I Met Your Mother. Per The LA Times:

Underwood will make her acting debut on the CBS sitcom as a love interest for Ted (Josh Radnor), CBS confirmed. Her character, Tiffany, is an enigmatic pharmaceutical sales rep.

The newly-engaged Carrie recently took her comedy skills on a test drive on her variety special that aired on FOX last month. The episode will air sometime in March.

>Katharine McPhee's latest stop in support of her sophomore album Unbroken was on NBC's Today Show, which aired yesterday. Kat spoke with co-host Hoda Kotb and America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan. Watch the segment below:



After fending off the usual comments about her "new" (and by "new" it's really 8-9 months-old) hairstyle, Kat spoke about why she decided to name her album Unbroken and what was behind her covering the quirky song "Brand New Key."

>Two Idol alums launched new blogs this week. Kimberly Caldwell recently tweeted about her new blog, which basically seems to be a Twitter feed on her site:

Check out my blog: kimberlycaldwell.tumblr.com Good news about the pup! 3:21 PM Jan 7th from Echofon

Meanwhile, Felicia Barton similarly revealed her new blog, as she announced via her own Twitter account:

thanks to everyone that is following me on my new blog!..I am really excited about it!!!... www.followingfelicia.blogspot.com 11:11 PM Jan 7th from web

>Since CBS failed to broadcast David Archuleta's halftime performance at the Brut Sun Bowl in San Antonio, Tex., on Thurs., Dec. 31. Watch him perform "Don't Stop Believin'" below:



David also sang his songs "Crush" and "Zero Gravity" during the halftime set. Prior to halftime he also sang "God Bless America."

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Melinda Doolittle & Bo Bice talk Paula on 'Today'

Two Idol alums appeared on the Saturday edition of NBC's Today Show to discuss the departure of Paula Abdul as a judge. Melinda Doolittle contributed via satellite hookup from Nashville, Tenn., while Bo Bice chimed in from Pelham, Ala. Watch the segment below:

Melinda called Paula the "momma of the show" and "the heart of it" for her. Bo said he was a little bit shocked, but more surprised and that when Kara DioGuardi entered the picture a lot of people had questions about what the composure of the judges would be.

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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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Daughtry performs on 'Today'

On the day of their sophomore album's release, the guys from Daughtry took to a packed Rockefeller Plaza to perform a few songs for fans. Watch the band perform "No Surprise" below:

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Daughtry also performed "Home" and "It's Not Over." The guys will continue with their busy week of promo tomorrow with a performance and sit-down on The View.

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Kris and Adam address "textgate"; perform on 'Today'

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert shared the stage for the first time since last week's finale, as the two this morning performed at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City for NBC's Today Show. Watch Kris perform "Heartless" below:

On the other hand, Adam performed "Mad World," which is widely considered to be his best vocal performance on the show. Idol's musical director, Michael Orland, accompanied him on piano. Watch the performance below:



The two alums also chatted with Today Show co-host Natalie Morales prior to taking the stage. Adam and Kris each said the opposite deserved to win, and Kris addressed "textgate," the swirling controversy kicked up by The New York Times about the AT&T phone giveaways in Arkansas, by joking about not having to call them up asking for more votes, while Adam said he thinks people need to relax and he wants to move forward with their careers.

Adam also flat out said he would not be joining Queen as the band's frontman, which puts that rumor to rest. Watch the interview below:



Kris also sang an acoustic version of his winning single, "No Boundaries," which seems to be the style of choice to perform the song in while he makes the rounds on the talk show circuit.

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Constantine Maroulis performs with 'Rock of Ages' cast on 'Today Show'

Constantine Maroulis, the first Idol alum to receive a nomination for a Tony Award, and his crew from Broadway's hit Rock of Ages took to the stage at Rockefeller Plaza Monday to perform a set from the show on NBC's Today Show. The act was part of the Toyota Concert Series. Watch the cast perform Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" below:

Constantine and co-star Amy Spanger spoke with Today's Lester Holt and other co-hosts following this performance to chat about the chow and Constantine's time on Idol in Season 4. He said he was in the right place at the right time and he gets to play a rock star both on stage and in real life.

He also said he still watches Idol and he thinks both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert will have big careers.

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Jennifer Hudson performs at 'Today Show'

Jennifer Hudson took to the stage at 30 Rock yesterday to perform for a full plaza as part of The Today Show's "Summer Concert Series." Watch her sing current single "If This Isn't Love" below:

In addition to getting her fans to "put their hands up," Jennifer spoke briefly with Today co-host Matt Lauer about her tour with Robin Thicke and got a little testy when Lauer brought up her Essence Magazine cover story that addresses her family tragedy, as she said she's moved past talking about it.

Jennifer also performed "Spotlight," during which she got Al Roker to dance while snapping photos.

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Happy Easter from IDOL LIVE

IDOL LIVE would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter on this great day and hope you all are enjoying spring. As a way to recognize this day, watch Mandisa's discussion with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the fourth hour of NBC's Today show from Thursday, in which she talks about faith, food and friendship:

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In addition to the release of her sophomore album Freedom, Mandisa has been preparing to join Women of Faith's "A Grand New Day 2009" events, with a full schedule of tour dates and locations found here.

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Merry Christmas from IDOL LIVE

IDOL LIVE would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Take time to enjoy time with friends and family and relax to Michael Johns' performance of "Another Christmas" from NBC's Today Show on Tuesday:

And just a note: the current poll of the week has been extended until Tues., Dec. 30, at 10 p.m., so be sure to get everyone to vote. And be sure to watch David Cook and David Archuleta perform on tomorrow's Disney Christmas Day Parade on ABC at 10 a.m.

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Arch hits the talkshow circuit

David Archuleta began making the rounds promoting his debut album last Thursday when he appeared on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno to perform "Crush." Watch the performance below:



That was the calm before the storm. Today he hit NBC's Today Show and MTV's Total Request Live. Watch those performances below:

Today


TRL


Arch also stopped by the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing and he will be on Live with Regis & Kelly tomorrow at 9 a.m. By the way, Arch's official music MySpace page got a makeover today, so make sure you check it out.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: LaKisha to wed

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

>Following on the heels of Jennifer Hudson, LaKisha Jones will wed her fiance, Larry Davis, on Sun., Oct. 5 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Fellow Season 6 alums Melinda Doolittle and Gina Glocksen will also attend.

>Carrie Underwood will co-host the 42nd annual CMA Awards on Wed., Nov. 12, with Brad Paisley. Carrie will perform and is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year while her album Carnival Ride is nominated for Album of the Year. The awards will air on ABC at 8 p.m.

>Kellie Pickler was interviewed by AmericanIdol.com about the release of her sophomore album and her tour with Sugarland among other things. She also performed "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" on NBC's Today Show.

>The third season of American Idol Rewind premiered last Saturday with Season 3's New York auditions. This season of Rewind combines the third and fourth seasons of Idol.

>Justin Guarini announced on his weekly online radio show that he got engaged to his girlfriend, Reina Capodici, at Walt Disney World. They are planning a June 2009 wedding.

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Cook and Arch on 'Today'

David Cook and David Archuleta performed on NBC's Today Show this morning as part of the venerable morning show's summer concert series. Arch sang "Think of Me," which can be viewed here, while Cook sang "The Time of My Life," which can be viewed here.

They also sat down with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira and were interviewed, which covered the usual topics like whether Cook was surprised he won and the whole "Dadchuleta" controversy. Below is video of their interview:

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