‘X Factor’s’ Simon Cowell & L.A. Reid: The Billboard Cover Story – When the show returns Sept. 12-with new judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato replacing the first season’s Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul-music buyers will have a chance to determine if Reid’s instincts were spot on. Epic will release debuts from rapper Chris Rene and R&B singer Marcus Canty in October, with season-one winner Melanie Amaro following in December. Further recognizing the show’s power, Reid snagged Cher Lloyd, a season-seven finalist on the U.K. “X Factor,” for Epic, not Columbia. Her first U.S. charting single, “Want U Back,” peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and her U.S. album debut arrives in October. – Read more at Billboard.com
Jennifer Hudson tells Oprah she’s forgiven family’s killer: ‘It’s not his fault’ – On Sunday night’s “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” the veteran talk-show host spoke to Jennifer Hudson about the tragedy that struck the entertainer’s family four years ago, when Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law murdered her mother, brother and nephew. The difficult discussion led to an unexpected revelation from Hudson: Not only has she forgiven William Balfour for killing her loved ones, but she doesn’t even hold him completely responsible for his actions. “For the most part, it’s not his fault,” Hudson said. – The Clicker
The Girls With Glasses Go Back to the 40s
Season 7 American Idol alum, Brooke White, and her friend Summer Bellessa make a nostalgic trip back to the 40s in their latest episode of Girls with Glasses. Brook tweets that she begins recording a Christmas record today!
Bucky Covington Talks ‘Good Guys,’ First Album in 5 Years – It’s been a long wait for Bucky Covington, but with this week’s release of “Good Guys,” he finally has new music out. After hitting on Lyric Street Records with hits like “A Different World” and the touching “I’ll Walk,” the label closed — putting his recording career on hold. However, the singer says he kept going thanks to the support from his loyal legion of fans. “I’m very appreciative of them sticking with us,” he says. “When you go through things like the label shutting down, and getting caught in the middle of things, the fact that we came out of that, released this new video, and had a million hits within 24 hours, God bless the fans. It’s great to be remembered.” – Read more at Billboard
‘The Voice’s’ Cee Lo Green on the New Format, Addition of ‘The Steal’ – On Sept. 10, Cee Lo Green will be returning for his third season as one of the four coaches on NBC’s The Voice. The funky singer with the eccentric style and infamous white cat tells The Hollywood Reporter that contestants “have their game faces on” this season, as the show introduces some new changes to their format. In the battle round, the four coaches – Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton – will have the opportunity to steal a contestant from another team if he or she loses the battle round. – Read more at The Hollywood Reporter
Kate Hudson On Her Glee Character: ‘She’s Really Nasty!’ – “[She’s] a really nasty, fun character,” Kate told Access Hollywood’s Scott “Movie” Mantz at the Toronto International Film Festival, where she was promoting her film, “Reluctant Fundamentalist.” The promos for the new season already show Cassandra giving Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry a hard time, and Kate has enjoyed playing the saucy teacher.
“She is definitely very petty and fun, but she’s got a good arc. She goes somewhere,” Kate hinted. “But, it’s a blast. I’m having so much fun on ‘Glee.’ It’s really, really fun.” – Read more at Access Hollywood
