Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

Amber Holcomb cries in her dad's armsFor weeks on "American Idol," the judges worked tirelessly on a campaign that I'd like to dub Operation Make Amber Happen. Amber Holcomb was an "Idol" underdog really ever since she squeaked into the top 10, but the judges and in-house advisor/Interscope Records exec Jimmy Iovine really believed in her--frequently praising her as the most "marketable" and "current" contestant in the competition, even when she sang the most old-fashioned ballads imaginable.

On last night's "American Idol" top four redux show, Nicki Minaj threatened Mariah Carey with a Q-Tip (a cotton swab, not the A Tribe Called Quest rapper). Meanwhile, guest mentor Harry Connick Jr. seemed to be threatening Nicki and Mariah's jobs, when he boldly sat behind the judges' table and looked right at home. Just another bizarre night on the "Idol" set, then.

Today, my "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield and I talk about last night's episode (including Nicki's weird weight remark to Candice Glover, and Harry's all-around awesomeness), and we make our predictions for who's going home tonight. We also we address Nicki's latest Twitter rant, of course, which erupted online this morning. Enjoy the "Idol" chatter!

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

This week, the theme for the returning top four "Idol" finalists was "Then & Now," so Sarah "decided to take a classic (old) recipe and put a modern (new) twist on it," she explains. Enjoy!

photo: Nicki Minaj's TwitterAs "American Idol's" ratings continue to freefall (Wednesday night, it hit a new series low), and controversial judge Nicki Minaj continues to bear most of the public blame, Nicki sadly isn't doing much to help "Idol's" tarnished tabloid image. On Thursday morning, Her Minajesty took to her very unfiltered Twitter page, and she often does, to reignite her feud with co-star Mariah Carey.

It wasn't pretty. Or professional.

Which of these girls seems the most "current"?Over the past few weeks of this "girls' season" of "American Idol," I've noticed an uncomfortable trend: The judges have repeatedly praised Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb--i.e., the two thinner contestants who tend to wear tiny shorts--as "marketable" and "current," even when these girls performed Julie London, Celine Dion, or "MacArthur Friggin' Park." Conversely, the judges have blasted the two fuller-figured (though still quite attractive) contestants, Candice Glover and Kree Harrison, for being too "old-fashioned."

Last night, "The Voice" Season 4 Knockout Rounds continued and concluded, and today, it's a hard-Knockout life for us. My "The Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield and I are feeling quite disgruntled, since on Tuesday even more of our early favorites (Luke Edgemon, Grace Askew, Jess Kellner, Savannah Berry) went home. Yes, the Knockout Rounds are always tough, but this week's "Voice" episodes have really knocked the wind out of our proverbial sails.

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

Tonight, the theme for the returning top four "Idol" finalists is "Then & Now," so Sarah "decided to take a classic (old) recipe and put a modern (new) twist on it," she explains. Enjoy!

Wannabe hipsters, indie purists, and dyed-in-the-leather rockers scoff at hokey talent competitions like "American Idol" and "The X Factor," but there are a couple new programs in production that just might make the skinny-jeans set tune in...or try out.