MTV Newsroom › Gil Kaufman

Yeah, We're Pretty Sure That's Not Actually Tupac

Posted 4/30/09 3:54 pm EST by in Tupac Shakur


It was bad enough on Wednesday when TMZ tried to convince us that someone had snapped a picture of a very lively looking Tupac Shakur — who was gunned down in Las Vegas in September 1996. Granted, the unidentified dude hanging out and looking very mellow after downing a few hand grenades at a bar in New Orleans does kinda resemble 'Pac, down to the small stud in his left nostril, the bushy eyebrows and goatee-with-unattached-mustache.

Then they went and confused us today when they posted a second set of pictures of an alleged Tupac, who they're not even sure is the same 'Pac from the day before. To be honest, the second undead Tupac doesn't look as much like the rapper as the first one, though the picture is pretty blurry. And if you look at the additional image of him, he sort of resembles Tim Meadows. Read More...

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'American Idol' Producers Probably Happy T-Pain Was Busy Last Night

Posted 4/30/09 2:52 pm EST by in American Idol


"American Idol" used to be so squeaky-clean with the guest appearances from middle-of-the-road acts like Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Barry Gibb and Dolly Parton.

While their songs are fun for the whole family, the show dodged a bullet on Wednesday night when this week's mentor, Jamie Foxx, had to perform a foreshortened version of his ode to the pants-loosening effects of alcohol, "Blame It." See, after recent results shows on which Lady Gaga sang about bluffin' on her "muffin" and rapper Flo Rida paid tribute to strippers and/or oral sex with "Right Round," Foxx's song avoided controversy from edgy verses that might have inspired shouts of "ear muffs!" from parents across the country. Read More...

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Can Kris Allen Win 'American Idol'? 'You Bet,' His Hometown Insists

Posted 4/28/09 6:13 pm EST by in American Idol


CONWAY, Arkansas — You know that saying about being a big fish in a small pond? It's totally true.

Everywhere we've gone over the past 24 hours in Conway, there's Kris Allen. From the remarkably lifelike cardboard cutout created by one of the founders of the Kris Allen Kick Awesome Task Force to a flier for the "American Idol" viewing party tonight at the basketball arena at his alma mater tucked into a to-go meal at the local Chik-fil-A, Allen is everywhere in his hometown.



You can spot the local volunteers trying to hype tonight's watch party by their green fingers, stained from the signs they spent all morning handing out to local merchants reminding townspeople to attend the big rally. Even Mayor Tab Townsell proudly sported one of the green "Conway Arkansas Backs Kris Allen" T-shirts that could be seen bobbing up and down the city's main drag all day.

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An Ode To Kris Allen's Hometown Of Conway, Arkansas

Posted 4/28/09 5:18 pm EST by in American Idol


Conway, Arkansas, the hometown of "American Idol" finalist Kris Allen is the kind of place where ....

... Strangers you've just met offer to take time off from work to make sure you see Toad Suck Park.

... There's actually a place called Toad Suck Park.

... The front page of the paper has stories hyping the annual Toad Suck Daze celebration every day of the week leading up to the blessed event. (Robert Randolph's headlining this year!)

... Just about every window on the main drag downtown is painted with messages of support for hometown hero Allen, like, "We Love Kris Allen!"

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Flaming Lips Still Have Oklahoma State Rock Song, Over Legislators' Objection

Posted 4/24/09 11:04 am EST by in Flaming-Lips


Those Oklahoma House members are so sensitive! I mean, just because Flaming Lips guitarist/ keyboard player Michael Ivins wore a red T-shirt with a Communist-esque hammer-and-sickle symbol on it when the band visited the state capitol last month, the House rejected a resolution to make the Lips' "Do You Realize" the state's official rock song.

State Rep. Corey Holland said he was "really offended" by the shirt, and fellow Republican Rep. Mike Reynolds, who's from the band's hometown of Oklahoma City, criticized their penchant for offensive language (that's actually true — singer Wayne Coyne is an unrepentant potty mouth), saying, "Their lips ought to be on fire." Whatever that means.

More than 21,000 people voted on the Oklahoma State Rock Song, with the Lips garnering 10,000 of those votes. The good news, according to The Oklahoman, is that Governor Brad Henry stepped up to the plate on Thursday evening and said he will sign an executive order on Tuesday naming "Do You Realize" the official state rock song, over the legislators' objection.

Praising their 20-plus years of producing Grammy-winning "creative, fun and provocative rock music," Henry called the Lips a "truly iconic rock-and-roll band" who are proud ambassadors of their home state and, because they were the people's choice, he intends to sign the order and make it so.

Bravo, Governor Henry! Don't let the bastards get you down! The Lips plan on attending Tuesday's ceremony, and we can only hope they wear their best party finery.

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'American Idol' Gospel Music Channel Documentary Proves: Watching Yourself On TV Is Weird

Posted 4/23/09 8:10 pm EST by in American Idol


Gil Kaufman

You might recall my blog post earlier this month about a trip I took down to Atlanta to be interviewed for a show called "From Idol to Inspiration," a one-hour documentary on the "Idol"/religion connection that aired tonight on the Gospel Music Channel before the Dove Awards.

I like to think that the show was inspired by a series of stories I did back in early March about how this year's "Idol" finalist pool is stacked with singers with connections to the church. Nobody confirmed that for me down in Atlanta, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that I got the ball rolling. Now, as a person who spends 12 to 14 hours a day writing stories in the solitude of a pop-culture bunker in an undisclosed location, mine is a voice you rarely, if ever, hear, and you definitely never see me in living color. And that's the way I like it.
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'American Idol' Themes Need A Shake-Up -- And Disco Night Has To Go

Posted 4/21/09 1:28 pm EST by in American Idol


American Idol Top 7Does anyone really need to hear yet another "American Idol" contestant sing "Turn the Beat Around"? Tonight's disco theme is another reminder that "Idol" has begun to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to theme nights.

Last year's theme weeks included the first trip through the Lennon/McCartney songbook, another "Year They Were Born" night, as well as the rehash of inspirational songs, a Neil Diamond night and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame themes. In years past, we've had nights devoted to the British Invasion, American classics, Bon Jovi, Queen, love songs and Elvis Presley. All fine themes, but at this point, the show is running on fumes when it comes to mixing things up.

I understand that there are always issues with getting songs cleared for the program, but how about a few unsolicited suggestions for spicing things up?
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Jennifer Hudson Goes Back To The Future On 'Idol'

Posted 4/16/09 12:10 pm EST by in American Idol, jennifer-hudson


Jennifer HudsonIt's no secret that some of the performances on "American Idol" elimination shows are pre-taped. And, most of the time, you can't really tell because of all the flashing lights and carefully choreographed camerawork.

Except last night, when returning "Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson ripped a hole in the show's space-time continuum by forgetting to pretend she was in the present and speaking about a future that had already happened in the past. Confused? Let us explain.

See, Hudson — who was unceremoniously dumped from the third season of "Idol" in seventh place — reportedly taped her performance of "If This Isn't Love" several weeks ago, around the time she was slated to begin her tour with Robin Thicke. But when host Ryan Seacrest asked her about her first road trip on "Wednesday night," Hudson stammered, saying, "Yeah, starting my tour." Then, looking a bit confused, she added, "Yeah, it's starting, like, in a little bit, yeah, on tour with Robin, so that's very exciting and it's my first tour." Read More...

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Billy Bob Thornton Enshrined In Lame-Excuse Hall Of Fame

Posted 4/13/09 1:58 pm EST by in Miscellaneous


Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton's latest musical venture got derailed over the weekend when the actor's band, the Boxmasters, canceled the rest of their Canadian tour due to a sudden bout of the flu. The announcement was shocking only because it was the second time in less than a few days that the Canadian tour curse had struck an American artist.

Just days earlier, Britney Spears was forced to walk offstage in Vancouver when a cloud of cigarette smoke grew so thick that it impeded the noted smoker's ability to perform.

That was a novel excuse, and much better than the one the Boxmasters offered. They canceled their remaining slots opening for Willie Nelson in Canada just a day after being roundly booed at a Toronto show following a contentious radio interview during which the "Sling Blade" star was evasive and compared Canadian audiences to mashed potatoes with no gravy. The failed sit-down earned the actor an eternal spot in "crazy interview" history, while the halfhearted spin from his camp raised the bar for lame excuses everywhere. Read More...

Who Would Win In A Crazy-Off: Billy Bob Thornton Or Joaquin Phoenix?

Posted 4/9/09 2:53 pm EST by in Billy Bob Thornton, Joaquin Phoenix


There's a reason that sign on the wall in the guitar shop in "Wayne's World" says "No 'Stairway to Heaven' " — because unless you're going to face-meltingly smash it, you just don't mess with the best.

Clearly, Billy Bob Thornton has not gotten this memo. The actor, best known for writing and directing the 1996 Oscar-winner "Sling Blade" — in which he played the creepy mentally impaired Karl Childers — tried to snatch the crazy-talk-show-appearance crown from reigning king Joaquin Phoenix on Wednesday morning when he appeared on a Canadian radio show.

Offended that the genial interviewer dared to mention his 20-plus-year, critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning career, Thornton shut down and flat-out refused to play ball, offering up bizarre non-sequitur answers about baseball and building monster-movie models and, at one point, comparing himself to Tom Petty.

You can read all about the details here, but the most pressing question in all of this is: Who wins in a Billy Bob vs. Joaquin crazy-off?

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