Celebrity Soup  

Major mayhem surrounding Idol judges

Photo: Contributed

Nicki Minaj

The American Idol you see when you tune in this upcoming January will look drastically different than what we’ve been accustomed to over the last few years. Jennifer Lopez is out, Steven Tyler is gone, and Randy Jackson may not be back (as a judge).

The show’s producers have made it clear that their primary objective is to shake things up, and hopefully a new judging panel will do the trick for them.

Mariah Carey has been officially sworn in as a judge, and will hopefully provide some Paula Abdul-like moments of incoherence and lunacy. But who else will be joining her?

Yesterday, there was a crapload of media speculation that rap star Nicki Minaj would be filling up one of the remaining judges’ seats. The reports were fuelled by a story in US Weekly that claims one of their sources swore up and down that a deal with Idol was essentially fait accompli, and that Minaj is in. Almost every mainstream media outlet picked up the story.

But is Nicki really joining Mariah?

Don’t be so sure. While I admit that a deal with Minaj is likely to go down, the Hollywood trades – which are normally all over Idol judge deal stories – have remained mum on the subject. Which tells us that no deal is in place, at least not yet. As of this writing (mid-morning Tuesday) none of the Hollywood trade websites have any mention of new Idol judging news.

Wanna know another interesting name that was thrown out today as a strong candidate? Enrique Iglesias. People.com reported this morning the Latin superstar is being seriously considered for the show, quoting “a source.”

And to add a little more fuel to this out-of-control speculation fire, TMZ has just reported (late morning) that Kanye West is also in talks to lend his talents as a judge. He'd be interesting, as long as they restrain his penchant for interrupting.

Aren’t you getting sick of all the judge speculation this year? It was bad enough when the show was wooing Tyler and Lopez, but this off-season has definitely been annoying. I’m not sure a revolving door of judges is good for any show, whether it’s Idol or The Britney Spears Show X-Factor.

Let’s assume that these rumours are true, and we’re good to go with Mariah, Nicki and Enrique and/or Kanye. What do you think of this wild assortment of personalities? As much as I hate to admit it, I think this could be good for the show. While Steven and J-Lo brought a wealth of experience to the table, they weren’t all that exciting to watch. Their ability to be critical was called into question after their first season together, and their critiques of the contestants’ performances this past season seemed forced, and at times lacked sincerity.

Mariah and Nicki (and certainly Kanye) would change this.

Where the careers of Tyler and Lopez were cooling off when they signed on, Mariah’s is lukewarm and Nicki’s is red hot. They have nothing to gain by conforming to the Idol way of things. I can see them filling one giant collective bag of crazy, with tremendous potential for huge arguments. It may even turn into one giant-sized version of the Hunger Games where only one singer survives. And can you imagine Nicki trying to tone down that incredibly foul mouth of hers? Let the fireworks begin!

Although nothing is set in stone, this new judging panel – should it come together – would be a great step toward bringing back lost viewers.

Stay tuned here for new details as they come up…

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Kristen Stewart affair = Virus scare

Photo: Contributed - Universal

Kristen Stewart as Snow White

Hey, that headline rhymes. I’m a poet and didn’t know it. But seriously, folks, we’ve got a lot of Kristen Stewart news to cover today.

We’ll get to the virus scare in a moment; but first, let’s deal with the most prominent K-Stew news circulating the gossip world over the last 12 hours.

In a very recent Hollywood Reporter scoop, the Twilight actress is apparently being dropped from a planned Snow White and the Huntsman sequel.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the sequel to June's Snow White, which starred Stewart, Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, is being reconceived as a spinoff movie. It's unclear whether director Rupert Sanders will return, though one source with ties to the production says he will. However, screenwriter David Koepp, who had been hired to pen the continuation of the original film, is being settled out of his rich contract, according to sources, as the project is being transformed into something other than the movie that Koepp had been hired to write.

"The studio is currently exploring options to continue the franchise," a Universal spokeswoman says.

“But I thought that if you slept with the director it would HELP your career,” a confused Kristen Stewart was heard saying. Or at least I’m sure she thought it, I figure.

The Rupert Sanders-directed film made money for the studio, but Stewart’s hefty salary could trim a huge chunk off the sequel’s budget.

The plot sickened thickened this morning when a spokesman for Universal told the LA Times that Stewart hasn’t officially been dropped, and may return as Snow White.

Really? The only thing white about this chick is the look on her boyfriend Robert Pattinson’s face when he found out she was cheating on him. Then again, if she doesn’t appear in the new film, I don’t think a movie simply called The Huntsman has the same ring to it. Not that another young actress couldn’t sweep in and take over, but then again I haven’t seen the film so I can’t comment on the legitimacy of her portrayal of Snow White.

Ok, what’s up with the virus thing, you ask? It turns out that a significant percentage of online content regarding her well-publicized affair contains links to malware that may harm your computer. Consider it the proverbial poison apple, if you will. 

Researcher Daniel Peck of the anti-virus company Barracuda found that 20-25 percent of Stewart-related online content has some sort of malicious material attached.

"Spammers and malware creators are always looking for some current trends to lure people using search engines. Both 'Twilight' and 'Snow White' are popular targets," Michael Gregg, COO of Superior Solutions, an ethical hacker for Fortune 500s and trainer for government/military agencies, told FOX411's Pop Tarts column. "These techniques run the gamut from keyword stuffing targeted back links with terms such as 'Kristen Stewart Was Taped.' Regardless of the technique used, the end effect is to push the malicious site up to the first or second page of the search engine."

What’s a Twi-hard/Snow White Fan/Horny-guy-looking-for-nude-Kristen-Stewart-photos to do? Keep your security software up to date, or buy a Mac… but that’s an entirely different column altogether.

And last but not least in the Kristen Stewart news-a-thon? A Daily Beast piece defending the young actress, written by Jodi Foster.

“Acting is all about communicating vulnerability, allowing the truth inside yourself to shine through regardless of whether it looks foolish or shameful. To open and give yourself completely. It is an act of freedom, love, connection. Actors long to be known in the deepest way for their subtleties of character, for their imperfections, their complexities, their instincts, their willingness to fall. The more fearless you are, the more truthful the performance. How can you do that if you know you will be personally judged, skewered, betrayed? If you’re smart, you learn to willfully disassociate, to compartmentalize. Putting your emotions into a safety box definitely comes in handy when the public throws stones. The point is to survive, intact or not, whatever the emotional cost. Actors who become celebrities are supposed to be grateful for the public interest. After all, they’re getting paid. Just to set the record straight, a salary for a given on-screen performance does not include the right to invade anyone’s privacy, to destroy someone’s sense of self,” Foster writes.

Well said, Agent Starling. Yet, as wise as these words are, they will not silence the media lambs.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

No Soup for you (at least this week)

Celebrity Soup is taking a short break this week, and will return Tuesday, August 14th.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Paris Hilton + Chris Brown = Scary

Alternative headline: Paris Hilton + Chris Brown = Slow news day

Photo: Contributed - Paris Hilton

Despite their PR people’s denunciation of the rumours that Paris Hilton and Chris Brown are hooking up, it’s hard not to believe that something is going on between the two participants in this gruesome combination.

The rumours started when Paris Hilton took to Twitter and tweeted a picture of herself partying in the south of France with Mr. Breezy Chris Brown. Her Tweet read:

This is how we party in the South of France! #GoodTimes last night @chrisbrown! ! ☺♡♫ 

Hollyscoop reports:

So we've established that Chris Brown is not hanging out with his ex Rihanna, while the two just so happen to coincidentally be in the South of France at the same time -- but he is most definitely hanging out with, wait for it…. Paris Hilton (?). Paris has apparently been in the same warm weather playground for overly indulgent yachters. Perhaps she’s showing signs of a bit of self-awareness and in response took to a Twitter storm of posting pics of her partying with people we currently care way more about. Paris wants you to know that she is indeed in the South of France. Partying. With Chris Brown. She puts him in a headlock, and he smokes in her face to prove it.

In the photo, you can see Brown looking down at Paris’s chest with a big giant stogie in his mouth. Hold on while I muster up every ounce of unused Celebrity Soup sarcasm I can muster for this… almost there… wait for it… here goes: Don’t they look like such a cute couple? Awww.

Actually, if one were to create a thought bubble for Chris Brown in this photo, it would probably go something like “Hmmm, Breezy is wonderin’ if white girl right here is up for some kinky Fifty Shades of Grey sh*t where my lit cigar meets the tip of her…”

Oh come on, ladies. If you’ve read Fifty Shades of Grey (and don’t deny that you have), that last paragraph pales in comparison on the scale of literary sadomasochism.

Anyway, this is one scary combination. It’s hard to fathom that there’d be another undeserving socialite/badboy rapper pairing more collectively loathsome than Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, but here it is for the world to see. I don’t know how they managed to end up together, but the only logical solution (outside of the possibility that they deserve each other) is that both have worked with Afrojack. Hasn’t the DJ/Producer done enough harm by putting Paris in the studio to unleash more Paris Hilton music upon our poor ears? Now he may have created this monster couple (assuming of course he introduced them). Shame on you, Afrojack, but we still love you for giving Kelowna an awesome show on the May long weekend.

As I mentioned above, both parties are sticking to their story that the relationship is purely platonic, but let’s be real: we’re talking about Paris Hilton and Chris Brown – two people who aren’t exactly known for their ability to be chaste.

I’m not sure what either of these guys has to gain from this relationship, other than the odd STD and a potential beating.

Looks like everyone loses in this one.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.