The second I saw Allison Iraheta's cleaned-up, rock chic look during Ryan Seacrest's "THIS...is American Idol!" intro on Tuesday night, I knew she'd be safe. She finally seemed to realize that she's got to play the game to win it, so she. . . READ FULL STORY

We've reached the point on Idol where the top contenders (Adam, Allison, Kris, Danny) can be crystal-clearly separated from the doomed losers (Anoop, Scott, Megan) and the awkward middle-grounders (Matt, Lil). Which means that it's time for me to. . . READ FULL STORY

Hola, Sound Check-ers! I'm about to hop on a flight to Austin, Texas (my first time in the Lone Star State) to check out the SXSW Music Conference and what will surely be a nonstop week of concerts, parties and lots of yummy Mexican food. I'll be. . . READ FULL STORY