Jerry Curl

--> [ Editor's note ] I did not watch this season of American Idol . I have what this excellent article refers to as "viewer fatigue". Still, Idol always delivers a powerhouse finale. And while I missed it, this performance did not escape my attention. Watch and be amazed.

The AP reports : Gutsy American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez took on Whitney Houston's biggest hit, delivering a performance that awed the show's judges. When host Ryan Seacrest asked the panel to name Wednesday night's top two singers among the 13 finalists, Steven Tyler was ready. "Jessica Sanchez and Jessica Sanchez," Tyler said. "Jessica, you may be the one. You just made 40 million people cry," Tyler said (adding a dose of hyperbole by roughly doubling the show's biggest Wednesday night audience for the season so far).

ArtsBeat reports : On the music charts, this has been a good week for American Idol . Scotty McCreery, who won this year’s competition, has opened at No. 1 on the latest Billboard chart with his first album, Clear as Day , and reached a slew of sales milestones. Clear as Day , which sold 197,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, had the biggest opening week in three years for an Idol winner’s first album, and it is also the first debut by an Idol champion to open at No. 1 since Ruben Studdard’s Soulful in 2003. [ Ed. note : proving yet again how weird America's taste for music can be]. If that were not enough, Mr. McCreery, who turned 18 on Sunday, is also the first country act to open at No. 1 with a debut, as well as is the youngest man to have his first album start in the top slot, Billboard reported. Also this week, Adele’s unstoppable 21 is No. 2 on the album chart with 112,000 sales, and her recent single, "Someone Like You,” remains the ...

The Scoop reports : Jennifer Lopez has signed on the dotted line to be in a judge's chair when American Idol returns next season. “I am delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of ‘American Idol,’ is back for the next season,” the show's executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show today. That means Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler are all on board, and naturally, so is Seacrest. Earlier, all signs seemed to indicate that Lopez, the lone holdout, would be re-joining the show. Cécile Frot-Coutaz, the CEO of the company that produces Idol , FreemantleMedia North America, told the Wall Street Journal 's Speakeasy blog, "We’re in good shape. No worries. No dark clouds on the horizon.” This is fantastic news for the show, as the Tyler-Jackson-Lopez combination seems to be a winning one: American Idol was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards their season. It's also fantastic news for Lopez, who is said ...

Get ready for another "beautiful" season of American Idol : Fox confirmed to EW that rocker Steven Tyler and "dawg" Randy Jackson are indeed set to return to the judges' table for season 11 of the popular Fox reality series. This information was expected (as Tyler signed on for multiple seasons), and is somewhat consistent with Jackson's claim on Lopez Tonight in May that all three judges would return to Idol . Jennifer Lopez, however, has recently stated she's "on the fence" regarding her return, thanks in part to her work with her new reality project, "Q'Viva."

[ Editor's note ] A baritone-voiced 17-year-old white boy has been crowned America's newest idol. Topping fellow teenager Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery took the big prize home last night on the season finale of Idol . It was a less than shocking results show. The only people who watched this season were the ~3 million middle-of-the-country Bush voters who listen to country music on a loop. That's the only explanation for the top two contestants being-- you guessed it-- country artists. Nothing against the genre (Patsy, Dolly, & Reba have given me a lot over the years), but on the reals: this was not a season of variety. That being said, let's discuss what last night was really about, namely the star-studded performances. Firstly, Tony Bennett can do no wrong. The man is eighty-five (85) and still wowing audiences with his pipes. His performance with Idol contestant Haley Reinhart was incredibly charming. I'm so excited to hear that he's releasing a part d...

In related news: We're down to the final 4 .

As previously reported , sales of a new remix of the Adam Lambert single “Aftermath” will benefit the Trevor Project and its efforts to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youths. Idolator reports on the remix by Billboard, who recently coproduced Britney Spears’s "Hold It Against Me" with Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The "Aftermath" remix was made available from the official Lambert site yesterday, the same day the singer performed an acoustic version of the song on American Idol ( video below). In related news: Adam Lambert will drop Glam Nation Live , a live CD/DVD combo of his 2010 headlining tour on March 22!

American Idol 's Top 13 are (bottom row from left) Paul McDonald, Ashthon Jones, Pia Toscano, Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart and Scott McCreery. (Top row from left) James Durbin, Naima Adedapo, Jacob Lusk, Thia Megia, Karen Rodriguez, Stefano Langone and Lauren Alaina. I haven't been watching, but we salute the finalists. On a related note, Adam Lambert will be performing on Idol March 13th. (Via MSNBC )

HitFix reports : As has been previously rumored and nebulously reported, American Idol is going to leap into the 21st Century next week with the introduction of an online voting component. Online voting will begin following the completion of Tuesday (March 1) night's performance show. Fans will be able to visit americanidol.com and log into an American Idol voting page through their Facebook accounts, assuming they're eligible Idol voters. Each fan will be able to cast a total of 50 online votes following the evening performance, a total we're sure can't be tampered with or doctored in any way, shape or form. "We have been wanting to do online voting for several years, and now Facebook has offered us a secure solution and we are ready to go," states "Idol" creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. "The show has always involved a high level of engagement with its viewers through texting and phone voting, and it’s great to expand on this trad...

Here's an update on a Jerry Curl heartthrob: Idol Season 9 second runner-up and Sony Music Nashville artist Casey James will join the March leg of Sugarland ’s 2011 The Incredible Machine Tour opening for the super-duo in 8 cities across the country. “I am so excited,” exclaimed Casey. “I think it’s an awesome opportunity to play in front of people that love great music. I can’t wait to get back out there and share new music with the fans.” Casey is currently in the studio working on his highly anticipated BNA Records debut album, set for release later this year and will kick-off his opening slot on the Sugarland tour in North Little Rock on March 4 th .

Finally! A breakout from auditions week. Meet 15 year old Lauren Alaina. It's my prediction that she'll be around for a while...

I suppose not every one cared to see the dynamic between the new judges. ArtsBeat reports : For the start of its 10th season on Wednesday night, American Idol gained two new judges in the form of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. But that monolithic Fox singing contest lost about 14 percent of the total number of viewers who tuned in for the debut of Season 9, drawing 26 million this year versus 30 million last year.

Former American Idol contestant Alex Lambert may not be living on the streets as previously reported . Lambert shocked his Twitter fans on Tuesday by posting the following message claiming to be homeless: "O my goodness yall! I have been crashin behind buidings and sleepin outside but I dont want nobody to feel sorry for me! I’m a grown ass man. I’ve had so much help out here in LA! I just want oto [sic] do things on my own! I have places to stay I just don’t want to be a burden on anyone!” However, a rep for aspiring singer shot down the vagrancy claim, telling Access Hollywood that the 20-year-old Texas native is “not homeless.” "[Alex] is on retainer [with] 19 Entertainment,” the rep told Access on Tuesday. “They are working with him on new music.” Additionally, Access spoke with Alex’s father on Tuesday, who revealed he had spoken with his son “three days ago” and that he “seemed to be doing great.” Alex took to Twitter again on Tuesday evening to reiterate his destitut...

[ Editor's note ] Hello and welcome to another season of American Idol on the Curl . As always, I will endure the good, the bad, and the tone deaf in order to 1) not get kicked out of my fanatical family and 2) to bring you updates from front lines without having you actually watch for yourselves. You're welcome. So last night was the premiere of the show's 10th season. And here's a newsflash: it wasn't a total train wreck. With a brand-spankin' new judges panel (see: Steven Tyler & Jennifer Lopez), the auditions episode in New Jersey was a good start to what's been a flailing show. Steven being the perpetual O.D.B and La Lopez playing the compassionate, can't-say-no role, the additions to the cast are both fun and funny. Steven's rapport with La Lopez was refreshing and enjoyable. Oh, and Randy Jackson was there, too. Admittedly, I hate the auditions episodes. I'm not a fan of national humiliation. But I'm happy to report that the new ...

American Idol will kick off its tenth season tonight with a nearly all-new lineup of judges, including Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler. Heaven help us all.

In other American Idol news: Former contestant Alex Lambert has fallen on hard times. A top 16 finisher who competed on the show's ninth season, Lambert, 20, revealed to his fans that he's been sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles. After his stint on Idol , Lambert took part in Simon Fuller's Internet "post-reality" series about struggling actors, models and musicians trying to make it in L.A. While he was on the show, Lambert and his castmates — including Miley Cyrus' ex, Justin Gaston — moved into a multi-million dollar mansion and were mentored by songwriters and image consultants. "Ever since "IICD" ended I've been kinda homeless!" Lambert tweeted. "Sleepin on the street and behind buildings. I have a choice to stay and pursue my career or go back to Texas and not do music! I'm usually a strong person but I can't take it anymore." Despite his recent misfortune, the singer/songwriter — whose Idol elimination was ...

New judges aren’t the only changes coming next season on American Idol . Speaking to TVGuide.com , producer Nigel Lythgoe said there will be some new challenges in the upcoming season including eliminating the top 24 rounds, and contestants having to market themselves and make the best music video. Lythgoe, who is returning this season after having taken up duties on another hit fox show So You Think You Can Dance , said he’s happy to see the show go straight to the top 12 rather than dawdle with eliminating folks from the top 24. “I didn't think [the top 24] were very good, I was bored with them by the time they got there," Lythgoe said. While he didn’t reveal how Idol will be dealing with cutting those rounds leading up to the final 12, Lythgoe did say audiences will see more diverse talent this season with more jazz, indie and country singers aspiring to win. The show has also lowered the age of eligibility to 15 years old.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join Randy Jackson as American Idol judges next season, after months of turnover and speculation about the future of TV's top-rated show. With pomp rivaling that of a U.S. Supreme Court appointment, Fox finally assembled the new pieces of the Idol panel that will be returned to its original three-member format for season 10. Actress-singer-dancer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Tyler will have the job of trying to match the offbeat chemistry of former judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. The likely Lopez-Tyler pairing had been reported so frequently that Fox would have had to produce Betty White and 50 Cent instead to generate any surprise. Cowell announced last January that he planned to leave to launch a new talent show for Fox in 2011, with newcomers Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi exiting this summer. Abdul left in 2009 over a contract dispute. Jackson will be the only original judge when American Idol returns in January. (Via AP )