Trevor Noah: The New Face of The Daily Show

It wasn't long ago that comedian Jon Stewart bid farewell to the Daily Show after hosting the program for 17 years. Earlier this year, it was announced that 31-year-old comic Trevor Noah would be the one filling in for Stewart, and before his big debut tomorrow night, he's getting in some last minute practice. Noah has decided to start off the show by introducing himself as if it was his first broadcast. So, who is this Trevor Noah everyone's been talking about?

Trevor Noah is a comedian, actor, TV and radio host from Johannesburg, South Africa. He started acting when he was 18 years old and even began hosting his own radio show. He then went on to host numerous shows on television, including a sports show, a game show and an awards show. He decided to drop his radio show and acting to focus more on comedy, which led him to perform with several South African comedians and even international comedians, such as Gabriel Iglesias and Canada's own Russell Peters.

In 2011, Noah moved to the United States to pursue his career in comedy. Since then, he's been a guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno as well as the Late Show with David Letterman. After appearing on different comedy specials, the comedian became a recurring contributor on The Daily Show and this past March, Comedy Central announced that he would become Stewart's successor.

Within days of the announcement, attention was drawn on the internet to jokes that the comedian had made in the past. They were criticized as being very offensive to women and Jews. He responded on social media and tweeted that his jokes are not a reflection of who he is. Even the network stood by him by saying that just like every comic, he tends to push boundaries but he shouldn't be judged on a handful of jokes. That's why they're called jokes people!

All kidding aside, Trevor Noah has some pretty big shoes to fill. As long as he's himself, everything will go smoothly. And taking a few jabs at politicians wouldn't hurt either!

Tune in to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah tomorrow night on Comedy Central.

Source: CNN News

Bieber's Comeback: The Ups and Downs of the Teen Popstar

Justin Bieber is back and his fans couldn't be happier! After a five-year hiatus, Justin returned to the MTV VMA stage on Sunday night and performed his latest hits "Where Are U Now" and "What Do You Mean?". Following his performance, the teen heartthrob got a little teary-eyed and had viewers confused. During an interview on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, he explained to the host that he was so blown away by the positive energy from the crowd, that he got so emotional. Especially given that the last time he appeared on an awards show, he was booed. Bieber went on by saying: "I've worked so hard at the album. I've worked so hard at just becoming the man that I want to become". He's referring to the bad boy image he had due to his past troubles; he blames that on being surrounded by the wrong people.

From run-ins with the paparazzi, to multiple lawsuits, and even getting arrested abroad, the Biebs did not have the public's approval. His career really hit a low back in 2014, when the singer was arrested for DUI and drag racing in Miami Beach; he was only 20 years old. Bieber's mugshot went viral and the fans weren't very pleased with the person he had become. The media can be cruel and he isn't the only celebrity to have his troubles popping up all over the internet. But young teens look up to him and they love his music and everything about him. It's important that he keeps a clean image.

Justin says he wants to be around people who support him, who uplift him because there are a lot of people in the industry who want to bring him down. He has been working hard to improve his image ever since. It seems to be working because his new single "What Do You Mean?" just hit number 1 on the iTunes chart and his new album is set to be released in November.

Welcome Back Justin!

Are they or aren't they?

Looks like rapper Drake has a new love interest.....and her name is Serena Williams! The couple were spotted together getting cozy at a restaurant in Cincinnati and it looks like they're trying to keep their relationship on the downlow. According to E! News, things are pretty hot and heavy between the pair and the tennis star even got her friends approval. The rapper is described as a true gentleman and is very supportive of Serena. However, they are both very private when it comes to their personal lives, which is why they are trying to keep this away from the public eye as much as possible.

Drake and Serena have been friends for years, and he's had his eye on her for quite some time now. The same goes for Serena; not only is Drake her type, but she is also a big fan of his and his music (kinda like me!). Williams previously dated rapper Common, who commented on his ex's "rumored" relationship with his ex-rival by saying that as long as she's happy, he's good! The two music artists had gotten into somewhat of a beef a long time ago, but things have been settled ever since.

I guess we'll be seeing more of the Toronto native at these tennis matches, rooting for his girl. Just last month, the singer attended the Wimbledon match and posted a picture of Williams after winning her sixth tennis title. Could these two be Hollywood's next power couple? I wonder what kind of nickname the media will give them? Hmmm, let me get back to you on that one!

Source: E! News

Rap Battles

Back in my day when Twitter and Facebook didn't exist (and dial-up internet was the s**t), rappers would take the time to create great battle records. From 2pac vs Biggie, to Jay-Z vs Nas, these were some of the greatest battles that hip-hop had ever heard. Nowadays, social media is at our fingertips and most of us share just about everything; so do a lot of celebrities.

The most recent battle is one that has been all over the internet concerning rapper Drake and Meek Mill. It all started when Meek called out Drake on Twitter for not writing his own lyrics on their collaboration for the song "R.I.C.O". Mill then accused the rapper of having a ghostwriter and said that he doesn't write ANY of his lyrics (oh no he didn't!). Instead of lashing out on Twitter, the Toronto native decided to respond in a different way; by dropping not one but TWO diss tracks, one titled "Charged Up" and the other "Back to Back". On this song, Drake takes a couple of shots at Meek by referencing his status as an opening act on his girlfriend Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint Tour. He raps "Is that a world tour or your girl's tour?", where he is basically implying that Nicki is the one who wears the pants in their relationship and that he follows her wherever she goes. And how did Mill respond to that? By releasing a song called "Wanna Know", a badly mixed track that is very poorly written and has gotten nothing but bad reviews....from his fans.

This past weekend, Drake hosted his 6th annual OVO music festival in Toronto and on Monday night, while performing in front of thousands of fans, he addressed his beef by playing both diss tracks backed by memes aimed at Meek Mill (he gets extra points for that one!). Although I am a huge fan of Drake, I'm curious to see how and when this feud will end.

Drake 2 - Meek Mill 0

Source: about.com

Ariana Grande: Spoiled Pop Princess?

This past Tuesday, a video of pop princess Ariana Grande surfaced on the internet that shows the singer licking donuts at a local shop in California and making hateful comments about...... America? The viral video has now fallen into the hands of police and public health officials, who will be investigating the incident. Health officials are puzzled as to why the donuts were exposed in the first place and not protected, as required by California health laws.

The video is quite odd as Grande is seen in the donut shop kissing her boyfriend and then licking not one, but two donuts, followed by her rude comments about hating America. The singer has since issued an apology, saying that she loves America and that she's proud to be an American. She claims her words were taken out of context and turned to Twitter to apologize; especially to her fans.

But the so-called #DonutGate does not end here. Actor Rob Lowe tweeted about Ariana's apology, saying that it was lame and Susan Sarandon posted more of a sarcastic remark. She wrote: "Today, lick a doughnut in solidarity with Ariana Grande. A sweet, talented, true American." Although the songstress has expressed her regret for her Anti-American comments, she still hasn't addressed her donut licking incident. The owner of the shop demands Grande apologize for her rude and disgusting behavior.

Source: people.com

Music's biggest stars shine at the MuchMusic Video Awards

Every year, the city of Toronto plays host to the most popular awards ceremony in Canada, known as the Much Music Video Awards. The awards are handed out to the year's best music artists and also honor the best music videos. The show also includes live performances by the industry's biggest chart toppers. The best part about the event is that it is held outside right in front of the Much Music Headquarters, where fans line up ahead of time in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite stars.

This year, I decided to head to Toronto to check out the show myself. Thanks to a friend of mine, I got the chance to experience the extravaganza and be a part of his street team by interacting with the fans, catching the red carpet rehearsals and hours later, I waited to watch the opening performance.

The MMVAs are sort of the equivalent of the MTV Video Music Awards; they are held once a year, they celebrate the best in music and the fashion do's and dont's are always worth talking about. This past Sunday, a number of celebrities attended the event; Ed Sheeran, who was also the co-host, took to the stage along with newcomer Shawn Mendes, Nick Jonas and Jason Derulo. The big winners of the night were Toronto's own The Weeknd, scooping up four awards and Ed Sheeran, who took home two awards including Best International Artist. Unlike MTV, there are never any surprise guest appearances at the MMVAs; that is until rapper Drake decided to pop out of nowhere and hand out the award for Best Hip-Hop Video to his buddy P.Reign.

Catch the 2015 MuchMusic Video Awards on demand at much.com.

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