'Now You See Me' stars (from left) Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson. (Barry Wetcher/Summit Entertainment/AP)

'Now You See Me' brings magicians to the summer movie season

By Molly Driscoll, Staff Writer / 05.27.13

Where did this movie “Now You See Me” come from?

By now, an inextricable part of the summer (yes, even early May counts as part of the summer movie season now) movie hoopla is massive marketing campaigns. By the time I got to the theater to see “The Avengers” last summer, I felt like I’d heard half of Robert Downey Jr.’s snarky one-liners already in endless TV ads. 

But this movie “Now You See Me,” starring actors such as Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Caine as, variously, a team of bank-robbing magicians and the authorities trying to discover their secrets, comes out May 31 and I recently found the trailer online having only vaguely heard of the movie. It may be that the “Iron Man 3”/”Great Gatsby”/”Star Trek” noise was merely drowning it out, but this movie seems to have been a quiet summer release so far.

Which is a shame, because the trailer looks intriguing and the cast is top-notch. It’ll be Fisher’s second appearance in a summer movie after she played mistress Myrtle Wilson in director Baz Luhrmann’s “Gatsby,” and Harrelson is coming off his well-reviewed turn in the first “Hunger Games” movie. Freeman just starred in Tom Cruise’s (tepidly received) sci-fi movie “Oblivion.”

As has been remarked by others, I kept being reminded of director Christopher Nolan’s magicians movie “The Prestige” when watching the trailer for “Now,” what with Michael Caine starring in both movies and a sequence in the “Now” trailer when a woman gets trapped in a water tank, which also occurs in “Prestige.” But considering “Prestige” was the last big magicians movie, that’s probably inevitable. And there are worse comparisons – the meticulously plotted film starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman was entertaining and contained a heck of a twist ending.

Check out the trailer for “Now.”

'Fast & Furious 6' stars Dwayne Johnson (l.), Vin Diesel (center), and Luke Evans (r.). (Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures/AP)

'Fast & Furious 6' has some plot holes but is an entertaining ride

By Ben Kendrick, Screen Rant / 05.24.13

Fast & Furious 6 picks up after the successful Rio heist in Fast Five, with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew having given up their lives of crime, spending their hard-earned (read: stolen) money jet setting, wooing supermodels – or in the case of Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), adjusting to fatherhood. All seems well until Diplomatic Security Service Agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), tracks Toretto down, requesting the team’s assistance in stopping an international terrorist – in exchange for full U.S. pardons.

Toretto agrees to help and the rest of his crew assemble in London, where they come face-to-face (or car-to-car) with infamous Ex-Special Forces soldier-turned-robber Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), along with his team of cold-blooded killers and expert gear-heads. With only days to stop Shaw from acquiring a dangerous piece of technology, Toretto and his team find themselves out-manned, out-gunned, and forced into taking desperate measures in order to stop the terrorist before he can sell his weapon to the highest bidder.

Director Justin Lin returns to helm Fast & Furious 6. The filmmaker joined the series back in 2006 with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and was instrumental in reinvigorating the franchise – ditching the niche car culture drama (dripping with machismo and scantily clad women) in favor of bombastic vehicle stunts. Fast Five was the most successful film in the series – delivering eye-popping driving sequences along with entertaining character moments – does the director up-the-ante with Fast & Furious 6?

Lin’s latest entry successfully pushes the film series to bigger and more outrageous heights, sometimes at the expense of believability and compelling character drama. However, there’s little doubt that franchise fans (along with anyone who enjoyed Fast Five) will be disappointed by Fast & Furious 6. There are a few eye-rolling moments and, as in prior entries, a very heavy-handed message about “family” (along with some awkward legacy story beats) but scene-to-scene the film offers a no-holds-barred flurry of memorable action and tongue-in-cheek character moments that will definitely entertain moviegoers – even if the plot doesn’t hold up under close scrutiny.

The car stunts are bigger (and crazier) than ever before – easily outdoing the scale of the Rio “Vault” scene from the prior film. Moviegoers who had trouble suspending disbelief in Fast Five will face a similar challenge with Fast & Furious 6, but for anyone on-board with the series’ premise, every outrageous sequence is punctuated with plenty of slick visuals and fun one-liners. The film’s climax suffers a bit from overly-frantic green screen shots, making it hard to fully-appreciate individual altercations – which are sometimes lost in a blur of fast-moving scenery, punches, and gunplay. However, much like the rest of the film, the sum is often better than its individuals parts, and despite a few disorienting elements in the finale, the full sequence is still immensely exciting – and ranks among the series’ most iconic moments.

This round, Dominic Toretto takes center stage (again) – in a personal story that sheds light on his past and the present challenge posed by Owen Shaw. Still, this is a Fast and Furious film, so any attempts at character development are delivered through on-the-nose dialogue about family, sacrifice, and faith. Similarly, the movie works extremely hard to balance franchise legacy elements with recent additions from Fast Five and, as a result, the core Toretto arc is punctuated with clumsy storytelling that can be awkward at times (but not outright distracting). It’s all forgivable, but given the amount of time dedicated to the character’s personal journey, emotional beats never quite deliver on their promises of compelling drama.

Walker’s Brian O’Conner is marginalized this time, given a downright bizarre side-story that could have easily been left out of the film entirely (by adding one or two lines of exposition). The character remains a key member of the crew (and a counterpoint for Toretto), but with the addition of more interesting side-characters like Luke Hobbs (Johnson), O’Conner’s contributions this round are some of the least memorable (or sensical). The dynamic between Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) help off-set the emotionally charged Toretto plot with fun banter as well as misadventures – and, as mentioned, Hobbs (along with partner Riley, played by Gina Carano) add plenty of bone-crushing fisticuffs to the mix.

Shaw, aided by a strong (but ice-cold) performance from Luke Evans, serves as a good foil for Toretto and his gang – showing how differences in the team leaders result in their respective successes and failures. Toretto’s reliance on his family is his greatest vulnerability – whereas Shaw views his team members as nothing more than engine parts (each with their own expiration date). While the analogies get a bit heavy-handed by the end, the dynamic is interesting and serves as a fun opportunity to see Toretto and the team face a colder and more calculated set of doppelgangers.

That said, the Fast & Furious 6 story is full of plot holes and underdeveloped moments of emotional impact. The majority of them will speed by on an initial viewing, but once all of the twists have been revealed and moviegoers are left standing in the aftermath, it’s a noticeably paper-thin plot. Worse yet, the film never takes the necessary time to make sense of several key character moments – sacrificing development, explanations, and/or emotional catharsis for the sake of keeping the film’s pacing up. As stated, there’s never really time to consider these shortcomings in the moment, but for a story that focuses so much on the importance of “family,” the movie ultimately underserves a few featured members who are, apparently, less important than the high-octane thrills.

Of course, impactful drama has never been the primary goal of the Fast & Furious series – and forthat reason, it’s hard to imagine that returning viewers will be underwhelmed by the offerings in Fast & Furious 6. Lin has created a bigger (albeit not necessarily better) film that will please moviegoers looking for nitro-infused car stunts, amusing characters, and enormous action sequences. At times, Fast & Furious 6 is a little unwieldy, saddled with a lot of added baggage, but it’s still an extremely entertaining ride.

Ben Kendrick blogs at Screen Rant.

'Now You See Me' stars (from l.) Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine also star in the film. (Barry Wetcher, SMPSP/Summit Entertainment, LLC/AP)

Morgan Freeman stars in the magician caper 'Now You See Me' – check out the trailer (+video)

By Sandy Schaefer, Screen Rant / 05.23.13

“Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it’ll be to fool you,” narrates Morgan Freeman as the veteran illusion debunker Thaddeus in the first trailer for Now You See Me.

That voiceover might bring back memories of Christian Bale’s “Are you watching closely?” from Christopher Nolan’s dueling illusionists film The Prestige – all the more so once Michael Caine shows up. However, this tale of professional do-daring magicians is an old-fashioned heist thriller infused with new life, courtesy of some flashy stage trickery (enhanced via the ‘magic’ of editing/special effects) and high-octane thrills directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans).

Now You See Me revolves around the exploits of The Four Horsemen – a group of Las Vegas magicians renowned for their hi-tech shows and mind-boggling stunts – brought to life by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games) and Dave Franco (21 Jump Street). However, these gifted con artists scale new heights when they pull off a stunt that involves exposing a white-collar criminal (Elias Koteas), ‘magically’ funneling his illicit millions of dollars from his Paris vault and showering their audience with the cash results. But will the Horsemen’s ‘final trick’ be even more impressive (not to mention, lucrative)?

Boaz Yakin (Prince of Persia, Safe) and relative newcomer Edward Ricourt share screen story and co-scripting credit on Now You See Me, with Ed Solomon (Men in Black, Charlie’s Angels) also receiving credit for the screenplay. However, there have been reports that Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec handled script revisions, which is encouraging – given how capable they proved at creating an interesting team player dynamic in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – and also makes sense, as the duo’s former Alias co-showrunners (Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci) co-produced Leterrier’s latest flick.

Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) costars as FBI special agent Dylan Hobbs, the man determined to stop the Four Horsemen in their tracks. Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) plays Hobbs’ newly-assigned partner; meanwhile, Freeman (as indicated before) is a fellow with insider knowledge that might bring the Horsemen down. But could either (or both) of these mysterious players be secretly in cahoots with the thieving magicians?

If you want the answer, you’ll have to see the film – which, judging by early trailer footage, looks like a well-constructed and exhilarating cinematic thrill ride (though, perhaps one as logic-defying and preposterous as its predecessors).

Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.

Alice Eve stars in 'Star Trek Into Darkness.' (Fred Prouser/Reuters)

Alice Eve discusses 'Star Trek Into Darkness' and the role of Dr. Carol Marcus

By Ben Kendrick, Screen Rant / 05.22.13

After months of build-up and downright divisive pre-release speculation, Star Trek Into Darkness has arrived in US theaters. The film has received an overwhelmingly favorable response from critics (read our Star Trek Into Darkness review) and is poised to make big bucks at the summer box office – in spite of high-powered hold-overs like Iron Man 3 along with a surprisingly strong performance from The Great Gatsby.

Last week, we had a chance to chat with the film’s stars, including Alice Eve who plays the much-talked about Dr. Carol Marcus to discuss the latest Star Trek film, her upcoming projects, and what it was like joining the iconic Star Trek movie crew. We’ve already posted our interview with Karl Urban (Dr. ”Bones” McCoy) as well as Simon Pegg and John Cho (Lieutenant Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott and Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, respectively). Make sure to check back in the coming days as we publish further interviews.

NOTE: The following is an abridged (and more concise) version of the interview with Alice Eve. You can read the entire transcript from our conversations with actress by clicking the link below:

• Alice Eve (FYI: The unabridged version contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the film)

Next to Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison, Alice Eve’s Dr. Carol Marcus was one of the most talked-about new characters prior to the Star Trek Into Darkness release. Fans poured over Eve’s haircut, uniform, and facial expressions in an attempt to figure out her role in the film ahead of time. Director J.J. Abrams even capitalized on fan obsession over the character – using a picture of Alice Eve in her undergarments to hide a viral marketing link.

However, the actress never let all the speculation distract her and, instead, tried to stay focus on the task at hand:

Alice Eve: I don’t follow that because it’s pretty damaging if you get too into that stuff. Obviously I have a bit of an awareness because I go to the internet like everybody else but I don’t get too involved in the details of those conversations just because it can hurt you if you stumble on something that’s not nice [...] Even with the internet aside there’s an element of JJ making an environment where you’re able to feel safe. If you feel safe there’s no fear or pressure. You feel that you’re just there to do your job and serve the movie that everyone’s making. There are thousands of people that go into making a movie like this. There’s us [the actors] but there’s the preproduction, there’s the post production and that amounts to a lot of eyes and ears and minds so you’re just a part of a big journey and a big bandwagon. You take it day by day.

In preparation for her role, Eve went back and rewatched the first season of the classic Star Trek series, along with several of the original films. Like many of the Star Trek reboot stars, the actress wanted to find a balance between developing her own interpretation of Dr. Carol Marcus while paying homage to the version played by Bibi Besch:

Alice Eve: I enjoy any sort of preparation. I love what I do. The process to doing what I do is to research it and to look into the depths of the person. Especially if there’s an established cannon such as there was with Star Trek so I enjoyed that process. That’s the process I enjoy; that’s the creation, that’s the building part of it. That’s why I do what I do.

Elaborating on what exactly she picked-up from Besch’s portrayal, Eve asserted that it was important to include “purpose” and “strength,” elements that are clearly on display in Star Trek Into Darkness:

Alice Eve: I think that when Bibi [Besch] played her in the 1982 films with a real directness, a purpose and a strength. I definitely wanted to bring that to my Carol. But because JJ [Abrams] kind of split the timeline in 2009 it gave us a bit of room for our own interpretation. So obviously that was sort of liberating at the same time it was taking on the hallmarks of who she was as a person [...] She’s very strict with Kirk in the film in ’82… when they have that screen conversation she’s very strict about what she wants Kirk to do and the fact she has information at her disposal so with that information she’s direct to Kirk and I guess pedagogical is the word.

Still, there are major differences in the two versions of the character – most notably the addition of Eve’s English accent. In fact, Abrams was so concerned that the change would be a sticking point (Marcus had an American accent in the original series), he actually shot an expository scene where the character explains her own backstory – a scene that was eventually cut:

Alice Eve: There was one scene that we shot that didn’t make it into the film. That was about me explaining why I had an English accent; my mother moved to England when my father stayed in San Francisco to run Starfleet. I think that JJ felt that plot point wasn’t necessary and that you didn’t question it beyond the first moment. I think that made sense and we had a certain license with the split timeline.

Ben Kendrick blogs at Screen Rant.

Kate Hudson will star in Zach Braff's new movie 'Wish I Was Here,' according to reports. (Joel Ryan/AP)

Kate Hudson will star in Zach Braff's film 'Wish I Was Here,' according to reports

By Molly Driscoll, Staff Writer / 05.21.13

Kate Hudson has reportedly joined the cast of Zach Braff’s film “Wish I Was Here,” for which Braff is raising funds via Kickstarter.

Hudson will play Braff’s wife in the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Braff will direct the film as he did with “Garden State,” and has written the film’s script with his brother Adam Braff.

Braff was impressed with Hudson’s Oscar-nominated role in the 2000 film “Almost Famous,” according to The Wrap, and the two are now “good friends,” the actor said.

The movie will follow a man named Aidan Bloom, played by Braff, a father and husband and trying to find work as an actor and searching for meaning in his life. After other educational options fall through, he begins to homeschool his children.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film will also star “Homeland” actor Mandy Patinkin, “Book of Mormon” actor Josh Gad, and Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory," who also appeared in Braff’s 2004 film “Garden State.”

Braff raised more than $2 million via the website Kickstarter for the film in four days. He has also secured funding for the film from Worldview Entertainment. The film’s total on Kickstarter is currently at more than $2,700,000.

“Garden State,” which was written and directed by Braff, centered on an aspiring actor (Braff) who returned to his hometown for his mother’s funeral. The movie also starred Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, and Peter Sarsgaard.

Hudson’s breakout role is widely considered to be her part in “Almost Famous.” She has also starred in romantic comedies such as “How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days,” “Raising Helen,” “Fool’s Gold,” and “Bride Wars.” She appeared in the film adaptation of the musical “Nine” and has recently guest-starred on the Fox series “Glee” as a tough teacher named Cassandra July.

According to Braff’s Kickstarter website, he hopes to release “Wish” in September 2014.

The Book of War, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times exhibit. (Courtesy of Israeli Antiquities Authority)

Dead Sea Scrolls: The Boston exhibit lets visitors see one of the greatest treasures of the modern era

By Kendra Nordin, Staff writer / 05.20.13

A Bedouin goat herder was merely chasing after a stray when he stumbled into a cave and discovered one of the greatest treasure-finds of the modern era.

The ancient manuscripts inscribed in Hebrew dialects that he discovered rolled inside clay pots became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, currently the oldest existing biblical manuscripts since they date from between 150 B.C. and 70 C.E. Now one of the largest public displays of the Dead Sea Scrolls ever is the centerpiece of an exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science titled “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times.”

“We are thrilled to bring this world treasure to Boston for the first time,” said Paul Fontaine, Museum of Science vice president of education. “The artifacts and rare texts [in the exhibit] offer a tantalizing glimpse of daily life in ancient Israel, a vital cultural crossroad. The scrolls offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to understand the attitudes and aspirations of a people who lived 2,000 years ago and help us all appreciate a culture that continues to influence our own.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls contain biblical text found in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, in addition to other books not included in the canon such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, and the Testament of Levi. Eleven caves eventually yielded 972 scrolls altogether in early 1947.

The Dead Sea Scrolls “provide a record of extraordinary human achievement,” said Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn, professor of religious studies at San Diego State University. “They teach us about our past and ourselves.”

The majority of the scrolls are nonreligious, Dr. Kohn said, and are comprised of commentary, legal documents, and references to the end times of the world. They reveal an ancient culture finding itself in the struggle between good and evil and provide “a spiritual map of ancient Israel,” she said. 

Some of the scrolls have changed hands over the years and at one point, four of the scrolls ended up in the United States. A tiny ad in the Wall Street Journal published in 1954 hoped to bring forth a buyer: "The Four Dead Sea Scrolls: Biblical Manuscripts dating back to at least 200 BC, are for sale. This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group." 

And they found one. In a clandestine operation using Prof. Harry Orlinsky, a religious scholar, as a middle man posing as “Mr. Green,” Israeli authorities bought the scrolls for $250,000 the same year.

Since then, the Dead Sea Scrolls have come to America several times, once in 1965 and intermittently since 1993. The most recent, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, was the Minnesota Museum of Science's exhibit in 2010.

In addition to the fragments of the scrolls – some of which are the size of postage stamp – on display, the exhibit at the Museum of Science contains cultural artifacts, including a 3-ton stone from the southwest corner of the outer wall of the structure known as the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The stone is thought to have detached from the wall during the Roman fighting in 70 A.D.

There are also artifacts once used in ritual worship in homes such as a small clay incense altar, pottery rattles, and fertility symbols represented by female, dove, and pomegranate clay forms. Other items of note: a marble slab engraved with a menorah dating back to the destruction of the second temple and a coin presumed to be similar to the ones used by the money changers driven out of the temple by Jesus.

Exhibit goers can leave a note or prayer near the exhibit that will be sent to Israel.

“Dead Sea Scrolls: Life in Ancient Times” will be on display at the Museum of Science in Boston from May 19 to Oct. 20, 2013.

Amy Poehler returned to 'SNL' for the May 18 season finale. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters)

Amy Poehler SNL: The former cast member returns for a 'Really!?!' segment with Seth Meyers

By Molly Driscoll, Staff Writer / 05.20.13

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Amy Poehler returned to the show – and her old “Weekend Update” desk – to contribute to a segment with her “Update” deskmate Seth Meyers.

Poehler and Meyers reprised their “Really!?! with Seth and Amy” routine for a skit on the recent IRS scandal.

Loud cheers in the studio greeted Meyers introducing the segment and Poehler making her entrance. “Are you ready to jump back into it?” he asked Poehler, who then tried out a few different indignant “Really?”s.

“You got it, you got it,” Meyers told her.

The “SNL” head writer, who will be taking over “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon’s job, called the IRS “less popular with Americans than exercise.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Meyers said. “I understand that even if you do your job perfectly, IRS, no one is going to give you a Gatorade shower, but you got to try a little harder.”

“The government only keeps you around to make the DMV look good,” Poehler added.

Meyers and Poehler also called out President Obama for his professed ignorance of what had been going on and tea party groups for being surprised that they were targeted by the IRS.

“One more thing, IRS,” Poehler said. “Please don’t audit me, I just did my taxes and I did them all wrong. I’m really, really, really sorry.”

Meyers has stated that he’ll be returning to “SNL” in the fall and staying for a few months before he takes over for Fallon as “Late Night” host.

Meanwhile, Poehler is currently starring in the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” which just got renewed for a sixth season.

The May 18 season finale of “Saturday Night Live” was hosted by Ben Affleck and was reportedly the last episode for longtime cast members Bill Hader, who has confirmed he’s leaving, and Fred Armisen, who hasn’t publicly discussed his departure but sang a song with lyrics such as “I’ve had a lovely night” at the end of the May 18 season finale. Speculation has surfaced that Jason Sudeikis may be departing as well, but that has not been confirmed.

'The Office' series finale: Was it a satisfying send-off?

By Anthony Ocasio, Screen Rant / 05.17.13

After 9 years on the air, The Office bid farewell with an extended, 75-minute long series finale in which Michael Scott (Steve Carell) returned, Dwight and Angela got married, and Jim and Pam exited Dunder Mifflin together, forever, to begin a new life in Austin, Texas. But was the final episode of The Office everything you’d hope it would be? Was it a fitting sendoff? 

The finale was essentially split-up into three parts: the catch-up, the wedding and the goodbyes. In the 6 months that had passed since “The Office: An American Workplace” aired on PBS, Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton went through a bit of a shake-up: Dwight fired Kevin and Toby; Stanley retired to Florida; and Creed became a wanted man. The people who had previously departed also saw changes in their lives: Andy became an “Internet sensation” (in the worst sense); Ryan became a single father; and Michael Scott, who made a brief appearance, finally got the cell phone family plan he always wanted, with real children to share it with.

It was the wedding of Dwight and Angela that brought everyone together, though, thanks to Jim and Pam forcing the documentary crew to hold the reunion during the same weekend. But with 75 minutes (including commercials) to burn through in one episode, some storylines stayed longer than they should, while others, like the reunion panel, didn’t receive the time that it deserved. It appeared, though, that the fictional world fell in love with the series in the same way that the real world did.

At Angela and Dwight’s wedding, it was time to reconnect with the characters and relationships that left the series years before, and it was there that the brief return of Michael Scott occurred. His time on screen wasn’t much, but it showed that, wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he’s happy. Ryan and Kelly, too, are happy (maybe?). Or at least that’s how we last see them, running away together, leaving Kelly’s pediatrician boyfriend, Ravi, to take care of Ryan’s baby, which he quickly turns over to Kevin, who quickly gives it to Nelly. Though things, at times, may have felt a bit forced, everyone got their own version of a happy ending – except Toby.

In The Office series finale’s final act, it was time to celebrate what once was with the actors and their characters: Kevin is happy with the bar that he owns; Oscar is running for the Senate; Daryl is still loving his (not) new job; Pam and Jim are moving onward and upward in their life; and Dwight and Angela are ready to live happily ever after. That is, unless Mose begins sleeping at the foot of Dwight’s bed again.

Anthony Ocasio blogs at Screen Rant.

Is Nicki Minaj leaving the judges' panel? Here, Minaj (second from l.) sits with fellow judges Keith Urban (l.), Randy Jackson (second from r.), and Mariah Carey (r.). (Michael Becker/Fox/AP)

Nicki Minaj: Is she leaving 'American Idol'?

By Molly Driscoll, Staff Writer / 05.16.13

Will first-time judge Nicki Minaj return to “American Idol” after the current season?

No, according to an “insider” report by Us Weekly.

“It's safe to say she isn't coming back to Idol," the person identified as an “insider” said, according to Us Weekly. "She's okay with it. She had a great time but was only going to do one season anyway.”

The report on Minaj comes after “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest asked her whether she’d be coming back next year during his radio show on May 9.

“That's a million-dollar question," she said. "I have to say this all the time, but I want people to know it's genuinely from my heart. I love the people on 'Idol.' I genuinely do. If I had to do this all over again, I would have done 'Idol.' Because it's fun, it's laughs.”

The story on Minaj was released soon after Randy Jackson, who had served as an “American Idol” judge since the program’s inception when former judges Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell sat at the table with him, said he would not be returning next year.

“Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on American Idol I have decided it is time to leave after this season," Jackson said in a statement to Us Weekly. "I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry.”

Minaj served on the judges’ panel with Jackson and fellow first-time judges Mariah Carey and Keith Urban. She released her most recent album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” in April 2012 and it was certified platinum, as was her 2010 debut album “Pink Friday.”

This past April, she was named the female rapper who had appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the most times. Her number of titles that have appeared on the chart, 44, is exactly the same as her fellow “Idol” judge Carey.