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American Idol: Howard Stern to Replace Simon Cowell?

Nancy Floyd — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:00:39 +0000

With Simon Cowell’s contract up this year, American Idol producers are desperate to find a worthy replacement for the sourpuss Brit who propelled the show to success. Lots of names have been thrown around as possible successors for Cowell, but the most notable (and most shocking) is radio bad boy, Howard Stern…

With Stern’s contract with Sirius up in 2011, the shock jock is allegedly lobbying for the position on the American Idol judging panel. After repeatedly mentioning on-air that he’s “open to other offers” once his radio contract is up next January, Howard Stern was reportedly approached by producers of the FOX reality competition.

“Idol bosses think he’d be even nastier than Simon,” a source told the New York Post. “They know he would be great TV and would clash with the other judges such as Ellen Degeneres and the contestants. Idol will do what it takes to sign him.”

Stern all but confirmed the offer on the air during last Wednesday’s broadcast when he made the following statement:

“I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year — and I did turn it down. Well, I didn’t turn it down. I started to entertain it and think about it, and then I probably think my demands are pretty heavy and they were attempting to negotiate and I said ‘You don’t have to.’ I’m not even sure if I want to be working. I’m waiting to see what happens.”

Another source claims that Stern has no real interest in joining the American Idol judging panel but is using the negotiations as leverage in his own contract with Sirius. ”Despite what he’s been saying on-air, Howard isn’t ready to leave radio and would like to stay on at Sirius,” the source said. “We believe this is a ploy to make Sirius pay up and keep him on his huge contract. But if Sirius can’t pay him the money he wants, he may negotiate to film Idol on the side.”

Simon Cowell struck a deal last month with FOX to leave American Idol after the current season in order to produce a new reality competition called The X Factor in the fall of 2011. Several names have been thrown around as Cowell’s replacement including singing superstar Elton John, actor/rapper Jamie Foxx, America’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, and music producer (and former Mr. Mariah Carey) Tommy Mottola.

Who would you like to see replace Simon Cowell as a judge on American Idol? Visit our American Idol message boards and sound off! Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! For more news, check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images & NBC

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American Idol: Adam Lambert’s Underwear Auction Off for $8,500

Nancy Floyd — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:31:12 +0000

Leave it to the outlandish American Idol season 8 runner-up, Adam Lambert, to come up with such a unique way to raise money for Haiti. The pop singer recently auctioned off a pair of his skivvies to raise money for victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Keep reading to find out all the details about the star’s pricey undies…

Adam Lambert first announced that he would be auctioning off a pair of his underwear for charity early last week while he was a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show. The undergarments in question were a pair of black boxer briefs with Ellen Degeneres‘ name emblazoned on them. “I wore my special Ellen underwear,” he told the TV host (and new American Idol judge) while the audience cheered enthusiastically. Lambert added, “They might be a little sweaty, but these are up for auction as well.”

The underwear were listed for auction on Ellen’s website until Friday, February 5th. The winning bidder paid a whopping $8,500 for them! In addition to winning the American Idol runner-up’s underwear, the bidder also received an autographed picture of Lambert. What does one do with a used pair of celebrity underwear? Wash them? Wear them? Frame them for the world to see?

How much would you be willing to pay for Adam Lambert’s dirty laundry?

For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers

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American Idol: “Bikini Boy” Audition Was a Radio Station Stunt

Nancy Floyd — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:13:31 +0000

Auditions for American Idol are always filled with funny, absurd, and just plain terrible aspiring singers and Tuesday night’s auditions in Denver were no different. Most notably was a performance by the Idol-hopeful appropriately deemed “Bikini Boy,” but before you feel sorry for a guy who might be mentally unstable, keep reading to find out about his audition which was nothing more than an elaborate hoax…

The aspiring American Idol contestant dubbed “Bikini Boy” is actually Ty Hemmerling, an employee at Denver radio station KWOF-FM. His impersonation of the infamous “Bikini Girl” from American Idol’s eighth season was nothing more than a prank for his job. According to Hemmerling, the Idol producers were in on the joke.

“They pretty much knew why I was there, and they made sure I knew that they knew — like, ‘You know why we’re putting you through, don’t you?’” the former KWOF-FM employee says. ”One of the first questions they asked me on the first day was if I worked for the media. And before I could even answer, they said, ‘Don’t lie, because we’ll find out.’ So I said, ‘This is what I do.’”

According to the 25-year old self-proclaimed “intern-stunt guy,” he had to go through multiple auditions over the course of a two-week period before finally having a chance to perform in front of the judging panel. Hemmerling didn’t expect to make it all the way through to Simon, Randy, and Kara. “I I thought I’d maybe get my picture taken in front of 12,000 people at Invesco,” he states. ”One of the producers said, ‘I don’t think you’ll get through to the judges, but you’ll probably get some face time.’”

Hemmerling made a promise to the producers to keep mum on the stunt for months until the episode aired which is why he ultimately had a chance to sing for the judges. “They said, ‘Keep your mouth shut. If you can do that, we’ll send you through,’” he says. The auditions were held late last summer.

Hemmerling, who borrowed his girlfriend’s bikini for the auditions, is hopeful that his newfound fame will land him an opportunity to return to American Idol for the season finale. “Maybe I can squeeze out fifteen-and-a-half minutes of fame,” he says.

For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

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American Idol: Carrie Underwood to Hit the Big Screen!

Nancy Floyd — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:00:24 +0000

American Idol season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, can add another title to her resume: movie star! The country crooner and five-time Grammy winner just landed a supporting role in a moving new film. Keep reading to find out all the details about Underwood’s big screen debut…

American Idol alum, Carrie Underwood, is slated to appear in the upcoming inspirational film, Soul Surfer. The movie, which began filming in Hawaii this week, is the true story about Bethany Hamilton, the teenage champion surfer who suffered a shark attack that cost her an arm. Hamilton was only 13 when her left arm was severed by a 14-foot tiger shark. Despite these obvious major setbacks, she continued to have a positive outlook on life and returned to surfing competitively just a few short months after the traumatic accident.

Underwood will play a Christian youth group leader than named Sarah Hill in the film. The American Idol star won’t be the only big celebrity in the film. The star-studded cast includes Academy Award winner, Helen Hunt, who will play Bethany’s mom, Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid playing Bethany’s father, and AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany.

Directed by Sean McNamara who helmed movies such as Raise Your Voice and The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold, the film will be Underwood’s first. No release date has been set for the film yet.

Underwood can be seen tomorrow night performing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.

For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

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American Idol: Top 24 Spoiler

Christine McDow — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:43:14 +0000

We won’t promise you this list of the top 24 contestants on American Idol is 100% accurate, but we guess it is probably 99% accurate considering it is floating around and seems to be the consensus. We tend to agree since many of these contestants were highlighted in Wednesday’s episode which was clearly edited AFTER the American Idol Hollywood week ended. Do you like these contestants that made it through? Who do you want to see in the top 12 on American Idol?

Aaron Kelly
Age: 16
Hometown: Sonestown, PA
Auditioned in: Orlando

Alexander Lambert
Age: 19
Hometown: North Richland Hills, TX
Auditioned in: Dallas

Andrew Garcia
Age: 24
Hometown: Moreno Valley, CA
Auditioned in: Los Angeles

Ashley Makailah
Age: 22
Hometown: Chelsea, MA
Auditioned in: Boston

Casey James
Age: 27
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Auditioned in: Denver

Christopher Golightly
Age: 26
Hometown: Orange, CA
Auditioned in: Los Angeles

Crystal Bowersox
Age: 24
Hometown: Elliston, IL
Auditioned in: Chicago

Didi Benami
Age: 21
Hometown: Hollywood, CA
Auditioned in: Los Angeles

Haeley Vaughn
Age: 16
Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
Auditioned in: Denver

Janell Wheeler
Age: 24
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Auditioned in: Orlando

Jermine Sellers
Age: 26
Hometown: Joliet, IL
Auditioned in: Atlanta

John Park
Age: 21
Hometown: Evanston, IL
Auditioned in: Chicago

Jose Muñoz
Age: 20
Hometown: Huntington Park, CA
Auditioned in: Los Angeles

Katelyn Epperly
Age: 19
Hometown: West Des Moines, IA
Auditioned in: Chicago

Katie Stevens
Age: 17
Hometown: Middlebury, CT
Auditioned in: Boston

Lacey Brown
Age: 24
Hometown: Amarillo, TX
Auditioned in: Orlando

Lee Dewyze
Age: 23
Hometown: Mount Prospect, IL
Auditioned in: Chicago

Lilly Scott
Age: 20
Hometown: Littleton, CO
Auditioned in: Denver

Michael Lynche
Age: 26
Hometown: Astoria, NY
Auditioned in: Orlando

Michelle Delamor
Age: 22
Hometown: Miami Beach, FL
Auditioned in: Orlando

Paige Miles
Age: 24
Hometown: Cypress, TX
Auditioned in: Dallas

Siobhan Magnus
Age: 19
Hometown: Barnstable, MA
Auditioned in: Boston

Todrick Hall
Age: 24
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Auditioned in: Dallas

Tyler Grady
Age: 20
Hometown: Nazareth, PA
Auditioned in: Boston

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of Fox

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American Idol Season 9 Guest Judges: Who Did You Love? Who Did You Hate?

Nancy Floyd — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:14:40 +0000

The auditions for season 9 of American Idol are now completed and we’re moving on to Hollywood Week. New judge Ellen Degeneres will take her seat among the judging panel next Tuesday putting an end to the celebrity guest judges who have been filling her chair for weeks. So we want to know….who did you love and who did you hate?

American Idol took a slightly different approach this season in the audition phase, opting for celebrity guest judges to fill the seat once taken by long-time judge (and resident mayor of Crazytown), Paula Abdul. In reality, the guest judges were there temporarily while the American Idol producers scrambled to find Abdul’s replacement. That replacement turned out to be funny woman Ellen Degeneres who signed on to serve as the show’s fourth judge earlier this year. But in the meantime, we’ve had to endure our share of the good, the bad, and the not-so-entertaining stars who popped up during the auditions.

The celebrities who showed up during A merican Idol’s audition round this year ranged from a sitcom star to a R&B legend to a Broadway leading lady to a Spice Girl. We want to know what you think! Who did you love? Who did you hate? Who should be invited back next year? Who should be banned from the show forever? Weigh in at our American Idol message boards or comment below!

And for those of you with a weak memory, here’s a little recap of who stopped by the American Idol set this year:

Victoria Beckham (Boston & Denver)
Mary J. Blige (Atlanta)
Shania Twain (Chicago)
Kristin Chenoweth (Orlando)
Avril Lavigne (Los Angeles)
Katy Perry (Los Angeles)
Neil Patrick Harris (Dallas)
Joe Jonas (Dallas)

For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of Fox

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American Idol 9 Auditions: The Best of the Best

Christine McDow — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:48:26 +0000

American Idol has brought us a lot of auditions so far this year. The first week we had Boston and Atlanta. The second week we got to see auditions in Chicago and Orlando. Last week it was Los Angeles and Dallas! Tuesday night it was Denver, and last night they highlighted some of the best auditions that they had not shown yet. Many of those they showed are rumored to make it into the top 24. We have compiled those great auditions from last night and a few of the not so great but nice letdowns that were shown in video format for you to enjoy!

Starting last year the producers at FOX decided to show us more good auditions than the bad and funny ones. Personally I love the bad and funny ones and believe in most cases that the people trying out know they are bad, but are just looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Of course in some case they are bad and really think good.

The Best

Jessica Furney - Denver

Amanda Shectman - Boston

Lacey Brown - Orlando

Rachel Hubbard - Dallas

Thaddeus Johnson - Dallas

Genesis Moore - Atlanta

Lee Dewyze - Chicago

Crystal Bowersox - Chicago

Michael Lynche - Orlando

DiDi Benami - Los Angeles

Aaron Kelly - Orlando

Hope Johnson - Dallas

The Worst

Last night were were only subjected to a handful of auditions where people didn’t make it through. They were nice letdowns however so we wanted to show you! Again, click on the picture to take you to the video and let us know what you think of their performances.

Stephanie Fisher - Denver

Adrian Chandtchi - Orlando

Kimberly Bishop - Orlando

Shaddaii Harris - Dallas

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and tell us what you think! For more on American Idol, check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photos Courtesy: FOX

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American Idol’s Carrie Underwood Plans Dream Wedding

Nancy Floyd — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:00:28 +0000

American Idol season 4 winner Carrie Underwood is busy planning her upcoming nuptials to professional hockey player, Mike Fisher. The pair became engaged in December 2009 when he popped the question with a flawless yellow diamond engagement ring, estimated to be worth around $150,000. The two lovebirds are working out the specifics of their big day and Life & Style magazine got all the romantic details…

Although the pair have yet to set a date for the big day (she says, “we’re kind of bouncing a few around”), the American Idol star and her athlete beau seem to have nailed down a few of the major details. Fisher claims, “It’s going to be a good size wedding with plenty of good food and an open bar. But nothing too overblown. It’s still in the planning stages, so a lot of the details haven’t been finalized.”

One detail that’s taking precedence in the bride’s mind? The dress! The American Idol alum says, “I want it to be pretty traditional. I think I want flowers on it — not real flowers.” Underwood says, “[The designer will] probably be someone I’ve worked with before,” but no one has been hired for the job just yet. That doesn’t mean there aren’t designers lining up for the opportunity to dress the star on her big day!

Roberto de Villacis who has designed red carpet and music video looks for Carrie Underwood in the past has ideas of what the gown should look like. “Carrie’s sweet, feminine, romantic. I’d propose a glamorous Southern-belle gown in French Chantilly lace with a floral pattern. She’s petite, so the best silhouette would be a long and lean flute.”

One thing is for sure: the singer wants to be very hands-on with the wedding preparations. Fisher says, ”As you might expect, Carrie’s involved in a lot of the details,” before jokingly adding, “I’ll just be showing up.”

For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and check out SirLinksALot: American Idol.

Photo Courtesy of Life & Style Magazine

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American Idol 9 Auditions: Shaddaii Harris

Christine McDow — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:46:42 +0000

American Idol season 9

Dallas Audition by: Shaddaii Harris

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and tell us what you think! See all American Idol Videos.

video credit: FOX

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American Idol 9 Auditions: Kimberly Bishop

Christine McDow — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:45:29 +0000

American Idol season 9

Orlando Audition by: Kimberly Bishop

Reality TV Magazine is your source for American Idol news and info! Visit our American Idol message boards and tell us what you think! See all American Idol Videos.

video credit: FOX

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