TV

His quirky, cute rendition of "If I Fell" seemed to go over well with the crowd, and despite criticism from the judges, Simon ruled it "good enough to stay in another week." Definitely.
Plus, he's so darned adorable. I proclaim him this year's heartthrob! As if my proclamations mean anything!

Seems like he's taking Paula's role of the embarrassing one tonight. What was up with all of that running around in circles with Chikezie after his (awesome) performance? Even Chikezie looked alarmed.

Along with a new opening montage (the Simon-like robot that used to walk onstage has been replaced by a brunette girl robot and a nondescript boy), the set is quite fabulous. Fancy lights, the band's "penthouse" area, a mosh pit, etc. The show does have money for these types of things.

As a warm-up to tonight's big Lennon/McCartney-themed show, I figured the castoffs from last week deserve one last mention. Below are the highlights of a phone conference Friday:
Kady Malloy, on how she feels about her fans' support: "If I could kiss each one of them, I totally would hug and kiss every one of them." As for advice for future contestants, she said, "Block the judges out while you're performing. Don't even think about them. They're just three opinions."
Asia'H Epperson thinks the fact that she went first last week led to her demise. (I personally agree! Going first STINKS on this show.) When Asia'H was told of the performing order, "I actually called my mom at that moment and was like, 'I think this is going to be my last time performing on this stage.'"
(Of course, that pessimistic attitude from the get-go may not have helped, either.)
Luke Menard's family had one particularly lucky week in Hollywood: As he was singing his way through to another round of Idol, his wife and her sister attended a taping of The Price is Right. "She was the last contestant to come up, and she won the bid to come up on the show," he says. "She played a game and she won three big prizes."
Then there was Danny. Many journalists' questions centered around one basic theme ("Are you gay?") but no one came right out and asked. Instead, they noted that he was "different" from other contestants, "courageous," "flamboyant," etc.
But someone named Oliver from OK! magazine wins for being the most up-front with the question. He noted that with fans, "your sexuality was a bit of a hot topic." He then asked if it's something Danny will talk about.
Danny opted not to go there. "I think your personal life and your job are two different things, and I think people should respect that and know the fine line between that," he said. "Privacy is really important, and I notice a lot of celebrities don't get that. But I just think it has nothing to do with your job."
In other words, it's none of our business.

The PBS reality series Everyday Edisons , which documents the development of inventions, is going to host an audition this Saturday, March 15, at the Dallas Convention Center. The casting folks will be "considering submissions from any category of invention." There'll also be seminars and chances to meet with patent experts. More info on the casting call here.

A bit farther away, Nashville Star is having auditions at the Hyatt Regency in Austin on March 18. They're looking for individuals, duos and trios ages 16 and up. More info here.

Don't know if you've caught the rock-paper-scissors wave that's been sweeping the pop-culture nation (not so much a wave, really, as a ripple), but the old hand-to-hand game used for deciding who's rides shotgun has been an improbable hit on the Internet, thanks in part to the efforts of groups such as USARPS League. In a clever bit of satirical synergy, the rock-paper-scissors site now offers a new challenge -- Barack-paper-scissors.

'Dancing With The Stars' is back Monday for another season. Check out this season's contestants and tell us: Who's your early favorite?