American Idol winner, David Cook, performed for the Walmart Soundcheck series.  I know all you Cookie fans will love these adorable pictures (click to enlarge):

He sang some songs from his new self-titled album including "Heroes," "Light On," "Lie," "Declaration" and "Bar Ba Sol."  Here is a quick video discussing the album but you can watch all of the performances on the Walmart Soundcheck site!

image credit: m80

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As of today, there was no official cause of death in the case of Paula Goodspeed, the obsessive fan (some say stalker) of American Idol judge, Paula Abdul.  Goodspeed was found dead in front of Abdul’s house last week.  The coroner’s office told E! News: "we are doing toxicology.  It will take six to eight weeks.”

In spite of everything, Goodspeed’s friends and family are defending her, saying that she wasn’t a stalker.  OK Magazine reported that Goodspeed’s friend, Brianna Schlanger said: "she sent me a text at 10:22 the night before about meeting for a latte and movie.  She ended the message with a happy face. She seemed fine. Something must have happened after that. It needs to be further investigated."

Despite the fact that multiple sources have said that Goodspeed regularly hung around Abdul’s block, Schlanger continued: "I’m still in disbelief, waiting for her to show up at my door.  I knew she admired (Paula Abdul). But there’s no way she was stalking her or had any bad intentions."

Goodspeed’s niece, Sonja McIntyre, echoed the sentiments and said: "not an ounce of truth to this.  Paula met her only at ‘Idol.’"

Uhhhh… then why did she have a license plate and key chain with Paula’s name/picture on it?  And why would she be in front of Paula’s house?  Come on.  There is no shame in telling the truth.  The girl was obviously not well. 

In the meantime, spooky stories have started to emerge.  It’s been reported that Paula has hired someone to cleanse her home of ghosts because she is afraid that Goodspeed is haunting her house.  Do you believe it?  Paula’s rep weighed in made the following statement: "there’s no validity to this. She’s been home since the incident happened. There’s no issue with spirits. Paula is shocked and saddened by what transpired. Her heart and prayers go out to the Goodspeed family."

Here are some of the celebrity reactions to the story:

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Last week, the 2008 Glamour Women of the Year Awards were held in New York City and American Idol winner, David Cook, was spotted looking pretty great at the after-party which was held at the Essex House.

The only problem I have with this ensemble is the way the bottom of his pants look and his boots.  I know he needs to retain some of his individuality and style, so I get it, but I just don’t particularly like those boots.

Photo by Justin Campbell/BuzzFoto.com

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Jennifer Hudson is the definition of the phrase "the show must go on."  Despite suffering some terrible losses late last month, the former American Idol finalist has chosen to go ahead with the holiday Gap campaign featuring her smiling face.

The Gap gave her the option of backing out but a spokesperson for the clothing company explained that "she said she wanted to be a part of it and that we [The Gap] should move forward."

Meanwhile, she has shown her appreciation for the outpouring of love and support from her fans during this sad and tragic time.  On her MySpace blog she wrote: "I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.  My sister and I take great comfort and strength from your love and concern."

The funerals for her mother Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King were held recently in Chicago.  Her sister, Julia’s estranged husband, William Balfour, is being held on suspicion for being connected with the murders.

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American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood, took her duties very seriously at the 2008 CMA Awards earlier this week and did what every female host should do - change outfits A LOT!  I felt like, every time I saw her, she had on a different dress.  What did you think of the clothes?  I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the looks but the yellow floor-length dress was probably the best.  I would have liked the cream-colored dress (it was knee-length) most if it had been longer. 

More pictures after the jump!

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I thought she looked incredible in her black dress and strappy shoes! I liked her makeup a lot too. Sometimes stars really overdo it at these events but I think this simple, understated look is a real winner!

More pictures after the jump!

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook attends the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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American Idol season 7 winner, David Cook, was looking good as he attended the fourth annual "Do the Wright Thing Gala" on the 12th of this month. The event was hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York City. He even performed a bit! What do you guys think of Cookie’s outfit choice?

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook (L) and New York Mets David Wright attend the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook spins a basketball on his finger during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook (C) poses for a photo with members of the Harlem Globe Trotters ‘Blenda’ Rodriquez (L) and Shagari ‘Skyscraper’ Alleyne (R) during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook performs live during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook performs live during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook performs live during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Musician David Cook performs live during the fourth annual ‘Do the Wright Thing Gala’ hosted by David Wright at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on November 12, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)

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Earlier this fall, Nigel Lythgoe announced that he would no longer be serving as the executive producer for American Idol. 

Now, it seems he has issued a public warning for Idol judge, Simon Cowell, in light of some of the changes that are taking place on the show.  Recently, it was revealed that Idol would be adding a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi.  Lythgoe doesn’t agree with this decision: "I don’t like fourth judges," Lythgoe said. "I think once you’ve been told ‘You suck,’ you don’t need to be told another three times…. I think she’s a lovely lady, and I think she’s relevant and up to date, but, personally, I would never have done it."

Ummm… my first thought was that I see fourth judges all the time on Lythgoe’s other show, So You Think You Can Dance.  He appeared to realize that people would think of that too since he added: "We’ve had lots of fourth judges, as guests, which was OK for me because they would be in one show and then you get rid of them the next."

I have to say that there are four judges on both Australian Idol and Canadian Idol (maybe even more of the spinoffs around the world?) and it has worked just fine. 

Lythgoe also had some words of warning for Simon regarding his role on the show (since Nigel has left, he’s become more active in the behind-the-scenes work).  Here’s what was said: "Simon has got a very good sense and awareness about him but he’s never produced anything on television.  As an executive producer, he can be an adviser and I think that’s fair enough because he knows what he’s doing. But at the end of the day, you have to leave it for the producers to produce, because if you’re in it, you’re seeing it from a completely different perspective and he’s going to need to realize that.  Sometimes you can’t see the woods through the trees and you tend to lose the most important thing, which is so often forgotten: common sense."

Ouch!  What do you think?  Will the show suffer if Simon takes a more active role in the production?

image © 2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: FOX

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Reigning American Idol champ, David Cook, has joined an impressive list of celebrities who will participate in this year’s tree-lighting in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza.

NBC’s annual "Christmas in Rockefeller" telecast will be hosted by Today show contributor, Al Roker, and will feature performances and appearances by Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, Tony Bennett, the Jonas Brothers, Harry Connick Jr., Rosie O’Donnell, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, "America’s Got Talent" and winner, Neal E. Boyd.

The hourlong event will be broadcast live at 8pm EST on December 3, 2008.  I consider it a tradition so, I’ll be watching.  Will you?

©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Micelotta/FOX

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American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood, continued her domination of the country music scene by winning "Female Vocalist of the Year" at last night’s CMA Awards, where she performed her song "Just a Dream." 

She was nominated against Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Taylor Swift (quite an incredible group of ladies!).  Watch Carrie’s acceptance speech here:

She also performed her song "Just a Dream" after being introduced by Leslie Ponder, the widow of Master Sergeant James "Tre" Ponder.  It was very touching and Carrie’s performance was emotional and really just beautiful.  I was in tears.

image credit: Newscom

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According to TMZ.com, the deceased woman has been identified as Paula Goodspeed, who you may remember from her 2006 audition at the beginning of Season 5.  For copyright reasons, I cannot publish her picture here but you can see it by clicking here.

I am trying hard not to speculate and come to my own conclusions about this but I’m really struggling.  What in the world was she doing at Paula Abdul’s house and what would cause a young woman to just drop dead like that?!  You know people are going to be talking about drugs or stalking or suicide (so far, it does look like a drug overdose/suicide). 

What do you think?  I will update this story as news becomes available.

*update - she was found in her car and it is believed that she committed suicide.

image © 2007 FOX BROADCASTING CR: FOX

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I think this was a better performance than when he appeared on Leno the other night.  It still wasn’t great but I think he’s doing really well with all these performances and new-found fame.

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I know some people have been critical of "Crush" but I actually really like the song.  Sure, it’s not a musical masterpiece but I think it’s a decent first single for a teenager (hasn’t anyone heard the "music" being spit out by those Disney channel stars?  Ugh). 

"Touch My Hand" sounds like a Keane song to me (Keane is one of my favorite British bands) so I actually don’t mind it. 

I was less fond of "Barriers" but it wasn’t terrible.  I just thought some of the echoing was annoying during the chorus. 

"My Hands" was good to me!  I liked the little violin accents in the background, the pace and the lyrics.

On "A Little Too Not Over You," he seems to be on the verge of going R&B and I think it suits his voice.

"You Can" is beautiful.  It’s mostly David’s sweet voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar (and later some drums, etc… but the music remains minimal, allowing his vocals to take center stage).  I love the words and the chords.  Did it remind anyone of a Goo Goo Dolls song, though?

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I think that "Running" is gorgeous!  Again, it’s got inventive chords and the melodic interchanges and complexity of the backup vocals is really nice. 

"Desperate" is the first song that I really disliked.  It doesn’t seem to suit David’s voice, the mixing is weird and the pace is awkward.  That techno blipping behind the vocals during the chorus is just awful.  Really.

The ballad "To Be With You" is another really pretty song - I got little goosebumps.  I can see it being used in movie soundtracks/promotional ads.  It’s interesting that new American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi co-wrote the tune.  Very nice.

David co-wrote "Don’t Let Go" with JC Chasez (N*Sync) and Jimmy Harry.  It’s kind of got a late 80s feel to it and I find it forgiveable.  It’s definitely not my favorite track but I’ve heard worse.

I’m not even sure how to characterize "Your Eyes Don’t Lie."  It almost feels like a hybrid between the guitar-work from the Chappelle’s Show intro, the humming from Blackstreet’s hit "No Diggity" and a little bit of Annie Lennox’s "Sweet Dreams" (the baseline).  There’s something else in there too (help me out!).  Oh well.  I actually like the song.  It’s strange but it’s not bad.

The final song is a cover of Robbie Williams‘ mega-hit, "Angels."  David, of course, sang this on Idol and he did a great job live and the recorded version is great too.

image credit: Amazon.com

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William Balfour, the main suspect in the Hudson family murders, reportedly told his current girlfriend that he was involved in the tragic crime.  He also admitted to being inside of the Hudson’s home on the morning Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson were shot and killed.  Little Julian King was found shot twice in the head in the back of a Suburban three days later.

Balfour, who is married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia, was out on parole when the killings occurred and will have a hearing later this morning where a review board will decide whether there is “probable cause to believe Balfour has committed a crime, or violated his parole in some other manner.”  If that is the board’s finding, he will be held for further hearings.  On the other hand, if there is no probable cause, he will be set free.

I really hope that, given the fact that his girlfriend claims he admitted being involved and he told police he was in the house that morning, there is enough evidence to keep him behind bars as they continue to investigate this tragedy.  I wish he would just fully confess (if he did it) so that this family can begin the long and painful healing process.