
Mark Ballas and Kristi Yamaguchi by Ryan Born/ WireImage.com
Stepping in to the TV Guide Sexiest Stars Party at Katsuya Thursday night, the place was packed as throngs of people swished through the crowded front room and snaked around past the sushi bar, the photo booth and into the back room, S Bar. Servers moved through the crowd with trays of tall, exotic cocktails, and the bar was lined with glossy guests in hip threads. Weaving through the scene were recognizable celebs squeezing by. Suddenly, there was E! host Michael Yo high-fiving a TV Guide pal (his rumored new main squeeze, Karina Smirnoff, was not in tow). Next, there Kenneth the Page aka Jack McBrayer who seemed just as earnest in real-life as he does in his 30 Rock garb. Upon some intros, he shook hands, and said, "Thanks for having me!" It was tempting to inquire about his video costar, Mariah Carey, and her new husband, but there was sushi waiting (priorities, priorities).Stepping in to the dining area with a pomegranate Mojito in hand, the central sushi-making ar...
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In this new TVGuidecom video top-12 finalist David Hernandez reflects on his American Idol experience surveys his questionable song selections and explains why he refused to let his controversial past keep him from pursuing a dream Matt Mitovich
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David Hernandez performing on American Idol by Ray Mickshaw/WireImage.com
Idol's latest castoff David Hernandez believes it was his song choice and not his past as a stripper in a gay club that cost him his spot in the top 12. Hernandez said his elimination was "based on song selection" and added, "I think America's smart enough to know by now that people's personal lives should not influence their musical career." Even though the judges didn't like his performance of "I Saw Her Standing There," which most likely had a large hand in David H. getting the boot, he defended his performance, saying, "I was very happy with my stage presence."When asked about the media attention he received during his stripper scandal, Hernandez said his fellow contestants encouraged him to stay away from TV and the Internet. He added, "The media can be vicious sometimes." However, the singer says that adversity is his best friend and, "If this is the worst thing that comes out of my career, then I'm pretty set to go."Do you think David H.'s song choice was the reason he got th...
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No big surprises tonight in terms of the bottom three Syesha and David H both gave pretty lackluster performances and Kristy was downright awfulAt least the Horton Hears a Who promo to kick off the night was a lot cuter than the Jumper one last month and Jim Carrey was a much better sport about it all including making fun of the blatant cross-promotion than Hayden Christensen The other celebrity in the audience tonight was Sanjaya Malakar who was there with his sister though they never identified him and the camera only lingered on him for a moment Oh and Danny Noriega I suppose returning the favor of Ramieles song dedication to him last night was sitting with her family and wearing a T-shirt with her face on it Its all so teenage-BFFs isnt itThe medley of All My Loving I Feel Fine Cant Buy Me Love and Help had some tough spots Amanda for one continues to stick out like a sore thumb during the group songs Oh and her hair was especially odd t
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That was quite a night of ups and downs including some pretty incredible performances and a few disasters not to mention some unintentional comic relief courtesy of the judges The two biggest stories of the night were the seeming self-destruction of hitherto nearly perfect David Archuleta more on that in a bit and the heightened crabbiness of Simon who made disparaging comments not only about the singers but about several of the songs themselves and these were Beatles songs I mean come on Simon had a couple of especially cringe-inducing moments including when he said Whats the Irish girls name and Paula and Randy replied quickly Carly Carly Like a guy in the audience behind Simon I put my head in my hands after that comment Ryan who was unless Im mistaken sporting a faux-hawk talked up the new set which was you know big and impressive but not really all that He also had a couple of choice moments with Simon like when he was whisperi
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Now it's getting a bit more interesting, and a lot more serious American Idol's final 12. As the party got started Thursday night, TVGuide.com began polling you on your current pick to win this whole enchilada. Here's how it netted out:40.4% David Archuleta13.0% Jason Castro11.2% David Cook 8.8% Michael Johns 8.5% Brooke White6.6% Carly Smithson3.3% David Hernandez 2.8% Kristy Lee Cook2.4% Ramiele Malubay1.7% Amanda Overmyer1.0% Syesha Mercado 0.2% ChikezieLook at Archie's lead. Is it really so unclose a race? I think that one has to ask: Has the boy wonder peaked too soon?Speaking of boy wonders, a girl doesn't show up in the rankings until the No. 5 slot. Is that speaking to male dominance or a weak Season 7 female field?Who's out next? This is Chikezie's second straight week of finishing dead last. Has time run out for the lad?What's your take on these latest results?Lots more Idol coverage: Rosie Makes "Bold, Brave, Beautiful" Danny an Offer Asia'h, Kady, Lu...
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By now youve all heard of Idol wannabe David Hernadezs stripping gig before making it to Hollywood. But have you heard about his foursome? Yep, him and three other guys, a dark auditorium and a night of crazy
a capella singing. What? You thought we meant the other kind of
get your mind outta the gutter! Check him out performing For the Longest Time in the Vinyl Four. Your take: Thoughts on his performance in this video? Or better yet, do you care that David was a stripper? Are you glad he's not getting the boot from the execs?
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What a trip down memory lane the 80s were when I discovered popular music so to hear a lot of my old favorites again was quite a treat Not just for me either Im currently eight months pregnant thank you thank you and the little one was doing some fancy dance moves along with tonights songs too I really wasnt sure about Idols decision to have the semi-final rounds be themed but Ive actually come to enjoy the decades-spanning performances Its also interesting to see who picks what in each decadeAs for the judges tonight they were back to their old ways too Ryan said of the 80s that Many of us wore our most embarrassing outfits then Like for example Randys shirt which was both shimmery and multi-colored At least he didnt come out wearing a Madonnaish lace headband single glove and jelly bracelets like I used to do back in the day Paula was also in rare form tonight stuttering over her words rambling incoherently and dropping gems li
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David Hernandez courtesy Fox
On the heels of the reveal that Ramiele Malubay has a "racy" pic or two out there, it has come to light that for three years, 24-year-old David Hernandez worked as a stripper at Dick's Cabaret in Glendale, Arizona, where he danced nude and gave lap dances to a mostly male clientele.Might this jeopardize Hernandez's place in the top 16? In previous seasons, Idol execs have avoided establishing hard and fast rules about a contestant's past. (When it was discovered that Frenchie Davis posed topless for a website, she got the boot, but when racy pics of Antonella Barba showed up online, she was allowed to stay.) On Tuesday afternoon, TVGuide.com spoke with Idol executive producer Ken Warwick about the situation:TVGuide.com: Will the revelations about David's stripper past have any impact on whether he stays on the show?Ken Warwick: No, it won't make any difference. The truth is, we're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths. We'...
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Ah the 70s Like the judges I love this era of music and I was glad no one was tempted to sing disco This is going to sound crazy but I think I actually agreed with Paula most of all the judges tonight She was dare I say it sane wise and insightful Simon meanwhile went on the record Tuesday afternoon even before last nights show to tout David Archuleta as the one to beat this season You can read the full news story in our Great American Idol blog Young Davids take on Imagine perhaps only cemented that opinion But more on that in a bitAll in all this was a more successful performance night than the boys had last week and there were a few standouts But there are still more than two of these fellas who should definitely get the ax before American Idol heads to the big stage and the eliminations get harder and harderAs for the performancesMichael Johns Go Your Own Way Im trying to figure out what it is about Michael I really enjo
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