TVSquad

On November 24, British music sensation Susan Boyle's first CD will be released, and as I wrote before, it won't be filled with just show tunes. It's been getting a lot of buzz considering that Susan has not been going on television promoting the album... till now.

Susan will appear on QVC on November 4 to launch her debut album I Dreamed a Dream. If you tune in, you'll see Susan talking about the CD -- it doesn't sound like she'll be singing live -- but they'll spin some cuts and urge you to order.

If you do, there'll be a bonus DVD of rare footage that you'll get along with the eclectic batch of songs she's recorded. How eclectic? Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," The Monkees' "Daydream Believer," Madonna's "You'll See" and, of course, from Les Miserables, "I Dreamed A Dream."

I am not going to pay $29.95 a year to read the blog entries of Clay Aiken. So I'm glad that someone else does and can post the following quote from Aiken. Guess the American Idol runner-up isn't a fan of another runner-up, Adam Lambert.

I couldn't be happier with the way AI ended this year. I only turn the show on once a season and only to see what the set looks like. This year, I happened to turn it on during the minute that Adam Lambert was singing "Ring of Fire," and, at that moment, thought my ears would bleed. Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening! I wasn't really a fan and found myself surprised whenever folks told me that they liked him.

Gawker has more. Idol fans, discuss.

I think my favorite part of this song (and yes it is called "He Needs A Kidney") is the line "a hand would be an even harder thing to give." Lyrics are here. Now tell me, who is the singer who does the "only three of us are drunk" line?

(S03E22) "There's no such thing as bisexual. That's just something invented in the 90s so they could sell more hair products." - Liz

OK, so how long before "We Need A Kidney" is available for download from the NBC site or from iTunes? I suspect it will be up before you finish reading this review.

I was going to talk about how this episode was a little disappointing, but then I hit rewind on my DVR and watched it again and realized, wow, they actually hit all of the season finale notes rather perfectly. Not in a "we're having a baby!" or "he has amnesia!" way, but in a way that symbolized that "this is the end of the season but we're not going to go overboard" way. Some might think that having 20 big-name musical guest stars on a season finale actually is over the top, but it didn't turn out that way. This episode was quite funny.

Alan Alda returns as Jack Donaghy's dad tonight on 30 Rock for the show's season finale, "Kidney Now." The plot finds Jack trying to put together a benefit concert for Alda, who is in need of a kidney. That, of course, means the ep will be loaded with appearances by famous musicians.

Guest stars include Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Clay Aiken. The clip below reveals some shocking truths about some of these famous crooners, including Aiken's relation to NBC page Kenneth Parcell.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.
• CBS has Frosty The Snowman at 8, then Frosty Returns and The Flight Before Christmas.
• NBC has the special Greatest Holiday Moments: Songs of the Season Countdown at 8, followed by new episodes of Lipstick Jungle and Dateline.
• There's a new Everybody Hates Chris on The CW at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• Alton Brown makes eggnog on a repeat Good Eats, on Food Network at 8.
• Nickeloeon has a new Fairly Oddparents at 8.
• Also at 8: Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck.
• At 9, The CW has The Family Entertainment Awards.
• Discovery has a new Survivorman at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie Recipe For A Perfect Christmas at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Stargate Atlantis at 9, then a new Sanctuary.
• VH-1 has Best Year Ever at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie The Christmas Choir at 9.
• E! has a Clay Aiken True Hollywood Story at 9, followed by a new episode of The Soup.
• At 10, USA has the season finale of The Starter Wife.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talkj show listings.

Going into last night's finale of American Idol, I was very excited to see the Davids battle each other for the title. It was the first American Idol in a while that did not have an obvious winner at the outset. Even though it really was David Archuleta's night, I still hold out hope that David Cook might pull out a win. He's the one with the most potential and is the better performer. Little Archuleta has that killer voice, though.

Anyway, last night's epic battle got me thinking about past American Idol finales and whether any of them were this much of a contest. It seems like we've gone into most of the American Idol finales with obvious winners. Here's a breakdown of the past American Idol finales, and whether they stack up to last night's performances:

Welcome back to "AI Aftermath," where we explore Idol's past. Each installment, as one more American Idol hopeful is eliminated from the competition, we take a look back at contestants past who were eliminated at the same point. We'll examine how they did on the show and what they've been up to since their eliminations. In honor of David Archuleta's elimination in the finale, we'll be looking at other second place finishers.

This week: 2nd place finishers, featuring featuring Justin Guarini (Season One), Clay Aiken (Season Two), Diana DeGarmo (Season Three), Bo Bice (Season Four), Katharine McPhee (Season Five) and Blake Lewis (Season Six).

With Clay Aiken having wrapped up his run as Sir Robin in Spamalot, the Idol quotient on Broadway was down. Fortunately for theatergoers, it's Taylor Hicks to the rescue. Kind of. He's a bit of a step down from Clay Aiken, isn't he? I mean, Clay's new album debuted at number four, and Taylor was dropped from his label.

Whichever way you see it, Hicks will be joining the cast of Grease to take on the role of Teen Angel. Should you be in the area, you can head over to the Brooks Atkinson Theater and hear his version of "Beauty School Dropout." An interesting TV side-note, this production of Grease stars Laura Osnes and Max Crumm. You may remember them as being the winners of the ill-fated NBC show, You're The One That I Want.

Clay Aiken's career track is an interesting one. For someone with my musical tastes and interests, he virtually disappeared after his season of American Idol was over. His act is really just not for me. Unlike so many other also-rans from the show though, a couple times a year, he pops up again. Clay is performing here. He's sold another million albums there. And along the way he's managed to build one of the most devoted fan bases anyone could ask for.

That brings us to the latest rise of Clay on to the radar for the rest of us. He's kicking off the release of his fourth studio album next Monday, with an appearance on QVC. I'm reminded of Arsenio and the old "things that make you go hmmm" bit. I'm not sure I get it, but we should probably just not question Clay's judgment. He seems to be doing alright. He's never going to have the media exposure of Kelly Clarkson, but he's not going to just fade away either.

[ via E! Online ]

Hey all you Idol maniacs. Want to know where your favorite Idol contestants past and present will be making appearances? Of course you do. You've already got the RV packed, notes to the kids' schools written explaining their prolonged absences and a case of Funyuns jammed underneath the passenger seat. You're a member of the Soul Patrol, a Clayniac and are still suffering from McPheever. Oh you've got it bad.

But MJ's Big Blog has what you need. No more aimless driving around America shouting "Can anyone tell me where Gina Glocksen is performing tonight?" or "Has anyone seen Jessica Sierra, she still owes me bail money?" Now you can go to one place and plan your journey like the Deadheads before you. Now you can follow Ace Young as he travels around various Borders signing Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul, and you can catch Diana DeGarmo at the Braves opener. Oh, and if you're in Atlanta at Kroger tonight, look up Melinda Doolittle, buy some ice cream and tell her I said "Hi."

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Kim Kardashian is my new favorite source of embarrassingly stupid news.
  
• Billy Crystal won't be taking over Conan's time slot, but that doesn't mean he won't be hosting a late-night talk show.
  
• Clay Aiken will be appearing on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? to raise money for a charity.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

(S05E05) Tonight's episode took place at the Tempe Improv and despite the fact that it didn't look exactly like the old LA room, any fan of comedy had to get a little excited when they saw that brick wall and the big Improv letters attached to it. I felt like I was sucked right back into 1988 and I was watching what was, for me, one of the defining shows of my childhood: A&E's Evening at the Improv. The only thing that was missing was Bud Friedman introducing each comedian while wearing a ridiculous monocle.

The bad news tonight was that none of the comedians had the 80's comic uniform on: jeans, skinny-tie, and sports coat with the sleeves rolled up. I would have liked to see that.

The good news? Well, tonight's episode was actually kind of enjoyable...

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily: Trying to see things from their point of view....

• Clay Aiken is that guy you don't want sitting behind you on a plane. And no, not because he sings.
  
• Katie Couric got all slappin'-mad over the word "sputum." Eww.
  
• Kathy Griffin is on the shortlist for the hosting spot on The View, but only if the price is right.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

TV Tattle reports today (via SyFyPoral via The Houston Chronicle -- ah, the twisty fun of giving internet credit!) that, if you're a Jericho fan, you apparently have Clay Aiken to thank for the show's upcoming revival.

Aiken said he "...started blogging about [Jericho] on my fan site. It got canceled and I started blogging about how upset I was. I said, 'The Claymates can do anything. How do we get this show back on the air?'"

His fans sprung into action and, "Honestly, within a week, they had organized a campaign amongst Jericho fans to send nuts to CBS. It kind of started in that place. And it's back on the air. It just blows my mind."

I have a few questions about these comments...