Scoop: Part of ‘Idol' top 24 to be revealed early

There are compelling reasons to watch “American Idol” this season — the talent pool is deep, Ellen DeGeneres has changed the chemistry around the judges’ table and the production value of the show has even improved substantially.

When Tuesday night’s show airs, there will be another reason to watch: Fox is straying from it’s previous plan to wait for Wednesday’s show to announce the top 24 contestants. Instead, part of the final two dozen will be revealed on Tuesday.

“The remaining contestants will take the stage to perform their final solo number in front of Simon, Ellen, Kara and Randy in hopes of singing their way into the Top 24. Following these performances, the judges will deliberate, and for the first time in ‘Idol’ history, will announce some of the Top 24 semifinalists,” Fox said in a statement.

Jessica Simpson won’t go nude
There’s nothing that would entice Jessica Simpson to do a nude scene — not even an Oscar.

“I will never do nudity. I don't care how dark and intellectual the role could be, you know,” Simpson told Allure magazine. “I don't care if I frickin' could get an Oscar for it, I'm not going to do it. Those accolades mean nothing to me. I don't think people deserve to see what's under my clothing. That's only for my next husband-ha-ha-ha.”

Simpson is doing press ahead of the premiere for her VH1 docu-series “The Price of Beauty,” in which the actress/singer and her best friends Cacee Cob and Ken Paves trot the globe in search of beauty. Among her revelations: tanning doesn’t get you very far in Asian cultures. “In a lot of Asian cultures, the whiter you are, the more beautiful you are — and what I'm so used to is, ‘The tanner you are, the thinner you look, the skinnier you feel,’” Simpson said. “It takes five years to become a Geisha. We had five hours. CaCee was accepted. I was denied.”

The Allure interview took place prior to John Mayer’s now-infamous Playboy interview, so there’s no response to Mayer’s “sexual napalm” remarks, but she did bring him up in Allure. “He didn't make me go brunette! John doesn't get credit for making me brunette,” she said of her brief stint as a non-blonde. “He’d like to think so, but he doesn’t deserve the credit.”

Leo DiCaprio still single
Leonardo DiCaprio might like Bar Refaeli, but that doesn’t mean he put a ring on it. A source close to the actor confirms that a report coming out of Berlin claiming the couple became engaged over Valentine’s Day is not true. DiCaprio is in Germany for the Berlin Film Festival, where he’s promoting his new film “Shutter Island.” Local press claimed that DiCaprio’s mother pressured the actor into a proposal and that he asked the supermodel Refaeli to marry him over the holiday.

Courteny Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc.

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