The rise and fall of American Idol

"Dim the lights, here we go!" Recognize that line? That's American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's famous phrase being said every time he announces the show's results. But as of next year, it'll be lights out for one of television's biggest music competition series. American Idol was first introduced to the public back in 2002 in which its concept was based on Britain's "Pop Idol", a talent show that would determine the next pop singer based on the viewers votes.

The whole idea of the show is to find new recording artists, with America deciding who the best one is by casting a vote either by telephone or text message. Throughout the years, winners of the show have included Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks, just to name a few, and they have all topped the music charts. Aside from the votes, the show's panel of judges can also help influence someone's decision; after all, they are the experts critiquing each performance. In the first season, the original judges were record producer Randy Jackson, singer Paula Abdul, and music executive Simon Cowell (he's the one with the accent).

The success of the show has been phenomenal ever since its first season. Viewers would tune in to watch the show, whether it was to see if their favorite was still in the running or just to hear another one of Simon's rude comments (and who can forget those tight V-neck shirts!).
In 2012, the show's ratings started to drop and many assumed that Simon Cowell's 2010 departure may have had an impact. In addition, the premiere of NBC's "The Voice", another talent competition show, would also be to blame for the fall of "American Idol". Although the show kept changing its panel of judges throughout the seasons (really? Ellen DeGeneres?), at least they've kept the same host for the past 14 years.

Ryan Seacrest has been with the show since day one; he's great at hosting and his good looks don't hurt either. Seacrest has really made a name for himself not only as a TV host, but also as a radio host and producer, and by launching his own production company called Ryan Seacrest Productions. Earlier this week, it was announced that "American Idol" will be going off the air next year, making season 15 its final season. Current judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban will be filling those seats for one last time and according to the show, several stars and past judges will also be making an appearance but no names have been confirmed yet.

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-former-pop-hitmaker-american-idol-to-end-20150511-story.html

16 years of late night TV

Late night television will never be the same, at least for Jon Stewart that is. Two months after announcing to the public that he would be leaving the Daily Show, the soon-to-be ex-host sat down with 'The Guardian' and explained why he is stepping down and what will happen next.

Stewart has hosted the satirical news show for 16 years and when asked as to why he decided to leave, he says: "It's not like I thought the show wasn't working anymore, but I'm not getting the same satisfaction." For over a decade, the Daily Show has been a part of America's cultural and political scene. The show's format includes a number of reports from different reporters (including Stephen Colbert and John Oliver), monologues given by Stewart himself and interviews with celebrities and politicians at the very end of the show. Over the years, the comedian has gone from a satirist to a broadcaster praised as the voice of U.S. liberalism; as the one who tells it like it is.

Above all, the comedian thanks his team, even though he's always been involved in the script, re-writing drafts up to the very last minute, the show will be different once he steps down. South African comedian Trevor Noah will be the one filling in for Stewart and he has been described as "incredibly thoughtful, considerate and funny", despite the controversy surrounding Noah's offensive tweets about Jews, overweight women and transgender people.

Not since Oprah Winfrey revealed that she would be walking away from network television has a TV host's farewell been highly publicized. When mentioned, even Stewart says: "If Oprah can leave and the world still spins, I honestly think it will survive me."

Catch the last episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Thursday August 6th on Comedy Central.

Source: The Guardian

Empire: TV's hottest new show

If you haven't heard of TV's biggest breakout hit show "Empire", you will want to start watching after reading this. Empire is described as a family soap opera based on the music industry. Terrence Howard stars as Lucious Lyon, a one time recording artist who created Empire Records and has built it into what it is today. I guess you can say this role would describe a particular real-life music mogul (did anyone else think of Jay-Z?). Cookie Lyon, played by the talented Taraji P. Henson, is Lucious' ex-wife, who was by his side during his music career as well as for the launch of Empire Records. Although she was on a 17-year hiatus (she was behind bars for the drug-running that brought Empire on top), she is back now and she cannot wait to run the business again; only problem is that Lucious has taken over and a lot has changed over the years.

The couple have three children; Andre, the oldest with the brains minus the talent, Jamal, who is super talented, commited to his work and openly gay, which Lucious does not approve of, and the youngest is Hakeem, Lucious' favorite. He's already a superstar and his music career is going really well for him. Another striking character is none other than Anika, Lucious' fiancé, who doesn't quite get along with Cookie. Somehow, the claws keep coming out every time they're in the same room.

Empire has everything that soap opera fans would love in a show; money, power, sex, murder and some good music to go along with it. The ratings for this show have been growing ever since it aired back in January. In its first week, 9.9 million viewers tuned in and by week 7, that number climbed to 13.9 million.

Not only is Empire THE show to watch, but the celebrity guest appearances make it even more interesting, some of which have included Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. Also, it has been confirmed that Oprah Winfrey and  singer Common have been added to the script for the show's second season.

The season finale of Empire airs this Thursday at 9pm on Fox.

Source: nydailynews.com
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"Got the club goin' up, on a Tuesday...

Like most people, I don't usually go out on weeknights. I'm more of a Friday/Saturday night kinda girl; that was until my plans got cancelled this past Tuesday. For months now, I had been bragging to everyone I know, including my co-workers, that I was going to go see Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Tyga live in concert in February. Back in November, it had been announced that the three artists would be going on tour together and the only Canadian stops were Montreal and Toronto.

It was the night before show and you can imagine my anticipation. Not only was I going to see one of my favorite artists (Trey Songz) perform, but I had great seats on top of that. I was so anxious that I had a hard time sleeping at night. Finally, the day had arrived; I was going into work for a 3 hour shift and then headed straight for the Bell Center. At around 5:30, I checked my phone only to find out that the show had been cancelled; I was devastated. The reason: Chris Brown couldn't cross the Canadian border due to immigration issues.

Around 10:00pm, I headed home and as I was looking at my Instagram, I came across a picture that a DJ friend of mine had posted that read: "Tonight! Trey Songz at club Le Cinq". I immediately called up one of my girls and met up with her at the club. Just after midnight, Trey made his appearance and the crowd went wild! He came out wearing a checkered shirt, black sunglasses and a tuque, which he removed later that night. He started off with his hit single "Touchin', Lovin'" and kept the crowd on their feet as he sang hit after hit, including "Say Aah", "Foreign" and "Slow Motion". It was a night I'll never forget!

Not bad for a Tuesday night; not bad at all!

And the Grammy goes to...

Music's biggest night is finally here! The 57th Grammy Awards will be held tonight live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Grammys are kind of like the Oscars for the music industry, bringing some of the biggest names in music under one roof. Some of this year's nominees include Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams and Taylor Swift. If you think the nominees list is impressive, wait until you see who will be taking over the stage.

Katy Perry is set to sing "By the Grace of God", off her nominated album "Prism", Rihanna will be joined by Sir Paul McCartney and Kanye West to perform their collaborative track "FourFiveSeconds". Speaking of collaborations, Mary J. Blige and Sam Smith will be sharing the stage, as well as Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, and Adam Levine will be teaming up with Gwen Stefani. Another anticipating performance will be the one by the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna, which will mark the fifth time she has taken over the Grammy stage.

The Grammy Awards ceremony is known to recognize achievement in the music industry and features performances by talented artists. Like every other awards show, it is also known for the fashion, that can sometimes be jaw dropping (remember J.Lo's low-cut Versace dress?)

Tune it to the Grammys airing tonight at 8pm on CBS hosted by LL Cool J.

Source:TheHuffingtonPost.com

Chris Brown is in trouble....again!

Why am I not surprised? This isn't the first time Chris Brown has had a run-in with the law but this time, he could end up behind bars. Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge revoked the R&B singer's probation, but let him go for now, after the singer traveled without permission to sing at a concert and for not completing his hours of community service, from 2009, on time. The judge ordered Brown not to be taken into custody but expects to see him back in court for a hearing on March 20th.

It all started when the singer performed at a San Jose nightclub recently, even though he wasn't allowed to leave the Los Angeles area. While performing his hit "Loyal" on stage, a shooting occurred within the crowd, where five people were injured but there was no indication that Brown was involved in the incident. Despite all of that, the judge still wants probation officials to look into the shooting and whether or not the artist had anything to do with it.

Chris Brown is known for his bad behavior and the multiple encounters he's had with the law. In October of 2013, the singer punched a man outside of a hotel in Washington,D.C. and officials charged him with misdemeanor assault. And who can forget that infamous attack on his then-girlfriend pop singer Rihanna back in 2009. The songstress was beaten by him in his car while on their way to the Grammy Awards; they ended up canceling their appearance due to the violent attack.

Brown is currently getting ready for his North American Tour where he will be joined by singer Trey Songz and rapper Tyga. The "Between The Sheets" tour kicks off on January 28 in Virginia.

Source: Fox News

Nicki Minaj: Hip-Hop's Diva

Some might say she's crazy, some might say she's cool; but there's one thing we do know for sure: Nicki Minaj is definitely one of a kind! In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Nicki talks about her latest album "The Pinkprint" and opens up about her personal life; a side we've never seen from her before.

In the first part of the interview, the rapper talks about the exhausting process she had to go through in order for her 15-minute Pinkprint movie to get released on time. She looks over retouching and color correction when it isn't done properly. She tells the magazine: "I would save so much time if I didn't care about things like that. But I do." Not only is Minaj a perfectionist, she is also a vulnerable woman. That being said, she wanted to give her fans a glimpse into her private life.

The end of her 11-year relationship with Safaree Samuels is one of the many events in her life that inspired her songwriting for the new album. She says: "I had to learn to do something as simple as sleep alone. I struggled with 'Do I express these feelings?'". She decided she wasn't going to hide anymore as she reveals another painful moment in her life; a pregnancy that ended in abortion.

While attending a performing arts high school, Nicki was dating a much older man. When she found out she was pregnant, her whole world was turned upside down. "I thought I was going to die", she says. The abortion is something that has haunted her all her life and for her, not having the baby was the right decision to make at the time. She just wasn't ready for it.

Pick up the latest copy of Rolling Stone magazine for the full interview. The Pinkprint is now available on iTunes.

Source:www.rollingstone.com