Nicki Minaj

There are, of course, many reasons to be saddened by reports of the apparent breakup of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, which hit the Internet over the weekend. We here at Pop & Hiss were most bummed to consider that Nicki Minaj may never get the chance to again rhyme "wiener" with "Selena," as she does in her guest verse on Bieber's current single,  " Beauty and a Beat . " Gone too soon, people -- gone too soon. Yet while we were crying into our Belie-beers, the teen idol himself was busy sending cryptic messages about the breakup from the stage of Boston's TD Garden.

BET Awards executive producer Stephen Hill sat perched on a makeshift control board in the middle of the Shrine Auditorium on Thursday as production technicians readied the historic venue for the network's 12th annual awards show. The three-hour-plus production will air live on Sunday and feature performances by D'Angelo, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Usher, as well as a tribute to the late Whitney Houston led by her mother, Cissy Houston. One of many crucial questions: Hill needed to know exactly where a mirror ball would be hung for a planned Donna Summer tribute.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS SERIES So You Think You Can Dance: "Modern Family's" Jesse Tyler Ferguson sits in at the judges' table (8 p.m. Fox). Sons of Guns: The reality series about a family of firearms fabricators returns with new episodes (9 p.m. Discovery). Ghost Hunters International: The spook-seeking series is back for another season (9 p.m. Syfy), followed by the premiere of the reality series "Legend Quest" (10 p.m. Syfy). One Man Army: Military members and others compete for the title in this new reality competition (10 p.m. Discovery)

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses. Hollywood Palladium The Offspring, Oct. 5 (Sat.) Gibson Amphitheatre Vicente Fernandez, Nov. 11; K-Earth 101 Fantasy Fest, Oct. 21 (Fri.) The Wiltern Joss Stone, Oct. 24 (Fri.) Club Nokia  TYGA, Sept. 4; Odd Future's Flog Gnaw Carnival, Sept. 30 (now); Nouvelle Vague, Oct. 13 (Fri.) Fonda Theatre Mika, Oct. 21 (Fri.); Peaches DJ Extravaganza, Oct. 20 (Sat.)

For all of Rihanna's sci-fi S&M garb and unfortunate resilience in the tabloids, she's released hits with enough speed and consistency to rival anyone in pop history. On Nov. 19, she'll return with "Unapologetic," a new full-length for Island Def Jam that continues her streak of about an album per year with nary a chart miss in the bunch. The album, her seventh, should return focus to her hit-making acumen after a grind of speculation about her wishy-washy connections with Chris Brown.

This post has been updated. See below for details. It's a shame that Buffalo probably won't make the Super Bowl this year, because its halftime show performer could potentially sing about " Bills , Bills, Bills. " Beyonce reportedly has been tapped to perform at the 2013 game on Feb. 3 in New Orleans, according to AP reports from an unnamed source close to organizers. It will be the 31-year-old's second time performing at the game, after singing the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl in her hometown of Houston.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of 2011's cinematic flame-out "W.E.," Madonna has spent this year kicking up the kind of high-profile controversy that originally made her a star. The singer got into a spat with the dance-music heavyweight Deadmau5 after allegedly asking concertgoers at March's Ultra Music Festival if they'd taken Ecstasy. The hubbub only increased once Madonna kicked off her latest world tour, which this week stops at Staples Center for shows on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Jenna Bush Hager, the former first daughter who's now a correspondent for the "Today" show, is expecting her first child with husband Henry. "I'm nervous and so excited to say that Henry and I are pregnant, or, I'm pregnant," the 31-year-old Hager said Thursday on "Today," later getting a little emotional when she started talking about her love of children. The younger of the twin Bush girls married Henry Hager in 2008 in a ceremony held on the family's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

The "Jersey Shore" gang took its act to Italy on Thursday night and delivered ratings that MTV was describing Friday as stupendo and fantastico. The fourth season premiere of the reality show about housemates Ronnie, Sammi, Snooki & Co. attracted 8.8 million viewers, the network said, describing it as the largest audience ever for an MTV season premiere and the third-highest MTV series telecast ever (bested only by two other "Jersey Shore" episodes last season). The audience was 4% higher than for the show's first episode last season, MTV said.

Ellie Goulding is proof that slow and steady still can win the race. The U.K.  sensation has continued her (slow) break into American consciousness with her 2010 debut, “Lights.” Just as the title track is enjoying a steady climb up the U.S. Hot 100 -- it's currently peaking at No. 4 after spending 31 weeks on the chart -- the import is ready to issue her sophomore disc. Goulding has announced that she will follow up “Lights” with “Halcyon,” on Oct. 9. "This album for me is a journey from dark into light, from confusion to understanding,” Goulding said in a statement.