Does Demi Lovato Have ‘The X Factor’?

The world is still reacting to the now-confirmed news that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will sit together at the “The X Factor” judges desk this fall. While their a skin condition on the show remain among worst-kept secrets in recent memory, these two former Disney princesses will now set out to verify they are savvy enough to judge up-and-coming talent on the Fox struggle series.

While L.A. Reid, Simon Cowell and Spears result in decades of experience with them to the show, Lovato, only 19, may seem too much like a rookie on the surface. But, she’s already amassed the kind of experience performers triple her age could wish for.

She’s released three albums, which have all landed top-five a skin condition on the Billboard 200. She’s starred on the hit Disney series, “Sonny With a Chance” and was the female lead, alongside the Jonas Brothers, in both “Camp Rock” films, which were incredibly successful for the Mouse House.

All the success at such a young age makes Lovato a perfect pick for the show. “They’re looking for female pop singers who can engage a younger audience,” Monica Herrera, a senior editor at Rolling Stone, told MTV News. “Demi seems like a excellent choice because she hits not just music fans, but TV fans and I reckon they’re kind of tiresome to find a bigwig who can hit all angles.”

She may have tons of teenage Lovatics, but Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts/retail at Billboard, added that she still hasn’t yet permeated the adult market, which makes this the right time to make this go.

“I thought it was fascinating choice just because, I mean, she is a star, but she seems a bit below the radar to a degree so this is a fantastic look for her because it’s going to elevate her visibility and give her a whole new audience and a fantastic platform to introduce new material,” he said. “I reckon it’s a fantastic opportunity for her to really expand her fanbase. I reckon a lot of people are going to learn Demi for the very first time.”

And, that’s why, Herrera adds, she needs to strike while the iron is hot. “I reckon it’s certainly a smart go; I don’t reckon she can afford to wait at this point. I reckon that is kind of a way to jumpstart it and really get herself out there,” she clarified. “Obviously she’s gonna want to place out an album timed to the fall show. She’ll have the team behind her to really kind of maximize this opportunity and place out a single and an album that will kind of get the lift that she really needs right now.”

Caulfield notes that Lovato will supply as the perfect answer to Spears. “Demi, considering her history and frankly her years of experience, she’s gone through the ringer,” he said. “Demi is probably going to have more realistic commentary, probably not harsh but probably coming from the point of view of ‘I did this before to.’ Certainly her and Britney have the X factor, that something about them that makes them stars, it’s hard to pin down. I reckon it’s going to be excellent. I reckon they’re both fascinating choices.”

So for anyone wondering if Lovato is still too young to guide, well, Herrera says they should place those concerns aside. “I really reckon it does [help that she's young], especially since they are skewing younger and younger with the contestants. I reckon someone like Demi would have been perfect for someone like Rachel Crow [who competed last season]. She obviously knows what it’s like to be thrust into the spotlight in that way from a really young age,” she said. “I really reckon that she can be that guiding force.”

Do you reckon Demi Lovato has the “X Factor,” or is she too young? Leave your comment below!

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Five Reasons To Play The ‘Game Of Thrones’ RPG

When you play the “Game of Thrones” RPG, you win or you die. Literally. But somewhere along the way our classification of “winning” seems to have deviated from the one used by the those over at Cyanide Studio.

The game’s got everything hardcore “A Song of Ice and Fire” fans would want. There’s political intrigue, deception at every turn, heartbreaking deaths and genuinely surprising plot twists. Okay, so maybe those are just the things we’re used to from the “Thrones” TV series on HBO, or from the horrors that author George R.R. Martin force feeds us in his ongoing book series, but at least the those behind the game stayed right to those “Game of Thrones” traits.

MTV News got a chance to play the RPG and chose that it’s something that anyone who considers themselves a fan of “Game of Thrones” — be it the book series, the TV show or both — should try out. Check out our five reasons you should be intrigued after the jump.

You Can Visit Familiar Faces
While the plot of the “Game of Thrones” RPG is conveniently crafted so that you avoid life in the same place at the same time as many of the characters we’ve come to like from the “Game of Thrones” novel and TV series (as in you won’t see Jon Snow at the Wall or Ned Stark at King’s Landing), there are a few familiar characters you’ll cross paths with. Cersei Lannister, Jeor Mormont and Lord Varys all pop up at one point or another, and are not to be trifled with. The those behind the game even got the actors in the HBO series to lend their likenesses and voices to their characters (with the exception of Cersei, who’s voiced by a sound-alike). And keep an eye out for Maester Martin, a certain gentleman who has been working on the sixth installment of his history of the Seven Kingdoms, a tome that is allegedly due out next year (though he apparently says this every year).

You’ll Learn More About The Lore
There’s no guarantee that the tale life told in the “Game of Thrones” RPG will ever impact the main plot in “A Song of Ice and Fire,” but at least it does give us some better insight into what happened in the saga’s history. Both of the game’s main characters, Mors and Alester, were involved in Robert Baratheon’s rebellion and both had their lives directly impacted by refusing Tywin Lannister’s order to kill Rhaegar Targaryen’s wife, Elia, and two children, Rhaenys and Aegon. Though there’s nothing in here that we don’t already know, it is fascinating to meet characters that were directly involved in an vital event that we’ve only heard tales about.

It’s A Game Made For Book Fans
As such, this is a game made for fans of George R.R. Martin’s books. Sure, newcomers or people who have only watched the HBO series will find plenty to delight in, but many of the best moments in the game will only make sense to those who have read “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Book fans will geek out over seeing Alester use R’hlorr’s Last Kiss, warging into Mors’ hound, meeting a Brotherhood conspiring to place a Targaryen back on the throne and having your two main characters really finally really team up instead of nearly crossing paths for five freaking books (damn you, GRRM).

You Participate In The Tale
Okay, so you might not really be able to exchange the tides of “A Song of Ice and Fire” in the “Game of Thrones” RPG, but at least you’ll be able to participate in it. After years of reading and now watching, it’s nice to at least pretend that you can prevent terrible, appalling things from happening to your favorite characters. You can’t, of course, but at least there’s the pretense that you can. The RPG’s battle system stays right to the fighting style in the book (don’t expect to be able to use any magical abilities until around the time Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons are born), and it’s just challenging enough to keep avid gamers interested.

It Was Made With Like
Cyanide is a small studio, and if they hadn’t been petitioning Martin to make this game for years, the “Game of Thrones” RPG would have probably have been made by a larger one. The game’s hardcore western RPG style might disaffect some, but it’s clear that the those at Cyanide are diehard “Game of Thrones” fans and that they wanted to make the best game possible that would do justice to Martin’s tale. And they succeeded. The “Game of Thrones” RPG doesn’t do anything pioneering or introduce anything new to gaming, but it is a fantastic way for fans to delve into the world of the Seven Kingdoms and feel like they’re more a part of it. The “Game of Thrones” RPG is right to the series in every way a game could possibly be, and because of that it was a joy to play.

Are you plotting on checking out the “Game of Thrones” RPG? Tell us in the comments section below or on Chirrup!

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Lady Gaga Taps The Darkness To Open Born This Way Ball

Perhaps looking for some real Heavy Metal Lovers, Lady Gaga has tapped reunited British rockers the Darkness as the opening act on the first ? though we’re willing to bet not last ? leg of her Born This Way Ball, which kicks off August 14 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Darkness confirmed the news Tuesday morning (April 10) on their official site (which, in a very Darkness go, is called TheActualDarkness.com), writing that they were “honoured [British spelling, extra classy] to announce their addition to the bill as main help for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball tour 2012.”

The glammy, hammy rockers ? best renowned for theatrical hits like “I Believe in a Thing Called Like” and “Growing on Me” ? burned bright before to imploding in 2006, but announced a get-together (and plans for a new album) just last year. And as a way of kickstarting the next chapter of their career, frontman Justin Hawkins appeared in a well-received Samsung commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLV, in which he starred as a Spandex-clad pied piper who rescued those from the monotony of everyday life. So, you know, it was basically a documentary.

It’s not clear if the Darkness will supply as the opening act on all of Gaga’s Euro dates (a spokesperson for the band did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment by press time), but, thanks to the Mother Monster herself, we now know that there are European dates for the much-discussed BTW Ball.

Gaga unveiled the first 21 shows ahead of schedule Tuesday morning on her Chirrup account. After kicking off August 14 in Bulgaria, she’ll make stops in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany, France and the U.K. before to wrapping October 6 in Barcelona.

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2012 Video Music Awards To Take Over Staples Center

The MTV Video Music Awards are moving to the home of the Lakers: Staples Center in Los Angeles.

That’s right. On Thursday, September 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the 2012 VMAs will take over Staples for the first time, making the huge show even larger ? if that’s possible. The epicenter of the L.A. sports and entertainment universe is just the latest iconic venue the VMAs have called home, joining a list that includes New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the Palms Lodge and Casino in Las Vegas and American Airlines Arena in Miami.

It’s fitting the 2012 VMAs are moving to Staples; after all, they’ll need a huge house to match the huge-time impact of last year’s show, which scored MTV’s largest audience in the arrangement’s history with a record-contravention 12.4 million viewers and were also the most tweeted-about awards show ever ? no doubt fueled by Lady Gaga’s Jo Calderone and, of course, BeyoncĂ©’s well-known onstage reveal of her baby bump.

But before to you get too excited for the VMAs, don’t forget the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, airing live Sunday, June 3, from Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Russell Brand ? a two-time VMA host ? has been tapped to helm this year’s Movie Awards.

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Stay tuned for more info on the huge show, including how you can vote for your favorite artists!

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