Adele

By Zachary Swickey

While Adele hangs around her multi-million dollar mansion, we know of one person who is still clearly not welcome: her father.

The British songbird told Vogue that she has absolutely no interest in keeping a relationship with her father, Mark Evans (who abandoned the Grammy-winning singer when she was three), following his story that he sold to The Sun last year that discussed his personal alcoholism and split from Adele’s mother.

“I was actually ready to start trying to have a relationship with him again. He’s f**king blown it. He will never hear from me again,” she told Vogue. “Because there is nothing that would upset me more than my dad being bribed by the press. It’s like, ‘Just let them run it, then. Don’t you give them ammunition.’”

She had plenty more left to say: “It makes me angry! To come back after ten years and be like, ‘Maybe her problem with men comes down to me.’ It’s like, ‘F**k off! How dare you comment on my life?’ It makes my blood boil.”

Adele feels her father doesn’t realize the consequences of publishing his story. “There’s consequences other than just getting a bit of f**king money that lasts you half a year. It blows my mind," she said. "‘I love her so much.’ Really? Why are you telling me that through a newspaper? If I ever see him, I will spit in his face."

In other, brighter, Adele news, the powerhouse singer has tied the late Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard" soundtrack's 20 weeks at #1 with her smash-hit 21. The singer has also backtracked on her much-publicized quote about taking a break “for four of five years” – saying that’s simply not the case. (Thank goodness!)

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Janet Jackson

After a slightly uncomfortable interview with Anderson Cooper on his daytime talk show, where she hesitated when asked if she would be joining "The X Factor" only to turn around and say that while she wasn't a judge on Simon Cowell's primetime reality singing competition right now "that’s all I really think I should say," speculation is rampant that Janet Jackson has been approached to join the show.

And if the rumors are true, we're all for it! Jackson would be a great addition to the FOX competition and would bring the industry expertise and attitude necessary to add a little spark to the flailing program.

One of the things that has worked so effectively for "The Voice" is the fact that its judges/mentors are all still active as artists. As we noted in our recap of this week's episode, it's kind of interesting and exciting to watch the judges battle it out for team members using the other's status and activity in the industry. When Christina Aguilera contended that she could pay more attention to a contestant because she wasn't currently touring, Blake Shelton countered that while he was indeed on the road, he'd taken his season one "Voice" finalist Dia Frampton with him … something he could likely offer his top contestant this season as well.

That's not something Paula Abdul or Nicole Scherzinger could offer. Abdul hasn't released an album since 1995 (her discography contains only three records total) and Scherzinger can't even seem to get her own solo debut released in the U.S., having seen its release pushed back several times when single after single went nowhere. Who are they to critique the voices and careers of fledgling singers? We like Abdul as much as the next guy, but her daffy shenanigans don't really bring anything to the table other than something fun for viewers to point at and talk about the next day. Read More...

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The Voice

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.

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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. Read More...

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Skrillex

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.

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Usher

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. Read More...

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2 Broke Girls

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. Read More...

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Rihanna

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. Read More...

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Guns N Roses

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. Read More...

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Jennifer Hudson

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"

Read More...

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