“American Idol” producers are pursuing country star Shania Twain as a possible judge for the TV competition, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.
The talks with Twain began after she got favorable reviews for her appearance as a mentor on “American Idol” in April, the source said.
“Shania loves the show,” the source said. “Like everyone else, she’s dying to see who the next ‘American Idol’ judge will be.”
Twain’s role as a judge would need to be defined in a way that would make sense creatively for an artist of her stature, the source said.
The source is not named because he is not authorized to comment on the situation.
Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres have left the show, prompting a search for two new celeb judges.
TMZ – Sources connected with the “American Idol” negotiations tell TMZ Kara DioGuardi has judged her last contestant on “American Idol” — because she’s been fired. We’re told the show will be going back to a three-judge format and assuming all deals are finalized, the judge’s panel will consist of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
We’re told the only way Kara could get a reprieve is if the J-Lo deal falls apart — but we’re told that deal is done.
Ellen DeGeneres announced earlier Thursday that she was leaving the show after just one season.
AP – “American Idol” is voting off several stops on its summer tour.Seven shows on the American Idol Live! Tour have been canceled while others have been changed, according to a revised schedule released by tour organizer Live Nation.The tour featuring the ninth season’s top 10 singers was originally planned to end Sept. 16 in Portland, Maine, but is now scheduled to stop on Sept. 14 in Pittsburgh.Live Nation spokeswoman Liz Morentin declined to comment on the reason behind the move.The canceled stops include Omaha, Neb.; Kansas City, Mo.; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Cleveland.Shows have been moved up in cities such as Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; Chicago; and Toledo, Ohio.The Fox singing contest, which has long been TV’s top-rated series, faced falling viewership during its ninth season and at times was bested by ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” in the ratings.
EOnline – Where are they now? Why, right here at E!With American Idol winding down, we continue our look back at past personalities from the show. Today’s installment: Sanjaya Malakar, the coif-challenged former contestant with the power to reduce a little girl to tears.
Now, first thing’s first… …you’ll be pleased to know that he’s still rocking the ‘do.”I signed with a modeling agency in Seattle,” Malakar tells E! News. “I have been a spokesmodel in different ads, but I’m not necessarily an underwear model at this point,” he said. “My body isn’t quite there yet!” A full three years removed from his Simon Cowell-barbed heyday, Malakar isn’t relying on his looks alone to get him by—he’s also enrolled in Seattle’s performing arts-heavy Cornish College.
“It’s fun,” he says of his modeling extracurriculars. “I enjoy going out there and being able to have fun in front of a camera and capture moments.” Of course, not all moments deserve to be captured on tape (unicorn hairdos excepted). Take Malakar’s recent need for speed, when he was slapped with a $411 ticket after getting caught pushing 110 mph on the freeway. “I was irresponsible and I will never do it again,” he says. “The only reason I was going that fast is because there was no one else on the road. It was bad luck and I was stupid, it may seem fun when you start, but it’s really not worth it.. Though, rest assured, one measly ticket isn’t going to rain on his post-Idol parade.
Paula Abdul will return for the season finale of U.S. TV’s “American Idol,” sources tell People Magazine Superstar Christina Aguilera is also expected to perform on the show, which will feature competition between prospective “Idols” Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze.
Page Six – Jay Leno may have his old time slot back, but even with Conan O’Brien gone, he’s still not the most powerful TV host in his city. According to the Mediaite.com power ranking in the new LA Confidential magazine, Leno’s edged out by Ryan Seacrest and barely beats his later-airing rival Jimmy Kimmel. The rankings are the first in a new partnership between Dan Abrams’ Mediaite Web empire and Jason Binn’s Niche Media to rank everyone from TV hosts to chefs in top markets.
Splash News – Simon Cowell has said he is no longer _Mr. Nasty_ after meeting the girl of his dreams. Cowell, 50, recently got engaged to make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy 36, and said his fiancee is the reason he has mellowed with contestants on The X-Factor when speaking to UK newspaper_Daily Mirror_.
“Yes, good and bad moods affect my judging. I am in a very good mood at the moment, and life with Mezhgan is great. Mr Nasty was just a label when
we first started doing these shows.
You have to remember when people are auditioning, they are taking it very
seriously and for them it is a life-changing moment., I am not a hypocrite and I always said I would be honest as I possibly could. But you have to kinda put yourself in their shoes, and if you have woken up in abad mood, you have to shake yourself out of it.”
UsMag – Kara DioGuardi poses in the buff for the May issue of Allure (on newsstands April 20).This shoot was less about beauty than about taking a risk and showing people a side of me they never have seen,” says the 39-year-old American Idol judge, who famously posed in a bikini on last year’s finale.DioGuardi struggled with binge eating and depression in her early 20s.
“Back then I was a size 6 or 8; now I’m more like a size 2,” she says. “Food is not what I use to anesthetize myself anymore.”To prep for the shoot, she didn’t squeeze in extra workouts, but she did cut salt. “I can really retain water,” she says.
Emmanuelle Chriqui, 32, also strips for the mag.
“Some women want bigger breasts,” laments the Entourage star, “but [I wish] I could have had a dancer’s body. I sometimes wear plunging necklines because they make me feel smaller.”Chriqui was on day four of a 10-day organic food cleanse for the photo shoot. “It’s not about losing weight,” she insists. “I didn’t want to feel freaked out about today, so I consciously kept focusing on excitement.”
Also nude: Grey’s Anatomy star Jessica Capshaw, 33, who just announced she’s pregnant with her second child.
