Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

This week, the Season 11 touring Idols returned to L.A.'s Nokia Theater--the venue where this year's "American Idol" finale took place not long ago--and Reality Rocks caught up with them to see how the tour is going, what's next for them once the tour wraps up in September, and of course, what they think of all the recent "Idol" judging shakeups.

Lance Bass & Todrick Hall as Prince Charming & CinderfellaSeason 9 "American Idol" semifinalist Todrick Hall has practically created a cottage industry for himself as a premiere creator of viral videos--among them a Target flashmob dance that won the praise of Beyonce; a "Beauty & The Beast" parody starring Antoine Dodson; an online "Glee" audition that Ryan Murphy really should have taken seriously; and an LMFAO medley with "Sing-Off" winners Pentatonix shot in a public restroom. But Todrick's latest epic allstar effort, "Cinderfella," may be his most impressive and ambitious yet.

On July 23, the Idols Live Tour came to Los Angeles's Nokia Theater, the very same venue where less than two months earlier, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez battled it out for the Season 11 "American Idol" title (and where, to quote P-Squared himself, Phillip "cried like a little baby" when he won). And once again, I was amazed--as I am when I attend every Idol tour, every year--by how much better all the contestants performed, now that they no longer had to worry about winning over voters or judges. Seriously, if these contestants had done this well on the actual show, any of them (yes, even Heejun) could have won "Idol" instead. This year featured an extremely talented bunch, indeed.

One of my all-time favorite "American Idol" contestants, gone-too-soon Season 7 troubadour Josiah Leming, has released a new music video, the rhetorically titled "Love Me Or Not." Ha. As if anyone with two functioning ears could not love this song. It's another stellar showing from what I consider to be one of the most underrated Idols ever. Enjoy:

On July 23, "American Idol's" Season 11 contestants returned to Los Angeles for a tour stop at the Nokia Theater, where the most recent "Idol" finale took place just this past May. But obviously, a lot has already changed since May. First of all, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, the "Idol" judges who were a huge part of these contestants' Season 11 journey, recently quit the show. And on the very day of the Idols' Nokia concert, it was announced that Mariah Carey had signed on to judge Season 12. So understandably, the Idols had a lot to say about these major developments.

Mariah as an "Idol" mentor on Season 7 [photo: AmericanIdol.com]Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon may have boasted that "American Idol" couldn't afford to hire his superstar wife, but apparently he spoke too soon: Monday morning at Fox's Television Critics Association presentation, it was announced that "Idol's" new judge is in fact Mrs. Cannon, aka the one and only Mariah Carey. Call it the Idolization of Mimi, if you will.

photo: ABC"Duets," ABC's summer talent show with an allstar judging panel consisting of Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Robin Thicke, and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, started off with promise, but then everything went wrong with the show--so much so that by the time it wrapped up this Thursday, so few people were tuning in, the "Duets" finale was actually THE lowest-rated episode of its entire season.

And the few fans that did turn in probably didn't find it to be a particularly dramatic finale, when the contestant that had been the leaderboard-topping frontrunner all season long, Team Jennifer's soulman J Rome, was crowned the champion. It was an easily predicted victory that made Javier Colon's triumph on"The Voice" look like a shocking upset.

photo: AmericanIdol.comMove over, Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo. There's a new "American Idol" cute couple on the scene--and they sure are cute. This week on a UStream chat, Season 11 "Idol" runner-up Jessica Sanchez revealed that she has a new boyfriend, and it's none other than fellow S11 teen sensation DeAndre Brackensick. Aw...

[VIDEO: Jessica at the Idol tour rehearsals]

"I got a secret and I want you guys to guess. I'll nod if it's no or yes," Jessica teased during the Thursday chat. When one fan asked if the secret was about her lovelife ("GOT A BOYFRIEND?"), Jessica answered, "DeAndre. Hahah. He's my boyfriend. Love you guys. Byeeee!"