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American Idol Does Hollywood — Ratings Climb

American Idol is up in the ratings, and all the credit goes to the current judging panel, who traded the word “pitchy” for a vocabulary full of other critiques, with Harry Connick Jr. leading the pack. When one contestant asked for a reason he got axed, Connick clarified Jennifer Lopez’s very generic feedback to explain how the contestant, “Looked at the floor the entire time.” As for another group who felt they killed it, Connick squashed their hubris with a very heated critique, explaining that ‘Say My Name’ by Destiny’s Child has “no melody.” Ouch! I wonder what Beyonce will say. Watch a few of my favorite moments below.

3 Mo Days – Group Round – American Idol 13 by IdolxMuzic

Terrica Carmen Emmanuel – Group Round… by IdolxMuzic

Jessica, Nica, Stephanie & Cara – Group Round… by IdolxMuzic

Ashton Kutcher v. Charlie Sheen: Jimmy Kimmel Throwdown

In an earnest plea to be released from Charle Sheen’s twitter enslavement, Ashton Kutcher took to Jimmy Kimmel to ask Charlie Sheen to stop talking about him. Watch below to see Kutcher remind Sheen that three full years have passed since Sheen’s Two and a Half Men departure.

Jack Johnson announces summer headline tour

Debuting at #1 on the Billboard charts, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has announced his 6th studio album titled From Here To Now To You headlining a world tour including performances in South America, Australia and Europe. Throughout the tour, Johnson will be joined by artists such as Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Amos Lee, Michael Kiwanuka, ALO, and Bahamas. Since founding the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation in 2008, Jack Johnson has offered solutions to support sustainable local food systems as well as plastic free initiatives by collaborating with over 125 community groups across North America through his All At Once campaign. With this campaign, Jack Johnson had offered to match donations up to a total of $2,500 per group. Concert-goers can also participate in his global green effort by taking environmental action with local non-profit organizations, sharing environmental commitment photos, and can even enter to win a chance to watch Jack Johnson’s performance the from the stage. For more information about his green efforts or to buy tickets to see it all in action, visit jackjohnsonmusic.com for more details.

Vintage Trouble Lands on Leno: “Strike Your Light”

Late Night shows have surprisingly upped the ante on their musical guests, with Leno leading the pack on his final week with The Tonight Show. Though he’s had Vintage Trouble on many times in the past, last night’s performance marks the first time I’ve taken notice. Watch them perform, “Strike Your Light” below.

The Bigger Loser: From Overweight to Underweight — Rachel Frederickson

Rachel Frederickson stunned viewers of The Biggest Loser, having dropped 155 pounds over the course of seven months. The problem? She’s now UNDERweight. Clocking in at 105 pounds provided a startling reaction, with twitter followers quick to take the show down a peg by claiming it glorified her weight loss to the detriment of her health. As for Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, the show icons avoided the issue, saying, “Bob and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We’re not comfortable commenting on Rachel’s journey because [we] weren’t her trainers and weren’t given any opportunity to work with her at any point. Any questions about the contestants on the Biggest Loser should be directed to the show’s producers.” Watch the folks over at The Today Show avoid the topic altogether.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dancing With the Stars Sacks the Band

Season 18 of Dancing With the Stars will have a few surprises, most notably the loss of Harold Wheeler and his live orchestra and musicians. In what I can only assuming is a cost-cutting measure, ABC and BBC Worldwide Productions sacked their players. In a carefully choreographed statement, the powers that be released a statement, saying, “Our talented Music Director, Harold Wheeler, will not be joining us for Season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. Since season one, Harold and his band have performed brilliant music in our ballroom for our dancers and the American viewers at home. We are grateful to him and his band for their amazing work and years of collaboration. We wish him the best of luck.”

It’s previously been reported that since most music is so overly-produced, it’s impossible to create a live performance of many well known hits. Translation? Music today is awful, no one sings live, and instead of attempting to uphold artistic integrity, we’re going to fold, save money, and kick out our talented team. Goodbye Dancing With the Stars. This is the beginning of the end.

Super Bowl Shocker: Red Hot Chili Peppers Played Air Guitar?

Just when you thought the state of the music industry couldn’t get any more absurd, Flea confessed to miming the rock group’s Super Bowl performance to a pre-recorded track. According to flea, he “Understand[s] the NFL’s stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the [television] viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period,” He also insists the vocals were live. As for my personal stance, I think the entire thing is more than ridiculous. I realize it’s a huge event, but figure it the f*ck out. I don’t blame the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I blame America. The culture of music has become so used to pre-recorded perfection we’ve lowered our tolerance for mistakes. Watch below to see Flea play air guitar.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/04/showbiz/super-bowl-red-hot-chili-peppers/

Woody Allen v. Dylan Farrow: A Hollywood Hot Topic

In case you’ve missed the most recent Woody Allen allegations, Dylan Farrow has accused her father of child molestation, contending that the famed director molested her at the age of seven, and calling upon the Hollywood community to take responsibility for their support of Allen. While the facts are confusing, one thing is clear. Dylan insists the event occurred, and Allen insists otherwise. The courts have never prosecuted Allen, with varying justification, most notably citing lack of evidence. As for who I believe, it’s irrelevant. As an attorney, I know the ramifications of allowing the court of public opinion to prosecute people, and to ruin lives based on a war of the words. Yes, it’s entirely possible that Hollywood is lauding a child molester. But it’s also possible that we are not. And until this goes through the courts, and Mr. Allen is convicted of something, I cannot support setting a standard for ruining someone’s life because on an accusation. There are plenty of innocent people that would be irreparably harmed by that precedent, and I’m personally against it. I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t there. I hope the family finds peace. But I also think it’s unfair to call upon others to join a movement without a conviction behind it. For Allen’s side of this story, watch the video below.

Jennifer Nettles Releases ‘That Girl’ — HOW’D SHE DO?

Whenever an artist of a popular group goes solo, I assume it’s money motivated. Everyone knows that true “bands” split their tour proceeds, and in the case of Sugarland, 100% of the intake is far higher than 50%. Plus, lead singers have the unique advantage of ditching their band-mates who are far less likely to last without the face of their group. And while Jennifer Nettles might have pure intentions, I’m curious what Kristian Bush thinks. As for whether her solo album, ‘That Girl,’ can stand up to her Sugarland tunes, it’s difficult to compare. Sure she has Zeus on her side (also known as powerhouse Producer Rick Rubin), but the record is slightly schizophrenic. The up-tempo tracks that have become Sugarland’s staple are gone, in favor of sweet yet forgettable songs that feel slightly dated. There are certainly gems sprinkled throughout, but there just aren’t enough of them. Perhaps she didn’t stand a chance with The Dishmaster, given my love for Sugarland, but when you’ve already struck gold, why change your tools? Listen to one of her better tracks below.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Passes Away

When asked to name my all time favorite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman always made the list. He mastered every genre, and he had a subtle sex appeal that shined through in nearly every role. As for his standout performances, there’s simply too many to name, but Magnolia is a personal favorite.

While I didn’t know Hoffman personally, I once saw him at The Standard hotel on Sunset boulevard waiting for his car. My friend whispered, “There’s your guy,” and we instantly made eye contact. I gasped, put my hand on my heart and said, “I love him,” in a voice presumably loud enough for Hoffman to hear. He stared at me with a sweet expression, giving me a look that seemed to imply his consent to my approach. But I was frozen. We stared at each other for one more moment, and then Hoffman drove off into the distance.

It’s important to remember how Hoffman lived and not how he died. And if we do talk about how he died, I can only hope that addiction will become a part of that dialogue, and those in need of help will seek it out. There are many free resources for addicts, so please CLICK HERE if you’re looking for a meeting. Goodbye Philip Seymour Hoffman. May you rest in peace.