The ratings for American Idol were way down this season, about 32 percent lower than those of season 10. The winners on American Ido l all appear to be from the same mold, as Phillip Phillips follows in the Caucasian, guitar-playing footsteps of Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, David Cook (pictured) and Scotty McCreery. So, it must be asked: is it actually time to cancel American Idol ? Yes, Allen told TMZ this week. He believes the plug should be pulled on a competition that has clearly grown tiresome on the eyes of viewers. But another former winner disagrees. American Idol is a juggernaut,” Taylor Hicks told TMZ in response to Allen. Because of my American Idol win, I am able to do the thing that I love most, which is to be an entertainer… the fact that I am headlining Vegas six years after auditioning there and then ultimately winning AI is testament to the incredible platform the show continues to provide for me.” What do YOU think? Should American Idol get the axe?
Welcome to THG’s Week in Review! Below, our staffers look back at the stories, stars and scandals that made the last seven days some of the craziest ALL MONTH. If you don’t already, FOLLOW THG on Twitter , Google+ and Facebook for 24/7/365 news. Every day, week and year, let us be your celebrity gossip source! Now, a rundown of the week that was at The Hollywood Gossip : American Idol Winner: Announced! After a nail-biting, emotional and close American Idol finale Tuesday night … … Phillip Phillips prevailed , making him the fifth straight WGWG to win. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan tied the knot after FB went public. Miley Cyrus’ outfit at the Billboard Music Awards didn’t involve pants. Miles also weighed in on how sex is beautiful and necessary. Kate Gosselin on Today Show Kate Gosselin has made peace with Jon somehow. So she says. Chris Brown fans lost their $h!t at critics of his lip-synching. Their reaction? Sending Chrissy Teigen death threats . Also getting death threats: Dog the Bounty Hunter . Timothy Busfield was accused of sexual battery. John Travolta was not this week, for a change. Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd – Freestyle (DWTS Week 10) Donald Driver won Dancing With the Stars after a terrific finale. A spat with Whitney’s family left Ray J exhausted, hospitalized . Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s weight continues to spark debate. Ditto Ali Lohan … for every different reasons. Lady Gaga really wants a fake Rolex . Snooki is having a boy . The Great Gatsby Trailer The trailer for this year’s The Great Gatsby was released (above). The Anchorman 2 trailer (or at least a tease for it) is also out. The Bachelorette spoilers have been on the money so far. Arsenio Hall won Celebrity Apprentice over Clay Aiken. Kim Kardashian was named the World’s Hottest Woman . Kanye West proposed to her too … in her dreams. Anderson Cooper CRUSHES ‘Human Barbie’ Mom Anderson Cooper just owned Human Barbie on his show (above). Lauren Odes got fired for being too hot. At a lingerie company. An old literary bio says President Obama was born in Kenya . Usher and Tameka Foster continue to fight it out in court. Desmond Hatchett owes child support for 30 kids. Yes, 30. An arrest was made in the Etan Patz case , 33 years later: Etan Patz Case: Pedro Hernandez Arrested What was the highlight of the week for you? Did we leave anything out?
Pedro Hernandez confessed to murdering Etan Patz yesterday, meaning that after more than three decades, the famous missing persons case may be over. Hernandez, a former corner store worker, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder after he confessed to strangling 6-year-old Patz in 1979. “He was remorseful, and I think the detectives thought it was a feeling of relief on his part,” New York police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the media. Incredibly, today, May 25 marks the 33rd anniversary of the disappearance of Etan Patz, who became the nation’s first “milk carton child.” Etan Patz Case: Pedro Hernandez Arrested The case sparked the movement to raise awareness of missing kids. Etan vanished on his way to a New York bus stop, triggering a massive manhunt, but no sign of the little boy had ever been detected. The Etan Patz case returned to the headlines last month when authorities re-launched the search , tearing up the basement of a nearby building. Kelly said a recent tip led investigators to Hernandez , 51, a Maple Shade, N.J., resident with a teenage daughter. The commissioner said: “In the years following Etan’s disappearance, Hernandez had told his family that he had ‘done a bad thing’ and killed a child in New York.” On Wednesday night, Hernandez was questioned in New Jersey and then voluntarily returned with detectives to New York, says Kelly. “He brought them to the scene of the crime, which is now a store that sells eye glasses,” says the commissioner. “Hernandez described to the detectives how he lured young Etan from the school bus stop at West Broadway and Prince Street with the promise of a soda.” “He then led him into the basement of the (store), choked him there, and disposed of the body by putting it into a plastic bag, and placing it into the trash.” At the time, Hernandez was a 19-year-old stock clerk in the business and lived in an apartment nearby, says Kelly. Kelly said investigators arrested Hernandez based on “the fact that he had told his story in the past, and the specificity of what he said in the confession.” Hopefully, as horrible as this is, the family can finally have closure.
