Simon Cowell News

ET Online is reporting that American Idol is slated to undergo formatting changes in its tenth season. Next season, along with the highly publicized departure of judge Simon Cowell, the series will be cutting the time of its weekly results show from an hour down to 30 minutes. American Idol is currently in its ninth season, which will have its season finale May 26th at 8:00PM on Fox.

Wooed by Angelina Jolie, praised by the Queen, world class magician and mind-reader Chris Dugdale returns by popular demand to Riverside Studios for three weeks this autumn (31st August - 19th September) with his critically acclaimed, ground-breaking magic show, 'Chris Dugdale: An Evening of Magic and Mindreading'.

Tonight, 'Idol' learned who would make the top three. Last night's performances were some of the weaker ones we've seen this season, so it was a bit unclear as to who would head home before the night began. The results show featured a wide range of performances, from R&B star Fantasia Burrino to the rock styling of Daughtry and Bon Jovi, and were a great addition to an otherwise somber night.

The top four sang songs from the silver screen tonight on "American Idol." Film and music star Jamie Foxx served to mentor, the perfect choice, since he has clearly been able to succeed in both genres. Foxx coached the contestants on how to perform for an audience, as he told them they now cannot be just a contestant; it's time to take it to the next level and show the audience who they are as an artist. Foxx made a good point: it's important to be an individual, not just have the best vocals.

'Idol' kicked off tonight's results show with the top five singing a Frank Sinatra medley consisting of The Lady is a Tramp, It Was a Very Good Year, and Night and Day. The group sounded tight as usual. I was a big fan of the way the guys began the medley, bringing out Crystal Bowersox to sing the second verse of The Lady is a Tramp. Casey James sounded a million times better tonight than he did last night; perhaps he would have done better with a different song? The group sounded great and the solos seem to get better each week.

The contestants stepped out of their comfort zone tonight on a week featuring pure crooning, something surprisingly lacking from 'Idol' this season. Stage and screen star Harry Connick, Jr. mentored the contestants on the songs of Frank Sinatra, even going so far as to create the arrangements and orchestrations for each song, as well as joining the singers on stage as the pianist. It's nice to see a mentor who put such dedication into his work on 'Idol,' though it is not the least bit surprising that this dedication came from Connick, Jr., always the consummate musician as well as performer.

According to a recent Tweet from pop star Lady Gaga, the singer will appear on the hit television show 'American Idol' on May 5th. The tweet read 'See you on American Idol. May 5th, Little Monsters.'

‘When The?Lilac Blooms, My Love', a new romantic play by acclaimed novelist Jane Huxley, is to get its world premiere, starring Judy Cornwell and Sally Familoe-Neville, in the West End at London's Leicester?Square Theatre from Wednesday April 14 - Saturday 1 May.

When 'Idol' gets down to the top six, each week is a shocker. With so few contestants left, it is nearly impossible to predict who will head home each week and, at this point in the competition, it really feels as though it's anyone's game. Tonight featured a slew of performances and was the first real reminder of how close we are to finding a winner of 'American Idol' season nine.

Tonight, 'Idol' saw the return of Shania Twain, who joined the audition process in Chicago, as the contestants sang from her vast catalog of songs. Twain is primarily a country artist, which resulted in a marked change for some of the contestants. The majority of the themes thus far have fit nicely into the pop genre and, while Twain's songs are definitely pop, the country influence allowed us to see the versatility of the performers as they tackled a new challenge.

NBC and the producers of 'America's Got Talent,' premiering June 1 (8-10 p.m. ET), have partnered with YouTube to allow talented acts from across the country to audition online for a shot at performing live on the #1 hit summer series, it was announced today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios, and Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia North America and executive producer of 'America's Got Talent.'

In a recent study by Telegraph Online for their 2010 Rich List series, theatre stars comprised of two of the top 5 richest music moguls. Andrew Lloyd Webber was placed number three on the list, coming in at a net worth of £700 million, followed closely by Cameron Mackintosh at number four with £ 635 million. At number eight is Sir Elton John with £185 million.

Tonight, 'American Idol' presented a special episode, benefitting 'Idol Gives Back,' the historic Emmy Award-winning television event and music celebration, that has raised more than $140 million to benefit charities around the world and across the United States. Tonight, 'Idol' saluted a number of charities, including Feeding America, Save the Children, the United Nations Foundation, the Elton John Aids Foundation, and Idol Aid.

The iTunes Store, the No. 1 music retailer in the U.S., will donate net proceeds from sales of last night's Top 7 finalist performances to IDOL GIVES BACK. In addition, select guest performances from tonight's one-of-a-kind philanthropic event will also be featured on the iTunes Store (itunes.com). Check americanidol.com for regular updates on which performances will be available.

HISTORY(TM) today announced that a U.S. version of Top Gear, the award-winning BBC series will begin production today. The 10-episode series is being made by BBC Worldwide Productions and showcases an offbeat celebration of automobiles and driving. Premiering fall 2010 on HISTORY, the show will be hosted by comedian Adam Ferrara, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager, HISTORY.

During what was called 'Andrew Lloyd Webber week' of the seventh season of the hit TV talent competition American Idol, Webber predicted to an audience of millions that Syesha Mercado will 'bring the house down' with a sexy, splashy take on one of his many musical hits. And that, she did. Then 21, she eventually lasted on the show to become the second runner-up. Fast forward two years later, and she is now in the midst of a multi-city national tour of the rebooted DREAMGIRLS stage musical, where she nightly plays Deena Jones, the beautiful and eventual front-woman of the semi-fictional musical group The Dreams. Before she takes the stage of The Orange County Performing Arts Center (April 21-May 2), Mercado spoke with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on the road, her American Idol roots, and what it takes to become Deena Jones night after night.

The top seven contestants of 'American Idol' kicked off the week with a set of inspirational songs led by the incomparable Alicia Keys. Keys was brought in due to her talent as well as her charity involvement, specifically working with families suffering from HIV and AIDS, as the show celebrates 'Idol Gives Back' this week. Some of the performances were perfect for the theme, while other lacked inspiration and felt as though they could have been performed any other week. As the competition heats up, the contestants will have to give standout performances weekly, and some of them failed to grow this week, while others had fantastic showings.

According to a recent tweet from pop star Christina Aguilera, the singer will appear on season finale of hit television show 'American Idol' on May 26th.

As part of his global effort to raise awareness for and to end HIV/AIDS, Sir Elton John will perform on IDOL GIVES BACK, airing Wednesday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX, on behalf of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox, Jeff Beck & Joss Stone and Mary J. Blige & the All-Star Band will also perform.

While Ryan Seacrest hosts IDOL GIVES BACK from the AMERICAN IDOL stage in Los Angeles, Queen Latifah will join the celebration as emcee live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, an additional venue sponsored by ExxonMobil, Wednesday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. This year, IDOL GIVES BACK will feature performances and appearances by some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox and Jeff Beck.