Almost Famous
Remember the days when John Mayer was talked about on music networks and radio stations for being a talented musician that was able to perfectly blend pop/rock/blues music into one, creating his own unique sound by doing so? Songs such as “Your Body is a Wonderland,” “Waiting on the World to Change,” and “Daughters” garnered him more than just critical acclaim.
They also resulted in winning various prestigious awards musicians dream of winning (i.e. The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2003,) developing a huge fan base, as well as being played on radio stations all across the nation. John Mayer’s name is still a topic of discussion, but for all the wrong reasons. Rather than people/critics talking about how innovative of a musician he is, he has been stricken with the Kardashian-itis: being talked about because of who he was seen kissing or what female celebrity was caught leaving his hotel room in the A.M.
America's most hated beloved guidettes, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenny "JWoww" Farley are back at it for another season. Thank God! What would television be like without seeing those two up to their usual antics, talking politics, reading classic American literature tanning, having many of drunken nights and fighting?
In early August, MTV producers decided to order a second season of Snooki and JWoww, even though the first season's ratings weren't what the network hoped they would be. However, they are expecting that adding the birth of Snooki's son into the show's storyline will help give ratings a much needed boost.
Apparently Lil’ Wayne despises the birthplace of hip-hop, New York. In a recent interview with MTV News, the hip-hop superstar wasted no time throwing a jab New York’s way, when he said “Flat Out, I Don’t like New York.” Hip- Hop fans may wonder why Weezy F. Baby harbors such ill feelings towards one of the biggest marketplaces of music throughout the world. Well, the answer is pretty obvious.
In 2007, Lil’ Wayne was on the top of the totem pole in the music, selling out concert venues all across the globe, a #1 album that sold over a million copies in its first week (unheard of in a day and age where music is illegally downloaded) and was scouting/signing various new talents (Drake/Nicki Minaj) to become a part of his now powerhouse label YMCMB. That July for the first time ever Lil’ Wayne was set to headline a show for the first time in New York City. Thousands of people packed into the sold-out Beacon Theatre excited to see the New Orleans’ rapper perform both new and old material. The energy inside the building was at an all-time high and only intensified when he showed up wearing a Run DMC T-shirt (paying homage to Queens-born group that would be on the Mount Rushmore of rap if there was one) brought out various special guests (Kanye West, New York’s very own Ja Rule and Juelz Santana) and made numerous references to his love for marijuana (an interest that the crowd seemed to share as well).
It seems that music fans' worst nightmare prayers have been answered! Socialite and famous for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING personality, Paris Hilton, is determined to make an impact on today's music scene.
She announced earlier this year she's been hard at work on a new album, which we are all sure will be a masterpiece, just like the rest of her previous work. Paris is going for an electro/pop sound and who better to catapult her singing career than world famous DJ and rumored (ex) boyfriend, Afrojack, who is currently producing tracks for her new album. Not only does she plan to bless music fans with her vocals, she's also preparing to become a disc jockey and has been cast to play the lead female in K-Pop singer Kim Jang Hoon's next music video.
Sports fans remember Michael Strahan for the vicious hits he put on superstar quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Donovan McNabb. Now the former NFL great is ready to tackle a new challenge: taking over Regis Philbin's old job and entertaining housewives and elderly people that tune into Live With Kelly for early morning entertainment.
Talk show fans were shocked and saddened last year, when Regis Philbin decided call it quits and retire as the co-host of “Live with Regis and Kelly,” a position he had held for nearly three decades. Philbin, who was 79 at the time of the announcement, joked with viewers when he said, "There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera -- especially certain old people!" To viewers' surprise, the Executive Producer of the show, Michael Gelman was determined to find the perfect co-host for the early morning talk show, an individual that was funny, who could relate to viewers and had chemistry with Kelly Ripa, so he didn’t rush into making a choice. He decided it would be in the program’s best interest to go with a co-host by committee approach until he found the perfect man/woman for the job. From mid-November of last year up until September 4th, when the show’s permanent co-host will be revealed, over 50 people will have sat in the seat vacated by Regis. Kim Kardashian, Mario Lopez, Jerry Seinfeld , Howie Mandel, and even musicians, such as Nick Lachey and Josh Groban, have been rumored to be potential new hosts.
Season 11 of American Idol concluded with Phillip Phillips being awarded a record deal and left fans wondering which musical acts/executives would occupy the show’s judge panel in the future. After two seasons, international pop superstar, Jennifer Lopez, and legendary rocker, Steven Tyler, decided that they no longer wanted to be a part of the highly-rated singing competition.
Ever since the announcement was made, numerous celebrities have reportedly been in serious talks with Idol producers to serve as judges for the upcoming season. In late June, Fox announced that they agreed to terms with multi-platinum, former R&B diva, Mariah Carey, to serve as a judge for at least one season. Her deal is reportedly worth a whopping $18 million. Apparently the network was willing to hand over whatever amount the singer demanded, despite her faded star status. The move was seen as a desperate attempt to revive the American Idol brand, which was at one point a highly respected singing competition between undiscovered, raw talents and Fox’s cash cow.
Just 6 months after the death of the R&B singer's ex-wife Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown has entered an undisclosed rehab facility late last week as part of an agreement involving his arrest for drunk driving in March of this year. This comes 8 weeks after marrying his manager Alicia Etheridge-Brown, during a short break from his performances on the New Edition 30th anniversary reunion tour.
Now 43, the entertainer rose to fame when the influential '80s boy band New Edition released such hits as Candy Girl, Cool It Now, and Mr. Telephone Man. He was given the boot in 1985, with fellow members citing bad behavior, and he developed a solo career which would release his defining hit single "My Prerogative." Meanwhile after a few unsuccessful attempts at finding a new fit for the group, the three remaining members re-formed themselves as Bel Biv Devoe and in 1990, released their platinum single "Poison."
We can all recall what happened three years ago in February when Rihanna was shockingly assaulted by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. The singer sat down recently with Oprah for an interview on the OWN network about that fateful night and how it changed everything.
"It was a weird, confusing space to be in, because as angry as I was ... I just felt he made that mistake because he needed help," she said. "And I wondered, who's going to help him?"
"I lost my best friend," she tells Oprah in the interview airing Sunday at 9 p.m. on OWN. "Everything I knew switched in one night. And I couldn't control that."
Britney Spears (whose music video for "Oops! … I Did It Again" took place on Mars) recently tweeted at NASA's rover "Curiosity," which landed on the red planet August 5th.
BritneySpears: "So @MarsCuriosity... does Mars look the same as it did in 2000?" The rover, which is reported to have a nuclear battery and a laser that can vaporize rock, tweeted back:
MarsCuriosity: "@britneyspears Hey Brit Brit. Mars is still looking good," adding, "Maybe someday an astronaut will bring me a gift, too. Drill bits crossed ;)"