DAILY DIRT: A tribute to Cosmo: ‘I’m out there Jerry and I’m lovin’ every minute of it.’

Full circle at “American Idol”: Carrie’s coming home … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,022 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Today, it’s Cosmo’s turn.

Our salute of the four main “Seinfeld” characters marches on. Today we tip our hat to Cosmo Kramer, the longtime cross-the-hall neighbor of Jerry who in the show’s entire prime-time run never held anything close to a real or full-time job. 

Kramer was best known for his habit of bursting through Jerry’s apartment door without knocking. His antics included frequent pratfalls and a penchant for noisy, percussive outbursts. He has been described as “an extraordinary cross between Eraserhead and Herman Munster”.

These are our favorite medal-worthy quotes from The K Man:

Gold medal: “I’m out there Jerry and I’m lovin’ every minute of it.” (Ah yes, the day when Kramer opted for going underwear-less.)

Silver medal: “Boy, these pretzels are making me thirsty.” (When Kramer got a single line in a Woody Allen film.)

Bronze medal: “Yeah, and you’re an anti-dentite.” (From the famous conversation with Jerry about dentists.)

2. Did you know (Part 82)

• That the original choice to play Clyde in “Bonnie and Clyde” was Bob Dylan, and not Warren Beatty.
• That Richard Gere’s role in “An Officer and a Gentleman” was originally designed for John Denver.
• That Billy Idol was the first choice to play Jim Morrison in director Oliver Stone’s film “The Doors”. Val Kilmer wound up with the leading role.
• That Kevin Bacon’s role in “Footloose” was offered to Jon Bon Jovi.
• That Wilt Chamberlain is the NBA career leader in 40-point, 20-rebound games with 229. Elgin Baylor is second at 34.

3. Carrie Underwood is coming home.

Numerous media outlets are reporting this week that Underwood will be joining the cast of “American Idol” when the talent show returns for an eighth season on ABC at a yet-unannounced date in the spring.

Underwood is replacing Katy Perry, who announced she was leaving “Idol” following last season. Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will be back as the remaining two judges. Underwood won the fourth season of the original “American Idol” and has gone on to win eight Grammy Awards. Underwood was the 2005 “American Idol” champion. Overall, the 2005 season of “Idol” will be its 25th on network television.

Longtime host Ryan Seacrest, who has been with the show since it premiered, will also return. Seacrest is also taking over Pat Sajak’s role as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” this fall.

Auditions for the new “Idol” season will kick off Aug. 12 with the “Idol Across America” nationwide search for talent and will end in September. 

“American Idol” premiered in 2002 on Fox and was a hit for the network, but it was eventually canceled in 2016. After two years off the air, the show was revived by ABC and has aired there ever since. Perry was the first of the revival judges to leave the program..

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I’m thinking my three all-time favorite TV programs might be (in no particular order): the original “American Idol,” “Yellowstone” and “Seinfeld”. A strong honorable mention would be any “Knots Landing” episode that featured Donna Mills.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Is there anyone more overexposed than Ryan Seacrest? Kim Kardashian, maybe.