PAPER TRAILS: Arkansan Kris Allen joins 'Idol' tour; North Little Rock man's 'Jeopardy!' streak

MISS KRIS? With the 16th season of American Idol concluding last week, we decided to check in with the only Idol from Arkansas, Season Eight winner Kris Allen.

Especially because he's back in the Idolsphere yet again.

The American Idol Live! 2018 Tour recently announced its summer schedule that will feature the top seven finalists and "special guest" Allen, who won in 2009.

"It's happening," confirms the Jacksonville native who now lives in Nashville, Tenn.

And it's the only time an Idol alum has been part of the tour, he says, adding with a laugh, "It's just me. Maybe I was option nine, and I'm the only person who said yes."

Allen, 32, says it will be "interesting" spending July through September touring with the finalists whose ages range from 18 to 21: "First of all, I've been in their shoes, obviously, and I've also been on the road a bunch. ... I kind of am hoping to impart some wisdom, but I also am probably going to learn a lot from them myself."

Unfortunately, the tour is not scheduled to stop in Arkansas; the closest performance is in Tulsa on Aug. 8.

Allen jokes, "Maybe I can convince them to stop along the way."

HILL THRILL: After amassing $163,721 during an impressive seven-day winning streak on Jeopardy!, North Little Rock's Josh Hill, a Verizon Wireless network engineer, was defeated in an episode that aired Friday.

The Final Jeopardy clue he missed: "He was nominated twice for playing Oscar winners -- a real one in a 1992 biopic and a fictional one in a 2008 combat comedy." Hill's guess: "Who is (Anthony) Hopkins?" The correct response was "Robert Downey Jr." -- he starred in Tropic Thunder and, before that, Chaplin.

Hill, whom we hope to see in the show's Tournament of Champions, is still one brilliant chap.

LIST GIST: As an amusement destination, the Natural State has recently received some mixed publicity.

WalletHub.com says we're boring. It ranked Arkansas way down at No. 46 in its list of "Most Fun States to Visit in America," basing its ratings on "26 key indicators of a jolly good time."

But the folks at Thrillist.com find Arkansas more entertaining. It included Hot Springs in its list of "America's 20 Greatest Summertime Lake Towns," giving some love to Lake Hamilton, where one can enjoy "watching dudes Ski Doo with their dogs and hearing Luke Bryan blare from pontoon boats."

You hear that, WalletHub? Go jump in a lake!

SundayMonday on 05/27/2018

Upcoming Events