• MoonPies for Troops: Craig Morgan Makes Good on Sugary Promise

    Troops heading home for the holidays this December will get a special treat courtesy of country singer Craig Morgan, who helped ship 35,000 MoonPies to USO centers across the United States. A U.S. Army veteran, Morgan assisted the sugary company with a six-month social media campaign in which consumers donated the pies to those currently serving overseas.According to the "Chattanoogan," via The Boot, Morgan is a "lifelong MoonPie fan" with four USO tours under his belt. He has visited more than 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, Guam, Iraq, Japan and elsewhere. This year, he appeared on 250,000 MoonPie retail cartons."You would be amazed at what a simple taste from home means to someone who is fighting for our country," Morgan said.

  • 'X Factor' UK Finale Had Worst Ratings Since 2005; Simon Cowell Thanks Those Involved

    Simon Cowell returned to U.K.'s "The X Factor" this season, but he did nothing to stem the show's ratings decline. Sunday, Dec. 14, marked the fourth straight year the season finale dropped its viewership numbers, with only 9.4 million tuning in, compared to 9.7 million last year. Still, Cowell was positive about the show on social media and sent a friendly tweet to those who helped out this year:We just got home. What a great night! So happy for @Bhaenow . Sad for @FleurEast. But what a final! I felt very proud tonight. — Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) December 15, 2014I want to say a huge thank you to every single person who worked on the show this year. — Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) December 15, 2014"Billboard" reported the finale numbers for every season of the show and noted that this year's 9.4 million mark was The X Factor's lowest since 2005, when it drew 9.3 million.Cowell already expressed regret this year for his handling of the American version of the show, which he decided to cancel in February.

  • 'American Idol' Will Ditch Results Night Episode, Downgrade to One Weekly Episode during 2015 According to Ryan Seacrest

    American Idol fans thought they would be dealing with a "huge" change in programming when it was announced earlier this year that longtime staff member Randy Jackson wouldn't be returning as a mentor, marking the first time he hans't appeared on the program. However Ryan Seacrest subtly dropped the real bombshell while being interviewed at the Z100 Jingle Ball on Friday night in New York: The show would be ditching its second "Results Night" program so that performers and viewers alike won't have to wait for another day to find out the winners (or more importantly, the losers).

  • Sydney Police Move in to Rescue Hostages Held in Café by Man Haron Monis, a Self-Styled Iranian Sheikh with Ties to ISIS

    It appears that a 15-hour standoff between a lone gunman and police has come to an end. Man Haron Monis, a self-styled Iranian sheikh, has been identified as the man who walked into a busy chocolate café in Sydney, Australia's financial district and took a number of hostages, according to AOL. The situation remains fluid, but as of now we know police stormed the cafe and, while gunshots rang out, at least some hostages were able to escape to safety.Monis already has an illustrious criminal record with various charges of sexual assault, and he also has been arrested for sending hate mail to families of Australian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Monis is currently free on bail after being considered an accessory to murder after his alleged girlfriend was killed and he then set his wife on fire.After taking several people hostage earlier today, said ABC News, Monis encouraged them to use social media to get his wish for an ISIS flag and a conversation with Australian political figures across to everyone listening. At times the hostages were seen pushed up against the plate-glass windows and Monis could be seen pacing wildly. After about 11 hours in captivity, five hostages were able to make a run for safety and, upon realizing it, Monis reportedly became more unstable, leading police to start to formulate their plan to go in after him.

  • Spotify Demonstrates via Slipknot That Band-Sponsored "Takeovers" Result in Huge Listening Bumps (as Do New Albums)

    Spotify has cleverly disguised its most recent self-promotion as an entry on its Insights blog, which track listening trends among members. The last entry notes how well Slipknot did as a result of its Halloween "takeover," or the band's curation of the popular "Rock Right Now" playlist. The metal band saw a distinct spike in listeners as a result...also-known-as Spotify wants you as a major label act to know that you'll reach so many new people if you host a takeover on their site (and garner them some attention in the meantime). The stats are hard to deny however.

  • Kourtney Kardashian's New Son Born on Her Oldest Son Mason's Fifth Birthday

    December 14 must officially be Kourtney Kardashian's lucky day because it is now the official birth date of two of her children. Yesterday the reality star welcomed a second son into the world, 5 years to the day after she first delivered Mason Disick. Apparently the entire Kardashian family was freaking out over the unlikely coincidence and of course they are thrilled to welcome the newest member to the family.

  • [ALBUM STREAM] D'Angelo 'Black Messiah' Is Available Now: Singer Dropped First Album Since 2000's 'Voodoo' [LISTEN]

    After a 14-year recording hiatus, soul singer D'Angelo finally put out another album. "Black Messiah" became available yesterday, Dec. 14, for fans on iTunes. Expectations are heavy for the performer's new album, "Billboard" notes, especially considering his 2000 release, "Voodoo," was a huge success.Although the release date was never formally announced, "Black Messiah" was a hotly anticipated effort. D'Angelo has been dropping hints over the past year, debuting new songs live and letting Questlove of The Roots host a listening party. He recently dropped the first single, "Sugah Daddy," as well — see the tracklist and stream the record below.As "Pitchfork" points out, the CD sleeve contains a message that promises that some of the album's tunes are political:"Not every song on this album is politically charged (though many are), but calling this album "Black Messiah" creates a landscape where these songs can live to the fullest. "Black MessiahÆ is not one man. It's a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.""Black Messiah" is only D'Angelo's third album. His debut, "Brown Sugar," came out in 1995. It was "Voodoo," though, that catapulted him to stardom. The album dominated the charts and, with the help of the music video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," made the singer a sex symbol.

  • DIIV-isive Issues: Bassist Makes Racist/Homophobic/Misogynistic Comments on 4Chan, Band Debates Whether He'll Be Cut

    Chalk in another victory for the demons of idiocy: DIIV is currently undergoing some issues related to many stupid—aka racist, homophobic and misogynist—statements made on social media by bassist Devin Ruben Perez. Although the musician has claimed that he was merely being stupid, versus being an actual racist/homophobe/misogynist, the New York-based alt band is reportedly weighing its options on whether or not to keep Perez within its lineup.
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