Nick Cannon has reignited his rivalry with Eminem. This time he hasn’t challenged him to a rap battle, but a physical one. Nick recently posted on his official website that he wants to fit Eminem in a ring. He claims that this will solve their issues once and for all and will donate any money received from the event to charity. The challenge read “The time has come! Boys talk the talk, but men walk the walk. Nick has laid down the challenge to meet Eminem in the ring.” The site goes on to say “Nick and the rest of the crew on Rollin’ with Nick Cannon think it’s time for the feud to be over once and for all. And to draw Slim Shady out of hiding. Nick has decided to do it all for charity.” Nick Cannon has even set up a face book page to promote the event.

The animosity started about a year and a half ago when Eminem released his song “Bagpipes form Baghdad” on the Relapse album. In the song he makes comments about Nick Cannon and his wife Mariah Carey, including that he has had an affair with her. Nick Cannon later called the song about the alleged affair “racist bigotry.” It then appeared that Mariah was going to fight back by dressing up as a character that closely resembled Eminem, in her “Obsessed” video. She later claims that the resemblance was actually her brother and cousin, not anyone else. Nick Cannon further defended his wife’s video and stated that she did it as homage to the movie Mean Girls. Eminem then released another single dissing Nick and Mariah called “The Warning” in 2009. Nick Cannon responded with cryptic tweets of bible passages discussing fools and cursing those who work against you. At the BET Awards, Nick allegedly attempted to confront Eminem backstage but claims that he hid behind his bodyguards. Eminem was interviewed by VIBE magazine in August and didn’t have anything to say about the beef. His only comment was “I said what I had to say.”

So far, Eminem is not taking the bait.

American Idol Season 10: The Remix

When the production staff of American Idol held a press conference, the spotlight was on the new judges.  After gaining and losing judges last season, everyone was eager to put the rumors to rest and know who the new panel would be.  Along with announcing the trio of judges (Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez) the panel also spoke about a number of changes to the show.  Here are five of the changes, in case you missed them:

1. Online Auditions

This season, the talent pool is going to be HUGE.  Not only will aspiring stars be lining up, they will be logging on as well.  The auditions are now available on various websites including MySpace.

2. More Movement

Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted being bored several times during last season.  Stars need to have stage presence, not hide behind a guitar.  The show will encourage singers to move around more and connect with the audience, and help them avoid becoming what Steven Tyler calls “shoe gazers.”

3. No Celebrity Mentors, Sort Of.

Replacing the various guest celebrity mentors will be two in house music producers.  The first is Timbaland, a Grammy award winning producer who has worked with everyone in the industry from Missy Elliot to Madonna.  Marco “Polo” Bruno is the second producer.  The ambitious Polo moved from his native Toronto to NYC in the early 2000’s and has since become one of the most in demand underground hip hop producers in the area.

4. Theme shows?

Nigel commented that he wants Idol to “not just be a karaoke show”.  Contestants will no longer be expected to sing outside of their genre.  They will not be encouraged to simply perform a selection, but to make it their own.

5. Coaching

Another new member to the staff is Jimmy Iovine.  Jummy is a music producer who has had a long career in the industry.  During the 70’s Jimmy worked with legends such as Lennon, U2, and Tom Petty.  He has been the driving force behind the careers of some of today’s hottest stars.  Jimmy is credited for giving Eminem’s demo tape to Dr. Dre.  Since the start of his career, he has branched out from music into the world of film and has co produced on projects such as 8 Mile.  Jimmy will be coaching the singers, honing their skills and helping them to develop as artists.  Viewers will be able to watch these coaching sessions on the show, and will be given back stage access to the contestant’s journey like never before.

When asked what kind of changes to expect, Randy replied “Season 10 is like the remix” Viewers and critics will be eagerly awaiting the new and remixed American Idol.

Rumors have been flying about who the new judges of American Idol for months.  The press conference held on Wednesday, September 22nd put them to rest.  It has now been officially confirmed that Steven Tyler of Aerosmith will be a judge.  When asked what band mates thought of his new gig, Tyler responded by saying that they were proud of him.  Joe Perry, Aerosmith’s guitarist, seemed to have another opinion. When asked what he thought of Steven becoming a judge on Idol, he responded that he did not want the band’s name associated with the show.  Perry went on to say about the show itself “It’s a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising.  It’s one step above (Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles).”

This comment is the latest in what seems to be a struggling relationship between Tyler and Perry.  The duo, once called “The Toxic Twins”, even appeared to get into a physical altercation onstage late last year.  The show took place in Toronto and was part of the “Locked, Cocked, and Ready to Rock” tour.  Apparently Tyler hip bumped Perry who responded by shoving Tyler offstage and into the crowd.  It was later reported that it was not deliberate and that Perry would never intend to hurt his band mate/best friend.
It’s possible that the animosity is misplaced frustration on Perry’s part.  The band has been plagued with injuries, delays, and Tyler’s trip to rehab.  To add insult to injury, band mates were not told that Tyler was considering the gig with Idol.  They actually found out on the internet, like everyone else.  Perry commented on being kept in the dark by saying “we’d like to plan our lives, you know?”

Lately Tyler has taken time off to work on his autobiography, and himself.  The book titled “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” will be in stores the beginning of 2011.  Steven spent time in the Betty Ford Clinic after developing an addiction to painkillers given to him for orthopedic issues.
Not everyone in the band thinks the exposure on American Idol is a bad idea.  Drummer Joey Kramer said “It could be a very positive thing.  We’ve been talking about it…and it’s made me come to realize what a positive impact it could have for 9Aerosmith).  The possibilities are kind of infinite with something like this happening, us being exposed to a whole new generation of people.”

Aerosmith has been together for over 40 years.  In that time they have battled addiction and each other.  Through it all the five guys have reconciled time and time again.  When Joe Perry was asked about the future of the band he said “[you've got] four guys that are great together, and if you find the right singer, there’s no reason you can’t go and entertain people.”

Jon Stewart is once again becoming involved with the political process. This time he is holding his own rally, clearly mocking Glenn Beck’s recent event. Stewart is not alone in his quest; he will be joined by Stephen Colbert. The satirist duo will hold competing rallies on Saturday, October 30th at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. They share the location with Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally that was held in August. Unlike the Beck rally there is no historic significance of the date chosen. Remember Beck’s rally was held on the anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. in the same location.

The rallies will be lacking the usual religious undertones of the recent political rallies. Unlike other rallies, attendees are being encouraged to bring creative signs. To illustrate this, Jon Stewart held up a banner on his show that read “Take it Down a Notch for America.”

Jon Stewart’s rally is called ‘Rally to Restore Sanity.” Stewart is holding the rally so that the average citizen, the anti rally attendee can have their voice heard. He is encouraging viewers to attend who don’t necessarily subscribe to a certain ideology but who are fed up with the recent hate filled political rallies. Jon Stewart has also called his rally the ‘Million Moderate March.”

Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report will also be holding a rally at the Lincoln Memorial that day. Colbert’s rally is titled “March to Keep Fear Alive.” When speaking of his rally, Colbert told viewers “They want to replace our fear with reason. But never forget ‘reason’ is just one letter away from ‘treason’.”

The rallies were announced on the September 16th episode of the Daily Show. Stephen Colbert also made an appearance on the episode, making an announcement of his own rival rally.