The Culture
Pop Chart E LOV IT
Video site Sohu will team with Lorne Michaels to produce a Chinese version of Saturday Night Live.
Lady Gaga announced that she will star in the fifth season of FX’s American Horror Story, airing in October. It will be subtitled Hotel.
QUICK TALK
Kelly Clarkson The 32-year-old original American Idol and new mom (to daughter River Rose Blackstock, born last June) just released a new album, Piece by Piece. —nolan feeney
VERBATIM
‘It was a horrible nightmare, because I like to be amazing.’ MADONNA, describing her fall at the Brit Awards
THE DIGITS
S Taco Bell is
testing Cap’n Crunch–coated doughnut holes at one of its California locations, much to the delight of the Internet.
$16.7 million
Amount that Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. made from their 2013 hit “Blurred Lines,” according to court filings; such numbers are rarely made public
You’re famous for fiery breakup songs like “Since U Been Gone,” but there aren’t any of those on this album. Has motherhood mellowed you out? I’m a woman—at
any given moment I might get upset! But I’m human. The older you get, the more reflective you get, the more forgiving of human error you get. Older and wiser! I hope I’m wiser than when I was singing “Since U Been Gone.” But I love a good anthem. I love angst. And I still love empowering songs.
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ON MY RADAR X Tove Lo,
Queen of the Clouds
“It’s such a good record.” X Learning
French
“So I can teach my daughter!”
It’s been years since American Idol has produced a major star. Do you think singingcompetition shows have run their course? No,
because more keep coming out. People are always asking me, Why did you make it? Or Carrie [Underwood], why did she make it? We were early on! We weren’t competing as much, except for the fact that people hated talent shows, and now they like them. So the shows are here to stay. They’ll last as long
The soundtrack for Clueless (featuring artists like Coolio and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones) will be reissued on vinyl to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary.
as people keep watching them. People don’t even realize Frank Sinatra got into the business through a competition. I don’t think it matters how you got here. It matters if you’re good enough to hang around. At what age will River LOOK AGAIN “On the Internet people only look at
pictures of kittens,” writes Banksy on his website. So to highlight the destruction in the Gaza Strip from last summer’s 50-day war, the mysterious street artist covered building walls and rubble in the territory with images of cats and amusement-park rides.
Rose get to watch From Justin to Kelly [the Grease knockoff Clarkson made after winning Idol]?
Never! We don’t have to show her that! You’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist? That’s what I do [anyway]. So why not?
L ADY GAGA, MADONNA , NYONG’O: GE T T Y IMAGES; RICH DOGS: INSTAGR AM (4); SMITH: CARNIVAL F ILMS; CL ARKSON: ERIK TANNER FOR TIME; BANKSY: ASHR AF AMR A — APA/L ANDOV; ILLUSTR ATIONS BY BROWN BIRD DESIGN FOR TIME
