by Cherie Saunders   

*It’s safe to say that Joshua Ledet’s exit from “American Idol’s” final three on Thursday makes no difference when it comes to the future success he appears destined to achieve in the entertainment industry.

“I don’t know what’s next in my career because I haven’t really sat down with people and talked to them about that, but hopefully some good stuff,” he said backstage after bringing the house down – yet again – with his version of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World.”

Judge Randy Jackson says Josh put on a “super master class in singing” with his exit performance, seen in the video below.

Final Result & Elimination by IdolxMuzic

The 20-year-old Westlake, La. native used his family church-steeped vocals to powerful effect throughout his “Idol” run, often bringing all three judges to their feet with his old-school soul – and even impressing artists whose songs he belted in the competition. India Arie said she was deeply moved by his rendition of her song, “Ready for Love,” and Fantasia joined the chorus of fans already calling him “Mantasia” after he sang her “American Idol” victory song “I believe.”

The show has a tradition of pairing its contestants with famous singers for the season finale, and Ledet already has his fingers crossed that Fantasia will join him on stage, “because I love her so much,” he said.

As for the “Idol” tour, “I’m super excited about that,” he said. “We start rehearsals in a couple of weeks.”

And after the tour…the sky is the limit.

“So many people auditioned for this show and making it to top three was the most amazing feeling ever, so I’ve already accomplished a lot,” he said.

Below, Joshua tells us what advice he gave to the final two, Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips.

Below, judge Jennifer Lopez says Josh’s exit has been the toughest for her this season.

Joshua Ledet on ‘American Idol’ Exit, Fantasia Dreams, More

2008 Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones speaks during a news conference at the Drake Relays athletics meet April 27, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. / Charlie Neibergall / AP by Bryce Miller Track star Lolo Jones says she was a "professional shoplifter" by sixth

Check out HBO Sports trailor on the segment about US Track & Field star Lolo Jones and her virginity. 0 comments 0 people listening. Sign in. Livefyre logo. Comment help; Get Livefyre. Post comment as. + Follow

Track star Lolo Jones says she was a "professional shoplifter" by sixth grade the St. Louis Cardinals have a fresh start for groundbreaking in Ballpark Tyler Greene hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, trumping .

2008 Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones speaks during a news conference at the Drake Relays athletics meet April 27, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. / Charlie Neibergall / AP by Bryce Miller Track star Lolo Jones says she was a "professional shoplifter" by sixth

Olympian Lolo Jones talks candidly of struggle to 'stay a virgin'

If the results of a new PCWorld/Macworld survey are any guide, the forthcoming iPhone 5 with LTE is going to be a big hit.

Large numbers of people plan to buy or upgrade to the first 4G iPhone, many of them citing the new LTE wireless technology as a main reason, the survey suggests.

Of the Macworld readers asked, 70 percent say they will buy the new device, with 48 percent of those people saying they will preorder it. Far fewer PCWorld readers–15 percent–are already sold on the device. but almost 40 percent of mobile users who read neither PCWorld nor Macworld say they too will buy the iPhone 5.

The PCWorld/Macworld survey was conducted in March among a group of 1248 survey takers: 592 PCWorld readers, 271 Macworld readers, and a panel of 385 smartphone users who read neither publication.

Most of the people who say they plan to buy the new iPhone will likely choose the AT&T version. among those surveyed, 41 percent say they’re likely to buy the AT&T iPhone, while 29 percent say they’re likely to own the Verizon version. AT&T is the carrier of choice among 62 percent of Macworld readers, while 36 percent of PCWorld readers prefer Verizon.

Although less than 10 percent of PCWorld and Macworld readers say they are “likely” to switch carriers in the next year, a suprisingly large number of smartphone owners who don’t read those publications–about 30 percent–say they are likely to switch. The carriers refer to those people as “churn,” and they spend a lot of money each year trying to capture them from competitors. That’s why it’s crucial to the carriers to offer the latest version of the hugely popular iPhone, and to outfit it with very fast LTE service.

After citing saving money on plans as the most important reason to switch, people responding to the survey identified “network service” as the most important factor causing a carrier switch, so the battle for data speed among the carriers may indeed affect who grabs the most iPhone-using subscribers. A recent PCWorld study showed that AT&T’s new LTE service, while now in far fewer places than Verizon’s, is the fastest in the land.

Of the non-PCWorld/Macworld reading “switchers,” 24 percent say they’d go to AT&T, while 20 percent say they’d go to T-Mobile, 19 percent say they’d go to Sprint, and only 15 percent say they’d go to Verizon. of PCWorld and Macworld readers who said they were either “unsure” or “likely” to switch carriers, Verizon was the most common choice. half of the Macworld-reading “switchers” say they would go to Verizon, while 32 percent of the PCWorld readers say they would switch to Verizon.

As it stands today, Verizon and AT&T–which together claim more than 80 percent of US post-paid subscribers–are almost even in customer satisfaction, according to the survey. Sixty-four percent of Verizon customers and 62 percent of AT&T customers say they’re extremely or very satisfied.

While expectations and hype are running high, Apple has released no word on when the new iPhone will appear. and details on the next-generation iPhone remain sparse.

Most analysts believe that the new device will show up in late summer or fall, with a thinner form factor and a Qualcomm chip that lets the phone connect with several flavors of 3G GSM and 4G LTE service.

The carriers and the analysts have been pleasantly surprised by strong sales of the iPhone 4S, which dissappointed many by not coming with a 4G radio inside. If the not-very-revolutionary iPhone 4S can do so well with consumers, the reasoning goes, the LTE-equiped iPhone 5 should sell even better.

4G iPhone 5 Will Be Immediate Hit, PCWorld Study Suggests

Lea & Cory kept their love away from the cameras at Coachella, but she couldn’t keep from tweeting about it!

Considering Coachella is crawling with the hottest couples in young Hollywood — see Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev for more proof of that — we think it would have been the perfect opportunity for Lea Michele and Cory Monteith to make their official debut as an off-screen couple. Sadly, the Glee stars were photographed separately April 14 at Lacoste’s desert pool party in Palm Springs, Calif. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t flaunt their love online!

“Hanging @ the @LACOSTELIVE pool party!” Lea tweeted upon her arrival. “think I just saw a really hot 6’3 Canadian with a tribal arm band hanging by the pool.. So happy:)”

Hmm… We wonder which “hot Canadian” Lea could have been referring to!

HollywoodLife.com has exclusively reported that Lea, 25, and Cory, 29, are more into each other than ever — and have even been overheard saying “I love you” on the set of Glee!

We can’t wait to see them finally come out as a couple.

Lea Michele Calls Boyfriend Cory Monteith A ‘Hot Canadian’

Rumors of a futuristic iPhone 5 chassis forged by LiquidMetal’s ingenious metal alloy might be overblown, claims its inventor. instead, Apple might be looking to utilize it for a more prosaic use, like the antenna.

Last month, rumors broke out of Asia that LiquidMetal, the innovative metal alloy licensed exclusive for use in consumer electronics by Apple, would be featured in the iPhone 5′s form factor. that rumor was only the latest in a long-running belief that the iPhone 5 would be the iPhone iteration that finally factored LiquidMetal into its design, but this latest rumor propelled LiquidMetal’s stock price up, as more and more investors seem to be buying it (the rumor and the shares).

But a recent interview with LiquidMetal’s inventor reveals that, while his plastic-like metal alloy may indeed make its way onto the iPhone 5, it might not be used to create a mind-blowingly cool form factor that many are anticipating.

Quoting the interview, Mobile&Apps reports that Dr. Atakan Peker believes that the implementation of LiquidMetal to be used in a large-scale production effort, such as an iPhone’s chassis or form factor, is still a way’s away:

“there is “no suitable manufacturing infrastructure yet to take full advantage of the alloy technology,” Peker said. According to him, the technology “has yet to be matured and perfected both in manufacturing process and application development,” and it would cost Apple quite a fortune. “I estimate that Apple will likely spend on the order of $300 million to $500 million – and three to five years – to mature the technology before it can be used in large scale,” he told Business Insider.”

To be sure, the $300 to $500 million-dollar price tag for ramping up the manufacturing infrastructure to use LiquidMetal would not seem like much of a problem for Apple, which is quite possibly the most solvent supercompany in the world today. But Dr. Peker’s claim that there is ”no suitable manufacturing infrastructure yet to take full advantage of the alloy technology” is somewhat believable, when you consider that LiquidMetal is not currently used to produce any large-scale product, in terms of its manufacturing scope.

But there are plenty of other “complex” products on the market today that feature LiquidMetal.

Head, for example, makes the LiquidMetal 8 tennis racket, which is constructed of the stuff. even more germane to the iPhone 5, the luxury brand Vertu actually makes a cellphone (not a smartphone) called the Ascent that is made out of the stuff as well. thus, I think we’ve proven that LiquidMetal can indeed be used at this juncture to make something like the back plate of the iPhone 5 — the big question is whether or not the company can supply and manage enough product to meet the production demands that Apple will have for it.

Dr. Peker does throw us a bone, however. According to Cult of Mac, he claims that the buzz surrounding LiquidMetal for the iPhone 5 could have something to do with it being used in the construction of a new antenna design: “Dr. Atakan Peker says Liquidmetal might be a good material for building a next-generation antenna to replace the problematic part in the iPhone 4 . . . LiquidMetal is already used to build the antenna for the Verizon USB727 wireless modem, which got great reviews for its reception.”

Of course, Cult of Mac also stipulates that “Peker said he had no direct knowledge of Apple’s plans.”

I think that Dr. Peker’s interview — and more specifically, the timing of his interview — casts a shadow of doubt upon what he has to say. just as the LiquidMetal rumors were dying down, this new spate of interviews comes along to shake up the rumor mill again. The LiquidMetal stock is essentially a penny stock: it trades between .14 and .50 cents a share. thus, investors can buy a boatload of shares and see their profits expand exponentially just by tweaking the rumor mill. The shares have recently settled in the .35 range, and one has to wonder if this recent interview is meant to drive the price back down again, only to send it soaring with another piece of positive LiquidMetal information in a couple of weeks.

Does that sort of thing go on in the world of stocks? Maybe it’s just a conspiracy theory on my part. I admit: Dr. Peker has an insight into his own invention that only the stakeholders at LiquidMetal and Apple can trump. But considering all of LiquidMetal’s current uses, I’d like to hear more clarification from him on why making a rear plate for the iPhone 5 — maybe with a cool holographic Apple logo etched into it — is necessarily years away and too expensive for the richest company in the world to handle in 2012.

By Michael Nace

Inventor Claims iPhone 5 Could Utilize LiquidMetal For Antenna, Not Form Factor

If you are in the market for one of the hottest AT&T phones on the market and wonder which screen looks best, YouTube user foxfire235 has three hot new phones side by side for you.

He takes a quick look at the differences between the top 3 AT&T smart phones, the HTC one X, Nokia Lumia 900, and the iPhone 4s.

The HTC one X has a 4.7 inch, 720 x 1280 pixel display and a pixel density of 312 ppi.

The Nokia Lumia 900 has a 4.3 inch, 480 x 800 pixel screen with a pixel density of  217 ppi.

The iPhone 4s has the 3.5 inch, 640 x 960 pixel retina display with a pixel density of 330 ppi.

Basing it purely on the specs of the screens, the iPhone 4s should have the best display right? Not so says IntoMobile and foxfire235.

Using the same photo on each phone, he seems to really like the Nokia Lumia 900. he says that the Lumia 900′s stands out most, even though it’s over saturated, calling it the “best viewing experience”.

I disagree. Even though the iPhone 4s has a tiny screen and almost the same pixel density as the HTC one X, I think it’s rendering of this photo looks best. it looks more natural to me and natural is what we aim for when we take photos, right?

The HTC one X looks like a color filter as been applied to it making the colors look exaggerated. the way I see it, the top spot goes to the iPhone 4s, next the Lumia 900, and then the HTC one X. If you watch the video below in HD, you can judge for yourself.

If I were to ignore the screen and pick on purely on device desire, it would go Nokia Lumia 900, HTC one X, and then the iPhone 4s.

Which looks best to you? which phone would you rather have overall?

HTC One X, Nokia Lumia 900, or iPhone 4s Screens – Which Looks Best?

Microsoft may be gaining a powerful set of partners to help Windows 8 become a success — AT&T and Verizon Wireless, who need leverage against Apple’s onerous demands for subsidies for every iPhone the carriers sell.

Computerworld reports that AT&T and Verizon are both eyeing Windows Phone as the smartphone platform they can promote to push back against Apple demands for high subsidies and royalties. (See also “Smartphone Face-Off: seven Phones Put to the Test.”).

Yankee Group analyst Katie Lewis wrote in her blogthat one reason that one reason that carriers including AT&T and Verizon are backing Windows Phone is that

“Mobile operators are sick of taking orders from Apple…iPhones are occupying an increasingly dangerous share of mobile operators’ smartphone sales. In 2011, iPhones represented half of AT&T’s smartphone sales, and now that Verizon has recently voiced a similar shift in sales, the companies’ fears of an Apple takeover are growing stronger.”

Tero Kuittinen, a mobile analyst and vice president of Alekstra, echoed that when he told the new York Times:

“There clearly is a danger now that iPhone is going to get a stranglehold of the U.S. smartphone market, and I don’t think operators are crazy about that.”

The larger the share of the market that Apple owns, the higher the subsidies it can demand from carriers. Those subidies eat into carrier profits and fatten Apple’s bottom line.

You’ll likely be surprised at just how sizable those subsidies are. Computerworld notes:

Apple’s demands for subsidies in order for a carrier to sell an iPhone are legendary. U.S. carriers heavily subsidize all smartphone hardware, primarily to entice new customers to buy a two-year service contract that costs more than $1,700 over that period. the iPhone 4S with 16GB sells unlocked from Apple for $649 (useful on many GSM carriers with a separate contract), but Verizon, AT&T and Sprint sell it for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Beyond that, Computerworld notes, Apple also gets a portion of the monthly revenue that carriers get from each customer who buys an iPhone, and it’s a hefty cut, as much as $600. and that number is on top of the subsidies for the phone itself.

Given all that, it’s no surprise that AT&T and Verizon would see Windows Phone as a possible savior. Microsoft badly needs Windows Phone to succeed, and it also doesn’t have the same leverage to demand high subsidies and monthly royalties.

Verizon is particularly interested in pushing Windows 8 phones when they hit. Reuters reports that Verizon CFO Fran Shammo hopes to use Windows 8 phones as leverage against Apple. He told the news service:

“We’re really looking at the Windows Phone 8.0 platform because that’s a differentiator. We’re working with Microsoft on it.”

If the carriers truly do get behind Windows Phone, that will be a big turnaround. They are notorious for doing a terrible job of promoting Windows Phone devices at their retail outlets. the phones often aren’t prominently displayed, and the salespeople don’t go out of their way to recommend them.

If Verizon and AT&T do make a concerted effort to push Windows Phone, it may finally breathe life into the struggling operating system. As the release of the Lumia 900 shows, Windows Phone devices are just as good as iPhones and Android phones — but by itself, that’s not enough.

Windows Phone’s Secret Weapon: iPhone Carriers

Living (and playing ball) in the fashion mecca that is new York City hasn’t been lost on merely AMARÉ STOUDEMIRE. The fashion bug has also befallen Stoudemire’s NY Knicks teammate, IMAN SHUMPERT.

The first-year guard has been a vital cog in the Knicks’ playoff engine push this season yet the Chicago native also has a flair for fashion as well. Shumpert tweeted his fashion followers a swayyed out thumbs up message of comradeship on Tuesday:

Shumpert obviously revels in dressing up. The pics don’t lie:

From his so fresh, so clean and casual look, to his swayyed back, Louis Vuitton, around-the-way-homie gear to getting his grown man on (check the watch & lenses game…Shump knows what time it is), to hanging out with his sister, gal pals and Knicks teammate JR Smith, Shumpert is getting a healthy dose of Seventh Avenue swag while taking a social slice of the Apple. 4real, 4real.

Oh…I should add Shumpert’s defensive intensity on the court is just as fashionable. Straight runway material.

KNICKS GUARD IMAN SHUMPERT’S FASHION-CONSCIOUS NY SWAG!!

April 25, 2012, 2:28 PM — iPhone 5 or a new MacBook Pro? Apple’s new 2012 devices are the center of the mill.

Apple’s next iPhone, or the so-called iPhone 5, could lead to a new revolution — a halo effect that will allow the company to sell more devices, from iPods to Macs largely due to “brand support.”

With the upcoming WWDC 2012, however, tech sites report contradicting predictions, some are saying that a new MacBook Pro is expected to hit the developer show, while others believe that Apple will try its best to compete with Samsung’s may event with its own smartphone event.

According to Computer World, one of the reasons why the iPhone 5 is not yet ready for primetime is due to “Long Term Evolution,” the faster and more reliable wireless internet access that offer faster downloads and uploads. Apple’s new iPad, launched last month, is offering LTE but supports two carriers in United States only, Verizon and AT&T. Sprint on the other hand, isn’t getting LTE until mid this year.

Sprint, apparently, is already offering the iPhone specifically the 3G-only iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4, but in case the iPhone 5 will support LTE and it will get a June release date, the third-largest wireless carrier might lag behind Verizon and AT&T due to limited coverage. To avoid this scenario, Apple might offer the new MacBook Pro first before selling its much-anticipated iPhone 5.

The new MacBook Pro, according to rumors, is set to ship with the latest Mac OS X Mountain Lion, a new design inspired by “MacBook Air” sans optical drive, and a new processor and display. No word yet from Apple on the rumored MacBook Pro but analysts believe that the Cupertino, California-based computer and mobile phone maker will try its best to compete with Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Intel’s ongoing ultrabook “revolution,” and a new MacBook Pro is a great candidate.

Analysts are also expecting a “record-breaking” first day or first week iPhone 5 sales record, because Apple’s rivals, specifically Samsung Mobile, is on the verge of announcing a new Android-based smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and Apple can only compete with the new phone by offering a smartphone with Long-Term Evolution, a new design, and likely, a new name. Release date rumors, excluding the June versions, say that Apple might start retailing a new iPhone this October, similar to last year’s iPhone 4S launch.

New MacBook Pro 2012 or iPhone 5 release date in June?

When Verizon Wireless started selling the iPhone, AT&T sounded a defiant note, saying that its customers would remain loyal. a year later, it’s clear that the Verizon iPhone has crimped AT&T’s stride.

Verizon, the country’s largest wireless carrier, had little problem attracting new customers before it started selling the iPhone. in fact, it was the only one that managed to keep up with AT&T’s iPhone-fueled growth.

But with the iPhone in its arsenal, the country’s biggest wireless company is getting bigger, while no. 2 AT&T’s growth has slowed precipitously.

On Tuesday, AT&T revealed that it essentially gained no phone subscribers on contract-based plans in the first quarter. That’s only happened once before: a year ago, when Verizon launched its version of the iPhone.

Contract-based plans are by far the most lucrative for a phone company, and the number of new customers is an important measure of growth.

AT&T gained a net 187,000 customers on contract-based plans in the January to March period, but these were almost all tablet users, brought in by the launch of the new iPad in March. Even on contract-based plans, tablet customers pay between $15 and $50 per month, whereas smartphone customers often pay more than $100.

Over the last five quarters, Verizon has added nearly three times as many contract subscribers as AT&T. Over the previous two years, the rivals split new subscribers nearly evenly.

AT&T gained a net 726,000 subscribers of all kinds in the first quarter, counting ones on no-contract plans and ones on non-phone devices like the Kindle. That was the lowest figure in eight years, and less than a third of the number of subscribers added in the same period last year.

Weak subscriber figures are usually good for a phone company’s earnings in the short term, since it doesn’t have to subsidize new devices.

The Dallas-based company’s net income for the January to March period was $3.6 billion, or 60 cents per share, up 5 percent from $3.4 billion, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts polled by FactSet were on average expecting earnings of 57 cents per share for the latest quarter

Revenue was $31.8 billion, up 2 percent from a year earlier. It matched analyst expectations.

AT&T shares rose $1.11, or 3.6 percent, to $31.71 in morning trading. The shares are close to a four-year high of $31.97 hit a month ago.

–The associated Press

AT&T loses phone contract race to Verizon in first three months of 2012