Get Ready to "Play On"

Carrie Underwood unveiled the cover and title to her 3rd album, due out November 3rd - a week before she co-hosts the Country Music Awards with Brad Paisley. The album, titled Play On, is going to be produced by Mark Bright, who produced her previous efforts Carnival Ride and her debut, Some Hearts, which has been certified 7x platinum and is the best selling debut album from a female country singer in history.

Underwood has been working with some great writers for this new album and it should be interesting to see how it all comes together. It seems the album may take a stab at more crossover hits, with collaborators including, Ne-Yo, Kara DioGuardi, and Max Martin - all of whom are well established in working in the Pop/Rock genre. We can't wait to hear what comes from this country queen when her single drops next month. This Idol Insider is ready to "Play On"!

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She's Back

It looks like Britney will be back at The VMA's this year - no word whether she's performing or presenting, but it's very exciting that the Pop Goddess will return. And last year she made a hilarious promo spot with Russell Brand indicating the "elephant in the room" and she's done it again.

First Letterman, now this...seems like Brit-Brit is back!

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President Spears

Britney Spears stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman tonight to do the famous Top Ten list. The theme for tonight's show was "The Top 10 ways the country would be different if Britney Spears was President".

It was hilarious and I am glad to see Britney looking more and more like the girl we once we knew.

Check it out, but beware it may cause extreme laughter. Three words: Vice President Diddy!

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Already Gone...Again

You might remember my post a couple months ago to a good friend, Ben James, regarding his bachelor party in Vegas. And now, cut to August in a blink of an eye, it's time...the two crazy kids have decided to get married. Megan McCormick, my long time friend and business partner, and Ben will be wed this Saturday in Breckenridge, Colorado. I'll be there to see the whole thing go down. As Ben and Meg make each other sob over their delicately written vows, Katers dances the night away to her favorite party jam, and Forsyth shovels cupcakes into his mouth as if no one is watching, I will be there. And you can bet I will be there when Marta leads the condo in a late night, drunken, yoga sesh, and when Gretchen rolls her eyes in her special way to let everyone know she's "over it", and, of course, when Ash James and I challenge each other to yet another dance off in the middle of the reception! Yes, the long weekend is going to be one to remember and I can't wait to toast these two, to let them know how much they mean to the Idol Insider!

Congrats Ben and Megan - may this weekend be the incredible start to your life together! I look forward to many more wonderful memories to come!

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The Circus HD

Check out this incredible video of the opening of The Circus Tour, leading us to believe a DVD is on its way. We love, love, love it, but hope the DVD shows less up close and more full production because otherwise fans won't get to see the masterful show that is The Circus Starring Britney Spears Tour!

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Judges Speak Out

In Denver, the remaining Idol judges spoke out, for the first time about Paula Abdul's choice to not come back to the show. Simon, sad? Who would have thought that'd be the case.

Plus, Victoria Beckham joins the bunch to fill in and shows off some nerves. Oh, how we love her!

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HIGHlarious!

Check out Katy Perry on the celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. She was hilarious, as she "phoned a friend". Idol Insider can't get enough of her - so fun!

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Brit-Brit, The Ultimate Choice

Britney Spears arrived at the Teen Choice Awards yesterday to accept her award for "The Ultimate Choice". We know what you're thinking, and you're right - no one knows what the award is actually for, but we're glad she showed up. She definitely is looking healthy and happy.

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Tell Me Lies

Friday, American Idol took over Good Morning America as David Cook, Kris Allen, and Adam Lambert took the stage for various performances. To cap off the Idol-filled show, the trio sang the Fleetwood Mac classic "Little Lies".

It's always interesting to see various Idols sing together - you really get a sense of who's truly the best singers. In this case, David Cook definitely takes the cake. What do you think?

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Denver is so Posh

It's official! Our beloved Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham has arrived in Denver to fill in as a guest judge in the place of Paula Abdul. From the moment the Beck beauty stepped off the plane at DIA (Denver's International Airport), she lit up the city in her very posh, purple dress. All the judges - Randy, Kara, Simon and even Ryan are here for the official Idol auditions. A production insider has said that Beckham was trying "too hard to be nice", and with her dry sense of humor it came off "icy and wooden", which didn't go over well with the contestants who were already bummed to come to a Abdul-less audition. Will the next American Idol be from Denver? Who cares, Vicky is here!!

If you need us, you can find us scouring the city in search of my lady, Lord Posh!

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Update

We reported this morning that Britney Spears would put on a rare televised performance at The Teen Choice Awards this weekend (to air on Monday), but it seems that even though the 30 promo spot (below) says she's performing, that may not be the case.

It is now being reported that Ms. Spears will be accepting a "special" award for all of her accomplishments rather than perform. That seems a little misleading and we're not loving it. MTV also announced that they have not officially finalized a Spears performance for this September's VMA's. What is going on?? We need Brit-Brit back on TV!!

In the meantime, we can't help but be reminded of the unfortunate "comeback" performance Spears put on a few years ago at the tragic VMA's. And it looks like Mariah Carey is headed down that same path as she performed her new single on America's Got Talent. The performance was boring, emotionless, and down-right horrible. Maybe the dramz with Em has her all messed up! Is Mimi headed for another breakdown? You can watch the lack luster performance, as well as her husband, Nick Cannon, as he gives her tons of praise below, but try not to fall asleep. P.S. Is she getting fat again?

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Teen Choice, My Choice

The Teen Choice Awards, airing Monday, August 10th, will feature performances by Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Sean Kingston, and Black Eyed Peas. While those were all predictable and obvious choices for the awards telecast, we can't wait for the debut performance of "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl's Blair), as well as Britney Spears' confirmed performance. I was a little shocked they didn't hold out for the VMA's, but Teen Choice will do. But, it doesn't mean MTV won't pimp her performance on the VMA's out to be the "most exciting return to television"! We know she'll knock 'em dead at the TCA, but we can't wait to see how she stirs the controversial pot on September 13th at Radio City Music Hall.

I guess next Monday night the Idol Insider will be bringing out his inner teen to tune in for the big event.

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Forever Our Girl

The news that Paula Abdul will not be returning to Idol has the world in a frenzy! Past Idol contestants have turned to their Twitter accounts to express their best wishes to the past pop diva. Kris Allen, Chris Sligh, Danny Gokey, Brooke White and more have tweeted their sadness upon hearing the news that a contract could not be reached for between Fox and Abdul. Carrie Underwood even chimed in by saying, "Going to miss Paula on Idol! :(".

So, who's replacing Paula? With the audition segments being taped in the next few weeks, Idol execs had to move fast. So, while they look for a permanent replacement there will be guest judges. Confirmed to fill in for the pill-popper are Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham and Katy Perry. Producers for the show have said they hope to have a permanent judge in place by January when the show goes live. Vicky B in Denver?? Please say it's true!!

Even though Victoria would be our vote for a full time replacement - twice a week would make for the perfect dose of her May-Jah-ness! (we can already see the world catching on to her beautiful catch phrase) - it seems Idol may be eyeing Natalie Cole or Diana Ross. Diana Ross? Looks like they are looking for another cup of crazy!

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...And We're Back

WOW! That was insane - The 2009 UMS rocked our socks off - and now we are back after some much needed relaxation. We have so much to update you on, so let's get started:

• Yesterday, Paula Abdul announced via Twitter (and it was confirmed by Fox this morning) that she would not be returning to Idol in its ninth season. Money seemed to be the reason behind the split and Paula was not happy with the minimal amount that producers were willing to offer her.
  
• Kara DioGuardi is officially signed for the 9th season of American Idol and will be the only female judge on the hit reality show.
• After a failed run at country music, pop star Jessica Simpson is turning to her fashion line to launch a new lingerie collection.
• Christina Aguilera, whose new album was to be released this fall, has pushed her album release back...a lot. It is said that the "Dirrty" songstress will release her album in the summer of 2010 and the label is not happy about it. In the meantime, however, Aguilera will begin shooting the movie Burlesque, in which she will star opposite Cher.
  
• Jennifer Lopez will be releasing a new single this September, which will likely end up on her Greatest Hits package out later this year.
• While it was rumored that Britney Spears would take off some time after her Circus tour, it is now rumored that the new Queen of Pop has gotten the bug to get back in the studio and will release her 7th studio album in late summer 2010. That should make for an interesting summer with Britney and Christina battling for that top spot again.
  
• Katharine McPhee will be releasing her sophomore album, Unbroken, on October 5th. And she recently revealed to People Magazine that since her new sound is more edgy, it inspired her to dye her brunette locks to blonde (photo to right).
• Kristinia DeBarge's debut album, Exposed, hit stores last week and is said to be charting fairly well, while Jordin Sparks sophomore effort, Battlefield, opened at number 8 on the top 100.
• Blake Lewis has released his new single, "Sad Song", and it is doing surprising well after his failed attempt at a first record.
• Newcomer, Jessie James, will release her debut country/pop record on August 11th. This brunette bombshell has been burning up the net with her first single, "Wanted".
  
• Chris Brown first made a public apology to Rihanna on his YouTube page, but apparently it wasn't enough. He will be making an appearance on Larry King to once again apologize to the singer and his fans for the beat down he gave Rihanna a few months ago.
  
• Our new obsession, Cobra Starship, will release their debut on August 11th, but you can stream the whole thing on MTV's The Leak as of today!
• Our favorite "Bubbly" singer, Colbie Calliat will release her sophomore album, Breakthrough, on August 25th.
  
• Once retired rapper, Jay Z will be releasing a new album, Blueprint 3, on September 11th. The LP features the new single "Run This Town", which features Rihanna and Kanye West.
  
• Whitney Houston's new album, I Look To You, has been pushed up due to the overwhelming support from press and media. The album will be released on August 31st and is getting high praise from those that have heard it in early listening sessions.
• Justin Timberlake will be starring in, yet another, movie hitting theaters this month (August 25th). Open Road will feature Justin Timberlake starring opposite Jeff Bridges, Kate Mara, and Mary Steenburgen.
  
  
  
  

Major Drama in Pop Music:
Other than the drama will Ms. Abdul and her choice to leave Idol, there has been some serious drama going down.

• First, Kelly Clarkson released her new single, "Already Gone", and while it's being received well critically, the behind the scenes is causing quite a stir. It seems that the song's co-writer, Ryan Tedder, had given both Kelly and Beyonce the same track to write on, which caused both labels to choose the songs for the divas latest albums. Beyonce's take on the track, "Halo" was released in the spring and had a big impact on radio and Internet downloads, while Kelly's version was just released. However, in a statement by Clarkson, she says that her version was done long before Beyonce's album ever hit shelves. She continues by saying that she begged her label execs not to release the song as a single, but they threatened to pull all financial support for the album, All I Ever Wanted, including touring if the song wasn't released. So it seems she was strong armed into the decision. And even though Clarkson wasn't pleased with the decision to release the song as a single, she did reach an agreement with her label that on tour and while promoting the single, she could sing the song acoustically, a stripped down version, furthering the distance between the two tracks. While Beyonce has yet to comment on the controversy, Tedder released a statement saying,

  "Already Gone" is one of the best songs I have written or produced since "Bleeding Love" and stands tall on its own merits against "Halo". They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically, and lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyonce into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful & absurd. I think when people hear "Already Gone" they will hear what I hear - one of the greatest female vocalists on earth giving her most haunting and heart-breaking performance on a song she helped write. I challenge people to listen and form their own opinions."

• And that's not all, the videos producer, Joseph Kahn, tweeted about his unhappiness with the final product of the video for "Already Gone" due to the label lack of letting him express his ideas and creativity. It was even rumored that the label released the video before the final version was completed. Take a look at the video below and form your opinions.



• In other drama-filled news, Mariah Carey's new controversial single, "Obsessed", which is said to be about Eminem has caused the white-rapper to respond. After many years of back and forth rumors about the two, Eminem released a response to "Obsessed" by releasing "The Warning", in which he makes threats to release photos, voicemails, and other proof of his brief love affair with Carey. He even uses snippets from those voicemails towards the end of the track. How will Mariah respond? It's getting dirty and we can't get enough of it! Take a listen to the Em track, "The Warning" below, but beware of its explicit lyrics!

So there's a recap of what we've missed, but keep it here for updates as they come in on all of these developing stories. What do you think of McPhee-ver's ner look? What are your thoughts on the Kelly/Beyonce drama? Are you loving the Eminem track as much as me?

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