Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

photos: Yahoo! NewsUnless you were living under a rock or doing other things like, say, following the presidential debate, you're already familiar with the other debate that's been going on this week: Team Mariah vs. Team Nicki. Well, I'm here to say that I'm not taking sides in the "American Idol" battle royale between alpha-female judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. Because really, there is no winner of this battle, only losers. And the biggest losers of all? Anyone who's loved and watched this show for years, and anyone who's actually trying out for "Idol" Season 12.

Last night, "The X Factor's" Boot Camp rounds continued...but it kind of felt like rival show "The Voice's" Battle Rounds, since the program switched up its format to feature singoffs between paired-up contestants. (Even Britney Spears referred to these singoffs as "battles" at one point, which I'm sure made Mark Burnett very happy.) It all seemed a little copycattish--which was especially odd considering how "The X Factor" is basically in direct competition with "The Voice" this fall--and it left me and my "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield confused about exactly which show we're discussing today...

But, of course, there is still plenty to discuss, besides "The X Factor" vs. "The Voice."  There's CeCe vs. Paige, Tara vs. Jennel, Tate vs. Willie, and Panda Ross vs. some apparently sleeping-on-the-job Fox editors,  for starters. Enjoy:

This Thursday, "The X Factor" Season 2 moved on to the Battle Rounds. Um, I mean, to Boot Camp. It's easy to understand why I used the wrong term there, though, since  Thursday's "X Factor" episode pretty much ripped off rival series "The Voice's" Battle Rounds phase, pitting contestants against each other in singoffs as a method of whittling down the remaining 60 hopefuls. Okay, sure, there were some differences. The "X Factor" contestants weren't performing in a giant neon boxing ring, for instance. And each duo also got to (jointly) choose their battle song; they sang a cappella in an empty theater; and there was a chance for both (or neither) of them to advance to the next round.

But still. It was all kind of "Voice"-y. Come on, Simon Cowell. You can be more original than this. Seriously.

Last night, "The X Factor" headed to Miami for Boot Camp, where a few early Season 2 standouts continued to impress (Jennel Garcia, Willie Jones, Carly Rose Sonenclar), and others just continued to annoy (Emblem3, Tara Simon). Meanwhile, a few others surprisingly faltered (Jessica Espinoza, Paige Thomas, Diamond White--all of whom foolishly sang Whitney Houston songs), while contestants like CeCe Frey and the previously unseen Lyric Da Queen suddenly established themselves as contestants to watch--or even beat.

So today, my "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield and I discuss all of last night's drama...with a little unavoidable sidebar about all the drama going on with Simon Cowell's old show, "American Idol," of course. Enjoy:

An emotional Jillian Jensen leaves for Boot CampAfter a few whirlwind weeks of auditions by everyone from Liberace-channeling IT techs to bridal-gowned drag queens, from single moms to stage-mothered tweens, this Wednesday "The X Factor" Season 2 headed to Miami (cue that Will Smith or LMFAO song now) for Boot Camp. Before the Boot Camp process commenced, however, the show's 120 through-to-Miami contestants got some R'n'R, as they were stationed at the posh, pastel Mondrian Hotel in a corny attempt to give them a taste of the pop-star good life (and/or recreate an episode of "The Hills"). But as Simon Cowell intoned during the episode's cold open: "This is not going to be a holiday. This will be...The Most Intense Week Of Their Lives."

Mariah & Nicki in happier timesRumor has it that "American Idol" producers are hoping that some juicy feuding between new alpha-female judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj will bring in ratings for Season 12. And now, months before Season 12 even starts, a video has already "leaked" depicting a blowup between the two loud ladies during this Tuesday's Charlotte, North Carolina, auditions. It's probably far from the last such TMZ-obtained video we will see before a drastically different "Idol" returns to the air in 2013.

Last night, "The Voice's" Season 3 Blind Auditions wrapped, meaning we finally have our top 64 (four teams of 16) that will move on to next week's sure-to-be-exciting Battle Rounds. So today, it's time for me and my "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield to regroup, reassess...and prepare for Battle.

photo courtesy of Logo[UPDATE, 10/3/2012: According to a family statement, Sahara Davenport died of heart failure]

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Sahara Davenport (aka Antoine Ashley), the seventh-place finalist of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 2 and longtime boyfriend of Season 3 "Drag Race" runner-up Manila Luzon (aka Karl Westerberg), shockingly passed away over the weekend, at the age of 27. No cause of death has yet been revealed, but "Drag Race" television network Logo released the following statement on Tuesday:

"Logo is profoundly saddened by the passing of Antoine Ashley who fans around the world knew and loved as Sahara Davenport. He was an amazing artist and entertainer who'll be deeply missed by his Logo family. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his boyfriend Karl, in their time of need."