Blog Posts by Lyndsey Parker

Justin Guarini todayIncredibly, it's been almost 10 years since Justin Guarini lost to Kelly Clarkson on the very first finale of "American Idol"--after actually being the frontrunner for much of that inaugural season--and his trademark Sideshow Bob curls are long gone. But the man is still forever, inextricably tied to the "Idol" phenomenon. So it's easy to imagine that "Idol"s first first runner-up at least occasionally looks back on that historical finale night and wonders how differently his life might have turned out if Ryan Seacrest (and Brian Dunkleman, of course) had announced him as the winner instead. When asked about this, Justin's answer is quite surprising.

photo: FoxSaturday should have been a night of celebration for Simon Cowell, as he returned to England's airwaves on "Britain's Got Talent" and discovered one potential new star, Jonathan Antoine, who is already being touted as the next Susan Boyle. But that same evening, Simon's $14 million, five-bedroom mansion, in posh Holland Park, West London, was reportedly burglarized, while he was actually inside the house.

Back in 2003, Madonna's liplock at the MTV Music Awards with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera made international headlines and became perhaps the most iconic VMA moment of all time. So this past December, when word got out that Madonna had gotten smoochy with her latest same-sex duet partner, Nicki Minaj, another media firestorm unsurprisingly ensued.

Nicki and Madonna celebrate

It all started with a (heavily RT'd) tweet from Nicki herself, right after the shoot for Madonna and Nicki's video with M.I.A., "Gimme All Your Luvin'." Nikki tweeted: "OH MY f'ingggg Gahhhh!!!!! MADONNA jus kissed me!!!!! On the lips!!!!!!! It felt sooooo good. Soooo soft!!!! *passes out* aaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!" Madonna later dished about the incident to Anderson Cooper, explaining, "It was her birthday and it was actually the end of one of those long days of shooting, and we were all giving a birthday toast to her. After a few sips of champagne, I kissed her!"

Footage of the Madonna/Minaj kiss didn't make the cut of the official "Gimme All Your Luvin'" video, much to fans' chagrin...but now, just in time to celebrate the release of Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, the never-before-seen clip of Nicki's birthday celebration with Madge has been made available exclusively to Yahoo! Music.

Jonathan Antoine stuns on "BGT"The new season of "Britain's Got Talent" just premiered this past weekend, and already the show has a breakout contestant, 17-year-old Jonathan Antoine, who is earning comparisons to "BGT" superstar Susan Boyle and the new nickname "SuBoy."

While a 33-year age gap separates SuBo and SuBoy, the similarities are still obvious. Both are opera singers, and both have struggled with shyness, emotional fragility, and a lifetime of being teased and bullied. And, as was the case with Susan, Jonathan's appearance in no way matches his incredible singing voice, so he too created an unforgettable TV moment when he opened his mouth and sang on "BGT" for the very first time.

We may all enjoy watching "The X Factor USA's" Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid bicker, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler dote and gush and overpraise on "American Idol," or Adam Levine and Blake Shelton carry on their bromance  on "The Voice USA." But the judging lineup for the British version of "The Voice, which premiered this weekend,  just may be the most awesomely chemistry-filled yet. "The Voice U.K." cast consists of the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, Jessie J, Danny O'Donoghue of the Script, and--here's the real kicker--SIR TOM JONES.

Last night, the talented Erika Van Pelt went home in 10th place, while the two other, some might say lesser singers in the bottom three--Deandre Brackensick and Heejun Han--were safe. Today, much controversy and debate rages on about this result. So of course, my "Day After" co-host Matt Whitfield and I continue that debate here, in the video above!

This week, Erika Van Pelt went home in 10th place on "American Idol," right after she underwent a drastic blonde-to-black hair makeover upon the urging of new "Idol" style advisor Tommy Hilfiger. The obvious assumption was that it was Erika's radical new look that had led to her downfall--either because "Idol" fans prefer blondes, or because "Idol" fans barely recognized Erika this week. But when speaking to Yahoo!'s Reality Rocks immediately after her elimination Thursday, Erika made it clear that she has no hard feelings and no regrets.

Perhaps not since "Felicity" has a drastic TV hair makeover backfired so spectacularly.

Erika remembers herself in happier, blonder timesThis week, Erika Van Pelt took new in-house "American Idol" stylist Tommy Hilfiger's advice to chop her wavy blonde bob into a severe jet-black crop, in an attempt to edge herself up--and, hopefully, give herself an edge in the competition. But I bet Erika is wishing she'd taken a cue from the more stubborn Elise Testone (who was safe this week, for once) and Phillip Phillips, and just stuck to her own style. Because despite her makeover, or maybe because of it, Erika went home in 10th place, and in tears, this week.