Idol Watch

Kara back as Idol's 4th judge

Can't imagine why, in these times of layoffs and cutbacks, Idol producers wouldn't take the opportunity to cuts costs and ditch fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, who should never been brought on board in the first place. A hack songwriter who only contributed to Idol's running time last season, her contract option has  reportedly been picked up by producers and she returns, LA Times reports.

If Paula is to come back, things better get hustling. Filmed auditions begin Thursday in Denver. The show returns to Fox for its ninth season in January.

Kellie Pickler does a Makeover

Idol finalist Kellie Pickler (photo: Getty Images) just landed her first Top 10 country single with Best Days of Your Life after a few Top 20 postings.

She's now to appear on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Here's a release her publicist just send out:

 Kellie Pickler and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew surprised the Terpenning family this morning with a ring on the doorbell at their home in Beavercreek, OH. The unsuspecting family learned that their home had been chosen to receive a makeover. As the celebrity volunteer, the country starlet will trade in her stiletto heels for a hard hat and hammer as she helps with the demolition and building process. Later this week, Kellie will perform at the family’s final and emotional reveal.
 "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is such a magical show because it is all about giving back,'' says Pickler.  "I'm thrilled to be a part of it.''

The episode is set to air on ABC in the fall.

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Paula Abdul tweets her thoughts on Idol return

Paula Abdul has taken to Twitter to spread the word to her 796,640 followers that she'd like to return to Idol but only if the deal "is fair.''

If you're not one of her multitude of followers, here are her two most recent posts:

"Hi everyone. I've been quiet as we are trying to work out details of how I can return to #Idol."

And, just 30 minutes ago, "Your support & encouragement means so much to me. I hope you understand I can only return to #Idol if the deal is fair."

And more recently: "Whatever happens with #Idol, I love you guys and am so happy we have this way to stay in touch."

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Follow Paula @PaulaAbdul

Ex-Idol contestant blasts show

Ju'not Joyner, an eighth season hopeful on American Idol, has called the show fixed and has a beef with its contracts, according to 411mania.com. Read story here.

He complains he wasn't called back for the Wild Card round because he'd spoken out.

Not taking sides here, I haven't read the contracts, but why's it always the losers on this program who protest the most, y'know?

American Idols Live Tour Review

  Click to read the review of Wednesday night's American Idols Live Tour 2009 from BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. Includes a slideshow of photos from the Miami Herald. (Above iPhone photo, Howard Cohen/Miami Herald Staff)

For a thread of live Twitter posts, with attached photos for each performer, follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/HowardCohen

Daughtry dips, Sparks fizzles

Not a great week on The Billboard 200 for Idol alum. Daughtry dips 63 percent in his second week and falls 1-2 with Leave This Town as it sinks below the 100,000 mark already. Don't look for this dreary and dull rock set to cross into the 4 million town his group's debut managed. Disney's Demi Lovato claims the No. 1 spot on the chart with 107,000 but because of Billboard's ridiculous rules barring older albums from the main chart, Michael Jackson's Number Ones doesn't appear and yet it sold 151,000 copies and outsold Demi.

Idol season six winner Jordin Sparks isn't off to a good start, either, as Battlefield debuts at No. 7 with only 47,000 copies. Her debut a couple years ago came in at 119,000.

Daughtry and Jordin didn't deliver good albums. There isn't anything on Leave This Town or Battlefield likely to follow earlier hits like It's Not Over, Home, Tattoo, No Air or One Day at a Time into the public's favor for months on end.

Fellow Idols Brooke White and Michael Johns did release two strong albums, but they lack the media profile so their first post-Idol albums have sold even fewer copies. That doesn't mean they are not worthy. Both are fine examples of timeless pop/rock music.

Also: Tonight in Sunrise, the American Idols Live Tour, featuring the Season 8 crop, performs in concert. I'll be reviewing and sending live posts on Twitter. Follow me at http://twitter.com/HowardCohen. Look for a full review online on the Miami Herald site late tonight.

Review: Daughtry's "Leave This Town"

Here's my review of Daughtry's sophomore album, Leave This Town, the follow up to the third best-selling album in American Idol history, behind Kelly Clarkson's second and Carrie Underwood's first.

Read review from Miami Herald here.

Photo: Lilly Echeverria/Miami Herald Staff

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Court sets hearing in Alexis Cohen death

A New Jersey court set a hearing in the case against the driver charged with this weekend's hit and run death of Idol hopeful Alexis Cohen. Read it here.

A reader of the New Jersey Real-Time News had a good point in saying that Alexis (Photo: 19/Fox) should have concentrated on fronting a rock band. "I don't understand why she was obsessed with a middlebrow competition that, every year, adds at least one more stupifyingly dull "entertainer" to the celebrity glut," this person wrote.

That's a good point. Though Idol did feature Adam Lambert last season, the truth is the "stupifyingly dull" tends to win out over the quirky and interesting. After all, Kris Allen won over Adam. David Cook and David Archuleta finished one-two the year before that. Alexis had a rocker's voice and demeanor. If it's true that she auditioned a third time, as her mother said in this article, she really was beating herself up for no good reason.

Contract negotiations for Idol staff continue

Has Paula cut her asking price?

Here's something I found on the American Idol contract renegotiations front from the LA Times.

Taylor Hicks stars in Grease in Fort Lauderdale

American Idol Taylor Hicks stars as Teen Angel in Grease in Fort Lauderdale. Play opens Wednesday. Same night as the nearby American Idols Season 8 Tour.

Taylor says he caught the show at times, this season, and was impressed with the diversity of the cast, including Adam and Kris. He also had praise for his pal Constantine who recently earned a Tony nomination for his role in Rock of Ages.

Here's the story featuring my interview with Taylor from today's Arts section on Miami Herald. Click here.

Photo: Joan Marcus