ALL NEW MOVIE REVIEWS

Donna Summer Dies at 63

curator — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Donna Summer, the queen of disco whose career spanned four decades and earned her multiple number one hits and five Grammy awards, has died after a long battle with cancer, TMZ and E-online and the AP are reporting. The AP confirmed the death with the singer's family.

She was 63.

Her first hit came in 1975 with Love to Love You Baby and continued with Last Dance, Heaven Knows, On The Radio — all songs that were the signature of the excess and glamor of the disco era. Throughout the years, she earned five Grammys, her latest came in 1997, when she took the prize for best dance recording for her single Carry On….More at Donna Summer, The Queen Of Disco, Dies At 63

The cause was cancer, according to Brian Edwards, a publicist for Ms. Summer, who said she died at her second home in Naples, Fla..

Ms. Summer was a five-time Grammy winner who became a superstar in the 1970s with hits like “Love to Love You Baby,” “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.”

Ms. Summer was a talented vocalist trained in the gospel tradition whose consistent success on the pop charts was rivaled at the time only by the Bee Gees. In the 1980s she continued to score hits with songs like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.”

Her collaborations with the producer Giorgio Moroder in the 1970s broke new ground for dance music and have been influencing the genre ever since. Few vocalists could match the sensuous eroticism she brought to some of her best recordings, which for many fans came to define the disco era.

LaDonna Adrian Gaines was born on Dec. 31, 1948, and raised in the Boston area. She learned to sing in church in a gospel choir and as a teenager performed in a short-lived psychedelic rock group called the Crow. After high school, she moved to New York and soon landed a role in a German production of “Hair.”

It was in Europe, while Ms. Summer was working as a studio vocalist, that she met Mr. Moroder and Pete Bellotte, another producer. Collaborating with them, she recorded “Love to Love You Baby,” the 17-minute long single released in 1975 that became a major disco hit and by year’s end had crossed over to the pop and R&B charts as well. The song, on which she moaned and sang in a breathy, seductive voice, skyrocketed her career….More at Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dies at 63

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Jennifer Lopez to Leave American Idol?

curator — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

(Reuters) – Jennifer Lopez is casting doubt on whether she will return to “American Idol” next year as she juggles motherhood with a comeback in both her pop music and acting careers.

Lopez, who has young twins, told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres this week that she wasn't sure about renewing her contract as a judge on the TV singing contest for a third year.

And on Wednesday, sources close to the singer told E! News that she was “just too busy” and was planning on calling an end to her time on “American Idol”.

“Now this is my second year – I don't know if I can go for a third year. I miss doing other things. It really does lock you down, which was nice the first year with the babies being three, but now they're getting more mobile, they're about to go into school … So I just don't know,” Lopez told DeGeneres on Tuesday.

Fox television, which airs the popular show, declined to comment. But “Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told celebrity website TMZ that the show wanted her back.

Lopez made similar noises last year before signing again for “Idol”, which has revived her career and boosted her celebrity.

Her public misgivings follow the signing this week of Britney Spears to the U.S. version of “The X Factor” for a reported $15 million a year – one of the highest paydays for TV celebrity judges.

…More at Busy Jennifer Lopez casts doubt on more “American Idol”

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Britney Spears and Demi Lovato Officially Join The X-Factor

curator — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Reuters) – Britney Spears and former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato officially joined the U.S. version of “The X Factor” on Monday, leading creator Simon Cowell to pledge the second season would “seriously kick butt” when it returns in September.

Spears, 30, the world’s biggest pop phenomenon of the 2000s, and Lovato, 19, will fill the judge’s slots left open by Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, who were both fired by Cowell after a disappointing first season in 2011.

Spears and Lovato appeared with Cowell and fellow judge Antonio “L.A” Reid at Fox television’s presentation of its new 2012-13 season programming to advertisers in New York.

The announcement ended months of speculation over the new faces on the singing contest, which offers a $5 million recording contract to a new star found from tens of thousands of ordinary Americans.

“We’ve delivered. Rumors are one thing but we’ve delivered,” a delighted Cowell said. Moments earlier he Tweeted a photo of himself with record producer Reid, Spears and Lovato, saying “Can’t believe it’s finally happening. Very exciting!”

…More at Cowell vows to “kick butt” with new “Factor” stars

Simon Cowell finally announced what we all knew was coming … Britney Spears is joining “X Factor” … and so is some other girl.

Cowell just tweeted a photo of himself with Britney, L.A. Reid and the show’s 4th judge Demi Lovato (pictured hovering awkwardly over Simon’s shoulder).

Simon included a message with the pic — “Can’t believe it’s finally happened. Very exciting!”

FOX just made the announcement at the Upfronts in NYC — where advertisers vie for commercial airtime on TV shows “up front” … several months before the shows actually premiere.

As we reported, negotiations between Britney and “X Factor” honchos went right down to the wire. Britney’s conservators — her fiance Jason Trawick and her dad Jamie Spears — signed the $15 million deal on her behalf.

Demi signed her deal immediately before Upfronts as well. It’s unclear how much she’s getting paid … but it’s fair to assume her paycheck’s gonna weigh a lot less than Britney’s….More at Simon Cowell — Britney’s OFFICIALLY On Board!! (and so Is Demi Lovato)

Goodbye Hollie: Welcome American Idol Top Three

curator — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

(Reuters) – Hollie Cavanagh was sent home from top-rated TV talent show “American Idol” on Thursday night after singing “I Can't Make You Love Me” – a song choice that proved prophetic.

Cavanagh closed out the show by performing Miley Cyrus' “The Climb,” remaining composed while fellow contestant Joshua Ledet wept as she sang.

Almost 70 million votes were cast to determine Thursday's outcome. Audience voting was based on performances on Wednesday night's episode during which contestants sang songs by artists from California, followed by songs they wished they had written.

Cavanagh first belted out “Faithfully” by rock band Journey, and the show's judges marveled that she was hitting her stride. Panelist Randy Jackson said her rendition “did him proud.”

The judges, however, were less enthusiastic about her second selection, Bonnie Raitt's “I Can't Make You Love Me.” Jackson called it “the wrong choice at the wrong time.” Jennifer Lopez told her there was “a little too much vibrato,” and mentor Jimmy Iovine was the most blunt, saying Cavanagh “crashed and burned.”

At 18-years-old, Cavanagh's failure was chalked up to her lack of real-life experience with heartbreak that was needed to infuse the song with proper emotion….More at Hollie Cavanagh couldn't make 'Idol' fans love her

Something that helped prepare Hollie for her elimination? Skylar Laine's exit last week. “I was shocked with that one because Skylar had killed it every week and she had done amazing every week. That was a shock to me,” she admits. “This week was just different from something that I felt last week. Skylar kept insisting that it wasn't me going, but you just never know. This week, I just felt it.”

Hollie received some criticism for her performance of “I Can't Make You Love Me,” which mentor Jimmy Iovine said she didn't really understand the meaning of. “I definitely stand by that song. I love that song and I think the lyrics are so beautiful. I've loved that song for so long and I'm really glad I got to perform,” Hollie says. “As far as what Jimmy said, I definitely felt that song and I understood the meaning of it. It didn't come across the way Jimmy wanted it to and that's fine. I rewatched it, and I do agree that there could've been some parts that I did more with, but I stand by it.”

Hollie was considered this year's dark horse, a title she's OK with. “I would take it as a compliment. I never really looked into what everyone was saying. I just went up there, and I wanted to improve each week, and I think people were seeing an improvement in me each week. I definitely feel like I've grown so much. I'm proud of that.”

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When it comes to the remaining three contestants, Joshua Ledet (whom Hollie considers her best friend and says they are “attached at the hip”), Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez, Hollie has nothing but kind words to share.

“Phillip is very unique. I mean, the way he performs, you don't see a lot of people perform like that. He has his very own style and his voice is amazing. Josh, he takes you to a whole other place when he sings. He amazes everybody each week,” she gushes. “Jessica is only 16 and the way she sings…she sounds like she's in her 20s! She's amazing, as well as the other two. The finale is going to be tough; it's going to be a big one.”…More at American Idol's Hollie Cavanaugh “Felt” She Was Going Home! Plus, Why Is She Loyal to Jennifer Lopez?

American Idol Top Four Performances

curator — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

And then there were four…

American Idol's grand finale is just around the corner and we can almost smell the confetti. Or not, considering confetti doesn't actually smell like anything, but you get what we mean. The top four, Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez, took the stage last night to battle it out. Their themes? California Dreamin' and The Song I Wish I Wrote. (Side note: can't believe no one chose “The Thong Song” for that one!)

So who do we think is in danger of getting booted? And who really impressed us? Find out…

Our Top Five Performances

5. Jessica Sanchez's “Steal Away”

How awesome was it to finally see Jessica get her growl on during her take on Etta James' “Steal Away”?! We loved the grittiness of Jessica's performance and could feel her conviction, something we felt like she had been lacking recently. Basically, we hope her alter ego Bebe Chez continues to take over!

4. Hollie Cavanagh's “Faithfully”

Confident, relaxed and poised, Hollie proved just how far she's come during her performance of this Journey classic. Hollie also proved she has a knack for song choice considering Glee covered the song during the season one finale and the value of the Gleeks' support can never be overstated!

3. Phillip Phillips' “Volcano”

He's ba-aack! This is the first performance of Phillip's that we've really enjoyed in quite some time. He was in his element and delivered a truly poignant and memorable performance, something he really needed to do after his lackluster cover of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” earlier in the night.

2. Jessica Sanchez's “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going”

Jessica's vocal ability is, in a word, insane. Seriously, how is this girl only 16?! So why didn't this performance rank number one? Well, she didn't top Jennifer Hudson's iconic take on the tune and it was slightly screamy for us. Go on, yell at us if you must!

1. Joshua Ledet's “It's a Man's Man's Man's World”

Excuse us while we continue to fan ourselves after Joshua's truly electric and showstopping (well….almost, but we'll get to that in a second!) of the James Brown classic. One of our favorite performances in the 11-year history of American Idol, it was that good. …More at American Idol Insider: Who'll Go Home Tonight and Who's Safe?

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