'Idol's' Pia Toscano signs record deal with Interscope

"American Idol’s" Pia Toscano has officially signed a recording contract with Interscope Records, THR has confirmed. She will release her debut single, “This Time,” on July 12 and perform the song as part of her set during this summer’s American Idol Live! Tour.

The track comes courtesy of Esther Dean, who has written several hit singles for Rihanna, including “S&M,” “Rude Boy” and “What’s My Name,” and is currently featured on Nicki Minaj’s smash “Superbass.” Dean wrote and co-produced “This Time,” an acoustic guitar and beat-driven track.
Toscano will continue to work on her debut album, which is due out later this year. Producer Rodney Jerkins, who has recorded three songs with Toscano, told THR in May that fans can expect a “big, diva-sounding record.”
Toscano shot the cover art for the album at Los Angeles' Smudge Studio in late June.
Although she was voted out in ninth place, Toscano was widely regarded as a frontrunner for much of the competition. Upon her ouster, celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson and Alyssa Milano expressed their outrage on Twitter, while Ashton Kutcher told On Air With Ryan Seacrest, “I think she was probably the best pure singer on the show, and she’s got all the makings of what it means to be a star.”
Says Toscano in a statement being released on Wednesday: ““I am thrilled to be joining the Interscope and 19 Recordings family. [Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman] Jimmy Iovine was an amazing mentor during my time on Idol and I’m looking forward to working with him and everyone at Interscope Records and 19 Recordings. This is a dream come true.”
Last month, THR reported that Toscano along with season 10 alums Haley Reinhart and James Durbin had signed representation deals with Red Light Management (working in tandem with 19 Entertainment). "I feel like I'm in really good hands," said Toscano. "The most important thing for me is feeling safe with my team. I think they have a good vision for me and where my career is going to go."
The "Idol" summer tour kicks off July 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and runs through September 10, when the Top 11 take their final bow in Rochester, New York.

Eminem, Justin Bieber scoop Billboard Music Awards

Eminem and teen idol Justin Bieber dominated the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, winning six awards each with the 38-year-old rapper taking the top honor for artist of the year.

With Eminem absent, Bieber helped lead the way om stage beside some of pop's biggest current stars at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, marking the music magazine's efforts to revive what was once an annual event following a four-year hiatus.

Sporting his now short, spiky hair and a sparkling gold tuxedo jacket, Bieber beat singer Bruno Mars and rapper Nicki Minaj for best new artist and marveled to the audience, "I'm 17 ... every day is crazy to me because I see so many people and I get to make so many people smile."

The Canadian pop star, who has gained a huge following of "Beliebers" through YouTube and social media websites, also won awards for top pop album, streaming artist and song, as well as social and digital media artist. He thanked "everybody who helped me get out of my home town and live my dream."

Detroit native Eminem, who released the critical and commercial success "Recovery" last year, including the hit single "Love The Way You Lie" featuring singer Rihanna, won awards for top male artist, billboard 200 album, rap artist, rap song and rap album.

Rihanna, 23, kicked off the show with a performance of "S&M" from her 2010 fifth studio album "Loud," and was joined on stage by Britney Spears before going on to win three awards including top female and top radio artist of the year.

She thanked her biggest fan devotees, who call themselves the Rihanna navy, and hailed her native Barbados. The last Billboard artist of the year was Rihanna's former boyfriend Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting her in 2009 and did not attend the awards.

Katy Perry won awards for top hot 100 artist and top digital songs, while British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz won the top hot 100 song of the year for his hit, "Dynamite."

"Need You Now," by Lady Antebellum won country song of the year. The title track from their second album introduced the group from Nashville, Tennessee to audiences worldwide and is now the most-downloaded country song ever, according to Billboard.

Taylor Swift, 21, who has swept music award shows in the past several years, won country artist of the year. She sold 1,047,000 first-week copies of her third album "Speak Now" in the United States last November, making it the fastest-selling new album in five years.

Accepting the top duo or group award for the The Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.Am singled out "technology because without technology we wouldn't be here as an industry."

Beyonce was honored with the Millennium Award for her musical influence and hailed as a role model for women.

Neil Diamond, 70, won the icon award before performing his 1969 hit, "Sweet Caroline." Other performers included Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and singer Cee Lo Green.

U2 won the top touring award for its current "U2 360 degrees" tour, which features revolutionary staging and has become the highest-grossing tour of all time.

"You can make classic albums in your bedroom and you can play the greatest show of your life on a one-string guitar, but we just don't do that," U2 frontman Bono told the audience.

The awards, with eligibility from Feb 28, 2010 to March 1, 2011, were based on multiple factors including chart performance, album and single digital sales, touring and streaming and popularity on social media sites.

Who should open for Britney Spears on tour?

Who will warm up Britney Spears' crowd?

Britney Spears has announced a new tour in support of her "Femme Fatale" album, running June to August . Enrique Iglesias was on tap to open, but almost as soon as it was announced, he dropped.

Some artists are too big or too small, and some are just right. Some folks have their own tour to worry about -- like Rihanna with Cee Lo -- while others are simply too busy (can Jennifer Lopez really be in two different locations at once?). Some don't have the right style to mix -- Nicki Minaj has her hands full with Lil Wayne and Young Money anyway.

HitFix has some ideas of who should support Brit-Brit on the road, from Adam Lambert to Ke$ha to Far East Movement.

Who would you personally love to see perform before the pop diva hits the stage?