Strollerderby : American Idol

Morning News - Talk Show Host Waterboarded

Brett Singer — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Sean Hannity said he would do it but hasn't made good on that pledge. So Erich “Mancow” Muller stepped up and got the job done. Here's a video, which is not safe for work or anyone who feels that watching a wildly unpopular talk show host get waterboarded is an insult to their intelligence.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. The great thing about Republicans these days is that they are so tolerant. Case in point: Colin Powell, who felt the need to go on CBS' "Face The Nation" and tell everyone that yes, he is still a Republican. This depiste the fact that Dick Cheney recent said "My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican." And the lovely Mr. Rush Limbaugh, who says he would like the former Secretary of State to "close the loop and become a Democrat." An article from the AFP wonders if all of this "our way or the highway" stuff is going to be a turn off to anyone who might, gawd forbid, disagree with the Cheney/Limbaugh hive mind. Gee, ya think? On a personal note (shocking, I know) I would genuinely like to have a civil discussion with a person of the Republican persuasion so I can find out what the appeal is. Seriously. I know people who lean to the right politically and yet aren't braying maniacs like Limbaugh or "Mancow". So far I haven't worked up enough nerve to discuss politics with any of them. If someone wants to leave a comment about why they are a Republican, please do so. Understand that I'm not saying that all Republicans are kooks, just that the only ones that we hear from in the media seem to be on the kooky side.

Staying with politics for a moment, President Barack Obama is expected to announce his pick for the Supreme Court this week. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that unless he chooses, say, Dick Cheney, most Republican politicians will not be pleased with his choice. But hey, ya never know. I've been wrong before. (Like the time I said, "Hairspray" as a musical? No one wants to see that. Or when I suggested that Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman make a little film called "Ishtar." Only one of those statements is true. Guess which one!)

Moving on to the world of entertainment, Susan Boyle moved on in the "Britain's Got Talent" contest. She sang "Memory" from "Cats." Daring choice. (Meow.) Here's a video, which is safe for work but not safe for those who find the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber to be only slightly more pleasurable than fingernails on a chalkboard:

Speaking on TV talent contests, Queen might have a job for "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert. They'd like him to do their laundry. Kidding! He would be the lead singer. Everyone said he (Adam) was just like Freddie Mercury, right?

In movie news, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" beat out "Terminator Salvation" by about $10 million. When asked for a comment, Christian Bale said, "OHHH! GOOD FOR YOU!"

Last, but not least, today is Memorial Day. I couldn't find one story that I thought was "the one" to link to, so here's a bunch of them from Google News.

Women Switched at Birth Find Out 56 Years Later

More Babies Named After Sports Figure than President

13 Year Old Alfie Definitely Not A Dad

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 22nd

Whit Honea — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Gosselins are Good for a Gander

Katie Holmes Sets a Bad Example For Suri

Mormon Marie Osmond Supports Her Gay Daughter!

Stars Come Out For American Idol Finale: Brad Garrett and Kids Max and Hope

Barbara Walters To Interview John Edwards' Mistress Rielle Hunter!?

Bristol Palin and Son Tripp Cover People

Angelina Catches Brad and Jen Aniston Together!

Kate Gosselin Blogs Her Troubles Away

Matt Damon: Bourne to Be a Dad

Pregnant Lauren London & Lil Wayne Will Raise Baby Together!!!

Kelly Clarkson Looks Like She's Pregnant!

Caption This, Julia Roberts (or Don't)

Morning News: Idol, Terror, and Credit Cards

Amy Kuras — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:01:00 GMT

If you care about this, you already know, but Kris Allen was crowned the winner on “American Idol” last night. If you’re like me and like to look like you’re keeping up with the kids without actually having to subject yourself to American Idol, perhaps this helps.

In much more serious news, terror suspect Ahmen Ghalani will be sent to New York from Guantanamo Bay to face trial in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. President Obama is expected to announce the trial during an address today on Guantanamo and other security issues.

New York City Police and federal agents arrested four men who were plotting to bomb synagogues and other landmarks in the city. Police say there was little chance the men could have carried out the attacks, but still.

Also? California is coming apart, pretty much. It’s out of money and now looking at a constitutional convention.

Maybe they could put some cash on a credit card, because there are some new rules passed by Congress today that both keep credit card companies from hiking rates out of nowhere and let them spank you for paying your card off in full every month. And no more going after college kids to sign up for debt they will never be able to repay – those under 21 will have to prove they can pay back the money or that their parents will take on the debt if they can’t.

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 8th

Whit Honea — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Julia Roberts Shows Her Bikini Bod & Tattoo In Honor Of Her Kids (PHOTOS)

Jon & Kate - Jon Is Cheating -It's Been Confirmed - Photos

Elizabeth Edwards Has "No Idea" If John's The Baby Daddy

Jon Gosselin Tells EW Exclusively "I Did NOT Cheat!"

I'm Following You, Nicole Richie

Pregnant Heidi Klum Naked on Ellen - Video

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

'Idol' Winner David Cook Announces his Brother's Passing at 5K Race (VIDEO)

Matthew Fox Prepares to get UnLost with Family

Jenny McCarthy To Get Her Own Talk Show?

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Are Not Selfish

Kate Gosselin To Address Rumors About Jon?

Morning News - Specter Switches Sides

Brett Singer — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The big news yesterday was Arlen Specter making the switch from Republican to Democrat. The reason is partially about his Senate voting and political views, which often go against the Republican party line. Mostly, though, it's about the fact that he faces a tough Republican Primary fight because of that voting record, especially his recent support of President Obama's stimulus package. (Anyone else think that tbe phrase "stimulus package" sounds a little naughty? Like, if Jenna Jameson were to say it? Nevermind.) Democrats have pledged to support Specter as he runs for re-election, and the President will even fundraise with him if necessary. To me, this illustrates the problem with political parties. Why do we have them? I'm sure there's a reason, but I don't know what it is. Ross Perot may have been nuts, but a third party would be a good thing, wouldn't it? Anyway, with Specter's switch, this means that when/if Al Franken takes office, the Democrats would have 60 votes in the Senate, which is enough for a "filibuster-resistant majority" if they vote along party lines. Which brings me back to my point about parties being a bad thing. Even if you agree with the way things go on a party-line vote, it seems like the wrong way to go about doing things.

As for Al Franken, he's good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, the people of Minnesota voted for him. But Norm Coleman is still contesting the election. The case will be heard on June 1.

With swine flu running rampant, pig farmers are getting pinched. And by that I mean fewer people are buying pork. This in spite of the fact that, according to MSNBC, "the strain may not come entirely from pigs and cannot be spread by eating pork." Some piggy people want a new name for the disease other than "swine flu." Yeah. That'll happen. How about "the other influenza?" Nah, that sounds as dumb as "the other white meat" did.

Some good news and some bad news about the kiddie porn industry. A British watchdog group says that there are 10 percent fewer sites than before, but the images are "more violent." So... I don't know. I guess 10 percent fewer sites is nice.

OMG! American Idol! It's down to the final five! I, like, totally think Adam should win, don't you? OMG, yes!!! OK, that'll be enough of that.

Katherine Sebelius was confirmed as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, despite Republicans who objected to the fact that a doctor who performed abortions had contributed to her campaign. See, I thought abortion was legal in this country. Lucky for her, there's not a major health crisis in this country. Oh wait! Swine flu. My bad. Have fun, Kath!

Let's end with a weird one: a Serbian union official "chopped off his finger and ate it in a protest over wages that in some cases have not been paid in years." Zoran Bulatovic said that "he did it to show how desperate he and other workers were." Dude. That is both impressive and really, really disgusting.

Image: MSNBC

Morning News: Susan Boyle's Dream Just Might Come True

Swine Flu - Are You Worried About Your Kids?

12 Year Old Knocks Em Dead On Britain's Got Talent

Brett Singer — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Allow me to lapse into nitwit entertainment reporter speak for a moment:

Move over Susan Boyle! That's right, there's a new kid on Britain's Got Talent. And when I say kid – I really mean it. Shaheen Jafargholi is only 12 years old. But his performance of Michael Jackson's "Who's Loving You" knocked Simon's socks off.

"This is how one song can change your life," the typically cantankerous Cowell told the little Welsh boy. "And this may be the start of something special for you, young man."

OK, I'm back now. Wasn't that fun? If I looked like that guy from Sugar Ray, I could've been an on-camera entertainment nudnik. Ah well.

For those who don't know (or care), Susan Boyle was the woman who sang the heck out of a song from "Les Miserables" on Britain's Got Talent, which is basically American Idol but they call elevators "lifts" and stuff like that. The show features talents other than singing, but its the singing that seems to capture the most attention. (Personally I prefer Darth Jackson, a guy who moonwalks like Michael Jackson while dressed as Darth Vader. A somewhat limiting act, I suppose.)

So Shaheen is the latest to get the Brits all hopped up. Unlike Susan Boyle, he's had stage experience; according to WalesOnline, the boy "has been singing since the age of five and played a young Michael Jackson in stage musical Thriller Live. Appeared alongside Gary Lineker in a Walkers advert and had bit parts in Casualty and Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood." (For the record, the song that Shaheen sang was written by Smokey Robinson and was performed by the Jackson 5. It's hard to be specific when using nitwit entertainment reporter speak.)

Susan Boyle's youtube video has been viewed over 30 million times, whereas Shaheen's is still under 500,000. But that could change quickly.

Simon Cowell doesn''t like the embedding of these videos for some reason, so click here to watch Shaheen sing. There is one good moment of semi-drama where Simon stops the kid from singing his first number, something by Amy Winehouse. Then he moves on "Who's Loving You", getting a positive reaction. It does look somewhat staged, although I don't care enough to try and figure out if it is.

My one problem with all of this is that every time a kid has success like this, it inspires hundreds of parents to think that they can do the same with their children. Which they can't. Shaheen can really sing. If your kid can sing too, go for it. If not, don't put them on TV.

Then again, maybe they don't need to be on TV at all, no matter how well they sing.

There's a question: if you had a kid who could sing like this, would you push them to be in show business?

Image/Souce: CNN

UPDATE: Jamie Foxx Apologizes To Miley Cyrus

Does Madonna Spank Her Kids?

Parents Get Eyebrows Waxed For Jonas Brothers Tickets

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Morning News - iPhone Gets Feature Other Phones Already Have

Brett Singer — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Updating yesterday's Natasha Richardson story: an autopsy reveals that she died of bleeding in the brain and "she might have survived had she received immediate treatment." The thing is, people with this sort of injury typically feel fine at first. So sad.

NBC is launching a show to compete with "American Idol." Simon Cowell probably thinks this is a "horrible" idea. ("Horrible" is one of the words he uses a lot, right?) On "Idol", Alexis Grace went home. She was shocked. Shocked. Why are they always so surprised? I guess you have think you're a major talent to get on TV and sing like that but just once it'd be fun to hear someone say, "Yeah, I suck. It was only a matter of time before I got the boot."

Why is Steve Wozniak on "Dancing With The Stars"? Based on this quote from his website, I guess the reason is because people said he wouldn't be able to do it. I wonder if Apple fans will keep voting for him the way football fans did with Jerry Rice. Woz has definitely been keeping in touch with his audience, accusing "Dancing" producers of rigging the voting in order to goose the ratings, then apologizing, all via his Facebook page. If this keeps up, I might actually have to watch the show.

Speaking of Apple, the new iPhone software will include bleeding edge features like the copying and pasting of text. What's that, your phone has been able to do that for years? Mine too. The iPhone is nifty but certain omitted features prove that Steve Jobs could probably sell water to a drowning Apple fan if it had that logo on it. (Personally, until the iPhone has an actual keyboard, I won't even consider buying one.)

Financial news update: stocks tanked and it wasn't CNBC's fault. Are you happy, Jeff Zucker?

Austrian monster dad Josef Fritzl was sentenced to life in a psych hospital. Life in prison would be better, but even though he could be paroled in 15 years, it's not likely to happen. The speed of the trial was kind of impressive; in the U.S., these things seem to take a lot longer. I'm sure there's a reason for that but I don't know what it is.

And finally, there were a heck of a lot of babies born in 2007. Madeline points out that it wasn't Octomom's fault -- "she only gave birth to one baby that year."

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

Image: Woz.org

New Baby Boom

Morning News - March Madness or March Sadness?

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Jimmy Kimmel And The Octomom

Best of FameCrawler: Week of February 20th

Whit Honea — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Jade Goody in Her Wedding Dress - Photo

Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman Abuses Her Children?

Alfie,13, May NOT Be The Father, Will Take DNA Test!

Jack P. Shepherd Welcomes "Coronation Street" Baby No. 3

Nadya Suleman: I'm Not Obsessed With Angelina Jolie. But If You See Brad Pitt, Give Him My Number

American Idol: Single Mom Alexis Grace Makes It To the Top 12

Wanda Opalinska Welcomes "Coronation Street" Baby No. 4

Boy,13 Becomes Father, Sister Had Baby At 13 Too!

Lance Armstrong's Schedule is the Same as His Kids' Schedule

Jade Goody Goes Home To Spend Her Last Days With Family

Alllllvin! Everyone's Favorite Chipmunk is Fifty

JeanneSager — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:31:00 GMT

Who ever thought a trio of orphaned chipmunks with high-pitched squeaks would be the next boy band to make it big? Thanks to that (now very rich) somebody, we're about to spend a fiftieth year listening to Alvin, Simon and Theadore butcher, er, sing our favorite tunes. They've given up on the hula hoop. This year the iPod's the thing.

Ross Bagdasarian was having a hard time making the mortgage payments (and this is different because?) fifty years ago when he used a tape recorder to speed up the vocals on a song he'd just written and gave birth to pint-sized rodents with a knack for chirping out hits. I was too busy with a toddler to make it to the theater when Alvin and the Chipmunks hit the big screen last year, but it grossed $217 million in the states alone. Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakuel is expected to hit theaters next Christmas.

So what has given the little squeakers staying power for half a century? Ramin Setodeh compares the Alvin appeal to American Idol in a post on the online version of Newsweek. "Both trade in the allure of rags-to-riches insta-stardom," he says. And " Both acts are squeaky clean, family friendly and, to be honest, not very original."

That last little dig aside, I've got to agree. With their extra-long t-shirts and their boys will be boys get-into-trouble streak, they remind me of my little brother as a toddler tooling around the house and belting out the select words he could remember from the latest radio hit. They're short, fuzzy and they haven't lost that impish streak that makes every little kid want to be their friend. Fifty's been kind to the chipmunks, but the new version of their Christmas classic is packing the years on me - what's this about Alvin dumping his hula hoop hopes?

Image: Amazon

Boy Tells 'Your Mom' Joke, Boy Goes to Jail

Ten Songs You Never Want to Hear A Little Kid Singing

Happy Birthday Cookie Monster: C is Still For Cookie Thirty-Nine Years Later

Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

The Smurfs Turn 50

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Far be it from me to imply that Clay Aiken is anything less than muy macho. But, you know, there have been those nasty rumors, which led to threats of a lawsuit from his devoted fan base, who are known as the Claymates. (Really. They call themselves Claymates, and one of them tried to sue Clay over rumors that he was homosexual. Don't you feel normal now?) So perhaps -- and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, you know -- Clay's recent actions are fueled by a desire to "butch it up, Mary" as the saying goes.

First: he impregnates a woman. This is a clear sign of masculinity. I mean, try doing that if you're... you know, not manly. Well, it was artificial insemination, which means there was no actual physical contact. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that either. (Even if Aiken isn't the father, he could have been. Hey! Stop laughing!)

Second: when a ~~vulture~~ cameraperson from ~~the fiery pits of Hell~~ TMZ confronted him on the street, he pulled a Sean Penn and whacked the camera. In a very aggressive, manly way. Again, nothing wrong with that. (Video of the incident is below, or click here.)

One thing that I've always found interesting is what constitutes "manliness." Impregnating a woman means that your sperm is, you know, spermy. Strong swimmers, etc. But so what?

And punching someone, even if that someone is ~~being a dick~~ just doing their jobs, is more out of control than it is "macho." To be fair, Clay just kinda pushed the guy; more specifically, he pushed the camera. If he had ripped the dude's arms off and beaten him within an inch of his life, that would have been much more manly. (Not that we advocate such behavior. But it would definitely have been big news.)

So maybe it's possible that all of this "news" just happens to be coming out (no pun intended) around the time that Mr. Aiken has a new album out. Just a thought.

In closing, let me request that the phrase "Claby" (Clay + Baby) never, ever catch on. It's just... there is something wrong with that.

(TMZ.com screenshot)

other image: offoffBway.com

Breaking News: Clay may not be the father

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

Breaking News: Clay Aiken might not be the father

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Could the whole "Clay Aiken can impregnate a woman without even touching her" news be a big fat stinkin' lie? The Calgary Herald is reporting that "several people close to" babymama Jaymes Foster are denying claims (clayms? Nope, not going there) that Aiken is the daddy.

~~One Of The Signs Of The Apocalypse~~ TMZ first reported that Aiken had artificially inseminated Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster, going on to say that, "Clay is a lot more than sperm -- we're told he will have an active role in raising the child." The story was picked up by roughly 12 million media outlets. BUT one of the so-called sources is denying that he ever said Clay was the daddy-to-be, even asking People.com to retract their story. And B.J. Cook, David Foster's ex-wife and Jaymes Foster's ex-sister-in-law said, "Jaymes is definitely pregnant, that much is true...I can guarantee that it's not Clay Aiken's baby." (emphasis added.)

Of course, no one directly involved is talking to the press, including Clay, who is very busy punching cameras.

It must be pointed out that we have no knowledge of this incident, or alleged incident. Maybe Clay is on his way to fatherhood. Maybe not. Who the hell knows? Clearly this is the most important story of the decade. Well, other than the Sex and the City movie. (Election? What election?)

Aside #1: Foster went from "in her late 40's" to "50" in a matter of days -- I guess it is stressful being in the public eye. Here's a photo of the happy non-couple.

Aside #2: Even if this whole thing turns out to be bull, at least we'll always have the phrase "Clay is a lot more than sperm." Thank you ~~Satan~~ TMZ.

images: thehollywoodgossip.com, offoffBway.com

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

And some other news, in case you're curious:

Immigrant Gay Folks Face New Challenges

Political Nanny: Rules, Schmules, Numbers, Schmumbers

Mom Fights Church on Behalf of Autistic Son

Autistic boy voted out of kindergarten by classmates

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 30th

Whit Honea — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Angelina & Brad Name Their Twins!?

BREAKING NEWS: Angelina Jolie Gives Birth To Twins

BROKEN NEWS: Angelina Jolie, Do We Have Babies or What?

Your Mother Does WHAT?

Christina's At The top Of The List

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy!

Nicole Kidman - Tom Manipulates Our Children

Michelle Malkin Terrorizes Rachael Ray

Cindy Crawford Still Looks Awesome

Gavin Rossdale Says Strange Things About His Family

American Idol Contestant's father banned from backstage

Brett Singer — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

I don't watch American Idol, but if they showed more stuff like this maybe I would.

According to the Associated Press, David Archuleta's father has been banned from the show after having David add lyrics from a Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" to his son's rendition of "Stand by Me". By doing that, the show had to pay more money in royalties (because it's, like, two songs instead of one I guess.)

Archuleta's dad, Jeff, was warned not to do this, but did it anyway. I'm going to guess that he was being a pain in the butt in other ways as well, although I have no proof of this. USA Today says that Jeff had been "a strong presence behind the scenes," which is usually showbiz lingo for "really really annoying." Jeff Archuleta referred to himself in an US Weekly interview as a "music consultant" rather than a "stage dad." Like I said, no proof that he's difficult to deal with. Just a guess.

Idolator says that the ban guarantees victory for David. Sympathy vote and all that. On the other hand, if you look at other dads who get way too involved in their kids' careers (paging Joe Simpson), maybe the producers of the show did him a favor.

Here's the performance that got dad booted:

Hear that bit at the end? "Bee-yoo-tiful girls"? That was it. It really made the number for me. You too, right? Riiight.

Here's the interesting thing: David, one of the three finalists in the contest, is only 17. I don't know what the legalities of this sort of action are. Can American Idol tell someone who is under 18 that they have to navigate the waters of television on their own? Doesn't he have the right to have a legal guardian around him if he wants it? Some media outlets have suggested that Idol allow only those over 18 to compete; this would seem to support that argument.

image: MTV.com

Best of FameCrawler: Week of March 28

Whit Honea — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:15:00 GMT

Johnny Depp Has a Heart of Gold

More Hookers for Spitzer

Fergie Has A Bun In Her Oven

Jamie Lynn Spears And Casey Aldridge: ENGAGED

Michelle Williams' Family Squabble With Ledgers Over Heath's Will

'American Idol' Carly Smithson Pregnant?

Rapper Cavlar Killed

Victoria Beckham Makes Eva Longoria Look Pregnant

Suri? Suri? Where Is Suri Cruise?

Minnie Driver Needs a Huge Martini

Save Our Children from ESPN Highlights!

Gwynne Watkins — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:38:00 GMT

Today, the Babble editors received a story pitch that began like this:

Unapologetic topics of today’s mass media and pop culture has caused disrespectfulness, defiance and rejection of common courtesy to become the mainstream. Kids are growing up in a world of ESPN highlights and American Idol where it is acceptable to be rude and self-promoting. What kids are seeing on TV, the Internet and in magazines is leaving no room for strong character development and sense of self.

We’re amused by the idea of ESPN highlights and American Idol ruining our children. (Flash forward twenty years: “Before we incarcerate you for life, son, tell us; where did it all go wrong?” “Well, back in 2007, I watched Garret Anderson hit a grand slam for the Angels. And there was that time that Jordin sang “Livin’ on a Prayer.” That’s when I started disrespecting my parents…”) Then again, Elvis songs and talking pictures were once primed to ruin our children. It seems that blaming pop culture for kids’ problems never goes out of style.

Why Are Kids in TV Commercials so Horrid?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:21:00 GMT

Thank God TV doesn't represent real life (except American Idol of course). Otherwise, wives would be mindless cleaning drones, husbands would be clueless and obsessed with cars, and the children. The children!! They would be either freakishly cheerful with high voices only dogs can hear, or little terrors from Hell.

MSNBC has a piece highlighting some of television's brattiest commercial moments. This Viva paper towel commercial is one example (though honestly the poor kid seems more confused than naughty).

Any others to add?

Jordin Sparks Is Curvalicious. She Loves It and So Do We.

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:28:00 GMT

Jordin Sparks was not my top choice for the American Idol trophy. In fact, for me she came in third behind Melinda DoNoWrong and Beat Box Boy (come to mama with your Bon Jovi cover, sweetness). But when I read today that Jordin's professing her love for her own curves, she immediately got the It-Grrrl crown in the teen category from me.

Jordin's family says that the show upped her confidence and "made her realize she's as beautiful as she is." Jordin says the journey toward positive self-esteem has been long and challenging (or as long and challenging as any journey can be to a 17-year old), but that finding clothes that fit her size rather than trying to fit into an impossibly bitty size helped her begin to feel better about her body and herself. And, of course, belting it out on stage was a boost as well.

In light of all the young, wasting-away, Starbucks-sucking, cigarette-dieting, self-destructing celebrities who have their ribs and thigh-space photos plastered everywhere, Jordin melted my heart a little with this moment of optimistic, embracing self-love: "I'm really comfortable in my own skin. I learned that I'm not ever going to be a size 2. I would look so weird as a size 2. Somebody would blow and I would fall right over. It just wouldn't be healthy."

And all the real women in the house say, Amen, sister. Amen.

[photo credit: Frank Micelotta / American Idol / Getty via People]

Antonella Barba: Where Were the Parents?

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:29:00 GMT

By now, New Jersey's own "Antonella Barba" is a household name. At least it is in my house where my husband shouting "Jersey's in da house!" indicates that he's come across yet another porny photo of "Nelly" doing something stooopid. In case you don't know, Antonella Barba is a finalist on this season's American Idol. She can't sing worth a lick, but she's pretty. You know how it goes.

She tried out for Idol with her best friend who got cut, but in the true spirit of friendship said that Barba would "represent New Jersey in a classy way." I guess if her definition of classy means being photographed half-naked on a toilet, pantiless perched on a war memorial fountain, topless on a beach, or naked, giving a hummer to a guy with a shaved crotch then she's going overboard with the classy. (You can Google the pics yourself.)

What I want to know is: where were the parents? Mir has written them an open letter pretty much hitting the nail on the head. Mr. and Mrs. Barba, you've done your daughter a disservice if you didn't teach her that letting her boyfriend photograph her naked will certainly come back to haunt her, but you've flat out failed the poor girl by allowing her to believe that men with carefully trimmed pubic hair are to be trusted.

"American Idol" Summer Camp For Kids! Yesss!

Karen Murphy — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:51:00 GMT

I will admit, I do not watch "American Idol". But I have watched it, obsessively even, and knowing how easy it is to get sucked into the addictiveness of a show like that, and knowing too how many hours there are in my week, there are some things I just have to stay away from. But! I can live vicariously through my kids, right? So beginning this summer, there's going to be a series of "American Idol" summer camp sessions for kids ages 12-15 with surprise guest celebrity appearances, all for the (cough) paltry sum of $2900! But hey, your kid is worth it, right?

Auditions won't be required, and Simon, Paula, and Randy won't be judging the kids. I know. I'm disappointed too.