Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning for the next season of American Idol. Not to fear, though, Jennifer Lopez is going to jump on board. The Village Voice talks to Spiritualized about its 1997 album "Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space."

Apparently Dr. John played some piano on the twenty-minute closing freak-out, "Cop Shoot Cop." Yeah, that Dr. John. Sleater Kinney's Corin Tucker on Bikini Kill, "I never didn't cry at their shows." British composer Max Richter lists a few of his favorite film scores for "Dusted."

A gay American Idol reject is suing the makers of the show, saying they advised him to ‘gay it up’ and ‘exploited’ him. Ian Benardo is going after a cool US $300 million (AUS335 million). After his spectacular first audition, the show’s crew invited him back for the live final, where he stole the mic from comedian Dane Cook. His appearances ruined his reputation and have made it difficult for him to find a job, he claims in his lawsuit.

He filed his complaint with the New York State Human Rights Division, alleging that his experience with the show was “permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, insults and hostile and offensive comments.”

Simon Cowell is exiting American Idol but rumors in Hollywood now circulate about the possibility of the entire panel of judges getting dumped as well. Just as a shakedown happened a few years ago, a new one could very well occur now that there have been reports that Nigel Lythgoe might actually come back to the “Idol” fold as executive producer, after a two-year break.

Claiming that Fox is nearing a deal with Lythgoe, reports of a reboot of the show comes in the heels of Cowell exiting the picture. There are also unconfirmed reports that the show’s producers are also trying to woo people as disparate as Justin Timberlake and Elton John to possibly take on judging chores on the show.

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American Idol's' Adam Lambert makes magic in S.F: Making an entrance worthy of the celebrity magician Criss Angel, Adam Lambert certainly didn't look like a reality television castoff at the Warfield on Friday.

Wearing a top hat, fringed overcoat and about a dozen layers of eyeliner, he literally appeared in a puff of purple smoke delivering the slinking set opener, "Voodoo."

As he pushed his zombie-like dancers around the stage, Lambert hit the first of the night's many glass-shattering refrains, "You're the hunter and I'm your prey." An interesting cross section of grandmas and club kids made up most of the sold-out audience.

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Apparently, plenty of wannabe pop stars have their eye on Lee DeWyze’s crown and sash. According to a Fox spokesperson, 26,000 people turned out for the first two stops on American Idol‘s season 10 audition tour.

“The numbers of people turning up to the American Idol auditions in Nashville and Milwaukee have been incredible,” said show creator Simon Fuller, in a release. “These attendance figures are significantly up on the last few years, and there is clearly renewed excitement and interest in the show, which is great to see.

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Nicole Sherrill has a famous surname in the Nashville music industry. But ask her if she's kin to Billy Sherrill, and you'll have to clarify which one. Nicole, 21, is the daughter of the highly regarded recording engineer Billy Sherrill, not the producer Billy Sherrill who worked on classic records by the likes of George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Charlie Rich.

Nicole started her audition with Lady Gaga's Poker Face, but her screener asked her for a different song and she sang Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love. "I thought he was going to say no, and then he was like, 'Wait, I want to talk to you.'," she says. When Nicole came out of Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Saturday evening after getting through the first round of auditions for American Idol, her father wasn't far away: "He's actually at the Ryman [Auditorium] right now, doing the Opry!"

Sam Lautmann hoped that, if her costume didn't win her a spot on "American Idol," her song selection would. Lautmann, 18, showed up early Wednesday morning at the Bradley Center to audition for the popular Fox reality show dressed as a beer can and wearing a cheesehead to "represent Wisconsin." The can's song of choice: "On, Wisconsin!" Unfortunately, Lautmann got nervous and forgot the words after the chorus.

"But I represented the state for sure!" she said with a laugh after it was all over. "And it was a great experience, even if my dreams were crushed."More than 10,000 excited people lined up Wednesday for their chance at stardom and a chance to make the first cut to appear on "American Idol." Many of them arrived at the Bradley Center late Tuesday night in a bid to win a spot at the front of the line. By 6 a.m., the gates were packed with energetic singers hoping to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

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If you want to try out for American Idol there is still time to get your wristband. The doors initially opened Monday morning and haven't closed since. Pre-registration is still taking place throughout Tuesday night.

Thousands have already signed up to perform in front of American Idol producers, but one Milwaukee girls secured her spot weeks ago. She won the American Idol experience in Disney World, so it was only fitting that she wants to perform a Disney song. Her ticket will put her at the front of the line for auditions, but countless others say they will wait as long as it takes for their moment of spotlight. If you want to pre-register, head down to the Bradley Center before July 21st.

Aspiring stars hoping to land a spot on the show “American Idol” are lining up in Milwaukee this week, and it could bring a boost to the city’s economy.

Registration for auditions on the hit TV show are scheduled for Wednesday of this week, with registration going on through the end of Tuesday. David Fantle, a spokesman for VISIT Milwaukee, says all of those hopefuls will need to stay somewhere, and that could bring up to $1 million into the local economy. In addition to lodgings, Fantle says contestants will hopefully dine out and see some of the other sites the city has to offer. The show is also hiring local workers to help run the shoot.

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In downtown Nashville, you can easily tell the 10,000 or so American Idol contestants in their jeans and flip flops apart from the 7,600 high school students dressed in dark suits and dress shoes attending a national Future Business Leaders of America convention.

But to hotel and retail owners, their money looks all the same and it means a busier and more lucrative spurt of sales. “Business has increased about 5 percent,” since Wednesday when the America Idol crowd first descended on Bridgestone Arena for tryouts, said Barbara McGuire, a sales associate at Lower Broadway’s Betty Boots, a women’s boutique.

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