Kelly, Jordin, Jennifer and Paula reunite at VH1's "Divas"

It was one big Idol reunion at VH1's Divas special last night, as former judge Paula Abdul hosted the program while two winners and the show's only contestant to win both a Grammy and an Oscar took to the stage to show off their pipes. Watch some of the more memorable moments of the night below:

Following her recent trend of singing a stripped-down version of her current single "Already Gone," Kelly Clarkson kept things cool during her performance.

VH1 Divas | Divas Video

Jordin Sparks performed her new single "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)," backed up by a troupe of sexy dancers. Even though the spectacle was nothing like what Jordin would usually take part in, she showed that she could hold her own onstage singing and upbeat, dancey song.

VH1 Divas | Divas Video

Jennifer Hudson got the crowd on its feet by belting her song "Spotlight." Jennifer made the most use of the stage, as she graced the outer edges to create a sense of inclusion of the audience.

VH1 Divas | Divas Video

But it was Paula who stole the show with her comical introductions of the presenters and an opening number with a medley of some of her classic hits including "Coldhearted Snake," "Opposites Attract," "Straight Up" and "Forever Your Girl." Watch Paula lip, err, sing through the medley below:

VH1 Divas | Divas Video

Other things of note Paula did as host include grabbing her boob while joking that she "nearly breastfed" Kelly, Jordin and Jennifer, posing as Ellen DeGeneres while dancing to P!NK's "Get the Party Started" and being "hooked off stage" for stalling in her introduction of Keri Hilson and Corbin Bleu.

All Idol-related performers also go to do a duet with another well-known singer, with Kelly being paired up with Melissa Etheridge on "Bring Me Some Water," Jordin teaming with Martina McBride on "A Broken Wing" and Jennifer taking on "All In Love Is Fair" with Stevie Wonder.

The special aired live on VH1 and was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Paula Abdul previews VH1's "Divas"

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

>Paula Abdul is not one to be broken by news of her successor. As long as she's still making headlines in other ways, who is she to care? Paula has most recently appeared in the following promotional video that is airing on VH1 for the upcoming Divas special that she will be hosting. Watch her make fun of herself (and her former Idol cohorts) in the clip below, with a special cameo by Ryan "SeCrest":

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

The Divas special will be broadcast live on VH1 on Thurs., Sept. 17.

>Meanwhile, more commentary has come in over the past two days about the announcement that Ellen DeGeneres would be replacing Paula as the fourth judge of Idol. A few quick hits from around the industry:

Whoopi Goldberg: I'm just curious...where's the music experience? I'm not sure that this was the right choice for that particular show."

Taylor Hicks: "I definitely believe Ellen's jokes are funnier than Simon Cowell's jokes...she has a great personality and she might have a little bit more of a musical chop than we think she does."

Bucky Covington: "I gotta be honest with ya...I am probably the bad person to ask here cause I'm a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan...and I think it'd be great to have someone call Simon out on his corny jokes."

As for Ellen, she is already prepping for the inevitable spats she will be having with Simon. She said:

"When Simon is rude and mean, I will tell him he's rude and mean, just like I tell him when he's on my show that he's rude and mean."

By the looks of things, it's gonna be an exciting Season 9.

>It was announced that Jordin Sparks will be singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at her Arizona Cardinals' home season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sun., Sept. 13. Per AZCentral.com:

This is the Sparks fourth time signing the anthem at University of Phoenix Stadium. She also last sang at last season's NFC Championship Game, when the Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football last season and at Super Bowl XLII.

Jordin is also currently being featured in ads for the Got Milk? campaign, as seen pictured to the right.

>The record label of Season 5's Top 16 finalist Ayla Brown unveiled a backstage video of the singer and Boston College basketball star at a concert she performed at this past summer. Watch the eight-minute video below:



At the end of the video, it is announced that Ayla will release a live album on Tues., Nov. 10, featuring tracks she performed with The James Montgomery Blues Band and The Uptown Horns, and a studio album title Circles will see an April 6, 2010 release.

>Leslie Hunt, who placed in the Top 20 in Idol's sixth season, has given birth to her first child, daughter Eliza(beth) Joni Faulds on Sun., Aug. 30. Per Leslie's official Twitter account:

Our daughter, Eliza Joni, was born on Sunday, August 30th @ 9:42pm, and all is right in the world. :-) 8:38 PM Sep 2nd from web

Leslie's sophomore album, Your Hair Is On Fire, is now available to purchase on CDBaby.com.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Jennifer Hudson joins VH1's "Divas" roster

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

>Just a few weeks ago, Kelly Clarkson let it slip that fellow Idol champ Jordin Sparks would be joining her in VH1's Divas special. Now, it was Jordin's turn to announce the addition of another Idol alum at concert event, as she told Paulette Tobin of The Grand Forks Herald that Jennifer Hudson would also be performing. This brings representation from the franchise at the broadcast to four, as Paula Abdul was recently announced as the show's host.

>Coming just one week after the official announcement of his fellow Top 2 comrade's album release date, Adam Lambert subtlety let it be known that his self-titled album would be out on Tues., Nov. 24. In a tweet sent out on Wednesday, Adam said:

over 86K raised by http://www.donorschoose.org... !! thank you guys so much! keep it coming! fyi my album drops Nov 24th ! 8:46 AM Sep 2nd from web

Adam is reportedly working with producers such as RedOne and Max Martin and looks to have a big opening week thanks to his album being released the week of Thanksgiving. Competition will come from Lil' Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Susan Boyle and a re-release from Lady Gaga.

>It was recently announced that Diana DeGarmo has been selected to serve as a celebrity judge the New York Musical Theater Festival's (NYMF) "Next Broadway Sensation" contest, which will award one winner the chance to perform his or her own solo concert among other things. According to TheaterMania.com:

Confirmed celebrity judges include actors Diana DeGarmo, Jonathan Groff, Bailey Hanks, Orfeh, Donna Lynne Champlin, Kacie Sheik, and Allison Case; composer/lyricist Paul Scott Goodman; and record producer Noah Corman.

The three rounds of the competition will be held at New World Stages in New York, N.Y., on Sun., Sept. 13, Sept. 20 and Oct. 4.

>Keeping busy with his writing and storytelling skills, David Archuleta on Wednesday posted a new blog post on his official Ning network site about recording his Christmas album and performing the last concert of his summer tour in Alaska. Arch said in part:

I've been recording in LA and Utah this week and it's been quite the work but I'm really excited for it all to come together! I really like airplane rides though because it gives me time to write and get really detailed in my journal haha. Anyway... I know that may have seemed kinda random but I've been on airplanes quite a bit this last week. But I think the Christmas spirit is rubbing off on me because I've never started the Holiday season spirit this early in the year before haha. It feels good though.

He also gave a friendly shout out to fellow Season 7 alum Jason Castro and said he likes his new single, "Let's Just Fall In Love Again."

>Blake Lewis' album release is still one month away, but he eagerly e-mailed fans on his mail listing this morning to alert them that he will be sending links to preview select songs off Heartbreak On Vinyl over the next four weeks. He kicked things off this morning with a link to listen to the album's title track, "Heartbreak On Vinyl."

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Paula Abdul to host VH1's "Divas" special

It turns out that Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks will not be the only Idol-related participants on VH1's highly anticipated Divas concert special that will be carried live on Thurs., Sept. 17.

Newly freed Paula Abdul will be the special's Ryan Seacrest at the event, which will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, N.Y. According to a tweet from the great Paula:

PaulaAbdul Hi guys! im really excited 2 announce ill b hosting this year's "Vh1 Divas"!The show will be live on Sept 17th @ 9 pm EST about 10 hours ago from mobile web

This must come as welcomed news to Paula considering she lost out to Kristen Johnston for a recurring role on ABC's former hit comedy series Ugly Betty. The reason? Well, if you enjoy believing rumors, it was a dispute over money. Glad to know things are still the same for Paula.

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Kelly Clarkson: Jordin Sparks joins VH1's "Divas" special

VH1's first Divas special since 2004 is already very highly-anticipated, but interest increased yesterday when the Idol representation on the special grew by one, according to Kelly Clarkson at least. Kelly was interviewed on The Pulse earlier today and she was asked who was on the show, and she went on to name Jordin Sparks among a few other artists. Listen to the interview below:

Kelly said she would be performing "Already Gone" on the show after spilling the beans on Jordin's addition to the roster:

"As far as I know, it's Adele it's, um, Jordin Sparks I think just signed on..."

And she went on to gush about how sweet Jordin is. Per VH1.com, Divas will air on Thurs., Sept. 17, at 9 p.m. ET and will feature Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus among others.

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Kimberly Caldwell signs with Vanguard

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

>It was announced on Wednesday via a press release that Season 2 seventh-place finalist Kimberly Caldwell has signed with Vanguard Records. Kimberly had the following to say about the signing:

Kimberly stated, "There are no words that can truly express how thrilled I am about joining the Vanguard Records family. Music has always been my first love so I'm beyond excited to release my debut album and it's such an honor to get to do so alongside the amazing artists who call Vanguard home."

According to the release, Kimberly's debut album will be produced by Marshall Altman and is expected to be out early next year. (Photo courtesy of Matt Beard.)

>Kelly Clarkson will be one of four female artists taking part in VH1's Divas special alongside Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis and Adele. Per the press release issued on Tuesday:

Continuing in true Divas tradition, the evening will feature a night of unforgettable performances from various performers, presenters and special guests. Additional performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

This is the first Divas special the network has hosted since 2005. VH1's Divas will be broadcast live on VH1 from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House on Thurs., Sept. 17 at 9 p.m. ET.

>Chris Daughtry tweeted yesterday to alert fans that lyrics for four bonus tracks off Leave This Town had been posted on his band's official Web site. The songs are "Long Way," "Traffic Light," "Get Me Through" and "One Last Chance."

>As part of her continuing promotional tour for her sophomore album Battlefield, Jordin Sparks appeared on MTV's talk show It's On with Alexa Chung on Wednesday. Watch the first segment from the show below:



In the second segment featuring Jordin, she played "Will You Drink It" in which she had to drink concoctions ranging from "Red Devil" (tomato and pineapple juice) and "Rootbang" (rootbeer and tang).

>Phil Stacey launched his new official Web site last week to coincide with his upcoming sophomore release Into the Light (Aug. 25) on Reunion Records. In his welcome message, Phil said in part:

This new project represents my heart. I come from a long line of ministers. These songs are lessons I have learned along the way that I feel have drawn me closer to Jesus. I am excited to share them with you.

In the meantime, please check out my tour dates. I have a lot of events coming up, including a tour with Michael W. Smith this fall. I would absolutely LOVE to see you out there on the road. Until then, God bless you! Be safe.

Phil's new single, "You're Not Shaken," is currently #3 on Amazon MP3's Top 100 downloaded songs chart. It has been available as a free download for the past few weeks.

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