Fresh off the hype of Paula Abdul’s departure as a judge, the announcement of Ellen DeGeneres as the new fourth judge, and Simon Cowell declaring that this will be his last season on the show, America’s most watched TV show made its epic return last night with more bang than ever. The two-hour season premiere of American Idol highlighted the thousands of contestants who auditioned in Boston back in the summer. Since the auditions were well before the announcement of Ellen as the new judge, the Boston auditions featured guest judge Victoria Beckham (aka “Posh Spice” in the 90’s…or “David Beckham’s wife” today). The auditions were typical: ranging from tone-deaf weirdos to sixteen-year-old singing sensations. And of course there was the usual array of sob stories about people battling poverty or sickness in order to pursue their dream to become a famous singer…

Though the process of auditions on the show are often times grueling and exhausting to watch, there were a handful of contestants that really stood out to me. From the girls, there was 16 year-old Katie Stevens (who sings to and takes care of her grandmother with Alzheimer’s) and 21 year-old Ashley Rodriguez who wowed all four of the judges with her fantastic take on a difficult Alicia Keys song and her “commercial” (read “smokin’ hot”) look. Check out Ashley Rodriguez’s audition below:

From the guys there was Luke Shaffer (who had that acoustic singer-songwriter vibe), Justin Williams (who beat cancer after multiple surgeries and chemotherapy…and upon more research, he also made it to Hollywood last season and was part of the “White Chocolate” group audition featuring Idol winner himself, Kris Allen) and Tyler Grady, a drummer turned rock-star front man. Armed with shaggy hair, a vintage 70’s rock vibe, and an incredible take on Marvin Gaye’s “Let Get it On,” Tyler made quite an impression on the judges (especially female judges Kara DioGuardi and Victoria Beckham). Check out Tyler Grady’s audition below:

Did any of you guys catch Idol last night? What did you guys think? Which contestants really stood out to you? Did any of them have potential to be the next American Idol?

Last night, fans of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother were treated with one hell of a celebratory 100th episode. Titled “Girls vs. Suits,” Barney faces quite a dilemma when a smokin’ hot bartender asks him to give up his suits while Ted gets closer than ever to meeting the titular Mother. In addition to a few celebrity guest-stars, the episode featured an epic musical number called “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit,” performed by resident song-and-dance man Neil Patrick Harris (Barney) and backed by the rest of the musically inclined cast members, 65 dancers and the strings of a 50-piece orchestra. Check out the big splashy musical number below:

Last Thursday the NFL announced that classic rock group The Who will be performing at the halftime show of Super Bowl XLIV on February 7th. The Who emerged in the mid-1960s and grew to be considered one of the greatest and most influential bands in the world. The band is known for their big hits in “Pinball Wizard, “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Who Are You,” and, “You Better You Bet.”

In the past five years the NFL has booked classic rock acts such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and most recently, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show. Who do you guys think of this on going trend of booking acts that tend to be more appealing to older generations? Is it possible that the NFL is avoiding newer, younger acts at risk of another Janet Jackson-type “wardrobe malfunction“?? Also, how do fans of The Who feel about Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend continuing to perform as The Who after the deaths of the other two original members John Entwistle and Keith Moon?

Feel free to share your thoughts!

Say what you want about John Mayer…But love him or hate him, there is no denying that he is an extremely talented artist and musician. At only 31 years old, Mayer has already won seven Grammy awards and has collaborated with a fantastic array of well-established musicians including Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Rob Thomas, and Fall Out Boy. Whether he is showering the radio with his catchy pop-rock hits or shredding blues solos on the electric guitar, John Mayer continues to be a driving force in today’s music industry.

Back in August of this year, Mayer posted on his official Twitter page that his fourth studio album, Battle Studies, will be released on November 17th. Earlier today, Mayer released the music video for the album’s first single, “Who Says.” The video (directed by Anthony Mandler) features John partying with his friends, enjoying the nightlife in various cities, and strumming his guitar while asking the question…”Who says I can’t get stoned?” (A line that Mayer says is not about marijuana, but actually about “freedom and living your life.”) The song itself is a straight-from-the-heart, stripped down acoustic tune that perfectly blends Mayer’s old acoustic pop/rock style with his newer, more mature themed songwriting. Overall, I think it is a great first single and I look forward to hearing the rest of the new album.

Check out the video for “Who Says” below…

What do you think of the John Mayer’s new song and video? Feel free to share your thoughts!

A nominations list for the 37th annual American Music Awards was unveiled on Tuesday. Country/pop artist Taylor Swift leads the group with six nominations this year, followed by the late, great Michael Jackson with five, then Eminem with four, and the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, T.I, and Beyonce each received 3 noms.

The show is set to air on Sunday, November 22nd. The winners are determined by voting at ama.abc.com, amavote.com, and mycokerewards.com. The show’s preliminary list of performers include Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert (making his post-Idol performance debut). Check out a full list of the nominations here.

(Source: EW)

Kelly Clarkson’s set list at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday night was filled with several familiar cover songs including “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes), “Lies” (The Black Keys), “Walking After Midnight” (Patsy Cline) and “That I Would Be Good” (Alanis Morissette) mixed with “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon.

Kelly’s cover of “Use Somebody” just adds to the impressive list of artists who have covered the hit Kings of Leon song including: Paramore, Tyler Hilton, Bat For Lashes, and Pixie Lott. What do you guys think - who does it best? Do any of these covers match up to the original song? Are tired of hearing this song and all it’s different manifestations??