Idol Chatter & Voice Views

This week, Haley Reinhart performed an unreleased song by Lady Gaga.

At the urging of Jimmy Iovine. After getting the star’s blessing to sing it.

Next week, Lady Gaga will be mentoring the Idols.

Hold it? Another mentor in the year without mentors?

Guess so.

And I guess Gaga quickly forgave the show for that little dust-up last May, when she claimed FOX  “POORLY + AMATEURLY”  edited her pre-taped Idol performance of  “Bad Romance.”

In addition to Gaga next week, we’ll get to hear from Jordin Sparks and we’ll get to watch the premiere of Steven Tyler’s new video, of his first ever solo single.

Glad to know Steven plans to contribute to the show in some way this year, since he clearly checked out as a judge when the finals began.

As for a theme, try this — the songs of Leiber and Stoller.

Who?

That was my first reaction when I read the FOX press release this morning.

So I goggled the names. Apparently, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller are a famed songwriting duo. They wrote bunches of hits like “Yakety Yak.”

I remember “Yakety Yak.”

No, not because I was alive when it was released. But because my parents owned the 45. Guess I never checked the songwriting credits.

Among the fearsome twosome’s other big hits: “Charlie Brown,” “Love Potion No. 9,” “Ruby Baby” and “Stand By Me.”

Oh, plus a lot of Elvis Presley songs, like “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Loving You.”

Seriously, Idol?

I mean seriously?

Maybe producers figured Scotty “The Body?” McCreery needed a little boost en route to his Idol coronation. As if surrounding him by adoring females, or allowing adoring females to rush the stage to greet him, weren’t enough of an endorsement, the show now hands him a theme filled with songs performed by his idol.

I know this. Any Idol judge who complains to a contestant about song choice this week should be immediately swarmed by security guards with duct tape so it’s the last word they utter.

If you want decent song choices, at least give the final four a theme where the songs were released during their lifetime.