I haven’t watched “American Idol” in weeks, but apparently there is some kind of drama going on with obvious favorite David Archuleta’s dad and the show’s producers. Jeff Archuleta, the overbearing Dadager of this season’s “chosen one,” has been banned from the American Idol set. The 17-year-old David is talented but immensely boring and over-rehearsed, thanks to his bossy dad- and now, that is going to cost the show producers and FOX money in the form of royalties.

TMZ has learned David Archuleta’s dad, Jeff, has been officially banned from “American Idol.”

Here’s how it went down. “Idol” sources tell TMZ Jeff has been a complete pain in the ass, interfering with the entire production. He has badgered producers, the band, vocal coaches and even other contestants. The final straw came this week, when Jeff wanted to change the lyrics to David’s first song, “Stand By Me.” Jeff insisted on adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s hit, “Beautiful Girls.” Producers sent him an e-mail telling him the lyrics could not be changed. They were beyond pissed when David sang the song with Kingston’s lyrics during the live show.

We’re told by changing the lyrics, it created problems with the song’s publisher and cost “A.I.” a lot of money.

Jeff was ordered to sit with “A.I.” lawyers on Wednesday, who told him he was “banned from being in the rooms where David was learning or rehearsing his songs.” It’s “Idol’s” position, since David is 17, he does not need a guardian — just a teacher. Jeff will be allowed to sit in the audience during the live show but he’s 86′d from anything backstage.

Sources say the other contestants were fed up with Jeff and didn’t want him near them. Now they have their wish.

All in all, sources say Jeff is the stage dad from hell. BTW, he was banned on the set when David did “Star Search” a few years back.

[From TMZ]

Okay, this is my theory on this story: it’s a big ploy to boost ratings because people aren’t watching this piece of crap show anymore. It’s been obvious since Hollywood week who the judges want to win (David Archuleta), but the problem is, the kid’s not charismatic enough to watch week after week, and the show’s themes and judges are even more boring. So the producers have decided to add a little behind-the-scenes drama to get people talking about it again.

Nice try, FOX- I’m still not watching.

I’m not sure how Larry King live is viewed across America (we don’t get it here in New Zealand), although Wiki says 46% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of him, but I suspect that more people have that opinion of his possible replacement Ryan Seacrest.

A source from within CNN says that Seacrest, who has filled in for his friend Larry King in the past, is involved in “serious negotiations” to take over “Larry King Live” around year’s end. King told The New York Times in April 2007 that Seacrest would be his first choice to take over the show when the time came.

“He’s the classic generalist,” King told the Times. “The only thing I don’t know, and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well, is how versed he is in politics, world affairs. Does he read the paper? Is he interested in Iraq? Because if he is, he’s going to be very good.”

Another source familiar with Seacrest and his involvement on “American Idol” said that a drastic course change might be just what Seacrest needs. “He’s so serious about his career, but like anyone, he wants it to evolve. Hosting ‘Larry King’ would be perfect for him.”

MSNBC

CNN has made no official statement about Ryan’s possible employment, but MSNBC has another ‘source’ saying that this isn’t true.

This is following hot on the heels of reports that American Idol is reaching the end of it’s run. After 7 seasons on television, the show is losing viewers. While it still rates well, I suspect that people aren’t really interested. It’s not water cooler conversation anymore, people just don’t seem interested in who wins the contest now. I also think that for the winner, it is not a stepping stone for a great career like it was for early Idol winners like Kelly Clarkson – they just don’t seem to be as successful as they have been in the early seasons.

There’s no word on whether Seacrest will leave his radio show if he takes over from Larry King, but it is possible he might do both. He’ll probably just take a nap between shows.

It’s big news that FOX’s juggernaut “American Idol,” is suffering its lowest ratings ever. But now show producers may be looking to shake things up with the cast to get people interested again. Rumors are buzzing that the show’s execs recently conducted an impromptu online market research survey, and one place they’re looking for input for improvement is the show’s hyperactive host, Ryan Seacrest.

An online market research survey was issued last week and, while the suits behind the show probe every aspect of the broadcast, there is a noticeable focus on “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest.

While all of the main players were included in the question, “How important are each of the following people to your overall enjoyment of ‘American Idol’?” the survey asks participants to weigh in on two extra statements: “I like the interaction between Ryan and the contestants” and “I like the interaction between the judges and Ryan.”

The extra focus has some wondering whether a hosting change might be exactly what the show needs. “Ryan is so busy turning himself into a diverse brand, one that has longevity, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to think that he isn’t worried about his job security with ‘Idol,’” said a source close to Seacrest.

Reps for the “Idol” host didn’t comment as to whether Seacrest had been approached at all about a changing role on the show, but one “Idol” source did explain the questions, saying that they “fall under the leave-no-stone-unturned category more than anything else.”

[From The Scoop]

While I agree that this season truly sucks monkey balls - I stopped watching after Kristy Lee Cook sand “God Bless the USA” and Chikeze was voted off instead- I don’t think Ryan is the problem. I have a ton of ideas for fixing the show- FOX! Call me! My first order of business would be to get rid of the judges. They suck, and they don’t offer any constructive criticism to the contestants. The worst is Paula - with her inane babbling and her refusal to say anything negative, ever- but they all suck. If anything, Ryan Seacrest, as much as it begrudges me to say so, is the only person on the show who seems to understand why he is there. But make no mistake- I still think he’s obnoxious and slightly insane.

Note by Celebitchy: Ryan made it a point last night to say that Paula will not be leaving the show. In the clip below he says “Last night the judges were thrown a curveball on the air… it sparked a lot of gossip about Paula. I read some of this online this morning. Just for the record. The rumors are not true, she’s part of our family and we love her.”

That’s funny, because I thought the rumors were that the show was scripted, not that Paula was getting the axe for judging a song before it happened.

The top five American Idol contestants had two songs each last night and since time was tight the judges were told to quickly comment to each singer after they all had a chance to perform their first song. Randy, Paula and Simon were supposed to give critiques based on their notes. Randy quickly gave his standard “it was just OK for me” and went down the line. Paula proceeded to tell the first contestant, Jason Castro, that she loved his first song, but that his second song was “empty” and that the two songs made her feel like wasn’t “fighting hard enough to get into the top four.”

Paula’s excuse doesn’t make sense
Paula claimed that she got confused and thought that the next song by David Cook was actually Castro’s second.

Then Ryan said “You’re seeing the future, baby” and turned to Simon. Simon tried to help Paula by asking who her favorite singer was, and she said David Cook.

Now if Cook was her favorite singer, then it doesn’t make sense that she confused her notes for his song with Jason Castro’s second song that he didn’t do yet, since she said she didn’t like Castro’s second song.

All of this either suggests that Paula was so addled she didn’t understand even her own notes, which is entirely possible given her usual mental state, or that someone prepared those notes for her ahead of time before the contestants were able to do their second performance. In that case those notes were not Paula’s own thoughts and must have been based on how Cook sounded in rehearsals. It makes you wonder if producers have an agenda for who will win the show and are influencing judge’s responses.

Paula seemed pretty clear-headed to me, so it strikes me as more likely that someone else wrote those notes for her.

There have been some other minor controversies with the show. It came out two years ago that parts of “live” shows were taped, and this season has met with allegations that contestants are too professional At least 3 of the top 12 had former record deals before their Idol appearances. 16 year-old David Archuleta, who some consider the front runner, won “Star Search” when he was 12.

Thanks to The Huffington Post for helping immensely with this explanation.

A lawsuit over the Heath Ledger video that was pulled from US entertainment shows after pressure from his PR firm, showing Heath talking about and taking drugs, claims that the video was a set up by the paparazzi. A woman who used to date one of the photographers is suing for unknowingly appearing in the video as well as having her hotel room appropriated for what she claims was a frame up:

The Australian film star accepted drugs from two photographers, who then videoed him talking about using marijuana, footage that created an international outcry when it surfaced after his death in January.

The video was condemned by Mr Ledger’s family and pulled from US television shows at their request, but has still raised more than $1million in international sales, the lawsuit claims. Legal papers filed in Los Angeles claim that Ledger had his own supply of cocaine, but that the notorious video was a set up.

The ex-girlfriend of one of the paparazzi is now suing for damages, claiming that her privacy was infringed because the filming took place in her hotel room and she appeared in the footage without her permission.

The legal papers claim that he was filmed in a room at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles in January 2006, as he celebrated winning a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in the film Brokeback Mountain, which also garnered him an Oscar nomination.

It says that one of the photographers “gave Ledger a package of cocaine. Mr Ledger also had some of his own. The cocaine was put on the table, and the men began snorting cocaine.”

The woman, who has filed the claim anonymously, says she did not take the drug. The papers say the same photographer who brought the drugs then left, and was soon “outside of our hotel room, on the balcony, hidden, shooting video footage of everyone in the room”.

The video, which did not show Mr Ledger actually snorting cocaine, has been broadcast on the internet. It shows the actor rolling a cigarette paper and saying: “I used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years.”

Telegraph

Her lawyer, Douglas Johnson, said, in what may be the understatement of the year, “This is bad stuff. You don’t give drug addicts drugs so you can then tape them.”

This behavior by the paparazzi is pretty disgusting, so I’m really hoping that the people supposedly responsible get an absolute arse kicking if this is true.

Michael Johns, the Australian-born American Idol contestant who was eliminated from the competition last week, has come out with his own comment about Heath Ledger – he knows nothing!

Speaking from the US, a day after being booted off American Idol, Johns said reports that he was friends with Ledger and had dedicated his Idol experience to him were untrue.

“I wasn’t friends with Heath Ledger at all,” Johns said.

“The guy’s a legend, I thought he did great in his career, and will be sorely missed, but I never said that.”

Johns said he was so angry about the story which quoted a “friend” and was widely circulated around the world, that he asked his mum to contact the Ledgers to set the story straight.

“When I saw that come out in Star Magazine I was livid,” he said.

“I actually told my mum when she got back to Perth please reach out to Heath’s family and let them know that that’s absolutely bogus.”

The West Australian

I don’t know how Star Magazine is with its geography, but Perth is a big place. It’s not exactly the kind of place where everyone knows all their neighbors, considering the population is around 1.5 million people.

————————-possible Dark Knight spoilers————————-
In other Heath Ledger news, the body bag scene from the up coming Dark Knight film looks to be kept intact. Which is good news for everyone involved – you don’t want to work so hard on a film to have integral scenes cut from it. Besides, it might be a reminder for people that Heath’s character was not him. It was a fictional character.

Note by Celebitchy: I read most of this lawsuit, and I’m glad Helen reported on it because it made me sad and I didn’t know what to say about it at first. The thing that struck me about this story was the fact that Heath is said to have found out at some point that he was being taped secretly, and the guys kept assuring him that they would destroy the footage and that he had nothing to worry about.

This completely explained to me why Heath hated the paparazzi and often looked annoyed and grumpy when he was photographed out - he was once set up by them, supplied drugs and taped doing them. So he had firsthand experience with how duplicitous the paparazzi could be, and he also had this potential bombshell hanging over his head. He must have worried about what would have happened if this video came out, and that’s something that can bother you in even the happiest moments, creeping into your thoughts and haunting you. He was a troubled guy in a lot of ways, but he had a lot to worry about too. At least his death was an accident, but it happened because he was taking prescription drugs to try and cope with insomnia and racing thoughts. It’s no one’s fault, but you can understand a little more what he was going through.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures of the memorial set up outside the apartment Heath was renting in NY.

29 year-old Australian Michael Johns was cut from American Idol last night. His dismissal came as a surprise, as he’s never been in the bottom three and was expected to continue on the show. He gave a rousing performance of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” on Tuesday, and although Simon called him “an impersonation of a rock star…. wannabe-ish” and Randy used his common complaint that Johns had “pitch problems,” the overall comments were positive, and Paula said “You sound as good as you look… you were unbelievable.” I really thought he brought it this week and was surprised he was cut.

Most everyone expected either Carly Smithson or Syesha Mercado to go, and they were both in the bottom three with Johns. TMZ even claimed to have a relatively foolproof method of predicting the losers - TiVo viewings by Idol. According to TiVo insiders, Syesha’s performance was the least viewed, which suggested she would go. Syesha did an artistically beautiful version of Fantasia Barrino’s “I Believe,” but judges said it lacked Fantasia’s emotion and power. She really can sing, and I’m glad to see her continue. Carly Smithson was a mess, in my opinion. She did Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” and it’s kind of amazing that she got more votes than Johns this week.

Here are the videos of Johns’ performance and his elimination. When Ryan says that Michael got the lowest number of votes the crowd boos and Carly says “no!” Ryan says “last year on ‘Idol Gives Back’ we didn’t eliminate anyone at this stage of the competition. Tonight we’re going to say goodbye to Michael Johns.”

Micheal Johns performs “Dream On” on 4/8/08

Micheal Johns is eliminated.

Thanks to The Huffington Post for putting together these videos of last night’s star studded “Idol Gives Back.” A lot of the human interest segments made me cry so hard and I am bawling as I write this, having just watched Annie Lennox’s segment. You can donate at AmericanIdol.com.

Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue. He jokes about Simon’s nipples and bad haircut. They discuss mobile medical units for Americans without health insurance. Simon visits a single mom with lupus raising a daughter with rheumatoid arthritis and a son with pins in his legs.

Miley Cyrus performs “See You Again”

Mariah Carey performs “Fly Like a Bird”

Robin Williams is a stupid Russian character in a bit that goes on way too long.

Fergie and Heart perform “Barracuda”

Brad Pitt gets his microphone put on, and introduces Daughtry’s video featuring footage from their trip to Uganda set to “What About Now?”

Carrie Underwood with an incredible performance of George Michael’s “Praying for Time”

Teri Hatcher sings “Before He Cheats.” She’s a surprisingly good singer.

David and Victoria Beckham in a taped appeal.

Shiela E and Gloria Estefan perform “Get On Your Feet”

Alicia Keys talks about her trip to Africa. She said “It’s crazy when you think about it, how you can change the lives of people forever for the price of a pair of shoes. Because of the AIDS epidemic there are 13 million children orphaned.” She showed a grandmother who lost all four of her children to AIDS and is now raising 8 grandchildren. She said “If AIDS got 1/2 the attention the media gives to celebrity dramas, this issue would be well on it’s way to being solved.”

Bono and Annie Lennox in Africa. Bono talks to a young boy who lost both his parents to AIDS. Annie Lennox talks to a family of four brothers in South Africa who have lost all their relatives to AIDS. The oldest is 15. Annie took them to get tested for HIV and they’re all negative. She said “across Africa, children are living like this. Their parents could still be with them if only they’d been diagnosed and given the treatment they need.”

AI Contestants sing “Seasons of Love”

The American Idol judges and emcee Ryan Seacrest were on Larry King Live last night to promote “Idol Gives Back,” the star-studded telethon-like episode that raises money for charity. Last year “Idol Gives Back” raised a whopping $76 million dollars and they’re hoping to top that this year. The money is distributed equally among charities in the US and Africa. This year’s “Idol Gives Back” edition was taped on Saturday and will air on Wednesday night. It includes a duet with Fergie and Hart, and performances by Miley Cyrus, John Legend, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, and Carrie Underwood. Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, and Robin Williams are among the many celebrity guests.

Larry King broached the subject of Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest’s rivalry, and Simon said that Ryan was like a mosquito in your bedroom at night. This is similar to what he said on the Oprah show in mid March, that Ryan was “like a mosquito in your face.” Last night he said “you don’t hate the mosquito,” but you obviously don’t find him relevant, either.

Simon compares Ryan to mosquito; Ryan says Simon just wants to be right
Ryan said that Simon just wants to be right all the time and not be questioned, and that he loves challenging him. Paula Abdul chimed in that that Simon is just jealous of all the publicity Ryan gets, like his recent Details Magazine cover:

KING:
All right, true or false that you, Simon, don’t like, Ryan?

COWELL: It’s like anything, there are times when I like him. There are other times, particularly on the show, where I find him annoying… I described him recently as like a little mosquito you have in your bedroom, which is after a while it’s oh, shut up. You know, it’s annoying. You don’t hate the mosquito, you just want it out of your face.

KING: How do you react to that?

SEACREST: Well, thank god I have thick skin after seven years of doing this show… Simon is obviously very, very good at what he does. And he has a great instinct and knows how to identify this talent and how to… And knows how to do his job well. But here’s — it’s not about me liking me or disliking me. It’s about being right. He just wants to be right…. So if he’s challenged, then he squirms a little bit.

KING: And you challenge him.

SEACREST: I love it. I love it. I don’t always…

COWELL: I don’t think it’s challenging.

SEACREST: Well…

COWELL: I think it’s getting in the way when you’re not invited…. I would never interrupt something you’re doing.

SEACREST: You know, it’s not necessarily about my opinion. I do question, sometimes, number one, you can’t understand him half the time when he’s on the air.

COWELL: Can I say something…

SEACREST: No. And I don’t have an opinion per se on the show.

COWELL: Exactly.

SEACREST: I ask you to clarify.

ABDUL: Actually, it’s a lot to do with you getting magazine covers and…

SEACREST: Well, there’s a little (INAUDIBLE)…

JACKSON: Yes.

KING: Oh, there’s jealousy?

JACKSON: Oh, jealousy. What a word, Larry. Please.

KING: Well, look, here’s the new issue of “Details.”

ABDUL: Solid. That’s solid.

JACKSON: Now, Simon and I were wondering…

COWELL: It’s like a conspiracy.

JACKSON: Yes. Yes.

ABDUL: You look (INAUDIBLE)…

JACKSON: Ryan, what is this like some maverick — this is some maverick cowboy thing, right?

SEACREST: What was the magazine they had back in your day that was like this?

COWELL: It was an angling magazine.

[From Transcripts.cnn.com]

King asked the AI panel about their thoughts on the top 8 singers, and they said that this year was the best ever and that most of the contests had originality and presence. [All quotes below from CNN transcript]

David Cook: A favorite and strong contender

JACKSON: He is definitely one of my favorites. I think he’s got a shot at winning the whole thing, this kid.

ABDUL: He’s amazing.

JACKSON: Love him.

COWELL: This is the guy I would actually choose to listen to on a personal level.

SEACREAST: Well, he certainly sounds like [the favorite] based on what the judges said but I think he also has sort of broken down the walls of this competition. He is not just a traditional pop artist. I like him.

Carly Smithson: Not enough personality

COWELL: I tell you the problem I have with Carly is I don’t think she knows who she is. I don’t think she — I don’t think you can listen to a Carly song and go, that’s who she is. Does this, does that. She’s a good singer but I think every artist has to know who she is.

JACKSON: He’s right. I have to give him trumps (ph) on that. He’s right, 100 percent right.

ABDUL: That’s her Achilles. She has an amazing voice.

JACKSON: She’s got an amazing voice but –

COWELL: She doesn’t know who she is.

ABDUL: You can’t deny it. But I don’t think, I think she picks songs that she thinks we’re going to, you know, approve… She is very talented and you’re too hard on her with her not looking like a star.

COWELL: You know what? I was actually directing my comments at the stylists. If you’re performing in front of 55 million people…

Michael Johns: needs to pick better songs

JACKSON: He’s a really talented guy. My problem with him is up until recently he’s been picking the wrong songs. He’s kind of like this bluesy, soulful — blue-eyed soul kind of singer but he always picks stuff that doesn’t allow him to do his thing. But this was good.

ABDUL: A lot of people started going oh, no.

JACKSON: He has a big voice.

KING: Simon, an American tennis player could win the Australian open. Could an Australian win “American Idol?”

COWELL: Why not?

JACKSON: Why not?

ABDUL: You know, he’s wonderful.

COWELL: I like this guy. Sometimes he’s a little like he’s auditioning for a spot as a lead singer a rock band.

JACKSON: Yeah.

COWELL: And then he gets it right when he does the whole kind of blues soul thing.

Brooke White: needs more drama in her songs and could hang in there

ABDUL: She puts her heart and soul into every song. America really connects with her. She’s got a very unique thing.

COWELL: I like her. She doesn’t have a governor. In other words she gets on stage and she says what’s on her mind without thinking about it, without being too much of a politician.

JACKSON: She is a pretty transparent as a performer. I just think that with her it’s about really picking the right songs. I mean, people have been comparing her to like the new Carly Simon folk movement. She’s just staying in that area to me. Anything outside of there is weird.

COWELL: I totally agree. Carly Simon - she’s great. Her problem is the last two weeks she’s been boring.

SEACREST: Do you think she has the skill set though to make it into the final three or four?

COWELL: With song choice, yes. She needs drama.

David Archuleta: The one to beat

JACKSON: I think David is really, really talented. He’s also ones of the ones to beat. I think his big thing though is he started out with a big splash. It’s about picking the right song…

SEACREST: I think he was right up here at the top of the crop and it’s hard to maintain that each and every week. That’s his challenge I think.

ABDUL: He’s been doing this for a long time. You know, when we were on the road I kept referring to him as the 16-year-old savant. He really has that presence. He knows who he is.

COWELL: He’s the one to beat, Larry. He really is.

KING: Not David Cook?

COWELL: You know, this guy is going to have the teen vote. He’s going to have what I call the granny votes. The kids love him.

Kristy Lee Cook: not a chance, but could get a recording contract

COWELL: The odds of her winning are one million to one.

JACKSON: Yes, I don’t think she’ll win but I think she definitely could have a recording contract somewhere down the road. She’d definitely make a good country girl.

ABDUL: And young girls really, really –

KING: Why are the odds so heavy, Simon?

COWELL: She has no chance of winning, Larry. I honestly — the trouble is, I mean, she does sound okay doing country music. She’s just not a great country singer, that’s the problem. It’s all about being invisible and forgettable.

Jason Castro: too laid back

JACKSON: I never said he’s going to win. He’s one of those guys that’s a singer/songwriter in the bar and you hear him and go oh, it’s a nice song. I like it. [Ryan points out that this is different from what Randy said on the show about Jason and Simon says that Ryan actually has a point.]

COWELL: I think this guy is all about song choice. When he same the Jeff Buckley (ph) song “Hallelujah” he was really good. The trouble is he turns up every week and he looks like he doesn’t care.

JACKSON: The thing is that that song “Hallelujah” is such an amazing song.

ABDUL: I think his whole demeanor is like the laid back type.

Syesha Mercado: Great voice, more of an actress/singer

JACKSON: With her I feel more like I’m looking at an actress singer as opposed to just a singer.

JACKSON: I feel that’s probably going to be her thing.

KING: Well, she’s done a lot of theater…

JACKSON: Yes, I think it’s going to be more of her thing.

COWELL: Yes, you’re right.

JACKSON: She’s got a great voice.

ABDUL: I think she has a pretty, beautiful voice.

The AI judges took phoned in and e-mailed questions and were asked who was their favorite winner of all the previous seasons. Simon said Kelly Clarkson and everyone agreed.

Simon said there are at least two more seasons of the show coming up, but that he gets bored and hates the auditions. He said that the show “could last a long time” past this, and that “hopefully people don’t get too bored with us.”

As for who will get eliminated on Thursday, they all agreed that it would be Syesha or Kristy Lee Cook. Randy said he would easily give Kristy Lee a recording contract, so there will probably be another chance or two for her.

Here are the videos:
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 1
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 2
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 3
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 4
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 5
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 6
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 7
American Idol judges on Larry King Part 8

American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who once told a contestant that he would make a better drag queen than an Idol, and called another contestant’s singing “diabolical,” (he was actually correct about that one, mean though he was) may have a heart after all, underneath those boring black sweaters and man-boobs. The Brit participated in “Oprah’s Big Give,” a reality/game show that is giving that other ABC tearjerker reality show, “Extreme Home Makeovers,” a run for its money. Cowell donated $162,000 to a family who fell into a financial crisis after their daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

Simon Cowell may not be so mean after all.

The American Idol judge, 48, gave the family of a cancer-stricken 3-year-old $162,000 to pay off their mortgage, he announced on Oprah Winfrey’s Big Give show on Monday.

The family drives more than 100 miles from their Minnesota home every day so their daughter, Madelaine, can receive treatments.

“It’s a very basic story of a normal family whose daughter got very ill, and they had some financial problems which was relatively easy for me to sort out,” Cowell explained to Extra.

On the show, he told Winfrey that he “credits her” for teaching him to be a do-gooder.

Said Cowell, “I never knew that doing good could feel so good.”

[From Us Weekly]

I think Oprah should recruit some more notorious meanies for this show. It would be like “The Grinch,” week after week. Too bad Leona Helmsley is dead. Anyway, good for Simon for finally understanding that there are other people less fortunate on the planet than himself. But that doesn’t mean I want to see “Nice Simon” on American Idol. Somebody has to tell these people that they suck!

Note by Celebitchy: Here’s the clip from Oprah. It made me cry so hard to see what this family and little girl are going through.

“American Idol” front runner David Archuleta, who just turned 17, has been praised up and down for his singing and performance abilities since the show began. The young musical prodigy also won a round of “Star Search” when he was only 12 years old. But now, sources say the reason David might be so perfect is that he lives in fear of his dad.

David may seem like an innocent sweet songstress from Heaven, but our inside source says he has a calculating, overbearing, stage dad from HELL! We still endorse him wholeheartedly but, we wanted to share a story from our inside Star Search source, when he won round 1 at the age of 12. According to our reliable source his father was BANNED from the set.

[From LA RagMag]

This past week, the show’s theme was “The Lennon/McCartney Songbook.” While most of the contestants were giddy at the prospect of singing Beatles songs, Archuleta confessed that he struggled with the theme, and on the night of the live broadcast, he flubbed the lyrics to “We Can Work it Out.” Backstage sources say that the teen was under intense pressure from his father, who gives him critiques after every performance.

Was there more than just nerves behind 17-year-old DAVID ARCHULETA’s shaky performance on last night’s “American Idol”?

The early favorite was definitely off his game and even forgot several lines during his version of THE BEATLES’ “We Can Work It Out.” Sources are telling ET the singer may be feeling the pressure from his “stage father” JEFF ARCHULETA, who reportedly yelled at David during a recording session Monday. Sources say Dad wasn’t happy with his son’s singing — and even brought him to tears. Neither Jeff nor reps for “American Idol” would comment on the alleged incident.

[From ET Online]

I hope this isn’t true. David seems like a good kid and he’s incredibly talented. It makes me sad to see parents who live vicariously through their kids (yes, Dina Lohan, I’m looking at you), to the point that they try to take over their kids’ lives. This should be the most exciting time in young David’s life– being on TV, singing on one of the most popular shows in the country. But it sounds like he’s being made miserable- by his own dad.