Since Nick Lachey’s solo music career has stalled, the former 98 Degrees singer is turning to a television talent show to help jump start his career again.

NBC announced Lachey will host a talent show titled “The Sing-Off.”  The show will feature eight musical groups who will compete for a record contract with Epic Records/Sony Recording. 

The show will premiere Dec. 14.

American Idol winner Kris Allen during a photo shoot in West Hollwood. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert during the premiere of Michael Jackson's movie "This Is It." (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

The 2009  ”American Idol” champion Kris Allen released his self-titled debut album today (Nov. 17).  Many people might not have known he was even releasing an album. 

Although Allen was victorious on “American Idol” earlier this year, he didn’t receive a substantial amount of media attention after his win.  It wasn’t because he lacked talent.  It was because he lacked shock value.  Allen is plain, average and simple. 

Which explains why he has been overshadowed by Adam Lambert, the “American Idol” runner-up.  Lambert appears to be a magnet for the camera. 

As a result, numerous magazines were racing to put him on the cover and land interviews with him.  Meanwhile, Allen was an after thought.  Entertainment journalists ignored him and focused on Lambert because he was more shocking. 

Even pop star Lady Gaga came knocking on Lambert’s door wanting to collaborate with him on new music. 

I’ll admit, Allen didn’t have the strongest vocals on the show.  But the majority of “American Idol” voters chose Allen as their champion, and he deserves to receive some media attention since he was declared the winner.

Allen’s album is in stores now. Lambert’s album “For Your Entertainment” will be released Nov. 23.

Michael Jackson accepted an award at the 1984 Grammy's with his sisters on stage (from left) Rebbie, Janet and La Toya Jackson (AP photo by Doug Pizac)

Janet Jackson during a pre-Oscar party in 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Pop music legend Janet Jackson is speaking out against her brother Michael Jackson’s doctor.  In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Janet said she blames Dr. Conrad Murray for Michael’s death.

She said Murray “was the one that was administering propofol.  I think he is responsible.” 

Although I agree Dr. Murray deserves some of the blame for Michael’s death because he administered propofol, it’s not entirely his fault.  Michael willingly took the drug because he was a drug addict.  He suffered from an addiction to medication, and that’s what killed him. 

He hired Dr. Murray to travel with him and serve as his full-time doctor so he could have easy acess to prescription drugs. 

Michael was a genius in the music industry.  He made the right decisions when it came to his music, his dancing and his videos.  But when it came to decisions in his personal life, Michael was negligent, and that negligence is what killed him. 

In excerpts released by ABC News, Janet also describes how she found out Michael died.

“I was at my house in New York. You know, another day, another morning. And I get a call.  My assistant said, ‘Your brother’s been taken to the hospital. It’s on CNN right now,’   I called everyone.  There’s a line busy or someone wasn’t picking up. I spoke to mother. I spoke to Tito. I spoke to my nephew Austin. I spoke to my sister La Toya. I told them to call me when they got to the hospital, and I remember thinking nobody’s calling me back, so I tried calling again, and that’s how I found out that he was no longer. I couldn’t believe it  It just didn’t ring true to me. It felt like a dream.”

Janet’s full interview will air Nov. 18 on ABC.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw present Taylor Swift with the entertainer of the year award at the CMA's. (AP photo by Mark Humphrey)

 Country singer Wynonna Judd issued an apology to Taylor Swift.  Earlier this week (Nov. 12), Judd told USA Today that Swift’s success is “too much of a good thing.”  Click here to read her full comment.

Swift made history by becoming the youngest person to win the entertainer of the year award at the CMA’s. 

Judd posted this comment on her Web site.  “I understand that my comment about Taylor Swift’s Entertainer of the Year nomination came across as a negative statement. My intent was not to take anything away from her talent and contributions to the country music industry…all of which are truly unprecedented for an artist of ANY age. Taylor is a beautiful, hard working young woman that deserves the success she has had and I support her as an artist and as a woman in the business.”

Now, country couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are defending Swift’s win. 

Hill told People magazine, “I think she worked her tail off the last couple of years, and she deserves to win.”

McGraw told the magazine “I’ve been doing this a long time and she’s got a better head on her shoulders than I do, so I don’t know how anybody could complain about that.”

Country singer Randy Travis also weighed in on the topic.  Travis told the magazine, “as a writer, she is a phenomenal talent.  When you look at the body of work that she has written at the age when she came into this business, it’s remarkable. It really is. But do I think that entertainer of the year might have been a little early? In my opinion, yes, for whatever that’s worth.”

Personally, I don’t understand why some people are against Swift winning the top awards at a young age.  If you don’t think she should win because you don’t like her music, that’s fine. 

But I don’t think her age should be an issue.  Outside of the country music industry, teenage singers frequently win top awards. 

When Britney Spears was a teenager, she dominated the award shows.  Someone’s age shouldn’t be a factor.

(AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

Kanye West isn’t the only entertainer who feels Taylor Swift shouldn’t win the top awards.  Country singer Wynonna Judd feels Swift has too much success too soon. 

On the red carpet before the Country Music Awards began, when Judd was asked what advice she would give Swift, she replied “You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon.  Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. It’s just too much of a good thing too soon. My thing is, being a home-school mom, I want kids to earn it, and I think some time cause mom and I rode in a car for the first year of our career to visit radio stations. There was a making of the star, there was a rising up, and the fans went with us. Now it’s over coffee breaks, the success, almost. You have to play catch up. It’s like the girl who wins an Oscar and she’s under 20. What do you do from here?” (according to USA Today).

To be fair, Judd’s comments were made BEFORE 19-year-old Swift won the top award for entetainer of the year.   But based on her comments, I think it’s safe to say Judd doesn’t think Swift should have won that award this soon. 

Judd never snatched a microphone from Swift, (Like Kanye did) but I’m curious to see if there will be any backlash against Judd for that comment.

King questioned Prejean about the sex tape she made that features herself alone.  Athough the tape has been the subject of many news programs, Prejean said the question was innappropriate for King to ask, and she took off her microphone in retaliation. 

The video clip is posted below.

Taylor Swift gets emotional as she accepts the entertainer of the year award (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

The Country Music Association Awards (CMA) was held Wednesday night in Nashville.  Taylor Swift was the biggest winner (no surprise there).

The full Associated Press story is posted below via NewsOK.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Darius Rucker became the first black singer to win new artist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards, joining Charley Pride as the only African-American to win a major individual award, while Taylor Swift won two awards, including album of the year.

Rucker, whose first country album, “Learn to Live,” sold more than 1 million copies, took the stage Wednesday night to wild cheers from the crowd and shouted, “What a year!”

“First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me,” the jubilant Rucker said. “And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”

Swift, who could become the youngest performer to win entertainer of the year, thanked the fans for their support of “Fearless,” the top-selling album of the year. She also won video of the year for “Love Story.”

“You guys, this album is my diary and so to all the people who voted for me for this is a thank you for saying you love my diary because that’s the nicest compliment,” Swift told the audience.

Lady Antebellum won two awards, emerging as the early leader with two trophies after capturing the vocal group and single of the year categories. The win in vocal group ended Rascal Flatts’ six-year dominance in that category.

“Rascal Flatts, you’ve inspired us for such a long time,” Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelly said. “Thank you so much for letting us be up here.”

Jamey Johnson, along with James Otto and Lee Thomas Miller, won song of the year for “In Color.”

“I never thought you guys would even let me come to things like this,” Johnson, the country outlaw with the scruffy beard, said jokingly as the audience at the Sommet Center laughed.

The biggest question on the red carpet Wednesday evening was whether Swift – this year’s top-selling music artist in all genres outside of Michael Jackson – can end Kenny Chesney’s reign and become the first female solo artist to win the category since 1999.

“I think that you can’t help but talk about Taylor Swift when you talk about modern country music,” Otto said. “People talk about pop country or country pop. Whatever brings more fans to country music I’m all for.”

Swift was up four CMA awards with Zac Brown, George Strait and Johnson. Brad Paisley was the leading nominee, up for the biggest awards of the evening, including entertainer, male vocalist and album of the year. He won event of the year for the duet “Start a Band” with Keith Urban, up for five awards.

The entertainer of the year category has been fairly predictable the last five years, with Chesney winning four out of five times. But there seems to be plenty of chatter around Swift, who can also end Carrie Underwood’s streak. Swift is competing with her for female vocalist of the year, an award that Underwood has won three straight years.

While there seemed to be a groundswell of support for Swift, longtime watchers wonder whether she’ll actually win entertainer of the year.

“Just watching the awards for so many years, I would be surprised if Taylor wins,” Vince Gill said as he made his way up the red carpet with Daughtry. “I know people are probably speculating it’s too early to win. But that’s the beauty of having the ability to vote. You can’t got wrong with any of them.”

Swift was a favorite with the fans, though, kicking off the show with a playful version of her song, “Forever & Again,” throwing a chair off a raised podium, sliding down a poll and dropping to her knees to the delighted cheers of the crowd.

It was the Zac Brown Band that set the room on fire, though, with their high-rev version of Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The fan favorite had the crowd screaming throughout the performance.

Brooks & Dunn, who announced their split earlier this year, teamed with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons on a scorching version of “Honky Tonk Stomp” in their last performance as a duo at the awards.

Co-hosts Paisley and Underwood opened the show with a few new songs of their own, skewering Kanye West for his interruption of Swift’s MTV Video Music Awards win – “Mama don’t let your babies grow up to be Kanye” – and lamenting the break up of Brooks & Dunn.

Later in the show, telecast on ABC, country novelty singer Little Jimmy Dickens interrupted Paisley after Underwood told him that “Welcome to the Future” was one her favorite videos.

“Excuse me sir, excuse me. I’ll let you finish later. Now, Brad Paisley, I know you had a nice video, but … Taylor Swift made the best video in her time. You go girl,” the diminutive Dickens said, goofing on West, who famously took the stage during Swift’s acceptance speech to say that Beyonce deserved Swift’s prize.

The 2009 "American Idol" winner Kris Allen

–After six months of going through the legal system, Usher’s divorce from Tameka Foster Raymond was finalized this week. 

–Susan Boyle will perform next week on “Dancing With The Stars.”

–Actor Dennis Hopper was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

–”American Idol” champion Kris Allen’s new video premiered this week. Click here to watch it.

–John Mayer recorded a duet with Taylor Swift.  The song “Half of my Heart” will appear on his upcoming album “Battle Studies.”

–Dolly Parton, Kid Rock, Charlie Daniels and Ernest Tubb will be inducted to the Music City Walk of Fame Nov. 8 in Nashville.

–Lady Gaga will perform her new song “Bad Romance” Nov. 16 during an episode of the tv show “Gossip Girl.”

–During the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards this week, Beyonce thanked husband Jay-Z for putting a ring on it. This is a big deal because its the first time they have shown verbal affection toward each other in front of the cameras.  From day one they’ve made a vow to refrain from discussing their relationship publicly.

Rihanna discusses the specifics of the Chris Brown assault.  She also discusses how she grew up watching her mother being abused by her father. 

The clips are posted below.

he appeared in a variety of skits and parodies including a skit about Kanye West, the television show “The View,” the movie “Twilight,” Kate Gosselin and her ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas. 

The clips are posted below. 

Members of the Jackson family are starring in a new reality show set to air next month on the A&E network.

The show, titled “The Jacksons: Family Dynasty,” will feature Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon and Tito Jackson. 

Cameras will follow the brothers around while they prepare for a concert tour.  It will also show the brothers are coping with Michael’s death, according to the Associated Press.

Six episodes will air beginning Dec. 13.  No word on whether Janet or La Toya will make any appearances on the show.

 Before anyone assumes the Jackson brothers are trying to profit from their brother’s deaths, keep in mind, the Jacksons agreed to participate in this reality show one month before Michael died.

 A preview is posted in the clip below

(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Part two of Rihanna’s interview with Diane Sawyer aired Friday on “Good Morning America.”

The singer went into more details about the fight with her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. 

During the interview, Rihanna said “There was no person when I looked at him.  He had no soul in his eyes. Just blank.”

Rihanna said she (while she was being beaten) she wondered when it was going be over with.

“That’s all I kept thinking the whole time, ’When is it going to stop? When is it going to stop?’

Rihanna also said she still loves and cares about Chris, and she wants him to have a successful life and career.

Rihanna said the incident started when she questioned him about text message that he recieved from a woman. 

Watch the video clip below to hear more of what Rihanna had to say.  The third and final part of the interview will air tonight on ABC’s 20/20.