Since it was announced last week that judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were leaving "The X Factor," speculation and gossip has run rampant about which singing superstars will replace them in Season 2, with such A-list names as Beyonce and Mariah Carey making the mix. But now Simon Cowell has confirmed that he was actually campaigning to have the late Whitney Houston be a new "X Factor" judge.

Winning!Long before "American Idol," "The Voice," "The X Factor," "America's Got Talent," "The Sing-Off," "The Glee Project," "Platinum Hit," "Nashville Star," or even "Star Search" and "The Gong Show," there was the Eurovision Song Contest, a talent competition more ridiculous, glitzy, and over-the-top than all of those shows combined. At last year's Eurovision, Jedward--aka John & Edward, the "double divas of Dublin" from Season 6 of "The X Factor U.K."--represented Ireland with an electropop ditty called "Lipstick," and placed eighth out of 43 countries. That wasn't a bad showing at all for what many haters considered to be just a reality-TV novelty act...but now Jedward are in the running to represent Ireland again at Eurovision 2012, and honestly, I think they have a REAL shot at winning this time.

Adam backstage at L.A.'s Staples CenterAdam Lambert, who served as a Grammy red-carpet correspondent in 2010 and was nominated for "Whataya Want From Me" in 2011, won't be at the Grammys this year, as he'll be out of town. But he did swing by the Grammy rehearsals this weekend to check out all the action. And there, Reality Rocks caught up with him to talk past Grammy fashion faux pas (he seems to deeply regret wearing a bolo tie to the 2010 Grammys) and his much-anticipated collaboration with Grammy darling Bruno Mars (the man who ironically beat him out for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance last year). And yes, he addresses all the gossip out there about his possible future collaborations with Queen, too.

Kris Allen returns to the L.A. stageOn February 9, Season 8 "American Idol" winner Kris Allen played a whopping eight songs from his forthcoming third album at Los Angeles's intimate Mint club, for a 200-capacity audience that included many diehard fans who'd traveled from out of state as well as Season 10 "Idol" alum James Durbin. "I missed you guys! This is great!" Kris told the shrieking audience, as he played his first full L.A. show since his secret Viper Room gig of April 2011.

Symone has fallen, but she can get upPoor Symone Black continued to be exploited featured Thursday night on "American Idol," after Wednesday's episode cliffhangingly ended with the hapless 16-year-old suddenly blacking out, then toppling off the stage and practically into the shocked judges' laps during Hollywood Week's first round. Unfortunately, Symone landed smack on the cold, hard auditorium floor instead, and the judges just sat there, making no effort to help her for about 10 minutes. (Come on, even meanie Simon Cowell would have gotten up sooner than that!) Thankfully, Symone survived, and no insult was added to her near-injury, as she was advanced to the next Hollywood Week round.

Patient Zero, aka Tent Girl, aka Amy BrumfieldBut Symone's face-plant and subsequent ER visit wasn't "Idol's" only health scare this week. Amy Brumfield, who used to be known as "Tent Girl" but apparently now goes by the even worse nickname "Patient Zero," showed up in Hollywood with some sort of stomach bug. Unsurprisingly, considering the fact that she lives in a tent in the woods, she repeatedly and desperately insisted that she "needed some fresh air," as she sat in the presumably unventilated "Idol" auditorium, feverishly sweating and breathing in the set's poorly recirculated air.

Hollywood Week's on a roll!Diehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.)  Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here exclusively in Reality Rocks.

Hollywood Week's original 309 contestantsAt the start of Wednesday's "American Idol" episode, Ryan Seacrest promised this would be The. Most. Dramatic. Hollywood. Week. Ever. And the hour-long broadcast did feature plenty of invasive, dramatically voiceover'd close-ups of 309 anxious golden-ticket-holders deeply exhaling, wringing their hands, wiping their brows--and, in the case of one unfortunate auditioner, the young and talented Symone Black, falling off the stage, in THE most shocking and unsettling Hollywood Week moment of probably all 11 "Idol" seasons so far.

Sarah's through-to-Hollywood cuisineDiehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.)  Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here exclusively in Reality Rocks. And she's back this season to get your mouth watering every Wednesday and Thursday night.