Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

Mainstream music stars have been coming together all over the globe to assist in the Haitian earthquake relief efforts, from the recent Hope For Haiti Now telethon to the allstar "We Are The World" remake to Simon Cowell's new "Everybody Hurts" charity single. But the new Haiti benefit single helmed by Pogues rebel Shane MacGowan may be the coolest charity effort yet, and it will reach an entire new audience.

MacGowan has recruited Nick Cave, the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, the Sex Pistols' Glen Matlock, the Clash's Mick Jones, and even part-time musician Johnny Depp and Depp's actress/singer girlfriend Vanessa Paradis for a charity cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' witchcrafty classic, "I Put A Spell On You." It may seem like an odd choice for a Haiti tribute, but it's a great song with a voodoo theme, and it's for a great cause--and as MacGowan told Britain's Channel 4, it's intended to be an "alternative" to the more poppy charity efforts out there.

Last season on "American Idol," the series skipped its usual "Idol Gives Back" charity special--which would have been a shame under any circumstances, but was especially disappointing considering that last season's actual winner, Kris Allen, already had a long pre-"Idol" history of doing missionary work in impoverished countries, and most certainly would have liked to participate in such a program.

But this year "Idol Gives Back" is back as a season-long initiative to help people in need, and Kris Allen kicked it off this week by taking a trip to Haiti with the United Nations, then recording a live results-show performance of the Beatles' "Let It Be" as a benefit single (100 percent of the proceeds from the song's iTunes downloads will go to the U.N. to fund Haitian earthquake relief efforts).

This week Reality Rocks caught up with Kris on the set of a TV show, where he made a special acting cameo (watch this space for more on that). There during his downtime, we chatted not only about

Well, it's been a weird top 24 week on "American Idol," packed with weird song selections, weird banana analogies, and plenty of weird vibes as viewers, bloggers, and even the judges themselves wondered aloud if this just might be the series' Worst. Season. Ever.

And the weirdness continued on Thursday night's results show, with four totally left field eliminations I really didn't see coming. For the first time in the history of Reality Rocks, I didn't get a single elimination prediction right. Readers, if you're impatient, please scroll down a few paragraphs and prepare to be shocked--but probably not awed.

But a little more on Season 9, which certainly seems to be VoteForTheWorst.com's dream season come true. This week the megahyped 12 girls disappointed on Tuesday; then the boys competed on Wednesday and were so bad they made the girls look like a dozen Jennifer Hudsons. Really, out of the tens of thousands of auditioners across this great nation of ours, these were the best

All season long, the "American Idol" buzz has buzzed loudest regarding the female contestants, with the judges declaring this to be the season when a girl would finally win after two consecutive boy-boy finales. But after Tuesday night's first top 12 episode, all the hype now appears to be just that: HYPE. Sure, there were a few standout performances, but overall, the girls disappointed this week.

So, did the boys step it up when it was their time to step up to the mic on Wednesday--and thus effectively steal the overhyped girls' thunder? In a word...NO. Sorry for the spoiler alert, but the boys also disappointed their first time out. But if you want more words on how the dozen dudes did, according to all four judges and according to yours truly, read on:

Todrick Hall - This theater-schooled veteran performer did what all the judges kept telling the girls to do Tuesday night: He took a song out of his genre and turned it upside down and inside out. Going all the way back to the

Kris Allen, who has a long history of doing missionary work, went to Haiti last week as part of American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" program. This Thursday on the Season 9's first results show, footage of his trip will air, along with his live performance of "Let It Be." Kris recently participated in a press conference to discuss his harrowing Haiti excursion with the United Nations, and below is a full transcript of what he had to say.

KRIS: Hello, everyone. I would like to just say that being with someone like Kathy [Calvin, of the U.N.], she was incredible in the way that she dealt with the Haitians and I feel like she has a lot of great ideas as well. So, Kathy, it was awesome to go with you. Right now I want to thank Simon Fuller for giving me the opportunity to go out there, and to hopefully make a difference in what's going on with Haiti.

QUESTION: Could you describe, back before Idol, when you did your mission trips what those were like, and compare it emotionally to the

Tuesday night the search for the next American Idol got serious, but it actually was an evening when quirkiness reigned supreme. The top 12 girls, perhaps the series' strongest female dozen ever, competed live for the first time, and while there has been much hype in the blogosphere over early predictions that the females will dominate Season 9, judging from Tuesday's performances it doesn't seem like the stars of this season will be the typical wannabe Whitneys of seasons past.

In the past on American Idol, the female standouts have all been blowhardy divas--think LaToya London, Jennifer Hudson, Melinda Doolittle, and winners like Kelly, Fantasia, and Jordin. But now it seems like the ones to watch are quiet ones--or at least the ones who sing quietly but carry a big guitar. The American Idol set Tuesday night kind of looked like the site of a Lilith Fair festival, filled with guitar-plucking granola girls, and the divas were for the most part the most-forgettable singers of the

New wave pioneers Devo recently started work on their first album in two decades, Fresh, and on Monday night they unexpectedly debuted the comeback album's title track at the Whistler Victory Ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in Canada.

Devo also unveiled their new blue energy-dome hats and all-white jumpsuits, perhaps THE coolest uniforms at the Olympics this year.

While Devo's concert did not air in the U.S., it was broadcast in Canada, proving once again that Canada is cooler than the States in many ways. Watch Devo go for the gold during their Victory Ceremonies performances of "Fresh" and classic tracks "Uncontrollable Urge" and "Gates Of Steel" below--and download "Fresh" for free at www.clubdevo.com.

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Season 2 American Idol alum Kimberly Caldwell has finally released a music video for her major-label debut single, "Mess Of You" (a rockin' remake of an Alana Grace song) and it's a hot "Mess" indeed. Shot at hallowed Hollywood haunt the Roosevelt Hotel, the attractively asymmetrical-haired Kimberly looks stunning--so stunning, in fact, it's hard to believe the video's plotline, in which she is spurned by a womanizing, ponytailed boyfriend who looks straight out of Central Casting for Tool Academy 4. What red-blooded man would cheat on this brassy babe?

In the video, Kimberly takes on two roles, almost Sliding Doors-style. Her first role is that of the pre-breakup, naïve Kimberly, blissfully/ignorantly canoodling with the above-mentioned ponytailed greaseball, all the while unaware that he's groping cocktail waitresses' posteriors and sending sexts on his cell the second she excuses herself to the powder room to fix her edgy blonde bob.

Kim's second role is the older, wiser,