Remember those rumors of Paula Abdul being wooed to join
The X Factor? Simon apparently told her that over there, things would be more peaceful and less tense than the
American Idol set. That's one thought you might want to keep in mind as you read today's
Idol roundup, including a possible feud between Simon and Ellen--and fake feuds, and actual tears. But first...
More Idol hours! It's been previously announced that the March 16 performance episode will be two hours long. Now,
the folks at Fox have announced that the next three performance shows--March 23, March 30 and April 6--will also run for two hours. That'll be hell lots of filler. (Oh, and if you're a gleek, there'll be an encore episode on March 9, right after
Idol.) Now, back to business.
Simon vs Ellen, for real? Radar Online reports that departing judge Simon Cowell and just-arrived judge Ellen DeGeneres are not talking to each other on the
Idol set.
Yesterday we mentioned that Simon was arriving late on set--some say 14 minutes, some say 90--and apparently that led Ellen to be very, very annoyed with the Idol veteran. When the camera stop rolling, they aren't talking to each other. "It's a lot more tense than previous seasons," an insider said. "It seems as if Ellen has decided to try to take control since Simon is on his way out and that's created problems."
Kara vs Katy? Hmm... not really. "People actually think that I was upset by this--like there was tension,"
Kara DioGuardi told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show. "I think that it's really good that she disagreed with me. I think that it's important that people have different opinions or else who wants to watch the show? It'd be boring." But her family? "My Italian cousins back home wrote me texts like, 'Does she need a smack down?' I was like, 'No. You've got to chill out.'"
Tommy Motolla as a judge? People reports that the legendary music executive, responsible for launching Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson's career--oh, and he's Mariah Carey's first hubby too--is in talks to fill Simon's slot on
Idol. But there are also reports that Simon is trying to bring him to the American version of
The X Factor. "He's a shrewd negotiator and a legendary music impresario who has a great ear and instinctively knows talent," a source said. But another source from within Idol insisted that no negotiations at the moment.
Jennifer Hudson takes the Haiti plunge. Off the back of her performance on last week's
Hope for Haiti Now telethon, Jennifer will join
Quincy Jones' plans to rerecord "We Are The World", to benefit efforts to help those affected by the Haiti quakes. The new version of the song--it was first recorded in 1985--will also feature stars like Miley Cyrus, Jason Mraz, Sheryl Crow, Justin Bieber and Sugarland.
And finally... Ashley Ferl. Err, Crying Girl. I was watching the auditions last night and went, "that was sneaky, Crying Girl!" She who wept uncontrollably after watching Sanjaya Malakar perform is now old enough to audition, but things didn't really go well. "They didn't really say anything,"
she told Entertainment Weekly. "They pretty much told me no. It was really fast." She didn't make it to the callbacks, but she'll try next year. We'll see.
(Images courtesy of Fox)