‘Steven and J.Lo are doing such an amazing job,’ she tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Carrie Underwood Photo: MTV News Carrie Underwood has come a long way since she was the wide-eyed winner of “American Idol” back in 2005 — with a Grammy-winning country career under her belt — but she still takes the time to watch the show that made her a star. When MTV News caught up with Underwood recently as she promoted her acting debut in the new film “Soul Surfer,” we had to ask her thoughts on the changes to the new season, particularly the new faces added to the judges’ panel. “I am loving the judges,” Underwood said. “I know Simon [Cowell] was always such a huge part of the show, but if I had just started watching now, I wouldn’t miss it, you know what I mean? I think Steven [Tyler] and J.Lo are doing such an amazing job. I actually got the chance to talk to Steven Tyler, and I was like, ‘I’m finding out that I like you more than I thought I did.’ ” Underwood said she liked the Aerosmith frontman before he joined the show, but she’s enjoying seeing a softer side of his rock-star persona. “I’ve always liked Steven Tyler the artist, but as a person, he’s really coming across [as] charming and warm and friendly and encouraging,” she said. “Of course we always knew that J.Lo is sweet and beautiful, and she’s just confirming all of our previous thoughts about her by being on the show. I’m really enjoying watching it.” So who are her favorite contestants? “I always have a few that I’m watching, but I never say who they are because I remember what it was like when I was on the show, and I never liked that [when past contestants picked favorites].” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Young singer explains why there was no bus at the bus stop, the infamous ‘butt slap’ scene and more! By Kyle Anderson Rebecca Black Photo: MTV News When Rebecca Black’s “Friday” became the definitive viral hit of 2011, most people were drawn into the song’s rapid-fire, slightly silly stream-of-consciousness lyrics. But the accompanying video — which so far has netted nearly 70 million views on YouTube — was a big part of the draw too, as it created a spectacularly colorful dream world that let Black play a bit.
Jenny Beth Martin looked out on the rain-dampened crowd along Constitution Avenue and pointed over her shoulder at the Capitol. “They heard us, but they’re not listening!” Martin, a tea party leader, told members of the movement that helped put Republicans in charge of the House last November. The crowd booed. Four months after the historic election, the populist force that helped drive Republicans… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 01/04/2011 00:08 Number of articles : 2
Jenny Beth Martin looked out on the rain-dampened crowd along Constitution Avenue and pointed over her shoulder at the Capitol. “They heard us, but they’re not listening!” Martin, a tea party leader, told members of the movement that helped put Republicans in charge of the House last November. The crowd booed. Four months after the historic election, the populist force that helped drive Republicans… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 01/04/2011 00:08 Number of articles : 2
Jenny Beth Martin looked out on the rain-dampened crowd along Constitution Avenue and pointed over her shoulder at the Capitol. “They heard us, but they’re not listening!” Martin, a tea party leader, told members of the movement that helped put Republicans in charge of the House last November. The crowd booed. Four months after the historic election, the populist force that helped drive Republicans… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 01/04/2011 00:08 Number of articles : 2
Actor admits it’s easier to sing and dance in ‘How to Succeed …’ than it was to disrobe in ‘Equus.’ By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Daniel Radcliffe Photo: Getty “I’m excited. Terrified, but excited,” Daniel Radcliffe told MTV News in the summer of 2007 as he prepared to take the stage — and doff his drawers — in a London-based production of “Equus.” Radcliffe eventually took the production to Broadway in 2008, but even a year later, the nude scene never got much easier. Even the prospect of singing and dancing on Broadway — talents the 21-year-old actor readily admits don’t come naturally to him — is a delight by comparison. That’s why, as Radcliffe walked the red carpet at the opening for his new musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” he admitted that tapping his toes on Broadway is far less terrifying than ripping off his skivvies. “I’m still going to have to go with being naked onstage,” he laughed. “The dancing and singing thing, it is scary, particularly on Broadway, because it is the home of the musical. But once you’ve learned it, it can become really fun. I can’t say the same about being naked onstage. This is a much more fun show all around.” That’s not to say “How to Succeed” has been a cakewalk. Radcliffe and his fellow actors endured an exhaustive rehearsal schedule and nearly a month of previews before officially opening on Sunday. “We’ve had a long-ish preview period — I can’t say ‘long’ anymore because of ‘Spider-Man’ — but it feels great to be here and know the show is set now and we don’t have to rehearse during the day and we get to chill out,” he told us. “Honestly, coming in and doing a two-and-a-half-hour show every evening will seem like a holiday after the last couple months.” Related Videos MTV News Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe
Haley Reinhart, Naima Adedapo have smallest Twitter followings, a metric that seems to mirror ‘Idol’ voting trends and popularity. By Gil Kaufman Scott McCreery Photo: FOX There are so many ways to quantify which “American Idol” finalists are popping with voters. From the screams and elaborate signs in the IdolDome on Wednesday nights to the number of weird promotional items being offered on eBay and bootleg fan sites that pop up to encourage power-voting , “Idol” popularity is a tricky thing to measure. One of the best new ways, though, is to track the contestants’ Twitter account and see who has the most followers. After stumbling out of the gate with their social-networking efforts last year, amid worries that loose lips might ruin the show’s finale, the “Idol” top 11 are back in effect on Twitter and chatting it up with their online fans, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The move makes sense, since for the first time in the show’s history, followers can vote online this year and the contestants can use their tweet smarts to curry more favor. On the one hand, the list of top personal Twitter pages reflects the pecking order of the singers this season, with bullfrog-voiced country crooner Scotty McCreery topping the tally with 49,173 followers. But when you see that Casey Abrams is #2 on the roster (47,824), even after nearly being eliminated last week, it makes you wonder if Twitter is a good indicator of popularity. Coming in at #3 is bearded smoothie Paul McDonald (40,295 followers), with leading contender Pia Toscano close on his heels (34,271) and (at press time) just ahead of teen Lauren Alaina (34,250). Bottom-three visitor and fellow teen Thia Megia (32,922) is at #6, sneaking ahead of resident rocker James Durbin (32,772), followed by another bottom-three veteran, Stefano Langone (30,340), gospel crooner Jacob Lusk (19,864) and two-time bottom-three dweller Haley Reinhart (19,043). Not surprisingly, the list is rounded out by eliminated contestants Karen Rodriguez (17,572) and Ashthon Jones (7,978). In a troubling sign, wild-card singer Naima Adedapo , who has hit the bottom three once, is sandwiched in between the two eliminated singers at #12 on the list with 15,538 followers. McCreery might lead the list, but his tweets are mostly bland platitudes, many of them devoted to announcing when he’s hitting the hay, extolling the virtues of Cap’n Crunch, excitement about meeting boxing great Muhammad Ali and playing catch with the show’s security guards. “Not much going on right now. Just got outta rehearsal and now I’m just layin’ on the bed looking at the ceiling,” he wrote as the first week of live performance shows was getting under way. “Thinking about life.” Abrams, who has teased McCreery about the cowboy’s trouble in figuring out Twitter, talked about his trips to the hospital , fielded offers to jam from former finalist Andrew Garcia and entertained album title suggestions for his many Twitter alter egos, including “Lumberjack” and “Paul Bunyan.” McDonald has kept things pretty business-like and focused on show-related details, while high-schooler Alaina is typically active on the service, mostly expressing her love for her fans, a tactic also employed by Toscano. Durbin keeps things focused on professional wrestling and entreaties to bring back real rock , while Megia thanks her “Thianatic” followers and frequent tweeter Langone gets lots of love from past “Idol” contestants (Lee DeWyze, David Archuleta, Michael Sarver) and their followers amid spirited defenses of his mother. Although the “Idol” kids live in a media bubble, Lusk has lamented the passing of rap luminary Nate Dogg . Reinhart has made her feed a fount of excitable comments to fans and fellow contestants. Adedapo might be the most active tweeter, responding to fan and friend comments throughout the day on an almost minute-by-minute basis, sharing details about her children and keeping in touch with her fan-generated TeamNaima feed. The Reporter noted that the seven most-followed contestants have all been considered fan favorites at some point this season, with Abrams and Megia the only ones to hit the bottom three. Four of the six least-followed were wild-card picks, with five of them dropping into the bottom three at least once since the semi-finals. Which “Idol” finalist are you following on Twitter? Let us know in the comments below! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘Idol Party Live’ With MTV News’ Jim Cantiello And Michael Buckley ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
Haley Reinhart, Naima Adedapo have smallest Twitter followings, a metric that seems to mirror ‘Idol’ voting trends and popularity. By Gil Kaufman Scott McCreery Photo: FOX There are so many ways to quantify which “American Idol” finalists are popping with voters. From the screams and elaborate signs in the IdolDome on Wednesday nights to the number of weird promotional items being offered on eBay and bootleg fan sites that pop up to encourage power-voting , “Idol” popularity is a tricky thing to measure. One of the best new ways, though, is to track the contestants’ Twitter account and see who has the most followers. After stumbling out of the gate with their social-networking efforts last year, amid worries that loose lips might ruin the show’s finale, the “Idol” top 11 are back in effect on Twitter and chatting it up with their online fans, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The move makes sense, since for the first time in the show’s history, followers can vote online this year and the contestants can use their tweet smarts to curry more favor. On the one hand, the list of top personal Twitter pages reflects the pecking order of the singers this season, with bullfrog-voiced country crooner Scotty McCreery topping the tally with 49,173 followers. But when you see that Casey Abrams is #2 on the roster (47,824), even after nearly being eliminated last week, it makes you wonder if Twitter is a good indicator of popularity. Coming in at #3 is bearded smoothie Paul McDonald (40,295 followers), with leading contender Pia Toscano close on his heels (34,271) and (at press time) just ahead of teen Lauren Alaina (34,250). Bottom-three visitor and fellow teen Thia Megia (32,922) is at #6, sneaking ahead of resident rocker James Durbin (32,772), followed by another bottom-three veteran, Stefano Langone (30,340), gospel crooner Jacob Lusk (19,864) and two-time bottom-three dweller Haley Reinhart (19,043). Not surprisingly, the list is rounded out by eliminated contestants Karen Rodriguez (17,572) and Ashthon Jones (7,978). In a troubling sign, wild-card singer Naima Adedapo , who has hit the bottom three once, is sandwiched in between the two eliminated singers at #12 on the list with 15,538 followers. McCreery might lead the list, but his tweets are mostly bland platitudes, many of them devoted to announcing when he’s hitting the hay, extolling the virtues of Cap’n Crunch, excitement about meeting boxing great Muhammad Ali and playing catch with the show’s security guards. “Not much going on right now. Just got outta rehearsal and now I’m just layin’ on the bed looking at the ceiling,” he wrote as the first week of live performance shows was getting under way. “Thinking about life.” Abrams, who has teased McCreery about the cowboy’s trouble in figuring out Twitter, talked about his trips to the hospital , fielded offers to jam from former finalist Andrew Garcia and entertained album title suggestions for his many Twitter alter egos, including “Lumberjack” and “Paul Bunyan.” McDonald has kept things pretty business-like and focused on show-related details, while high-schooler Alaina is typically active on the service, mostly expressing her love for her fans, a tactic also employed by Toscano. Durbin keeps things focused on professional wrestling and entreaties to bring back real rock , while Megia thanks her “Thianatic” followers and frequent tweeter Langone gets lots of love from past “Idol” contestants (Lee DeWyze, David Archuleta, Michael Sarver) and their followers amid spirited defenses of his mother. Although the “Idol” kids live in a media bubble, Lusk has lamented the passing of rap luminary Nate Dogg . Reinhart has made her feed a fount of excitable comments to fans and fellow contestants. Adedapo might be the most active tweeter, responding to fan and friend comments throughout the day on an almost minute-by-minute basis, sharing details about her children and keeping in touch with her fan-generated TeamNaima feed. The Reporter noted that the seven most-followed contestants have all been considered fan favorites at some point this season, with Abrams and Megia the only ones to hit the bottom three. Four of the six least-followed were wild-card picks, with five of them dropping into the bottom three at least once since the semi-finals. Which “Idol” finalist are you following on Twitter? Let us know in the comments below! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘Idol Party Live’ With MTV News’ Jim Cantiello And Michael Buckley ‘American Idol’ In 60 Seconds Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
If you didn’t get your poster fill from The Tree of Life and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II , don’t worry: The boys from The Hangover Part II have arrived from Thailand, and they’ve brought a monkey in a sleeveless jean jacket. Let’s get this party started?
It wasn’t quite the shinding we expected to hear about , but Aretha Franklin definitely rang in the last year of her 60′s in style in NYC this weekend. First, on Friday she threw the livest party ever thrown for a soon-to-be-septuagenarian at the Hemsley Park Lane. Aretha did it up with Star Jones, Permed Up Al, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Gayle King, Bette Midler and others. Then, yesterday she had a cozy dinner with her longtime homie Clive Davis at Le Bernardin. The 18-time Grammy winner had to cancel her tour when she was hospitalized in December and underwent surgery, but spies said she was in great form over dinner with Davis Thursday night. Our spy said: “They were toasting her health and her birthday. Word spread, and a crowd gathered outside. When the two emerged, there were flashbulbs and loud cheers.” Good for Auntie! She deserves it! (We do hope one of those gifts was a better bra… or some kind of surgical lift, because Auntie’s looking sloppy.) Check out photos from the party below.
