And it is … June 19. Of this very year! Bieber announced this crucial Believe information last night on The Voice , where he also debuted 45 seconds of semi-scandalous footage from his upcoming “Boyfriend” video. We’re not usually big on music-video teasers, but really, there is so much to unpack here. Justin Bieber whispers seductively into bejeweled ears! Justin Bieber stands seductively in front… Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : Vulture Discovery Date : 18/04/2012 15:21 Number of articles : 2
Jessica Sanchez gives ‘otherworldly’ performance after near elimination last week and Hollie Cavanagh finally ‘ruffled her feathers.’ By Adam Graham Jessica Sanchez on “American Idol” Photo: Fox “American Idol” opened Wednesday (April 18) with a recap of last week’s Jessica Sanchez near-elimination drama , but before the show could get down to the business of the top seven (round two), host Ryan Seacrest paid tribute to television legend and his mentor Dick Clark , who died Wednesday at age 82. “Now we can’t begin tonight’s show without acknowledging the passing of a television pioneer and my dear friend, Dick Clark,” said a somber Seacrest. “Without Dick, a show like this would not exist. He will be missed greatly; our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family. I know he’s in a better place saying, ‘Hey, let’s get on with the show, OK?’ You got it, boss.” The contestants sang two songs each, the first a #1 hit from 2000 to today, the second an old-school soul classic. After nearly being booted last week, Sanchez fought back on the “Idol” stage, first with Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’ ” and later with a spunky version of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” “Your talent is so otherworldly to me,” Randy Jackson told Sanchez — or was it BB Chez? — after “Fallin’.” “I don’t even know if you know how good you really are, and how even greater you can be. I love it.” Following “Tenderness,” the judges praised her ability to connect emotionally to songs, and urged her to push it even further going forward. Joshua Ledet, who for the first time last week landed in the bottom three, also came back strong, earning standing ovations from the judges for both his songs, first Fantasia’s “I Believe” and later for Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” “You have stretched your voice to the limits of soul!” Steven Tyler beamed after “Change.” Praising the restraint he showed early before building to a robust climax, Jennifer Lopez made a plea to viewers: “Please, America, don’t send this boy home! Please!” All around cool dude Phillip Phillips took on Usher’s “U Got It Bad” early before tackling Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” in the second half of the show. Lopez called “U Got It Bad” “sexy” while Tyler exclaimed, “no chump love, sucka!” — a comment we’re still trying to decode. But overall, the feedback for Phillip Squared was positive. “You are Phillip Phillips and dude, you are the bomb!” said Jackson. After receiving harsh criticism the past few weeks — or at least what passes for harsh criticism on this rather tame, gentle season of “Idol”— Hollie Cavanagh came back big on Wednesday, first by belting out Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” perhaps the biggest song any of the contestants took on all night, and later with “Son of a Preacher Man.” “You finally came out of your shell and ruffled your feathers a little,” Tyler told her, while Lopez told the 18-year-old Liverpudlian she showed a new composure in her performance. Country-rock boot stomper Skylar Laine continued her hot streak, first with Lady Gaga’s country-fried version of “Born This Way” and later with a down-home version of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” “Every time you’re on stage it’s a party. It’s the Skylar Laine Rock and Roll Country Party!” Jackson exclaimed, while Tyler said she’s “like a wild horse that refused to be tamed.” Lopez complimented Laine on the “spunkiness” of her performance. Colton Dixon also got his Gaga on, doing a goth-lite version of “Bad Romance,” even though the song technically never hit #1 in America (it peaked at #2 on Billboard ‘s Hot 100). He later put an emo spin on Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” a performance that got him some negative feedback from the judges. “I think your voice is a lot more powerful than that song,” Tyler told him, while Jackson said the song was out of his comfort zone. Dixon, who generally gets good marks from the judges, looked a bit surprised but took his dings in stride. Elise Testone, whom Jimmy Iovine snarked “has a vacation home in the bottom three,” was also criticized for performing what the judges deemed an odd fit for her voice when she did Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Earlier, her version of Alicia Keys’ “No One” gave Lopez her “first goosies of the night,” while Tyler got a little weird when he told her, “You sang your little tushie off tonight, it was delish.” Testone also revealed that back home her dog is sick and might not pull through, which could earn her some sympathy votes from the masses. Since the judges’ one and only save was used up last week, someone will be sent home on Thursday’s program, which is also set to feature performances by LMFAO and season 8 “Idol” champ Kris Allen. What did you think of “Idol” Wednesday? 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. 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Did Christina Aguilera diss Justin Bieber on “The Voice”? That’s the big buzz after Tuesday’s show, where The Biebs previewed “Boyfriend” and talked about his upcoming album Believe . Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gossip Cop Discovery Date : 18/04/2012 08:54 Number of articles : 2
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
Five years to the day after a mentally ill student gunned down 32 people at Virginia Tech, the university held classes for the first time on the anniversary of that event. Officials said resuming classes on the anniversary of the April 16, 2007, rampage was another way to honor the students and faculty who perished that day. Freshman Jessie McNamara wasn’t on campus at the time, but remembered the moment the shooting occurred. Two girls from her high school were victims. “It was really hard, but we got through it,” she said, her voice choking with emotion. Virginia Tech Shooting Anniversary Though she thinks of the shooting every time she passes the April 16 Memorial on the VT campus, the freshman said she feels secure at the school. “I feel 100 percent safe,” she said, adding that anniversary events such as vigils reinforce the huge community support system available to students. Virginia Tech also marked the five-year anniversary at midnight this morning with the lighting of a ceremonial candle that will remain lit for 24 hours. Members of the university’s Corps of Cadets stood guard at the candle for 32 minutes and will do so again Monday night before it is extinguished. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is scheduled to speak at a commemoration and candlelight vigil on Monday night at the campus in Blacksburg, Va.
Gil Kaufman and James Montgomery face off on what ‘Songs From This Decade’ the top seven should tackle. By Gil Kaufman and James Montgomery Jessica Sanchez Photo: FOX For weeks, it’s felt like we’ve been screaming into the void. We keep begging “American Idol” to get with the program and borrow a page from rivals like “The Voice” and “X Factor” by having the finalists sing songs that were released in the decades since Randy Jackson played bass for Carlos Santana. It’s a novel concept, we know. Seriously, enough with the Billy Joel and Michael Jackson theme nights! Not another collection of Elton John, disco or Frank Sinatra songs, please! Give us something contemporary, dudes — or at least something that may give our aunt in Virginia pause. Finally, “Idol” producers seem to have heard our pleas and given the top seven a shot at sounding halfway relevant this week with “Songs From This Decade” night. Now, the reality singing gods giveth and they taketh away, so while we’re in mortal fear of hearing Jason Mraz and Train songs, we’re also a bit torn about what is likely to turn into an Adele-valanche. Be careful what you wish for. But we’ll take it. So here’s what songs MTV News’ resident “Idol” experts think the remaining contestants should tackle. They failed to take our advice on last week’s ’80-themed show , and look how that one turned out … DeAndre . Read on for our picks! Joshua Ledet Josh smashed it last week and is once again at the top of his game. But here’s the thing: The guy remains an R&B tabula rasa, personality-wise. It’s hard to see him headlining an arena tour or filming an iconic video. Since we hear he’s way more confident off-camera than on, L-Deezy needs to get a little grimy, and what better way to do that than with Usher’s “OMG”? Or, if he must, I offer a one-time-only Adele dispensation for “Someone Like You.” — Kaufman I see him going one of two ways tonight: Either he embraces his brassy, sassy side and does Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” — which he’d kill,
Tuesday’s episode picks up in the aftermath of a car crash that left fans wondering the fate of Quinn. By Christina Garibaldi Dianna Agron Photo: MTV News The break is finally over for “Glee” fans, who, after a seven-week wait, may finally get their burning questions answered on Tuesday night (April 10). In the closing moments of the February 21 episode, Dianna Agron ‘s character, Quinn, is driving to Rachel and Finn’s wedding when she receives a text message. Her decision to reply resulted in a cringe-worthy crash and left viewers with a shocking cliffhanger . “Well, I knew [the crash] was coming because Ryan [Murphy] called me and said, ‘How do you feel about this?’ ” Agron told MTV News on Monday. “For me, the year after I graduated there were seven teens that died in car-related accidents, it was from drunk driving, texting and speeding … so I did think it was something that was important to be explored and could have an impact on people, so I wasn’t shocked or surprised.” It hasn’t always been easy for Quinn, who gave her baby daughter up for adoption, but it seemed like things were starting to look up for her after she was accepted to Yale and offered her old spot on the cheerleading squad. “I think everybody wants to know what happened because if that’s the last we see of Quinn, it’s very shocking,” Agron said. “But again, I think that the way it turned out to be, I think people will be satisfied with it and hopefully it will resonate with some people.” SPOILERS AHEAD So what happens to Quinn? “Well, they [Fox] released two songs yesterday for the next episode … and that very well might be my voice on those songs, it sounds an awful lot like my voice,” Agron laughed. The actress “has been filming the whole break,” and while she couldn’t give away too many details, she did say that Tuesday’s episode will not pick up exactly where we left off. “It’s not supposed to be the next week, it’s meant to be a couple months later,” she said. “It’s not the immediate aftermath.” Until the finale, “Glee” will chronicle the final days of McKinley’s High’s seniors as they gear up for graduation. “I think it will be fun and interesting for people to keep watching because it’s a lot of our last couple of weeks before graduation and it really explores a lot of that, and those feeling and what that entails,” Agron said. “I just think that everything that one experiences in that time period is what is going on there. For me, it’s nice to know and relive and think about those times.” Yet, what fans really want to know, will we be reliving Finn and Rachel’s wedding? “There’s still a ring!” Agron said Are you excited for the return of “Glee”? Let us know in the comments.
Teams Adam and Cee Lo hit the stage to sing for America’s votes. By John Mitchell Jamar Rogers on “The Voice” Photo: NBC Last week on “The Voice,” Teams Blake and Christina hit the live stage and saw their numbers dwindle by two contestants each after all was said and done. On Monday night (April 9), it was Team Cee Lo and Team Adam’s turn to sing for their survival in the competition and secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Levine and Green, out of his Elvis clown costume from last week but sporting the bright red he’s been rocking all season, seemed in good spirits at the top of the show, even joking with Blake about how underdressed he was. Remember: The top three vote-getters from each team will move on automatically, while the bottom three will perform for their respective coach (and America, duh!) Tuesday night, hoping to secure Cee Lo or Adam’s lone “save” to stay in the hunt to be the next “Voice.” Away we go! Up first was Team Adam’s Katrina Parker, singing the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.” Adam’s big advice for Katrina was to stay away from belting too hard to avoid comparisons to Adele. She did what he said but drew mixed reviews from the judges, who felt the song wasn’t a good showcase for Parker’s talents. Team Cee Lo’s first contestant to take the stage was Cheesa, whose play on the ’70s classic “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was brimming with coach Cee Lo’s signature Technicolor swagger and had the judges championing her showmanship. “That was like watching ‘Solid Gold,’ ” Blake said. “That had Cee Lo written all over it.” Team Adam’s Tony Lucca has become an early favorite for one big reason: He used to share the TV screen with coach Christina Aguilera — who’s been looking better than ever with toned-down makeup and hair since the live shows began — on Disney’s “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Sensing what Aguilera ultimately called out — that he can be a “one-dimensional” performer, who has been helped along by his connection to her — Adam pushed Lucca to go more pop with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” but Lucca’s rocker growl struggled through the song’s falsetto moments. Kim Yarbrough was reliably strong if imperfect singing Adele, but when are we going to put a moratorium on tackling Adele? In its relatively short life, “Rolling in the Deep” has been pillaged by reality-TV singing contestants almost as much as, well, Christina’s “Beautiful” circa 2004-ish “American Idol.” Boston mechanic James Massone from Team Cee Lo got tossed a curveball with Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” and proved himself both a chameleon with a killer falsetto (take lessons, Tony Lucca) and quite a lady’s man. Blake was his most enthusiastic supporter, declaring, “I almost threw my panties on the stage just now.” (And here we thought he only got worked up like that when his best bro hit the stage. Hope Adam doesn’t get jealous!) Meanwhile, the night’s next two performers, gravel-voiced rocker Juliet Simms and unique-voiced Mathai, played right to their strengths with Sting’s “Roxanne” and a jazzy remix of John Legend’s “Ordinary People,” respectively, and earned the expected raves. “You did the best of anyone who’s performed so far,” Adam said of Simms. “Your voice is dope, ” Xtina concurred. Ultra-confident rocker Tony Vincent was up next, singing “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” If the Broadway-meets-dictator-podium stage setup was strange, his vocal performance was anything but. He reeled it in from previous performances and proved he could control his powerful voice. Simms, Mathai and Vincent were definitely tough acts to follow, but subdued Karla Davis, singing “Airplanes,” and Team Cee Lo’s former model Erin Martin were picked for the task. Christina called Karla the “biggest surprise of the night,” while Blake criticized the song choice, and even Adam commented that Davis did a stronger job when she was less nervous while they were practicing in the rehearsal space. Martin certainly brought serious production values to her take on the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” (with her chariot and man dancers, she was giving us Madonna at the Super Bowl vibes, albeit in a much smaller way) but forgot to bring much aggression to her actual performance. “Here we go again with the male strippers,” Blake commented. “I think Blake just bought a one-way ticket to Boner Town,” Adam quipped in response. “And it’s not refundable,” he hit back. It’s never a great sign when the judges are more consumed by the production than the performance when you’re on a show called “The Voice,” is it? The folks behind the scenes wisely chose two of the show’s best-known showstoppers for the end of the night, saving Team Adam’s preppy Pip and Team Cee Lo’s Jamar Rogers for last. Adam wanted Pip to break out of his shell and gave him the chance to show off his rock-star bona fides with “When You Were Young.” Pip brought flash, but Christina wasn’t loving it, saying she didn’t feel like he was connected to the song and had early pitch issues. Adam agreed; Pip’s got the voice, but he’s missing the grit and, should he move forward, that is something they will have to work on. Closing out the night, Rogers hit the stage in his best Michael Jackson jacket for Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” The audience loved it and so did the judges, and Jamar, with his unstoppable stage presence and dramatic backstory of overcoming drug addiction and living with HIV, continues to seem like a front-runner in the competition. Who do you think gave the best performance tonight on “The Voice”? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Adam Levine Cee Lo Green Blake Shelton Christina Aguilera
The photo-sharing social network, which was bought by Facebook for $1 billion, has attracted the likes of Selena Gomez and Wiz Khalifa. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift Photo: Instagram / @TaylorSwift13 With the announcement on Monday (April 9) that it had been bought by Facebook for a cool $1 billion, Instagram seems destined to be the next big thing. Especially when you consider the fact that celebrities like Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian already smitten with the photo-sharing social network. Of the 30 million users on the site, a few A-listers have been using the site to connect to their fans and show a more personal side of themselves, giving fans an inside view of what it’s like to be them. So who are the most avid Instagram users in the celebrity world? Taylor Swift is a leader of the pack with more than 1 million followers. Her more than 70 photos include her hanging on the beach, chilling with her friends and, most recently, in Las Vegas, where she won Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Like her pal Taylor, Selena Gomez connects by sharing a mixture of career-related and personal snaps with more than 1 million followers. Recently, she posted a snapshot of her and her dog, accompanied by the caption, “Me and chippers laying outside. He looks scared lol.” She has shared more than 150 photos on the social network. Meek Mill has posted more than 1,200 photos on his Instagram account to his nearly 250,000 followers. He often shares lyrics and photos of himself in the studio, with messages like “Me & @bigseangood just made greatness we gone drop it on y’all getting it next week!” Rihanna has used her Instagram to create a sort of look book, sharing her fashion photos with nearly 450,000 followers. One of her most recent looks was a photo of herself at 13, smiling and sporting braids. And Kim Kardashian has found yet another way to let the world in on her life through her account , which has attracted just shy of 1 million followers. The reality starlet recently poked fun at stepdad Bruce Jenner when she shared a photo of an old cereal box from his Olympic days with the message “Breakfast of champions!!!!” Chris Brown , under the handle f—yopictures , has a following of nearly 250,000. His 69 photos feature him on set and hanging around shirtless at rehearsals as well as photos from his shoe collection. Wiz Khalifa ‘s more than 350,000 followers get a sneak peek into his personal life with photos of the MC with his fianc
‘I love it; my hair is a big part of me,’ latest castoff tells MTV News of his lustrous locks. By James Montgomery DeAndre Brackensick Photo: MTV News Since getting the boot from “American Idol” last week, DeAndre Brackensick has made no bones about the fact that he had “no regrets” about anything he did on the show — in particular, his decision to flash his feathery falsetto , even if he did know it was divisive, to say the very least. “My voice is one of the voices where either you love it or you can’t stand it, and I think [‘Idol’ mentor] Jimmy [Iovine] didn’t really have a feel for my voice,” he told MTV News. “But it’s fine, because I take everything he does say to me to heart. … I have much love for Jimmy.” And perhaps realizing that some folks weren’t the biggest fans of his voice, Brackensick is adamant about the fact that he avoided reading anything written about him during his time on the show — a move which he admits was easier said than done. “That was probably the hardest part; not trying to give in to people’s nonsense. I never read anything about me. I made that mistake last year,” he said of getting to Hollywood Week in 2011. “It’s horrible. Anybody who does try out for next season, just stay off of that, period. Because it’s just words. Like, dude, look where you’re at. It still hurts, because people are just ignorant at times. Nah, I stay off that.” Then again, he was aware that most commenters seemed to focus on his hair rather than his singing — and surprisingly, he didn’t have a problem with that. I mean, it is an incredible mane, after all. “I take that as a compliment, you know?” he laughed. “That’s my trademark. It’s part of who I am, and it’s natural, which is not common nowadays. So I love it; my hair is a big part of me.” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
