Simon Cowell

No One Trusts the Tastes of Teenage Girls But Should: Why Justin Bieber Is the Next Beatles

By Brittany Spanos At what point did teen girls suddenly just become wrong? "Serious" music fans seem to have universally accepted a critique of quality that befalls any artist who willingly sells to the rabid teen girl market and stigmatized the fans who dare to sometimes be male or at least above ... More >>

Now That's What I Call Good News!: Now! Music Series To Give Up The Ghost

Not all signs of the record biz's struggle for life are depressing. Thanks to EMI's $1.9 billion merger with Universal Music Group, a few things will get shaken up, including a chance the wretched informercial sludge Now That's What I Call Music! series will be put six feet under.

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week.

Critics Claim Supreme Master Ching Hai's Followers' Restaurants Featuring Tasty Vegan Fare Front For an Exploitive Movement.

Michael Stipe Tried to Record With Kurt Cobain and Save His Life

​Michael Stipe of REM said he tried to reach out to Kurt Cobain as an attempt to help save Cobain's life, according to NME.Stipe recently told Interview Magazine that he devised a plan to try to save Cobain from the awful state of mind he was in before he killed himself. He wanted to do a recordin ... More >>

Gorillaz Not Breaking Up Just Yet

​Rumors were flying around last week that the Gorillaz had broken up. However, they haven't split just yet, according to Consequence of Sound.During a performance in New Zealand back in December, vocalist Damon Albarn gave a lengthy speech about how the show might end up being the band's last ever ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Plays Simon Cowell in Maricopa County Jail Idol

Merry Christmas from Maricopa County's corrupt top constable, Joe Arpaio.​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will play the role of former American Idol judge Simon Cowell this afternoon as the token prick on a panel of judges rating the talent of up-and-coming singers.The contestants in this case ... More >>

Another Possible Best-Seller of the Year in the UK for Susan Boyle?

​Could overnight British superstar Susan Boyle have the top album in the UK two years in a row?It's very possible, according to Billboard.Boyle just released her second album, The Gift, which debuted at the top spot on the UK charts. Her first album, I Dreamed a Dream, which was a Christmas album, ... More >>

MasterChef With Gordon Ramsay, The American Idol of Cooking Shows, Coming to Fox in July

With no restaurant experience, a passion for cooking, and a dream of one day working as a professional chef, 50 just-like-us contestants will test their skills and palate in hopes of becoming the winner of MasterChef, the cooking competition show coming to Fox on July 29. Gordon Ramsay, the show's ... More >>

'American Idol' Finishes Season with Crystal Bowersox as Clear Winner

The winner's on the left​Well, American Idol fans, it's down to the wire. Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze had their final competitive performances, and the most boring season of Idol ever is almost over. What wasn't boring: Randy's outlandish outfit. What was up with that red jacket?Anyway, DeWyze ... More >>

Glee Is Second Only to iTunes as Music Retail's Biggest Force

Music Retail’s Second Biggest Force

Fox’s Glee is Second Only To iTunes Nowadays

'American Idol' Gets Gay, and So Does Jamie Foxx a Little, Too

​American Idol is really cracking me up lately.From the contestants' cheesy head turn in the intro to the usage of Jamie Foxx, the king of Auto-Tune, as mentor, it's clear this show is not about finding the best singer in America. It's more about making even the most non-savvy music lovers happy, ... More >>

'American Idol' Kids Get to Play Dress Up and Sing Frank Sinatra Songs

​Last night on American Idol, it was Frank Sinatra night, and you know what that means--break out the suits and black dress! This was the classiest night of the season so far, as the contestants took on the legend.Harry Connick, Jr., the guest mentor of the night, was called a "superstar" by Ryan ... More >>

Jon Kyl Tapped as One of Time Magazine's "People Who Most Affect Our World"

www.lifenews.com Senator Jon Kyl​Big ups to Arizona's junior senator, Senator Jon Kyl, for being named one of Time magazine's 100 people who "most affect our world." Lady Ga-Ga, and Simon Cowell are also on the list, although, in a different category, so the distinction may ... More >>

'American Idol' Contestants May All Just Want to Start Singing Country

​Crystal Bowersox called Shania Twain "glowing" tonight on American Idol, and it's true--Twain emits an ethereal vibe whenever she's around and seemed to work some magic on the contestants as they all took on her songs.Overall, the cast did a great job, proving they're a solid top six who deserve ... More >>

'American Idol' Contestants Fail to Uplift on "Inspirational Song" Night

​When you have only 1 minute to sing to people, it's sort of hard to inspire them. That was the problem the contestants had last night on American Idol, when the seven contestants and four judges were forced to cram their singing and commentary into a measly hour, making for a hectic pace t ... More >>

'American Idol' Teaches Us More About the Contestants, and the Show Is Not Boring for the First Time

This teddy bear was the star of the night​Tuesday night was Beatles night on American Idol, and with no guest mentor, viewers were lucky enough to see clips of the contestants talking about each other, and real personalities were shown for the first time ever this season.And, everyone's also lucky ... More >>

Usher Plays It Cool, Tim Urban Wins on 'American Idol'

​Jeez, it was bright last night on American Idol.So bright, that R&B superstar Usher had to wear sunglasses indoors (or else, he was blinded by the size of his ego.)Nonetheless, Usher was miles ahead in his skills as a mentor compared to Miley Cyrus last week. Maybe he can be a mentor for Simo ... More >>

Top 8 Girls in 'American Idol' Provide Little More than a Snooze-Fest

​Maybe it's because I'm a heterosexual female, but I enjoy watching the guys on this season of American Idol way more than the girls, and I don't even enjoy watching the guys that much.Ouch, you say? Well, if you've been watching the top 24 in action at all since the show moved to the big studio, ... More >>

Top 10 'American Idol' Moments

​Paula Abdul already left, and Simon Cowell may be on the outs, too. But no matter what happens to American Idol, the singing competition has left us with plenty of memories we'll forver cherish. Here are 10 of our favorites to get you ready for the upcoming season, which begins January ... More >>

Simon Cowell Leaving 'American Idol'

​Our music editor Martin Cizmar seems to think an American version of X Factor would be sort of pointless, but not if Simon Cowell has anything to do with it. The notoriously cranky American Idol judge wants to make the similarly performance-based X Factor a hit here in America, accordin ... More >>

American X-Factor? Don't Bet On It

​What purpose would there be in an American version of X-Factor, the British talent competition that made headlines this week by losing a chart battle with Rage Against The Machine? You've got me. American Idol, the original American spin on Simon Cowell's first show, Pop Idol, seems to be doing p ... More >>

Idol Worship

We may be ill, but these kids are alright

Loretta Lynn Is a Legend, but She’s Also Just Plain Kind

Phoenix Symphony Plays the Blues, Arizona Department of Corrections Honcho Charles Ryan Attends Marcia Powell’s Memorial Service, and a Democratic Loser Writes a Book on How to Win

Kyrsten Sinema's Guide to Delusional Democratic Thought, In Bookstores Soon

Could this be a joke from the wags at Sonoran Alliance? Alas, no... Would you take financial advice from a homeless man? Lessons in humility from Simon Cowell? Follow Kirstie Alley's diet regimen? Look for WMD's with a map drawn by Dick Cheney? Or take an anger management class taught by Russe ... More >>

American Idol: Why I’ll Never Watch It Again

Kansas City American Idol Auditions Have Good, Bad and Ugly

Tears, screaming and screeches - oh my! Wednesday's American Idol auditions, which were held in Kansas City, home of last season's Idol winner David Cook, had all of these things along with dozens of snarky comments from judge Simon Cowell.While one of our favorite moments took place in the beginn ... More >>

Logoville U.S.A.

Brand bullies infiltrate SMoCA

Relentless stickering and guerrilla marketing have made Digital Summer one of the Valley’s hottest bands

Punker's Pride

Thrash of the Titans pits six manufactured bands against each other to benefit AZPunk.com

Rockin’ Rides: AZ gets music theme park proposal, we get some baaad ideas

Took a Shot

Idol Cafe

Just let them sing? What a concept!

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Thrill Near Mill

Meatball lovers and wine wonks have a new destination

Weird Science?

What the #$*! is going on in What the #$*! Do We Know?

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks