American Idol Power Rankings: The Top 5

We are down to the final five.

With the elimination of Elise Testone this week, American Idol kicked off its home stretch on season 11, meaning this is an ideal time to line up the remaining contestants in a Power Poll and ask readers who they think will win.

5. Hollie Cavanaugh: She's made a living in the bottom three for weeks now. A perfectly strong voice, deserving of a place in the top five, but next Thursday night should be it for her. Lacks a personality or anything distinct to go with the vocals.

4. Joshua Ledet: We rank him fourth, but wouldn't object to him winning the whole thing. The talent is there, but, to many, so is some yelling and a bit of over-acting. But if you like theatrics, Ledet is your man.

3. Jessica Sanchez: Responsible for the single best performance of the season, her cover of Whitney's "I Will Always Love You." Has a lot of Pia Toscano in her. We mean that as a big compliment.

2. Phillip Phillips: He just can't win, people. Seriously, it would make like five straight handsome white guys who play guitars. The talent is there, the consistency is there, and we feel bad holding David Cook and Kris Allen against Phillip. But we need a change.

1. Skylar Laine: And let's hope Laine benefits from that change. She's fun, she's eccentric, she has her own sound. Her cover of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" is what American Idol is all about.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN?

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Analysis: Obama falls short of meteoric expectations abroad (reuters)

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Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review

Fujifilm confirms X-Pro1 at CES

Fujifilm X-Pro1 interchangeable lens camera preview

Sony Alpha NEX-7 mirrorless camera review

Hear any mention of retro-styled cameras with exorbitant price tags and it's hard not to get suspicious. That kind of talk brings to mind Leica's incessant re-branding of Panasonic Lumix models, or those unicorn limited editions out of Japan that just leave us baffled. But it's okay, you can relax with the Fujifilm X-Pro1. At $1,700 for the body only it's crazily expensive, sure, but not when you compare to an $8,000 Leica M9-P. Besides, it's a legitimate heir to a strong line of Fuji shooters that includes the much-loved X100 and the more accessible X10. That's a strong pedigree, and no matter how deeply you peer into its mirrorless aperture, the X-Pro1 should offer up enough technology to stop you being cynical.

Like what, you ask? Well, a genuinely surprising bespoke 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, for starters, plus a hybrid viewfinder designed to keep everyone happy all of the time, and a Fuji X lens mount that already has a Leica M9 adapter available (plus others, like Nikon, if you scan eBay). It all adds up to something special, but before you go tweeting this article to whimsical rich uncles, there are also some complicating factors you ought to be aware of. Even in a utopian paradise where everyone could afford this sip of photographic luxury, it's far from certain whether everyone would choose it over other interchangeable lens cameras. Read on past the break and we'll explain why.

Gallery: Fujifilm X-Pro1 review

Continue reading Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review

Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitbull Goes 'Back In Time' On 'Men In Black' Video Set

Mr. Worldwide walks MTV News through his 'Back in Time' music video set.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf

Pitbull on the set of his music video for "Men In Black 3"
Photo: MTV News

Not only does the "Men in Black" movie franchise boast great acting and stunning visual effects, each of the three films features a pretty kicking soundtrack as well. For "Men in Black 3," which hits theaters May 25, Pitbull contributes the lead single, "Back in Time."

MTV News caught up with Mr. Worldwide on the Los Angeles set of the "Back in Time" video and he gave us a pretty cool walk-through.

"What we're doing here, to sum it up in layman's terms, is making history," Pit said. "The concept is basically all about the movie. The slogan for the movie is 'Back in Time.' In the record I say, 'In order to understand the future we have to go back in time.' "

The clip not only features "MIB3" movie scenes, it was actually filmed on the movie set, blending the Miami rapper's performance shots seamlessly into Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones' action shots. "As far as the sets that you see right now, it's just integrating and running parallel with everything that you see in the movie," Pitbull explained.

It was the Fresh Prince himself who recorded the theme songs — 1997's "Men in Black" and 2002's "Black Suits Comin' " — for the first two installments of the "MIB" trilogy. For the upcoming flick, Pit took over and used a sample of Mickey and Sylvia's 1950s classic "Love Is Strange" for inspiration.

Now that he's clocked his first collaboration with Big Willie, Pitbull hopes that they can work together some more. "I would love to follow in Will Smith's footsteps," he said. "We're working on the music for the movie, and hopefully, one day, we'll work in a movie together."

What do you think of Pitbull's "Back in Time" video? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists

• Pitbull

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Logitech president celebrates end-of-year earnings with management cull

Logitech's Q4 and full-year report makes for uncomfortable reading. Despite profits increasing by a factor of nine in the last quarter of the year, overall annual profit fell 44 percent from $143 million to $71 million. The company has already parachuted in former Whirlpool exec. Bracken P. Darrel to turn things around and recover the losses made when the company went big on Google TV. His first action has been to kick-start a restructuring operation that will save $80 million in costs, starting by cutting a whole management layer -- demoting current product VP Junien Labrousse and firing sales VP Werner Heid. Mr. Darrell is now working directly with his team on a new lineup of "stronger" products to be unveiled later this quarter, with an emphasis on Windows 8 peripherals and LifeSize video conferencing gear.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Continue reading Logitech president celebrates end-of-year earnings with management cull

Logitech president celebrates end-of-year earnings with management cull originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Kidney Has Been Inside Three People In Just Two Weeks [Medicine]

When Ray Fearing received a kidney from his sister, Cera, after a long battle with a disease which forms scar tissue on the kidney, he was extremely relieved. Sadly, his condition worsened and the doctors had no choice but to remove the kidney—but it went on to find itself inside a third patient. More »

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Congress to examine government's dominance in wireless spectrum

The US federal government is, by far and away, the largest user of wireless spectrum in the States -- much of which is spoken for by the Department of Defense. A new Congressional committee will, however, be re-examining that position with the goal of freeing up airwaves for public and commercial use. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), who will co-chair the group, hopes the effort will ultimately end up saving taxpayers money and satiating the country's "exploding demand for mobile broadband services." Of course this isn't the first time the idea has been broached, but the bi-partisan collective suggests that an actionable plan to ease the spectrum squeeze might not be too far off. Let's all hope that the findings don't become quite as contentious as some of the other issues currently being debated in Congress's hallowed halls.

Congress to examine government's dominance in wireless spectrum originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony patent suggests Xperia Play with dual keyboards, it's slidingly slidable

Okay, so maybe physical keyboards were a bigger deal back in 2010 when this thing was filed, or maybe -- just maybe -- we'll one day see an Xperia Play smartphone with both a gamepad and a full QWERTY counterpart. A patent for such a contraption was just granted to Sony by the USPTO, which stakes its claim for a device with two sliding mechanisms in addition to the display. When the primary sliding mechanism is engaged, the second will come along for the ride -- and for those curious, it seems the default option is the keyboard. Once both are open, the sliding units may be disengaged from one another, so that when one of the units retracts, the other will remain accessible. It all sounds quite feasible, and if the mechanism works well enough, what's a few extra millimeters among friends?

Sony patent suggests Xperia Play with dual keyboards, it's slidingly slidable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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