From Michael Lynche's 'This Woman's Work' to Alex Lambert's tear-heavy exit, it's all in the latest 'Idol in 60 Seconds.'
By Jim Cantiello

Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Katie Stevens on Thursday's "American Idol"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

" 'American Idol' in 60 Seconds" has fast become an MTV News institution, but it goes by so fast that it's not always easy to catch every golden nugget. So, here we present to you a slightly altered script of the weekly bite-size recap of "Idol" high jinks, plus a joke or two that had to be cut for time!

This week was the "American Idol" contestants' last chance to make the Top 12, so you know what that means: A lot of desperation and a lot of tears ... and that was just the judges!

Yes, it was a weird week of bad singing, really bad song choices and unbelievably bad split screens. But it's season nine, so what else is new?

Actually, a few things! Lacey Brown and Didi Benami finally sang well, Lee Dewyze sort of smiled and Tim Urban's take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" didn't completely, utterly suck.

[Ellen runs up to him and yells: "That was fantastic!"]

But let's not throw the boy a parade — especially when we also had Siobhan Magnus doing the Animals a cappella for her dad and Big Mike Lynche doing Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" for hostile wombs everywhere.

[Kara talks about being moved because she doesn't have a baby!]

You know what was also sort of gross?

[Ellen: "Cocky banana."

Simon: "Picture Randy in a bikini."

Andrew: "Gotta rub me the right way!"]

Thank heaven for Crystal Bowersox, whose amazing "Give Me One Reason" gave everyone a new reason to love her.

On Thursday night's results show, producers continued to remind us how much better season eight was — especially following the departures of Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert.

Seriously, America? Most of my favorites eliminated? I hope you choke on a cocky banana!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

'American Idol' vet duetted with Scott MacIntyre on Thursday night.
By Gil Kaufman

Matt Giraud performs on "American Idol" Thursday
Photo: F Micelotta/American Idol 2010/Getty Images

It's been a while since America has seen Matt Giraud. The JT-like soul man who was a wild card "American Idol" finalist and recipient of last season's controversial judge's save has been working hard off-the-radar since his fifth-place finish on season eight.

Since his "Idol" run ended, Giraud's been writing songs in Nashville for his debut album, working with such well-known songwriters as Marcus Hummon (Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks) and Monty Powell (Keith Urban). "I'm not really going country," he told MTV News last month, "but they appreciate soul down there and I've been playing with them and making great music." So far, he's recorded 15 songs, many of which he co-wrote, and is hoping to amass at least 30 before he starts shopping an album around.

First he plans to release an EP sometime later this year to capitalize on the buzz he's gotten since notching a #1 hit on the iTunes jazz chart with Nashville singer Anna Wilson on "You Don't Know Me." He also made his triumphant return to the "Idol" stage during Thursday night's elimination show, teaming up with fellow finalist Scott MacIntyre on a spirited dueling piano cover of Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It."

"I'm just learning the craft of songwriting," Giraud said of the writers he's been working with in Nashville and Los Angeles, including Leah Haywood, who wrote "Pieces" for Allison Iraheta's debut album. He was also planning on hooking up with singer/songwriter Graham Colton, whose "Best Days" has been featured on "Idol," and which Giraud sang when he made it to Hollywood during season eight.

"For them, it's their job. One day they're working with John Legend and Carrie Underwood and the next they're with me. They know I don't have a big record deal, but they want to work with me because they see something in me."

For now, the singer who made his bones with his smooth blue-eyed soul style, said he's putting together an arsenal of songs that will hopefully surprise his fans, including some of his signature soul, plus some bluesier numbers, a few Maroon 5-style pop tunes and a handful of tracks that mine the Legend vein of buttery R&B.

"Every time I work with a new writer something different comes out," he said, describing the overarching sound as "soulful rock." He hasn't signed a label deal yet, but there's been some interest and for now he said he's just taking his time and playing live shows in between studio sessions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12
• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party
• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances

'American Idol' Top 12 cheat sheet looks at Brown's strengths and weaknesses.
By Jim Cantiello

Lacey Brown at the "American Idol" top 12 party
Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

On Thursday night, "American Idol" revealed its Top 12 Finalists for the ninth season of the hit show. MTV News "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello whipped up a handy cheat sheet for each finalist, breaking down each candidate's journey thus far. He also got the "Idol" hopefuls to weigh in when he caught up with them at Thursday night's Top 12 Party in Hollywood.

Lacey Brown

With her fiery red hair, icy cool blue eyes and a flair for animal prints, "American Idol" contestant Lacey Brown stands out in a lineup. And when she opens her mouth, Lacey gets even more interesting. In a 90-second performance, Brown's high-pitched tone can recall everyone from Patsy Cline to Gwen Stefani to Cyndi Lauper.

Best Performance: Lacey's recent Brandi Carlile performance proved that the girl with the squeaky voice is capable of quiet triumphs. Sitting still on the side of the stage, crooning "The Story" like she lived every word, Lacey finally showed America why she deserved a spot in the Top 24.

Weakest Performance: A bout of nerves turned Lacey's "Landslide" into a natural disaster. "Idol" is lucky Fleetwood Mac didn't call and ask for their song rights back.

Sad Backstory: Lacey just missed out on being part of the eighth season of "Idol," where she was cut in favor of another offbeat pretty girl, Megan Joy.

	'American Idol' Top 12 Party

Why She Will Win: Lacey's ability to play to the camera is effortless. Her hypnotic gaze and irresistible smile lull you in and make you forget you're watching "American Idol."

Why She Will Lose: Lacey Brown's performances may be too subtle for the "Idol" stage. When Siobhan Magnus is wailing like a banshee, Lacey's sleepy offerings run the risk of putting viewers to sleep.

What She Should Sing: I've said it before, I'll say it again. Lacey should study Yael Naim's music-box version of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

On Her Strategy To Navigate The Upcoming Theme Weeks: "What I try to do is stay true to myself, stay true to my voice ... pick songs that I really like to perform and be creative with the arrangements and really just do it for the people watching, because that's what's really important."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12
• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party
• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances

Singer signs with Interscope instead of Young Money.
By Shaheem Reid

Lloyd
Photo: Universal Motown

Coming off the success of Young Money's "Bed Rock" and factoring in their previous track record of hit singles like "Every Girl," everyone figured that singer Lloyd and his good friend and fellow New Orleans native Lil Wayne would officially join forces. Since Lloyd got his release from the Inc. last year, him going to Young Money seemed like a forgone conclusion. However, a deal could not be worked out — but 25-year-old MC is excited about his new deal with Interscope.

"Baby and Wayne were definitely the first people to reach out to me. I talked to them about a deal. That's who I thought I'd end up with in my heart," Lloyd explained to MTV News. "The problem is that Young Money/ Cash Money is exclusive to Universal/ Motown. As you and I know, that's where I did my last two albums. I wasn't excited about going back. I tried to do a Young Money/ Cash Money deal through another distributor, but it couldn't be done. At the end of the day, I'm still family, though."

The singer says despite not signing with his "family," it doesn't hamper any chances of future collaborations. Lloyd is currently accessing assessing who he'll get in the lab with.

"I don't feel the need to rush to release a album. It'll be out later this year," he said. "I got a couple of title options, but I'm not 100 percent sure yet," he explained. "I love the way Interscope gets down. I love the way Jimmy [Iovine, label head] gets down. I've always had a good working relationship with Polow [da Don, producer]. Having that creative partner is something I wanted to have, since the very beginning, to have that one creative partner. Mike [Jackson] had it with Quincy [Jones], Janet [Jackson] had it with Jimmy [Jam] and Terry [Lewis]. Justin has it with Timbaland. I feel that me and Polow have something special. I'm really looking forward to that. I also admire Jimmy [Iovine] as a producer. He loves producers. He's got Will I Am, Dr. Dre, Polow, the Neptunes, Timbaland. That's what he does. I'm looking forward to it."

MTV News exclusively received a coy of a new Lloyd single. It's called "Set Me Free" and features Mystikal. It's Mystikal's first song since going to jail for sexual assault six years ago. The MC was released in January.

"I'm a beast, I'm a dog," Lloyd sings. "Let me off the leash so I can set it off/...Feels like I got the whole world in my pants/ Girl you can set me free/ I'm feeling like Ali/ In his prime/ I'm a P.I.M.P. "

Mystikal comes in towards the end of the record with his famous southern howl. Myst also address his incarceration:

"Stop lyin' on me/ I smash these rappers and pick up trash at the same time, homie/ Young Lloyd called me and told me to sick the dog on 'em ... I got meaner from being behind that fence ... I hit the streets and rappers ran like shouts in the crowd/ Y'all was out here eating shrimp/ I was on that workout bench/ But I'm back on the beach/ Muscle up!"

"The N.O. is gonna love me for this one," Lloyd said. "The world is gonna love me for that song. It is the first of many [singles]. Since the album won't be coming out until later this year, that's more than enough time to get many songs out. We're gonna start hitting them pretty hard.

"I had two major goals in 2009," he added. "One was to get off the Inc., which I did. The other was to get back on radio and TV, which I did with 'Bedrock.' "

His plan for 2010 is laid flat as well.

"Signing with Interscope was just a small step," the Atlanta transplant offered. "This year I'm really focused on a classic album and staying in the public eye with more guest features. I have a few surprise collaborations coming. In the past two months I've recorded some really surprising features that will shake up the game a little bit."

• Check Out A Preview Of Lloyd's 'Set Me Free'

• Lloyd

'Idol' watchers are torn up over Thursday's ousters of Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Katelyn Epperly.
By Gil Kaufman

Alex Lambert and Katie Stevens on "American Idol" on Thursday
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

The sound of jaws dropping across the country after Thursday night's shocking "American Idol" vote-off was mirrored in the comments left by MTV News readers in the wake of the eliminations of Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Todrick Hall.

"I can't believe they sent this group away," wrote a dumbfounded Dprk7r79 on Friday morning. "Did America really vote like this? I liked Lilly and Alex a lot."

Others were just mad that voters appeared to just get it all wrong again. "How disappointing. Three of the four best contestants were sent home," said Green Eggs and Ham. "I hope that Lilly, Alex and Todrick's contracts allow them to produce albums now, because I will buy them. As for American Idol ... You lost me tonight. I won't be watching your show for the balance of this season."

Some suggested that the nefarious spoilsports at VoteForTheWorst.com are having a real impact on season nine and throwing the vote. "Lilly and Alex should NOT have gone home, they were two of the best," argued Fortunefox. "Shocked really. I think VFTW is having an unfortunate impact this season. Crystal [Bowersox], Michael [Lynche] & Lee [Dewyze] should be afraid ... very afraid because as good as they are - tonight proves that NO ONE IS SAFE."

Quite a few said they thought Scott and Epperly should have been saved in favor of teen Katie Stevens and Paige Miles, with the latter having her roughest week to date with a poorly received cover of "Smile" and the former continuing to struggle to sound contemporary and find her artistic niche. And, like quite a few angry posters, RockChick suggested that Lambert deserved to stay over onetime front-runner Andrew Garcia, who she said has been on a downward slide since his lauded "Straight Up" cover, even as Lambert has been steadily improving.

As for commenter Stampede, well, disbelief is the only way to describe it. "I'm still in shock from the eliminations tonight on 'American Idol,' " read Stampede's response. "Absolutely as usual America gets in wrong. I mean this is the 9th season of 'American Idol,' and in the 8 already finished, only 3 of the winners were the right choice. Lilly Scott is amazing, Alex Lambert has a great soulful voice, Andrew Garcia should have been the one to go. And for the girls, Didi [Benami] or Paige should have been the ones to go. Absolute outrage."

Stampede even suggested that next year the power should be taken out of viewers' hands and the judges should decide who gets eliminated each week. Ann Isabel is holding out hope that there's a wild-card round this year, providing the opportunity for one the semi-finalists to return. And while many fans wrote in giving props to Scott and Lambert for their unique skills, one poster, Rachel, was just mad.

"I can understand everyone's disappointment when some of the true talent got sent home last night," she said. "So when did the audience of this show turn into idiots? Probably last season after they picked the wrong winner yet again! I know why Crystal didn't get super excited when she got in the top twelve, when you are a true artist on a show voted on by kids who have Hannah Montana on their TiVo you can't expect real talent to be realized!!! I mean Tim [Urban] Really!???!!! And Katie!???!! Yeah sure they could make it on a Disney Channel special but ... 'American Idol?' I think NOT!!!!!!!"

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12
• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party
• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances

'American Idol' Top 12 cheat sheet looks at Lynche's strengths and weaknesses.
By Jim Cantiello

Michael Lynche at the "American Idol" top 12 party
Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

On Thursday night, "American Idol" revealed its Top 12 finalists for the ninth season of the hit show. MTV News "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello whipped up a handy cheat sheet for each finalist, breaking down each candidate's journey thus far. He also got the "Idol" hopefuls to weigh in when he caught up with them at Thursday night's Top 12 Party in Hollywood.

Michael Lynche

Michael "Big Mike" Lynche is like a cross between season three's goofball Matt Rogers and the Velvet Teddy Bear, Ruben Studdard. On steroids. Not literally, since Big Mike is a personal trainer, not a juice-taker. As far as we know.

Best Performance: Big Mike's a rare example of an "Idol" contestant who shines brighter without an instrument. A confident take on James Brown's "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" was entertaining, but his go-for-broke version of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work," which moved Kara DioGuardi to tears, was a game changer.

Weakest Performance: Week one's Jason Mraz impression didn't win him any fans. He sang "I'm Yours" but he wasn't ours. Not by a mile.

Tragic Backstory: Big Mike's wife went into labor with their first child during Hollywood Week. Extended phone call montages and conversations about her birth canal followed. We're not sure who will need more therapy: his daughter, whose birth her dad missed because he was auditioning for a televised karaoke competition, or his wife, whose birth was documented in eye-opening detail by "Idol" cameras.

Why He Will Win: Big Mike has a fun nickname, a newborn baby and a charming personality. Ellen DeGeneres deemed him the one to beat this week. If he continues to pick smart songs, he could muscle his way into the finale.

Why He Will Lose: He's likable, but in a TV host kind of way, not an "I wanna run out and buy that guy's album" kind of way.

What He Should Sing: Mike's personal goal should be to make every single judge cry at least once this season. We know Simon's mourning the loss of his dad. If Lynche turned John Lennon's "Mother" into a soul tour de force, Cowell would lose it.

On Being Called "The One To Beat" By Ellen: "I think it's way too early for anybody to be 'the one to beat,' " Lynche said. "It's a long season. I plan on being around for a long time, so you can't take any of that stuff to heart, negative or positive."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12
• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party
• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances

'American Idol' Top 12 cheat sheet looks at Dewyze's strengths and weaknesses.
By Jim Cantiello

Lee DeWyze at the "American Idol" top 12 party
Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

On Thursday night, "American Idol" revealed its Top 12 Finalists for the ninth season of the hit show. MTV News "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello whipped up a handy cheat sheet for each finalist, breaking down each candidate's journey thus far. He also got the "Idol" hopefuls to weigh in when he caught up with them at Thursday night's Top 12 Party in Hollywood.

Lee Dewyze

With angsty rock vocals and a troubled youth past, Lee Dewyze is the brooding bad boy of this "Idol" season. Lee's weathered voice shares traits with rock superstars like Chad Kroeger and Daughtry, which might explain why the judges are especially supportive of Dewyze's "Idol" journey.

Best Performance: Simon may have loved Lee's "Chasing Cars," but we thought his unexpected take on Owl City's "Fireflies" showed more promise. Plus, it was the only time the former paint salesman looked like he was having fun on stage.

Weakest Performance: Dewyze struggled to stay on pitch during Hinder's "Lips of an Angel." He also struggled to keep his pants up, making him look like a low-level amateur.

Tragic Backstory: We found out last week that Lee was kicked out of public school ... for something. In a sincere interview package, Dewyze pointed to music (and his teachers) as an inspiration to change his troubled ways.

Why He Will Win: Lee's voice is a slam dunk for radio, and the only thing "Idol" fans like more than voting for their fave is to see their fave's music move up the charts. It appears Simon Cowell has picked Lee to be his pet project, too, yet he talks about him as if he's the dark horse of the season. A dark horse who's also getting plugged by Cowell? It seems foolproof! Finally, Dewyze is starting to attract a heavily female cougar fan base, and it wouldn't be the first time those ladies have pushed a dude to the top of the heap.

	'American Idol' Top 12 Party

Why He Will Lose: Lee's constant battle with pitch may prevent him from ever having a true "moment."

What He Should Sing: If given the chance, Dewyze should return to the modern rock format, but deviate from vocalists who share a similar rasp. How about the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge?"

On His Least Favorite Performance, "Chasing Cars" "I was so nervous and [the judges] said I was pitchy and I knew I was. It was nerve-wracking, you know? And I looked at myself and was like, 'What are you doing?' But I'm kind of one of those guys that just gets up there and jams."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party

'I can't wait to see what else she has hidden up the sleeve of one of her outrageous outfits,' writes one fan
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga in her "Telephone" video
Photo: Interscope/ LadyGaga.com

Lady Gaga's splashy "Telephone" video premiered Thursday night. The nearly 10-minute clip, which co-stars Beyoncé, is epic. It has amazing costumes, and it also has Lady Gaga naked. It was everything the singer said it would be. It was, as the Haus of Gaga recently declared it, "a masterpiece."

Judging by the comments on MTVNews.com, it seems that Gaga's little monsters agree with the Haus about the quality of the clip. "I thought the video for 'Telephone' was great. Lady Gaga is super-talented but she is also a phenomenal entertainer," Nikki817 wrote. "I think that she is just what the music world needs and I can't wait to see what else she has hidden up the sleeve of one of her outrageous outfits. Yay for Gaga."

LoveAsh87 wrote, "OMFG. That was such an amazing video. I love LADY GAGA, she is so freakin' talent[ed]. And I'm glad I'm one of her lil monsters. I can't wait to see what she brings next. That was freak[in'] rad!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jhonny loved the video the first time and every time since that he's seen it. "LOVE IT. OMG. It was so comical at the same time too. I was laughing a lot and she was so fierce with her makeup," he wrote. "I first watched it and was like, huh? But watch it three more times and you'll see you missed things you didn't see the first time. Her sister is also in there btw for like a second, and it was just funny and she outdid herself again."

S loved the video, but still can't deny the quality of Gaga's previous video effort. "It was a super-fun, funny, colorful and quirky music video," S wrote. "But 'Bad Romance' still remains her best video. But this is only the beginning; she'll get greater as she goes on."

Perhaps CityBoyfromNY summed it up best for Gaga fans when he wrote, "Who needs crack when you have Lady Gaga!!!!"

• Lady Gaga
• Beyoncé

Late actor's name was found on a fraudulent prescription obtained through a drug ring, authorities tell the AP.
By MTV News staff

Corey Haim in 2009
Photo: Joey Foley/ Getty Images

Corey Haim may have been involved in a major drug ring that provided him with an illegal prescription for a painkiller, authorities told The Associated Press on Friday (March 12).

During an investigation of the ring, the California attorney general's office found records of the fraudulent prescription in the late actor's name. Law-enforcement officials were investigating the drug ring and whether Haim himself actually filed the prescription or if someone used his name to obtain it.

Haim was found dead Wednesday, but coroner's officials have not yet determined his cause of death. According to the actor's manager, preliminary reports reveal that he died of an enlarged heart with water-filled lungs. The Los Angeles County coroner told Haim's mother that the culprit was pulmonary congestion, manager Mark Heaslip said.

The initial buzz of what might have actually killed Haim came from the 1980s teen icon's decades-long struggle with drug addiction. Longtime friend and frequent co-star Corey Feldman asked Wednesday that people not "jump the gun" to conclude a drug overdose killed Haim.

Heaslip, manager to both Feldman and Haim, said he seemed to be winning his battle against drug abuse in the weeks before his death. Haim was "weaned down to literally zero medications" in the past two weeks by an addiction specialist, Heaslip said Wednesday on CNN's "Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell."

The doctor "put him on a new line of medications," Feldman said on "Larry King Live" on Wednesday.

• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds
• Remembering Corey Haim
• MTV Rough Cut: Corey Haim

• Corey Haim: A Life In Photos

Duo, with Larry David, made up panel on Jerry Seinfeld's new show.
By Jocelyn Vena

Madonna (file)
Photo: MTV News

Madonna has been married and divorced twice. Larry David just recently got divorced. And Ricky Gervais, despite having been with his partner for the last 25 years, has never actually been married. Still, Jerry Seinfeld called on these three superstars to hand out marriage advice to troubled couples on his new show — on which he himself doesn't actually appear — "The Marriage Ref," hosted by comedian Tom Papa.

Each week on the show, celebrity guests dole out advice to husbands and wives who find themselves in stressful yet often humorous (to outsiders, anyway) conflicts with their spouses. On Thursday's show, one husband had a problem with his wife keeping her dead previous husband's prosthetic leg in their closet. Gervais' reaction? "This is insane, what I just watched." David, meanwhile, wanted to pass on this couple, saying, "They're so moronic, I don't want to help them."

The show and the hosts turned against each other at one point when the panel was faced with a couple with sex issues. Apparently the wife didn't want to have sex with her husband because of his uncleanliness. David accused Madonna of hating men, to which Madonna shot back, "No, I hate you."

Then there was the husband who let his overbearing mother have too much control in his life. "This is the Oedipus complex run amuck," David said. "He's in love with his mother; he should start sleeping with her."

Perhaps Gervais summed up the night's festivities best when he said, "This is the weirdest show I've ever been on."

• Madonna

'I was going to be the first contestant to actually do a dance break,' he says.
By Katie Byrne

Todrick Hall performs on "American Idol"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Todrick Hall stumbled a bit during his first "American Idol" live performances, but he seemed to hit his stride with a bombastic version of Queen's "Somebody to Love" this week.

Unfortunately, the "Idol" viewers repaid him by sending him on his way Thursday night, along with Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert and Katelyn Epperly. We caught up with Hall on Friday (March 12) to talk about why he was eliminated, how he got sucked into the rumor mill and what's next.

Q: Were you surprised to be eliminated after your best live performance?

A: I feel like I should have done that a couple weeks earlier. The problem is, I'm an African-American male, as you call tell from watching me on TV. [Laughs.] ... I got so many messages saying, "Sing Usher. Sing Chris Brown. Sing Brian McKnight. Sing Ne-Yo, Stevie Wonder, any black artist basically that you can sing, because that's your demographic." But that's not the kind of music that I want to sing, so I'm happy that I stayed true to myself, but I kinda feel if I had just sang the cookie-cutter songs that people would have expected me to do and not gone so far out there with the clothes and the performing and would have just been a normal guy that got up there and sang semi-decent, I feel like I would have done better. But I'm happy that I stayed true to myself, because I think that is the most important. I would not have been happy doing anything else.

Q: Do you think your theater background worked against you on the show?

A: I do honestly feel that way, and it's said to say, but when people know certain things about you, it's kinda hard to shake those things. But I just told someone today that I feel if Lady Gaga, who is one of the most successful artists out right now, if she was on "American Idol," I don't think that they would have good things to say about her. ... I do think that they want you to be out of the box and they kept telling me that I was changing things too much, but I would hear them tell people they're not changing enough and not making it their own. You have to try and find that line of when is it not changing it too much and when is it being too cookie-cutter and being a karaoke version, which sometimes they're OK with and sometimes they're not. I feel like I was true to myself, and I feel I'll be rewarded for being different in the end.

Q: What did you do after your elimination?

A: I just took a deep breath and thought, "What do I do next? Pick yourself up." I've grown up in theater, and I always know there are no's. ... I was more concerned about Alex and some of the people who had not necessarily gone through this.

Q: There have been a lot of online reports about you being involved in a scam surrounding "Oz, the Musical." Can you explain that?

A: I'm so glad that I can talk about it now. It wasn't a good time to talk about it when I was on "American Idol," because I just needed to focus on the show, but I do want everybody to know, I'm not a scam artist. I am a nice person. No 23-year-old that I know in the history of the world has ever had to put on a show, and I think if they think about that, they'll realize I'm just an ambitious kid that got wrapped up with a producer that didn't really know what he was doing. I didn't really know what I was doing. I allowed my name to be attached to it, but I'm gonna get on the phone on Monday and hopefully call a lot of those people, because I do want to go there, and I love kids, and I wouldn't want people to think negatively of me in that way, and I think the show is going to happen again and that we'll be able to fix that situation. And there won't be no more negative press. Just for the record, I was just the writer and director/choreographer. I did not produce that show. I never had any of that money. I never dealt with any of the money side of the show.

Q: Did you know what you would sing for the Rolling Stones theme week?

A: I was gonna sing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." I was gonna dance for the very first time. They kept yelling at me for dancing, then Ellen, the very last week, said, "I think you should dance," so I was going to be the first contestant to actually do a dance break, like Crystal Bowersox does her harmonica type of thing and the guitar and people have beatboxed. But no one ever danced, and I was looking forward to doing that.

Were you sad to see Todrick go? Will you listen to his post-"Idol" music? Let us know!

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Meet The 'American Idol' Top 12
• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds

• 'American Idol' Top 12 Party
• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances

Police reportedly found Vicodin, Valium, muscle relaxers and antipsychotic medicines near body.
By Gil Kaufman

Corey Haim
Photo: MTV News

After Thursday's news that the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told actor Corey Haim's mother that his likely cause of death was pulmonary congestion, TMZ reported that strong medications that were found at the troubled "Lost Boys" star's bedside.

The Coroner's office said Haim had pulmonary congestion, an enlarged heart and water in his lungs, but, according to TMZ that has not been definitively pinpointed as the cause of death in the 38-year-old actor's demise on Wednesday. Though toxicology tests are still pending, the site said police also found pill bottles containing the powerful painkiller Vicodin, the tranquilizer Valium, an antipsychotic medication (Haloperidol) and Soma, a muscle relaxer, in the apartment Haim shared with his mother.

The site reported that a well-known but unnamed Los Angeles psychiatrist prescribed all the medications to Haim on the same day, just days before he died. Haim publicly struggled with an addiction to drugs and alcohol for much of his career and prominent addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky told MTV News in the wake of the actor's death that addicts sometimes are fooled into thinking that because they're taking legal medications prescribed by a physician that they are not subject to the same abusive tendencies.

"It's so easy to get these medications, and sometimes well-meaning physicians who don't understand addiction prescribe them for legitimate reasons," said Pinsky, who did not treat Haim and did not have any first-hand knowledge of the circumstances of his death. "But they start taking them and don't realize the trouble they're getting into."

Shortly before his death, Haim had complained of flu-like symptoms and had spiked a high fever. He collapsed at his mother's bedside early Wednesday morning and died a short time later. His manager, Marc Haislip, told Us Magazine that Haim will be buried in his native Canada in Toronto, Ontario, where he was born. Haim's family, "want to do it back home," he told the magazine. "But there will be a memorial in L.A." No dates for either event have been announced yet, but it was reported that the family plans to reach out to friends in Hollywood for donations to fund the burial and service, as Haim was reportedly .

Haim's family, including sister Cari and father Bernie, have reportedly joined his mother Judy, who is very ill with cancer, in Los Angeles.

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