‘American Idol’ shakeup: All new judges for next season
Fox broke its silence on the worrisome performance of former reality titan “American Idol” and reports that the network is planning to reboot the entire show — including dumping its judges panel. Longtime Idol judge Randy Jackson quit last week after hearing the news, which still leaves Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj up [...]
Michael Jackson show in Vegas more of a good thing
Michael Jackson spent his life breaking music industry records. Four years after his death, the pop star’s estate has delivered another first: Jackson is now the only person, place or thing to have inspired two Cirque du Soleil shows. The Montreal-based acrobatic-theater company presented a sneak peak of its new Jackson tribute show, “One,” at [...]
Mike Tyson, with pigeon sidekick, to star as TV cartoon detective
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will star as a cartoon detective, with a pigeon as a sidekick, in a new animated series, U.S. cable network Adult Swim said on Friday. Tyson, who recently toured his one-man autobiographical stage show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” will give voice to his cartoon character on the “Mike [...]
‘Idol’ judges drama upstaging competition
The ratings are down. Randy Jackson is out. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are still at it. All is not well on TV’s once dominant “American Idol,” despite a shake-up at the beginning of this season that was supposed to rejuvenate the aging Fox talent competition. Instead, the behind-the-scenes-and-sometimes-in-front-of-the-scenes drama continues to cast a shadow [...]
Cheech and Chong: Secret Shapers of History
Cheech and Chong are more than the seemingly clueless, raunchy stoners they appear to be in their act. You may be surprised to learn that some of pop culture’s foremost phenomena can be traced back to them. For one, Michael Jackson may have never been discovered if it hadn’t been for Tommy Chong’s initial thumbs [...]
After recent deaths, health is new priority in rap
Hip-hop may need a checkup. The culture that in the 1990s lost its brightest stars to gun violence has in recent years seen a series of notable rappers die of drug- and health-related causes. Since 2011, hip-pop pioneer Heavy D, singer and rap chorus specialist Nate Dogg and New York rapper Tim Dog all died of [...]
The tax education of Lauryn Hill: Prison
Lauryn Hill told the judge who sentenced her to prison that she planned to pay her taxes; it was just a question of when. The judge reminded her that citizens don’t get to choose when to pay the government just before ordering her to spend three months in a federal prison. The Grammy-winning singer must [...]
Review: LL Cool J delivers eclectic 13th album
LL Cool J knows how to play well with others. On his 13th studio album, “Authentic,” he delivers an eclectic mix of songs with a variety of guest singers that elevate the material to a worthy listening experience. This is not a rap album, but more of a hip-pop/hip-rock one, hitting all the right notes [...]
Musicians come together to help those in West, Texas
Musicians are working to help a Texas town decimated in a deadly fertilizer plant explosion. Officials with the Texas Thunder Festival on Monday announced next month’s performances will benefit emergency responders and schools in West, where 14 people were killed in a blast on April 17. Performers include the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, the [...]
Nicki Minaj set for live-action film debut in ‘The Other Woman’
We know she can judge would-be solo recording artists. But is Nicki Minaj qualified to judge the romantic entanglements of Cameron Diaz? The pop star and current “American Idol” judge will soon be dishing out advice on the affairs of the heart in “The Other Woman,” the new romantic comedy starring Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate [...]
