Swift leads, Miguel hurts fans at Billboard Awards

By MESFIN FEKADU | Associated Press

Taylor Swift is red hot.

The singer, who is nominated for 11 Billboard Music Awards, was the show's early leader with seven wins so far, including top Billboard 200 album and country album for "Red." She topped it off with a colorful performance of her hit "22" — starting backstage and working her way to the main stage on the back of a bike with help from a dozen background dancers and a flurry of red balloons.

Miguel, too, had a show-stopping performance, though he seemed to kick a fan when he jumped over the crowd during a performance of his hit "Adorn." The R&B singer seemed to have landed part of his body on one girl, who walked away, and kicked another girl, who held her head low.

Maroon 5 and fun. were also nominated for 11 awards and won honors in a pre-telecast announcement. Gotye and Rihanna are behind Swift with four awards each.

Bruno Mars and his band kicked off the show in silky red suits that matched their silky dance moves, with bright gold disco balls hanging above them. Mars performed his new single, the upbeat and old-school flavored "Treasure."

Justin Bieber, who won top male artist, is also up for the night's biggest award, top artist. Other nominees include Swift, Rihanna, One Direction and Maroon 5.

"This is not just my award," Bieber said, thanking his fans and team.

He performed his song "Take You" in leather pants, a leather vest and a black shirt that had one sleeve, as blue laser lights beamed.

Nicki Minaj, who is set to perform with Lil Wayne, won the first award in the live telecast for top rap artist, beating out Drake, Flo Rida, Pitbull and Psy.

"I definitely did not expect this one," she said, wearing a bright red dress.

But the awards show, airing live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on ABC, is less about the trophies and more about the performances. Selena Gomez sang her seductive new hit, "Come & Get It," while Chris Brown danced around the stage to his latest single, "Fine China," though his voice began to crack during the performance. Duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also performed their massive hit, "Thrift Shop," which won top rap song.

"First and foremost, gotta thank Goodwill, gotta thank Value Village," Macklemore said to laughs.

Prince, who will receive the icon award, will also hit the stage. Madonna was named top touring artist.

"Thank you for supporting me for three decades. Without you I truly wouldn't be here," she said.

Bieber, Swift and Mars are also up for the fan-voted milestone award.

Comedian-actor Tracy Morgan is the show's host, and he dressed as Psy in a bright yellow suit when the rapper-singer was onstage to present an award. They had a dance battle to Psy's new single, "Gentleman."

Pitbull made two appearances, one with Jennifer Lopez and another with Christina Aguilera. His hit with Aguilera, "Feel This Moment," samples A-Ha's "Take On Me" and Morten Harket came out to sing a line from the song.

Jennifer Lopez Expresses Worries Over May-December Relationship

By Taryn Ryder | omg!

Jennifer Lopez is not oblivious about what her 18-year age difference with boyfriend Casper Smart could mean for their future together.

J.Lo tells People for their cover story this week how Casper, 25, “helped [her] heal” after her divorce from Marc Anthony. However, for the first time the “Dance Again” singer acknowledges she has doubts at times about their relationship.

"I ask him, 'Why don't you go find a young girlfriend and get out of here? What do you want with me?' And you think, 'How long is this gone be?' You think, 'Okay, in 10 years I'm going to be like this and you're going to be like that' and … men at that age are … I think all different things,” Lopez, 43, tells the mag. “The truth is we don't know what's going to happen. We're loving this moment right now. We make each other happy."

Lopez’s relationship with Casper certainly isn’t her first romance to make headlines. The “Parker” actress was of course once engaged to Ben Affleck and infamously dated Diddy.

"I don't regret those things – that's who I am," Jennifer says about her high-profile relationships. "But at least now I'm at a point where I have to recognize that these choices and things that happen are partly because of me and my decisions and I have to be more careful. So I am being more careful."

The Golden Globe Awards could have posed a potentially awkward situation for Lopez, with three exes — Affleck, Diddy, and Bradley Cooper — all in attendance. But the singer says on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in an interview set to air Wednesday that she was unfazed by it all.

“I see them a lot,” J.Lo responds when asked whether it was awkward to all be in the same room. “We’re in the same business. We run in the same circles.”

Lopez even gave Affleck a standing ovation when he took home the prize for Best Director for “Argo.”

“It was a great movie. And, we got you know, a lot of like… they were really hard on us in the press when we dated back in the day. On movies and things like that,” Lopez continued. “So it was a nice moment. It was a nice to see him have that moment. I was really happy for him.”

With Smart on her arm Sunday night omg! saw first hand how Lopez was able to handle her exes with ease. Lopez, Smart, and Diddy were all spotted together at the Weinstein bash and even kept the pleasantries going late into the night at CAA’s super private after-party at the Sunset Tower Hotel.

Lopez has certainly has a lot of topics on her mind leading up to the release of her new film, “Parker,” co-starring Jason Statham, out January 25. With the new season of “American Idol” beginning tonight, she admits to a bit of nostalgia about her former judge’s chair. “I am going to miss it,” she tells DeGeneres. “I love what I am doing but I am going to miss it. I just had a good time. I love the people there, Randy, Ryan, Steven, Nigel everybody behind the scenes …everybody. It was a nice little family.”

Speaking of family, Jennifer also expressed that she’d indeed like to have more kids one day soon. "I would love to have more," J.Lo exclusively told E!’s Marc Malkin. "I don't know if it's in the cards for me, but I would love it."

Whether or not those plans could involve Smart, we’ll have to wait and see!

Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson Confirmed As ‘American Idol’ Judges

Photo : FOX

By Lyndsey Parker | Reality Rocks

On Sunday morning it was officially announced, at the first "American Idol" Season 12 callback auditions taping at New York's Lincoln Center, that hip-hop diva Nicki Minaj and country crooner Keith Urban have finally signed on to be the new "American Idol" judges--joining the panel alongside longtime judge Randy Jackson (who is still on board to give the show continuity, despite earlier reports that he was being demoted) and Randy's star managerial client, Mariah Carey. The odd foursome made their first public appearance at Lincoln Center this Sunday morning.

Although Nicki once claimed she didn't want to be a full-time TV talent show judge, back when it was rumored that she'd been approached by Simon Cowell to join "The X Factor," the split-personality star has apparently since changed at least one of her minds. This is probably due to the reported $10 million (plus additional allowances for hair and makeup) that Fox will be paying her. Or maybe when she once joked about filling Jennifer Lopez's seat with her own equally famous curvy behind, she wasn't really joking after all.

Keith is coming in as a relative bargain, since he's reportedly "only" getting paid somewhere around $4 million. But regardless, neither of these two new judges will be getting anything close to the cool $18 million that Mariah is supposedly pocketing.

Randy will actually be pocketing two salaries--his own as a continuing judge, and a cut of Mariah's earnings, of course. All this for a man who only days ago was supposedly stepping down. I have to give the man kudos for his tenacity--clearly he is in it to win it. Either the man has dirt on Simon Fuller and is blackmailing the show, or "Idol" producers have realized that it's not wise to throw the Dawg out with the bathwater and change up this time-honored show too much. I admit I'm glad Randy still in the mix, if only for branding and nostalgia's sake. Hey, even Randy's former "Idol" co-star Simon Cowell tweeted that this was the right decision on Fox's part!

Anyway, this ought to be interesting--especially where Nicki is concerned. Miss Minaj is certainly a colorful and polarizing figure, and she'll certainly make for some fantastic television. But is she really the right fit for "Idol"? There seems to be at least one person who may not be too happy about this news--Mariah, who according to TMZ was furious to learn that she'd have to share the spotlight with someone as flashy and flamboyant as darling Nicki. I have mixed feelings about this hiring myself, which I'll get to in a moment.

As for Keith, when rumors of "Idol" judge replacements first started circulating following the departures of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, the names of divas like Katy Perry, Celine Dion, and Aretha Franklin were mentioned, but no one was speculating that some country-boy-next-door type might land (or even want) the job. However, now that Keith has officially joined the "Idol" cast, I don't think it will be a bad thing for the show at all. In fact, Keith might be just what "Idol" needs.

Jennifer Lopez says she's leaving 'American Idol,' too

By Claudine Zap | Yahoo! TV

Jennifer Lopez called in to "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" today to tearfully confirm that she is leaving "American Idol." After two years as a judge on the reality TV show, she said, "The time has come."

The announcement comes just one day after Steven Tyler said that he will not return next season. There have been reports that Randy Jackson is stepping down as a judge, too, and that Mariah Carey is in talks to join as a judge.

J. Lo was conflicted about her decision, telling Seacrest (who hosts "Idol"), "It's been a long thought process. I really have been torn... but even last year, it was super tough to decide. Something has to give. That's where I am right now."

She added, "You know, I was really dreading this phone call with you. I honestly feel that the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I've put on hold because I love 'Idol' so much." She said, "I have to come back to, like ... you have a lot of other responsibilities and things that you do. You have to pay attention to do that, too. I just feel like we had an amazing run."

Seacrest responded, "You've made up your mind. If you are leaving the show, I'm sad, but I understand you've got to do what's best for you and your family."

Lopez added, "It's really going to be hard to go. It's one of those special things."

Steven Tyler Is Leaving American Idol

Us Weekly

American Idol will be a little less rockin' when season 12 premieres later this year.

Sources tell Us Weekly Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will not return to his seat at the judges' panel alongside Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson. Joining Idol in 2010, Tyler, 64, spiced up the FOX hit with his out-there antics, including his infamous "f--k a duck and see what hatches" catchphrase, and his penchant for pretty teen girls in miniskirts.

News of Tyler's exit comes mere hours after Lopez hinted that she'd also be on her way out the Idol door.

"Little by little I'm making up my mind," Lopez, 42, told TODAY's Natalie Morales during a Thursday chat discussing her role in Ice Age: Continental Drift. "I love everybody, I love the guys [Jackson, Tyler and host Ryan Seacrest], but I am thinking it's time for me to go and do other things I love to do like films."

No official announcement has been made on the future of Tyler, Lopez -- or Idol's third judge, Jackson -- but there has been much chatter about who's on the shortlist of judge replacements. Among the top contenders: Fergie, Mariah Carey, and season 8's Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.

FOX had no comment on this story when reached Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Steven Tyler Is Leaving American Idol

Jennifer Lopez vs. Emma Stone — Fashion Faceoff

Jennifer Lopez

Emma Stone

               VS










Oh, snap! The glamorous Jennifer Lopez, who's often the most stylish star at any event, recently found herself in the same dress as "The Help" actress Emma Stone, who's quickly becoming one to watch on the red carpet herself. Both stepped out in Lanvin's nude, rose, and black color-blocked, long-sleeved dress accented with a crystal snake wrap just three-and-a-half months apart! Of course, it's time for us to decide ... who wore it better?

Jennifer, 42, opted to wear the frock at a news conference to announce her upcoming tour with Enrique Iglesias at Boulevard3 in L.A. on Monday. The "American Idol" judge/singer/actress finished her look with Giuseppe Zanotti black pumps and small gold earrings, and pulled her hair back to show off her slithery friend.

Emma, 23, chose the dress for W magazine's pre-Golden Globes fete at the Chateau Marmont in L.A. back in January. The "Easy A" star added black satin pumps and a nude clutch, and left her tresses down and wavy.

Now, I'm not a fan of this dress, but this style showdown still needs to be called! It's a rare occasion when the stylish J.Lo doesn't look hot, especially when she's rocking a garment that hugs her in all the right places. However, because I know that she takes every ensemble she sports so seriously, the fact that she's wearing a fake snake just looks silly to me. Emma, on the other hand, probably made a good-natured joke about the dress while she was wearing it. The design perfectly matches up with Emma's playful personality, so it's no wonder she appears to be so comfortable and confident in it — which we all know makes every woman look her best. So for me, Emma is the hands-down winner. Do you agree?

By Raechal Leone Shewfelt | The Thread on omg!