Michael Giltz: American Idol Returns -- Phoenix
American Idol kicks off Season Eight without missing a beat: new judge Kara DioGuardi fits in smoothly; the contestants (as usual) run the gamut of the good, the bad and the ugly; and the editing keeps it all entertaining. Idol is every show wrapped up into one: a comedy for those who enjoy the bad auditions, a reality show for those who prefer the sob story personal profiles and the backstage drama of the Hollywood section, and a variety show for those who love the judges' banter, the taped comedy bits and

IDOL: "Bikini Girl" Outrages New Judge, Blind Contestant Advances
The claws came out on the eighth season premiere of Fox's American Idol Tuesday as new judge Kara DioGuardi made her television debut. To stand out from the crowd, 20-year-old contestant Katrina Darrell decided to wear a barely-there bikini as she auditioned in Phoenix. Can you guess which celeb this bikini bod belongs to? After her rendition of Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love," judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson sent her through - but DioGuardi didn't think she had "swing." So DioGuardi re-sa

BARACK OBAMA INAUGURAL NEIGHBORHOOD & KIDS CONCERT BALLS INAUGURATION EVENTS
Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Talent Lineup for Neighborhood Inaugural Ball and Kids' Inaugural Concert   Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, JAY-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder to perform, Nick Cannon to DJ at Neighborhood Inaugural Ball Airing Exclusively on ABC, Tuesday January 20 Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Bow Wow to perform with Billy Ray Cyrus, Keke Palmer, Usher and Shaquille O'Neal scheduled to appear durin

Inaugural Balls draw Miley, JoBros, Beyonce and Jay-Z
Just announced: Look for Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Bow Wow at Monday's Kid's Inaugural ball. It will air on the Disney Channel at 8 ET. And on Tuesday, husband and wife -  Beyonce and Jay-Z - will both be at Tuesday's Neighborhood Ball, along with Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. ABC will air the ball from 8-10 p.m. ET. Posted at 03:51 PM/ET, January 13, 2009 in Inauguration 2009 | Per

Beyonce's Coming to the Neighborhood!
Beyonce Knowles will perform at the official Neighborhood Ball on Jan. 20, along with Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and others. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer) Well, we were wrong: One of the official inaugural balls is going be awesome. After decades of B-list entertainment at the inaugural balls, the Presidential Inaugural Committee just announced the line-up for the official "The Neighborhood Ball" at the Convention Center: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wo

DioGuardi -- The Spice for Season 8
The new "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi isn't afraid to voice her opinion and she's shown that this season of the competition is going to be quite different than the past. DioGuardi is a songwriter who has written hits for artists like Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Ashlee Simpson and "American Idol" champs David Cook, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. DioGuardi also co-owns the publishing company Arthouse Entertainment -- which made hits like David Archuleta's "Crush" and OneRepublic's "Apolo

Lyrics Quiz: Best of 2008
The songs are listed chronologically from when I put them in my iTunes playlist that helps me track the best songs throughout the years. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section or e-mail me. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them. Now onto the last lyric quiz of the year:1. You said I must eat so many lemons ‘cause I am so bitter. I

American Idol 8: Kara DioGuardi Debuts!
It’s finally time for American Idol 8 to return to television! Returning for another season are judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, who are joined by a new face, Kara DioGuardi, who has worked with Jewel, Pink, Celine Dion, and The Pussycat Dolls! This time around FOX heads to Phoenix, Arizona to begin the search for this season’s idol! American Idol 8 begins with a tribute to the past seven seasons, and a replay of the American Idol 7 finale wherein David Cook beat David Arch

Katrina Darrell Audition Video - American Idol
Gee, I wonder how a girl with a smokin hot body gets through to the next round. You guessed it - just put on that tiny bikini and strut your stuff! No wonder Randy and Simon liked her. Katrina sang Vision of Love by Mariah Carey.

Lady GaGa’’s ”Just Dance” tops UK singles chart
London, Jan 12 (ANI): Hip New York singer Lady GaGa has knocked X Factor champion Alexandra Burke off the top of the UK singles chart. The US pop singer - real name Stefani Germanotta - leaps to number one this week with her debut single ''" /> -->

Former ‘American Idol’ Finalist Clay Aiken Confirms the Obvious- He’s Gay
After years of avoiding questions regarding his sexuality, American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has come out of the closet, confirming he’s gay. Duh. “It was the first decision I made as a father,” Aiken, who recently had a baby boy via artificial insemination with Jaymes Foster, a 50-year-old record producer and close friend he’s known for five years, told People magazine in a cover story interview that will hit newsstands on Friday. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide th

‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’ Ft. James Blunt, Alphabeat & More
James Blunt, Alphabeat, James Morrison, Scouting For Girls, Eva Mendes, 'X Factor' contestant Diana Vickers and other celebs combined to "sing" the English Christmas carol 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas', for ITN. Watch it below.

‘American Idol’ Judge Simon Cowell Weighs in on Clay Aiken’s Gay Announcement
“Wow, that’s a shock,” Cowell joked to Extra when the syndicated entertainment news program informed him of the former American Idol runner-up’s decision to finally confirm what everyone but his most deluded Claymate fans had already figured out. “It’s like being told Santa Clause isn’t real — unbelievable.” All joking aside, Cowell said he was happy for Aiken. “Good for him. If he said it, it’s the right thing for him,” Cowell told Ex

American Idol - American Idol Star Clay Aiken Confirms Homosexuality
After years of dodging speculation about his sexuality, American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has revealed that he is gay.Aiken finished behind Ruben Studdard in the ...

‘24′ to Return with Four Hour, 2 day Premiere Event
Fox has announced a date for the long-awaited return of 24, planning a two-night, four-hour event on Sunday, January 11 and Monday, January 12 at 8pm ET.  The series will then move into its regular timeslot at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, January 19.  Due to last season’s strike, these will be the first new episodes of the series in nearly two years. The seventh season debut will open with CTU dismantled and Jack Bauer on trial. Bauer’s day takes an unexpected turn when former colleague Tony

Diana Vickers laughs off ‘claw hand’ comments
‘Fans’ on the internet have mocked the singer for her strange hand movements while performing, with several Facebook groups - including one called ‘I Want To Pull Diana Vickers Hand Off And Slap Her With It’ - proving popular with thousands of users. “Diana finds the press she’s been getting about her hand funny,” a source has said, “She is happy with her songs and she wants to give a performance like she was giving at the beginning of the show. She is also looking forward to

Talking About Beyoncé's Shaving Habits Is The Pits [Dirt Bag]
Okay, so they're saying Beyoncé had a little armpit hair at the Cadillac Records premiere. 1) Who cares? 2) Can you even see it? [Mirror] A reader points out you can barely see Beyoncé's pit hair in Perez's pictures, though on TMZ, her pits seem especially hirsute. Photoshop of horrors? [Perez Hilton, TMZ] Surely when Kanye West said that Beyoncé is "just as great, if not greater, than artists we had in the past. She’s probably greater than Tina Turner," he had not seen this. [Perez Hilton] Tina Turner

“The Symphony”
I threw together a history of “The Symphony” concept/beat. I know it’s been pretty exhausted over time, but if you’d like to make a Loosies post on it feel free to use this. I appreciate the shout out from Beware for the Quik joints! –Dylan Extra verbiage from DJB, giving some backstory on some of the tracks. – Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” is one of the original sources (Assist to Ivan). – EPMD reworked the concept with a new beat for their

Cat Power: Cat Power: Dark End of the Street EP (Preview)
There's much to be said for a beautiful voice interpreting an excellent song, and Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power, has shown a great appreciation for this fact on her two previous cover albums. This time out, she offers a collection that crosses the pond to cover the Pogues, goes back to the Sixties for Creedence Clearwater Revivial's "Fortunate Son," and explores classic Motown with interpretations of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. The collection takes its name from James Carr's oft-covered so

“Cadillac” Cruises With Nine Black Reel Award Noms!
While the automotive industry is searching for a bailout, the critics have given their stamp of approval to a cinematic “Caddy.” The story of the rise and fall of a pioneering Blues studio,  “Cadillac Records” secured nine nominations to lead the pack for the 2008 Black Reel Awards. The bittersweet tale of blues legends Leonard Chess, Muddy Waters, Lil’ Walter, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon and Etta James was artfully reproduced although it struggl

More artists sign up for “Yes We Can”.
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, which has inspired a multitude of songs by stars and amateurs alike, is now getting an official soundtrack. “Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement,” which takes its title from an Obama campaign slogan, features Kanye West, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and others. It will be available for sale exclusively through Obama’s campaign starting Friday. Proceeds from the CD ($24.99 for a digital download, $30 for a physical product) wi

Heath Ledger ‘The Joker’ Action Figure
The figure stands 12-inches tall, features 32-points of articulation, and comes with a choice of two removable heads, one with a huge grin, the other with the slicked back hair. Accessories include a removable clown mask, handgun, a bigger gun, duffle bag, smoke and fragmentation grenades, playing cards, gotham city money and more. They even have little mini hand grenades — this toy is made for adults. source: [film]   Related Stories: Heath Led

American Idol: Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis In Ain’t Misbehavin’ Tour
American Idol season two winner, Ruben Studdard is starring in the the 30th Anniversary national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Ain’t Misbehavin’. Fellow American Idol performer Frenchi Davis is also in the production. The tour will make a stop in the New York City area at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx on May 16th, 2009. Since winning the American Idol  crown, Ruben Studdard has released three albums: Soulful, I Need an Angel and The Return. Frenchie Davis, wh

American Idol - Studdard Met Wife At Wal-mart
AMERICAN IDOL winner Ruben Studdard will never forget meeting his wife for the first time - because it was between the aisles of U.S. budget store Wal-Mart. Studdard was ...

24: Redemption (24: The Movie): Trailer B
The second trailer for 24: Redemption. After sacrificing everything for his country, Jack Bauer (Sutherland) is wanted by the U.S. government and now stands to lose the only thing he has left: his freedom. Working as a missionary in Africa, Bauer is called upon to stop a ruthless warlord from drafting innocent children into his murderous militia. First, Bauer must confront his own torturous past and face an impossible decision that will change his life forever. A decision that will set the stage and raise t