Michael Johns

Michael Johns, a singer who finished eighth on American Idol in 2008, passed away yesterday from a probable blood clot in his ankle.

He was 35 years old.

Even though Susan Boyle claims she was just kidding when she said she's never been kissed, former American Idol star Michael Johns told Us Weekly he'd totally go to first base with the aspiring singer.

"I already said I'd kiss her myself if I ever saw her," Johns said last week at the Los Angeles premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. "As a person that loves music - when did you have to be good looking to be a good singer? It doesn’t matter what you look like... Susan Boyle is a good story, I like that."

The look on the face of Carly Smithson below says it all:

No Effin Way!!!!

We didn't see this coming.

In one of the most shocking eliminations in the show's history, Michael Johns was sent home on American Idol tonight. He was joined in the bottom three by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson.

Consider this a warm-up for tonight's featured performance.

Michael Johns and his mother reportedly wailed away at karaoke earlier this week, as celebrity gossip site TMZ reports the duo actually drew the ire of neighbors that felt their rendition of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" was too loud.

Tuesday's American Idol featured the top 10 contestants performing songs from the year they were born. You'll be happy to know that not a single contestant â€" they are all far too young â€" sang anything by the Beatles, for a change!

It was a night of strong performances, but one stole the show.

Michael Johns sang the 1980s smash "Don't You Forget About Me" on last night's American Idol.

But the talented Australian might as well have been telling viewers the same thing, as he and other contestants did their best to prove that David Archuleta hasn't won anything just yet...

On last night's American Idol, four contestants stood up and make one thing clear: David Archuleta hasn't won anything yet!

While everyone's favorite, 17-year old, former Star Search winner did a solid job with the Phil Collins' song "Another Day in Paradise," he wasn't on the receiving end of the evening's strongest praise from judges. That went to the following four hopefuls:

The top two spots on this week's American Idol Power Poll hold healthy leads over the rest of the field. That's what happens when you make Paula Abdul cry and sing Simon Cowell's theme song with such restraint and beauty.

Here are the current rankings:

Michael Johns is one of the male favorites on this season of American Idol.

And while we don't have the sort of scoop on this Aussie that we had earlier today on David Hernandez, our staff has uncovered insight into this Idol's name change.

With just 20 contestants remaining on the seventh season of American Idol, it's time to chop down the list on our Power Poll.

With that in mind, here are the top five performers so far, according to our crack celebrity gossip staff:

We know it's early. The top 12 American Idol men have only performed one time during the semifinals.

And certain competitors were pleasant surprises: David Hernandez put on a smooth performance last night and Jason Castro has a unique sound to him.

Now that American Idol has whittled down its contestants to the final 24, our Power Poll gets serious.

Only talented competitors remain in what many followers consider to be the show's most impressive season to date. But who is leading the pack heading into tomorrow night's performance of the top 12 males. Let's find out...

We're off to Hollywood!

As American Idol enters its fifth week of auditions, the show truly begins: contestants are judged in Hollywood and only the best of the best move one. Before they do, however, let's rank the top hopefuls so far in our third Power Poll of the season...

As we prepare for the fourth week of American Idol auditions, it seems like a good time to break out our second Power Poll of the season.

With six solid episodes under our belt, here's how The Hollywood Gossip staff ranks this year's early contenders:

As we prepare for the third week of American Idol auditions, it seems like a good time to break out our first Power Poll of the season.

With four solid episodes under our belt, here's how The Hollywood Gossip staff ranks this year's early contenders:

Before he became a popular American Idol contestant this season, Michael Lee Johns was the lead singer of The Rising. Here's a music video from that band for a song titled "Cradle."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMr7CNXUjT4&eurl=http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/michael-lee-johns/[/youtube]

David Archuleta and Michael Johns were two of the top performers on American Idol last night. Each received tickets to Hollywood.

Like Carly Smithson and Kristy Lee Cook, however, each also has an extensive professional background. To wit:

There were singers aside from Carly Smithson that impressed us during last night's American Idol auditions. Three in particular stood out:

1. Michael Johns: That Australian accent might be enough to help this crooner continue to advance. We certainly swooned as soon as Johns opened his mouth. Once he sung "I've Been Loving You Too Long," though, we agreed with and Simon Cowell that he sounded great, like a "white soul singer."