“He’s my father, and of course I’m supportive of him. He always encouraged me in my dreams,” said the award-winning songwriter, who would not reveal her party affiliation. “We don’t always agree on every issue. But no matter what our differences are, I love him. He has more energy than anyone I know. When he is working, he is Superman.”

The final 12 will perform next week — singing the songs of The Rolling Stones.

This season, we will be treated to the vocal stylings of:

-Didi Benami
-Siobhan Magnus
-Paige Miles
-Casey James
-Tim Urban
-Lee Dewyze
-Crystal Bowersox
-Michael Lynche
-Lacey Brown
-Aaron Kelly
-Katie Stevens
-Andrew Garcia

What do you think, Idol fans? Is the next Carrie Underwood or Jordin Sparks in this bunch? Did the right people stay and did the right ones get the boot? Do you wish they still had the “wild card” segment to bring back some of the favorites?

Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, is desperate to get Simon Cowell’s seat as a judge on American Idol. Ciccone, who has been his sister’s assistant, backup dancer, stylist, and artistic director at various points throughout his career, has launched a Facebook page — “Christopher Ciccone for American Idol!” — to promote his campaign to join TV’s most-watched talent show.

Too bad the page has drawn only 602 members!

“I think I can bring a particular kind of credibility to the show. I’d be the only person sitting at the table who actually created a pop star from the beginning, and helped keep her there for 20 years,” he told The New York Post’s PageSix Column on Friday. “I know what it takes to make it,” he added.

On Wednesday, every season-nine hopeful sent out a generic tweet, advising fans that “all my updates from now on will be on our Official ‘American Idol’ 9 Contestant Page … @AI9Contestants.” Each individual Facebook account featured this message: “Thanks so much for joining my Fan Page! All my updates from now on will be on our Official American Idol 9 Contestant Page, please become a fan there to read all my updates throughout the season!”

Too bad! It was nice for Idol to actually come into the 21st century and give fans a chance to chat with the singers that they spend all season vigorously campaigning for. We wonder what brought about the sudden change?

On Tuesday, FOX reps announced that the Top 10 male American Idol semifinalists would perform on Tuesday’s show instead of the women after dreadlocked singer Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized for complications from diabetes early yesterday. On this morning’s “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” Idol host Ryan Seacrest spoke with series Executive Producer Ken Warwick in an effort to shed some light on Crystal’s health woes. Despite receiving an extra 24 hours to recover, the season frontrunner may not be well enough to sing in tonight’s live performance show.

The Top 10 male semifinalists will perform tonight instead of the women.

“Due to medical issues which would prevent Crystal Bowersox from performing tonight, the 10 male semifinalists will perform this evening, and the 10 female semifinalists will perform tomorrow night,” the network announced on Tuesday.

According to Us Weekly, Crystal has been hospitalized for complications from diabetes, but will be well enough to perform by tomorrow night. Next week, the competition is expected to return to its usual format of the woman performing on Tuesday and the men on Wednesday.

American Idol Season 3 finalist Constatine Maroulis has an interesting idea for how FOX should proceeds after acid-tongued Brit Simon Cowell ditches the TV talent show at the end of the current ninth season — “Can It!”

“It’s unfortunate. He’s a mogul and going to go on to greater and greater things … but the show is really going to miss him,” the Rock of Ages star told PopEater.com last week. “I hope they just end it after this year.”

In a new interview with Britain’s News of The World this week, Glambert says: “I went wild and I was experimenting with certain substances… At 26 I started running with hippies, going to underground events, I was really drawn to that crowd, everyone embraced each other’s differences. It didn’t get to the stage where it ruined my life or where it was anything too serious but it was definitely something I tried. There are so many parents who are too conservative in America. There are certain drugs out there that are really fun and recreational and can mean a good time. I’m not an advocate for drugs, but it is all rock and roll and we are all adults.”

The singer with the unforgettable name also has a pretty hard to forget face: Eze was collared on a charge of felony identity theft in Beverly Hills on Thursday after a Neiman Marcus sales rep spied him trying to make a purchase using a fake credit/check card.

He was detained by Neiman’s security and then arrested by the Beverly Hills police.

Eze is currently being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on March 1. Eze placed tenth on the seventh season of the hit FOX reality singing competition,

“They are very suited,” says Simon’s publicist Max Clifford. “She is someone who is independent and says what she thinks and feels, and he likes that. He’s probably the happiest I have ever known him in the nine years I’ve been working with him.”