‘American Idol’ notes: Phillip Phillips, Colton Dixon, Paul McDonald

This edition of “American Idol” notes is really all about the boys, and we are starting things off with some huge news courtesy of the reigning champion Phillip Phillips: not only is his album “The World from the Side of the Moon” only a week away, but he could celebrate its release with a #1 song.

For a while, it did not appear as though “Home” had much of a chance of reaching the top spot on the Hot AC chart, but over time the song has slowly built to where it is now less than a couple hundred spins away from overtaking Maroon 5’s “One More Night” for the spot. “Home” is still gaining spins, whereas the other song is not. It’s not necessarily a guarantee that this will happen, but for the time being it seems pretty possible. He’s not so likely to get there on the Top 40 chart, but just being in the top 20 alone there (which he is with a little bit of breathing room) is something that is rare for a former contestant on this show.

Colton Dixon news – After some speculation, another season 11 star has finally unveiled his plans for his debut album, which were so predictable we could have you this weeks ago. Colton’s album title will indeed be “A Messenger,” which is something that he has had on his Twitter account really ever since his days on the actual show. As for the release date, the disc is coming at a risky time in late January. While the Christian market is a little less competitive than mainstream music, he has to hope that he ends up with a few hits on the charts here to have a lasting impact.

Paul McDonald performs – Since Nikki Reed is currently promoting “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part II),” it only makes some sense that we are hearing from her husband, as well, given that Paul McDonald and her are featured on the movie’s soundtrack.

With that in mind, we have the performance below to share courtesy of Monday night’s edition of “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.”