American Idol executives have reportedly offered a bit of advice to Colton Dixon, and it’s not about his pitch or his song choice or his weekly on-stage outfits. The season 11 finalist told Today.com that producers warned him about coming across as overly religion online, fearing this would alienate a segment of viewerso. “When we first started the Twitter and Facebook stuff, they said beware of political and religious tweets,” Dixon said. “Just because it can turn off voters or whatever. But, you know, being a Christian is who I am. It is a part of me musically. It is what I want to do after the show – go into Christian music.” Dixon has found himself in a couple Twitter wars as a result of his open views, however. One user recently suggested the crooner “can’t Tebow his way to a win,” referencing the Denver Broncos quarterback who led his team to the NFL playoffs admits controversy of his frequent references to God and post-game prayer celebrations. “I don’t follow Tebow,” Dixon Tweeted in response. “I follow a guy named Jesus. I’m just trusting His plans. Whatever that may be.” In the end, of course, Dixon and all contestants will mostly be judged on their ability. To get a look at all finalists in action, visit our American Idol video section now!
Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Black Keys get bounced. Second-round voting is now under way in all Musical March Madness matchups! By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams Photo: Getty Images After one week of MTV’s Musical March Madness , about the only sure thing is that there really is no sure thing. Because with one round in the books, we’re bidding adieu to three of our top-seeded bands — the Foo Fighters (bested by James Durbin), Mumford & Sons (shocked by F—ed Up) and the Black Keys (nipped by AWOLNATION) — upsets that prove no one is safe and assure us that, much like the actual NCAA tournament, everyone’s bracket is irrevocably broken (shout out to Mizzou and Duke … thanks, guys!). Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! And though they survived, several other top-tier bands were taken down to the wire. In the West, third-seeded Blink-182 got by #14 Korn by a razor-thin margin, while #5 Linkin Park narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of #12 At the Drive-In. Over in the East, #2 Coldplay outlasted #15 Arctic Monkeys in a tightly contested thriller, and #3 Florence and the Machine needed a late rally to put away #14 Refused. But forget about style points: When it’s tournament time, all that matters is winning, and there are still 32 bands remaining in the quest for the MMM championship. And it’ll be up to you to guide them there: second-round voting is now under way in our interactive bracket and will run until Sunday, March 25, at midnight ET. Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! So, whose dreams remain intact, and who was left to pick up the pieces? Let’s take a look back at all the first-round matchups! Midwest Upsets aplenty in the Midwest, as top seed the Black Keys were bounced on a last-second buzzer-beater by #16 AWOLNATION (total margin of victory: 41 votes), #2 Bon Iver and #3 Pearl Jam were upset by #15 Sum 41 and #14 Five Finger Death Punch, respectively, and #4 U2 were shown the door by #13 Modest Mouse (again … no one is safe). MMM powerhouses My Chemical Romance bucked the trend by blowing out #12 Death Cab for Cutie, though #6 Kid Rock got knocked off by #11 Chevelle in a close contest. Seventh-seeded Metallica outlasted a game Guns N’ Roses, but #8 Nickelback were edged out by #9 Rise Against! in a total barn-burner. And after all of that, there’s still plenty left to be decided. Here’s a look at our second-round matchups: #9 Rise Against! vs. #16 AWOLNATION #5 My Chemical Romance vs. #13 Modest Mouse #11 Chevelle vs. #14 Five Finger Death Punch #7 Metallica vs. #15 Sum 41 West More carnage in the West, as the top-seeded Foos got whooped by #16 James Durbin, #2 the Red Hot Chili Peppers went up in smoke against #15 Panic! at the Disco and #4 Maroon 5 got bounced by the late-surging Lana Del Rey. But in an epic battle, #1 Blink-182 was overpowered by #14 Korn (after more than 200,000 votes, they won by less than 800) and defending MMM champs Green Day showed true mettle by mauling #12 the Decemberists. Sixth-seeded Foster the People got bumped by #11 Adam Lambert, and #7 Van Halen were shown the door by #10 No Doubt. And look out for #8 Best Coast, who showed a surprising amount of power by blasting #9 Skrillex. Here’s who’s still left standing heading into round number two: #8 Best Coast vs. #16 James Durbin #5 Green Day vs. #12 Lana Del Rey #3 Blink-182 vs. #11 Adam Lambert #13 No Doubt vs. #15 Panic! at the Disco East Not nearly as brutal here, as #1 Mumford & Sons got waxed by #16 F—ed Up, while #2 Coldplay used a late rally to edge out #15 Arctic Monkeys, third-seeded Florence and the Machine survived #14 Refused and #4 Muse managed to move on after pasting #13 Gym Class Heroes. In a hotly debated (and borderline illegal ) showdown, #5 Arcade Fire were bested by #12 Tokio Hotel (there were 2.1 million votes cast in this one alone) and #6 Fun. fell to the mighty fanbase of #11 Semi Precious Weapons. Not surprisingly, #7 the Shins got smoked by #10 Coheed and Cambria, and #8 Radiohead withstood a late charge from #9 Bruce Springsteen to move on. So after all that carnage, here’s a look at our second-round matchups: #8 Radiohead vs. #16 F—ed Up #4 Muse vs. #12 Tokio Hotel #3 Florence and the Machine vs. #11 Semi Precious Weapons #2 Coldplay vs. #10 Coheed and Cambria Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! South Say hello to the only #1 seed still standing: Evanescence, who dispatched of #16 the Alabama Shakes with shocking ease. Second-seeded Paramore throttled a ( fundamentally sound ) #15 Gotye, while #3 Kings of Leon continued their trend of MMM sucktitude by getting blasted by #14 Phoenix. Fourth seed Jack White did his part by beating back #13 Shinedown, and #5 Linkin Park survived #13 At the Drive-In. The always-dangerous 30 Seconds to Mars thumped #11 Sleigh Bells, but #7 Cage the Elephant fell victim to #10 Ke$ha and her epically toned pelvic muscles . And in a battle true to their late-rising fanbases,#9 Dave Matthews Band rode one final surge of voting to overcome #9 My Morning Jacket. Don’t get too excited just yet, DMB fans, because Evanescence is next. Here’s a look at our round-two tilts in the South: #1 Evanescence vs. #9 Dave Matthews Band #4 Jack White vs. #13 At the Drive-In #6 30 Seconds to Mars vs. #14 Phoenix #2 Paramore vs. #10 Ke$ha So, with one week in the books, 32 teams remain alive. But just who will reign supreme? Well, that’s all up to you: Voting is now live in all second-round matchups … so get cracking. MTV’s 2012 Musical March Madness Tournament heads to the second round beginning Monday (March 19). Voting runs until midnight ET on Sunday, March 25, and winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act is still alive, it’ll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM or by downloading one of our custom badges — but get ready, it only gets more difficult from here on out. Related Videos Musical March Madness Returns! Related Photos MTV’s Musical March Madness 2012 Related Artists Paramore Evanescence
Malcolm McDowell gets his official star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the world of acting, and his ceremony is attended by fellow industry comrades Gary Oldman and Rob Zombie. Way to go, Malcolm! ‘Like’ us on Facebook at facebook.com/hollywoodtv!
James Marsden was on location in Long Island today for filming on ’30 Rock’. We asked James if he had any plans for St. Patrick’s Day, but he doesn’t have any plans yet. Something tells us he’ll find something to do…and look good in green while doing it! Don’t get pinched, James!!! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
Deborah Harry, Padma Lakshmi, Susan Sarandon, and Tyra banks at the Blossom Ball, hosted by Padma Lakshmi at the New York Public Library to benefit the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Deborah Harry talks about her involvement, and her current work. Padma Lakshmi speaks about suffering from Endometriosis and how it’s affected her life. Susan Sarandon also speaks about being affected by Endometriosis, as well as her upcoming movie “Jeff Who Lives at Home”, While Tyra banks spoke candidly about the strength of Padma for living proud, and raising awareness. “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Petra Ecclestone, Sophia Bush spark a fight at Madeo Ristorante while the ladies left the famous Beverly Hills restaurant. The fight involved paparazzi vs. Madeo Ristorante employees and Madeo Ristorante customers! Talks about CHAOS! The paparazzi always get their…
Madison Pettis was hanging out at The Grove in Los Angeles today, and we caught up with her while she was trying on a bag that just might be a bit too big for her. We asked Madison about her upcoming projects. Turns out, the ‘Seven Pounds’ star is focusing more on TV than the big screen these days. Madison also talked about the transition from child-star to adult actress! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
Renee Graziano was out at The Grove in Los Angeles today, and we took the chance to ask her a few questions. We say “Chance” because who knows what may have happened if we asked the wrong thing!! The “Mob Wives” star told us she loves her other Mafia Wives, and is also a big fan of “Basketball Wives”. Phew! We made it out of that one okay!!! “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
BD Freeman was at The Grove in Los Angeles today and we got a chance to talk to him about his upcoming projects. While he was there, Bobby D was also asked if he had ever heard of “Robosexuality”, leading the comedian to start to work his verbal-magic about the show “Strange Addictions. “Like” us on Facebook @ facebook.com
Kermit the Frog and Walter also begin write-in campaign for ‘Muppet Show’ faves Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Vote now! By James Montgomery, with reporting by Josh Wigler Walter and Kermit Photo: MTV News The Muppets might not strike you as a particularly hoops-savvy bunch, until you realize they’ve hung out with everyone from Dr. J to Rebecca Lobo and just did a movie with Jason Segel, who is, like, 7 feet tall and can definitely dunk. So obviously, when Kermit the Frog and his pal Walter stopped by the MTV Newsroom earlier this week, we had to get their take on our ongoing Musical March Madness tournament, which pits the 64 biggest bands against one another in a bracket battle for ultimate superiority … just like the actual NCAA basketball tournament, only with more Coheed and Cambria. Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! Voting in all first-round MMM matchups runs until Sunday at midnight ET, so there’s still time to help guide your favorites to victory. But for all you last-minute voters out there, here are Kermit’s and Walter’s picks to take it all in this year’s tournament. “I would have to obviously say Green Day, they’re one of my favorite bands,” Kermit said. “My Morning Jacket I love, because they did an album we did called the Green album, and also, I have to say, there’s nothing like a good round of Nickelback to bring out the fierceness in the frog. But really, my favorite is the Foo Fighters, because I love to say ‘Foo.’ ” He really does. Also, who knew Kermit was a Nickelback fan? And while most of Kermit’s picks seem like locks to advance in the tournament (except for the top-seeded Foos, who are getting all they can handle from #16, James Durbin), Walter is taking some risks, picking upset-focused up-and-comers and veteran squads to advance. “I have to go with Florence and the Machine, because they were on ‘Saturday Night Live’ when we hosted with Jason … she’s got a killer voice,” he said. “I also like that song ‘What the Water Gave Me,’ but I hope she’s not talking about, like, giardia or something like that, that terrible bacteria parasite … that’s what the water gave me once. “I love the classics, I’m afraid. I like Van Halen, I gotta pick Van Halen,” he continued. “Oh, and of course, Mumford and Sons. Did you know their frontman was formerly the Amazing Mumford on ‘Sesame Street’? True story.” Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Musical March Madness interactive bracket! We did not know that. Of course, Walter wasn’t content to just pick underdogs. He decided to launch an impromptu write-in campaign to get another “Muppet” fave in the race for Musical March Madness. “Can I do a write-in?” he asked. “I was a little disappointed in MTV [for not including] Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem . That is my number-one choice. That’s who I’d pick to win it.” MTV’s 2012 Musical March Madness Tournament is under way! Voting in the first round runs until midnight ET on Sunday, March 18, and winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it’ll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM or by downloading one of our custom badges — but get ready, it’s gonna be a war. Related Videos Musical March Madness Returns! Related Photos MTV’s Musical March Madness 2012 Related Artists Nickelback Foo Fighters
