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Look out for Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, and Jason Castro, too: They’re going on tour
David Archuleta, Jason Derulo also taking the ‘Idol’ stage on Wednesday
All About Allen!
Top 9 Week: Theme and Guest Performers
Carrie and Kellie Nominated for CMT Awards
Carrie and Kellie Nominated for CMT Awards
Monday morning wrap: Nice Ellen, mean Simon, controversial Adam
Look out for Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, and Jason Castro, too: They’re going on tour
David Archuleta, Jason Derulo also taking the ‘Idol’ stage on Wednesday

Look out for Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, and Jason Castro, too: They’re going on tour

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

All sorts of "American Idol" alumni are hitting the road in the coming months.

On Wednesday's show, Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard announced a co-headlining tour with his runner-up, Clay Aiken, to kick off July 23 in Clay's home state of North Carolina. The tour swings through L.A.'s Club Nokia on August 1. Clay said in a statement: "I couldn't ask for a better tour mate. To be able to share the stage with him again is so exciting."

Season 7's Jason Castro is also heading out with top billing. With his first full-length album due out April 13, he'll kick off the solo outing on April 17 in Dallas and will hit West Hollywood's the Troubadour on April 25. Check his site for a full itinerary and updates.

Also keep an eye out for Carrie Underwood, Carly Smithson's We Are the Fallen and Daughtry as they crisscross the country on their own national tours.

See the announced dates for Jason, Ruben and Clay after the jump…

Ruben Studdard/Clay Aiken summer 2010 tour dates:

Jul. 23: Asheville, N.C. (Biltmore Estates)
Jul. 24: Jacksonville, Fla. (Florida Theater)
Jul. 25: Melbourne, Fla. (King Center For Arts)
Jul. 26: Clearwater, Fla. (Ruth Eckerd Hall)
Jul. 29: Snoqualmie, Wash. (Mountain View Plaza)
Jul. 31: Reno, Nev. (Silver Legacy Casino)
Aug. 1: Los Angeles (Club Nokia)
Aug. 3: Milwaukee, Wisc. (Potowanami Casino)
Aug. 5: Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Caesar's)
Aug. 6: Chautauqua, N.Y. (Chautauqua Institution Amphitheatre)
Aug. 7: Mashantucket, Conn. (MGM Grand Foxwoods)
Aug. 8: Lancaster, Pa. (American Music Theater)
Aug. 10: Hampton Beach, N.H. (HB Casino)
Aug. 11: New York (Hammerstein Ballroom)
Aug. 12: Verona, N.Y. (Turning Stone Casino)
Aug. 13: Hammond, Ind. (Horseshoe)
Aug. 14: Biloxi, Miss. (Beau Rivage)

Jason Castro tour dates:

Apr. 17: Dallas (The Loft)
Apr. 22: Phoenix, Ariz. (Chasers)
Apr. 23: San Diego (House of Blues)
Apr. 25: Los Angeles (The Troubadour)
Apr. 27: Kansas City, Mo. (Bottleneck Blues Bar)
Apr. 28: Chicago (Lincoln Hall)
Apr. 30: Detroit (Pike Room)

May 1: Cleveland (Grog Shop)
May 2: Columbus, Ohio (The Basement)
May 3: Orlando, Fla. (Walt Disney World)
May 4: Atlanta (Vinyl)
May 6: Nashville (Rocketown)
May 8: Clearwater, Fla. (Capitol Theatre)
May 12: New York (Joe's Pub)
May 13: Vienna, Va. (Jammin Java)
May 15: Boston (Café 939)
May 16: Philadelphia (The Note)

– Shirley Halperin

Photo: Ruben Studdard in 2008. Credit: Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles
Times

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David Archuleta, Jason Derulo also taking the ‘Idol’ stage on Wednesday

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

In what's become a Season 9 tradition, another "American Idol" alumnus will return to the stage that launched his career. Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta performs on Wednesday's elimination episode, joining Rihanna, who was previously announced, and newcomer Jason Derülo, who counts "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi as one of his mentors.

Archie will reprise his show-stopping version of John Lennon's "Imagine" in honor of the show's Lennon-McCartney theme. Rihanna will deliver "Te Amo," and Derülo will perform his latest single, "In My Head."

Tune in Wednesday at 9 p.m. to see these performances and find out who's going home.

– Shirley Halperin

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All About Allen!

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

The reigning American Idol, Kris Allen, has a lot of noteworthy news and exciting upcoming performances. Last week, Carrie Underwoods Temporary Home became the 263^rd time an Idol alum had a number one charted song. This week, Kris adds two to that number with his hit single, Live Like Were Dying, which became the #1 song on the Christian Digital Songs chart and also the #1 song on the Christian/Gospel Digital Songs chart. This makes the Season 8 champ the 26^th Idol contestant to have a number one song. View the full list of number one hit makers.

On April 7^th, Kris will be playing a barefoot show in Little Rock, Arkansas to benefit TOMS A Day Without Shoes Charity to benefit Rwanda. An Arkansas native, Kris just returned from a trip to Rwanda and hell share his experiences at this special show. Kris is no stranger to lending a helping hand. This winter, he took a trip to Haiti with the UN Foundation to assist with earthquake relief. Read about his emotional experience.

On April 23^rd, Kris will join Keith Urban for a concert at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kris first played with Keith during the Season 8 finale. <a href="http://www.americanidol.com/photos/season_8/… read more
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Top 9 Week: Theme and Guest Performers

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

Youre in for an exciting week as the Season 9 Top 9 take on songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles. Tune in on Tuesday at 8/7c for the Top 9s live performances only on FOX. The Season 7 Top 12 tackled this theme back in 2008. Check out photos from their Lennon/McCartney Songbook performances.

You won’t want to miss Wednesdays results show at 9/8c. Rihanna will perform Te Amo off her record Rated R, Jason Derlo will rock the stage with In My Head, and Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta will reprise his emotional performance of John Lennons Imagine. View photos of David singing Imagine on a Season 8 performance show.

Want to show support for your favorite Season 9 Idol finalist? Choose a contestant and add our brand new widget to your social networking profile, blog, and more. Get started!

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Carrie and Kellie Nominated for CMT Awards

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

Two of American Idols country girls, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood and Season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler, have been nominated for a number of 2010 CMT Music Awards. They were selected for the first round of 2010 CMT Music Awards nominations, and voting is underway. Four nominees in eight categories will be announced on May 11, and the winners will be revealed during a live show on June 9^th.

Carrie Underwood is nominated for:
Video of the Year Cowboy Casanova
Female Video of the Year Cowboy Casanova
CMT Performance of the Year Temporary Home (from Invitation Only)
Director of the Year Deaton Flanigen for Temporary Home among other videos
Director of the Year Theresa Wingert for Cowboy Casanova among other videos

Kellie Pickler is nominated for:
Female Video of the Year Didnt You Know How Much I Loved You
Collaborative Video of the Year Best Days of Your Life
Director of the Year Roman White Didnt You Know How Much I Loved You and Best Days of Your Life among other videos

Congrats, Carrie and Kellie!

To vote for Carrie and Kellie, visit the CMT Music awards site.

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Carrie and Kellie Nominated for CMT Awards

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

Congrats, Carrie and Kellie!

To vote for Carrie and Kellie, visit the CMT Music awards site.

Visit Source

Monday morning wrap: Nice Ellen, mean Simon, controversial Adam

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

While you were off searching for colored eggs, OD'ing on matzah or playing with your new iPad, here's what happened in "Idol"-land:

"Beautiful" Adam: Paper magazine has included Adam Lambert on its Beautiful People 2010 list. "The folks we brought together in this issue are a purposefully diverse, eclectic and slightly off-kilter batch," note the editors, by way of introducing this year's roster. "These are the people we're obsessed with right now. We think you should be, too." Paper calls Lambert "the splashiest singer to ever lose on 'American Idol,'" but Lambert says he's really not as controversial as he's made out to be. "I'm just the same Adam I've always been," he says, "and in the circles I run in, it's not all that shocking."

Controversial Adam: Speaking of Adam Lambert and controversy, Lambert apparently got his fans all worked up on Sunday, tweeting, "Thanks for the wishes, but I don't celebrate Easter friends. I'm not Christian. … I haven't celebrated Passover in over ten years either. I'm Jew ISH by blood not by practice. I'm not religious. More spiritual. Now u know." Then he added, "I DO believe in a higher power." Then, after suggesting that Halloween might be a "Gayish" holiday, he added, "Woops. I just opened A very sensitive can of worms. Haha Our diversity is what makes us beautiful. Happy Spring. " The whole thing might have gone on a bit longer, but then a few hours later, Lambert tweeted, " Earthquake!!!" which effectively changed the subject. (And incidentally, "Idol" alum Elliott Yamin, traumatized by the Chile earthquake in February, felt Sunday's quake, too: "im havin flashbacks!!" he tweeted from L.A.)

When Ryan met Bill: Ryan Seacrest zipped into Seattle on Friday to meet with Bill and Melinda Gates for "Idol Gives Back." Before their meeting, the "Idol" host and the Microsoft co-founder exchanged mash notes via Twitter. Seacrest: "Off to seattle today meeting @billgates later, he is going to be a major part of our idol gives back special I'll let u know who's taller!" Gates: "@RyanSeacrest Melinda & I are looking fwd to talking w/you about Idol Gives Back today. We're proud to be a part of this incredible program." Seacrest: "Likewise! RT @BillGates: @RyanSeacrest Looking fwd to talking about Idol Gives Back.‬‪" This year, "Idol Gives Back" is going viral, enlisting fans to raise money early online with the "Help Me Give Back" campaign. "Idol Gives Back" will air April 21.

She's adorable and they love her: Looks like the world is ready to embrace Ellen DeGeneres as an "Idol" judge. In a lead Arts story in the New York Times on Sunday, TV critic Alessandra Stanley writes that DeGeneres is trying harder than the other judges, and it's paying off: "She has little experience in the music business, but midway through her first season Ms. DeGeneres has all but hijacked the show, playing second fiddle to no one, not even the overbearing Mr. Cowell," Stanley asserts. "She has elevated the tone with her own style of mischievous good spirits and well-honed, down-to-earth charm. She couldn't be friendlier or more congenial, but she doesn't quite blend with the other judges; at times, her facial expressions betray a quizzical distance from the show's cheesier moments. It makes her all the easier for viewers to identify with, but she also makes the other judges look all the more like show business hacks."

Mean, mean Simon: And while we're on the subject of the "overbearing" Simon Cowell, Didi Benami has told CNN that, even after the cameras stopped rolling following her elimination on Wednesday night's show, Cowell got in a final dig. As the other judges comforted her with hugs and kind words, she revealed, "I do remember Simon saying, 'that's what happens when you pick the wrong song.' That was the last thing he said to me, which really kind of hurt. I was like, really?" Added the tear-prone Benami, "Simon gave me a hug, but it just sucked for him to say that at the end."

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, Justin Bieber told Jay Leno that, were he a contestant on "American Idol," he'd be impervious to Cowell's criticism. Watch a clip below:

– Amy Reiter

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Look out for Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, and Jason Castro, too: They’re going on tour

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:09 AM PDT

All sorts of "American Idol" alumni are hitting the road in the coming months.

Also keep an eye out for Carrie Underwood, Carly Smithson's We Are the Fallen and Daughtry as they crisscross the country on their own national tours.

See the announced dates for Jason, Ruben and Clay after the jump…

Ruben Studdard/Clay Aiken summer 2010 tour dates: