Art Streiber/NBCWho knew that Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has time to sit around and watch reality singing competitions on TV? The New York Post reports that earlier this week, Adam Levine was having breakfast with a magazine editor at a New York City hotel when Hanks interrupted the meal to tell Adam he was a "die-hard fan" of his show The Voice. Spies told the Post that Hanks added, "I sit home with my wife and watch the show.” Hanks didn't say which coach's team he's rooting for, however.
Meanwhile, Adam has responded to Simon Cowell's suggestion that the winners of The Voice, X Factor and American Idol should all compete together in one big "super-final." He told Access Hollywood, "Simon's just so clever. He’s so hell bent on competing with other shows. We’re not really interested. In a way…that’s kind of a cool idea, actually, but I’m not so sure we’re totally interested in what everyone else is doing...we just want to do what we do."
Dave M. Benett/Getty ImagesMadonna's movie W.E. was disliked by critics, but it did receive an Oscar nomination -- for Best Costume Design. And its chances of winning that particular award this Sunday night may have have increased, now that it's just picked up an honor at the 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards, held Tuesday night in Beverly Hills.
Deadline.com reports that W.E.'s costume designer, Arianne Phillips, received the award for Excellence in Period Film, since a large portion of the movie takes place in the 1930s.
EMI Capitol MusicCongratulations to Katy Perry -- her new single "Part of Me" has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is just the 20th song in that chart's 53-year history to premiere in the top slot. The last single to debut at #1 was Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," a year ago. Overall, this is Katy's seventh #1: she scored five from Teenage Dream, and one from her debut album, One of the Boys.
By the way, this song does not mean that Katy Perry has broken Michael Jackson'srecord for most #1 hits on a single album. "Part of Me" comes from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, an expanded version of Teenage Dream that is being counted as a separate album by the chart gurus at Billboard.
But remember that you can't have a discussion about chart success without mentioning Adele these days. The British Grammy Queen now sees all three of the singles from her album 21 land in the top 10 simultaneously. "Set Fire to the Rain" was already there, but "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" have both jumped back in. This makes Adele the first female artist ever to have three top 10 hits at the same time and be the lead artist on all three.
Frank Micelotta/PictureGroupFollowing her well-received guest turn on How I Met Your Mother last year, Katy Perry is returning to the world of sitcoms for another go-round. Katy will guest-star on the March 6 episode of the Fox comedy Raising Hope, playing a prison attendant named Rikki who claims to be a friend of Sabrina's -- played by Shannon Woodward -- from back in the day.
How did Katy hook this up? In a statement, she said, "Shannon Woodward is my best friend. A couple weeks ago, I was home, just toasting up a frozen chicken fillet when she called me up and asked if I wanted to do something ‘fun’ for a change and try out a guest role on her TV show. I thought, ‘Sure, I have nothing else to do, and I like chillin’ with my best friend.’" No wonder Katy and Shannon exchanged tweets earlier this week alluding to something big they had to tell fans.
The show's executive producer, Greg Garcia, said in a statement, "She came in and did a terrific job. She was hilarious. And now people are telling me that Katy is also a singer. I sincerely hope that her appearance on the show helps her get her singing career off the ground. It's a tough business.”
In the episode, Sabrina gets arrested after taking part in an Occupy protest, and gets sentenced to two weeks in prison. Rikki, played by Katy, is determined to make her stay behind bars as horrible as possible -- until she remembers they were childhood friends.
Blue Note/EMINorah Jones has announced that her new album, Little Broken Hearts, will hit stores May 1. As previously reported, the album is a collaboration with Danger Mouse,the acclaimed producer who with Cee Lo Green comprises the award-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, of "Crazy" fame.
According to Norah, the album's cover was inspired by the vintage movie posters that Danger Mouse, whose birth name is Brian Burton, has hanging in his studio. One in particular, for a film called Mudhoney, became the basis for the cover design. "I always was looking at it and thinking 'That’s so cool I want to look like [the girl on the poster!],’" says Norah in a statement. "I remember staring at [it] the whole time we made the record. It’s a great visual."
Norah will debut her new songs during a series of performances at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas nexst month.
Here's track listing for Little Broken Hearts:
"Good Morning" "Say Goodbye" "Little Broken Hearts" "She's 22" "Take It Back" "After the Fall" "4 Broken Hearts" "Travelin' On" "Out on the Road" "Happy Pills" "Miriam" "All a Dream"
Lauren Dukoff/Columbia RecordsAdele made headlines Tuesday night in London when she flipped the bird onstage at the Brit Awards -- the UK equivalent of the Grammys -- after her acceptance speech was cut short by the show's host. Now, the BBC reports that ITV, the network that aired the awards show, as well as the Brit Awards organizers, has issued an apology to the singer.
According to the BBC, ITV said in a statement, "The Brits is a live event. Unfortunately the program was over-running and we had to move on. We would like to apologize to Adele for the interruption."
A spokesperson for the Brits, meanwhile, added, "We regret this happened and we send our deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short. We don't want this to undermine her incredible achievement in winning our night's biggest award. It tops off what's been an incredible year for her."
Adele won Best British Album and Best British Female Artist at the awards show Tuesday night.
Facebook.com/TheBeatlesNow, instead of saying "hello" and "goodbye" on your mobile phone, you can have the Beatles do it for you. For the first time ever, Beatles ringtones are now available -- you can buy them exclusively on iTunes. Twenty-seven of the band's classics have been turned into ringtones, including "Hello Goodbye," "From Me to You," "Let It Be" and -- especially for those calls you make to apologize to your significant other for being a jerk -- "We Can Work It Out."
Here's the full list of Beatles ringtones available:
1. "Love Me Do" 2. "From Me To You" 3. "She Loves You" 4. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" 5. "Can't Buy Me Love" 6. "A Hard Day's Night" 7. "I Feel Fine" 8. "Eight Days a Week" 9. "Ticket to Ride" 10. "Help!" 11. "Yesterday" 12. "Day Tripper" 13. "We Can Work It Out" 14. "Paperback Writer" 15. "Yellow Submarine" 16. "Eleanor Rigby" 17. "Penny Lane" 18. "All You Need Is Love" 19. "Hello, Goodbye" 20. "Lady Madonna" 21. "Hey Jude" 22. "Get Back" 23. "The Ballad of John and Yoko" 24. "Something" 25. "Come Together" 26. "Let It Be" 27. "The Long and Winding Road"
ABC NewsBefore her tragic death, Whitney Houston was excited about the release of the movie Sparkle, which would've marked her return to the silver screen as an actress. But now comes word that Whitney was also planning another movie -- one that would've told her life story.
Actress Meagan Good, who stars in Californication, tells E! Online that she and Whitney were discussing a biopic before her death, and Good would've starred in it. "We were fairly in the beginning stages," Good tells E! Online, noting that she and Whitney were supposed to have met Monday about the project.
Good also reveals that the plan was for the movie to end on a high note. "My feeling is because she has the film Sparkle coming out and she's brilliant in it and she looks beautiful and healthy, my feeling was that's how we should end the movie -- as a new beginning for her," Good toldE!.
Good says it's too soon to start thinking about making the movie, but she says if it did come to pass, she wouldn't attempt to do her own singing in the project. "When people see someone's life story they want to hear that person's voice because they connect with it, in their spirit and their soul," she explained. "So you would have to use her voice."
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesA Los Angeles judge on Tuesday dismissed concert promoter AEG Live from a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Michael Jackson's father over the King of Pop's passing. The judge cited a law requiring all heirs file a single wrongful-death complaint. Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, has also filed a wrongful-death suit.
AEG Live organized the London concerts Michael was rehearsing for at the time of his death.
Joe Jackson's lawsuit still lists as defendants Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael's death, and Applied Pharmacy Services in Las Vegas, which sold the powerful anesthetic propofol to the doctor. Michael died of acute propofol intoxication in June of 2009.
Also on Tuesday, Los Angeles prosecutors responded to Murray's request to be released from jail while he appeals his case. According to TMZ.com, prosecutors argued that he could pose a danger to the public if he were to be released.
