The passing of disco legend Donna Summer, who died yesterday (May 17) at the age of 63, has inspired many musicians, singers and artists to pay tribute to the iconic singer. Beyonce wrote a brief but touching blog post about the disco diva on her official site, paying respect to woman who helped pave the way for other female artists (including Beyonce) to rule the charts and the dancefloor. Read Bey’s full statement below.

Donna Summer made music that moved me both emotionally and physically to get up and dance. You could always hear the deep passion in her voice. She was so much more than the queen of disco she became known for, she was an honest and gifted singer with flawless vocal talent. I’ve always been a huge fan and was honored to sample one of her songs. She touched many generations and will be so sadly missed.

My love goes out to her family during this difficult time.

Love,
B

The song Beyonce refers to is her 2004 single “Naughty Girl”, off her debut album Dangerously In Love. The song samples Summer’s 1975 hit, “Love To Love You Baby”.

Fun. is having a bit of fun with Gotye‘s “Somebody That I Used To Know” — the band covered the smash single for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, and nabbed Paramore‘s Hayley Williams for Kimbra‘s part. Everything starts out alright, but frontman Nate Ruess can’t reach the same range as Gotye during the chorus, and by the time Hayley (who only appears via prerecorded vocals) joins in, the whole number turns shaky and comes off like karaoke. As overplayed as it might be, we’ll stick with the original, thanks. [Via Spin]

Mick Jagger will make his way to 30 Rockefeller this weekend to host Saturday Night Live‘s 37th season finale. (37 seasons? Why, that’s still thirteen years less than the existence of The Rolling Stones, who celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.)

Though Jagger has clearly influenced countless other artists over the years, SNL cast member Kristen Wiig shares how she, too, was deeply affected by the iconic rocker. ”I grew up on you,” she tells him in a promo for the May 19 episode. “You taught me so much about music. And you taught me so much about using drugs. I mean, so many drugs.”

Jagger will also act as the episode’s musical guest, and will be accompanied by Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Jeff Beck, and not will.i.am, thankfully.

Following the release of Garbage‘s 2005 LP Bleed Like Me, the band dropped out of sight for seven long years. Sure, there was the release of 2007 hits collection Absolute Garbage and the unrealized hope for a Shirley Manson solo album to keep longtime fans going, but all in all, the band truly seemed to be over. Cut to seven years later, and we’re just seven days away from the seemingly impossible — the quartet’s brand new LP Not Your Kind Of People (out May 15). The US has been fed the appetizer of lead single “Blood For Poppies”, while the UK was given “Battle In Me”. (And here on Idolator, we premiered the first listen of “Big Bright World”.) Now you can stream Garbage’s brand new record in full over on Spin.com, one week ahead of its official release. Be sure to come back let us know your thoughts on the band’s brand new material!

In the days following Beastie Boys‘ Adam Yauch‘s death, it’s no surprise that his colleagues, friends and fans want to celebrate his life and career by singing cover songs, writing tributes, and even releasing unseen performances. Back in 2004, the group filmed a performance for the third season of Chappelle’s Show which remained unseen, as the third season of the Comedy Central show never aired. The clip remained unreleased until earlier today (May 7) when the show’s co-creator Neal Brennan uploaded the trio’s performance to YouTube.

Unfortunately, the video has since been pulled down after Viacom Inc. complained it had been posted without permission. Viacom (who owns Comedy Central) is currently in contact with EMI Publishing to figure out a way to get the video back online. And as soon as they do, we’ll have it right here for you.

Trey Songz and Kelly Rowland were all smooches and cuddles in the teaser for Trey’s single “Heart Attack”, a honeymoon period we knew couldn’t last. (The song is called “Heart Attack”, after all.) In the full-length clip, on-screen couple Kelly and Trey are far from the happy, in love couple they once were, though their fighting might not be the real thing that keeps them apart. The most tragic thing about this clip? Kelly doesn’t sing a lick. Rowland might be “Down For Whatever”, but when she appears in a music video, we want her to be more than arm candy.

Are we sure Justin Bieber‘s “Boyfriend” video isn’t really three completely separate clips? All the teasers we’ve been treated to so far couldn’t be more different: Bieber with lady hands all over him on a soundstage. Bieber abstractly involved with fire and water. And in the latest preview for the anticipated clip, the 18-year-old pop star is out in the streets, cuddling up with a brunette in the sunshine during an impromptu dance party — when he’s not driving around in a hot set of wheels that could rival his personal Batmobile. What exactly is going on in this video?! We’ll have to wait until tomorrow (May 3), when the full vid drops at 7:50 p.m. on MTV.

WZRD‘s “Teleport 2 Me”, which samples Desire’s Drive soundtrack jam “Under Your Spell”, is getting what appears to be quite a cinematic video. Directing duo Walter Robot explain the making of the visual in a special behind-the-scenes clip: “It’s about when [Kid Cudi] was on tour traveling and he just really missed his girlfriend, and he would talk to her and wished she could just teleport to him wherever he was.” Mirror tricks and skilled camera work are used to create an infinity effect within Cudi’s house, as he stares into a hole in the floor and wanders through an endless hallway.

Walter Robot (Bill Barminski and Christopher Louie), a professor-and-student team who met at UCLA, explain that they get involved in most aspects of their productions, whether it be post-production, animation, editing or color correcting.

Cudi Rocks Out With MGMT

11 Photos »

The pair’s visual aspirations for the “Teleport 2 Me” video were somewhat of a high concept, but they were met with the constraints of that age-old problem: money. “Originally, when we started writing on it, we had ideas that the label was gonna put a lot more financial backing into it,” says Christopher. “The budget ended up shrinking, but the idea stayed the same.”

Previously the pair lensed videos for Death Cab For Cutie, Rob Thomas, Gnarls Barkley and Vitalic.

Mateo knows how to fiddle with a well-known song and transform it into something completely new — for example, take his retweaks on Jay-Z‘s “Empire State Of Mind” and Kanye West‘s “Power.” The latest tune to get the Mateo treatment is Lana Del Rey‘s “Blue Jeans”, which he performs while playing piano. In his soulful cover, the “Say It’s So” singer takes a few liberties with the lyrics, changing “James Dean” to “vanity”, and switches the line “you fit me better than my favorite sweater” to “leather” — because the only man in R&B who can rock a sweater is Drake, obviously. 

Nicki Minaj‘s bikinified “Starships” video is set to premiere this evening, and what better way to hype up the event than for Ellen DeGeneres to invite budding starlets Sophia Grace and Rosie back on her show for a performance? The two pint-sized Brits turned on the charm, as Sophia Grace belted out a G-rated verse from Nicki’s hit while Rosie busted some of her signature moves. Then the two both broke into “the running man” dance during the breakdown. When asked by DeGeneres afterward what her favorite thing about coming to America is, Sophia responded, “I love coming on the Ellen show, and the swimming pool, where we live — I just love everything!” And a star is born.

Nicki's "Starships" bikini sneak peek

5 Photos »

Are you ready for a modern day “Billie Jean” as done by The Biebs? Justin Bieber was discussing his upcoming album Believe with reporters in London, and the singer let it slip that one of his new tracks was inspired by Mariah Yeater, the 20-year-old woman who claimed Bieber was the father of her child. “There’s a song about that girl that said she was gonna have my baby,” Bieber reportedly told reporters while in London. “There are songs about things I’m going through. I wrote songs about different situations.” 

Bieber has apparently been thinking quite a bit of Yeater recently, as he randomly took to Twitter to throw a few jabs at her. “Dear mariah yeeter…we have never met…so from the heart i just wanted to say…”, he wrote on April 21, linking to audio of actor Sacha Baron Cohen as his character Borat chanting “You will never get this! You will never get this!”

Bieber’s Believe won’t just be about baby mama drama — the 18-year-old pop star also revealed he collaborated with fellow Canadian Drake on a track called “Right Here”, produced by Hit-Boy.

“It’s a smash,” Justin said of the tune. “People are gonna love it. It just rides so smoothly. It’s me and Drake, so it’s good.” MSN got an early listen to the song, and described it as being “Drake-like”, calling it “a swaggerific slice of ballsy hip-hop-swaying R&B.” 

The album, Bieber’s follow-up to last year’s Christmas album Under The Mistletoe, also includes collaborations with Ludacris, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Timbaland, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Diplo. 

Justin Bieber’s Believe drops June 19. The album’s lead single is the Top 10 hit “Boyfriend”, whose video we cannot believe has yet to premiere.

[Via Celebuzz, Neon Limelight]

Barbz, it’s time to put your hands (or whatever other body parts you deem appropriate) in the air, because Nicki Minaj has returned to Twitter! So far the rapping diva hasn’t tweeted since stepping back onto the social networking platform, but her previously-defunct account has now been refreshed. “A voice in my head told me to delete my Twitter and that’s what I did,” Minaj explained last week on The Graham Norton Show. Looks like the voice had a change of heart — and it’s a good thing, too, since Nicki has that “Starships” video to promote soon.

Nicki Minaj has some explaining to do about quitting Twitter, and she chose The Graham Norton Show as the venue to do it. “A voice in my head told me to delete my Twitter and that’s what I did,” the “Starships” rapstress says in the episode airing in the UK tonight, according to the Daily Mail. “I had 11 million followers and I hope they will wait for me.” Host Graham Norton apparently asks Nicki if she’ll return to the Twittersphere, and she she replies, “I don’t know yet, I’m thinking about it. I miss my Barbz, please bear with me.” The Mail then goes on to note that Nicki is believed to have stopped tweeting after an argument with a fan who leaked her new music via the now-defunct NickiDaily site, which has re-branded itself Nicki-Minaj.org. What do you make of all this drama, Barbz?

You apparently can’t keep a good MC down, something that was glaringly evident after last night’s Coachella performance by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. The rappers brought their old pal Tupac Shakur back to life via a pricey hologram projection, and, naturally, the Internet had plenty to say about the mind-blowing spectacle. 2Pac knocked out two classics — “Hail Mary” and “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” — before slipping away once more into the ether. Head below to catch a roundup of reactions to the performance, from noted publications to chart-topping singers.

:: MTV News remarked, “The Coachella festival is a place where minds routinely get blown, usually due to an awesome set or a killer reunion from one of your favorite bands. But on Sunday night it was thanks to the ghostly re-appearance of West Coast rap legend Tupac Shakur.”

:: The San Francisco Chronicle noted, “The ghostly apparition drew mixed reactions from those watching the set online, with one fan calling it ‘wrong on so many levels’ and others stunned by the Tupac trick, tweeting, ‘WTF!’”

:: Katy Perry tweeted, “I think I might have cried when I saw Tupac.”

:: Meanwhile, Katy’s bestie Rihanna got hashtag-happy and added, “#TupacBACK #unbelievable #IWASTHERE #STORY4myGrandKidz”

:: The Los Angeles Times‘ Pop & Hiss blog, however, was not impressed: “It’s tempting to say up front that Tupac Shakur stole the show on Sunday night when his likeness appeared alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre to cap off the first weekend of Coachella, but that would just be for a cheap laugh. Making a ‘cameo’ as a hologram projected onto the stage and the jumbo screens above, the late Los Angeles rap icon was the least dynamic of the parade of rappers young and old who held the mike… The Tupac hologram? A red herring, unnecessary and ill advised.”

Snoop & Dre's Coachella set in photos

15 Photos »

:: The Hollywood Reporter, however, begs to differ: “But the highlight, besides the dozen-plus mentions of marijuana (it’s California, after all), was the spirit of Shakur, who greeted the crowd with a ‘what up, Coachella!’ Bare-chested, buff and rocking what looked like a pair of acid-washed jeans circa 1995, the hologram set Twitter on fire, as hundreds of Coachella attendees along with many thousands more watching a live feed on YouTube, tweeted in awe and disbelief.”

:: Says Entertainment Weekly, “In its own way, it made sense. With more top 40 hits than the other Coachella performers combined, conjuring the dead may have been the only thing left that Dre and Snoop. et. al. have yet to accomplish. And judging from the success of Sunday night’s show, it’s inevitable that the Notorious B.I.G. hologram is already being commissioned as you read this.”

:: Finally, E! Online had this to say: “It wasn’t just Tupac, though, who was remembered, as images of Nate Dogg appeared on a screen in the background as Snoop performed ‘Ain’t No Fun.’ But not surprisingly, it was the appearance of Tupac that continues to have everyone buzzing. In fact, his hologram now even has its own Twitter account, @hologramtupac.”

What are your own thoughts on Tupac’s Coachella “resurrection”? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!

The release of Adam Lambert‘‘s new album Trespassing is still a month away, but the Glam One whetted his fans’ appetites by unleashing second single “Never Close Our Eyes” yesterday. The pulsing dance-pop jam, produced by Dr. Luke and written by Bruno Mars, was met with glowing reviews for the most part, as critics praised the song for being a much better offering than previous single “Better Than I Know Myself”. Head below to see our roundup of how the Internet at large weighed in on Adam’s latest, then let us know your own thoughts on “Never Close Our Eyes”!

:: Fuse praises the song for being “a satisfying negotiation between an electro-pop banger and romantic anthem. It’s the kind of song that’s tailored both for the dance floor and at home/in the car sing-alongs.”

:: MTV Buzzworthy gushes, “Set to a pop-rooted dance beat, Adam’s rock-tinged pipes carry the entire song as he sings about staying awake 24/7 to enjoy the hell out of his life.”

:: RyanSeacrest.com chimes in with this: “The electro-bassed tune gets down and around with guitar strings and a fast pace beat… The dance-pop ballad starts off heavenly with soft piano in the background before the synthesizer kicks in.”

:: Neon Limelight also likes what it hears: “Grammy winning singer/songwriter Bruno Mars penned the song’s honest lyrics, and Adam makes them all soar with his impeccable vocals.”

:: Says Chart Rigger, “For his second Trespassing single, Adam Lambert was given a Bruno Mars-penned song from 2010. Thankfully, ‘Never Close Our Eyes’ is more ‘total jam’ than tired leftover.”

:: The Prophet Blog gives the Glam One props for staying true to himself: “Overall it’s not the absolute best thing that Adam’s ever done, but it’s head and shoulders above a lot of today’s radio-dance, and there aren’t many artists who can be so blatantly Top Forty while retaining their individuality like Adam can.”

:: PopCrush credits the other two pop forces behind the song: “The track features a hint of Luke’s up-tempo dance sound while retaining Mars’ melodic pop sensibility.”

:: Clickmusic prefers this single over Adam’s previous one: “‘Never Close Our Eyes’ is an electronic dance-ballad with bite, despite the standard Dr Luke tempo treatment, and it’s a far superior song to Lambert’s first cut.”

What are your own thoughts on Adam’s new single? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!

Karmin‘s “Brokenhearted” is a Top 40 hit, and the pop duo/romantic couple showed their appreciation to Ellen DeGeneres for giving them their big break a year ago by returning to her daytime talk show to belt the song out on stage. “It’s been insane, Ellen, and it all started here, too, which is so serendipitous,” Amy Heidermann said to the show host. Then Nick Noonan flashed his Ellen undies to the camera. Oh, that Karmin. Their aptly-titled debut album Hello is out May 8, and you can watch their latest performance below!

Fifteen years after they first made this look good, the Men in Black will return to cinemas on May 25 for the third installment in the sci-fi franchise. But one thing has changed over the last decade and a half — the film’s star isn’t so much a rapper anymore. Thus it will be Pitbull, not Will Smith (nor any of his other musical family members) providing the film’s theme song. Men in Black 3 will find the “Candy” man following up Big Willie’s “Men in Black” and “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)” with the new track “Back in Time.” Find out more below.

In our estimation, the Men in Black soundtracks have not withstood the test of time, and we can’t even remember the last time we heard a song that so blatantly exists solely to promote a summer blockbuster. (Oh, yes we can. It was 1997′s “Men in Black.”) So even though we might have preferred some sort of next-generation Willow and Jaden collaboration, Pitbull seems a worthy enough successor.

Pitbull’s “Back in Time” will drop Monday, sampling Micky and Sylvia’s 1956 tune “Love is Strange.” Tell us what you think of Pitbull taking over for the Fresh Prince on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Karmin, the Sonny and Cher of modern day pop, detail what appears to be the origins of their romance in the video for upbeat pop single “Brokenhearted”. Members (and real-life sweethearts) Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan flirt playfully during band practice and at a party, but the songstress is left at home alone in her finest Victoria’s Secret wear, waiting for her cell to ring. So why isn’t Nick calling, exactly? Watch below.

Karmin — ”Brokenhearted”

As if Whitney Houston fans Karmin aren’t cute enough, “Brokenhearted”, as we’ve noted before, is an irresistible pop jam that sounds not unlike an offering from Ke$ha or Jessie J (thanks in part to it being a Benny Blanco production), and the video is just as playful.

“Brokenhearted” was directed by Marc Klasfeld, who lensed Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me” and Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” clips.

The battle rounds on The Voice raged on this week, as diva vocals (and some bad attitudes) dominated, while friendships were laid on the line. Advisers Babyface, Jewel, Alanis Morissette, Robin Thicke, Lionel Richie, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert and Ne-Yo were back to help out coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, as six more hopefuls were given the boot from the show. Head below to see who was paired up, and who got their walking papers.

Team Christina: Geoff McBride vs. Sera Hill
Xtina pits shades-loving Geoff against soulful hotel receptionist Sera by tasking them with Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools”. There’s no question that 51-year-old Geoff has a voice that could quite literally blow Sera out of the water. But dang — he needs to reel that instrument in now and then, otherwise it all just comes off like screaming. Geoff’s adviser Lionel Richie suggests that (gasp) the vocal powerhouse remove his shades for the battle so the audience can connect with him more. (He opts for clear frames instead). In the end, young Sera doesn’t quite have the chops to truly beat Geoff in a vocal battle. Yet she does, as Christina chooses to keep her.

Team Blake: Charlotte Sometimes vs. Lex Land
Wow. Charlotte Sometimes, named after a song by The Cure, is annoying, both vocally and personality-wise. The loud and proud Jersey girl is paired with introspective Lex from Texas. Adviser Kelly Clarkson twirls in just long enough to praise Charlotte’s voice (really?), but steers clear of her Jersey ‘tude (we keep mentioning Jersey because Charlotte keeps mentioning Jersey). Blake assigns wife Miranda Lambert to give some guidance the shy Lex. But this is TV, folks, and TV shows need a villain. “I want to win,” Charlotte proclaims. “I want her to lose.” And so Lex does. Hooray for the Jersey Devil.

Team Cee Lo: Sarah Golden vs. Juliet Simms
We love Cee Lo’s white cat! In fact, this whole paragraph would be about that kitty and Green’s affection for it if there wasn’t this business of discussing the singers to be done. Anyway, smoky-voiced (and overly confident) Juliet may have talent, but does she really need to state that she’s “prettier” than Sarah before they take to the stage? Can we please have the somehow-less-annoying Charlotte Sometimes come back, instead? Sigh. Folky yodeler Sarah doesn’t really seem to be a match for wild-haired, tattooed hater Juliet, especially when they’re given Rod Stewart’s old jam “Stay With Me” to belt out. And we’re right. It’s so-long time for Sarah. Key to staying in this competition: bitchy attitude.

Team Adam: Kim Yarbrough vs. Whitney Myers
Stop — diva time! Adam Levine cruelly puts 25-year-old Whitney up against the more experienced and mature and Chaka Khan-esque Kim. And they’re given Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” to sing, a tune that requires some life experience and a fair amount of acquired pain to truly connect with. No competition here, really. Adam and adviser Alanis Morissette can’t seem to get Whitney to focus on her own singing, rather than how much better a singer Kim is. Meanwhile, Kim is delighted to meet her own vocal guide, Robin Thicke (or, as she calls him “Thicket”). So, yeah, Kim eats Whitney alive on stage and wins.

Team Christina: Lindsey Pavao vs. Lee Koch
These two quirky singers on Xtina’s team are saddled with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”. Lindsey seems at ease to take the song and reinterpret it and make it her own, but Lee admits that he hasn’t heard the alt rock classic in at least a decade. (Translation: he’d doomed.) Adviser Jewel isn’t impressed with Lee, and tells him that he really needs to think about Kurt Cobain’s words and try to connect with them. And as for Lionel Richie, who is in the advice-giving chair for Lindsey, we’re just wondering if his ears have ever met with a Nirvana song. In fact, can we just have Lionel go up on stage and sing “Heart-Shaped Box”? While stroking Cee Lo’s cat? That would be sexy. Lee manages to pull it together, and Cee Lo tells him he felt like, with the lighting, he was watching Jesus a few times. Adam calls it a “delightfully creepy performance”. Blake admits he’s never heard the song before, causing Cee Lo to quip, “You’ve got to get out of Oklahoma every once in a while!” And Christina axes Lee and keeps Lindsey. Just call this Ladies’ Night.

Team Cee Lo: Jamar Rogers vs. Jamie Lono
Okay, don’t call this Ladies’ Night. Cee Lo’s cat whispers in the “F*** You” crooner’s ear and tells him to put these two besties together. Evil kitty! Even worse, they’re given Foreigner’s ’80s lighter-waving anthem “I Want To Know What Love Is”, a song clearly out of Jamie’s vocal range, to sing. The crazy-haired hopeful’s voice continues to crack during rehearsal, and Cee Lo and adviser Babyface seem to downplay the matter by telling him he’s too nervous. No, guys — he just can’t hit the notes. Jamar, on the other hand, tackles the song like a pro, and when it’s all over, Jamie is out the door and on the market for a new best friend.

Did you agree with the coaches’ choices during this battle round? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Fresh from their Radio City Music Hall concert, British boy band One Direction took over the Today Show the best way possible this morning — by arriving at Rockefeller Plaza on top of a red double-decker bus. The five lads made their way through the crowd of shrieking young girls (ahem — shouldn’t they be in school?) and hopped on stage for a performance of their hit “What Makes You Beautiful”, among other songs. Brace yourselves, America.

One Direction — ”What Makes You Beautiful” on the Today Show

One Direction — “More Than This” on the Today Show

One Direction have a brief chat and perform “One Thing”

Have you entered our One Direction postcard contest yet? You could win a personalized MP3 from the band, so what are you waiting for?