Be still my heart! I am MOST excited about Explosions In The Sky (their last two shows in Toronto were ridiculously sold out) and Blonde Redhead (I missed their show because I chose to attend a sweaty Arctic Monkeys show instead - sooo worth it)! Aces all around.
This festival seriously can't get any more awesome - my brain is going to EXPLODE with its sheer amazingosity.
Today's MOD link shows us pictures of what Paris Hilton's jail cell is going to look like, as well as the not-so-modern toilet she's going to use. She's going to be crammed into a 10x7' cell with a roommate who's in the slammer for reckless driving. I can smell the makings of a new TV show - The Simple Life: Shawshank Redemption.
I was interviewed by Rita Zekas from the Toronto Star this afternoon..it was so much fun! Normally I don't like being interviewed - cause it just feels weird! But we got to go shopping for the interview!! :) It was so cool & relaxed - we went shopping for the MMVAs. I borrowed some earrings from Swarovski & a really beautiful ring that's in the shape of a star!! I also got some amazing shoes from Brown's - they are silver Christian Louboutins. I also stopped in to Pottery Barn & bought some really nice napkins! I'm such a loser - it's the little things that make me happy!
I am getting so excited for the MMVAs - we have sooooo many amazing performers this year - Maroon 5, Avril, Hilary, The Used, Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Fergie, Finger 11, Belly...it's gonna be wicked!!
Anyways, speaking of the MMVAs, I have to go a do a shoot for them!!
So it goes, one of the girls who I thought was hottest on the promo poster was the first one kicked off of Canada's Next Top Model. I won't say who it was in case you still wanna see the show, but all the details are on the CNTM site.
Corie (the sassmonkey above) was the frontrunner in episode 1, but for me, the frontrunner was Jay Manuel because I was so amused by how much he channelled Tyra. No, he didn't flip out and start actin' a fool, and he didn't talk in muted, slow-mo whispers at judging, but his words were so Tyra-esque that I could almost recite them in real time. By the time he started in on the "each girl posesses what the other lacks" speech during bottom two, I nodded solemnly with the knowledge that Jay Manuel has learned well from the Tyra-Master. Well done, Mister Jay.
So, my faves? Not too clear yet, but right now we'll say Rebecca (so high fashion!), Tara (a firecracker!) and maybe even Cori (impressive!). And praise the lord for Mo's accent - oh, how I love Lily Allen-esque accents...
PS: You can see all the photos from the episode here!
Why is it that when a social music site gets purchased for a gazillion dollars, I'm inconveniently never on the board of directors and thus not in line for a giant island-purchase-inducing payday?
Seems the Last.fm team will get to stay in London and will continue to make fun (essential) social music tools for us, but now with the added reach and resources that CBS can offer them. Not to mention an excellent dental plan.
Of course, when a deal like this goes down, the question on everyone's mind is: how are they gonna eff things up? I mean, you don't get a whole lot of work done rolling around in giant piles of U.S. currency - and that option is doubtless open to them now.
Please don't go the way of MySpace, Last.fm friends - people are fleeing there like it's got the plague and for good reason: it's all slow and full of widgets and embeds and crap that auto-plays when you hit the page and makes you poop yourself in fright because you didn't realize you had your damn headphones up so loud.
So yeah, the last thing we need is for you guys to lose focus, get all high on your own supply and make things less about cool music tools than about how you can monetize them. You've got enough of the latter and we want more of the former, got it? Oh and if you can spare a brother some cash, that would be awesome too (I'll accept personal cheques as well) (Just sayin').
E-V-E is back with a ferocious summer jam!! I am ALL OVER this track. The video for Tambourine is up on AXS now, so there's no reason why you shouldn't be watching it immediately - Eve looks stunning but truth be told, the real attraction is the song itself. Sickness!!
You know, I'm lucky. With an inspired repertoire of bad television at my fingertips, I don't have an "off season". One bad reality show ends, another one begins. But the cream of the crop of boob tube entertainment (boob tube, haha! Get it? Oh. Wait til I finish the joke...) is of course Top Model. (Maybe that would be no-boob tube?)
Lucky me, and lucky you, Canada's Next Top Model starts TONIGHT (!!) and this season has some real promise. Mister Jay is hosting and bringing all the tricks from ANTM. The girls look supa hot, way more hott than the past couple seasons of ANTM (yes?). So, your homework for tonight is to watch, and we'll regroup tomorrow and chat, yes? Don't forget to list your top 3! :)
Max Fischer is back! well, at least Schwartzman is back... you know Jason Schwartzman, actor, drummer, Coppola relative. finally liberated from behind the kit of Phantom Planet, Schwartzman has gone out on his own and made a really charming record under the name Coconut Records. there's a few solid party jams, but it's mostly breezy summer pop. totally sunny + goes down easy (think corona on a hot day).
looks like Schwartzman's self-releasing this one too on his new imprint Young Baby Records. according to the site, there's no plans to distribute the album in stores, but you can buy a ltd edition copy off the Young Baby website complete with "bonus content and a one of a kind item from Jason." whatever that means. its also available for download from the usual suspects. check out a few tracks over at the Coconut Recordsmyspace (definitely hit up Nighttiming). and have a look at this rather interesting video clip for West Coast...
and for you Coconut Records nerds, you'll never guess who produced the record... Mike Einziger from Incubus! i actually remember last fall producing an interview with those dudes and he totally spilled the beans about the Schwartzman record... i never would have expected it to be this good though. who produces the Incubus records anyway?
The MMVAs are happening LIVE on MuchMusic Sunday, June 17th at 9pm ET and the PERFORMERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED! Naturally, I had to give you my official take on this upcoming rockin' street par-tay.
I'm excited that Maroon 5 are going to be here. Adam Levine is ultra-sexy cool, but everyone knows that. His playboy partyboy antics have been causing quite the stir down in LaLaWood and perhaps he'll get up to more mischief up here in the Tdot...?
Hilary Duff will be performing and I anticipate that she and her BFF Leah Miller will engage in some more girl talk (a la her recent Live @ Much).
Last year Fergie was here with the Black Eyed Peas - this year she'll be here by her lonesome, looking (if her song is any indication) g-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s.
Canadian staples Avril Lavigne, Billy Talent, Alexisonfire, and Finger Eleven make the requisite walk down the red carpet, basking in the glow of the the many camera flashbulbs. Remember a few years back when Avril's ass was hanging out of the top of her pants during her MMVA performance? Let's see if that happens again, shall we? Belly will be on stage showing his, well, belly. And The Used use our stage for their musical usage (what?).
I can't wait for this show. I personally will be working, running around like a madman, taking photographs for our glorious MuchMusic.com, however you get to watch all the excitement either from the comfort of your own couch (popcorn... mmmm), or right here on the street at MuchMusic @ Queen & John (street meat... mmmm)! This will be one show that is certainly not to be missed.
But here's the great thing: this year's show will also include the first ever rooftop performance at MuchMusic HQ for what's sure to be a spectacular rooftop blowout!!!
Maybe we'll get all of the performers up on the roof and have a big major sing/rap/yell-off. And then we'll give them all parachutes and they can do a freefall to the street below to get mobbed by all the rabid fans! OK, this last part probably won't happen, but that doesn't mean other freaky sh*t won't!
Today the Strokes released a new video for their song You Only Live Once (off First Impressions Of Earth). The new intergalactic edition features a quick clip of Ize of the Word (also off First Impressions) at the beginning, and then blasts off into You Only Live Once.
Many of the special effects used by Star Wars and Lord of the Rings visual artists helped make this entirely CGI music vid. I personally liked the first version by Samuel Bayer better, but then again I have a weakness for Nick Valensi and the band are only holograms in the new version! You can also check out the new and old versions of You Only Live Once music videos on the just (also) re-done Strokes website!
P.S: Albert Hammond, Jr. is currently touring for his solo album Yours To Keep!
I usually chat about new releases on Tuesday, but today in particular there's a real dearth of cool stuff being released - and being the purveyor of cool that I am, I thought I'd instead blog about some summer albums that have been highly anticipated and buzzed about since the start of 2007. Wendy's already talked about Rihanna (below), but stay tuned for sizzlers from these artists too - they'll likely blow your socks off!
- June 19 - The White Stripes - Icky Thump. The band announced on their website that the new album was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN and took nearly three weeks to record — that's the longest of any White Stripes album to date. Will the extra time in the studio pay off? Oh yeah, and how about that cross Canada tour with stops in every single province?! Amazing. You can watch the video for lead single Icky Thumphere.
- June 26 - Kelly Clarkson - My December. Kelly has stated in interviews that she contributed songwriting to every single track on the album and that this is her record has written or co-written every single track on the album and that she is steering the musical direction on the record. Kelly embarks on a 37 stop North American tour this July. Like Jen, I'm not a HUGE fan of the first single but I'm hoping there are some gems hidden in the rest of the album! Watch the video for Never Againhere.
- July 3 - T.I. - T.I. vs. T.I.P. Jen & Wendy are T.I. LOVERS. I am not, but that doesn't mean this album isn't gonna be king sized like the last one :) T.I. has revealed that guest collaborators on this album will include Young Jeezy, 50 Cent, Ciara, Wyclef Jean, Jay-Z, The Game, OutKast, R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Lil' Wayne and...whew...'many others'.
- July 10 - Interpol - Our Love To Admire. The band did a couple of small gigs across North America in the past few months, previewing two or three tracks from the new album (unfortunately I was not in attendance). Luckily they're doing a full tour again in June. According to the band this album is going to be more "expressive" than the group's previous efforts, and there will be a much greater use of keyboards and textures. The first single is Heinrich Maneuver.
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Quite an unfortunate name for an album. I can't even bring myself to utter it aloud. Oh well; I'm gonna have to suck it up cause from what I've heard so far this album's gonna be a monster! Previous album Gimme Fiction was one of my top albums of 2005.
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist. This is a TOTAL wild card. Anything can happen with this album - there have been unofficial leaks and lots of loosely formed opinions on this Corgan/Chamberlain production. You may have already heard the first single Tarantula, which came out last week. Even though D'Arcy Wretzky & James Iha aren't involved, I still can't wait to see what's in store for this set at Virgin Fest Toronto!
- July 24 - UNKLE - War Stories. I lovedPsyence Fiction and even Never, Never, Land so I'm hoping to hear great things from this third studio album. James Lavelle has recruited guest vocals from the likes of Ian Astbury (The Cult), members of Massive Attack, Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Autolux. Yummy.
SUM 41 - Underclass Hero. This'll be the band's first album since 2004's Chuck and the first material without former guitarist Dave Baksh. You can listen to first single Underclass Hero on the band's MySpace page.
- August 21 - M.I.A. - Kala. Reported producers include Switch, Diplo, Timbaland, Bangladesh, Danja, and Three 6 Mafia. According to wiki, Kala is named after M.I.A.'s mom (just the same as her debut Arular was named after her dad). A couple tracks (XR2, Bird Flu and first single Boyz) have already been floating around online for months.
If you haven't already, please turn your attention to the Rihanna First Spin that's breaking dishes and taking names on our homepage. I've given it more than a few listens now and this album is so pop-fierce that it's bound to be this year's "Loose" (Nelly Furtado's album, which still has legs a year later). Eff. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Rihanna is on her way to being a Beyonce-caliber STAR. And PS, this new haircut totally suits her, yo.
So there's a greedy fistful of potential singles on "Good Girl Gone Bad", but so far the stand out for me (and this could change) is "Breakin' Dishes". This tune is fierce and I guarantee that it'll be released as a single. Rihanna kinda sounds like Nicole Scherzinger on the track and actually, if it were the Pussycat Dolls releasing this song as a lead single on a new album, there would be no question that they'd stick around (stickwitu?) for another round. But Rihanna snagged it, and 2007-2008 will be the year of ... her. Just don't pull an Usher and overdo it, knowmsayn?
OH, and one more thing - apparently Beyonce has signed up to do a track with Rihanna, AND Jay-Z's gonna jump in on it too. This is like, whoa, because if you remember, it was rumoured that Hova had himself a bit of a fling with Rihanna. Awwwkward...
ETA: After a kajillion spins, "Lemme Get That" is my new fave!
The Govena Ah-Nud Schwarzenegger is doing a cross-Canada tour this week and his first pit-stop is in TO. So, to celebrate this joyous occasion I thought I'd share with you an interesting piece of info about the Californian govena - HE USED TO SMOKE POT WITH TOMMY CHONG - But that's not all folks, Tommy Chong revealed to Tribute TV that not only was the Terminator a major pothead but he also was a big steroid user...Really? I would've never thought a former body builder would use this muscle enhancing drug...
So yes, it appears as though the Republican politician has a few monsters in his closet...It'll be interesting to hear what this conservative has to say about this during his Canadian tour.
Today's MOD link reveals some shocking images of the one and only Lindsay Lohan. You'd think that after getting arrested for a DUI she'd take it easy for at least a day - you say D-U-I she says P-A-R-T-Y. Click here to see pics of Lindsay after a Memorial Day pool party loving life. Just scroll down to "X17 Xclusive The Real Lindsay Pix".
It's been almost 17 months now since the Strokes dropped their latest record, the fantastic First Impression of Earth - and the band is officially on hiatus. There's rumblings of songwriting and working on new stuff, but the word out of the Strokes camp is: don't expect any new stuff anytime soon. cool. take your time boys... rest up... ahj, keep workin' the killer solo record --- and come back when you're ready.
But in the meantime and perhaps to tide us over, the Strokes dropped a brand new music video today. An alternate clip for the first track off First Impressions, You Only Live Once --- and it is jawdroppingly good. Its funny, with all this talk around the office about the MMVAs - here's the video of the year, no fkn doubt about it (though I'm pretty sure it's ineligible b/c it just came out).
Directed by LucasFilm (yes, LucasFilm) art director Warren Fu, the video encapsulates the theme of the record and the track so perfectly. Apparently, he pitched it to the band the first time around and it wasn't chosen (whoops!). Total buzz-worthy clip for a totally tight track. head over to imeem to see the video nice + big RIGHT NOW!
extra bonus for Strokes fans, the band just relaunched a stellar new website today... pretty cool sht.
The TV Whisperer called me last night and proclaimed that the night's best television would come in the form of the Miss Universe pageant. I should have known that she would be right, o mighty TV Whisperer...
See, the thing is, there was an Office 2-episoder on at the same time, and living with someone else requires compromise. I watched Miss Universe on commercial breaks, and missed MISS USA FALLING ON HER ASS by mere SECONDS! This poor, poor insect lady - not only did she get booed horribly when she was in the top 10, but her feet couldn't handle the pressure during the evening gown competish. All praise to YouTube - you can miss something amazing on TV and still watch it endlessly later! Check it out, because falling people are always funny.
Guess who is starting up a new television series at the Australia Zoo? Bindi Irwin- daughter of the recently passed Steve Irwin of Crocodile Hunter fame. She's just 8 years old and already wrangling poisonous snakes. Let's hope she doesn't have the same fate as her old man :(
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I totally karaoke'd with Derek Jeter last night. And I don't mean to toot Cat's horn, but she blew him away with her rendition of Cher's "Turn Back Time", getting a hug and a tasty beverage in return. And I don't mean to toot Hannah's horn, but he totally couldn't stop glancing at her gorgeousity.
Seriously though - the Yankees are in town and apparently Jeter and two of his peoples thought it would be entertaining to watch a tiny crowd of locals have some stupid fun. And WHAT fun! (Corniest line of the day - holler!) There were no more than 12 people in the place - our crew and Jeter's crew. Too bad he didn't get up and sing a tune, but he was loving every moment of it!
Which of these starlets got busted for DUI and which was rushed to hospital from a party because she thought she was dying?
Lindsay Lohan wrapped her car around a tree over the weekend and joined her bff Paris Hilton in the arrested for DUI club. They also found cocaine in her car after she fled the scene of the accident. Check out the full article and see the aftermath for yourself.
Mischa Barton partied so hard over the weekend that she had to be rushed to hospital because she thought she was dying. One source said it was because she did so many mushrooms she believed death was imminent; another said it was an allergic reaction to alcohol and antibiotics. Check out the full article for all the juicy details.
You'll never guess what Lily Allen got kicked out of school for...and if you think you can then click here to find out if you're right.
See that pic? That's Marianas Trench frontman Josh Ramsay taking a pause from rocking out to say "What? You wanna watch our performance at Virgin Fest in Vancouver from the comfort of your computer screens, even if you weren't there?"
Well, maybe not. But it's true, now you can! You guys were so pumped about Marianas Trench's performance on the side stage last weekend that we set up a special crew to record performances of Vertigo and September for you to enjoy, exclusively in MuchAXS!
Yes, tis true. Your eyes did not deceive you, even though you may have just woken up and been all crusty. Today there was a special edition of MOD with such illustrious guests as William from The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, (+44) and Fall Out Boy, who performed deux songios.
The crowds who came out to see the show were nutsoid, screaming at all the dudes and singing every word to the FOB performances, but can you expect any less? To one girl who asked a question, Pete remarked, "You're ALWAYS here when we're here!!"
Anyschway, in case you're all like, "WTF!! I totally didn't know this was happening!!", we're gonna have it on AXS for you to watch, my pretties. So stay tuned for that (including an online exclusive of "Dance Dance"). But for now, hold yourselves over with the pics we took - up on ShowMeYours and Flickr!
So, I was just in the food court across the street from Much when I had a sudden celebrity sighting - remember Sugar Jones? They were the band created as a result of the Canadian edition of Popstars circa 2001. I totally saw Julie C. and waltzed up to her to say hello.
She looks VERY different, but is still recognizable. She seemed pretty surprised that she could still get spotted in a crowd on the street. I was all "you act like I don't still watch the video for Days Like That a couple times a week!"
Anyway, as luck would have it, Julie just released a solo album! You can read more about it on her website.
In the meantime, here's a throwback to some old school Sugar Jones - watch the video!
At an exclusive party in Cannes Jessica Simpson was apparently seen following Leonardo DiCaprio around like a lost puppy. Leo also ignored her the whole time. What's going on with Jessica these days? I wonder if she's going to go all Britney on us.
It is madness here at Much. Huge special tomorrow on MOD with +44, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy and The Academy is... and yay for me I have a chance for MuchNews to hang out with all of the bands and chat so make sure to check out MuchNews Weekly in the upcoming weeks to see what juicy stories and tour gossip we can get out of the boys.
OK I have to go back to research lockdown...but I want to say this for the record because it is a HOT topic right now: I am on Team Rosie. No ifs, ands or buts. And I am sad to see her go but I am sure she will be back with a vengeance. Ok enough "The View" talk!
It's really rare that I wish I didn't work at Much, but this is one of these times - it means I can't enter this super cool contest to win tickets to see Kaiser Chiefs in Paris, France! :(
Lucky for you, that increases your chances of winning! So go do it - the winner gets airfare, accommodations and tickets for two to see the lads from Leeds perform in Paris on July 6. Terrific!
Enter now!
Being the bitter, jaded music industry vet I am (four plus years is a lifetime, trust me) it's rare that a band just knocks me on my ass with how genuine, how exciting and how generally awesome they are. Enter Shikari did just that when I was covering Vancouver Virgin Festival this past weekend - and I got to see them AGAIN at Toronto's famous El Mocambo last night (with Toronto's own Cauterize opening!)
Imagine taking Alexisonfire's scream/sing punk-hardcore dynamic, Andrew WK's wild rock abandon, Protest The Hero's stop-start time-signature acrobatics and add in some house/jungle beats - wind them all up together with a live show that's so nuts that it inspires both ballistic pogoing and spontaneous human pyramid creation in the audience...that's approximately what they're like, but still doesn't do them justice.
To set the scene a bit more clearly - halfway through the set, lead guy Rou Reynolds stops and peers slyly out at the audience - looking not unlike Malcolm McDowell in Kubrick's classic film A Clockwork Orange. He announces that it's time for "a remix" and taps the appropriate buttons on his electronics console, whereupon a jittery UK dance beat blasts from the PA. The entire band puts down their instruments and unashamedly dances up a storm to the delight of the audience. And of course the audience gets in on the act too. Just as the beat peaks, the band dons instruments and dives into the next song. It's carefully choreographed, but unexpected and even dangerous; for a band like this to veer that far from its chosen genre's conventions is a ballsy move. Yet they do it with such guileless joy, you can't help but get down with them.
And they're completely unaffected, friendly British dudes who aren't even signed to a label yet - though they're selling out venues in the UK and reached #4 on the charts there. Let this be yet ANOTHER heads up to my friends in label land...given the right exposure these guys could break like Alexis did...
Yes yes, I know - the British press will champion basically anyone who even so much as farts on record as the Next Big Thing...but in this case, believe the hype.
Oh and they're coming back in September...look for an exclusive interview with the Enter Shikari guys on MuchMusic.com in the days ahead!
What's this?! Turns out that my 2-hour season finale of Lost (which I was thoroughly enjoying) gets interrupted for the live 2 hour season finale of American Idol. So naturally I had to do a play-by-play recap. Enjoy!
8:03 - Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks take the stage and do a contrived cover of "I Saw Her Standing There". I sink into my couch - this is going to be one long show...
8:05 - Ryan checks in with Gwen Stefani via satellite, who is in the middle of her tour. She sings her new single and she is kind of in-tune for once. Too bad her outfit is completely off-key.
8:12 - Kelly Clarkson graces the AI stage for the first time in ages and sings Never Again and sounds quite good. Now if only the song had a melody, I might give it a second listen, but no - never again.
8:18 - Margaret Fowler...? Big Bird...? Whoever she is, she wins some joke award, molests Seacrest and gives me nightmares for years to come.
8:20 - The "Top Six Guys" perform something boring and then introduce a man made out of plasticine. Oh wait - that's Smokey Robinson. He has eyes made out of FIMO polymer clay.
8:31 - Blake does more beat-boxing. I beat my head against the wall. Paula is waving her hands in the air, waving them like she just don't care.
8:38 - The "Top Six Girls" perform something boring and I wonder why I don't recognize any of these people. Melinda "No-Neck" Doolittle introduces Gladys Knight. And I laugh because I thought Melinda had said she was "glad it's night."
8:47 - Tony Bennett. Zzzzzzz
8:55 - I wake up from my nap and see Doolittle singing with people whom I have never seen before. Somethin' gospel me thinks.
9:01 - The obligatory American Idol Ford commercial: this one is cowboy-themed to the tune of Time After Time - wait - did I just see Kermit? You've lost me.
9:02 - Carrie Underwood, backed by a man with a violin, performs The Pretenders'I'll Stand By You. Gosh darn it, it's actually kinda pretty. I'm a sucker for strings.
9:06 - Mega-producer Clive Davis makes a lengthy speech. I have no idea what it's about as I just keep staring at his twitching right eye. Then Carrie Underwood gets some plaque for breaking some album sales records... or something. She looks as bemused as I am.
9:15 - The African Children's Choir comes running onto stage with way more energy than this show deserves but they end up sounding better than any of this season's finalists. A smile actually crosses my lips. Their genuine happiness is slightly infectious.
9:17 - That genuine happiness is quickly squelched due to an off-colour parody segment that likens JFK and Martin Luther King Jr to Sanjaya. I cringe. Sanjaya then sings off-key. I cringe again.
9:21 - Green Day?! Singing John Lennon's Working Class Hero?! ...with a Darfur backdrop? I'm so confused.
9:26 - The preview for the new Harry Potter flick comes on during the commercial break. It provides me with the much-needed energy to keep me going for the remaining 34 mins.
9:30 - Oh great - it's the "Soul Patrol" himself: Taylor Hicks. He continues to creep me out. And Paula waves her hands in the air, and waves them like she just don't care. (You know, you gotta hand it to her - even with a broken nose and drugged to the core, that girl's got spunk. I appreciate her chutzpah).
9:34 - Jordin Sparks and Ruben Studdard sing a duet. Who the f**k is Ruben Studdard?! Oh wait - he apparently won a few seasons ago. Who knew?
9:41 - Bette Midler shows up singing Wind Beneath My Wings. I didn't realize it was 1989. And I didn't realize Bette's head was so freakin' huge! She must be so top-heavy. I'm happy my TV isn't high definition - I do NOT want to see that in greater detail.
9:50 - Seacrest: "And now an American Idol tribute to the one and only Sergeant Pepper!" Kelly Clarkson and Joe Perry then proceed to prance around the stage. I don't know what this means. Apocalypse?
9:52 - Then Taylor Hicks comes out again, followed by Carrie Underwood, then Ruben Studdard (who?), then all of this season's Top 12, all singing Beatles songs. OMG - it IS the apocalypse!!!
10:02 - We are running overtime and the winner is about to be announced. Randy thinks Jordin will win. Paula rambles something inarticulate (doesn't she know we are running overtime?!). Simon says Jordin will win.
10:04 - And the winner is....? Jordin Sparks. Jordin is emotional. But I feel nothing.
10:06 - She sings that horrible ballad that won the songwriting contest. They must have had some pretty weak entries. This Is My Now...?! Um, that doesn't even make sense.
10:07 - She starts to cry. The crowd goes wild. The fireworks start. The credits roll. The life has been sucked out of me.
10:08 - The apocalypse is actually looking pretty good right about now...
Two shows (Lost and American Idol) have wrapped up since the Heroes finale, which aired on Monday night...I know, you guys might be thinking, "isn't a little late to be writing a Heroes blog?" Well for the past two days I've been thinking about why a great show like Heroes would have such an anti-climatic ending?
Sure it was great to see all the Heroes get together in true X-Men esque form but all the twists and turns in this final chapter were so predictable and gasp, LAME. Seriously though, how could they have a face-off between the ultimate bad guy Sylar and the super 'hero' Peter and not let them have a proper showdown? I was expecting a real kickass fight scene, instead I get a really sweet lamppost whack from Jessica and THAT'S IT.
Need I remind you guys that in Entertainment Weekly the actors revealed to the magazine that they felt this particular episode was like a '60 million dollar budget film.' The only thing big budget thing about this episode were the schmaltzy lines that Peter Petrelli dished, a la Spiderman 3 styles...
Despite the fact that the season ender for the best new show of the 06/07 season was a bit of a snoozer, all of the previous episodes compensated for what this one lacked. With that being said, it's time to sign off but not before I give you guys a recap.
- Mr. Bennet's first name is Noah. Note: This is the first time in the season that this is revealed. WHY? Because Mr. Bennet is no longer a mean monster, he's actually a human being and the writers want to remind us...
- Nathan saves the day by flying away with the exploding man (Peter). The big question: Is Nathan going to die? Probably not... The Petrellis are too important to the show.
- Hiro kills Sylar...or not...He's too good of a character to kill off and with a new villain in town second season there's potential that Sylar could team up with Team Heroes.
- Simone's father (the guy Peter was taking care of, prior to realizing his newfound skills) knew all along that Peter was the man to save the world, not Nathan...If only mommy felt that way...
- Hiro is the samurai 'hero' - a dream come true
- Simone's father, Linderman and Hiro's father were clearly working together before Linderman turned bad...
Meet our new hero- Hurley! I love every episode of Lost that Hurley is in and last night had to be his best one. When he plowed through the others in that VW bus of his, saving everybody... we all jumped off the couch & cheered.
So that was clearly the best moment of the finale, but best line? Delivered by hottie Sawyer, "I didn't believe him" after shooting Tom in the chest. F'in A.
So in true Lost form, they left us with a bunch of great questions, anticipating the next season: Who is in the coffin? How did they get back to the mainland? Or did they- and that's just a possible future? Why did Jack grow a carpet on his face? Is John the new leader of The Others? Is Charlie really dead? What about cyclops? And Walt is back! That's great- but there's no sign of Michael- even better!
Yep, that was one awesome season finale. Cheers Lost show people!
It's MMVA time again! YIKES! I can't believe it's almost here! June 17th is gonna be here before you know it...it's exciting though - the MMVAs are a lot of fun! This will be my third MMVAs so I can breathe - they're not stressful after you've been through at least one!
This Saturday we're doing a special MOD: Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is, Cobra Starship ... & there just might be another guest dropping by - but I can't tell you who, cause I'll get in trouble!! :) sorry!!
Gonna go home now...it's so nice out, & I've been stuck inside all day - so I might go for a walk or something!!!
Fall Out Boy will be stopping by for a SPECIAL one hour Saturday edition of MuchOnDemand - that's THIS Saturday, May 26 @ 4pm ET!
The boys will be performing two songs - This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race and Thnks Fr Th Mmrs from their latest album, PLUS, an exclusive online only performance of Dance, Dance that you can watch the next day only on MuchAXS! Go tell all your friends!
We've had a lot of submissions so far, but unfortunately SOME PEOPLE are NOT reading the RULES AND REGULATIONS properly as a lot of submissions had to be rejected. (Yes, that's me - Poppa Soja, always the hard-ass...)
SO HERE ARE THE DETAILS TO REMEMBER!
1. submit a VIDEO audition (if you only submit a picture, it DOESN'T QUALIFY!)
2. please DON'T put background music in your video, or it will get denied (this is a rights issue - lawyers aren't fun to deal with).
3. the grand prize is a TRIP TO THE MMVAs!!!!! And you get to INTRODUCE A BAND ON STAGE!!!!
UPDATE: okay, apparently i'm a total idiot and don't even read our own blog... hannah totally gave a shout out to the R. Kelly/BSS mash-up like 2 weeks ago. since then though, The Hood Internet has dropped a few more killer jams... Dan Deacon + Khia on Snatch the Crystal Cat Back... and just today, a new one mashing up the killah new Spoon track Ghost of You Lingers w/ a little Ghostface on the Ghostface
of You Lingers... absolutely killer.
i'm kind of surprised none of us around here got around to posting about this mash-up a few weeks ago, when it first started making the rounds and BLOWING OUR COLLECTIVE MINDS! this track has totally reinstated my faith in mash-ups... (as much as i love that people everywhere are giving a crack at makin' 'em, i'm kind of getting tired of rifling through the tripe). these cats who go by the name "The Hood Internet" have been making 'sick jams bro' since 2007. and they really have. just go through their archives and mine the gold of mash-up madness!!!
(magnificant artwork by The Hood Internet)
this particular track pits his honourable R. Kelly's 'I'm A Flirt' against indie-rock royals Broken Social Scene's '7/4 (Shorline)'. I'm A Flirt (Shoreline) takes the best from each song, amping up the intensity of Kelly's slick, sexy rhymes - over BSS' driving, catchy-as-fk melody. it's truly a match made in mash-up heaven.
