She’s the American Idol champion! Again! Based on new figures that came out on July 4, Kelly Clarkson is responsible for the top-selling single of anyone ever associated with the Fox smash, as Billboard reports “Stronger” has sold 3,510,000 copies. Take that, Carrie Underwood !
‘As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love,’ Underwood says. By Gil Kaufman Carrie Underwood Photo: Getty Images Carrie Underwood is the latest public figure to come out in support of gay marriage. Joining the likes of Jay-Z , Snooki and JWoww and the Wanted the country superstar told England’s The Independent that she believes same-sex couples should have the same rights as she does. “As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love, and want to marry,” she said. “I can’t imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love.” The paper noted that Underwood, who has just released a new album Blown Away has a large Evangelical Christian fanbase and has spoken frequently about her faith, making it the subject of one of her biggest hits, “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” She told the paper that her liberal attitude about same-sex marriage is actually a result of her Christian values, not in conflict with them. “Our church is gay friendly,” said Underwood, 29, who was raised as Baptist, a denomination that tends to condemn homosexual behavior, but who now worships in a non-denominational congregation with hockey-player husband Mike Fisher. “Above all, God wanted us to love others. It’s not about setting rules, or [saying] ‘everyone has to be like me’. No. We’re all different. That’s what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It’s not up to me to judge anybody.” Underwood’s comments come in the midst of a presidential campaign in which gay marriage is likely to be a hot-button issue. President Barack Obama recently said that he personally supports same-sex unions while rival Republican Mitt Romney has spoken out against gay marriage. Related Artists Carrie Underwood
Blown Away #1 again as Adele moves back up to #2. By Gil Kaufman Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away Album Cover Photo: Arista Just as the 11th season of “American Idol” is wheezing to a close , the top three contenders can take some heart in the fact that former champ Carrie Underwood is still at the top of her game. Underwood’s latest, Blown Away , will spend a second week at the top of the Billboard 200 charts thanks to sales of 120,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. Though sales were down 55 percent, that was enough to edge out a resurgent Adele , who may have benefitted from the Mother’s Day Bump for her unstoppable 21 , which was up 31 percent and two spots to #2 on sales of 101,000. That holiday push helped lift Adele over the 9 million mark in the U.S., with diamond status now well within reach. The rest of the top 10 was fairly stable, with buzz band Silversun Pickups landing an impressive debut at #6 with their third full-length studio album, Neck of the Woods , while Tank rumbled in at #9 with This is How I Feel (33,000). The rest of the top 10: Lionel Richie continues his remarkable late-career roll with Tuskegee , which moved up three spots to #3 (71,000) as sales passed the 750,000 mark. NOW 42 held in at #4 (65,000), followed by Norah Jones , Little Broken Hearts (60,000), One Direction , Up All Night (#7, 40,000), Jack White , Blunderbuss (#8, 34,000) and Luke Bryan , Tailgates & Tanlines (#10, 26,000). It was a swift trip in, and out, of the top 10 for B.o.B , whose Strange Clouds fell seven spots in week two to #12 as sales dipped by 67 percent to 25,000. Further down the line, British soft rockers Keane were in at #17 with Strangeland (19,000), while “SNL” musical guests and Internet sensations Karmin snuck into the top 20 at #18 with their debut EP, Hello (19,000). Underwood also topped the iTunes album chart, acing out Silversun Pickups, who were followed by Adele, B.o.B, One Direction, Karmin, Keane, Gotye ‘s Making Mirrors , White and Jones. On the iTunes singles chart, Maroon 5 locked down #1 with “Payphone,” beating out Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Carly Rae Jepsen ‘s “Call Me Maybe,” Justin Bieber ‘s “Boyfriend” and fun. ‘s “We Are Young.” Flo Rida was at #6 with “Wild Ones,” Nicki Minaj just behind with “Starships,” then One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” Jennifer Lopez ‘s “Dance Again” and 2 Chainz ‘s “No Lie.” The top 10 will get shaken up next week with the arrival of Adam Lambert ‘s second major-label album, as well as new discs from Beach House , Godsmack , the “Glee” Cast Graduation album and the newest slab of rockitude from Tenacious D . Related Artists Carrie Underwood Adele
Desmond Hatchett, a 33-year-old Knoxville, Tenn., resident, appeared in court this week to ask the state for child-support help, Memphis’ WREG TV reported. When you have 30 kids (yep, 3-0, or thirty), those bills do pile up. That total is believed to be the record in Knox county, according to reports and have been born by 11 different women. His youngest are toddlers; his oldest is 14. Desmond Hatchett Seeks Child Support Help Hatchett reportedly asked the court to give him a break on his payments, claiming that he’s struggling to make ends meet with his minimum-wage job. Currently, the state requires him to divide 50 percent of his earnings among the 11 women, and he does, but some receive as little as $1.49 a month. How did Hatchett come to father so many children? He said he didn’t plan on it, but it just happened. Sure. He also revealed one dubious feat: “I had four kids in the same year. Twice,” he told Volunteer TV in 2009, adding that he was “done” having kids (he had only 21 at the time). Hatchett, who may want to consider the cost-benefit analysis of condoms, does not face any legal action because he has broken no laws.
Blond beauty Carrie Underwood performed the title track to her chart-topping new album, Blown Away, live at last night’s Billboard Music Awards. Showing off her unmistakably powerful pipes (and other attributes), Carrie commanded the stage with what she calls one of the darkest songs she’s ever written. Dark or not, it was a terrific effort, don’t you agree? Carrie Underwood – “Blown Away” (Billboard Music Awards) At the event, Carrie talked to reporters about Robin Gibb , who died earlier in the day, and how she used to listen to the late Bee Gees singer as a kid. “My parents both listened to the Bee Gees quite a bit when I was little, so I was definitely exposed to them at an early age,” she said. “They just had a sound that was all their own, obviously, [it was] never duplicated,” she added. “They were very influential on music in general.” “It’s very sad to hear about any loss. There have been a lot of legends lost this year, so it’s always sad to see it happen, but they are paying a couple of tributes here, and I know that they’ll be classy and respectful and allow us all to remember them.” The most notable: John Legend and Jordin Sparks’ tribute to Whitney .
Perpetual bottom-dweller Hollie Cavanagh lives to see another day. By Adam Graham Skylar Laine and Ryan Seacrest on “American Idol” Photo: Fox Skylar Laine is headed back to Brandon, Mississippi. The 18-year-old country spitfire was sent home on Thursday’s (May 3) “American Idol” results episode, after receiving the fewest number of votes following Wednesday’s performance episode . Nearly 60 million votes were cast, host Ryan Seacrest reported during the show. Laine found herself in the bottom two alongside Hollie Cavanagh. Now that the field is down to five singers, there was no bottom three. When the news was delivered to Laine, she hugged Cavanagh tight at the center of the stage. After composing herself, she sang Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder & Lead” as the show closed. Just one night prior, Jennifer Lopez told Laine she had victory in her grasp. “You wanna win, don’t you?” Lopez asked Laine after she sang Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” which followed her earlier performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” Laine replied affirmatively, to which Lopez said, “I can tell. And you just might with performances like that.” In his assessment of her Wednesday performances, mentor Jimmy Iovine called Laine “a fighter” and praised her for suiting up and showing up “every night.” He said he thought she did well, though he said her take on the Dusty Springfield song lacked the “darkness” of the original. “She doesn’t deserve to go home because of that,” Iovine said, “but it was less than what I know she’s capable of.” In Iovine’s estimation, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez should have landed in the bottom two. He said Phillips has been “coasting” and described his two performances as “very bland.” As for Sanchez, Iovine called her performance of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” a “travesty” and said he should have talked her out of singing it when he had the chance. He said her outfit during the song was “too mature” and “too racy” and said the “Idol” wardrobe department was “torpedoing” her. Coldplay also appeared and performed two songs, “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” and fourth-season “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood stopped by and performed “Blown Away,” the title track from her latest album, which hit stores this week. What did you think of “Idol” on Thursday? Let us know in the comments! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 11 Performances
Top 9 take on their idols, with surprising results. Who soared? Who sunk? Here are our grades! By James Montgomery Joshua Ledet and Heejun Han Photo: Getty Images We can all probably agree that the highlight of Wednesday night’s “American Idol” was Jason Der
‘Free,’ which the singer describes as a ‘playful, fresh’ break-up track, is the first single off her debut album, Listen Up! By Christina Garibaldi Haley Reinhart Photo: MTV News She may not have been crowned the winner of last season’s “American Idol,” but that hasn’t seemed to have any effect on the career of third-place finisher Haley Reinhart . The singer captivated viewers week after week on “Idol” by bringing her own soulful flare to songs like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Lady Gaga’s “You and I.” And now, nearly a year later, the jazzy singer is finally ready to show fans who she really is with “Free,” the first single off her debut album, Listen Up! “It’s amazing,” Reinhart told MTV News Wednesday (March 28) of the release of her single. “I know I took some time after the tour just to make things work and really worth it for me and the fans. It feels amazing to actually put it out there, my own material. I just wanted to make sure it had substance to it, and really could define me and show the artistry.” Reinhart, who returned to the “Idol” stage last week to perform “Free,” says it’s the perfect song to define the artist she’s striving to be. “I picked it out while I was touring with the ‘Idols’ and I was getting all these songs shipped into me,” she said of “Free.” “This one I just had to stop and say ‘Hey this has my name written on it.’ It’s something that I can look in the future and see it being able to define me. It’s got elements of the sultry, even hints of jazz in there.” On Tuesday, Reinhart made her acting debut when she played herself on “90210,” and we will see her stretch her acting ability even more when she debuts the video for “Free” on Thursday. She said the filming the video was “a dream come true.” “I had this vision and the director, Christopher Sims, really brought it to life for me,” she said. “There’s a guy involved, it is kind of a motivational break-up song, so I wanted to keep it mature, yet have the playful scenery behind us. We put it out in a ’50s-style diner and just kept it playful, fresh.” And she’s bringing that playful, fresh vibe to Listen Up! which features collaborations with rapper B.o.B and Reinhart’s own father (whom she performed with on “Idol” ). “You’re going to be surprised to hear a lot of different flavors, but at the same time it all meshes well together,” she said of the album, which hits stores May 22. “I show a lot of different sides. I have my roots I come from a lot of different genres, so you’ll hear definitely sultriness throughout the entire thing, very retro yet modern take, and there’s pop undertones in it with some funk jazz rock, it’s got a lot going on.” What do you think of Haley’s single “Free”? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists Haley Reinhart
Five contestants received standing ovations on a night Steven Tyler called ‘a magical mystery tour of over-the-top talent and emotion.’ By Adam Graham Joshua Ledet on “American Idol” Photo: Fox The Idols took on songs by their own personal idols on Wednesday (March 28), and time and again they brought the judges to their feet. Five singers — more than half the field — earned standing ovations from the judges, and if that isn’t technically a record, it certainly felt like one. And while several contestants surged forward — most notably Colton Dixon, whom Randy Jackson dubbed “a contender for the title” for the first time — it was Heejun Han who seized the opportunity to wipe the slate clean after last week’s flub and realign himself in the “Idol” ranks. The night kicked off in an odd fashion, with host Ryan Seacrest telling the contestants, “Hunger Games”-style, “may the odds be ever in your favor.” And from there it was a veritable bloodbath, with each contestant giving their all and making the “Idol” landscape as difficult to survey as ever. Han, who was criticized last week for not taking the show seriously following his goofball performance of Billy Joel’s “My Life,” dialed himself way down Wednesday and gave a straightforward reading of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You.” The result: a standing O, along with praise from the judges who felt he was finally done mocking the proceedings. “You did it man, you turned it around,” Steven Tyler told him, while Jennifer Lopez backed his performance and dispelled any notion he was a fluke contestant by telling him, “You don’t make it this far by mistake.” Jackson agreed the performance represented a major turnaround for Han. “Finally the Heejun that we selected came back to us tonight,” the Dawg said. “Welcome back.” Also bringing the judges to their feet were Joshua Ledet (singing Mariah Carey’s version of “Without You”), Phillip Phillips (taking on Johnny Lang’s “Still Raining”), DeAndre Brackensick (doing Eric Benet’s “Sometimes I Cry”) and Elise Testone (who closed the show with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”). The praise was flying around so fast and furious it was almost hard to keep track of; at show’s close, Tyler called the evening “a magical mystery tour of over-the-top talent and emotion.” (We’re not 100 percent sure what that means, but we’re pretty sure it’s good.) Ledet’s performance was perhaps the evening’s most emotional; afterward, Lopez told the Louisiana native, “you’re a phenom, you are an absolute angel from Heaven!” Phillips, meanwhile, was told he “owned” his performance of “Still Raining.” “You’ve got big things in front of you,” Jackson told him. Testone wasn’t the first “Idol” to take on “Whole Lotta Love”; Adam Lambert memorably upped the song’s sexual mojo back in Season 8. Her version didn’t have Lambert’s same oomph , but Tyler told her, “you made Robert Plant proud tonight” while Lopez said, “that was some real rock star stuff.” Brackensick, meanwhile, earned comparisons to Prince for the high falsetto he delivered while singing “Sometimes I Cry.” “You gave Prince a run for his money, man,” Tyler told him, while Jackson gave him one of his customary “DeAndre’s back in the house!” declarations. Lopez pleaded with America to vote for the curly-haired singer. “People, pick up your phones and vote for DeAndre!” she said. “Please, I need to hear this voice some more!” Though he didn’t get a standing O, Dixon opened the show with Lifehouse’s “Everything” and was called “a dream come true” by Tyler. “You sing a song like it should be sung. You make it bleed, you have perfect pitch, and you’ve got star quality.” And with Jackson officially welcoming him into the potential winner’s circle, the playing field was again shifted. Jessica Sanchez, another of the field’s leaders, slowed down Beyonc
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are set to do battle in divorce court , but the NBA power forward has a message for the sex tape star: Pay up and I’ll shut up! According to TMZ, Humphries is demanding $7 million in exchange for his silence and a clean, simple, non-scandalous legal split. Otherwise… he’ll do his best to expose Kim as a lying manipulator who scammed both him and the public into a sham of a marriage. There are a few hiccups in Kris’ plan, however: He signed a pre-nuptial agreement that guarantees him nothing. He made over $1 million off the wedding and its related TV special/photo opportunities. He also made well into the six figures off his appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians . The guy just signed an $8 million/year contract with the New Jersey Nets, to boot. If he wants to win any PR battles here, Humphries would be best served to tell his lips to do the opposite of Kim’s legs in that video with Ray J: Remain closed.
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