matthewlassiter30's Blog

'American Idol' Elimination Episode Crushes TV Competition

'Idol' puts up biggest non-sports Thursday ratings numbers since 2007.
By Gil Kaufman

Steven Tyler holds up his swear sign on "American Idol"
Photo: FOX

Simon who? Perhaps putting to rest any fears that "American Idol" would nosedive without iconic judge Simon Cowell, Thursday night's first elimination episode of season 10 put up some stellar numbers for the singing competition.

On a night when most of the competition on rival networks consisted of reruns (including, count 'em, six episodes in a row of "The Office" on NBC!) after the vaults were emptied last month during sweeps, "Idol" raked in 25 million viewers to win the ratings crown. In fact, the impressive numbers for "Idol" gave Fox the most-watched non-sports Thursday night number of any network over the past four years.

The two-hour extravaganza, which not only shaped the top 10, but also featured six performances by singers vying to score three wild card spots — not to mention the debut of judge Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor" music video — was a 29 percent increase from last season's first elimination night, according to Billboard.

With an 8.1 rating in the 18 to 49 demo, numbers were also up 13 percent over last Thursday's "AI" episode. As you might expect, ratings climbed during the pivotal final half-hour of the broadcast, going from 25.96 million between 9 and 9:30 p.m. to 26.66 million for the final half-hour.

The good ratings news bodes well for the start of live competition next week, when new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will have to finally show their stuff during two real-time broadcasts a week after charming viewers during the season's pre-taped episodes.

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Britney Spears Unveils Official Femme Fatale Track Listing

Spears will release two versions of the album on March 29.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears' <i>Femme Fatale</i>
Photo: Jive

With less than a month until the release of Britney Spears' Femme Fatale, the singer is giving fans an official sneak peek at the track listing of both the regular album and the deluxe version.

Spears appeared on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Friday to talk about the album and its second single, "Till the World Ends." " 'Till the World Ends' is fun! It's fun. I like it. It's good energy," she said of the track, which was written by fellow pop tart Ke$ha. "I'm a vibe person, and I think I love good-mood songs, and if it puts me in a good mood, it clicks for me."

A leaked version of the track listing hit the Net earlier this week, but now that it's on Britney's website, we know it's for real:

1. "Till the World Ends" (Produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Billboard)
2. "Hold It Against Me" (Produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Co-produced by Billboard)
3. "Inside Out" (Produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Billboard)
4. "I Wanna Go" (Produced by Max Martin and Shellback)
5. "How I Roll" (Produced by Bloodshy, Henrik Jonback and Magnus)
6. "(Drop Dead) Beautiful" featuring Sabi (Produced by Benny Blanco, Ammo, JMIKE and Billboard)
7. "Seal It With a Kiss" (Produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Dream Machine)
8. "Big Fat Bass" featuring will.i.am (Produced by will.i.am)
9. "Trouble for Me" (Produced by Fraser T Smith)
10. "Trip to Your Heart" (Produced by Bloodshy, Henrik Jonback and Magnus)
11. "Gasoline" (Produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco)
12. "Criminal" (Produced by Max Martin and Shellback)

The deluxe version of the album will include these four additional tracks:

13. "Up N' Down" (Produced by Max Martin, Shellback and Oligee)
14. "He About to Lose Me" (Produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins)
15. "Selfish" (Produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee)
16. "Don't Keep Me Waiting" (Produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins)

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The goal of the CPPCC: ?Make people happy?

Only six percent of Chinese people see themselves as happy, reports China Daily of a recent survey released on Monday. This is despite the government's recent efforts to improve the population's sense of happiness through new economic and social policies.

This statistic is in line though with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao?s statements ahead of the start of the Fourth Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

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Kendra Wilkinson: Arrives for DWTS Practice

Looking super excited for her ?Dancing With the Stars? dance rehearsal, Kendra Wilkinson was spotted arriving at the ABC Studios earlier today (March 4).

The reality TV star smiled politely for the paparazzi while munching on a healthy snack before heading inside to get her dance on.

Tweeting about the past couple of days, Kendra recently wrote, ?Long days begin now! Takin a little nap between rehearsals...?

Don?t miss the season 12 premiere of ?DWTS? coming up on Monday, March 21.

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Celebrity Online Bra Auction

A charity auction with a difference will take place later this month when members of the public will have the opportunity to purchase bras decorated by their favourite celebrities.
The bras have been donated by Triumph and dozens of female celebrities have been given the task of showing their artistic flair by decorating them in a [...]

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