JENNIFER LOPEZ STILL HAS THE GREEN VERSACE DRESS SHE WORE TO THE 2000 GRAMMY AWARDS

Remember the green Versace dress that Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammy Awardswhen she walked down the red carpet with her then-boyfriend Sean "Diddy" Combs? Of course you do. It's one of the most iconic Grammy Awards dresses ever and even has its own Wikipedia page today. And, as it turns out, J-Lo hasn't forgotten about the dress, either. In fact, she still sees it almost everyday, because her housekeeper has it hanging up on a mannequin inside of her bathroom at home.

"I have that at home," Lopez told Harper's Bazaar recently when asked about the dress she wore to the 42nd annual Grammy Awards. "The other day, my housekeeper put it on a mannequin in my spa, where I get my hair and makeup done. She sent me a picture. She was like, 'You like this dress?' Um, yeah, but I don't know if I like it out in the house!"

We say: Why not? In a month, dozens of singers and actresses will walk down the red carpet before the 55th annual Grammy Awards wearing fancy designer dresses. But, it's unlikely that any of them will re-capture the magic of Lopez wearing her green Versace dress that required double-sided tape in order to stay put. So, she should show it off proudly. It was one of the defining style moments in her career.

Maria Carey, Nicki Minaj Reveal Why They Decided to Join 'American Idol'

American Idol has a decade-long reputation as one of the most successful reality talent competitions, but for the show's newest judges, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, making the decision to join the famous franchise wasn't an easy one.

Carey says it was her husband, Nick Cannon, who persuaded her to accept a position at the Idol judges' table.

"I was on the fence about the whole thing," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "[Nick] said I should do it because it's the top, it's the cream of the crop. And I felt like, 'Do the show that's produced massive stars who have had major careers.' "

As a judge, Carey takes pride in offering contestants encouragement to follow their passion for singing.

"Some people still want to be inspired. Some people need to have that kind of validation and to feel like, if this person did it, then I can. And I do have one of those stories," said Carey.

For Minaj, her hesitation about joining Idol stemmed from her wanting to maintain her image in the hip-hop community.

"[There is] "a judgmental culture in hip-hop," where "sometimes you are afraid of being too famous because it's almost, like, is that even cool? Being that accessible, someone you see on TV every week? I never pictured myself as that type of person. I'm still surprised that I decided to do it," admitted Minaj. Before signing on the dotted line, Minaj says she consulted trusted members of her inner circle. "I had a lot of talks with people -- my family, my best friends, my label, Lil Wayne, management and then the producers." 

Max Hole Named Universal Music International Chairman and CEO

Max Hole has been named chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International effective January 1, 2013, Group CEO and Chairman Lucian Grainge announced today.

Hole, who will report directly to Grainge, will be based in London and responsible for the company's global operations outside the United States. He will also oversee UMG's worldwide classical music business, including the Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon labels.

Hole is a member of UMG's Executive Board.

"Max has contributed significantly to the evolution and continued success of our international business, Grainge said in a statement. "There is no one better to lead our efforts outside the US, where we anticipate significant growth opportunities with the addition of EMI to our existing international portfolio. Max will play an integral role overseeing our future global development."

Mr. Hole began as an artist manager and record producer, before spending 16 years at Warner Music UK. Hole joined UMG as senior vice president, marketing and A&R, in 1998, and became executive VP in 2004. At UMGI.  In 2010, he was named COO of Universal Music Group International.Mr. Hole has worked closely with the careers of a wide-variety of artists  that include Taylor Swift, Juanes, Gotye, Enrique Iglesias, Bon Jovi, Andrea Bocelli, Milos, Girls' Generation, Lionel Richie, Sa Ding Ding and many others. He also helped secure the company's partnership "The Voice."

"The future for the music industry is looking brighter than it has for some time, and there's no shortage of energy, innovation and creativity in Universal's companies around the world," Hole commented. "I'm looking forward to working with new colleagues and artists from EMI, and integrating our two great companies successfully.  2013 will be an exciting year for all of us."

SOLANGE KNOWLES CALLS OUT MUSIC WRITERS ON TWITTER

If you were perusing your timeline Saturday morning and happened to follow Solange Knowles on Twitter, you were treated to a polite rant observation/ request from that Bey's little sis.

"Some of these music blogs could actually benefit from hiring people who REALLY understand the culture of R&B to write about R&B," she wrote in a series of tweets that seemed to be a direct shot at an unknown site. "Like you really should know about deep Brandy album cuts before you are giving a "grade" or a "score" to any R&B artist."

The younger Knowles released her True EP at the end of November, which offers seven tracks featuring songwriting and production credits from Blood Orange's Dev Hynes and Ariel Reichstadt. While the project generated little buzz, the singer/ DJ/ mother proved that honesty is one of her best talents.

Check out the visual for its carrier track "Losing You" below.

Sony Teams Up With BMG to Bid for Parlophone: Report

BMG has gained a partner in its bid to purchase Parlophone and other EMI labels that Universal is selling off as part of its purchase of EMI last year: Sony, the label from which it abandoned a joint venture just four years ago. The news was reported by the Financial Times on Sunday.

The news thickens the plot around the sale of Parlophone, which is said to have a dozen potential bidders. The long-running British label includes Coldplay, Gorillaz, Blur, Kylie Minogue and other artists, although Universal kept the label's most famous artists, the Beatles. Parlophone is easily the most coveted of the assets Universal is offloading, which include Sanctuary, Coop and others. Mute Records' back catalog was sold to BMG late last month.

FAQ on Approval of Universal Music - EMI Deal

Sony and BMG are uniting to strengthen their chances of being the winning bidder and will then split the assets, the report said. They have no plans to enter into another joint venture.

Other interested bidders are said to include Warner Music - which recently hired former Sony exec Rob Wiesenthal as COO -- Ronald Perelman's MacAndrews & Forbes; and Simon Fuller and Chris Blackwell, with backing from RIT Capital Partners.

Neither label had responded to Billboard.biz's requests for comment at press time. A rep for BMG told Financial Times: "We have already demonstrated with our bids for publishing copyrights from Sony and the Mute Records catalogue from Universal that BMG is an active player in the reshaping of the music industry. To that end we will do what is necessary to make any bids as competitive as possible."

Bids for Parlophone and the other labels are expected to be in by mid-month.

NAS REVEALS HIS GREATEST FEAR

New York rap veteran Nas recently revealed his greatest fear and one of the biggest motivational comments made by fellow hip-hop pioneer KRS-One.

For Nasty Nas, the one thing which makes him shook is the idea of being shaken up about something.

What's your greatest fear? To be scared. To achieve the things that I've achieved, fear had something to do with it, but it's really not fear at the end of the day. KRS-One said years ago, "Here's where the problem starts, no heart. Because of that a lot of groups fell apart." [...] The ones that came up and were just so talented that you didn't understand what happened to them - a lot of them just didn't have any heart. [They] wind up on drugs, or become bitter and just talk about people all day. They had no heart. And they make excuses for it. (Huck Magazine)

Last year, God's Son considered why his career has lasted for more than two decades.

"So many people think they're relevant because they're still alive. That's not the case. Just because they stay alive, doesn't make you relevant. Your music should mean something, and that's what I always try to do. I don't work hard on anything other than being me, and if that resonates and they say that's relevant, that's official. I get that question from so many people, 'What makes you so relevant today when they're not relevant?'" (Muve Music)

His longtime friend/producer Salaam Remi recently talked aboutNas' longevity in hip-hop.

"I mean, the reason why Nas is still here, after 21 years, I would give it to his instinct. There's only three people that I can say have been around that long, and that's Nas, Busta, and Mary. If you actually sit down with them, it's not a coincidence why they're still doing what they do. ... People may not love every minute of what their careers are, but they're still really clear on what they're doing and how they're doing it, how they're appealing to their core, who's been with them for 20 years, and how they're going forward." (Complex)

Back in 2010, Nasty Nas reflected on what his music represents in an ever-changing rap game.

"A lot of people are fronting, like, 'I'm from this. I'm from that,'" he said in an interview. "Even the so-called [socially] conscious rappers, they claim ghetto. I love jewelry. I love cars," he said. "And part of it is because cars fascinate me. Part of it is because of what social status it represents. ... So I do talk about it [on recordings]. Every gangster I've ever known or every street dude I've ever known has a heart. They know about ... more than girls and booty-shakin'. And that's who I'm here to represent. All my peers are dead, fugitives or locked up." (Sun-Sentinel)

2013 Grammy Voter Guide

On our way to Music's Biggest Night, a close look at the nominees for the top awards, a complete list of categories and nominations, and an overview of the top-nominated independent artists: COMPLETE LIST OF GRAMMY NOMINEES » GENRE ANALYSIS COUNTRY | POP | DANCE | ROCK | RAP | R&B | LATIN

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome To The Second Annual Billboard Grammy Voter Guide GEARING UP FOR 'MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT' An Introduction To The 55th Annual Grammy Awards  A MEMBERSHIP WITH BENEFITS  So You Want To Be A Member Of the Recording Academy? Here's What It'll Get You THE 2013 GRAMMY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES From Ray Charles to Elton John to "Back In Black" & More SMALL BUT MIGHTY Indies Continue Their Strong Showing With Their Highest Percentage Of Nominations -- Ever  GRAMMYS GO SOCIAL With A Branded Social Media Campaign, The Grammys Are Getting Even Stronger MORE THAN JUST AN AWARD CEREMONY A List of Grammy Week Events, Celebrations, Reunions, Performances & More

TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF BILLBOARD'S ENTIRE 2013 GRAMMY VOTER GUIDE CLICK HERE