* Nicole Ritchie sings. Sort of.
* JLo's twins may or may not named Maximiano and Emelina.
* Drew Barrymore and Justin Long frolick on the beach. Stop loving each other in public! Get a room!
* If there's one thing I love, it's Frangela. If there's one thing they hate, it's Diablo Cody.
* Yesterday, Hugh Hefner was all over Lindsay Lohan. Today, he's all over the Olsen twins. He needs to simmer down.
* And finally, Mischa Barton has turned down a role on Gossip Girl.
Hey everyone! So it's been a great two weeks doing MOD and interviewing some pretty cool people. I'd have to say that Melanie C. was the most exciting for me just because she is a Spice Girl and that group is massive!
But I also enjoyed Hedley very much which makes me look forward to next week. I'm off to Barbados with the boys and we are going to have a blast! I can't give away too many details but I'm sure you don't need any - I mean, this is Hedley, you know it's going to be crazy! So I'm all packed up and I don't leave till Tuesday! I just want to be prepared! So wish us luck and we will bring you back some great TV! Have a good weekend and I'll see you in a week or so when I get back!
I just got back from Cancun on Wednesday night.. our flight got in at 3am.. so I'm still pretty tired!! Matte & I went there for a week to shoot a spring break show! It was hot out everyday.. & the water was stunning - it was turquoise! I spent a lot of time in the ocean.. Matte & I went snorkelling, we went sea-doing.. it was a lot of fun!
There's 1 thing I dislike about Mexico: COCKROACHES!!! I HATE them.. they make me want to vomit. One morning I woke up & there was a cockroach on my ceiling above my bed - I wanted to die!! I couldn't get up there (cause I'm so short) to kill it, so I had to call the front desk to see if someone could come help me. The only problem was, THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AT THE HOTEL!! So.. I walked in the hallway to find someone to help me.. I asked the cleaning lady to help me kill the cockroach & she said: "no speaka english." At that point I got really mad because the word for cockroach in spanish is: CUCARACHA (coo-ka-roch-a). It's pretty much the same word.. she was just playing dumb!!
Finally I found a guy.. I said "Cucaracha" & pointed in my room & he came & killed it with a broom!
That is my story about the cockroach in my room in Mexico.
The End.
* Whoa, the one with the Robin Antin face has quit the Pussycat Dolls. You know, the redhead one. Ok, her name is Carmit.
* Speaking of gingers, Julianne Moore will appear on three episodes of Desperate Housewives as (OB-VIOUSLY) whatsername's sister.
* Et voila - the trailer for Mike Myers' new movie The Love Guru.
* Is Kate Hudson a Timberlake stalker? Where do people find these stories, anyway??
* This Gwen photo shoot is so edgy-fiehce, bitches.
* And for the grandparents out there, William Shatner has decided not to sell his hip bone. Uhhh... what?
* With Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes hobnobbing all over L.A. recently, BWE.tv asks a very important question: Where's Suri?
* Heath Ledger's Nick Drake music video hits the web. And of course, idiotic speculation ensues.
* Lindsay Lohan is reportedly getting offers from Hugh Hefner. A recovering substance abuser dealing with the head of a porn empire. Yes, this will go well.
* Hayden Panettiere hearts Candie's shoes. And it looks awkward.
* Janet Jackson spoofs My Super Sweet 16. But isn't My Super Sweet 16 one big spoof of itself to begin with? That show is mad effed.
* And finally, WHAT THE H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS IS MARY-KATE OLSEN WEARING ON HER FACE?!
The UK Daily Mail is running a piece on the latest fashion must-have: the heel-less high heel. The what what?
See for yourself:
Two words for you: utterly ridiculous. Like, WTF? These things actually make me speechless. You might as well be walking around the town square on effin' stilts. Although I'm sure these balance-testers are great for building core strength and for crafting killer calves, I would still give you a little nudge for wearing them. And then you'd fall.
Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and Victoria Beckham all have a pair, which by the way, cost upwards of $3,000(!).
So I'm officially saying that high heels without heels are idiotic. But wait - hold up! - look what clogs Mariah Carey was wearing on her hooves yesterday:
So I take it all back. High heels, with or without the heels, are idiotic.
2nd Photograph Courtesy Getty
Please note that Will Ferrell was here yesterday. To prove it, here are some photos. To prove it more, here's the video. Aaaaand I'm spent.
On and on, with reckless abandon. Such is the modus operandi of Angels & Airwaves, as shown last Friday at the Kool Haus. While there can be no denying that many people still yearn for some sort of blink-182 reunion, Angels & Airwaves have proven that sentiment moot because quite simply, they seem like a confident, ethereal, and impassioned rock outfit. As Call To Arms began the show, and within the first two lines, you're hit with "THIS IS IT CAN YOU HEAR ME!?", it feels as though everything Monsieur DeLonge says enters your neo-cortex blistering hot, like a 1000x faster Vortex. As he continues, "We can go, only if you believe", you get the feeling that he legitimately believes this, and it resonates so deeply that, even if you choose not to believe, you at least have to consider the possibility. And what does he want you to believe in? Yourself? Him? The band? The world as your oyster? Maybe some of that, maybe none of it, but I'll be damned if the dude isn't really, really convincing.
So two albums in, A&A seem to have found a niche, their celestial brand of rock designed to echo, with anthems around every corner. This is a good fit for a live setting, especially an intimate one. The thing that I appreciate most about A&A is that even if you don't like every song, they shoot for the moon all the time, so there's something to appreciate, sway in awe to or consider the constellations in wonderment to, in every song. When a band can make you feel not only like the venue has no roof, but as if the concert is constantly shifting in the atmosphere, above and below clouds, beside and beneath stars, you know - you know - you've found something to hold onto.
Essentially every song was an anthem, but personal favourites of mine were: It Hurts (with the line 'Your best friend is not your girlfriend' having particular gravitas for anyone who has ever faced that distinct dilemma), Distraction, The Adventure (this song is pure bliss, and I have a sneaking suspicion, try though they may, A&A may never top this 5 minute anthem for the ages), Good Day, and Sirens (contains my favourite lyric on the new album: 'I do this from time to time, where I like to watch you as you sleep, I do this from time to time, where I like to think of you with me...'). Even those stir crazy Blink fans were sated as Tom performed an acoustic version of Reckless Abandon. I'm pretty sure the band even performed My First Punk Song, originally by Boxcar Racer, although clarification of this is needed.
The verdict was simple, the fans seemed fulfilled, as was I (play Do It For Me Now next time though), the band seemed tight, the drumming was military-style authoritative, and Tom DeLonge had lost none of his affability, gusto and charm. If I could enjoy a show like this from time to time I would be better off, a believer, feeling alive, floating somewhere in and around the stars...
Setlist:
Call to Arms
It Hurts
Love Like Rockets
Everything's Magic
Distraction
The Adventure
Breathe
Reckless Abandon/Rite of Spring (acoustic)
Good Day (stripped down version)
Secret Crowds
The Gift
Sirens
Valkyrie Missile
Encore:
True Love
The War
Melanie C was here yesterday, she was loverly, here are some pictures, and the interview is up on AXS! Plus: I interviewed her, so keep your eyes out for that!
Yes, we all know that Madonna's new album is entitled Hard Candy (hence the Twizzlers) with a release date of April 29, 2008, but now we finally have the supposed tracklisting:
01. Candy Store
02. 4 Minutes To Save The World
03. Give it 2 Me
04. Heartbeat
05. Miles Away
06. She's Not Me
07. Incredible
08. Beat Goes On
09. Dance Tonight
10. Spanish Lesson
11. Devil
12. Voices
Reported collaborators include Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Akon, Kanye West and basically anyone else who is "hot" right now.
Pic: rollingstone.com
* Boxers or briefs? Barack is keeping it on the down low.
* Is Katie Holmes pregnant? The answer is probably no.
* John Mellencamp and Stephen King will join.. EVIL ... forces to create a musical about Jack and Diane, two American kids doin' the best they can with a possessed, murderous car. Was that joke too MuchMoreMusic?
* Nicole and her behbeh on the cover of People, aww.
* And here's Zac Efron, because there's nothing else to post about.
* SCANDAL - gasp! - on American Idol! One wears a wig, one used to be a stripper, and one took a cue from Jerry Lee Lewis. Ey-yiy-yie! [yawn]
* Watch your favourite actors read children's books. Or not.
* Digital versions of Hollywood's 'perfect woman' and 'perfect man'... I'm totally creeped out.
* Mel B and James Blunt party it up in Toronto. I was supposed to be there, but I had better things to do. Like sit at home in my pajamas and watch Girlicious. And cry myself to sleep.
* Dumbledore is a Play-ah!
* Rihanna sports hot pink pants. The perfect accessory? A pink bowling ball, of course!
There's something fishy goin' on in them there waters of the music industry.
Peep this: new artist Bryan Hawn's song for "More Than Enough." It might sound a tad familiar... like OneRepublic's "Apologize" perhaps?! [DUn Dun duuuuuuu]
Sure "Apologize" is now over-played, over-heard, and over-done, BUT to find its instrumentation in a brand new song reeks of laziness and plain ol' stupidity.
Hey Bryan, changing up the melody a bit isn't going to fool anyone. Not even silly and gullible ol' me. So I think you should call up OneRepublic and - wait for it - APOLOGIZE! [Bah-hahahaha!]
Bryan Hawn - "More Than Enough"
OneRepublic - "Apologize"
UPDATE!
Someone actually made a video, combining BOTH of these songs! It's so bizarre. It starts off sounding a bit like an absurd campfire round sing-along, but after the 2 minute mark it becomes apparent that - yup! - they're the same song after all...
OneRepublic vs. Bryan Hawn
Remember that age old game where to pick your "porn star name" you take the name of your first pet plus the street you grew up on? [NB. My porn star name would be "Paula Highway 118"]
Well keeping in that vein, you can now make your own band/CD cover! Popcandy links to a page that gives you all the instructions for a little rainy day digital arts n' crafts: The CD Cover Meme.
Basically, you are given three links: the first takes you to a random quote page (that gives you your album name), the second takes you to a random wiki page (that gives you your band name), and the last one takes you to a random flickr page (that gives you your album art). I then threw all three elements up in Photoshop and voila! The "album cover" above is what I ended up with. I must say, not too shabby, no? Now if only I knew how to make music...
Pic from thezephyrsong_tzs
Soja and I were discussing the other day (well, every day) how in Europe (and especially in Eastern European countries) the countdown charts are TEEMING with techno and dance tracks that would be absolutely pulverized in North America - if they ever saw any promotion in the first place.
Anyhoodle, I was just re-reading my Nada Surf interview wherein singer Matthew Caws talked about a bizarre phenomenon in Europe (of course) called "tecktonik" or tck. It's not on urbandictionary.com and not really in Google, but it's ALL over YouTube. UPDATE: It's on Wikipedia.
Techtonic appears to be primarily a French thing - people make home videos of themselves dancing to techno in a wild and jive-y way. Everybody loves watching people dance (SYTYCD, Dance Crew, etc.), so why not showcase your freestyle dance moves online? And there's a whole subculture of "tecktonik" dancers, among them: Boobiz, Vavan, Treaxy, Vavan and Fredo (these last three are featured in the first video below).
Here's my favourite one - I gotta say, with the combination of Yelle's A Cause Des Garcons and the killer sneaks, I kinda like it! There are hundreds more where this one came from. Just do a search for the tag "tck", which is apparently the correct term.
And this one's got 7 million views...ay-yoy.
It's a little known fact that Nada Surf were recently in town (and will be again in April for a proper show!) to do an exclusive in-store performance in support of their (then unreleased) new album Lucky. We had a chance to talk to Matthew Caws (vocals) and Ira Elliot (drums) about a bunch of things that we were dying to know, and here's what the lads had to say!
Do you have any current fixations? Like TV?
Matthew: You know, the only show I've watched first episode to last - and I mean, glued, like, had to be home to watch it was The White Rapper Show. It was flippin' fantastic. I was thrilled.
Ira: I'm a really fan of The Whitest Kids You Know. They showed it I think on Fuse. It's five young kids doing sketch comedy, kind of like Kids In The Hall - really irreverent and super funny. I'm kind of in love with those guys.
What was the first record you bought with your own money?
Matthew: My first record was a Jackson Five triple set - it wasn't gatefold or anything, just three records crammed into one sleeve. They were wearing nudie suits! It was a white cover and they were wearing white nudie suits with clouds and sheep and fences. Bill Cosby narrated one song called "The Day That Basketball Died".
Ira: Mine was a double album - 1975. Kiss Alive. Not Kiss Alive 2 - that was crap. Kiss Alive is a proper rock album. I was obsessed with Kiss for about two years.
And...what word makes you cringe when you hear it?
Matthew: Well, I like the concept, but I don't like the word "fantasy". It's the T and S - so close to each other, and yet, making such a ruckus. I'm not fond of that word at all. There's a word in French that I really don't like. It's the word for spoon - cuilliere. It's queasy. It's got queasy built right into it!
What's the most confusing trend that you've seen develop in the last few years? Crocs, Ugg boots, you tell me.
Ira: Those are very good examples right there!
Matthew: There's a new trend in Europe that was being described to us, called Techtonic. I went online and checked it out. It's a lot of arm jive, hand jive with oversized neon t-shirts. But a LOT of jive. A lot.
Ira: And the soundtrack to it is classic Euro disco really fast. It's sort of modern rave. Some weird French subculture.
Matthew [pondering]: I mean...Ugg boots in summer. ARE they comfortable?
Well, I don't subscribe to that particular fashion phenomenon.
Ira: Yeah, why would SHE know? That's just terrible.
Do you have any favourite recent music videos? Do you still watch videos?
Matthew: I guess I watch them on YouTube. A friend of mine, BA Miale, she won the Les Savy Fav contest to do a cheap video for them and she just did another one.
Ira: I haven't been watching videos at all, and if I do, I turn on one of those retro classic channels.
What about your own videos?
Matthew: We just did a video for Whose Authority. It follows a bike messenger's day. We play little cameos and at one point he almost runs two businessmen over and that's me and Ira. Daniel wasn't in town at the time so they made posters for his fictitious solo album and Ira and I walked to rehearsal past this wall of posters in the video. And then you see someone sitting under a tree reading a magazine and it's got Daniel on the cover. It's super low budget except for at the end where there's a helicopter shot that pulls back to show the whole city.
What do you consider your career high & low?
Matthew: One of our career highs was having Joey Ramone join us on stage for six or seven songs that we'd learned ahead of time, because we played a record release party for this Iggy Pop tribute record that we were all on. It was suggested that we be his backup band, which we were. So we did "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "1970" which was The Stooges song that he covered. And he apparently really enjoyed it and he said next time you have a show, learn your six or seven favourite Ramones songs and I'll get up on stage and sing with you. And that was unbelievable!
Ira: Yeah, that was pretty mind-blowing.
Matthew: It was so surreal. I mean I still have the setlist and it makes no sense that we actually got to that and it was great.
Ira: There's a video recording of it, that I saw. We sound pretty authentic. I have to say, we did a great job.
Matthew: As for career low? Hmm...oh, actually, opening up for INXS. That was SO lame. That was in Paris in 1997 or so. And clearly the whole audience was NOT having it. What were we even doing there? Ira is not Michael Hutchence, and neither am I, and neither is Daniel for that matter. And for anybody to be on stage who's not Michael Hutchence is just...bring on the main course. So that was a lousy half hour
Your songs have been in a lot of TV shows - do you ever watch the shows?
Matthew: Well, the ones we're in! I saw ten minutes of The O.C. But I don't watch One Tree Hill. I do watch Six Feet Under when I can...and I like Heroes a lot!
I mentioned to a few people the song If You Leave and they said "yeah, by Nada Surf" - they didn't know it was a cover!
Matthew: That's hilarious! I find that disturbing.
Ira: Our version's a lot different. We took out about sixteen of the key changes. The original one changes keys about every eight seconds. We took out about half of them.
Matthew: That song by King Missile called "Detachable Penis" was credited to us SO many times!
Ira: There's talking in it, so people thought it was us.
Matthew: When I was first fooling around on Napster, I was searching to see if our own songs were there. And Detachable Penis kept popping up all over the place as being by us! At first I took it upon myself to actually write to these people one by one to say "that's not our song. Please change the name of the artist!"
How often do people still talk to you about Popular in interviews?
Matthew: Pretty often, and it's always like "score one for me!" We're fine with it.
Ira: They always start with an apology - "now I don't really want to dwell on this, but..."
Matthew: That was an albatross around our neck for about two years...and since then it's kinda fun.
Ira: ...but now it's just a little canary in a cage.
What are your favourite chocolate bars?
Ira: Fallback for me is always a Twix bar. You've got the crunchy, and the chocolate...I've always liked those.
Matthew: Oh, I like Bounty. I think it's pretty tasty. I think it's more interesting than Almond Joy. I don't really think you need that almond in there. I just wanna go right for the coconut.
Ira: Some people are really against nuts in chocolate. Raisins...
Matthew: I really like the Fruit & Nut bar, kind of kooky. I really like super dark chocolate and seeking out the 77%.
Ira: Dark chocolate M&Ms. Mm.
Matthew: I know this is a con, because it's white chocolate, but I love white chocolate covered pretzels. The salt and the crunch, and the white....ooh.
Ira: Ben & Jerry's made an ice cream that was peanut butter, chocolate, and then white chocolate pretzels IN the ice cream. They weren't kidding around man - that was a stoner treat.
Matthew: Oof. Wow. I saw someone with chocolate Altoids - that was a LITTLE weird.
Saved By The Bell or 90210?
Matthew: 90210!
Ira: See I have to agree, because I've been compared to Screech enough times that I can't even go there...and it was just once.
Pretty In Pink or Sixteen Candles?
Matthew: I'd probably say Pretty In Pink for plot, but Sixteen Candles because I was in a pilot that somebody put together for VH1 and it didn't make it in the end. But it was a theatre rock thing and then it would cut to the band. I sang the Thompson Twins song "If You Were Here".
Hillary or Obama?
Matthew: I feel like Hillary is probably better qualified and might in the nuts and bolts of it do a better job, but Obama will do more globally in terms of having a new 'face' on the country. And having other countries that we've lost as friends being more likely to imagine that we can redeem ourselves by having a fresh direction.
Ira: I have to agree. I've been vasillating between the two, because I think they're both really good candidates but that does bother me - the Bush/Clinton thing. She's very divisive that way - people still equate her with Bill. And Bill's gonna be sitting there saying "You know, I don't think you oughtta do that, honey." I would probably lean toward Obama!
This week's theme is ~*~CONFIDENCE~*~ .. but someone has a problem with that. Right, Natalie?
Don't give me that sass. We're all sassed out of you. And it's only week 2!
The girls move into the Pussycat Dolls Loft and they LOVE it!
There's a dance studio, exercise equipment and just the right amount of bedroom separation to create maximum drama. We'll get to that in a second. Meanwhile, the first three girls of the episode to speak are Natalie, Cassandra and Megan, which means that they're the ones who will be in trouble this week. That's the rule. Natalie says, "one thing I have over these girls is that I'm attractive. .. Also, I have a good personality." LOVE IT! HA, ha, ha. You have a personality, that's for sure, but maybe more of the villain variety.
We get short back-stories from Megan and Cassandra, including old photos and video footage. This is how you know they're really in trouble this week, because before you boot someone off the show, you gotta at least feature them in some way. It's the rule.
Natalie and Chrystina stake claim to their room and immediately start with the trash talking. "I can't believe some of these girls made it into the house," whispers Natalie. "Tee hee!" replies Chrystina.
Natalie: "You know what Nichole said? 'I don't want to room with you guys because you'll be gossiping the whole time.' Isn't that stupid?" Oh, irony. You are a cruel and also hilarious mistress.
PCD MAIL! The girls watch their first piece of video mail featuring Nicole Scherzinger and the rest of them. No, seriously - she is completely separate. There are group shots in the video that are sans Nicole. What's up with that? Anyway, basically the message is that this week's theme is CONFIDENCE, and now go to the dance studio. They go. There, Robin says, "you're now in Pussycat Dolls boot camp" and then splits them into groups of 4.
Nichole, Natalie, Tiffanie and Ilisa will sing "Holiday" by Madonna, and they freak out.
Megan, Cassandra, Alexis and Jamie will sing "Hit Me Baby One More Time" by Britster, and they freak out.
Jenna, Charlye, Chrystina and Carrie will sing "Tearin' Up My Heart" by *NSync, and they freak out.
Hey. Chill. It's not like you're meeting Lance Bass or anything.
Chrystina says that she really wanted to be in a group with Natalie, cause Jenna and Carrie aren't dancers. She's really worried. Jamie says that Cassandra is the worst singer, and she hopes it doesn't affect the group. CONFIDENCE!
O hai, hottie...
Did Megan look this broke down last week?
In practice, Cassandra has some problems with her vocals and Carrie walks like a horse (according to Robin). Choreographer Mikey says that Carrie is an underdog, because she has no dance training. It's also because she's a soccer mom.
Back at the lab, Natalie and Chrystina continue to trash talk. Mostly Natalie. Tiffanie is so dramatic! Nichole thinks she's the best singer here! I really wish I was in a different group! This is how Tiffanie sings!
Chrystina: Tee hee!
Outside, Nichole rolls her eyes and wonders how she'll ever put up with this cattiness. By being catty in return, of course!
THE NEXT DAY:
Don't be scared, Jenna .. it's only JC Chasez! JC surprises the girls mid practice and Charlye ambushes him. She explains that when you meet a member of *NSync, you scream and you jump, because that's what you're supposed to do. Point taken. JC says, "when you practice, you have to practice full out." And "you have to be willing to sound bad to sound good." It's ok, JC. Some of these girls have that in the bag.
Back to boot camp, Mikey uses intricate instructions to teach his choreography.
"Back and pop. Back and pop. Uhhhh. Uhhhhhh." I wonder if he gets his lips done at the same place as Robin and Lil Kim?
Megan says that she doesn't want to be associated with pageants anymore, because she's been doing them since she was 6 months old. 6 months old?! Anyway, Mikey says that Megan just isn't funky. What do you mean, Mikey?
Not funky? Or too funky?
Later, Robin shows up at the loft and tells the girls to get some cute heels and sunglasses. Then they go to a minor league baseball field. I understand the sunglasses but man, all those heels are gonna do is put holes in the grass. And then some poor baseball man will fall in a hole and then what? Meanwhile, Natalie's sunglasses eat her face.
Robin sends the girls off in their groups to rehearse the National Anthem. The group with the best arrangement will open the game in front of a "massive audience", and the girl in that group who shows the most confidence will be safe from elimination. Right away, Natalie is all mopey, complaining that she won't do well. Nichole gets pissed at her pessimistic attitude. She confessionals, "this week's theme is about confidence - what is wrong with you?!" Answer: everything. Then Tiffanie is all, "I could have punched her. I could have took her hair and chopped it off."
That? Is awesome. New favourite alert. Also, Tiffanie kind of looks like Oprah here, Y/N?
The groups perform for Robin and the clear winner is Carrie's group because, well, they can all sing. Jenna says, "this is the first time I've sung in a stadium with thousands of people." And by thousands, she means...
Dozens. Whoa, that picture looks like moving!
After their big debut, Carrie is the obvious winner. And by this point, I'm starting to feel bad that I said she looks 40. I'll drop that number to 30.
She was actually quite adorable when she won, and said, "I'm still worried. I still have to work it for the judges cause if I do bad, it makes the whole group look bad." Respect! She's the first girl so far to be shown with other people's best interest in mind.
Nichole feels that Natalie sabotaged their group and confronts her at the loft. She says that Nat's lack of confidence made her feel that Natalie didn't believe in the group. "Right off the bat you thought we wouldn't win. I really didn't like that."
Natalie confessionals that she doesn't think Nichole is the sweetheart she's made out to be. Tiffanie joins in on the discussion and agrees that her lack of confidence wasn't cool, and made the group feel bad. Natalie starts crying.
She calls her mom and says that everyone is ganging up on her. Her mom says, "at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what?" Natalie: "winning." Mom: "Is you being proud of who you are." Nah. Winning is so much better than believing in yourself!
Later, the girls go to the Pussycat Dolls Lounge for the first time for their performances. Mark introduces the judges and the show begins. First up is Natalie, Nichole, Ilisa and Tiffanie singing "Holiday". For all the infighting, they're pretty good, but Robin says it wasn't amazing. Lil Kim says that she wanted that "Madonna alluringness" from Ilisa. Alluringness? Oh, Lil Kim.
Jamie, Megan, Cassandra and Alexis are up with "Hit Me Baby One More Time". Lil Kim is all:
Yeah. It's awful. Ron Fair says that their pitch was out the window, and that it's nice to see Cassandra but not to hear her. Ouch. But true.
Carrie, Jenna, Chrystina and Charlye sing "Tearin' Up My Heart". Lil Kim is all:
Robin says that she really enjoyed watching them, and Kim says that she felt like she was at a girl *NSync concert. Lil Kim is the best judge ever!
The judges discuss in private and agree that the "Hit Me Baby" group was the worst. They bring the girls out, and it comes down to Megan and Cassandra:
But Megan's lack of funk loses out to Cassandra's lack of vocals, and the girl with the cherry tattoo on her lady business gets to stay another week. It's cool, I think I like Cassandra.
Next week: Ilisa is weird. A listening party for Nicole Scherzinger's new CD. Is that still coming out?!
It's no secret that I'm a fan of the fun, poppy Europe music scene, but today while looking at Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles chart, I noticed that in the number 4 spot, following OneRepublic, Leona Lewis and Rihanna, there was someone I had never heard of before: Yael Naim.
So I did a little research: She's in her late 20's, born in Paris and grew up in Israel. Her sound? I would liken it to Feist. It's airy and light, yet somehow contains weight.
The single on the charts is called New Soul. Give 'er a listen. I'm sure the plunky piano and the cute accent will win you over in no time:
PS: She also does a great, very mellow and eerie cover of Britney Spears' Toxic.
Tom Delonge: "What have I done?"
Angels & Airwaves, eh? Secret Crowds... eh?
This band's got me torn. I don't know how to feel. I've been secretly pretending that this band does not exist. But people keep sending me links to the brand new video for Secret Crowds...it must stop. Forced by Kat, I'm willing to talk about this band, but only this one time. Honest.
First, the good things...the things I like about Angels & Airwaves.
They sound good. The production and tone on their albums is amazing. The timing and composition are exactly what they should be. I'm always impressed when a group can put out something with such a polished and well-tuned sound. +183 points
An amazing lineup. All of the talent in this band is well established. The musicians have been part of this for so long that it's tough to argue they haven't earned our respect. The fact that they continue to make music that people want to hear speaks volumes about what they are doing. +143 points
I also like that some of the better parts of the last Blink album evolved and found a place in this album. The last Blink album was clearly their best album and a welcome change to the previous two albums. Angels & Airwaves still carries a distinct Blink sound, but moves it into slower rock song; very cool. +115 points
Unfortunately none of this can overcome the fact that I have one deep ideological difference with this band. I just can't stand Tom doing lead vocals for a band. Backing on Blink tracks was one thing. Leading on this is another.
I feel as though I can't (emotionally) take the contrast between how much the music has grown and the pop-punk sound of his vocals has not. -623 points
The music is wonderful, sounds great and bears the mark of Tom's musical experience and history. The added connection of watching a group grow up while I was growing up makes me want to like them (honestly)... But because of the way his voice and my ears interact, I can never really enjoy this band. And that hurts me... so much that I don't want to taco bell it anymore.
Seriously, stop sending me the link to the video... you're breaking my heart.
P.S.: There's a secret prize associated with this post...but I can't even tell you what the contest is, it's that secret.
Photograph Courtesy Getty Images
* Madonna's new album officially has a name: Hard Candy. Mmm.. candy.
* Not gonna lie - kinda interested to see what kind of show Tyra and Ashton will pull out of their arses when they work together.
* The Spicers had their last show ever (?) in Toronto last night - here's some video!
* Diddy is so happy for J-Lo that he's gonna send her some Sean John baby clothes. Always marketing, that one!
* WHOA - check out Gwen!
So yesterday while I was at the gym shredding on the elliptical, I heard a life-altering song. It was so epic that I was driven to amp up my workout to a level the likes of which my body has never seen. I was listening to a BBC's Essential Mix from Radio 1's Big Weekend that featured Mylo and Pete Tong, among others. The thing to keep in mind here is the buildup that's essential to every good live house mix...you really have to keep your audience anticipating that drop for just long enough that once it comes, faces start being torn off and feet start twitching uncontrollably. This is what Pete Tong did with his mix, and the point where this song comes in is brilliant.
Listen: Switch - A Bit Patchy (Eric Prydz Remix)
The part is 3:50 where some vocals kick in...total gorgeosity.
Another thing to note is that in the world of house and techno, discovering a song that was on a live 2006 mix and raving about it is the equivalent of saying "hey, I heard this cool new band called The Clash". 2006 is DECADES ago in the DJ world. If a track isn't white label and/or if you're able to find ANY info about it using Google, it's ooooold news. So I'm a bit late in the game with this one.
Switch, aka Dave Taylor, is a UK-based DJ & producer who you may have already heard of - he produced M.I.A.'s latest album Kala and he's buds with her bf Diplo (they came through Toronto together in '07).
I realized yesterday that I had seen some fliers advertising a Switch DJ set in Toronto sometime soon. And, anger of all angers, it already happened on February 11. Grr. Next time!
Links:
MySpace: Pete Tong
MySpace: Switch
BBC 1 Essential Mix
Radio 1's Big Weekend (Festival)
* Amy Winehouse is launching a beauty line. Her perfume will have a top note of body odour which gently gives way to the natural richness of whiskey, stale cigarettes and the sensual, feminine charm of urine, which is the heart of the fragrance.
* You mean the cast members of Beverly Hills, 90210 weren't all actually 16-years old? Blow. My. Mind.
* Justin Timberlake will induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. Madonna will then induct Justin Timberlake into manhood.
* Drew Barrymore and Justin Long make each other's cheeks hurt.
* And finally, have a melody stuck in your head? Tap it out with your spacebar and have Songtapper tell you what it is.
Remember a few weeks back when I wrote about STP getting back together and a possible tour? Well, the lineup for Edgefest has just been announced and they are headlining Edgefest '08 with Linkin Park!
Edgefest, which will make its return this year, will be held at Downsview Park on July 12. This is the next best thing for anyone who didn't get to go to a Stone Temple Pilots concert when they were in their prime.
Other bands included on the bill are Sam Roberts Band, The Bravery, Attack In Black & more! Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 1st @ 2pm.
Enjoy!
Links:
Stone Temple Pilots
Linkin Park
Sam Roberts
The Bravery
Attack In Black
Yesterday Ryan Phillippe dropped by MOD with Victor Rasuk to talk about their new movie Stop Loss (WHY did Joseph Gordon-Levitt not come as well?). Here are some pics, and you can watch the interview on AXS too!
Last night I checked out hugely-buzzed Toronto duo Crystal Castles, who are finally getting around to making a mark on their hometown after nearly a year of globetrotting. Last year at around this time when Klaxons were in town, they were totally namedropping them since they were on tour together. And in every issue of NME, at least one performance pic includes some British buzz band wearing the Crystal Castles' Madonna tshirt (this one).
The pic above was taken by the uber-talented David Waldman (aka Kid With Camera) at Crystal Castles' Thursday night show, for which Health did not open, but which was essentially the same setup - Alice was wearing pretty much the same outfit last night and the crowd was equally spastic. Now it's true that the spastic effect was enhanced greatly by a strobe light that was going for 100% of the show...but still. People were LOVING it. And Crystal Castles sounded TERRIFIC. They had a live drummer, and a great mix of songs (some instrumental ones that I hadn't heard before)...and they played for 40 minutes, compared to last year when they played at The Social with Thunderheist. Oh, and everybody has a crush on Alice Glass.
Their debut album's release date got pushed back from late February to March 18 and is being released by Last Gang. I kinda wish they had offered the album for sale at the show last night, in advance - CC are embarking on a 25+ date North American tour and it would have been a nice bonus for the fans.
If you didn't get to see the pair of shows this time around, don't worry cause they'll be back on March 28 at Circa! Don't miss them live...it's really a sight to behold!
Links:
MySpace: Crystal Castles
MySpace: Health
Photograph Courtesy David Waldman - www.formertransformer.com
* Tina hosted SNL on the weekend, and while I still have yet to watch it, this skit is HILARS!
* Jamie Foxx will star in a movie about Mike Tyson? Mike Tyson will produce? SOMEONE loves themself. Or needs money.
* Jamie Lynn passed her GED. Paaaarrrrtaay! No, wait. Not yet. Milk and cookies for all.
* Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys has teamed up with Miles Kane from the Rascals to form a new band, and here's their first interview.
* Even screenwriter Paul Haggis, who is writing the new Bond movie, has no idea what Quantum Of Solace means. That is a bad sign for the rest of us.
* Matt Damon is said to be doing a fourth Bourne movie. You know, the first three were great, but don't overdo it!
* This makes me laugh: the Jonas Brothers surprised a school in Illinois to kick off a campaign promoting healthy eating. They're so wholesome, you guyyysssss!
* What's up with Paris Hilton dating Benji Madden? Weirdness, much?
* Janet Jackson trying her hand at comedy in a YouTube video? Unexpected!
* Something about Diablo Cody and shoes for the Oscars and mini-scandal but not really.
* Channing Tatum is hot and these pics are nice and so I will link to them.
Radiohead.
August 15 @ Molson Amphitheatre
Commence flame burstage.
It had already been confirmed that the band would be making its way through North America in support of In Rainbows in August. And now you know exactly when. Almost 5 years to the day that the original Hail To The Thief tour was scheduled in Toronto, but the blackout ended up postponing it to September.
Now keep your pants on while we wait for info about an onsale date & time! As soon as I hear, I'll post the info. In the meantime, I'll continue to refresh W.A.S.T.E. every 20 seconds.
Photograph courtesy of Getty Images
So I went to see Alanis open for Matchbox 20 on Friday night at the ACC, and it brought back soooo many emotions that I *thought* I had long let go - BUT nope, it all came back. It was like getting this huge slap in face - a wake up call of what had happened with my life in the past decade.
I don't mean to sound like a "Princess" (thanks Trevor for pointing that out) but I'd NEVER sat further than 2 rows back from the stage at an Alanis show until Friday night. My tickets were great (thanks Craig), but it just felt weird sitting that "far". I was excited to be there but not that excited until she hit the stage and started singing the songs that brought back so many memories and emotions. I rocked out a little. I laughed. And I wept. Don't judge. I didn’t think I would cry but I did. Deal.
Anyhoo, let me give you a little bit of a background on why and how Alanis's music has meant a lot to me - I will try and make this as short as possible.
Picture it, 1995.
Scarborough.
Unemployed.
Lack of motivation.
Enter Jagged Little Pill ... changed my life.
For some reason this album gave me that push to do something with my life and change me forever. Cheesy I know, but it really did change my life. The next 3 years were never going to be the same for me. I signed up for Improv classes, joined an Improv troupe and finally got accepted to attend a Radio/TV and Film college program. In the meantime though, I had met some truly wonderful people because we had that one common thread - we were fans of Alanis. These people inspired me, supported me and would become a part of my life forever. It all started with us chatting online about Alanis to arranging meet-ups at shows to going on nationwide road trips together to see her perform to becoming a big part of each other's lives.
Almost thirteen years have passed since Jagged Little Pill was released and things have changed. Well for one, I sort of messed up (my bad) a close friendship with one of the wonderful people I met since Jagged Little Pill. We remained friends but then I pushed her away for some stupid reason. I thought that going to see Alanis in concert again was going to be like seeing any other artist perform but being at that show on Friday brought me back to ALL the amazing times I had shared and experienced with certain friends.
Here's the set list:
Moratorium-Intro (New song)
Uninvited
All I Really Want
8 Easy Steps
Hand in my Pocket
Citizen of the Planet (New song)
Moratorium 2 (New song)
Everything (New song)
My Humps
You Oughta Know
You Learn
Thank U
Ironic
In the words of Trevor Boris, who was also at the show on Friday, "It was like going to Church". I too felt reborn again. I'm not religious in any way but I felt like Alanis was my "god" 10 years ago, and today she is my "saviour". During the show I started to type a text to the friend I pushed away but then would delete it. After 5 attempts of sending the text of telling her how sad I was that she wasn't there to share this experience with me and that I missed her, I did it. I hit send.
Thanks to Alanis's performance on Friday night, it made me realize that I had pushed away a friend who made a difference in my life.
So I thank you for reading this and a BIG thank you Alanis for Jagged Little Pill.
Peace, love and Alanis,
Cat
Happy not the weekend! (What?) I know I'm late, but a couple blokes from Angels & Airwaves were here on Friday, and voila: pictures. Link to the interview coming soon!
Sometimes, just sometimes, they get it right. Sometimes politics take a back seat to what is just instinctively meant to be. Last night, Falling Slowly from the film Once won Best Original Song. In the category the Disney film Enchanted had three of the five nominations, the odds were stacked heavily against the little Irish song. Yet it seemed liked the timing was fated. The song was snubbed at the Golden Globes, lost at the Grammys and nearly deemed ineligible for the Academy Awards. The ultimate underdog, they crept into the industry's biggest awards show and walked away with what they so rightfully deserved.
Let me fill you in on my love affair with Once. I saw the film last year on a hot summer night for no apparent reason other than I was drawn to the title. "Once". One time. One opportunity. In this strange thing called life sometimes that is all you get. After I watched the film I couldn't get it out of my head. Raw honesty in art is rare and when you find it, feel it, you know that you are in the presence of something perfect. I discovered that it had been made for less than 200,000 dollars and that the two leads, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, were not professional actors, but rather, professional musicians. The film is about destiny and a chemistry so fated that in actual life Glen and Marketa fell in love.
They toured the soundtrack of the film around world last fall. I managed to get tickets and crept into the show on a cold icy Toronto night. It was like peeking through the window of two people who share a secret love. It was captivating and heartbreaking and overwhelming. Just like the film, it seems that against all odds they found each other and have succeeded beyond anyone's wildest hopes because of the strength of what is right. As you dig deeper into the story you find that Glen wasn't supposed to act opposite Marketa. The film almost was never made on several occasions. Glen and Marketa have a huge age difference. But it happened. The struggles and obstacles has only strengthened the realization that every obstacle was put there for a reason. Somehow it came together in the way that it was supposed to.
Watch the film. Buy the soundtrack. Support honest art, real music and believe that what is right will eventually unfold.
Photograph Courtesy Getty Images
