Happy birthday, Simon, the best mean Brit ever

The film noir has the femme fatale; the modern romantic comedy has the sardonic best friend. For every genre there is at least one stock character, and for reality-competition shows with judging panels, it is the Mean British Person. And the reason is simple: Simon Cowell, who turns 50 on Oct. 7.

Why does “America’s Got Talent” have Piers Morgan? Why did “American Inventor” have entrepreneur Peter Jones? Why does “So You Think You Can Dance” have Nigel Lythgoe (who isn’t as mean, but still)? Why does “Top Chef” have Toby Young?

MSNBC

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

‘American Idol’ runner-up Allison Iraheta the real snarling deal on new single

If I alone judged “American Idol,” 17-year-old rocker-chick Allison Iraheta would have come in second in this year’s competition – just behind berserk rock-opera god Adam Lambert.

While the song’s chorus slicks things up in too obvious a bid at radio play, the verses retain Iraheta’s hoarse-throated charm. She’s always had a great capacity for attitude and a muscular range, both shown off to strong effect here.

NY Daily News

Adam Lambert: Tokio Hotel Happy

Adam Lambert wears a fun black and gray blazer as he leaves a medical center on Tuesday (October 6) in Los Angeles.

The 27-year-old American Idol vet just released this message on his official website: ‘As if there weren’t already enough reasons to love Adam, we’ve just brought you more! To tide all of you ravenous Glamberts over until his album is released, we’ll be featuring Adam’s response to a new question we pitch him every day in our upcoming ‘Question of the Day’ video series! These daily videos will premiere tomorrow, so stay tuned!’ 

Just Jared

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Blake Lewis — The Beat Goes On After Idol EXCLUSIVE

American Idol runner-up and beat-box sensation Blake Lewis might have been bested by Jordan Sparks in season six, but his career hasn’t missed a beat.

His first album Audio Day Dream sold more than 350,000 copies and latest release Heartbreak on Vinyl, which was released earlier this week, is already drawing raves from critics. The 28-year-old singer spoke with RadarOnline.com exclusively about the heartbreak behind the album, which American Idol alumni he’d like to collaborate with and why the show won’t be the same without Paula Abdul.

Radarlonline

Kelly Clarkson Mixes Biggest Hits With White Stripes, Kings of Leon Covers in New York

In the middle of Kelly Clarkson’s third long, endearing monologue last night, she faced the crowd of 3,000-plus jubilant fans at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom and became one herself: ‘That song was ‘Lies’ from Attack & Release if you want to go get it,’  she said of the Black Keys cover she had begun as a bruising a cappella. ‘I really love music ‘” like, all kinds.’ 

Clarkson is as comfortable stomping her boots to garage-punk like the White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’  as she is flexing her drawl on Patsy Cline’s ‘Walking After Midnight’  and bouncing up and down to her own pop masterpieces like ‘My Life Would Suck Without You.’  She did all three with remarkable skill on the third date of her new tour behind All I Ever Wanted, putting her mark on the oft-covered Stripes track with scorching, bluesy runs.

Rolling Stone

AMERICAN IDOL Finalist From Season Seven, Chikezie Eze, Croons His Way Into Port Charles

Soap Opera Digest: First up, we have to ask ‘” where did your name come from?
Chikezie Eze: I got it from my parents [laughs]. My name is actually pronounced “Chi-kez-yeh.” It’s a Nigerian name which translates into “Something well-created by God.” When I was in kindergarten, my teacher constantly mispronounced my name and kept pronouncing it, “Chi-kee-zee.” I vaguely remember coming home every day crying because everyone was mispronouncing my name and eventually, because I had no spine [laughs], I went a long with it and let people call me “Chi-kee-zee,” and it just stuck. My last name is pronounced “Ez-eh.”

Soap Opera Digest

Chris Daughtry Offers His Tips for a Happy Marriage

Guys, listen up. One of music’s hardest working rockers may have the solution to a happy home … even while away from home for months at a time.

“Honestly, I think the biggest thing is to do what we say we are going to do,” Chris Daughtry tells PEOPLE. “When we say we are not going out partying, don’t let them find out that you were out partying. We don’t party. We hang out … We’re not out hanging out with random girls and all this stuff. We entertain each other and keep each other in check.”

People.com

Carrie Underwood: Keepin’ Fit and Fabulous

Keeping herself in fine form, Carrie Underwood was spotted leaving the gym after an early workout in Los Angeles on Tuesday (October 6).

Accompanied by her bodyguard, the country darling looked sporty in a pink skull n’ bones t-shirt paired with black shorts as she strolled past awaiting paparazzi.

celebrity-gossip

Michael W. Smith, Jeremy Camp Join Katinas For Benefit Concert

Michael W. Smith and Jeremy Camp have added their voices to the “Hope For Samoa” free benefit concert being organized by The Katinas to aid their battered homeland from the after-effects of the of the 8.2 magnitude earthquake and resultant walls of 15-20 foot high tsunami waves that ravaged Samoa on September 29th. The Katinas lost both family and friends in the disaster.

The event will be held tomorrow–Wednesday, October 7th at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee-just outside of Nashville.

CMSpin

Aranda: ‘Idol’ connection more than band ever dreamed

Clarkson is a pop diva. “All I Ever Wanted’  is the title tune of her most recent album, released in March. “Whyyawannabringmedown’  is the ninth track on her disc. Aranda just issued its much harder rocking version of that same song as its new single.

The thing some newer Aranda fans don’t realize is that both songs were co-written by Dameon Aranda and two of his band’s producers, and both tunes are included on Aranda’s self-titled debut album, which was released in April 2008.

So it’s the other way around: Clarkson’s covering Aranda. But she’s a lot more famous at the moment.

The exposure, despite its unusual nature, has been invaluable. At least three major labels ‘” which shall remain unnamed until a contract is signed ‘” have expressed interest in the band, and Dameon has signed a publishing deal to write songs for other artists, having already worked with “American Idol’  runner-up Adam Lambert and Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, who’s working on a solo project.

NewsOK.com

‘Dancing With the Stars’ results: Double trouble

Gasp — another double elimination! This was the second time that Season 9 ended with not one, but two couples who had their run for the coveted Mirrorball trophy cut short. Maybe it was because she never made all her steps ignite, or maybe it was because the two different pronunciations of her name confused viewers and split her votes, but actress Debi Mazar just couldn’t muster up enough fan support to make it past the third week. And after several news reports that he was dropping out, Tom DeLay, who performed his samba with stress fractures, announced that he was withdrawing from the competition on the account of his bum feet. Bummer.

Dancing With The Stars

Monday’s Dancing: What You Didn’t See

A Kiss Is Just a Kiss: There was a whole lot more than dancing going on during Monday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars. Donny Osmond got the night started when he charged the judges’ table, took Bruno Tonioli into his arms and served him with a big kiss. ‘When he called me ‘airy fairy’ ‘ ¦ I snapped and I had to go there. Don’t dare me, Bruno,’  Osmond said of the buss. ‘He wanted me to go out to dinner with him, but I declined.’  Derek Hough couldn’t believe his eyes. ‘It was a crazy night,’  he said. ‘It’s like Cloris Leachman all over again.’ 

People.com

Paula Abdul’s ‘Dancing’ Fave

Former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul dishes to “Extra” about the underdog she’s rooting for on “Dancing with the Stars”.

“Chuck Liddell is my favorite right now,” Abdul says. The former UFC champ is paired with Anna Trebunskaya and the couple scored a 17 on Monday night with their samba. Liddell is struggling to stay alive in the competition and is currently ranked number 11 with his score averages.

Warnerbors.com

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ recap: Bloody Disgusting

I’d like to start today’s So You Think You Can Dance recap with some kind of witty nod to the fact that it didn’t take all that long for me to return to the SYTYCD fold, something along the lines of secretly enjoying racing back once again into Mary Murphy’s perma-tanned bosom. But I’m finding it kinda difficult even to type right now, given than I’m writing this while curled in a tight ball on my couch, desperately trying in vain to rid my memory of the image of perky ballroom dancer Leigh Asay’s pretty painted toenail propped up like a pneumatic car hood and oozing a fair amount of blood besides.

Entertainment Weekly

An Afghan Idol’s Political Star Turn

To most Afghans, the face of Farida Tarana, 27, evokes her tumultuous 2006 ascent to the No. 8 position on the widely watched local version of American Idol. She was the first female competitor from the conservative western province of Herat, and while she charmed audiences nationwide with her joyful renditions of classic Afghan songs, she was persecuted by conservatives for daring to break cultural taboos against women singing in public. These days, however, her face, emblazoned on election posters and billboards across Kabul, symbolizes the shattering of new barriers: popularly elected women in politics. Last week it was announced that Tarana had been elected to the 29-seat Kabul Provincial Council (akin to a U.S. state legislature), winning with the second highest number of votes ‘” 8,404 ‘” out of a field of 524 candidates. “When I competed for Afghan Star, I wanted to prove that a woman from Herat could sing,” says Tarana, adjusting her trademark stylish rectangular glasses. “Now that I have been elected to the provincial council, I will prove to people that a lady who can sing can be in politics as well.”

Time.com

ETA:

Kelly Clarkson Fans Turn New York Concert Into A Giant Karaoke Party

Kelly Clarkson brings everyone together: the young, the old, the gay, the straight, the hipsters, the teenyboppers, the Glamberts, the Allen Nation. The proof was at her All I Ever Wanted New York City tour stop Tuesday night, where a sold-out crowd of 2,500 concertgoers representing all walks of life collectively screamed their heads off for more than 90 minutes.

Predictably, the Hammerstein Ballroom exploded into a giant karaoke party every time Kelly tore through one of her mega-hits ‘” and she passionately tackled them all, even “Miss Independent,” from her debut album. But the crowd was just as happy when Clarkson visited the deep cuts of her latest album, All I Ever Wanted. In fact, Kelly announced that she just had to include “Impossible” on tour because the fans demanded it.

MTV

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