Reuters – Politicians are usually reviled in rock songs. But four British members of parliament (MPs) from opposing parties have come together in a band and are now launching their first album, “Cross Party.”
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AP – When Gary Allan was 15, his father refused to sign his first record contract. He thought his son was an imitator.

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AP – Latin Grammy winner Ramon Ayala said the lights went out, people started running and he and his band hit the floor when the Mexican military raided a drug cartel’s holiday party in December.
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AP – Ambroise Thomas’ “Hamlet” was last performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1897, and it’s easy to see why more than a century passed before its revival.
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Reuters – The Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and Alicia Keys will be among scores of music stars performing at a concert on the eve of the soccer World Cup in South Africa, organizers said on Wednesday. The concert in South Africa’s biggest black township Soweto will be on June 10, a day before the start of the month-long World Cup, which is being hosted for the first time in Africa.
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Filed under: Famous Couples, American Idol, Music News, TV News, Naughty But Nice

When you’re Simon Cowell, you don’t shop for wedding bands out of a circular — you pick the biggest acts in the world, who probably owe you a favor or two, and get them to belt out the hits. According to sources close to Simon, Sir Elton John is one … Read more

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Filed under: Gut Reactions, Music News, Celebrity Twitter, Videos, Exclusives

Exclusive: PopEater and Ustream want to cure your “Bieber Fever” and will be exclusively hosting a live fan Q&A with Justin Bieber on Thursday March 18 from 9:30 – 10:15 p.m. PT. The 16-year-old pop and R&B singer will be on hand to answer … Read more

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Filed under: Gut Reactions, Highbrow Celebrities, Music News

Much has been made of the seemingly rampant product placement in Lady Gaga’s new music video, ‘Telephone,’ and according to the New York Post, all that blatant branding was as purposeful as it seemed.

Of the 10 brands that appear throughout the … Read more

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Filed under: Gut Reactions, Movie News, Music News, TV News, WTF

The entertainment world took a collective gasp when tennis superstar Serena Williams announced last month that she had enrolled in a 240 hour program to obtain her license as a nail technician. Of course, Williams is not the first superstar to … Read more

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After her lackluster ‘Ruby Tuesday,’ it could be end of the line for Lacey Brown.
By Gil Kaufman

Lacey Brown

Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

For the most part, the top 12 finalists on “American Idol” stepped up their game for their first performance on the big “Idol” stage on Tuesday night. Nobody flamed out completely, succumbed to a bout of nerves, blew a lyric or otherwise face-planted while singing the songs of the Rolling Stones.

But, alas, someone has to go home every week and while our “Idol” experts have had differing opinions over the past few weeks about who would be sent packing, they were unanimous in their feeling that Wednesday night’s elimination show will likely prove to be the end of the line for flame-haired Texan Lacey Brown.

“I think it’s finally the end of the line for Lacey,” said MJ Santilli of leading “Idol” blog MJsBigBlog.com. “[Her] quasi-countrified take on ‘Ruby Tuesday’ left the judges scratching their heads. Simon said she’s been ‘over-thinking’ her performances. But, whatever the problem is, she’s never seemed entirely comfortable onstage.”

Buried in the middle of the lineup, Santilli predicted Brown’s forgettable performance will probably get overlooked in favor of the somewhat similar Didi Benami, who stumbled a bit during “Play With Fire,” but got a more sympathetic reaction from the judges.

	‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

MTV News’ own 60-second man, Jim Cantiello, said that while it’s always hard to guess who will make up the bottom three each week during the finals, he tagged Brown, Katie Stevens and fallen former front-runner Andrew Garcia as likely candidates.

“Common sense would put sleepy Lacey Brown, forgettable Katie Stevens and pitchy Andrew Garcia in the bottom three,” he said. “But I’m putting my money on Casey James, by virtue of process of elimination.”

Cantiello’s logic? The “Idol” obsessive explained that Brown and Garcia have massive hometown fanbases — Brown’s apparently made up of Texas churchgoers and Garcia’s of his thousands of YouTube fans — and good-girl high schooler Stevens has the “grandma vote” locked up. “So, that leaves Casey, who was especially forgettable, having gone third in the show’s two-hour lineup. That’s a pretty brutal spot to be in.”

For Cantiello, James’ Dixie-fried guitar-rock take on “It’s All Over Now” felt small and lacked the crucial “wow” moment the judges keep saying they’re looking for. “Michael Sarver’s early elimination notwithstanding, country-style singers often fare well on the show,” he said. “But I think country fans might be gravitating towards Aaron Kelly instead of Casey. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the ‘cougar’ ‘Idol’ fans are slowly migrating to Lee Dewyze’s camp, and Lee definitely outperformed Casey Tuesday night.”

Cantiello argued that going down with a song titled “It’s All Over Now” is almost too perfect for a farewell sing-off. Hedging his bets, Jim said if it’s not James, it will probably be Brown, who is trying everyone’s patience with her too-similar performances. “Her ‘Ruby Tuesday’ was a fair attempt, but all her performances are blending together these days.”

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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