Following weeks of speculation, it appears that Demi Lovato will be factoring into Simon Cowell’s plans to revamp his hit reality singing competition series…
The 19-year-old part Mexican American singer/actress has officially signed on as the fourth and final judge for the upcoming season of Fox’s The X Factor, according to E! Online.
When X Factor returns in September, the former Disney Channel star will join newly appointed judge Britney Spears, who reportedly signed her deal last week, and last season’s judges Cowell and L.A. Reid.
Earlier this year, X Factor producers cleaned house by dismissing the show’s host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul. In March, Reid and Cowell confirmed the two open judges spots would be filled by women.
It appears the “Give Your Heart a Break” singer and Spears beat out some stiff competition for the coveted judging spots, including Janet Jackson, LeAnn Rimes and Miley Cyrus.
As reported last week, Spears is said to be receiving $15 million for the season.
No word yet on the details of Lovato’s contract, but she is expected to appear at Fox’s upfront presentation on Monday with Spears, where the formal announcement will be made.
There’s no denying Demi Lovato has the ‘It’ factor… But she may also have The X Factor.
The 19-year-old part Mexican American singer/actress is reportedly thisclose to closing a deal to join Britney Spears on the second season of Fox’s The X Factor, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lovato and Spears would fill the seats vacated by Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul after Season 1. X Factor creator Simon Cowell and Epic Records chairman L.A. Reid, both returning judges, round out the panel.
While the deal isn’t signed, sealed and delivered yet and could fall apart, sources say Lovato’s team is in final negotiations for the job.
Lovato could help bring in a younger audience, especially since Spears—while still a force in pop music—is 10 years older than the former Disney Channel star.
Reps for Fox and Lovato would not comment and a spokesperson for the show refused to confirm talks to The Hollywood Reporter, although there’s a good chance Cowell and crew could make an X Factor-related announcement at the Fox upfront event for ad buyers on May 14.
Meanwhile, auditions with the new judges in place are scheduled to begin at the end of the month.
Prince’s ex-wife Mayte Garcia is about to get real…
The 38-year-old Puerto Rican-Egyptian dancer and singer, who was married to Prince from 1996-2000, will star on VH1’s tentatively titled Hollywood Exes, alongside Nicole Murphy (formerly Mrs. Eddie Murphy), Jessica Canseco (formerly Mrs. Jose Canseco), Sheree Fletcher (formerly Mrs. Will Smith) and Andrea Kelly (formerly Mrs. R Kelly).
“These extraordinarily strong women adjusted to and endured a lot while their ex-spouses won fame and fortune defining pop culture for that moment,” said Jeff Olde, VH1’s EVP original programming and production.
He continued, “Now these women must re-invent themselves again, stepping out of the long shadows cast by their famous husbands and supporting each other as they define the next stage of their lives – this time on their own terms.”
Hollywood Exes sets out to peel back the curtain on Cinderella tales gone wrong. These five women in particular have been friends for several years and are looking to make a name for themselves outside of their famous exes.
Garcia choreographed Britney Spears’ belly dancing routines for her “I’m a Slave 4 U” music video and performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. She’s also guest starred on several TV series, including Psych, The Closer, Las Vegas, Nip/Tuck and Army Wives.
The unscripted hour-long series, which been granted a 10 episode order by the pop culture-themed network, is set to bow on VH1 this summer.
She collaborated with Beyoncé on “Beautiful Liar,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won won the Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration award at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. And, now Shakira’s preparing to work her musical magic with another pop diva.
The 34-year-old Colombian singer will reportedly join voices with Britney Spears for a club-thumping anthem, according to Shadow Rumor.
The collaboration between the two singing sensations will be produced by Black Eyed Peas‘ member will.i.am.
Singer/producer Pharrell Williams reportedly played a big part in bringing Shakira and Spears together.
“I have proposed to Jive Records (Spears’ label) to bring the studio to Shakira and Lady Gaga and I thought it was a fabulous idea,” says Williams. “I want to make it happen.”
Last summer, Maná’s four-night run of shows at Los Angeles’ Staples Center tied Britney Spears for the most shows ever at the venue… And they sold out even more shows throughout the United States, putting their audience numbers on par with the likes of Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift… So it’s no wonder, the Mexican rockers will be launching a second leg of their Drama y Luz U.S. tour.
The rock band will kick off the second installment of their oh-so-popular tour on April 3 at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. And, it includes a new show at the Staples Center that will give them a new record for most concerts played at the arena. Currently, only Maná and Spears have headlined a total of eight concerts at the venue.
In all, Maná—which had one of the top five Latin tours of the year in 2011 and played over 30 dates in the U.S. and Latin America—will play a total of 17 additional arena dates in the U.S., including encore performances at Madison Square Garden and Miami’s American Airlines Arena. Tickets go on sale February 3, 2012
In addition to the new U.S. dates, Maná is finalizing a series of Latin American dates. As of today, these kick off with a show Feb. 24 at the Atahualpa Stadium in Quito, Ecuador, followed by stadium shows in Guayaquil, Medellín and Bogotá (in Colombia) and in Puerto La Cruz, Valencia and Caracas in Venezuela. More dates are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Maná is enjoying the success of the band’s latest single, “El Verdadero Amor Perdona” (feat. Prince Royce). The songe recently hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, making it the third single from “Drama y Luz” to claim the top spot.
Full tour dates:
02/24/12 – Quito, Ecuador; Estadio Atahualpa
02/27/12 – Guayaquil, Ecuador; Medio Estadio Modelo
03/01/12 – Medellin, Colombia; Polideportivo Envigado
03/03/12 – Bogota, Colombia; Corferias
03/07/12 – Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela; Estadio Jaa
03/10/12 – Valencia Venezuela; Estadio Misael Delgado
03/11/12 – Caracas, Venezuela; Estadio Univ SB
04/03/12 – Hidalgo, TX; State Farm Arena
04/04/12 – Houston, TX; Toyota Center
04/05/12 – Dallas, TX; American Airlines Center
04/07/12 – Laredo, TX; Laredo Energy Arena
04/10/12 – New York, NY; Madison Square Garden
04/13/12 – Chicago, IL; Allstate Arena
04/17/12 – Sacramento, CA; Power Balance Pavillion
04/19/12 – Oakland, CA; Oracle Orena and O Co. Coliseum
04/22/12 – Fresno, CA; Save Mart Center
04/24/12 – San Diego, CA; Valley View Casino
04/27/12 – Los Angeles, CA; Staples Center
05/01/12 – Denver, CO; Mangess Arena
05/04/12 – Glendale, AZ; Jobing.com Arena
05/06/12 – El Paso, TX; El Paso Coliseum
05/08/12 – San Antonio, TX; ATT Center
05/09/12 – Corpus Christie, TX; American Bank Center
05/11/12 – Miami, FL; American Airlines Arena
He’s the man behind some of the most memorable music videos in recent years, including Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”… And, now Jake Nava is getting some due-recognition for helming some of this year’s greatest clips.
The British-born music video and film director has been named to Entertainment Weekly’s list of this year’s Top 10 Music-Video Directors.
Nava directed two clips that were miles apart from each other in terms of content, but were both truly inspired: the bracing, surprising and bold clip for Kanye West’s “Monster” and the oh-so-somber video for Adele’s “Someone Like You.”
Nava has also been responsible for some of the greatest videos in recent years, only adding to a impressive resume that dates back to the early ’90s, and includes work for everyone from System of a Down to the Spice Girls. While you may not know his name, you most certainly know his work with the likes of Britney Spears, Shakira and more.
