Did J-Lo just become the Latin Oprah? Until she learns to caterwaul like an insane person, that will never be the case, but she’s closer than ever, now that she’s purchased an equity stake in the English-language network for Latinos, nuvoTV.

Two weeks after previous judges Jennifer “J-Lo” Lopez and Steven “Scare-Cro” Tyler announced that they wouldn’t be returning to American Idol, FOX dropped a whopper and announced that Mariah Carey will be filling one of their seats for the show’s landmark 12th season. But the real stunner is what she’ll make.

Yesterday, in something that only vaguely resembled a coherent statement, Burning Man mascot Steven Tyler explained that he’s decided to end his two-season run on American Idol. His reason? A decision to re-commit to Aerosmith: “After some long … hard … thoughts … I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit.”

Have you ever wondered what pop stars would look like if they were working class, regular folk like you and me? What if they didn’t have the time or money to hire personal trainers, nutritionists, make-up artists, and stylists? What if Fergie never really hit it big with the Black Eyed Peas, and spent the rest of her life as an aging Vegas cocktail waitress?

Admit it — it’s too hot to wear pants. It’s July, and as temperatures rise, fashion sense is being sacrificed for common sense. When it gets hot, even pop stars release their inner never-nude. Check out these photos of pop stars and rappers wearing jorts, and let it be an inspiration. Let’s wear jorts every day for the rest of summer. Deal? Deal.

Since 1999, Forbes Magazine, your go-to source for business information and monocle reviews, has released their annual Celebrity 100 list, which ranks the most powerful celebrities of the year. And taking the top spot for 2012, beating out Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Katy Perry and last year’s #1 Lady Gaga, was… Jennifer Lopez?

TMZ is reporting that Britney Spears is close to approving a deal with Simon Cowell that would have her judging the X Factor next season, to the tune of $15 million. Clearly, judging a television singing competition is just as fruitful as releasing your own celebrity fragrance. This got us to thinking — what could Britney spend her $15 million X Factor salary on?

Like many celebrities before her, Nicki Minaj is releasing her first fragrance this fall. What might be perceived as “selling-out” in another genre of music, is actually a rite of passage for a commercial pop star. Let’s look at the marketing materials of 20 pop star perfumes, and get a sense of how this whole celebrity fragrance business really smells.

Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins was born into a religious family in Pleasantville, New Jersey in 1977. His religious upbringing meant he wasn’t allowed to listen to mainstream music at a young age, but classical training on the piano from the age of five allowed Rodney to initiate a lifelong bond with the creation of music. A mentorship with producer Teddy Riley (a founding member of Blackstreet and the Godfather of New Jack Swing) gave Darkchild a connection to early R&B that is still evident in his production style today.

This A$AP Rocky/Lana Del Rey collaboration that’s been tearing up the internet over the past couple days got me thinking — nothing is off limits when it comes to contemporary musical collaborations. All it takes is for one artist to reach out to another via Twitter, and the labels are pleased as punch because these weird pairings make major headlines.