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In a pre-taped interview and performance, Adam Lambert finally made a return to ABC on “The View” Thursday morning, proving once again that his racy performance at the “American Music Awards” last month was a one-time deal and that he is able to act like a perfect gentleman on-camera and onstage.

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg took on the elephant in the room, that Lambert’s interview and performance on the morning show had been pre-taped a couple of days earlier because of network concern over what could happen during a live taping. Lambert shocked ABC and America with his AMA performance where he kissed his male keyboardist on the mouth and simulated oral sex with a dancer.  Read the rest of this entry »

Full disclosure here: My name is Jenny, and I’m an "American Idol' fan. With that out of the way…

Have you seen it? Adam Lambert’s album cover?

Well, you should.

When I first saw it, I thought it was a picture from my favorite movie when I was 5 – "Xanadu."

But no, it’s the cover art for "Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert’s debut album.  His blue hair, rainbow eyeliner, overly photoshopped face and no shirt (but is he wearing roller skates?!) picture definitely grabs your attention.

The photos released last week from Lambert’s Details Magazine shoot also grab your attention. If you haven’t seen those photos, just click here.  Pretty crazy, huh? Clearly this is a guy who likes to push boundaries – all of them.

Adam, though, seems to find the blogosphere buzz over the cover a little strange.  He tweeted out today his exasperation with people who didn’t get his "omage" – his spelling, not mine – to the campiness of the past. Hey … maybe my "Xanadu" reference wasn’t too far off.

If you’d like your own personal copy of "Xana" - oops, sorry, Adam Lambert’s "For Your Entertainment" – the album will be released on November 23.

Paula Abdul sported a black church lady hat and Adam Lambert rocked a skinny bow tie, but it was Snoop Dogg who elicited catcalls from the media when he strolled into the Beverly Hills press conference to announce nominees for the 2009 American Music Awards. The rapper had traded in his signature football jersey and braids for a vest, a velvet blazer, a slicked-back ponytail and a pair of nerd glasses. "This is about me stepping up and becoming a bigger, better person and becoming a business," he confided after the presser. "I'm the new President/Creative Director of Priority Records." Does this mean the iconic hip-hop star has turned over a new leaf, so to speak? Well, judge for yourself. When we asked him if marijuana should be legalized, he had this to say: "You know how I stand. I stand very high on that!"

Lambert tells us he's been buried in a studio, working on his new album - which he described as "glam rock packaged in a pop sensibility." He gave a thumbs-up to the gay rights rally that took place in D.C. over the weekend, saying "I think it's great. I think it's a civil rights issue, and I think people deserve to be heard on it. I believe in equal rights for everybody." He said his Rolling Stone cover story was liberating. "To really sit down with a reporter and talk about me from the ground up was really, really great, and I feel like we got a lot of stuff out of the closet - literally cleaned out that closet - so hopefully people can focus on the music." His debut CD hits stores November 24th - two days after he performs on the AMAs.

As for Ms. Paula Abdul... she gave us this Sarah Palin-esque answer when we asked if a show in Vegas was in the cards as part of her post-"Idol" life. "I have many different opportunities in Las Vegas, which I've been offered for years, but the timing is right because I have TV projects that I'm doing - a lot of different things that are very exciting that I get to continue to live my dream now."

However, she was much more succinct when discussing frustration that the "Idol" women have been pitted against each other in the media. "No one ever said anything about the guys, and I know for a fact there was jealousy going around with the guys - bigger dressing rooms, trailers, someone buys a house for X amount of millions, and the other one says, 'Well, I bought the whole land.' And then somebody got J. Lo's interior designer. 'Well, I bought J. Lo!' That's how it would work, you know."

Adam Lambert's fans made him last season's "American Idol" runner-up - now they've answered his call to help struggling schools.  The singer's online fan groups competed to see who could raise the most money for DonorsChoose.org, which lets people give money directly to classroom project requests submitted by teachers around the U.S.

The month-long challenge raised $229,000 for arts- and music-related learning resources and supplies, benefiting nearly 88,000 students - many in high-poverty schools.

According to DonorsChoose, U.S. school teachers spend $1 billion out of their own pockets each year, trying to make up for seemingly endless cuts to school budgets.  The Web site, founded in 2000, allows teachers to describe specific projects for their students; donors can then select which projects to support, either in part or in full. YouTube: Lambert thanks his fans

So far, 109,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to obtain $38 million for books, supplies, technology, and other learning resources, helping some 2.5 million students.  The Lambert competition is over, but fans can still donate in his name at DonorsChoose.org/AdamLambert.  And whether you donate in his name, or on your own, I can tell you: the photos and thank-you notes you'll get from the kids you help make it even more rewarding.

Dear Paula,

First off, we're really sorry to see you leave "American Idol." Even though we don't quite understand why the reported $3 million you were making on the show wasn't enough, we respect your decision. And yes, we are looking forward to seeing you host the return of “VH1 Divas" on Thursday night. Because we really do love you.

And it's because we love you that we feel it's time for some tough love and blunt advice: Fire your team. Whether it was your PR people, manager, agent, or gardener who advised you during your "American Idol" contract talks, someone clearly and repeatedly dropped the ball. And as your business-minded ex-colleague Simon Cowell would agree, somebody on Team Paula deserves to get sent packing. Need convincing? We count at least three colossal goofs that were made on your behalf in recent weeks:

1.) In July, presumably during the height of your salary talks with "American Idol," your manager told the Los Angeles Times that you might not return to the show. If that was a ploy to rally the American people into a "Save Paula" frenzy that would have folks jamming phone lines, taking to the streets and packing town hall meetings until "Idol's" producers showed you the money, then it backfired big time. Instead, that defiant public statement during what had been private salary talks probably made both sides dig in their heels. Your fate on "American Idol" likely was sealed right there and then. Strike One.

2.) To announce your departure from "American Idol," you opted not to work with your former employers to issue the standard "Paula-has-decided-to-pursue-other-opportunities" press release. No, that would have just let everyone save face - and left open the door for you to come back later. Instead, you blindsided your "Idol" colleagues (and closed, barricaded and nailed shut the door to your return) by announcing your "Idol" departure in a short Twitter post. Now, Paula, this one was mostly your bad. But it was your team's job to save you from yourself - even if it had meant hiding your BlackBerry. Strike Two.

3.) The day Ellen DeGeneres was announced as your replacement, "Showbiz Tonight" asked your publicists for a comment. Their response: "No statement from Paula. She has moved on." This was the most baffling mistake yet! A warm statement of congratulations and best wishes would have made you look classy and cost you nothing. Instead, you looked petty. Yes, your people eventually did release a more gracious statement. But a star of your caliber needs a team that gets it right the first time. Strike Three.

We know that you're an incredibly sweet person. So if you find it hard to summon the ruthlessness to fire your team and save your career, just re-read this letter. And then ask yourself one simple question: what would Simon do?

To paraphrase one of our favorite songs of yours: "We're Forever Your Fans."

Showbiz Tonight spoke with "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson on Thursday in New York City’s Time Square and he said he's excited to have Ellen DeGeneres as part of the "Idol" family.

Watch Jackson discuss DeGeneres coming on board:

Jackson said DeGeneres will bring a new perspective to the judges' table.

“I think she is going to bring the voice of the people,” he said. “She is not like a music expert, but I think you know the people sitting at home the show is really about them. Simon [Cowell], and I and Kara [DioGuardi], are all the music experts that you need.”

There is one thing that Jackson and DeGeneres share: their southern roots.

“She is my home girl from Louisiana. We are both from Louisiana and the south is going to do it again. That’s right,” Jackson said.

"American Idol" returns to television in January 2010.

I love Ellen DeGeneres; really, I do.  She is awesome and I love watching her show but I just can’t see her as the fourth American Idol judge. She is funny, she does great interviews with celebs and she is a heck of a dancer, but that being said, I could sooner see her as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance than on American Idol. I have to wonder- why didn’t the powers that be pick upcoming guest host Neil Patrick Harris as a permanent judge?

Full disclosure: I have an enormous crush on Neil Patrick Harris. I first fell in love with NPH when I was a little girl watching him on Doogie Howser M.D. Now I can’t miss an episode of How I Met Your Mother: his Barney Stinson is one of the best characters on TV.  I am not saying we should include him just because I like him; it’s that he is more qualified for the job.  NPH is an accomplished singer and performer, having even appeared on Broadway.  He has danced his way through Hollywood onto Sesame Street and all the way to the Tony’s- which, by the way, he hosted this year.  He even stars in this phenomenally inventive web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, that my colleague Sid Lipsey recently turned me on to. 

Now, you may be thinking, surely NPH is too busy to add yet another job to his plate, right? No! He is such an avid fan that he is at every taping of “American Idol”, in fact they often show him when they do their celebrity shots of the crowd.  So why not take advantage of this great find sitting right under your nose?

What do you think- is Ellen the right fit? Would you have liked Neil Patrick Harris more? Do you have a completely different suggestion? Tell me what you think!

I’m going to try real hard not to incur the wrath of Ellen DeGeneres fans here. The announcement that Ellen will replace Paula Abdul as a judge on “American Idol” this coming season left me cold.

Sure, I know Ellen loves the show and appreciates music. For that matter, so do I.

But, in my opinion, that hardly qualifies one to be a judge on “Idol.”

It reminds me of last season when Quentin Tarantino served as a coach. He too has a love of music and all things “Idol,” but watching him try to guide contestants through their rehearsals was just plain painful.

For all of her bucket of crazy, Paula at least brought the perspective of a performer. She knew what it was like to face an audience on your best – and worst – days and I believe that contributed to her desire to always try and find the positive.

Perhaps if there weren’t going to be four judges (which felt bloated and unnecessary to me last season), I might be more enthusiastic. With Paula, Randy, and Simon there was balance. With the addition of Kara DioGuardi things just felt out of whack to me and a strong judge is needed to counterbalance it all.

I imagine Ellen will provide more than a few laughs, but I am trying to envision what else she will bring other than the enthusiasm of a super fan.

What do you think? Was Ellen DeGeneres a good choice for a fourth judge?

A few weeks ago I posted a blog where I said that I wouldn’t mind if Paula Abdul left American Idol for greener pastures. At the time, I never thought in a million years that she wouldn’t come back to Idol, I just was voicing my opinion that I wouldn’t be devastated if she didn’t. For all of the flack that Paula gets, I didn’t think I would be the only one that felt that way.  Boy was I wrong! 

Ever since Paula sent out her bombshell tweets, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for her. I have to tell you that I honestly didn’t know how many people liked her on the show. It seemed to me that Paula was constantly the butt of every American Idol joke that was made- so how is it that so many people are threatening to boycott the show now that she is gone? I don’t understand it!

I think it is wonderful to be supportive of someone; I am truly touched by how much people seem to care about Paula and her future.  My question is simply this: where were these people when she was on Idol? When she had a hard time stumbling through her sentences and at times was a little bit of a national joke? Remember when she couldn’t remember if a contestant had sung once or twice? People were saying that it was time for her to leave the show. So why the public outrage now? What changed?

What do you think? Will you watch American Idol without Paula?

For all of the latest details on the Great Paula Abdul American Idol Debate, be sure to watch Showbiz Tonight at 11pm ET/PT on HLN- don’t miss it!

ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson wants former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul to join "Dancing with the Stars" in some capacity, according to The New York Times, calling her a "huge talent."

The Hollywood Reporter says that "Twilight" was the big winner at the Teen Choice Awards, with nine wins.

Casting continues on the remake of "Red Dawn" and EW.com has the latest updates.

It's a boy for Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View." Her third child was born Sunday.