People’s Choice Awards 2013: Taylor Swift, “Glee” stars win awards

Host Kaley Cuoco speaks on stage at the People’s Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Jan. 9, 2013, in Los Angeles. / CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

The People’s Choice Awards kicked off Wednesday night with “The Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco returning as host for the second year in a row.

The show opened with a taped segment of Cuoco learning how to be a “kick-butt” host, with the help of LL Cool J, Katniss Everdeen and some of the characters from “Twilight.” She then arrived on stage and told viewers that more than 475 million votes were cast by fans for the night’s winners.

People’s Choice Awards 2013 red carpet

Early awards went to Jennifer Aniston for favorite movie actress, Taylor Swift for favorite country artist, Maroon 5 for favorite band and “Supernatural” for favorite sci-fi/fantasy TV show.

The awards for favorite comedic TV actor and actress both went to “Glee” stars — Lea Michele, clad in a hot pink dress, and Chris Colfer, who told fans he enjoyed “being exploited in your fan fiction.”

Alicia Keys was the first performer of the night, singing her hit “Girl on Fire.” Christina Aguilera and Jason Aldean will also perform during the show, broadcast live from Los Angeles on CBS.

Nominations and winners at the 34th annual awards show are determined by fans’ votes. This year’s nominees include Justin Bieber, Adam Levine, Emma Stone, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Lawrence. The films competing for favorite movie are “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hunger Games” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

Sandra Bullock will also become the first recipient of the “favorite humanitarian” award. The Oscar-winner is receiving the honor for her philanthropic efforts, including her commitment to Warren Easton High School in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

–article and images taken from: cbsnews.com

 

‘The Voice’: Season 3 Winner Is Crowned. Find Out Here:

‘The Voice‘ Recap: Season 3 Winner Is Crowned

The star-studded finale live show featured performances by Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars and the coaches.

It’s been a long journey for the three finalists of The Voice.  Pop-rocker Cassadee Pope,soul singer Nicholas Davidand Scottish rocker Terry McDermott have made it through the blind auditions, the battle rounds, the knockout rounds and the live shows. They’ve fought against insecurity, bonded with their coaches, got emotional onstage and sang their hearts out in hopes of becoming a champion. They’ve laughed, they’ve cried and they’ve sung with some of their idols.

And on Tuesday, a season three winner was crowned.

PHOTOS: ‘The Voice’ Teams: Season 3’s Performers

The two-hour live finale featured a slew of performances leading up to the big announcement.

And the season three winner is: Cassadee Pope.

Second place went to Terry McDermott and third place went to Nicholas David.

Pope, coached by Blake Shelton, has been a strong contender for a majority of the season, especially after she performed an emotional rendition of Miranda Lambert’s “Over You,” which became a hit on the iTunes chart.

STORY: ‘The Voice’ Recap: The Final Three Perform

A big highlight of the live show was a final performance by all of the coaches. WithChristina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green leaving their coaches’ chairs for season four, it was great to see all four coaches hit the stage one for time to sing Green Day’s “Time of Your Life.”

The show also included performances by some of music’s biggest stars. Rihanna opened the show with a performance of her hit “Diamonds.” Also, American Idol grad Kelly Clarkson sang “Catch My Breath” off her greatest hits album with the help of Pope and McDermott. Bruno Mars debuted his song “When I Was Your Man” and The Killers performed “Runaways” with Pope.

All three of the finalists got to sing duets with some major music stars. David joinedSmokey Robinson, McDermott performed with Peter Frampton and Pope got to perform with her music icon, Avril Lavigne.

PHOTOS: Maroon 5 Brings Hometown Love to Los Angeles

Additionally, some of the former season three contestants returned to perform on theVoice stage once again. Supergroups were formed, themed with “the heartbreakers” and “the power ladies.” A special highlight for us was when David brought back fan favoritesTrevin Hunte, Dez Duron and Amanda Brown for a performance of “End of the Road.” That’s a group of people who left the show too soon and it’s great that fans got to see them perform once more.

But even the finalists who didn’t walk away with the title were winners on Tuesday. In a strange Price is Right moment, the three remaining contestants were presented with new cars from “Saint Cee Lo.”

What did you think of the results of Tuesday’s show? Was the right person chosen as the winner? Sound off in the comments section below.

(articles taken from hollywoodreporter.com)

 

[NEW VIDEO] Alicia Keys – Brand New Me + Reviews

Alicia Keys – Brand New Me

Emancipation narratives are all-pervasive in female pop. Often, though, a lot of hot air about “breaking free” or “finding oneself as a woman” doesn’t mean the singer, after years of smiley servitude, has emasculated her handlers with pinking shears, torched the recording studio and hit the road with all the cash in the kitty and her tutu aflame. It just tends to signal a new stylist.

Similarly, a lot of fuss about “rebirth” usually means a change of labels or the pitter-patter of tiny Louboutins. Listeners with long memories could be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at the phoenix-like rising mooted by Alicia Keys‘s latest album, Girl on Fire, her fifth. Recently, Christina Aguilera‘s Lotus declared a comparable reinvention. Joss Stone keeps breaking free from things.

In the case of Keys, ludicrously successful purveyor of soulful lady music, the case on paper is persuasive, however: stylist, label, husband, baby and more. There is her new stark bob. There’s her marriage to hip-hop producer (and serial babyfather) Swizz Beatz, which has produced a son called Egypt, now two. His cuteness is manifest at the end of When It’s All Over, an intriguing modernist soul outing with jazz beats produced by the xx’s Jamie Smith.

Tectonic plates have shifted. The landmark record label, J, has beenreabsorbed into RCA. Keys has parted ways with her long-time manager. Her songwriting partner, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, appears less involved in Keys’s fifth album; others (Jamie xx, John Legend, Swizz Beatz, Dr Dre, Frank Ocean, Salaam “Amy Winehouse” Remi) have filled the gap.

Co-written with her British mini-she, Emeli Sandé, Brand New Me is Girl on Fire‘s opening declaration of independence, one that intrigues and frustrates in equal measure. Lyrics such as: “Your words don’t burn me any more” lash out at her unnamed former oppressors. Seething is a new skill set for Keys, whose past songs have rarely gone anywhere near an artery.

Ultimately, though, it still cleaves too close to the polite piano soul with which Keys has filled 10 years. And she’s supposed to be on fire here, not just warming the piano stool. Flamin’ Alicia was a little more in evidence at the recent MTV VMAs when Keys performed the engagingly bombastic title track accompanied by rapper Nicki Minaj and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas. All echoey drums and Caribbean sing-song,Girl on Fire is a little redolent of Rihanna, but not so that you would complain; throughout, Keys is working at the edge of her range, as she does on Empire State of Mind , easily Keys’s most shivery performance since her debut in 2001.

The sassy New Day, meanwhile, borrows from the Amazonian guerrilla tradition of Beyoncé. “AK!” Keys shouts, as though armed, “new day!” It’s riveting to hear Keys sounding considerably less middle aged for the first time ever.

But it doesn’t last. Someone quickly douses her tutu and prises the pinking shears from her grasp. Realistically, Keys probably knows where her 14 Grammys are buttered. And even if the producerly tweaks on soul fare such as Listen to Your Heart are commendable, she seems most relaxed on songs like Not Even the King. There, it’s back to just Keys and her keys.

Her second music video from her latest album “Girl On Fire.”

Review by: Kitty Empire from The Observer