Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, do you wanna trade your Kelly Clarkson for my William Hung?

Apparently, Idol fans will be able to weigh the wisdom of such an exchange come April 21.

That’s when Upper Deck plans to release the first-ever American Idol trading cards.

Yes, folks, the phenomenon that is Idol has grown to the point where it apparently merits trading cards.

So what will be included in the 2009 American Idol trading cards set?

Glad you asked. According to Upper Deck, there will be …

* 138 cards in the set, including the top two finishers from each of the past seven seasons, which is where Kelly Clarkson comes in.

* Cards of beloved past Idol “rejects” — hey, that’s Upper Deck’s word, not mine — which is where William Hung of season three fame comes in.

* Randomly inserted cards autographed by Idol contestants, including the finalists from season eight and the likes of David Archuleta and Michael Johns.

* “Almost an Idol” cards, featuring memorable moments from Idol history. (Hey, it’s been seven years. I guess that qualifies as history.)

* Makeover cards, “showing the Idols’ remarkable before and after Hollywood transformations!”

* And a yellow ticket in every pack that explains how to enter an online contest to win a trip to Hollywood to attend this year’s Idol finale.

The cards will be sold five to a pack. No word yet that I can find on how much a pack of Idols will sell for.

Oh, and the Upper Deck Web site doesn’t say so, but I’m sure there will be a card of Simon Cowell.

I mean, there’s a card of Paula Abdul (shown above) on the Upper Deck Web site. So you just know there has to be a card of Simon Cowell.

Wanna trade your Kelly Clarkson for my Simon Cowell?

Now that’s a deal I’d make.

Here’s a glimpse at more of the cards in the set.