Jordin is America's Idol

No more charity for contestants, and Idol 's down to final four.

(NEWSER) - American voters—135 million strong—sent two "American Idol" finalists home last night, leaving three women and one man in the running. Smooth-domed Phil Stacey and Justin Timberlake-esque hearthrob Chris Richardson got the boot, but neither seemed distraught: A spot in the top six is a fine career starter, as Chris Daughtry can attest. More»

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.

Loved, hated, off-key 'Idol' contestant says goodbye at last

(NEWSER) - Reality caught up with reality TV last night, when "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar was finally booted from the show. Sanjaya, as he's known to legions of fans and detractors, gained attention for his missed notes, his faux-hawk, and his popularity on the sabotage website votefortheworst.com More»

Salon offers up a mid-year list

(NEWSER) - Now that we're more than halfway through 2011, the Salon staff compiled the best books, movies, music, and TV of the year so far. Among its recommendations:

• Film: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life is quite good—but Lee Chang-dong's Poetry, about a 66-year-old woman who may have Alzheimer's, is a masterpiece. Another surprising inclusion: Matthew McConaughey-vehicle The Lincoln Lawyer, directed by Brad Furman.
• Books: You'd never know The Pale King, David Foster Wallace's third and last novel, was actually unfinished at the time of his death and pieced together by his longtime editor. Also worth checking out: novelist Andre Dubus III's memoir, Townie.

Comic blames bad fit; show now has 2 judging vacancies

(AP) - Ellen DeGeneres is dancing off American Idol after one season, leaving Fox's hit show with two vacancies on its judging panel. If the singing contest intends to revamp itself to stem a ratings slide, it has the opportunity to bring in two new faces for Season 10, which starts in January. Fox has yet to announce a replacement for Simon Cowell, who left after the season finale in May to start a new talent show for the network. More»