The judges of American Idol, including the newest 4th judge Kara DioGuardi who was announced as the show’s newest addition this past Monday, were all on hand in NYC yesterday for contestant auditions for the upcoming 8th season. Naturally, everyone was all smiles for the cameras with each of the previous judges offering assurances that all is well on AI and that everyone is happy/excited/thrilled/elated/etc. to welcome Kara as the newest judge:

Newly selected American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi may have met America’s most famous judges a few days ago but her colleagues say she is already part of the family. “It’s already a big happy family,” Abdul said Tuesday at the American Idol season 8 auditions held in New York. “We are so happy to have her.” In fact, DioGuardi has already had quality bonding time with all three judges, says Simon Cowell. “We had a picnic last night. I wore jammies and the girls wore negligees and we kind of broke the ice,” Cowell joked. “We had cake until two in the morning.” Joking aside, DioGuardi says the judges have welcomed her with open arms–yes, even Simon. “You were nice to me,” DioGuardi said to Cowell on the red carpet about their initial meeting. “You were actually OK.” However, DioGuardi admits it was initially intimidating to join the judges’ panel, especially due to Cowell’s notorious reputation for being Idol’s resident meanie. “I was a little bit,” DioGuardi confessed, “but I’m going to hold my own” … “We can try to gang up against the guys,” said Abdul. “I know Kara well and she speaks her mind.” In fact the pop singer knows DioGuardi very well–the two were once roommates in the late ’90s. “She quit her job and moved out to L.A. and she lived with me for a while,” Abdul told PEOPLE of her old friend. “We had a great time. She’s a great girl.”

Yeah, I still don’t get it … as I said, I’m sure this Kara chick is very talented but her addition does NOTHING to inspire me to tune in to start watching the show … in the least. Tho … I’m worried for Paula Abdul. She better watch her back.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

American Idol producers have decided that the show needs a little something extra for their upcoming 8th season — a 4th judge. Now, with a show as popular as American Idol (arguably the most popular show in the US) you might imagine that this plum 4th spot might go to someone of stellar importance and fame but, in fact, the producers decided to go with someone with zero name recognition … and way more Paula Abdulness (at least in looks) than I would’ve guessed. Here is a pic of Paula Abdul making her way thru LAX airport this weekend bound for NYC and a pic of the new 4th AI judge, Kara DioGuardi, who is lookin’ to start wearin’ Paula’s hat:

American Idol is adding a fourth judge: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. DioGuardi will appear at the judges’ table with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the eighth season of the hit show, which premieres in January. “We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” show creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement. DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records by the likes of Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Pink, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey … “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show,” Fuller added. American Idol was originally slated to have four judges, executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in the statement announcing the news. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers,” she explained.

To be totally honest, this move to add a 4th judge feels really forced … like the producers felt like they needed to do something to jazz up the show which will be entering its 8th season in January. On the one hand, going with an “unknown” person as the 4th judge means that she will not take away too much from the already established judges on the panel. On the other hand, this new judge looks a lot like Paula Abdul … and the fact that she has written Grammy Award nominated songs for so many performers gives her a pedigree that Paula doesn’t have — should she be worried? I am actually very surprised that AI didn’t go for someone with more starpower to be the 4th judge … no offense to the obvs talented Ms. DioGuardi but she doesn’t really inspire any more desire to watch the show for me. In the end, I believe that AI will still be as popular as it would’ve been even if they didn’t add a new judge to the mix … I find it hard to believe that ratings will go up merely because of the addition of this new judge. I guess we’ll see come January.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Last night a few entertainers of the Hispanic variety were honored at the 2008 ALMA Awards (for all y’all gringos out there Alma means spirit or soul in Spanish) which were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, CA. The ALMA Awards are handed out by the National Council of La Raza in order to honor Latino performers (actors, film and television directors and musicians) who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field. Here are a few pics from the red carpet arrivals yesterday afternoon:

Most of the folks who strutted their stuff down the red carpet looked pretty fantastic. Jessica Alba was lookin’ fierce as hell just a few weeks after she gave birth to her first baby, Honor Marie. Eva Longoria — who was host of this year’s ALMA Awards — showed off one of the 10+ outfits that she reportedly wore yesterday alone. I love that Edward James Olmos brought his moms, Eleanor Huizar, with him to the awards show. She looks so proud of her son. Paula Abdul was in the hiz, lookin’ as wonderfully tragic as usual (who dresses this woman?!), and was seen on the arm of her supposedly ex-boyfriend JT Torregiani. The couple reportedly split in June but they looked pretty friendly together last night.

But anyways, after the red carpet runway show was finished, it was time to get down to handin’ out some ALMA Awards — and it got pretty Ugly … here are a few pics from the show itself:

“Ugly Betty” and its star, America Ferrera, took top honors at the 2008 ALMA Awards, which recognize achievements by Hispanic artists. The ABC comedy series won awards for directing and best performance by a Latino-led ensemble cast. Ferrera, 24, was named Chevy Entertainer of the Year for her on-screen work as Betty Suarez in “Ugly Betty” and her off-screen efforts to encourage young people to get involved in the political process. Shakira was also recognized for her offstage efforts, receiving the Humanitarian Award for her work in early childhood education. A host of artists, including BeBe Winans, Wynonna Judd and Lucero, performed a tribute to Linda Ronstadt, who received the Trailblazer Award for her contributions to American music. The Black Eyed Peas, the Cheetah Girls, Sergio Mendes and Cheech and Chong also performed at the ceremony, hosted by Eva Longoria Parker at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Sunday. Other acting-award winners included Charlie Sheen, Edward James Olmos, Roselyn Sanchez and Judy Reyes. Designer Narciso Rodriguez was honored for special achievement in fashion … The ceremony will be televised Sept. 12 on ABC.

It should come as no surprise that ABC’s Ugly Betty (Performance by a Latino Ensemble in a Television Series) and its star America Ferrera (Entertainer of the Year) cleaned up at this year’s ALMA Awards. The show is a total Hispanoid lovefest and it does an amazing job of portraying Hispanics in a positive light. I commend Shakira on her win as Humanitarian of the Year — she is one of those celebs who really does put her money where her mouth is. I am *THRILLED* that Edward James Olmos (Actor in a Television Series, Drama) is still winning accolades after all of his years in the biz. I’ve been a huge fan of the man since his Stand and Deliver days and cemented my love for his acting abilities after his performance in Selena. As a new fan of Battlestar Gallactica, I gives me great pride and happiness to see this very talented Hispanic actor at the helm of such a great TV Show. Much congrats to all the winners this year and to everyone who was nominated or just came out to help celebrate Latin Pride in Entertainment. Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s ALMA Award winners.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Sad news today … US Weekly is “exclusively” reporting that the lovefest between Paula Abdul and her restaurateur boyfriend J.T. Torregiani has come to an end — which comes exactly one week after E! reported the split. HMMM, I somehow missed this info the first time around but according to date stamps on these reports, E! had the story last Friday. In any event, the couple have called it quits …. they’re dunzo, y’all:

From E!: Paula Abdul is back on the market. Abdul’s publicist, Jeffrey Ballard, confirms exclusively to E! News that Abdul and her boyfriend, restauranteur J.T. Torregiani, have been not together for at least two months. “They broke up months ago,” Ballard says, adding that the couple, who moved in together last year, are no longer cohabitating. E! News has learned that J.T. is now living with a friend in the Hollywood Hills … Torregiani is one of the partners of the Dolce Group, a restaurant and nightclub enterprise, which includes Los Angeles hot spots Les Deux, Geisha House, Bella, Ketchup and Dolce. They were last spotted together celebrating Torregiani’s birthday at Beso restaurant in Hollywood on May 19. According to Abdul’s publicist, the couple still remain on good terms. They “still are friendly, though,” Ballard tells E! News. But apparently someone hasn’t gotten the memo from Paula’s publicist. When contacted for comment, a rep for Torregiani insisted they are still dating.

HMMM, this is basically the same statement Paula’s publicist that US Weekly is reporting this week that E! reported last week … and still no confirmation from Torregiani’s publicist that the couple have split. I’m gonna go with they’re prolly over and dunzo and leave it at that. It’s kind of a bummer for Paula … she had snagged herself a hot, younger dude to make babies with and now … nothing. Maybe he was a cold hearted snake? Perhaps opposites don’t attract? Whatever the case may be, I hope she is able to find happiness again soon. As much as I like to give her a hard time, I do <3 Paula Abdul and I’d like to see her happy … since I’ve given up on seeing her sane.

[Source, Source]

Woot! Folks here in LA are celebratin’ today that their beloved LA Lakers came back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics and won Game 5 of the championship series at the Staples Center here in downtown LA last night. After their disappointing performance in Game 4, many naysayers were predicting that Boston would win last night’s game and send the Lakers home empty-handed and they would be taking the championship trophy with them back East to Boston … but the Lakers woke up, played like they’ve been playing all season long and pulled out another win, bringing the series tally to 3-2:

Pack up the championship trophy and book a flight back to Boston, the NBA finals aren’t over yet. The Los Angeles Lakers are headed East to try a historic comeback of their own. Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute — and Lamar Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win in Game 5 on Sunday night to close to 3-2 in this restored rivalry. No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed, and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary. They’ll have to win on the Celtics’ parquet floor Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 7, where anything is possible … The Lakers needed to hold on to set up a Game 6 on Tuesday night back in Boston. A Celtics victory would give them 17 championships, and the first for their trio of Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Of course, the Lakers faithful showed up in full force at the Staples Center last night … Including LA’s biggest fan of all …

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