Last night on "America's Got Talent's" YouTube auditions episode, the insufferably cheery Powerhouse Choir, from John Burroughs High School in Burbank, performed Katy Perry's "Firework." And their "Firework," well, sort of fizzled. It even earned a rare red X from the usually easy-to-please Howie Mandel (a judge who'd earlier in the night given raves to Gabe, a skateboarding dog). 

So imagine my surprise when one of the not-exactly-powerhouse choir singers claimed that Powerhouse was the inspiration behind "Glee"!

While the choir's attitude sure was gleeful, all right, and it's true that "Glee" episodes have been filmed at John Burroughs High School (according to TV Guide), it's still hard to believe the backstory here. None of these kids pose any threat to Lea Michele, and none of them would even make it past "The Glee Project's" open MySpace audtions. Inspiration can come from the most interesting sources, I guess.

Check out superior "Firework" performances below by the casts of

Just like those awesome times when the "Ace Of Cakes" pastry chefs baked a cake in honor of '90s alt-rock icons Pavement or when Kings Of Leon's singer Caleb Followill was a guest judge on "Iron Chef," the recent appearance by Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on "punk rock chef" Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" this Monday was a rock 'n' roll recipe for reality foodie fabulousness.

Following up QOTSA's memorable performance on the Travel Channel's culinary adventure series' 2007 Christmas special, this week Anthony traveled to Homme's home turf, the High Desert in Southern California, for some real Cali cuisine--i.e., BBQ binges, tequila tastings, and hangover-curing Mexican breakfasts. Anthony and Josh's road trip in search of rock 'n' roll eats was a feast for the eyes and, thanks to Homme's music throughout, the ears. And they certainly met some interesting dinner guests along the way.

Incidentally, Anthony is no stranger to '90s alt-rock: The theme song for his

In a bizarre act of failing to pace themselves, the "American Idol" powers-that-be released THREE new Idol videos over the past 24 hours, by this year's Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Pia Toscano. That's a whole lot of Idoliciousness to take in all at once. I've written individual reviews of each video (click for Scotty, Lauren, and Pia), but now it's time for an "Idol" rematch of sorts. Pia may have stalled in ninth place and Scotty may have won Season 10, but when it comes to their videos, they rank very differently.

Of course, not all videos are created equal, and while none of the Idols' vids are perfect, they're good first attempts. But who filmed it best? Read on...

CATEGORY: BEST CONCEPT
Pia's song, "This Time," is a Bedingfieldian female empowerment anthem about escaping a dysfunctional relationship and breaking out on one's own. But her video features no scenes of her packing her bags, standing up to her controlling boyfriend, or really doing anything other than posing

Kristy Suddeth, the blonde-bouffanted young mom of "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina (Suddeth), almost became as big a star during "Idol" Season 10 as her daughter did, and she sometimes seemed to be enjoying the "Idol" experience even more than Lauren was. (She has actually been tweeting from the road while chaperoning Lauren on this summer's Idols Live Tour.) One of Lauren's most memorable TV moments, in fact, was when she serenaded her mom in the audience during her finale week performance of her debut single, "Like My Mother Does." So it's only fitting that Mama Suddeth has a prominent role in that song's music video, which is finally out this week.

Following in the tradition of fellow country "Idol" Carrie Underwood's "Mama's Song" video, which starred Carrie's own real-life mom, "Like My Mother Does" also celebrates motherhood. But while Carrie's wedding-themed video came at a juncture in Carrie's life when she was getting married and leaving the nest, the much younger