Top 5: Songs From The Rat Pack

The top 5 knew they would have to set the "standard" when the learned that the shows theme would be Songs From The Rat Pack. I wasn't thrilled with the theme choice, initially, but after the show I was left wanting more. Each and every one of the contestants brought their A-game to that stage and I didn't know what to expect.

Kris Allen, who is the second best selling Idol contestant on iTunes, set the tone with "The Way You Look Tonight". This performance really pushed him to new heights and proved he is, as Kara pointed out, the dark horse, who actually has a shot. Especially if he makes it to the finale over, original front-runner, Danny Gokey. Gokey's audience could turn their support to Kris making him almost unbeatable. Alison, then gave her best P!nk-inspired vocal on "Someone To Watch Over Me", which was good, but Simon predicted her departure that night. Unfortunately, his comment had the opposite effect and it sent Alison fans running for their phone to call in, putting Alison in the top 2 for the night. Danny Gokey, also in the Top 2, offered up a great performance on Tuesday night. I was surprised by Danny the most, seeing that his performances were falling flat week after week, but apparently he is ready to pull out all the stops. Adam closed the show with one of my favorite standards, "Feelin' Good", and he did it masterful, as always. And although I thought his entrance was a bit over the top, Simon applauded it, while Paula dubbed him the Michael Phelps of American Idol. And then there's the first ever contestant that got the judges save, Matt Giraud, who crooned "My Funny Valentine" like only he can. The performance was easily one of the best of the night and was, vocally, spot on. Simon called his performance the only authentic version of the theme and applauded his diction and vocals.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep him in the competition and he was sent packing. It wasn't really a surprise, nor would Alison have been, with the other juggernauts in the competition. But, what WAS a surprise, was Adam Lambert, not only in the bottom 3, but the bottom 2! While I am guessing it was a cheap ploy by the producers to give the show a ratings boost, it will surely help secure Lambert's spot in the finals, as his fans will work overtime next week. However, I hope they don't strain anything, seeing as it is Rock Week, I don't think Adam will have a hard time finding his rhythm. Alright kids, it's getting close...who do you think will win? We're predicting/ hoping for a Adam-Kris finale. Leave your predictions in the comments!

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Catty Dolls

As we reported last week, The Pussycat Dolls' new single, "Hush Hush", and their last single, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)", have been released listed as The Pussycat Dolls Featuring Nicole Scherzinger. Well, it's no surprise that this is creating some tension among the rest of the girls, who are currently on tour with Britney Spears. In a recent show, while the girls were introducing themselves, the nicknamed-Babydoll, Melody Thorton, threw in a few jabs that confirmed the feud rumors. Luckily for us, and you, someone caught it all on video. Take a look as Melody loses her temper.



Robin Antin, Pussycat Doll creator, has said that the girls will continue to work together and have plans to record a third album, while Nicole Scherzinger has confirmed she plans to stay with the girls, as well as start work on her 2nd attempt at a solo career. But, just in case these girls can't work it out, Antin is preparing a new group of girls to take over. She already created the PCD-sister group, Girlicious, last year, but after they failed to impact America, she's trying again. While Girlicious is experiencing some success in Canada, Antin's new group, Paradiso Girls, are working to take over the European market. Their first single, "Patron Tequila", is already impacting European radio and since the rumors of the PCD-feuds started growing, Antin is now preparing the girls for American success. The song is more urban then what The Dolls usually deliver, but it is a great party/club jam. Keep up the good work, Antin!

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We're Back!!

We went, we saw, we conquered - Vegas will never be the same. And while we'd love to share all the stories and antics that you missed, you know the drill: "What happens in Vegas..."

But I can do for you is show you the new, amazing video for Katy Perry's new single, "Waking Up in Vegas". The video is hilarious, awesome, and makes us wish we never left.

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Top 6, err, uhhh...7

As disco week kicked off, we could already see some of the urgency to get through the show without running over...again. There was no cheesy opening monologues from Ryan, no long, drawn out judge intros, and, most noticeable, no mentors or short contestant intros. Instead, Lil Rounds went right into her performance of "I'm Every Woman", but she failed to impress the judges and Simon predicted she'd sung her last song on the Idol stage. For me, it wasn't the performance that left me confused, it was the lingering question of why she reminded me of a "camel" that night, in her skin tight jumpsuit. Could it have been the giant "humps" from her lower back? Or ... ummm, something else? After we cleared that image from our heads, Kris Allen took the stage and did a creative and acoustic version of "She Works Hard the Money", a Donna Summers original and it worked well for him. Paula and Simon got in some catty argument about the who wears women's clothes, or something...I really can't follow their banter anymore. Anoop, Danny, and Alison gave mediocre, at best, performances, while I loved Matt G's JT-style take on "Stayin' Alive". The judges criticized it, but I think they thought it was too desperate, seeing as he was last week's save. Get it? Stayin' Alive? But America got it right, because they agreed with me, and kept Matt around for another week. Adam surprised me with his slow version of "If I Can't Have You", which was unexpected from this season's front-runner, or should I say "queen". I expected him to be all made up with his platform shoes on taking on some dance hit. But, he done good with his song choice and left Paula squeezing out a few fake tears. In the end, as two were to be sent home, Lil and Anoop were given their papers and sent home. Lil will likely go on to have mild success, much like Paris did a few seasons ago with her album, Princess P, and Anoop will turn up in the Broadway musical adaptation of Slumdog Millionaire, or so we assume.

And we have a spoiler alert: This week's theme will be Jazz Week, as the contestants take on songs from The Rat Pack and Taylor Hicks will be on the results show. Then, the Top 4 show will feature Rock Songs and mentor, Slash, which should send Adam "straight" to the finals. The Top 3 show will feature the contestants going back to their home cities and there they will learn their fate as the judges will pick their songs, which will be interesting to see how the judges critique, since they've used the "bad song choice" statement way too much this season. That show will feature Katy Perry and Jordin Sparks, who will debut her new single from her sophomore album, Battlefield, on the results show. Then, the finale (early prediction: Kris and Adam), will feature the contestants favorite performance and the winner's single. Should make for an interesting way to wrap up this crazy season.

Alright, we're getting our game faces on for tomorrow's Rat Pack show. Enjoy!

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....In My Pants

Hey, we're still in Vegas for the weekend, but when we return, we'll have a full report of last night's show! While, we're away, here's some of the funniest stuff we've seen in years.

Adam Samberg and his crew, The Lonely Island, created this video for their song, "Jizz In My Pants":


Then some funny-ass ladies created a response to the song on Funny or Die entitled "Queef In My Pants", which is equally as hilarious, minus all the cameos. Check it out:

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While You're Reading This At Home, I'm At Britney

Get over it and watch this video teaser from the tour...

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Beyonce Can Actually Sing

Recently a "live recording" of Beyonce was circulating around the net claiming to be what the diva actually sounded like live, fueling rumors that the once Destiny's Child front woman actually doesn't sing live. But yesterday a computer geek, with WAY too much time on his hands, made YouTube video explaining how he made the recording and it was not real. But just to be sure the rumors were put to rest, Beyonce appeared on David Letterman on Wednesday night and SANG her current hit, "Halo", live. Check it out.

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I Got That Boom Boom Pow

The Black Eyed Peas are preparing the release of their new album, The E.N.D., and their first single from the disc, "Boom Boom Pow", is tearing up the digital download charts. I think the song is alright, it's very BEP, but we have one problem. The song, and video, are trying to be overly futuristic and then one of the lyrics, "I'm so 2008, you're so 2000 and late", is clever, but outdated. Had the album come out last year, this would have rocked my face off. Too bad their version of the future is so last year. Check out the video below.

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Justin Eats It While Packaging His Package

Justin Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Kimmel last night to promote the new reality series, The Phone, which he produced for MTV. The interview was slightly hilarious and we wanted to make sure y'all got a chance to see it.

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The Circus Continues

When the American leg of The Circus Starring Britney Spears is over, the current openers, The Pussycat Dolls, will be ending their time with the pop princess. The Dolls, who already toured their sophomore album in Europe, will embark on the second leg of their Doll Domination World Tour with special guest Lady GaGa.

And who will support Britney when she heads over to Europe for the second leg of her tour? Ciara has confirmed that she will be joining Brit-Brit as the show moves to Europe on June 3rd in London. That should make for a fun show, but we're glad we'll be seeing PCD because that's a whole lotta sexy in one place!

Oh, and did we mention we're going to Vegas in 2 days?!? Britney, Nicole & Crew, and all the lovely ladies of Vegas...look out!

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Top 7: Songs From The Movies

Last week, I felt like the show had some serious promise, considering I wouldn't have to sit through another horrible version of some sappy/crappy song that Scott MacIntyre struggles to belt out. But then it happened, Quentin Tarantino started the show with "this is American Idol". I wasn't sure what he was there to promote because surely the producers weren't bringing him back to the show...again. But, to our dismay, they were. It was a few seasons ago when the show tried out guest judges that they had him on to critique the contestants, but this time he would be their mentor for the week. Now, if it didn't work then, it probably wouldn't work this go around either. And we were right. He brought absolutely nothing to the show and had nothing of substance to offer to the contestants during their "critiques". And this week, due to the persistent issue of time this season (the show has run long numerous times due to Simon and Paula's yacking), the judges were critiquing two at a time, which could be a blessing, or incredibly horrible, for those contestants that wouldn't be critiqued by Simon Cowell, who tends to skew votes with his comments.

First up, Alison sang a predictable Aerosmith cover that showed over her capable vocal ability, but failed to show any personality. Paula, of course loved it, but went too far by comparing it to a performance of Adam Lambert, who proved to be in a different league then the rest this season with his take on "Born To Be Wild". Anoop, safely, sang a Bryan Adams ballad, which wasn't horrible, but he's losing all of his fun-factor that we originally liked in the auditions. Now, he's just a little boring, but that's not the worst of it. The part I refuse to take more of is the constant upper lip sweat - it's like Ruben Studdard all over again, minus about 500 lbs. Danny and Kris both delivered boring ballads, where both tried to create a "moment" for themselves, but unfortunately none will reproduce the classic Season 8 moment when Adam Lambert sang "Mad World" and brought Simon Cowell, the king of mean, to his feet. Sorry boys, you're better off accepting your righteous spot at second, or third, or fourth...place and moving on. Lil Rounds chose "The Rose", by Bette Midler, which the judges thought was a bad choice, but I actually liked her gospel-like take on the ending. She took the advice the judges had given and made it her own, but they're stuck seeing her as the next Mary J., not the next Mary Mary. And Matt Giraud picked a good song choice for himself, in the same vein that has gotten him praise from the judges, but his pitch was off and it seemed to be all over the place, which is why he landed in the bottom spot this week. And from the moment we saw the unpredictable-predictable bottom 3, we knew that the judges save would come into play this week. Had Anoop been the bottom spot, the judges probably would have let him go, just based on the fact that he's been there almost every week, it seems, but he was the first one sent to safety. And while Lil Rounds has been harshly criticized by the judges, I think they would have saved her to keep the girls going a bit in the competition. But when it was Matt's name called as the bottom, it was clear that, as a judge favorite, he would be saved. And, although they tried to make it look like they were deliberating (minus Paula, who was off in her own world), we knew they weren't.

So, we're left with another week of the Top 7, and with it being Disco Week, it could be the twist of fate that poor ol' Matt needs. His soulful voice will probably help him get his groove on during this trying week, but its Lil, Anoop, Alison, and Kris that should be worried. And Adam, we are sure he's comfortable taking on any of the "queen's" of disco - we wouldn't even be surprised if he "came out" in full drag and glitter. Here's hoping!

Enjoy!

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Hush Hush Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls, who's lead/only singer is Nicole Scherzinger are releasing a new single off their mildly successful album, Doll Domination. Their last single, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)", from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack got the girls some attention that they hadn't seen since "When I Grow Up" hit the airwaves last summer. When that single was released, fans noticed something a little peculiar, the song was list as performed by A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger. Well, last time we checked Nicole was a part of the group, ignoring the non-released, non-existent solo career she tried launching the past two years. Now, their new single, "Hush, Hush (I Will Survive)" or, as listed on the single artwork, "Hush Hush: Hush Hush", it lists the song as performed by The Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger. This only fuels the rumors that Nicole will have another go at her solo career before the year ends, but PCD creator, Robin Antin, recently promised that the girls are working on a 3rd album that will hopefully be out in 2010 and it will feature more vocals from Jessica and Melody. So, this all leaves us a bit confused - why are the new singles from an album, Domination, full of Nicole-only songs, now being released with her "featured"? Anyway, the new remix of "Hush, Hush" will be released to radio on April 28th and a video will follow shortly after. And you can find the version on their album's re-release, Doll Domination 2.0, on April 27th.

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"Live" and Sex and Magic

On May 5th, Justin Timberlake will appear on Saturday Night Live, where he will serve as host, for the third time, and perform with musical guest, Ciara. The duo will perform their current hit, "Love and Sex and Magic". And if you've seen the sexified video, you'll definitely want to check out the, what promises to be a steamy, performance.

This is Ciara's first time on SNL and the first time they will perform this song together. Justin is a SNL veteran, appearing in some of the most watched clips from the show, including the SNL Digital Short, "Dick In A Box", and the "Single Ladies" video shoot parody with Beyonce.

Set your DVR's for May 5th, this promises to be a good one!

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Hooking Up Is Hard To Do

We brought you Kelly's news about her new single, "I Do Not Hook Up" a few weeks ago and now the video is done and set to premiere on April 20th on MTV. But, in the meantime, we have it in its entirety right here! We love the video and judging by the storyline, it looks like she does, in fact, "hook up". That's good news for us!

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Vegas In T-Minus One Week!

In just one, short week, me, my nug, and the rest of my crew will be on our way to the wonderful and exciting Las Vegas! No, not to gamble or party, - however, plenty of that debauchery will ensue - but we are going to see the biggest selling "circus" on earth -The Circus Tour Starring Britney Spears. The show, next Saturday at MGM Grand, will kick off with The Pussycat Dolls performing their slew of hits and it's rumored that Girlicious, the sister-PCD group, will also perform to help hype the return of our Queen, Britney.

We can hardly wait, and to help hype the Vegas crew, I am posting this special concert preview sponsored by Candie's. And for those of you that have opted out of this once in a lifetime trip, here's a preview of what you're missing. But have no fear, Idol Insider will bring you plenty of stories, videos, and photos documenting the whole thing. Get ready cause "It's Britney, Bitch".

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Kelly, the Yankee

New York is buzzing, as the new Yankees Stadium was unveiled this year. And to help launch the season at the new stadium, Kelly Clarkson sang the National Anthem for the game today. Check out the performance, as well as shots of the new stadium. I can't wait to get up there to see it in person!

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The Carnival Ride Continues

Recently named Entertainer of the Year, Carrie Underwood, joined Sugarland, Darius Rucker, and Kenny Chesney on Oprah yesterday, where she talked about her success and dating in the public eye and performed her last single, "Just A Dream". In a clip, where she allowed Oprah's cameras to follow her for A Day In the Life piece, she was shown in the recording studio writing a new song, which leads us to believe the rumors are true that her follow up to Carnival Ride will be out by the year's end. So it looks like her current reign as Top Female Vocal and Entertainer of the Year could continue in 2010, but did you really have any doubt? And, in case you missed the show, we have it for you below.

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Cheetah No Mo'

Former 3LW star, Adrienne Bailon, was on Angie Martinez's radio show today and made some big announcements.

First, the Cheetah Girls, which is what became of 3LW after one of the girls left the group, are no officially over. She said that their last tour was their last time together, as a group. Rumors surfaced that the group was over, after some racy NSFW photos were posted online taken from her stolen laptop, and her contract with Disney was in jeopardy. Then, in early 2009 Bailon appeared solo on two tracks from the soundtrack to "Confessions Of A Shopaholic".

Then, today she announced that she has officially been signed to a deal with Island/Def Jam records and would release an album later this year. Until then, she'll be busy in the studio with producers, Brian Michael Cox (Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige), The Dream (Rihanna, Beyonce), K. Brisco, who produced "Womanizer" for Britney Spears.

And while she may still appear on the reality series, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", as Robert Kardashian's girlfriend, she confirmed in the interview that her and Rob have called it quits, but steers clear of any drama. So it seems her time may be ending on that show, but announced she is currently working on her own reality show that will take viewers through the album making process. The full interview is below, but I pretty much summed it all up.

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HaHapy Easter!

On this glorious day, we at Idol Insider wanted to do something special for you guys, so please enjoy this HILARIOUS video shot by Lindsay Lohan. In the video, produced by Funny Or Die, she creates her own eHarmony commercial that pokes fun at all of the controversy surrounding her personal life right now. This definitely tops our list as one of the funniest things this year, check it out!

Oh, and HAPPY EASTER!

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The Power of Disney

For you tweens on Idol Insider, this is for you! One the many Disney princesses, Demi Lovato, is teaming up with one of the youngest American Idol contestants, David Archuleta, to embark on a US, summer tour. Now the Idol Insider would think that Archuleta would get the headling, or at the very least, a co-headling spot on the tour, but the promotional poster seems to promote it the other way around, dubbing him a "special guest" on the "Demi Lovato Summer Tour". Anywho, for those who are interested, here are the dates (and no, we won't be there):

June 21: Hartford, Conn. (XL)
June 22: Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza)
June 24: Newark, N.J. (Prudential)
June 25: Uniondale, N.Y. (Nassau Coliseum)
June 26: Boston, Mass. (Agganis)
June 27: Philadelphia, Pa. (Mann Music Theater)
June 29: Duluth, Ga. (The Arena at Gwinnett Center)
July 1: Lafayette, La. (Cajundome)
July 2: North Little Rock, Ark. (Alltel Arena)
July 3: Houston, Texas (Reliant Arena)
July 5: Grand Prairie, Texas (Nokia Theater)
July 6: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
July 9: Glendale, Ariz. (Jobing.com Arena)
July 10: Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center at Fresno State)
July 11: San Jose, Calif. (SJ Events Center)
July 13: Portland, Oregon (Rose Garden)
July 14: Seattle, Wash. (WaMu Theater)
July 16: Sacramento, Calif. (ARCO)
July 17: Los Angeles (NOKIA Theatre at LA Live)
July 18: Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)
July 20: Denver (Wells Fargo Theater)
July 22: Kansas City, Missouri (Sprint Center)
July 24: Chicago (Allstate Arena)
July 25: Cincinnati, Ohio (US Bank Arena)
July 27: Cleveland (Wolstein Center)
July 28: Harrington, Del. (Delaware State Fair
July 29: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
July 31: Tampa (St. Pete Times Forum)
Aug. 1: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (BankAtlantic Center)
Aug. 2: Orlando (Amway Arena)
Aug. 4: Greenville, S.C. (Bi-Lo Center)
Aug. 5: Louisville, K.Y. (Broadbent Arena)
Aug. 6: Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State Fair)
Aug. 8: Minneapolis, Minn. (Target Center)
Aug. 9: West Allis, Wisc. (Wisconsin State Fair)
Aug. 10: Indianapolis (Indiana State Fair)
Aug. 12: Nashville (Sommet Center)
Aug. 13: St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena)
Aug. 14: Moline, Ill. (iWireless Center)
Aug. 15: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center Omaha)
Aug. 17: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Van Andel Arena)
Aug. 18: Clarkston, Mich. (DTE Energy Music Theater)
Aug. 20: Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Center)
Aug. 21: Hershey, Pa. (TBA)
Aug. 22: Atlantic City, N.J. (Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort)
Aug. 23: Providence, R.I. (Dunkin Donuts Center)
Aug. 24: Manchester, N.H. (Verizon Wireless)

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Top 8: The Year They Were Born

As soon as Idol's Top 8 show started off, I had a feeling we were in for a long haul, as the judges took up two whole segments of the show with their baby photos and annoying banter. But once Paula and Simon finished their lovefest, the show started with Danny Gokey offering a horribly arranged version of "Stand By Me". As the weeks go on, I realize the more I really don't care for Mr. Gokey. I mean, he's talented, but really doesn't give me anything to look forward to - and go ahead and hate on me, but you know it's true. Following Danny came more boring and mediocre performances from Kris, Lil, and Anoop. Kris switched it up a bit, but it wasn't memorable. Lil provided us with a karaoke rendition of a Tina Turner classic that left the judges unimpressed - nothing like the gem Syesha delivered when she sang "Proud Mary" last year. And Anoop played it safe with "True Colors" - the judges loved it, but I was unimpressed. Alison delivered an awesome vocal, but delivered a fashion disaster. But the good news: If she doesn't make it as our Idol, at least she'll have a permanent place on US Weekly's Worst Dressed List. Matt Giraud delivered one of my favorite performaces of the evening, but now he has to stick with this sound to get him through. No more rock and roll for him! But the all time high of the evening went to Adam Lambert, whose performance was cut off by most faithful DVR watchers due to the show running too long. Luckily, Idol Insider posted it here for all of you to see. And then, the extreme low point of the evening was Scott testing out is "punk side", as he put it, singing "The Search Is Over". Well, fortunately for us, the search continues and it continues without Scott since he was the latest cast off on the results show, which featured Lady GaGa in all her glory. We're review her debut album later this week, so check it out!

That's all for now Idol loyalists - gotta get ready for my Easter weekend away! Ciao!

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Just Say No

Britney Spears put her concert on hold, four songs in to the show, on Wednesday night during the Vancouver stop of her Circus tour because it was too smokey in the arena. An announcement came on the loud speaker, informing fans that the show would not continue if concert goers continued to smoke tobacco and marijuana. 30 minutes later the show continued, as planned, but Britney had a special message to her fans at the end of the show. It's ironic and hilarious, check it out.

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Top 7's Theme Revealed

American Idol will continue next week with its Top 7 and the Idol Insider has the scoop. The theme for next week's show is Songs from the Movies with Quentin Tarantino mentoring the contestants. The results show will feature season 3 contestant Jennifer Hudson, who will perform her latest single "If This Isn’t Love", and Miley Cyrus, who will promote the release of her movie Hannah Montana: The Movie and perform a song from the soundtrack, "The Climb". And don't expect to see Paula dancing around to Miley's performance because both of the performances have already been pre-taped.

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In Case You Missed This...

Idol ran long...again...last night and many of its loyal viewers missed Adam Lambert's performance of "Mad World", which brought Simon Cowell, the king of mean, to his feet for a Standing Ovation! Here's the video, from yours truly:

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Guess Who?

The once "retired" rapper, Eminem, is back with a brand new album, Relapse, which will be out May 19. And if that wasn't enough of Slim Shady himself, he's rumored to be releasing a second LP, creatively titled Relapse 2, by the end of 2009. So, whether you love him or hate him - there is no gray area here - get ready to see a lot of him. And in true Shady-style, he's released his first single from the disc, which pokes fun at multiple celebrities. "We Made You", the lead single, is being released to radio today and the Idol Insider is happy to bring you the premiere of the video, which features appearances from faux versions of Brett Michaels, Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Palin and many more. Enjoy!

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Webster's Definition of Jewelry

Jewelry designer, Stephen Webster, debuted his new Silver line for women, which was inspired by his friend, Christina Aguilera. Christina, who shows off her classic beauty in the ads, is the face of the brand in the new advertising campaign. Take a look at the final shots, as well as a behind the scenes look at the shoot. Enjoy!

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Yes She Can!...And Did!

For the first time in 9 years, a female took home the top spot at the Academy of Country Music Awards tonight. The reigning Top Female Vocalist and America's Season 4 Idol, Carrie Underwood, was named the seventh female to be nominated as entertainer of the year and was the first to score the honor since 2000, when the Dixie Chicks were awarded the honor. Congrats to Carrie, who also received the award as Top Female Vocalist again and performed twice throughout the evening. Check out the video highlights from the night, the speech needs a little explanation if you missed the awards:

Brooks & Dunn perform with Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Sugarland

Carrie Wins Top Female Vocalist



Carrie Performs her single, "I Told You So"



Carrie Wins Entertainer Of the Year:
Background: Matthew McConaughey had just told a story about before he was famous when he told a girl he had designed boots for George Straight's new tour in order to get lucky. He did by asking the girl if she'd like to come to his car to see the boots.
Notes About the Video: Notice Kenny Chesney trying to kiss Carrie, but instead gets fresh with some air, and Carrie makes a hilarious and mildly inappropriate comment, but follows it up with "Mike, baby, I wish you were here", referring to rumored (and now confirmed) beau, Mike Fisher, from the Ottawa Senators. Enjoy this moment in Country Music History!

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Katharine McPhee on CSI

Idol alum, Katharine McPhee, is guest starring on this week's episode of CSI on CBS. Be sure to check out Season 5's runner-up in, what seems to be, a pretty big role on the hit series. In the promo for the episode, Katharine debuts a new song from her still untitled sophomore album, out later this year. Enjoy!

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Top 9: Top Downloads

When the theme for the Top 9 show was revealed I wasn't optimistic. I thought that it was a bad idea to ask wannabe talent to sing, essentially, their favorite song because I figured most would end up sounding like, at best, good karaoke versions. And, just as Simon usually is, I was right. Anoop tried Usher and failed miserably, Alison thought she could pull of Gwen Stefani and missed by a mile, and Matt tried to prove he could sing along to alt-rockers, The Fray, but unfortunately proved for the second time this doesn't suit him. And I know that some of you will turn on me, but I have officially grown disgusted with Danny Gokey, who struggled to push out a single tear to top off his pitchy performance, but ended up just looking constipated while singing Rascal Flatts. And, somehow, this all passed the judges because they thought it was...touching! It was obvious why he chose the song, but it isn't believable that he actually thinks he's a country singer. Scott debuted a new hair do, but that was about all that was different. His performance was predictable and boring, while Lil Rounds, who also premiered a new wig, skewed way too old. She has the potential, but refuses to take it to that next level. And Megan Joy, who cawed her way all the way home this week, was the biggest disappointment. She is finally given a chance to pick any style of music and she picks a horrible choice, Bob Marley. Had she gone with Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele, or, even, Estelle, I believe she'd still be in the competition.

But not everyone was horrible. In fact, a couple of our favorite Idol wannabes delivered in a big way. And when they took the stage, it was like "Studio 57" up in the Idol studios on Tuesday night! How is it that a woman, 14 years my senior, doesn't know that it's called Studio 54? Unless, of course, she actually meant to compare Adam Lambert's creative take on "Play That Funky Music" to a New Jersey Salon. But one thing I have to commend Kara on nailing home is her over usage of the term artistry. While it is, as one audience member, who turned out to be Megan Joy's brother, yelled out, a "broken record", it actually stuck with some of the initial underdogs. Kris Allen, my favorite performance of the night, took an older song, "Ain't No Sunshine", and made it current and fresh. He also mixed it up by playing the keyboards this week, which shows that he has real range as an artist.

And, finally, I wasn't going to say anything about the horrible, pre-recorded group songs, but if you're on a singing competition and you're going to have contestants mimic their way through a song, at least put the microphone near the blind guy's face. And, honestly, if the contestants don't sound good together live, then how does that fare for the upcoming Idols Live Tour?

Ryan announced that next week's show theme will be Songs From The Year They Were Born, so it looks like we have, with the exception of Alison, Songs from the 80's.

Ciao!

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Bad Hair Day?

Kellie Pickler was on hand for the "Dressed to Kilt" Fashion Show in New York, where she had, ummm, an unfortunate take on her look. What do you think?

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"Candie's" To My Eyes!

Britney Spears was recently named the newest spokesperson for the Candie's brand, who is also sponsoring her Circus tour. The brand, which is exclusively sold at Kohl's, is launching a television and print campaign featuring Ms. Spears starting today. We're bringing you all the content from the campaign. Above, you see the print creative, while below we have a behind the scenes look at her photo shoot and the premiere of the television ad. Enjoy!

Behind The Scenes:



Candie's :30 Television Promo:

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