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Filed under: Music News, Interviews, Exclusives
Who: Miguel
Single: ‘All I Want Is You’ Feat. J. Cole
Hails From: San Pedro, California
For Fans Of: Ne-Yo, UsherWhy He’s About to Pop: Miguel Jontel is only 23 years old, but by most standards he’s already a seasoned music industry veteran. … Read more
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Filed under: Music News, Photos, WTF
Jon Secada’s recent appearance with the Chippendales male dancers might have caused fans of the crooner, who had major pop success in the 1990s, to do a major double-take, but for the ‘Just Another Day’ singer, it was just a night of fun with the … Read more -
Filed under: Highbrow, Music News, Celebrity Twitter
Man oh man did Kanye West start tweeting yesterday. Dude was throwing @ signs, hashtags, shout-outs, retweets, Twitpics, the works.Racking up more than 222,000 followers in less than 24 hours, Kanye has been the polar opposite of the last … Read more
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‘It was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings,’ the talk show queen writes on her website.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi
Photo: FOXTalk show queen and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres has announced that she will no longer be a judge on the amateur talent juggernaut “American Idol.” After sitting down at the judges’ panel for just one season, the star cited a packed schedule and her aversion to hurting contestants feelings as reasons for her departure.
“Dim the lights…I’ve voted myself off American Idol,” the star tweeted on Thursday (July 29). In a statement posted on her website, revealed that she broke the news to “Idol” producers months ago, writing “this didn’t feel like the right fit for me.”
“I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next,” DeGeneres continued in the statement. “It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on ‘Idol’ and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”
The comedienne was announced as the new face on the judging panel in September 2009 after longtime judge Paula Abdul left the show. DeGeneres made her “Idol” debut in February to mixed reviews.
“We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of ‘Idol,’ ” Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group, said in a statement to MTV News. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”
“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” “Idol” creator and executive producer Simon Fuller added. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”
“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the ‘American Idol’ family,” said “Idol” Executive Producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
DeGeneres’ departure follows the exit of famously blunt judge Simon Cowell who recently wrapped up his tenure on the show during the ninth season of “Idol.”
Are you surprised Ellen is leaving “Idol”? Who should replace her? Tell us in the comments!
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J. Lo may take over the panel spot vacated by Ellen DeGeneres, according to Deadline.com.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagicWith two open seats now on the “American Idol” judging panel, all types of celebrity names have been bandied about as possible replacements. Elton John and Justin Timberlake were reportedly thrown out as names on an “Idol” wish list. Pop starlet Jessica Simpson has also popped up as a potential name ready to sign on. And with Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres no longer doling out critiques to “Idol” hopefuls, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez has emerged as the latest potential new judge.
Deadline.com reports that Lopez has officially inked a deal to join “Idol” and that the announcement was being kept under wraps until DeGeneres’ exit was made public. According to the site, Lopez’s manager Benny Medina set up a meeting with “Idol” producers and the singer’s camp has been negotiating the deal for about a month. Entertainment website Gossip Cop also reported that a source close to the show confirms that both Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler have been offered spots on the judging panel.
A rep for “American Idol” declined to confirm or deny the rumor to MTV News and only offered “no comment.” A representative for Lopez did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment at press time.
If Lopez joins the amateur talent behemoth, she would follow in the footsteps of fellow pop diva and dancer Paula Abdul, who brought her experience as a chart-topping recording artist to her critiques for eight seasons.
A gig on the weekly ratings magnet might be a beneficial move for Lopez, who has weathered a few professional setbacks recently. The singer parted ways with her longtime record label, Sony, in February and a tumble at the American Music Awards in 2009 has arguably eclipsed the attention paid to her music. Lopez may also face a million lawsuit after pulling out of a concert in Cyprus.
Would J. Lo make a good “Idol” judge? Tell us what you think in the comments!
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Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks attribute Eminem’s chart-topping success to his fan base.
By Shaheem Reid
Eminem
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImageHis reign at the top is not short like leprechauns, but long like scowling giants: Eminem is enjoying his fifth week
with the top-selling album in the country. Wednesday, on the set of Lloyd Banks’ “Any Girl” video, G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo said the key to Em’s success is simple and obvious: He has a very loyal fanbase.“Congratulations, man,” Lloyd Banks said. “Damn! I don’t even know what else to say. I know he’s happy and I’m happy for him. It’s big. He might do six weeks or seven weeks [at #1]. Em has a cult following and they ain’t gonna turn their backs on him. He’s gonna shine on the darkest day. I think he wasn’t never afraid to bring people into his life, [but] at the same time you don’t see Em. You don’t see [him on] reality shows, you don’t see him as much; you see him through his music. He brings you into his life. You know about his wife, his kids, his best friend. On that last album, he touched on a lot of those topics and other personal things he had going on, too. A lot of people can relate to it. I feel like his music is getting more and more powerful. The messages are bigger. With me touring and going all around, you actually see it. I just hope I get a record with him real soon.”
“Eminem is like the godfather of the hip-hop game,” Yayo said. “In a time like this, when records are not selling, he’s the only one that is selling. You know, Drake and all the other ones [did well], but Em did [close to] 800,000 his first week, and he’s #1 for the fifth week. It’s incredible. I think he has a faithful fan base of people who have been following him for years. They’re not going to stop following him and not stop listening to his music. Em said he didn’t like his last album as much as this one. You can hear the difference. I like both of the albums. ‘3 a.m.’ is one of my joints. But Eminem has followers that’s gonna mess with him until the day he dies.”
Are you one of Eminem’s faithful? Sound off in the comments below!
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Celebrity offenders are ‘not a good situation,’ Fox News legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle says.
By Gil Kaufman
Lindsay Lohan
Photo: Mark Ralston/ Getty ImagesThough she was initially sentenced to 90 days in jail for probation violations, troubled actress Lindsay Lohan could be released from lockup within the week, after serving less than one-fifth of her original term.
That’s pretty typical, according to Fox News legal analyst Kimberly Guilfoyle, who told MTV News that chronic overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail system has turned it into a “revolving door” for high-profile, low-level offenders like Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.
“When you have a celebrity like Lindsay Lohan, it’s a huge problem for the correctional officers,” she said. “They don’t want that. They’re getting a lot of press and focus on their detention facility. It gets all the other inmates up in arms, their panties in a bunch, it’s not a good situation.”
That’s why, she said, in addition to the overcrowding argument, jail officials in L.A. County often cite celebrity inmates — even President Obama knows about Lohan’s incarceration — as a “security risk.” The facility often has to go on lockdown whenever Lohan is moved around or is let out of her cell for meetings with her lawyer and family. “Because of that, they’re going to want to get her out as soon as possible without giving the impression that she’s receiving special treatment,” Guilfoyle said.
The key for jail officials is to process high-profile inmates quickly and avoid the appearance of special treatment, while making sure that they serve enough time to make the judges in the case satisfied that the message has gotten through to them.
“Keep in mind, Lindsay had a 90-day jail sentence,” she said, noting that the average person with that sentence in Los Angeles would be expected to do at least 22 or 23 days. “But for Lindsay, now they’re saying two weeks total, so definitely she’d be getting it better than the rest.”
At press time, Lohan’s lawyer could not be reached for comment on when the “Mean Girls” actress might be released from jail.
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‘She wisely extricated herself from the show,’ celebrity blogger tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena
Ellen DeGeneres and Randy Jackson
Photo: FOXBarely an hour after news broke that Ellen DeGeneres will be leaving “American Idol”, after just one season at the judges’ table, someone who has long been saying he’d be a great judge on the show — Perez Hilton — shared his thoughts on the matter with MTV News.
“Ellen DeGeneres is a very funny lady and also extremely smart. She knew — and the audience knew #8212; that ‘Idol’ was not the right fit for her, so she wisely extricated herself from the show,” Hilton told MTV News in an e-mail. “Idol is in an extremely precarious situation right now, with viewer excitement at incredibly low levels and a judges panel that is missing Simon Cowell and someone to get people talking.”
Hilton has never been shy to voice his opinion in the past on his blog and in the media and he added that it wouldn’t change if he were asked to join the show, even suggesting that Jessica Simpson, who has been rumored to join the show as a judge, would work perfectly with him.
“Obviously I think I’d be great in that role,” he said. “Plus, if they hire Jessica Simpson too, there’d definitely be lots of fireworks between us! She’d be my Paula!”
Hilton’s comments echoed DeGeneres’ statement posted on her website late Thursday (July 27). In which DeGeneres revealed that she broke the news to “Idol” producers months ago, writing “this didn’t feel like the right fit for me.”
Would you like Jessica to play Paula to Perez’s Simon on “American Idol”? Tell us in the comments!
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AP – Ellen DeGeneres is dancing off “American Idol” after one season, leaving Fox’s hit show with two vacancies on its judging panel. -
AP – Rapper-turned-underwear model-turned-Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg has been enshrined in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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