Nicki Minaj has revealed that she almost walked away from being a judge on American Idol, because she felt that America may think that she was too mean. When asked how she felt about people who love her honest critiquing of the contestants, she said, “You know what, God is good. I feel like my entire career and life I’ve been judge by people who really did not know me. I definitely think that they probably were right to assume what they had assumed about me because there was such little to go on out there. You know, if you only see videos and me being crazy and hearing things here and there, then obviously, you’re not going to have any idea about who I am. I’m just happy that Idol producers gave me a shot on the show, for me to be able to show who I really was. Because I feel like I’m every single woman.

Happy Birthday to Elton John, who turns 66 on today (March 25th)!!! Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, a suburb of London. Continue reading →

It was 44 years ago today  that John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in Gibraltar — only eight days after Paul McCartney wed first wife Linda Eastman in London! Continue reading →

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Carole King‘s life and career will be the latest rock n’ roll story to find it’s way to Broadway, according to Vintage Vinyl News. The new play, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, will open in the spring of 2014, but a pre-Broadway run is in the works for the end of this year. The music will be based on King’s catalogue; including both her solo work and her legendary ’60s pop classics written with her first husband Gerry Goffin. Songs by Goffin & King’s close friends — and chief Brill Building competitors — Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil will also be featured. The show’s book was written by Douglas McGrath – who received and Oscar nomination for co-writing Woody Allen‘s 1994 movie Bullets Over Broadway.

There are two key figures in Catholic history associated with the name Francis. Francis of Assisi is a beloved 13th-century Italian saint, one of the patron saints of Italy, who lived the values of peace, poverty and simplicity. The other is St. Francis Xavier, the 16th-century co-founder of Bergoglio’s Jesuit order. He is one of the faith’s most well-known missionaries, who spread Catholicism as far as India and Japan. That symbolism of the name, along with Bergoglio’s history and first remarks as pope yesterday, seem to indicate he wants evangelization of the faith and care and advocacy for the poor to be among the hallmarks of his papacy.

A Long Creek, South Carolina man and his family who were driving in their truck spotted a box on the side of the road and when they investigated it they found three baby bears. Brandon Poole said, “I thought it was little puppies in that little box, so I got closer to it, I noticed I heard squealing so I thought it was baby pigs. I got closer and picked one up. It was three baby bears.” Poole, a volunteer firefighter, took the cubs to the firehouse and called wildlife authorities. He explained, “I put them in the truck with us and got up here to the firehouse and called the game warden because I couldn’t let them freeze that night. It got real cold. They could have died.” The cubs were split up; two were taken to the Appalachian Bear Rescue in Knoxville, Tennessee and one was taken to Charles Towne Landing in Charleston, South Carolina. Poole said, “It felt good, I’m kind of trained to save lives and help, so it felt real good to me.”

It was 44 years ago today  that Paul and Linda McCartney were married in London. The couple met in 1967 at London’s Bag O’Nails nightclub when Linda, already a noted rock photographer, was out for the night with members of the Animals. Paul made a point of introducing himself to Linda, and planted the seeds to one of rock n’ roll’s most famous and enduring relationships, which continued until Linda’s death on April 17th, 1998.

JIM CARREY IS BACK IN ‘DUMB AND DUMBER’ SEQUEL: Jim Carrey revealed that he is once again starring in the sequel to Dumb and Dumber while promoting his new film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. He told E! News, “I’m ready. There is a script. It’s fun. Jeff and I are raring to go.”

It was 49 years ago tonight that the Dave Clark Five made their debut on TheEd Sullivan Show. The group was the second British invasion act to infiltrate the U.S. shores, following the Beatles. The DC5 were best known for their string of ’60s hits, including “Glad All Over,” “Bits And Pieces,” “Because,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Catch Us If You Can,” “Over And Over,” and “Having A Wild Weekend.” All told, the group racked up a total of 18 appearances on the Sullivan show — more than any other musical act.