Cheryl Cole Dropped from X-Factor

Nicole was originally supposed to co-host the show with Steve Jones when it debuts in September -- but now, she'll be sitting on the judge's panel alongside Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and LA Reid. more on this story

Randy Macho Man Savage's Last Request

(TMZ) Randy "Macho Man" Savage's ashes were spread at the base of a tree at his Florida home yesterday ... and in compliance with his final request, the family REFUSED to play his wrestling theme music during the ceremony.

TMZ spoke to Randy's brother Lanny Poffo who tells us Savage made it very clear in his funeral plans ... NO ONE was to play his theme music, Pomp and Circumstance, while he was laid to rest.

We're told ... in recent years, Randy felt extremely guilty about using the song, because it was first used by his idol, wrestling legend Gorgeous George ... and Randy felt like he stole George's thunder. Poffo tells us Randy's closest friends and family members will meet again in Florida tomorrow to continue to mourn and honor Savage's memory. more on this story

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mistress Vs ET

(TMZ) Arnold Schwarzenegger's mistress, Mildred Patty Baena, is threatening to sue "Entertainment Tonight" over an interview with her ex-husband ... claiming the show paid him "in excess of six figures to spew lies."

Baena's ex, Rogelio, went on "E.T." Tuesday night and called the love child situation a "betrayal" -- insisting Patty led him to believe the love child was his until one week ago.

After the show, Patty's lawyers fired off a letter to the executive producer saying "E.T." ran the interview without ever doing any research into Rogelio's history with Patty.

In the letter, Patty's lawyers say they can prove Rogelio ALWAYS knew he wasn't the dad ... because Rogelio was out of the country when the child was conceived and only returned to the U.S. after Patty was already knocked up. more on this story

American Idol Close Call- Russell Brand Deported- Justin Bieber Can't Count to 6?- Lady Gaga Deal Too Much- Tim McGraw Fights Back- more

(EW) Lauren Alaina did not have to drop out of the competition, but American Idol's on site physician did report on the air that she "blew out one of her vocal chords" during rehearsal, and that he "gave her a lot of medicine" to help her perform last night. more

(BBC) Russell Brand is deported from Japan after travelling to the country with his wife, Katy Perry, on the Asian leg of her California Dreams tour. more

(BBC) Bette Midler has been cast alongside Al Pacino in a TV film about the jailed music producer Phil Spector, according to US reports. more

(BBC) Footage of actor Sir Ian McKellen appearing in his first television role is rediscovered in the US, decades after it was feared lost for good. more

(Jam!) Justin Bieber won so many accolades at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, he literally lost count. He took to his Twitter.com on Monday to thank his fans, wrote, "For once waking up because of jet lag is great....because i just found out... we won 6 AWARDS 2nite (tonight)!! I THOUGHT IT WAS 3!!! CRAZY!!"

(AP) Much like the caller in the Lady Gaga hit song 'Telephone,' some visitors to Amazon's site received a busy signal Monday when they tried to download the digital version of the artist's latest album, 'Born This Way,' which the online retailer was selling for 99 cents on its release date. more

(Billboard) As expected, Tim McGraw has filed a countersuit against Curb Record in response to the breach of contract suit Curb filed May 13 relating to McGraw's "Emotional Traffic" album. more

(FMQB) The surviving members of Cali Swag District have released a tribute song in honor of fallen rapper M-Bone, who was murdered last week while sitting in his car in his hometown of Inglewood, CA. more

Jersey Shore's Ronnie Beats Up The Situation

(TMZ) Ronnie and The Situation got into a MAJOR fist fight with each other Monday night in Italy ... TMZ has learned -- and based on the post-brawl pictures ... the Sitch got his ass kicked.

The two arrived separately back to their apartment hours ago -- Situation has red marks covering his face around his left eye. Ronnie's knuckles were torn up and bleeding.

Details around the fight are still unclear -- but big surprise ... we're told it all began with a blowout between Ronnie and Sammi. more on this story

Yo Gabba Gabba! Fall Tour

Yo Gabba Gabba! have announced a North America fall tour which is set to hit over 50 cities.

The tour will kick off in Minneapolis at the State Theatre on Thursday, September 15th

The trek will wrap on Sunday, December 11 in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. more on this story

Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson 4th of July

Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson are teaming up for a 4th of July weekend celebration for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

The July 2nd concert will be at the Wells Fargo Theater and includes live performances from Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson with special guests Cowboy Troy and Two Foot Fred. The artists will perform on a custom stage complete with a full bar and eight-piece band. There will be no intermissions or set changes as Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson will rarely leave the stage, performing countless hits and joining in on each other's songs.

Thousands of Shriners from around the country are expected to gather in Denver for the 137th Imperial Session of Shriners International. Events beginning on July 2nd through the 7th are expected to stimulate Denver's economy with an additional $16.5 million in spending. Free events for the public include a trade show marketplace set up at the Colorado Convention Center, 4th of July Parade in downtown Denver and the XTREME MUZIK TOUR concert featuring Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson on July 2nd. more on this story

Unauthorized Use of Kim Kardashian's Breasts

(TMZ) Kim Kardashian is so familiar with her own naked body ... she recently noticed a photo of her own bare breasts on an unauthorized album cover ... and immediately sent her lawyers into attack mode!!

Turns out, two music producers -- Terrace Martin and Devi Dev -- used a photo of a woman's bare chest on the cover of their album "Terrace Martin & Devi Dev Present: The Sex EP" ... and it just so happens the image was a close up from Kim's nude photo spread in W magazine.

Kim's lawyers fired off a cease and desist letter to Terrace and Devi demanding they swap out the pic -- and stated, "We cannot imagine why you thought you had the right to use this photograph without permission." more on this story

Dodger Beating Suspect Offers Up Allibi

The man accused of beating the pulp out of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium says he was doing domestic stuff at the time of the incident -- babysitting his young daughter and another child.

Giovanni Ramirez -- who was arrested Sunday for allegedly beating Bryan Stow so badly he suffered brain damage -- claims he was at home with the girl and, as we previously reported, has 3 alibi witnesses to prove it ... so says his lawyer, Chip Matthews.

The 3 alibi witnesses are his ex-girlfriend, who left Ramirez at the apartment to go to the game, along with 2 friends. Interestingly, the ex-girlfriend is a suspect in the case -- cops believe she may have been the getaway driver. Matthews tells TMZ ... there are several pictures of the group at Dodger Stadium and Ramirez is not in any of the photos. more on this story

19 Kids & Counting Family Step Up For Tornado Relief Effort

(TMZ) The family from the TLC reality show "19 Kids & Counting" sprang into action just hours after that deadly tornado ripped through Missouri -- packing up supplies and driving through the night to join the rescue effort ... TMZ has learned.

Josh Duggar -- the eldest Duggar child -- tells TMZ the fam spent Sunday night and all day Monday delivering supplies and clearing massive piles of debris to search for survivors in Joplin, MO.

Josh says he and 5 siblings -- John, Jana, Jill, Jessa, Joseph and Dad, Jim Bob -- decided to load up a 3 car caravan late Sunday night when they heard about the disaster in Joplin ... just one hour from their home in Arkansas.

Four of the Duggars are volunteer firefighters ... and Josh says rescue officials immediately put the family's considerable manpower to work -- assigning them to search around the devastated town for any activity -- and hand out supplies at command posts. more on this story

Edwin McCain Sets New Album Release

Edwin McCain has signed with 429 Records and is putting the finishing touches on his new album "Mercy Bound," which will be released on August 30th .

On this, his tenth album, McCain has introduced a new dynamic by reconnecting with fellow singer songwriter Maia Sharp (who performed a duet with McCain in 2004).

Their ongoing musical interaction over the years continued to grow providing McCain with the ideal opportunity to mix things up. The result is "Mercy Bound." more on this story

Steve Martin, Josh Groban, Matthew Morrison, Jordin Sparks, Little Richard Capitol Fourth

PBS have announced the lineup and host for this year's A Capitol Fourth Independence Day special.

Actor Jimmy Smits is set to host the event which will air in HD from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol on Monday, July 4, 2011 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings).

The lineup includes: Steve Martin performing with the Steep Canyon Rangers; Josh Groban; Matthew Morrison (Glee); American Idol winner Jordin Sparks; Little Richard performing with the cast of the Broadway smash hit Million Dollar Quartet; Broadway star Kelli O'Hara; and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. more on this story

The Rapture Coming in September

DFA Records have set a September 6th release date for The Rapture's long awaited third album In The Grace Of Your Love on through.

The release of In The Grace Of Your Love marks the dawn of a new chapter in the bands history and a welcome return to DFA Records, having re-signed with the label that released some of their most acclaimed early singles, and whose founders James Murphy & Tim Goldsworthy produced their debut album Echoes.

This an exciting release for the DFA familiy who will also be celebrating that same month the iconic label's 10th Anniversary. more on this story

Lenka U.S. Tour and TV Appearances

(Big Hassle) Lenka will kick off a headlining tour of the U.S. on June 10th at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. The run will feature special guests Elizabeth & The Catapult.

She will perform "Heart Skips a Beat," the first single from her new album, Two, on "Fox & Friends" on June 4th and "Everything At Once" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on June 8th.

The track just went to Hot AC radio and the accompanying video, directed by Sarah Chatfield, has already racked up more than one million views on Vevo. "Heart Skips a Beat" is in rotation at mtvU and was recently selected as the iTunes Music Video of the Week more on this story

New Maze Collection Coming

Capitol/EMI have set a June 21 release date for a new 15-track collection of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly's Greatest Hits.

Commemorating the 35th anniversary of Maze signing with Capitol Records, the new Greatest Hits features the acclaimed R&B/soul band's top hits and signature songs, including "Joy And Pain" (live), "Workin' Together," "Golden Time of Day," "Southern Girl," "Back In Stride," "Running Away," and many others.

The Maze journey first began in 1970, when Frankie Beverly started a group named Raw Soul in his hometown of Philadelphia. In 1971, after some changes to the band's lineup, Beverly and Raw Soul relocated to San Francisco and their big break came when Marvin Gaye, inspired by the band's fresh material, selected them as his opening act for a West Coast tour. Gaye suggested the band change its name from Raw Soul to Maze, and the renamed Maze featuring Frankie Beverly signed with Capitol in 1976, releasing their self-titled debut album the following year. Fueled by two hit singles, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly became the first in a series of seven Gold albums for the band and Capitol Records. more on this story

100 Pound Girl Threatens To Annihilate Jerry Maguire Kid

(TMZ) Jonathan Lipnicki -- aka the kid from "Jerry Maguire" -- claims he's living in fear of a 100-pound actress he used to date ... after she broke into his bedroom and threatened to "annihilate" him.

Lipnicki filed a request for a restraining order against some 20-year-old actress named Amber Watson -- whom, we're told, Jonathan briefly dated after meeting in an L.A. acting class.

According to the documents, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Lipnicki says he was asleep in his bed on May 14 ... when his roommates allowed Amber into the apartment and she immediately rushed into his bedroom.

Lipnicki says Amber "pulled my blankets off" ... adding, "When I tried to get up, she tried to pin me to my bed. I had to move her off me physically ... she threatened to annihilate me." more on this story

Nickelodeon Renews Big Time Rush

(PR) Nickelodeon has ordered a third season of the live-action comedy Big Time Rush, it was announced today by Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon's President, Development and Original Programming.

The series, created by Scott Fellows and produced in partnership with Sony Music, chronicles the adventures and misadventures of four best friends from Minnesota who move to Los Angeles and trade in their hockey sticks and parkas for a chance at music stardom. Starring Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson, Big Time Rush will commence production on 20 episodes January 2012.

Nickelodeon will premiere the music video for Big Time Rush's new single "Worldwide," off the group's RIAA Gold-certified debut album BTR (Columbia Records), on June 18. Continuing to entertain fans around the globe with their music, Big Time Rush will embark on a tour this summer, making appearances across the U.S. and in Europe. In addition, they will head back into the studio to record their second full-length album due out later this year.
more on this story

Bijan Pakzad Had Four Multi-Million Dollar Homes

(TMZ) Fashion icon Bijan Pakzad -- known for the $50,000 suits he used to sell out of his Beverly Hills boutique -- died with FOUR multi-million dollar properties spread across the L.A. area ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal documents filed Thursday at L.A. County Superior Court, Bijan owned a $5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, another giant multi-million dollar mansion in Malibu, and two ritzy condos in West Hollywood.

The docs show the vast amount of Bijan's enormous estate will be divided among his three children -- with a small remainder going to his sister and two ex-wives. more on this story

Cymphonique Miller How To Rock for Nick

Nickelodeon announced the 20-episode pick-up of How To Rock, a new live-action comedy series featuring original music and starring Cymphonique Miller.

The series builds on the network's successful slate of original live-action programming, joining the stable of hit music-themed shows Victorious and Big Time Rush.

Set to premiere in 2012, How To Rock centers on Kacey Simon (Cymphonique), a talented teenager who takes her hip-pop band to new heights as their lead singer. more on this story