Posh Spices Up Idol

On Tuesday night, American Idol’s remaining 11 finalists performed not just for the millions of fans at home, but also before a very special guest in the studio audience — Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham.

The svelte pop star, 33, and her three sons, Brooklyn, 9, Romeo, 5, and 3-year-old Cruz made a surprise appearance in the Idol, as the Beckham clan, minus dad David Beckham, gathered to hear AI’s latest batch of hopefuls belt out a second show full of Beatles hits.

And while Posh was the biggest name in attendance last night, she wasn't the only marquee star on hand. Before the show, the presence of celebs like actress Joely Fisher, Rumer Willis (accompanied by a mystery male) and Ricki Lake was enough to trigger off a flurry of whispers. And when MTV reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt strolled in holding hands, an audience member sarcastically yelled, “Oh, look — it’s the king and queen themselves!”

But only minutes before the show began broadcasting live to millions of viewers, Posh, her entourage and her boys caught everybody’s attention as they walked in behind Simon Cowell and were whisked away to their fourth row seats.

Wearing a black sleeveless top and a gray fitted skirt, the Spice Girl held youngest son Cruz – dressed as Buzz Lightyear – in her arms for most of the show. She managed to remain relatively incognito for much of the show, garnering just a splash of attention from yelping teen girls when she left her seat during a commercial break to greet Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. A couple seated in front of Posh couldn’t help but make playful faces at Cruz.

So who were Mrs. Beckham’s favorite contestants? It was hard to tell. Posh stood up and danced with her boys to Amanda Overmyer’s rendition of "Back in the USSR," and she made a special effort to prop Cruz up high to watch Brooke White perform "Here Comes the Sun."

Seemingly exhausted with such a task, a member of Posh’s security team held Cruz up to see David Cook sing his rendition of "Day Tripper," which appeared to be a hit with Rumer, who swayed with abandon as she mouthed the lyrics. And the restless Beckham boys even bobbed rhythmically as Carly Smithson performed "Blackbird."

But that’s where the fun ended.

As the two-hour episode of Idol took its sixth commercial break, Posh kissed Simon Fuller goodbye before following Cruz and Brooklyn — who showed off his strength as he carried costumed Cruz in his arms — to the exit… a full 45 minutes before the show was over!

As eager seat fillers jostled to rest their bodies in the very spot that Posh’s derriere had once been, the remaining celebrities invested more time into the show, with Rumer and Heidi and Spencer leaving several minutes after Posh made her exit, and Joely toughing it out to the end.

By Ryan Smith