Video: Jennifer Garner Being Attacked by Gary Busey on the Oscar Red Carpet

I was watching Ryan Seacrest do his thing on the Oscar red carpet last night on E!, and lo and behold -- the sh*t hits the fan. This is one of the most awkward live television moments I have ever seen -- and I love it!

Ranking American Idol: The Eight Best Philadelphia Auditions

Here we go again...

Yep, it's the official start of American Idol season, signaled by the beginning of four long weeks of ear-splitting horrendousness, with a bit of talent and a healthy dose of humor sprinkled in for good effect.

American Idol auditions. Season 7. Wow.

Not much has changed since we last saw the terrible trio of judges -- Simon was his usual nasty self; Randy, as always, had nothing overly insightful to add to the dialogue; and Paula -- well -- Paula was Paula. I think you all know what that means.

I'm gonna leave Princess Leia, chest waxing, and the recapping of the rest of the "bad" auditions to the folks who enjoy it more than I do (although I must admit, James Lewis' basso version of "Go Down Moses" is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It's true.)

Instead, I'm going to focus on the actual talent that Philadelphia produced (and there actually was some, sprinkled amongst the rest of the garbage.) As such, here is my list of Philadelphia's eight best auditions:

1. Kristi Lee Cook
After the success of Carrie, Bucky and Kellie, you'd think last year would have been flooded with country hopefuls, but there was nary a country crooner in the bunch. Perhaps this year will be different, especially with Kristi, a bit like Carrie Underwood with more of an edge, in the mix. Clearly the producers think she's something special, as they teased this "cage fighting singer" throughout the episode. It was worth the wait -- her gorgeous rendition of "Amazing Grace" easily made hers Philadelphia's best audition. Expect to see this girl in the Top 10.

2. Junot Joyner
Wrapping his silky smooth vocals around Elton John's "The Blues," this guy showed raw talent and lots of potential. Good thing -- there hasn't been a good male R&B voice on the show in a few years now.

3. Jonathan Baines
Showing excellent musicality and possessing a contemporary, folk-y voice, this kid could be the real deal. And he's cute and charming, in a gawky way, which doesn't hurt. Keep an eye on this kid.

4. Joey Catalano
There's an endearing quality to the dorkiness of this former fattie, and he does a killer Adam Levine impression, but is he versatile enough to survive in this competition? And how long until Simon starts telling him his voice is too nasal?

5. Brooke White
There is something sincere about Brooke, as the judges kept saying, and her rendition of "Like a Star" was charmingly lowkey, but what's with the "no R-rated movie" shlock? Gimme a break.

6. Chris Watson
With cheekbones like Chris' he didn't need to sound great, but he went ahead and did anyways. Granted, "Follow Me" is not the hardest song to sing, but he pulled it off with a suave confidence. But does he have a range?

7. Angela Martin
Thank goodness Angela made it through to Hollywood, since she had her friend and her entire extended family waiting for her outside the room. And how about that clips package? Talk about sympathy vote -- how can you not love the single mother with the handicapped child? (The support she gets from her community really is moving, I must admit.) Her delivery of "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" was good, but nothing special -- she never really belted, ya know what I mean? Still, she seems likable, so for now I'm pulling for her.

8. Beth Stalker
This stay-at-home mom crooned "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" in a manner that crossed Barbra Streisand and Fiona Apple -- and it kinda worked. Sure, she's old-fashioned, but there's something about her that allowed her to pull it off.

American Idol 7 Spoilers With Photos and Myspace Pages'

Read 'Ten Best Initial American Idol Auditions of All Time'

Read 'Am I Wrong For Dreading the American Idol Audition Episodes?'

Read 'Daughtry Passes Underwood on Album Sales Chart; Sparks Barely Hangs in Top 50'

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Ryan Seacrest is Taking Over the World!

He already hosts the biggest show on television, has a nationally syndicated radio show, is the face of E! Entertainment Television, and is the heir apparent to take over Dick Clark's New Years Eve duties. Well, apparently that isn't enough for Ryan Seacrest!

Just last week it was announced that the metrosexual wonder would how the pre-game and half-time festivities at this year's Super Bowl. But wait -- that's not enough! Now word comes that Seacrest will host this year's Emmy Awards!

The following is from a press release from Fox:

"Ryan Seacrest appeals to a broad audience, including the highly desirable young adult demographic," adds Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. Adds Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the Emmycast: "This year's show will be different in a number of ways; the freshness, enthusiasm and professionalism that Ryan brings to everything he does will be a perfect match for some of the innovative things we have planned. I’ve watched Ryan’s growth on live events with great delight, and we’re going to have a great time with him on the Emmys."

Seacrest...taking over the world!

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Former Idols Nominated For Many Teen Choice Awards

A slew of former American Idol contestants, along with a couple of Idol judges, have been nominated for Teen Choice Awards, which will be presented August 26 on Fox. Here are the Idol-related nominees:

Choice Movie, Actress -- Drama: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Choice Movie, Hissy Fit: Ryan Seacrest, Knocked Up

Choice Movie, Breakout Female: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Choice TV, Reality Show: American Idol

Choice TV, Personality: Ryan Seacrest, American Idol and Simon Cowell, American Idol

Choice TV, Male Reality Star: Sanjaya, American Idol

Choice TV, Female Reality Star: Jordin Sparks, American Idol

Choice Music, Female Artist: Carrie Underwood

Choice Music, Breakout Artist Female: Katharine McPhee

Choice Music, Breakout Artist Group: Daughtry

Choice Music, Rock Track: "It's Not Over," Daughtry

Choice Music, Payback Track: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood and "Never Again," Kelly Clarkson

Choice OMG Moment: Sanjaya Malakar sports a faux-hawk on American Idol

Click here for a full list of Teen Choice Award nominees.

Person of the Day: Ryan Seacrest

Sure, he has the ability to be the most annoying man on the planet, but he's also better at what he does than nearly anyone else in the business, and for that reason American Idol host Ryan Seacrest is today's Idol Thoughts Person of the Day.

It is easy to take Ryan's skills for granted -- after all, what does he really do besides make unfunny jokes to and about Simon and introduce the contestants? It is how easy he makes it look, though, that testifies the strongest to Ryan's abilities.

Ryan is responsible for hosting a live show, which means he has to juggle performances, judges' comments, clip packages, musical guests, and much more. He does so without breaking a sweat -- in fact, he makes it look easy. He keeps the show moving at a brisk clip, he rarely stumbles over his words, and he always appears relaxed and as though he is having fun. Sure, sometimes he is like that annoying brother you want to punch in the face, but be honest -- can you imagine American Idol without him?

All of these things that he does may not seem that special -- unless you've watched one of the 15 other reality television shows on the air. No one can do what Ryan does with such ease. Not Tom Bergeron or especially Samantha Harris (hate her!) on Dancing with the Stars or Cat Deeley on So You Think You Can Dance or Brooke Burke on Rock Star; in fact, only Jeff Probst on Survivor, which is not live, comes even close to rivaling him when it comes to hosting skills.

And consider what Ryan's day is like -- he hosts a radio show in the morning and America's Top 40 on the weekends; he works for and hosts E! News, and then, for 5 months of the year, he records voice-overs, interviews people on the street, and hosts the show. And lest we forget he's Larry King's sub on CNN and is Dick Clark's replacement on the New Year's show. He is, literally, the busiest man in show business.

So, while Jordin basks in being the new American Idol, and Simon gets the spotlight for his always incisive commentary, today I salute Ryan Seacrest, a very worthy Idol Thoughts Person of the Day.

Read more Idol Thoughts People of the Day

Idol Thoughts Inaugural Person of the Day: Simon Cowell

Idol Thoughts Person of the Day is a new daily feature that identifies one person I am currently diggin'. This could be anyone -- it could be a singer, actor, politician or none of the above, but it will be someone who has done something noteworthy, someone I have fond memories of, or simply someone that I like and want to write about.



The inaugural Person of the Day is...Simon Cowell!

There are a number of reasons Simon could qualify as Idol Thoughts Person of the Day (the fact that American Idol would be far less entertaining without him is obviously at the top of that list), but he grabs the title today for not being afraid to speak his mind. No, I'm not talking about his brutally honest critiques of the American Idol contestants, I am talking about his inability to censor himself when he is talking about the show in the media. Most entertainers who have millions and millions of dollars riding on them hedge their bets when speaking candidly about their projects -- not Simon! He says what he wants, when he wants to, and you gotta love him for that.

Thanks to USA Today, here are a few examples of thoughts he has expressed in the past week:

On Melinda Doolittle's elimination last week:
"When you allow the public to choose, you've got to live and die by the vote. I didn't agree with the vote. More people should have dialed for Melinda -- it's as simple as that. It just didn't seem fair to me, so I felt for her. There's nothing much you can say... 'You sang better than anybody else, you gave it 100% every week, you're not in the final.' It didn't seem right."

On host Ryan Seacrest and apparently on-camera tension:
"It's rather like having a silly little dog who likes to jump up on your lap, and you just swat the dog off. And occasionally in a very stern voice you have to say 'No.' That's how I deal with Ryan."

On Sanjaya Malakar:
"I like crazy. I would never want to be in a situation where we cast the 12 (finalists) as just normal people, because I think it would be boring. The (judging) panel is wacky enough, and therefore I think the contestants should be as strange as well. I quite like that, and I thought the whole Sanjaya thing was hysterical. I'm happy now because he's out. I don't think I'd be happy if he was in the finals... Looking back, I thought it was quite amusing."

On Taylor Hicks:
"I was talking to someone about this the other day and I was saying, 'Don't confuse talent with popularity because actually this is a talent show.' No one listened to me at the time, and they all laughed at me last year. I remember saying that he's not the best person we've had enter. He's just the most popular."

On Kelly Clarkson and her upcoming album:
"Kelly is not a puppet; she does not like to be told what to do. She... made it absolutely clear that she wanted to steer the musical direction on this record. You (the record company) just gotta say, 'You know what? This girl has given us millions and millions of sales.' You've got to give her that opportunity... Because Kelly will be here for 30 years. She has one of the best pop voices in the world right now."
How can you not love honesty like that? Congrats, Simon, on being the first Idol Thoughts Person of the Day!