American Idol

Jordin Sparks was all smiles in NYC on Tuesday, and for good reason: not only was she celebrating the premiere of her new film, Sparkle, but also, she looked stunning in her red Alice + Olivia dress. Jordin, 22, recently gave her life a healthy makeover, and her efforts resulted in an impressive 50-pound weight loss!

To lose the weight, Jordin mixed up her fitness routine with running, boxing, and Zumba. (She even takes her mom to her Zumba classes, which are taught by a family friend.) And because exercise alone won't do the trick, Jordin gave her diet a complete overhaul. Most importantly, she gave herself time, beginning her weight-loss journey almost two years ago. Jordin recently told Redbook, "My whole journey has been about self-acceptance. There's no quick or magical way to lose weight. You just have to do it the natural way — diet and exercise and stick to it — and be able to do it at your own pace. Everyone has their own thing."

American Idol has been a bit of a mess since Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez announced that they were leaving, but the reality competition just snagged a huge new celebrity judge: Mariah Carey. Fox president Kevin Reilly announced this morning that Mariah has inked a deal to sit on the judges' panel next year, and the songstress confirmed it herself on the phone, saying, "I'm so excited to be joining Idol. I can't wait to get started in a couple months. I will see you in January!" Mariah will easily fill the seat left by Jennifer Lopez, and I think she'll provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to the show. The speculation continues on who the third judge will be, but for now, how do you feel about Carey joining the show?

I've been cryin' ever since yesterday when I heard Steven Tyler would be relinquishing his judge's throne on American Idol. His announcement preempted fellow judge Jennifer Lopez's official word that she will also be leaving the show. And just like that, a regime has fallen. Though J Lo was a welcome addition to Idol, I was surprised at how Tyler quickly became my favorite judge when he joined the panel two years ago. I respect his decision to move on but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I've been pondering what made the Aerosmith front man such a fit for the show, and here's what I came up with.

1. He's got a killer sense of style. Fedoras, boas, snakeskin anything — Steven Tyler knows his way around a wardrobe. You ever see Simon Cowell wear an earring tasseled with multicolored feathers? I thought not.
2. He's unfiltered. Remember last season when he weighed the similarities between the "hot, humid, and happening" weather and 17-year-old Shannon Magrane — in front of her dad? Cameras or no cameras, Tyler said what was on his mind. We got to see a lot of that on the blooper reels of the many, many times producers had to bleep him and the many, many times he hit on the contestants. This brings me to my next point . . .
3. He loves the ladies. He's always the first one to tell a girl she looks smokin', and who doesn't love to hear that from a rock star who has made beautiful women around the world weak in the knees? His insistence on flattering every female contestant was one of my favorite parts about the show, and I'm not sure why, but coming from him, it just didn't seem creepy at all.
4. He was interactive with the contestants. Maybe I'm having a mental blank spot, but I don't remember ex-judges Ellen DeGeneres or Kara DioGuardi get up on stage to sing with a fan or go in for an impromptu slow dance with a contestant. Tyler seemed like he never tired of hitting high notes with competitors who were auditioning with Aerosmith tunes, and his humility was endearing.
5. He seemed like he really cares. Jennifer may have been infamous for sympathizing with contestants, but it was the level-headed Tyler that seemed like a big mush when people got voted out. He was the sage protector and I'm having trouble imagining another judge filling that role.

What are you going to miss most about Steven? Let me know below, cause I don't wanna miss a thing.

Photo courtesy of Fox

It's official: Jennifer Lopez is leaving American Idol after two seasons beside Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler on the judges' panel. Lopez called into Idol host Ryan Seacrest's radio show this morning and confirmed the rumors that had been swirling for days about her indecision to return for American Idol's 13th season. Though the singer insisted that her stint on the show is "one of those special things in your life that you don't want to walk away from," she would like to focus on some of the aspects of her life that she had to put on hold while committed to Idol.

The news comes just a day after Steven Tyler announced his split from the show in a press release. No official word yet on who will be replacing Lopez or Tyler, but fans can only hope that American Idol O.G. Randy Jackson will be staying on to hold down the fort.