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For the first time in 10 seasons, "American Idol" hit Milwaukee for an audition round. Milwaukee: Best known for cheese, beer and Danny Gokey. To honor the occasion, I'm drinkin' a brewsky (imported, natch), nibbling on some cheddar, (Cheez-Its, natch) and I don't plan on ever, ever shutting up.

Mr. Gokey returned to "Idol" during Wednesday night's (January 26) audition episode, happily telling hopeful contestants, "In a moment your life can change, you guys!" He's right — it only takes an instant (and a tragic back story) to turn you into the target of "Idol" bloggers' venom and resentment.

Which brings us to Chris Medina, the most polarizing contestant since the Gokester. (I know Julie Andrews says, "Let's start at the very beginning," but she's not the boss of me. I'm doing this blog "Memento" style, starting at the end and working my way back. Deal with it, Maria von Trapp.)

Medina's narrative is the stuff of Lifetime movie legends. Deeply in love, engaged to a Starbucks barista, only to have his life turned upside down when his fiancée suffers major brain injuries in a severe car accident (that briefly put her in a coma) months before the wedding. Intense. (Or campy, if Meredith Baxter Birney is involved.) Now Chris spends his days strapping his soul mate into her wheelchair, making small talk with her caretaker mom and writing painfully earnest love songs to his ailing bride with his band, named — I kid you not — the Able Body.

In other words, when "Idol" producers met him, they said, "Jackpot!"

The story is inspiring, and Medina's dedication to his fiancée Juliana is admirable. Heck, beyond admirable. So why did his audition segment make me feel ickier than a pool full of mucus?
Read more...

Tags American Idol

After spending a season in Miami and then returning to their Seaside Heights home, the cast of MTV's hit reality series "Jersey Shore" is going international. While the show is still deep in its wildly successful new season, plans for the next batch of shows are already moving forward, as Snooki, Deena, JWoww, Sammi, Ronnie, Pauly D, Vinny and the Situation are headed to Italy. According to DJ Pauly D, it's still not clear exactly what the structure of the season will be or even where they will be based, though you can bet that the group's trip to the homeland should yield some hilarious cultural differences and fantastic breakdowns in communication.

(Click here for more photos of the cast members of MTV's "Jersey Shore" visiting various Italian landmarks!)

Hopefully the cast will get the chance to explore Italy's lovely countryside, as it is one of the prettiest backdrops in all of Europe. It's full of stunning architecture, classic art, rich history and canals where roads should be. They will have an endless series of opportunities to enjoy and explore another culture, and they should do their best to indulge in everything that Italy has to offer.

Just in case they need some guidance, MTV News has put together a series of helpful photos that will help us imagine what it might look like when the cast of "Jersey Shore" visit some iconic places in Italy. Ever wonder what Vinny might look like riding in a gondola? Wonder no more. Think the Situation would make a great gladiator? We've got you covered. Think JWoww might seduce a guard at the Vatican? That would look a little something like this. And of course, DJ Pauly D and Snooki could party at the Colosseum.

(Click here for more photos of the cast members of MTV's "Jersey Shore" visiting various Italian landmarks!)

Tags DJ Pauly D, Jersey Shore, JWoww, photo, Snooki

"Just read Nathan Followill's tweet, in which he implied I should 'get a manicure and buy a bra.' Wow. That's a homophobe badly in need of some education. I'm all for manicures, don't wear a bra. Would guess most gay dudes don't. But it's telling that Nathan can reduce a group of people to a mean-spirited cliché, in a time where young gay men are killing themselves all over the country because of hatred like this."

-"Glee" producer Ryan Murphy, biting back at Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill, who had suggested that Murphy "let it go" and "see a therapist" via Twitter. The conflict got started a few months ago when Kings of Leon denied the "Glee" producers the use of "Use Somebody" for an episode of the show. Apparently, the denial stuck in Murphy's craw, as he unloaded on the band in an extensive interview that appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

"F--- you, Kings of Leon," Murphy told the magazine. "They're self-centered a--holes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It's like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of 'Glee' all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music."

Singer Caleb Followill was quick with a measured response to Murphy's tirade. "This whole 'Glee' thing is a shock to us," Followill said. "It's gotten out of hand. At the time of the request, we hadn't even seen the show. It came at the end of that record cycle, and we were over promoting ['Use Somebody']. This was never meant as a slap in the face to 'Glee' or to music education or to fans of the show. We're not sure where the anger is coming from." And for his part, Nathan Followill did apologize for offending anybody with his tweet in response to Murphy. "I'm sorry 4 anyone that misconstrued my comments as homophobic or misogynistic," he tweeted. "I'm so not that kind of person. I really do apologize."

Whose side are you on in the feud between "Glee" and Kings of Leon? Let us know in the comments!

Tags kings of leon, Nathan Followill, Quote, Ryan Murphy

It seems like ever since Ke$ha burst into the music world a little over a year ago, she has inspired seemingly dozens of big picture questions — inquiries like "Is she rapping?" and "Is she serious?" No matter what the answers to those questions are, she is undoubtedly a star who demands respect and knows how to climb her way to the top of the Billboard chart. Now that she has appeared in a gut-busting video on Funny or Die (which spoofs the Disney princess trope of getting an assist from adorable cartoon animals), a new mystery has surfaced: Is Ke$ha our funniest pop star?

Of all the things we demand of our singers, rappers and rockers, sense of humor is not necessarily included on that list. Too many stars are painfully self-serious, uncomfortable with going outside of their comfort zones and unwilling to poke fun at themselves. But Ke$ha is different. She is constantly playing around with her image, laughing off all the strange news and rumors about herself and clearly has a sense of comic timing and willingness to get edgy. (Consider this: Could a more self-serious star bounce back from the sort of illicit photos of Ke$ha that have showed up on the Internet?) She isn't doing comedy self-consciously (she's not Weird Al or anything), but that casualness with her image is part of her charm.

And that's part of the reason why Ke$ha is so great. Think what you will about the quality of her music (and she does seem to be a polarizing figure, despite the fact that songs like "We R Who We R" are fantastically gigantic), but Ke$ha is a fantastic pop foil and a refreshing departure from a lot of what's on the radio. Of the current crop of pop stars, only Katy Perry seems willing to play around with her image (she was the first to make jokes about her aborted guest spot on "Sesame Street," and not surprisingly, Perry has also dominated the top of the pop charts for the last six months). Pop music is supposed to be fun, which is why Ke$ha should be held up as an exemplar of exactly what to do in order to have a little fun on the radio.

What did you think of Ke$ha's Disney princess spoof? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Ke$ha

It's probably too early to call any of the Oscar races, and we won't know who the winners will be until they are read aloud when the show airs live on Sunday, February 27, but it's probably safe for Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor to clear off some space on his mantle for his Academy Award. Reznor is nominated for Best Original Score for his subtle, haunting contributions to "The Social Network" (which was directed by friend and collaborator David Fincher). He is going up against some stiff competition, including previous winners A.R. Rahman ("127 Hours") and Hans Zimmer ("Inception"), as well as four-time nominee Alexandre Desplat ("The King's Speech") and fellow first-timer John Powell ("How to Train Your Dragon"), so it won't necessarily be a walk in the park for Reznor (and partner Atticus Ross).

But considering the pair behind the score to "The Social Network" has already taken home the Golden Globe, Reznor and Ross definitely have a leg up. That would make it especially interesting for Reznor, who already has a Grammy (he scored one for Best Metal Performance for a live version of "Happiness in Slavery," which appeared on the Woodstock '94 album, which means that he'd be half way to an EGOT. The EGOT, of course, is the rare accomplishment wherein one performer wins an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony over the course of one career. Most of the winners are composers (music is versatile like that), so Reznor would fit right in.

So if he takes care of his Grammy and Oscar, how would Reznor go about scoring an Emmy and a Tony? The Emmy might be next, as Reznor is somewhere in the process of developing his "Year Zero" mini-series for HBO. The project is based on the 2007 Nine Inch Nails album of the same name and promises to be a dynamic, ambitious and thrilling bit of television that could easily make for killer awards bait when the time comes.

And while Reznor will probably be distracted by "Year Zero" and his work scoring "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (also directed by Fincher), he may be able to cram a stage show in there somewhere. But what should Reznor do? Is he a one man show kind of guy, or should one of his concept albums get adapted into a stage show a la "American Idiot"? In reality, probably neither of those ideas are good, and Reznor has never cared all that much about awards. Still, the possibilities are there, and no matter what his next move is, there's no doubt that it will be envelope-pushing.

Tags Nine-Inch-Nails, Trent-Reznor

By Nuzhat Naoreen

In case you haven't already heard the news, "Jersey Shore" is headed to Italy next season. This is obviously amazing for many reasons, but what we're most excited about is watching our favorite guidos and guidettes trying to navigate the Italian language. After all, how else are they going to call for cabs, go grocery shopping for their Sunday dinners or perhaps, most importantly, hit on people while fist-pumping the night away in clubs? Considering how loose their English is, it will be fascinating to see them attempt to navigate Italian.

We know it won't be easy for the cast to pick up Italian on such short notice (though Pauly D suggested that he might "get a Rosetta Stone"), so we put together a handy phrase book translating some of their favorite words and phrases.

Grenade: Italy is full of beautiful women, but just in case our boys run into someone not so pleasant ones we figured it was important for them to know that the new grenade is granata (which means that when Pauly sounds his grenade whistle, he'll actually be blowing his fischio di granata).

T-Shirt Time: One of the best catch phrases of the show is undoubtedly Pauly D's prolonged call to put on 100 percent cotton shirts. But if he really wants to be authentic, he's going to have to yell una maglietta tempo whenever the cabs arrive.

GTL: We're looking forward to watching the cast hit the gyms, laundromats and tanning salons of Italy, but if they're ever going to make it there they need to know the right terminology. Gym? Try palestra. Laundry? More like lavanderia. Tan? That would be tintarella. In other words, it's not GTL, it's PLT.

DTS: If the guys are ever DTS with an Italian girl, they're going to need to know that "down to snuggle" in Italian is verso il basso a rannicchiarsi (or VIBAR, which actually sounds pretty cool).

Cabs: We've got no doubt that the guys and girls of the "Shore" will be partying hard in Italy, but to get to the clubs they've got to know that they won't be hailing a cab, they'll be hailing a cabine.

Situation: Possibly one of our most favorite translations yet. We can't wait to see Mike lift up his T-shirt, show off his abs, and say "Now that's a situazione."

Of course, they'll probably have a helpful translator (or Uncle Nino) to help them through the countryside, but no matter what, it should be an adventure — or rather, an avventura.

What are you most excited to see when the "Jersey Shore" cast heads to Italy? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Italy, Jersey Shore

Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a wildly entertaining and extremely successful basketball team. Lead by Kobe Bryant and featuring the dynamic skills of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher, the Lakers have one of the best records in the NBA (only the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics have more victories) and always manage to win with eye-popping style and deft execution. Of course, the practice of going to Lakers games is also fun, if only because it makes for great star-spotting and allows celebrities to hobnob during breaks. Such was the case on Tuesday night (January 15), as while the Lakers were dismantling the Utah Jazz by a score of 120-91, Khloe Kardashian (star of several reality TV shows and wife of Lakers star Odom) spent some time chatting with Prince Michael Jackson (son of the late Michael) and his uncle Jackie Jackson.

They weren't the only stars out in the open, as Mary J. Blige took the stage at the Ragamuffin Music Festival in Freemantle, Australia and stars continued to shuttle between Paris and Milan for Fashion Week madness. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Eminem, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, Madonna and Kanye West!

Tags Jackie Jackson, Khloe Kardashian, Los Angeles Lakers, photo, Prince Michael Jackson, Spotted!

One of the coolest guys ever to pick up a guitar and crank up an amplifier celebrates his birthday today, as Eddie Van Halen — the six-string Samurai who has been the driving force behind Van Halen for three decades — is now 56 years old. Eddie has had an incredible roller coaster ride over the past few years, but at the moment, he seems to be back in the driver's seat.

When Van Halen first landed on rock radio in the 1970s, there really hadn't been anything like it. Between the thudding rhythms of Alex Van Halen, the dreamy backing vocals and fierce low end of Michael Anthony and the dynamic personality that was frontman David Lee Roth, Van Halen were primed to become the biggest rock band in the world (and that's exactly what happened, really). But it was Eddie's amazing fret work that really made heads spin and jaws drop. He managed to play harder, faster, smoother and just better than perhaps anybody who has ever picked up a guitar. He invented a whole new style and took it to the outer reaches of hard rock.

The legacy of Van Halen is certainly set in stone, as they have no fewer than a dozen tracks from the Roth era that are classic rock staples. And though he was certainly a polarizing force, you can't argue with the fact that Sammy Hagar's version of the band was even bigger. Between the aborted Roth reunion, the short-lived Gary Cherone experiment and Eddie's health problems, the band had a bit of a rough decade. But now they're back, recording with Roth again and still manage to absolutely cook on stage.

One of Eddie's greatest legacies actually has nothing to do with Van Halen, as he provided the blistering guitar solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It." In honor of Eddie's birthday, crank up "Beat It" one more time.

Tags Birthday, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Van-Halen, video

By Nuzhat Naoreen, with additional reporting by Kimberly Reynolds

From the hip gyrations in "I'm a Slave 4 U" to the high-speed spins in "… Baby One More Time," Britney Spears has had no shortage of epic dance videos. Now, with the upcoming release of her video for "Hold It Against Me," the speculation surrounding what she's going to bring to the table this time around is causing quite a buzz.

To get an idea of what we've got to look forward to in the "Hold It Against Me" video (which is being choreographed by Brian Friedman), we decided to take a look back at some of Brit's best dance videos throughout the years and polled fans on Facebook to find out which ones they loved best. Check out the list below and then check out our video mash-up of Brit's best dance moves, set to the pulsating beat of "Hold It Against Me."

"Oops! ... I Did It Again"
The video for "Oops" might have been less dance intensive than some of the others on this list, but it still had its share of catchy steps that we couldn’t help but try and replicate (over and over again).

"...Baby One More Time"
The one that started it all. "Baby" established Brit as a mega pop star with a killer set of moves and one seriously eye-catching school girl uniform.

"Stronger"
Few performers can work an entire routine on and around a chair as well as Britney did in “Stronger,” so it deservingly nabs the number three spot.

"Circus"
After a short break, Britney came back in full force with the video for "Circus," which had her hanging with elephants in tight costumes and splashing around a whip.

"I'm A Slave 4 U"
It comes as little surprise that "Slave," one of Britney's most elaborately choreographed videos, is the fan favorite. In the clip, Britney delivers some of her most iconic moves, all while sweat drips down her face. It's the perfect combination of iconic dance steps and an incredible look.

What's your favorite dance move from a Britney Spears video? Do you think the choreography in "Hold It Against Me" will surpass it? Let us know in the comments!

Tags britney spears, video

Professionally speaking, things have been relatively quiet on the Avril Lavigne front in the past few years. While her personal life has grabbed any number of tabloid headlines (including her divorce from Sum 41 guitarist Deryck Whibley and her subsequent relationship with Brody Jenner), the only thing we've heard from Lavigne since the release of 2007's The Best Damn Thing was a song that appeared on the soundtrack to last year's film "Alice in Wonderland." Lavigne has been busy developing her Abbey Dawn clothing line, launching her fragrances (which are called "Black Star" and "Forbidden Rose") and expanding her tattoo collection, but her musical output has been alarmingly thin as of late.

Of course, that's all about to change with the impending release of Goodbye Lullaby, the Canadian's fourth studio album (set to hit the streets in March). The first single "What the Hell" just hit the radio and the video for the song recently premiered on Lavigne's official site. In the clip, Lavigne is on the run from a curious and controlling boyfriend, and their cat-and-mouse game leads to a handful of comical situations. She interrupts a basketball game (showing off her shooting skills — fellow Canadian Steve Nash would be proud), crashes a clothing store to buy her own stuff and eventually hits the stage to jam along with her band. In the video's key scene, Lavigne steals a taxi cab, goes on a joyride and then abandons the vehicle in a sequence fit for an action movie.

The track, produced by Max Martin, is a bouncy kiss-off with a huge chorus and just enough snotty shouting to keep it anchored in Lavigne's roots. In addition to the appearances by her clothing and perfume lines, there is also a cameo by Lavigne's mother (she's in the Abbey Dawn store — Lavigne even mouths the words "Hi Mom" when she enters). And here's the best part: Apparently, the video was shot in 3-D.

What do you think of Avril Lavigne's new video for "What the Hell"? Let us know in the comments!

Tags Avril Lavigne, photo