American Idol

FOX reportedly considering an ‘American Idol’ All-Stars judging panel via Rickey.org Credit: FOX After a season mired in controversy and low-ratings, FOX is looking at a complete overhaul of what is still one of its most profitable series. In particular, American Idol is looking into a restructuring of its judging panel, following the confirmed departure of Randy Jackson, and the near-certain departures of Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban. The solution? A judging panel of former American Idols. FOX and the production companies behind the singing competition series are reportedly giving serious consideration to the idea of filling at least one, if not all four, spots on the show’s judging panel to a former Idol contestant. According to two inside sources, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson have already been approached, while Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken are also under consideration. Granted, these talks are still in very preliminary stages, and nothing is set in stone. The network is merely exploring its options at the moment. FOX and Fremantle Media have a considerable amount of time to make up their minds regarding the panel for season 13: the panel for season 12 wasn’t officially unveiled until mid-September of 2012. FOX publicity declined to comment, though the idea is certainly an inspired bit of stunt casting, a way to get the show back to its roots while saving on the insane amounts of money spent on stars like Minaj, Carey and Urban, who netted non-existent returns. In addition, utilizing successful former contestants will allow the show to illustrate just what’s possible through the Idol launching platform. Superstar alums are pretty much the only card Idol has to play against its more successful rival, The Voice, which is spanking Idol in nearly every other category. This All-Star judging panel could give the show the kick it needs to re-establish itself as one of TV’s most compelling reality competitions. I certainly love the idea. But what do you think? What other former Idols would you like to see on the panel? Sound off in the comments! Via: Vulture The Voice • American Idol • The X Factor

Kate Middleton to make official birth announcement online via Rickey.org Credit: Getty Images In case you had any doubts about just what kind of hold social media has on all subjects, both high and low, Kate Middleton will now be announcing the birth of her child online. The Duchess of Cambridge, 31, will be bucking tradition, in many respects. When her husband, Prince William, was born in 1982, the note announcing the birth of the Prince was posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace. The news will post to the Clarence House website, which will be linked to Twitter, assuring that the news posts to the social media giant before Buckingham Palace even knows for sure. Of course, a notice will still be posted on the Palace Gates — just expect the news to already be trending by then. Via: Now Magazine UK The Voice • American Idol • The X Factor

Forbes releases 2013 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women via Rickey.org German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Credit: Getty Images) Forbes has released its 2013 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel took the top spot as one of only two European women to make the top 10. Brazilian President Rousseff and philanthropist Melinda Gates took second and third, respectively. Current First Lady Michelle Obama climbed three spots from last year to reach the fourth spot, while former First Lady Hillary Clinton remained in the top 5, despite no longer being the US Secretary of State. The list also featured a number of well-known celebrities/philanthropists/entrepreneurs, including Beyonce Knowles, Angelina Jolie, Ellen DeGeneres and Lady Gaga. Colombia was also well-represented, with actress Sophia Vergara and musician Shakira scoring a place on the elite list. Meanwhile, things were a little less sunny for the UK, as The Queen dropped from #26 last year to #40 on this year’s list. Meanwhile, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling dropped just as far, from 78 to 93. However, making this list is nothing to scoff at. Check out the full list below via Forbes: 1. Angela Merkel Chancellor, Germany 2. Dilma Rousseff President, Brazil 3. Melinda Gates Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United States 4. Michelle Obama First Lady, United States 5. Hillary Clinton Politician/Philanthropist, United States 6. Sheryl Sandberg COO, Facebook, United States 7. Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, France 8. Janet Napolitano Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, United States 9. Sonia Gandhi President, Indian National Congress, India 10. Indra Nooyi CEO, PepsiCo, United States 11. Geun-hye Park President, South Korea 12. Virginia Rometty CEO, IBM, United States 13. Oprah Winfrey Entrepreneur, Personality, United States 14. Ursula Burns Chairman and CEO, Xerox, United States 15. Meg Whitman CEO, Hewlett-Packard, United States 16. Georgina Rinehart Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting, Australia 17. Beyonce Knowles Actress, Entrepreneur, Musician, United States 18. Maria das Graças Silva Foster CEO, Petrobras, Brazil 19. Jill Abramson Executive Editor, New York Times Co., United States 20. Irene Rosenfeld CEO, Mondelez International, United States 21. Helen Clark Administrator, U.N. Development Programme, New Zealand 22. Nancy Pelosi Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, United States 23. Safra Catz CFO, Oracle, United States 24. Anne Sweeney Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, and President, Disney/ABC Television Group, United States 25. Kathleen Sebelius Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, United States 26. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner President, Argentina 27. Sheri McCoy CEO, Avon Products, United States 28. Julia Gillard Prime Minister, Australia 29. Aung San Suu Kyi Chair and Parliamentarian, National League for Democracy, Burma 30. Susan Wojcicki Senior Vice President, Google, United States 31. Yingluck Shinawatra Prime Minister, Thailand 32. Marissa Mayer CEO, Yahoo, United States 33. Margaret Chan Director-General, World Health Organization, China 34. Marillyn Hewson CEO, Lockheed Martin, United States 35. Mary Barra SVP, Global Product Development, General Motors, United States 36. Amy Pascal Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony, United States 37. Angelina Jolie Actress, Philanthropist, United States 38. Sofia Vergara Actress, Entrepreneur, Colombia 39. Laurene Powell Jobs & family Founder and Chair, Emerson Collective, United States 40. Queen Elizabeth II Monarch, United Kingdom 41. Anna Wintour Editor-in-Chief, Vogue, Conde Nast Publications, Inc., United States 42. Ellen Kullman Chairman and CEO, EI du Pont de Nemours, United States 43. Drew Gilpin Faust President, Harvard University, United States 44. Rosalind Brewer President and CEO, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart Stores, United States 45. Lady G

2013 Critics’ Choice TV Awards nominations – Full list via Rickey.org Credit: Broadcast Television Journalists Association It’s a big day for television. Not only does the 2012-2013 TV season officially end at 11:00 PM ET tonight (except for the few shows that got delayed, like NBC’s Revolution), but the TV Awards season begins in earnest, as the precursor awards building to the announcement of the Primetime Emmy nominations this summer are already underway. In particular, the nominations for the 2013 Critics’ Choice TV Awards have been unveiled. The nominees represent an eclectic mix of TV’s best incumbent programming, along with some of the more noteworthy new shows of the season. It’s almost impossible not to find a handful of choices to love in this lineup (the fact that Bunheads has successfully been nominated for something is enough to send me over the moon). The full list of nominees is below, via Gold Derby: Best Comedy Series “The Big Bang Theory” “Louie” “The Middle” “New Girl” “Parks and Recreation” “Veep” Best Comedy Actor Don Cheadle, “House of Lies” Louis C.K., “Louie” Jake Johnson, “New Girl” Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” Adam Scott, “Parks and Recreation” Jeremy Sisto, “Suburgatory” Best Comedy Actress Laura Dern, “Enlightened” Zooey Deschanel, “New Girl” Lena Dunham, “Girls” Sutton Foster, “Bunheads” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation” Best Comedy Supporting Actor Max Greenfield, “New Girl” Simon Helberg, “The Big Bang Theory” Alex Karpovsky, “Girls” Adam Pally, “Happy Endings” Chris Pratt, “Parks and Recreation” Danny Pudi, “Community” Best Comedy Supporting Actress Carly Chaikin, “Suburgatory” Kaley Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory” Sarah Hyland, “Modern Family” Melissa Rauch, “The Big Bang Theory” Eden Sher, “The Middle” Casey Wilson, “Happy Endings” Best Comedy Guest Performer Melissa Leo, “Louie” David Lynch, “Louie” Bob Newhart, “The Big Bang Theory” Patton Oswalt, “Parks and Recreation” Molly Shannon, “Enlightened” Patrick Wilson, “Girls” Best Drama Series “The Americans” “Breaking Bad” “Downton Abbey” “Game of Thrones” “The Good Wife” “Homeland” Best Drama Actor Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad” Damian Lewis, “Homeland” Andrew Lincoln, “The Walking Dead” Timothy Olyphant, “Justified” Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards” Best Drama Actress Claire Danes, “Homeland” Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel” Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife” Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black” Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men” Keri Russell, “The Americans” Best Drama Supporting Actor Jonathan Banks, “Breaking Bad” Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, “Game of Thrones” Michael Cudlitz, “Southland” Noah Emmerich, “The Americans” Walton Goggins, “Justified” Corey Stoll, “House of Cards” Best Drama Supporting Actress Jennifer Carpenter, “Dexter” Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones” Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad” Regina King, “Southland” Monica Potter, “Parenthood” Abigail Spencer, “Rectify” Best Drama Guest Performer Jim Beaver, “Justified” Jane Fonda, “The Newsroom” Martha Plimpton, “The Good Wife” Carrie Preston, “The Good Wife” Diana Rigg, “Game of Th

What’s On TV Tonight? – 5/22/2013 via Rickey.org Credit: ABC 8:00 PM ET The Middle [SEASON FINALE] (“The Graduation”) – Tension builds as Frankie tries to plan a graduation party for uncooperative Axl; Sue tries to get her driver’s license for a sixth time; Brick must assemble a slide show highlighting the past four years of school. (ABC) Dateline NBC – A woman takes matters into her own hand after being sexually assaulted by her husband. (NBC) MasterChef [SEASON PREMIERE] (“Auditions No. 1; Auditions No. 2″) – Home cooks present dishes to the judges. (FOX) Outrageous Acts of Science (“Homemade Heroes”) – Amateur and professional scientists conduct experiments and post their findings online. (Discovery) Breaking Amish: Brave New World – Secrets Revealed (“Shunned & on the Run”) – Filled with bonus features and facts; the group packs up and piles into an RV to head down to Fla. (TLC) 9:00 PM ET Modern Family [SEASON FINALE] (“Goodnight, Gracie”) – After Phil’s mother dies, everyone flies down to Florida; Gloria is faced with an outstanding arrest warrant; Jay runs into someone from his past. (ABC) Criminal Minds [SEASON FINALE] (“Brothers Hotchner”; “The Replicator”) – The Replicator goes after a member of the BAU team; during an investigation into a series of drug-related deaths in Manhattan, Hotch learns that his estranged brother, Sean, is caught in the middle. (CBS) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit [SEASON FINALE] (“Her Negotiation”) – The detectives uncover a shocking theory as they work to learn the identity of a man Rollins arrested for exposing himself in the park; Detective Benson finds herself in mortal danger. (NBC) Mythbusters (“Indy Car Special”) – The Mythbusters go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to test racing myths. (Discovery) Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy (“Larry Gets Lost in Space”) – Larry travels across New Mexico to Roswell; an amateur rocket scientist launches a bobblehead into the edge of space; a freaky and funny set of close encounters with the alien experts of Roswell. (History) Bomb Girls (“Romeo Foxtrot”) – Lorna takes up dancing and surprises both herself and the instructor; Kate and Ivan explore the terms of engagement; Betty learns what it means to date a soldier. (REELZ) 900 Pound Man: The Race Against Time – Ricky is one of the world’s fattest men who struggles for years trying to find a surgeon willing to take on his case. (TLC) 9:30 PM ET How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) (“How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life”) – Stress causes Max to eat everything in sight; Polly helps Julian navigate his feelings for his new girlfriend. (ABC) 10:00 PM ET NICK’S PICK Nashville [SEASON FINALE] (“I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive”) – Juliette finds a letter from her mother; Deacon confronts Rayna about a secret; Brad Paisley performs with Rayna and Deacon; Gunnar tries to win Scarlett’s heart back. (ABC) Chicago Fire [SEASON FINALE] (“A Hell of a Ride”) – The squad must help defuse a volatile situation at the jail; Shay continues to be hopeful about motherhood; Herrmann’s wife goes into labor; Mills and Dawson face important decisions. (NBC) Psych (“Nip and Suck It”) – Shawn and Gus suspect a plastic surgeon, who is a former flame of Henry’s, is guilty of murdering a patient. (USA) Million Dollar Listing: New York (“Bow Rooms and Broome Sticks”) – Luis gets the first townhouse of his young career, but is horrified to find that most of the décor is older than he is; Ryan deals with a picky senior citizen. (Bravo) Jodi Arias: Beyond the Headlines – The t

There has been a lot of talk about how to save American Idol after  a lackluster season of iffy talent, bickering judges and declining ratings. There has been the popular suggestion of new judges (which is going to happen). Some have said to ditch the results shows. Some have even suggesting letting the judges decide who goes home. But the best idea I’ve ever heard comes from Entertainment Weekly. Dalton Ross over there suggests a page from the Survivor handbook with a fans vs. favorites season and I LOVE that idea. Think about it, six of our favorite Idol “losers” competing against six newbies (just so we can continue the popular audition episodes? Wait, are those actually still popular? OK, another topic for another time. I mean think about it! Fan favorites back on the show competing for another shot! It could work, right!? So now that I’ve got this fun idea in my head, I want to pick some favorites to return. I’m not talking about people like Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert or Kellie Pickler who have done just fine without winning, but other fan favorites that might be able to use the publicity. My Idol Favorites Dream Team Tamyra Gray (1) Josh Gracin (2) Diana DeGarmo (3) Constantine Maroulis (4) Elliot Yamin (5) Mandisa (5) Melinda Doolitle (6) Sanjaya (just for dramatic purposes) (6) David Archuleta (7) Casey Abrams (10) I couldn’t just go with six. I had to throw in some more. Who would be on your dream team? Original content from American Idol 2013.

Country music artist and American Idol Season 5 alum Kellie Pickler might have lost American Idol, but she has won another reality show: Dancing With the Stars. Kellie and her partner Derek Hough took home the coveted mirror ball trophy Tuesday night after besting fellow contestants NFL player Jacoby Jones, former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, and Disney star Zendaya. “Oh my God! This is amazing!” Kellie shouted after hearing her name called as the winner. She followed it up with a big hug for dance partner Derek. Dancing With The Stars results are based on judges scores and fan votes. The 26-year-old country singer finished sixth place on American Idol season 5, but has gone on to have a successful career in country music. American Idol had another representative there Tuesday night as Season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez was on hand for a performance of Christina Aguilera and Pitbull’s “Feel This Moment.”

Grimm – Season 2 Finale – Recap: Nick In A Box via Rickey.org Credit: NBC Recap and review of Grimm – Season 2 Finale – Goodnight, Sweet Grimm: Cliffhangers are an undoubtedly cruel, yet thrilling way to end a season of television. This goes double for a show like Grimm, which is more serialized than most genre shows, never mind most procedurals. “Goodnight, Sweet Grimm” is a bit of a plodding episode, doling out exposition, intrigue and character moments in tiny increments throughout the hour. However, the slow-moving nature of the episode is offset by the steadily building sense of dread that creeps into the story, making for one of the tensest episodes of the season. We know something is going to happen, and most viewers could probably have deduced just what that something would be (the release of the Cracher-Mortel’s zombies, and the start of Prince Eric’s revolution), yet there’s an unease permeating everything that happens, as if we’re seeing the last burst of normalcy (well, relatively speaking) before everything goes to hell. The climax is a final, chaotic burst of mayhem topped off with a brief, yet awesome duel between Nick (David Giuntoli) and Baron Samedi (Reg E. Cathey) that culminates in Nick’s capture by Eric (James Frain). While we know that, as the main character of the series, Nick is encased in several layers of Plot Armor, we can’t be certain that bad things won’t necessarily befall Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch), Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), whose truck is surrounded by Samedi’s rage zombies at the end of the episode. To make matters worse, Adalind (Claire Coffee) is back, and her powers being returned is all but a foregone conclusion, so it makes a certain kind of sense that this episode ended as a cliffhanger. It’s just way more plot than any one episode could handle. Yet the fan in me wishes it were fall, so we could see where this all is headed, even while the pragmatist in me understands why it had to be this way. Ultimately, “Goodnight, Sweet Grimm” is a fitting cap to a stellar second season. Credit: NBC Renard (Sasha Roiz) receives a report from his confidant (Christian Lagadec) about what was found in Eric’s desk, namely the passport and death certificate with no picture. The confidant explains that the file containing these documents has the heading “Thomas Schirach,” a name with which Renard isn’t familiar. All this shadiness comes to a head when Eric invites Sean to dinner, and the brothers discuss family business, in between recollections of their troubled youth. Eric’s mother once attempted to have Sean and his “hexenbiest whore of a mother” killed, and Renard still feels the sting from his bastard upbringing. However, Eric insists that not only is Sean’s bastardy a badge of honor in this day and age, he goes a step further by essentially inviting his brother back into the royal family — provided he can procure Nick’s key. Renard says he’ll think about it, only to later be seen tailing Eric as he leaves his hotel. I’ve never been that big on the Royals storyline, but I appreciate the amount of political intrigue on display within the Wesen hierarchy, as it contributes to a sense of worldbuilding. This otherworldly community feels more authentic when there’s an established power structure that works not dissimilarly from our own (historically speaking). In addition, the storyline makes great use of James Frain’s oily performance, as he really portrays the slimy nobility of Eric while also portraying his sociopathic villainy, which makes for a fine foil to Sasha Roiz’s more stoic performance. Credit: NBC On the subject of passive-aggressive rivalries, the war between Stefania (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Frau Pech (Mary McDonald-Lewis) reaches its conclusion. Frau Pech employs a bellboy a

Awkward. – Recap: The Great Ball of China via Rickey.org “Guilt Trippin’” delivered the Awkward. moment we’ve all been waiting for… Matty McKibbin (Beau Mirchoff) busted a move. Come to think of it, he really broke it down by the end of episode seven thanks to a little help from the unstoppable dance machine known as Jake Rosati (Brett Davern). Matty’s refusal to cut loose and dance like nobody was watching had always been a symbol for us as viewers, a red flag cluing us in that something within Jenna Hamilton’s (Ashley Rickards) relationship with her dream boy was missing. I had always thought the show would write in a rival love interest, and maybe they still will (Collin?), but I’m enjoying the fact that they’re showing growth in Matty, who has continued to impress his girl, and the Awkward. audience, through Season 3. Let’s see how many different ways I can refer to “dancing” before I get obnoxious. MTV “Awkward.” The episode opened with a traditional ceremony Jenna had gone from loathing to loving all because she’d landed herself a boyfriend for the first time. An annual school dance was on the horizon, and Jenna was awaiting her embellished “Matty’s Girl” pin, adorably embarrassing her in the best way possible. Think Royal Wedding hats in the form of lavish chest pins known to cause boob bleeding if adorned in the incorrect fashion. Matty delivered, showing at aptitude for working with pipe clearners. Jenna, though, felt surprisingly bittersweet about the entire ordeal, recognizing that several of her female classmates would go uninvited to the dance, and a pin that made her feel amazing would dually take the wind out of some of her less fortunate peers’ sails. Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed) didn’t understand Jenna’s conundrum in the slightest. She did her best to quash Jenna’s seemingly unnecessary pity. Still, Jenna couldn’t get her mind off of former friend Christy, who was noted by Val (Desi Lydic) to be a school bottom feeder. Val hinted at the girl being in a very dark place, a place Jenna might have ended up joining her in had she not been bestowed with many of Val’s pearls of wisdom over the course of two and a half seasons. Suddenly, Jenna got obsessive. Tamara let it slip to Jake that Jenna was having second thoughts, most likely because Matty would never dance with her anyway, and Jake subsequently handed the details off to his bestie. Matty was understanding, letting Jenna know that he was okay with her not wearing the pin, so long as she kept it. Jenna wasn’t satisfied with that, though. She would refuse to go to the dance all together, deciding to take a stand for the single ladies. In the end, Jenna’s mom, Lacey (Nikki Deloach), would refuse to allow her daughter to hurt the boy she loved in favor of protecting strangers, reminding Jenna that girls who weren’t invited to the dance wouldn’t know whether she went or not. Jenna wouldn’t give in, so Lacey would take matters into her own hands, dialing Matty’s phone before tossing the cell back to Jenna to talk. Partly backed into a corner and, maybe, just a little convinced that she was indeed making a mistake, Jenna asked Matty to the dance after all. Matty was confused, turning to Tamara and Jake for advice. Tamara, who’d been scolded by Jenna for yet again breaking “girl code” (MTV crossover power!) and running her mouth to Jake refused to speak again, but a torturous tickle session by the duo of bro besties got some information out of her. Unfortunately, none of it had anything to do with sad single girls. Instead, she just brought up the fact that Matty refused to dance. After kicking Tamara out for some “bro code” bonding time, Jake decided to help his bud out. Rosati’s one-man dance class was a hilarious spectacle, as was Matty’s initial attempt at doing anything resembling dancing. Jakes main piece of advice; it’s all in the face. Unless you’re Jake, than it’s all in the everything. This is literally the scen

Hampton Williams and Darlesha Goggans – Audition – So You Think You Can Dance 10 via Rickey.org Hampton Williams and Darlesha Goggans and their daughter audition for So You Think You Can Dance 10 in Austin, TX. Hampton Williams is back! Last year he gave a stunning “exorcist” audition. The Latest on So You Think You Can Dance 10 Hampton Williams and Darlesha Goggans – Audition – So You Think You Can Dance 10Twitch Boss – Solo – So You Think You Can Dance 10Jade Zuberi – Audition – So You Think You Can Dance 10Ratings: ‘The Voice’ wins Tuesday, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ down 21% – 5/15/2013Eric and Lorenzo Chapman – Audition – So You Think You Can Dance 10 All posts on So You Think You Can Dance 10 Follow me on Facebook! • Follow me on Google+ The Voice • American Idol • The X Factor