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Idol Breaking News: The Antonella Scandal Heats Up, Jon Bon Jovi sets the record straight, Gwen Stefani and J-Lo react and Nigel's biggest secret yet!
It's been a busy few days for me on the Idol front. So, let's get right to it. Last night I spoke to Jon Bon Jovi at the Vanity Fair Post Oscar party. On Thursday night's Idol it was announced that he would be coming on as a guest mentor this season. Well, as it turns out it's not just Jon who is coming. It's Bon Jovi the group that will be on the show. Jon seemed a bit annoyed that Idol failed to mention this fact. You'll recall that Seacrest just read Jon's name with a photo of just him, " I know, I know, I know but it is the band. The first night they will play our songs and the second night we will come on and sing our new single."
Here's the clincher though, Jon has NEVER even watched AMERICAN IDOL, "I'm aware of it obviously and a lot of the guys have played our songs over the show over the years and they said you really got to do this show and I said ok. So we are going to do Idol." He did laugh when I jokingly started describing the show and who Simon Cowell was, "I just don't want them to talk bad about my singing abilities!"
Gwen Stefani was also at the party last night with her husband, Gavin Rossdale, but declined to stop for interviews. I did shout out asking if she was excited to be performing on AMERICAN IDOL and she yelled back, "Yes I am!"
According to the show's Executive Producer, Nigel Lythgoe, Gwen is over the moon about her appearance and cannot wait to start mentoring the kids, "Gwen's desperate to talk with the kids. She knows, she has come up through the ranks and she knows that when you are in the top -- I think she is coaching the Top ten, nine of them will not be the American Idol. She wants to say 'Look you nine, whoever you are, don't give up the business. There is only going to be one Idol but the rest of you are going to do well."
According to Nigel, the contestants will not be singing just Gwen Stefani songs they will be able to sing songs that have inspired her.
As for why the show chose to put the information out there, Nigel tells me it was a combination of squashing all the internet gossip and the fact that the record labels wanted the information out there, "Too many rumors obviously but it also takes the pressure off of us because they want to tell people that they're gonna be on the show. It's really important that we can sort of help each other because we are asking them to come on the show and teach our kids how to sing your songs."
Nigel continued to deny that Michael Jackson would be coming on Idol this season but says there is one more secret left to tell that they will be releasing this week. I tried to get some hints but he was not budging. This is "the big one" that he spoke about to TV Week last week. Many folks thought that the announcement about the Idol Camp was the biggie but Nigel hadn't even heard about that.
Jennifer Lopez was glowing last night on the red carpet about her upcoming appearance on April 11th, "It's an incredible honor to be asked on AMERICAN IDOL. It's nice. I look forward to it. I'll get to work with the contestants and talk with them and tell them what it's like out here in the jungle. I'll just tell them to, when you love something it's easy to do and you just have to keep your head up and not listen to all the outside stuff. Keep it right in here. That's what me and Marc do and that's kind of our philosophy."
As for dealing with snarky Simon, Jennifer says she will tell the contestants, "Keep your chin up. Keep your chin up. Everybody loves a fighter!"
Um, Jennifer, actually that is not true. In fact, Simon has been much testier this year than usual and there is a reason for that according to Nigel, "He is extremely passionate. He has been extremely successful as a recording executive. When you get people arguing back it starts to annoy you after awhile because you go 'Look I'm successful at what I do so I know what I'm talking about.' Of course he is not infallible. He got it wrong with Taylor but his integrity remains intact because that's his opinion. And, at the same time America isn't really buying Taylor's record at the moment. They're buying Daughtry, who was supported by Simon and they're buying McPhee who was supported by Simon."
Finally, a story I reported last week is getting even more scandalous. Turns out those racy photos of Antonella Barba on the internet were only scratching the surface. Even racier photos have surfaced showing her in suggestive poses with other women and posing half naked in a fountain. No one yet knows who leaked the scantily clad photos which may or may not be hurting Antonella's chances on Idol. There are rumors that an ex-boyfriend may be the culprit. Obviously that would be a bitter, angry ex-boyfriend if this is the case. There are also photos out there that involve someone performing oral sex that whomever leaked them is claiming is Antonella. It's being hotly debated all over the internet whether or not they are actually are her. The folks at votefortheworst.com claim they have received proof that the photos are not of Antonella via an anonymous source. Its pretty good proof. I feel this story is just heating up. I still haven't gotten anyone on my show to care yet and I believe all the other entertainment shows have steered clear of it as well. I promise you it will make the national shows soon. Just seconds after I wrote this Billy Bush came and asked me about the photos. It's definitely getting around, however I will not be posting any of this stuff here. It's a family show you know.
Oh, and If you want to know how I feel about former Idol, Jennifer Hudson, winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar read my live from the Red Carpet and Vanity Fair party blogs. You'll get the picture.
Check back for more Idol news this week.
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