¡viva la graham!

i do love damon albarn, the very talented man behind gorillaz and blur, but i think he might be getting a bit crotchety as he nears his 40th birthday.

during an appearance on radio 4 yesterday he went on a rant against popular culture and the press, claiming that 99 percent of the media should be eliminated and shows like x-factor should be scrapped. those are harsh words from a guy who played up to the media in his britpop heyday, a man who wrote shameless (yet clever) pop singles like “girls and boys” and “country house.”

albarn did come up with his own material, of course, and his original band did muddle for a bit before finding mainstream success. he must be bitter that the new crop of bright young things can make it with considerably less effort. i suppose i would be as well if i were him… though i can’t imagine a world without “since u been gone.”

with all the insanity surrounding jamie lynn’s shocking pregancy announcement last week, britney spears’ new video for “piece of me” has sort of been swept to the side. and it’s a shame because the clip is surprisingly good — much better than the grainy, slipshod promo for “gimme more.”

this time around britney isn’t looking so drowsy (read: medicated). she even manages to muster up a few dance moves without that stripper pole, so we’re definitely headed in the right direction. hey, the song’s not too shabby either…

recognize this jail bait? probably not. he currently stars in the u.k. teen drama skins, but global audiences may remember him from a film he co-starred in six years ago with toni colette, rachel weisz and hugh grant.

give up? it was called about a boy, and nicholas hoult (pictured above), played a socially awkward young man named marcus (below). is it coming back to you now?

he’s growing up nicely, don’t you think? he’s barely legal at 18, but nicholas is definitely on the road to hotness. check this out:

yowza. i feel dirty. two more after the jump. Continue Reading »

i’m not a fan of high school musical, but this is pretty damn close to being as cheesy. here’s a clip of x-factor finalists same difference singing mimi’s “all i want for christmas is you” (a song i totally love, shut the fuck up). it’s pretty much the gayest thing ever, but i kinda love it. and yes i’m a dirty old man, but how hot is shaun??

it’s that time again! here’s my list, in no particular order, of the best forty tracks of the past year. i’m sure i’ve overlooked a few, so let me know what you think should be on this list:

1. robyn ft. kleerup “with every heartbeat”
2. hellogoodbye “here (in your arms)”
3. amy winehouse “rehab”
4. klaxons “golden skans”
5. the gossip “standing in the way of control”
6. rooney “when did your heart go missing”
7. kaiser chiefs “ruby”
8. shiny toy guns “you are the one”
9. young love “find a new way”
10. siobhan donaghey “so you say”
11. manic street preachers “autumn song”
12. kylie minogue “2 hearts”
13. mute math “typical”
14. take that “rule the world”
15. carrie underwood “so small”
16. rihanna “umbrella”
17. sophie ellis bextor “me & my imagination”
18. dragonette “i get around”
19. kate nash “foundations”
20. travis “selfish jean”

twenty more after the jump!

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so sorry the posts have been few and far between, but with the thanksgiving holiday and then my birthday i haven’t had much spare time for extracurricular activities! the entries may not be daily in december, as it can be a very crazy month, but i’ll try to entertain my few readers more often than i have been…

that said, here’s a new video from one of my favorites, the pipettes:

they could have chosen almost any of the fantastic songs from the indie girl group’s outstanding debut disc, but i’m especially pleased with the decision to release “because it’s not love (but it’s still a feeling).” the colorful video compliments the lush track, and i’m also enjoying lead vocalist gwenno’s bright red ‘do.

if you dig this track and you haven’t yet picked up/downloaded a copy of we are the pipettes, you need to! it is sublime.

i finally have the new kylie album, and it is pretty much amazing. for all the super fans out there who have yet to hear x (it’s out next week in europe but not till february in the u.s.), here’s a detailed synopsis. (you can stream it in full at mtv.uk.)

• 2 hearts - it’s not “can’t get you out of my head,” but i think it is one of her best singles to date. i love the burlesque-glam vibe, and i love that it’s winning over new fans.
• like a drug - this electro-pop gem could have been on britney’s blackout, only this is much better. it definitely has radio potential.
• in my arms - the first of 3 tracks leaked from the studio sessions. this club banger has been condensed (i miss some of the spoken bits), but it is still unbelievably fab.
• speakerphone - how’s that vocoder? there’s too much talk of bones, but still it sounds like fever. i’m ready to dance!

Continue Reading »

here’s the new gwen stefani video for “early winter,” as promised. the song has been edited slightly to make it a bit shorter, but it doesn’t really effect the beautifully-broken vibe of the track. she looks fantastic, of course, and i especially love the contrast of her virginal white dress and the blood red rose petals. the video is definitely as haunting and ethereal as the song.

what do you think? will this be a hit or miss for gwen?

i’m very jealous of the brits at the moment. not only do they get a proper release of her new album, x, way before we do in the u.s., but they also get a prime time television special starring the pint-sized pop star.

thank god for youtube, where one sparkling diamond decided to post the whole of the program for fans outside the u.k. to enjoy. the kylie show features several new songs from her highly-anticipated new disc, including performances of lead single “2 hearts” and the disco-tastic “wow,” plus a handful of comedy sketches.

my favorite skit has to be the one in which kylie and sister dannii have a dynasty-style catfight. kylie taunts dannii for being on a talent show (she’s a judge on x-factor) and after they are interrupted by simon cowell, well, i won’t ruin the punchline. in the following montage of clips, skip to about 5:50 for the minogue tete-a-tete… and if you’re so inclined, you can find the entire show after the jump.

Continue Reading »

this photo is 2 weeks old, i know, but i had to post this halloween party pic of maroon 5’s adam levine. he decided to dress up like brad pitt’s character from fight club, tyler durden.

his abs aren’t as tight as brad’s were at that point, but he doesn’t care. this is the perfect costume for a shameless show-off.

speaking of fight club, that brings to mind my favorite line from the film, when helena bonham carter says, “i haven’t been fucked like that since grade school.”