¡viva la graham!

the spice girls are reuniting, but what are they going to do when it’s time to sing “holler” on their world tour? ginger left the group before the other girls recorded the song, so she doesn’t even have a fraction of a verse to contribute. perhaps she’ll lip-sync to victoria’s part. we shall see.

here’s the futuristic video for that better-than-average single. if you’re in the u.s., you might not remember this because by this point america was over it. regardless, it’s better than “spice up your life” by a mile.

only two days after i blasted britney for passing on “umbrella,” she comes back at me with an ace new track. it turns out “gimme more” is actually fantastic, which is a shock considering everyone was expecting her to fall flat on her face.

if you have yet to hear the brand new single, click over here to give it a listen. it’s a little bit “sexyback,” a little bit “maneater.” 100 percent fab. if she busts out with it for a surprise mtv vma performance, it would make my day times 10. unfortunately this success will primarily go towards k-fed’s child support.

here’s the new hellogoodbye video, “baby it’s fact.” i’m not sure why they chose this song as a single, because i think there are several on the album that are better, but whatever. the high school election-themed video isn’t terribly inspiring, either. perhaps these guys need to get to work on their next album…

here’s an interesting tidbit. rihanna’s “umbrella” could have taken a very different form if it had been recorded by the artist who initially expressed interest — britney spears. (can you imagine her doing the “ella ella” part?? oh dear!).

whether you love or hate rihanna’s take, it’s difficult to deny that it’s a fairly effective pop song. and ms. spears has done well with undeniably catchy singles like “toxic” and “baby one more time” — songs that honestly even could have been hits had they been recorded by a cheeky sea lion. if she had snagged “umbrella,” it could have relaunched her career. d’oh.

i suppose it’s safe to say britney’s a bit jealous. i know i would be! we shall see if her confirmed comeback single “gimme more” is the next “umbrella.” i’m actually rooting for her, but it looks like the cards are stacked against her.

the lads from travis have done it again. here’s the new video for “my eyes,” the third single from their latest album the boy with no name. i’m not going to spoil the ending for you, but the waterslide bits actually have to do with the comical plot.

i’m so pleased that travis are back in top form! after starting off on the wrong foot with this record (”closer” was an odd choice for first single), they really have proven that they can still write a top pop song — and of course provide an amusing, clever clip to go along with it. also, i must add that with repeated listens i’ve come to enjoy travis’ latest effort nearly as much as their most popular LP, the man who.

related: art, music, jaffa cakes

i’m not the biggest fan, but i do think the donnas are a talented group of young ladies. their last album didn’t do much for me, but fingers crossed their latest effort, bitchin’, is as much fun as their major-label breakthrough, spend the night.

one of the things i love about the donnas is that they stick to what they do best — straightforward guitar-heavy rock and roll. their booze and boy-centric lyrics don’t hurt matters either!

if lead single “don’t wait up for me” is any indication, we are in for a treat. check it out over at the band’s myspace, and catch the band on tour (they’re a blast to see live!) this autumn.

comedian andy dick, who for the record constantly insists that he’s not gay (perhaps jokingly??), was spotted at a queer club in ohio this past weekend. club patrons say he was a fucked-up horny mess, and that he was asking people in the bathroom for cocaine and sex. visit perez hilton for several sordid photos. this isn’t the first time dick has been caught with his pants down, so to speak…

he must be really unhappy with his life, i kind of feel sorry for him. maybe if he comes to terms with himself he can get his shit together.

some of you might consider the manic street preachers an acquired taste. if you haven’t yet embraced their sensitive-yet-brash brand of welsh rock, i highly recommend you give them a chance.

let’s start with “autumnsong.” the manics’ latest single features a familiar guitar lick, but the meat of the song is the lyrics. the band’s message has always been anti-establishment, and again they seem to be calling out to younger generations. “wear your eyes as dark as night / paint your face with what you like,” james dean bradfield advises, even if at 38 he might be a bit too mature (to put it politely) to do so himself.

this time bradfield leaves listeners with words of encouragement. even if life is tough at the moment, “remember the best times are yet to come.” sometimes it’s hard to keep that in mind, isn’t it?

the clip above is the manics’ version of the video, after the jump i’ve posted the record company’s mtv-friendly version. and if you missed it, check out their collaboration with nina persson.

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the speculation never ceases when it comes to kylie’s much-anticipated tenth album, dubbed kylie x by fans. every site from popbytes to arjan writes has weighed in on the issue, as have i.

though details have yet to be confirmed, popjustice claims to know about the imminent announcement — they coyly refuse to elaborate. they’re excited enough about her return to place her at number one on their “pj almighty” list of top pop artists.

while you wait for the big news, i recommend checking out one of the superior leaked tracks, “in my arms,” which is allegedly her collaboration with calvin harris. the retro-electro track is miles beyond harris’ own music, in my humble opinion, but i’m hardly an impartial party where kylie is concerned. for the time being you can listen to it on the imeem player in the sidebar or on a random unofficial kylie myspace page.

if nothing else, at least her cover of roxy music’s “love is the drug” will be available soon. that should tide me over for a bit.

nothing beats a low-budget drag queen spoof, and lady-dude britney houston takes the crown with her revamp of rihanna’s ubiquitous “umbrella” video. ms. houston calls herself the pop parody princess of youtube, and after watching this clip, i must say i agree. i have two favorite parts: when she’s vacuuming in the maid’s outfit and when she’s curled up in rather uncomfortable positions in that ineffective nude suit.

if you like what you see here, you must watch her rendition of lil’ mama’s “lip gloss.” i love that the people leaving comments are debating whether or not britney houston is a tranny. not that lil’ mama is the most feminine pop star on the planet.