The King of Mean is sounding off on everyone from Clay Aiken and the latest "Idol" to walk the plank -- to one show-stopping surprise -- and only "Extra" has the exclusive sit-down with Simon Cowell!

Tuesday night on "American Idol," Cowell told dreadlocked crooner Jason Castro to pack his bags -- and America agreed. "He looked like he couldn't care less," said Simon of Castro's elimination.

From "Idol" present to "Idol" past -- Simon takes a slap at second season runner-up Clay, who dissed the show in a new interview -- and caused one hairy situation! Seeing Aiken's new blond hairdo, Cowell quipped, "So that was Nancy Grace, where's Clay? It's just that hair. I can't listen to him."

Simon did, however, entertain the notion of a face-off between TV's top judges, himself and Bruno from "Dancing with the Stars!" "He comes on 'American Idol,' I go on 'Dancing with the Stars,'" says Cowell. Find out if it's going to happen as Simon and Bruno make history on "Extra" next week!

His flashing eyes and winning smile couldn't save him this week -- Jason Castro is the latest "Idol" hopeful to be sent packing. The 20-year-old Texan attempted songs by Bob Marley and Bob Dylan this week, falling well short of expectations by forgetting lyrics to "Mr. Tambourine Man" -- which earned him rough reviews from the judges. After Castro's rendition of "I Shot the Sheriff," a baffled Simon said, "I don't know what you're thinking!"

Castro, known for being good-natured, took the ax in stride. As he stood in the final two with Syesha Mercado, he quipped, "Somebody told me that I shot the Tambourine Man yesterday."

The dreadlocked crooner blamed nerves for Wednesday's poor performance, saying, "It's just getting tough for me. I think my inexperience is coming in."

Last night's "American Idol" also featured performances by "Idol" alum Bo Bice and rock band Maroon 5. David Archuleta and David Cook, who fared the best in Rock n' Roll week, will move on to the final three with Mercado.

Claymate alert! Clay is aching to tell the world how he really feels about the show that launched his huge career five years ago -- and it isn't pretty! "I haven't watched an episode," reveals Clay, "it's just not the same thing. It's like going back to your high school and none of your teachers are there, it's just completely different."

So what is breakin' Aiken's heart about "Idol" -- and why hasn't he watched the hit FOX show since Carrie Underwood won? "I feel like the show was very innocent for a while when I was on it, and I absolutely thank God for it," says Aiken, "and now it's less and less I think -- people have record deals, contracts -- it's just not the same show. It's not that I have an aversion to it, it's just eh, next."

Next up for the "Idol" graduate is his new album, "On My Way Here" -- and it's his most personal yet. "Listen to it and how it relates to you," says Aiken.

The dreadlocked hopeful blew it bigtime on the no-no of the Idol stage -- forgetting the lyrics during a dreadful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," after a less than stellar go at "I Shot the Sheriff," which Simon called "utterly atrocious."

The 20-year-old guitarist became the third "Idol" wannabe to forget lyrics this season, saying, "I lost some lines there; that's kinda bad." Randy Jackson said that he was not "in the zone," but Cowell took a more blunt approach: "Jason, I'd pack your suitcase."

David Archuleta aced both performances with Keep Reading...

"Idol" mania sweeps Sin City as the final four arrive in Las Vegas! But this is no vacation -- especially considering Simon's harsh words for the hopefuls after last week's performances.

"I thought they were, in the main, pretty atrocious, not good enough for this stage in the competition," said the acid-tongued judge.

Cowell also had words about rumors surrounding Paula's confusion last week on "Idol" -- but this time, Mr. Mean played nice. "I just felt like saying to all of you who have read rumors about Paula that she came to the show after tipping a cup it's just not true. I said to Paula 'You just made a bit of a mistake.'"

A mistake -- like the one made when a TV station jumped the gun on hopeful David Cook's hospital visit a month ago! "Apparently some news station in Indiana reported that I died," said Cook, "I didn't -- I'm here." Alive -- and vying for the title of "American Idol!"

Watch the final four duke it out during Rock n' Roll week, tonight on FOX.

Rumors of a stalker are exploding -- after photographers caught video of "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest surrounded by cops at his posh Hollywood Hills enclave.

While cameramen on scene say officers revealed they were looking for an alleged stalker, Ryan tells "Extra" -- and his morning radio audience -- that he was actually explaining a fenderbender he had earlier in the evening.

While Seacrest kept it cool on "Idol" -- acid-tongued judge Simon got his own surprise -- a phone call from his first kiss, Tara Miller, a childhood friend from London! Today, "Extra" has Tara Miller talking about the man she kissed so many years ago.

Brooke White wasn't able to make a "Believer" out of the any of the judges or fans -- and the delicate blonde singer was sent home from "American Idol" last night. White, who also sang Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said," was alternately praised and criticized by the judges in recent weeks, culminating with a resounding thud when Simon called her rendition of "I'm a Believer" "a nightmare."

In the bottom two with Brooke was Syesha Mercado, the only remaining female contestant and now one of the final four. After Brooke's elimination was announced, Brooke couldn't contain her tears, but told fans that she was in "that happy, grateful mood," and added, "I just want to say 'thank you.'"

The night was full of surprises, including a call-in from Tara Miller, who caught Simon Cowell off-guard when she said that she was his first kiss from during their childhood in England!

Neil Diamond and Natasha Bedingfield rocked the "Idol" stage last night as guest performers.

It was a hectic night on "American Idol," with the final five each crooning two Neil Diamond songs. Instead of the usual format, in which the judges critique each hopeful after their performance, Randy, Paula and Simon were asked to take notes during performances and offer their opinions at the end of each round. The new format threw off Paula Abdul -- she critiqued both songs from Jason Castro -- even though he had only sung one!

"The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn't -- it was missing for me. It kind of left me a little empty," says Abdul, "the two songs made me feel like you're not fighting hard enough to get into the top four."

Randy Jackson cleared up the confusion by reminding Paula that Castro had only sung once. Even judge Simon Cowell, who had his usual harsh critiques for the aspiring Idols, admitted that the new format had also thrown him for a loop. "This was officially the strangest show we've ever done," Cowell said at the end of the show, "but I like that. It's kind of a bit chaotic tonight."

In a surprising "Idol" elimination, the luck of the Irish wasn't enough to save tattooed Carly Smithson from low votes. Although the singer pleased the judges with her rendition of "Jesus Christ Superstar," -- Simon called it one of his "favorites of the night" -- viewers didn't agree.

Judge Randy Jackson told host Ryan Seacrest, "It must be a bit of a popularity week in the vote." Jason Castro and Brooke White, the two contestants who fumbled their way through the musical numbers of Andrew Lloyd Webber and disappointed the judges, were not only spared the ax -- they even managed to avoid being in the bottom two!

Simon encouraged Carly, saying, "You can leave with your head held high," and she did. After hearing her fate, Smithson said, "I'm very proud of myself and I'm very happy. I'm not upset that I'm going home. I'm okay. I've had the best time here."

"Idol" time may be running out for dreadlocked Jason Castro, as he delivered a dreadful rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Memory" from "Cats" last night. But Brooke White's odd restart may be what's remembered at voting time.

The judges were less than impressed by the crooner's attempt at Broadway -- which the singer delivered while seated on a stool. "Vocally for me, it was kind of a train wreck," said Randy.

Aside from his vocal and range shortcomings, Castro seemed to pick a song that was out of his element. "I never thought I would see a man sing 'Memory' -- with dreadlocks," said Webber, "that was a bit of a joke." Castro could be saved from the axe by Webber's predicted star Brooke White, who stopped her song and asked to start again -- prompting the normally tame Paula to reprimand her, saying, "you must never stop and start!"

Tune in to FOX tonight to see if voters agree with the judges -- and which hopeful will hit the road.

She's gone from "Idol" champ to hot recording artist with her chart-busting duet with Chris Brown, "No Air." Now, Jordin Sparks' voice has been silenced by a medical emergency -- but not permanently. The teen Idol was diagnosed with an acute vocal cord hemorrhage -- the same condition that almost ended the musical career of Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra.

While some reports say that there's a possibility the reigning idol might never sing again, Jordin's label, Jive Records, tells "Extra" that the "Tattoo" crooner is expected to make a full recovery.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is taking on "American Idol," and Idol hopeful Brooke White has made a lasting impression! "The girl who I was really quite impressed with was Brooke," Webber told the Los Angeles Times blog.

After a day of rehearsing with the final six, Webber is ready to rest. "We have a rather weary composer here," he says of himself, "it's probably best to define him as a de-composer."

The transition from sugary pop songs of Mariah Carey and Dolly Parton to the hefty musical numbers of Webber will be a difficult one for the aspiring artists, but the composer praised their work. "The six kids were really in their own ways all very talented," he says.

Tune in to FOX tonight to see if the judges agree with Webber's opinion.

Click on an image to view the AMERICAN IDOL photo gallery!

The six remaining "American Idols" gather around a grand piano with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. This week, the top six will perform songs by the musical mastermind, whose works include "Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita."

Tune in to FOX on Tuesday to see who carries the stellar tunes -- and who falls flat on the stage of "American Idol."

Click on an image to view the AMERICAN IDOL photo gallery!

She may have been cooked on "Idol," but Kristy Lee won't be spending her days crying -- she'll be too busy planning her upcoming nuptials! The beau of the country crooner, Andrew Dobner, popped the question to Cook on St. Patrick's Day, but the twosome kept it hush-hush about their plans to wed.

They decided to keep the news "on the down-low" because "I just wanted to be focused on 'Idol,'" Cook tells Us Weekly.

The Oregon girl was surprised however, when her 25-year-old man asked her again this week after her departure from "Idol." Says Kristy Lee, "He actually got down on his knee this time... he owed it to me!"

"American Idol" fans are still reeling over what may have been one of the most jaw-dropping eliminations in "Idol" history - when Michael Johns got the boot.

Now "Extra" is sitting down with the Aussie rocker for a candid look at his heartbreaking goodbye -- and the controversial moment when Ryan gave him false hope.