Kevin James to Host Kids' Choice Awards

Kevin James, get ready to be slimed.

The star of Paul Blart: Mall Cop has signed on to host Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 27, and he can barely contain his, uh, excitement at the prospect of feeling the green goo.

"In short, I guess you could say hosting the Kids' Choice Awards completes me," James jokes.

There may be a little more pressure than usual as this year's show comes with presidential aspirations. Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have been nominated for their first Kids' Choice Award in a newly formed category Cutest Couple. They're up against Edward & Bella and Jacob & Bella from The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Neytiri and Jake from Avatar.

The Twilight gang dominated the nominations with five nods. Three-time Kids' Choice Winner Miley Cyrus scored four nominations, while the Jonas Brothers and the brothers Sprouse (Dylan and Cole) scored three nominations each.

Also up for awards are: Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove and her show iCarly; Selena Gomez and Wizards of Waverly Place and Demi Lovato's Sonny With a Chance.

Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Ray Romano, Sandra Bullock and The Black Eyed Peas are just some of the many artists vying for the coveted orange blimp.

Beginning Feb. 25, kids will be able to cast their votes here in 19 categories on Nickelodeon's Web site. Surprise awards will also be announced during the live telecast.

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Alex Lambert: American Idol Group Day Favorite

Round 2 of Hollywood week started with 96 contestants and ended up with just 71 left after the group day episode. Group day is where the remaining 96 contestants must form into groups, agree upon a song, learn the lyrics, plus choreograph the entire number within the time span of twelve hours and perform as a team.

Out of the initial 96 contestants who entered Group day, only 71 survived to get to the next round.
Alex Lambert stood out as one of the best performers in round 2, despite having problems with his group leader Mary Powers.
Lambert is from North Richland Hills, Texas. His musical influences are Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.


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A Fantastic Rendition Of ‘Footprints In The Sand’ In American Idol

American Idol — On American Idol’s season 9th audition, Jessica Furney sang “Footprints in the Sand” before the audience of Denver. 


Simon Cowell co-wrote the song “Footprints in the Sand” for Leona Lewis. American Idol is best and encouraging opportunity for young generation to expose their talent without any support. It helps and motivates new talented singers to perform at large level.

20 years old Jessica Furney, who sang this song with great artistry, belongs to Kansas. She already gave audition in 8th season of American Idol. According to the judges, her performance was outstanding and impressive in this 9th season of American Idol. She was much appreciated by the judges, they said in their remarks that she has improved a lot as compared to the last year. They awarded her golden ticket on her inspiring singing. She took the bold step to sing “Footprints in the Sand” written by Simon Cowell and she proved herself as a distinction among other singers. Even honorable judges were very convinced by her enchanting performance.


Simon Cowell was born on 7 October, 1959 in England Brighton. He is a judge and producer of reality show American Idol season nine. He has two sisters and four brothers. He owns a number of homes in Los Angles and England. He is the author of book “I Don’t Mean to Be Rude.”

In next episode of American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres will join as new judge. In Boston episode, Victoria Beckham participated as guest Judge and gave very useful fashion suggestions.


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Lost: The beginning of the end

Abandon hope to all who enter – or at least continue reading – there will be plenty of spoilers ahead, as we pontificate pointlessly about what we learned from last night’s season premiere of the final season of Lost. What follows is what my very random thoughts and reactions from this long awaited show, including what I think are the three most important things said on last night’s show.

As we begin, I’d like to start with a sum up by absolutely butchering Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in the jungle. I took both, and that has made all the indifference.”

The long awaited post-hydrogen bomb reveal happens, and Jack and co. are back on the plane. Oh no, not again. And not again was right, as the real news is that this season’s gimmick is the flash-sideways or flash-parallel, which looks to explore what happened if the plane landed in L.A. and our lovable castaways all went on with their “sad…pathetic existences” as one seemingly, exceedingly key character described it.

Which brings us to the first important utterance: “It worked,” which was said by Miles, but came straight from a dead and buried Juliet. Of course, how would she know? Oh, people, let’s not get bogged down by details or, you know, clarity. It is Lost, after all.

Before we get to some of the specifics of the episode, let’s talks ramifications. By showing the parallel lives of the characters, it really lowers the stakes moving forward. The rest of the year will likely show emotional payoffs for the main players, and gives the writers two different realities to let people have their moments.

My wife likened it to Sliding Doors, a Gwyneth Paltrow movie I can happily say I have never seen, but what it reminds me of – and I’ve been saying this for years – is several episodes of Star Trek. And my long standing joke amongst friends is what Star Trek can do with an episode, Lost can drag out things for years. Which is kind of impressive, in a way.



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American Idol' guest judges vs. regular judges

Are the guest judges this season ready to rumble or is there some editing trickery at hand? On Tuesday night, we had Kara DioGuardi and Katy Perry "downright catty," as host Ryan Seacrest referred to their behavior.


Last night, Neil Patrick Harris took on Simon Cowell in a "showdown." Again, those are Seacrest's words. Real? Or editing magic?

In any case, it's fun to watch. As if Harris needed more public support, the triple-threat performer was not shy about disagreeing with Cowell or calling him out.


A few examples:

To one contestant, Harris said: "I thought you were great!" To which Cowell replied: "Got absolutely nothing out of that audition, I'm afraid."

Then Harris told one contestant: "I found it really boring!" And Simon retorted: "A bit rude."

A funny montage of the two of them ensued with Cowell rolling his eyes after a contestant told Harris that she loves him. Did he really? Or was that cut from another moment in the long hot Dallas day?

"I'm scared to disagree with you," Harris told Simon at another point. "Geez, Louise, invite a guest judge on..." The rest, unfortunately for us, was inaudible.


As far as DioGuardi and Perry were concerned, Perry at one point threatened to throw Coke in DioGuardi's face and DioGuardi in one instance cried: "We used to be friends!"

During a phone interview with Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Wednesday, DioGuardi said she thought it was all "really funny" and she was surprised that "people actually think I was upset about that."

One person who didn't buy it was Avril Lavigne, who also guest-judged on Tuesday night and was in Seacrest's studio during the phone call.




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Fans lobby to get K-pop stars on Ellen’s show

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has been flooded with requests from fans to feature various Korean artists ever since it announced that it wants to guest international artists on the show.
A notice was posted on the show’s website last Jan. 21 calling for viewers to suggest great musicians for the talk show.

“Ellen is discovering some amazing international music. Now she's looking for more -- and wants your help! If you know any great musicians from around the world, tell us why you think Ellen would love them,” the post read.
Thousands of fans have since posted suggestions to put TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee, 2NE1, 2PM, Big Bang, and other K-pop artists on Ellen’s show. 
Fans tried to outdo one another in giving convincing reasons why their idol group should be on the show.
“They all have amazing voices. They have the largest fan base. They are so charismatic and handsome. I think you would enjoy having them on your show and so will the audience,” one fan said of TVXQ.

big bang

Another wrote, “Please choose Super Junior! They have 13 angels and a lot...a lot of people love them not only because of their talents but also their personalities and the most wonderful relationship among their members.”
“SHINee is the best band ever,” a fan added.
K-pop fan sites have also posted threads encouraging members to go to the Ellen website to boost the chances of their idols.
As of this writing, there are already more than 7,000 suggestions posted on the site.
DeGeneres’ show opened the door to Charice Pempengco’s first appearance on an American TV program back in 2007.
Charice’s viral video on YouTube landed her a spot on Star King, a TV talent show in South Korea. She also sang a duet with Super Junior member Kyuhyun when she became a guest on the show.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” launched in 2003, is now on its eight season in the US and has won 29 Daytime Emmy awards.



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Letterman Vs. Leno Renewed

With Conan O'Brien's exit official, CBS's David Letterman and Jay Leno are set to renew head-to-head competition at 11:35 p.m. EST on March 1 when Leno returns to "The Tonight Show" on NBC.
NBC and O'Brien agreed to a $45 million deal early Thursday morning, ending the late-night battle between O'Brien and Leno that had brewed for two weeks after the network announced it planned to cancel Leno's experiment in prime time.

The Leno-Letterman rematch comes at a time when their feud is in full bloom. Throughout the fallout with O'Brien, Letterman has regularly mocked Leno on "Late Show." He has called him "Big Jaw," done a high-pitched impression and said "vintage Jay" had been revealed.

Even though Letterman has said he "doesn't have a dog in this fight," his sympathies have clearly been with O'Brien. Letterman went through a similar situation when Leno stepped over him to succeed Johnny Carson on "Tonight."

Their squabble was memorably portrayed in the 1996 TV film "The Late Shift." In the past two weeks, Letterman has repeatedly referred to the details of that fallout — such as Leno eavesdropping on NBC executives by hiding in a closet.

After Leno landed "Tonight" in 1992, Letterman set up "Late Show" in 1993. Since then, the two have competed for 16 years, with Leno usually winning easily in the ratings.
Before the current mess, Letterman had seemed to have moved beyond any dislike of Leno. In a 2008 interview with Rolling Stone, he questioned NBC moving Leno out of late-night and said he "has greater appeal for more people than I do."

But clearly old wounds haven't healed, as Letterman's glee has shown.
"I'm telling jokes and making fun of Jay Leno over and over and over, relentlessly, mercilessly simply for one reason," Letterman said on Monday's show before pausing and smiling hugely: "I'm really enjoying it."


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Kelly Bensimon To Pose For Playboy

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Forget being "Real" - Kelly Bensimon is about to get naked.
The "Real Housewives of New York" star will pose for the March issue of Playboy, a rep for the magazine has confirmed to Access Hollywood.

Kelly, 41, will be featured "on the cover and in a 6-page nude pictorial," the rep said.
And while dropping your clothes for a photographer may be a frightening endeavor for some, Kelly will at least know the person who will be on the other side of the camera for her Playboy spread.


"The pictorial was shot by Kelly's ex-husband, famed fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon," the rep added.
While Kelly is the first NYC Housewives star to pose for Playboy, fellow Housewife - and Kelly's on-screen nemesis -- Bethenny Frankel bared all for a PETA billboard, which was unveiled in Times Square December.

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Mother Of MTV 'Teen Mom' Star Arrested

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Debra Danielson has been arrested for allegedly hitting her daughter Farrah Abraham, a star of MTV's ""Teen Mom," Iowa's Daily Nonpareil reported.

According to the newspaper, Debra, 54, was arrested by Council Bluff's police on suspicion of domestic abuse/serious assault after she allegedly choked and hit her 18-year-old daughter on Saturday.

Police visited the address where both women live after a report of a domestic disturbance was made.
The two women were reportedly arguing over childcare issues and other "problems."


According to the paper, Danielson allegedly threw an MTV shirt at her daughter. The shirt reportedly landed near Abraham's baby and that prompted the teen to yell at her mother.
At that time, Danielson reportedly grabbed her daughter by the throat, the paper reported.
Abraham also claims her mother hit her on the right side of her face. Officers saw "multiple cuts" on Abrahams face, the paper noted.

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Paula Abdul Is Missed On 'American Idol

Two episodes of the ninth season of "American Idol" are already in the books, and while the narrative about it being Simon Cowell's final season has yet to really emerge, there is one story line that has been front and center: the absence of original "Idol" judge Paula Abdul.

Wednesday on the MTV Newsroom blog, we asked readers whether they really missed Abdul's presence on the show. Based on the comments and tweets we received, it's clear that there is an Abdul-shaped hole in the hearts of even the most hard-core "Idol" fans.
"Paula brought beauty, grace and life to 'Idol,' " reader Roy wrote. " 'Idol' will be on the downslide unless they can find a way to replace all of the energy and enthusiasm Paula generated. She's still a great dancer, by the way."

Reader GMama agreed, adding that she doesn't believe new judge Ellen DeGeneres will be able to fill Paula's shoes: "It is not as good without Paula and I have quit watching the show. I like Ellen just fine, but not for this show. If Simon is really leaving the show, they should just stop the show altogether!"
Indeed, several people already assume Abdul will end up on Simon Cowell's new show "The X Factor" and they are looking forward to their reunion when that show airs in 2011.
"They should let that Kara chick go and keep Paula," reader Chermily wrote. "But it's their loss, 'cause I can't wait for 'The X Factor,' with Paula and Simon together again!" On Twitter, clare0807 echoed that sentiment. "Paula is definitely missed," she wrote. "I can't wait until she returns for 'X Factor.' "

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NBC announces post-Leno schedule

eWhat happens when you decide to pull Jay Leno from the 10 p.m. slot Monday through Friday? Here's what, according to USA TODAY's Gary Levin:

NBC will replace The Jay Leno Show starting March 1 by relocating two Law & Order series to later time slots, expanding Dateline NBC to two hours on Fridays and adding a Jerry Seinfeld-produced reality series, The Marriage Ref, on Thursdays and new drama Parenthood, which will now follow The Biggest Loser on Tuesdays.  For more on the schedule, go to our Live From ... Press Tour blog.

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'The Good Wife': Kalinda plays for both teams

"The Good Wife" is not a good show for those of you who like to just have the TV on for mindless background noise.  You know who you are: You like to open mail and catch up on e-mails while watching reruns of “America’s Next Top Model: Cycle 4” for the umpteenth time. No, "The Good Wife" is a rapid-fire show that both demands and rewards undivided attention from its viewers.  I should know: Since I’m usually watching with my laptop open, typing notes as I watch, I almost never make it through an episode without having to rewind to catch a line or a sidelong glance I missed.  And this week -- with all that medical jargon, Kalinda’s double-agent duties and Cary’s romantic interrogations -- let me tell you, it was all about the rewind.

First, there was Alicia’s client, a doctor accused of over-prescribing painkillers to a local high school football star who died of an overdose.  After a number of twists and turns, it turned out that the kid had been stealing his mom’s pills, which were a much higher dosage than those prescribed by his doctor.  But did anyone else wonder why this huge dosage wouldn’t hurt her as well?  The kid was a strapping football player, not a jockey; his mother couldn’t have been much bigger than he was.  I’ll chalk that one up to the vagaries of pharmacology and throw in a little suspension of disbelief while I’m at it.

No matter, because the football player plot line was really just there to give Alicia a case of maternal anxiety. Watching a mother grieve the loss of her teenage son, Alicia’s thoughts naturally turned to her own kids.  With work demands continually increasing, she’s away from the house more and more and worried about their well-being — especially Zach, who’s caught the eye of an older high school trollop, Becca (played by an actress with the too-good-to-be-true name of Dreama Walker).

I know kids these days are all sexed up and whatnot (thanks, Monica), but Becca still strikes me as being a pretty precocious (a.k.a. “kinky”) 16-year-old.  In the middle of her groping session with Zach, she quotes from a sex tape featuring Zach’s dad.  Now that’s pervy.  Alicia hires a nanny who initially seems like a perfect fit — she even looks like Alicia — but turns out to be an overzealous Freudian and gets the boot.  Was I the only one who also thought she might be a spy sent by Glenn Childs?


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Ellen DeGeneres: America's real new idol

One wonders if Ellen DeGeneres isn't holding back an "I told you so" or two these days. Who could blame her.

It wasn't that long ago, 13 years, when pop culture pundits were suggesting that her public coming out, her heartfelt admission of her homosexuality on The Oprah Winfrey Show, almost killed her career.
After years of working the comedy circuit, in clubs in hometown New Orleans and then around the country, and after landing an unprecedented (for a female comedian) sit-down on The Johnny Carson Show, DeGeneres hit prime time in 1994, charming American viewers on her sitcom Ellen.

Then came the 1997 Oprah confession (Winfrey subsequently played her therapist when Ellen uncloseted herself in an episode on her show), and while viewers were initially drawn to the public drama of a Hollywood celebrity coming out — a revelation that wasn't as common or acceptable then as it is now, especially for a woman -- the show took a dive in the ratings, and was cancelled in 1998.

DeGeneres returned to standup and, in 2001, rebounded in prime time with The Ellen Show, a sitcom where she openly portrayed a lesbian. The show lasted only a year, and many a critic opined that it was a nice try but conservative middle America just wasn't ready for a loud and proud lesbian TV star.
Funny though, how times change, how social mores have evolved on the small screen, and how sexuality has become less of an issue in Hollywood (although Adam Lambert would rightly suggest there's work still to be done).

But the door was ajar and, in 2003, DeGeneres stepped through it as the host of a crisp new daytime talk show. Today, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is not only a ratings winner but it has turned the once-spurned comedienne into a beloved mainstream star.

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ABS-CBN bags top ratings in Dec.

Lopez-led ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. ended 2009 on a high note, as its pro-grams dominated the national urban TV audience measurement (NUTAM) survey conducted last month by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) Media Research Philippines.

Ex-PBB housemate Sam Pinto admits dating Jake Cuenca

Sam Pinto, the latest Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Double Up evictee, admitted Sunday that she used to date Jake Cuenca before the actor became a household name. The relationship though did not prosper because Cuenca, according to Pinto, became busy with his work.
“I don’t know. Naging busy siya sa soap niyang ‘Tayong Dalawa,’” she told “The Buzz” during her live interview.

NBC's Leno back to late nights

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- NBC host Jay Leno is going back to late nights after a low-rated experiment in prime time, the network announced Sunday.

Anchor Erica Hill to leave CNN for CBS

It's a sad day for viewers who enjoy the flirt fest between 360 host Anderson Cooper and co-anchor Erica Hill. Cooper announced last night on "360" that Hill will be leaving CNN news.
The silver fox, who made the announcement while Hill was on screen, said: "[I] cannot imagine doing this program without Erica Hill and I cannot really express how much I'm going to miss you."

"Idol" judge Jackson calls Cowell rumors distracting

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson said on Friday he did not know whether fellow panelist Simon Cowell would be leaving the show but fevered speculation on his future was a distraction from the TV singing contest's mission of finding the next superstar.

ESPN, Discovery launching 3D television networks

ESPN and Discovery Communications announced plans Tuesday to launch the industry's first 3D television networks.