- As Joshua Ledet said, the top three are all winners regardless of the vote. They all have Interscope Records deals.

- Seacrest and Iovine like jabbing at each other. Although I found it interesting that of all the people in Hollywood to poke fun at Iovine’s height, it was Seacrest.

- Good to see Interscope artist Ester Dean make a cameo. She had a hit of her own in “Drop It Low” but has penned big songs for Rihanna and Katy Perry, among others.

- Lisa Marie Presley came off very Lana Del Ray-awkward-like on stage. Didn’t fit for that audience.

- Nice to see Adam Lambert back on stage but I wasn’t impressed with his performance.

- Jimmy was on point with all of his post-criticisms for the performances, including those targeted at him for the songs he picked for Joshua and Jessica.

- I don’t agree with America – I still thought at Joshua/Phillip finale should have happened but alas, Jessica Sanchez will sing against Phillip Phillips for the “Idol” crown. I predict Phillips will win.

- I thought all three singers gave strong first round performances. Steven basically said after each one that they are winners – and let’s face it – they all have record deals waiting for them with Interscope so in a sense they are. I thought Tyler calling Phillip Phillips the next Springsteen though was a bit premature, he gets a speeding ticket on that one.

- I love how each judge has a special connection to each of the final three contestants – Jackson the perfect mentor for the southern, gospel singer; Jennifer Lopez looking after the younger version of her in Jessica; Tyler relating to another free-spirited rocker trying to live in the pop world.

- Ultimately, despite the way he seemed to be making out with the microphone, Joshua won the first round. Great choice on Jackson’s end.

- “I feel like Barack Obama!” screamed Joshua as he received a police escort in his hometown. I think I loved his the most, seemed the most authentic.

- I wasn’t a fan of Joshua’s “Imagine” rendition. Yes it was a departure from the norm and yes he showed great restraint, but that doesn’t mean it sounded good.

- What a gutsy move by Jessica to not only select, but slay “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” in front of Tyler.

- Phillip was good but not great with the Matchbox 20 song… too safe of a move for him.

- Round two goes to Jessica – almost by default – but she did do a good job with the track, especially given the circumstances.

- Jimmy Iovine with the Beats Wireless Dock product placement. This guy is a genius.

- Joshua went for the kill, and if he went last this round, he would’ve had it. Another big moment for this kid and it moved him a step closer to the final round.

- Coming off of Ledet’s moving “No Drama” rendition, Sanchez just lacked that extra oomph. She needed to have a similar moment here, and fell short with her Jackson 5 rendition.

- Phillip Phillips ditched the gray, the guitar, and the freestyle melody and delivered one of the best performances of anyone, all season. He gained a lot of new fans tonight (me included) and punched his ticket for the finals.

- To be honest, I had Phillip in the finals before the night began. My theory is that Jessica and Joshua share more fans with each other than either does with Phillip. I have Joshua and Phillip battling for the “Idol” crown next week, and I’m reserving my final choice until after the performance episode!

But, it almost didn’t happen. The original concept for “Jersey Shore” was actually intended for VH1.

“When I applied for it, there was actually a VH1 application,” revealed Seaside Heights star Vinny Guadagnino. The Staten Island-born partier sat down with me at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT before signing copies of his new book, Control The Crazy: My Plan To Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool. “It was asking for ‘orange’ people that have really spike-y hair and big muscles and stuff.”


Offended that the casting directors thought all people who partied on the Shore looked like this, Guadagnino applied, despite lacking the tan, hair, and muscles. Producers loved him and the reality TV star was a part of the first show pilot, entitled “Guidos.” Initially, the plan was to take the “Flavor of Love” or “Rock of Love” dating competition model and apply it to Seaside Heights. But fearing that there was already too many shows similar on television, Viacom executives changed the concept to a more “Real World”-like model. Vinny was left, but some younger women, such as Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi were brought in. Suddenly, the show was more MTV friendly.

“You need diversity in the cast,” explained Guadagnino. “You need a spectrum from light to tan (laughing). That’s why you pick me, because people want to identify with different types of people. So if you had all the same cast member, it wouldn’t really be an entertaining show, right?”

Probably not, and perhaps the series would not be gearing up for its sixth season. Filming in “the house” begins this summer.

“When I first started, I didn’t know what I was walking in to,” Vinny recalled. “Now at least I know who is going to be there. I know that ‘Snooki’ is pregnant and Mike [‘The Situation’ Sorrentino] was just going through something so, I just know as much as you do. I’m just going to go there and make the best of it.”

That “something” Guadagnino referred to is probably the reports that “The Situation” found himself in rehab, allegedly over addictions to alcohol and prescription pills. The abuse of drugs is one of many lessons Vinny touches on in his new book, as he tries to help others cope with anxiety issues.

“Whenever Mike does something bad, he always comes to me,” Guadagnino said. “He’s like, ‘Vin, I’m gonna do something.’ And I’m like, ‘Alright…’ because he knows that I’m going to give him “the look” afterwards.”

As Vinny found himself needing help, he went to an on-set therapist, who he refers to in the book as “Dr. B.” But not even a professional could prevent the anxiety from getting the best of Guadagnino, and he reveals in the book that it was his personal struggle that led him to temporarily leave the show during season five.

“When it was happening to me, they really didn’t know what to do,” said Vinny, before revealing that his cast-mates offered him amongst other things, strippers, to help him out. Guadagnino appreciated the sentiment but declined. “Anything that ever happens to you can be looked at as a positive thing because the reason why I know all this stuff and I have a book and that I’m very knowledgeable in spirituality is because I’ve gone through it.”

As he said earlier in the interview when referring to himself, Guadagnino truly is the “Dalai Lama” of the house on “Jersey Shore.” If nothing else, he certainly adds to the cast a diversity that he credits with the show’s success.

- The judges’ style on Wednesday left a little to be desired. JLO’s hair was a mess. I know Randy wears some outlandish articles of clothing, but the pink plaid jacket and matching tie was just too much for me. Sorry, dawg.

- Apparently I’m not the only one that noticed Steven Tyler’s awkward endings to comments – JLO wouldn’t even let him end after Phillip Phillip’s first performance, cutting him off so she could share her two cents with America.

- I think the one consistent thing about Hollie Cavanagh this year, you know from the first note if she’s going to soar or crash. Unfortunately Wednesday, her flights were much too short, especially relative to her competition.

- I’m sure “Rock of Ages” is going to be a great film, but that whole segment is the reason why I believe after the final 7 or 6, both shows should go to an hour.

- Why do they keep insisting on having Phillip cover a Maroon 5 song? Is it a dig at “The Voice” coach Adam Levine?

- The last performances on Wednesday by Phillip, Jessica, and Joshua could have easily been the three best performances in one show for the competition’s entire 11 season run. It is really anybody’s competition between those three.

- I love what Jimmy Iovine said on Thursday about Jessica and Joshua – the singers’ “bag of tricks” can’t be used all the time on every performance. There needs to be more diversity and restraint in their vocals.

- Also, anyone catch Iovine say “us” when he talked about Phillips’ forthcoming album? By his language, it looks like the top 3 on the show already have Interscope Records deals locked up.

- Nice that Jimmy brought along Black Eyed Peas emcee Apl de Ap for Thursday’s results show.

- Props to JLO for both singing and dancing live. Not a bad job. Where was Pitbull?

- America got it right. Simply too little, too late for Hollie, but an amazing job to last as long as she did in this competition.

The first is the tour the band is currently on. Fun. sold out most of the shows scheduled before June before “We Are Young” became a huge anthem. Especially in a touring market that is struggling to find both stars and success stories, the business-savvy decision might have been to move the dates to larger venues. You lose the intimacy of the small set-ups but you can sell more tickets and put more money on the books.

Keyboardist Andrew Dost told me Fun. wasn’t having any of it.


“They’ve supported us for years, without the success of ‘We Are Young,’ Dost said of Fun.’s fan base during a recent call in to “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “This tour we figured, let’s not move these venues up. Let’s leave it where it is. Let’s go have a party with all the people that have been singing along for years, and then in the summer we’ll meet some new friends along the way.”

Truth be told, I’m sure Fun. is meeting plenty of new friends at the moment. Dost called in to pre-tape our conversation last week – amidst a sound check with radio station winners, two meet-and-greets, seven phone interviews, and the second of a two night, sold out stand of shows at the legendary 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.

Essentially this is the result of “We Are Young” appearing on “Glee,” in a Super Bowl commercial, and being spun on radio stations from Los Angeles to the Empire State. But for Dost, the beauty of the new-found stardom is the opportunity to use the band’s platform for a greater good. Fun. is an advocate for equal rights and treatment of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender community. All three of the band members, including lead singer Nate Ruess and guitarist Jack Antonoff, are straight. But inspired by Lady GaGa, Fun. feels compelled to speak out against what it feels are injustices to the LGBT community.

“Any rights that are denied to anyone, should offend everybody,” Dost said, the interview taped before but airing after North Carolina’s vote to ban same-sex marriages. “[Lady GaGa] is not only an amazing artist, but she uses the fact that people are listening to her to say important things that need to be said.”

Fun. hopes that this new addition to its fan base will continue to listen, as the band just wrapped filming the music video for “Some Nights,” the title track and second single from its sophomore LP.

“In some ways, [One Direction and The Wanted] validate us,” the NKOTB star told me via telephone. “And I think our reunion has validated us in many ways as well. The fans that grew up with us came back.”


Wahlberg speaks proudly on not just his group’s return, but also the new generation of fans that have new music to grow up with.

“I think there’s a place in society for all different types of music,” he explained. “I’m glad that the young bands are coming out now and doing well because I think it validates what we did 25 years ago.”

Generations will collide August 17 and 18 in Hershey, PA, when New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, The Wanted, Kelly Clarkson, LL Cool J, and more converge on Hersheypark Stadium for the inaugural “Summer Mixtape Fest.” While Wahlberg seemed happy to speak about the state of pop music, he channeled personal experiences when commenting on the groups specifically.

“My opinion or my advice to them is really inconsequential,” Wahlberg stated, before offering his reasoning. “Yunno, the same way when I was 19 and they interviewed everyone from The Monkeys to Donny Osmond to one of The Beatles to whomever to give advice or to ask what they thought of us. When I was 19, I didn’t care what any of those guys thought about me.”

At 42 years old, it is easy for Wahlberg to reminisce on the path his group helped blaze given New Kids’ past success. The trip down memory lane becomes a little sweeter though when you factor in the group’s current run, which has lasted since 2008 and brought the band to new destinations that none of them thought were possible.

“It’s a really humbling experience; it’s been an amazing journey,” Wahlberg, who will turn 43 on the first day of the festival, said. “[The reunion] sort of turned a 19-20 year-old sort of college age experience that I look back on fondly in to a very mature and different experience now.”

The experience continues to play out, as New Kids will tour across five continents in 2012.

- Phew, thanks Seacrest for informing us that Matt, not Kiernan, was dimming the lights last night.

- Alright, so I watch these episodes live on my iPad using a Slingbox. The quality is decent but not great. I heard some chatter that Coldplay was lipsyncing its songs. For full disclosure, I’m a huge Coldplay fan. Probably the band’s biggest fan that hasn’t seen it live. I own all the albums and most b-sides. So I’m a homer for Coldplay. But I listened, intently. Chris Martin, while great, wasn’t perfect – which led me to believe he was in fact singing live. Naturally, I enjoyed both performances.

- Carrie Underwood sounded great too. Of course she is among the handful of legit stars that this show has produced over 11 seasons.

- I found Iovine’s criticism of Jessica Sanchez’s outfit as too adult and “burlesque” interesting. Here’s a guy that obviously has seen sex sell first hand, and has probably assisted in selling it himself. Yet, he drew the line with the teenager, and didn’t hesitate to criticize the show’s wardrobe and stylist department in the process. Equally interesting was JLO defending Sanchez and the show. You’d think if anything, it’d be the other way around, right?

- I love how Steven always thanks people that sing well in front of him. And JLO, a lot of people came up to you and complimented Wednesday’s show? Really? I doubt anyone gets near JLO and her bodyguard, c’mon.

- Sorry Skylar fans, America got it right. She had her moments, but the final four all have serious mainstream crossover appeal – something Laine lacked.

- Another good trait that Van Zandt brought to the table is honestly, a reason I’ve loved Iovine all season. Unlike the judges who have to deal with public backlash, it seems Iovine and the mentors, especially Van Zandt, speak more freely on what they like and don’t like about the contestants’ performances.

- I respect Jennifer Lopez but I find it disrespectful of how matter-of-fact she is in disagreeing with Randy Jackson. He’s been on the show since day one, and his musical credentials are second-to-none. Jackson always takes the high road, but it is a shame that he has to because of Lopez’s momentary immaturity.

Contestants
- The judges said it: Hollie Cavanagh is peaking, and at the right time. I think she survives this week.
- Phillip Phillips looks like he’s trying to seduce the audience every time he sings. Apparently it’s working. By the way, he isn’t doing too bad in the ladies department either – you see his girlfriend on camera?
- I worry for Joshua Ledet. He still is the best singer in this competition. But after the tour wraps, what does he do? I would have to think that Iovine is already drafting a plan for him in the war room. If there’s anybody in the record business that can make Ledet a star, it’s him.
- I think due to poor song selection in the second round, either Phillip or Skylar goes home.

- The TMZ bit was brilliant, one of the best segments of the season. Another example of “Idol” evolving as a show. Although, as per my notes last night, it’s obvious the two entities are in bed together.

- Died when Jimmy Iovine called the set behind Jessica’s first performance last night, “Less Queen, more Stephen King.”

- Seacrest looked and sounded much better tonight. How do you recover from a bug so quickly? Clearly he has the best doctors that the best contract in reality TV hosting can buy.

- Who is Kieran and why does Seacrest insist on saying his name before the lights dim?

- Glad Casey Abrams is healthy but from a style perspective, he looked a little rough.

- Wasn’t a fan of Stefano Langone on the show last season, and I’m not a fan of his new single. Too generic sounding for me.

- Props to Katy Perry for singing live, and for putting on a great performance with the set, dancers, etc.

- America got it right. Tyler, Jackson, and Iovine were correct: Elise’s song choice did her in. My next prediction: Hollie goes next week.

- Has Randy Jackson copyrighted “Gotta Have It!” yet? When do the t-shirts come out?

- Loved that Stevie Van Zandt was in the building, of course sitting next to Springsteen producer and record label mogul Jimmy Iovine.

- The Steven Tyler/Jennifer Lopez “big cushion” exchange was awkwardly awesome.

- The JLO/Jackson exchange regarding Elise Testone’s second performance was equally awkward and awesome – and is something we saw more from the two last season. Nice to see that the claws are still sharp and functioning.

Contestants
- I’m going to flip up my notes from this point of the competition moving forward because let’s face it: they’re all talented, they’re all singing well. I’ll simply comment on what performances stood out from others, and the reasons why.
- Skylar Laine is coming on strong. She has the country fan base and she’s showing range and versatility in her voice, something that could lend to snagging the more mainstream vote and winning it all. I’d be surprised if she isn’t top three.
- Joshua Ledet’s finish in this show will be an ultimate tale of if the most talented truly wins. Week in and week out he is a man among kids out there.
- Like Iovine has already, I’ll admit it: I was wrong on Phillip Phillips. Brilliant choice for him to cover a Dave Matthews Band song in his second performance. When he stays in or near his wheel house, I am an unapologetic fan. It is only when he starts covering pop acts like Michael Jackson or Maroon 5 that I get turned off from his style.
- My final four: Jessica, Joshua, Skylar, Phillip. I think Elise goes home this week. Tyler said it best – song choice was too obscure for that show.

Didn’t think so. Meet Hoodie Allen, born Steven Markowitz in Long Island, NY.

That EP, All American, vaulted to the top of the iTunes charts mere hours after Allen released it. The University of Pennsylvania alumnus told me via telephone that his fans’ support never ceases to surprise him.

“It’s been really cool to control the creative process, and put out what I like, and be my own A&R,” Allen said. “It’s just nice to see the follow-through, and everyone really loves the album. That’s been the most rewarding part of it.”

Allen already declined multiple major record label deals, and showcasing his capacity to move units with no “commercial machine” backing him only has the industry salivating over him even more. But for the emcee, his focus is solely on a sold-out tour that has him traveling the country. Not on label execs, not on his bank account… no, not even on the growing number of Facebook requests he’s receiving. He notices though.

“You know, I’ve started getting a lot of friend requests from girls I went to Penn with, who were too cool for me then, but now they want to be my friend,” Allen joked. “I guess I’m doing something right.”

All Allen had to do was look at album charts and ticket sales to know that he has figured out how to launch a successful music career. Although, I’m sure he doesn’t mind the Facebook inbox reminders either.