The finale stage is set on The X Factor . With four contestants still alive entering tonight’s elimination episodes, viewers and judges selected the three acts that would take the stage next week and compete for a $5 million grand prize. First, something NOT mentioned during the broadcast: L.A. Reid has announced he will NOT return for Season 3. But who won’t return for next week’s finale? Following astute words from Khloe Kardashian (“These finals really mean everything to these contestants.”), we learn that Fifth Harmony is safe. So is Tate Stevens . Will Carly Rose Sonenclar or Emblem3 be joining them next Wednesday night? America has voted and… EMBLEM3 HAS BEEN ELIMINATED! Simon Cowell assures the boys they will have an illustrious career, but they will not have millions in their pockets next week. Did viewers make the right call? Yes, but what a season! No, it should have been Carly Rose! No, it should have been Tate! No, it should have been Fifth Harmony! View Poll »
NBC announced the contestants for the upcoming “ Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars ” and luckily for us Brande Roderick once again will have her moment in prime time. I don’t know who still watches this show, but if ‘The Donald’ was smart, he’d do a Celebrity Apprentice: Hotties. I’d spend two hours every Sunday watching bimbos in tight fitting business suits trying to be smart. That’s lotion worthy TV.
Three hours of The X Factor Season 2 are in the books. What did everyone think? Are you shocked that Britney Spears seems coherent so far? Impressed by Demi Lovato’s heart and attitude? Sick of Simon Cowell’s t-shirts? Looking forward to more talent taking the stage? Convinced we’ve already seen the winner cross our television screens? Or have you simply been watching The Voice ?
I’ve got to say I’m a little surprised by these shots of Miss USA Alyssa Campanella , she’s topless, Miss USA chicks aren’t supposed to be topless. Are they? Not that I’m objecting, I actually think these are some pretty amazing shots, but I thought I’d be seeing big hair and glossy lipstick not sweet sweet boobage and some bitchy looks. I love it. Obviously I can’t show you all the nakedness, I’m a family friendly site most of the time, but you can check them out HERE . Perverts.
Alright, the preliminaries are over for the 2012 Miss USA Bikini Competition and for those of you out there keeping track, the leaders are some chick with big breasts and a perfect smile, followed by about fifty other big breasted chicks with perfect smiles and various hair colors. Keep it here for all your detailed analysis. I don’t really care who’s winning, they’re all winners in my book, I just like the constant parade of bikini hotties… Without having to pay for it. Enjoy.
The America’s Got Talent auditions continued to roll on in Tampa Bay, Florida tonight – and Nick Cannon continued to hog the spotlight. The producers really need to tone down the amount of Nick interacting with the contestants. Seriously. This isn’t Nick Cannon’s Got Friends . Overall, there weren’t a lot of great performances. The weird acts that we watched included a haircutter that tried to be Edward Scissorhands; a stunning but stereotypical hula hooper; an above-average magician; and a “Boss” dance group that may be a little too out there for mainstream America. I don’t think that any of the acts we witnessed here will win this season. Good, Great All That! – Every few years a good clogging team arrives and does decently. Any clogging team should have precision and strong formations and they strong precision but only okay formations. All That! seems to have a bit of an age issue combined with a lack of staging. Some more dynamic music, lighting, stronger formations, and possibly less clothing would make them more Vegas ready and create a winning combination. The Distinguished Men of Brass – I liked the combined singing and marching band segments which gave them the right edge from a drumline. Only a little bit of production value could make them interesting, but the real question is if they could go beyond being a theme park performers. Middle Ground Inspired the Fire – “Urban Glee” had a positive message but I thought the introduction was a bit weak with the solos not having enough power. When they got to the dance section, they were stronger but they lacked precision. There was too much chaos between the dances and the only parts that were synchronized were very basic steps. The group needs more polish to move on. Ulysses – The TV fan in his good luck Cosby-esque sweater had a nice voice and a bit of a niche (TV Theme Songs) and I could see production having a great time with him (See: Kinetic King). Epic Fails NC Bikini Bombshells – Team Jiggles didn’t need to do much to win over the men, but their dancing was awful. You know what they needed? A car to dance on top of. Or hot wings. Tons of hot wings. Michael Griffin – He was hung from the back of a horse. Enough said. He looked like he had a seizure, but he did get out.
Onetime G-Unit rapper reached a plea deal with Nashville prosecutors on gun charges dating back to 2010. By Rob Markman Young Buck Photo: Arnold Turner/ WireImage Young Buck started his rap career with a ton of promise, but his legal problems thwarted that potential and his woes continue to mount. According to reports, the former G-Unit MC is looking at an 18-month prison stint for gun possession. The Tennessee rap star has agreed to a plea deal with Nashville prosecutors that will land him behind bars for a year and half, TMZ reported on Tuesday (May 22). A judge signed off on the plea, but Buck won’t be sentenced formally until July 13. “I got to go to the penitentiary in two months,” Buck said in a personal video posted online over the weekend. “F— with me for real, hold me down — and when I get out of the penitentiary, all you rap n—as better get the f— out the way. I ain’t even gonna say no names, but it’s a good thing I’m about to go to the penitentiary.” After an IRS raid on Buck’s Nashville home in 2010, authorities found a .40 caliber Glock 22 as well as ammunition. The raid followed reports that the rapper had an outstanding $300,000 tax debt, and because he’s a convicted felon, Buck is prohibited from possessing any firearms. Back in 2005, he pleaded no contest to assault with a chance to produce bodily injury after he stabbed a man while trying to defend Dr. Dre at the 2004 Vibe Awards . Buck rose to fame as a member of 50 Cent’s G-Unit crew. In 2004, his debut, Straight Outta Cashville, went platinum; he followed that up with 2007’s sophomore effort, Buck the World. But by ’08, Young Buck had gotten himself kicked out of the group after tension between him and label boss 50. The MC has been releasing mixtape material on and off ever since, including The Rehab, an independent street album. Related Artists Young Buck
ABC’s new reality singing show puts seasoned superstars onstage with amateur singers. By Christina Garibaldi Kelly Clarkson Photo: MTV News At first glance, “Duets” may just seem like another reality singing competition, but the new ABC show couldn’t be more different. Because this time, the superstars are not behind a judging panel, but onstage with the contestants. The show, which premieres Thursday (May 24), pits pop star Kelly Clarkson , Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles and R&B crooners Robin Thicke and John Legend against one another as they pair up with two amateur singers, whom they found before the show. Each week the stars will battle it out, duet style, in front of a live audience to ultimately win the grand prize for the amateur singer: a recording contract with Hollywood Records. “I basically just found my two people on my own,” Kelly Clarkson told MTV News recently at an event announcing ABC’s fall lineup. “[Robin] found them a completely different way and John found his a completely different way, it’s kind of really random, but it’s cool though.” Going into the competition, Clarkson figured she had a slight advantage given her experience on “American Idol,” which she won during the first season. But as soon as cameras started rolling for “Duets,” she realized she had her work cut out for her. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work,” Clarkson admitted. “I totally thought I had a one-up from ‘Idol’ … It is way harder.” “I’m just going to try and do kind of what I did on ‘Idol’ and hopefully that will help my people,” Clarkson said. “It’s not really as much up to us, the stars on the show, it’s more for the kids that really just need to make sure they are bringing their A-game every week.” Are you excited for “Duets”? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists Kelly Clarkson
ABC’s new reality singing show puts seasoned superstars onstage with amateur singers. By Christina Garibaldi Kelly Clarkson Photo: MTV News At first glance, “Duets” may just seem like another reality singing competition, but the new ABC show couldn’t be more different. Because this time, the superstars are not behind a judging panel, but onstage with the contestants. The show, which premieres Thursday (May 24), pits pop star Kelly Clarkson , Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles and R&B crooners Robin Thicke and John Legend against one another as they pair up with two amateur singers, whom they found before the show. Each week the stars will battle it out, duet style, in front of a live audience to ultimately win the grand prize for the amateur singer: a recording contract with Hollywood Records. “I basically just found my two people on my own,” Kelly Clarkson told MTV News recently at an event announcing ABC’s fall lineup. “[Robin] found them a completely different way and John found his a completely different way, it’s kind of really random, but it’s cool though.” Going into the competition, Clarkson figured she had a slight advantage given her experience on “American Idol,” which she won during the first season. But as soon as cameras started rolling for “Duets,” she realized she had her work cut out for her. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work,” Clarkson admitted. “I totally thought I had a one-up from ‘Idol’ … It is way harder.” “I’m just going to try and do kind of what I did on ‘Idol’ and hopefully that will help my people,” Clarkson said. “It’s not really as much up to us, the stars on the show, it’s more for the kids that really just need to make sure they are bringing their A-game every week.” Are you excited for “Duets”? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists Kelly Clarkson
Judge Randy Jackson says Cavanagh ‘made the wrong choice at the wrong time’ on Wednesday’s episode. By Adam Graham Hollie Cavanagh on “American Idol” Photo: Michael Becker/ Fox It’s Joshua Ledet’s Ledet’s Ledet’s World. The “American Idol” frontrunner soared higher than ever while Hollie Cavanagh may have sealed her fate on Wednesday’s (May 9) performance episode, which saw the contestants battling for the hometown visits that await the top three finalists. The evening saw the final four taking on two songs apiece — one with ties to the state of California and one song the contestants wished they’d written themselves. (The categories were some of the loosest in “Idol” history, but hey, they can’t all be winners.) Joshua Ledet stepped out with Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” (his California song — Grobes hails from L.A.) and James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” the latter of which earned Ledet his latest in a long line of standing ovations and had the judges singing his praises, saying Ledet was second coming of the Godfather of Soul himself. “Neither a man nor a woman has ever sang that good with that much compassion on this show ever!” Steven Tyler said following the performance. “I can go home right now. I never heard anything like that in my life!” Jennifer Lopez said, “I think people at home maybe thought, like I did, that they had seen everything you had to give and how you can interpret a song. We hadn’t.” She then started speaking in Spanish. “You’re making me speak different languages now!” she said, calling his song “sickening.” Randy Jackson put the cherry on top, calling it “one of the best performances in the history of any singing show, including ours, any show, any show, yo!” Yo indeed, Randy. Jessica Sanchez was no slouch herself, turning in a “crazy, crazy, crazy” (per J. Lo) rendition of Etta James’ “Steal Away,” washing it down with a stunning “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” the “Dreamgirls” staple that she delivered with the fierceness of Jennifer Hudson. The performance earned her the night’s other standing O from the judges. “It was a real moment,” Lopez told her, while Jackson complimented her by telling her, “Dude, you are phenomenal.” (It’s always extra special when Jackson refers to females as “dudes.”) Phillip Phillips, who’s been living in his own personal version of “Contagion” all season long, managed to fight his sickness enough to deliver a strong version of John Fogerty’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” (making two Fogerty songs in two weeks for “Idol”) and a splendid version of Damien Rice’s “Volcano.” Continuing with the hyperbole that has been tossed around like a Frisbee on the judge’s panel the last several weeks, Lopez said after “Volcano,” “After watching the show for many, many years and now being here for two years, it was one of the most beautiful, poignant moments a contestant has ever had.” Jackson followed by saying, “So yo, that’s wassup right there!” and calling it one of the best performances of the season. Poor Hollie Cavanagh, who has barely avoided elimination the last few weeks, may have met her end following her versions of Journey’s “Faithfully” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Her first song received good marks — both J. Lo and Steven Tyler called it “beautiful” (but when don’t they say that?) — but her Raitt song was slammed for being distant. “I thought it fell a little short,” said Tyler, and Lopez said the emotions of the song — or the emotions she thought she had to deliver with the song — got the better of her. Jackson was even harsher. “It gave you nowhere to go,” he said. “There were no moments for me. For me, it was the wrong choice at the wrong time.” The two-hour episode was padded with bonus performances, including duets between Phillips and Ledet (Maroon 5’s “This Love”), Cavanagh and Sanchez (the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame”) and a performance of Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You” tied to the upcoming “Rock of Ages,” which gobbled up a healthy amount of promotional time during the show. One of the four singers will be eliminated on Thursday’s episode, which is also set to feature performances by David Cook and — hey, would you look at that? — Jennifer Lopez. How’d she manage that gig? Who do you think is getting eliminated from “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
