For the angry fans who want to send a message to Simon Cowell and the X Factor producers, there’s only one tactic that will work – vote for John and Edward. It became clear at the weekend that John and Edward are being kept in the competition to destabilise the other contestants and create publicity for the show. Even Louis Walsh admits they have no hope of winning, so why are they there?

We’ve been inundated with angry commenters who are either planning to boycott the show (I don’t believe them) or stop voting altogether. That won’t work! If you’re angry at the way X Factor has been managed this year, keep watching and voting, but only vote for John and Edward Grimes!

Why vote for John and Edward?

There’s an unspoken truth about X Factor this year: everybody knows it, but not many people are saying it out loud. The contestants this year are pretty dull.

I’m going to make my argument in3 simple bullet points:

• Including John and Edward in the X Factor final 12 was a joke.
• Allowing Lucie Jones to get eliminated made the show a complete joke. The judges vote is there to save credible talent.
• Therefore, taking our cues from Simon Cowell, the X Factor is no longer a singing competition or remotely concerned with talent. It’s about in-fighting between the celebrity judges, tactical voting and tabloid scandals.

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Jennifer Hudson has admitted that she will try to emulate the parenting skills of her late mother, when raising her new son David.

The American Idol star’s mother Darnell Donerson, was shot dead last year.

Hudson told Bang Showbiz: “It’s never easy to be a mother but I have said to myself that everything I do will be guided by love. If I can be half the mom my mother was to her children, then I’m doing more than alright.”

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American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi has admitted that she is behind the decision to hire Ellen DeGeneres as the show’s fourth judge.

“I’m a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan,” the songwriter admitted during an interview on Sirius XM’s The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick. “I think she’s going to bring so much to the show.”

“She’s somebody who loves music, she’s positive, she loves kids…She is somebody who has watched the show from the beginning, knows everything there is to know about American Idol and I think ultimately it’s going to be a great new energy.”

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America’s Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne, has backed new American Idol judge, Ellen DeGeneres.

“She will be a breath of fresh air on that show, a complete breath of fresh air,” the 56-year-old told People magazine. “It’s new blood. And [American Idol] needed something new to happen.

“I think if they had replaced Paula with another singer, Janet Jackson or J.Lo, it would have been too expected. Oh well, there we go, another singer. And with Ellen, you’ve got someone who knows about entertaining, and everything that goes into it, which also speaks for the people.”

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American Idol newbie Ellen DeGeneres, has expressed concern for outgoing judge Paula Abdul, saying that she hopes she is ok with her appointment.

Ellen was announced as the fourth judge on the show yesterday, while Paula was let go just last month.

“I’m gonna have fun with it. The one thing you know about me is I’m very honest. But I think you can be honest in a pretty kind way,” she told show presenter Ryan Seacrest on his radio programme.

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Great news American Idol lovers, Ellen DeGeneres has been chosen as the new American Idol fourth judge.

Ellen, who gained experience when she guest judged on So You Think You Can Dance this summer, will replace outgoing judge, Paula Abdul.

“I’m thrilled to be the new judge on American Idol,” DeGeneres says. “I’ve watched since the beginning, and I’ve always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote.”

DeGeneres will continue to host her daily talk show.

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Simon Cowell has admitted that he loved working with Katy Perry, when she guested on American Idol recently.

“She’s a feisty little thing,” Cowell, 49, told US TV show Extra. “She’s quirky. Definitely got her own opinion.

“Solo artists are not used to people disagreeing with them. They are feisty and I like that.

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Ohhh those American Idol bosses are a canny lot. They drop the jibbering idiot judge (although possibly on a temporary basis) and fill her chair with some of America’s biggest celebrities and stars. Thats sure to pull them out of last year’s ratings slump.

The latest star reported to be taking on a judging stint alongside Simon and Co is ‘Skater Boy’ singer Avril Lavinge. According to EW.com, she will spend a full day critiquing auditionees for the show, as will ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer Katy Perry.

Roll on American Idol 2010!

Katy Perry thinks that she might just bond with Simon Cowell when she appears as a guest judge on American Idol next month.

“I might become a little bit of a buddy with Simon,” Perry EW.com, “because whenever I watch that show, as much as he’s an asshole, he’s a very truthful, honest asshole.”

On how she will handle the auditionees and their dreams she said:

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We’ve had various tweets and statements from her manager, but for the first time since she left American idol, Paula Abdul has broken her silence.

In an interview with TV Guide, Paula has revealed how she feels about leaving the American talent show.

“You know, to say ‘no regrets’ isn’t easy. I feel like I have been such a big, huge part of the success of the show from day one. I loved being able to be the artist’s artist; being there from my point of view of knowing what it feels like to be vulnerable and to be out there wanting to achieve the most magical moment in a minute and 30 seconds. To be able to do that was an amazing experience, and the show was wonderful for me in that regard.”

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How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris is the latest celebrity addition to the American Idol panel.

Following in the footsteps of Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry, Harris will appear alongside regulars Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi at the auditions in Dallas.

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Joe Jonas, one third of pop sensation The Jonas Brothers has been confirmed as the next guest judge on American Idol.

Since Paula Abdul vacated her seat, her role has been filled by guest celebrity judges. So far Victoria Beckham has recorded audition episodes, with Mary J Blige and Katy Perry to follow.

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Radar Online is reporting today that ex-American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, has been offered a job on Australian Idol.

It follows hot on the heels of the news that Paula quit her job on American Idol amid a row about her salary. The site reports that the bosses of Australian Idol “put their request to strike a deal with her in writing.”

And it seems that they aren’t the only ones keen to snap Paula up; it’s rumoured that the makers of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars are also keen to sign her up too. Read more & comment »

Victoria Beckham has revealed that Simon Cowell refused to sign up the Spice Girls because he believed they’d be a “complete flop”.

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest on the American show ‘On Air’, Victoria said, “He is the only man in the music industry who turned down the Spice Girls and said we would never work. I like that fact.” Read more & comment »

It seems that Simon Cowell is to be offered a pay rise worth £5.4 million for his role as a judge on American Idol.

The Sun newspaper reports that Simon’s salary is expected to be in the region of £27 million – not a bad wage eh?

Simon, who’s currently rumoured to worth in excess of £120 million, is said to be in talks with the US Fox network about his role in American Idol. Read more & comment »