Reality Rumors

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks defended the Jonas Brothers at the MTV Video Music Awards from the event’s host who mocked their vow to not have sex until married.

VMA emcee Russell Brand made numerous jokes throughout the show Sunday night about the wildly popular fraternal trio’s decision to wear purity rings to remind them of the promise they made to stay virgins until they wed.

Sparks leaped to the teen brothers’ defense when she took the stage to present an award.

“I have just one thing to say about promise rings; it’s not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody — guy or girl — wants to be a slut,” she said, prompting applause from the audience.

Brand later apologized from the stage as the Jonas Brothers, seated in the audience, looked on, not smiling.

“I’ve gotta say sorry because I said them things about promise rings; that was bad of me. I didn’t mean to take it lightly, whatever. I love the Jonas Brothers and I think it’s really good. I don’t want to (tick) off teenage fans,” Brand said. “Promise rings, I’m well up for it. Well done, everyone. It’s just, you know, a bit of sex once in a while never hurt anybody.”

Usmagazine.com and People.com both reported that Sparks also wears a purity or promise ring.

“American Idol” winner David Cook has teamed up with producer Rob Cavallo for his debut album, 19 Recordings/RCA Records said Tuesday.

The record label said Cook’s CD is due out this fall.

Best known for his work with Green Day, Cavallo has also produced records for artists such as Kid Rock, Eric Clapton, My Chemical Romance and Goo Goo Dolls. He is also working with the Dave Matthews Band on an upcoming release.

Cook has been in the studio when not on the road performing with the “American Idols Live” tour. He co-wrote many of the upcoming album tracks, alongside “some of music’s hottest rock songwriters,” his label said.

Only about 300 people turned out for the “American Idol” auditions held during the weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia reported.

TMZ.com said that number bares a stark contrast to the 7,000 people who camped out overnight in Northern California (OTCBB:NRLB) recently so they could try out to be contestants on Season 8 of the popular singing competition show.

Thousands of pop-star hopefuls also auditioned in Salt Lake City last month, the Desert Morning News had previously reported.

David Cook was named the latest “American Idol” winner in May at the end of Season 7.

“American Idol” winner David Cook has been signed to 19 Recordings/RCA Records and is preparing to start recording his debut album, his new record label said.

The CD is set for release this fall.

“David Cook is an extraordinarily versatile and talented artist with an impressive sense of musicality,” Tom Corson, executive vice president and general manager of the RCA Music Group, said in a statement. “He is a natural performer and a true star. We are thrilled to welcome him into our family.”

Cook will be recording his album during the summer while on the road with the “American Idol’s Live” tour, which is to kick off July 1 in Glendale, Ariz., and is to wrap Sept. 13 in Tulsa, Okla., RCA said.

“I am extremely happy to be signed by 19 Recordings / RCA Records. Signing this deal is truly a dream come true. I am looking forward to the recording process and creating a record. The support I have received from America has been overwhelming and I can’t wait to hopefully do right by them,” Cook said in a statement.

Paula Abdul’s interest in participating in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars may have hit a snafu, as American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe apparently isn’t a fan of the idea.

“As far as I’m concerned, Paula is American Idol and our judge,” said Lythgoe in In Touch Weekly’s June 2 issue. “It’s like asking [fellow judge Simon Cowell] to sing. Why would I want that? It chips away at you.”

Word that Abdul was interested in going Dancing first surfaced when Dancing with the Stars professional Louis van Amstel said Abdul expressed interest in the ABC show in January. Dancing host Tom Bergeron later claimed Abdul told him she’d “love” to compete on the show.

Abdul subsequently confirmed her interest last month when she said she was “hypothetically thinking about it,” causing Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli to gush about how much he’d want her on the show.

While Lythgoe may be against allowing Abdul compete on the ABC series, he admits that she’d probably do fairly well due to her various endeavors as a choreographer.

“She would be brilliant,” Lythgoe told In Touch. “But she was a dancer, so why would a dancer go on a dancing show? That doesn’t seem fair to me!”

The upset “American Idol” victory by rock singer David Cook drew nearly 32 million U.S. television viewers Wednesday night, up 3 percent from last year’s finale, Nielsen Media Research reported Thursday.

The two-hour broadcast on News Corp’s Fox network marked the second-most-watched episode of the smash hit talent contest this season, behind only the 33 million-plus viewers who tuned in for the debut of the show’s seventh installment in January.

The Nielsens rally came after weeks of record low ratings. And “American Idol” finished its latest run down year-to-year for the season as a whole in both overall average audience size and in ratings for viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.

It was the second straight year of season-to-season declines though the finale’s ratings could be adjusted when the final Nielsen data comes in.

“Idol,” which generally airs twice weekly, averaged about 28.1 million viewers per broadcast for the current season, compared with 30.8 million at the height of show’s popularity in 2006. But it remains by the far the most watched show on U.S. television.

The unexpected triumph of Cook, 25, who was tending bar and playing in a band before he auditioned for the singing competition, marked one of the more surprising outcomes of the series.

His rival, 17-year-old David Archuleta, went from being the contestant widely dubbed “The Chosen One” to runner-up after a record 97.5 million votes were cast by fans of the show on Tuesday night, final performance episode.

Syesha Mercado was the latest contestant voted off of the TV singing competition series “American Idol” by viewers.

Remaining finalists David Archuleta and David Cook will compete for the “Idol” title in next week’s finale.

“I don’t know what to say,” People.com quoted Mercado as saying when host Ryan Seacrest encouraged her to comment upon learning she had been eliminated from the show. “I just want to say, thank you.”

Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You” was the last song Mercado sang on the series.

“We’re going to have a real humdinger,” “Idol” judge Simon Cowell said of next week’s finale.

ABC’s ‘Dancing’ fell from last week’s cycle high.

Down to its final three contestants, Fox’s “American Idol” climbed a notch from last week to rule Tuesday night.

“Idol” (24 million viewers, 8.6 preliminary adults 18 to 49 rating and a 2.4 share) came in first place for the night. Lead-out “Hell’s Kitchen” (12.4 million, 5.5/14) continued to show strength behind “Idol” and matched its series high.

Coming in second place, ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” fell 9% from last week’s cycle high. The drop is likely due to a lower lead-in this round from “According to Jim” (4.4 million, 1.4/4). At 10 p.m., “Women’s Murder Club” (8.5 million, 2.1/6) tied CBS for second place in the hour.

CBS was close behind ABC in third place, with “NCIS” (14.7 million, 3.0/9), “Shark” (10.2 million, 2.1/5) and a repeat.

Fourth-ranked NBC won 10 p.m. with the season finale of “Law & Order: SVU” (11.3 million, 3.8/10) despite two hours of repeats for a lead-in.

The CW aired “Beauty and the Geek” (1.5 million, 0.7/2) and “Reaper” (2 million, 0.9/2), the latter slipping a notch from its recent average despite the news of its last-minute renewal.

By James Hibberd

Jason Castro is the latest cast-off of the U.S. singing competition show “American Idol.”

Castro’s departure came Wednesday night, a day after he forgot some of the words while performing “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

Speaking to host Ryan Seacrest before learning his fate, Castro said: “It’s just getting tough for me. I think my inexperience is coming in.”

In telling Castro he had been voted off of the show, Seacrest said, “I almost feel like you’re relieved,” to which Castro replied: “A little. It’s three songs next week.”

Still in the race to be crowned the next “Idol” are David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado.

Brooke White, a 24-year-old nanny from Arizona, was the latest contestant voted off of the U.S. singing competition series “American Idol.”

“I just want to say thank you. It’s going to be terrible for me, I know,” E! Online quoted her as saying before she performed her encore Wednesday night.

Still in the race to be crowned the next “Idol” are David Archuleta, Jason Castro, David Cook and Syesha Mercado.