"I can't say this is true yet, cause I don't know. Next year they asked me to possibly be the judge on 'American Idol.'"

Do you want Bret Michaels to replace Simon Cowell?

After Harry Connick night (AKA Frank Sinatra night) all of the Idol contestants are at risk.

And with only one female left in the group of 5, I bet the producers are desperately regretting that they tucked Crystal Bowersox in the center of the lineup and the judges all went so negative on her. Simon thought her lovely version of "Summer Wind" was too much like something you'd hear in a jazz club. He said that with a sneer so we'd understand what a bad thing that is.

She was criticized for sleepiness and lack of urgency. They want more of a strenuous demonstration that you really want this thing — which is the grotesque way most of the contestants act. Now, Lee Dewyze has also had a shy style, but somehow they've decided he's the one they want to win — or at least he's the one they want to provide competition for Crystal, who has long seemed like the predestined winner.

But what if, in trying to make Lee into her worthy competitor, they've let her slip through the cracks? If she goes home tonight, there will be 4 left, all male, and all pretty boring. Do you really want to tune in and not to be able to see any females? It will be grim! There was once a season that became all male when there were 3 left, and there were 2 more with a male final 2.  If Crystal goes... ratings disaster.

Anyway... Harry Connick Jr. was the best mentor guest they've ever had on the show. He didn't just listen to the contestants and give them some advice. He did the arrangements and played on stage with them. And he's so charming. Lee is lucky he kinda looks like Harry. It gave him a sexiness boost to be seen with Harry. I was thinking, yeah, he could be like that.

And here's Lee DeWyze singing his Sinatra song: "That's Life." Are you an obsessive enough reader of this blog to remember that I wrote about this song — back in 2008 in a post with photographs of a foggy cemetery?

As I drove into the cemetery, just by chance, on the radio's "Sinatra" channel, Van Morrison was singing "That's Life." I can't find the Van Morrison version, but here's Frank Sinatra. Lyrics (by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon):

I said that's life, and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks,
Stompin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down,
'Cause this fine ol' world it keeps spinning around...

That's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cutting out
But my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothing shakin' come this here July
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die

What a crazy song! It's all life affirming and then, impetuously, suicidal.

So I was excited that Lee was singing that song. How would he do the crazy big-ball-and-die climax? Answer: He didn't. It was arranged to end with "this fine ol' world it keeps spinning around." Life affirming. Blah. It's "American Idol" and any possible sharp edges must be dulled.

"Controversial propositions."

With health care politics raging, it's refreshing to debate over something — anything — else, and here, John Hinderaker has just listed a bunch of controversial things he feels like asserting are true. (Via Instapundit.) I'm going to respond to the items that it amuses me to respond to.

* Much as Bob Dylan was the most authentic spokesman for his generation, Taylor Swift is the most authentic spokesman for hers.

Well, that's a trick assertion, since Bob Dylan was never about authenticity:

During the first half of the concert, after singing "Gates of Eden," Dylan got into a little riff about how the song shouldn't scare anybody, that it was only Halloween, and that he had his Bob Dylan mask on. "I'm masquerading!" he joked, elongating the second word into a laugh. The joke was serious. Bob Dylan, né Zimmerman, brilliantly cultivated his celebrity, but he was really an artist and entertainer, a man behind a mask, a great entertainer, maybe, but basically just that—someone who threw words together, astounding as they were. The burden of being something else — a guru, a political theorist, "the voice of a generation," as he facetiously put it in an interview a few years ago — was too much to ask of anyone.

But no, it's not a trick assertion because he said "most authentic." Or is it that we Baby Boomers were raging phonies, and the biggest phony would thus be the most authentic. As for Taylor Swift, she seems like a nice person. Is she bland or am I jaded to find her too bland to care about? Is one more or less authentic when nice and bland?

So, my proposition is: Authenticity is bogus.

Back to Hinderaker:

* The three most desirable actresses in movie history are Paulette Goddard, Anna Karina and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"Desirability" isn't a good abstraction. Hinderaker likes the brunette gamine. 

* London is the world's greatest city, and Israel is the world's most exciting place.

I can live without that kind of excitement. Have you noticed Indiana?

* America's youth have never been the same since Saturday morning television went from real programming (Fury, Sky King, the Cisco Kid, etc.) to cartoons.

I can't even remember that those shows were on in the morning. When I think about "Sky King," I remember this from Bill Bryson's "Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid": "Even at six years old, and even in an age as intellectually undemanding as the 1950s, you didn't have to be hugely astute to see that a flying cowboy was a fairly flimsy premise for an action series. Sky could only capture villains who lingered at the edge of grassy landing strips and to whom it didn't occur to run for it until Sky had landed, taxied to a safe halt, climbed down from the cockpit, assumed an authoritative stance, and shouted 'Okay, boys, freeze!' — a process that took a minute or two, for Kirby Grant was not, it must be said, in the first flush of youth." Now, I have to admit, I didn't think about that at the time. What I thought about was how it seemed that there was a competition between "Sky King" and "Whirlybirds" and that everyone had an opinion about whether they preferred airplanes or helicopters. I was adamantly helicopterist.

So my controversial proposition will be: The best people prefer helicopters to airplanes. 

* The only good lawyer show in the history of television was Perry Mason.

False. "The Defenders." That was the good one. 

* The smartest person whom most Americans see on a regular basis is Simon Cowell.

Ha. Maybe. I'm going with a corollary: Americans are better able to enjoy displays of intelligence that come with a British accent. And: What seems especially smart about Cowell is that he's willing to come right out and say — quite directly — things that are true. He gets away with doing that on television because he's got a British accent. An American panelist with the same amount of time to express an opinion will need to blow at least half of it on blather intended to make us feel that he is a nice (and normal) person.

That's all I've got to say. Sorry I didn't take the bait on any of Hinderaker's historical propositions — the best and worst characters in history and so forth. Or, no, I can make one very grand assertion: The best and the worst human beings who ever lived were undoubtedly shunned by most people and forgotten soon after they died.

Do you like the idea of Howard Stern as the replacement for Simon Cowell on "American Idol"?

Can Stern-DeGeneres byplay make up for the loss of Simon and Paula?

Please don't clutter the comments with statements about hating "American Idol" and not getting why anyone but an idiot would waste time watching it. That opinion has been thoroughly aired here and does not meet the interestingness standard anymore. I'm looking for real discussion of Howard Stern and what he would mean for "American Idol" and how important Cowell is to its success.

"Soak in Simon Cowell’s evident distaste for Kara Dioguardi..."

"... ponder the physics of Victoria Beckham’s head tilt; let the shock of a contestant saying Randy Jackson’s his favorite judge sting anew."

It's hard to face a new season of "American Idol," isn't it? I've got the new episode TiVo'd, but I haven't watched it yet, and I don't know if I will. I don't even know if it's that I'm sick of the same old thing or I hate the way it's changed. If Simon Cowell is evidencing enough distaste for Kara Dioguardi, maybe I could try to tolerate it. But I can't stand Kara, and it seems absurd to spend any time feeling uneasy about the absence of Paula Abdul. And now, this is supposely Simon's last season.

(I say "supposedly," because they can always throw more money at him and get him to stay. This is a negotiation game, I assume, and Simon might be particularly interesting this season as he — essentially — makes the argument to us that he is the show and that if he starts up a new show, that's where we will want to go. That might elicit some immense new offer, especially as we fail to bond to Kara and don't really see the point of Ellen DeGeneres.)

AI Contestant Found Dead Near Abdul's Home

A woman found dead outside Paula Abdul's home has been identified as an American Idol contestant who failed to get past the initial stages of the show in 2006, reports TMZ.

Paula Goodspeed was discovered in a car near the singer's Sherman Oaks house yesterday. Her death is being treated as suicide.

A spokesperson for the Ventura Police Department said Goodspeed's parents asked them to check her home as she has a history of stalking and was obsessed with Abdul.

Britney's X Factor Date Revealed

Britney Spears will appear on The X Factor on November 15 to perform new single Womanizer - in what will be her first visit to the UK since 2004

Simon Cowell told the News Of The World, "I'm really excited about it, because she has got her act together and the new record is terrific."

"She has come back from a very dark place and is a terrific artist."

Britain's Got Talent: Must See!

Hooplala provide some camp fun - really enjoyable!


12-year-old Faryl Smith gives a beautiful performance.


Phil juggles knives, dangerous stuff! Even Simon is shocked.


*Must See* David Williams gets upset - sore loser!

Anya Sparks Dances To Toxic By Britney

All week this audtition has been talked about how awful Simon Cowell thought it was. 42-year-old Anya Sparks might not be the best dancer but her performance was awesome and so much fun! Can Anya go on to win Britain's Got Talent?

Cowell Threatens X Factor Judges With The Sack

Simon Cowell has threatened to sack X Factor judges Sharon Osbourne and Dannii Minogue if they do not learn to get along.

Sharon and Dannii's feud was the topic on everyone's lips during last year's (boring) series. The pair denied any rumours of a conflict despite reports of backstage bust-ups.

However, the pair's rivalry became public when Dannii complained that Sharon and Louis Walsh were trying to bully her. Sharon was then criticisied by Simon after she mocked Danni and claimed that the Aussie star was only hired for her looks.

A source told The Sun, "It's nearly contract time again. Sharon said she doesn't want to come back with Dannii - and Dannii said she doesn't want to work with Sharon."

"But Simon has banged both their heads together and told them, 'If you don't shut up - I can replace you both'. They don't have to be best friends - but they do have to work together."

The insider added, "Bosses know that viewers were hooked on the backstage battles between Sharon and Dannii and they want to keep them both on board - it makes for very interesting TV."

Louis Walsh was axed before last year's series and replaced by Brian Friedman. However Friedman later found another position on the show and Walsh returned to The X Factor.

Spying On Cowell's Talent Show

A man has been arrested after a spying device was found on the set of ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent.

A listening bug was discovered in a backstage area used by the talent show’s judges Simon Cowell, 48, Piers Morgan, 42, and Amanda Holden, 36.

A man was allegedly caught using a listening device in his car outside auditions in Manchester. Filming was delayed for more than an hour as the police investigated.

It is believed the man was trying to listen in on the judges discussing auditionees. Simon told The Sun, “I am shocked at the extent to which people will go to get secrets.”

Meanwhile, Holden told GMTV that it is unlikely that the man heard anything interesting.
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Simon (Cowell) Says: Not Gay, Yes Botox

X-Factor judge Simon Cowell had a detailed interview with Daily Mail and here are some of the things he said:

On plastic surgery and pectoral implants:
"No, absolutely not. I have not had cosmetic surgery. Yes, I've had Botox, but not in an obsessive way.

Having kids:
"I love kids - at least when they are old enough to talk. But my own? No. I'm terrified of the responsibility. Where would they fit in? I have to be able to fly to Los Angeles at a minute's notice."

Is he gay?:
"If I was, why hide it? It's not as if the music business would be an odd place for a gay man to work.

Cowell Angry With BBC

Staff on The X Factor have vowed to hit back at the BBC after they accused the corporation of using dirty tricks to up the profile of Strictly Come Dancing.

X-Factor judge Simon Cowell was livid after the BBC revealed the 12 final acts on the web – 24 hours before the show was broadcast earlier this month.

According to the Daily Star insiders on the X Factor are planning to get even by revealing who gets booted off rival show Strictly Come Dancing before it is shown on Sundays.

Cowell admitted he was fuming, he said, "We pay their wages through the BBC licence fee. We do not pay them to ruin people's enjoyment of TV shows. It's incredibly stupid."

X Factor bosses contacted the BBC to complain who then deleted the leaked details from its website after saying the leak was done "in error."

FYI Those Houses Were Not Theirs

Louis Walsh has admitted that the 'judges' houses' that were shown on The X Factor were not really theirs, reports Digital Spy.

When the X Factor contestants travelled to four different places to find out if they will get through to the next round we assumed that the judges took the wannabes to their respective houses.

The groups visited Simon Cowell in Marbella, the boys went to see Dannii Minogue in Ibiza, the girls flew to Los Angeles to meet Sharon Osbourne, while the Over-25s were taken to Dublin by Louis Walsh.

But Walsh revealed on the Graham Norton Show that the houses featured did not belong to any of the judges.

He said, "That wasn't my house. That wasn't Sharon's house or Dannii's house or Simon's house either.

"Sharon sold her house to Christina Aguilera, so that was a rented house. Mine was a rented house. I wouldn't have had all that rubbish in my house - the stuff on the walls and the lights and all that."

A spokesperson for the ITV show said: "The contestants are invited to a house. We call them the judges' houses, not the judges' homes.”

"We have never said they are the judges' real homes and it has been this way for the past four years."

Pussycat Doll Joining Team Sharon?

Sharon Osbourne has recruited Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger for her X Factor team, according to a report.

The 54-year-old is the only original judge who has not yet won the X Factor, and hopes that Nicole will help her to guide a contestant to victory.

As usual, Simon Cowell is being assisted by 80s pop star Sinitta, while Louis Walsh has decided to work with Westlife star Kian Egan again. New judge Dannii Minogue has called in music producer Terry Roland to join her team.

An insider told the Daily Star Sunday, "Getting Nicole on her team is a big boost for Sharon. Not only is she the lead singer in the most successful girl band around - but she is also extremely sexy. Sharon knows she can't compete with Dannii in the sex appeal stakes herself - so she has brought in someone who can."
Source

American Idol Judges Want Britney

Apparently the reason for Britney's comeback being so pathetic was beacuse the singer was upset after hearing Sarah Silverman say this during rehearsals:

“Have you seen Britney’s kids? Oh my god, they are the most adorable mistakes you will ever see!”

According to Us, Brit was not happy after seing her own performance. A source said, “She flipped out. She came running off the stage, yelling ‘Oh, my God, I looked like a fat pig! I looked like a fat pig!’ She was inconsolable.”

The American Idol judgesh ave revealed that thay would like to help Britney get back on track.

Simon Cowell said, "We have decided we can bring Britney back, We are serious. We plan to buy her underpants, get her bigger shorts to perform in and get her away from her stupid friends."

Paula Abdul added, "We always have time for Britney, we love her," reports Fox.

Dermot Has Not Decided To Leave Big Brother's Little Brother

Simon Cowell has admitted that he wants Dermot O'Leary to quit Big Brother's Little Brother.

Simon told The Mirror, "I hope that next year he only does The X Factor. It's a much bigger gig."

Meanwhile, in an exclusive chat with heat magazine Dermot revealed that he has been stunned with suggestions he is to leave and says he’s no-where near making up his mind.

He revealed, “God I’ve not even thought about that yet. I’ve read in the papers that it’s my last BB which is weird. I’ve loved this year: very busy, but so much fun.”
Read more on Dermot in heat magazine - out now.

Cowell Is Second Highest Paid On US TV

Simon Cowell has been named as the second highest paid TV star in the US.

The X Factor judge has earned £22.5 million from his American Idol franchise, which is shown in 60 countries around the world. Cowell also produces and presents hit US show America's Got Talent.

Oprah Winfrey topped the list with earnings of £130 million from her talk shows.

British actor Hugh Laurie was also listed in the top paid personalities in America, for earning £150,000 for each episode of top-medical drama House.
Source: DigitalSpy

Oprah World's Most Powerful Celeb

Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes.

Madonna was absent from the list last year, but she took third place this year after a successful tour.

The list, published annually, takes into account celebrities' earnings, internet presence and press, TV and radio coverage.

The Rolling Stones and Elton John were among others in the top 10. Other British entries include JK Rowling in 48th place, Harry Potter film stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in 79th and 97th place respectively. David Beckham is 15th.

Simon Cowell was 21st and the cast of Grey's Anatomy were ranked 12th.

Paris Hilton, who was number 56 on last year's list, failed to make the top 100 for 2007.
Click Here For The Full List>>>

Mean Minogue On X Factor

Move over Simon Cowell, new X Factor judge Dannii Minogue is the"meanest judge," according to Brian Friedman.

Friedman, who is also joining the show as a judge, revealed that Dannii does not like being compared to her sister Kylie.

"One girl came in for auditions and said 'I used to love Kylie'. Dannii didn't like being compared to sis Kylie and voted her out on the spot," Brian told the Sunday Mirror.

"She has left several contestants in tears - she's the meanest judge."