Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are joining the judging panel on "The X Factor" this fall, part of Fox's effort to boost its underperforming music competition shows.
The network's executives, in presenting next season's schedule to advertisers on Monday, also promised changes for "American Idol." While "Idol" remains Fox's centerpiece, as it has been for the past decade, it has lost a quarter of its audience this year.
Britney Spears would definitely bring the star power to the panel, not to mention being a proven successful recording artist herself having sold 33 million albums the U.S. and counting. Spears is fascinating on and off the stage, so people would definitely be tuning in to see what she has to say.
"I'm so excited about the whole experience," Spears said. "It's going to be so much fun and different from anything I have done.
Demi described her new role as a "dream come true".
She said: “I’m so thrilled to join this legendary group of judges on the show. To be able to spend each week with Simon, L.A. and Britney watching the best that America has to offer is truly a dream come true.
“XFactor” airs Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 8 p.m.
The institution of marriage is something that is viewed by society as one of the most important commitments that a man and a woman can ever make.
According to a new study, only fifty-one percent of adults over the age of eighteen are married in the U.S. That figure represents an all-time low and a seven-percent drop from a survey taken in 2000. How can we decipher these chilling new numbers? Is everyone going to die alone? Is Western Civilization finally coming to its oft-predicted end? Is this somehow related to the Kardashians?
According to researchers, people are broke, scared of divorce, and not as pressured as they used to be to officially lock things down. “In the 1950s, if you weren’t married, people thought you were mentally ill,” said one researcher. “Marriage was mandatory. Now it’s culturally optional. A demographic that saw a thirteen percent jump in the past year alone, ” Millions of couples are now opting to just live together,
Researchers also point to the fact that more twenty-somethings today come from divorced families, and thus are way more skittish about jumping into marriage.
We also know that the kind of partnership marriage encourages is one in which you plan for the future, share your assets, build wealth together. There isn't that evidence yet for people who live together. So it would be of concern if there's a growing gap between people who are married and people who aren't, in terms of the wealth and income that they have. There's research indicating that children have a higher likelihood of turning out well if they come from a household where their parents are married. Most children turn out well regardless of whether their parents are married or not, so I'm not at all trying to suggest that children will turn out badly if their parents aren't married.
Women still want to get married- It is men who don't - Some men think there is nothing in it for them - that marriage means not equal rights - it has been made a legal license to steal for women - community property, alimony, child support (which really implies ex-wife support again) and domestic violence.
Some people don't want marriage because they value their independence first and foremost and that's difficult in a marriage. Women still do the lion's share of the work, end up with more of the responsibility for children, less of an opportunity to advance their careers than do men, and a lot more stress engaged in both at work and at home, because they are trying to negotiate those two spaces.
People forgot that if your not married and your mate dies without a will, you get nothing and his family gets everything.
And when a person in a nonmarital relationship gets sick, his or her family swoops in and cuts the unmarried partner off from contact. WHen you get to these estate or end of life issues, the unmarried are without rights.
You do not have to get married and may be fine living together. But marriage is a deeper and more ultimate commitment that you are apparently afraid of going that deep with another. It is not the same as living together. As long as you are boyfriend and girlfriend, a relationship that is by nature temporary, you remain in a temporary uncommitted state, to the world and to yourselves. And that's your right.
In an ideal situation both the man and the woman profit from marriage evenly.
Marriage is helpful for men in terms of their health and their overall social well-being. Men who are married live longer. Women who are married, their economic status is better.
"If there's a marriage in which there's sharing and equal participation in the decision-making, they both benefit equally."
The 38-year-old from New York City beat Nzimiro Oputa and Ronnie Escalante to take the title and the grand prize, which will see them launch a collection in Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M. Kara went from being a fourth grade school teacher to fashion, created a line of unisex androgynous accessories called Collar, Stand + Tie and now winner on Fashion Star.
Laricks put her hands to her face and exclaimed "Oh my God!" as the result was announced.
She later added: "I feel so overwhelmed. I don't know what to say. I'm so thrilled... at the opportunity to keep going and keep designing. This is so exciting, so thrilling!"
During the season finale, all three contestants were asked to create showcases comprising three items in an attempt to impress the buyers.
Mentor Nicole Richie told all three contestants that they should be proud of their accomplishments throughout the season, saying: "The important thing to remember here is that all three of you have sold to one of the biggest retailers in America, if not all of them."
BWTV inspirational moment when tearful Simpson told the contestants: "Each and every one of you, the people that you are and what you represent, you've inspired me to be better."
Fashion star winner Kara Larick's collection will now be available in all three stores, in a prize said to be worth up to $6m
Larick's style is a kind of a modern-day Annie Hall meets Japanese street style aesthetic., inspired by her love for menswear and avant-garde Japanese design aesthetic. She put s a new spin on the traditional women's fashion. Purchase designs on http://www.saksfifthavenue.com
Revel in the chicness of Kara's gender ambiguous shirt-dress.
The No. 1 song in America right now is "We are Young" by Fun, a pop-rock trio based in New York.
Despite the weird name about friends getting high in bathrooms, NYC trioFun. The group is now America’s new indie sweetheart. The third week in a row, Fun.’s single“We Are Young (Feat Janelle Monae),”is theBillboard100 No. 1 single, making Fun. The first rock band to top theBillboardcharts Fun.’s popularity, on the heels of America’s insanely intense love affair with indie crossover groupFoster The People, seems to signal a return to the era.
BWTV :How are you handling the mass exposure?
Nate Ruess:I think it’s something that we’re still trying to get used to. On one hand, our days are becoming more and more hectic. But we don’t get to hear “We Are Young” on the radio, and we don’t get towatch TV, because we’re on tour. I felt, like when I was dropped from a major label when I was 21 years old, that I would never have a “hit” song. For all of this to be happening now, it’s interesting to think that you thought you knew everything, and now don’t know anything.
BWTV: Does your family or friends call, saying that they just heard you in the grocery store?
NR:They don’t fill me in. I’m not sure how much the song is actually going off in Phoenix, Arizona, because they don’t really call me for anything, except to tell me that I never call them. They’re amazing people and massively supportive, and I’m so thankful that I’ve had parents like them to stand behind me when times were tough, but I’m wondering if they’re too cool for school now.
BWTV: How are you dealing with being in the spotlight:
NR:I don’t have a Twitter or a Facebook, or anything like that. I think any branding for me is band-related. It’s really weird to get used to the exposure, because I am a naturally introverted person, and I’m not exactly social. Occasionally I can get comfortable enough to talk, but I spend a lot of my days not talking, especially when I’m at home and not on tour. I don’t ever talk on the phone or anything like that. It’s interesting to feel the pressure of having to be outgoing, because I think in general, as a human being, I’m pessimistic and introverted. It’s cool, because it’s a whole different side of me, and I impress myself. , I’m not an asshole. I don’t ever want to be seen as a asshole. I'm approachable.
BWTV: There was a three-year gap between a few songs? What did you during those in between breaks? Did you take that time to find your new muse, combining a new sound to your music.
NR:It took me a long time, two years, to figure out what the album was going to be. I think, with any album that I’ve ever done, I’m always thinking, “How’s it going to progress? It can’t sound like the old album. It can’t sound like a Rage Against The Machine album, that sounds like a collection of songs from the same year.” It was really tough, because I’d only written a couple of songs in those two years, and they weren’t so great. When I discovered the whole hip-hop thing and became inspired by that, finding a way to write music and infuse that type of style into it, it was really cool to see those two songs that had nothing to do with it become infused with this new style that was developing.
BWTV: Bhasker (who produces for Beyoncé and Drake)doesn’t seem like an obvious choice for producer, but the results make sense. Did you know thatSome Nightswould benefit from a slick, hip-hop sound?
NR:I think so. That was my driving force. We have this really retro vibe and style of songwriting and, personally, I wasn’t embracing the current state of music until I fell in love with hip-hop. It felt good to suddenly embrace where music was headed, and I think hip-hop is the best at that, because it feels so progressive and everybody wants to be the best. I think that with art, you should love it and want to do it, so it just felt like it was time to embrace what was happening and tap into the future, as far as our music was concerned. We’re super audio nerds, and there’s nothing I love more than a Fleetwood Mac snare sound, and that’s what’s cool about hip-hop. A lot of times they’re sampling and trying to reproduce certain sounds, but it’s always on more of a hyped level. We love a good, hyped sound, but when it starts to sound insincere, that’s when I lose interest. I hope that our music, even if it sounds polished, doesn’t sound insincere.
BWTV: Was Bhasker receptive to the idea of working together, or did you have to wine and dine him a bit?
NR:I looked at all the album liners of the stuff that I was listening to, and he was in so many of them, so my thought was, “I don’t care what it takes. That’s the guy.” He blew me off twice, and then one night he and I got together. He finally had a little bit of time for me; he was doing the Beyoncé record, and we sat down at a bar. I was basically thinking, “This is gonna go absolutely nowhere.” I had a little bit to drink, and I started to loosen up, and eventually I went upstairs with him and he started playing me this Beyonce demo he was working on. I was really liquored up, and I started singing him “We Are Young,” and his jaw just dropped to the floor, and he said, “We’ve got to go into the studio tomorrow.” We went in the next day and recorded an early version of “We Are Young.” He really enjoyed the style that I did things, and I think he was just excited to work with a band. We thought it was just going to be one song, but he totally rearranged his schedule so that he could do the album.
BWTV: What band is your group similar to?
NR:For me, it’s probably Pearl Jam. They took commercial success and worked it to the point where they’re not at all singles-driven, but still one of the biggest bands in the world. That would be amazing for us. We wanted to end up as a giant live band before any commercial success, so if this can be something that we can continue to hold on to, and when it eventually dies down, as I feel it always does, to still have wonderful lives, that’s about perfect for me.
Forest Gump momma said, life was like a box of chocolates My momma told me go to school, get your doctorate Something to fall back on, you can profit with But still supported me when I did the opposite (Hey Mama) Now I feel like there's things I gotta get, things I gotta do Just to prove to you, you was getting through Can the choir please, gimme a verse of you, eyes so beautiful, to me (Hey Mama) Can't you see, you're like a book of poetry, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni Turn one page and there's my mommy (Hey Mama) Come on mommy just dance with me, let the whole world see you dance with thee Now when I say hey, y'all say mama
It's almost always that mom has the strongest and the quietest influence on us. She balances so many roles and she does it all with a smile. She is the most important person your my life and love her more than words!
Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom’s out there. We wouldn’t be here without you!
As summer approaches sooner-rather-than-later (yes ladies, we can stop biting our well manicured nails in anticipation), we are all eager to hit the waters. Whether it’s laying poolside or splashing in the ocean blue, it’s not where you are but what you’re wearing—swimsuit that is!
Get your retro fix or electrify your swimwear in juicy shades and abstract prints with this season’s top trends.
Scuba Chic:
Color-blocking made easy in knock-out sporty swimsuits.
The Kentucky Derby is known for its stylish hats. Women who attend the Kentucky Derby are more than happy to put on their best! Style Network Host of "How Do I Look",Jeannie Mai looks radiant at the Kentucky Derby in a Cache dress, Adienne Millinery hat and lia sophia jewelry.
I never dreamed visible panty lines and uncomfortable thongs would inspire me to become an inventor mentioned Sara Blakely creator of Spanx.
Like so many women, I bought clothes that looked amazing in a magazine or on the hanger, but in reality magnified every panty line and imperfection — clothes that eventually made their way to the "maybe one day I'll be flawless" section of my closet where they remained unworn.
With $5,000 in savings out of the back of my apartment, a whole lot of internet research, patent writing, cold-calling, less-than-shy demonstrations for buyers, and a call from Oprah...Spanx was born! (Sara Blakely stated in Forbes magazine)
For months Sara researched hosiery manufacturers on the internet and made several calls. She took weeks off of work, I drove around North Carolina begging companies to help with the idea. People always asked the same three questions: "And you are?" "And you are representing?" "And you are financially backed by?" When Sara answered she was to all three, most of them sent me away, not to mention they thought the idea "made no sense, and would never sell." Two weeks later Sara received a call from a mill owner who said he "decided to help make with her crazy idea."
Sara thought the packaging from the past panty house was boring. So, she decided to change the packaging. She had no idea what legally needed to be on the package, so she brought ten different types to compare each packing was different.
Once Sara produced the product, she called the buyer at Neiman Marcus introduced herself over the phone and said she had a product women can't live without. Then asked if she could have 10minutes of her time, willing to fly out to meet with her. Sara flew out to meet the buyer and during the meeting asked the women to try the product. They loved it.
Sara had no money to advertise. The first year traveled to various stores and malls with sales associates introducing the product.
This is a dream come true with her persistence, charm and hard work. Sara was featured on the Today Show, The View, The Tyra Banks Show, CNN, and countless other television programs and news channels, as well as in the pages of Forbes, Fortune, People, Entrepreneur, In Style, The New York Times, USA Today, Glamour, Vogue, and many more.
This is probably the start of something new. We're going to see a lot more women entrepreneurs on the Forbes billionaire lists in the coming years.
Blakely advice to young women with an entrepreneurial itch? Her To Five Startup tips:
1. Don't let the first no stop you
Before Blakely hit it big, she worked a handful of unglamorous jobs — all of which, she says, contributed to her eventual success with Spanx. She failed the Lsat twice and changed her mind about going to Law school. One job she worked in Disneyland wearing mickey mouse ears, guiding people to Epcot center and several of sales jobs.
2. Don't quit your day job yet
Jobs can be tiresome and not your career path but you need it to survive. The people you work with can be your potential clients.
3. Don't seek validation from others
When you have an idea, want to tell the world. Everyone has their own opinions and living off your dream. You want to tell people who can help you move forward not the ones who keep giving opinions. Don't solicit your product or idea for validation purposes.
4. Hire your people what your weakneses
Hire people that can offer your business what you may lack. For instance Sara implies she never attended fashion school or any formal business training but hired a woman who worked as an executive Cola Cola. Laurie Ann Goldman, has nbrought more structure and formal business planning to Spanx.
5. Never stop evolving
In a decade, Spanx’s catalog has grown from that initial pair of pantyhose to 200 products. While Spanx has been a hit in English-speaking Commonwealth countries, Asia is a huge target, followed by the Middle East. In the next decade, I see Spanx going worldwide,” Blakely says. “Everywhere. No butt left behind. It’s going to be all over the world and it’s going to be an aspirational brand that transcends categories. There’s so many things we can improve upon and make better.
Kim Kardashian chose a body hugging Roland Mouret dress for last nights"Power.Forward." The Partnership Event Celebrated The Jeep Brand and USA Basketball, at LA's Center Studios in downtown Los Angeles.
The brightly colored dress was quite the splurge at $2,285.00, for the launch of the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Altitude Edition – for the non-reality star, isaay.com has a bright option at a fraction of the price.
DoSomething.org and Hayden Panettiere adDRESS the Issue with ‘Prom For All’
The cost of going to prom can really add up... tickets, limo ride, flowers, and of course, the dress. Donate your gently worn formal dresses so that everyone can have an awesome prom. Hayden Panettiere is donating hers!
DoSomething.org, with the help of campaign spokesperson Hayden Panettiere, launched today its first ever prom dress donation campaign, Prom for All, which aims to get young people to collect formal dresses for girls who might not otherwise be able to afford them.
An American family with a high school student spends an average of $1,078 on prom, leaving one out of every four American families unable to send their student to prom.
“We’ve all got those dresses in our closets that we looked fabulous in once but will never wear again” said Alyssa Ruderman, campaign manager for Prom for All. ”Why not put those dresses to good use and into the hands of someone who needs them? Prom is a pretty big milestone for a teenage girl and we don’t want anyone to miss out. ”
“I am thrilled to be a part of such a giving and heartwarming campaign for young girls,” says campaign spokesperson,Hayden Panettiere. “Every girl should have the chance to feel like a princess on their prom night and I'm so proud of the girls who have chosen to participate and give back!"
Everyone who participates in the eight week campaign and gets their friends involved is eligible to win a $2,000 scholarship. Other prizes include a night on the town in a limo!
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired…and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn’t require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join the organization - www.DoSomething.org.
Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World is pretty much about what the title says. (This is not a title that lies to you!) Lisa Bloom wrote this book as a call to arms of sorts, wanting to wake women up to the fact that "we" could be using our brains better. Bloom urges women to fight against the celebrity-centered, stupid media that reports on things that largely do not matter in the grand scheme of our world. (i.e. "OMG does so-and-so have a baby bump?!") The first half of the book identifies the "problem" - i.e. people reading too much celebrity fluff and the awful consequences this has on our world/country/culture/brains - and the second half is dedicated to "solutions," or ways to kick the fluff-media habit.
According to Lisa Bloom, Today american women excel in education at every level, but likewise obsessively focus on celebrity media. While women outperform their male counterparts in employment in urban areas for the first time in history, they simultaneously spend countless hours staring in the mirror contemplating plastic surgery. Lisa Bloom fears that women are in danger of whirling into a nation of dumbed down, tabloid media obsessed, reality TV addicts. Too often, they outsource matters to "experts" and in doing so neglect to truly think for themselves.
Lisa Bloom has a solution and it involves one simple word: Think. In this provocative, entertaining, educational, and thoroughly researched book, Lisa outlines the ways that we as a society, and particularly women, have fallen off the intellectual path, and, very specifically, points to how damaging this has been to us on many levels. Lisa shows us the fallout--but she also provides the solutions for "Reclaiming the Brain God Gave You" and seizing back control of your mind and your life. Think is delivered in a no-nonsense manner that will make you laugh, make you question yourself, make you squirm, but, most important, make you start thinking again
We’ve got to use our brains for more than filler in the space beneath our smooth, Botoxed foreheads. The generation before us fought like hell and want for us equality in education and employment. Let’s use that for a higher purpose than adding sexy pictures of yourself on Facebook … Bottom line: your critical thinking skills are desperately needed right now for your own good as well as for the sake of your community, your country, and your planet. That nagging little voice? It’s your brain, and it’s telling you that it wants back in the game.
“Every woman in America needs to read Think. It made me think about how I can become more successful, influential, and compassionate. Lisa Bloom is a leader for our times.
Lisa Bloom host of Court TV for eight years, a regular legal analyst on CBS News, CNN and HLN, appearing frequently on The Early Show, The Insider, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, The Situation Room, The Joy Behar Show, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell and many other shows. Lisa founder & lawyer of TheBloomFirm.com,
The first clip from the big "Glee"Whitney Houston tribute, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," is in, and be forewarned: you might cry when you watch Amber Riley, Naya Rivera ,Lea Michele,and Chris Colfer absolutely slay a chilling a cappella version of Houston's classic "How Will I Know." It sounds amazing!
It will blow your mind! A chilling-inducing Season 1 one of the best moments, and it's also really, really promising in terms of . The music of Michael Jackson was the most (if not more) iconic, it seems like this episode could turn out better than Season 3's other tribute just because they're being more creative with the song arrangements.
The New Directions members hang out at a locker shrine dedicated to Whitney before they walk 'n sing through the McKinley hallways and wind up in the auditorium. Just wait until the beat kicks in and the four stand on the stage in spotlights. Amazing!! A must see especially if your a Whitney Houston fan!
The "Glee" Whitney Houston tribute will air Tuesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. on FOX.
This Sunday celebrate earth day with H&M in style. H&M has launched their newest eco-friendly Conscious* line, the Exclusive Glamour Collection. This collection includes unique red-carpet looks all made from more sustainable materials such as organic cotton and hemp as well as recycled polyester.
Here’s a pick of this Exclusive Conscious collection, which will be available from April 12 in around 100 stores H&M worldwide, as well as selected looks on-line.
Amanda Seyfried wearing H&M blue tuxedo blazer and shorts at the "In Time" London premiere
Tuxedo Shorts: Blue organic cotton mix tuxedo shorts suits
Kaleidoscope colors decorate this photo print dress and matching jacket in a recycled polyester blend.
Green is the perfect shade for today’s red carpet, especially in an organic cotton blend mini-dress with a cut-out back and flirty pleated skirt.
Top: Hot pink recycled polyester sleeveless top. Skirt: Floor-length skirt.
Dress: Purple organic cotton mix mini dress with tone on tone applications.
Floor-length lemon recycled polyester gown
For more information For more information on H&M Conscious, please visit www.hm.com/conscious
Photography by: Kacper Kasprzyk, Photos courtesy of H&M.
Fashion stylist, business woman, reality star and designer Rachel Zoe has great picks to wear this Spring. Check out some of our favorite looks from her collection.
This ensemble creates a party-perfect look with a sparkly sequin cardigan atop sleek black short.
Beaded cardigan Tie Blouse and Tuxedo shorts $295
Above Iman wears this head-to-toe cream shade that is a charming alternative to the usual suspect dark shades while the tuxedo paired with a tie-neck blouse is an even more chic look than the most elegant cocktail dress or gown.
*Take a Look: BWTV exclusively interviews Iman in the above outfit here.
Earth Day is around the corner, BWTV has a few tips on how to "green" your lifestyle. Many people know about the amazing benefits of conserving water, energy, recycling and carpooling, but not enough know about the benefits of mineral makeup.
Mineral makeup is better for your skin, the product last longer and then you buy less makeup. This is better for the planet. Mineral makeup is made of minerals which are pulverized and sterilized into a powder form. Mineral makeup is free from chemicals that cuses inflammation and irration to the skin and it doesnt contain artifical fragrance, dyes, alcohol or wax. It's good for all skin types.
Some of the best mineral makeup brand
Bare Escentuals One of the most widely used mineral makeup brand Creates a flawless, natural complexion
Lightweight makeup; great for oily skin
L'Oreal Mineral MakeupGood coverage
Natural looking
Less Expensive
Urban Decay Surrel Mineral Makeup
Gives skin a satin finish; won't look metallic or shiny
Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup SPF 15 Makeup included with Maglycerin, vitamins and skin softeners
Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 12:04PM 
