Jennifer Lopez Announcing Return to American Idol for Season 11

Well, it sounds like the whole gang of judges will be returning for season 11 of American Idol.

We knew Steven Tyler was under a multi-year contract, and Randy Jackson has already told the media he would be back, and we all knew Ryan Seacrest wasn't going anywhere.

The only hold-out seemed to be Jennifer Lopez.

She had recently told reporters that she was “on the fence” about returning for season 11 and had not made up her mind yet saying,

"I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it's going to come down to making a choice of really what I want to do for the next year. We're not really at the breaking point of 'You have to make a decision right now!' So I'm not.”

But today, E! News Online is reporting that Lopez will be making an announcement as soon as this week that she will be returning as a judge on American Idol season 11.

That’s good news.

Jennifer was a great addition as was Steven Tyler, and losing her after just a year would have been a blow to the show.

Some insiders say she was holding out for more money – asking for $20 million per season instead of her $12 million she got her first year.

But all you have to do is look at her schedule to see that this woman is as busy as it gets and fitting Idol into her schedule really is going to be difficult.

Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony are producing a Latin American singing competition show called Que Viva that has consumed a great amount of her time this summer.

She has also just been cast alongside Cameron Diaz in the romantic comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”.

The movie is scheduled to start filming in 2011 with a 2012 Mother’s Day release date and will follow the lives of four couples as they prepare to become parents.

Lopez is also currently filming the animated comedy “Ice Age: Continental Drift” with Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Aziz Ansari, and comedian Wanda Sykes.

The movie is currently being filmed and has a projected release date of July 13, 2012. Plot details are top secret but producers have released the following “Ice Age 4” trailer.

Watch Ice Age Continental Drift Movie Trailer


And if those projects aren’t enough to keep J-Lo busy she is also preparing to star alongside Jason Statham in the movie “Parker” - a crime thriller centered on a thief who lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it.

While "Parker", with a $25 million production budget is still in pre-production, it is slated for release sometime on 2012 which means Lopez will need to find time over the next 10 months for filming.

And don't forget, Lopez also has a very active singing career going full tilt.

Whew… Now I can see why she was on the fence!

We’re glad she decided to come back for another season of American Idol and look forward to another year as exciting as last year’s revamped improvement.

Funny, we didn’t miss Simon Cowell for a minute.

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Video - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Behind the Scenes Filming

This is the end for our favorite wizard Harry Potter.

The latest and last incarnation of the film franchise will be out soon and we already know we will see the fate of our dear friend Harry Potter at the hands of Lord Voldemort.

In the video below you will see some of the most fascinating behind the scenes footage ever released of the actual making of a Harry Potter movie.

They are a series of backstage, behind the scenes shots taken during the actual filming of “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and they give an amazing insight as to what goes on behind the camera while actually making a movie.

It proves that what you see on the movie screen has nothing to do with what is actually happening in the studio.

And you get sense of the sheer size, scale, and cost - just to get 30 seconds of usable footage. Amazing stuff.

You get to see the wind machines, the director, the extras, the green screens, the fire pods, the cameras, the tricks, the rigs, the gaffs, the cables, and the drama.

We get to see director David Yates in full production mode and you can tell how involved he is in every scene.

Watch Behind the scenes filming of Deathly Hallows 2

Anybody who has ever been involved with a movie shoot will enjoy watching the camera jibs pulling a HD steadicam across a motion controlled set of gadgets.

All the green backdrops you see will later be turned into what we know as Hogwarts during post production, and all the shots are shot without music playback and can seem quite tedious at times.

That’s how you make a move kids!

Can you imagine the thousands of hours in post-production adding in all the sound, music, dialog, special effects, etc?

This is why actors make the big money and directors should make more.

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Video - Fire at Rihanna Concert Cancels Show – Fans Evacuated

It was a big night in Dallas Texas for Rihanna fans last night.

A fire broke out on stage during the singer’s concert at the American Airlines Center and caused a near panic and the cancellation of the show.

It appears that a pyro pack attached to the upper lighting rig either didn’t go off correctly or exploded prematurely causing a section of the rig to catch fire and quickly filling the arena with smoke.

A local CBS affiliate reported sparks and chunks of burning material fell back down onto the stage starting additional fires near a section of curtains and equipment.

It was all caught on video by a fan in the audience, and you can hear by his voice that things got very close to raging out of control.

As the fire grew, stage hands turned on the house lights and stopped the show. The guy taking the video can be heard talking to his friend about what would happen if they had to evacuate.

At one point he grew concerned about being trampled if things got out of control.

Finally a crew member was able to climb up to the rig and used a fire extinguisher on the blaze while the crowd erupted in cheers.

The show however, had to be cancelled due to safety concerns.

Watch Rihanna Stage Fire in Dallas


The singer took to her twitter account afterwards to say,

"DALLAS!!! We set the stage on FYAH tonight!!! LITERALLY!!! I'm so pissed, I was havin so much fun with yall too!!! I gotta come back man!!"

Rihanna is currently on the road for her U.S. “Loud” tour.

The singer recently announced that she has added an additional tour stop in Birmingham Alabama on July 11th at the Jefferson Civic Center Arena.

All profits from the show will be used to benefit local community relief efforts stemming from the devastating tornadoes that tore through the area last month.

From there her July shows continue on to Atlanta, Sunrise Florida, Greenboro North Carolina, Long Island New York, East Rutherford New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Starting in August she will take her show overseas to Finland, Norway, Ireland, London, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland.

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Greyson Chance to Appear on “Raising Hope” Next Season in Multiple Episodes - Video

It may take more than a teen idol music career to make singer Greyson Chance happy.

And we know it takes a village to raise a baby these days...

Just ask the cast of “Raising Hope”.

And next season the show will get a little help from the 13-year-old singer.

Greyson is slated to appear as a semi-recurring cast member in at least three episodes of the Fox sitcom that follows the “Chance” family as they find themselves adding an unexpected new member into their household.

“Raising Hope” creator Greg Garcia took to twitter saying,

"Looking forward to having Greyson Chance on a few episodes of Raising Hope next season."

The show stars Lucas Neff, Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt – but the runaway comedic relief falls squarely on veteran actress Cloris Leachman who plays Maw Maw.



Lucas Neff plays Jimmy Chance, whose life takes a radical turn when a casual romantic encounter with a woman goes wrong after he learns she is a wanted criminal and ends up on death row.

When Jimmy visits her in prison he learns she is pregnant with their baby, and after she gives birth is tasked with raising their daughter.

No word yet as to what role Greyson will play but it’s interesting that his last name is the same as the fictional family.

Greyson was discovered after singing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” on YouTube and was quickly snatched up by Ellen DeGeneres’ eleveneleven record label.

He has since gone on to produce several hit singles including “Waiting Outside the Lines”, and more recently “Unfriend You”.

Related: Greyson Chance releases new “Unfriend You” – Video

The young singer also has a new album due out this August called “Hold On ‘Till Night”.

Related: Greyson talks about his new album - Video

Chance is upfront about his journey into TV land saying,

“Music is my first love but I feel like there should be a backup plan. So many kid musicians don’t last long after turning 18 and I want to build other sets of experiences while my career is growing.”

Smart kid.

We think his music career is doing just fine under the care of Ellen, but the world of being a teen music idol can be a fickle place. One day you’re in, and the next day you’re out.

We’re excited about seeing Greyson on TV and can’t wait to watch next seasons “Raising Hope”.

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Video - Dani Shay Releases New Video of Her Personal Journey Through Life and Music

Dani Shay wants you to know who she is and what she is about.

She wants to share her views of music, poetry, laughter, and life – and says she is ready to share her music with the World.

“I feel that it’s my purpose, and my job to be exactly who I am.  I’ve been preparing, I’ve been learning, I’ve been growing. I know that after this I’m going to be in a HD studio recording with violins and other musicians and producers and a fancy mixing board. So thank you for welcoming me into your life.”

Many of you first met Dani Shay on the television show “America’s Got Talent” when she sang a parody of Justin Bieber’s hit song “Baby” after being told by friends and fans that she looks like the young superstar.

Related: Was that Justin Bieber on AGT? – Video

Twenty-two year old Dani comes from Orlando Florida and has been a musician all her life.

You can tell by her music and lyrics that there is a deep connection within her, and she is desperately trying to make sense of life’s journey through her music.

Last week, Shay was selected by the AGT judges to proceed to the live Hollywood round of the shows competition putting her one step closer to her dream.

Related: Dani Shay is going to Hollywood! – Video

But her journey almost ended last week when she decided to audition with her original tune “Super Heroes” and had to stop midway as her nerves got the best of her.

All three judges chastised her for singing an original, but gave Dani the opportunity to audition again with a cover of Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble”.

It was good enough for the judges to put her through to the live Hollywood shows starting mid-July.

Almost as if she knows she is on the cusp of fame, Dani talks about her current album “See Me Now” and says it will become known as the “stuff I did before I got famous”.

She self-produced it herself and says,

“I created this 10-track album by myself in the Fall of 2010, while on a week-long, completely secluded recording retreat.  It includes 2 live bonus tracks, and has a very personal touch.  :)  I’ll sign the first 1,000 copies I sell!”

The album is available from her website Danishay.com

Shay also created a ten minute video for The Next Great Singer web site that gives us a little insight into who she is, what she is made of, what she likes, what scares her, and what her dreams are.

Watch Dani Shay Self Discovery Video


We suspect Dani is right – after her national media exposure on “America’s Got Talent”, and her already embedded base of music and fans, the next stop is Hollywood or Nashville to launch a full-blown music career.

Even if she doesn’t get much farther in the AGT competition, enough people have seen her, and know who she is, that it’s just a matter of time before the music labels come knocking at her door.

Once she gets the right people, financing, and marketing behind her there will be no stopping this artist.

But Dani, don’t let the system turn you into somebody you don’t want to be. Stay true to yourself and always be yourself and let the world come to you.

And about that whole looking like Justin Bieber thing - it might have been the best thing to ever happen to you as it got the World’s attention.

That’s always how it starts – with just one lucky break.

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Crossover Singer Jackie Evancho Already Getting 2012 Grammy Nods?

It may be too early to know for sure, but young classical crossover phenom Jackie Evancho’s name is already being bandied about for a 2012 Grammy Award nomination.

But is that possible?

Jackie’s first album “Dream With Me” has indeed topped the Billboard 200 and Amazon sales charts lists since its release, and she has certainly made an impression on fans and professionals alike.

Insiders say there is a very good possibility Evancho could snag an award – or a nomination at the least.

Related: Meet Jackie Evancho – She’ll Melt Your Heart - Video

The eligibility requirements for the 2012 54th Annual Grammy Awards say an album must be released between Oct. 1, 2010 and Sept. 30, 2011, and must be in general distribution in the United States.

After her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle’s debut album sold over 750,000 units in the U.S. during the first three weeks but was not eligible for a Grammy that year because the timing fell outside the current year’s eligibility requirements.

However, there is some fine print that says that if an individual track “first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Period,” then it can be nominated for categories like Song of the Year and Record of the Year, even if the associated album or CD was released outside the necessary time period.

Related: Jackie Evancho tops sales charts – talks about the future - Video

It kind of sounds like if the judges and staff really want you in their award show there is always a way to sneak something in to make it legal. Just release a quick single during the period even if the album is not ready to go yet.

The other issue for Jackie is what category should she be nominated in?

In 2011, major changes were made to the rules for 2012 that included nominations for collaborations and duo’s mainly in the pop, rock and rap genre. The classical categories were also compressed.

Also, the Best Classical Album and Best Crossover category has been eliminated and now these artists are able to win under best album, record, or song of the year, etc.

Just to illustrate the ambiguity of the system you have to wonder what the difference between best record of the year and best album of the year is.

My point?

If the nominating committee want’s a particular artist in the running – they will find a way. Remember, a lot of this is about ratings for their televised award show and they would not leave a white hot artist out in the cold over a small technicality.

Watch Jackie Evancho and David Foster Interview


It also depends whether Jackie would be nominated for an individual song or the entire album - an opera song or a classical song. With more than one genre on her album it could go several ways.

And even though the number of categories has been reduced for 2012 she could still be slotted in Best Opera Recording, Best Classical Vocal Solo, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, or Best New Artist.

You can see the complete list of the revamped and eliminated 2012 categories at the Grammy site here.

Bottom line:

The timing is right. The quality is right. The material is right. The sales figures are right. The collaborations were right. The buzz is right.

Besides, Evancho’s producer on her album, David Foster, is a 17 time Grammy winner himself. If Foster doesn’t know how to wade through the nomination rules than nobody does.

Jackie Evancho will be nominated for something at the 2012 Grammy’s show, and will most likely perform as well. Heck, she may even be a presenter.

We can’t wait, and wish her the best!

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Chord Overstreet May Not Be Leaving Glee After All – New Details

Last week the media world went into overdrive when it was announced that Chord Overstreet would not be returning to “Glee” next season.

Reports said that Chord’s contract was expiring and the network had decided to cut him loose.

There were even official sounding news releases from studio execs and producers that all but sealed Overstreet’s fate on the show.

Related: Chord Overstreet leaving Glee – was he fired?

But now the network is backtracking - saying Chord will always be welcome on “Glee”, and that even though his contract will expire they expect, and WANT, the actor to continue with the series.

Some say that fan backlash caused the producers to rethink their actions from last week.

The official word from TVLine is,

“Chord’s option to be a series regular was just not picked up at this time. If Chord wants to appear on Glee, the choice is his. The Glee writers like his Sam character, and have plans to write for him. He and his reps have been told that he is welcome back to Glee, and everyone hopes he will show up on August 10 when filming begins.

It took Chord two years to become a regular - If he has a great season, which we expect he will, then he will become a regular like Harry, possibly as early as January.”

Last week when Overstreet’s contract issue came to light, it was announced that Darren Criss, who plays Blaine, and Harry Shum, who plays the character Mike, will return next season in a fulltime role.

So it seems there is a definite feeling that the writers and producers very much want Overstreet to return for next season’s premier that kicks off September 20.

Gleeks around the country took to Facebook and Twitter to show their support for the character, and perhaps that outcry was heard by executives.

It looks like the new theme for Glee will be to keep McKinley High teachers Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, and Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, but rotate through new student cast members as they graduate and leave the show.

A variety of cast members will then take part in the summer Glee Tour each year.

Producers have also hired six new writers for next season in an effort to keep the dialog and stories fresh. They also want to develop new main stories and wrap up existing story-lines as cast members exit the show.

That could be a hard sell for dedicated fans as most like the series because of the particular cast of characters. If writers start bringing in new students each year it may be difficult for viewers to grow comfortable with all the change.

Time will tell.

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