Blog: Idolator

Los Angeles' Staples Center is where the 54th Grammy Awards will go down this Sunday. The CBS telecast kicks off at 8 p.m. EST, and the thought on everyone's mind is likely this: just how many statues is Britain's not-so-secret weapon Adele going to jet back to London with? Plus, will Grammy give the gift of a posthumous award to the late Amy Winehouse, who's up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (with Tony Bennett)? Will this be the year Skrillex becomes a household name ? Also, will Chris Brown and Rihanna bump into each [...]

A few months (or weeks) from now, you may not remember who won the Super Bowl. But we bet you'll remember who performed at halftime , and that's just one reason why she dominates the latest Pop & Fizz chart. We've tallied the ups and downs of M.I.A., Lana Del Rey, Missy Elliott and the rest of this week's news-making pop artists, and you'll find the results below. (Remember, we study each artist or major news story according to their size (that's Rank) and then we weigh how they're faring overall in the pop zeitgeist (that's Hype). [...]

The first single off Katy Perry's upcoming Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection will be "Part Of Me" (out February 21), and it's yet another Dr. Luke/Max Martin co-production . If you heard the demo that leaked at some point last year, then you might be interested to spin the snippet of the final version that's surfaced. (Best hurry, though, before it gets yanked off YouTube.) Get a brief taste of the dance-pop confection that's sure to become Katy's umpteenth Top 10 hit below. "This [...]

Did You Hear? :: She's barely a month old, but Blue Ivy Carter's parents have already begun the application process to trademark their little princess's name. Bey and Jay plan to use the brand for a line of baby products, which will include ... baby cosmetics? [ Rolling Stone ] :: Katy Perry and Russell Brand are officially dunzo now that the two have signed papers finalizing their divorce . A slave to old habits, Katy signed her name with a smiley face. [ People ] :: Miley Cyrus won't be [...]

Let's cut to the chase: Symone Black, who fell hard off of the stage at the end of last night's episode , is fine. Symone was taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration and seemed to be back on track, returning for group night on the arm of her possibly egomaniacal dad. She maybe would've been better off being sent home, if only to avoid the "Most Stressful Hell Week In Idol History" (Seacrest's words). Jump below to see who got through — and who threw up — after the jump. [...]

In unsurprising news, Lana Del Rey's latest spread for T has the divisive pop star posing in white for provocative photographer Terry Richardson. (Unfortunately for all you LDR haters, Terry does not punch Lana in the face ). In her interview with the The New York Times Style Magazine the stimulating siren speaks of her controversial Saturday Night Live appearance explaining, "I'm not by nature a showstopper. I love to write and play songs, but onstage, all these things come into play. I'm always saying to myself, Don't mess up. Don't mess [...]

In Monday's upcoming episode of Smash , "Callbacks", we see Katharine McPhee (who plays aspiring actress Karen) continue the arduous audition process as she vies for the lead role of Marilyn Monroe in a musical based on the movie star's life. In the new number "20th Century Mambo", McPhee dances, sings and vamps as she transforms from sweet brunette Norma Jean into blonde bombshell Marilyn. Based on the pilot, we definitely thought Karen's competitor Ivy (played by Megan Hilty) had the part in the bag — now we're not so sure. Preview Kat's [...]

Jay-Z and Kanye West have double reason to celebrate — their Watch The Throne single "Ni**as In Paris" just went double-platinum, and their seizure-inducing video (filmed at the duo's final tour stop at LA's Staples Center last December ) received a fair amount of positive reviews from critics and fans alike. (Though it's quite possible that many epileptics did not react favorably to the video's kaleidoscopic effects and flashing lights.) See what everyone was saying about Jay and Kanye goin' gorillas in their visually stimulating concert vid. [...]

Is Madonna collaborating once again with her "Me Against The Music" pal (and onstage smooch partner ) Britney Spears? Possibly! A leaked album sleeve was posted on Brit fan site Breathe Heavy , with the "Criminal" singer featured on opening track, "Girls Gone Wild". That's the same tune included in that recent MDNA megamix , as well as the one Joe Francis' is filing a lawsuit over . Chances are both parties will be able to benefit from the "Girls Gone Wild" phrase if Brit-Brit really does appear on the song. [...]

As Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" continues to crawl up the Hot 100 (it's currently at its peak position at #3), the MC is having some majorly good feelings in his fun-loving new video for "Wild Ones" . In the vid, the Miami native travels around the world to Dubai, and keeps busy with a full schedule of wild activities: sky-diving (yep, that really is Flo falling out of a plane), air-boating, and partying the night away. Sia, who is featured on the track, unfortunately sits this one out. What, could Flo not afford one more plane ticket [...]

For as long as there have been music awards, there have been musicians with opinions about those music awards, and the Grammys are no exception. Depending on your point of view, Arcade Fire trumping commercial heavyweights Lady Gaga, Eminem and Katy Perry for Album of the Year at last year's ceremony was either the event's salvation or the moment it jumped the shark. That polarizing victory reignited a decades-old debate about the relevance and future direction of the awards show. Grammy nominees — and Grammy wannabes — have long argued over whether [...]

Kelly Rowland was honored last night at the Third Annual Essence Black Women In Music event. The "Keep It Between Us" siren kept her sexy abs hidden under her asymmetrical tangerine-colored gown. Fellow Child of Destiny Michelle Williams, "It All Belongs To Me" singer Brandy and Eve were also in attendance to celebrate the Grammy nominee . Check out last night's soiree at L.A.'s Belasco Theatre and tell us below (or on Facebook and Twitter ) which woman best embodied the essence of a diva.

After doling out advice on The Voice , Adam Levine believes he can shape a star off camera, too. The Maroon 5 frontman has announced the launch of his own record label, 222 Records, and his first signee is Glee star Matthew Morrison. "Starting my own label has been a long-time goal of mine and I am thrilled to be at the point in my career where it is finally happening," Levine said. "I am excited for everyone to hear Matthew's forthcoming album. Great things are in store for him with [...]

We've shared our 2012 Grammy picks for Best New Artist , Song Of The Year and who we think will take all the Pop and Dance categories — now let's take a look at who's up for Record Of The Year. The nominees in this category are basically a mirror image of Song Of The Year, with Kanye West's "All Of The Lights" swapped with Katy Perry's mega-hit "Firework." Can Perry make the Recording Academy go ahh-ahh-ahh and triumph, or is the unstoppable force of Adele too big to beat? Head below for [...]

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is the pop star du jour to drop by Terry Richardson's studio. Unlike the photog's latest shoot with Lady Gaga , the Voice coach remained fully clothed (a pity, that). The dapper singer kept things casual in a t-shirt and jeans and didn't seem to mind all that much when Terry socked him one right in the kisser (for the sake of art, of course). Check out the Grammy nominee 's shoot, but be warned there is one pic where [...]

This week's chart upstart Lana Del Rey graces the front of model fanzine Lovecat 's Women Who Rock Issue. Ellen Von Unwerth snapped the pics, and Born To Die songstress Lana had the following to say: "My biggest indulgence is being an artist. I still think it's beautiful that I make music for a living. The music videos that I make myself are expensive and it takes money to clear all the copyrights... My second indulgence is diamonds. I have a jeweler in Brooklyn named Uri and he makes me all [...]

What good timing for The Throne to drop their visually bonkers live concert video for "Ni**as In Paris" today, as Kanye West and Jay-Z have been nominated for a Performing Woodie at the 2012 mtvU Woodie Awards. Elsewhere on the nominees list is Chris Brown and Rihanna, who compete against one another for the EDM Effect Woodie for their electro collaborations with Benny Benasi on "Beautiful People" and Calvin Harris on "We Found Love" , respectively. And it looks like college kids have got a soft spot for Lana Del Rey, as the nearly-chart-topping [...]

Just when it was looking like we'd maybe heard the last of Gorillaz for the time being, now that Damon Albarn is back in action with his old Blur bandmates , along comes news of "DoYaThing", a new track from the virtual act that Converse is offering up via it's Three Artists, One Song series. The other artists involved: Andre 3000 and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. A press release notes that Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett collaborated with Converse on four different designs for the shoe company's spring line, which [...]

President Obama has shared his re-election campaign playlist — the songs that the he and his team will be playing to get pumped up on the campaign trail from now til November — and there's no denying the President has eclectic tastes. Included on the list: No Doubt's "Different People", an album cut from their breakout album Tragic Kingdom ; Obama's fellow Chicago natives Jennifer Hudson, Wilco and The Impressions; and, of course, Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", a song we already knew the President was fond of . Check out all 24 songs after the jump. [...]

If you were expecting some fancy scenery from the City Of Lights to play into the video for Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne hit "Ni**as In Paris", then you're out of luck. The clip for the often-performed song is instead comprised mostly of footage shot last December during the hip hop duo's final Staples Center gig in Los Angeles. Some headache-inducing (or, as the intro warns, epileptic fit-inducing) camera effects and a cameo by Blades Of Glory star Will Ferrell are mixed in for the heck of it. [...]