Ellen DeGeneres, the newest judge on "American Idol," says Simon Cowell is "meaner than I thought."
DeGeneres began her stint on the Fox singing contest Tuesday.
"They're just letting me do what I want to do," she says about judging.
Sentence postponed
Rap star Lil Wayne, 27, got a temporary reprieve from jail – for dental surgery.
The Grammy-winning rapper's sentencing in a New York City gun case was postponed because he needs to finish a string of surgeries.
Lil Wayne, one of music's biggest sellers, is poised to spend as much as a year in jail under a plea deal. Sentencing will be March 2.
Starr officially a star
A star for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday in a ceremony that marked the 50th anniversary of the attraction's groundbreaking.
Starr's name was the 2,401st star unveiled. The Walk of Fame also has stars for bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison.
Fight case tossed
A judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against a Black Eyed Peas manager who punched blogger Perez Hilton in a nightclub last year. Attorneys for Hilton and Peas' manager Liborio Molina said they'd reached a settlement.
The scuffle happened after gay blogger Hilton called Peas leader will.i.am a slur for homosexuals.
Build a snowman!
Hey kids, with all this snow around, how about a snowman? Build one and send us a photo of it. (You can be in the picture.) We will publish them on fred, our kids' page. Include your name and city of residence with photo. (This is for kids only.) Send photos today to Terri Richardson, The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802, or e-mail trich@jg.net.
Bowl a record high
The top five prime-time TV shows and viewership for Feb. 1 to 7:
1. Super Bowl: Indianapolis vs. New Orleans, CBS, 106.5 million (record)
2. "Super Bowl Post-Game," CBS, 75.5 million
3. "Undercover Boss," CBS, 38.7 million
4. "American Idol" (Tues.), Fox, 24.7 million
5. "American Idol" (Wed.), Fox, 21 million
Happy birthday
Among celebrity birthdays today: Actor Robert Wagner is 80. Actress Laura Dern is 43. Actress Elizabeth Banks is 36. Actress Emma Roberts ("Nancy Drew") is 19.
