When in doubt, just make it up!

That was the approach taken by Creighton Fraker on American Idol last night, as the aspiring singer took a bus ride from New York City to Pittsburgh and used that time to come up with his own material.

Was it the most creative song? No. It mostly just mentioned the judges’ names a few times. But the panelists were impressed with the vocals and Steven Tyler went as far as to give Creighton a “3 gazillion percent yes” vote, while Jennifer Lopez said he was kind of like Jamiroquai and Justin Timberlake’s baby. Even odder? It sort of applies…

Creighton Fraker American Idol Audition

Fraker wasn’t the only original contestant on the air last night. Reed Grimm actually received a Golden Ticket thanks to a sitcom theme song!

Filed under: American Idol
by Hilton Hater
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The U.S. House and Senate have postponed votes on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), respectively, after widespread protests this week.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), author of SOPA, said today that he’s postponing consideration of the bill in response to concerns from critics of potential censorship.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith said in a statement.

“It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) bowed to pressure from a coalition of Internet companies, including Google and Wikipedia, that rallied consumers.

In a statement, Reid said he would delay the vote scheduled for Tuesday to begin consideration until the Senate Judiciary Committee could make more progress.

“We made good progress through the discussions we’ve held in recent days, and I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks,” Reid said.

The announcement by Reid comes two days after Wikipedia, Reddit and other prominent sites coalesced to protest SOPA and PIPA votes by blacking out their sites.

That move that drew widespread attention and spurred a swift reaction from many lawmakers who had been supportive of or ambivalent toward the measures.

So after 7.5 million phone calls to Congress and 40 million signatures, round one goes to the people. Just be prepared to fight back twice as hard again soon.

Filed under: Politics - Technology
by Free Britney
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Etta James has passed away after a lengthy struggle with leukemia.

The singer, a four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member whose distinct blues style was an inspiration to countless contemporary artists, was 73.

Her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, confirmed the news:

“This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world. She was a true original who could sing it all – her music defied category or genre.”

“I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always.”

Because of health concerns, Etta James curtailed her concerts in January 2010 to enter the hospital with a blood infection, among other ailments, including Alzheimer’s.

In May 2011, James was again admitted to a hospital in Riverside, Calif., with a urinary tract infection and the blood infection sepsis, her son Sametto James said.

Ultimately, leukemia got the better of her, but her legacy lives on, profoundly.

James was portrayed in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records by Beyonce, who has called her an idol. Christina Aguilera also cited James as a major influence.

Etta, whose library features 28 studio albums, three live albums, six compilations and 58 hit singles was ranked 22nd among Rolling Stone‘s 100 Best Singers of All Time.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Filed under: Etta James - R.I.P.
by Free Britney
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The original theatrical Snow White and the Huntsman trailer focused primarily on Charlize Theron’s evil queen. This latest version mostly follows suit, but also gives us our first glimpse at Chris Hemsworth as the titular huntsman.

Kristen Stewart’s Snow White? Still not heard from.

The queen’s quest to extinguish the bright light that is Snow White is the general premise of the film, which is the polar opposite of a feel-good, Disney-esque fairy tale.

Perhaps that plays a role in keeping Stewart’s character shrouded in mystery so far. In any case, we can’t wait for June 1, especially after seeing this latest teaser:

Snow White and the Huntsman Trailer #2

Filed under: Movie Trailers - Snow White and the Huntsman
by Free Britney
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Justin Bieber is many things: a great singer, a young heartthrob, a charitable individual. But he’s just a man, folks. He can’t hold it forever.

The artist was forced to make this admission recently after getting accosted by a fan on the way to the bathroom, leading to a Facebook posting in which he addressed those “mad” at him for not stopping to pose for a photo by saying: “im not a robot. let me piss first.”

He then added via Twitter: “gotta just Kill em with Kindness. I know my responsibility. but sometimes i just gotta hurry up and take a piss though. lol”

Bieber is clearly not angry at his followers, however, as he gifted them the photo above via Instagram this week. He also Tweeted:

“WE ARE A FAMILY…never forget that. This thing we have done..this history we are making together. WE MAKE TOGETHER!”

The Biebernator is currently in the studio, laying down tracks for an album that’s expected to be released in 2012. And the quicker he can take a leak, the sooner he can get it done.

Filed under: Justin Bieber
by Hilton Hater
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John Travolta may not be back to his disco dancing Saturday Night Fever days, but the new father is certainly on his way to getting back into fighting shape. “I’ve been working hard! Six games of tennis a day plus an hour of weight-lifting. Every day, well, no, six days a week,” John tells In Touch.

His wife, Kelly Preston, who just gave birth to their son Benjamin in November of 2010, may have been his inspiration. “I’m very proud of her, I haven’t seen anyone pull it together that quickly after because she gained a lot with Ben and she just lost it like that,” he explains. “She worked hard at it and hooked up with Kirstie Alley and her Organic Liaison, so she looks great.”

Filed under: InTouch - Latest News
by In Touch Weekly Magazine
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John Travolta may not be back to his disco dancing Saturday Night Fever days, but the new father is certainly on his way to getting back into fighting shape. “I’ve been working hard! Six games of tennis a day plus an hour of weight-lifting. Every day, well, no, six days a week,” John tells In Touch.

His wife, Kelly Preston, who just gave birth to their son Benjamin in November of 2010, may have been his inspiration. “I’m very proud of her, I haven’t seen anyone pull it together that quickly after because she gained a lot with Ben and she just lost it like that,” he explains. “She worked hard at it and hooked up with Kirstie Alley and her Organic Liaison, so she looks great.”

Filed under: InTouch - Latest News
by In Touch Weekly Magazine
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O.J. Simpson is almost definitely not the father of Khloe Kardashian.

But if you listen to the quotes invented by a source The National Enquirer made up in its controversial new cover story, you may begin to have some doubts. Simply put:

“O.J. told me Khloe’s his child,” this anonymous insider tells the tabloid. “It was the big secret that no one in the two families would discuss. And Robert admitted he and Kris were not having sex at the time Khloe was conceived. O.J. bragged about his sex life and many female conquests, which he said included some of his best friends’ wives.”

It is true that Kris Jenner was friends with the accused murder, via her husband at the time, but their relationship was never the same after Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead in 1994. It’s unclear why.

Adds this totally real source:

“He used to tell us way back – even before he and Nicole got divorced – that he had a love child with the wife of a wealthy family. But at the time of Khloe’s birth, it would have been devastating for the news to come out that America’s biggest sports hero had fathered a love child.”

It’s true. Thank goodness O.J. has kept his reputation intact since this time.

The Juice is currently in jail on an armed robbery conviction and is eligible for parole in 2017. We may need to wait until then for a definitive answer to the question of paternity.

Filed under: Celebrity Scandals - Khloe Kardashian - O.J. Simpson
by Hilton Hater
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Are Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, his partner of 14 years now, a thing of the past or headed in that direction fast? Such rumors have been swirling this week.

The pair has not made a public appearance together for more than a year, and the Dark Shadows star’s solo trip to the Golden Globes fueled the split rumors.

People reports that America’s favorite actor and the French singer-actress have called it quits, having led “separate lives” for some time now.

The couple has long maintained separate homes, in West Hollywood and France.

A source allegedly close to Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis said the following:

“They bet that they could move to California for long stays for his career. They bet that things could continue there as they had in the south of France.”

“They lost that bet. Vanessa has gone seven years between albums and several years between film projects while he became Jack Sparrow,” the source said.

On January 6, a tired-looking Paradis was spotted shopping with daughter Lily-Rose, 12, at Los Angeles The Grove, adding to the speculation of trouble.

The couple also has a nine-year-old son, John Christopher Depp III.

For what it’s worth, in December 2010, Depp gave an interview to Extra about why he and Paradis had no plans for marriage – now or down the line.

“I never found myself needing that piece of paper. Marriage is really from soul to soul, heart to heart. You don’t need somebody to say you’re married.”

“If Vanessa wanted to get hitched, why not… But the thing is, I’d be so scared of ruining her last name. She’s got such a good last name,” he said.

Neither party has commented on the rumored breakup.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Filed under: Celebrity Break-Ups - Celebrity Couples - Johnny Depp - Vanessa Paradis
by Free Britney
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Family matters to Reed Grimm. The 26-year old has been singing on stage with his parents and siblings since the age of two.

So it was only appropriate that the American Idol hopeful auditioned last night via the Family Matters theme song, harmonizing and scatting his way through this unique track, much to the amusement of all three judges.

Steve Tyler referred to Grimm as “genius.” Randy Jackson said he was “enthralled” by the performance. Watch it for yourself now and come up with your own description:

Reed Grimm American Idol Audition

Grimm, of course, was not the only standout in Pittsburgh. We also were huge fans of Hallie Day and Eben Franckewitz.

Filed under: American Idol
by Hilton Hater
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