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Real Estate Porn: Kelly Clarkson's Texas Ranch Edition

Posted 7/17/12 5:26 pm EST by in kelly-clarkson

We never get tired of staring at the homes of the rich and famous. Last week it was Mariah Carey's rotating beach palaces, and now it's "Stronger" diva Kelly Clarkson's Mansfield, Texas, ranch.

Clarkson is selling the four bedroom, six bathroom estate for a mere $1.495 million. It's a bargain, really, because you'll also be getting a gym, theater, man-made pond and lap and diving pools all on 14 fabulous acres just 25 minutes away from where the singer grew up.

Check it out:

The singer purchased the house in 2002 not long after she won "American Idol." The years since "Idol" have treated the down-home Clarkson pretty well … maybe she's looking for a real estate upgrade?

Kelly's recent #1 single "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" has the distinction of being the top-selling single ever by any "American Idol" contestant. She is also the second biggest-selling "Idol," after Carrie Underwood, in terms of cumulative album sales. The country star has sold 13.2 million copies of her four albums, while Clarkson has moved 11.65 million copies of her five records.

Clarkson and Underwood's individual sales, however, far exceed those of any other "Idol" contestant. Season five's Chris Daughtry and season two's Clay Aiken are the only other "Idol's" who can claim career sales of more than five million in the U.S.

What do you think of Kelly's crib? Let us know in the comments below!

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Pink Reveals Album Artwork For The Truth About Love

Posted 7/16/12 5:00 pm EST by in Pink

Pink

Pink is ramping up for the release of her sixth studio album, The Truth About Love, and today (July 16) revealed the album's cover. Check it out (right)!

Looking great in a short black top and even shorter black shorts, with red heels and her hair giving off a soft, signature pink glow, the singer has already released the set's lead single, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)."

Produced and co-written by Greg Kurstin, who is experiencing quite a run of success lately, having produced and co-wrote Kelly Clarkson's smash "Stronger," which has gone on to become the biggest hit ever for an "American Idol" contestant, the track is quintessential Pink – heavy on the attitude with a big beat and a catchy chorus. The song is one of several collaborations between Kurstin and Pink on her upcoming album.

In addition to his work with Clarkson and Pink, Kurstin is reportedly working with Lily Allen on her comeback album.

The Truth About Love is Pink's first studio album since 2008's Funhouse The pop star did, however, score two back-to-back smash singles, "Raise Your Glass" (#1) and "F**kin' Perfect" (#2), from her 2010 best-of package Greatest Hits…So Far!

What do you think of Pink's "The Truth About Love" album cover? Let us know in the comments below!

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'MDNA Tour' Update: Madonna Flashes Paris, Conservative Politician Promises Lawsuit

Posted 7/16/12 10:46 am EST by in Madonna, Tour Dates

Madonna

Madonna kicked up controversy again this weekend as her wildly successful "MDNA Tour" hit Paris for a provocative show, where she again flashed her nipple and backside and held her ground against a conservative political leader, leading to reignited threats of a lawsuit.

Madonna played France's national stadium, the Stade de France, on Saturday in front of more than 70,000 fans and showed a talked-about video montage, set to her song "Nobody Knows Me," that features right-wing Front National party leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on her face before cutting away to an image of a man resembling Adolf Hitler. The clip also includes images of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Pope Benedict and Sarah Palin.

>> 'Turn Up The Radio' Needs to Be Madonna's Next MDNA Single

The video has been shown during each of Madonna's "MDNA Tour" shows. Le Pen said after the tour's kickoff in Tel Aviv, Israel, that she would pursue litigation if Madonna played the clip during either of her shows in France, and is now expected to take legal action.

"We can’t accept this. Marine Le Pen is defending her own honor, but also that of the Front National’s members, its supporters and its millions of voters," Front National party vice-president Florian Philippot told the French press (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Lawyers for the FN party say a case for public insult will be brought to the Paris courts as early as this week.

>> Madonna's 'Turn Up The Radio' Video: Superstar Gone Wild

At her Paris show, Madonna also continued another "MDNA Tour" trend by stripping down onstage. This time, Her Madgesty bared both her breast and backside, trumping her Istanbul nipple-flash and mooning her audience in Rome.

The very busy Queen of Pop also dropped the video for her latest single, "Turn Up The Radio," earlier today (July 16). The clip features Madonna cruising around Rome and the surrounding countryside in a convertible with several of her back-up dancers.

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Jack White Teases Hype Williams-Directed 'Freedom At 21' Video

Posted 7/12/12 2:27 pm EST by in Music

Jack White

Jack White worked with perhaps his most curious collaborator to date for the video to his latest Blunderbuss single, "Freedom at 21."

The eclectic rocker tapped Hype Williams, the man behind some of the most influential hip-hop videos of all time, to helm the clip, which will arrive in full on July 16. White released a teaser clip today (July 12) on his official YouTube channel.

Williams, of course, is the man behind the groundbreaking music videos for TuPac and Dr. Dre's "California Love," Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy and Mase's "Mo Money Mo Problems," Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'," Kanye West's "Stronger" and West feat. Rihanna's "All of the Lights" … among countless others.

The video looks like a stylistic homage to grindhouse horror films by way of Jonas Akerlund. In the just-released sneak peek, we see White shredding on his guitar alongside clips of a speeding muscle car.

White is well-known for hooking up with out-of-the-box collaborators. He's recorded with everyone from Jimmy Page and Alicia Keys to Insane Clown Posse and comedian Stephen Colbert. He had Gary Oldman direct his NYC concert special, worked with Danger Mouse and Norah Jones on the strange collabo LP Rome and has led multiple genre varied music projects at once (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather). Our favorite of his collaborations, however, has to be Van Lear Rose, the brilliant 2004 Loretta Lynn album that White produced, co-wrote and appears on.

Check out the "Freedom at 21" preview:

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New Pals? Lady Gaga Hung Out With Lindsay Lohan At The Chateau Marmont

Posted 7/12/12 10:41 am EST by in Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Tweet Beat

Lindsay Lohan is on the road to redemption, and now she's been blessed by one of pop's biggest deities: Lady Gaga.

LiLo got Gaga's unofficial thumbs up earlier this week when the pair hung out at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles. Yesterday (July 11), in a series of tweets that Gaga has for some reason since deleted (but which the pop savants at ONTD captured first), the pop star joked with the actress about ordering a cucumber and knife at the famed hotel.

"When you ordered a cucumber and a knife to the bar last night I thought you were gonna perform a vasectomy #justaskinnyb**ch," Gaga tweeted at Lohan.

Lohan responded with, "#skinnysnack1 @ladygaga hahaha."

Gaga's decision to ditch the tweets* but leave the image up on her Instagram account may have something to do with the hashtag she chose. The pop diva got flack earlier this year when she tweeted about eating a salad while craving a cheeseburger with the hashtage #PopStarsDontEat.

The tweet upset fans who thought Gaga was making light of a serious issue and even inspired a response from the National Eating Disorder Association, who hit their own Twitter account to respond, saying, "Huh? This is the same person who recently implored girls to stop dieting?"

We will say that as long-time fans hoping that Lohan keeps it together and gets her career back on track, we are happy to see that she's hanging around a put-together star like Gaga instead of the crew she used to roll with!

*Ed note: Thank you to eagle-eyed commentor gagaloola who let us know that Twitter made some recent changes to celeb accounts, so while Gaga's tweets with Lohan do not appear in her feed when you visit her Twitter, a simple click on "All" reveals they have not been deleted. Carry on!

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Here's A Dramatic Reading Of R. Kelly's Autobiography 'Soulacoaster' By Gary Oldman

Posted 7/11/12 3:15 pm EST by in Movies, Television

R. Kelly

Gary Oldman is one of the most respected actors on the planet. He's also one of the most serious-seeming guys around and has played some pretty intense roles (um, "Sid & Nancy" anyone?). While he's lightened up in recent years, appearing as Harry Potter's good-hearted godfather Sirius Black in several "Potter" films, he still exudes the kind of classically trained bravado of a man who is all about his craft.

So it's surprising (and awesome) when he shows up to a late night talk show and gives a dramatic reading of a decidedly non-classical work – specifically R. Kelly's new autobiography "Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me." But you do what you gotta when you have a movie to sell, so you might as well have fun with it, right?

With "The Dark Knight Rises" landing in theaters next Friday (have you heard? We bet you've heard), Oldman appeared last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to read a passage from soul man Kelly's bio, and as you'd expect, it was pretty hilarious. (As these types of things tend to be … Anderson Cooper did a fantastic job with Snooki's novel, for example.)

Check it out:

For the latest on "The Dark Knight Rises," check out MTV Splash Page and Movies Blog!

What did you think of Oldman's dramatic reading of Kelly's "Soulacoaster"? Let us know in the comments below!

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'Lights' Singer Ellie Goulding Debuts New Song, 'Hanging On' (Listen)

Posted 7/10/12 5:16 pm EST by in Music

Ellie

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding is enjoying her first major taste of U.S. success as her single "Lights" hits #6 on this week's Billboard Hot 100 more than a year after its stateside release. She's also hard at work on a new album with some of the most in-demand producers in the world, including Calvin Harris, members of Swedish House Mafia and with her boyfriend Skrillex.

Now, we're getting a first taste of what Goulding might be cooking up in the studio with the song "Hanging On" featuring Tinie Tempah, which she uploaded today (July 10) to her SoundCloud.

"Here's the beginning of my new journey. Enjoy and share responsibly," she wrote on Twitter.

Shortly after Goulding tweeted the link, her SoundCloud site briefly crashed because servers were overwhelmed by the amount of traffic they received. "Think you guys crashed the site," she tweeted, "bare (sic) with us."

Lucky for us, everything is back up and running!

Whether "Hanging On" will appear on her new album remains to be seen, but it's certainly only stoked anticipation for the effort. "Hanging On" is pure power pop!

Listen and love it, below:

What did you think of Ellie Goulding's new track? Let us know in the comments below!

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Madonna Helps Fan Propose, Offers Marital Advice

Posted 7/10/12 11:11 am EST by in Madonna

Madonna

Despite two not-so-successful marriages and a recent penchant for significantly younger boyfriends, Madonna clearly still believes in everlasting love.

At her "MDNA Tour" stop in Amsterdam earlier this week, Her Madgesty handed her mic over to an excited fan right down front so she could propose to her boyfriend. "Who are you going to ask to marry you?" Madonna asked the woman. "Well, do you want to ask him to marry you in front of several hundred thousands of people?"

She clearly did, but not without some serious coaching from the perfectionist Material Girl first. After warning the woman not "slobber all over my microphone," Madonna encouraged, "Do it with feeling. From your heart baby. Is that the man you love? Do you love her?"

When he responded "very much," M clarified, "For the rest of your f**king life?"

The proposal was a success, inspiring M to chant, "Tongues! Tongues! Kiss with tongues!" before offering the newly engaged couple some advice. "I'll give you one piece of advice, Madonna told the couple. "Never go to bed angry."

That's pretty solid. Check it out:

Related:
>> Madonna Flashes Breast At Audience In Istanbul
>> Madonna Moons Audience At Rome Concert
>> Madonna's Top NSFW Moments

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Song Premiere: 'I'll Write You A Song' By Alex Jaymes

Posted 7/10/12 10:37 am EST by in Music

Raised in northwest Iowa – though he was adopted at 15 days old from Lima, Peru – Alex Jaymes got his big break in a very modern and increasingly familiar way. After posting a clip of himself covering Justin Bieber's "Born To Be Somebody" from the movie "Never Say Never" on YouTube, the song's Grammy-winning writer Diane Warren took a liking to his rendition.

Shortly after, Alex was offered an invitation from the producer of "The Voice" to audition for the hit reality singing competition, but declined after connecting with producer-songwriter Mikal Blue, who has worked with Colbie Cailliat and Jason Mraz. Blue took on the 20-year-old singer at Revolver Records, and the pair collaborated on Jaymes' first single, "I'll Write You A Song," which is available today (June 10) on iTunes.

Check out an exclusive first listen below:

Read More...

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Nicki Minaj's 'Starships' Ties Billboard Top 10 Longevity Record

Posted 7/9/12 11:13 am EST by in Charts, nicki minaj

nicki minaj

Nicki Minaj's ship is flying pretty high these days. (Sorry for that.)

In its 20th week on the Billboard Hot 100, Minaj's "Starships" remains a top 10 hit (#8 this week), tying the record set by the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling" in 2009 for the most uninterrupted weeks in the top 10 for a song that debuted there.

"Starships" arrived on the countdown the week of March 3 at #9 and has been in the top ten ever since, peaking at #5 for a week in early April and returning to the spot for a three-week run in June. Should the song stay in the top ten another week, which seems likely given its current position and on-going reign at radio, it will best the Peas next week for the longest-running top ten hit that debuted in the chart's upper frame.

Trailing "Starships" and "Feeling" are a string of very recognizable hits to keep Nicki company. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's duet "One Sweet Day" spent 19 weeks in the top ten – 16 of those at #1! – in 1995-96, Candian pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" enjoyed 18 weeks in the charts top tier after debuting there, and both Katy Perry ("California Gurls") and Puff Daddy and Faith Evans ("I'll Be Missing You") had 17-week runs in the top ten.

Notably, "Starships" is the only song on the list, which also includes hits from Eminem, Pink, Whitney Houston and two more songs from Carey, that has not made it to #1, a fact Billboard says has more to do with a glut of high-ranking hits, including Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," Carly Rae Jepsen's current No. 1 "Call Me Maybe" and hits from boy bands The Wanted ("Glad You Came") and One Direction ("What Makes You Beautiful") during the song's chart life than its own huge success.

Nicki simply has a slow-burning smash on her hands rather than a hit that burns bright and fast and is gone before you know it. So we should probably expect to hear "Starships" on repeat for the rest of the summer. That sounds about right.

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