NBC Challenging 'American Idol' With 'Voice Of America'

NBC introducing new singing competition format
The network said Monday that it will debut "The Voice of America" in the spring. Its format is based on a popular show in Holland where celebrities are paired with amateur singers in competition. The twist is the celebrities must pick their teams based solely on hearing their voices without seeing what the contestants look like. "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett and "Big Brother" producer John De Mol will work together on the series. NBC says it's not yet clear whether the show will compete direc...

NBC introducing new singing competition format
The network said Monday that it will debut “The Voice of America” in the spring. Its format is based on a popular show in Holland where celebrities are paired with amateur singers in competition. The twist is the celebrities must pick their teams based solely on hearing their voices without seeing what the contestants look like. “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett and “Big Brother” producer John De Mol will work together on the series. NBC says it’s not yet...

Julian Assange: Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010
The man behind Wikileaks has won the most votes in this year's Person of the Year poll. Readers voted a total of 1,249,425 times, and the favorite was clear. Julian Assange raked in 382,020 votes, giving him an easy first place. He was 148,383 votes over the silver medalist, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey. But Assange wasn't the winner in all aspects -- Lady GaGa trounced him on Facebook, receiving 65,417 "likes" on Facebook to Assange's 45,643. See the top 10 readers' choices be...

X Factor 2010 final: results show review
Painter and decorator Matt Cardle becomes a pop star after winning The X Factor, beating Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction....

'A genius scam'
Pressure cooker Given the show's pedigree - remember Chico? - it seems unlikely it will ever produce an artist with as much to say about their generation as Dylan. Yet the contestants can at least provide a unique perspective on the workings of fame. Diana Vickers, now a chart star in her own right, was caught up in The X Factor media maelstrom and describes her time on the show as "petrifying". Diana Vickers says she was ill throughout her time on The X Factor "I was on th...

X Factor finale rivets Britain, heads to USA
LONDON (AP) — The “X Factor” finale has drawn a record audience in Britain as the Simon Cowell-led musical competition prepares for its debut in the United States. Painter and decorator Matt Cardle is the newly crowned X Factor champion and is launching his recording career at age 27 with the release “When We Collide” in hopes of landing the top spot on the British Christmas hit charts. Cardle started his campaign Monday with a London publicity blitz. He is just beg...

Palin will run for President if she feels she has the best shot
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said in an interview she would run for US president if she has the “best shot” on the right, and expressed confidence that she could beat Barack Obama. But the Tea Party favorite and former Republican vice-presidential Candidate said she was still mulling the “lay of the land” ahead of 2012 presidential polls. “I will run for president if I believe that I have the best shot to win the race,” she said in a TV interview with AB...

Bush Sisters: Back Together Again In NYC
Barbara Bush recently made the move to Greenwich Village from her tv-less 5th floor walkup, and now sister Jenna is following her lead. Move over Kardashian sisters! According to the NY Post, Jenna Bush (occasional Today show correspondent) and her husband have put their Baltimore rowhouse on the market for $475K, and are looking for new digs in the big city... at least Jenna is. The Washington Post reports that her husband Harry Hager will continue working at the Baltimore-based Constellation...

How Real is a Documentary. Really?
The Faux Reality Spectrum — Home Video: "Restrepo" By A.O. SCOTT NYT “Is it a documentary?” “Is it like a documentary?” I find myself hearing (and asking) these questions so often that I have started to wonder what they mean. It’s not just that the definition of “documentary” itself is mutable: unlike other journalistic and quasi-journalistic forms, no code of ethics has ever been agreed upon by practitioners of the art, and what rules of thumb there are ten

Congress: Hoyer's call
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the second-ranking Democrat in the House, in a 9:30 am ET Speech at the National Press Club will urge Congress to look beyond Elections, which happen every two years for the House, and take “on the long-term, structural problems that defy quick answers.” He’ll say, according to prepared remarks, “Our politics may run on two-year cycles—but our problems do not. We won’t get to Full Employment in two years. We won’...

A look at possible conditions in Comcast, NBC deal
Federal Regulators are considering a number of conditions to ensure that Comcast Corp. cannot use its control over NBC’s vast media empire to stifle the growth of online video. Their key concerns: — The darkest fear of companies in the Internet video market is that Comcast could withhold or ratchet up prices for popular NBC Universal programming, including hit shows such as “30 Rock” and “The Office.” So Regulators may force Comcast to abide by the Federal Com...

Barack Obama Address Cold Open
Show Clips The President addresses the nation about his recent dealings with GOP leaders and Tax Cut extensions. > Dec. 11 - Paul RuddAirdate: 12/11/2010 Dec. 4 - Robert De NiroAirdate: 12/04/2010 Nov. 20 - Anne HathawayAirdate: 11/20/2010 Nov. 13 - Scarlett JohanssonAirdate: 11/13/2010 Musical guest Paul McCartney performs his classic song, "Band On The Run." In anticipation of its upcoming 45th anniversary, sign up for unprecedented access to the stars and books in the Days line. D...

Sanders tells FCC to block NBC-Comcast merger
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote to the Department of Justice on Tuesday urging them to block Comcast's proposed acquisition of NBC Universal on the grounds it would damage the media landscape by reducing competition and increasing prices. "Because this Merger would lessen competition in three separate markets, and because it would put our media landscape in grave danger, I urge you to deny approval," Sanders wrote to assistant Attorney General Christine Varney. Sanders has been one of the mo...

Regulators Concerned About What Comcast-NBC Merger Means For The Internet
Here's hoping Waxman manages to plug up the worst Loopholes before this deal gets rammed through, because they're right: the future of the Internet will be greatly affected by this Merger. Is there no merger too large that the Justice Department won't rubberstamp? .Although there has been a lot of talk in media circles about what Comcast's ownership of NBC Universal would mean for viewers' choice of news and entertainment, the two branches of the Federal Government reviewing the merger — ...

OVERNIGHT TECH: Opposition building to Genachowski's net neutrality proposal
Net Neutrality advocates come out against Genachowski's plan Opposition to Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski's open Internet proposal is building on both the left and the right ahead of a potential vote on the proposal at the Commission's December 21 open meeting. A group of net neutrality advocates declared their opposition to the plan during a meeting with Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps on Thursday. A number of prominent individuals and organizations in...

Upton: No net-neutrality rules for NBC-Comcast
Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) wrote to the Federal Communications Commission on Friday urging them not to impose net-neutrality conditions on Comcast as part of the proposed acquisition of NBC Universal. Upton said the only thing the commission should be reviewing is whether or not the new entity would be able to unfairly influence the markets for video content creation and distribution to the detriment of consumers. He warned against using the merg...

Upton Wants FCC to Expedite Review of Comcast, NBC Merger
In a letter to Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski dated December 10, U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) inquired into the FCC’s commitment to a fair, fact-driven review of the Comcast-NBC Universal Merger. The merger would call for the transfer of assets to a new Joint Venture for NBC Universal.  The Joint Venture combines NBC and Telemundu as well as 26 NBC television stations and national Cable Networks with Comcast’s regional sports networks and ...

Bon Jovi top Billboard tour chart
Bon Jovi were the most successful live act of the year with takings of $146.5m (£93.1m), Billboard Magazine has found. They took the total between 20 November 2009 and 28 November 2010 by selling 1,591,154 tickets in 69 gigs as part of their The Circle tour. Fans bought tickets "because they're willing to spend their disposable dollars", singer Jon Bon Jovi said. Bon Jovi were also the highest-grossing live act of 2008, having taken $210m (£133.4m) on its Lost Highway to...

X Factor: Will Matt Cardle be the show's real winner?
Matt Cardle may have been crowned this year's X Factor winner, but the show's runners-up often fare better in the long run, says Bryony Gordon...

U.K. Backlash After Aguilera and Rihannas Lewd Performance
ITV faces a huge backlash after thousands of viewers protested about lewd performances on The X Factor final. Critics called on media regulator Ofcom to launch an inquiry into why ‘disgusting' routines were shown before the watershed. The performances by U.S. pop stars Christina Aguilera and Rihanna could have broken Ofcom's broadcasting code which seeks to protect Children from sexualised content. You must login to comment. The Fox Nation is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive gov...

Grumpy old men
In 2010, the BBC News website has spoken to a number of pop stars from the older generations. Here are the thoughts of Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart, former Housemartins and Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton and a-ha's Morten Harket on today's music business. I think songs like Happy Hour, and even Think For A Minute and Caravan Of Love, are strong songs but I don't know if we would have been paid for it really. They might have been used in a car advert. I think I was lucky to get pr...

UPI Sports Calendar for Sunday, Dec. 12
Published: Dec. 11, 2010 at 10:30 PM St. Louis at New Orleans, 4:05 p.m. Appalachian St. at (10) Georgetown, noon Colorado St. at (17) Illinois, 6 p.m. Shark Shootout at Naples, Fla. LPGA Tour Qualifying School at Daytona Beach, Fla. Minn. snow diverts Giants' plane to K.C. HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Big changes may be in store at American Idol, including location shooting in Las Vegas and more behind-the-scenes footage, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Minn. snow diverts Giants' plane to...

Sarah Palin Goes 'Lamestream'-ing
Can I say something crazy? I don’t think Sarah Palin went to Haiti to boost her foreign-policy creds. I think she went there to highlight charitable work being done there. People talk about what Sarah Palin does and I can’t imagine that there weren’t people watching Greta’s coverage last night who weren’t moved. Sarah Palin knows that. I’m glad she went and hope that contributions to the likes of Samaritan’s Purse and Catholic Relief Services on the...

Gosselin pitches a fit on Palin's camping trip
Well, we saw this coming. On Sunday night's episode of TLC reality show "Sarah Palin's Alaska," "Kate Plus 8" star Kate Gosselin and her clan attempted to embark on a camping trip with the Mama Grizzly but unfortunately, Gosselin isn't much of a camper and the family outing is cut short. "The kids are having fun, so I'm tolerating it, but this is my new home," Gosselin says while hiding under a TARP. "I am miserable, but, I mean, somebody's got to be," she continued. While she shields herself f...

We Watch Palin Meet Kate Gosselin So You Dont Have To
Update: at 9:33pm I also am obligated to report that Palin’s dad has a dog who collects antlers, and has a giant pile of antler in the backyard. It looks cool, though a bit surreal. —————————- Update at 9:32pm: So I think that Palin does better when she has a shotgun as opposed to a hunting scope. Her face practically lights up with Glee with she starts blasting away at the bear targets. Willow and Kate Gosselin watch on. Kate looks t...