Bret Michaels thinks he may be next ‘Idol’ judge

Bret Michaels’ post-hemorrhage “American Idol” performance generated a tremendous amount of buzz. Now the rocker is saying he was so well received, he’s made it to the show’s short list of potential Simon Cowell replacements.

“I don't know (if I’m going to replace Cowell). We have a meeting in L.A. in a couple weeks and we’re going to sit down and talk,” Michaels told Parade magazine. “(‘Idol’) did a poll and I think it was Madonna, P. Diddy, Howard Stern and myself, and I took 50 percent or 60 percent of the vote and that’s tremendous. I would love to be a judge on ‘American Idol.’ I think I would bring a lot to the table.”

It might be true that he’d bring a lot to the table, but technically, he might not be invited to it, according to sources at “Idol.” Official word from Fremantle, which produces the show, is “no comment” when it comes to whether Michaels has a meeting, was part of a poll about judging or is in talks of any sort.

But several well-placed “Idol” sources claim that Michaels is overstating the show’s interest in him.

“A lot of names are mentioned in the process (of finding a new judge), but I really don’t see them going in that direction,” said one source. “Of course, we could all be proven wrong. At the very highest level, they are good at keeping a secret.

“A lot of celebrities — or their agents and publicists — are good at dropping gossip items that would have it seem they’re in the running,” said another very well-placed “Idol” source. “In fact they’re not, but it makes them look good. I would direct you to Howard Stern’s recent behavior about being considered to be on ‘Idol.’ It wasn’t ever happening, but he was very convincing.”

‘True Blood’ star weighs in on Paquin’s bisexuality
Ryan Kwanten, best known for playing Jason Stackhouse in “True Blood,” doesn’t care how his co-stars decide to identify themselves — as long as they can be who they are.

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When out in the Axe Lounge in Southampton, N.Y., the Australian actor was asked how he felt about his co-star Anna Paquin’s revelation she’s bisexual. Sources at the club say he didn’t answer the question directly, but offered a cryptic response.

According to a source, Kwanten said that everyone can relate to vampires because we all feel excluded and different at some point. “ ‘True Blood’ allows people to feel like they can be themselves no matter how different they are from the majority,” the source reported the actor as saying.

As for Kwanten himself, he said he’s currently single. He took the weekend off and spent it alone in Montauk, N.Y., where he surfed and did yoga during the day. Though he was surrounded by girls at Axe Lounge, during dinner he talked at length about relationships to a couple who had been married for 45 years, meaning he might be looking something long-term.

Read this, watch that
There are two-must watch movie trailers out there. First, check out the trailer for “The Social Network,” aka the Facebook movie. Doesn’t reveal much, but it sure does make Facebook’s creator, Mark Zuckerberg, seem like the kind of guy you don’t exactly want to friend. 

And then, because I am clinically obsessed with these books, the trailer for the second film of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy,” “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” is out, and you must check it out.

And speaking of reading, this is the book that’s getting me through my “what will I read now that I’ve read all the Stieg Larsson books” depression: “Sweetness and Blood: How Surfing Spread from Hawaii and California to the Rest of the World, With some Unexpected Results,” by Michael Scott Moore. You don’t have to be a participant in the sport to appreciate how this sport is a culture in and of itself, and has spread worldwide.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday at today.msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc.