Before rock critics start harassing me in the comments, hear me out.

Both Brooke and Elvis had infamous false starts on live television. Elvis freaked out NBC execs when he sang a few bars of "Less Than Zero" before ripping into "Radio Radio" on "Saturday Night Live" in 1977. Meanwhile, Brooke re-started "You Must Love Me" after having a brain fart over the lyrics on Andrew Lloyd Webber night.

Both Brooke and Elvis also love wearing hats. And both Brooke and Elvis released singles called "Radio Radio."

But don't assume Brooke's "Radio Radio" is a cover, kids. ("Idol" singers don't just do karaoke! I swear!) As Brooke White told us this week, the only thing her "Radio Radio" shares with Costello's is the title.

Ironically, this "Idol" title mix-up isn't the only one.

Brooke's first post-"Idol" album, High Hopes and Heartbreaks (out this week) also includes a song called "Hold Up My Heart," a name that's strikingly similar to another season seven "Idol" contestant's release, Michael Johns' "Hold Back My Heart." (Both Johns' and White's albums were produced by the same dude, Dave Cobb. Brooke swears it was just one of those happy accidents.)

But wait, there's more! Jordin Sparks' Battlefield also hit stores this week, just as her co-star Blake Lewis' new single "So Sad" debuted. The first line of his song? "Waking up in a battlefield."

[Slaps forehead!]

What's the problem, Idols?! Do producers hand you all the same thesaurus right after you watch your "America Hates You" montage on the elimination show? It's bad enough that the final "Idol" victory songs all sound the same. Let's try and keep the confusion down to a minimum post-Seacrest, okay?

(In all seriousness, though, Brooke White's new album is a fantastic throw-back to '70s singer-songwriters. And while she doesn't cover Elvis Costello, she does do a gorgeous rendition of the Kings of Leon tune "Use Somebody.")

"American Idol" isn't currently on the air (new episodes won't return until January 2010), but there is plenty of intrigue surrounding the show. Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul have both been working on their contracts, the summer auditions have wrapped up and the live tour is underway. This week sees a strange confluence of "Idol" album news, as Jordin Sparks and Brooke White both released albums yesterday and Daughtry finds his new album at the top of the album chart today. It's an interesting little three-way showdown, as it pits the soulful diva, the introspective singer-songwriter and the edgy arena rocker against each other. But of those three diverse albums, which one will reign supreme?

We hit the streets to ask: Between Sparks, Daughtry and White, which former "American Idol" contestant will have the finest album?

The (highly unscientific) results reveal that an overwhelming number of people we polled — 97%, in fact — believe that Jordin Sparks stands tall over the current competition among "Idol" veterans. Daughtry picked up 3%, and poor Brooke White came up with a goose egg. Sparks' single "Battlefield" has done very well, Daughtry has already proven himself as a sales force and White has done well maintaining a following in her post-"Idol" life. But only popular opinion and sales figures will decide who is left standing on top.

It just so happens that Sparks stopped by the MTV Newsroom today, so stay tuned for reports from that visit — as well as news on Daughtry and Brooke White — at MTV News.

What do you think: Will Jordin Sparks shine brightest, will Brooke White sneak up from behind or will Daughtry remain on top? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!

So I'm back home in NY and finally on a normal sleep cycle. Hallelujah! And even though I had a three-day weekend to detox from "Idol," I still can't shake one thing I witnessed at last week's Grand Finale...

Nope, not Fantasia's awesome hair. Nope, not the fact that Ruben Studdard was really 9 feet tall in person. Actually, it didn't even happen on the red carpet. It occurred backstage in the press room, and I call it the David Personality Shift.

The two David's made their way to a podium to answer a few questions. First came the Cookster, who just 30 minutes earlier was crowned America's Next Top Clive Davis Slave. We were all expecting him to be over the moon with excitement, or maybe he'd still be crying like he was on TV. (He did, after all, just win a crazy-popular reality show.) But, nope. He waltzed up to the mic, mumbled a few words about his music teacher, then politely smiled and walked off. A few of us turned to each other and said, "He knows he just won, right?" Was it dawning on him that it might be tough for him to break out of the "Idol" mold? Or maybe it just hit him that his first single was a steaming pile of goo? Or, most likely, he was just damn exhausted, and would rather chill with his family (standing backstage waiting for him) than answer silly questions about fashion accessories. (Yes, stupid tabloid reporter who drove everyone nuts. I'm looking at you.)

Conversely, there was ArchuRunnerUp, who haters bashed for his awkward "gosh's" and giggle fits. Several of my co-workers have been "creeped out" by how he often acted like an eleven-year-old boy, as opposed to a seventeen-year-old dude. Well, based on the few minutes I witnessed in the press room, Archuleta was a shockingly mature, well-spoken young man. He finished all his sentences; he didn't gasp for air more than John Goodman on a staircase; he didn't shrug and turn away from the camera like a Harajuku girl. In other words, he came off like the complete opposite he did while on the telly. And he...had...tons of personality! Where was this Archuleta all season long???

Could it be that losing "Idol" was the best thing that could happen to this kid's emotional growth? Was he just freezing on camera all season because of the intense pressure? (Or was he just relieved to finally get away from Seacrest?)

I wonder if this personality shift happened with the other "Idol" contestants. Maybe, behind the scenes, Brooke White was sane, Jason Castro clever, and Syesha Mercado, uh, likeable...?

This in from MTV News exec producer Jim Fraenkel:

For those of you who’ve been following our “Idol In Iraq” series here at Newsroom, here’s a little bit of backstory about Private First Class Nathan Puckett -- the 19-year-old soldier who made our weekly “Idol” installments happen.

Nathan came to the attention of MTV News strictly by chance…through my Facebook account.

About three months ago, I received a friend request from Nathan. We had no friends in common, so after accepting, I asked why he’d reached out to me. He told me that I looked like someone who had been in “a military class” with him. “Looks like I’m wrong,” he concluded. “Anyways, how’s New York? I’ve never been. After I get out of Iraq, I’m probably gonna try to visit one of my friends up there.”

The two of us struck up a friendship online. Our stations in life, it seemed, couldn’t have been farther apart, geographically or otherwise: I was the executive producer of MTV News, while Nathan had enlisted in the Army “right out of high school.” But we soon discovered common ground… Read more...

We here at MTV News want to let the "Idol" fans out there -- and specifically the "Idol In Iraq" fans -- know that we have not forgotten you. There will indeed be another installment of "Idol in Iraq"...it's just that, well, our friends in the Army’s 82nd Airborne division were a bit too caught up with the very serious business of serving our country this week to catch the last round of the show. They did, however, share with us that their unanimous reaction to Brooke White getting booted off was: S'about time!

No worries. Our friends will return later this week with their reactions to the competition as we near the final three. And what's more, PFC Nathan Puckett (Cynthiana, KY) recently visited with us in Times Square, so we're looking forward to posting some footage of that very soon. So check back with MTVNews.com for more.

Editor’s Note: It's crazy serious and difficult for the US Armed Forces in Iraq, but our soldiers still find time for a little fun and escape: just like many of you, they love their weekly dose of “American Idol.” We made friends on the Internet with some members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne division (Fort Bragg, what up!), who will be sending us their review of each “Idol” installment.

Our soldiers each week (L-R): PFC Joshua Miranda, 22 (Orlando, FL); PFC Nathan Puckett, 19 (Cynthiana, KY); SPC Cory Combs, 21 (Plymouth, MA); and SSG Steve Cody, 27 (Los Angeles, CA)

As President Bush would freely admit, it’s not always possible to meet deadlines when you’re living and working in a war-torn area -- and that’s something we here at MTV News learned last week. With PFC Puckett, who usually emails us the soldiers’ “Idol” commentary each week, taking some much-needed R&R, the rest of the troops slacked, having failed to “make a contingency plan” for Puckett’s time off. So the soldiers sent in their impressions of last week’s performances over the weekend.

While they didn’t comment -- at all -- on Kristy Lee Cook’s ouster the previous week, our soldier pals did think Carly Smithson had redeemed herself, and would be spared elimination. Of course, that didn’t happen. So, how did our valiant troops feel about the “Idol” hopefuls tackling the songs of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber? SSG Cody said that “ever since my mother took me to see my first play as a child, I have loved the theater. I was happy to see ‘Idol’ take a step in that direction.” After seeing the performances, the guys definitely thought Brooke White or Jason Castro would be sent packing -- which they weren’t.

So, who did they love this week? Who do they want to go all the way? Find out after the jump. Read more...