American Idol

'American Idol' Judge Paula Abdul has given her once hot and heavy love interest actor Tony Schiena the boot. Sources tell TMZ that ever since her ex-boyfriend, Dante Spencer, came to her rescue after she was allegedly assaulted at a party last week, the two are "stuck like glue." Spencer suffered a cut above his eye during the scuffle and needed stitches to close the wound.

Spencer has been at Abdul's side non-stop since the incident. He's been hanging out in Abdul's dressing room on the 'Idol' set and in the greenroom during tapings.

As for the alleged assault, the LAPD is conducting an investigation. Paula claims her former agent knocked her down to the ground, rendering her unconscious. The New York Post reported Thursday that Abdul concocted the assault claim after being ejected from a club.

'American Idol's' Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks' last minute song changes won the judges over -- but ticked off producers.

Sources tell TMZ that McPhee and Hicks' decision to pull the plug on their initial song of choice mid-week ended up costing a significant amount of money. The 'Idol' band and backup singers scrambled to learn the new compositions and the entire crew, especially lighting, spent costly hours making changes. We're told producers were very frustrated.

In addition, sources tell TMZ that 'Idol' producers were surprised by Chris Daughtry's song choice -- 'Innuendo.' They even went as far as telling Daughtry during Tuesday's dress rehearsals -- moments before the contestants took the stage live -- that they disliked the song and wouldn't have picked it if they were him. Simon certainly wasn't impressed.

Could the backstage bashing have affected Daughtry's performance?

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(April 6, 5:20PM ET) -- America's shocking decision to vote Mandisa off 'American Idol' Wednesday night was not a shock at all to those backstage. Sources connected with 'Idol' tell TMZ the buzz behind the scenes last night was Mandisa getting the boot had nothing to do with her performance -- it was all about her openly anti-gay affiliations.

According to TMZ sources, lots of Hollywood types were backstage, including agents, PR flacks, managers and special guests. And the sentiment was clear; as one person put it, "Once you don't have the gays - forget about it."

During 'Idol's' March 28 show, which had a "Songs of the 21st Century" theme, Mandisa's choice "Wanna Praise You" raised eyebrows.

Before she began singing, Mandisa said, "This song goes out to everyone who wants to be free. Your addiction, lifestyle, or situation may be big, but God is bigger!" Mandisa said the song means a lot to her "because it's a testimony that there's nothing too hard for God."

Mandisa is openly a big fan of anti-gay author and lecturer Beth Moore. In her bio on the 'American Idol' website, Mandisa called Moore her "personal American Idol." Moore's website provides links to other sites that locate ministries for "those affected by homosexuality."

(April 6, 3:15PM ET) -- 'American Idol' judge Paula Abdul claims she was physically battered and suffered a spinal injury and possible concussion after an altercation at a Hollywood club on April 2.

According to law enforcement officials, Abdul claims a man at the club grabbed her by the arm and threw her against a wall, causing her to suffer "spinal injuries and concussion." Abdul told officers she sought her own medical treatment. The LAPD is investigating her claims.

US Magazine.com reports that Abdul and friends were out last Saturday night when she ran into one of her former agents. According to US, the agent resented Abdul's "smirky attitude" towards him and after a heated discussion, the agent "accidentally-on-purpose bumped into her" causing Abdul to fall on the floor. A witness told US a friend of Abdul's attempted to defend the star and allegedly punched the agent in the face.

US says a shaken Abdul was taken home, complaining of pain in her lower back and a possible concussion. The friend involved in the physical altercation was taken to the hospital where he received stitches for a cut below his eyebrow.

TMZ has confirmed that Paula is receiving medical treatment from a private physician for a concussion and spinal injuries stemming from this incident. Lieutenant Paul Vernon of the LAPD tells us, "At this time [the agent] is a suspect but has not been arrested or charged with a crime."

The 'Idol' contestants are staying in living quarters in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. We're told a neighbor called FOX to complain about Chris Daughtry's loud music. The woman alleges that Chris' music is so loud and stressful that it killed her bird, Sweet Pea.

Chris Daughtry feels bad about the dead bird. His fellow contestants -- not so much. We're told a few of them joked that Chris should wear a t-shirt that says "R.I.P. Sweat Pea."

'A.I.' said goodbye to Lisa Tucker Wednesday night and we're told that the 16-year-old knew it was coming. Tucker's mom hung out at the studio all day Wednesday for moral support, knowing how hard it was on her daughter.

Tucker's mom told friends that Lisa was prepared to say "goodbye," taking comfort in the fact that 'Idol' had become a building block for a promising career. Mom also told friends that her daughter had received so many calls from networks and theatrical companies, it was sick. Disney is rumored to be one of them!

Ever wonder what happens to the fallen 'Idols' once they're booted off the show? TMZ has the lowdown on what happens the moment after the unlucky one watches their journey on tape -- set to Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day' song -- and steps off the stage for the last time.

After the remaining 'Idols' say goodbye to their comrade, the rejected 'Idol' is immediately taken into a private room, in which a psychologist and an 'Idol' management rep are present.


Related links

• 'Idol' Farewell Dinner
• Backstage 'Idol' Secrets
• Shakira Clashes With FOX Over 'A.I.'

TMZ's camera caught the 'A.I.' contestants going to Universal CityWalk Wednesday night after the show. It's become a ritual to have a "farewell dinner" for the contestant who is booted -- in this case, Lisa Tucker.

The group was dressed casually for the most part, as they went to Buca di Beppo, a family-style Italian restaurant. Check out your favorite contestants in a candid moment.

'American Idol' Season Four contestant Bo Bice was one of several celebs that took to the race track to practice for the 30th Anniversary of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

Bice told the television show 'EXTRA' that the practice rounds are a lot like being chased by cops -- except you don't have to worry about getting a ticket.

Paula Abdul and her new love interest, Tony Schiena, seem to be joined at the hip. The actor hung out backstage during Tuesday night's 'Idol' taping.

During commercial breaks, Abdul's security guard would escort her backstage so the two could get their two minutes of cuddling in before the show resumed.

The brains behind the anti-'Idol' Web site VoteForTheWorst.com says he's gotten death threats from Kellie Pickler fans.

David Della Terza tells TMZ that he's pushing people to vote for contestants whom he believes are the worst singers. The 23-year-old says FOX is so upset with his Web site, they've called out their lawyers to threaten him.

'American Idol' Season Four contestant Constantine Maroulis only came in sixth place in the competition, but he's still emerged a winner with one of the hottest up and coming careers to burst out of 'Idol.' With a new solo album in the works --- along with an ABC sitcom pilot and an indie flick on the way -- Constantine has said "goodbye" to his pre-'Idol' bandmates from the group Pray for the Soul of Betty.

The top rated 'Kevin and Bean Show' on Los Angeles radio station KROQ posed an interesting question Friday morning: Would Mandisa be a Top 10 contestant on 'American Idol' if she were white

"It's fascinating that she can be a front runner and look like she does, yet there's no way 'Whitey' shows up at 280 [lbs.] and gets in the Top 10. It's not even possible," commented Bean, half of the the popular team of Kevin and Bean -- both of whom are white.

Listen to the KROQ segment

With Mandisa considered one of 'Idol's' favorites, the discussion, which included co-hosts Ralph Garman and Lisa May, focused on how overweight Caucasian 'Idol' contestants are seemingly treated differently from African-American contestants. "What is the double standard?," they asked. "Why is it acceptable for the African-American contestants -- and we're not just talking about 'American Idol'-- in all the world, you can be big and black and be considered sexy and no one's trying to get you to lose any weight... yet the big white guy all of a sudden is a pariah."

Mandisa won over the hard-to-please Simon Tuesday night on 'American Idol' with her singing and her style. Her knockout dress was a winner.
TMZ was at the Fox Hills Mall on Monday in Culver City, Calif. when Mandisa went through the racks at Ashley Stewart, a plus-size women's store.