Jessica Mauboy Is Now Single.
Adelaide Now says that Jessica Mauboy three year relationship with her boyfriend Abdullah is now over. Time apart is the reason given. However she can console herself with the news that her single Burn is number ten on the charts. Source The West.

Simon Cowell Judgement Gets Clouded By Sex
Now Mag quotes Simon Cowell’s ex girlfriend Sinitta who says his judgement is clouded by sex. Personally I think this is way to much information.

Sinitta appears to keep her media profile high by gibbering about her famous ex all the time. He must not care as she is holidaying with him in Barbados. I wonder what she will divulge from there.

Kara DioGuardi The New Judge On American Idol Has Hit The Publicity Trail
New judge Kara DioGuardi is now out spruiking the show that will be commencing next week. She thinks the male contestants may have the edge this season. Full interview here.

Top Chef Chicago Chef Spike Is Holding a Burger Presidential Inaugeration Party.
Spike, who really should get his own show with his off sider from Top Chef Season Four Andrew. Who would ever forget Andrew saying about Spike “I am not gay but I would let him bang me.”
Anyway he is holding a more relaxed inauguration party at his Burger Joint in DC.

If you are lucky enough to be in Washington at that time the details are here.

Updates On What Top Chef Contestant’s Are Now Up To.
People mag has an article which outlines what some of the chefs are now up to, and where they are cooking.

Also Adventurous Tastes Blog reviews Top Chef Chicago runner up Richard Blais’s new burger restaurant in Atlanta, and gives it the thumbs up. I am not sure about the Krispy Kreme milkshake.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 10 Winner Whitney Thompson Honoured.
Whitney who was the first plus size model to win ANTM has named as one of MSN Lifestyles Most Influential Women In 2008.

Natalie Bassingthwaite To Perform At Mardi Gras Party.
You know you have made it in Sydney when you are asked to perform at the Mardi Gras party. Congratulation to So You Think You Can Dance Australia host Natalie Bassingthwaite as she will get to shimmy and sing there. Full story in here.

Update On What Former Australian Idol Marty Simpson Has Been Doing
I’m With The Band has an update on he who went much further then he should have, Marty Simpson, and what he has been doing post Idol, apart from smoking pot.

Is Paula Abdul accusing American Idol producers putting her in harms way by allowing her now dead stalker Paula Goodspeed to audition for the show some sort of publicity stunt to get people to watch the new season of Idol? (Previous post on Paula flipping out here.)

With Idol ratings falling in 2008 this could be a strategy to get people interested in the soon to be starting eight season.

This allowed the former producer of Idol Nigel Lythgoe to then come out and defend the show generating more publicity.

Will this supposed conflict bring in the punters? If it doesn’t American Idol producers have made other changes to the show.

Reality TV Mag writes about the changes. They include:

• A fourth judge – Kara DioGuardi a songwriter is now a judge, possibly increasing Paula’s paranoia.
• Fewer audition weeks featuring “fewer bad singers and more “˜aspirational’ singers”;
• Instead of a Top 24, the show will feature a Top 36 which will eventually be narrowed down to 12.
• The Wild Card round will return while the charity-based Idol Gives Back isn’t on the schedule for this season.

Fox 8 will be screening American Idol fasttracked from the US from the 14 January 2009.

Anyway you make your own judgement on whether Paula has gone loopy or if it is a publicity stunt by looking at the You Tube clip above.

American Idol will start screening in the US on 13 Jan 2009. Fox 8 will again this season fast track it from the US, which should mean it will be screened Wednesday and Thursday nights here in Oz.

This year American Idol have added an extra judge into the mix. She is a songwriter Kara DioGuardi. Full bio here.

The fourth judge thing did not work on Australian Idol, but they are trying to stop a slide in ratings in the US. Hopefully with the new female, in 2010, Paula Abdul might be gone. But watching Paula be crazy and not talk sense can sometimes be a shows highlight. Remember last year she was late to an audition and then was incomprehensible when she got there?

Maybe American Idol should also choose mentors that are younger then 60. Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond and Andrew Lloyd-Webber as famous do not appeal to the younger audience.

Anyway the good thing about it being fast tracked is that there is no spoilers AND there is something fun to watch when all the Australian channels are showing their crap shows because it is non-ratings season. There is only so much tennis and cricket you can watch.