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"Real Housewives of Orange County" newcomer Lydia McLaughlin got a real shock when she began filming the reality TV show earlier this year because she didn't expect her castmates to be as "intense" as they are. The 32-year-old, who owns her own high-end magazine that chronicles the lavish lifestyles of Southern Californians, admits she was really naive when she first signed up to join the longest-running "Real Housewives" franchise in February. She thought appearing on the show would be a breeze. However, she quickly learned it wasn't going to be an easy ride with outspoken veterans Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Barney, Gretchen Rossi, Heather Dubrow and Alexis Bellino as her castmates.

 

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She tells People.com, "It is more difficult than I thought it would be! I was just like, 'Yeah, what do I have to lose?! What would people not like about me?! I'm just going to be myself, and I'm going to be positive, and have a different type of voice!' When everyone is screaming and yelling, you really can't win in this type of show. It's intense, and those women are intense and they have an opinion, and that's why they've been on the air for so long." McLaughlin insists the drama fans see on-screen is only a small portion of the crazy antics that really take place on set: "I think that the ladies are genuinely who they are on the show, and that there isn't a lot of acting."

 

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"American Idol" winner Candice Glover has spent the days since her TV victory last week blocking haters on Twitter. The singer, who won the TV contest at her third attempt, was a favorite throughout much of the competition. But not everyone watching was a fan. And now she's really experiencing the downside of becoming an "Idol" champ. She tells "Access Hollywood," "I can't even count how many people I've blocked in the past couple of days ... I'd get more negative tweets the further I made it in the competition. They'd talk about how you look, how you sing: 'You suck!' 'You can't sing!'  I think it's natural instinct to go past the good tweets. But when you see that bad one, that's the one that sticks with you, and it doesn't feel good to feel that. But I think I've grown a lot over the show ... and I know that, no matter what anybody says on the Internet, that way I can't see them face to face, I know that I'm beautiful." 

 

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Glover has opened up about the feud between "Idol" judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, insisting she had to stay focused on her goal of winning the competition to avoid the distraction in front of her on performance nights. She adds, "Backstage, we were so focused on our performances and not going home the following day ... That really didn't even bother us. We were so determined to do a good job."

 

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"Project Runway" host Heidi Klum has confessed she bribes her children to start off their days with a healthy breakfast. The German beauty has four kids -- three of them by her ex-husband Seal -- and admits she runs a disciplined household to keep her brood in check. Klum has developed a "points" system to reward the youngsters for good behavior. But when it comes to getting them to drink a healthy smoothie for breakfast each day, she resorts to paying them a dollar a time.

 

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She explains to the Times, "At least I know they've eaten something healthy." And she can only hope the kids keep eating healthy through the day. She says, "Their lunchboxes (containing more healthy food) come back empty, so I don't really know what they've eaten."

 

Plus: 'Dancing With the Stars' finale preview | 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9

 

 

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"American Idol" Season 12 champ Candice Glover is hoping to collaborate with judge Nicki Minaj in the near future. Following her big win, Glover heaped praise on the judge who backed her throughout the competition and revealed that Minaj offered up some top tips on how to survive in show business. Speaking with reporters after the finale, Glover said, "She (Minaj) reminded me to not be a diva. She always tells me to have fun and be myself ... I love Nicki and hope I can collaborate with her."  

 

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Glover's duet dream comes after Minaj told Zap2it.com, "I predicted that she would win, so someone owes me money ... Her voice has always surpassed everyone, every night. And I'm so happy that America got it right and did this based on true talent."

 

Plus: 'Dancing With the Stars' finale preview | 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9

 

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The bikini "Teen Mom" star Farrah Abraham wore for the photo on the cover of her sex tape has been pulled from auction on eBay -- because it was unwashed. On Saturday, bosses at the auction website yanked the listing by porn studio Vivid Entertainment after deciding the pink crystal-encrusted two-piece did not meet the site's hygiene standards. The item had stains from her fake tan among other clear signs of wear and was listed as "used." It had not been washed since the MTV star wore it for a private photo shoot. 

 

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TMZ.com obtained a letter sent to Vivid by eBay chiefs that explained why the listing had been removed. It reads: "Due to health and hygiene concerns, our policy does not allow used clothing to be listed on the site unless the item has been washed first." Reportedly, the bikini will be washed and re-posted on the site. The original listing that started at $500 on Wednesday ignited a bidding war that caused the price to reach $14,700 just before it was pulled from auction.

 

Plus: 'Dancing With the Stars' finale preview | 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9

 

 

 

 

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Country music superstar Trace Adkins triumphed over Las Vegas illusionist Penn Jillette to win the first edition of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" on Sunday. In what he described as a "war of attrition," Adkins proved to boss Donald Trump that he was the best of the best. The solemn southerner won the ice cream fundraiser over Jillette, earning him $250,000 for his charity, the American Red Cross.  

 

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Before Trump's final decision, Adkins explained why he deserved to win, saying, "Going into this last task, I think I delivered the best ice cream, I made the best commercial, I put on the best show, I brought in the biggest celebrities, and I raised the most money." In a contest billed as "Nashville vs. Las Vegas," both teams designed an original ice cream flavor for their final challenge. Adkins squad raised $564,000 at the tasting party from the likes of celebrities Tony Stewart, Winona Judd, and Billy Ray Cyrus. Quarterback Tim Tebow arrived too late with his $100,000 check, but Adkins still generated $60,000 more than Jillette could muster. Despite his previous wins as a project manager, Jillette accepted defeat with a smile. He said of Adkins, "There could not be a harder opponent who has dignity, who has respect for other people, and Trace is all those things."

 

Plus: 'Dancing With the Stars' finale preview | 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9

 

 

Despite the premise of the headline, these ideas aren't going to fix "American Idol." Everyone perceives it as past its peak, and you can't erase those kind of perceptions. But it's still a highly valuable television property, with a 10-million-plus viewership, and it's worth salvaging. So, offered in the spirit of altruistic generosity, here are five suggestions that might help arrest the decline -- or at least buy "Idol" some time.

 

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Some of these ideas have been out there, of course, but the encouraging thing is that a few have been discussed in quotes attributed to the show's producers or FOX executives. Especially this first one:

 

1. Shake up the judges

 

It's already happening. Randy Jackson has announced his departure. Nicki Minaj quickly followed suit. Keith Urban has a career to return to, and another season of Mariah Carey's verbal fumblings and bloated salary would seem out of the question. It would be worth trying to keep Nicki -- the sharpest judge "Idol" has ever had when she was "on" (which was not constant). But she did polarize viewers and, from her own standpoint, has accomplished the mass-market penetration goals her judging tenure granted her. She probably feels she needs to get back to her own proper career. Retaining Keith would be fine, but it's not a must.

 

Also: Catch a recap of the Season 12 finale

 

There seems to be a corporate desire to cut the panel back to three judges, find some articulate industry insiders and avoid superstars and their super salaries. If so, why not make the obvious move and let Jimmy Iovine transition from de facto judge to the actual panel? His taste is variable, but he's not afraid to criticize and doesn't shirk controversy. The other prospective judge waiting in the wings is Harry Connick Jr., the show's most candid mentor and someone who would bring a most desirable functioning sense of humor to the proceedings. You'd need a female presence, and it would be smart to sidestep the smothering/mothering​ types (Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah). Blake Shelton is the coach who makes "The Voice" tick. Why not give his wife, the undeniably spunky Miranda Lambert (a former TV music-contest graduate to boot), a shot?

 

Some "Idol" observers have raised the possibility of choosing a former contestant as a judge. Kelly Clarkson, who was as personable as usual in her stint on the short-lived "Duets," would be the most logical, but her omnipresence on other shows (besides "Duets," she was also a mentor on "The Voice" and sang on the "X Factor" UK) may rule her out. The name of Melinda Doolittle has been mentioned, and it's pretty likely that Taylor Hicks would be available. And Clay Aiken was a pretty mean judge on an "Idol" parody during the penultimate episode of "The Office."

 

One other point: If "X Factor" is canceled after this fall, make a run at Simon Cowell. It might backfire in the long run, but he's the guy who made "Idol" the sensation it became.

 

2. Open up the song list

 

That means, first and foremost, ditch the themes. One of the recurring complaints about "Idol" is that the songs are too old and there's a disconnect with many of the singers. The restrictions of certain themes ensure that old songs will be picked, usually the most familiar and well-worn ones. Getting rid of themes (which reportedly is being considered) won't eliminate the oldies, but it's natural that young performers will gravitate to songs from their eras, and the average song age is sure to go down. Wide-open choice has been a secret weapon for "The Voice" in its rise to ratings superiority over "Idol." When you can get a range of music encompassing -- as "The Voice" did in its top 12 show -- the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," George Jones' "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" and Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend," it's easy to understand why. If the "Oh, wow" factor is theoretically infinite, a lot of excitement will return to "Idol."

 

3. Rethink the auditions and Hollywood

 

"Idol" seasons have been getting off to bad starts for years now thanks to deeply embedded flaws in the audition and Hollywood telecasts. The sheer number of singers trying out may look impressive on screen and attest to the allure of the show, but it seems like a cattle call and a long, dreary trudge to reduce the cast to a number you can actually become familiar with. "Idol" is the last show to require unaccompanied auditions. And while that may be the purest way to evaluate vocal quality, it becomes an ordeal for the viewer to hear four weeks of a cappella tryouts. The contrived audition atrocities break up the monotony a little, but they've become predictable and tedious in their own right.

 

And finally, because the show is taped in advance all the way up to the semifinals, the producers can play favorites with the standout singers or the heartstring-tuggers,​ and give them disproportionate airtime. "The Voice" has its share of emotion-provoking back stories, but at least every auditioner shown (except the unfortunates compressed into a montage) gets more or less equal time.

 

4. Stop manipulating us

 

Which leads to a larger point: A substantial boost in objectivity on the part of the producers would be a big help. Reduce the favoritism shown to the front-runners. Stop trying to engineer a winner. Too long a winning streak for white guys with guitars is no excuse to make sure they're all gone before the public gets a chance to vote, as happened this season. It's also not good for the long-term health of the show to choose such a hapless group of guys that an all-female finale is practically a done deal.

 

5. Dump the filler -- or at least improve it

 

Most "Idol" viewers have watched enough television to realize that certain competition shows and all results episodes require padding to fill out their allotted 60, 90 or 120 minutes. Most "Idol" viewers have also watched enough of this show to realize that group performances and duets are a complete waste of time, seldom if ever doing either the songs or the singers any justice whatsoever. On competition nights, if filler is needed, use mentoring sessions or the generally entertaining interludes in which contestants pile on each other to reveal embarrassing or amusing personality traits. On results shows, add guest stars. And make sure they're the brightest hitmakers of the day or the most legendary performers of the past. This season's nostalgia wallow of endless former-contestant returns was too insular, too self-congratulatory and several miles away from true "event television." Give us more reasons to tune in.

 

None of these ideas, as stated above, will bring "Idol" back to the days of 25-million-plus audiences. But they can help revitalize a stale show that too often complacently coasts on past glories. 

 

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"Celebrity Apprentice" finalists Penn Jillette and Trace Adkins are eyeing a collaboration for a future season. The Las Vegas illusionist and the country superstar will meet in the boardroom for this Sunday's "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" finale, but it may not be their last appearance on the show, the duo tells Zap2it.com. If they have it their way, they will be working together under "Apprentice" boss Donald Trump next time. Jillette says, "I would do it in a second, except for the time -- and if they promised me Trace would be on my team."  

 

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Both men had to adjust from their normal lives to survive the competition. Adkins struggled to spend so much time surrounded by people explaining, "They work you for 16 hours a day, and you have to be around people 16 hours a day. That is not how I live my life. I have sanctuaries in my life, and I decompress. And when I don't have the opportunity to do that, I become a little stir crazy and perhaps a little dangerous." Likewise, Jillette found the mental struggle that goes hand in hand with Trump's tasks to be the most difficult part: "There are occasional moments when you are working on something, and you know one on the team is wrong. And everyone knows, and you can't say anything because it will come back and bite you on the ass in the boardroom." The winner of "Celebrity Apprentice" will be revealed this Sunday.

 

Plus: 'Felicity': Where are they now? | 'The Bachelorette' Season 9 | What we learned from 'The Office'