Music of the knight is coming to 'Idol'

Once again, the TV world and the Broadway world have collided and, luckily, it's not because another unqualified person is getting a spot in a Broadway show.

Have you heard of a little show called "American Idol"? Of course you have (go David Archuleta!).

This week the final six will be coached by none other than Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. And the best part is they'll all sing his music.

We know how important song selection is — judge Simon Cowell talks about it all the time. Being a big fan of both Webber and "American Idol," I thought I'd help the contestants by making a couple of song suggestions. I'd love to hear your thoughts, too.

Jason Castro: Obviously, "Benjamin Calypso" from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

Syesha Mercado: Wouldn't she do a great "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar"?

Carly Smithson: My first instinct was a song from "Evita," many of which require vocal chords of steel. But she might do a great "Memory" from "Cats."

David Cook: These are two very different thoughts. But what about either "Rum Tum Tugger" from "Cats" or "Gethsemane" from "Jesus Christ Superstar"?

Brooke White: Just Brooke at the piano singing "Tell Me on a Sunday" from "Song and Dance," can you see it?

David Archuleta: Hmmm ... this one was tough, but I think "Close Every Door" from "Joseph .."

Your thoughts?

"American Idol" is on Fox Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Other Broadway news:

Daytime Diva: Tony Award-winning Marissa Jaret Winokur, currently on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," has just signed a deal to host her own daytime talk show. Sony Pictures Television said the show will debut in the fall of '09. I really hope it works for her, because I've always been a fan. But I surely would rather she head back to the Big Apple to sing!

"Practically Perfect": The Mary Poppins on Broadway, Ashley Brown has agreed to hit the road. Many wonder if the touring show, which begins in Chicago, will have anywhere near the magic of the current Broadway production with its impressive sets and characters who fly, but the creative team seems convinced. Even the 27-ton, two-story Banks house is only being called a "challenge."

"Houdini the musical"? Yes, the famed magician/escape artist will soon sing songs by Danny Elfman (of Oingo Boingo fame, well, he's done a lot more than that) and David Yazbek, who wrote "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "The Full Monty." It's supposed to open on Broadway in spring of 2010. Hey, at least it's original.

"Frankly My Dear": I'm sure you're finishing the next line in your head, but now Rhett and Scarlett take the stage. With press night Tuesday, a musical version of the iconic Margaret Mitchell novel, "Gone With the Wind," opens on London's West End. A woman named Margaret Martin wrote the musical "'cause I needed to do something fun" after completing her doctorate. Big-time theater man Trevor Nunn ("Cats" and "Les Miz") believed in it enough to direct. Tomorrow is another day!

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E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com