The recent uproar concerning whether or not Simon Cowell intentionally gave the finger to Paula Abdul on American Idol really got me thinking. I had seen a few pics of rock stars giving the finger, but decided to do a full-blown search on the web. I found lots of recent "stars" giving the finger to the paparazzi - but most of these were unspectacular and showed little of the true rock star attitude. So, I've decided to just showcase a few that, in my never to be humble opinion, displayed the true irreverent attitude of rock stars.

Oh, and by the way, I believe that Simon DID intentionally give the finger and laughed my ass off! Too bad he can't do that to some of the contestants - sort of like the Roman emperor's thumbs-up or thumbs-down at the gladiator games.

Here's a list of my fave photos of rock stars giving the finger and my awards:

This picture IS the epitome of the finger! There is no doubting what Johnny means. This one wins hands down. Also the best use of a facial expression with the finger.

A double-barrel dose of fingers from Jerry Lee. You can't argue with the attitude of the Killer! I just wish I had a picture of him doing this back in 1957!

Combining the finger with his famous "spastic" face. He was probably telling Brian Epstein to get the hell out of the studio!

Is he or isn't he giving the finger? I'll bet he was! Mick Jagger was probably standing right behind the camera man.

Always different, Frank Zappa gives us the best creative use of a time-tested gesture.

In the current issue of EAR CANDY we are reviewing THE FINGER and decided it was time to update this page! So we are adding a few more humorous photos that merit attention.

Special thanks to Matt Patterson of www.ooze.com for the Derek Smalls photo!

Liam Gallagher's British version

Derek Smalls

Mike Nesmith

Britney Spears

If you know of any more interesting photos that merit inclusion, please drop us a line at EAR CANDY.