‘He needed this opportunity,’ judge says of the disqualified contestant.By Katie Byrne Simon Cowell Photo: Gustavo Caballero/ Getty Images “American Idol” fans remember Chris Golightly‘s initial audition fondly, thanks to his volatile upbringing and...

Photo: Mazur / Wireimage Just before the final song of Yoko Ono’s first performance in four decades with founding members of the Plastic Ono Band, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 16th, her son Sean told a short story: At soundcheck that day, Sean remarked to guitarist Eric...

‘There’s not a better job on the planet than judging a karaoke contest,’ Stern says on his Sirius radio show.By James Montgomery, with additional reporting by Gil Kaufman Howard Stern Photo: Jim Spellman/ WireImage On Monday (February 8), Howard Stern not only...

Stars are clamoring to replace Simon Cowell at the American Idol judges table, but is America’s favorite “shock jock” really one of them? Howard Stern, 56, is the Idol producers’ top choice to replace Cowell, according to The New York Post. The Sirius radio...

Change is good for American Idol, according to Danny Gokey. While many fans are dreading Simon Cowell‘s impending exit, the Season 8 third-place finisher tells TVGuide.com that playing musical judging chairs is necessary for the aging Fox juggernaut. “I think in order for Idol to...