Blog: Idolator

A full minute of Madonna's lead MDNA single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" video premiered tonight on American Idol , and just like the song, the video promises to be mindless, campy fun. And much like her forthcoming Super Bowl Halftime performance, she's surrounded by football players and cheerleaders (as well as M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj). See what's in store for Madge's latest clip below. Madonna feat. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A. - "Give Me All Your Luvin'" [...]

With most of the recent news surrounding The X Factor having to do with the pink slip parade unleashed upon half its on-air talent, we almost forgot about the woman who actually won the competition, Melanie Amaro. The singer, who is signed to judge LA Reid's Epic Records , has a new single out, "Respect", which samples Aretha Franklin's classic song with an additional dancefloor beat and an overdose of synths. Listen to it below. Melanie Amaro - "Respect" [...]

When you sign up to perform at the Super Bowl , you also sign up to be asked dozens of asinine questions by journalists. Madonna attended an NFL press conference earlier today, where she was asked hard-hitting questions, like, "What do you think of Indianapolis?" and "What's the craziest thing you've seen in Indy so far?" and "Is it true that [your ex Alex Rodriquez] has an oil painting of himself depicted as a centaur, half man, half horse, in his home?" (She has no idea, but she is pretty sure A-Rod has a picture of her on a [...]

Jay Sean was up before dawn yesterday to shoot the music video for "I'm All Yours", the next single from his secretly renamed upcoming LP by produced by OFM (who you may know from "Down" , "Do You Remember" and "The Formula"). The Young Money crooner's vid will feature at least five exotic cars (worth almost a half a million dollars each), a yacht party and cameo from "Y U Mad" rapper Birdman. Fancy! Check out the recent Idolator interviewee as he enjoys the finer things in life and let us know below — or on [...]

Tickets for Madonna's upcoming world tour are reportedly set to go on sale on after her Super Bowl performance , and the MDNA singer has a word of advice for her fans who are planning to see her live: "Start saving your pennies now." While speaking with Newsweek , Madge expressed no sympathy for those who complain about steep ticket prices, saying, "People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my [...]

Miley Cyrus' upcoming movie LOL is obviously destined to sweep at the 2013 Oscars, and it's evident that Miley is doing whatever it takes for us to take her seriously as an actress. In two new preview clips from her Palme d'Or worthy film, we see Miley laughing (LOL-ing!) as she loses her virginity to her buddy; making out in bed with another dude on top of her; and lip-smacking a female friend in a photo. We'd probably be shocked to see Miley in such compromising positions... if we hadn't seen her [...]

First we were treated to a preview of the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime spectacle, and now, thanks to Nicki Minaj's upcoming Wonderland cover story , we can get a glimpse into how the outrageous raptress' Lucas Oil Stadium dressing room will be decked out this Sunday too. Reportedly , the mag reveals Barbz' latest tour rider demands. And while it may seem quite tame for a Grammy nominee (there's no talk of avoiding eye contact , ahem, Katy Perry), her demands include enough food (and space heaters) to keep all [...]

Before she makes her highly anticipated appearance at The Grammys , Katy Perry will sing at Paul McCartney's MusiCares "Person Of The Year" ceremony in Los Angeles on February 10. In addition to Perry, the benefit will boast performances from Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Foo Fighters and Tony Bennett — as well as McCartney, who will promote his new album Kisses On The Bottom . Tickets for the event range from $1,500 to $100,000, with proceeds donated to MusiCares, an organization that provides assistance to musicians in financial or personal crisis.

It's been some time since we've seen Ricky Martin shakes his bon bons, but the singer will more than make up for lost time when he guest stars on an upcoming episode of Glee . The Viva Glam spokesperson will perform two numbers in the episode (titled "The Spanish Teacher"), with one being a choir room performance of LMFAO's #1 single "Sexy And I Know It", which he sings en espanol . Thank you, Ricky, for teaching us to be sexy in two languages — even if you declined to do so while [...]

Though NBC's new music-based show Smash centers around the world of Broadway and has songs penned by actual Broadway composers, don't expect just to hear the characters only sing showtunes. In this new promo, Katharine McPhee (who recently sat down with us for a Career Quiz ) sings a club-ready tune called "Touch Me", written and produced by Top 40 regular Ryan Tedder. Watch Kat perform the song while still in bed (you'll see what we mean) below. The other music-based TV show [...]

We've heard enough of "Give Me All Your Luvin'", Madonna's lead MDNA single that she'll perform live for the first time at the Super Bowl , to know we already like it. (Hand claps! Yeah!) But we have yet to hear Nicki Minaj or M.I.A.'s contribution to the track — til now. While M.I.A. is, well, still MIA, jump below to hear Nicki drop a verse in a 90-second preview of the single. Head below, impatient pop fans! It appears that Madge didn't change [...]

After a short trip to Cannes last weekend, Justin Bieber is back in the States — and back to work on his next album Believe . The upcoming SNL host and musical guest was spotted in Miami yesterday taking a break from the studio by skateboarding. Joining the pop star in the half-pipe ( and in the studio ) was fellow skateboard aficionado Lil Wayne, who's yet another on the growing list of rappers collaborating with JB on his next LP. Click through for a closer look, then tell us [...]

Madonna graces the cover of gay publication The Advocate via what appears to be a paparazzi shot that's been Photoshopped to look like an old-school Peter Max rock gig poster. In the mag, the "Give Me All Your Luvin'" singer discusses her film W.E. , as well as her longstanding status as a gay icon. "I saw how people treated them differently," she says of her gay friends and fans. "I saw the prejudices, and I think probably I got that confused with, intertwined [...]

Madonna mentioned her intention to do a tour in support of upcoming album MDNA during her sitdown with Graham Norton last month, but so far nothing official has been said about such a venture — until now. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times , Live Nation president and chief exec Michael Rapino stated the following: "At this point we're optimistic about 2012. Madonna's going on the road, and those tickets will go on sale right after the Super Bowl." [...]

Carrie Underwood has followed up news of her forthcoming single "Good Girl" (due out later this month) with the release date for her next album. The 2005 American Idol winner's fourth LP is due out on May 1. So far no title has been revealed for the set, but Billboard reports that Mark Bright, the producer of such Underwood hits as "Jesus Take The Wheel", "Cowboy Casanova" and "Undo It", was back on board for the new record. Carrie is currently up for Best Country Solo Performance at the [...]

Sales are through the roof for Lana Del Rey's debut LP Born To Die in the UK, and what better way for the divisive singer to round out her successful promo campaign than by appear on the cover of the British edition of fashion bible Vogue ? As the world knows by now, the full-lipped songstress, born Lizzy Grant, opted for a stage name for her showbiz career. "I wanted a name I could shape the music towards," she says in her March cover story. [...]

In just three days, Super Bowl XLVI will be under way in Indianapolis. There will be touchdowns, Madonna, M.I.A., LMFAO, maybe Cee Lo Green , bets won and bets lost. There will also be flags flown and an anthem sung, as is the custom for big American sports spectacles. This, to many, is the biggest of them all, and the very worthy Kelly Clarkson will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" , bringing her range and power to a song that many have attempted but few have mastered. There have been some incredible — and some [...]

Popping Up is our recurring look at new artists making noise on the music landscape. Because, hey—Madonna and Britney were once unknown, too. Fusing soul, R&B and hip-hop into one delicious listening experience, ZZ Ward isn't your typical new singing starlet on the rise. The LA-based, Oregon-raised dropped her debut mixtape Eleven Roses last month, and the 8-track collection includes ZZ's incredibly raw vocals singing over samples from songs like Tyler, The Creator's "Yonkers", Childish Gambino's "You Know Me," and Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y's "Rooftops." She namechecks David [...]

American Idol made its first ever audition cattle call in Portland, Oregon, and though the city is commonly stereotyped for its organic-living, irony-accepting citizens, the episode was surprisingly light on the references to Portland's alternative culture. (Though it wasn't totally scenester-free — say hello to Idol 's token hipster, Brittany Zika.) Head below for the five contestants from the Northwest you'll want to keep in mind when Hollywood Week begins on February 8. The Top 5 Contestants To Watch From The Portland Auditions: Brittany [...]

Did You Hear? :: For those who delight in seeing gay relationships given the chance to bloom on air, get ready for some serious make-out action between Santana and Brittany on Glee . Naya Rivera and Heather Morris' session of tonsil hockey will take place on the Valentine's Day episode, and is described as "sweet and it's romantic and it will satisfy fans." [ E! Online ] :: We showed you the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time — now check out the worst. [...]