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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The Mars Volta Announce Break Up

Mars Volta fans will be sad to know that the band is official breaking up. After 12 years and 6 records, singer Cedric Bixler Zavala announced last night that he is no longer part of the group. He tweeted that he couldn’t pretend anymore, and mentioned that the hiatus they announced last year was an [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/rRGfTGpiQn4/

Jessica Simpson Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah Abbie Cornish Adriana Lima

SWATCH UNVEILS STYLISH CHRONO COLLECTION

Swiss watch and jewellery maker Swatch unveils two new watches in its signature collection of Swiss made precision Irony chronographs. The Chrono Collection presents a pair of Irony Chronos featuring the popular model’s classic good looks and timeless style. Polished stainless steel gives the polished 40mm case, brushed bezel and brushed bracelet a distinguished and [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/swatch-unveils-stylish-chrono-collection/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=swatch-unveils-stylish-chrono-collection

Chelsea Handler Cheryl Burke China Chow Chloë Sevigny Christina Aguilera

With a Little Luck: A Novel

My good friend Caprice Crane's new book, With a Little Luck, is out today. Yay, Caprice!

It's gotten great reviews:

"Crane is one of the funniest writers of popular fiction around. The dialog (inner and outer) is laugh-out-loud, snort-inducing hilarious . . . Readers will want to cross their fingers and spit while throwing salt over their shoulders if it helps Berry reach her dreams. Highly recommended."

Library Journal

"Fans of Stacy Ballis and Cara Lockwood will appreciate Crane's effortlessly funny style, which is often attempted in popular fiction but is rarely this well executed...Lighthearted and charmingly honest."

—Booklist

"[A] satisfying romantic comedy...[with] real character growth."

—Kirkus Reviews

And even better blurbs:

"Romantic, poignant and funny—this book is a lucky find for lit fans. Caprice Crane is a nimble and gifted storyteller."

—Diablo Cody, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Juno

"A hilarious romp that oozes charm and giddy fun. Caprice Crane is a true talent."

—Molly Jong-Fast, author of The Social Climber's Handbook

"Witty, fast-paced, and sheer fun. Caprice Crane is a master of dialogue. Half the time I was reading this book I was smiling, which made me look like a crazy person on the subway."

—Jancee Dunn, author of Don’t You Forget About Me and Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?

"Absolutely charming and hilarious."

—Missy Peregrym, star of the movie Stick It and ABC's Rookie Blue

"With a Little Luck scores in humor, head, and heart. In other words, it’s a perfect trifecta."

—Karyn Bosnak, author of 20 Times a Lady (soon to be the major motion picture What's Your Number?)

(Omg, who is that last fantastic blurber?) (I meant every word of it.)

And most importantly, she has the cutest dog ever (who likes to video chat with Bev):

Anyway, check it out, buy it—it's fantastic!

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/26/with-a-little-luck-a-novel.html

Giulianna Ramirez Grace Park Gretha Cavazzoni Gwen Stefani Halle Berry

Photos | MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Celebrities In Ridiculously Cheesy Halloween Costumes

Taylor Swift Tops Billboard 2012 Top Money Makers

Lady Gaga, Adele and Lil Wayne make top 10.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Adele had huge years in 2011, with major tours, strings of hit singles, Grammy wins and #1-hogging chart-topping albums. But when Billboard magazine compiled its 2012 list of "Music's Top 40 Money Makers" it was Taylor Swift who ruled them all. In fact, the 22-year-old country-pop darling out-earned all of her fellow ladies combined. </P><P> </P><P> </P><P> </P><P>According to the magazine's calculations, Swift earned her #1 spot on the list thanks to reported earnings of $35.7 million in the 2011 calendar year. Those earnings came from a combination of revenue from the quadruple-platinum-plus sales of <I>Speak Now</I> and its accompanying tour, which grossed $88.5 million in the U.S. alone. </P><P> </P><P>But because Swift writes her own songs, she rolled up a big chunk of change in songwriting royalties as well. </P><P> </P><P>Right behind Swift was iconic rock band U2, who earned a reported $32.1 million thanks to their record-setting 360 Tour -- which grossed a whopping $736 million total over two years -- including $50 million in merchandise sales and 1.4 million in digital track sales. </P><P> </P><P>Country singer Kenny Chesney was #3 with $29.8 million, followed by previous tally topper Gaga at #4 with $25.3 million. She stayed in the top 5 thanks to sales of <I>Born This Way</I> and its accompanying Monster Ball Tour, which grossed more than $51 million. She also moved 12.7 million digital tracks. Lil Wayne rounded out the top 5 with $23.1 million, made up of 12.3 million digital track sales, $44.7 million in tour grosses and cash from his gig as founder of Young Money Entertainment. </P><P> </P><P>The rest of the top 10: Sade (#6, $16.3 million), Bon Jovi (#7, $15.8 million), Celine Dion (#8, $14.2 million) and Jason Aldean (#9, $13.4 million). Adele rounded out the top 10 list at #10 with $13 million, mostly from the unstoppable streak of her <I>21</I> album's chart run,&#8232; which included sales of 6.7 million copies last year alone. </P><P> </P><P>The "Glee" cast were just outside the top 10 at #11 ($12.5 million), Katy Perry hit #14 ($11.9 million), Britney Spears was at #16 ($10 million) and like her sisters in pop, Rihanna made it to #22 ($7.6 million) through a combination of album and single sales and touring revenue. </P><P> </P><P>Other notable entries: Enrique Iglesias (#23, $7.4 million), Usher (#30, $6.2 million), Foo Fighters (#31, $6 million), Justin Bieber (#35, $5.5 million), Kanye West (#39, $5.3 million) and Linkin Park (#40, $5.1 million). </P><P> </P><P><i>Billboard</i> calculated the figures based on proprietary data from its Boxscore archives for concert grosses, Nielsen SoundScan for sales of physical and digital albums, singles and ringtone sales, and Nielsen BDS for terrestrial radio play and streaming service information.</p>

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Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Teaser Goes Hard

The 13-second preview of Mike Posner-produced track shows off an edgier side of Bieber.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>Is it killing you that you have to wait until Monday to hear what "Boyfriend" sounds like? Well, Justin Bieber feels your pain and decided to release a teaser for the lead single off his album, Believe. </P><P> </P><P>The 13-second, blink-and-you-might-miss-it tease is spare in terms of instruments, just bleeps and thumps, no singing or rapping. But it does play up Bieber's love for hip-hop; as it nears the end of the tease, a drum line-style beat kicks in. Come Monday, of course, the whole song will drop for Beliebers' listening pleasure. </P><P> </P><P><center></center> </P><P> </P><P>The video teaser also includes footage of Bieber in the studio, recording "Boyfriend," which was co-written and co-produced by Mike Posner. The clip premiered on Justin's website late Thursday night. </P><P> </P><P>"This record is different in a very good way," said producer/writer Mason Levy, who also worked on the song. "Definitely edgier, it's more grown-up, it's more developed and it's sexier. It's just like really dope. It's gonna definitely surprise people. People aren't really expecting that. They're going to like it." </P><P> </P><P>It's clear from the teaser that Bieber is using influences from urban music and that he's looking to grow up sonically. The music in the new clip also seems to pay homage to Justin Timberlake, and even Chris Brown. Bieber has confirmed that he raps on the song. </P><P> </P><P>"It's more just the verses [that he's rapping on], and the rest he's singing," Levy told MTV News. "It's dope. It's hip-hop, but with great acoustic R&B, pop guitar with very hip-hop, clubby drums and really dope Justin Timberlake-y melodies." </P><P> </P><P><i>What do you think of "Boyfriend" so far? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>

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Drew Barrymore: Why I Have Embraced Judaism

"I'm a shiksa. I do the seders and we do Passover. I haven't converted yet, [but] Olive will be raised traditionally," she explains. "We had a very traditional wedding ceremony with Rabbi Rubenstein and I did the ketubah. We wore the yarmulkes and we did the chuppah."

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/bCIQ9572cqQ/

Ivanka Trump Izabella Miko Izabella Scorupco Jaime King Jaime Pressly