Madonna’s Brother Wants ‘Idol’ Spot

Filed under: American Idol, Howard Stern, Madonna, Perez Hilton

Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, is not giving up on his quest to take Simon Cowell’s seat as a judge on Fox’s hit “American Idol.”

Ciccone at various times during his 25-year career has served as his sister’s assistant, backup dancer, stylist and artistic director. He launched a Facebook page — “Christopher Ciccone for American Idol! — in January, though it’s so far drawn only 602 members. Still, he’s not giving up.

“I think I can bring a particular kind of credibility to the show. I’d be the only person sitting at the table who actually created a pop star from the beginning, and helped keep her there for 20 years,” he says. “I know what it takes to make it.”

Ciccone isn’t worried about his competitors for the Cowell seat — who are rumored to include Howard Stern, Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine, Warner Music CEO Lyor Cohen and former Sony Music boss Tommy Mottola.

“And I know producers are talking to Perez [Hilton], although he’s probably the only person who doesn’t realize how irrelevant he is.”

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Howard Stern Skewers Jay Leno

Filed under: Howard Stern, Jay Leno

Howard Stern made no bones about his dislike for Jay Leno during an interview on The Early Show” Tuesday, the morning after Leno returned to his role as host of “The Tonight Show.”

Asked for his take by co-anchor Harry Smith,” Stern launched into a no-holds-barred, blistering attack on Leno.

“Just the mere mention of Jay Leno’s name makes me want to vomit,”

Stern said from his studio at Sirius XM Radio, adding that others in show business are afraid to criticize Leno, but he’s not.

Stern accused Leno of pushing Johnny Carson out of the “Tonight Show” helm “in a merciless way,” as opposed to David Letterman, who Stern said has “integrity.”

Stern said Leno

“seems to be the kind of showbiz animal who won’t let go.”

Noting Leno had worked on “Tonight” 17 years before being “fired” and put in primetime when Conan O’Brien took over, Stern asked Smith, “What would you do, as a man (if you got fired)?”

Stern said a man would move on to another network and try to beat Letterman and O’Brien, but Leno stuck around like “a lapdog” and proceeded to bomb in the 10 p.m. timeslot.

He also accused Leno of being a “thief,” saying Leno “lifts bits directly from my show.” Stern says Leno “doesn’t have an original thought.”

On any possible return by Stern to free radio, Stern said, “I don’t

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Report: Howard Stern to Host $100,000 Beauty Contest for Tiger Woods’ Mistresses

Filed under: Howard Stern, Tiger Woods

As if Tiger Wood’sapology last week for his serial philandering wasn’t enough of a public humiliation, several of his former mistresses have agreed to take part in a beauty pageant in which they will compete for a $100,000 prize.

The Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant, organized by shock jock Howard Stern, will be held on March 10.

So far, only four of the golfer’s former mistresses — out of the 13 identified in the press — have agreed to take part.

They will compete in categories such as “Swimsuit,” “Personality” and “Talent” to earn the judges’ votes.

When Stern first announced the idea of the pageant, he said that it would take place only if more than three women responded. All of them had to have been named in news publications as lovers of the golfer.

The prize money for Stern’s pageant will be supplied by AshleyMadison.com, a “discreet dating service” company. The site, which has 4.5 million users, advertises itself with the slogan “Life is Short, Have an Affair.”

This sounds like fun!

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Parents’ Group Urges Idol Bosses To Avoid Stern

Filed under: American Idol, Howard Stern, Simon Cowell

Executives at a parents’ rights group in the U.S. are urging American Idol bosses not to hire Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell – insisting the shock jock is too controversial for the family-friendly TV show.

Cowell recently announced he will leave the judging panel of the hit singing contest next year, and Stern has confirmed he’s been in talks to take over.

But the news has infuriated bosses at The Parents Television Council (PTC), who fear Stern’s bad boy reputation could be disastrous for the popular talent show.

PTC President Tim Winter says in a statement:

“Unless Stern intends to undergo some sort of moth-to-butterfly metamorphosis – though in his case the change would be more like rattlesnake-to-Labrador retriever – adding him to American Idol would spell immediate death for one of the best franchises in American family entertainment.”

The organization has posted a petition on its website, urging worried parents to bombard Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly and American Idol executive producer Simon Fuller with complaints.

Winter adds,

“Fox should move immediately to repudiate these rumors and instead commit publicly to keeping American Idol safe for family viewing.”

This is funny. Stern wasn’t even offered the job and probably wouldn’t be. I don’t mind organizations forming for good causes but some go way overboard in their cause. This seems to be one.

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Howard Stern Admits He’s In Talks to Judge Idol

Filed under: American Idol, Howard Stern, Simon Cowell

Howard Stern admitted Monday that he’s in talks to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on American Idol”.

There’s not a better job on the planet than judging that f—ing karaoke contest,”

the shock jock, 56, announced on his Sirius radio show.

“It would be the best thing that happened to me,” he continued. “What a cush job — $100 million for four months. Who wouldn’t take that?”

The catch?

“They’d have to pay me a ton of dough because I already make a ton of dough,”

says Stern.

“A $100 million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I would do that show for $100 million.”

Stern says he’d quit his radio show if he ended up on the Fox reality show. His $500 million, five-year contract expires at the end of 2010.

Naturally, he thinks he’d be perfect at the gig.

“If I do say so myself, I can’t imagine anyone else but me replacing [Cowell],” Stern said. “I mean, I don’t know. How else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who’s not afraid to speak their mind?”

Marc Berman, the senior TV editor at Mediaweek, agrees.

“I probably can’t think of anybody better than him. He would create a lot of controversy. If they’re looking to keep the show on the map, it’s not a bad idea.”

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Howard Stern To Take Over For Simon On Idol?

Filed under: American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres, Howard Stern, Jamie Foxx, Kara DioGuardi, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell

Shock jock Howard Stern is the latest big name rumored to be in the running to take over from Simon Cowell on American Idol.

Cowell has headed the U.S. talent show’s panel since its inception in 2002, but announced last month he will leave the program when his contract expires in May.

His departure has prompted speculation over who will take his place on the show, among the rumored replacements. Actor/singer Jamie Foxx and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest have also been linked to the post, but both denied rumors they are set to step into Cowell’s place.

Now controversial radio DJ Stern is rumored to be in talks with TV executives to join the judging panel alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson.

A source tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, “(American Idol) is one of the few shows that could compete with Stern’s $100 million-a-year Sirius contract, and Idol bosses think he’d be even nastier than Simon.”

Stern recently announced he is looking for work when his contract with Sirius Xm Radio expires next January, and during his radio show on Wednesday he hinted he has been approached by TV bosses about a new job.

He said, “Recently I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year – and I did turn it down. Well, I didn’t turn it down. I started to entertain it and think about it, and then I probably think my demands are pretty heavy and they were attempting to negotiate and I said ‘you don’t have to’.”

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Howard Stern Speaks Aboout Artie Lange

Filed under: Gomez TV, Howard Stern

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Comedian Artie Lange Hospitalized

Filed under: Drugs, Drunk, Howard Stern

Comedian Artie Lange has been admitted to hospital in New Jersey suffering an undisclosed ailment.

Lange, who is a regular on Howard Stern’s radio show, was taken to an unnamed medical facility on Saturday but has refused to disclose any details about his condition.

A representative for Lange says, “I can confirm that Artie is in the hospital. Artie has chosen to keep all information on this matter between him and his doctor. There will be no further comment.”

The funnyman had his driving license revoked for seven months in September after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs. He told police he had a prescribed sleeping pill in his system when he was pulled over, and was ordered to serve 12 hours in an intoxicated driver resource program.

Artie is one of those people when the word comes down that they are dead you won’t be shocked! I hope he gets his shit together but he seems hell bent on self-destruction.

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Stern Threatens To Quit Sirius

Filed under: Howard Stern

Howard Stern is threatening to leave Sirius XM Radio Inc. now that the shock jock and the satellite radio provider are getting set to enter contract talks in 2010.

That threat probably seems less daunting to Sirius than it once would have. Sirius originally wanted Stern so badly that it gave him the most lucrative radio contract ever, a five-year deal that started in 2006 and paid him $500 million in cash and stock.

Today, he doesn’t have many places left to go – at least if he wants another huge payday.

Free radio stations are struggling with steep drops in advertising and high debt loads, and probably can’t pay top dollar to get Stern back to the medium where he began. He also likely would chafe at being censored again after enjoying the freedom of satellite radio, where his racy banter hasn’t been subject to federal restrictions on language and content.

He can’t switch to another satellite radio provider – Sirius swallowed the only other one, XM, last year.

So if Stern, 55, does re-sign with Sirius, it’s likely to be for less this time around.

Sirius nearly had to file for bankruptcy protection this year and is still trying to reduce costs. The company is feeling the brunt of weak auto sales, which deliver many of its new customers. And it faces new threats from emerging commercial-free rivals such as Internet radio.

For these reasons – and because Stern has warned other times that he might quit or retire – his latest threat rings hollow to some analysts.

“It’s probably positioning for contract negotiations,” said Brett Harriss, an analyst at Gabelli & Co., whose parent Gamco Investors Inc. owns 1.1 million shares of Sirius. “I don’t think he would give up his bullhorn.”

Sirius’ chief executive, Mel Karmazin, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that he will work hard to retain Stern, but the company would not offer more detailed comments. Stern’s agent, Don Buchwald, did not respond to requests for comment.

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Carmen Electra Records New Album

Filed under: Carmen Electra, Howard Stern

Carmen Electra is planning a new pop chart charge after recording an album with producer ONE SEVEN.

The model/actress, who previously recorded with Prince, met the hitmaker at a Hollywood party and he agreed to send her a handful of tracks he thought she’d like to record. The result is Electra’s second album, C-17, which will be released in October, 2009.

The producer says, “Most of the songs are gritty and intense up-tempo tracks”.

I love it whenever Carmen has a new product, movie or show to promote. It usually means a visit to Howard Stern and some down and dirty raunchiness. Who can forget her sitting on top of a Sybian having the ride of her life.

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