I thought it would be cool to feature a couple of contestants from the list of leaked Top 36 contestants every day for the next two weeks. Hope you peeps are enjoying the feature so far! In order not to freak out those who don’t want to be spoiled, I’ve decided to keep all the vital information after the jump…for now. Click the jump to check out the second of today’s featured contestants… Read more »

Taylor Swift a headliner come April 23 Taylor Swift, last year’s best-selling recording artist, will kick off her first major headlining tour April 23 in Evansville, Ind. (No ticket sales date released yet.) “I’ve been working really hard to make this show as multidimensional as possible,” says Swift, 19, who will include multiple costume changes and a fairy-tale castle in her three-act set. Kellie Pickler will open all dates of the 50-city Taylor Swift Fearless Tour. USA Today Bucky’s CD is Top-Selling Country Release With album sales totaling 400,000 units, according to Nielsen Soundscan sales reporting, Bucky Covington’s self-titled first CD is the best-selling country debut release of the 2007 class. The singer’s debut album, Bucky Covington, delivered three consecutive top 10 hits at country radio - “A Different World,” “It’s Good To Be Us” and “I’ll Walk”. He’s also the best selling debut artist of the 2007 class, and is one of only three male country artists since 2005 to have three consecutive top 10 singles from his debut album. Bucky is currently in the studio with producers Mark Miller and Dale Oliver recording new music for his sophomore CD. The first single from the new project is expected to release in the coming weeks. Fans can also see Bucky make his big screen debut on April 10 in Hannah Montana The Movie. American Idol More Idol Headlines after the JUMP… Read more »

Has ‘American Idol’ lost its way? ‘American Idol’ debuted in the summer of 2002 with little fanfare as a summer replacement show with the tagline “The Search for a Superstar.” There were many skeptics who said the show would bomb and that Americans were too sophisticated to go for a repackaged TV talent show. Of course, the critics were wrong. The first season was an unqualified success, due in large part to the discovery of Kelly Clarkson, an unknown cocktail waitress from Texas who charmed America with her outstanding vocals and goofy personality. Kelly went on to live out the dream, selling millions of albums and epitomizing the stated purpose of the show. Idol Thoughts More Idol Headlines after the JUMP… Read more »

This week… Diana DeGarmo appears at the Rutledge Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, Nashville 1/26, The Jordin Sparks Experience benefit takes place at Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine, Tampa FL 1/27, Jordin Sparks and Chris Richardson perform at the 2nd Annual Jordin Sparks Charity Concert 1/28, Elliott Yamin performs at the Rooftop Cocktail Benefit, Los Angeles, CA 1/29, and Melinda Dootlittle performs at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville CT 1/31. For more information and Idol Appearances, check out the Idol Appearances Page… Don’t Miss… The last of the American Idol Season 8 auditions are this week… Monday 1/26 - David Cook appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live (repeat) 12:05/11:05c ABC. Tuesday 1/27 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, Jacksonville, FL, FOX 8/7c, Paula Abdul appears on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno NBC 11:35/10:35c. Wednesday 1/28 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, Salt Lake City, UT, FOX 8/7c Thursday 1/29 - American Idol Season 8 Auditions, New York City/San Juan, FOX 8/7c Sunday 2/1 - Jennifer Hudson sings the National Anthem at the Superbowl in Tampa, FL. 6 pm EST, NBC.

For the past couple of months I’ve been featuring Hollywood spoilers from Joesplace. With the new season of American Idol beginning in less than 24 hours, now is a good time to review what we know so far.In an attempt to keep it all straight, I’ve created a page with photos and information on all of the contestants rumored to have made the Top 50.

• Check out my Top 50 page HERE, or linked above in the header. I’ve also added a list of notable Hollywood contestants to the page.

FYI, Ann Marie Boskovich, Kristen McNamara and Von Lee Smith have all taken their music off-line–an indication that they may have made the Top 50 (All Top 50 contestants are required to take their music down by January) And, according to this news article, Hollywood contestant Ricky Braddy is rumored to have made the Top 50.

Local band Out’n the Cold also stated in a recent band newsletter that Braddy is slated to appear on the show. “One more hometown talent from the Elizabeth City area making it big … is young Mr. Ricky Braddy.” The newsletter said. “Ricky is in the final 50 for this year’s ‘American Idol.’ So if you watch the show on Tuesday, 13 Jan., you might get a chance to hear him. We’re mighty proud of you Ricky, and we’re pulling for you to make it to the finals; good luck.”

The Top 50 list so far: Adam Lambert, Angela Martin, Felicia Barton, Brent Keith Smith, Jakob McKay, Jacklyn “Jackie” Tohn, Junot Joyner, Justin Williams, Kendall Beard, Lil Rounds, Michael Bartul, Reggi Beasley, Ryan P.A. Johnson, Stephen Fowler, Taylor Vaifanua, Terrence T.K. Hash. I’ll be updating the list as we find out more…