As you may have already heard, there has been a huge shake up at the already shaky X-Factor. First we heard about host Steve Jones not coming back. Apparently, he was let go after a dismal season as he tweeted that he was disappointed by the news calling his departure a “shame” but adding that he couldn’t complain, that he “had a great time.” Mr. Jones, although probably a lovely person, didn’t really set the bar real high on the high drama impact the show was looking for and he paid the price for it. I guess Ryan Seacrest has trail blazed the role of host at this point that everyone must meet. I for one thought Mr. Jones was a bit boring myself.

Then came the news that Nicole Scherzinger wasn’t coming back as well. According to Nicole, not coming back was her choice. Nicole was originally cast as a duel host with Jones, but took the judges seat when Simon Cowell decided to axe Cheryl Cole as judge. (Many saw this as mistake number one.) Nicole quit the show (with Cowell’s blessing) to focus more on her music career. She says that the X Factor took much more time than she thought it would, filming 6 days a week, which didn’t leave room for her own career. It does make me wonder if she was asked to leave and was given the opportunity to do it gracefully. It’s all very coincidentally, everyone at once. There are sources that say she wasn’t renewed either, so I guess this is her excuse. For those of us who watched the show, it’s not hard to remember her being “boo’d” off the stage for her decision on Rachel Crowe, paving the way for Crowe’s departure. Scherzinger “couldn’t make up her mind” and because of that, Crowe departed that night amongst jeers and tears. As a judge, you should be able to, number one, make up your mind, and number two, make the right choice, even if you really like the other contestant. Crowe killed the competition that night and everyone knew it… even Nicole I think.

Also leaving, Paula Abdul. Sources are saying that Simon wanted to “clean house” and well, it looks like he is doing it. The X Factor received pretty good ratings but not nearly what Cowell was expecting. Sources claim that Abdul was not renewed as well and that this isn’t just some negotiating or ratings ploy. Simon wanted a makeover (or shall we say do-over) and a makeover he is getting.

So, in the coming weeks, I guess we will start hearing who will be stepping into to these positions left empty by the above three. I guess L.A. Reid is here to stay awhile as well, although I didn’t see him as all that great either. The X-Factor is set to debut it’s second season later in the year. Personally, I would like to see some tougher judges join the panel. My problem now with American Idol is the lack of tough judges. Yes, Randy has tried to fill that role but it hasn’t worked that well.

What do you think? Who would you like to see come aboard as judges and host? Let us know below, then come on in and join us in the forum!

Other sites have been making lists based on their preference, telling you who they believe was the best of 2011. We here at the Yak like to do it another way … put you in command. You nominated, you voted, and now it’s time to reveal who YOU chose as the Best of 2011. As 2011 comes to a close in just a few days, we figured it’s time to take you down memory lane as we reminisce about what made these people, TV shows, songs, albums, and celebrities the best (or in some cases the worst) of 2011. There were some EXTREMELY tight races this year, but fans came out in full force to make sure their favorites got to the top. No more yakking, let’s just get right to it. Click on a pic below to see what they won – or just click on the first pic and scroll through to see who and what made YOUR list of favorites in television, music, movies and more in 2011.

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Song of the Year:

Favorite Live Performance of the Year:

Most Viral Video of the Year:

2011 was a year full of royal weddings, celebrity breakups, celebrity meltdowns, political distaste, television specials, reality TV takeovers … and the list goes on and on. Some moments of 2011 you will want to relive and some you’ll just want to forget. Some moments you’ll wish never happened and some you’ll wish happened differently. In the second annual “Best Of…” poll at YakkityYaks, we want to take you on a short trip down memory lane looking at the moments that defined 2011 – for better or for worse. Dabbling a little into television, movies, music and just about everything else, we want you to speak up and vote for the moments you think best defined the start of a new decade! Which reality TV star was most deserving of their victory this year? Which television sitcom ranks as the best comedy of 2011? Which celebrity could you have gone the whole year without hearing about? What do you think 2012 will bring in the world of news? All that and more in our polls that we’ll be unveiling all week long! Read on below for the nominations in TELEVISION and get your voting on! Nominees for Movies and Music (click to vote) will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Vote for everything else Pop Culture Here!

Continue Voting

One word. Well, four actually. Kris, Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim. You’re reading this correctly. Barbara joins much of America in keeping up with the Kardashian clan so much so that they’ll be featured on her primetime special this December when she names her 10 most fascinating people of 2011. The full list will be featured on her special airing December 14th on ABC. Joining the Kardashians is Simon Cowell (of American Idol and The X Factor), Derek Jeter of the Yankees, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family, Pippa Middleton, Katy Perry and Donald Trump. As for who will round off the list as the #1 most fascinating person of 2011 … well, you have a couple weeks to dig deep in your pop culture knowledge to figure out just who might top the list. Who do you think is #1? Who is missing from the list? And do we even have to ask who is perhaps the most polarizing choice(s) of this list?

The judges made their choices this week sending 16 contestants home from the judges houses. Well, 15. Melanie got sent home from Simon’s house, but after he felt he made a “mistake”, he visited her home and added her into the line-up. I have heard some very unhappy opinions on the choices, especially when it came to the girls. BUT… is their a “wildcard” twist coming? Read below for my opinions on the choices, pictures of those chosen to go on in the competition and more about the chance for wildcards to enter the fray.

The Chosen Ones

So, what did you think about the judges choices? I for one was very happy for the most part, but have to say I was disappointed with Simon’s picks. Well, not all of his choices, just a couple. First, I thought Jazzlyn Little most definitely deserved to be in the mix, and was really peeved he sent her home. I really think that was a mistake and that she could definitely be something. Hopefully someone important did make note of her, and there are behind the scenes things going on with her now that we don’t know about or the Wildcard rumor is true. I was disappointed in his choice in Tiah as well. I think she might be good, but she needs work and a lot of it. I really think Simon just had something to prove with that girl with the other judges and his ego just couldn’t let her go. His other choice, Simone… She can sing, but her attitude leaves something to be desired. She also was the one that forgot the words at boot camp. Again, there was another one that could have been excused from the competition to make way for Jazzlyn.  He could have let Simone go telling her to drop the attitude, come back humble next year, and maybe there would be a spot for her. Heck, let Simone and Tiah go, and Jazzlyn and Melanie (who is amazing) would have both had spots. I really don’t know what Simon was thinking here.

In the other categories, I was happy Dexter (Over 30′s) got through. There is another one that needs a lot of work, but man oh man does he have soul when he sings. It makes a big difference when you live a life like he has and you can hear it in his voice. I was however disappointed in the choice of Stacy over Elaine. I really think Nicole chose Stacy for the story line. Yes, she can sing and maybe I am just cynical, but I’m a little tired of the crying each and everytime the camera is on her. We get it… you were told you were no good, now you are here, you have kids to take care of… blah blah blah. For some of us, or maybe just for me, it does get old. Plus, I thought Elaine was better.

The groups I didn’t really care for much from the start. I don’t know why but none of them really did it for me. I think my favorite in the category was one the judges threw together, Lakoda Rayne. Hopefully Paula will help them with choreography because that part was atrocious. They sang really well together though.

The boys… I wasn’t all that fond of any of them either. I was kinda hoping Nick Voss had made it through, but he needed a lot of work as well. Great voice, but he needed to drop the poser stuff and learn how to be himself. One I was hoping would not go through is Brian Bradley aka “Astro”. Ugh. The attitude on this young child… If my child were to act like that he would be grounded for a long, LONG time. I know he’s young, I just hope they can mellow out his mouth. He is imitating what he hears from older rappers, and it just sounds horrible coming from a 15 yr. old. That kind of attitude (as well as Simone’s) will be what get’s you booted by America. I’m kind of hoping those two are first, followed quickly by Tiah just to irritate Simon.

Wildcards?

According to the show last Tuesday, this coming Tuesday was supposed to begin the Live Shows. However, when I went to my Tivo page online to find out more about The X Factor TV schedule, the show coming up this Tuesday is titled “Wildcard- Live” with the description “Hopefuls perform for the judges and an audience.” The show is scheduled to be two and a half hours. So hmmmm. Does that mean we may see some of our favorites that were eliminated back in the competition? It’s possible. The “Wildcard” twist made it’s way to The X Factor last year in the UK, so why not here? In addition (I don’t know what this means), on The X Factor Official website, you can click to get tickets to the shows. The listing for this week’s show (for tickets) is on Sunday, October 23. That doesn’t sound “live” for Tuesday does it? Also, there are no more TV listings (tickets) for any more shows this coming week, with the next available show tickets for Wednesday November 2nd, and Thursday, November 3rd. (That sounds more like a live show and elimination night to me.) It could also mean that judges will be eliminating one of their 4 (Simon one of 5) on the Tuesday airing (Sunday taping), bringing the competition down to 13 competitors. That kind of sounds more likely to me, but who knows.

Other sites have also been keeping up with the possible Wildcard Spoilers. I guess we will just have to wait and see. It seems like that would be a lot of live performers to fit in if they add any more contestants.

What do you think? Will more be added? If so, who would you like to see return to the competition? Is it just a judge kick off show? Let us know below, then come on into the Forum to discuss all your favorite Reality TV! You can see who was chosen below:

Judge: Simon Cowell, The Girls:

Judge Paula Abdul, The Groups:

Judge Nicole Scherzinger, The Over 30′s:

Judge L.A. Reid, The Boys:

American Idol has crowned its country crooner. The Voice has given it’s soulful champion a record deal. Could we really have a summer without some sort of singing competition taking center stage? If Simon Cowell has anything to say (and he does), the answer is no. So, we will get just that … exposure for Cowell’s new The X Factor. Fox is giving Cowell the chance to launch his latest project with a worldwide sneak preview before the MLB All-Star game on July 12 at 8pm EST/7pm CST.

The X Factor doesn’t officially premiere until September 21, 2011.

Apparently, The X Factor can’t seem to make up it’s mind whether Cheryl Cole will be a part of the show or not.

As we reported last week, Cole was replaced by Nicole Sherzinger on the judging panel touting no real apparent reason… well, they said that it was because those auditioning couldn’t understand her accent, however many speculated that she did not get along with fellow judge Paula Abdul. Now, Simon Cowell has supposedly asked her back to the show. Sources close to Simon claim that Cowell said “We have offered Cheryl a second chance and she might still come back to US X Factor. Fox have been re-examining the situation and have had a change of heart. After the debacle with the UK judging panel we have started negotiating with Cheryl’s camp and the ball is now in her court.”

Cheryl has not commented as to whether she will take Simon up on his offer and return to the show, but FOX is planning on airing the footage with her as judge regardless. I guess we wait and see!

What do you think? Are you going to watch The X Factor? Let us know below!

Hello everyone, it’s time for the Yak to take out the trash! Every week we’ll have all those little bits and pieces of buzz that we felt needed to be shared and dumped at the same time. Recycled, if you will. But either way, we’re here to dish the dirt before it heads off to the landfill.

Well, well, well, could the “twilight” be fading just a bit for one of the hit movie series’ stars? Taylor Lautner, set to appear in the movie “Abduction” in September (actor/producer), has been dropped by his publicist Robin Baum, of Slate PR. After just three months, Baum, who also reps Johnny Depp and Daniel Craig, abruptly dropped Lautner. Baum hasn’t commented on reasons, and Lautner’s management couldn’t be reached for comment but word on the street is that Lautner’s father, Daniel Lautner, isn’t exactly an easy guy to work with. Just a tip for you, Daddy Lautner……go google Michael Lohan and see how far being an overbearing stage father gets you.

This past Wednesday, Simon Cowell, executive producer of hit series Britan’s Got Talent and X-Factor, angrily denied allegations that the winners of said series had been picked from the very start. Or rather, Syco, Cowell’s production company, dismissed the allegations as being “100% totally false”. Reps for the company told the Hollywood Reporter that they were taking legal action against a website for posting a memo purportedly from a Sony Music exec which said they had insider knowledge of the “fix”. One of the allegations made was that Ronan Parke, the 12 year old favored to win Saturday’s final of Britain’s Got Talent, has been under contract by Syco and groomed for the past two years for the show. Parke, who is getting Justin Bieber comparisons, was also according to this memo, told to play up his youthful looks and to be more effeminate. (Sorry, but what 12 year old wouldn’t have youthful looks?). This memo went on to say that Parke had been picked to win before auditions for the 2011 series had even begun. Producers of the show emphatically state that the blog, which has been widely spread on the web, is completely false. Well..hmmm..there’s always conspiracy theories when it comes to shows like this and while I’d like to think they’re false, it’s also been apparent on many seasons of various shows such as American Idol, etc. that the judges do have their favorites and at points have not been so subtle in their urging of fans to vote for them. Plus, if you read the fine print at the end of shows such as Idol, and even Project Runway, it does state that the producers of the show do have a final say in the results themselves. I’m not sure what to think about this honestly.

Who wants to see J-Lo in the buff? Well,  her first husband, Ojani Noa, wants to help you. Apparently he has been shopping around one of the all too common celebrity sex tapes of himself and Mrs. Marc Anthony. He’s gotten bids too, from major porn companies, of the alleged “honeymoon sex tape”. Anyone remember “A Night in Paris?”. Starting bids of the hundreds of thousands of dollars are expected to skyrocket into the millions now that several top-tier porn companies have entered the bidding war. J-Lo has apparently fought for years to keep this tape under wraps, as the footage itself comes from the 1997 honeymoon (before she broke out into total fame) and apparently has 27 hours of footage, with 15-20 minutes of total nudity in it. What I find funny is that all these porn companies are salivating to get their hands on the footage, yet Noa’s producing partner, Claudia Vazquez, states that it’s not technically a “sex tape” either. The marriage was short-lived, as they divorced after a year, and for several years after that they were on good terms. It’s because of that amicability that Noa got many possessions, including the tapes themselves (seriously J-Lo?).

Eventually Noa and Lopez had a falling out, over her firing of him from her restaurant and later over a “tell-all” and biopic that Noa and Vazquez were trying to produce. During the research for this biopic, they discovered this footage. Lopez managed to block the tell-all book in 2006, however, last week a Los Angeles judge cleared the tapes for release. So from the looks of it, we’ll get a view of Lopez we have never seen before….I wonder if it’ll be on the floor, London to Ibiza. What do you think?

Hey, join us in our forums and let’s chat, about this and everything else we have there! Look up, you’ll see the link to it there!

Reports are swirling that there has been a huge shakeup at Fox’s X-Factor and the show hasn’t even hit the airwaves yet! There has been no word from Simon Cowell’s camp or anyone in association with X Factor, but it appears that British sensation Cheryl Cole will be replaced by Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls effective immediately. No word yet on why Cole will be replaced. Once we find out more information, we’re sure to pass it on to your loyal Yakksters!

Scherzinger was originally slated to co-host the show with British star/American newbie Steve Jones, but it’s looking like she may join Cowell, Paula Abdul and LA Reid over on the judge’s table. What do you think about this shakeup? Let us know below and join our forums to chat about it! And don’t forget to join us for tonight’s American Idol finale, too!

The ongoing saga of the Paula Abdul/Simon Cowell relationship will continue to be played out on TV screens across America. What a relief. Paula Abdul has officially joined the judges panel of Simon Cowell’s X Factor, finishing up and signing her contract at the last minute. It was so last minute that it held up first day filming by a couple of hours in fact.

Paula showed up at filming dressed to the nines and immediately embraced Simon for all the cameras. She will be joining the three other confirmed judges, Simon, Cheryl Cole and L.A. Reid as the search begins to find America’s ‘X Factor’ this Fall, according to Fox.

To make sure everyone knew just how important Paula was to him, Simon even bumped the judges over, including his once favorite judge Cheryl Cole, to have Paula seated next to him on the panel according to sources.

Paula, when asked what she thought of the new gig and judges, claimed she was excited to meet Cheryl, that she has ‘heard such lovely things about her’. Simon, on the other hand, had something else in mind. “You put pretty girls together it’s like three cats in a sack, isn’t it,’ he said. ‘And it needs a bit of a shake.” I guess we will see how this plays out.

Looking over the pictures of these judges arriving, [Click pictures to enlarge] the panel almost looks like this other show I once watched. The judging panel resembled these people a lot. Hmmm… what could it be?

What do you think? Excited about the X Factor? Let us know below!

It was bound to happen, and we all got to see a little piece of it Tuesday night. (That is, if you watched The Voice this week. If you haven’t seen this show, this writer thinks you should go check it out!)

The Voice coach, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, made a comment on Tuesday’s show, speaking to a contestant that did not get a coach to turn around during their “blind audition”. He said, “The people that we’re not turning our chairs around for could win American Idol,” after he and fellow celebrities Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton decided not turn their chairs either. We all heard it, and many of us in the forum, and around Twitter, commented on it.

So far, we had heard nothing from the ‘Idol-sphere’ really about The Voice, and how they really feel about the competition, until today.

Randy Jackson told the Hollywood Reporter today that “It’s a great thing when talent can be simple, honest and revered as opposed to spinning around with gimmicky chairs. Maybe Simon Cowell should have people opening doors. Like, ‘Knock, knock. Who’s singing? I can’t see you!“

He continued, “Look, none of these other shows could exist without somebody forging the path before them. I’m happy to say that Idol did that and paved the way.”

The Voice itself has premiered with some very impressive ratings, and has certainly impressed me. So much so, that I have stopped watching Idol. To me, Idol has lost it’s special something, and I think it was the right timing for Simon to leave. The judges are no longer judging the contestants, but are more a cheerleading section, and I find myself really disliking Jimmy Iovine. I would much rather see the contestants do what they want to do on their own. Let them be individuals, and find within themselves the artist they wish to be, rather than be coached by this guy. A little less arrogance, and some more humble pie would be nice Mr. Iovine.

Jackson states his only fear is that “with all these shows coming is that people don’t tire of the format,” he adds. “I don’t know how much singing at you the public can take” referring to The Voice, America’s Got Talent and Cowell’s X Factor premiering in the Fall.

Personally, I can take a lot, if it’s good. I don’t find The Voice gimmicky. In fact, it seems to me they came up with a format that could work for seasons to come… New judges can be brought in every season, allowing for a fresh take every time.

What do you think? Agree with Randy, or do you think Idol may have met it’s match?

Wednesday night saw the finale of Paula Abdul’s new show ‘Live to Dance.’ Did you see it? Probably not, according to the rating numbers. Her show started out showing some decent numbers, but ended up falling short in the long run, with only 4.8 million tuning in for the finale. No official word from CBS on the shows status, but sources say that we just witnessed the first and last season of the dance show.

The couple that did win the show were mighty cute though! No, I wasn’t one of the 4.8 million who tuned in Wednesday night, but thanks to the power of the internet, I got to see for myself the youngsters that took the $500,000 prize, and I have to say, this duo really did a great job. Unlike most of the kids you see dancing, this team really didn’t have the movements of children, and my guess is will do pretty well for themselves in the dancing world. The Miami youngsters, D’Angelo Castro and Amanda Carbajales (9 and 10 years old), when asked how they were going to celebrate their win, said they were going to a friends house to play in the pool. The true spirit of the child lives on! I have included a video below of the kid’s audition for the show, see for yourselves how great (and cute) they really are!

In the meantime, with Paula’s show heading to cancellation, that does in fact free her up for other endeavors, maybe filling one of those empty spots on Cowell’s X-Factor? Simon Cowell expressed that Paula could be in the running a few days ago, however was quick to state there are many people vying for that position as well. The judging panel for the show is not expected to be announced for several weeks however, so we will just have to wait and see.

So, watch the video below, and let us know what you think about these two young dancers. Also, would you like to see Paula and Simon reunited at the judging panel? Leave us a comment, and be sure to join us for all the fun in the forum HERE!

The judging panel for the Simon Cowell’s upcoming X-Factor U.S. series has yet to be determined, but Simon suggests that Paula Abdul is in the running.

Simon Cowell said on Monday that he is a “massive fan” of Paula, but is still deciding on who should be at the judging table, hinting that Paula may be on the short list. Makes sense, since she has the experience and he knows how he gets a long with her already.

We fans, unfortunately, have to wait to find out, as Simon isn’t announcing who made the judges table until several weeks from now. The X Factor is set to debut next fall on Fox.

As we reported earlier, The winner of “X Factor” will get a $5 million record deal, which Cowell said won’t be a “dressed up” sum: The top contestant will get $1 million a year for five years, separate from the costs involved in recording and promotion.

“It’s a massive, massive risk but it’s also an incredible incentive. It puts everybody, rightly, under an enormous amount of pressure,” Cowell said, adding, “I believe I can find a star.”

You may have seen the promo during last night’s Superbowl for the upcoming Simon Cowell Reality Show, but Fox has now realeased more details on the show, including a huge winner’s bounty, a $5 million dollar record contract.

The largest grand prize in television history, according to Fox, is a joint venture between Sony Music and Simon Cowell. Fox also announced that the auditions will begin on March 27th at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, expanding to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, New Jersey and Seattle in the days following. Eligibility for the show is a young as 12 yrs. old, and as high as… well… there is no cut off.

“I like the idea that a 12-year-old on this show can compete with an older singer and a singing group,” said Simon. “I’ve never believed there should be a cut-off age for talent, and we are going to put our money where our mouths are with the $5 million recording contract. I’m doing this show in America because I genuinely believe we can find a superstar.”

X Factor is set to debut sometime in September. Will you watch? Let us know below!

Tonight, American Idol continues it’s journey to Hollywood as we take a look at the Milwaukee auditions. As so, we will continue our special showcase on previous Idol winners (check out our Ruben showcase here). Today, we’ll be taking a look at the eccentric Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. Fantasia won over many hearts of Americans with her touching story of being a single mother, after being raped in high school and dropping out of school due to embarrassment. Defeating Diana DeGarmo after reaching the bottom 2 twice over the course of the season, Fantasia was crowned the next American Idol as the only champ who was in the bottom group on more than one occasion. Let’s dive in and take a look at Fantasia’s journey to the crown and life after Idol.

Making her an early favorite in the competition with her highly convincing audition of “Proud Mary,” Fantasia wanted to make her mark from the very beginning. Over the course of the show, Barrino had to stand out among the likes of Jennifer Hudson (who later went on to win an Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls) and LaToya London, as the season’s theme shifted to “Battle of the Divas,” especially among these three powerhouse voices. Fantasia’s strongest standout performance of the season is likely her rendition of “Summertime,” earning her praise from the judges and obviously support from America thanks to her emotional connection with the ballad. Simon Cowell even went so far as to remark that Fantasia was the best contestant to compete in any competition, including the more than 70 Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show’s inception. Now that is a compliment! That compliment likely led to Fantasia’s success, beating Diana DeGarmo by only 1.3 million votes of 65 million cast on finale night, the highest number of votes in an Idol finale until season 6. At 19, Fantasia was the youngest American Idol winner until 17 year old Jordin Sparks walked away victorious. What you might not know is that the Barrino family had plans to regain the Idol name. In season 8, Fantasia’s brother auditioned for the show but was rejected during the early audition rounds.

Just months after being crowned champion, Fantasia released her first single, “I Believe,” which later debuted at #1 on the Billboard 100. This debut earned Fantasia the distinction of the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. The single even went on to become the highest selling single of 2004. Later that year, Fantasia released her debut album, Free Yourself, certified Platinum in the United States. Fantasia’s celebrity was seen beyond the record studio. She went on to play Aretha Franklin in an episode of American Dreams, guest voiced on The Simpsons and made a cameo on the sitcom All of Us. Fantasia even went on to open for Kanye West’s Touch The Sky Tour in 2005.

Fantasia went on to pick up three Grammy nominations for her work on Free Yourself. She also went on to star in her own Lifetime Original Movie, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, which later went on to become Lifetime’s second most viewed program ever. At the end of 2006, Fantasia went on to release her second album, Fantasia, which involved production by the likes of Missy Elliot, Diane Warren, Babyface and others. “When I See You” was arguably the album’s biggest hit, remaining #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart for more than eight consecutive weeks. Fantasia received an even bigger break in 2007 when she picked up the role of Celie as part of Broadway’s production The Color Purple, an announcement that likely led the play to pick up more than 6.5 million pre-ticket sales. Her original 6-month engagement was extended until January 2008. The show’s box office saw more than 34 million dollar jump in sales since she starred in the show. Not a shabby feat from an Idol winner that hasn’t been center stage like others. During this time, Barrino had to miss more than 50 performances of the show, causing speculation on her absence. Fantasia later mentioned that a cyst had been discovered on her vocal cords, prompting immediate surgery which successfully removed the tumor.

In 2008, Fantasia went back to the studio to work on her third album, Back to Me. By mid 2009, she confirmed that much of the album was complete and a single should be released by the end of the year. This was later delayed for her role in Oprah’s film adapatation of The Color Purple, which began production in 2008. An interesting factoid regarding this album was that Fantasia chose to have a live orchestra in the studio with her. Fantasia also went on to reprise her role for the touring of The Color Purple in stops around the country. By 2010, Fantasia’s third album finally made it to surface, prompting the release of her first single, “Bittersweet.” 2010 was also the year Fantasia returned to the small screen, starring in a VH1 reality show, Fantasia For Real.

It seems as if bittersweet was a self-proclaimed theme in Fantasia’s life, especially as of late. In her 2005 memoir, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia revealed that she is functionally illiterate and was unable to read texts of contracts she has signed. Not long after the release of her New York Times best seller, her father sued for $10 million after he claimed she said unflattering things about him that were untrue. Three years later, Fantasia’s lakefront home in Charlotte was also facing foreclosure. In 2010, the decision was made to not put her home up for auction. Then it seemed that life would really hit rock bottom for this songstress.

In early August of 2010, a divorce filing alleged that Fantasia had a year-long affair with Antwuan Cook, a married man. Barrino claimed the two began dating after he and his wife were separated in 2009. On August 9th, Barrino was hospitalized in North Carolina due to an overdose of aspirin and an unknown sleep aid. Barrino later confirmed the incident was indeed a suicide attempt (and not a publicity stunt) stating, “I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted out. At that moment I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with…” Fantasia went on to say that “Music saved me. When I went in the hospital, I went into the computer room, and I looked up artists who’ve been through things, artists who sing from their soul. I took my cues from them, and I just put my mind and everything into music.” She later went on to testify in court that she aborted her and Cook’s fetus around the time of her suicide attempt, something that very likely led to the overdose attempt. In December 2010, a judge ruled in Fantasia’s favor claiming that the Cook’s separation date was indeed in 2009 and not in 2010 as Cook’s wife claimed, yet no further information was given.

On top of all the recent troubles the singer has faced in her life, she still maintains and can stand by the fact that she won the hearts of America with her voice, a voice that even Simon claimed to be among the best of the best. Fantasia Barrino has dabbled in a number of avenues in the media industry, making her claim on the Broadway stage, television, and even feature film. With her award winning singles, record breaking sales, and critically acclaimed performances, her career post-American Idol is sure to overshadow her recent struggles in the game of life. Fantasia has plans to release a gospel album in the near future, which will likely include a mix of the emotions she has experienced throughout her recent life trials. Making her name in the world of R&B and on the stage, Fantasia was not discounted during the competition, and she hopes, along with the help of her family and friends, to not be discounted now either. What’re your thoughts on this Idol champ? Did you vote for her to win or did you want to see someone else be crowned that season? Don’t miss our next installment of Idol Rewind tomorrow, Jan 27, as we feature Carrie Underwood.