Never before on "American Idol" have I seen a contestant look more like they were ready to leave than Jason Castro. Obviously, everybody else noticed it too.

 

So, it was no surprise when on a conference call with reporters this morning the first question out of the gate was, "did you forget your lyrics on purpose?" It's something Simon Cowell pondered after the show on Tuesday night. This would have been my question too but I didn’t dial in quick enough. So, someone else got to ask it. What was Jason going to say though; especially with a slew of "American Idol" people sitting they’re with him? Would he admit it? I was pretty convinced he did forget them on purpose. However, Jason surprised me when he told reporters that up until last night he was still in it to win it, saying,

 

“I definitely did not do that on purpose. I couldn’t believe I forgot such a popular line, you know, something that is like written on your soul. Somehow it slipped my mind.”

 

On the opposite coin though, Jason said he was ready to leave last night because, unfortunately, with his lack of performing experience, he couldn't handle the pressure,

 

"I think what it came to down to was just my inexperience. Once we doubled up on songs I wasn't really able to focus. My mind was just split and I couldn’t deliver either / or." 

ABC promises that next Monday night's episode of "The Bachelor: London Calling" will be "the most romantic finale ever"! Of course, they also consistently make these annoying proclamations about it being the "most ever" something in practically every episode. So, 'Don't believe the hype,' is what I'm saying here people.

 

However, it has been revealed that the 27-year-old British "Bachelor," Matt Grant, will propose to one of the final two remaining ladies - which include 24-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep Chelsea Wanstrath and 22-year-old actress Shayne Llamas (daughter of Lorenzo Llamas). I'm sure ABC wanted us to know their would be a proposal since last season's Bachelor, Brad Womack, brutally dumped both his babes at the end of the show. 

 

This morning, on a conference call with reporters, I had the chance to personally grill Matt about his engagement. Apparently, some tabloids have been reporting that he proposes to one of the ladies (I think Shayne) so he can marry his way into becoming a U.S. citizen. I hadn't read these reports at all though, when I jokingly asked Matt if he was proposing to get himself a green card.  After a hearty laugh Matt launched into a rant against the tabloids,

 

"That was the most farcical rubbish I have ever read in my life. I took real offense to that because they were calling me a fraudster. I thought in the U.K. you could sue people for that because of defamation of character, but hey, I think that’s part of the process of being in Hollywood isn’t it? Even if I'm here for a limited time."

 

I also took him to task by asking if he felt it was proper to propose to someone when he has admitted he was in love with two women. Shouldn't the person you ultimately pledge to spend the rest of your life with be someone you are in love with 100 percent?  

This week the final four "American Idol" contestants Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, David Cook and David Archuleta will select and sing a song from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”; a permanent exhibit showcased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.  

 

What better place to get in the rock and roll mindset than Las Vegas. No they were not out partying like rock stars til the wee hours of the morning like most folks do in Vegas. The four contestants traveled this weekend to Sin City looking for a little love and found it at the Beatles Love show at the Mirage Hotel. Access Hollywood had a camera at the Mirage and before the Cirque Du Soleil show spoke to the contestants. 

 

When asked what he thought his chances of becoming the winner of Season Seven, David Cook gave a typical politically correct "Idol" friendly answer.

 

"The only answer that I can come up with is that I have a 25 percent chance of winning 'American Idol.' There is three performances left and I think we are all in it to win it. So, it is anybody’s game," he said.

Well, things went down at "American Idol" last night exactly as I thought they would. The lovely, and once very talented (but lost her confidence), Brooke White was sent home. I knew it would happen not because her guitar playing, kitschy performance of "I'm A Believer" was so awful, but because Access Hollywood was at a viewing party for her Tuesday night. 

 

If you are paying attention, this is now the third time this season we have covered a viewing party and the person was eliminated the next night. This is also if you are counting the eighth time this has happened during an ‘Idol’ season. This time, the viewing party was held at a furniture store in Van Nuys where Brooke lives. The newly opened "Living Spaces" hosted the party so her friends and family could watch her on multiple big screen TVs. It would have made a great story on our show, but unfortunately, Paula's lunatic behavior hugely diminished the air time for the party. If you blinked, you missed it in our show last night. There were about 100 to 150 in attendance and clearly our presence must have thrown off their texting and dialing capabilities. Or maybe they just all got caught up in re-decorating their houses once they were inside a furniture store?

 

This morning on a conference call, Brooke told reporters she got a phone this morning from her Idol, Carly Simon.

 

"She was incredibly supportive, very generous in her comments. It actually really boosted my spirits. It kind of gave me a motivation and a hope to keep going in the direction that I am." 

 

I was at the Idol taping last night and from far away, Natasha Bedingfield and Brooke looked like twins. They even forget their lyrics the same. Yes, even the professionals do it sometimes!

 

 

I'm not going to sit here and defend Paula Abdul because we all know she is strange, to say the least. However, in all the years I have been covering "American Idol" and attending the tapings, none was more frenetic than last night. 

 

There were several factors contributing to the chaos that was last night. First, it was a Top 5 show, where for the first time this season the contestants would be singing two songs. The show was in a huge time crunch because besides the two songs they also had to show the Neil Diamond mentor packages.

 

Second, they have never allowed contestants to use instruments on this show before this season. So, during commercial breaks and the taped segments stagehands were frantically moving equipment in and out. There were several times when Ryan was standing with the contestant giving out the phone numbers while other contestants were being ushered on stage beside them.  

 

Third - and most important in the Paula situation - was that they have never in the history of the show asked the judges to hold their critiques. The judges also clearly did not know this "twist" was happening. As soon as Ryan made this announcement, the judges leaned into each other to discuss this new wrench in the plan. According to Paula on KIIS-FM this morning, they had decided at that moment they need a notepad and a pen. 

Yes. It happened again.  The week that Access Hollywood covers a viewing party for one of the "American Idol" contestants, that person has been voted off!  Sorry, Carly Smithson.

 

OK, maybe it’s a coincidence more than a "curse," but this is the second time this season it's happened. In Top 10 week we held a huge party for rocker nurse Amanda Overmyer in her hometown - and bam she was voted off that week!  I've talked about this "curse" before during past "Idol" seasons as this also happened to Ace Young, LaKisha Jones and Matt Rogers.  

 

Although, truthfully, no offense to Carly, but this viewing party for her was really lame. Our producer Celeste and I had met one of Carly's friends at the Top 12 party. She gave Celeste a call and told her she was gathering together people for a party at the Key Club in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The Key Club is this huge dance club on Sunset Blvd that gets packed. So, we sent a crew over thinking it would be a great event and our poor producer Rebecca was horrified when she arrived to find only 19 people - and only two of them knew Carly personally! At Amanda's she had over 100!  

I'm having a small mental meltdown this morning after frying my brain cells while staying up to watch "The Bachelor: London Calling." Why am I still watching this show? I think I need an intervention. For some reason, I can't look away. It's train wreck TV, at its best.

Last night was the hometown dates with the final four. Bachelor Matt gets a chance to meet the families of each of the women he is still interested in:  Shayne, Amanda, Noelle and Chelsea. I bought into all those promos last week hyping the fact that bachelorette candidate, Amanda's, mother was going to pull a full on cougar on Matt Grant and pounce. At one point they show her rubbing his chest and then actually going in for a kiss - just as her husband walks out and catches them in the act! Now this was reality TV at its juiciest, the type of stuff a producer dreams about while taping. I couldn't wait to see it. You can't make this stuff up. 

 

Except, apparently, you can because it was all BS!!!!!!!  Amanda had hired actors to pretend they were her parents and have his mom hit on Matt. The ridiculous shenanigans were revealed last night. Amanda (Oh, and let's really be honest… we know the producers made her do it) wanted to play a trick on Matt because he told her he loves pranks. The whole thing was BOGUS!  I'm pissed. How dare they toy with my delicate emotions!  

So, it turns out our little country gal has been hiding a secret for the past month.  This morning in a conference call with reporters Kristy revealed that she and her boyfriend Andy got engaged on March 15th and in the strangest of places - a sauna.  

 

Andy came over to visit his lady at the top-secret apartment complex where the Idol contestants live.  Kristy said since it's tough to get any alone time, without the prying eyes of bodyguards, they headed into the apartment's workout room.  Since people were in the gym she and Andy headed into the sauna for some privacy.  Fortunately, the sauna was turned off so the only heat coming from it was their own.  Kristy said yes to Andy's proposal even though he didn’t get down on one knee.

 

Last night on Fox Reality Channel's "American Idol Extra" though Andy got his chance and did go on bended knee for his future bride asking,

 

"Kristy Lee Cook will you marry me." 

 

She of course said, "yes."

 

 

 

 I gave up my ticket for "American Idol" last night for a chance to attend "The Biggest Loser" finale.  If you are not watching this show then you need to be! It's by far the best reality show out there right now.  Considering how overweight our nation is this is a show to be proud of on our American airwaves. 
 

These contestants lives have not only been changed drastically by this show but quite possibly their lives have been saved.  Most notably Curtis Bray who came to the "The Biggest Loser" ranch at a whopping 381pounds. He had lost his health insurance for himself and his family and would not qualify unless he weighed a maximum of 238 pounds.  After losing 150 pounds with the help of the show, his current weight right now is 231!     

 

I've never been more excited to attend a TV taping.  I've only ever met the contestants once (before they started the show) but even barely knowing them last night I felt like a proud sister watching her siblings.  It was such an incredible feeling sitting in the audience.  It really truly was not about the money for these people.  What mattered was the number on the scale and what they were able to accomplish.  Unlike the backstabbing and conniving that goes on in shows like "The Bachelor", "Survivor" or "Big Brother", when a contestant is eliminated there are genuine tears and remorse from their competition because they have sent home a friend, confidant and motivator.  

 

The second I walked into the taping, my boyfriend and I did a lap around the studio and wound up running right smack into Ali, Mark and Roger backstage.  I actually had a moment of star struckness.  Ok, make that reality star struckness.  Standing there in his jeans and black jacket, Roger was a hottie all of a sudden! Both he and Mark are barely recognizable as the men I met in October. Ali looked absolutely incredible in a tight fitting black dress.  If you saw this girl walking down the street you would never know she used to be 234 pounds. She looked like a world-class gymnast with these crazy muscular arms.  I knew right then she was going to win this thing.