Oops! Fox Airs Dance Crotch Shot

Contestant in purported peep show was wearing briefs

(NEWSER) - So You Think You Can Dance contestant No. 22036, who's widely believed to have flashed America Tuesday night, was wearing underwear, reports Lisa de Moraes. And it's easy to deduce what the Washington Post TV columnist thinks of the people who've been calling for smelling salts: "The extremely brief glimpse of the allegedly pantiless dancer's nether region attracted the attention of vagina vultures who troll TV for such footage so they can slow it down, blow it up and post the results online." More»

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»

Leaving 'American Idol' likely right move for Simon Cowell

(NEWSER) - With Simon Cowell set to depart American Idol at the end of this season, the big question becomes: Did he make the right choice? Yes, and not just because Cowell’s judgments are notoriously “cold, unsentimental, and usually correct,” Tom Ewing writes for New York . Cowell’s new venture, a US version of his UK hit The X Factor, has a lot going for it that could catapult it ahead of Idol: More»

Launch a Fox rival? Return to SNL ? Reality TV?

(NEWSER) - NBC's shabby treatment of Conan O'Brien has been a recurring theme of the Jay Leno-centric late-night shuffle, but "he-who-rocks-the-dopest-pompadour-on-TV" has more options than you might think. MTV ponders his options.

• Defect to Fox: The network is apparently interested, and it would be a great way to tick off NBC. But Fox has a terrible track record with late-night talk shows.
• Saturday Night Live: O'Brien's writing tenure at SNL coincided with a memorably strong run for the show, but Tonight Show host to "Cheeto-dusted anonymity" is a major step down.

Tart-tongued judge will launch 'X Factor' after 9th 'Idol' season

(NEWSER) - Simon Cowell made the first of what will surely be many farewells to American Idol today, confirming to a gathering of American TV critics in Pasadena that he's leaving the show at the end of this year's 9th season. The caustic Brit who's considered Idol's biggest star said he's launching a US version of his UK show The X Factor on Fox in 2011, and he was not practically able to do both, Entertainment Weekly reports. More»