Britney Spears’ Lucky magazine controversy

By Suzy Byrne | A-Line: Celebrity Style

Oops … she did it again! Britney Spears has found herself smack dab in the middle of another controversy pertaining to her photo spread in the December issue of Lucky, which hit the web on Friday.

"The X Factor" judge dons several different relatively conservative outfits in the mag and reveals some of her fashion secrets — for example, she hates socks. While the whole thing seems pretty innocuous, there's been a big backlash from her fans, who are complaining that the entertainer seems to be wearing a bad wig in pictures that appear to be heavily retouched.

In the photos, the 30-year-old singer's hairline does look lower than usual and her part is in a different spot. The texture of her locks also seems different — it's much fuller and more unnatural looking than what we see when she's seated at the judges' table, prompting rumors that she's wearing a wig or some type of a weave. One fan even tweeted at the mag, "Did @britneyspears even show up for the photoshoot or did you just photoshop her face on a body[?]"

To us, Spears' tresses scream Kim Zolciak — and we all know that "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star is all about the wigs.

In the Lucky interview, Spears also talks about her issues dealing with acne, but you can't see a single mark on her face in the pics. While magazines are known for retouching, fans found this to be an "extreme" example with some saying she looks "unrecognizable." Her teeth are so pearly white that she could be the poster girl for the latest dental bleaching product.

The fashion mag is aware of the criticism and addressed the topic on Twitter over the weekend, writing, "Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on our cover! As always, we will share with our team and we're sorry to have let some of you down."

As for Spears, she's kept mum on the topic. Her tweets have instead been about "The X Factor" as well as the upcoming campaign for her Fantasy Twist perfume. But then again, she also hasn't tweeted about the ongoing court battle her parents are in with her shady ex-manager, Sam Lufti. People magazine reports that Spears — who remains under the legal control of her father and her fiancé, Jason Trawick — is "aware of the trial but isn't really asking questions." Although Lufti lived with her in 2007, Spears "doesn't remember" much about him "but knows that he didn't act in her best interest."

Christina Aguilera & Cee Lo Green Taking ‘Voice’ Hiatus; Shakira & Usher To Fill Their Chairs

By Lyndsey Parker | Reality Rocks


You have to hand it to "The Voice." Last week, the show added a third Wednesday episode to ruin "The X Factor's" big premiere night. And now, with the new "American Idol" and "X Factor" judges having had hardly any time to bask in their publicity, already "The Voice" is stealing both shows' thunder once again--with breaking news that two new singularly named superstar judges, Shakira and Usher, will replace Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green for Season 4. Both Christina and Cee Lo will be back for Season 5 in fall 2013, according to NBC.

Rumors have swirled for months that NBC's overkill decision to air "The Voice" twice yearly would at least temporarily drive away some or all of the show's regular judges, causing the lineup to be revamped for the spring 2013 season. Apparently such is the downside of hiring judges who, you know, are still relevant hitmakers and have other important things to do with their time, like touring and recording, besides sitting on an NBC soundstage six months out of the year. (And this is why talent shows should consider hiring non-celebrity judges, but I digress.) In fact, just last week when talking to Ryan Seacrest, Christina admitted that she'd first assumed her "Voice" gig would be "kind of like a side project...then it kind of took off, and there goes my free time!"

With Christina getting ready to release her comeback album, Lotus, in November (her new single, "Your Body," debuted last week to positive reviews), and the ubiquitous Cee Lo working on a Christmas album and a new sitcom, it's no surprise that they are the first "Voice" judges to take official leaves of absence.

"Being a coach on "The Voice' is a wonderful experience and the relationship amongst us all is like an extended family," Christina said in an NBC press release Monday. "I am so proud of being part of the show from the beginning, all the work we've done, and proud of what the show stands for as a whole. As I have expressed since day one of the show, that I am a singer and performer first and I am so excited to get back to that love. Since this year NBC and 'The Voice' have decided to tape back-to-back seasons, requiring a full-year commitment, it is important for me to take Season 4 off, allowing me to support my music that my fans have been waiting for...by pursuing my first passion of music during the break, I am also able to come back and offer even more to my team on 'The Voice' in the future."

In the same press release, Cee Lo said: "First, thank you NBC for supporting my decision to take this Season 4 hiatus! It says that I'm seen and respected as a complete artist and not just a cast member. I'm highly enthusiastic about focusing my undivided attention on my additional endeavors and interests like my upcoming solo album, new Goodie Mob album, Las Vegas residency 'Loberace,' new memoir, and new NBC comedy...I will return for Season 5 and will be watching Season 4. NBC is home and as far as Usher and Shakira are concerned--'mi casa su casa.'"

NBC's press release assured that "The Voice's" resident bromancers, Adam Levine (whose Maroon 5 band is hotter than ever) and Blake Shelton, will stick around to hang with Shakira and Usher in Season 4, but it seems like only a matter of time before they too decide to take a break. Blake in particular has repeatedly, quite loudly complained about "The Voice's" new grueling two-seasons-a-year shoot schedule, and just this week he told Access Hollywood: "I don't know how much longer I'm even going to do it. It's [NBC's] decision [for us to leave], in that they're the ones choosing to do back-to-back seasons. They really leave us no other option. As far as Christina and Adam and Cee Lo and I, if we want to tour, there's not a chance of that doing back-to-back seasons. That's not acceptable to me. At some point, I've got to go, 'You know what, this has been awesome. It's changed my life, but it's not my life. I've got to get back to what I really do, and that's country music."

It is expected that any current judges who sit out a "Voice" season will return eventually, after taking some much-needed time to focus on their own careers...however, Blake's statement almost reads like a final farewell, so we shall see. If he does ever leave, Adam will probably be crushed. But maybe Usher can be his new bromance buddy when and if that happens.

As for Usher and Shakira, both are relevant stars who appeal to demographics that have traditionally not tuned in for, say, "American Idol"--the urban audience and the Latin audience--and they have a combined 39 years of recording experience to their credit. (And in an age when rival shows hire relative newcomers like Demi Lovato and Nicki Minaj, that counts for something.) So they're not bad choices. But how will they gel with Adam and Blake...or with any new co-stars, when and if Adam and Blake also decide to go on hiatus? And what about when Christina and Cee Lo presumably return--will that old "Voice" magic still be there? This constant game of musical (spinning) chairs on "The Voice" could really ruin the show's momentum.

Or...perhaps a rotating (no pun intended) panel could put "The Voice's" focus where it really belongs and never has been: on the actual contestants, for once.

Adele Gives Birth to a Baby Boy!

Adele

Us Weekly

Adele better brush up on her lullabies!

The eight-time Grammy winner has given birth to a healthy baby boy, a source tells Us Weekly. It is the first child for Adele and the second for her boyfriend, Simon Konecki, who has a five-year-old daughter with ex-wife Clary Fisher.

In the time since confirming her pregnancy on her official blog in July, the 24-year-old pop star has remained largely out of the spotlight as she focused on her baby-to-be. "The baby is healthy and she's so excited!" an Adele confidant told Us Weekly in late September.

Going back into the recording studio to belt out "Skyfall," the theme song for the new James Bond film just prior to giving birth, Adele is also working on her next full-length album. Her new music, a source explains, will be inspired in large part by her new bundle of joy.

"The pregnancy has had a big impact on her songwriting!" explains the insider, who tells Us the new album will be lighter in tone than her breakup-themed disc 21, released in early 2011.

New music isn't the only thing the busy mom has on her upcoming agenda. She and Konecki, 38, are anxious to wed! Raised by a single mom, a pal tells Us that Adele "wants a low-key affair where her mother gives her away."

More than anything, says the insider, "she wants to be a wife and mom."

Jennifer Aniston finally debuts enormous engagement ring

We finally present to you ... Jennifer Aniston's huge diamond engagment ring! (Jason Thomas/WireImage)

By Lizbeth Scordo | Love Bites: Celebrity Relationships

It's the rock the world has been waiting for. Nearly two months after getting engaged to boyfriend Justin Theroux, Jennifer Aniston has finally stepped out wearing her engagement ring. And it's a whopper!

The 43-year-old was spotted wearing a large diamond on the ring finger of her left hand as she vacationed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her fiancé over the weekend. The actress has been in nearby Albuquerque shooting scenes for her upcoming comedy "We're the Millers."

So what was the reason for the delay in debuting the sparkler? It's unclear whether Aniston only recently got the ring or if her main squeeze gave it to her back when he popped the question on August 10, which also happened to be his 41st birthday. Perhaps she just held off on sporting it since she's been working on set so much? In the film, she plays a woman hired by a drug smuggler to pretend to be his wife, and thus, spends many of her scenes wearing a simple gold wedding band. Some speculated that the band might actually belong to Aniston, but most of us were patiently waiting for her to debut some big bling.

And now that she finally has, no one within miles can miss it!

Beware of the curves: Confident Christina proudly parades her fuller figure... in a VERY tight purple dress at AMA nominations

Christina Aguilera (Getty Images)

By Chris Johnson ( Mail Online )

If there was any doubt that Christina Aguilera has well and truly embraced her fuller figure, then look no further.

The 31-year-old singer put in a very confident turn on Tuesday as she poured (and squeezed) her very generous proportions into a form-fitting body contour dress.

Needless to say, Christina - with dress pulled taut over her bust and bottom - delivered an eye-catching look as she arrived to present the American Music Award nominations at press conference in Los Angeles.

The Beautiful songstress was in full-on performance mode for the photographers - sticking out her rounded derriere, putting her hands on hips and twirling round for her over-the-shoulder shot in a series of moves that threatened derail Kim Kardashian's reputation as having the most famous bottom in Hollywood.

The Voice judge completed her style with a pair of sky-high silver heels, fake eyelashes along with her newly-dyed pink and purple-tipped blonde tresses.

And then there was the fake tan. And lots of it.

Christina, a mother of one, had slathered it on in abundance, particularity so over her legs - which appeared to be a darker shade than the rest of her body.

Aguilera, who announced the AMA nominees on Tuesday, was the first performer to be announced for the live show, which takes place next month.

R&B star Rihanna and rapper Nicki Minaj led nominations for the American Music Awards with four apiece, edging out stiff competition from pop sensations Justin Bieber and One Direction.

list of AMA nominations

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Drake
Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Rihanna

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
J. Cole
fun.
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
One Direction

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber, “Believe”
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
One Direction, “Up All Night”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Drake, “Take Care”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown, “Fortune”
Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”
Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park

FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train

FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira

FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac

FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex

Katy Perry vs. Cyndi Lauper — Fashion Faceoff

Cyndy Lauper / Getty Images

Katy Perry / Getty Images

By Raechal Leone Shewfelt | A-Line: Celebrity Style

Hello? Is the fashion lover of the house available? Because this week, we've got quite the style showdown between '80s rocker Cyndi Lauper and pop tart Katy Perry in the same whimsical dress featuring a London phone booth. The ladies, who are both known for their frequent hair-color changes and their quirky wardrobes, chose identical versions of Moschino Cheap & Chic's printed crepe mini dress. Lauper once prided herself on being different, naming her 1983 debut album She's So Unusual, and Perry has made it clear with fashions like her whip cream-spewing bra and a glow-in-the-dark dress that she likes to stand out from the crowd herself. So which one of them really owned this look? Time for us to decide ... who wore it best?!

Perry, 27, donned the frock for dinner with friends in England's capital city last October. The "Wide Awake" singer further flaunted her fun sense of style by adding a classic trench coat, dark tights, a beanie, and black flats. As Perry once told the British morning TV show "Daybreak," her current style of high-fashion dresses mixed with trendy and sometimes funky pieces comes from her younger years, when she wasn't so financially successful. "I wanted to be unique but I had no means," Perry said. "I started going to charity shops, and vintage shops, and whatever I could get with the money that I made while playing the guitar on the street, that's what I bought and I cultivated this very interesting somewhat embarrassing style at times."

Lauper, 59, took her turn in the dress last month at a book store in NYC. She wore it with big gold earrings, a black leather jacket, and tall black boots as she promoted her book simply titled, Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir. The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer's Big Apple adventures also recently included a performance at the 70th birthday bash for her designer pal Betsey Johnson. It only makes sense that they'd be friends, right?

While both women were able to fulfill their quirky quotient with this design, I think it's clear that one of them wore it better. On top of the splashy dress, Perry's many accessories and pink hair were a little too much for a casual night out. Lauper, however, kept the rest of her look rocker chic. (She's come so far since she dressed like the '80s version of Ke$ha!) For me, Lauper takes the crown — that's no doubt flashing neon lights. Do you agree?

Nicki Minaj/Mariah Carey ‘Idol’ Catfight Caught On Video

By Lyndsey Parker | Reality Rocks

Rumor has it that "American Idol" producers are hoping that some juicy feuding between new alpha-female judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj will bring in ratings for Season 12. And now, months before Season 12 even starts, a video has already "leaked" depicting a blowup between the two loud ladies during this Tuesday's Charlotte, North Carolina, auditions. It's probably far from the last such TMZ-obtained video we will see before a drastically different "Idol" returns to the air in 2013.

In a seemingly scandalous new fly-on-the-wall clip just posted by TMZ, a pink-wigged and dirty-mouthed Nicki is shown going off on her former "Up Out Of My Face" duet partner, shouting, "If you've got a f***ing problem, handle it!" She also yells, "I told them, I'm not putting up with her f***ing highness over here. I'm not gonna sit here every f***ing minute to have you come down and harass me every minute every day."

Meanwhile, Mariah's manager and fellow judge, Randy Jackson, sitting by his star client's side, orders Nicki to "settle down." Producer Nigel Lythgoe, who has repeatedly claimed that Mariah and Nicki are getting along just swimmingly, also steps in to intervene. New neutral-as-Switzerland judge Keith Urban, sitting in the undesirable hot seat between Nicki and Mariah, remains calm and carries on, just sipping his Coke and probably mentally going straight to his happy place. And Mariah looks exasperated; moans,"Why, why, why?"; and appears to point Nicki in the direction of the exit door. (Mariah tweeted on Tuesday late afternoon, "whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy"--but that post has since been deleted.)

TMZ additionally reports that Nicki also threatened to "knock out" Mariah, although that exchange apparently wasn't caught on tape.

While the damning video makes it seem like this battle royale between these two divas was Nicki-instigated, MouthToEars.com claims that it was Mariah who started it all. "Nicki Minaj walked off of set because Mariah Carey kept making jabs at her. Nicki's manager and team convinced her to come back to the show. Mariah kept at it and called Nicki a b***h and then proceeded to cuss her out. Producers had to stop filming and call it a night," the site reports.

FULL VERSION: Nicki Minaj Cusses Out Mariah Carey During 'American Idol' -- FightVideo

Representatives for Fox had no comment at this time.

In this supposed any-publicity-is-good-publicity age, gossippy stories like this will certainly keep "Idol" in the news, at a time of year when most reality fans are focused on NBC's increasingly popular "The Voice" or Simon Cowell's new-and-improved "X Factor." But I am concerned about how this sort of hype will ultimately damage the brand of what for years has basically been a very family-friendly, feel-good program with a largely conservative fanbase. While all of these talent shows, including "Idol" in its Simon Cowell/Paula Abdul heyday, have featured judging-table fireworks that have made for some undeniably good TV, it usually all remained playful and lighthearted--a friendly-rivalry sort of thing. In those instances when inter-judge relations did seem to genuinely sour onscreen (Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine's Tony Lucca-centric feuding on "The Voice" Season 2, the obvious uncomfortable friction between Simon and the soon-to-be-fired Nicole Scherzinger on "The X Factor" Season 1), it was a major turnoff to viewers...not to mention a major distraction from the hapless contestants caught in the crossfire.

So while Mimi/Minaj drama--staged, leaked, or real--may bring about "Idol" buzz in the short term, I do suggest, for the good of the show in the long term, that producers not work this catfighting angle too much, because it will get old fast (it's already getting a little old) and just feel like another desperate ratings gimmick. However, if this is really the direction that "Idol" is going in for Season 12, I further suggest that Fox censors have their five-second-delay switches and bleep-buttons at the ready, because they're going to need such devices even more than they did when Steven Tyler was on the show.

Christina Aguilera Official Video : Your Body

MTV and You Tube

Christina Aguilera's brand-new "Your Body" video is certainly a feast for the eyes, what with its brightly colored scenes of violence (and gratuitous automobile explosions), but it's also an all-you-can-eat buffet for pop-culture aficionados.

Yes, aside from the obvious odes to Russ Meyer flicks and trailer-park chic, "Your Body" is also loaded with subtler nods to our pop-cult past — which is why we've spent the day analyzing every frame, noting each fleeting tribute to trashy TV, sugar-coated cereals and lunar-ready footwear (what can we say, we have a lot of time on our hands). And now, in celebration of Christina's return — and her truly clever new video — we're presenting all our findings to you.

Here the Video :