American Idol
Gossip (Page 8)

NO.

Sorry, we just wanted to answer the ridiculous question posed in our headline right away.

Kelly Clarkson appeared on American Idol last night, belting out a rendition of her hit "My Life Would Suck Without You." For some reason, this performance has sparked pregnancy rumors around the Internet, as fans wonder whether or not the original champion has a bun in her talented oven.

It's sad, really. The fact Clarkson doesn't resemble Nicole Scherzinger is a good thing; it doesn't mean she's gone all Bristol Palin on us.

Take a look for yourself:

Season eight finalists such as Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert can only hope for a career half as successful as that of Clarkson.

Click on the pics below for enlarged photos of her performance last night...

American Idol announced a major change to its rules last night.

So far, though, it's merely served to double the pain of Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.

Early in the hour, Ryan Seacrest said the competition would enact the "judges' save" this season. Under this rule, Kara, Simon, Paula and Randy have an opportunity to keep a contestant around, even if he/should received the lowest number of viewer votes that week. The rules for the save are:

• The judges must agree unanimously on the singer;
• It may only be used once all season;
• And it must be used prior to the final five.

While this twist gave Murray and Nunez - the two singers on last night's chopping block - a chance to audition again for the panel, it also gave them the chance to be voted out... again.

Which is exactly what happened. Both Jasmine and Jorge performed the same songs as they had the evening before, only for the judges to confirm that, yes, it was time to go home.

Did the viewers, and judges, make the right decision last night?

Seacrest pointed to the early eliminations of past crooners, such as Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson, as the motivation for the rule change. It sort of makes sense, except: Daughtry and Hudson are two of the most successful artists in show history.

Perhaps an early, surprise elimination actually helps a contestant, as it enables he or she to receive sympathy, attention and an early shot at a record contract. What do you think?

Is American Idol already a two-man race?

Last season, it wasn't too far into the finals when it became clear that David Cook and David Archuleta would be the pair to beat.

Similarly, two singers stood out - way, way out - over the others on last night's opening set of finalist auditions:

1. Adam Lambert turned the Michael Jackson song "Black and White" into a theatrical event that caused Paula Abdul to cry, Kara DioGuardi to say he hit notes she never knew even existed, and even Simon Cowell to acknowledge he was in his own league. Dude has serious confidence and talent.
2. Danny Gokey brought the crowd to its feet with a version of "PYT." Cowell said the vocals were “brilliant,” while the dance moves were ludicrous. Abdul already anointed him an almost-winner, saying: “I think you’re on the way to the finals.”

Your American Idol Top Two? Who is your favorite so far: Adam Lambert or Danny Gokey?

It's still early in the competition, of course. What singers might give Lambert and Gokey a run for their crooning money?

Lil Rounds didn't disappoint with a rendition of "The Way You Make Me Feel." We also loved Matt Giraud at the piano and Kris Allen on the guitar.

CLICK ON THE PICS BELOW FOR A LOOK AT EVERY FINALIST ON STAGE LAST NIGHT. WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE SENT HOME?

Following a unique wild card round on American Idol last week, which saw a record 13 finalists advance, the chosen singers got their party on at a shindig in their honor.

Here's the first shot of the finalists as a group:

We hope everyone had fun. Next week on Idol, two contestants are sent home, while Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West perform on Wednesday night's results show.

Click on the following photos of various finalists - from Lil Rounds to Danny Gokey to Jorge Nunez - for larger images of each aspiring crooner:

Perhaps inspired by the attention given to The Bachelor for its twist of an ending this season, American Idol shocked viewers last night.

No, the show didn't announce one finalist, only to take back the honor and anoint someone else a few minutes later.

Instead, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi decided that there was simply too much talent this season - therefore, at the conclusion of the Wild Card round, Ryan Seacrest called Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud to the stage.

Simon told Giraud that he had advanced... and so had Desai!

Congratulations, Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud. You're both American Idol finalists!

The judges chose all four new finalists last night. These two singers joined the following, previously-announced additions to the final round of 12 13:

• Jasmine Murray: Sang Christina Aguilera’s “Reflection” and was told by Kara that “you got this [big] voice that came out of nowhere."
• Megan Corkrey: Performed KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." Kara's response? “I think that we need you You’re different.”

Click on the pics above for larger images of Jasmine Murray and Megan Corkrey.

Last night's American Idol results show was full of more action that Paris Hilton's hotel room on Saturday nights.

First, Ryan Seacrest announced the three singers that were voted by fans into the finals. None were a surprise:

• Lil Rounds
• Scott MacIntyre
• Jorge Nuñez

Click on the pics above to say hello to the latest trio of American Idol finalists.

From there, the host explained this season's Wild Card round: the judges agreed on eight singers that deserved a second chance to audition. From that group - which will perform tonight - the final trio of finalists will be selected by viewers.

Here's who will receive another shot at the next round:

• Von Smith
• Anoop Desai (Click on pic below to enlarge)
  
• Jesse Langseth
• Jasmine Murray (Click on pic below to enlarge)
  
• Matt Giraud (Click on pic below to enlarge)
  
• Ricky Braddy
• Megan Joy Corkrey
• Tatiana del Toro

Our take: del Toro? Really?!? Is there any reason for her to be included in the Wild Card selections, aside from producers wanting to create more drama?

The Bachelor has been taken to task all week for its controversial, possibly-staged finale. But it's about time someone called out American Idol for clearly aiming to elicit more tears and pleadings from Tatiana in order to boost ratings.

Lil Rounds accomplished two impressive feats last night:

1. She became the prohibitive favorite on season eight of American Idol;
2. She made Paula Abdul seem witty.

Following an incredible performance  by Rounds (pictured below) of Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You," the rarely-coherent judge said: "I think we'll be seeing you in the next rounds... and the next rounds... and the next!"

Considering the low bar Abdul sets for herself, this was winning material. That sentiment could actually be applied to the entire third group of American Idol semifinalists.

Following a pair of lackluster audition episodes, almost every contestant last night broguth his/her A-game. Among the best:

• Simon Cowell actually compared Von Smith to Clay Aiken following his rendition of “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye.

• Felicia Barton didn't make the judges regret casting her as a semifinal replacement, as Kara said she was full of attitude and stage presence during her performance of “No One” by Alicia Keys.

• All the judges loved Scott MacIntyre. He sang “Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby and Kara responded by saying he moves mountains when he steps on that stage.

• Jorge Nunez broke down in tears following a universally-praised performance of “Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me” by Elton John.

Who was your favorite semifinalist? Click on the photo below for pics of each aspiring singer from last night...

Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are officially household names.

This trio of aspiring singers were named to the finals on season eight of American Idol last week. Let's get to know each crooner a bit better.

Here are excerpts of the interviews they gave to TV Guide, following the announcement that each had been voted through to the final 12:

Allison Iraheta on...

... her hair color: "I wish [I was a natural redhead] — that'd be great, because then I wouldn't have to be worrying about dying the roots every five weeks. But no, my natural hair color is black."

... Simon Cowell's critique of her: "He doesn't know me. He says I'm boring, but honestly I'm not. I'll just chill a little bit more because the nerves got to me a little [this week]."

Adam Lambert on...

... his fashion taste: "Of course I upped the fashion [for this week], put on something a little dressier, a little funkier. Up to this point, it's been my own [fashion] eye."

... Simon Cowell's critique of him: "I take [Simon's] 'theatrical' comment as a compliment as opposed to a derogatory statement. A lot of the big [pop] artists are going the theatrical route. It's time for something like that."

Kris Allen on...

... a theme he'd love: "Doing The Beatles would be so amazing. I feel like you can do a lot with their songs. That would be the coolest thing ever."

... singing a Michael Jackson song last week: "I decided on ["Man in the Mirror"] a while back, so it was a little scary. But I was really confident in what I was dong. I was just happy I didn't get any compared to him."

One-half of season eight's American Idol finalists have now been named.

Following a dismal round of auditions on Wednesday, Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta received the most votes from viewers and advanced to the final round of 12.

Click on the pics above for enlarged images of the latest American Idol finalists.

The trio will join 28-year-old church music director Danny Gokey from Milwaukee, 21-year-old musician Alexis Grace from Memphis and 27-year-old oil rig worker Michael Sarver from Texas, who were selected as the first three finalists last week.

On Tuesday, a dozen more semifinalists will vie for three spots in the competition's top 12.

Following that series of auditions, the judges will pick the last three finalists after a unique wild card round. It may sound complicated, but it just means one thing:

It's not too late for Anoop Desai to advance!

The second round of semifinal auditions on American Idol was almost as much of a waste of two hours as this week's ridiculous special, The Bachelor: The Women Tell All.

Only two performances remotely stood out:

• Adam Lambert closed the show with a rendition of The Rolling Stones' classic "Satisfaction." The judges were blown away, amazed that the singer could display such a range. We'd be shocked if he weren't voted through to the finals.

Watch his audition below:

• After giving possibly the most awkward, boring pre-audition interview of all-time, Allison Iraheta took to the stage and rocked out to "Alone" by Heart. “You don’t even know how good you are,” Kara said.

Watch the performance and decide for yourself:

Despite no other contestant really performing well, one more man or woman will be included in the final 12 from this group.

It will likely come down to Matt Giraud, Megan Joy Corkery or Kris Allen. What do you think?