Word leaked out last week that the favorite in this year's "American Idol," dread-locked Crystal Bowersox, was having some sort of personal crisis that led her to consider leaving Fox's singing competition.

TMZ says host Ryan Seacrest talked her out of leaving. Seacrest confirms it to E! Entertainment.

Then, Bowersox took to the "Idol" Facebook page to offer her own confirmation: "We all have moments of doubt. As much as I miss my kid, the big picture is this: im doing this for him and my fans. I'm having the time of my life!"

It's all quite understandable. Although Bowersox walked into the Chicago "Idol" auditions a fully-formed performer -- unlike many of the wannabes -- and she exhibits a power and confidence on stage that few singers do, she's still human. And she's been thrown into a strange pressure cooker, where new friends she's made quickly are sent home weekly.

Watching the show, there are times when she seems shocked that someone, anyone, would be axed in that particularly week.

Whether she wins or not (she should win, but it all depends on the sometimes hard-to-predict viewer vote), Bowersox has reached a national audience of millions, and has almost certainly built a career that will take her beyond small clubs.

That's why her latest comment on that Facebook page was probably one comment too much: "Media is a funny thing. Stretched and skewed and far from the truth. Lets play telephone and see what we come up with!!"

She closed her whine with a  smiley-face, but that's what it was: a whine.

Temperamental stars are a funny thing, Crystal.

You're going to have to deal with media for a long, long time. Ignore it, and do your thing. You'll be fine.

But start turning on that media, and they're sure to start looking deeper and make your life a lot more difficult than it already is.

For example, nobody's writing stories about a single mom leaving her kid so she can pursue a music career. So just relax and sing, Crystal.

It'll all be over in little more than a month.

A recording alert: Tonight's episode of Fox's "Glee" is scheduled to run 62 minutes and is supposed to begin at 7:59 p.m. on Channel 6.

That means the show should run to 9:01 p.m, which just might matter if you're recording it.

On the radio: WHAD-FM (90.7)'s Ben Merens is scheduled to talk with Nobel Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel at 4 this afternoon. Listeners can call in and join the conversation. The interview airs throughout the state on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio.

• Remember Joe Caruso, who was once a fixture on WXSS-FM (103.7)? Well, the former Kiss FM deejay, now in San Antonio, Texas, has launched a website called the Joe Show, including some audio from his Milwaukee days.
• If the music is one of the things that's hooked you on HBO's "Treme," you can listen to the non-commercial radio station portrayed on the show -- set in post-Katrina New Orleans -- WWOZ-FM right here. And, if you're interested, here's a response from the station's general manager to the first episode of the series.
• If you want to follow the NFL draft really closely, Sirius XM's NFL Radio -- Channel 124 on both services -- will offer comprehensive coverage starting At 6 p.m. Thursday.
• A Minneapolis-based website, www.radiotapes.com, has a great collection of audio that goes far beyond stuff of interest only to Twin Cities listeners. The site has added ABC Radio coverage of the Apollo 13 flight to mark the 40th anniversary of the ill-starred mission commanded by Milwaukee's own Jim Lovell.
• And one last "Idol" thing: I'll join Dave Murphy and Meg McKenzie in the 7 a.m. half-hour Wednesday to talk about tonight's performances by the seven remaining finalists.

The return of "Mad Men": AMC says Sunday, July 25, is the date for the fourth season premiere of "Mad Men," as the rebels from Sterling Cooper start their own ad agency. And the cable channel also reports that there's no end date in site for the show, despite a comment last week from the show's creator.

While you're waiting for show's return, this may tide you over: