Sharm On The Scene

MARIAH ‘The Diva’ Carey is joining American Idol y’all (as a judge, not a contestant … duh!) and that means only one thing; American Idol is getting revamped. Again.

Ugh, seriously? How are we supposed to keep up with the singing competition if they keep changing the format and line up of judges everytime the ratings fall? We’re tired already.

A couple of weeks ago, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler announced that they are leaving the show (although there are rumours swirling that the duo was actually fired, but nevermind), which they had been on for two seasons.

Tyler and Lopez were originally roped in to replace the judges who had come and left the show throughout its 11 seasons. They were … let’s see, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell.

Yes, Randy ‘Yo Dawg’ Jackson is unfortunately still one of the judges on the show and there is yet to be news on his departure from the once hit talent competition. Or that about Ryan Seacrest who has been on the show since its very first episode. Honestly, he’s getting pretty boring.

The show got one of its major revamp in its 10th season, when the producers were alarmed by the falling ratings and the general lack of interest from viewers.

That’s when they brought in Tyler and Lopez (who was paid US$12mil (RM38mil) for her gig) and truth be told, they were quite … now, what’s the word … erm, entertaining.

Lopez definitely took her job seriously and did give many good pointers to the hopeful contestants, unlike Abdul, thankfully.
Who can forget Abdul and her tendency to clap like a seal every time she enjoyed a contestant’s performance?

Lopez was funny, intelligent and more importantly hot (that Latina sure did know how to raise temperature with her skintight outfits) and even debuted her On The Floor single featuring Pitbull on that show.

Tyler, though incoherent most of the time, provided comic relief and was somewhat lovable during his stint as a judge on that show. He too debuted Aerosmith’s Legendary Child during one of the show’s finales.

(Obviously the show is also the perfect ground for almost has-been stars to prove that they’re still worth their salt.)
So when news broke that two of them were leaving American Idol (and Jackson wasn’t following suit), people started wondering who would be big enough a star to fill their (Lopez’ especially) shoes.

Well, the producers found Mariah Carey – only one of the biggest female pop stars of all time – to take up the mantle, and while the fans are not sure how she would fare, most celebrities are already saying that she’s the right choice.

The singer addressed the news with a tweet saying, “It’s gonna be so much fun working on @AmericanIdol. As a singer-songwriter, I’m excited to help find and nurture new talent.” Yes, that and also the US$18mil (RM57mil) she’s reportedly getting for a one-year contract on the show.

“Welcome to the fam @MariahCarey!!,” tweeted Seacrest to the singer before adding, “When u and @nickcannon need a date night, I’m happy to strap on the double baby bjorn.” (Yeah, like as if she would trust her babies with Seacrest. He’s the reason why the world is stuck with the Kardashians remember?). Idol winner Jordin Sparks also tweeted her excitement over the news saying, “I can’t wait to watch @mariahcarey as a judge!! I LOVE her!!”

Even former judge Cowell had good things to say about the newbie judge. MTV News reported that during an interview, Cowell said that it was nice to hear that Carey was joining the show.

“I’m happy for her. I like Mariah. I think she’s going to find it difficult to say no … she’s sweet,” he said.

But the American Idol fans don’t know what to expect from the singer as she has never even appeared on the show as a mentor. Is she funny? Could she dole out sound advice? Will she have major meltdowns on the show? The answer is probably ‘Yes’ to all three.

Oh well, come January 2013, the world will find out if Carey is indeed a sweetheart or just another sour puss like Cowell himself. Just brace yourselves for the inevitable drama, though.

Sharm says: How much do you wanna bet that Mariah will debut a song on that American Idol?

WHEN Call Me Maybe first hit the airwaves, many people thought that the catchy bubblegum pop song was sung by another Disney-made teenager.

But when listeners found out that the singer was Carly Rae Jepsen, they were shocked.

Why? Well, it’s definitely not because she’s Justin Bieber’s protege but because Jepsen is not even a teenager anymore. She is frigging 26 years old.

To be fair, the reason why many people were caught off guard with the singer’s age was not because they are ageist.

It’s simply because they know of another 26-year-old female pop star and couldn’t even imagine that particular singer singing a track that goes, “Hey I just met you / and this is crazy / but here’s my number / so call me maybe”.

Who is this pop star you ask? Well, it’s none other than Lady Gaga, the Mother Monster herself.

Gaga is known for her out-of-this-world style, personal anthem songs, uninhibited sexuality and crazy antics on and off stage.

So to realise that these two women share the same age and yet have such diverse styles, it’s quite … unsettling.

Come to think of it, there are many celebrities who share the same age but are as different as night and day when it comes to their personalities, style and overall attitude.

First up, we have 22-year-old Taylor Swift who is obviously someone who has a bright outlook on everything in life. Despite her many heartbreaks, she still sings about finding love and has frequently said in many interviews that she’s a romantic who believes in the magic of love and is yet to give up on it.

Swift knits, bakes and posts cute photos of her grey cat Meredith (whom she named after the character Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy) on Twitter. Come on, how much more positive can this young woman get? She knits, y’all! Okay, that means she’s also boring … but who cares.

On the other hand, there’s Kristen Stewart, who at 22, projects a “darker” image. She may play a vampire-lover who gives up mortality in the Twilight series, but somehow, when you watch most of her interviews, you can’t help but feel as if Stewart has given up on real life as well.

Stewart is often morose and seems as if she’s very uninterested in everything that goes on around her. She is sullen, rarely smiles and always photographs as if she had just sucked on a lemon.

Yes, she’s an “awkward” person in real life, but come on! Stewart has been in the industry for so many years now, she must surely already know how the game works. And since she’s an actress (at least that’s what some people call her), she could at least fake enthusiasm, no?

Other age-twinsies include Taylor Momsen and Dakota Fanning, two 18-year-olds who are total opposites when it comes to … well, everything.

While Fanning played a washed-out drug-abusing rockstar in The Runaways, that stint would be the closest the actress would get to portraying such a character.

Momsen? Well, she gave up her clean cut, good girl Jenny from Gossip Girl image to pursue one that suggests she’s heavily into the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll kind of lifestyle. With her risque fashion sense, Momsen is definitely the poster girl for “Girl gone wild”.

Talented child actress Fanning would never act anything like Momsem – unless it’s for a movie role, of course.

Another pair of child stars who share the same age is Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, who are 19. While Cyrus is engaged and all tatted up, Gomez is the squeaky clean, girl next door kind of girl every mother wishes for.

Cyrus has been blasted for her salvia-smoking, pole dancing, lap dancing, and almost nude photo scandals and yet, it doesn’t seem as if the girl can be tamed. She simply just doesn’t care y’all.

Gomez on the other hand, well, she’s just busy with Bieber … who is busy producing more songs for Jepsen, who honestly, is just too old for any more bubblegum pop songs. Sigh.

Sharm says: I may not be as successful or talented as my age-twinsies Beyonce Knowles and Alicia Keys … but boy, do we all share the same thigh size!