Tonight, a sleigh-full of "American Idol" favorites are headed to Fox to celebrate the holidays. Winners Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson will be joined by runners-up including Clay Aiken, Tamyra Gray, Kimberley Locke and the winners of the FOX American Juniors series (Lucy Hale, Chauncey Matthews, Taylor Thompson, Tori Thompson and Danielle White) to sing holiday classics on the one hour special, "An American Idol Christmas." This special is a companion to the cd, American Idol: the Great Holiday Classics, already in stores. The special airs at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

On Christmas Day, the Idol phenomenon goes global, as Fox airs the first of a two-part World Idol competition. The show will feature performances from each of the eleven Idols vying for the world crown. An international panel of judges, one representative from each country, will give contestants feedback on their performances. At the end of the show, viewers from around the globe will be able to vote for their favorite performers. On January 1, 2004, the eleven Idol winners will take the stage to find out who is the World Idol.

The Idol winners participating in World Idol include: Kelly Clarkson, USA; Will Young, UK; Heinz Winckler, South Africa; Alicja Janosz, Poland; Jamai Loman, Netherlands; Alexander Klaws, Germany; Kurt Nilsen, Norway; Diana Karazon, Lebanon; Peter Evrard, Belgium; Ryan Malcolm, Canada; and Guy Sebastian, Australia.

Simon Fuller, founder and creator of the Idol format remarked: "When I dreamt up the idea of Pop Idol, I always saw it is a global concept, and so I'm delighted to see World Idol being made in London. The last two years have been fantastic and it is incredibly satisfying to see a British TV idea being so successful on a global stage."

Still haven't gotten your Idol fix? Don't fret...American Idol returns for a new season with a special two-hour episode Tuesday, January 20 (8:00 PM ET/PT) and a special one-hour episode Wednesday, January 21 (8:00 PM ET/PT).

America's favorite judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson return to lend their professional expertise, personal comments and often unwanted criticism to this season's new crop of aspiring singers.

Yancy Butler, who starred in the now-defunct TNT TV series "Witchblade," was charged with disorderly intoxication by Delray, FL, police on Saturday after she reportedly wandered out on the road causing passing cars to swerve to miss her. According to police, Butler said she was an alcoholic on medication and had been kicked out of her halfway house. She then allegedly changed her story and said she was still living there. Police transported her to a rehab center, but she was refused when she allegedly became hostile. She appeared in court with her lawyer yesterday, in West Palm Beach, Fla. and was ordered to enter a substance-abuse treatment program.

Pop chanteuse Jewel performed a solo/acoustic concert at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday. The singer/songwriter had intended on touring with a full band and electric instruments to promote her latest album 0304 but canceled her plans after her touring bassist, Terome 'T-Bone' Hannon, died suddenly September 4 after suffering a stroke.

And in the final news for today, sources say Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze is joining the touring company of the play Chicago. Swayze will take on the lead role of Billy Flynn, played in the movie by Richard Gere. He'll join the tour in San Diego December 30th and then follow the production to Los Angeles when it opens at the Pantages Theater.