Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Idol tidbits of various sorts …

1. iTunes released its list of top-selling singles and albums for the week ending Nov. 30. Adam Lambert checks in at number five, behind Lady Gaga, Susan Boyle, Rihanna and John Mayer, in that order. Nowhere to be found: Kris Allen. Stay tuned. Billboard charts are out Thursday.

2. A couple of days ago, I blogged about a new Christmas single released by Katharine McPhee. Kat’s version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is now available through iTunes as a free download.

3. A while back, I blogged about the fact that season eight Idol semifinalist Kendall Beard was in the running to be the next face of CW Austin. Well, voters indeed selected Kendall as the CW Star. She’ll work with The CW in Austin for one year, both in front of and behind the camera. Congrats, Kendall.

4. In the last three weeks, we’ve gotten new albums from Kris, Adam and Allison Iraheta, the fourth-place finisher on Idol season eight. What happened to Danny Gokey, who finished third? Have no fear, Danny fans. He’s working on a country album, due out in March. And he’s scheduled for perform the national anthem today at the NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats.

5. Speaking of free downloads, Jason Castro’s debut single, “Let’s Just Fall in Love Again,” is also available at no cost. Just go here. We were supposed to have Jason’s debut album by now, but that’s been pushed back to 2010.

6. CMT will premiere a new special on Carrie Underwood tonight at 9 p.m. (EST) She’ll sing “Cowboy Casanova” and “Undo It” from her new album, a few of her previous hits; then talk about being a sci-fi junkie during an interview session. And, don’t forget, Carrie’s Christmas special airs Monday on FOX (8 p.m.)

7. Speaking of Christmas songs, aren’t you just dying to hear Kellie Pickler’s version of “Santa Baby?” If so, follow this link. Also courtesy of CMT.