By Adam Graham

“American Idol” opened up on Thursday (May 1) with the two most dreaded words in the “Idol” lexicon: “Shocking twist.”

In the end, that shocking twist didn’t quite come to pass, but it threw a wrench into what was becoming a rather routine march toward the finale.

Here’s how things shook out on Thursday:

Let’s Do The Twist

Ryan Seacrest opened the show promising an “unprecedented turn of events that none of the Idols will see coming,” following up with, “two words: Shocking twist.”

There have been shocking results on “Idol” before, but twists are something different. Results come from the audience, twists come from producers. What did the show have in store?

After building up the twist nearly the whole show —calling it “a game changer” and a “difficult decision” that “will send shockwaves through the top five”—the twist was revealed: The contestants had the option to go forward with the night’s results as planned, or vote as a group to throw out the results and stay together as a group for another week, resulting in a double elimination next week.

Each contestant would receive a vote, and if they were to scrap the results, the vote had to be unanimous. So, how would they vote?

Dissension In The Ranks

When presented with the news of the twist, the contestants looked shocked. Jessica Meuse looked like someone had just slapped her in the face, which is a lot for someone from Slapout, Alabama. Caleb Johnson jumped right out in front of the group and proposed ...

Not only did the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Awards feature performances from Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell — along with the debut of a brand-new Michael Jackson, but there was also some hefty hardware handed out on Thursday night.

Rihanna came out on top, cleaning up with four wins after a late arrival. But it wan’t just the artists who were honored, but also the ever-faithful fan armies who won big.

Song of the Year
“Stay” Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
“Mirrors” Justin Timberlake”
“The Monster” Eminem feat. Rihanna
“Hold On We’re Going Home” Drake feat. Majid Jordan
“Radioactive” Imagine Dragons

Artist of the Year
Rihanna
Justin Timberlake
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Best New Artist
Icona Pop
Passenger
Lorde
Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Florida Georgia Line

Best Fan Army
Rihanna Navy
Little Monsters
Arianators
Swifties
Mahomies
Lovatics

Best Collaboration
“Timber” Pitbull feat. Ke$ha
“Stay” Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
“Suit & Tie” Justin Timberlake feat. Jay Z
“The Monster” Eminem feat. Rihanna
“Holy Grail” Jay Z feat. Justin Timberlake

Country Song of the Year
“Highway Don’t Care” Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift
“Boys ‘Round Here” Blake Shelton
“That’s My Kind of Night” Luke Bryan
“Mine Would Be You” Blake Shelton
“It Goes Like This” Thomas Rhett

Hip-Hop/ R&B Song of the Year
“Pour It Up” Rihanna
“Holy Grail” JAY Z feat. Justin Timberlake
“Hold On We’re Going Home” Drake feat. Majid Jordan
“Blurred Lines” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
“Started From The Bottom” Drake

EDM Song of the Year
“Wake Me Up” Avicii
“Get Lucky” Daft Punk feat. Pharrell
“Summertime Sadness” Lana Del Rey feat. Cedric Gervais
“Stay The Night” Zedd feat. Hayley Williams
“Sweet Nothing” Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

Alt Rock Song of the Year
“Royals” Lorde
“Pompeii” Bastille
“Demons” Imagine Dragons
“Do I Wanna ...

Before performing for the live broadcast of the 2014 iHeartRadio Awards Thursday (May 1) night, Kendrick Lamar took a trip down memory lane to the day he and his father witnessed the music video shoot for Tupac’s “California Love” near the Compton Swap Meet.

K.Dot remembered fondly how the whole experience inspired his 8-year-old self to become the lyrical assassin he is today. So when he took the stage dress in a black bomber jacket, white tee and jeans at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, he paid homage to that memory by reciting the rap legend’s verse from the Dr. Dre-produced classic.

Backed by a four-piece live band on a stage with kaleidoscope lighting, the TDE respresenter dove headfirst into Pac’s quotable lines, all the while engaging the throng of hip-hop fans hanging onto every syllable.

“I need everybody to put one hand up right now,” Kendrick said, imploring the sold-out crowd to wave.

To close out his brief set, Kendrick then segued into “m.A.A.d. City,” from his seminal debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, punctuating each lyric with a flourish as the audience rapped along to the beat. Even Rihanna, who took home several awards throughout the night, was spotted in the crowd nodding her head and mouthing the words.

The iHeartRadio Awards was NBC’s first major music awards show. It aired live on the network and 150 radio stations across the country. Over 60 million fans voted for the winners, which included Miley Cyrus, who took home the Best Lyrics trophy ...

By Maurice Bobb
As rumors about Naya Rivera‘s “Glee” exit continue to gain steam, more bad news surfaced Thursday (May 1), with reports that the actress affectionately known by Gleeks as Santana Lopez has been dropped from her record label.

According to Billboard, Columbia Records has reportedly ended its relationship with the 27-year-old singer. Back in 2011, Rivera was the first cast member from the popular Fox series to nab a solo recording contract.

Rivera then set out to record her debut album, but has only released one single, “Sorry,” which features her ex-fiancé Big Sean. The song, a feisty ladies anthem that finds the diva preening at her lover’s parade of ex-girlfriends, failed to land on the Hot 100 chart and sold a paltry 34,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The glitch in her burgeoning music career comes at an inopportune time, too, as Rivera and her G.O.O.D. Music rapper beau abruptly called off their engagement last month after a nearly seven-month engagement. There also rumors that Rivera has been fired from “Glee,” which she’s been on since 2009.

Rivera’s rep had yet to respond to MTV News’ request for comment by press time.

MTV News Staff

By Maurice Bobb

It’s only been two months since his release from prison, but looks like Lil Boosie is ready to share some of the music he’s been carefully crafting for over eight years.

Last week, Boosie announced that his much-anticipated sixth solo LP will be titled Touchdown 2 Cause Hell and Thursday (May 1), the Baton Rouge spitter released the first single from the project, “Heart of a Lion.”

As expected, Boosie Badazz’s new material is inspired by his time in the penitentiary. The song begins with a stripped-down beat laced with a synthesizer and finds the rapper born Torrence Hatch still slinging his brash and shrill lyrics. The accompanying video features flashes of various lions in the Serengeti attacking prey behind a large visual of a roaring lion with gnashing teeth ready to attack.

“I’m only 5’7″ with the heart of a lion, creep like a tiger and I stomp like a giant/ Had to feed myself so a n—a so defiant, take ya to meet ya maker, n—a and I ain’t lying,” Boosie raps with undertones of how his many interactions with fellow prisoners at Angola must have taken place.

Diehard fans will rally around this sonic offering without hesitation, but Boosie made it clear that he’s not here to mimic what’s popular.

“I am not trying to sound like nothing that’s out right now,” he told XXL last month. “I think you start to do that when you listen to these guys so much. If you listen to ...

By Kat Rosenfield

If you’re anxiously awaiting the premiere of “Breaking Bad” spin-off series “Better Call Saul,” here’s some additional evidence that the show is going to be a comic masterpiece: Michael McKean has been tapped to play a legal compatriot of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman.

According to Deadline, McKean’s character is named Thurber, and is, “a brilliant attorney who is now restricted by an unusual affliction.”

Until someone informs us otherwise, we will assume that said affliction is either a) a second, evil head, or b) irritable bowel syndrome.

Meanwhile, McKean is going to be an amazing addition to the cast, a veteran actor who can hold his own against the formidable funny of Bob Odenkirk. But for those not totally familiar with McKean’s resume — i.e. the sad, sheltered people who have inexplicably never seen a Christopher Guest movie in their lives — here’s a quick, GIF-ed roundup of the skills he can bring to a role.

He makes really good faces.

He really gets our sense of humor.

He has excellent fashion sense.

His deadpan delivery of ridiculous one-liners is second to none.

He can mirror-dance with David Duchovny better than any other man alive.

Plus, if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see him do this — and if we’re really lucky, and the stars align, it might even be a pre-Heisenberg-era Walter White getting the business end of the slap.

MTV ...

Read More →

By Ryan Rigley

After the shocking ending to last week’s episode of “Arrow,” this week’s — titled “City of Blood” — opens with a memorial service for the dearly departed Moira Queen.

With Oliver nowhere in sight, Diggle and Felicity must go to A.R.G.U.S. leader Amanda Waller for help tracking him down. Meanwhile, Sebastian Blood’s first act as mayor is to rally Slade Wilson’s army of convicts and destroy Starling City.

Here are all the biggest moments on this week’s “Arrow”:

Mayor Blood
Two days in office and already Sebastian Blood is shaping up to be the worst mayor in Starling City history. Now that Blood knows that Oliver is the Arrow, it’s only a matter of time before he gets kicked out of City Hall. The only problem is, how will the citizens of Starling City view the Arrow once he’s seen publicly taking down their beloved mayor?

A Jobless, Homeless Orphan
With Isabel Rochev still alive and well, Thea has officially lost everything that she once held dear. Her house, her job, even her mother, have all been seized by Slade Wilson and “The Queen.” What will happen to Thea now that she literally has nothing left to live for? Perhaps, her true father, Malcolm Merlyn, will be able to lure her over to the dark side…

Laurel Joins Team Arrow
While Laurel has known Oliver’s secret for a few episodes now, she’s yet to do anything with the information ...