IDOL Alum Paul McDonald to Guest & Debut Song on NBC's PARENTHOOD

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'American Idol' alum Paul McDonald will premiere his new song and make his small screen acting debut on the the NBC comedy PARENTHOOD tonight. McDonald, who appeared on the 10th season of American Idol, will debut the single "Counting Stars" from his upcoming album.

The native of Hunntsville, Alabama, told THR that he will reunite with some "old friends" for his album, in particular "some folks from my old band, The Grand Magnolias." Said McDonald of the album, "It will hopefully give it a cooler vibe. Writing in L.A. was a much different approach than my norm, mostly drum sounds on computers and crazy programs -- which are cool, but I think I prefer the way it was done back in the day, with a bunch of dudes in a room playing music with real instruments. It's more fun that way, at least."

On tonight's season premiere Parenthood, McDonald will play a musician who uses Crosby and Adam’s recording space, The Luncheonette. His character will "catch the eye of the studio’s new assistant, Amber (Mae Whitman). 

"Parenthood" is a one-hour drama inspired by the box-office hit of the same name. This re-imagined and updated Universal Television/Imagine Television production follows the trials and tribulations of the very large, very colorful and imperfect Braverman family.

Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham, "Gilmore Girls") is a financially strapped single mother trying to raise two teenaged kids, the bright but rebellious Amber (Mae Whitman, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") and sullen and sensitive Drew (Miles Heizer, "ER").

On the home front, Sarah and her kids live with Sarah's larger-than-life, headstrong father, Zeek (Craig T. Nelson, "Family Stone," "Coach"), and pillar-of-strength mother Camille, (Bonnie Bedelia, "Heart Like a Wheel"), who are continuously dealing with their own marital issues.

Meanwhile, Sarah's sister and complete antithesis, Julia (Erika Christensen, "Traffic") is a successful corporate attorney trying to juggle work and motherhood, alongside her loving, but increasingly restless stay-at-home husband, Joel (Sam Jaeger, "Eli Stone".) Having encountered difficulties getting pregnant, Julia and Joel welcomed an adopted son, Victor (newcomer Xolo Mariduena) into their family. Crosby (Dax Shepard, "Baby Mama"), Sarah's younger brother who once struggled with commitment issues, is now married to former flame Jasmine (Joy Bryant, "Antwone Fisher"). Together, they are raising their young son, Jabbar (Tyree Brown).

However, it's Adam (Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under"), the oldest Braverman sibling, who has had to relinquish his expectations about what constitutes a "normal" family as he and his quietly forceful wife Kristina (Monica Potter, "Trust Me") struggle to cope with their eccentric son Max (Max Burkholder, "Brother & Sisters"), who has Asperger's Syndrome, while raising a toddler as their eldest child heads off to college. Although each sibling and family has its own share of life and everyday challenges to grapple with, they still manage to be there for each other in their hours of need.

Serving as executive producers are Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind," "Frost/Nixon"), Emmy winner Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"), and Lawrence Trilling ("Pushing Daisies").