NBC has found the only person in the world who gives less of a fuck what people think of him than Simon Cowell, and has signed Howard Stern to replace Piers Morgan as a judge on "America's Got Talent." Stern made the announcement on his SiriusXM satellite radio show this morning, saying that "I take judging very seriously...in order to up my credibility, I will wear a suit." more ›

Hold on to your man boobs, Simon Cowell. Judgment is now glowering upon you and your Verizon "X-Factor" app promo. In the TV spot, Cowell tosses cell phones from the balcony of a Malibu beachfront home, deeming them "rubbish," "junk," "useless," "embarrassing," "pointless" and "whatever" - using the beach as his personal garbage can. Mark Gold, president of Santa Monica's environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay doesn't see the commercial as "whatever." more ›

Looks like Simon Cowell doesn't have anything to worry about when it comes to his post-"American Idol" TV career. According to Entertainment Weekly, 15,000 people came out to the LA Sports Arena yesterday to audition for the acid-tongued judge's new show, "The X-Factor." The contest is a spin-off of the British show of the same name, which Cowell also judges. more ›

222 million eyeballs (2 per face) watched Simon Cowell's shattered body Terminator itself back together last night in a musically dramatic 'The X Factor' ad that aired during Super Bowl XLV, the most-watched television program ever. Cowell's panel of cohorts for the upcoming U.S./FOX version of his British hit singing competition have yet to be revealed (or decided), reports the AP, however Deadline reveals new details like the $5 million winning record deal and 12+ age eligibility for the show's American debut. First season auditions begin March 27 in Los Angeles. The Pepsi-sponsored series and estimated $35 million promo campaign is set to launch in the fall. more ›

If you're on the way to the Forum, a funny thing is happening there -- American Idol tryouts. Registration wraps up at 8AM and wristbanded hopefuls will start auditioning later today. But who's going to judge their outpouring of tired anthems, screeching bird calls, limp falsettos and heinous pitch problems? Simon and Kara are out, and speculation points to Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as possible AI X contenders. Ryan Seacreast will be making the official announcement. more ›

So what did you think about the "Sons of Anarchy" finale? We thought it was very well played and fully occupied the 90-minute slot but a few of the setups for next season were a little too obvious. [Caution: Spoiler] So they let Ethan Zobelle live and he will undoubtedly seek vengeance on SAMCRO for the death of his daughter; the neo-Nazis are after SAMCRO for the execution of AJ Weston (Henry Rollins); the Mayans are pissed at SAMCRO for the loss of several of their members; and the Irish have taken off with Jax's son; ATF Agent June Stahl really threw the cat among the pigeons in the final half our but the pigeons flew into predictable trajectories. This doesn't detract from what was an excellent season other than a couple slow episodes, but hey, you need to catch your breath every now and then. We look forward to next year! more ›

Chikezie Eze was voted off "American Idol" last night, "taking with him 50 percent of this year's Idolette Top-10 personality pool," Lisa de Morales sniped in her Washington Post TV column. For the second week in a row, Chikezie chose to sing a ballad -- “If Only For One Night” by Luther Vandross -- after judges warned him last week that song choice is of the upmost importance at this stage in the contest. Last week, judges were not impressed with his ballad choice of "I've Just Seen A Face," and Tuesday night's performance was called "old school" by Randy and "cheesy" by Simon. The 22-year-old Inglewood native then explained that he did not listen to the judges' advice because his voice coach told him to follow his heart. It obviously didn't work. more ›

Third times a charm? After being married to Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson made it official with Paris Hilton's sloppy seconds, Rick Soloman at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas this weekend - Dlisted Although STILL no official announcement has been made, Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman registered for baby - People After a long Saturday of discussions with her family who were desperate to make this intervention successful, Britney Spears stormed... more ›

Lindsay Lohan will finally reach the legal drinking age in a month and is planning her big Vegas bday bash sponsered by Ceasers and Svedka Vodka - US Weekly Nicole Richie reportedly checked back into rehab, reports vary on if its inpatient or outpatient - TMZ Britney Spears's impromtu lip synch performance at a Miami mansion on Saturday night did not go over well - NY Post A new kitten for TomKat? - MSNBC Former... more ›

A Word or 3: Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! Tonight - Monday - May 21, 2007 Brewers @ Dodgers (PRIME, 7:00 p.m.) Dancing With the Stars (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) The final 3 pairs Heroes (NBC, 9:00 p.m.) Pain and peril in Kirby Plaza - try to stop an exploding man 24 (Fox, 8:00 p.m.) 2 hours of Jack The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman (ABC, 9:30 p.m.) Just 2 bachelorettes left. Law & Order: Criminal Intent... more ›

Now we freaking completely understand how someone like George W. Bush gets into the Oval Office: American voters are stupid. Tonight on American Idol, calling voters kicked off the best singer in this popularity contest national singing competition. Melinda Doolittle, the most experienced singer among the remaining three, got kicked off the show by the nearly 60 million callers. We don't mean to sound bitter, but seriously...is it because she didn't have Jordin Sparks'... more ›

The last three contestants on American Idol fought for a place in the finale last night. Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle sang three songs each: one picked by a judge, one picked by the producers and one of their own choosing. Of course, to fill the hour, the show followed the contestants back to their respective hometowns. Uber-perky-to-the-point-of-annoying Jordin traveled back to Glendale, Ariz., where her local mall was mobbed by fans.... more ›

In another example of a Chicagoan coming to LA to change something sacred comes the story of Carl Amari who is putting together a box set of cds that will contain the dramatic reading of The Bible by Hollywood actors. For some reason they can't figure out who to play Satan. The first part of the project, a 20-CD set of the New Testament for $49.95, will arrive in stores in October. Considering the... more ›

There's five hours of American Idol on TV this week. And last night's two-hour singing competition that was supposed to separate the men from the boys -- at least the American Idol contenders from the poseurs -- felt like all five wrapped up in one show. That's not a good sign. But we realized why we do these recaps (despite some naysayers): It's so you don't have to lose two hours of your life... more ›

Last night American Idol whittled down its ranks to 24 finalists. While it took nearly an hour to cut people on TV, which was bad enough, we can’t understand why it took the entire day for the judges to deliver a “yay” or “nay” to each contestant. Did Simon need a smoke break every five minutes? Was there a four-hour lunch break? Anyway, some of the judges choices probably stemmed from a likeability or... more ›

San Antonio was the last stop on the American Idol audition tour last night, and LAist is glad that this phase of the show is over – and the cattiness of the Hollywood auditions begins next week. After awhile, all the weirdos start to blend together -- like Bryan who screamed “Rebel Yell” to start the show. Although our ears were blistering, we paid more attention to his ugly camouflage pants and Ryan Seacrest's... more ›

NYC did not disappoint us in last night’s American Idol. The cup runneth over with the number of contestants to fly their freak flags high, which made for an entertaining two hours. While the other audition cities had their share of weirdos, the Big Apple had plenty of FWAs – freaks with attitude – East Coast style. The show opened with Ryan Adams’ “New York, New York” being used under Ryan Seacrest’s opening travelogue... more ›

Greetings from Drip City! -- The land where Jimi tread, Pearl Jam spread, and Kurt got dead. Watching last night’s Seattle auditions was like watching nine thousand Nells emerge from the forest only to be greeted by a cold and critical society. These hopefuls were awkward and fascinating and odd. You wanted to laugh, but it was more painful than funny. One could speculate that the bizarro-fest of talent was the toxic byproduct of... more ›

Everyone’s favorite game of public humiliation is back! American Idol kicked off a new season from Minnesota last night, with thousands cheering, millions watching, and an odd use of Teenage Wasteland in the opening montage. As expected, Season 6 began with a self-congratulatory flashback/recap/where-are-they-now session for the previous winners and also-rans, as well as a self-masturbatory highlight reel of the A-List talent that has giddily participated in this bizarre hazing ritual of fame seekers.... more ›

With the robust music scene here in the City of Angels, LAist always tries to keep you abreast of all the talent to grace our local venues, in particular the diamonds in the rough that don’t necessarily have the name recognition of a Top 40 act but still maintain the purity of their musical genius. There’s another group of performers that doesn’t get often mentioned but is also a vital part of the musical... more ›

Leona Lewis, a contestant on a Simon Cowell + Sharon Osbourne judged American Idol type program, who turns Cowell on so much he made out with Sharon and then dissed Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood: Across this show, across Idol, across all the other shows. Let's be honest: all the girl singers haven't been very good, until now! You are absolutely the best contestant I have ever had across any of these shows.... more ›

Quick -- what happens when you want to put on an American Idol-esque show during the summer TV doldrums, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest are busy spending the bizillions they earned during the regular TV season? more ›

If any of you saw "American Idol" last night, then you saw something shocking. And we don't mean Simon Cowell's outfit, or Ryan Seacrest's lame "facial fuzz". No, we mean something far more disturbing. That something was the apparently overly surgically enhanced and polished face of Kenny Rogers. more ›

So LAist (ok, this poster in particular) likes American Idol. We’ve been watching closely this season because we actually like some of the singers. They’re kinda good (except that Bucky guy who really has to go tonight). Now, will we ever buy a record? Probably not, but for mindless entertainment in the background while cooking dinner, it’s the best damn thing on TV. more ›

The producers behind Fox’s American Idol 5 must use subliminal messaging or the Vulcan mind meld behind the scenes. How else can you explain the popularity of this high school-esque talent show? more ›