Bark + Bite

Jennifer Lopez is proud of herself as a vocalist

Well, it finally happened. Someone finally posed the question many had been repeating at the water cooler, on Facebook and on Twitter: How can Jennifer Lopez judge Idol contestants' singing when she can't sing herself?

Jennifer's response: That's hater talk. Oh, that's mature, original and thought out. Never heard that one before. In an interview with Angie Martinez of Hot 97, Jennifer talked about her run on Idol as a judge, talked a little bit about her upcoming album Love? (though no word on her imploded relationship with Sony) and answered a few questions on family and motherhood.

The juicy Idol soundbyte went a little something like this:

Angie: One of the things I love about you is that you've constantly grown, even in your voice. I've heard you talk about how Marc has kind of helped you find this voice.

Jennifer: Yeah, absolutely. It was funny, at one of the other places they were like, 'You're judging on American Idol and people say you can't sing!' and I was like, really? Well, first of all those are haters. And I don't really have time for that. There's just too much beautiful things in my life.

But to be quite honest, I'm very proud of who I am as a vocalist.

Listen to part of the Jennifer Lopez Hot 97 interview yourself below

Yoji Asano steals the show on Idol season premiere

There were a whole lot of things that were different about the 10th season premiere of American Idol. There were new faces on the judges' panel, a new opening, new contestants, new cities, etc. But one thing remained the same: Some contestants' remarkable lack of self-awareness and shame. Enter the best thing to happen to Idol since Mr. Pants on the Ground: Yoji Asano aka Yoji Pop.

Yoji, a Japanese-born student, claimed that he had been studying and imitating Michael Jackson years before he was born. Don't ask how. That's part of his magic.

After announcing this jaw-dropping achievement, he then quickly flipped his hair and said he didn't want to do a Michael Jackson imitation and instead preferred to do Miley Cyrus's "Party In the USA." What he really meant was he wanted to fuse awkward, erratic Michael Jacksonesque dance moves with blood-curdling vocals and broken English that makes Charo sound like William Shakespeare.

It was a train wreck, it was unexpected, it was hilarious and it was reality TV gold. It's the stuff that Idol (at least in the audition rounds) has always been made of. Glad to see they haven't lost their touch.

Watch Yoji Asano aka Yoji Pop shake his body down to the ground below

Bruno Mars saw the light thanks to Kara DioGuardi

She may have been fired from her job as a judge on American Idol, but Kara DioGuardi apparently gives pretty good advice. When Bruno Mars was still wet behind the ears and deluded about the cutthroat ways of the music business, he admitted that he was hesitant about selling songs he'd written. Kara DioGuardi smartly told Bruno that ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent, pushing the Hawaiian-born singer to sell a few of his precious songs so that he could count stacks. Bruno listened and his rent was paid. Bruno's former landlord is surely eternally grateful to Kara for that sage advice.

“I’m writing this song for me, and I got approached by another label that heard one of these songs and they said, ‘Look, we want this song for another artist,’” Bruno told Billy. “We don’t want to sign you, we want to take your song for another artist. At the time, I was working with Kara for the first time… and I said ‘Kara, I don’t know what to do. I want to be an artist — they want my music! This is my art!’”

“[Kara] looks at me and she says, ‘Stop being a bitch. No one knows who the hell you are! What is it – the last song you’re ever gonna write?’ So I did, and that paid my rent.”

SOURCE: Access Hollywood

Maybe Kara DioGuardi can start a new career as a life coach for fledgling musicians. Yes, that's what she was supposed to do on Idol, and clearly she did a poor job at that, but still, she put Bruno on the right path so obviously she's capable of hitting the mark sometimes.

The new American Idol judges: Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson

Photo: Wireimage

Surprise! Well, not really. If you've bothered to read any entertainment blogs or news sites, then you already knew long ago that Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez would be joining the judges' panel on American Idol. Nonetheless, it was made official today and stuff. J.Lo broke out a classic "Jenny from the Block" jumpsuit and Steven Tyler pouted his fish lips for the camera. Randy Jackson did what he does best: Laugh and point.

Would it be wrong to point out that Steven Tyler looks like Jennifer Lopez's older, estranged and damaged cousin? Somebody is gonna have to wear a pink wig on the show or something cause people might get them confused.

We already weighed in on Jennifer's addition to the panel, which we loudly applaud. Anything that keeps her distracted from "singing" is good. In fact, reports are that signing on to the Idol gig has given Jennifer a first-look film deal with Fox. By doubling up on the star power with Tyler and Lopez, Idol is clearly retreating from the no-name strategy which has forced Kara DioGuardi out. Could be a smart move.

But in the end, what will make this ship sink or swim is the trio's chemistry. And given Steven Tyler's recent public cat fights with his Aerosmith bandmate Joe Perry, we can probably count on some pretty decent fireworks between him and La Lopez. Randy, as always, is likely to continue being Switzerland.

Fantasia Barrino talks suicide, pitfalls of fame on GMA

This seems a little rushed, doesn't it? Roughly two weeks ago, American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino was admitted to the hospital for an overdose of aspirin pills, which was later revealed to be an attempt at suicide. The catalyst for her suicide attempt was a lawsuit from her on-and-off boyfriend Antwaun Cook's wife, alleging that Fantasia knowingly engaged in a relationship with her husband, which resulted in the dissolution of their marriage.

Fantasia's hospital stay wasn't very long, but given everything that's gone on, it seems like Fantasia should be less worried about her album and more worried about her mental health. Instead, she's on Good Morning America with tear-filled eyes and a Chinese bob wig with catfish mustaches for sideburns, pouring her heart out in a "my life ain't been easy" interview. At least she's maintaining her unique sense of style?

In her interview with GMA, Fantasia mentions that she has a life coach helping her sort out her life, which is great. But is a life coach really the equivalent of a therapist? And how could her life coach recommend she go back to work after less than a week of having attempted suicide? Then again, given Fantasia's recent financial woes, perhaps her reasons for pressing on with the release have to do more with getting some bills paid.

Putting the drama of the homewrecking saga aside, Fantasia is still a talented soul singer. And even though this experience has been embarrassing, painful and regrettable, it will undoubtedly make for great blues music.

Watch Fantasia as she performs her lead single "Bittersweet" below

Fantasia Barrino doesn't know what off the market means

Fantasia Barrino's world has been turned upside down and inside out, thanks to her less than elegant affair with Antwaun Cook, a married man from her homestate of North Carolina. The black blogosphere has been buzzing about Fantasia's un-kosher and unashamedly bird-like creep for months now, but things got hot and heavy this week when Mrs. Cook filed a lawsuit against the American Idol winner blaming her for the dissolution of her marriage to Mr. Cook. Mrs. Cook's most potent piece of evidence? A sex tape. WWSS? (What would Simon Say?)

Yeah, he doesn't think it's a good look either. As news of Mrs. Cook's lawsuit spread and the buzz about a Fantasia sex tape grew, the Idol winner began to lose it. In a reported suicide attempt, Fantasia mixed aspirin with a sleeping aid and ended up smack dab in a hospital. Way to draw even less attention to your self, Tasia.

Now depression and suicide aren't laughing matters, and hopefully Fantasia seeks professional help to assist her in processing and dealing with this whole incident. But that doesn't change the fact that this whole sordid mess is of her own doing. So for getting involved with a married T-Mobile salesman in a state where mistresses can be sued for home wrecking, Fantasia, here's your Jumento award.

Four reasons to celebrate J. Lo landing the Idol judge gig

Photo credit: Wireimage.com

They say change gon' come, and well, yesterday change came in a big way. It's no secret that American Idol, the reality TV singing competition show, has seen better days. This last season saw ratings drop sharply and fans and critics alike panned it as nothing more than a big, yawn-worthy borefest. Even usually spunky Ellen DeGeneres quickly succumbed to the mind-numbing lethargy that is Idol and quickly lost her razor-sharp wit and sense of humor on the judges' panel. At times, it was easy to mistake Ellen for a potted plant, sitting in between fellow judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi. She didn't say much or do much worth talking about, and with Simon Cowell, the brand's most identifiable and popular talent, bidding adieu to the show too, Idol was headed toward a personality drought.

Perhaps sensing that the ship she was riding on had one too many holes, Ellen DeGeneres announced she would not be returning as a judge on Idol next season. Her explanation for her early departure was that it wasn't a good "fit" for her. Although that's an understatement, let's spare Ellen for now. The good news is that they've found a replacement! Yes, Jennifer Lopez has accepted to be a part of the judges panel next season of Idol according to Deadline Hollywood and other reports.

It's no secret that Jennifer's pop music career and acting career have taken a few hits, so landing a recurring paying gig like this is not only good news for her twins' college fund, but also great for Idol fans too. Here are four reasons why.

Is the next season of American Idol shaping up to be more worthwhile than the last?

Photo credit: Wireimage

Judging by the decline in viewership and the reports of difficulties selling tickets for the Idols tour, it's safe to say that last year's crop of Idol hopefuls wasn't a home run. Season 9 lacked the star power or the drama of season 8, which gave birth to glam god Adam Lambert. And it's hard to imagine Lee DeWyze or Crystal Bowersox rocking the pop music scene significantly, despite all the praise and worship heaped on them during the show. And overall, things that once seemed amusing about Idol, (judges bantering, Ford commercials, group numbers) have clearly grown stale. Couple the growing lackluster with snappy, biting judge Simon Cowell calling it quits last season, and it's clear that Idol is a ship with many holes to fill.

Auditions for next season have begun, and judging by this video of two Idol hopefuls, Amber and Dorian, trying out in St. Louis, things may just keep getting worse.