American Idle

Now that three of the four judges are returning to American Idol 9, it begs the question: Is Paula coming back soon? Kara DioGuardi finalized her new deal with Idol, you know.

From E! Online:

“Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts,” a source said. “Done. She will be back.”

No surprise, but the source reports that DioGuardi’s new deal doesn’t even come close to what the other judges are getting or, in Paula Abdul’s case, asking for.

So, that settles it. Look for a deal to be done with Paula in the next week, before the judges have to be in place for the start of season 9 auditions.

This was the most hilarious performance out of all of them last night during the finale of American Idol 8.

And who woulda thunk that Kara would perform with Bikini Girl? I think that was the shocker of the night–and the best performance as well.

So even if Bikini Girl appears topless in Playboy, which is the rumor going around at the moment, she’ll always have her moment on the Idol stage with Kara.

You knew when she auditioned in Phoenix last summer that we were in for a treat, and we definitely got one, that’s for sure.

Also, did anyone else notice that Bikini Girl had a surgical enhancement? I think all of America did, frankly.

After the Top 13 (not the Top 12) were announced, it was time to go out and party like it was 2009. Except for all of the usual faces (you know, the ones who had earned their way into the finals) there was one, in particular, who crashed the party.

What in the hell was Bikini Girl (above photo) doing there? Was she a guest of someone? Like, maybe Simon? LOL It’s possible, and I guarantee that because we saw her last night at the post-wrap party, we have not seen the last of her.

God, no! I thought we were rid of this broad. She’s more annoying than Tatiana!! I thought Kara had a hit out on her. Just kidding. She doesn’t, but apparently I (and the rest of America) were wrong. We aren’t. She’s back.

And she looks like a damned turtle–or a mermaid, take your pick–in that shimmery green metallic getup. And look at her boobs, all mismatched like one is bigger than the other. Other than that, she’s just a hot mess, obviously someone Simon would get with.

And other than that, half of America is cheering right now, particularly those with a pulse and a penis. The other half is throwing things at their computer screen.

So Michael Castro is gone…and Norman Gentle is still here. Wow. It was probably inevitable since Michael Castro, the brother of Jason wasn’t really that great a singer compared to the bonafide ringers they have competing on Idol 8.

Thinking about the fact that Castro actually outlasted an Osmond, though, has to be something that the rooster-tailed brother of the white Bob Marley will remember.  

On what had to be one of the truly stranger nights on American Idol 8 to date, Norman Gentle (uh, Nick Mitchell in the above photo) stole the show by actually singing great even though he used his alter ago.

That said, Mr. Gentle, or Mitchell, or whatever he is this week is becoming a force of nature during Idol 8. At first I thought this guy was a joke but now he is proving me — and every other Idol follower — to be dead wrong in our assumptions. He may be the next Weird Al.

And that reminds me: assuming — as my mom always said — makes an ass out of you and me — and so Mr. Gentle will now have a place on my site from here on out.

And don’t look now, but Michael Sarver, the oil rig roughneck is carving himself a place on the Idol mantle and could be the runaway shocker of the season. The other shocker is that Casey Carlson (second from top photo) yet again survived despite singing okay. It wasn’t a shocker at all, however, that ringer Adam Lambert made it. Same with Scott McIntyre, who despite the fact he’s 99 percent blind, is also a ringer. Ditto for Joanna Pacitti.

Some surprise people who made it were Tatiana Del Toro, that raging hormonal bull from Puerto Rico who basically can’t shut up or stop doing it up for the cameras. I doubt that Del Toro ever hated a camera, but she might hate the media once her run comes to an end, which, hopefully, will be very soon. I don’t honestly know if I can take much more of her.

So…tomorrow we will have a Top 36! It’s about time. And don’t forget to sign up for my new betting pool. I know you have opinions on who you think is gonna win. Soooo…do something about it! Tell me which ringer is gonna make it all the way to the end.

With the talk around the water cooler now switching from what could be to what will, the eighth season of American Idol is five days from fruition. That said, there are many changes to the show’s format that will have an effect, good or bad, on your viewing.

First off, what effect will new judge Kara Dioguardi have on the other three more established judges? Do the other three like her? According to Paula, she and Kara go way back, since Dioguardi has written and produced a song for Abdul. So does that mean the two won’t clash when it comes to singers? It sounds like Dioguardi is opposite of Abdul when it comes to critiquing. She’d rather take Simon Cowell’s lead. The other noticeable thing you will see is backstage. Will that mean fighting? More importantly, is Idol 8 gonna go the way of Jerry Springer? And what effect will the wild-card rounds have on the judges? These are all important questions to answer, along with the fact there will be younger mentors. - Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/01/season-eight-co.html

Guess who’s blogging for season 8? Phil Stacey, the bald dynamo from season 6 who made it all the way to the final six, will be doing his play-by-play for the Naples News, a Florida newspaper. He’ll be doing it on a weekly basis, giving us behind-the-scenes looks at Idol 8 the way only a former Idol can. He describes his experience on Idol 6 as one in which he felt like Willy Wonka at the Chocolate Factory. He’ll go into the way auditions are done, and which contestants you should “keep an eye on.” All told, Stacey was a formidable opponent himself in season 6, garnering a record deal as well as performing on some of the biggest stages around. - Naples News http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/08/american-idol-blog-former-idol-finalist-write-week/And finally, some Idols cleaned up at the People’s Choice Awards. Carrie Underwood won three such awards, garnering “Favorite Female Singer,” “Favorite Star Under 35,” and “Favorite Country Song.” In the above video (thanks MJ) she sings “I Know You Won’t” during the awards ceremony. And Jordin Sparks took home a trophy, a “Favorite Combined Forces Award,” for her song featuring Chris Brown which was called “No Air.” don’t you just love these award titles? LOL Anyway, it’s good to see so many Idols staying in the spotlight. Hope it continues.