Reality TV

As shock-jock Howard Stern put it, last night he lost his virginity (as a judge) on America's Got Talent.

Surprising many critics, Stern was less shocking and more sympathetic;  equal parts  self-effacing and self-aggrandizing.

All his years on the radio seem to have honed his ability to evaluate talent. On his first episode, Stern seemed a good judge of talent and was not only willing to hit his buzzer (he admitted he liked the feeling of power) but to even get onstage and hug a crying contestant.

Stern also had great chemistry with fellow America's Got Talent judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel.

Color me pleasantly surprised and cautiously optimistic.

What about you? Did you watch the AGT premiere? What did you think of Howard Stern as a judge? Do you miss Piers Morgan?

Photo © NBC.

TMZ announced today that Disney actor and singer Demi Lovato has signed on to become an X Factor judge.

This January, producers announced that neither Paula Abdul nor Nicole Scherzinger were invited back as X Factor judges.

That left only Simon Cowell and music producer Antonio "L.A." Reid as judges on X Factor which is based on Cowell's hit U.K. series.

Last week E! News announced that pop star Britney Spears would be coming on as an X Factor judge, having signed a one-year, $15 million contract.

What do you think of the new X Factor judges? Who would you rather see as a judge on the Fox singing competition?

Photo of Britney Spears © Max Morse/Getty Images.

Suddenly America's Next Top Model British Invasion went from the top five contestants down to the final three, when two girls were sent home at once.

Top Model Cycle 18 has seen seven former contestants of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model going up against seven novice American models. The final six (four Brits and two Americans) then traveled to Macau--an island near Hong Kong.

After telling one model to pack her bags, Tyra was surprised when Alisha--the episode's other bottom-two model--said she wouldn't be staying, either.

Alisha, is a 20-year-old model from South London, England who was a runner up on Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model's Cycle 6. On the American version, Alisha had been the first called out twice, including for the Hello Kitty photoshoot.

Saying that she "would rather walk away to get my spirit back," Alisha also said she didn't want to rob Eboni a chance to stay in the competition any longer.

But Tyra quickly made it clear that Eboni would get no second chances: "So you can leave--but Eboni is leaving with you."

Do you think Eboni should have gotten another week in the competition? Which of the three finalists (2 Brits and 1 American) do you want to see win America's Next Top Model British Invasion?

Photo © CW.

This week The Voice crowned its Season Two winner.

Spoiler: it wasn't Tony Lucca.

Lucca, the former Mouseketeer who also starred on the short-lived TV drama Malibu Shores, put out eight albums and had songs featured on shows like Friday Night Lights; has been a fan favorite on the second season of The Voice.

But he surprised Voice judge Christina Aguilera and viewers alike when he chose to cover Jay-Z's "99 Problems."

Lucca gave the rap song a rocker spin and the b-word was beeped out, but Aguilera said the lyrics were still "derogatory" towards women.

Voice judge Adam Levine--who is Lucca's coach--insisted that the "b" was just referring to "life getting at you, things bringing you down. It's everything."

The b-word, which is best defined as a female dog, has been leveled against women for decades, and seems especially reserved for women who take on positions of power.  So, it's little consolation when Levine suggests the term is really about everything else (other than women) that gets a man down.

Why is it that the negative elements of life are best described like pushy broads? Why does the music industry continue to support the use of lyrics that are offensive to women? Why would a "family friendly" NBC show like The Voice allow/encourage a contestant to pick a song that has to be censored?

In the end it's hard to say if using the b-word cost Lucca the win--after all, the real winner is entirely deserving of the title, record contract and $100,000.  Still, I'd like to think it played a part in Lucca's downfall. I'd like to think that viewers sent a strong message that they don't appreciate lyrics that denigrate women.

What do you think? Am I wrong?

Photo © NBC.

America's Next Top Model Cycle 18  has come down to the top five finalists.

Also known as the British Invasion, the 18th season of the modeling competition has pitted seven novice American models against seven Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model alums.

The top six traveled to the island of Macau near Hong Kong, where they modeled Chinese gowns and live silk worms. Although some of the models were grossed out by the worms, Laura and Annalese impressed judges with their photos.

Find out which models have made it to the Top Model British Invasion final five and who is most likely to win.

Photo © Fox.

Now that American Idol Season 11 has come down to the final five, the dates for the American Idol Live tour have been announced.

Meet the ten contestants who will be on the tour, and which cities (and dates--plus how to get tickets) will host Idol concerts.

Will you be attending one of the American Idol Live tour concerts? Who are you most interested in seeing perform live?

Photo © Fox.

Over the last few weeks, The Voice Season Two has shocked viewers by eliminating a number of top contestants, including two of my personal top five).

In narrowing the season's 16 quarter finalists down to the final eight, The Voice has cut former front runners Jesse Campbell, Raelynn and Jordis Unga.

So who is left to move into the semi finals? Meet the top eight singers of The Voice Season Two.

Photo of Jesse Campbell © NBC.

Last night American Idol eliminated another singer, cutting the pack of contestants down to the final five contenders. While the contestants are slowly eliminated, the eleventh season has continued to gain viewers.

Fifty-eight million home-viewer votes were cast following Wednesday night's performance show. According to host Ryan Seacrest, that number represents an increase of nearly 10 million viewers from this time last year.

Wednesday's Idol featured the contestants singing a Queen song and performing another song of their choice. The bottom three for the evening were all girls: Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine and Elise Testone.

While Cavanagh has struggled with pitch problems, Laine is one of the season's best singers. Testone, on the other hand has been inconsistent--and was again Wednesday night, when her Queen performance garnered raves from the judges, who said it was one of her best all season.

But then Testone's second performance split the judges, leaving Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson at odds over the song choice.

In the end, viewers came down on Jackson's side, voting off Testone, sending Cavanagh and Laine into the final five.

Learn more about the top five Idol contestants and discover who is most like to win.

Photo of Elise Testone © Fox.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians just got harder--40 million dollars harder.

According to TMZ, the Kardashians have signed a deal with E! to continue producing the reality show and its spin-offs (including Kim & Kourtney Take New York and Khloe & Lamar) for three more seasons.

E! confirmed yesterday that Kim, Kourtney and Rob Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian Odom, and Bruce, Kris, Kendall and Kylie Jenner have all signed on to continue creating drama for an additional three seasons.

Will you keep watching the Kardashians? Are they worth $40 million? And what kind of drama (real or manufactured) do you think the family will have over the next three seasons? New babies? Another Kim Kardashian wedding? A divorce?

American Idol's Ryan Seacrest will continue to host the singing competition for two more seasons, and will receive $30 million to do so  ($15 million a season--up from his current $10 million per season).

Earlier this year it was rumored that Seacrest would leave the show when his contract expires at the end of the current season, and would possibly replace Matt Lauer.

But, after it was announced that Lauer would stay on as host of the morning news show Today, it came as no surprise when Seacrest negotiated to remain on Idol.

Meanwhile, Seacrest is also negotiating a new contract with NBCUniversal, for his hosting duties on E! News Daily and a role in the coverage of the upcoming 2012 summer Olympics.

Fox's Mike Darnell, commended Seacrest's ability to "keep the contestants at ease during intense moments." (You know, all those tense moments that the show manufactures with Seacrest's patented pauses and commercial cutaways.)

Darnell also praised Seacrest's ability to "adapt to any situation" and noted, "He is an integral part of why American Idol is a true phenomenon, and we can't imagine doing this show without him."

Many Idol fans agree, which is why so many were concerned Seacrest might leave the show with one last, "Seacrest out."

There's some relief knowing Seacrest will be around for two more seasons--but what then? What do you think? Will the next two seasons be the last Seacrest-hosted Idol seasons? And can Idol survive without Seacrest?

Photo  © Fox.