Jennifer Lopez was hoping for $15 million for a judging spot on American Idol, but FOX, Fremantle and 19 Entertainment refused to go above $12 million, according to deadline.com.

JLo, 41, was hoping to stall enough to get the network to pony up, but failed. A source tells the site:

"I think it was just positioning. In the end, she didn't turn up her nose up at $12 million. I would have been very surprised if she had walked away. She needs the money. She lives very very well. It comes at a cost."

The site also claims that Idol producers were pressured by the fact that Simon Cowell had offered Lopez a judging spot on his upcoming U.S. version of X Factor which is debuting in Fall 2011.

In addition to her Idol contract, Lopez reportedly also wanted to negotiate a guaranteed movie deal with FOX, but the studio refused. A possible factor in that decision ... her recent movie The Back-Up Plan was panned by critics and didn't perform so well at the box office.

Steven Tyler is rumored to be joining the AI judging panel, as well ... but still no confirmation. No doubt, the Aerosmith frontman is now thinking ... cha-ching!

Even though MTV said there was no duet planned between Taylor Swift and Kanye West, as soon as we heard someone announce "Ladies and gentlemen!" during the rapper's performance last night, we figured the cameras would cut to a shot of Taylor joining him onstage. Alas, that never happened, and E! Online's Ted Casablanca reports that execs for the network "were not pleased" with Swift's somewhat awkward performance and the fact that she "backed out of a planned duet between the two superstars."

Despite the plans to have Taylor join Kanye to close the show, the country star "refused to go on" and she had MTV, Kanye's camp and even her own peeps working throughout the duration of the show to see if she'd change her mind and join him.

Kanye has apologized a thousand times for the incident, and while we wanted to punch him in the naughty bits when he interrupted Taylor last year, we don't know what more Taylor wants from him -- maybe she's jealous that he's a better live performer?

Soft-spoken Michelle Williams is revealing more than her more feminine look in the October issue of W Magazine.

The shy actress is dishing about everything from being naked on camera, to her steamy sex scenes with co-star Ryan Gosling.

“We did the sex scenes and it was…toxic," Michelle tells the mag. "Ryan and I stopped relating to each other as Ryan and Michelle. Those scenes took forever.” Gosling adds, “In real life sex is messy, and we wanted to get under that wonderful messiness.”

Michelle also says that she's come to accept the fact that when she gets naked for a film, it will probably end up on the internet. “I have the usual self-loathing and body issues, and yet I seem to be naked in a lot of movies," she says. "It would be really nice if the pictures did not get posted online. But then maybe that’s a reason to do it: Just get naked, and who cares if it ends up on the Internet.”

So I guess we can expect more hot shots of Michelle au naturel to be hitting the web soon!

images courtesy of Fornarina

We already saw the first round of Lindsay Lohan's sexy Fornarina shots (you know, the ones that were snapped last spring when she was rockin' the dark locks), and here's a few more outtakes of the recently rehabbed princess posing her size 0 butt off for the Italian fashion label.

Megan Fox and her hubby Brian Austin Green were spotted grabbing a few things at the grocery store on Sunday, and it looks like these two were ready for an lazy VMA Sunday. I know Megan lives in sweats (and she looks great in them) but they don't exactly go with that giant engagement ring of hers, do they?

Katy's nail photo courtesy of Twitter

Katy Perry couldn't have Russell Brand with her at the MTV Video Music Awards last night, but she had his adorable mug at her fingertips!

The Teenage Dream singer tweeted the above photo along with an explanation for her creative nails.



Leave it to our favorite California Gurl to get funky with her manicure.

While Miss Perry was working the white carpet in a very revealing dress, Russell was busy filming Arthur in New York alongside Jennifer Garner.

Oh, bicoastal love!

From the wind blowing in her highlighted hair to the flirty and age appropriate Giambattista Valli dress, Twilight princess Ashley Greene was our pick for best dressed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Joe Jonas' lady love topped off her look with Jimmy Choos and Ofira jewelry, and she gets our vote for best looking too -- this vamp next door is a knockout!

Well, we all know Jennifer Aniston is a great Friend, but how is she as a dinner date?

"I have other friends I would rather go to dinner with less!" Josh Hopkins gushed during the Nautica Malibu Triathalon in Malibu on Sunday.

But still, the hunk insists that he and Jen are "just friends." But don't "just friends" go dutch?

"I am a Southern gentleman," Hopkins said. "So I had to [pay for dinner.]" Southern gentleman? That's not exactly what we've heard, but ok, we'll go with it!

Even though Jen may not get her shot with this TV hunk, luckily ladies will still have their shot. "I am not dating anyone...I am single," he said.