AMERICAN IDOL FINALE: Diana DeGarmo Gets Engaged

During the live AMERICAN IDOL finale show on Wednesday night, Ryan Seacrest pulled former contestant Ace Young and girlfriend/fellow former contestant (and recent THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS actress) Diana DeGarmo on stage ... where, to Diana's surprise, Ace proposed!

NEWS ROUNDUP: Alison Sweeney Covers Shape, E.J. Bonilla On Casting Stereotypes, Kristin Chenoweth's "Jesus" On iTunes

DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Alison Sweeney covers Shape magazine
The mother of two, who guest blogs for PEOPLE, flaunts her fit, 20 pounds-slimmer figure on the cover of Shape magazine's April issue, rocking a teeny blue two-piece.

DAYS star Arianne Zucker gets in charity bidding war with Garrett Morris
"A bidding war developed during the live auction between DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Arianne Zucker, and the ever-hilarious SNL legend Garrett Morris and co-star of the new comedy hit 2 BROKE GIRLS. Each were vying for an in-home personal gourmet cooking lesson and prepared meal by celebrity chef, Kai Chase, who graciously offered to donate her time and skills to both bidders thus doubling financial donation to Drawing Hope."

NEWS ROUNDUP: Pat's Dramatic EASTENDERS Exit, Diana DeGarmo, R. Kelly, Alicia Minshew's Shoe Confession

EASTENDERS: First look at Pat Butcher's dramatic exit
When Pam St. Clement announced her intention to quit the soap earlier this year and writers penned three possible exits to keep fans guessing.

A heart attack, cancer and being burnt in a fire were all possible plotlines. These snaps from the set give the first glimpse of her final moments [SPOILERS] – including a harrowing deathbed scene, where her nephew Derek Branning confronts her for a row.

Later Pat’s son David almost comes to blows with Derek as the argument spills over.

Diana DeGarmo excited to work with THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS cast
"I was so excited to meet Mike Starr, who plays my dad, Angelo. I am a big Dumb and Dumber fan and I loved him in that movie. He could not be more squishy or gooey; he's a big teddy bear. Working with Judith Chapman (Gloria) is great since we're both from the South and she does a lot of theater, and I love working with Greg Rikaart (Kevin); we've become our own little team and make each other laugh."

Soap stars participating in West Texas Rehab telethon
Charlie Chase, longtime co-host of the "Crook and Chase" show on The Nashville Network, will return for the 12th year to anchor the Rehab 2012 five-hour special. Other celebrities scheduled to appear are Bill and Susan Hayes from DAYS OF OUR LIVES and Brad Maule from GENERAL HOSPITAL. The show will be televised and streamed live at WestTexasRehab.org.

The Forgotten Supermen - Bob Hastings
This week's forgotten Superman is character and voice actor Bob Hastings who was the voice actor behind Superboy in the "Adventures of Superman" filmation cartoon. The former GENERAL HOSPITAL actor is the brother of AS THE WORLD TURNS legend Don Hastings.

R. Kelly has written 32 more chapters for ‘Trapped in the Closet’ saga
He told TMZ he plans to continue the saga, “but it costs a lot of money to do ... so we’re actually looking for investors.”

VIDEO: Closet Confessional with Alicia Minshew
ShoesTV headed to the Los Angeles home of actress Alicia Minshew. Minshew showed off the shoes she scored from the ALL MY CHILDREN wardrobe department, the shoes she rocked on her wedding day, and even the shoes she was wearing on the night she met her husband. From YSL to Versace and even Guess--she shares it all (video below).

AMERICAN IDOL's Diana DeGarmo On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Debut: "Not to be missed"

On Monday, October 31st, Season 3 AMERICAN IDOL runner-up Diana DeGarmo will make her debut on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS as Angelina, the Jersey-girl daughter of mob boss Angelo (Mike Starr).

DeGarmo landed the role as Angelina by performing at the right place at the right time.

“I booked the part thanks to a performance of 'Hairspray' I was in at the Hollywood Bowl in early August," she explains in a new interview with AmericanIdol.com. "The right people from Y&R were in the audience and were pleased with my performance, and apparently they saw me as a perfect fit for the gum-smacking Jersey girl who can’t sing.”