So, this morning on a conference call, "The Bachelor" creator Mike Fleiss was asked by someone if the show is set up to hurt people. I think his response to this question says everything we need to know about this show.

"It's set up to help people find each other," Fleiss began to explain.

Then the zinger.

By far this week had the most talented group of Top 36 performers. It's tough to call just which three will be voted through. For once, I have nothing mean to say about anyone's clothes!

 

Von Smith - He started off the show off on a high note. He sounded a bit rough off the top in the lower range but then he sounded great. If the little girls loved Kris Allen, I think they will enjoy look-alike Von.

 

Taylor Vaifanua - It's never good if you start crying at the end of your own performance before the judges give you a critique. It's good news for Ryan Seacrest though that she won't be making it into the top 12 since she towers over him!

 

Alex Wagner-Trugman - The voice definitely does not match the body. Cute kid. Cute personality. I thought he was entertaining. The judges ripping him did not help his case. 

So this morning on my way into work I hear "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison on the radio bashing Us Weekly and Access Hollywood for leaking the Molly/Melissa finale switcheroo. When he says Access Hollywood he specifically means ME because we have never done the story on our show. It's only ever been as part of my blog on our Web site.
 

Chris questioned how we could dare ruin the ending for the fans. Well, after receiving the ratings news this morning for the finale, I can honestly say I have zero guilt about this and have just one thing to say to Chris Harrison - "You're Welcome."

 

Thanks to this little scandal that Reality Steve started and I followed up on, "The Bachelor" saw a jump in viewers. A huge jump!!! Seven million extra viewers tuned in for the "After the Final Rose" episode.

Sad. Just sad - Yet brilliantly, fantastic, pathetic, horrifying TV. That is what I have to say about this "Bachelor" train wreck. At first, I thought maybe I would long for the days of when "the happy couple" (as ABC likes to call them) would pretend they were still together and then "break up" a few months after the finale aired and we would read about it in a magazine. This, however, is even better. C'mon... you have to admit it's good television. We have all gone through breakups and they sure do seem to go a lot like this one.

The fact that Jason and Melissa would allow anyone to film their breakup on national television is beyond ridiculous but yet when have we seen something so genuine out of this show ever? Melissa sitting their all pissed off not looking at him. Jason looking like a sad, guilty puppy. Been there. Done that.

My favorite moment besides when Melissa called him a "bastard" was when she told Jason, "Don't call me. Don't text me anymore. Leave me alone please."  Who in a breakup hasn't said words like that?

Last week season seven "American Idol" contestant Brooke White performed her new single on the show and had one piece of advice for the new season eight contestants. Don't Google yourself!

 

Well, on Friday when I met up with the next three Top 12 Idols - Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta, Adam admitted to me he just couldn't help himself, "I have Googled myself. It's like market research. I don't take anything too seriously but I just think it's interesting to see the public perception. It's a part of our job, I think."

 

So, what has he discovered about how he is being perceived? Mixed reviews he says, "It's a mixed bag. So we'll see but I have only sung for them twice."

 

"It's a fine line because, obviously, you don't want it to affect you in a negative way. You just kind of have to put your force field up and take it with a grain of salt."

 

And hey, I take everything with a dish of salt, Adam, but that's just me!

 

"Women are like crock pots. They heat up very slowly to get to a simmer. Men are microwaves. A to Z. Boom!"

-- Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker"

Matchmaker Patti Stanger to the cameras when one of her male clients tries to move to fast on a first date.

#9 - "Everything's gone cocoa for koo koo poops. Is that right?"

-- NBC's "30 Rock"

Elisa (Salma Hayek) mangling the famous line "koo koo for Cocoa Puffs" to Jack Donaghy (Alex Baldwin) while everyone is trying to leave the city due to the economic crisis.

See the rest of the top 10 inside!

So, if you haven't heard about all Jason Mesnick's "The Bachelor" drama and the big, shocking scandal over Melissa and Molly and the switcheroo then stop reading.
 
Spoilers galore are all over this posting!
 
I have a feeling anyone reading this already knows and has been discussing it for days. First, I want to say that I knew about the whole thing almost a month ago. The information came to me through a "Bachelor" source and I chose not to leak it. I think other magazines (in fact,I know one for sure) knew about it as well and they too chose to keep the information to themselves. Why? For me it was out of respect for the fans who dedicate a couple of months of their life to this show. Sure it's cheesy and most of the time the couples break up a few months after the finale but there is something so delightfully fun about trying to figure out who he picks. I just didn't want to ruin that for anyone. Now that it's out there in all the magazines this week, I'm coming forward with what I know. 

It's week two of the Top 36 performances. Let's break down the performances.

 

Well, first let's again start with the clothes. Ryan Seacrest looks like he should be teaching English at West Beverly High School, not hosting a national TV show seen by 25 million-plus viewers. Paula Abdul is rocking some cleavage tonight but the gray does mesh well with Simon Cowell's drab colored and super thin T-shirt. He's worried about the lighting on the set but not about wearing a sloppy looking shirt? I wonder what sport Randy Jackson lettered in for that sweater? I have no idea what Kara DioGuardi is wearing. All I see is hair.

 

Jasmine Murray - I zoned out. I hate that song. The radio overplayed it and Jasmine's less than stellar singing tonight made me like it even less.

 

Matt Giraud - Did we ever see this kid before tonight? I think if you had lack of airtime you should just put it right out there in the taped piece so I know. Is it just me or does this kid look just like Justin Timberlake? Maybe he should have chosen "Cry Me A River" instead of a Coldplay song.

Last week when they unveiled the new "American Idol Experience" at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida all seven "American Idol" winners were there. It was the first time all the winners had been on a stage together and "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller had a huge surprise for them. He and host Ryan Seacrest presented them with a newly designed silver trophy, shaped like a microphone, which from now on all Idol winners will receive at the show's finale as they are announced the winner.  

 

I caught up with season six champ Jordin Sparks at the premiere of the Jonas Brothers new 3D concert film where she was still overjoyed about the experience of meeting up with all the Idols.

 

"I had a blast," she told me, "I could not even believe that all the winners were there together. Because I watched the show since it started and they all influenced me to audition. So being up there I was like 'oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happening!'"