'Idol' Buzz: Lythgoe's no-so-sweet tweets

If this was supposed to be the year of the kinder and gentler "American Idol," we don't know what to make of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe's recent Twitter comments.

In response to negative chatter about last Wednesday's performance show again being pretaped (as it had been the week before), Lythgoe tweeted "There is a load of crap being discussed all the contestants sing 'live.' The show has always been recorded to the West Coast," adding "We are pre-taping for 2 weeks as we have a new Director & new judges. It has nothing to do with manipulation you morons."

Lythgoe later tweeted, "I love you all getting riled up. The Tweet was directed at the MORONS who said we are pre-taping to manipulate the show. Not the TRUE fans!" He then seemed to end the discussion with, "Sorry I can't play anymore I have to go to work. There's manipulating to be done. Xox," followed by a retweet of this comment sent to him: "Manipulative Nigel - 1, Internet Morons - 0 #winning."

CHRIS MEDINA UPDATE Although Chris Medina's dreams of becoming the next American Idol were dashed when he didn't make the Top 24, some things have worked out for him. He has released "What Are Words," a tender ballad which speaks to his relationship with his fiance, Juliana Ramos, who suffered a brain injury and has been in a wheelchair since a 2009 accident just before they would have wed. The song is available on iTunes. Contributions have been pouring in to a foundation established to cover Ramos' medical expenses, and this past week BraunAbility and MobilityWorks donated a Dodge Grand Caravan outfitted with an automated ramp.