Heejun Han was among the contestants who will move on to the live episodes; 10 more will be announced Thursday. By Adam Graham
Reed Grimm celebrates on "American Idol" Photo: Fox
Rest easy, America. Heejun Han made it through.
Han, the biggest personality to emerge on "American Idol" so far this season, was revealed on Wednesday's (February 22) episode as one of the 24 seminfinalists who will make it through to the live episodes, which begin next week. From a final pool of 42, 14 semifinalists were unveiled during Wednesday's episode; the final 10 will be made public during Thursday's one-hour episode.
Joining Han — producers cued "Hey Jude," which almost sounds like "Heejun," when he made it through — on the guys' side are the incredibly named Phillip Phillips; tiny soul man Creighton Fraker; former family band singer Reed Grimm; gospel-voiced Joshua Ledet; and the mohawk-mulleted Colton Dixon. Representing for the ladies are Erika Van Pelt, Jen Hirsh, Haley Johnsen, Elise Testone, Chelsea Sorrell, Baylie Brown, Jessica Sanchez and Brielle Von Hugel.
This being "American Idol," however, a simple "you made it!" is never quite dramatic enough. Instead, the judges have to drag out their decisions, cruelly suggesting the contestants have been cut and telling them everything short of, "you'll never sing in this town again, baby," before waiting a beat and then adding, "because this town's no longer big enough for you, because you made it through!"
Consider Randy Jackson's speech on Wednesday to Ledet. "You know what, sometimes in life, you know, you do these shows and you do these things, and sometimes the better singers don't quite make it, because everything doesn't quite line up," Jackson told him. "You know, it's heartbreaking for us, you know what I mean? It's like, that's why this day is so hard, because we have to say 'bye' to so many people that we love that are so talented, that everything just didn't line up. And this season's definitely tough, you know; we're trying to find the exact right 24. So for you man, you made it bro." Ledet reacted to the news by singing, "thank you, Jesus."
Likewise, when Jennifer Lopez told Van Pelt the news that she'd made it through, she framed it by telling her, deep breath, "You know, watching everybody over the past few days, we were just saying some people just blew us away, but we had a lot of people who didn't do as amazing as we thought they were gonna do, and unfortunately you were one of those people. Because we had our eye on you so much from the beginning, because of that voice that comes out of that body, you know? And we're all such fans, and so yesterday was difficult, 'cause we have to decide who we're gonna take a chance on and who we're gonna say, 'Maybe next time.'" Then she told dropped the hammer: "We're gonna take one more chance on you, Erika." Well, at least it's more dramatic than just texting the singers, "congrats, u made it!"
"Idol" also got rid of a few familiar faces during Wednesday's episode, and this year's resident cowboy contestant Richie Law was one of the singers shown the door. Others who were cut included St. Louis standout Lauren Gray and an assortment of contestants who haven't received much camera time, including Blaire Sieber, Naomi Gillies, Neco Starr, Clayton Farhat, River St. James and Caleb Johnson. Most of them seemed to be delivered the news in a less-harsh manner than the ones who made it to the next round.
Thursday's episode is set to showcase the rest of this year's semifinalists, as well as reveal the fate of Adam Brock, the family man whose destiny hung in the balance during Wednesday's cliffhanger ending.
What did you think of Wednesday's "Idol," and are you ready to vote for Heejun already? Let us know in the comments!
They also talked about someone who will likely have everyone buzzing when they leave the theater: Aniston's co-star and real-life leading man, Justin Theroux.
Aniston said Theroux is a "far cry" from his hippie-dippie character in the film, which revolves around an uptight New York couple who decide to shake up their lives and end up at a commune. Rudd and Aniston play that couple just looking for a change of pace.
"I didn't recognize him actually, when were at the camera test," she continued. "We were at the camera test and I did not recognize him because he's usually in leather and tight black jeans and black boots and he has this very specific look that, since I've known him, he's always had. But that's sort of what's so great [about him]."
The actress continued that it's his ability to change so much from his real-life look (which veers more toward New York hipster chic than Boho-chic) and personality that makes him stand out in the film. "He has a beard; it's a healthy beard [in the film]. But what I think is so awesome about Justin is that he really just disappears," she said. " 'Your Highness' was so great, and even like in 'Zoolander,' I didn't know he was that crazy DJ. He sort of morphs into things, into characters and also has a leading-man quality, which I think is beautiful. He's just great."
It seems that love for Theroux doesn't begin and end with Aniston. Rudd, who has worked with him in the past in "The Baxter," is equally charmed by his ability to portray guys who are not as smart as they think they are. "He's such a smart guy and he's so talented and good at playing [those] guys. What I love about him is his subtlety. He's kind of a master of subtlety," he said. "I've been a fan of his for years."
But as the initial shock of the pair's reunion subsides, and both remixes begin to diffuse into the collective conscience, we're left with one rather important question: Beyond all the (very public) handwringing the songs have created, are they actually any good? Early opinions from critics have been lukewarm at best (and downright hostile at worst), mostly because it seems they have a difficult time separating their feelings about Brown — and his 2009 assault of Rihanna — from their feelings about the songs themselves. And really, you can't blame them. In a lot of ways, it's impossible not to view the "Cake" and "Music" remixes through the prism of the past three years.
Still, with opinions still being formed (and feelings still fresh), we reached out to some of our favorite music journos to get their take on the songs and Rihanna and Brown's unlikely collaboration. Here's what they had to say:
" 'Birthday Cake' was pretty much destined to be a smash when Talk That Talk was released with only a snippet of it. ... The 78-second bit of The-Dream-produced track inspired hosannas from members of the Rihanna Navy who couldn't wait for the full thing to be released. ... Putting Chris Brown on the [remix] (and having him sing 'I wanna f--- you right now,' which Rihanna sang on the fade-out of the TTT version, as his opening gambit) seems almost like overplaying her hand. Like, this song was going to be a big deal to her fans no matter what, so why add the controversy to it? Then again, the past three years of her career have, it seems, been about her taking control of her public image in a big way — from enacting revenge fantasies in 'Man Down' to singing about sex a lot — and adding Brown to a song about fetishistic sex is a way for her to do just that, to implicitly flip off people who she sees as paternalistic or overbearing while engaging in what she calls 'chiefin'.' Every gossip item about the two of them getting back together or hanging out, every angry/sad/exulting blog post, every public tweet they direct to one another when presumably they could just DM back and forth, keeps them — and the songs — in the news. Meanwhile, Brown's song and Rihanna's contribution to it are both pretty bland, a 'Party Rock Anthem' with no shuffling and even less whimsy. At one point, Rihanna does the phrase 'I love you,' which will no doubt get tongues wagging. I am pretty much grossed out by the whole thing, to be honest." — Maura Johnston, Village Voice
"The remixes aren't terrible, and that's as much as I'll say at risk of saying something positive about Chris Brown. ... The most important thing to remember is that if you have a problem with these two teaming up: Don't blame Rihanna. Blame the ravenous, unscrupulous, money-starved record industry for being complacent through this entire event. The whole machine is falling apart, so everyone — artists like Ludacris and Justin Bieber, their labels and managers, magazines like Vibe who put Chris Brown on the cover, awards shows like the Grammys, TV networks who play Chris Brown videos — they're all too afraid to potentially put forth an opinion that would prevent them from being where money is. The fact that everyone except Jay-Z and Miranda Lambert is too chickensh-- to speak out against woman-beating is pathetic beyond pathetic. Everyone is too scared to compromise their chance to catch the last remaining dollars during the music industry's death rattle." — Christopher R. Weingarten, SPIN
"Rihanna's 'Birthday Cake' was a standout track from Talk That Talk, even in its original form (as an interlude) — and more importantly, without Chris Brown. On the remix, all Brown's aggressive, salacious verses do ... is add fuel to rumors circling of their reunion behind closed doors. [And] Rihanna comes back on the song, calling checkmate on Breezy with her suggestive lyrics — "Remember how you did it?/ Remember how you fit it?/ If you still want to kiss it, come, come and get it" — making it hard to not be teased into again reading between the lines. 'Turn Up the Music' feels like a collaboration that would have fit both artists' discography during their days coupled up. Although RiRi's airy vocals blend well with the Underdogs' dance soundscapes, adding Rihanna to the track doesn't leave a lasting impression nor elevate the song to higher grounds. Ultimately, it's not the content of the songs that matter; it's the statement both singers are trying to make by simply releasing them. The collaborations appear to be a step toward reconciliation between both — seeing the tracks climb the chart is a bonus. Rihanna wants us to know that she no longer wears the shoes of the victim and Breezy wants to prove that he's become a better man. This isn't a personal or professional move; it's both. Both singers have woven their personal life, a haunting moment in their lives, into a professional move. Though it's stirred much controversy, I believe it was bound to happen." — Erika Ramirez, Billboard.com's "The Juice"
What do you think of the collaborations? Let us know in the comments.
Movie's stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd stop by for a chat about the movie, which premieres Friday. By Kevin P. Sullivan
Paul Rudd in "Wanderlust" Photo: Universal
As part of "MTV First," Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston premiered a never-before-seen clip from their upcoming comedy "Wanderlust" ... but that was only the beginning.
In the clip, their characters embrace their new lives on the Elysium commune with some new, let's say ... experiences. Now we have an extended NSFW version of the same scene that takes a raunchier look at life at Elysium.
The extended version contains some drug references, so some viewer discretion is advised.
In "Wanderlust," Rudd's character, George, loses his job and leaves New York with his wife, Linda, in search of a new beginning. After a failed attempt to shack up with George's brother, they head off again in search of a new home. But they accidentally wind up stuck in the hippie commune inhabited by a wide range of characters.
One of those characters introduced in the clip is Seth, the spiritual leader of the commune, played by Aniston's real-life boyfriend Justin Theroux. The couple met while making the film, and in the clip, we see their onscreen introduction. We're also introduced to the characters played by Lauren Ambrose and Jordan Peele, Almond and Rodney.
The clip was just the beginning of the fun. If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out MTV News' Josh Horowitz's entire interview with Rudd and Aniston, which followed the premiere of the new clip from "Wanderlust." During the interview, they addressed things like onscreen nudity and took questions from the fans via Twitter.
Songwriter The-Dream tells 'RapFix Live' of Rihanna, 'She's my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do.' By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
The-Dream on "RapFix Live" Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News
Fans were shocked and some outraged when they heard Rihanna's "Birthday Cake" remix with ex-beau Chris Brown. The-Dream, who wrote the song, admits that he was a bit surprised when Rihanna told him that she'd like to include the man who once assaulted her on the track, but the "Shawty is a 10" singer was far more understanding than Rih Rih's detractors.
"At the end of the day, she's my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do," The-Dream told Sway when he appeared on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday (February 22), just two days after Rihanna released the controversial remix.
The-Dream remembers first getting the call from Rihanna while driving in Miami. "I think I'm gonna put Chris on it," he remembers the Talk That Talk singer saying to him over the phone nonchalantly. "I don't know which Chris you talkin' about, [but] OK, cool, whatever you say," The-Dream remembers responding.
Of course there is really only one Chris, and The-Dream came to grips with the reality that the two would be coming together in song after the damaging 2009 assault that left Rihanna battered and bruised and Brown public enemy #1. "She's pretty smart too. The same questions that went through my mind, and I'm an artist also, had to have gone through hers," The-Dream told "RapFix Live." "When she raised the question to me, I know she's not crazy. So my thought was you've been thinking about this, you've already thought it out, so evidently you know what reaction you gonna get."
The singer/songwriter said that he was just happy that she gave him enough forewarning that he too could prepare for any type of backlash. Still, despite the rumblings of whether or not Rihanna is sending the right message collaborating with Chris on "Birthday Cake" as well as Brown's "Turn Up the Music" remix, The-Dream says that it all boils down to forgiveness. "Don't say you know how to forgive when you don't," he warned. "Everybody knows what took place, cool. Have the power to really forgive if that's what it is, if not stay on that side of the fence from the beginning."
In no way did The-Dream condone Brown's behavior on that February night in 2009, but he does suggest that it is time for people to move on. "It's easy to kinda throw Chris under the bus all the time, but c'mon, man. OK, we get it," he said.
Do you support Rihanna's decision to work with Chris Brown again? Leave your comment below!
'Everything just kind of happened at once,' 14-year-old tells MTV News about new TV and recording deals. By Kara Warner
Rachel Crow Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images
Her elimination from "X Factor" made for one of the most shocking (and tear-filled) moments of the show, and now breakout star Rachel Crow will be crying tears of joy thanks to a newly inked recording contract with music-industry powerhouse Columbia Records and a TV deal with Nickelodeon.
MTV News caught up with the spunky 14-year-old on Wednesday (February 22) to get the inside scoop on her new endeavors.
"Everything just kind of happened at once. It was really cool for me. I've never had so many things happen — it's just amazing," Crow said of her recent career developments, the first of which we'll see via Nickelodeon's new comedy "Fred: The Show."
" 'Fred: The Show' is so much fun to work on. The whole crew, the whole cast, everyone is amazing. What's really cool is on that show, you get to show both sides — singing and acting — which is right up my alley," Crow said of her five- to six-episode stint. "I'm loving the acting so much. It's really fun for me. I have a fun character. She's spunky and crazy, and she wants to be a star and her name is — drum roll — her name is Starr."
With regard to the pilot the network is developing around the bubbly singer/actress, Crow said the details are still being worked out but promised it will be something we've never seen before.
"The goal with the pilot is to reach boy and girl audiences, because that's hard to do. We're still deciding if it's going to be one topic or any topic. Hopefully my [character's] name is Rachel, I hope," she said. "It's going to be edgy and really funny. I want to land the moms and the dads too, so hopefully it will be a family show."
In between her work on "Fred: The Show" and her new pilot, Crow is getting ready to record her first studio album at Columbia.
"I want my first album to have a lot of high notes in songs," Crow said. "I want there to be upbeat songs and slow songs, I want it to be retro and very soulful and I want at least one of my songs to have a guy rapping in it, because that is just so cool. Maybe Eminem can rap on it?"
What are you expecting from Rachel's post-"X Factor" career? Let us know in the comments below!
Join Josh Horowitz and Christina Garibaldi with your favorite celebs, starting 5 p.m. Sunday on MTV.com. By Kevin P. Sullivan
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
MTV News has been your go-to source for everything Oscars leading up to the big night, and when it comes time to hand out the Academy Awards, we'll be right in the center of the action to bring you what you need.
MTV News' Josh Horowitz and Christina Garibaldi will come to you live from the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre this Sunday, February 26, talking to the stars, bringing you the fashion and celebrating all things Oscars.
The live stream from the red carpet will begin on MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT and run right up until the beginning of the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. To join the live conversation, tweet @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars to share your thoughts and ask questions of your favorite celebs.
During the two and a half hours of coverage, you'll be sure to hear from not only the nominees, but the rest of Hollywood's biggest stars. MTV News will be your one-stop shop for the biggest stars on Hollywood's biggest night.
In the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, MTV News has had everything you need to know heading into Oscar night. Every day, we will be bringing you new predictions and analysis of the awards show and giving you all the inside info to take home the pot in your Oscar pool.
It all starts live on MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT.
The MTV Movies team has the 2012 Oscars covered! Stick with us for everything you need to know leading up to the awards show, and on Sunday, February 26, tune into MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET for our two-and-a-half-hour red-carpet live stream and updates on the night's big winners. To join the live conversation,tweet @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars.
Fans weigh in on 'Birthday Cake' and 'Turn Up the Music' remixes and what working together again says about their relationship. By Jocelyn Vena
Rihanna and Chris Brown in 2008 Photo: WireImage
When Chris Brown and Rihanna dropped their remixes of "Birthday Cake" and "Turn Up the Music," fans immediately began to weigh in on the collaborations and what they mean about the status of Ri and Brown's highly publicized tumultuous relationship.
While the songs may serve as a distraction from their personal past (which includes Brown's assault of Rihanna in 2009), many of the music fans we caught up with in Times Square stood on two sides of the line. Some were willing to forget the past and enjoy the music for what it is, while others were not yet ready to forgive.
"They're both really good artists. I like Chris Brown a lot. He was down at the bottom during that time and then he came back up," James Hauser told MTV News. "So he's starting to do better."
Cassy Cnegt pointed out the negative attention it could bring to both artists, rehashing a personal story line that doesn't seem to end. "I think there's going to be a lot of bad publicity about why she's doing it," she said.
Another fan, Billy Titus, added, "His music's all right, but I think that she can do a lot better by herself than be with him."
Jean-Yves thinks their collaborations show how far their relationship has come. "The fact that they're able to work together is a good sign for Chris Brown, as opposed to the animosity that was there before."
However, Aliyyah notes that it's difficult to separate the music from the events. "Personally, I think it's a little bit awkward for them in terms of their relationship, because he did hit her and the world knows that, so it kind of sends a weird message to her fans — especially her women fans — to still support him in that way, but I guess it's not our life," she said, adding that Brown has built up a "bad boy" reputation and that he may be trying to get Rihanna to take him back.
While music fans stand on both sides of the complex issue, one domestic violence expert tells MTV News that seeing these two artists work together again is "not surprising."
"I don't know what the message [of the songs] is. I would like the message to be: 'People can change, and I will never be treated that way again and I will never treat anyone that way again.' If they had released a song saying, 'This is what this represents for us,' that would be such a much more fabulous, powerful story than not saying a word," Rita Smith, the executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said. "The content of the songs seems to be more in-your-face than something about, 'We're collaborating on something because we care about the way people treat each other.' That would have been the message that would have been nice to come out of this very public and tragic incident."
What do you think of Chris Brown and Rihanna's recent collaborations? Leave your comment below.
'We just wanted to make sure that they had ... resources to tell that story properly,' Trevor Project interim CEO tells MTV News. By John Mitchell
Daniel Roebuck and Max Adler in the "On My Way" episode of "Glee" Photo: FOX
Tuesday night's winter finale of "Glee" tackled the difficult topic of teen bullying and suicide. David Karofsky (Max Adler) — who bullied Kurt (Chris Colfer) because of his sexuality only to be revealed later as gay himself — tried to kill himself after teammates at his new school discovered the football player was gay and viciously harassed him verbally and online.
Karofsky's attempt was unsuccessful but it brought the subject to the forefront for all of the characters. And while the show's decision to take on the topic was bold, the portrayal has inspired a mixed reaction.
Among the viewers who felt the topic was handled deftly and with great care is David McFarland, the interim executive director and CEO of the Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. The group aired a much-discussed PSA featuring "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe during the episode.
"It's clear after last night's episode that Ryan Murphy and his team did an excellent job of doing their research to tell a tough story and we were very proud to be involved and have the opportunity to air Trevor's PSA with Daniel Radcliffe," McFarland told MTV News on Wednesday (February 22).
Others, however, complained that the episode had too many additional story lines — a teen wedding, the Regionals' singing competition and a major incident for one of the principal characters that we won't spoil here — which ultimately served to oversimplify and trivialize an important topic.
MTV News' own "Glee" re-capper, Kevin Sullivan, took particular offense to a comment made by Mr. Schuester, who revealed that his own suicide attempt was prompted by being caught cheating on a math test.
"Suicide has so many aspects to consider that it cannot be glossed over in the same hour that features a regional show choir competition and a fictional wedding," Sullivan said.
McFarland disagreed, however, saying he thought the episode was an example of responsible storytelling. "[The Trevor Project wasn't] told in advance ... what the episode was going to be, we weren't on-set advisors to the episode," McFarland added. "We've been involved to the extent that if they were going to tell the story about suicide, we just wanted to make sure that they had access to resources to tell that story properly."
What seemed to be sloppy product placement also raised some eyebrows given the subject matter. After a member of McKinley's Christian student club (a.k.a. the "God Squad") mentions that they're sending Karofsky an Edible Arrangement, we later spot the fruit bouquet when Kurt visits the hospital. And when Warbler Sebastian announces that his team will be taking donations for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation at Regionals, some couldn't help but cringe.
While the Born This Way Foundation's anti-bullying mission aligns well with the episode's message, some fans questioned the wisdom of plugging the yet-to-launch organization of a major pop star when other, less-visible organizations have demonstrated their work on the matter. Still, McFarland thinks the show did a great service by putting the topic of LGBT teen suicide on a large national platform; he's happy the subject is getting the national attention it deserves.
"It's being discussed on many platforms and levels throughout this country, including on the radar screen of the president and first lady of the United States," McFarland said. "And a story like this reinforces the important attention that this country needs to give to what is truly a health crisis in America.
"We really need to provide safe spaces and environments for our youth and that episode told that story beautifully," he continued. "More of these stories need to be told, more work needs to be done. Overall, we need to do a much better job for our young people in providing safe environments and they need to feel socially, emotionally and physically safe and supported at home, in their communities and their schools."
Share your thoughts on Tuesday's episode of "Glee" in the comments below.
'American Idol' judges aren't looking to hop on the 'Moves Like Jagger' bandwagon with their own collabo, Lopez tells MTV News. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Jim Cantiello
Jennifer Lopez Photo: Michael Caulfield/ Getty Images
The usual rule in Hollywood is that if something works once, it's probably worth doing it again, and again, and again, and then maybe once more just to make sure the concept hasn't run out of legs.
But even though "The Voice" mentors Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera smashed digital sales records with their collaboration "Moves Like Jagger," don't expect "American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez to follow in their fancy footsteps.
"None of us are kind of followers in that way," Lopez told MTV News when asked if she and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler might consider putting their very different pipes together to see if they could capture their own lightning in a bottle. "We kind of do what feels right, and anybody that's been in the business a long time knows that you don't chase."
You could see why they might consider it, though. Since joining the revamped "Idol" panel last year, Lopez and Tyler have helped set a standard for how career artists can reboot their fortunes by making a move to prime time. Aerosmith's back catalog sales blew up, while Lopez scored her biggest hit in years with the "Idol"-promoted single "On the Floor."
Despite that visibility, the singer said she's not into leading from behind. "You set the trail. You go out front, and anything that we do is something that feels good to us," she said, leaving the door open just a crack. "If that happened, it would happen. If a performance happened, it would happen. But it would have to feel real. ... Last year, we talked about performing together on the show for the finale, and we just couldn't agree on the same thing that felt good for all of us, so we just didn't do it."
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
