American Idol Down to a Pretty Fine Nine

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The tables have turned on American Idol, as R&B night produced more rhythm and less blues than we'd seen in awhile this season.

Sure, Crystal Bowersox remained the gold standard, Siobhan Magnus the wild card (too wild last night) and Tim Urban the lucky loser whose unlikely run has extended all the way to a spot on the Idols Live tour this summer.

But the overall quality of the performances ticked up a notch, with Andrew Garcia finally not sucking, Casey James rocking the house and Lee Dewyze having a potentially life-changing night, according to Simon Cowell.

We at least thought Michael Lynche had a great night, too, so why was the frustrated personal trainer poised to throw Ryan Seacrest off the stage?

Maybe because Ryan was messing with him, implying the beefy personal trainer was in the bottom three when he was really safe as a savings bond.

Meanwhile, America got it exactly right (based solely on Tuesday's performances, at least), voting Tim, Katie Stevens and Didi Benami into the bottom three.

Frank Micelotta / FOX

It was ultimately the increasingly morose and combative Didi who was sent packing, her pitchy encore of Fleetwood Mac's "Rihannon" not doing enough to save her.

"Didi, it's bad news, sweetheart. We're not going to save you, sorry," Simon broke the news.

So the smiley Tim train chugs on, just as the Brit predicted. And Katie, who remains caught in a country vs. pop-R&B war being waged by Simon and Kara DioGuardi, got her reprieve before the final commercial break, instead getting to enjoy the world-premiere Diddy-Dirty Money performance of "Hello Good Morning."

Ruben Studdard, who's heading off on tour with Clay Aiken this summer, sang tonight, as did R&B week mentor Usher, who performed "OMG" with  Will.i.am.

Next Tuesday, the top nine get to dip into the infinitely deep Lennon-McCartney songbook for your voting pleasure.

Did the voters get it right this week? Are you happy to see Didi go, or steamed that your least favorite didn't get the boot?

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Sandra Bullock Makes a House Call in Hollywood

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Thar she goes!

A Mercedes-Benz carrying Sandra Bullock, who hasn't been seen in public since reportedly moving out of the Orange County home she'd been sharing with Herr Husband, was spotted Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills.

E! News has learned that the actress was leaving the home of Beverly Hills-based investment manager and longtime Bullock family friend Gabriel Brener.

But though the paparazzi were out in force, no one got a clear shot of the Blind Side star as she deftly avoided the flashbulbs and settled into the Benz's backseat.

"Everyone was crowding around the car and being very aggressive," an eyewitness tells E!. "The car even went back inside of the gate at one point because they couldn't leave without hitting the paps."

This probably isn't the way Bullock planned to celebrate her Oscar win...

GEVA JSGS/GSI Media, Hector Vallenilla/PacificCoastNews.com

The 45-year-old star has been left unable, P.R.-wise, to sit for interviews or even go out in public in the wake of reports that hubby Jesse James philandered Tiger-style and, even more bizarrely perhaps, once posed for photos while making the Nazi salute and miming a Hitler mustache.

James' rep revealed yesterday that the Monster Garage star has checked into a treatment facility to deal with "personal issues," and TMZ placed the motorcycle builder on his way to Tuscon, Ariz. (where we hear there are places to rehab) last week.

But at least Bullock is in the company of friends.

Gabriel Brener and his family were guests at Bullock and James' 2005 wedding and Bullock has been friends with the Brener International Group founder for years.

—Additional reporting by Daniel Ramos

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Roger Ebert Seeks Thumbs-Up for New At the Movies

Jesse Grant/Getty Images

You can't keep a good thumb down.

A day after the syndicated TV stalwart At the Movies was officially canceled, Pulitzer winner Roger Ebert wrote on his blog that he and his wife are working on getting a new film-review show off the ground.

"We believe a market still exists for a weekly show where a couple of critics review new movies," wrote the longtime Chicago Sun-Times critic, who left the show in 2006 after surgery for thyroid cancer left him unable to speak.

In truth, At the Movies' popularity had been dwindling since the death of Ebert's original partner in criticism, Gene Siskel, in 1999. Ebert & Roeper never had quite the same ring, and then the show went on with a series of guest hosts after Ebert bowed out. After Richard Roeper finally left in 2008, the teaming of Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons was a disaster, and A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips didn't do much better.

Ebert, who appeared on Oprah recently to demonstrate the Steven Hawking-style computer he uses to carry on conversations, and his wife would serve as a producers on the new show. While he wouldn't regularly appear on camera, he writes, "the thumbs will return."

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This Just In: Jackie, Tara and Other Nutty Housewives Live On

Ken Regan/Showtime

Nurse Jackie/United States of Tara: Showtime sure has a quick trigger finger! Though the premieres were mere days ago, Nurse Jackie and the Emmy-winning United States of Tara have both been renewed for a third season. We're gonna go all Spice Girls on you and say, "Girl Power!" And now we're embarrassed.

Wanna know which network is taking on your favorite dancing reality shows? Read on for the scoop, plus Sarah Palin (seriously) and Housewives return...

CBS: Because watching people dance never gets old, CBS is adapting a U.S. version of the U.K. reality hit Got to Dance. How will it be different than the 12 (OK, maybe three) other dancing competitions? This one is open to all ages, all genres and all ability levels. Think of it is America's Got Talent...But Only if You're a Dancer.

Sarah Palin's Alaska: Russia is gonna be so excited! The eight-part documentary showcasing Palin's home state has found a home on TLC. Although we're told it's not so much a "reality show" as it is a "travelogue." What word would you use to describe it? But hey, keep it clean.

Real Housewives of New Jersey: Insert overexaggerated Jersey accent here. Season two of Housewives of New Jersey will premiere May 3 on Bravo, starting at 10 p.m. We celebrated by flipping over all the tables in the office. Expensive, and not as much fun as you'd think.

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Doctor: Dennis Hopper Is "Terminally Ill," Deposition Could Be Deadly

AP Photo/ Evan Agostini

It's not looking good for Dennis Hopper.

In what amounted to a very sad testament as to Hopper's condition after months of battling prostate cancer, the actor's camp is arguing that he is "terminally ill" and in no condition to be deposed by his estranged wife's legal camp as she continues to fight the terms of their prenup.

"It is doubtful that Mr. Hopper will ever recover sufficiently to be subject to a deposition," oncologist David B. Agus stated in a declaration attached to the filing. Hopper barely weighs 100 pounds and cannot speak for long periods of time; therefore, a lengthy deposition "could actually threaten his ability to survive his current health crisis."

Hopper filing part 1
Hopper filing part 2

The prenuptial agreement signed by Hopper and wife Victoria Duffy was supposed to prevent this sort of thing, his camp says, and the Blue Velvet star has already spent $160,000 in legal fees to ward off Victoria's objections.

Hopper, 72, will be attending his induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 26, the filing said, but he will be in a wheelchair and require assistance.

"A deposition is nothing ike a short ceremony to praise his career," Agus stated.

The veteran actor-filmmaker-photographer has a restraining order in place against Victoria barring her from coming within 10 feet of him or his three children from previous relationships. They have a 6-year-old daughter together, who Hopper's allowed to visit with for two hours a day.

The 140-page filing also details Hopper's numerous personal effects, including thousands of dollars' worth of artwork, including an oil painting and a collage by Viggo Mortensen.

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Robert Culp, I Spy's Other Secret Agent Man, Dies

Long before Phylicia Rashad came into the picture, it was Robert Culp who played Bill Cosby's other half.

Culp, who teamed with Cosby in the 1965-68 secret-agent series I Spy, died Wednesday after falling down and hitting his head while on a walk near his Hollywood home. He was 79.

After finishing his run as tennis-playing lawman Kelly Robinson, the veteran character actor then starred in the adultery-run-amok dramedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969.

Though he's known to younger audiences today as Patricia Heaton's dad on Everybody Loves Raymond, he made his mark on the small screen in a number of cop- and crime-themed series, from I Spy to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to Columbo to The Greatest American Hero, racking up four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nod along the way.

Culp is also a member of the club of actors who have played the president of the United States on the silver screen, having occupied the Oval Office in The Pelican Brief.

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Teen Angelina Jolie Coming at You in Black & White

ZUMA

Angelina Jolie has always taken a pretty picture.

And now the fruits of one of her first photo shoots as a teenage model are going on sale Friday in California, starting at $600 apiece.

Photographer Harry Langdon took the shots when Jolie was 15, with the future Oscar winner donning a variety of styles, including the grunge look emblematic of the early 1990s: a long gown paired with Doc Martens.

"Her smile is beautiful, but her best feature is her alluring look," Langdon said.

These black-and-whites, not to be confused with the swimsuit photos taken by Sean McCall when Jolie was 16, are currently part of the Michael H. Epstein and Scott E. Schwimer collection of rare Hollywood photographs and will be auctioned off March 26 and 27 by Profiles in History.

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