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Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, & The Killers Bolster THE VOICE Finale

UPDATE: NBC just announced the artists the Top 3 will perform special duets with Tuesday night during The Voice finale. Cassadee Pope will perform side by side with Avril Lavigne, while Team Blake teammate Terry McDermott sings alongside Peter Frampton. Nicholas David of Team Cee Lo will perform with Smokey Robinson.

We’re just under a week away from the third finale of NBC’s hit singing competition, The Voice, and NBC announced some of the headlining megastars that will be taking center stage for the finale. Bolstering the popular competitions finalists – Cassadee Pope, Terry McDermott, and Nicholas David – the show is bringing about a diverse group of artists to keep you entertained throughout the night.

American Idol champ, Kelly Clarkson, will take the stage to perform her single “Catch My Breath” from her Greatest Hits Album, which is in stores now. Joining Clarkson will be R&B star Rihanna performing her hit single “Diamonds.” On the heels of his new album release, Bruno Mars will be on deck to perform his new single “When I Was Your Man” for the first time on television. Finally, rockers The Killers are set to appear and perform.

It’s likely the show’s coaches – Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, and Cee Lo Green – will in some way participate in the show’s festivities and NBC is promising a few more surprise performers along the way. The finale will surely have appearances and group performances featuring contestants who have been a part of the season, as well. The Voice airs it’s performance finale Monday at 8/7c, with a two-hour results finale on Tuesday night!

Who are you most excited to see? Which other artists would you like to see added to the lineup?

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American Music Awards: And the Nominees Are…

Oddly enough, Christina Aguilera (coach of NBC’s The Voice) joined producers of the American Music Awards (airing on ABC) to announce the nominations earlier today in Los Angeles. Aguilera is also the first performer announced for the 40th annual AMAs. Last years big winners, Taylor Swift and Adele, ended up with only one nomination each. Big time Idol success stories Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood nabbed two nominations each, while Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Usher, Chris Brown, One Direction and Maroon 5 snagged some nods their way. Minaj and Rihanna lead the nomination tally with 4 a piece. Newcomer Gotye got into the mix with a couple nominations. In addition to Artist of the Year, Justin Bieber snagged 2 more nominations in the Pop Album and Male Artist department.

The AMAs are determined through fan voting, which starts today. (Click here to cast your votes) Check out the full list of nominations below and let us know what you think!

The AMAs are set to air LIVE from Los Angeles on November 18th at 8/7c on ABC!

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Drake
Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Rihanna

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
J. Cole
fun.
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
One Direction

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber, “Believe”
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
One Direction, “Up All Night”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Drake, “Take Care”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown, “Fortune”
Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”
Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park

FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train

FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira

FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac

FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex

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2012 MTV Video Music Awards Full Winner’s List

With a host who actually brought the laughs, MTV and Kevin Hart took to announcing the 2012 VMA winners in style Thursday night. After cutting down the show earlier this week to two hours, so as not to “compete” with Pres. Obama and the DNC, the MTV VMAs appeared to move fairly quickly for a night full of performances and some awards to hand out. With confusing performances like Rihannas to rockin’ performances like Pink, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean to the “surprise” appearance by Psy for some Gangnam Style dancing, the awards might have had a little of something for everyone. Check out the full winner’s list below and let us know what you thought about the show! It might not be the VMAs of the late 90’s early 2000’s, but is the show still cutting it for you?

Video of the Year
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Gotye, “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”

Best New Artist
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful”
The Wanted, “Glad You Came”

Best Hip-Hop Video
Childish Gambino, “Heartbeat”
Drake feat. Lil Wayne, “HYFR”
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, “Mercy”
Watch the Throne, “Paris”
Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, “Beez in the Trap”

Best Male Video
Justin Bieber, “Boyfriend”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Chris Brown, “Turn Up the Music”
Usher, “Climax”

Best Female Video
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Katy Perry, “Part of Me”
Beyoncé, “Love on Top”
Nicki Minaj, “Starships”
Selena Gomez & The Scene, “Love You Like a Love Song”

Best Pop Video
One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful”
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Justin Bieber, “Boyfriend”
Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, “Payphone”

Best Rock Video
Coldplay, “Paradise”
The Black Keys, “Lonely Boy”
Linkin Park, “BURN IT DOWN”
Jack White, “Sixteen Saltines”
Imagine Dragons, “It’s Time”

Best Electronic Dance Music Video
Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”
Calvin Harris, “Feel So Close”
Skrillex, “First of the Year (Equinox)”
Martin Solveig, “The Night Out”
Avicii, “Le7els”

Best Video With a Message
Demi Lovato, “Skyscraper”
Rise Against, “Ballad of Hollis Brown”
Kelly Clarkson, “Dark Side”
Gym Class Heroes, “The Fighter”
K’Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, “Is Anybody Out There?”
Lil Wayne, “How to Love”

Best Art Direction
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Lana Del Rey, “Born to Die”
Regina Spektor, “All the Rowboats”
Of Monsters & Men, “Little Talks”

Best Choreography
Chris Brown, “Turn Up the Music”
Rihanna, “Where Have You Been”
Beyoncé, “Countdown”
Avicii, “Le7els”
Jennifer Lopez f/Pitbull, “Dance Again”

Best Cinematography
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”
Adele, “Someone Like You”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, “Princess of China”
Lana Del Rey, “Born to Die”

Best Direction
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”
Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, “Princess of China”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
Watch the Throne, “Otis”

Best Editing
Beyoncé, “Countdown”
A$AP Rocky, “Goldie”
Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
Watch the Throne, “Paris”
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, “Mercy”

Best Visual Effects
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Rihanna, “Where Have You Been”
David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, “Turn Me On”
Linkin Park, “BURN IT DOWN”
Skrillex, “First of the Year (Equinox)”

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Grammy Rehearsals: Day Two

Day one of rehearsals are now behind us, time to move into day two! Here are the updates!

This morning, and just finishing up, we had Rihanna rehearsing her act with Drake. Looks like they will have some sort of “Caveman” theme going on today, with a campfire in the middle of the stage. They have a lot of sexy dancers up there on stage with them, all wearing some pretty skimpy clothes. The choreography was terrific! I have no idea how this coincides with the theme, but there was a big clown wig thing going on today. Maybe just hoping to be incognito? Who knows. (Itsy Bitsy video clip included at the bottom. I know, I need a new phone!)

Coming up next, scheduled at 1:00p, Bruno Mars is in the house! We will update you as we get further along.

Scheduled for 6pm., Cee Lo Green is schedules to rehearse, followed by Katy Perry at 8pm. (All times Pacific.) Stay tuned to the Yak for more updates!  Hopefully I can get some better video as well. Rehearsals are being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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Melodic Monday: White Stripes, Grey and Idols

Here is your ‘readers digest’ version of some breaking music news this past week. Hopefully this will help get you all caught up!

Original ‘Love the Way You Lie’

If you haven’t heard this version of the song by the original writer, it’s a must listen. It’s kinda like acoustic candy for your ears. Skylar Grey, (formerly Holly Brook) the original writer of the tune is currently making a big splash on the music scene, piping up on some big artist records, from Dr. Dre to Lupe Fiasco. Skylar states that she never really was a writer for others, but an artist in her own right. The song was originally written for her to perform, but once Rihanna and her team heard the track, they asked her for the hit. Skylar agreed to let it go, but thought it would be great if people could still hear her version of it. So, here you go, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below!

The White Stripes are No More, Sales Rise Substantially

The White Stripes are calling it quits, according to a statement made by Jack and Meg White on their site last Thursday, the band “has officially ended and will make no further records or perform live.” According to the statement, both Jack and Meg are “feeling fine and in good health,” and the decision comes instead from a desire to “preserve what is beautiful and special about the band.” There were no creative differences, no lack of wanting to continue, no health issues, no in-fighting. They added that they want to thank every one of their fans and admirers for the incredible support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of The White Stripes’ intense and incredible career. “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”
In the time after the news broke, the sales of their music had a massive boost. The band’s live album and documentary ‘Under Great White Northern Lights‘ actually had a  2,644% increase, according to Amazon’s UK site. Their older albums also saw large increases in sales. Question is, will they change their minds in the future? I guess we will have to wait and see.

Mick Jagger to Hit the Grammy Stage for the First Time

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is finally giving in to the Grammy’s for the first time in his long, long career. Jagger will perform on the stage February 13th with soul singer Raphael Saadiq as part of a tribute to soul singer Solomon Burke who died last year. Burke opened several times in his late career for the band, and Jagger feels a strong connection to him.
“We’re thrilled, delighted, excited and very much looking forward to Mick doing his debut on the Grammy stage,” said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy. “It’s extraordinary to many of us that the fact is, this will be the first time; he has never performed on the Grammy stage.”
This is not really the first time Jagger has performed for the Grammy’s, but the previous performance was over satellite, when the band received the lifetime achievment award presented by Eric Clapton.
This won’t be Jagger’s first appearance on a Grammy telecast. In 1986, the Rolling Stones were given a lifetime achievement award by Eric Clapton, and they performed on the show by satellite. “I think they had been celebrating a little time before we went on camera,” Ken Ehrlich said. “It was quite a moment.”
Ehrlich has produced the show for 31 years and has always wanted Jagger and the Stones to perform, but it didn’t work out until this year.Jagger will join a performers list that includes Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow, Eminem, Arcade Fire, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Usher, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum and Justin Bieber.

American Idol Releases ‘Greatest Hits’ Album

Scheduled to be released on March 15th, American Idol is releases their first ‘Greatest Hits’ album. Named “American Idol 10th Anniversary – The Hits”, the album will feature songs by Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Adam Lambert, Fantasia and David Cook.
This will mark the first album that American Idol releases including all of their seasons winners. They have previously released “Greatest Hits” albums, but they only encompassed the hits from their respective seasons. The new album will include all the winners from the past 10 seasons, with additional tracks from runner-ups Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken.
See the full track listing below:

1. Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”
2. Ruben Studdard – “Superstar”
3. Clay Aiken – “Invisible”
4. Fantasia – “When I See U”
5. Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
6. Taylor Hicks – “Takin’ It To The Streets”
7. Daughtry – “Home”
8. Jordin Sparks (duet with Chris Brown) – “No Air”
9. David Cook – “Light On”
10. Kris Allen – “Live Like We’re Dying”
11. Adam Lambert – “Whataya Want From Me”
12. Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”

Will you buy it? I’m not sure if I will… I haven’t liked every American Idol that has won the show, and the ones I did like I already purchased either as an album, or as a single (more often than not.)

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‘Love The Way You Lie, Part 2’ Leaked

If you’re a fan of Eminem and Rihanna’s hit “Love The Way You Lie,” you’re not alone. The song has taken the country by storm ever since Eminem’s album Recovery was released earlier this year. After what many claim to be a groundbreaking music video and the best performance at this year’s VMAs, the song is still making waves. Well, there will be a Part 2. Rihanna’s highly-anticipated album, Loud, hits shelves November 16 and will feature her latest hit “Only Girl in the World” and “Love The Way You Lie Part 2.” The song has been leaked (maybe on purpose?) so check it out below (quick before it’s taken down!). What do you think? Like part 1 or 2 better? Comment below and come discuss in our FORUMS!