'X Factor' Preview Signals Return Of Simon And Paula

Promo teases a kinder, gentler head judge ... before showing Cowell will be no such thing on new show this fall.
By James Dinh


The "X Factor" judges
Photo: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

America got its first taste of Simon Cowell's highly anticipated American "X Factor" series (premiering September 21) during a new TV spot that aired on Fox Tuesday night (July 12) during the Major League Baseball's 82nd All-Star Game, and as expected, the teaser was nothing short of over-the-top.

The almost three-minute promo begins on an eerily positive note as judges Cowell, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid are approached by a young girl on the first day of auditions. "Hi. What's your name, sweetheart?" Adbul asks the contestant, who replies, "Lillian," and Cowell wishes her luck. After she delivers a less-than-mediocre rendition of "Annie" classic "Tomorrow," the judges — including Simon — lavishly praise Lillian.

The promo pans to shots of the panel greeting a line of fans while Cowell delivers some inspiring lines.

"Let's face it: A year is a long time," he says, as we see him uncharacteristically smiling and shaking hands like a politician. "We'll change your attitudes and this is a different decade. It's not about me anymore. It's about them. I want to make people's dreams come true.

"I even think about the environment," Cowell continues, as he gets into a Chevy Volt (one of several blatant Chevy product placements in the ad). "My attitude this year? Helping others make a better tomorrow."

If viewers didn't notice the comic nature of Simon's words, they sure caught wind when the series of terrible "Tomorrow" auditions pile up in a distorted montage, until he wakes up from the dream.

Following glamour shots of the four judges stepping out of private planes as Guns N' Roses' "Live and Let Die" blasts in the background, we finally get a glimpse of some not-so-scripted footage from the forthcoming reality competition. Now there's loads of critical feedback from Cowell and Reid, while Scherzinger and Abdul appear moved by some auditioners. Not only is the acerbic Simon back, but so is the unpredictable Paula, and we see her gushing over a singer, shoving a cup out of Simon's hand and snapping back at an audience member.

"What else did you expect?" Cowell asks the camera, as the ad comes to a close.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667182/x-factor-preview.jhtml

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Helena Christensen Shows Her Supermodel Bod in a Bikini While Off in Italy

Helena Christensen threw on a two-piece to lounge on the beach in Ischia, Italy, yesterday afternoon. The 42-year-old's amazing figure was on display in the skimpy suit as she went for a swim with her 11-year-old son Mingus, whose father is the actor Norman Reedus. Aside from all the Helena Christinsen bikini time, she's been busy attending events at the Ischia Film Festival along with pals like Karolina Kurkova. Helena's among the many runway stars of the '90s who look better than ever - check out our retrospective of legendary supermodels then and now!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/popsugar/~3/D9g_M1ordf8/Helena-Christensen-Bikini-Pictures-Italy-18284558

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: The Face of Burberry Body

With her stardom clearly on the up-and-up, Rosie Huntington Whiteley has been unveiled as the face of Burberry?s new women?s fragrance, Burberry Body.

With the perfume due out September 1st, the "Transformers" hottie kicked off her promotional duties by posing in one of the brand?s rose-gold-colored, satin trenchcoats in a sexy shot taken by famed photographer Mario Testino.

Of the new fragrance offering, Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said, "Burberry Body is the most exciting launch that we have ever created and captures the iconic spirit of the brand today in a striking and sensual way."

Meanwhile, Rosie told WWD of her new gig, ''It's a huge honor to be working with Burberry again, a brand that put my career on the map and helped launch me. To be asked to be the first 'Burberry Body' is an amazing compliment."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/rosie-huntington-whiteley/rosie-huntington-whiteley-face-burberry-body-523826

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Katy Perry Follows Lady Gaga In Mermaid Trend

Perry posts photo of herself 'planking' in fins shortly after Gaga teases a mermaid-themed video.
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry
Photo: Katy Perry/ Twitter

Of all the potential beefs in the music industry, mermaids didn't seem like the most likely of instigators. But that may change. Shortly after Lady Gaga teased that her mermaid alter ego, Yuyi, might be "born" in her next music video, Katy Perry tweeted a photo of herself dressed as a mermaid.

"PROPER planking FTW! #itswhatArielwoulddo," she wrote on Twitter, showing off her second entry into the Internet phenom of planking, in which people post photos of themselves lying face down, with their arms at their sides, in awkward locations.

In the photo, Perry is done up in full mermaid attire: She's wearing a purple wig with a starfish hairpin, a shimmering aqua-and-pink mermaid tail with a matching bra top. She's surrounded by shiny paper acting as water and a bridge prop looms in the background. There's been no word on the official purpose of the photo shoot.

While Gaga hasn't commented on any mermaid similarities, her creative director, Laurieann Gibson, did make reference to it on Twitter just hours after Perry tweeted the photo of herself. "Proud of my artist #1 in the world @Ladygaga her vision& passion. even though they try to steal a tail there's only 1 Mermaid, Swim On!!!" Gibson wrote.

Gaga has certainly been trying to make her mermaid phase happen for some time now. She initially introduced fans to Yuyi on Twitter earlier this summer and donned mermaid attire for her performance on "Le Grand Journal." Though she apparently nixed the rumored mermaid treatment for her "Edge of Glory" video, she told a Taiwanese talk show last week that Yuyi is "in incubation" and may appear in the video for her yet-unannounced fourth Born This Way single.

Of course, neither Gaga nor Perry would be the first pop star to think of using the mythological creatures for their sets. In Madonna's black-and-white clip for 1989's "Cherish," directed by the late fashion photographer Herb Ritts, Madonna splashes in the waves with mermen. Mermaids are popping up elsewhere in pop culture, too, as a major plot point in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and in several new novels, including an upcoming book by "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667102/katy-perry-lady-gaga-mermaid-trend.jhtml

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'Dark Knight Rises' Poster: First Look!

Debris rains down what appear to be crumbling Gotham City buildings in first poster from Christopher Nolan's Batman threequel.
By Eric Ditzian


"The Dark Knight Rises" teaser poster
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

In December 2009, a teaser poster for Christopher Nolan's "Inception" hit the Web. It featured a row of skyscrapers looming above disastrous floodwaters and the promise that the sci-fi flick was the brainchild of "the director of 'The Dark Knight.' "

That image, it seems, became something of an inspiration for the brand-new teaser poster for Nolan's third "Batman" film, "The Dark Knight Rises." The new poster focuses on another collection of buildings, presumably in Bruce Wayne's hometown, Gotham City. And once again, there is an ominous air of destruction in the urban environment: The buildings appear to be crumbling, debris raining downward — a stark visual contrast to the film title's single tweak since the previous installment: the addition of the word "rises."

None of this is to suggest the "Dark Knight Rises" poster is some "Inception" knock-off; Nolan's beloved "Batman" films hardly need to draft off his Oscar-nominated 2010 dream-heist flick. There are, of course, as many differences as there are similarities between the two. First and foremost, in the "Dark Knight Rises" poster, the tops of the buildings outline the unmistakable form of Batman's symbol. And whereas Leonardo DiCaprio is front and center in the "Inception" poster (and up to his knees in flood waters), Christian Bale as Batman or Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be seen in the new poster.

For now, the only person we've officially seen in character is Tom Hardy as Bane. In May, a photo of Bane — shot from behind, a menacing mask over his head — popped up online after Warner Bros. launched a viral marketing campaign.

The poster debut comes just days before we're reportedly set to get our first glimpse of the "Dark Knight Rises" teaser trailer, which is supposed to debut in front of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," when it opens on Friday. With a reported running time of one minute and 33 seconds, hopefully, there will be peeks not only at Bane in motion, but Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (and possibly in full Catwoman gear). But who knows? Production only kicked off in May, so it's anybody's guess how much footage Nolan will deliver in the trailer. If the first "Inception" trailer is any indication, we'll peep a lot of footage, but likely remain clueless as to what the whole freaking thing is about. And that's just how we like it.

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667105/batman-the-dark-knight-rises-poster.jhtml

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Jessica Alba: I?ll Never Get My Pre-Baby Body Back

"I can't ever get down to the weight I was before I had Honor," the actress, 30, tells the August issue of Allure. "My body's just different. The jeans just sort of zip up differently, and things hang differently. It's a miracle what happens, but you definitely are different afterward. Unless you're Gisele."

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/Vr3siKYIRZ0/

Anna Faris Anna Friel Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord

Nicki Minaj Calls Cops on Alleged Hotel Attacker


Nicki Minaj says she was struck in the face by a male acquaintance yesterday. But the artist does not want to press any charges. Here's what went down:

Minaj and an unidentified man were allegedly arguing poolside at the Palomar Hotel in Dallas. As the verbal sparring intensified, the man left for his hotel room, the singer told an employee to call the cops and then she followed the man back inside.

Once there, she says he hit her in the lower lip.

Minaj, Nicki

When the police arrived, Minaj explained what happened but said she did not want to press charges. She added that the opponent was not her boyfriend.

Nicki faced a very different kind of tragedy earlier this month: her cousin was murdered.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/07/nicki-minaj-calls-cops-on-alleged-hotel-attacker/

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Supermodel Karolina Kurkova -- Belly Baring Bikini

Filed under: Karolina Kurkova, Beauty, Hot Bodies, Paparazzi Photo, Stars In Heat

With her signature missing belly button in tow, supermodel Karolina Kurkova showed off her bikini body at a pool in Italy on Monday.

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With or without a navel, the 27-year-old is perfect.

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Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/12/supermodel-karolina-kurkova-victorias-secret-belly-button-bikini-italy/

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