Facebook.com/MariahCareyMariah Carey has been forced to do damage control about a comment she made regarding Britney Spears' new job as an X Factor judge.
The day that the announcement came that Britney had been named to the judging panel of Simon Cowell's show, Extra asked Mariah what her reaction was to the news, since her own name had been bandied about as a possible judge. Mariah's response was, "You think I focus on that stuff? Have we met? I love [Britney], honestly. I think she's a very nice person, but I don't care who's going on that show -- as long as it's not me."
Mariah was immediately slammed in the press and online for what some considered to those flippant and "diva-esque" comments. That's why she tweeted Wednesday to both Britney and Simon, "of course I luv care about you dahhlings, congrats! U never know what's true or gossip,I was joking around! xo."
MatchboxTwenty.comMatchbox Twenty's long-awaited new album finally has a title and a release date. It's called North, and it'll be in stores September 4, according to a tweet from lead singer Rob Thomas. He added that the first single is called "She's So Mean," and it'll be out "in the next couple weeks."
North will be the band's first full album of original material since 2002's More than You Think You Are. Their most recent release as a band was the 2007 best-of, Exile on Mainstream, which contained a handful of new tracks.
Matchbox Twenty guitarist Paul Doucette tells Rolling Stone that the title of North refers to "us finding our way." He explains, "We went into this record with a lot of material. Many different songs that could have taken us in many different directions. It sort of overwhelmed us for a bit. But, at a certain point, we figured it out. We figured out where 'North' was."
Since the release of More than You Think You Are, Rob has launched a successful solo career, with two albums -- Cradle Songs and Something to Be -- and hits like "Lonely No More," "Her Diamonds," "Someday," "This Is How a Heart Breaks," "Ever the Same" and "Streetcorner Symphony."
In other Matchbox Twenty news, Rob Thomas tweeted that he enjoyed American Idol contestant Phillip Phillips' version of the band's hit "Disease." Phillip performed the song, which Rob co-wrote with Mick Jagger, on Wednesday, and Rob wrote, "last night was my first time seeing phillip phillips. i thought he did a really good job. i like where he took it."
Facebook.com/DonnaSummerDonna Summer has died at the age of 63, after a battle with cancer. Despite her legacy as the Queen of Disco, reaction to her death on Twitter and online proves that her work was a huge influence on every genre of music.
Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes wrote in a blog post that Summer's pioneering hit "I Feel Love" was "certainly a key influence on my work with Duran Duran." He added, "There is no doubt that her song...had a dramatic effect on modern music....[she and her producer] pioneered the use of electronic sequencers in dance music...It’s extremely rare that you hear one song that completely changes the way you perceive music. 'I Feel Love achieved that."
Adam Lambert tweeted,"RIP Donna Summer. glorious disco Goddess."
Boyz II Men tweeted, "It’s unfortunate that we have to say goodbye to another amazing talent. Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, our condolences to her family!"
Matchbox Twenty tweeted, "RIP Donna Summer. Thanks." Lead singer Rob Thomas further tweeted, "RIP Donna Summer. Loss of a great talent."
Ryan Seacrest tweeted, "I remember sitting in the front seat of my mom's toyota while she sang Donna Summer's "she works hard for the money" songs were just classic."
Rihanna simply tweeted, "Donna Summer?" and someone replied, "Sadly, yes," which she retweeted.
Katharine McPhee wrote, "RIP Donna Summer…hope you’re dancing up there."
Mary J. Blige: "RIP Donna Summer!!!!!!!!! You were truly a game changer!!!"
Natasha Bedingfield: "just heard that #DonnaSummer died today. This is awful! She was so incredible. Her and her family are some of the most beautiful people. I met Donna at the #NobelPeacePrize awards. her and her husband were so kind. this is such a huge loss
Gloria Estefan tweeted, "Few singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer! It's the end of an era. Peace & prayers 2 all who loved her. I will miss her!"
LaToya Jackson: "My condolence to #Donna Summer's family & love ones. She will be terribly missed. She was truly the #Disco Queen!
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: "woah! donna summer gone to the great beyond !!!...i love donna summer RIP"
Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos: "so sad about donna summer....way to young. sending lots of love and light."
Hayley Williams of alt-pop rockers Paramore retweeted a link to video of Summer doing a live performance of her song "On the Radio," and wrote, "rest in peace Donna Summer."
Tom Morello of alternative rockers Rage Against the Machine: "Rip Donna Summer. Thanks for the all time great disco jams."
Country star Billy Ray Cyrus: "R I P #Donna Summer LEGEND !!! Your music will live forever."
The Recording Academy, the organization that hands out the Grammys, said in a statement, "Donna Summer had a dynamic voice and unique musical style that helped define the dance music genre in the ‘70s. She also was an artist who crossed many musical genres, as evidenced by her Grammy wins in the R&B, rock, inspirational and dance categories. Her talent was a true gift to the music industry, and our thoughts and sympathies are with her family, friends and fans throughout the world during this difficult time."
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty ImagesRussell Brand continued his amicable split from Katy Perry when he told Ellen DeGeneres that he still loved her.
On Thursday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Russell said although he was moving on from his divorce from Perry, he still wished her the best. "I love her as a human being," the 36-year-old British comedian admitted. "I was very happy to be married with her. She's such a beautiful human being and I just have only love and positivity for her."
Promoting his latest film, Rock of Ages, set to hit theaters on June 15, Russell also said that he doesn't regret his 14-month marriage to Perry, because sometimes relationships just don't work out.
"You can’t absolutely make everything the way you want it to be in life," he said. "Sometimes things are just different and then you have to just move with that and try and remain in contact with what is beautiful about yourself and each other…with any situation."
Russell and Katy finalized their divorce in February, following what many have called the friendliest split in Hollywood. Although Russell could have claimed millions in their divorce, he instead waived his right to any of 27-year-old Perry's $44 million fortune.
Katy was spotted with Florence the Machine guitarist Robert Ackroyd at the Coachella festival last month.
Facebook.com/TheWantedThe Wanted inspires non-stop screaming from females all over the world, and some of those females will stop at nothing to meet one of the British boy banders -- even if it means sealing themselves in a box for hours.
Recalling the group's craziest fan encounter, Wanted member Siva Kaneswaran tells AOL's Music Blog that recently, he was moving into a new apartment, and when his moving van arrived, there was a box in there he didn't recognize it. "I saw this random box and I opened it up and the box is lined with plastic and there was a girl [in there]!" Siva says the unfortunate girl "stank," adding, "She was sweating. She was in there for 3 hours."
So what happened? Siva says, "I got her out of the box and she asked for a picture. So I gave her a picture and then I sent her on her way. She deserved a picture, I think."
Michael Tran/FilmMagicLast week in an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer on the Today show, Adele said that she wore "four pairs of Spanx" to the Grammy Awards -- and the woman who founded the undergarment company couldn't be more thrilled to hear it.
Speaking about the Grammys, Adele said "I had like three or four pairs of Spanx on that night...I took a couple pairs off when I sang." Now, Spanx founder Sarah Blakely tells Life & Style magazine, "We've heard about wearing double and triple pairs of Spanx, but I'm thrilled to hear that Adele is our first quadruple. Now that's commitment!"
Adele made her Spanx-tastic comments as part of the interview she did with Lauer for her upcoming NBC special Live in London, which airs June 3.
Disco and pop music icon Donna Summer has died, ABC News has confirmed. The singer passed away after a battle with cancer and died in Florida. She was 63 years old.
A statement from the family of Summer's husband, Bruce Sudano, reads: "Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."
The statement ends with a request to make a donation in Summer's name to the Salvation Army, in lieu of flowers.
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer -- a five-time Grammy Award winner known as the Queen of Disco -- revolutionized dance music with her seminal hits "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love." Those tracks established her career and were followed by a string of hits, including "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," "MacArthur Park," "Bad Girls" and "Dim All the Lights."
Summer continued her career into the '80s with hits like "She Works Hard for the Money" and "This Time I Know It's for Real." The first woman and the first African-American Artist ever to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, for "Hot Stuff," Summer was shortlisted for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but to date has never been inducted.
Summer's chart achievements and awards were numerous. She was the first artist ever to score three consecutive number-one double albums. She scored at least one Top 40 hit in every year from 1976 to 1984. Her presence on Billboard's Disco/Club Play chart spanned from 1975, with "Love to Love You Baby," through 2010, with "To Paris with Love."
In addition to her five Grammy Awards, Summer won six American Music Awards and was the first African-American woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award, for "She Works Hard for the Money." She was honored twice by the Dance Music Hall of Fame; she herself was inducted as a recording artist, and her song "I Feel Love" was also inducted.
According to Billboard, Summer is survived by her husband, three daughters, and four grandchildren.
Nile Rodgers, founder of Chic and one of dance music's architects, tweeted, "For the last half hour or so I've been lying in my bed crying and stunned. Donna Summer RIP."
Summer was most recently seen performing with Seal in David Foster's 2010 PBS special Foster & Friends and on America's Got Talent, performing with former contestant Prince Poppycock.
RCA RecordsGlamberts, rejoice -- your man Adam Lambert is back on the American Idol stage Thursday night to perform a song from his brand-new album, Trespassing, in stores this week.
Unlike some American Idol alumni, Adam follows the show closely, and has been quite outspoken about the fact that he thinks Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet are the two standouts this season. However, he stops short of trying to predict who he thinks will win the competition.
"I'm actually really thrilled at the last three who are there are there," Adam tells ABC News Radio. "They all have something really special. They all have something very different and that's great, and I think at this point, when you get down to the final three, it's not necessarily about who's the best singer, 'cause they're all really good. It's gonna just be about what's the popular style and personality."
Adam adds that he thinks all three of the remaining contestants will probably get great recording deals and make really great albums, adding, "I plan on buying all three 'cause I think they're all great."
And speaking of great albums, Adam's very proud of Trespassing, his sophomore album. He took complete creative control of the project, co-writing nearly every song and overseeing every aspect of the package, including the artwork.
Noting that he feels Trespassing is a "make or break" album for him, Adam tells ABC News Radio, "I made sure that every song, whether it was one of the upbeat songs or one of the more introspective, [was] very, very, very honest. And I think my fans...I think I owe them that. I think they've been there for me and I want to give them the most authentic experience possible."
Trespassing is made up of half upbeat funk, pop and electronic dance songs and half introspective ballads, and Adam says that's because he wanted to show his artistic depth. "Obviously, I think everybody has their ups and their downs and there's more dimensions to most people that just what you see when you first meet them or when you're out at a party with them," he explains. "I wanted to give my fans a little more insight into what goes on inside."
Adam says the album's title track, which recalls Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," sums up his feelings about competing in the pop music world. "It's about feeling like an outsider and feeling like the atypical type that gets to go into this business, in this world," he explains. "And instead of letting that be something that stops me or prevents me from doing it, I think the very fact that I'm different, it actually fuels me."
Adam adds, "It gives me a lot of ammo to go in and do my thing, and that's what Trespassing's all about."
ABC/Tim OgierJustin Bieber's toured the world before, but he has big plans for his next trek in support of his upcoming album, Believe. Forbes magazine reports that the tour, which will launch this fall, will take the Bieb to "every continent but Antarctica."
Forbes reports that Justin, who the mag estimates has a net worth of $80 million, has been guaranteed another 80 million bucks to do 125 concerts in total during the yearlong tour. Randy Phillips, the head of Justin's concert promoter, AEG Live, tells Forbes, "He’s not just an American domestic phenomenon, he’s a worldwide phenomenon.”
Justin tweeted on Wednesday that he'd be announcing some details of the tour next week, adding, "north america you are up first. get ready."
Forbesalso details Justin's investment activity -- turns out he's quite the venture capitalist. His manager, Scooter Braun, tells the magazine that the singer has between 2 percent and 5 percent of his net worth invested start-up in tech companies. Among them: Stamped, an app that lets users rate a variety of things; Viddy, a video-sharing app; Tinychat, a messaging platform; and Sojo Studios, a social media gaming company.
"I’m not going to invest in something I don’t like; I have to believe in the product,” Justin tells Forbes.
KellyClarkson.comKelly Clarkson may be a worldwide Grammy-winning superstar, but she's still a fan. Earlier this week, she appeared at ABC-TV's upfront presentation in her role as one of the mentors on the network's new show, Duets, but she said she was starstruck when she got to meet the actors from all her favorite ABC shows.
Kelly tweeted a picture of herself with Lana Parrilla, who plays the Evil Queen on ABC's Once Upon a Time, and wrote, "I love that she and the entire cast of Once Upon a Time were incredibly sweet and cool! Also, the casts of Revenge and Modern Family were amazing too!"
She added, "My favorite shows were all in one room for me to act like a ten year old kid and gush over them .....awesome day :)"
Kelly is also happy that she and her close friend, country superstar Reba McEntire, are now both connected to ABC family; this fall, the network will air Reba's new show Malibu Country. Kelly tweeted a picture of herself hugging Reba, and said, "@reba and I are officially members of the ABC family woohoo!!"
Frank Micelotta/FOXEarlier this week on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jennifer Lopez said she doesn't know if she'll return to American Idol next season. There are now multiple reports claiming she will in fact leave the Fox competition.
A source tells E! News that J-Lo is "just too busy" to continue with Idol. Similarly, an insider who spoke to Us Weekly says, "There is just too much going on for her right now."
Lopez told Ellen DeGeneres this week that she's unsure of her American Idol future in part because she has four-year-old twins to consider. She also has a summer tour with Enrique Iglesias on the horizon.
American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is keeping his fingers crossed that J-Lo will commit to another season of the show. He tells TMZ.com, "We want her back. I want her back."
FoxAmerican Idol's final three contestants -- Phillip Phillips, Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez -- faced off against each other Wednesday night in an epic battle that saw them each perform three numbers: one they chose themselves, one chosen by the judges and one chosen by mentor Jimmy Iovine. Viewers were also treated to footage of all three contestants visiting their respective hometowns this past weekend.
As far as the performances went, there was mostly praise all around, but there was also a near prediction from Steven Tyler as to who would take home the crown. Here's how it went down.
First Round: Judges' Choice
Randy Jackson chose Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind" -- which he incorrectly called "I'd Rather Be Blind" -- for Joshua Ledet. Joshua turned in his usual gritty, soulful performance and earned a standing ovation from all three judges. "After 70,000 people, there's only one American Idol," said Steven Tyler. "You sang like that one tonight." Jennifer Lopez said he brought down the house again, while Randy called it "amazing."
Jennifer chose Mariah Carey's "My All" for Jessica Sanchez, who was wearing a floor-length blue gown, to perform. The teen seemed to have a bit of trouble with the low notes, but the judges didn't seem to notice. Noting that it was a hard song to sing, J-Lo said that Jessica still managed to "do it so beautifully." Randy, who never misses a chance to remind people that he's worked with Mariah, called it the best rendition of one of her songs ever performed on TV.
Steven, though, couldn't contain his enthusiasm. "When you sing, you make people hang on your every note....You'll be the last one standing here, I believe," he said. When Ryan Seacrest asked him if he'd just made a prediction that Jessica would win, Steven quipped, "Don't I always?"
Steven chose "Beggin'," by Madcon, for Phillip, he said, just to see if he'd sing the original melody. The Georgia singer started the song out acoustically, but then the band kicked in and things picked up. However, he changed the melody yet again. Jennifer called the performance great, but teased him, saying, "You just gotta change the melody!" Steven said he hoped that Phillip would go on to write his own songs, because he could be the "New Age Boss, the new Springsteen."
Second Round: Contestants' Choice
Joshua chose John Lennon's "Imagine," which he said he'd randomly heard on the radio in the past week and connected with. All the judges praised Joshua for his connection to the lyrics, his vulnerable performance, and the fact that he reined in his voice a bit. "Beautiful," said Steven. "Another 'Thank you God' moment." Randy called it "stellar."
Jessica tempted fate by singing Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." In the past, Steven Tyler has been hard on contestants who attempted to sing one of his own hits, but he was full of praise for Jessica, saying, "You took a great song and made it greater."
Phillip performed an acoustic version of Matchbox Twenty's hit "Disease," and none of the judges liked it very much. While they said he sang well, Randy said it was too "subdued," while Jennifer said it wasn't the "wow performance" that's needed at this point in the competition.
Third Round: Jimmy Iovine's Choice
Jimmy chose Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama" for Joshua to sing, and the Louisiana native really took it to church, earning raves from the judges. Steven said he saw "the last 40 years of the music business" in Josh's performance, while Jennifer praised him for knowing exactly what he's doing onstage at all times, but still being able to completely let go emotionally. Randy said people should "stand up and vote for" Josh because of everything he's done up to this point in the competition.
For Jessica, Jimmy chose The Jackson 5's version of "I'll Be There" -- Mariah Carey, of course, also had a hit with it. The song allowed Jessica to show off her entire range, both high and low. Jennifer thought it was a good choice, but Randy said he didn't love it -- it was "just OK, it wasn't like, 'Ohmigod.'"
Thanks to Jimmy, Phillip sang Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight," and though he looked incredibly awkward without his guitar -- he kept on rubbing his hand against his leg -- he actually sang the melody, and the judges gave him a standing ovation. "The perfect song," said Randy, calling it Phillip's "best performance on the show ever." Jennifer said 20 million girls wished that he was singing the song to them, and Steven was so overwhelmed that he let an expletive fly and was bleeped out. Praising Phillips "passion," the Aerosmith frontman said, "You sang like you didn't give a s**t," and added, "Let them edit it out at home."
Someone's going home Thursday night, when the final two will be revealed, and season eight runner-up Adam Lambert will take the stage to perform.
Columbia RecordsAnother week, another sales milestone for Adele's album 21. Boosted by Mother's Day sales, the disc has now hit the nine million mark in the U.S., according to Yahoo!'s Chart Beat blog.
This new sales milestone makes 21 the first album to sell nine million copies since 2005, when Usher's album Confessions did it. What's more, Adele 's album hit nine million in just 64 weeks; it took Usher's 70 weeks to do so. Reaching the 10 million mark is now within reach for 21, and if it does, it'll leave platinum in the dust and receive an elite Diamond sales certification, which was instituted in 1999.
Meanwhile, while Adele's 21 sits at #2 on the Billboard album chart, her first album, 19, is #1 on Billboard's Top Catalog Albums for a 38th week. What's more, her DVD, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, is #1 on Billboard's Top Music Videos Chart. This is the DVD's 23rd week at #1, setting a new record for a music video release by a female artist.
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for NeuroOneRepublic drummer Eddie Fisher appeared in a Denver, Colorado court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges of destruction of private property, disturbing the peace and assault, reports 9News.com. His next court appearance is June 7.
As for what actually happened Tuesday morning, when Fisher was arrested, it appears that Fisher and his girlfriend of two months got into an argument that turned violent.
According to the Denver Post, at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, police where called to a home where they found Fisher claiming that his girlfriend was "acting hysterical and had trapped him in the bathroom."
The Post reports that Fisher had a cut on his forehead and told police that the woman had hit him in the head several times before he escaped. He said that he was trying to drive away when she came out and took his dog.
The woman, meanwhile, told police that the two started arguing after she accused him of having an affair. Then, she claimed, he grabbed her head and threw her down. She said she grabbed her keys and her dog and ran into the bathroom, but he broke down the door, breaking a cabinet off the wall in the process.
According to the Post, the woman's roommate told police that she heard her and Fisher arguing; she says she heard him attempt to leave several times, but the girlfriend followed him outside and tried to keep him from leaving. The roommate also said she noticed the girlfriend had a bloody lip and finger.
Both Fisher and the girlfriend were taken to a medical facility to be treated; Fisher was also treated for intoxication.
Columbia RecordsIt took five months, but Train's single "Drive By" has finally reached the top 10. The single, the band's first from their new album California 37, was released way back in January. "Drive By" is Train's third Billboard top 10 hit, following "Hey Soul Sister" and "Drops of Jupiter."
In other Train news, the band has announced on their official website that they're shooting their next video this Friday, May 18 in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and the band is inviting fans to be extras. Space is limited, but if you can be there from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, send an email with your full name, age and the town you're coming from to trainextras@gmail.com. No word on which song the video is for, though.
Frank Micelotta / FOXA few years ago, Jennifer Lopez's career seemed to be floundering. Not any longer -- she's now topped Forbes magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities, displacing last year's #1, Lady Gaga.
According to Forbes, once J-Lo landed the American Idol judging job, it revived her career and gave her a platform to build her empire. She now has big endorsement deals with L'Oreal and Gillette, a clothing line at Kohl's, a fragrance line, and another show, Q'Viva!, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony. She also has a strong social media presence, with 12 million Facebook fans and 6.6 million Twitter followers, and she's reportedly earning $20 million for her second season on Idol.
Justin Bieber is #3 on the list, right behind Oprah Winfrey. Not only did he earn $55 million from touring and record sales and rack up 21 million Twitter followers, he's also a venture capitalist, having invested in several technology startup companies.
Rihanna is #4 on the list, thanks to her non-stop stream of hit singles, her touring income, her endorsement deals with Nivea and Vita Coco, her Rebl' Fleur fragrance, and her 53 million Facebook fans.
Lady Gaga is #5. Her slide from #1 is due to the end of her most recent tour, but she stays in the top 10 thanks to her album sales and social media influence: she's got more Twitter followers than anyone in the world.
Britney Spears is #6, thanks to her successful tour of last year, her album sales, her endorsement deals and her fragrance line. Katy Perry's #8, due to the fact that she scored five #1 singles from one album -- she's only the second artist in history to do that, next to Michael Jackson -- as well as her successful tour. Both Britney and Katy also landed high on the list due to the number of mentions they got in the media, mostly due to their personal lives: Britney got engaged, while Katy got divorced.
Other musicians who made Forbes list:
#11 --Taylor Swift #16 -- Beyonce #17 -- Elton John #21 -- Paul McCartney #24 -- Adele #25 -- Bon Jovi #26 -- Dr. Dre #38 -- Jay-Z #42 -- Sean Diddy Combs #45 -- Kanye West #69 -- Lil Wayne
Facebook.com/JustinBieberAt age 18, Justin Bieber is under the legal drinking age, but that doesn't mean he's never imbibed.
In the new issue of GQ, when the interviewer asks him if he ever gets "s**tfaced," Justin admits, "For me, it's just like, I like to be in control of myself. I mean, I've had a beer, like, before.... But I never get out of control."
Explaining why he wants to be in control, Justin goes on to say, "I mean, I keep my guard up a lot, because you know, you can't trust anyone in this business. That's what's sad. You can't trust anybody. I learned the hard way." He doesn't elaborate, but GQ speculates that Justin is referring to the paternity suit he was hit with last year.
Elsewhere in the interview, Justin leaps to the defense of Kim Kardashian. When one of his business advisers disses Kim for her fashion sense, Justin says indignantly, "You guys are so mean, bro.... People say she doesn't do anything; she actually does do stuff.... She works hard."
Justin and Kim first met two years ago, when they were photographed together at the White House Correspondents Dinner, and Justin jokingly called Kim his "girlfriend" -- resulting in a barrage of death threats against the reality show star. A few months after that, the two posed together for Elle magazine in a series of photos on the beach, and some deemed the photos "inappropriate" because Kim was more than 10 years older than Justin.
Saccenti/RCA RecordsWednesday night, Usher willgive MTV viewers a look at exclusive performance footage of his Looking 4 Myself songs "Climax" and "Scream." He'll also debut his new track "Twisted," produced by Pharrell, during MTV First: Usher.
The special performance footage was shot during Usher's album-listening experience in New York City, when he used his new music as the soundtrack to scenes from the Off-Broadway show Fuerza Bruta.
MTV First: Usher starts at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV, and Usher will stick around to talk about his new album, Looking 4 Myself. Fans can submit their questions for Usher via MTV.com or by tweeting @MTVNews with the hashtag #MTVFirst or #AskUsher.
Michael Becker/FOXAmerican Idol is down to its final three. Wednesday night, Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips will face off against each other by singing three songs: one chosen by the judges, one chosen by mentor Jimmy Iovine, and one of their own choosing. We'll also see footage of the three singers returning to their hometowns for heroes' welcomes.
Hollie Cavanagh, who was ousted from the competition last week, says she believes each one of the three remaining contestants has something special that could help them win the title. Of course, she does have a soft spot for Joshua, who's her best friend.
"I think just everything about Josh" is special, Hollie tells ABC News Radio. "I mean, his voice is just ridiculous and it takes you to a whole other place when he sings, and that's not just me talking as a best friend, either -- that's just real!" She laughs, "I mean, he can do anything and everything with his voice. So, he's amazing." Hollie and Joshua became best friends, she says, because "we're just both really goofy and just like to have fun."
As for Phillip Phillips' special talent, Hollie explains, "I think Phillip, he definitely has a different style. It's a very unique style, and he sings amazing, and he takes songs and makes them his own. You know, he is who he is and he doesn't try and be someone else." She adds, "He could sit there with his guitar for hours and people will just listen. That's just how much attention he grabs."
When it comes to Jessica Sanchez, Hollie marvels, "She's only 16 and she's singing runs that most artists probably couldn't even do." She also raves about Jessica's "stage presence" and adds, "Her voice is just ridiculous for a 16-year-old; [there's] so much technicality in there. I mean, she's gonna be huge regardless of whether she wins or not."
American Idol season seven champ David Cook also has high praise for this year's final three. He calls Phillip "probably one of the more unique contestants this show's ever had," and says Joshua's voice is "ridiculous." He adds, "I'm trying to avoid using Idol cliches, but there's probably a 'phone book' reference in there, and Joshua could pull it off."
As for Jessica, David says, "Jessica just -- and not even for her age, I don't like saying that 'cause it feels a little dismissive -- I think, just as a singer, that girl's fantastic." He adds, "I don't envy America the next couple weeks. That's not an easy vote."
Thursday night's results show will determine the final two; there will also be performances from Adam Lambert and Lisa Marie Presley.
ABC/Tim OgierNickiMinaj is taking over your TV and computer tonight with her brand-new video. The clip for "Right By Your Side" will world-premiere at 6:56 p.m. ET on BET, FUSE, MTV Jams, MTV Hits and mtvU, and at 7 p.m. ET on Vevo.com.
On Thursday, the single will hit MTV and MTV2 beginning at 6 a.m. ET.
"Right By Your Side," featuring Chris Brown, is the latest single from Nicki's album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. She'll kick off her U.S. tour in July.
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MatchboxTwenty.comMatchbox Twenty's long-awaited new album finally has a title and a release date. It's called North, and it'll be in stores September 4, according to a tweet from lead singer Rob Thomas. He added that the first single is called "She's So Mean," and it'll be out "in the next couple weeks."
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