'Idol' odds 'n ends: Season 10 auditions adds last-minute Los Angeles stop

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>TMZ is reporting that Jennifer Lopez is back in the good graces of Simon Fuller and co., as she will most likely sign a deal next week that will permanently put her in the seat once held by Simon Cowell/Ellen DeGeneres.

Sources connected to the negotiations tell TMZ ... contrary to some news reports ... there has been no drama and no diva demands. As one source puts it, "It's been typical negotiating."

Well, I guess TMZ has been at the forefront with all the replacement judge drama, so this bit of info is probably as reliable as anything else out there. As to whether or not J. Lo is "the key to re-energizing the show," that is certainly still up to debate.

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>The nominations list for the 44th annual CMA Awards was revealed on Tuesday, and one Idol alum was able to score some nods as usual. Carrie Underwood is up for Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Play On. Although Carrie has a pretty good track record at these award shows, it looks to be Miranda Lambert's year, as she received a record nine nominations and looks to take home a lot of awards.

Still, it's good to know Carrie received more nods than Taylor Swift, who is only up for one category - FVotY. The 44th annual CMA Awards will air live on Wed., Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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>Just as the disappointing Season 9 Idols Live! Tour concluded on Tuesday, Season 10's auditions have been extended to later this month when auditions will be held at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Wed., Sept. 22. Per Idol's website:

For the milestone 10th season of American Idol, we just couldn’t stay away from Idol’s hometown, Los Angeles, CA. In fact, this is the show’s sixth time holding hometown auditions in L.A. The goal during hometown auditions is to get a ticket Hollywood, and successful singers in L.A. won’t have to travel very far for the final round of auditions. Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Andrew Garcia are among the talented Idol stars from the City of Angels. L.A. is where the Idol finalists reside while competing for the prize, and it’s the place many Idol alumni settle to pursue their music career.

It's pretty interesting that the producers think adding a last-minute stop in LA of all places will help ensure we don't get another Season 9, since LA is one of the blandest, most uninteresting places to find talent. But whatever, if they want to attract teens from skipping school for the day, they're certainly free to do so.

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>Katharine McPhee has landed another role, this one in the horror pic Shark Night 3D. Other actors recently added to the cast include Sara Paxton (The Last House on the Left) and Dustin Milligan (Extract). Per DigitalSpy:

The trio will join the recently announced Sinqua Walls, Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz and Joel David Moore in the 3D horror movie.

The Final Destination and Snakes On A Plane helmer David R. Ellis is behind the camera for Shark Night, which centres on a group of people who are attacked by sharks while on vacation in the Louisiana Gulf area.

Well, at least it's not Piranha 3D. But Kat, is this really the best you could do? Shark movies never hold a candle to Jaws, and 3D is getting pretty tiring by now. Still, it's good to see she's continuing to get roles.

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>After only a few performances on Broadway in the musical In the Heights, Jordin Sparks injured her hip last Saturday during a show. She was understandably bummed, but like the pro that she is, she turned to Twitter to apologize to her fans and offer them a token of appreciation for coming out to see her:

"Thank you so much to everyone who came tonight. Sorry I couldn't sign. :( It's hard to stand/walk. Hopefully the physical therapist can fix me! :)

"If you'd like, you can send your playbills/tkts/pics w/ a stamped return envelope to the theatre & I'll get them back to you. Thank you for understanding. It means the world. Love you guys. <3"

Jordin is now back in tip-top shape and said she is "so attached to the cast & show already!"

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'Idol' odds 'n ends: Fantasia meets up with Antwuan Cook after being released from hospital

The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:

>The latest news in the Fantasia saga is that merely one day after being released from a Charlotte, N.C., hospital for a drug overdose and suicide attempt, she had a meeting with her "off and on" boyfriend Antwuan Cook in a local park. Per an article on People.com:

The two were spotted visiting a local park and appeared to be in deep conversation – all while cameras, presumably for her VH1 reality show, Fantasia for Real, captured the conversation.

Additionally, the 911 call was made public:



To add to things, VH1 issued a statement that the first episode of Fantasia For Real's second season, which kicks off on Sun., Sept. 19, would be changed to accommodate the incident before retracting the statement. It may just be me, but all this is sounding pretty opportunistic, especially when considering Fanny's latest album hits stores in less than two weeks. Well, if her goal (and her manager's goal) was to get the public to remember her, they surely accomplished it this week (photo courtesy of People.com).

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>After all the drama that went down this week with reports that Jennifer Lopez is out of the running to replace Ellen DeGeneres or Simon Cowell as a judge for Season 10, good ol' Nigel Lythgoe interjected to smooth out the waves made by the rumors. Accoring to Uncle Nigel:

He tells Extra, "These people don't know Jennifer Lopez. She's a wonderful woman. I've never seen her be a diva in her life!"

Well, that's hardly a denial that J. Lo has been axed from consideration, but I guess it's better than a confirmation of the news - for Lopez at least.

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>Kimberly Caldwell will today appear at the AT&T store in Tustin, Calif., where she will perform in concert beginning at 1 p.m. She will then hang around to meet and greet fans until 3 p.m. More information on the event per the media advisory:

Event attendees will have an opportunity to meet KIIS FM’s Manny on the Street between 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees will also be able to take advantage of the promotion on the new Android™ 2.1 Powered Samsung Captivate* ($199 after mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement), with the super AMOLED screen. With the purchase of the new Samsung Captivate attendees will receive two tickets to the upcoming American Idol Concert Tour at the Honda Center, Tuesday, August 17.

The store is located at 2219 Park Ave between Tustin Ranch and Park Avenue. Kimberly's debut album Without Regret will be released on Tues., Dec. 31, and is available to pre-order at Amazon.com.

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>Jordin Sparks recently spent a day with a teen girl named Kyrie who devoted her time to charitable work with kids in Jamaica as part of Famous Footwear's "Famous for a Day" program. Watch the video below courtesy of Famous Footwear's official YouTube channel:



Jordin brought Kyrie 50 pair of shoes for the children of Jamaica in addition to hanging out with her for the day and inviting her backstage to a Jordin's concert. This isn't the first, nor will it be the last, of Jordin's charitable contributions.

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>Season 6 Top 16 contestant Asia'h Epperson is the latest Idol alum to land in hot water, at least legally, as she was arrested last night after allegedly beating up a clubgoer with her sister in Hollywood. Per TMZ:

According to sources, Epperson and another chick -- her sister -- kicked another clubgoer's butt inside Colony club.

TMZ's paps captured video of Asia'h with rapper Too Short (who?) earlier in the evening. She was released on bail early this morning. Why question is, why did TMZ have video of Asia'h before she was even arrested? Makes no sense. Either way, it's nice to see Season 6 is still being represented well.

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Jennifer Lopez replaces Ellen DeGeneres - is she the right fit?

As you may or may not know by now, Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning to Idol as a judge for Season 10, and Jennifer Lopez will be replacing her on the panel. My reaction: thank you Nigel!

Of course, none of this would have been possible had Nigel Lythgoe not returned to his role as Executive Producer earlier today, and as much as I don't like him as a person, he does know how to make some smart business decisions.

My reaction isn't so much about any particular like for J. Lo, instead my general dislike of Ellen as a judge. Apparently she kind of felt the same way about the idea of staying on past her inaugural season, as made evident in the full release from FOX below (courtesy of Nikki Finke & Nellie Andreeva over at DHD):

Ellen DeGeneres has decided to bow out from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL next season. DeGeneres served as a judge during the ninth season of IDOL, the No. 1 hit series on television.

“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the AMERICAN IDOL producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

“We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of IDOL,” said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”

“It was a joy to work with Ellen,” added Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She brought an incredible spirit to IDOL and was a great new addition to the team. While we’re saddened by her decision, we are very appreciative that she gave us ample notice so that we could work through it together.”

“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”

“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the AMERICAN IDOL family,” added Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

As for the growing rumor that Steven Tyler has been offered Simon's spot, that is also a move that would be alright with me. Steven is obviously a legend in his own right with Aerosmith and all, and he can actually sing, plus he's been in the industry long enough to know the ins and outs (no offense, Kara).

Speaking of Kara, expect her to walk the plank next. Her one-year contract has yet to be extended and considering the next round of auditions begins in just a few weeks, it's unlikely she'll be offered an extension at this point.

So while this story is far from over, everyone can go to bed knowing there is some sanity restored to Idol going forward, and that's a good thing for everyone.

What do you think about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges? Are the good fits? Could Nigel & co.have done any better?

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