American Idol

‘American Idol’ hairstylist Dean Banowetz

He’s responsible for the much talked-about Clay Aiken transformation. Nadia Turner’s mohawk? Yep, he made that happen, too.

“My makeovers are the reason people watch,” jokes Dean Banowetz, the celebrity hairstylist leading “American Idol.”

Of course, there is at least some truth behind that. “When a contestant walks out on stage, the first two things people notice are hair and clothing,” Banowetz adds.

Long before he landed the “Idol” gig, Banowetz was living the farm life in Iowa. He is the 13th of 15 children, and his life story includes a lot of stops before Hollywood — time in the military, art school at the University of Iowa, cosmetology school and owning his own salon.

After being encouraged by an industry expert, Banowetz began to apply for star-studded opportunities. He landed a styling job for “Extra” and Leeza Gibbons and, through the years, has taken over the hairstyles for clients such as life coach Tony Robbins, actress and author Linda Blair and, of course, Ryan Seacrest.

Banowetz landed the “Idol” gig before the show’s first season. He was hired to take care of Seacrest’s hair, as well as everyone else on the show. These days, Banowetz spends plenty of time making sure Seacrest’s hair is just right, traveling to the host’s gigs with “E! News,” red-carpet events and across the country for “Idol” auditions.

On the set, Banowetz takes on the challenge of keeping Simon Cowell and Seacrest looking sharp, as well as the finalists. And the schedule can be a bit overwhelming, the stylist says.

“I’ve told Ryan more than once we need a reality show following a celebrity’s entourage around,” Banowetz said. “Half my battle is getting to all the places I need to be on time with half the stuff I need.”

So, why doesn’t Banowetz fix the hair disasters that get shown during the early episodes? That’s a question one friend asked just last week.

His response: “The worse she looks, the better my job is going to look when I start working on her. I try not to look at people too early, because you don’t know who’s going to make it.”

“I always say, ‘I’m not thinking of doing anything until you make the top 12,’” he said.

And at that point the transformations aren’t instant.

“The majority of the first two weeks is just getting everyone styled. We don’t usually do any transitions until the third or fourth week. It’s imperative that you don’t do a complete makeover right away. Unlike the ‘Oprah’ show, you don’t want that immediate ah-ha. I have to spread that transition over four months.”

A FEW MORE QUICK QUESTIONS WITH DEAN BANOWETZ

What do you think of Jennifer Hudson’s recent win at the Golden Globes?
“Everyone kind of laughed at her acceptance speech about the award giving her more confidence. People chuckle, but they don’t realize she was the seventh runner-up and nobody gave a crap. When you’re in front of 40 million people singing and, basically, tell you you won’t amount to anything, that’s tough.”

Do you have a favorite style from the show?
“There’s a lot of different ah-ha moments for me, the first time Kim Locke came out with her straightened hair. Nadia’s mohawk in Season 4. Katherine (McPhee), I loved working on her. She let me put in a ton of extensions and curl it a bunch of different ways.”

What do you think of Clay Aiken’s latest style?
“My biggest transformation, it still is him, but then he goes and does the K.D. Lang thing.”

Are there contestants you wanted to change more?
“In a perfect Dean world, I would have colored Taylor’s hair. I didn’t want to color everything, I just wanted to put some color in to bring out his eyes and make him look a little younger. Taylor thought if he altered his hair, people would not want to vote for him.”

COMING THIS SEASON
“American Idol” stylists Dean Banowetz and Meagan Herrera will offer their thoughts on the contestants, hair transformations and other backstage dish each week throughout the “Idol” season right here at watchingamericanidol.com, so make sure you check back for updates.

Until then, check out Dean’s Web site to find “Idol” styling tips and tricks, a blog full of how-to transformations from Season 5 and photo galleries of “Idol” styles, including a new compilation of Jennifer Hudson.

The first week of “Idol” auditions is little but a distant memory, but it was an eventful week for the show as it entered its sixth season making all kinds of headlines. Here are five “Idol”-related moments that can keep you going through the weekend.

Jennifer Hudson shows off her Golden Globe.

1. Jennifer Hudson wins a Golden Globe.
Tears are shed, and I’m not just talking about her. I can’t stop talking about how pumped I am to see an “Idol” contestant, especially one that didn’t win the top prize, make it in the business. In your face, haters.

2. “Idol” premieres with a two-hour episode covering the auditions in Minneapolis, Minn.
America is reminded of all the people who can’t sing and all the people who think it’s OK to make a complete fool of themselves, as long as they get to be on TV for 30 seconds.

Fashionable Melissa Stavros performs for judges in Seattle.

3. The two-night “Idol” premiere continues on FOX.
This time the auditions moved to the Emerald City. In true Seattle style, it rained and rained. The singers, well, just look at this picture of Melissa Stavros if you’ve forgotten.

4. Simon Cowell talks smack on last years winner
Via satellite from London, Simon talked to Oprah about the show’s success, the lack of talent this season and, while stumbling over his words, how he thought Chris Daughtry should have beat Taylor Hicks. Um, what about your girl Katharine McPhee? I guess Simon didn’t have the McPheever.

5. “Idol” on “The View”
Kellie Pickler was a guest host Thursday and Friday on The View, the same show that has Rosie O’Donnell talking trash on just about everything that crosses her path. She took a break from throwing insults at Donald Trump just long enough to put down the show a little and say judge Paula Abdul was “probably intoxicated.” Hmm. Maybe? But Rosie, what’s going on in that head of yours?

And, since I’m feeling generous, here’s a bonus:

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon greets Kelly Clarkson during a race last year.

Kelly Clarkson feels need for speed.
The Season 1 winner will perform Feb. 18 at the Daytona 500, NASCAR announced. Aside from singing at the race, Clarkson also will be involved with a NASCAR charity event and appear in TV ads to promote the sport.

Maybe he’s not shocked. But there’s a chance Taylor Hicks is a little upset with the judge from across the pond.

During an interview via satellite with Oprah earlier this week, Simon Cowell said he preferred Chris Daughtry to the Season 5 winner. He threw out some insults, even though he tried to say they were not meant to be insulting. Yeah, right.

“Were you not a big fan of Taylor’s?” Oprah asked.

“I’m going to be honest with you, no,” Simon answered. “Um, I’ve heard a lot of singers like that before and I, and I, and this is going to sound terrible, I think if he didn’t have silver hair, he wouldn’t have won. Um, I don’t. I really don’t. I, I would have voted for Chris.

“I’m not saying anything bad about Taylor. You know, he’s a nice guy, he’s got a good voice. I think it became more of a popularity contest with him rather than talent.”

Is someone talking all over himself? Maybe just a little. Or maybe not. What does Simon really have to lose?

Simon also told Oprah this season has been rough for finding good talent in America. I think we’ve seen that this week. He did say there were two or three girls who have potential. Also, “there’s one guy who does stand out, but he doesn’t look like an American idol,” Simon added.

The talent, at least in previous years, has been regionally unbalanced, Simon told the daytime diva.

“Normally, in the South, we get better singers than say the West Coast or the North,” he said. “But I think, to be fair, everyone was as bad as each other this year. But the gold medal goes to Seattle.”

I’m not sure I can agree. I think the gold medal this year really may go to Minneapolis, Minn.

Season 3 finalist Jon Peter Lewis

Jon Peter Lewis no longer is a hip-shaking Elvis impersonator. These days his music sounds a lot more Jack Johnson meets Ben Folds.

“That is more the direction I wanted to go in during ‘American Idol,’” Lewis said Tuesday in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. “It’s a huge undertaking. We are slowly but surely getting a few more fans who are saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect this from you.’”

Lewis — the contestant known as The Pen Salesman from Season 3 of “Idol” — has started to break away from the pop prince image he was forced to fit into during the TV competition. He has been living in Los Angeles since his season wrapped, hence the name of his full-length CD, “Stories From Hollywood,” which was released at several online venues in November. The singer/songwriter is playing gigs at the famed Viper Room, soaking up Los Angeles and weighing options for a national tour later this year.

“The touring this year, we have a lot of options open to us,” he said. “We’ve spoken to some bands; we have just a lot of different ideas, but we haven’t solidified anything yet. It will be before the fall. At the latest, it will be the summertime.”

On “Idol,” Lewis, who fans know better simply as JPL, made a name for himself with his performance of “A Little Less Conversation.” At one point judge Simon Cowell even called him “the dark horse to win the competition.” The music Lewis writes and sings these days has less of a pop edge and a much more bluesy-soulful sound. On his MySpace page, he lists The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Bob Marley, Ben Folds, Beck and Sublime among his many influences.

Lewis said his favorite song from “Stories From Hollywood” is “Man From Amsterdam.”

“If I was to pick one song that was representative of the entire record, I’d probably pick Man From Amsterdam,” he said. “It’s not a traditional rock record. It has a lot of diversity on the record, there’s some soul stuff, some acoustic numbers and some big production pop/rock songs.”

“I can give it to my grandma, and she’ll pick out some of the softer stuff and say, ‘These are my favorites.’ If I give it to my nieces, they have completely different favorites.”

Even though it may sound like Lewis has done a lot to shake his “Idol” image, he knows the show helped in more ways than it hurt.

“It does have stigmas, but it’s propelled me a lot farther forward than it held me back,” he said. “When people hear Jon Peter Lewis, if they recognize my name, they most likely are thinking ‘American Idol.’ Eliminating that isn’t an easy task.”

In fact, later this season, Lewis will be working with MTV to create commentary about this season’s episodes for Overdrive, one of the network’s online sites. He also frequently performs gigs with other former “Idol” contestants. He even watched Tuesday’s premiere with his manager and Season 4 finalist Mikalah Gordon.

“It seems like I’ve become closer friends with people who aren’t in my season,” Lewis said, adding he also recently performed a show with Kimberly Caldwell and Lindsey Cardinale.

Lewis, who has a lot of family living in the Los Angeles area, said he feels good about where he is and what is coming in his music career.

“I’m not intimidated by the business out here,” he said. “I think a lot of it is really strange. It’s kind of a land of fake, plastic people. And that’s kind of odd sometimes. I just like being kind of close to it all.”

5 QUICK QUESTIONS WITH JON PETER LEWIS:

1. What word or phrase can you not go a day without saying?
“I don’t really have a catchphrase. I do say like a lot.”

2. What is in your CD player right now?
“I actually was listening to The Who last night while I was typing.”

3. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
“I think it was like that sci-fi movie ‘Eragon.’”

4. How did you ring in 2007?
“I was partying like a crazy man. I was hanging out with like eight chicks and just me.”

5. What was the last thing you ate?
“Enchiladas last night.”

We’ve all heard that Paula Abdul has some problems. Rumors have flown in speculation about what she’s on, what she is, and what she has. Honestly, I really do like to give people the benefit of the doubt regarding their mental health status, but this here is video proof that something just ain’t right:

Would you believe that according to social-networking-website video tracker, vidmeter.com, this entirely awkward exchange between Paula and a Seattle news affiliate is the Number One video among the sites they track. With an impressive 4.3 million views, I think the “unrightness” is becoming apparent to most of us. I’d like to believe that she isn’t just going on air smashed, but that there may be some kind of chemical imbalance impeding her access to reasonable conduct.

What do you think? Is she sick, confused, or just cracked? Or do you believe her claim that it was all just confusion over having “two cities in [her] ear“? Let us know your opinion on the obvious snafu in the comments.

Tonight are the Seattle auditions. I’d like to take a few moments to share with you some thoughts regarding this display of utter uncomfortableness:

Um, am wondering if maybe those who decide who gets to audition in front of Randy, Paula, and Simon have maybe gotten into Paula’s stash.

How is it possible that this woman’s name is DARWIN? Barring any obvious survival-of-the-fittest jabs, I’ll explain to you the social discomfort that has filled my gut on this day to this very moment. My apartment has been without water for over 96 hours. My landlord and I have been having words over the fact that because he hasn’t run heat in the lower unit and the pipes froze, it’s not my fault. He has been downstairs for the past two nights, banging things and scraping the insides of pipes.

My intense fear of confrontation has me cowering to the tune of Cowell in my bedroom. At 6:59 p.m., this evening, I was quite sure that what I was feeling was the most uncomfortable I had ever been about anything. Ever. Until Darwin. And her mom. A personal record met and exceeded, I guess you could call it.

Indian Bobsy twins? The cutest.

Holy
pink
fishnet
giant
arms,
Batman.

Then, finally, there was Tall Anna. Anna’s audition was overshadowed entirely by Paula and Randy’s reactions to Simon’s critique. You know things are going rough when the contestants start looking flabbergasted. And with a confused look on her face, we wrapped up Seattle with two of the judges actually, really growling at the third.

Man, I love this show.

When it comes to the early auditions, there are plenty of things the annoy me. And a few that please me. After watching tonight’s episode, I’ve realized the things that annoy me often go with the wannabes who never stand a chance of making it to Hollywood.

On the contrary, the pleasurable moments often are tied to those who get the golden tickets. Here are five things that annoy me (and the contestants who made them annoying):

Brandon Groves gives it another try.

1. Bad costumes
Brandon Groves sang “I Shot the Sheriff” last season. He was wearing a police uniform. This year he came to the auditions with “God Bless America” in his Uncle Sam-inspired gear. What’s coming next year? “An Indian chief,” Paula suggested.

2. Singers who compare themselves to the greatest
Jennifer Chapton claimed she had been compared to Mariah, as in Mariah Carey. You know, the superstar diva. Apparently, according to Jennifer, she also is known as “The Hotness.” Um, excuse me? I can’t even to being to explain the issues with this girl. I guess delusional for starters.

Darwin Reedy, who wrote a novella inspired by Simon.

3. People who can’t take “no” for an answer (and don’t wear a bra)
There are plenty, but Darwin Reedy may have been my favorite from the Seattle auditions. The 27-year-old prepared “Don’t Cha” — yes, the Pussycat Dolls hit — to present to the judges. After hearing “No. No. No,” Reedy wanted another try. She began singing “Sweet Home Alabama” as the judges were trying to explain she just wasn’t right for the show. Why do contestants think singing over the judges talking will help their case?

4. When bad clothes happen to bad dancers
Melissa Carlene Stavros enters the room with some kind of pink netting covering her sleeves and legs. After admitting, “I’ve got a big booty. I’m fluffy,” Randy prompts Stavros to shake her groove thang by starting to sing the lyrics to “Baby Got Back.” Stavros takes it from there and, who am I kidding? I actually enjoy that kind of humility.

5. Excuses
It happens often that singers walk into the room and immediately announce they have been sick. Why not just say a dog ate your voicebox? But Amy Salgado is certain a drink of water will help her rendition of “Reflection” by Christina Aguilera. Of course, it doesn’t. Why can’t people just take “no” for an answer?

And the five things that make me happy (and the contestants tied to them, too):

1. When dads cry
After an impressive beatbox performance, Blake Lewis sang “Crazy” by Seal. He makes it through and leaves the room with a golden ticket. Waiting outside is his dad who, after hearing the news, starts to tear up. Does anyone remember Katharine McPhee’s dad? Yeah, Lewis is on his way to first runner-up for sure.

Shyamali Malakar

2. Siblings who audition
Shyamali Malakar was first. Her brother, Sanjaya was next. Both made it through, but the judges (at least Simon) had a definite favorite. “(You’re) a lot better than your sister,” Simon said. “She has the stage presence, and you have the voice.”

3. When Simon is wrong
Rudy Cardenas was the last singer to audition on the first day in Seattle. He walked in and performed “Open Arms” by Journey. And he’s good. Really good. So, did they save the best for last? Simon answers with a quick “no,” but Paula and Randy send him through. Does anyone remember Taylor Hicks’ audition?

4. When Randy is right
Jordin Sparks, 16, of Glendale, Ariz., sings “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion. “Everything was perfect,” Randy said. Enough said.

The third time was a charm for Thomas Daniels.

5. Persistence (and a little bit of confidence)
After sleeping behind trashcans, Thomas Daniels, 21, entered the room with his big hair and enough confidence to make you think he would fall flat on his face. In fact, I almost wanted him to fail. That was until I realized it was his third time auditioning for “Idol.” As it turned out, Daniels was good. So, maybe, confidence is key.

COMING TOMORROW:
I’ll be bringing my update from Season 3 contestant Jon Peter Lewis.

The place: Minneapolis, Minn. The contestants: As crazy as ever. The judges: (See, “The contestants”)

“American Idol” is back, and it already seems like it’s going to be one of the most watchable seasons to date. (Note: Times below are CST)

7:01 p.m.: “We saw the largest crowds ever, and the numbers were astonishing,” Ryan Seacrest said over images of stadiums filled with those hoping to be the next “American Idol.” I almost got chills. Ridiculous, I know, but let the fun begin.

Jessica Rhode - First contestant shown at the Minneapolis Auditions

7:10 p.m.: Pop star Jewel joined the judges to help weed out the bad from the good. The first contestant — a Mall of America employee and, you guessed it, one of the biggest Jewel fans out there. And, you guessed it, wannabe Jessica Rhode sang a Jewel song that was, in the words of Simon Cowell, “So far off.” Jessica’s response — complete shock and devestation. Let the games begin.

7:25 p.m.: Troy Behman, the second potential contestant to enter the room, continues the horrible singing. And the next. And the next. And the next. Simon could not look more annoyed, and it’s great. I think I may be changing my mind about how much entertainment value comes from hearing the worst singers in America try to prove they are the best.

And now, another commercial break. (That’s so “Idol.”) When do we get to hear someone who actually can sing?

7:34 p.m.: Finally, someone with a story (she’s a self-proclaimed “crack baby”) and a voice. It may have taken 34 minutes, but the judges finally were presented with a good singer. Denise Jackson, 16, from Madison, Wis., sings a song that may be familiar to “Dreamgirls” fans. The result — Randy, Jewel, Paula and Simon give her the first golden ticket to Hollywood. Not that Denise isn’t a good singer, but her emotional story of a rough upbringing is the type of thing that really helps woo these judges.

7:49 p.m.: Most everyone who leaves the audition room tries the left side of the double doors. “Other door,” you hear Simon say. I’m not sure what it has to do with anything, but “Idol” hopefuls who can’t sing must have something that attracts them to the wrong door.

Perla Meneses - Minneapolis Auditions

Perla Meneses, a Shakira wannabe, gets sent through. This is a chance where looks can get you places. So, America, I beg of you, should Perla make it through to the finals, please — make that PLEASE — don’t vote for her. Why? She can’t — make that CAN’T — sing. And her making the finals would prove everyone right who says this show is all about image and not at all about talent.

8 p.m.: Jarrod Fowler, a U.S. Marine, becomes the first male singer to make it to Hollywood. Another good story — the military connection always wins points — Jarrod’s rendition of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road” was enough to push him through. I hope Jarrod can kick it up a notch, because he certainly is the favorite thus far. (I know, I know, we’re only an hour into the season. Still, I’m in the market for a contestant to support.)

Jarrod Fowler: Minneapolis Auditions

8:12 p.m.: Paula isn’t coating anything with sugar this year. I guess the experience of listening to bad singer after bad singer for five previous seasons is starting to wear her down. That may also explain her wild antics at a recent interview.

8:28 p.m.: One more good singer, but nothing too spectacular. The tough part about the good singers, even those who make it far in the competition, is you hardly can pick them out at this point. Think about Kelly Clarkson. She definitely got lost in the crowd until several weeks into the show. Seriously, I’m so anxious for the Hollywood rounds. I keep wanting to reach for my phone and dial 866-IDOLS-01. That’s 866-IDOLS-01.

8:34 p.m.: Rachel Jenkins, another contestant showing up at the audition in her military garb, earned a spot with her rendition of “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” “You’re not one of the best singers, but I think people would like you,” Simon said. I think that’s proof enough the military factor could play a key role this year. In some form or fashion, it may have been what helped boost Josh Gracin to the final rounds. Fortunately, Gracin turned out to be quite a country singer.

8:56 p.m.: If Fuel still is searching for a lead singer, they should know Josh Flom is available. Inspired by Chris Daughtry’s path during Season 5, Flom felt he had what it would take to be one of the rockers this year. Unfortunately for him, the “Idol” judges didn’t think he deserved a ticket to Hollywood. Fortunately for “Idol” fans, judges didn’t think he deserved a ticket to Hollywood.

9:01 p.m.: The first two hours are over, and Sarah Krueger, a 19-year-old student from Eau Claire, Wis., certainly is the one to watch thus far. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Krueger’s audition song, seems to have worked for a few contestants in the past. Will it work for her?

I’m not sure if it’s just Minneapolis, but I’m guessing this year’s “Idol” winner has yet to be exposed to the airwaves of FOX. Hopefully tomorrow night’s Seattle stop (8/7c) will produce the next Clay Aiken or Carrie Underwood. I’d even take a guy who, before “Idol,” never sang in front of anyone — except his turkeys.

Maybe I missed someone, though. They did speed through the 17 singers who earned spots on the roster for Hollywood. What do you think? Did I overlook anything?

… were the words spoken by Seacrest as the camera panned the masses of people vying for a golden ticket to Cowellville. Remind me again why anyone wants a ticket to Cowellville? Also, check this out:

Image from americanidol.com. Thanks also to Meg’s foresight to capture screenshots, the Internet gets to have and hold and cherish this “urban” Amish farmer (and others!) gone terribly, terribly wrong for a very, very long time.)

That’s golden.

This American Idol thing–this is amazing stuff, I’ll tell you what. I am officially forty-seven seconds into the season premiere and have been quite privy to the experiences of three blonde-and-pink-clad French maids, a woman dancing in a fountain, a grown man sobbing in the hallway, a seizing cowgirl, and guest judge Jewel. At this point, I’ll resist all temptations to hypothesize regarding the reasoning behind that. And the irony.

Oh wait, more sobbing in the hallway. So much sobbing, in fact, from our first-contestant homegrown Mall of America employee, that–bless her heart–no tears were actually produced, as far as I can see. How unfortunate.

I’ve just called my parents in Georgia, who distractedly listened to me whine about the recent developments in the plumbing saga, which almost made me late for the premiere. My mom interjected excitedly, ignoring my drama and favoring the on-screen sort, “There’s one who sings ‘Over the Rainbow,’ who you haven’t seen yet and is all right. My dad pipes up, “Yeah, the only all right one.” There you have it, America (and Mr. Nielsen). Two middle-aged viewers in the South believe that we may not yet been introduced to an Idol.

That Krueger kid? Pretty good, actually. There’s a reason all of the commercials for the premiere of this Idol season featured a lot less of Taylor Hicks singing and a lot more of Katharine McPhee belting out “Somewhere …” That song, sung well, is magical. I feel the magic. Jazz hands!

The kid with the sticks? Yeah, um, Dear That Kid’s Mom: It is obvious that you would very much like for your son to end up busing tables at the Waffle House at 49 years of age. They’ll call him “Old Timer” as he sits rocking in the corner murmuring about how he “coulda been something.” Perhaps if he had pulled Grandpa’s mess dress from the hope chest in the attic, we would be seeing stick-juggling in Hollywood (let’s hope not). As Reed mentioned, the judges have seemed terribly devoted (tonight and in years past) to uniformed reps of Uncle Sam.

One word to sum up this episode: Trainwreck. Beautiful, fabulous trainwreck. I am so stoked. “And we’re doing it all again.”

P.S. Um, crack baby? Yesssssssssssssss …

I have been waiting for this day for far too long. My friends started calling this morning to talk about the anticipation building for “Idol.”

Check back tonight starting with the premiere at 8/7c for live updates throughout the night. I’ll be giving my thoughts on the good (and, mostly, bad) singers from the first episode of Season 6.

Am I the only one this excited about this? Wait, don’t answer.

T’was the night before Idol and all through the ‘Net,
Not a creature was barking, except for my dog named Eth-
el. And also maybe Simon, who is really quite silly,
and Paula, who I’ll admit, regrettably speaks shrilly.

I in my jammies and the DVR set,
I’ll have dreams of the crazies, I kind of hope and I bet.
When on the tube-box across the room and quite loudly,
Fox announces the premiere, seems pretty much hourly.
[If "hourly" means "minutely." I know that doesn't rhyme, and now out of context, but really, is everyone else seeing "Idol" commercials every seventeen seconds?]

It’s “Tuesday at 8, 7 central,” they’re saying.
Tune in our you’ll socially continue to be paying.
On Cowell, on Jackson, on Abdul, and Abul’s other personalities,
On Pickler, on McPhee, and that guy who belts wildly,
I think his name was Taylor, you know, the one who’s creaked [in the head].
And that one crazy chick from last year (and the year before that, and before that, and maybe also before that) who freaked.

They all shouted out as they ramped up for tomorrow,
“Go to sleep, really, Ashley, because this really isn’t funny anymore.”

All right kids. I am so stoked for the premiere tomorrow night. Did I happen to mention that it’s TOMORROW NIGHT? At 8:00/7:00central. Because I’m in the Mountain time zone, I will be donning my earmuffs and blinders to watch the episodes as they are aired in my area. I pledge to avoid, almost always, spoilers. That’s the best I can do.

Are you excited? Because, seriously, you should be. Are you going to a party? Watching alone? What are your plans for the big night?

As Jennifer Hudson stood at the podium during the opening segments of the Golden Globe Awards, she looked out at an audience she could call her peers.

“You do not know how much this does for my confidence,” she gushed. “Oh my God, I’m turning into Effie up here.”

Hudson’s win in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Musical or Comedy for her portrayal of Effie White in “Dreamgirls” marks the highest achievement any “Idol” contestant has earned. And to think Simon Cowell called her nothing more than a cruise-ship singer less than three years ago. I guess you can’t expect Simon to know everything.

Dressed perfectly for the night, Hudson went on to say she was honored to feel like she was part of something — a group of actors who have shown her support in many ways.

“I cannot believe this moment right now,” she said. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”

The Golden Globe win was determined by a team of about 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The awards are considered by many to be an early look at who will win — or at least be nominated — for the Feb. 25 Oscars.

In other news, “Idol” starts in less than 24 hours. I think I’m going to pop in my Season 1 highlights DVD to prepare myself for another wild ride.

Well hello, fellow “Idolphiles!” I sure hope you’ve all enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) Reed’s comments in these, the final days leading up to the two-night premiere of American Idol’s sixth season, which airs Tuesday and Wednesday, 16 & 17 January (8/7c). That, people, is two days away. The end of our waiting approaches!

My name is Ashley, and as it is, I’ll be balancing Reed’s more reasonable commentary with something that I’ll call “anti-reason,” which will look a good bit like this: “NO! AMERICA, NO! WHY WOULD YOU VOTE FOR HER? WHYYY?” Thus demonstrating why I think Reed and I will make a perfect team, indeed.

While Reed is looking forward to getting past the silliness of the premiere episodes, I can’t wait to see what the producers have so lovingly prepared in the way of first-few-weeks entertainment. As much as we can all count on the givens—the crazies, who you’re pretty sure have to know how ridiculous they look and sound, and the horribly-misguided, who you really hope find a mirror upon arrival back home—there are bound to be several not-so-obvious story lines that suck us in all the way to the funny farm. I look forward to the real competition as much as the next guy, but seriously—girl with random picture of self with giant fish? Heck yes! Bring it on!

She certainly is becoming one of the biggest success stories in the show’s history. And she didn’t even win. At least not yet.

Jennifer Hudson is nominated for a Golden Globe, and she will find out if she wins Monday night (8/7c on NBC). But since the buzz began building around her portrayal of Effie White in”Dreamgirls,” this Season 3 castoff certainly has enjoyed a lot of positive press and attention.

The latest for Hudson came Saturday night when she was honored in Palm Springs, Calif., at the 18th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival with the Breakthrough Performance Award. She also performed songs from the film at the gala event.

The question now is if Hudson will win the Best Supporting Actress award at the Golden Globes. It seems she is at the front of the pack with all of the attention swarming her and only her. Do you even know who else is nominated? (see below) Searching “Jennifer Hudson” on Google returns about 1,420,000 results.

Here are the results for searches when you key in the other Best Supporting Actress nominees:
- Adriana Barraza: About 262,000
- Cate Blanchett: About 2,000,000
- Emily Blunt: About 771,000
- Rinko Kikuchi: About 295,000

Sure a “Cate Blanchett” search yields more results than “Jennifer Hudson,” but “Dreamgirls” is Hudson’s first film. There’s no real reason for me to justify this, especially since I think Hudson will win. Just the fact she earned a nomination says so much about her talent.

So, if you can’t wait until Tuesday night’s “Idol” premiere, tune in to the Globes and cheer for Hudson. She likely was one of your Season 3 favorites, after all, and I can’t think of a better way to spend your “Idol” Eve.

There are two types of “American Idol” fans — those who love the early episodes and those who wish the show would just get down to business.

Some people love “Idol” just because it gives even the worst singers a chance to be on TV. Others, like myself, prefer to get past the first several weeks and get to the real competition. I want to hear the people who I know can sing. I want to hear them from week to week to see how they improve and adjust to the different genres thrown their way.

I do, however, appreciate the early episodes for the few bright spots when you think a singer is going to be the next William Hung and they turn out to be more like Clay Aiken. And, now that the show’s been on the air for several years, I also love when people come in and audition with hit songs from previous “Idol” winners. I just hope nobody tries out with “Do I Make You Proud?” Sorry, Taylor.