Idol Worship: Week 1 News Recap

Idol Gone Wild? Bikinis ruled and Simon drooled on week one of season 8, while the blogosphere revved its engines chasing down a slew of soon-to-be somebody's. Here, your Idol headlines for the week ending Jan. 16:

Paula Abdul contradicts herself, so what else is new? At the semi-annual Television Critics Association conference, Abdul vehemently denies criticizing Idol producers for allowing known stalker Paula Goodspeed to audition for the show. This despite an appearance on ABC's The View two months earlier claiming the contrary. [LA Times' Idoltracker] 

David Cook to tour colleges... In his own words, the 2008 winner details his road plans, starting with a show in Tallahassee, Fla. on February 13, and talks Season 8 jitters. [Billboard]

Jennifer Hudson returns to the spotlight... For her first public appearance since the tragic deaths of her mother, brother and nephew last October, Jennifer Hudson will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIII on February 1 in Florida. A week later, she'll attend the Grammy Awards, where she's nominated in four categories. [E!]

Emily Wynne-Hughes already has a record... a criminal one. Leave it to TMZ to uncover a July 2008 DUI arrest involving the Phoenix standout, after which she was ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet. Will she follow the path already traversed by Idol hopefuls Jessica Sierra and Nikki McKibbin to Celebrity Rehab? Let's hope not. We had high hopes for Emily, but that was before we heard her band. [TMZ]

Thanks for the mammaries...  Bikini Girl Katrina Darrell got the attention she so desperately craved, but she's not the only hottie hopeful to show some serious skin. Contestant Casey Carlson posed for Campus Girls USA, a website that sells calendars  for charity. Her gallery has since taken over the site's homepage. [TMZ]

Because life would suck without Kelly... The original American Idol, Season 1 winner and OG Kelly Clarkson, will release her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," to iTunes on inauguration day, appropriately enough. [MJ's Big Blog] 

Idol ratings down, median age up...  Season 8's premiere saw a slight dip in the ratings, to the tune of 10 percent, while the median age rose by 10 years, to 40.3 (from 2002's median viewer age of 29.5). [Show Tracker]  -- Shirley Halperin