Not even a performance by diva Jennifer Lopez and a shocking finale win can bring back viewership for the ‘ol American Idol, it seems!

Last night’s show had the lowest ratings the program has seen in the history of its finales (and yes, they’ve had 12 of them). In fact, it was down a whopping 47% in preliminary ratings from last year’s finale.

So, half the people decided they had better things to watch. And not overall, JUST from last season’s finale! Yikes.

This is not a good sign for the benchmark reality show, and it kinda goes to show that these programs really do have a shelf life, despite being at one time SUPER popular.  The producers will have to do something really awe-inspiring for next season if they want the show to last!

What do you think American Idol will do to keep their precious viewership?

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This Wednesday, American Idol had some BAD news!

Some shows have a successful run, and then need to think about calling it quits,  American Idol, which has been one of the most successful reality shows in history, may have to think about its future.

Deadline reports:

On Fox’s American Idol (3.0/9), it was Rock Night with the remaining finalists belting out Rolling Stones, Queen and Bon Jovi songs among others. Coming off last week’s all-time Wednesday low, the live two-hour show again hit a new Wednesday low in the adults 18-49 demographic. However, as Idol tends to see upward movement in its final numbers, the low might not hold. Last night’s Idol dipped 3% from last week’s fast nationals result and 6% from the final numbers. With 11.48 million watching, Idol also dipped to its smallest Wednesday audience since August 7, 2002, during its first season.

Uh oh, Idol.

With new shows like How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest of Your Life and old hits like Modern Family, how will this reality staple fare? Hard to say, but keep watching (or not, just read about it, because the rest of America doesn’t seem to be watching Idol these days!).

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Kelly Clarkson lost 18 pounds doing stuff that doesn’t seem SO crazy…sounds like she’s nipping those New Years Resolutions in the bud!

Says the singer:

“I lost 18 pounds. And I think that happens when you fall in love or date someone. If I’m going to be messing around, I gotta look good. There’s not a fad diet. I was working with a trainer, and she said, ‘You’d be amazed the amount of weight you can drop by halving your portions. I know it sounds crazy, but do it for two weeks and watch what happens.’ I just cut back my portions, I stopped eating late at night, and I work out a little more than I used to, and I literally dropped 18 pounds in a month. I think it happens when you get really busy. But when I’m on my off-time – girl, those 18 might come back.”

Sounds simple enough, and I definitely think keeping busy and a high activity level will drop those unwanted pounds (or at least help).  And, Miss Clarkson has a very refreshing stance on fad dieting.  She says:

“I’m not willing to do that. I’m willing to work a little bit because I want to be a healthy individual – which I always have been. I’ve put on weight, but that’s just what I’m happy with at that moment.”

I love this talented singer’s stance on her body image! Kelly’s got it all- a hot fiance, a booming career and a great outlook on life!  LOVE IT!

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Here’s Kelly Clarkson leaving  ITV Studios in London, England today.

The fans are loving her (and her them!) as she stops to sign autographs and chat with fans. You can’t argue that Clarkson, the first American Idol winner, is uber-talented, but she’s gone through lots of transformations over the years. These days, she’s sporting a healthy weight with blonde locks and seems like she’s doing pretty well for herself!

How do you think Clarkson’s looking? And, are you excited to hear what she’s been working on in jolly old LONDONTOWN? I am!

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After 11 glorious American Idol seasons,  Randy Jackson has officially vacated his judge’s seat!

I mean, it’s kind of to be expected… after being the only original cast mate besides master of ceremonies Ryan Seacrest, I think Randy’s about due to move on to a different job…and he took on.  But don’t worry- you won’t miss this DAWG too much.  He’s the new  American Idol mentor!

Yep, Randy’s mentoring now.  After seasons and seasons of reminding everyone how he worked with Mariah Carey, he’ll be working with her again, just in a different capacity than we all thought.  Rumor has it Nicki Minaj will be taking Randy’s judges seat, but the third idol judging slot is still vacant.

Of course, there’s some dissent about Randy’s new roll on the show.  Critics say that Jackson is not well-suited for the mentor role , but the show feels it needs him as kind of…one of the show’s consistencies.

Do you think this is a good change for the show?

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In the most recent issue of  Allure magazine, Sofia Vergara has a lot to say about curves, confidence and being Latin!The sultry “Modern Family” actress revealsthat it’s not just about having a voluptuous figure – it’s all about the attitude.

On Latin Confidence: “I have so many friends that are Latin, and they’re not Miss Universe, but they have something, and they get more guys than the really tall, blonde, perfect model that is just standing there. So I think sexy is the attitude of you believing that you can get whatever you want.”

On Dieting: “My ass gets smaller, and my boobs get smaller,” she explained. “I don’t mind when the boobs get smaller. I don’t like when the ass gets smaller.

On being Latina and Having a curvaceous figure: ” In Latin America, if you don’t have a big ass, you’re nothing.”

On the Latina stereotype: “We’re loud. We’re passionate. We’re coloful. We’re voluptuous … I am not scared of the stereotype of the Latin woman, because I think that’s fantastic.”

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Snoop Dogg, er, Snoop LION, wants to put his hat in the ring for that coveted American Idol judges seat!

During an interview this week, newly crowned Snoop Lion (and he’s also a reggae artist now? Okay, whatever) said that he’d definitely be interested in judging on the hit reality show.

TMZ broke the story of Jennifer Lopez‘ judging spot being filled by Mariah Carey, who is getting paid a record $18 million bucks for her first season on the singing competition. So far, Steven Tyler’s spot is still vacant.  A country star or another pop idol (probably a dude) may fill it, but hey, maybe they’d consider Mr. Lion.

According to TMZ, “Idol” spokesman Neil Schubert had no commenton whether Snoop was being considered to fill the empty seat.

Thoughts on Snoop being an Idol Judge???

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