oh my word - i was super shocked to find out earlier today that FOX has hired ellen degeneres to take over paula abdul's vacant judge spot on the next season of american idol! at first i really thought it was a big joke but after a little bit of search it turns out it's not a joke at all! now don't get me wrong - i totally love ms. degeneres - i don't have one bad thing to say about her at all but i don't think she's a good fit for the show - first off she has zero musical background (except she loves to dance to music) plus i'm worried she'll constantly be cracking jokes - which might be fun for an episode or two but certainly not the whole season! i said i won't watch the upcoming season without ms. abdul ... i thought by the time january rolls around she would have worked something out with the network to return to the show (where she belongs) but as of right now - it sounds like the door for paula's return has been shut for good! i wonder what she thinks of her replacement? this is all so unfortunate - a total bummer - i might tune in just out of curiosity but it's not going to be the same at all ... american idol has officially jumped the shark - it's sad but true! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
PS ellen will continue to do her daytime talk show while judging idol - she's going to be super busy!
oh gosh ... it's only monday and already the bad ideas are flowing freely around hollywood ... here's one of the worst ideas i've heard about in quite awhile - supposedly papa joe simpson (who should probably go hang out with joe jackson - i bet those two would get along really well) is trying to push producers of american idol into considering his daughter jessica simpson as a replacement for judge paula abdul! first off - no one is going to be able to replace ms. abdul ... certainly not ms. simpson (although i bet she'd do the show for peanuts and wine) and secondly i highly doubt this will happen but the fact that it's even being talked about truly sends chills and shivers down my spine - what a joke - just like ms. simpson's flailing music career - HA! i'm actually still holding onto a very small bit of hope that maybe ms. abdul will return for the 9th season but sadly that's looking less and less of a possibility - i still say i won't be tuning in this time around if paula's not there - it just won't be the same without her wacky yet lovable vibe! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
oh man - i think i'm still digesting the very unfortunate and awful news we all received last night from paula abdul via her twitter account - she will not be returning to american idol for its upcoming 9th season (i assume it kicks off in january) supposedly contract negotiations broke down after ms. abdul refused to accept their offer ... although i'm beyond bummed she's not coming back - i'm glad she stood her ground - producers should have paid her whatever she wanted - you can't have american idol without crazy yet super lovable paula - it just won't be the same! here's another reason it won't be the same - i will not be watching - i cannot watch that show without her! i know a lot of people feel the exact same way - FOX is going to be sorry when the ratings take a hit! even though i do love simon cowell - i really loved the relationship between him and paula - they were perfect together (i could give two shits about randy jackson or kara dioguardi) i'm so upset this happened - the show has officially jumped the shark! now i'm wondering what might be next for ms. abdul - no matter what she does - i will be there to cheer her on! last night i was playing some of her greatest hits - including cold hearted snake, forever your girl and the promise of a new day - gosh i worship those songs - i'm on paula's side until the bitter end! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
PHOTOS | SPLASH NEWS
good morning everyone! well although american idol runner-up adam lambert hasn't officially come out yet - it's pretty clear at this point he's gay (i totally knew the first time i saw him he played on my team) he was spotted out & about last night holding hands with his super cute boyfriend - drake labry (he's twenty-four years old and is an artist / interior designer) the couple was hanging at guys and dolls nightclub here in los angeles! recent rumors are suggesting mr. lambert might soon be coming out on the cover of rolling stone magazine - finally putting all the speculation to rest! i'm still feeling a little bitter adam didn't win 'idol' this year but i know he has an amazing career ahead of him - i seriously can't wait for him to begin work on his debut album - i know it's going to be a hot one! popbytes over & out for now ... xoxo
PHOTOS | PACIFIC COAST NEWS
oh my word! i said i wouldn't do a post about american idol on twitter - but on second thought (after i calmed down - if you guys saw me - you might have called 911) i figured i should at least post something - i'm beyond disappointed and bummed that adam lambert lost tonight to kris allen - hands down mr. lambert is a far better singer and overall performer than mr. allen! i can't help but think that homophobia played some part in tonight's results - obviously adam is gay - kris happens to be a southern 'christian' boy - it just makes me upset to even think stuff like that affected voting yet i know it did (plus i doubt producers want to deal with possible right-wing protests over a gay idol) i never get up on a soapbox here on popbytes - but i do think that everyone needs to live and let live - i'm not asking for special rights/privileges - i just want to be able to live my life without feeling like a 2nd class citizen! i still don't really get why some people still have such a problem with gays & lesbians? (there's many more way important issues than someone's sexuality) in the end - i know adam lambert has an amazing career ahead of him - plus he won't be held to the constraints of being the 'idol' winner - i seriously can't wait for his debut album - his sales are bound to outdo anything mr. allen puts out! popbytes over & out for tonight - much love to all as always - especially everyone who was so very kind to me on both twitter & facebook - it's great having the support! xoxo
PS please read these two great & well-written articles - NY daily news and the daily beast
woo hoo! thank heavens danny gokey finally got the boot on american idol - leaving adam lambert and kris allen to compete in the finale which airs next week (tuesday and wednesday) i shocked myself this season by not really covering the show as much as i normally do here on popbytes - partly because i didn't think this season was all that great (except for mr. lambert) plus i actually twittered each week which ended up being a lot more fun (and i made new cyber friends - you guys know who you are!) since the start of the season i've been saying the whole time that adam will win - but i'm certainly not going to take any chances - i will be voting up a storm next week! i do really like kris (he's beyond adorable) but adam definitely outshines him - he's destined to be a huge star - adam lambert for the win! popbytes over & out for tonight ... xoxo
PS how hot was jordin sparks tonight? i love her new single battlefield!
PHOTOS | FOX
hey y'all! after three long weeks we're finally down to the top 13 american idol hopefuls! originally it was supposed to be only 12 people but at the last minute the judges announced one more person made it ( anoop desai) during the wild card show tonight ... i'm a drop bitter over the fact tatiana del toro didn't make it - she wasn't the best singer - however i totally ate up all the drama she brought to the table! there's a couple of people i do like ( danny gokey, lil rounds, allison iraheta, and alexis grace) yet i still think in the end the winner will be adam lambert but anything can happen before the big finale in may! popbytes over & out for tonight - i'm excited tomorrow is already friday! xoxo
AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 13: BOTTOM ROW L-R: Megan Corkrey, Jasmine Murray, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Kris Allen and Michael Sarver. Middle Row L-R: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Jorge Nunez. Top Row L-R: Matt Giraud, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai and Scott MacIntyre.
PHOTOS | MICHAEL BECKER / FOX
hey hey! i can't believe i haven't posted anything about the new season of american idol yet - i've been faithfully watching the auditions over the past few weeks - tonight the judges made their final cuts (starting next week america gets to vote) so we're down to the top 36 idol hopefuls - all pictured below (for more info on each of 'em - go to the show's website) in the next three weeks they'll be performing individually (in groups of twelve) each week four people will go home - then we'll be down to the top 24 (i'm assuming that's how it'll go down) i like a couple of the people - i can't say who might be the final two - nobody really stands out in my mind except that one kooky guy nick mitchell aka norman gentle - he's really funny and surprisingly has a decent voice - i can't wait to see what happens with him! (as far as cute guys are concerned - i guess i like adam lambert and ricky braddy) popbytes over & out for tonight ... xoxo
PHOTO | COURTESY OF FOX
good evening y'all! i'm not the hugest fan of chef rachael ray (although i always do love a little evoo) but when i came across this picture from when she decided to crash the american idol auditions in NYC for a segment on her TV show (the episode airs on september 8th) i was taken aback by the unexpected intimate moment caught on film - apparently randy jackson and ryan seacrest decided to get extra close while tasting one of ms. ray's speciality wraps! i'm sure there was plenty to go around so i don't know quite why the guys needed to share in a bite...i bet simon cowell totally had a clever & snappy quipe for what transpired! popbytes over & out for now...xxoo
good evening! i just finished watching hillary clinton's speech at the DNC in denver which i thought was amazing & inspiring - i'm totally on board to elect barack obama the next president of the united states! speaking of ms. clinton - her supposed favorite TV show is american idol which is switching things up by adding a 4th judge when the 8th season kicks off in january - i'm glad that the producers are adding in a judge rather than replacing one (once paula abdul, simon cowell, or randy jackson leave - the show will have totally jumped the shark which we know will happen eventually...probably sooner than later)
i'm actually a huge fan of the new judge kara dioguardi who i discovered by way of platinum weird (an album she wrote & performed with dave stewart (of eurythmics) and was previously featured on popbytes here & here - quick sidenote: one of the album's tracks taking chances became celine dion's lead single off her latest album!) kara has also worked with a number of other pop artists including pink, natasha bedingfield, gwen stefani, and leona lewis to name just a few - i think she'll be a perfect fit on american idol! i'm glad she'll be getting more exposure (and no worries she's already a good friend of ms. abdul's - no catfights for now...) she's really talented and will bring some new life to idol which i still enjoy a whole lot yet we are heading into the 8th season (i'd still say my favorite season was when fantasia won and we were first introduced to jennifer hudson) below are some pictures of the idol gang over at NYC's chelsea piers where they officially introduced ms. dioguardi as the newest AI judge! popbytes over & out for now...xxoo
speaking about the moment she was offered the role, kara dioguardi says, "i almost fell off the chair" and adds that she hopes to create "a new chemistry as well as keeping the old". and asked how she felt about judging wannabe pop stars, she says, "i'm a little nervous. i'm going to be a straight shooter and say it like i see it and maintain that philosophy. i'm somebody who's really honest and gives an opinion. if i feel i need to be hard, i will be. and if i feel i need to be more nurturing, i will be."
PHOTOS | WENN
| 
