I’ve never really been into MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew or as I like to call it, Randy Jackson’s So You Think You Can Steal Paula Abdul’s Swag and Get Away With It.

Not because it’s not a good show; I get the entertainment value of it.

It’s just personally I’d rather watch people pop and lock on command at the club — or on some video site minutes at a time. My ADD game is so proper.

But, come August 16 I’ll be tuning into the MTV favorite because the entire episode is dedicated to Queen Bey.

Beyonce will be the sole artist spotlighted that night and she’ll be seen delivering taped personal messages to each crew.

The songs each crew will perform include, “Crazy In Love,” “Single Ladies,” “Déjà Vu,” “Beautiful Liar,” and “Sweet Dreams.”

Of all the crews set to perform, I’m most interested in seeing Vogue Evolution.

The crew is the first all-gay male group to appear on the series and includes one transsexual member.

This is your cue to snap for the kids, say “yaaasss,” “I live,” or some other form of gay slang, boots.

I don’t think I got that last one right, but hey, I tried it.

Anyhow, call it a hunch, but I think Vogue Evolution will probably out twirk every other crew on Beyonce’s night.

Will you be tuning in?

Source: 1, 2

Word is out that Paula Abdul is not happy with her post at American Idol, and if producers don’t renegotiate her contract favorably, she may not return to the show as a judge.

Auditions for the ninth season are scheduled to start Aug. 6 and according to Abdul’s manager, she still doesn’t have a proposal for a new contract from FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, the production companies behind the show. The new season is scheduled to premiere in January.

According to the LA Times “Idol Tracker” blog, Idol host Ryan Seacrest just signed a deal worth a reported $45 million that will keep him on the job for at least the next three years, doubling his salary. Meanwhile, Simon Cowell has a contract that expires next year and is jockeying for a reported $144 million, a figure for which Cowell hasn’t confirmed but says talks are ongoing, and Randy Jackson is booked through 2011.

Whether the newest judge, Kara DioGuardi will return or not is still up in the air. But if these reports are true, it sounds like Abdul isn’t being valued as much as other judges. I think Idol’s sister show, So You Think You Can Dance has better judges anyway, but I digress. The truth is, Paula Abdul has always been the weakest link. She became known as the nice judge, but nice to a fault. Her critiques were often not thorough and sometimes incoherent. Producers may have tolerated her because she hadn’t demanded anymore money until now, but now that she is, they could be weighing their options, realizing that bringing her back as a judge may not be a priority.

I’m glad that Abdul is fighting for what she thinks is right, because if other judges are successfully upping the ante, then she should too. However, it’s probably just her time to move on. In 2007, she forayed further into reality TV with the Bravo show, Hey Paula, which was unsuccessful, but her manager says she has several ideas for other projects.

I think she’s still marketable but her days as an Idol judge are numbered. She was never a judge that I checked for anyway. What do you think? If she leaves Idol, will her presence be missed?

Kris Allen is officially the eighth American Idol, and seemed shocked that it wasn’t his opponent, Adam Lambert. I think it was Allen’s rendition of Kanye West’s “Heartless” that got America because it was an unusual song choice for him but he performed it the way it initially should have been sung, and showed his talent (and marketability) in a new light. Speaking of unusual, before winners were announced, viewers were treated (or not) to musical mash-ups between Idol castoffs and musical icons. Allison Iraheta performed with Cyndi Lauper (and sounded really good), Danny Gokey and Lionel Richie performed a Richie medley (it was OK), and my favorite was Queen Latifah and Lil Rounds singing “Cue the Rain.” There were times when they seemed a little out of sync, but it was good overall. Both women looked really good too, especially Brick House Latifah. See for yourself:

In last night’s episode of Americal Idol, “the three amigos” vocally sparred, singing two songs each. In seasons past, the top three were allowed nine individual performances but where the music was scarce last night, the judges picked up the slack with excess banter. By the way, if I hear one more “dawg” from Randy Jackson, my head is going to explode, but I digress.

Danny Gokey performed “Dance Little Sister” and “You Are So Beautiful,” Adam Lambert performed U2’s “One” and “Cryin,” and lastly, Kris Allen sang “I Apologize” and “Heartless.” Yes, “Heartless” a la Kanye West. It sounds like an odd cover when you think of Kanye’s non-singing Auto-Tune version but Allen’s version was the highlight of my night. He added a rock spin and used his natural voice. He strummed the heck (for lack of a better word) out of his guitar and sang the song the way it should have been sung. Sorry Kanye, but you should have just played the writer/producer role with this one and passed it to someone else from the start.

Allen got love from all of the judges and for the first time this season, I paid attention to someone other than Lil Rounds. Tonight, we find out who will be in the final two. My money is on Kris Allen and Adam Lambert.

What do you think?

Three more contestants were named last night to be included in American Idol’s top 12, leaving six spots left for finalists. It’s disappointing that there’s no African-American talent chosen so far, especially for a show that’s known for blessing the world with dynamic talent like Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard and Jennifer Hudson.

Is America not moved this time by our soul brothas and sistas vying for stardom? They’re just as talented as the other folks chosen. Sure, it’s not over just yet, but it’s still surprising (and a travesty). Hopefully things will go differently next week. Then again, maybe Americans wanted change in more areas than one.

But we’ll keep hope alive for the next two weeks. Maybe Stephen Fowler will pull through in the wild card round.

Is the absence of African American talent chosen disappointing?

For the first time in America’s Best Dance Crew history, there are two all girl crews in the top three. Fly Khicks and Beat Freaks are representing for the ladies, with Quest Crew being the only all guy crew standing. I’m a Beat Freaks Stan and hope they win. In last week’s episode, Shane Sparks said they should take the title, I agree. Who’s your pick for America’s Best Dance Crew?

Watch tonight on MTV at 10pm EST.