American Idol wants Nicki on their panel of judges, but we wonder if she’s even interested in taking the spot…and if there’s enough room for her AND Mariah at the table? Idol’s hit a roadblock with Coca-Cola though and there’s a new fight between one of the shows main partners and Pepsi. According to a source with close ties to the show, longtime rivals Coke and Pepsi are at war again — but not about market share, rather over hitmaker Nicki Minaj. The rapper and singer, whose colorful, cartoon-like style has made her among the most successful new acts of the past three years, is at the top of the list for the open seat on season 12 of Idol. But as the new face of Pepsi, an endorsement deal that includes commercials along with touring and album promo, Idol sponsor Coke is none too thrilled at the prospect. The leading soda company has been an Idol partner since season one, at a cost of $26 million per year, according to reports. The show ran into a similar problem when longtime sponsor Ford got wind of judge Jennifer Lopez’s commercial deal with Fiat. If Fox and FremantleMedia execs have their way, this year’s panel would consist of Minaj, previously announced judge Mariah Carey, a country star (the leading candidate is Keith Urban, says an insider) and a Latin artist (Enrique Iglesias is believed to be the No. 1 choice). In March, Minaj showed genuine empathy toward those who compete on Idol, telling THR special correspondent and Idol alum Didi Benami: “It’s very difficult to be picked apart. That rejection thing is heavy.” If Pepsi and Coca-Cola can sort their isht out, we might get to see Nicki sittin’ up there alongside MiMi…and we can’t argue that it wouldn’t be fun(ny) to watch the two of them and their ego’s. What do you think? Should Nicki be a judge on Idol? Source Images via WENN/Twitter
“They’re calling me an alien, a big headed astronaut..” KimYe take their love and attention slorin’ out of this world. Last night Kimmy Cakes posted photobooth pics with her boo-thang Yeezy, with trippy effects on them that made the two look like a swirled up alien couple. Although, the duo seem to be having a good ole’ time, it appears Yeezy has some rolled up yahmean in his hand, and is ready to have an encounter of the 69th kind with his girl. Check out more photos of the otherworldly couple after the flip…
In ‘Twilight’ Tuesday, we ponder the success of ‘Grey,’ which began as ‘Twilight’ fan fiction. By Kara Warner Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit Much is currently being made of E.L. James’ steamy novel, “50 Shades of Grey,” and its ever-expanding fanbase of mostly female readers. The novel, which is out in paperback Tuesday (April 3), started out as “Twilight” fan fiction; as such, it has several elements that lend themselves to comparison with Stephenie Meyer’s YA saga. First, there is the protagonist, insecure and naive beauty Anastasia Steele, who doesn’t know she’s attractive until she meets Christian Grey, a controlling older man with a magnetic personality. Apparently James took Bella and Edward from Meyer’s world and placed them a few years in the future in non-paranormal-influenced Seattle; she called the book “Master of the Universe” online. “Shades of Grey” is hitting all the notes that Meyer’s series hit when it entered the pop culture zeitgeist. It’s a New York Times best-seller, will soon be a feature film and has been dubbed “mommy porn.” Yes, I know that “Twilight” isn’t “mommy porn” and that “Grey” isn’t simply a very adult version of “Twilight,” but the similarities are there. So what does this mean for the publishing industry and the fan-fiction community at large? In this week’s “Twilight” Tuesday, let’s explore the increasing popularity of fan fiction. First off, for the uninitiated, a lot of fanfic is racy. Like NC-17 and XXX-rated racy, so as much as I want to I can’t post excerpts here. Slash fic, stories that feature same-sex relationships between two characters, can be particularly explicit. And though those tales probably won’t make it to store shelves, the idea of an Edward and Jacob or Edward and Jasper romance is pretty entertaining. “Twilight” author Meyer seems to have mixed feelings on the subject, but she has admitted to enjoying a few authors and entertained an alternate universe of sorts herself for “Twilight” in a project she calls “Breaking Down.” “In the beginning I hadn’t heard of it. … I couldn’t read the ones that had the characters in character,” she once said during an interview with Twifans.com . “It freaked me out. There was one about ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Twilight’ that was hilarious. And then there was one that was about a girl who was starring as Bella in the movie and that was funny.” Meyer’s “Breaking Down” was a crutch to help her get through finishing “Breaking Dawn,” a place where she could let loose with outrageous scenarios for her mostly straight and narrow characters. “We came up with an alternate ‘Breaking Dawn’ called ‘Breaking Down.’ It was awesome!” she said. “Complete spiraling downward and destruction in Bella Swan’s life and everyone around her.” Naturally, Meyer didn’t publish that alternate “Twi”-verse, but there are other cases of famous authors who began their careers writing fanfic; take Cassandra Clare, who wrote a popular spin on “Harry Potter” called “The Draco Trilogy” long before she came up with “The Mortal Instruments.” We could also count Seth Grahame-Smith’s best-seller “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” as a form of fanfic, along with the various “Pride and Prejudice”-inspired books like “Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife” and “Mr. Darcy’s Diary: A Novel.” Authors who have negative opinions of fanfic make the argument that they own their characters and that aspiring authors should come up with original work. So where do we draw the line, and more importantly, should it be drawn? As long as we’re getting more people to read, does it matter? Or is there a quality over quantity argument to be thrown in as well? For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
Sneak peek of upcoming 3-D concert movie shows Katy’s ups and downs on the road to superstardom. By Kara Warner Katy Perry in the “Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D” trailer Photo: Paramount Katy Perry has proven to be an expert tease in offering up details about her highly anticipated big-screen debut in “Katy Perry: Part of Me.” But on Tuesday (April 3), we finally got a glimpse of what to expect via the first official trailer . The nearly two-minute teaser opens with a shot of Perry onstage, with her otherworldly “E.T.” playing in the background, followed by quick cuts to footage of her Candy Land-esque California Dreams Tour and a voice-over about her meteoric rise to fame. “Katy’s just an explosion. She just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” a man says in one testimonial, which plays behind flashes of her impressive statistics — the “first female to have five #1 singles on one album” — interspersed with scenes from her music videos for “California Gurls,” “Waking Up in Vegas” and “Teenage Dream.” “It’s always about the challenge,” another man says, with behind-the-scenes footage of Perry rehearsing and getting fitted for costumes playing. “What are people saying she can’t do? That’s what she does next. Every song has something to do with her life.” “She outworks everyone,” another friend says. “I honestly don’t know how she does it.” As headlines of Perry’s divorce flash onscreen, “E.T.” fades away and we hear the opening notes of “Firework,” which provides the background music for scenes and interviews about Perry’s religious childhood, her struggles in being signed to different labels and not being successful and ultimately how she powered through and kept believing in herself to become the superstar she is today. The end of the trailer is a mash-up of behind-the-scenes images from her very colorful concert tour and countless interactions with happy fans. “If you have a dream, you’re going to go on a journey to fulfill that dream,” Perry says as the trailer fades to black. Perry recently told MTV News that the movie is a fitting end to her adventure in promoting and touring for her Teenage Dream album. “It’s closing the chapter on Teenage Dream, but it’s giving you such an inside perspective,” Perry said when asked what fans will get out of the movie-going experience this summer. “This film, you’re going to see it from my best friend/buddy perspective, you’re going to see exactly what I mean and feel and think about everything.” The recent Kids’ Choice Award winner promised that while there will be eye-catching 3-D sequences, they won’t be cheap tricks. “Listen, I’ve [worked on] most of this film for a very long time and the word ‘cheap’ was not in the vocabulary,” she said. “But, hello, it’s 3-D. You’re going to get hit with a lot of sh–.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: Katy Perry’s ‘Part Of Me’ Related Photos The Evolution Of: Katy Perry Related Artists Katy Perry
Well, that got dark really quick, didn’t it? What had been an oddly buoyant season of Big Love took a serious turn toward the sinister last night, as Bill became that which he most hates
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