Simon Cowell Squashes Beyonce, Mariah Carey 'X Factor' Rumors

Judge also takes shot at 'The Voice,' asking, 'How many artists have they discovered?'
By John Mitchell

<P>Simon Cowell is finally opening up about the cast shakeups on "The X Factor" as well as about rumors that two <i>very</i> famous divas are in talks to join Fox's reality singing competition. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Simon Cowell Compares The British And U.S. Versions Of 'X Factor'" id="vid:698604.id:1672066" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>Late last month, it was announced that judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones had been

id="1678191">fired from "X Factor"

and would be replaced in its second season. The announcement came as a shock to fans, but Cowell tells "Extra" in an interview airing Wednesday (February 8) that the decision was a long time coming and was ultimately made "at the beginning of the year &#8212; and we were told it had to happen straight away." </P><P> </P><P>While her dismissal came as a surprise, Cowell says Abdul "was very gracious" about it. "She understands it's business," Cowell said of his real-life friend. "It's never personal." </P><P> </P><P>Scherzinger, according to Cowell, was "disappointed" with the producers' decision to replace her. But the former Pussycat Doll insisted in a new "Access Hollywood" interview that she "had a wonderful experience on the show." </P><P> </P><P>"What happened? Well, all I know is that I gave 110 percent to that show," she said. "I know everybody's talking about it, they're saying good, bad, they love me or hate me, but the one thing you can't say is that I didn't give it my all." </P><P> </P><P>Cowell also used his time with "Extra" to squash rumors that Beyonc&#233; or Mariah Carey might be joining the "X Factor" team when it returns to Fox later this year. He seemed particularly amused by talk that the show was offering Beyonc&#233; a nine-figure contract to join the judges' table. </P><P> </P><P>"The budget for the show is $100 million. That would never ever happen. </P><P> </P><P>It's absolute nonsense," he told "Extra." "No one is going to pay $100 million for someone. I genuinely haven't had a conversation with her about it. Not at all." </P><P> </P><P>The same can be said for Carey, who Cowell said he likes very much and would be a fine addition to the show but is an impractical choice because of the long hours involved. "I adore her, love her," he said. </P><P>"But you can't expect someone who has just had two kids [and] has a record career to make the kind of commitment we would need on this show." </P><P> </P><P>"X Factor" did not perform as strongly as expected in the ratings last fall, which many feel precipitated the planned revamp, though the ever-cool Cowell is not sweating the competition. In this latest interview, Cowell took on "The Voice," which returned to NBC after the Super Bowl and delivered big ratings, saying the makeup of his judging panel is what sets "X Factor" apart. </P><P> </P><P>"I would ask how many records have they made, how many artists have they discovered?" Cowell asked of "The Voice" mentors Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. "That's where we have to be different on the judging panel. It's very important that you have people on the panel that have actually signed and made artists successful all over the world, not just have made hit records yourself."</p>

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Lady Gaga Launches Born This Way Foundation

'This is not an anti-bullying foundation; this is a youth-empowerment foundation,' Mother Monster says at Harvard launch event.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, took over Harvard University to launch their Born This Way Foundation on Wednesday (February 29). In front of a crowd that included Oprah Winfrey, the New York natives kicked off their inspirational foundation, hoping to empower the youth of America. </P><P> </P><P>"I was recently with the great Gloria Steinem, who said that sometimes the only way you can get attention to a problem is to freak people out," Oprah said at the event." 'Break the form,' she said. You have to stop playing the game in order to change the content. Lady Gaga, with her music and her message and her own story, is breaking the form, and she is changing consciousness. She says that she wasn't put on earth just to sing songs; her passion is to be that force for good. The <i>Born This Way</i> Foundation is in line with so many of my core beliefs." </P><P> </P><P>Gaga enthusiastically opened up about the foundation and what she hopes to do with it. "I just have one thing to say before we get started: We got Oprah! ... Thank you from all of us &#8212; from my entire team, from my mother, from the bottom of the hearts of so many people who believe in what we're doing today," she said, wearing a chocolate-brown gown, brown lace gloves, towering platforms and a sparkly fishnet hat. </P><P> </P><P>"I'm not here today to give you an answer. And I'm not here to tell you I can solve these problems [of bullying]. This is about transformative change in culture over a period of time. One of the most important things I wanted to share with all of you today, it's no secret I speak out against bullying. This is not an anti-bullying foundation; this is a youth-empowerment foundation," she continued. "This is about changing the climate of the school environment and not putting the power in the hands of the teachers or the government. It is about the bubble effect. I don't believe they have the answers; I believe that you do." </P><P> </P><P>In addition to her fans, Gaga said her biggest influence to start the foundation is her own Mother Monster. "My mother really inspires me, because she talked about giving back ever since I was very, very young," she said. "And the more that I got to know my fans, the more that I realized that not everybody has that support system at home." </P><P> </P><P>Her mother later enthused that despite the snow outside, "It is even more beautiful inside because we are launching the foundation. The youth that is listening: you are the leaders of our future." </P><P> </P><P>Gaga also revealed another aspect of the foundation: "There is a bus now called the Born Brave Bus. So the Born Brave Bus is essentially a bus that is going to travel and follow my tour bus around the country, and it will welcome anyone from any walk of life to come and hang out and talk about love, acceptance, kindness and so forth. And the best thing about it it's going to be fun. It's going to essentially be a tailgate. This is not about saying, 'I need help,' but if you do, you can come. If you want to help someone else, you can come and say 'Hey, what's up?' " </P><P> </P><P>At the end of the day, Gaga said the foundation "is all about saying the power is in your hands. There really is sort of a focus on the victim, but what I want to point out today is that the victim and the bully are on the same playing field. How do we say, 'You are both equal members of society'? How do we not save not just the victim, but also the bully? I want the <i>Born This Way</i> Foundation to empower the youth of the world." </P><P> </P><P>Gaga further explained that one of the core values is teaching her fans to empower themselves to be "brave." </P><P> </P><P>"This, again, is not focused on bullying, the bravery aspect; I want for young people to know they have the power," she said. "How can we inspire young people to know they have the power to be brave?"</p>

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Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

<P>Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most <i>theatrical</i> era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s. </P><P> </P><P>Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout <i>Animal</i> album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much <i>everything</i> else. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Ke$ha Says New Album Will Be ' Balls-Out, Irreverent Rock'" id="vid:652875" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it." </P><P> </P><P>So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc. </P><P> </P><P>"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it." </P><P> </P><P><i>What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>

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Cassadee Pope Wins 'The Voice'

Star-studded finale included performances from Rihanna, Smokey Robinson, Peter Frampton and Bruno Mars.
By Kara Warner


Cassadee Pope wins "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

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'Gossip Girl' Is Signing Off! What to Expect on Finale

A wedding! A manhunt! Three surprise couplings! And the show's deepest secret revealed! After six seasons of dramatic twists and turns, Gossip Girl will deliver its closing fireworks in a two-hour, series finale on Monday (on The CW at 8 p.m. ET). Watch the trailer here.

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Ke$ha Out For Vengeance In Musical March Madness

'I'm getting ready as we speak,' she tells MTV News of this year's tournament, tipping off Monday.
By James Montgomery

<P>Last year, based mainly on her attitude, the fact that she plays an AK-47 shaped guitar and the presence of photos like this, Ke$ha was given an 11 seed in MTV's Musical March Madness tournament &#8212; and promptly lost by a huge margin to U2 in the opening round. </P><P> </P><P><CENTER></CENTER> </P><P> </P><P>Of course, she's spent the past 12 months fuming over that early exit, and now, she's going to get her shot at redemption. Not only is Ke$ha <i>back</i> in the 2012 MMM tournament &#8212; which kicks off Monday &#8212; but she's beefed up her rock credentials: working with the likes of Alice Cooper, channeling the "sexiness" of '70s rock on her new album, recording a (genuinely pretty great) cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and spending time snorting Tums with Wayne Coyne. </P><P> </P><P>So, yeah, this year, she's ready to knock off the field of 63 other acts gunning for the MMM trophy &#8212; a brimming bracket that includes defending champions Green Day, upstarts Fun. and good pals the Black Keys, to name just a few &#8212; and reign supreme. But just in case all that rock-and-roll prep work isn't enough to put her over the top, well, Ke$ha has another secret weapon at the ready: an incredibly toned pelvic floor. </P><P> </P><P>"I'm getting ready as we speak. I'm doing Kegels," she told MTV News, while throwing phantom punches at an unsuspecting cameraman. "Vote for me!" </P><P> </P><P><b>MTV's 2012 Musical March Madness tournament begins Monday, March 12, when we'll unveil the full field of 64 bands that will battle for this year's championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it will be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM &#8212; but get ready, it's gonna be a war.</b> </P><P> </P><P><CENTER></CENTER></p>

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