Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I hardly made a secret of the fact that I wasn’t a fan of Constantine Maroulis’ rendition of “Unchained Melody” on American Idol earlier this month.

For one thing, I couldn’t understand why Idol would invite the star of Broadway’s Rock of Ages to perform on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night and then have him sing something other than a song from the film.

Except for the fact that Constantine recently released “Unchained Melody” as a single.

Anyway, during his on-stage chat with Ryan Seacrest, Constantine mentioned the fact that the Rock of Ages tour will be making a stop in D.C. later this year.

And indeed it will, playing at the National Theatre from July 11 to July 24, according to the show’s website.

Constantine plays Drew, a rocker who specializes in 1980s rock anthems in a role that earned him a Tony nomination for best performance by a leading actor in a musical.

Anyway, you can head here for ticket information on the tour, which is currently in Indianapolis and will be making stops in Denver, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta as well as other venues before arriving in D.C.

Hey, and it turns out there’s a Rock of Ages link between Constantine and Russell Brand, who showed up on that same dismal Idol results show.

Brand just signed on to appear in the Rock of Ages movie, playing a rock club owner named Lonny.

The film will also include Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough. And there are apparently rumors that’s Mrs. Russell Brand, better known as Katy Perry, could join the cast.

Boneta will play Constantine’s role of Drew in the film.