TVSquad

Controversy and rumors sure like to swirl around you when you're a TV ratings powerhouse. In today's American Idol controversy, Simon Cowell is accused of planting a British pop star in this year's pool of contestants.

Tom Lowe wowed the judges at the Seattle auditions (see video here), earning a coveted golden ticket to Hollywood. Lowe told Simon, "I was at BMG Records in London at the same time that you were there."

As a member of the British boy band 'North and South', Lowe released a couple of singles. He reportedly split with the label in 1998.

Who is Jory Steinberg, you ask? She's a 25-year-old singer, originally from Canada, who showed up at Idol's New York auditions, and impressed the heck out of the judges with her "professionalism."

It's only been a week since the rest of us set eyes on Jory, and yet she's already creating a small buzz on the internet. That's what a little bit of exposure in front of 30 million people will do for a young artist. Jory has some impressive experience, and seems like a shoo-in for this competition.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves or count our Canadian eggs before they're hatched. We haven't even met all the contestants yet, or gone through Hell Week. And we all know things can get pretty unpredictable once the American public becomes involved with the outcome of the competition.