Archive for the ‘Highlights’ Category

Happy Passover! 15 Pop Stars You Didn’t Know Were Jewish

April 7th, 2012 // 9 Comments
Drake's "HYFR" Video
Drizzy throws himself a "re-Bar Mitzvah." Read More »

Drake’s “HYFR” video might have taken some by surprise when it dropped yesterday afternoon — not only does it feature the Take Care rapper having some adult fun at his “re-Bar Mitzvhah,” but the clip opens with a shot of young Drizzy at his own legit bar mitzvah as a child — less boozy, but just as ready to party. And we’re willing to bet that a good number of Drake’s fans had no idea that he was Jewish. (Right?) It was, of course, perfect timing for the commencement of Passover, reminding us that this “Champion” isn’t the only musician we know to ever don a yarmulke. So, in honor of the holiday, we’ve compiled a list of some of our other faves who are either practicing Jews or at least have some Jewish heritage — including a few that may come as a surprise. See the list below.

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The Idolator Hype Index (Week Of 4.2.12)

April 6th, 2012 // Leave a Comment

It was the season for giving within the music industry last weekend, as both the Kids’ Choice and Academy Of Country Music Awards were held in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, respectively. But while Taylor Swift soared at the country shindig, Katy Perry pummeled our ears — and those of the poor kids — with a pitchy performance at the Nickelodeon event. Still, news of new music from Adele, Demi Lovato‘s saucy “Give Your Heart A Break” and Madonna’s surprise party video were icing on the cake that was the past week. Click through to see how this all ranked on our Pop & Fizz chart!

Idolator Just Got An Upgrade

April 5th, 2012 // 2 Comments
Top 5 Live Moments
Watch Kelly Clarkson's best live moments. All stunners. Read More »

The best pop stars we know endure because they find ways to reinvent themselves repeatedly over time. (Looking at you, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Madonna and Jay-Z.) Today we’re taking a cue from our icons and doing a little re-inventing of our own. Welcome to the new and improved Idolator, custom-built to make your day… pop.

We’ve shifted to a wider layout to allow for bigger, bolder photos and king-size videos. Truth be told, we kind of needed the extra space to accommodate certain parts of J. Lo. anyway. Beyond that, we’ll have more flexibility to highlight related links and media throughout the site, as we did with the little box in the corner directing you to Kelly Clarkson’s best live performances.

A couple of other key improvements to watch for:

  • Improved delivery of eye candy, via faster and sharper photo galleries. What’s more, large photos will be equipped with a zoom feature, so when we tell you that Bieber’s socks don’t match, you’ll be able to take a closer look and confirm for yourself.
  • Better commenting/discussion features, including more seamless threading and the ability to vote comments up or down, or add photos, GIFs or videos. (Your user accounts and past comments are intact, of course.)
  • A slick news carousel at the top of each page to make navigation simpler than ever.
     

We’ll be working on some other bells and whistles too as we fiddle around under the hood, so please bear with us if key areas of the site go a little funky for a bit. That said, please feel free to comment here, or on Twitter or Facebook, to let us know if you experience any hiccups.

Hopefully you guys will enjoy the new changes. We’re going to do a little booty-shaking for a minute and then get back to delivering the deepest pop music news report we can.

Mary J. Blige’s Burger King Commercial Pulled: Morning Mix

April 5th, 2012 // 1 Comment
Watch Video

Did You Hear?

:: After Mary J. Blige’s Burger King ad, featuring the R&B queen singing about crispy chicken, was mocked online, the fast food company has pulled the ad — though they say it’s because of a music licensing issue, not because the ad is possibly racist and totally embarrassing for all involved. [Billboard]

:: Mary responds! “I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence… unfortunately, that’s not what was happening in that clip. I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you’re a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw go out.” [Vulture]

:: Why is it impossible for people to believe that Beyonce actually gave birth to and is raising a living, human child? [Pink Is The New Blog]

:: Boy George was assaulted outside of a nightclub in England last weekend, and share a photo of his new black eye on Twitter. “Someone pulled off my hat and in the struggle to get it back I got poked in the eye!” he wrote. [Huffington Post]

:: Green Day will deliver the induction speech for Guns N’ Roses when the group is inducted at the April 14 ceremony. But will the rock band even show up for their induction? [MTV]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can find on the tube today.
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Rihanna Really Wants To Play Whitney Houston In A Movie: Morning Mix

April 4th, 2012 // 5 Comments

Did You Hear?

:: Rihanna revealed that she would be more than honored to play Whitney Houston in a biopic of the singer’s life. “That would be something that I would have to give my entire life to do, because I would really want to pull it off,” the Battleship actress said. “That’s a huge, huge role, and whoever does it has to do a good job.” [MTV]

:: Take a peek at Madonna’s MDNA World Tour stage set-up. [Pink Is The New Blog]

:: Who’s more adorable, Selena Gomez or her puppy? We can’t decide! [MTV Buzzworthy]

:: To mark her return to India (and her first performance in the country), Katy Perry tweeted out a Bollywood version of her hit single “California Gurls.” [Just Jared]

:: While EDM music becomes more and more mainstream, electronic live shows continue to be threatened. The Electric Daisy Carnival’s promoter, Insomniac Events CEO Pasquale Rotella, has been charged in a massive corruption case that includes 29 counts of bribery, embezzlement, conspiracy, and conflict of interest. [Spin]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can find on the tube today.
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Did The Fray Deliver The Worst National Anthem Ever?

April 3rd, 2012 // 12 Comments
The Fray, "Syndicate"
Watch the band's heady video. Read More »
Kelly's On The Road
Kelly Clarkson and The Fray will tour this summer. Read More »
Kelly's Surprise Show
Kelly debuts her new music in a tiny Hollywood club. Read More »

We almost feel bad for anyone who event attempts to perform the national anthem — unless you’re Whitney Houston, chances are someone is going to be disappointed. And my oh my, were many people disappointed upon hearing The Fray’s (remember them?) flowery acoustic version of “The Star Spangled Banner” at a NCAA basketball championship game last night. Listen and judge for yourself below. More »

Jennifer Lopez’s “Dance Again”: Review Revue

April 3rd, 2012 // 1 Comment

Last year American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez had a major comeback by urging us to get on the floor. Now she wants to “Dance Again”. Critics are divided on J.Lo’s latest, which once again finds her teaming up with rapper Pitbull and producer RedOne. Some say the tune is a bit too reductive. (For the record, we noted that the song “is a far superior and much more euphoric dance-pop offering than ‘On The Floor’.”)  Head below for a roundup of opinions on Lopez’s just-released single from across the Internet.
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Adam Levine And Anne V. Split: Morning Mix

April 3rd, 2012 // Leave a Comment

Did You Hear?

:: We have finally figured out what Adam Levine meant when he tweeted about an “emotional reboot” and showed off his new haircut at The Grove. Adam and his long time girlfriend, model Anne Vyalitsyna, have decided to call it quits. It’s such a shame, too, because they were such a cute couple. Sigh. [Neon Limelight]

:: In an effort to boost sales, Burger King has released new items on its menu as well as a new ad campaign featuring Mary J. Blige singing about crispy chicken. It’s kind of embarrassing, to be honest. [Rap Radar]

:: American Idol winner Scotty McCreery has decided to attend North Carolina State University in the fall and plans on scheduling his touring around his education. We wish Scotty good luck trying to juggle a career and schoolwork. [EW Music Mix]

:: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon will most likely spend their twins’ first birthdays with a simple backyard party with close friends and family. Just kidding, they’re jetsetting to France. [Pink Is The New Blog]

:: First Lady Michelle Obama loved One Direction’s performance at the Kids’ Choice Awards so much that she invited the boys to the White House for the annual egg hunt. [Popdust]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can find on the tube today. More »

Madonna March Madness: The Winner Is…

April 2nd, 2012 // 3 Comments

And that’s a wrap, folks! With more than 25,000 votes cast over the last three weeks, Madonna March Madness has crowned its winner. Well, you have crowned the winner. (Point being, you only have yourselves to blame.) The final round placed “Like A Prayer”‘s religious inferno against “Hung Up”‘s disco leotard, and though the controversial hit had Black Jesus on its side, “Hung Up” delivered a punch-kick-sashay combo that sent the 1989 MTV Video Music Award winner to the afterlife. Watch Madonna take a victory lap around the dance studio one last time below. More »

Ellie Goulding On ’30 Rock’, Bjork And Playing Scrabble On Dates: Favorites

April 2nd, 2012 // Leave a Comment
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"Starry Eyed" Live
Ellie Goulding shines on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Read More »

Favorites is our recurring video series on the personal preferences of the pop artists who inspire us. Because the artists we love love stuff too.

While America at large is busy jibber-jabbering about the handsome boys of the British Invasion that’s happening in pop (see: The Wanted and One Direction), we thought we’d focus for a moment on one of the lovely ladies. “Lights” singer Ellie Goulding has been busy over the past year with touring, entertaining the royals and working on her sophomore LP. As you can imagine, she was more than happy to take a breather from all that by talking to us about simpler things, such as her choice food, favorite movie and TV show and quirkiest dating activity.

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