We're a little biased here, but here goes: "American Idol" is dead and "The Voice" killed it! We're kidding! But NBC's reality singing competition is putting up quite a fight against "Idol," matching FOX's long-running hit in the key 18-49 demographic and coming within spitting distance of the once untouchable juggernaut in overall ratings.

Monday's episode of "The Voice" earned 16.3 million viewers and a 6.0 rating in the key demo, the same 18-49 rating earned last night by "Idol," which pulled in 18.6 million total viewers.

When it comes to the younger half of the key demo, "The Voice" is actually winning, according to USA Today.

While "Idol's" ratings have stabilized, it's been a brutal season for the once undisputed top show on TV. The season 11 debut in January attracted 21.6 million viewers, down 27 percent from last year in ratings and 18 percent in total viewership. It was the biggest year-to-year fall in the history of the franchise.

Meanwhile, guided by an expert promotional campaign and a key season two debut after the Super Bowl, "The Voice" has proven to be a bright spot on the otherwise bleak spring TV season. A minor hit when it debuted last year, "The Voice" broke some non-sporting event ratings records with its post-Super Bowl debut, attracting 37.6 million viewers for a 16.3 in the key demo. Even without its Super lead-in, the show has proven far stronger than many expected, settling in to a major season-over-season gain.

Are you watching "The Voice" – WE ARE – or are you a longtime "Idol" devotee? Let us know in the comments.

What an awfully big house you have, Adele!

One of the things we love so much about Adele is that she seems like a down-to-earth girl you'd like to go to the bar pub with for a few drinks. She's neither pretentious nor exhausting and seems like an all-around normal person.

But there's one element of her life that is far from normal – her new digs! Rolling deep in some cash from her blockbuster album 21, the pop star is currently renting a MASSIVE, 10-bedroom multimillion dollar mansion in West Sussex, England, for nearly $24,000 a month.

"Fed up with paparazzi staking out her home in London, she's just rented this very large, but very private home in the English country side," Anderson Cooper said during Adele's pre-Grammy "60 Minutes" interview as the British songstress gave the anchor a tour of the home.

"This is just safety, this house," Adele said. She even called the mansion, which Cooper revealed remains mostly unfurnished, a "cliché" but it's sadly apparently a necessary one. The paparazzi and tabloid press in her native England have become so intrusive that she sometimes plants semi-fictional stories within her own entourage to root out the rats. Once she sees the falsified details splashed across the papers, she knows who around her is talking to the press and fires them. Her new palace is really more of a hideaway so she can escape all the bull.

Having snitches in your midst is an unfortunate byproduct of notoriety (everyone wants a piece of you), but as you'd expect, Adele seems to have her head on straight about the whole thing.

Take a tour of the house, after the jump.

By Zachary Swickey

It appears Sonny Moore, aka dubstep king Skrillex, has more than three fresh Grammys to be thankful for, as the producer is rumored to be dating British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding.

A source spoke with US Weekly claiming that the two musicians began dating back in November when they met through similar recording circles. While Goulding is UK-based, the 25-year-old has been spending much of her time in Los Angeles, where 24-year-old Skrillex currently resides.

“It’s a really cool new romance and they get along perfectly. They’re really good together. Everybody thinks it’s awesome. Both of them are so talented. It’s a great L.A. romance for her now that she hasn’t been in London,” the source claims.

The two may have initially met during recording sessions for Skrillex’s newest release Bangarang considering Goulding collaborated with the producer on the effort’s closing track, “Summit.”

For those unfamiliar with Goulding, she performed at Prince William and Kate’s wedding reception, if that gives you an idea of her target audience – a far cry from that of Skrillex’s, hence the unexpectedness of their romance.

This morning, we were enjoying our morning java buzz and chatting with our colleagues in the MTV Newsroom about the happenings in music and pop culture when the conversation turned to Usher's new Diplo-produced jam "Climax." The song is a slick, sexy electro-pop ballad that features perhaps Usher's best (falsetto!) vocal performance in a long time. (Listen to it after the jump!)

The R&B superstar and his producer engaged in some fun and frank talk about the track on Twitter, with Diplo tweeting, "Seriously the best record I've been part of. Really proud of it. I'm pretty sure in 9 months there are gonna be a lot of new babies that this song is responsible for." Usher's response? "Yeah...I hope they don't name the babies Usher too...I don't need them problems...lol."

That seems about right.

With the Newsroom buzzing about Usher's latest hit, one of his earliest smashes, "My Way," coincidentally started playing on MTV, bearing the hashtag "#classic." It got us thinking: Why has Usher never released a greatest hits album? The smooth superstar has so many hits to his name it would almost have to be a double disc (for those who still buy CDs, that is) and it would most definitely be a smash.

Usher has sent a staggering nine tracks to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and logged six other top tens. They are among the most infectious and memorable of the last 18 years. Yes, Usher released his debut album 18 freakin' years ago – though he really broke out three years later when he released My Way, which featured the singles "Nice and Slow," "My Way" and "You Make Me Wanna."

In many ways, he's peerless right now. Quick, name another mainstream R&B artist with his career longevity and commercial success? We thought not … you can't because there really aren't any.

One of the big stories to develop out of Sunday night's Grammys was that the post-win surge Adele's 21 is likely to experience may propel that album to diamond sales. "Diamond" is the music industry term awarded to an album that has gone 10X platinum in the U.S. Can you guess what the last album to do that was? (It was Usher's 2004 set Confessions.)

Like we said, we're loving Usher's new track "Climax" and it certainly has us excited for his new album, which should be out later this year. And sure, we could just sort all of our Usher songs we have on our iTunes into a nice convenient playlist. But the great thing about a nice, well-curated "best of" set from a major artist is that it has a way of becoming a seminal piece of their catalog – and something for casual fans who may not have as many Usher songs on their iTunes as we do to latch on to.

Think about it: seven of the top 30 albums ever are greatest hits sets and just about every superstar has released at least one and when they get it right, it can be a definitive record (think Madonna's The Immaculate Collection or the Beatles' 1).

Since Usher's already working on a new studio set, maybe celebrating his 20th anniversary in the music biz in 2014 by putting all of his hits in one place might be a nice idea. We're just putting it out there for the hunky R&B superstar to consider.

By Zachary Swickey

While many folks were spending bookoo cash on their loved ones this Valentine’s Day, I – as a new resident of Los Angeles – found myself heading to Gate 3 of the Warner Bros. lot to attempt to watch my first live taping of a television show. I was quite excited to witness some behind-the-scenes production – not to mention the taping was for the smash-hit TV show “2 Broke Girls,” which I’ve been an avid fan of since day one.

As I approached Warner, it was a matter of controlled chaos. The “Ellen” fan section was the largest, most boisterous and damn, did they all look excited! I then headed toward my lengthy line, though I soon discover I hopped in the “Big Bang Theory” section by accident – the two lines had seemingly intersected like a real-life version of the cell-phone “Snake” game. After two swift hours, we were eventually led into the studio, where the set was hidden behind large black drapes.

Most live-tapings include a comic that hangs in the crowd to keep them entertained and this one was no different. I wish I had caught the gentleman’s name, because he was easily funny enough to be in the show himself and even gave me a heart-shaped marshmallow Peep to nibble on.

Next, the stars of the show were introduced as they came out one-by-one dressed in their character’s appropriate garb. They quickly went right to filming scenes, which were surprisingly done in order. I’ve never been to a film shoot of any kind before, so I was rather surprised to see them do only two or three takes but occasionally more. However, it helped that every actor was on their A-game. There weren’t as many flubs as I had anticipated.
Kat Dennings was full of her hipster-bashing jokes and sexual puns that always leave me howling. It’s inexplicable how the actress maintains a classic Hollywood beauty to her when reciting such sexually-suggestive jokes, but the abrasive attitude juxtaposes nicely with her charming look.

Beth Behrs, on the other hand, may be a tall, thin blonde with few major acting credentials under her belt, but the woman is an amazing comical actress. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Lucille Ball when watching some of her hilarious scenes. For example, in one instance Behr’s character's tongue swelled up, rendering her unable to talk. As I watched – laughing hysterically – I was blown away how great it looked on the first take (I would even argue her first take was the best of the three or so they took). I figured something that ridiculous would warrant at least a few tries to get right. Granted, the troupe had probably rehearsed this episode a dozen times over.

Actor Jonathan Kite, who plays Oleg, never gets enough screen time but every single line he recited had the audience bent over in laughter. Actor Matthew Moy, who plays café owner Han, was even smaller in person, but notably had little-to-no trouble with his lines. And of course, it was quite the treat to see comic legend Garrett Morris, who plays Earl.

After nearly four hours, “Episode 20” had wrapped, which was completed much faster than the norm, from what we were told. “Sometimes we are here 'til 1AM,” I overheard a worker say. So yeah, I spent my Valentine’s Day alone in a new city, but I was being entertained by one of favorite television shows live and in person! I’ll take that over my past several Valentine’s any day.

Well, first you have to have Rihanna's genes. Do you have those? That seems to be important, according to her trainer, Harley Pasternak.

"She's got such a beautiful body naturally," Pasternak tells >People. " With someone like her, it's about the fine tuning."

That "fine tuning," however seems accessible to just about anyone. When the very busy singer is on the road, she works out three times a week for at least 25 minutes (you know, in addition to putting on several dance-heavy two-hour concerts). When she's more settled, she ups her regimen to five workouts per week, increasing the time she devotes to cardio from 10 minutes to 30.

Pasternak designed the star's workout to be done on the move, in hotel rooms or wherever else a Grammy-nominated superstar might find herself. When the equipment is available, biking is a big part of RiRi's game plan, but she also does exercises like jumping rope without a rope, stationary jogging and jumping jacks – all things she (and you!) can do just about anywhere.

>>> She also likes to hit the elliptical trainer (photos)

Apparently, the star tries to stick to a strict diet of five small meals a day, but like you, me and everyone else, she craves salty snacks. When she gets the urge, she chows down on Pasternak's high-protein, bean-based 5 Factor Program chips … not the bag of Lay's or French fries you turn to.

We're always skeptical of getting on board with any diet that calls itself a "program," but Pasternak clearly knows a thing or two about keeping the human body fit and fabulous – his team has also worked with Rihanna's real-life buddy Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

Check out a pic of Rihanna working on her fitness after the jump.

Rihanna, Twitter

By Zachary Swickey

Ladies and gentleman, hell has possibly frozen over. Original Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed claims that all original members of the iconic group will reunite at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, talking place April 14 in Cleveland.

Reed discussed the jaw-dropping possibility with Billboard, saying, “I know all the original band is going to be there. I don’t’ know exactly what’s going to go down. It’s one of those things I’m sure will all come together and be really cool. I’m just going to go in with a good attitude and a clear head and grateful heart.”

While this could possibly induce hysterical celebration for many fans, Reed did not specify that the group will perform together, rather that they’ll simply all appear. Fans have been clamoring for a proper reunion since the classic lineup of the group – Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke and Duff McKagan – fell apart in the mid-90s. While many members have seemed open to doing something, singer Axl Rose has long been the main antagonist keeping that from happening.

We unfortunately have our doubts about all of them chummily reuniting to perform a few songs, and Reed doesn’t shed much further light. “Honestly, we haven’t spoken about it. I don’t know when or why or how to bring it up. It’s not an everyday sort of thing,” he explained. “So we haven’t really talked about it – but I’m sure we’ll have to at some point."
Meanwhile, Axl’s new version of the G-N-R lineup continues to play shows supporting their now four year old album Chinese Democracy (which was already ten years in the making).

The rest of the classic Guns N’ Roses crew notoriously spun off into Velvet Revolver with Stone Temple Pilots leader Scott Weiland as their singer before relieving him of his vocal duties after just four years and two album together. Their multi-year search for a new crooner is ongoing – despite Weiland rejoining the group for three songs at a charity gig recently.

On last night's Valentine's episode of "Glee," Mercedes (Amber Riley) sang one of the biggest and best love songs ever, "I Will Always Love You," after her conscience forced her to walk away from Sam (Chord Overstreet). It was a high point in the episode and Twitter immediately lit up with praise…

…Much like it did Sunday night when Jennifer Hudson performed the Dolly Parton-penned ballad as a tribute to the late Whitney Houston on the Grammy Awards.

There's no doubt both performers nailed the song, but their interpretations were a little different – Hudson took a bit more ownership of the track, singing in a lower register, while Riley's delivery and the song's arrangement were nearly identical to Houston's.

With two performances of Houston's signature song in one week, it's hard not to compare the two. But which one was your favorite. Vote in our poll below.

Related:
>>> "Glee" Recap: "Heart"

Adele isn't the only one proving that a little good exposure goes a long way.

On the heels of Madonna's much-watched, well-received Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, the Queen of pop's summer upcoming world tour is unsurprisingly selling out arenas and stadiums across the U.S. and has even added multiple dates to accommodate demand. Now, a Madge sellout is a pretty common thing – her 2008-09 "Sticky & Sweet Tour" is the highest grossing ever for a solo artist – but the pop superstar appeared to have adopted a "go big or go home" attitude with this tour, booking massive venues like London's Hyde Park and New York's Yankee Stadium, and it seems to have paid off. Her Sept. 6 concert at Yankee Stadium sold out in hours, forcing a second date, on Sept. 8, to be added.

All told, Madonna has already added five shows – two in Europe and three in the U.S. – to what was already her largest tour itinerary, 90 planned dates that would take Madonna to five continents, including M's first trek through Australia in over 20 years. So far, the added shows include NYC's Yankee Stadium on September 8, Washington DC’s Verizon Center on September 24 and Seattle on October 3 as well as Europeans dates in Berlin June 30 and in Amsterdam July 8. Tickets for the additional shows in the U.S. go on sale February 21.

The tour will support Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, which drops March 26. Every concert ticket for M's tour will also purchase a copy of the album, a move that helped Prince significantly goose the sales of his hit 2004 album Musicology. Not that she needs a ton of help there – following her appearance at the Super Bowl, which pulled in 112.6 million viewers, and the massive rollout behind her new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," pre-orders of MDNA pushed the record to #1 on iTunes album chart in 50 countries, giving Madonna the biggest single-day pre-order in iTunes history and helping her single to a #13 debut (her 56th Billboard Hot 100 appearance).

By Zachary Swickey

The Black Keys had a hell of a year in 2011, finally getting some much-deserved attention (selling out Madison Square Garden in the process), but frontman Dan Auerbach is the first to admit that it used to piss him off that they weren’t bigger.

We can’t blame Auerbach (I was notably confused when I saw them play for just a couple hundred people in 2004), as the band has the catchiest, most dynamic blues-pop combination sound out there today. In an interview with the Sun, the singer said that he had grown frustrated with their lack of mainstream success, but claimed that he and his drummer bandmate Patrick Carney now appreciated it more because it took them longer to achieve.

“Stuff used to piss me off and I'd moan about it. Like, 'Why aren't we up here on the bill? Why aren't we playing a higher festival slot?'” stated Auerbach.

"I don't know. I'm glad it took us this long because we appreciate every opportunity that we've got. Every step up we feel better about it," he further explained. "I love our audience – that they are all so different. Old and new fans across the board. The shows have got bigger – but gradually, so it's lessened the blow."

Drummer Carney took a moment to voice his displeasure with the Grammys, saying, “There’s so much good music in the U.S. and there is just a small section that gets recognized at the Grammys. I don’t have any patience and I can’t bulls**t myself by sitting through a Justin Bieber song. I am not interested in that s**t.”

Things were less hostile when MTV News' own James Montgomery caught up with the duo in Berlin of all places – the group referred to 2011 as “absolutely insane.” They premiered their slick new video for their most recent hit off El Camino, “Gold on the Ceiling,” which is basically a fun montage of video footage from the road – a nice “cheap and awesome” summation of how far the guys have come.

They describe their recent stardom as “all very new” but modestly refer to themselves as the “bat boys” of the rock and roll big leagues. These are the same guys who have gone from “mowing dirt fields” in Akron, Ohio, to playing arenas in just under a decade. Dream big, kids, dream big.