It has been reported that American Idol musical director Ricky Minor will be replacing Kevin Eubanks on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Ricky has worked as a musical director for the likes of Beyonce, Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and a boat load of others. He was also musical director for the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl. Kevin will be leaving his spot as band leader at the end of May, right around the same time that this season of AI comes to an end. NBC has also confirmed that Ricky will debut on The Tonight Show on June 7. I wonder if he has comedic abilities too.
It seems that American Idol executive producer, Ken Warwick, considered that Adam Lambert was having a bit of trouble with his career but the former American Idol contestant recently assured everyone that that is not the case. This is what Adam Lambert said on the matter: ?It?s so sweet of him. I don?t feel like I?m struggling at all. I think things are right where they need to be. My single ?What Do You Want From Me,? is just breaking into the Top 10 right now. I?m really glad that they had me on the show. I really enjoyed helping the other contestants.” There is no need to worry? Adam Lambert is well on his way to breeding pop minions of his own. The future is very bright for him.
And apparently, it?s the best place to be on American Idol, at least as far as Randy Jackson is concerned. Lee DeWyze apparently had a very good rendition of Elvis Presley?s ?Treat her like a lady? which probably left Randy Jackson Speechless? but he still managed to mutter a few things, though: “Dude, you are definitely in the zone, dude. Very dude. Very good, dude.” Simon Cowell apparently isn?t familiar with the realm of dude, but he too says only good things about Lee DeWyze?s performance: “That was on the money, full stop.” It seems that the American Idol contestant managed to take the cup last night? let?s see how long he can hold it.
Christina Aguilera has filmed the video for her latest single ?Not Myself Tonight?. In the video, the powerhouse singer shows off her big blonde curls and a sexy dominatrix outfit that?s kind of reminiscent of her so-called dirty days. It looks interesting to say the least. Christina is also set to perform ?Not Myself Tonight? live on May 7 at New York City?s Radio City Music Hall during The Oprah Winfrey Show where she will also be giving an exclusive interview. You can grab tickets for that on Oprah?s official website. I wonder what she will be talking about on the show.
Susan Boyle wants to work with the princess of pop Lady Gaga. The YouTube sensation of a singer said ?I think Lady Gaga is a wonderful artist and completely original and I like her costumes. Love it! Yes, I’d love to do a duet with her, complete with telephone hat too!? Susan also hopes to sing for the Pope. Something tells me that her chances with the latter are better especially with the genre of music involved with the former. However, we all know that Lady Gaga loves her so we can?t completely rule that out. I?m pretty sure it will be weird if it does happen.
Rihanna was recently announced to be the latest addition to the 2010 Lilith Fair tour stop in Salt Lake City on June 12. The Barbadian singer joins the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Colbie Caillat, Emmylou Harris, Erykah Badu, Indigo Girls, Jill Scott, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones, Sarah Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Sheryl Crow, Sia, Sugarland and more. Tickets for the Salt Lake City date go on sale on April 17 at LilithFair.com. Now that is a show that?s more likely to sell out as compared to dates for her Last Girl on Earth tour. Maybe that?s why she decided to take the gig. She has to make up for her own tour.
Strange? it looks like the big bowl of dicks policy actually worked. Aimee Mann who recently received a very scathing reply for her criticism of Ice-T?s acting took to her twitter account to mend the wrong and apologize to the rapper and beloved actor. This is what Aimee Mann wrote: “He’s out there doing his job. He doesn’t need any heckling from the peanut gallery. So, I am sorry, Mr. T! You get out there and DO IT! Plus, I do not like to hurt people’s feelings. I forget that Twitter is not just me and four other dorky friends, ragging on TV stars.” Interestingly enough, that sounds about as sarcastic as it does sincere? let?s see if Ice-T picks up on that or he?ll just leave things be.
This is probably part of not taking herself too seriously and just loosening up a bit and going with the entertainment. It seems that Nicki Minaj has recently fired her manager, Debbie Antney, who has been with her for three years a short time after dropping out of the tour with Rihanna and Kesha. This is what Debbie Antney said on the matter: “I received a letter, which was a suspension. The next letter that came in was a cease and desist in doing all business with Nicki Minaj from Nicki’s attorney. I love Nicki. I wish her the most success. It’s not about the music, she’s like one of my children? I wish her no harm, only much success.” Oh well, Nicki Minaj is probably going to manage all by her lonesome? after all, it?s just entertainment, isn?t it?
It looks like the cast of ?Glee? is going to rock n roll! While on set in Long Beach, California last Friday afternoon, the guys personified the heavy metal band KISS. Cory Monteith took on bassist Gene Simmons, Mark Salling was rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley and Kevin McHale played lead guitarist Tommy Thayer. There?s no word on who played percussionist Eric Singer though. I wonder what songs they will be doing or if that was all just costume for something else. It should be interesting to also note that the girls seem to be rocking some 50s style costumes the same day. I wonder what they?re songs would be.
Universal Pictures is in talks with Kurt Cobain?s widow Courtney Love to produce a biopic based on his life with the band Nirvana. The Hole singer has agreed to be involved if she can decide the main aspects of the project, like who will portray Kurt and herself. Courtney picks Scarlett Johansson for herself and Robert Pattinson for Kurt. Both actors can undoubtedly pull off the parts and apparently, Rob thinks the same as when news of the part became Hollywood knowledge, he started getting in contact with Courtney non-stop! I wonder if he?s going to sing for that movie if it pushes through.
Brian McFadden, an incoming judge on Australia’s Got Talent, has extended his vitriol to Victoria Posh Beckham, 35.
Could McFadden be channelling Simon Cowell, asks a report in the Daily Star.
The paper could not be mistaken for noting McFadden’s sharp tongue Down Under. He earlier pronounced Cowell’s number one discovery, Susan Boyle, 48, was “old” and “fat”.
Next he strongly suggests Beckham, hardly a newcomer as a former Spice Girl, was no good either.
“Victoria Beckham was a bit of a fan of auto-tune for different reasons from mine. It wasn’t really an effect with her. It was more like: ‘What are we going to do with this turd that’s coming out of your mouth? We’re going to have to auto-tune it, there’s no other options.’”
Kiely Williams, formerly of 3LW and the Cheetah Girls, released a rather offensive song and video this week called ?Spectacular?. It?s some desperate attempt to get some recognition in the music industry that ended up being a total failure because while people did get talking about her, they don?t have nice things to say. The singer posted a lengthy note in the description for the music video on her official YouTube page saying ?I am playing a character in the music video for the song Spectacular, as I did in the Cheetah Girl movies. Young women across the country get intoxicated and have unprotected sex. That’s a fact. I recorded the song to bring attention to this frighteningly prevalent activity. It is absurd to infer or suggest that I am condoning this behavior.? She goes as far as comparing herself to Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna and Monique. She wishes.
Although R&B singer Usher?s latest album ?Raymond v. Raymond? took the top spot on the US album charts this week by selling nearly 330,000 copies, Justin Bieber has achieved the near impossible as his sales for his ?My World 2.0? album have actually gone up from last week when it came in at number 1. The young pop singer?s sales were at almost 219,000 this week for the number 2 spot. I wonder how his mentor Usher feels about that. He?s got to be proud of the fact that Justin is doing so well but his ego must be swelling because he can still beat the young ones.
Lollapalooza, just released the line up for their shows and it is amazing! First day performers include Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Strokes, Phoenix, Social Distortion, MGMT, Jimmy Cliff, Hot Chip, the Black Keys, National, Spoon, Devo, Cypress Hill, Cut Copy, New Pornographers, Erykah Badu, Slightly Stoopid, Grizzly Bear, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, Wolfmother, Yeasayer, X Japan, MUTEMATH, Metric, Dirty Projectors, AFI, Mavis Staples, Matt & Kim, xx, Drive-By Truckers, Blues Traveler. Second day features Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Temper Trap, Jamie Lidell, Frightened Rabbit, F Buttons, Deer Tick, Blitzen Trapper, Stars, Raphael Saadiq, the Cribs, Minus the Bear, Switchfoot, Walkmen, Mumford & Sons, Wild Beasts, Rogue Wave, Los Amigos Invisibles, Big Pink, Dodos, Hockey, Cymbals Eat Guitars, B.o.B, Dawes, Warpaint, Antlers, the Soft Pack, Rebelution, Balkan Beat Box. And finally, the third day sees Wavves, American Bang, Ike Reilly Assassination, Company of Thieves, Nneka, Harlem, Constellations, Miniature Tigers, Mimicking Birds, Kissaway Trail, HEALTH, Javelin, the Morning Benders, Foxy Shazam, Violent Soho, Royal Bangs, NEON TREES, Freelance Whales, Semi Precious Weapons, Dan Black, The Band of Heathens, Dragonette, My Dear Disco, Shawn Fisher, Neon Hitch, Skybox, The Ettes, Jukebox the Ghost, These United States, MyNameIsJohnMichael.
Paul McCartney sent a special message to the contestants of American Idol as they prepared to sing Lennon and McCartney songs.
“Hey there, Paul McCartney here,” the Beatles legend said in a message to the final contestants. “I’m very pleased that you’re singing the songs of Lennon and McCartney and I just want to say get out there, go for it – enjoy yourselves. Good luck!”
Meanwhile, new judge Ellen DeGeneres had a cheeky swipe at Simon Cowell, who recently got engaged. After one contestant sang Can’t Buy Me Love, Ellen said: “First of all, you can buy love” and, as all the judges looked towards mega-rich Cowell, she added: “Am I right, Simon?”
It seems that not even The Boss is immune from the infidelity epidemic going around ? allegedly that is. According to the New York Post, Bruce Springsteen was having an affair with a married woman in New Jersey. According to papers filed by the woman?s soon-to-be ex-husband, Ann Kelly and the rock singer met at a gym in New Jersey in 2005 when Bruce allegedly dogged her as she ran on the treadmill, telling her she had the ?nicest ass? in the gym. They started doing lunch and eventually had a full-on affair. According to the docs, Bruce was the main topic conversation in marriage counseling between Ann and her husband. Mind you, Bruce got together with his current wife Patti Scialfa while he was still married to his first wife Julianne Phillips.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said he has no plans to release a solo album and thinks the idea would be ‘cringeworthy’.
Martin, 33, said he had been chatting to Natasha Khan from band Bat For Lashes about the thought of a solo album and decided that he is nothing without the band behind him.
He said to UK’s Q magazine: “This is going to sound cheesy, but what makes a great frontman is the great people behind him.
“I had this conversation yesterday with Natasha from Bat For Lashes, who’s on tour with us, and we were talking about how if Bono or I were to release solo albums, they’d be cringeworthy.
“It’s still the same person singing, but the gang aspect makes you acceptable.
“If you take me out of the band, I can’t dance, I can’t do what Beyonce can do.
“I’m only surviving on enthusiasm and collective chemistry. All frontmen become s**t as soon as the perceived least important member of their band leaves.”
Madonna has returned to Malawi to oversee the first steps toward the construction of her Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. The Queen of Pop will even have the esteemed honor or laying down the first brick on the school. The singer also spent some time at the Millennium Village, a United Nations initiative in the central border district west of Lilongwe. I wonder if she brought David and Mercy along for the trip to meet with their families. Let?s hope that the school is all that she gets herself into and not another adoption. I?m all for her helping others but let the other kids grow up a little first, yeah?
Sir Elton John celebrated his 63rd birthday in South Africa – visiting an HIV awareness centre.
The Rocket Man was curious to see how money from his AIDS Foundation had been spent at the centre just outside Cape Town.
So he jetted into South Africa with partner David Furnish and spent his birthday with teenagers from the centre.
Sir Elton has donated $15 million from his charity to help set up projects in the country, to educate youngsters about the dangerous disease and help prevent its spread.
He spent the day with a group of soccer-loving teenagers at the Football for Hope Centre (FFH), set up by the Grassroots Soccer charity.
Sir Elton said: “I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday.”
“Soccer stars are the most powerful role models for young people today so it’s fantastic that organisations like Grassroots Soccer are harnessing that power to educate young people about HIV.”
A British woman has received a fine for playing loud Bon Jovi music at night after separating from her husband.
Amanda Durkin, 35, starting playing some of the rock band’s tracks, including You Give Love A Bad Name, loud at night and neighbours complained in April last year. The band is fronted by singer Jon Bon Jovi.
She was then sent several warnings by the council and they even took away her stereo but she continued to play the music. A court was told that Durkin used the music to ‘get through’ her separation.
Her prosecutor said: “She confirmed she received warnings, but due to personal problems, ignored them.”
Jennifer Hudson was on Good Morning America yesterday in New York City to talk about being the new spokesperson for Weight Watchers, her mission for women to stay fit and also revealed the secrets of her weight loss. The Grammy award winning singer and Oscar winning actress said ?I was very comfortable with myself before. I have a child now and I want to set a great example for him. Make better life choices, health choices, and just create a good example for him growing up.? Let?s just hope that she doesn?t lose herself when she loses the weight like a lot of others do.
Synth-rock duo MGMT is featured on the cover of the May 2010 issue of BlackBook magazine. The band talked about moving away from their 2007 hit album ?Oracular Spectacular? and giving a new style of music saying ?If we tried to re-create our last album and someone didn?t like it, I think it would have been really difficult to look them in the eye and tell them we really believed in the album. But now, if someone tells us that it sucks, we don?t give a shit. But if this doesn?t work, if this isn?t what people want to hear, then I?m not sure what we?ll do next.?
It looks like the guys from MGMT are still pretty upset that their music is getting labeled and they have once again tried to speak on the matter. This is what Ben Goldwasser came up with on that note: “I think people have this attitude that something’s either pop or it’s pretentious art, or it’s mainstream or it’s indie, there’s no middle ground, and I think we’re trying to go somewhere in between that. We feel like it should be taken as an album and not a collection of singles. We don’t want to be associated with concept albums and art rock or any of that, it’s bullshit to us.? Well this is all good and fine, but it doesn?t look like MGMT is really in it for the fans. This is what happens when you take the concept of fame corrupting to the other extreme.
Despite her booming recent success, it seems that Lady GaGa is not letting fame get the better of her as some other artists out there in the industry. This is what a source said about Lady GaGa?s stage rider requests: “Despite her out-there image, this rider proves that Lady Gaga is actually quite down to earth and normal compared to the diva-like demands of some pop stars.” Just goes to show you that some people just have it in them? it? either that or Lady GaGa is merely waiting for an opportune moment to unleash the full force of her diva personality.
Weirdest thing to happen on American Idol was the fact that the talentless Tim Urban got to stay instead of Didi Benami. I?m going to start calling him the new Sanjaya. I just hope Tim doesn?t last as long. And did you guys see the purple extension glued to the back of Big Mike?s head? Apparently, he told the stylists that he was feeling a bit like Siobhan that day so they decided to put it there. Odd. Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell had some drama going on. Seems to me like someone is jealous really. I think they?re banter is there to replace Paula Abdul?s usual rants about Simon.
