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Best of Celebrity Pics: March 6-12, 2010

Below are some of the many celebrity pictures posted this past week at The Hollywood Gossip. As you can see, it was a wild week full of wonderful and wacky characters. We’ve got them all covered for you. Click to enlarge these images that accompanied our stories over the past seven days, then follow the jump for more from our gallery:

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Best of Celebrity Pics: March 6-12, 2010

‘American Idol’ Eliminations Shock And Disappoint Fans

‘Idol’ watchers are torn up over Thursday’s ousters of Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Katelyn Epperly. By Gil Kaufman Alex Lambert and Katie Stevens on “American Idol” on Thursday Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images The sound of jaws dropping across the country after Thursday night’s shocking “American Idol” vote-off was mirrored in the comments left by MTV News readers in the wake of the eliminations of Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Todrick Hall. “I can’t believe they sent this group away,” wrote a dumbfounded Dprk7r79 on Friday morning. “Did America really vote like this? I liked Lilly and Alex a lot.” Others were just mad that voters appeared to just get it all wrong again. “How disappointing. Three of the four best contestants were sent home,” said Green Eggs and Ham. “I hope that Lilly, Alex and Todrick’s contracts allow them to produce albums now, because I will buy them. As for American Idol … You lost me tonight. I won’t be watching your show for the balance of this season.” Some suggested that the nefarious spoilsports at VoteForTheWorst.com are having a real impact on season nine and throwing the vote. “Lilly and Alex should NOT have gone home, they were two of the best,” argued Fortunefox. “Shocked really. I think VFTW is having an unfortunate impact this season. Crystal [Bowersox], Michael [Lynche] & Lee [Dewyze] should be afraid … very afraid because as good as they are – tonight proves that NO ONE IS SAFE.” Quite a few said they thought Scott and Epperly should have been saved in favor of teen Katie Stevens and Paige Miles, with the latter having her roughest week to date with a poorly received cover of “Smile” and the former continuing to struggle to sound contemporary and find her artistic niche. And, like quite a few angry posters, RockChick suggested that Lambert deserved to stay over onetime front-runner Andrew Garcia, who she said has been on a downward slide since his lauded “Straight Up” cover, even as Lambert has been steadily improving. As for commenter Stampede, well, disbelief is the only way to describe it. “I’m still in shock from the eliminations tonight on ‘American Idol,’ ” read Stampede’s response. “Absolutely as usual America gets in wrong. I mean this is the 9th season of ‘American Idol,’ and in the 8 already finished, only 3 of the winners were the right choice. Lilly Scott is amazing, Alex Lambert has a great soulful voice, Andrew Garcia should have been the one to go. And for the girls, Didi [Benami] or Paige should have been the ones to go. Absolute outrage.” Stampede even suggested that next year the power should be taken out of viewers’ hands and the judges should decide who gets eliminated each week. Ann Isabel is holding out hope that there’s a wild-card round this year, providing the opportunity for one the semi-finalists to return. And while many fans wrote in giving props to Scott and Lambert for their unique skills, one poster, Rachel, was just mad. “I can understand everyone’s disappointment when some of the true talent got sent home last night,” she said. “So when did the audience of this show turn into idiots? Probably last season after they picked the wrong winner yet again! I know why Crystal didn’t get super excited when she got in the top twelve, when you are a true artist on a show voted on by kids who have Hannah Montana on their TiVo you can’t expect real talent to be realized!!! I mean Tim [Urban] Really!???!!! And Katie!???!! Yeah sure they could make it on a Disney Channel special but … ‘American Idol?’ I think NOT!!!!!!!” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos Meet The ‘American Idol’ Top 12 ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Top 12 Party ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

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‘American Idol’ Eliminations Shock And Disappoint Fans

American Idol: When No Man Loves the Women [Recaps]

Girls! All we really want is girls! Well, that’s all we really wanted at the beginning of this season’s competition, because a woman was due to win the crown. Now, three weeks in? We don’t want that anymore. No, the women have failed us. I mean, the men have too. I will write this exact same post minus the wo’s tomorrow. But right now we are talking about girls, and the girls are stinkin’ dinkins. Aren’t they? If the girls were a movie, they would be Good Luck Chuck . That movie isn’t even entertaining in a bad way. It’s just bad. If the girls were a food, they would be lima beans. A car? The Plymouth Sundance. They are bland and awful. Swamp rot. Cow’s cud. Dung. And the judges know it! Oh boy do they know it. Betcha wish you didn’t sign a five-year contract nowwww, Ellen! Seriously, how much must she regret it? Simon’s leaving after this year, the contestants are about as good as a production of Candide featuring Penny Marshall as Cunégonde, and Randy is actually starting to physically change into a Mole Person. Plus, Kara won’t put out. Maybe that’s why Ellen is reeking so hard in the judgin’ zone. Maybe she hopes that if she’s awful enough, Fox will let her out of her contract early. So it’ll be more of the “It was good!” and “I don’t know…” until May, I fear. It’s just how it’s going to be. It Was Good! Saying something about Crystal Ninjatrousers at this point is just dumb. Everyone knows that she blew it out the bowerbox. She sang that Gimme One Reason to Stay Heeeere song, by Tyler Perry, and she had her little amp next to her and yeah, she’s going to win the entire show, isn’t she? Is there anyone who might beat her? Maybe one of the other girls, like Alex Lambert or Little Pippy Urban. Wouldn’t it be so fantastic if Tim Urban won this season of American Idol ? This likely last season that any of us will watch. Ryan says his name and then there’s a loud creak and groan and a shower of sparks and a huge rafter swings down and kills Ryan, like the nice teacher in Carrie . And then Kara starts shaking and says “What’s… happening… to … meeeeee…” and her hair grows long and she grabs on to Randy but by then she is mostly bones and then she falls to the ground and her dessicated body shatters and all that’s left is her Nazi pin. (Somewhere Paula sits in her chainmail and says “Simon Fuller chose… poorly.”) And then pretty much everyone else is dead too and that’s it for Idol and Tim Urban is just standing there amid the carnage, smiling like a hunk piece of Wisconsin cheddar would if it could smile, wondering when he should start singing the new victory song, “With Wings to the Mountains of Our Dreams.” He figures now’s as good a time as any and starts bleating it out as the place goes up in flames and Simon’s chest explodes a mini Seacrest comes screeching out. Who else was good. Um… Sigh. I suppose that Lacey Brown didn’t totally whiff it this week. I mean, she’s still gross, but it was an improvement . Same for Didi Beady or whatever her name is. “Rhiannon” was a fun choice and she looked pretty, so good for her. Nice one, Doodi Tooti Fresh ‘n Fruity. I Don’t Know… Paige Miles. First off, has the child never watched the show before? If you sing “Smile,” you will go home. The producers will make it so. Because it is wayyy too good of an exit song to let it pass. Also, if she’d watched the show, Paige would realize that this is a competition for people to have contemporary singing careers. I think she maybe misunderstood that. I think she thinks this is a show where you just listlessly sing pretty songs a little bit and just kinda stand around, for fun. Simon keeps harping on about how she’s got such a good voice, but have we really heard that, at all? I have not. But maybe I am watching a different show than you. (I figured “American Irdool” was just a typo on my DVR.) That video above was Siobhan Magnus dedicating “House of the Rising Sun,” a song about prostitute sex workers, to her dad. That is one dizzy dame, huh? She is weird even for Idol . I’m not entirely convinced that the Siobhan Magnus experiences time in the same way that humans do. I think she might be the last airbender? That is a possibility. Whatever she is, she is off-putting. I know I’m supposed to like her because she is quirky and hit one high screech-note (also a Screech note) last week, but I just kind of don’t like her at all. Something’s awry there. Something unsettling. I don’t remember Willa the Wisp’s performance in the slightest, so I’m assuming it wasn’t terribly good. Anyone care to elaborate? Is there anyone else on this show? Am I forgetting anyone? Other than the person mentioned below, I mean. The Teen Scream Oh isn’t Katie Stevens the worst . Oh I just can’t stand her! The whole package is just so unappealing. Her weird strut, the fading gleam in her eye, the perky slope of Disney hair. It’s just wildly tone deaf. The producers’ strange attempts to produce a Miley or a Taylor this year were really fumbly and sad. Both girls, Haeley and Katie (eeeeeeee!), looked promising and then totally fizzled. I would not be surprised if Katie is sent packing tomorrow and she was supposed to be a frontrunner! They gave her the last-of-the-evening “pimp slot” the first week and everything! But alas, she buckled or caved or something else bad and implodey. If Katie Stevens were a car, she would be six million Toyotas. OK. I think that’s it for today. Tonight: The Men. Will Alex Lambert have to deal with his daughter Jan’s jealously issues with her sister? Will Tiger the dog show up? Will Tim Urban strip down to his shiny blue underoos and perform a sexy dance for Ellen, who can never shut up about his good looks? These are all questions we await the answers to. That chomping and scraping sound you hear is Simon grinding his teeth and praying for May. It’s us, too.

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American Idol: When No Man Loves the Women [Recaps]

The Case for Carding American Idol Contestants

Has American Idol turned into a teenage wasteland?

Crystal Bowersox Rocks, and Other American Idol Women Sing Well

She went from the hospital bed to the American Idol stage to the leader of the season nine pack in just 24 hours. Indeed, we aren’t the first website to shower Crystal Bowersox with praise – and we definitely won’t be the last – but it’s well-deserved. On a night of live performances that overshadowed the guys’ lackluster efforts the evening before, Bowersox recovered from a dangerous illness and led the way. We run down the top 10 below… Crystal Bowersox : She gets points for showing up and for not playing the sympathy card. But especially for her unique rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long As I Can See the Light.” Lilly Scott : A close second. Challenged herself with the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come” and was even better than last week. Love her confidence in just who she is. Michelle Delamor : Note to Todrick Hall: this is how you re-arrange a song! Michelle comes across as a professional singer and turned a Creed rock single into a ballad. Siobhan Magnus : The anti-Aretha Franklin sung Franklin’s “Think” and showcased her versatility. The place went nuts when she hit her high notes. Katelyn Epperly : Ellen was off base with this critique. The song was supposed to be slow, and the use of the piano proved that Katelyn has multiple sides to her. Katie Stevens : She has a great voice and a great personality. The judges have to get over the fact that she’s 17 and just let her sing. Paige Miles : It’s always daring to take a song by an American Idol winner, but Miles did Kelly Clarkson’s “Walk Away” sort of proud. Definitely needed more of an edge to it. Didi Benami : We felt terrible for when the tears welled up during the judges’ criticism. But “Lean On Me?” Really? It’s impossible to make that song your own at this point. Lacey Brown: Simply not up to par, vocals-wise, with the other contestants. Haeley Vaughn: We’re all for being happy, but her constant smiling freaks us out. She’s like a doll of some kind.mi It’s a clear choice, in our view: Lacey and Haeley should go home tonight. What do you think?

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Crystal Bowersox Rocks, and Other American Idol Women Sing Well

Aaron Kelly vs. Siobhan Magnus: Semifinalist Showdown!

The week after American Idol made its first round of cuts (sorry, Tyler, Janell, Ashley and Joe), we’re continuing to ask readers which semifinalists they think will advance the farthest. Past showdowns between singers, for example, have pitted Katie Stevens vs. Katelyn Epperly . Which of those young beauties has the most potential? Now, for the first time in this feature, we’re mixing up genders. Fox may wish to separate men and women like some sort of middle school dance, but THG is all about integration! Last Tuesday, viewers voted Siobhan Magnus through after an impressive rendition of Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game.” As an alternative to guitar players such as Didi Benami, Magnus may be a dark horse on the female side. Meanwhile, Aaron Kelly also received good news from voters. His adorable mug will be on full display again this Wednesday. Choose between these contestants below… Which semifinalist will advance farther on American Idol?

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Aaron Kelly vs. Siobhan Magnus: Semifinalist Showdown!

Katie Stevens vs. Katelyn Epperly: Semifinalist Showdown!

How far can young and cute carry Katie Stevens and Katelyn Epperly this season on American Idol ? It’s a question worth asking because these two semifinalists don’t have the strongest voices on the show. But Stevents, at least, has the most moving personal story of any contestant: she’s extremely close to her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The Boston native says she’d love nothing more than to achieve her dreams while her grandmother is still relatively cognizant. Epperly, meanwhile, is a 19-year old from Iowa. She plays the piano and has served as the vocalist for Katelyn & the Bruises, a folk rock band. Compare the hopefuls below and then vote in our poll… Which semifinalist will go farther on American Idol? We also encourage readers to sound off on a showdown between Michelle Delamor and Paige Miles . Which of these singers will do the best?

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Katie Stevens vs. Katelyn Epperly: Semifinalist Showdown!

Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens Installed as American Idol Favorites

Place your bets… place your bets… The day before American Idol goes live and the top 12 women take to the stage, SBG Global Sportsbook has revealed each contestant’s odds to be the next Carrie Underwood or Kris Allen. After his sterling performing of “Straight Up,” it’s no surprise to find Andrew Garcia as the early favorite. A bunch of guitar-playing women follow, with little-known Joe Munoz bringing up the rear… 9:2 – Andrew Garcia 13:2 – Katie Stevens 7:1 – Didi Benami , Ashley Rodriguez 15:2 – Crystal Bowersox 8:1 – Casey James 12:1 – Siobhan Magnus 15:1 – Janell Wheeler , Jermaine Sellers, Todrick Hall 18:1 – Haeley Vaughn 25:1 – Lacey Brown, Tim Urban, Tyler Grady 33:1 – Paige Miles 35:1 – Alex Lambert, Michael Lynche 40:1 – Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott 45:1 – John Park, Michelle Delamor 50:1 – Aaron Kelly, Lee DeWyze 65:1 – Joe Munoz

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Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens Installed as American Idol Favorites

Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox Round Out "American Idol" Top 24

Seventeen more finalists join the top 24 as confusion reigns over final male slot. By Gil Kaufman Andrew Garcia on “American Idol” Wednesday Photo: Fox With a wait almost as painful as the one the contestants went through, “American Idol” fans finally got the rest of this year’s top 24 on Wednesday night (February 17), with a number of early favorites making the semifinals, including Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox, Katie Stevens, Ashley Rodriguez and Haeley Vaughn. After seven singers made the cut on Tuesday, the first woman through the gate on night two was Orlando’s Janell Wheeler, 24, whose Hollywood Week was filled with ups and downs, swinging between a strong acoustic performance of Estelle’s “American Boy” to a blown take of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” New judge Ellen DeGeneres kept up her rope-a-dope style, seemingly setting the blond wine-sales rep up for disappointment only to wave Wheeler through. With the pace much quicker than Tuesday night’s pedantic two-hour torture session, deep voiced, shaggy-haired ’70s rocker Tyler Grady quickly got his ticket punched. “I think we wanna see those moves again,” Kara DioGuardi told the drummer about his Roger Daltrey-inspired stage acrobatics. He was swiftly followed by second-timer Lacey Brown, who made the top 50 last season and was back in the hot seat. Despite Simon Cowell telling her the female competition was even tougher this year, Brown got in thanks to a haunting rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Diva-in-training Ashley Rodriguez was next, followed by ukulele-strumming Alex Lambert, little seen Joe Mu

‘American Idol’ Unveils Seven Top-24 Contenders, Including Casey James, Michael Lynche

The rest of the semifinalists will be revealed on Wednesday’s show. By Eric Ditzian Michael Lynche on “American Idol” Tuesday Photo: Fox Tens of thousands of potential “American Idol” winners became 181 Hollywood Week hopefuls who were then considered, criticized and often condemned until 71 singers gained passage to the next round at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre. Tuesday night’s (February 16) show saw that number winnowed once again as the first crooners of the top 24 were announced by Simon Cowell and his fellow “Idol” judges. Early notable contestants Casey James (he of the shirtless Denver audition), Michael “Big Mike” Lynche (the hulking guy who skipped the birth of his child in favor of a stay at Hollywood Week) and Didi Benami (who sang Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” in memory of her deceased best friend) all made the top 24. Joining them are dancer-turned-singer Todrick Hall, curly-haired Duffy-ite Katelyn Epperly, high-schooler Aaron Kelly and singer-songwriter Lee Dewyze. The fates of early favorites like 17-year-old Katie Stevens (tipped by Kara DioGuardi as a possible champ), Andrew Garcia (the acoustic impressario of “Straight Up” renown) and Crystal Bowersox (she of the blonde dreads and the soulful growl) were left up in the air until Wednesday’s show, when the rest of the top 24 will be announced. With the reality-show circus of the audition rounds and the manufactured drama of group day behind us, one could not be faulted in thinking Tuesday’s episode would focus, finally, on the music. Yet the show oddly skipped over nearly the entire round of tunes — as contestants sang for the first time with a backing band — in favor of 10- or 15-second flashes of a chosen few contestants. The result was an overall disjointed viewing experience, denying us true insight into everyone’s performances and leaving us frustratingly detached from the tension of the elimination. For all the actual music “Idol” producers aired, the show rightfully should have lasted as long as a network sitcom rather than the two-hour snoozefest Fox offered up as entertainment. What little we did see veered from the enticing to the forgettable. Casey James did his cowboy-cool singer-songwriter thing with a cover of Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and 19-year-old Siobhan Magnus came out of her shell of shyness during a lively version of Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” Crystal Bowersox hauled out the harmonica for a powerful take on Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy.” Coming off his funky rejiggering of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up,” Andrew Garcia stuck with the female artists as he busted out Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” competently, if considerably less memorably. Meanwhile Alex Lambert flubbed a ukulele-driven channeling — a la Jason Castro — of Jason Mraz, and both Jermaine Sellers and Thaddeus Johnson found themselves struggling to stay on the same page with the band. Mom-rocker Mary Powers’ rendition of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” had Simon saying, by way of the most backhanded of compliments, “I think she’s interesting because she’s old.” As all this action zipped by at a frenzied pace, the contestants bided their time in one of three holding rooms and the judges traded photos of them in an attempt to cull their choices. One of the rooms, we were teased all episode, would be eliminated. To begin, judges visited room one, which housed Casey James, Lilly Scott, Katie Stevens and Siobhan Magnus. After a not particularly convincing bit of you-might-be-going-home misdirection, Ellen DeGeneres announced, “Ya’ll are going through!” Room two was not as lucky — when it was Simon’s turn to deliver the verdict, he told singers like Mary Powers, Charity Vance and Hope Johnson, “It’s bad news. You haven’t made it.” The judges then popped over to room three to let those contestants — among them Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez and Shelby Dressel — that they were still in the running for the coveted top 24. “It’s really hard to tell you this, but you guys are going to stay,” DioGuardi said. At the end of this round of elimination, 46 contestants were left sweating it out. They wouldn’t have another chance to flex their vocal cords — rather, the judges gathered onstage at the Kodak to call each singer one by one for a face-to-face elimination round. The question of why the show had to have two rounds of elimination on Tuesday — stretching the show to two hours instead of one — should hardly need to be answered after nine seasons of “Idol.” In all, seven of the top 24 singers were announced. While Big Mike was called onstage first and made the cut, reports indicate he has in fact been booted from the competition after his father was said to have broken the show’s confidentiality agreement. Didi Benami and Kaitlin Epperly, the second and third contestants brought in front of the judges, became the first and second women to make it through to the top 24. Casey James sauntered up in a paisley button-down and bounded away a fist-pumping, Kara-hugging member of the semifinalists. Sixteen-year-old shy guy Aaron Kelly battled through ups and downs during Hollywood Week but ended the night on a high note. Lee Dewyze, accused by Simon of having no charisma, nonetheless convinced the judges he had the confidence to go far this season. Only two singers were sent home: Shelby Dressel (who suffers from partial paralyzation of her face) and two-time Hollywood Week bootee Jessica Furney. The remaining 17 contenders in the top 24 will be revealed on Wednesday. “The drama continues tomorrow night,” as Ryan Seacrest put it at show’s end, just before the screen flashed to an image of a closed bathroom stall behind which a heartbroken contestant had fled to bawl his eyes out. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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‘American Idol’ Unveils Seven Top-24 Contenders, Including Casey James, Michael Lynche