Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

Matheus FernandesDespite a certain undeniable similarity between its past five champions, "American Idol" is still supposed to be a melting pot of talent, a show on which singers of all different races, religions, genders, genres, shapes, and sizes can hopefully all get a shot at becoming America's next pop superstar. And during this Wednesday's "Idol" Long Beach/San Antonio auditions episode, one singer of a particularly unusual size, 4'9" Matheus Fernandes, proved that the great equalizing "Idol" dream is still alive and well, when he wowed the judges with a huge voice that belied his tiny frame.

Sarah in the kitchen [photo: Justin Goode]"American Idol" Season 10 alum and food blogger Sarah Sellers has been posting her viewing-party snack recipes in Reality Rocks for two "Idol" seasons now, and now she is back to get your mouth watering on every night of Season 12.

Tonight, "Idol" moves on to the auditions in Long Beach, California, not too far away from the mythical "through to Hollywood" area where the luckier auditioners will eventually end up. "With all of the fatty Cajun and Southern food I served last week [for the Charlotte and Baton Rouge episodes], I thought I'd keep it quick and healthy for Long Beach," says Sarah.

This fresh crab and avocado salad should be the perfect California cuisine for tonight. Enjoy!

"American Idol" Season 10 alum and food blogger Sarah Sellers has been posting her viewing-party snack recipes in Reality Rocks for two "Idol" seasons now, and now she is back to get your mouth watering on every night of Season 12. Tonight , "Idol" moves on to the auditions in San Antonio, in Sarah's native Texas, so of course she was especially inspired this week.

"In honor of my home state, I came up with a cheesy snack featuring my favorite type of food, Tex-Mex. Don't let the ingredient list scare you--they're easy to assemble and worth the extra effort," says Sarah. Enjoy!

Kelly Clarkson (photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)Forbes just released its annual ranking of the top-earning "American Idol" alums (covering May 2011 to May 2012), and original Idol Kelly Clarkson has reclaimed the top spot on the list, bumping last year's top "Idol" earner, Carrie Underwood, down to number two. On last year's list, Kelly placed fifth, with earnings of $2.5 million, but this time, she earned $8 million (compared to Carrie's $5 million), thanks to the gold sales of her fifth album Stronger, her television appearances on "The Voice" and "Duets," a Toyota commercial, and tireless touring.

Interestingly, Forbes points out that Kelly's $8 million earnings are roughly equal to what Nicki Minaj is pocketing as a judge on "American Idol" this season, and are twice the amount that another new "Idol" judge, Keith Urban, is making. Kelly's paycheck is also less than half of what Mariah Carey, reality TV's highest-paid judge, is earning on "Idol" this year. Debate the justice and/or injustice of this payscale amongst yourselves...

Astro, aka the Astronomical Kid, was undoubtedly one of the most electric and charismatic performers of "The X Factor USA" Season 1, and sadly, very few of the contestants who followed him in Season 2 made as lasting an impression. Admit it: You may have loved Astro, you may have loathed Astro...but I bet you didn't forget Astro.

I certainly didn't forget about this talented Brooklyn teen MC (he's got the X factor, for sure), and he certainly hasn't stopped working since leaving the show, going about his career the respectable, old-school way by recording one hot underground mixtape after another. And now he has finally released a music video, "He Fell Off," from his forthcoming mixtape, Deadbeats And Lazy Lyrics (out February 18).

Last night, "American Idol" went to Baton Rouge for a blissfully feud-free episode focused entirely on the contestants, not the judges, for a change. How refreshing! Of course, I instantly fell in love with quirky redheaded misfit Charlie Askew (I am so predictable, aren't I?), but in general, I was overall impressed by the diverse array of talent that Mariah, Nicki, Keith, and Randy found in Louisiana.

Today, my "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield and I discuss last night's auditioners, plus we go off-topic a few times (clowns, white jeans, and "The Glee Project" are discussed, for instance), and we nearly get into a Nicki/Mariah-style skirmish before we air-kiss and make up. Good times. Enjoy our latest chatfest, and feel free to chime in on the message board below!

Covergirls, it is time for you to put the bass in your walk and put on your most sickening date-night outfit: Dance music diva/reality superstar RuPaul (yes, that RuPaul) is looking for a new girlfriend, and he's taken his quest for lady love online.

Apparently Ru finds it a drag to watch "RuPaul's Drag Race" (Season 5 of which premieres on Logo this Monday) at home alone, while the Pit Crew is presumably off doing the bar scene. So he is desperately seeking a Susan, or a gal pal by any other name, to accompany him on actual Monday night dates. Ru has even joined personals sites like Plenty Of Fish, Zoosk, Alikewise, and BlackSingles.com to help him find that one special girl (or two, or three) that will make him want to say, "Shante, you stay!" forever--or at least for as long as Season 5 of "Drag Race" is still in syndication.

Of course, a major concern for a celebrity like RuPaul, in this post-Manti Te'o day and age, is catfishing. Has that happened to him yet? Has he been

Charlie Askew, age 17"American Idol" went totally askew (or Askew) during the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, auditions this Thursday--but in the most awesome way possible. Although much of this tricky 12th season has so far focused on the icky infighting and Springer-style drama behind the judges' table, on Thursday a brilliantly bizarre boy brought so much sunshiny rainbow-striped radness to the show, he may as well have entered the audition room on a unicorn.

That magical, mythical boy's name was Charlie Askew.