So, with news earlier this week that Idol producers wanted to overhaul the entire judges panel, how was Randy Jackson safe?

Some might say that he is the last link to the original cast, and a halfway decent judge on top of it.  But, it’s more than just fondness for our Idol “DAWG” that’s keeping Randy on the judges panel; it’s MONEY.

Ellen had an option for only a year on the show, and Kara’s contract with Idol was up.  Randy had one more year on his deal, and if Fox would have to pay him anyway.  (And no one likes paying someone NOT to work.)

As for the new panel, we’ll see how that all works out soon enough; the new judges will be in Milwaukee sometime in August taping the audition process again.  For our sake, let’s at least hope the new panel brings some excitement, so that the year Milwaukee FINALLY gets an audition isn’t the WORST year on ratings record!

I for one, think this will be a perfect combination.  After all, don’t most country superstars know how to “brush their teeth with a bottle of Jack” already?

Some of the rumored names have been around before: Elton John, Harry Connick Jr., but the big new name that is being tossed around is JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE!

Yes, Justin’s people are calling this rumor “silly” for now, but we’ve heard about silly rumors that have definitely come true with Idol before.

And I think I’d be for Justin joining.  Of course, he’s a great performer, and he has a great sense of humor too.  Remember all of his “Saturday Night Live” appearances?  Good stuff…

Want to see how they did in comparison to the other stadiums around the country?  Click here!

Yep…that was my Thursday night.  And I’m sure I wasn’t alone in Milwaukee’s North Shore and East Side, which felt the brunt of the storm with over 7 inches of rain.

After arriving at my parents house in Shorewood at around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, I hopped on the computer to check for information on the storm, when it began to downpour.  The difference with this downpour was, though, it didn’t stop.

Sure, we tried to sit down and eat dinner, but about three bites in, I heard a weird flowing noise coming from my parents’ basement, where we saw their basement window well turned into an aquarium.  The window well was full of water and streaming down the wall.

Luckily, we were able to get buckets and gather the water within minutes.  And although my dad and I got a drenched on the 10-foot walk from the house to the garage to fetch the shop vac, we took care of things quickly.

We’ve had our family’s basement flooded once before, but after tonight’s experience, I feel extremely lucky that we heard what we did WHEN we heard it, or we could have had a much more serious water situation.  My heart goes out to everyone who will be cleaning up for the next few days.

And, it helps us remember…the next time you’re sitting for that nice, quiet dinner with the family and you get an annoying phone call or a solicitor at the door, it could be much, MUCH worse.

Have a safe, DRY weekend.

A group of soldiers serving in the Middle East have choreographed their own version of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok!”  It’s worth a good laugh this morning.

And as a huge Bucks fan, we DO have something at stake here.  Since Cleveland and the Bucks are in the same division, we play more games against the Cavaliers than other teams in the league.  We did triumph over the self-appointed “King James” and the Cavs in one game last season where Lebron was out…and would likely do a lot better if he were playing elsewhere (say, the Heat — who we would only play 2-3 times per year instead of 4-5 like Cleveland).

So, yes…Lebron’s signing should matter to us Bucks fans…and unfortunately to all my friends from Cleveland, if we want another BIG season for the Bucks, we should hope Lebron is in Miami.

The drama will conclude soon enough…keep following my Twitter feed for the latest tonight…I’ll keep you in the loop, promise!  And even if Lebron does return to the Cavs, #fearthedeer!

And for more Bastille Days fun, get connected to their (PDF) schedule here.

As long as you don’t choose Kidd O’Shea’s $20 Summerfest (4 beers, then beg someone to buy you roasted corn in time for O.A.R.), I think you’ll like these!  Take a look.