(Extra)

Simon Cowell is speaking out about his recent decisions to fire Nicole Scherzinger and pal Paula Abdul from “The X Factor.”

After the show’s first season was largely maligned by critics and failed to live up to ratings expectations, Cowell and his team quickly decided a reboot was in order for the upcoming second season.

Of Abdul he says, “I would’ve liked to have kept her. She was very gracious and I said that to her. She understands it’s business; it’s never personal.”

But while Abdul may have taken the news in stride, Scherzinger wasn’t as receptive.

VIDEO BELOW

“I don’t think she’s mad. I think she’s disappointed,” Cowell explains in an interview scheduled to air on “Extra” Wednesday.

But the former “American Idol” judge actually places some of the blame on himself as well, admitting “X Factor” didn’t live up to his own hype.

RELATED – Steve Jones Axed From “X Factor”

“It’s only because I opened my big mouth and said we were going to get 20 million [viewers],” he says. “If I hadn’t said that, everybody would be saying the show was a huge success.”

As for who will come on board to help improve the show, Cowell admits he’d love to have Mariah Carey as a judge, but knows the mom of infant twins can’t make the commitment.

Katy Perry would be “fun,” he says, while Madonna would be “great” – and “expensive.”

But don’t expect to see the mogul shelling out $100 million a year to snag Beyonce, as some outlets have claimed.

“I have no idea where this rumor came from,” Cowell says, adding, “It’s complete nonsense.”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(GettyImages.com)

In the wake of reports that Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger have been axed from “The X Factor,” the Internet is abuzz with speculation about who should replace the ousted judges.

So, who do you think would be good additions to the judges’ panel?

Gossip Cop has taken a couple of names that have been in the mix (Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole), and tossed in a couple of dream picks (for fun)!

Vote for who YOU think should replace Abdul and Scherzinger!

(Plus, feel free to add contenders in the comments section).

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

VOTE:

(RadarOnline)

“Whitney Houston’s finances are hitting rock bottom,” reports RadarOnline in an “exclusive.”

According to the webloid’s source, the singer’s “fortune is gone.”

No mention is made as to where Houston’s money allegedly went, though RadarOnline claims she’s supposedly being supported by “music industry heavy hitters.”

In fact, says the site, “She might be homeless if not for people saving her,” adding, “She is broke as a joke.”

The supposed insider goes on to cite a recent instance where Houston allegedly begged a pal for $100.

“It is so sad,” cries the webloid’s snitch. “She should have Mariah Carey money, and she’s flat broke.”

The only thing that’s worthless here is RadarOnline’s story.

Houston is NOT broke or in any “dire situation,” as the blog alleges.

The singer and actress returns to the big screen this summer in Sparkle, which she also executive produced.

A rep for Houston laughed off the report, telling Gossip Cop it is 100 percent “not true.”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages.com)

Apparently, some outlets are confused about basic biographical details of Mariah Carey’s life.

Like who her mother is.

Earlier this month, Carey stopped into jeweler Joan Boyce’s shop, or, as some reports put it: “Mariah’s parents’ jewelry store.”

Huh?

The two women laughed at the mistake on Twitter on Friday.

Congratulating Carey on the BET Honors, Boyce wrote, “Did you see they called me your mom again? it’s so silly! You only have one mom and that’s Pat Carey.”

The younger Carey was equally baffled, responding, ”You’d think after she sang the duet with me last year & performed on my ABC Special in front of millions, people would get it!

Carey then tweeted a link to the video below of her singing next to her REAL mom – talented vocalist Patricia Carey – on that show in 2010.

We hope this settles any lingering confusion for sites having a hard time fact-checking.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(GettyImages.com)

Nick Cannon returned to the air on Tuesday, back on his radio show for the first time since his health scare over the holidays.

RELATED – Nick Cannon “Stable Condition” After Surgery for Kidney Failure

For the first time, the host went into depth about what happened to him while he and Mariah Carey were enjoying an Aspen vacation, describing how some mysterious pain got worse and worse until he finally allowed himself to get checked.

At first, the doctors thought Cannon had kidney stones, but it turned out to be more severe.

Gossip Cop is thrilled that Cannon’s made such a speedy recovery, and that he sounds so upbeat and healthy.

Listen to the audio below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

LISTEN:

(Twitter)

A recent medical crisis and a busy weekend didn’t stop Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey from paying their respects to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

While in Washington, D.C., for Saturday’s BET Honors, the couple stopped by the National Mall to visit the recently unveiled Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

On Monday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Cannon tweeted a photo of Carey and himself standing in front of the Stone of Hope, a monument featuring King’s likeness.

SEE PHOTO BELOW

“My wife and I @MariahCarey had the honor to visit the DR. KING monument for the holiday,” he wrote.

He also shared one of Dr. King’s quotes, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The visit came just a few days after Cannon was released from the hospital, where he was treated for mild kidney failure.

He’ll return to his “Rollin’ With Nick Cannon” radio show on Tuesday.

“I have been gone for a while,” he acknowledged on Twitter, “but trust me I got the whole story coming soon…”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages.com)

Nick Cannon made his first public appearance since being hospitalized for kidney failure, taking the stage at Saturday’s BET Honors in Washington D.C.

With his new son Moroccan in tow, Cannon presented his wife, Mariah Carey, with an award and paid personal tribute to her for her support during his recent health scare.

PHOTOS BELOW

Telling the audience that Carey makes him soup at 3:00 a.m. “when my kidney ain’t acting right,” Cannon continued, “What most people don’t get to experience is the human. To know you guys are honoring her tonight, I have to continue to honor her every day.”

Carey kept fans in the loop during Cannon’s health problems, tweeting photos and updates about his “good prognosis” while he was still in the hospital.

He was discharged last week.

From the looks of it, Cannon is (thankfully) very much on the mend!

Check out more photos below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages.com)

(GettyImages.com)

(GettyImages.com)

(GettyImages)

Nick Cannon has been released from the hospital, Gossip Cop can confirm.

The “America’s Got Talent” host, who was suffering from mild kidney failure, “was released over the weekend to be with his family,” says his rep in a statement.

The statement continues, “He is resting and recovering at home and would like to thank everyone who has expressed concern, well wishes and prayers.”

Cannon underwent surgery on Friday, several days after he fell ill in Aspen, Colorado while vacationing with wife Mariah Carey and their kids.

He was later transferred to a Los Angeles hospital, where his condition improved following the operation.

The rep added that Cannon will “return to his live morning radio show broadcast ‘Rollin’ with Nick Cannon’ on 92.3 NOW FM on January 17.”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

Mariah Carey says Nick Cannon is in “stable condition” after undergoing surgery on Friday for kidney failure.

The singer tweeted, “Nick is in stable condition with a good prognosis,” adding, “Hopefully he’ll be discharged within 2 days.”

Carey also posted another photo of her at her husband’s bedside, with the caption “Thank you everyone for all the love & concern.”

The “America’s Got Talent” host is wearing a big smile in the picture — quite a difference from his expression when he first fell ill on Wednesday.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

PHOTO:

(Twitter)

(Twitter)

Nick Cannon seems to be in relatively high spirits while still in the hospital for kidney failure.

The “America’s Got Talent” host tweeted a photo from his hospital room on Thursday, showing him getting his hair buzzed.

“Getting back to business,” he wrote.

On Wednesday, Mariah Carey revealed Cannon’s ailment, sharing that he fell ill while on vacation with their kids in Aspen, Colorado.

Later that day, Cannon was transferred to a Los Angeles hospital to continue receiving care.

“We’re trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances,” Carey wrote in a blog post, “but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful.”

Gossip Cop wishes Cannon a speedy recovery!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(MariahCarey.com)

Nick Cannon, still ailing from kidney failure, will continue to receive medical care in Los Angeles.

“Currently being transfered [sic] to a hospital in LA,” he tweeted late Wednesday afternoon.

Cannon was originally being treated in Aspen, Colorado, where he and wife Mariah Carey were vacationing with their kids.

Carey revealed her husband’s condition Wednesday morning.

Along with a photo of her comforting her husband in his hospital bed, she tweeted, “Please pray for Nick as he’s fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure.”

In a post on her blog, Carey told fans, “We’re trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful. They tried to kick me out of the hospital but here I am on the bed with Mr. C.”

Carey joked, “We’re doing OK but we’re “straaaaaanded in Aspen”#DramaticDivaPlace,” adding, “But the truth is as long as we’re together, we’re OK… please keep us and our family in your prayers.”

Gossip Cop will continue to have updates.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

PHOTO:

(MariahCarey.com)

(GettyImages)

“A newly slimmed down Mariah Carey is aiming to become a judge on ‘The X Factor’ — and secret talks have already begun,” begins a breathless piece from the National Enquirer.

Amid rumors that Nicole Scherzinger will leave the judges’ panel to take over for host Steve Jones next season, Carey supposedly “told the show’s creator Simon Cowell she’s prepared to jump in.”

A so-called “source” for the mag says, “She wants to be a judge and she has been in secret talks with Simon,” adding, “She promised to help pull in monster ratings this coming season.”

The Enquirer notes that Carey, who gave birth to twins in April, “had been lined up to make multiple guest appearances on the show but bowed out for various reasons.”

But now that the singer has lost all of her baby weight, “she’s ready for her grand entrance,” says the alleged source, explaining, “She was holding out until she knew she looked her best and is chomping at the bit for Simon to sign her up.”

So, is Carey really heading to the “X Factor” judges’ panel?

Don’t hold your breath.

A rep for Carey tells Gossip Cop there’s zero truth to the tab’s story.

Another bogus Enquirer tale gets eliminated.

Check out PHOTOS of Mariah & Nick in Aspen!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(Playboy)

Lindsay Lohan still has drawing power.

Especially when she’s naked.

The actress’ much-hyped Playboy magazine sold 55% more advertising pages than the same issue a year ago, according to one industry information service.

In fact, with over 49 ad pages, Lohan is Playboy‘s second-most sponsored celebrity cover model in recent years, behind only Kim Kardashian, whose December 2007 cover sold nearly 57 pages.

For comparison’s sake, Tara Reid sold 33.4 advertising pages in January/February 2010, with Heidi Montag (31.2 in September 2009) and Mariah Carey (29.4 in March 2007) faring similarly.

(It should be noted, however, that not all celebrities who appear on the magazine’s cover actually appear naked in its pages.)

As Gossip Cop reported last weekend, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said Lohan’s issue was “breaking sales records.”

The success comes even after the photos comprising Lohan’s layout were leaked online in the days before the issue hit newsstands.

It still remains to be seen how well the Lohan issue performs when all is said and done.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages)

Melanie Amaro, who won “X Factor” on Thursday, admitted today that she was concerned about losing to Chris Rene.

She felt the rapper “was my biggest competition… Everyone knew he was an original artist.”

Amaro also revealed that judge Simon Cowell “was more nervous than I was backstage.”

Still, she thinks there was no way she could have won without him.

Amaro said, “I don’t think I would have gone very far at all,” had Cowell not mentored her.

“I needed Simon,” said Amaro, who cited him being a “tough judge” and credit him with pushing her further.

Amaro also noted that she’d like to work down the road with another judge, L.A. Reid, as well as with Mariah Carey.

And when asked what she would like to do with her $5 million prize, Amaro said, she wants to “buy a foot massager and buy my mom a new house.”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(VEVO)

Mariah Carey and John Legend have a new music video called “When Christmas Comes.”

The video, which has a family get-together theme and features snowball fights and Charlie Brown clips, certainly has a different feel than Carey’s recent holiday collaboration with Justin Bieber.

Which do you prefer?

Check out “When Christmas Comes” below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(YouTube)

British sailors aboard the HMS Ocean just got a huge shoutout from Mariah Carey.

The sailors were supposed to be at sea for seven weeks, but because of the unrest in Libya, they were actually deployed for seven and a half months.

During that time, among other things, 15 of the men became fathers.

When the sailors heard they were finally returning home in time for the holidays, they created this awesome video (below) to the tune of Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

It caught the singer’s attention, and she tweeted, “This is the best thing I’ve ever seen, you guys just made my day! Happy Happy Christmas!!! x0x0 to the troops.”

Check out the video, and share your thoughts.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(Vevo)

Justin Bieber debuted his “All I Want For Christmas Is You” video with Mariah Carey during Wednesday’s lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

A lot of the chatter after the video’s premiere seems to center on Carey’s rather revealing outfit.

What do you think?

Check out the video below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(GettyImages)

Justin Bieber is set to bring a little holiday cheer to “Dancing with the Stars.”

The singer and Boyz II Men will perform their Christmas tune “Fa La La ” on the show next Tuesday, November 1.

An insider confirms the news to Gossip Cop.

The track was recorded for The Biebs’ upcoming Christmas album, “Under the Mistletoe,” which will also be released on Tuesday.

Check out the making of “Fa La La” below.

The record features duets with Mariah Carey and Usher, as well.

Will you be tuning in to “Dancing with the Stars” to watch Bieber and Boyz II Men’s performance?

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey‘s remake of her iconic holiday song “All I Want For Christmas is You” has been released.

Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun told Billboard that it was difficult for the singer to hit the same high notes as Carey, now that he’s gone through puberty.

The Biebs’ highly anticipated Christmas album, “Under the Mistletoe,” goes on sale November 1.

Check out the track below!

Do you prefer the original song, or do you like Bieber and Carey’s collab?

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

LISTEN:

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon introduced their twins, Moroccan and Monroe, to Barbara Walters and the world on Friday.

In the “20/20″ interview, Carey discussed her pregnancy, saying, “I don’t think I understood the enormity or the magnitude of what it really does to your body. It’s not just, oh you don’t look pretty and you have a bump.”

She gave birth on April 30.

Now, for the first time, she and Cannon have released a set of photos of their beautiful babies’ first six months.

Check out the gallery below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(1 of 16)

Next ►

(Getty Images)

(ABC)

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon‘s interview with Barbara Walters, which features their twins Moroccan and Monroe, airs tonight, and Gossip Cop has a preview of some of what they touched on.

The couple told Walters that while Carey was pregnant they introduced their son and daughter to music by putting a “belly boom box” on her stomach.

“You just put it on your belly and they hear [music] in the speakers from the beginning,” said Carey.

But that’s not all. Carey sang some tunes to the kids as well, including songs by Stevie Wonder as well as her own hits.

Carey admitted she even cried while singing “Hero” to the babies.

“They really respond to music,” noted the singer

Cannon, however, isn’t sure he wants the twins to become performers like their parents.

“I want to make sure we get education first,” said the “America’s Got Talent” host.

He told Walters, “Society puts too much on entertainment and entertainers… They praise them like they’re royalty, especially in America, where it should really be about the teachers or, you know, the doctors.”

“I want them to be able to sing as beautifully as their mother. I want them to be able to play instruments and everything. But I want them like ….’Go get a Ph.D,’” added Cannon.

There’s much more about Carey’s pregnancy, how they reacted to finding out they were having twins, and insight into the couple’s home life.

Will you be watching the “20/20″ interview tonight?

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(ABC)

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon show off their baby twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in an interview with Barbara Walters for Friday’s “20/20.”

Six months after “Roc” and “Roe” arrived, their parents discuss Carey’s struggles to conceive and high-risk pregnancy, and how their newborns have affected their marriage.

The peek inside the family’s life takes place at their Manhattan apartment.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(Universal Music Group)

Justin Bieber, who’s releasing his first Christmas album “Under the Mistletoe” in two weeks, is already in the holiday spirit.

The singing sensation is going to donate a portion of the album’s sales to a number of charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Pencils of Promise.

On Monday, Bieber released the album’s first single.

“Under the Mistletoe,” which features collaborations with Mariah Carey, Boyz 2 Men, and Usher, comes out November 1.

What do you think about Bieber’s latest charitable act?

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

Just yesterday, he leaked footage from the making of that song, along with a snippet from his cover of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

The full album, “Under the Mistletoe,” features collaborations with Mariah Carey, Boyz 2 Men, and Usher, and comes out November 1.

The Biebs also announced on the show that he’ll be performing in Times Square for “Dick Clark‘s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” along with Lady Gaga.

Listen below to Bieber’s new single, and tell us what you think.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(YouTube)

Justin Bieber has made Christmas come a little earlier for his fans.

The singing sensation, whose single “Under the Mistletoe” will be released tomorrow, today leaked footage from the making of that song, along with a snippet from his cover of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

The full “Under the Mistletoe” album, which features collaborations with Mariah Carey, Boyz 2 Men, and Usher, is out November 1.

Check out the video below from inside Bieber’s recording studio.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(Sheryl Nields for Ebony)

Nia Long is baring her baby bump for all to see.

The 40-year-old actress, who’s expecting a baby with basketball player Ime Udoka, poses naked for the November issue of Ebony magazine.

The Soul Food star tells the mag, “Society tells us, ‘Get married before 30.’ I think if we just take our time as women, and do what comes natural to us and for us, we would make fewer mistakes.”

Long joins a long list of celebrity women who have posed naked with their baby bumps, including Demi Moore, Jada Pinkett Smith and new mom Mariah Carey.

The mag hits newsstands on November 18.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages.com)

“Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are locked in a bitter feud over her hunky personal trainer,” begins a piece in the National Enquirer, which goes on to claim that “Nick is demanding she fire him!”

The tab says Carey, who’s committed to getting rid of her baby weight, has “grown extremely close” to her fitness instructor Bernardo Coppola, and their tight bond supposedly has Cannon fuming.

According to an “insider” for the mag, “The trainer is with her for hours every day, and then they socialize after workouts.”

“They’ve become great friends over the past few months,” says the source, adding, “when she sings Bernardo’s praises to Nick, he throws a fit.”

The alleged insider claims Cannon is so “fed up” with Carey and Coppola’s closeness that “he’s asked her to hire a female personal trainer.”

No.

No, he didn’t.

This baseless story is just another lame attempt by the Enquirer to create drama between the proud new parents.

A rep for Carey tells Gossip Cop the tab’s claims are “wildly untrue.”

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(YouTube)

Justin Bieber gave his fans in Rio an early Christmas present last night.

The Biebs sang “Mistletoe” from his upcoming holiday album during the Brazil concert, telling fans, “This is the first time anywhere in the world that I’ve sang this. This is special, this is just for you.”

Ah, but thanks to the wonders of YouTube, it’s really for all of us now!

Under The Mistletoe, featuring a Mariah Carey “All I Want For Christmas Is You” duet, goes on sale on November 1.

Does this performance make you want to get the album?

Check out the video below!

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

WATCH:

(GettyImages.com)

(GettyImages)

Justin Bieber has just revealed that Mariah Carey will be featured on his highly anticipated Christmas album, “Under the Mistletoe,” which goes on-sale November 1.

Along with Bieber’s announcement was a video from Carey in which she said she collaborated with The Biebs of her song, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Other artist joining Carey on Bieber’s Christmas record include Usher and Boyz II Men.

Are you going to buy “Under the Mistletoe”?

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!

(GettyImages)

(NBC)

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have been the subject of some pretty rotten National Enquirer rumors in the past, and this week offers another doozy.

According to the tabloid, a “devastating cheating secret is threatening to destroy” their marriage.

Wow – what is it?

Well, Carey supposedly “fears” that Cannon “might be secretly angling to hook up” with Lys Agnes, a singer currently competing on his show “America’s Got Talent.”

In the absence of an actual affair, the tabloid wants readers to believe the mere threat of a hypothetical hook-up is rocking Carey’s world.

An “insider” for the magazine is quoted as saying Carey is “almost beside herself with worry that Nick could stray.”

And why is Agnes specifically the source of such supposed tension?

Because Cannon allegedly “makes comments about how Lys reminds him of a young Mariah” and seems really swept up in his work on “America’s Got Talent,” while Carey “is feeling old and overweight” following the birth of the couple’s twins.

To illustrate just how miserable and self-conscious Carey is, the Enquirer uses an August 2 paparazzi photo in which she’s… in a bathing suit, smiling.

Actually, that picture choice just illustrates how misguided and silly the entire article is.

Despite the Enquirer‘s sincerest hopes, Carey and Cannon remain happy.

A rep for Carey says, “This is an absurd and made-up story,” while a spokesperson for Cannon tells Gossip Cop there’s “absolutely no truth whatsoever” to the claims about the marriage being under duress.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter!

Like us on Facebook!