Following the judges’ save of Jessica Sanchez last night, the top 7 finalists on American Idol returned to the stage last night, singing two tracks apiece: a “Now” hit from 2000 and beyond; and a “Then” soul cover. Which contestant impressed you most with his/her first performance? Watch, listen and vote below… Hollie Cavanagh took quite a risk to opening the evening, belting out a version of 2011’s biggest hit, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Hollie Cavanagh – “Rolling In The Deep” Colton Dixon then went all gaga on viewers. Lady Gaga, that is! Check out his version of “Bad Romance” now. Colton Dixon – “Bad Romance” Elise Testone proceeded to give us the first Alicia Keys rendition of the night, taking on the heartfelt ballad “No One.” Elise Testone – “No One” Phillips Phillips may not remind many of Usher, but he did that Atlanta native proud with a take on “U Got It Bad,” remaining one of the season 11 favorites. Phillip Phillips – “U Got It Bad” Jessica Sanchez , taking advantage of her second life on the show, also took on Keys, this time via the hit single “Fallin.” Jessica Sanchez – “Fallin” It was then back to Gaga for Skylar Laine , who made it very clear to the audience: folks, she was “Born This Way.” Skylar Laine – “Born This Way” Joshua Ledet closed the first half of the evening with “I Believe,” an appropriate choice for someone known as “Mantasia,” wouldn’t you say? Joshua Ledet – “I Believe” Seven performances down, seven to go. Which of the “Now” selections did you like best?
‘Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration,’ reads a message on Helm’s website. By Gil Kaufman Levon Helm Photo: Getty Images Levon Helm, former drummer for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the Band, announced on Tuesday that he is in the final stages of a long-running battle with cancer. Helm, 71, whose signature Southern drawl helped make iconic songs such as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” rock classics, was first diagnosed with cancer in 1998. “Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey,” read a note from his daughter Amy and wife Sandy . “Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration … he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage… ” After his initial diagnosis with throat cancer, Helm struggled to regain his voice and pay spiraling medical bills. Though he initially lost his ability to sing, Helm continued to play drums, mandolin and harmonica alongside daughter Amy in a series of shows at his Woodstock, New York, studios called the Midnight Ramble. Since 2004, the shows have grown in legend, attracting everyone from Elvis Costello and Norah Jones to My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. The weekly concerts attracted sold-out audiences that not only helped pay the bills, but also kick-started Helm’s recording career and produced the back-to-back Grammy-winning albums Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt . Born on May 26, 1940, Helm grew up in a musical home and was plucked by rocker Ronnie Hawkins to join his band in 1957. It was during his stint with Hawkins that he was united with four other musicians who would make up the core of the Band: Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson. They eventually split with Hawkins and in 1965 hooked up with Bob Dylan to help the folk icon transition into an electric sound. The Band went on to release a string of rock classics and broke up in 1976 after an all-star Thanksgiving concert at the Winterland ballroom in San Francisco that was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released as “The Last Waltz.” Related Artists The Band
Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton hit the stage with their teams, while Maroon 5 premiered ‘Payfone’ with Wiz Khalifa. By John Mitchell Jesse Campbell on “The Voice” Photo: NBC Things were shaken up Monday night (April 16) on “The Voice” with the surprise introduction of “instant eliminations,” a new rule forcing each judge to send one of their team members home at the end of the episode. The first judges forced to send one of their own packing were Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton , whose teams took the stage Monday. An additional member of each team will be voted off by the public on Tuesday. Each of the superstar judges — with the notable exception of Cee Lo Green — also hit the stage to perform, with Levine’s band Maroon 5 even debuting a new song with Wiz Khalifa . First to hit the stage was teenage country girl RaeLynn. Before performing, she and her coach Blake bonded over being “real country.” I’m a real country artist,” RaeLynn boasted, and Blake suited her up with the perfect song, hitmaker Jason Aldean’s “She’s Country.” RaeLynn’s performance of the song won over all the judges. “Man, I’m gonna say, you make me want to sing country,” Christina championed. But Blake had the biggest words of praise. “This is the most proud moment I’ve had of any person on my team,” Blake said of RaeLynn’s performance. Next up was fan and judge favorite Jesse Campbell, who delivered an expectedly excellent rendition of Beyonc
Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga and others have also used their music careers as launch pads to much more. By Fallon Prinzivalli Justin Timberlake Photo: Elle Decor Can we still call Justin Timberlake a triple threat? We’re not questioning the fact that he can sing, dance and act — although, he hasn’t done the first two in quite some time, so he may need to remind us — as much as we’re thinking that “triple” doesn’t begin to describe his threat. Aside from the incredible success ‘NSYNC and his solo career brought him, Timberlake launched a clothing line (William Rast), has his own brand of tequila (901), has co-owned or endorsed multiple restaurants including Chi, Destino and Southern Hospitality, and we hear he’s a great golfer. Now, the news came Monday (April 16) via Elle D
‘We Found Love’ singer will be the musical guest on the May 5 episode, hosted by Eli Manning. By John Mitchell Rihanna Photo: Getty Images Rihanna will hit the “Saturday Night Live” stage for the third time when she performs on the legendary sketch comedy show on May 5. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will host. The pop star has a long history with the show and has always been a standout guest. While she always nails it on stage for her musical performance, Rihanna also tends to pop up throughout the show to flex her comedy muscles in sketches and, most notably, in rumored-to-be-departing Andy Samberg’s buzzed-about digital shorts. Her first “Shy Ronnie” short landed an Emmy nomination and she reprised the role for another digital short over Halloween weekend in 2010, playing Clyde to Shy Ronnie’s Bonnie as the unlikely couple holds up a bank and Ronnie’s bashful nature causes their plan to go array. For all intents and purposes, Rihanna’s appearance is to promote both her album Talk That Talk and her film debut in the upcoming “Battleship,” but for those still keeping an eye on the happenings of Ri Ri and ex Chris Brown, it’s worth noting that May 5 is also Brown’s birthday, so get ready for plenty of “will Chris Brown show up for a surprise appearance” speculation. The gig will be Manning’s first time hosting, though he made a brief cameo when his brother, Peyton, hosted in 2007. Are you excited for Rihanna’s “SNL” return? Do you think Chris Brown will show up with some “Birthday Cake”? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Rihanna
‘We Found Love’ singer will be the musical guest on the May 5 episode, hosted by Eli Manning. By John Mitchell Rihanna Photo: Getty Images Rihanna will hit the “Saturday Night Live” stage for the third time when she performs on the legendary sketch comedy show on May 5. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will host. The pop star has a long history with the show and has always been a standout guest. While she always nails it on stage for her musical performance, Rihanna also tends to pop up throughout the show to flex her comedy muscles in sketches and, most notably, in rumored-to-be-departing Andy Samberg’s buzzed-about digital shorts. Her first “Shy Ronnie” short landed an Emmy nomination and she reprised the role for another digital short over Halloween weekend in 2010, playing Clyde to Shy Ronnie’s Bonnie as the unlikely couple holds up a bank and Ronnie’s bashful nature causes their plan to go array. For all intents and purposes, Rihanna’s appearance is to promote both her album Talk That Talk and her film debut in the upcoming “Battleship,” but for those still keeping an eye on the happenings of Ri Ri and ex Chris Brown, it’s worth noting that May 5 is also Brown’s birthday, so get ready for plenty of “will Chris Brown show up for a surprise appearance” speculation. The gig will be Manning’s first time hosting, though he made a brief cameo when his brother, Peyton, hosted in 2007. Are you excited for Rihanna’s “SNL” return? Do you think Chris Brown will show up with some “Birthday Cake”? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Rihanna
Yet another child lost his life on the latest episode of the HBO fantasy series. By Josh Wigler Eros Vlahos as Lommy Greenhands in “Game of Thrones” Photo: HBO If three’s a trend, then infanticide is definitely trending in Westeros. The latest episode of “Game of Thrones” marks three hours in a row that have concluded with the death of a child. But poor Lommy Greenhands wasn’t the only one to die this week, either, as another member of the Night’s Watch fell to the sword — and he wasn’t even with his fellow sworn brothers north of the Wall! Get more on Lommy and Yoren’s deaths in the latest episode of “Watching the Thrones,” viewable below. And keep on reading for all the good, bad and ugly from this week’s episode! The Good
I met Justin Bieber on the TODAY show on November 4, 2012 but I just finally decided to make a Bieber expierence out of it! I got there at 4 am in and I’d say I was about the 100th person in line. I was a little worried because when I tried to meet Justin at The View, I was the first person in line and I didn’t even get to meet him at all. We waited in line for hours, but then they finally let us through into the barricaded area. I sprinted to a part of the barricades where the cameras were facing because I figured that’s where Justin’s interview would be and I would be able to see and hear the whole thing. Once he came out, everything happened so fast. Despite all the commotion, I thought of something a Belieber that I met in NYC once said to me, “You’ll meet Justin one day, don’t worry. And he looks even better in person”. It was funny because just the night before I was sitting in my bedroom crying because I had lost all hope of meeting Justin until I remembered what that Belieber said to. I knew she said I would meet him one day, but what did she know? I have a one in 20 million chance of meeting him, yet her words gave me enough hope to bother convincing my mom to let me skip the first half of school and bring me into NYC which is an hour away. I kept telling myself “Never Say Never, Mak”. Then he came even closer and my legs were shaking uncontrollably . The girl in front of me screamed “I love you. Do you love me back?” and he replied “I love you more”. The rest was a blur. I didn’t even remember to get my digital camera ready or to make sure my mom was recording on the video camera or think about what I was going to say or to even breathe. Next thing I knew he was in front of me, Sharpie in hand, holding my poster. He wrote his famous initials “JB” on my poster and I didn’t even have to ask. He was already moving on, so without thinking, I screamed, “Justin! I talked to you on Tumblr!” He stopped, looked back at me and said, “What?” I screamed, “Tumblr!” and he smiled that gorgeous smile and said, “Nice”. As fast as he came, he left. I was just another fan in the crowd, but it didn’t matter to me. My life was complete. My love spoke two words to me: “what” and “nice”. I will never forget it. But Justin kept on walking down the barricades, signing posters and saying Hi to all his Beliebers and my time was over. I turned to my mom, biggest smile on my face, and I asked “Did you get it?” She had the video camera by the way. She looked away and mumbled that she forgot to hit record. I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe. It all happened too fast for me to remember so I was relying on that video. I wanted to re-watch it over and over again, but now I couldn’t. Then Justin did the interview and I was behind him the entire time. Literally. My head was right between Matt Lauer’s and Justin’s the entire interview. I was watching myself on the monitor and waving like crazy. Later, when we were driving home, my dad called and said that not only was I on the TODAY Show during the interview, but the part when I met Justin was also on TV! Maybe my mom didn’t record the video, but the TODAY Show crew was. P.S. At the time, I thought I had his Tumblr and that is why I said that to him, but now I’m not so sure if the Tumblr was a fake or not, so I sort of regret saying that to Justin. I wish I asked to take a picture with him instead. Link to the TODAY Show video : I talk to him at 1:33 and you can see me in the background of the interview around 3:13. See more here: I met Justin Bieber on the TODAY show on November 4, 2012 but I…
Career-spanning set features icons’ newest tracks and older fan favorites. By Mary J. DiMeglio Radiohead’s Thom Yorke performs during day two of the Coachella music festival Photo: Getty Images INDIO, California — Radiohead brought their huge sound and eye-candy backdrop to the Coachella festival’s polo fields Saturday night in a fairly mellow set, heavy with cuts from their latest offering, The King of Limbs . Amidst their newest tracks — including “Morning Mr Magpie,” “Lotus Flower” and “Give Up the Ghost” — the British rock icons sprinkled tunes spanning much of their catalog, from Kid A rave-up “Idioteque” to In Rainbows’ “Bodysnatchers” and “15 Step.” Of “Karma Police,” their first classic selection of the night, singer Thom Yorke said, “You know those people who are only talking to you because they want something from you? You need to take a cold shower afterwards.” Radiohead, who last graced the polo fields in 2004, are also headlining Bonnaroo in June. The fivesome answered calls for an encore with longtime fan favorite “Lucky,” “Reckoner” and the alternately soaring and intense “Paranoid Android.” Coachella’s second day also featured Bon Iver, David Guetta, the Shins and A$AP Rocky. In response to last year’s event selling out — a week after the 2011 lineup was announced — the festival is experimenting with hosting the same artists for two consecutive three-day weekends: April 13-15 and April 20-22. The Black Keys, Swedish House Mafia and Pulp rocked Friday’s chilly opening day . Today’s (April 15) third and final day brings Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (rumored to contain an appearance by the late Nate Dogg as a hologram ), Florence and the Machine, Justice, Calvin Harris and the reunited At the Drive-In. Did you go to Coachella? Share your review in the comments below! Related Artists Radiohead David Guetta Usher
Trayvon Martin’s Brother Jahvaris Fulton Speaks On His Behalf With all of George Zimmerman’s well connected defenders clamoring to his defense, it’s good to hear Trayvon Martin’s big brother Jahvaris speaking up on his behalf! A lot of conflicting statements have been made about the night Trayvon Martin was shot to death by volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. Martin’s big brother doesn’t want any of them to cloud the memory of the bright, positive teen he’d been close to. In an interview with CNN’s “A360,” 21-year-old Jahvaris Fulton said Zimmerman’s description of the fatal night –and his claim that he acted in self defense– doesn’t match the Trayvon he knew. “Based on what I heard, with the 911 tapes and all the evidence, he tried to get away from the situation,” ” the soft-spoken college student told the network on Friday. “He wasn’t violent. So for him to actually jump on someone he doesn’t even know, to me that’s not him. He’s smarter than that.” Fulton’s comments echo what he told local media in late March, shortly after the shooter’s father and brother took to national television to bolster Zimmerman’s self defense claims. “I was listening to Zimmerman’s father speak yesterday, and he said something like, my brother was on top of his son and said ‘You’re going to die tonight,’” Fulton told Miami’s CBS 4. “That doesn’t sound like my brother at all.” In his interview with CNN, Fulton said that Martin was an honor student who couldn’t wait to go to college after visiting his brother at Florida International University during spring break. “I would like to remember him as… someone who’s positive, happy, bright future ahead of him,” Fulton said.”He was probably going to be somebody.” We’re glad Jahvaris is helping to keep his brother’s memory alive. R.I.P. Trayvon! Source CNN More On Bossip! Sorry Ye’: 10 Reasons Kim Kardashian Isn’t Even In Beyonce’s League You Can’t Be Serious: Kenya Bell Is Still Talkin’ Yang “I Didn’t Want To Hurt Evelyn On National Television” Freak Out! NFL Baller Jabar Gaffney Goes In On Ex-Wife, Rival Player He Wants To Beat Up And Taking YOUR Chick! What A Banger Looks Like?: Meet Cuban Triple Jumper “Yargelis Savigne” [Video]
