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What Are You Looking Forward To Most On Tomorrow's 'American Idol' Premiere?

Posted 1/17/12 12:57 pm EST by in American Idol, Newsroom Poll


American Idol

"American Idol" returns to FOX tomorrow night to begin the audition phase of TV's most popular singing competition. The judging team that helped the show win its first season-over-season ratings gain in five years returns intact alongside host Ryan Seacrest to help decide which wannabe singers have what it takes to be national superstars.

Are you ready?

Well, whether you are or not it's coming, so do what you must to prepare. In the meantime, let us know in the poll below what you are most looking forward to as "AI" comes back for its 11th season.

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'American Idol' Season 11 Promo Debuts, Brings The Nice

Posted 10/24/11 8:54 am EST by in American Idol, Jennifer-Lopez


They're not even on at the same time of year, but the arms race between "American Idol" and Simon Cowell's "X Factor" continued on Sunday night when Fox (which airs both shows) unwrapped the first commercial for season 11 of "Idol."

The show doesn't return to air until January 22, but three months out producers seem to be sticking with the positive people vibe they explored last year with a revamped judging panel that included newbies Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. For the first time since season seven, the entire panel has returned intact, with veteran old-schooler Randy Jackson getting some serious love as the first face you see in the new ad.

Strutting through a tree-lined park lane, Jackson is surrounded by budding singers, and, despite some ribbing from early "Factor" promos that dinged "Idol" for its shiny, happy attitude, all seems well in "Idol"-ville. The first glimpse of Lopez is of her designer shoes, as the camera pans out and we see more freshly-scrubbed faces singing and busting moves on an Pleasantburg, U.S.A. Hollywood set.

The poppy, acoustic soundtrack (sample lyric, "anything is possible"), soars into lite rock territory when Tyler spots a garage band (in a literal, cul-de-sac garage!) jamming out as he waves them to join his legion of primary color t-shirt-wearing minions. Check the promo out, after the jump! Read More...

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With 'The X Factor' Looming, Here's A Breakdown Of All The Reality Singing Competitions

Posted 9/16/11 2:15 pm EST by in American Idol, Television


After months of hype and headlines, Simon Cowell’s "X Factor" is finally debuting in America next week. The question is: Will anyone care?

In the past year, our DVRs have been filled to the max with reality singing competitions, from the revamped (J. Lo on a kinder, gentler "American Idol") to the remixed ("The Voice" has swivel chairs, you guys) to the reviled (ugh, "Karaoke Battle USA"). These days, the casual TV viewer needs a doctorate in “Reality TV” to keep track of all the various karaoke contests.

So, as a public service to fellow confused and overwhelmed TV addicts, I’ve broken down all the shows that are sure to feature overwrought renditions of Alicia Keys' songs and judges sipping from sponsored soda cups. (Example: "Idol" is Coke, "X Factor" is Pepsi. "The Sing Off" is…Coke 2?)

Practice your scales, warm up your pipes and dig in!

American Idol

"American Idol"
Season 11 premieres on Fox in January
Premise: Small town folks with big voices get plucked from obscurity
Weepy Judge: J Lo, although we’re not buying it
Hard Ass Judge: Randy, although we’re not buying it
Token Genre Judge: Rock legend Steven Tyler, although we’re not sure he knows that he’s on television half the time
Host’s Greatest Asset: Seacrest’s bank account.
Guest mentors: Ranging from the A-list (OH MY GAGA!) to the A-list…from the '90s (Babyface!)
Prize: $1 million contract with Universal; destined to play state fairs for years to come
Do the Judges Mentor: Nope. Nor do they judge. Everyone’s brilliant and amazing!
Ratings: #1 show on TV, performance shows averaged almost 26 million viewers a week!
Age Range: 15-29
Recent Backstage Drama: Producers bickering in the press with Simon Cowell, J.Lo contract negotiations, PIA TOSCANO AND MARK BALLAS SPLIT OMG.
Biggest Star(s): The Holy Idol Trinity of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry.

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Kelly Clarkson’s Musical Robbery And Our Thoughts On The Loot

Posted 8/22/11 4:30 pm EST by in American Idol, kelly-clarkson


Kelly Clarkson

By James Dinh

Kelly Clarkson has been robbed — musically, that is. Back in March, the original "American Idol" announced the delay of her fifth studio album, which we now know as Stronger, and ever since, fans have been patiently awaiting new material, official word and the smallest of tid bits on the pop star's looming musical comeback. Yet, they sure must have felt overwhelmed when a string of new Clarkson tracks hit the blogosphere earlier this summer.

While it may have appeased her hungry (and possibly starving) fans' appetites, Ms. Independent obviously wasn't too happy. "Oh my God, have you ever been robbed? I have. I’ve been physically robbed a couple of times, but this is much worse,” she recently told Entertainment Weekly. “There are songs out there that are from eight or 10 years ago … People are always asking me to write for other artists. They’re awesome songs, [but] they’re just not songs I would normally sing.”

Even though some of the tunes were intended for others, Clarkson had an issue with the public perception that some of leaked material might be the direction for her own album, saying, “I think what made me mad was that: 1) People stole from me, and 2): Everybody had no idea what my next album was going to sound like. That really caused a lot of confusion.”

Fans of the songstress should have no fear though, as the singer admits that a couple of the tracks that surfaced online will indeed appear on Stronger, dropping October 25. With exactly two weeks left until the LP's lead single, "Mr. Know It All," hits radio airwaves, the MTV Newsroom has decided to a look at some of our favorite leaked songs from the big-voiced singer (with hope that they make the final cut). Read More...

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Does 'American Idol' 'Mask' The Sexuality Of Its Contestants? (Poll)

Posted 8/16/11 3:45 pm EST by in American Idol, Newsroom Poll


Adam Levine

So you thought there wouldn’t be any mudslinging between “American Idol” and “The Voice” and the two singing competitions would co-exist in a weird sort of harmony? Well, you were mistaken.

“The Voice” judge Adam Levine has hit out at “Idol” in an interview with Out magazine, implying Fox’s hit singing competition keeps its gay contestants in the closet.

“What's always pissed me off about 'Idol' is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," Levine told Out. "C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that 'The Voice' didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing."

Levine does make a valid point. There were several openly gay contestants on “The Voice” this season and that fact was often celebrated and certainly not covered up. And yes, the two most prominent gay contestants to find fame on “Idol” – Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert – waited, for one reason or another, until after their tenure on the show to publicly declare their sexuality. But was that because they were forced to keep it under wraps by “Idol” producers?

(Levine also should be a little more careful when casting stones. After all, two of his three fellow “Voice” judges, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton, found themselves at the center of homophobia accusations in recent months. Just saying.)

So what do you think, dear readers? Does “American Idol” “mask” the sexuality of its contestants? Vote in our poll, after the jump. Read More...

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Why Was JLo 'American Idol' Announcement So Low-Key?

Posted 8/11/11 4:55 pm EST by in American Idol, Jennifer-Lopez


Jennifer Lopez

The last time "American Idol" had news about Jennifer Lopez, they announced it with glitter and much fanfare on the "Idol" Hollywood stage. When the singer/actress joined the cast of the show last year there was much pomp and circumstance.

But on Wednesday when "Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed that JLo would be back for another season alongside fellow newbie Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and old dawg Randy Jackson, there was no confetti.

In fact, there wasn't much fanfare at all. No press release from Lopez or the "Idol" camp, no media splash about her contract and, oddly, a "no comment" from a Fox spokesperson when MTV News asked for confirmation of the re-hire.

What gives? Read More...

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Kelly Clarkson's Song Leaks: Does It Compare To 'Since U Been Gone'?

Posted 7/7/11 2:25 pm EST by in American Idol, kelly-clarkson


Kelly Clarkson

Let's cut Kelly Clarkson some slack for the recently leaked possible lead single off her next album, "Let Me Down." It seems that everyone wants Clarkson to immediately delight us with "Since U Been Gone" right off the bat, and well, this song just isn't quite that song. Not that it's bad, it's just not spectacular either.

But a quick dive into Clarkson's singles history proves that a lot of the time her second single is the one that really wows us. Don't believe us, well here's the proof.

"Miss Independent" was the second single off Clarkson's debut album. Everyone was certainly Thankful for it, making her lead off that album, "A Moment Like This," a forgettable moment of pop schmaltz. "Miss Independent" defined Clarkson as the anti-pop star whose sass and flair for feminist pop certainly made her the star she is today.

As with Thankful, Kells dazzled us with the second single off Breakaway. After releasing the title track off that album, Kelly actually tickled our eardrums with "Since U Been Gone." Nearly seven years later, it stands as one of her defining tunes and a raucous girl power anthem.

Listen below. Read More...

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Pia Toscano Got A Record Deal, But How Are The Other Ninth Place 'Idols' Faring?

Posted 7/6/11 4:42 pm EST by in American Idol


Pia Toscano

The news of Pia “I Got Voted Off ‘Idol’ Way Early And All I Got Was This Awesome Record Deal” Toscano joining Interscope’s roster surprised no one, except maybe my cat Moo Shu. (Homegirl’s a Voice fan. She thinks Idol is so seven years ago.) Toscano already shattered records by being the lowest-placing Idol also-ran to nab a significant major label deal in the show’s ten year history. (She was ninth! NINTH, I say!)

While we wait to see whether Pia becomes the next Jennifer Hudson or Kristy Lee Cook, let’s look back at the careers of previous ninth-place finishers to see how they’ve fared.

Season One: Jim Verraros
Jim was our inaugural “token sob story” contestant, and he parlayed his name recognition into movie roles in popular gay indie flicks. (Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds might be my fave sequel title since Electric Boogaloo.) He waited three years post-Idol to release his clubby dance album, Rollercoaster, and its lead single “You Turn It On” just missed hitting the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Chart. When MTV News caught up with him last, he talked openly about surviving the Idol bubble. “You get out there and realize, ‘Wow, I don’t have a lot of credibility even though I became a household name in nine weeks.’ You are forgotten just as fast,” he said.

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‘The Voice’ Semi-Finals: Top Awkward Moments

Posted 6/22/11 6:30 pm EST by in American Idol, Christina Aguilera, Contest!


By Stefan Doyno

Last night was the semi-finals on The Voice, and as with any two-hour live show, there were some pretty awkward moments. Here are some of evening's more uncomfortable moments.

-Christina Aguilera's homage to her "Lady Marmalade" hair.

-Cee Lo getting sentimental during the elimination round, referring to Nakia as "my brother from another mother" and sisters Tori and Taylor Thompson as "delicate little flowers" that he "didn't want anybody to hurt." Coincidentally, they did look a lot like delicate little flowers, but then he stomped on them and eliminated them from the competition.

-Cee Lo wearing two watches while name dropping – “Wonderful song choice. Chris and Gwyneth are great friends of mine."

-Christina Aguilera seemed to be caught a little off guard when Carson Daly asked her, "What advice did you give to Beverly and Frenchie?"

"I'm sorry? They already know all my advice," she fired back.

Of course they do, Christina, but remember you are on a television show – we want to know too.

Read on for more. Read More...

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Kara DioGuardi Judges My Songwriting

Posted 6/20/11 5:30 pm EST by in American Idol


Kara DioGuardi

Kara DioGuardi took a lot of lumps from American Idol fans during her two-year stint as “the fourth judge.” Hell, anyone who keeps up with my Idol coverage knows I’ve employed far too many Kara DioSaster puns.

Things are different in KaraLand now, though. She’s absolutely killing it as head judge on her latest TV endeavor, Bravo’s Platinum Hit, a reality competition where aspiring songwriters battle it out to become America’s Next Top Diane Warren. (New episodes premiere every Monday night. So much drama, and the songwriters are actually talented!) Plus, Kara escaped Idol with her sense of humor intact, joking openly in interviews about her less-than-stellar time on live TV.

Last week, Kara stopped by MTV News and I had about a zillion things to ask her. But I also wanted to give her the chance to critique me. I’ve made mortgage payments thanks to her Idol gaffes, so it’s only fair to allow her to get a few shots in at me. So I strapped on my songwriter cap and spent 20 minutes re-writing the lyrics to one of my musical “Glee-caps” in Kara’s honor. And then I performed it for her. To her face. And asked her opinion. Gulp.

What would one of the industry’s top songwriters think of my tune? Would she say the melody needs work? Or that my lyrics are cliché? How could I go on living if the person responsible for so many of my favorite karaoke jams hated my music?

Check out the video below to see her reaction. (Spoiler alert: she’s awesome.) Read More...

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