Trashy Thursdays: Miley Cyrus - "Party In The USA"

Trashy Thursdays will be happening every Thursday (duh) and will feature the trashy pop songs I kinda love. Don't get it twisted, I think pop music is an art form. But like all art, there are brilliant artistic works are fresh and dynamic and new as well as less inspired pieces of art. Sometimes those less inspired bits are as much fun as the "good" stuff, that's why we're getting trashy!

Ok, I'mma be honest here. I HATED this song when it first came out. I still kinda do, but after the flaccid melody and trite lyrics of "The Climb" any Miley Cyrus single is bound to be an improvement.

Miley was born to make trashy pop, the spawn of country flash-in-the-pan Billy Ray Cyrus has been a child star for a few years before churning out of trash-pop's greatest songs "See You Again." Every crap-tastic single that has followed has paled before that piece of surf-guitar-meets-Kylie-electro-pop brilliance that crashed over me in spring '08. And "Party In The USA" was destined to be merely an annoyingly catchy follow-up to the horrors of "Fly On The Wall."

That is, until the gays got a hold of it. Once a couple of Fire Island boys pop your CD in and start lipsynching on the beach, you have arrived. You are a goddess of trashy pop music; the paragon of all things tacky, yet refined. Miley, I salute you. And to the uninitiated, I present the masterpiece of YouTube: "Party In The FIP"

Chelsea Handler (and her little nugget) Vote No On Prop 8

Y'all know I don't get political on the blog, right? I wrote about politics for two years, and I'm not interested in doing it again. But sometimes there is a perfect storm of worthy political topic, funny celeb and YouTube video, and that's when I will post something about politics.

California legalized same sex marriage earlier this year, and of course the Mormons and various other right wing groups are up in arms over it. I'm a conservative person, but this is one place I differ from my Republican upbringing. People should be allowed to get married, it's just common decency. No one is asking for the right to have underage butt-sex under an American flag on the Capital steps, it's about making the same legal commitment that straights can make. Perhaps I should allow the very funny Chelsea Handler to explain:



I still think shorties should be shipped off to "Scared Tall" camps, but Miss Chelsea does have a point. Now I'm hungry for a spicy chicken taco...

Music News: M.I.A. To Wed, New J.Hud, Prince v. Radiohead

Music news outlets are reporting that brilliant Sri Lankan rapper/singer/designer M.I.A. is engaged to Benjamin Brewer of The Exit, and son of Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Brewer Jr. She previously had a long-term relationship with her producer/collaborator Diplo. My best wishes to Maya and Benjamin!

She's an Oscar-winner for Dreamgirls and co-stars in the new Sex And The City movie, so you may be forgiven for forgetting that Jennifer Hudson is a singer, too. The American Idol cast-off's debut CD drops this fall, the first single will be available to download on iTunes next week. The single, "Spotlight" is available for a listen here. It has an Alicia Keys vibe, but a little slicker. Very bouncy mid-tempo pop with an R&B edge, I think it should do well at Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop radio, I don't know if it will be the mainstream Top 40 radio hit our girl deserves. I've listened to it several times now, I really enjoy it.

You may recall I posted the video of Prince covering Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella on Pictures & Conversations a few months ago. It was an amazing and sexy cover, not unlike his version of Foo Fighters' "Best of You" at the Super Bowl. Little did I know it would be yanked from YouTube following threatened legal action from the Purple One. Several media outlets have reported Radiohead were not pleased, they can't even see the footage themselves. Personally, I know that Prince has the right to take the videos down, but it is kind of a dick move, especially since the songwriters haven't objected. Nobody is making money off of the videos, and you would think he'd like to keep his profile as a master musician up, since his albums keep tanking. Rude!

Tay Zonday, Miss South Carolina, Chris Crocker, Kelly and Weezer Make A Video

Ah, the interwebs. So full of educational information, one can research so many topics. Or just watch dramatic chipmunks, hear ridiculous songs like "Chocolate Rain" or "Shoes" and listen to a very queeny Britney fan cry. And now, they are all mashed up in one viral-tastic video from Weezer, "Pork & Beans" and all that's missing in OK Go on treadmills and that guy swearing about RVs. Oh, well, maybe on the followup single.
Watch:

My Super Sweet Funeral

You all know that when the revolution comes, the girls 'n' guys from My Super Sweet 16 will be the first on the guillotine, right? The bitches who scream "You ruined my life!" because their $50k cars are the wrong color and pour out the fake tears because daaaaaaddddddyyyyyyy I waaaaaaaanntttttt iiiiiiitttttt, what ever "it" may be. Silly girls who want to be carried out in litters or get Young Jeezy to perform without a thought to the price tag, AND without a thought the children that go to bed hungry every night who could use some of that wasted money for food, or vaccines so African babies don't die of malaria. Who gives a shit, when you could be made up like a human Barbie with box and everything to make an "entrance" Stupid, evil hos.

Anyway, rant over. Check out this hilarious video parody, My Super Sweet Funeral

New Alanis Morisette Video - "Underneath"

I'm having a hard time getting into Alanis's new single, "Underneath" from her upcoming Flavors Of Entanglement (love the title!) She said she was going for a more organic techno sound, which I kind of get, but it'd not as catchy as Goldfrapp's or Imogen Heap's work that would fall under that umbrella. It needs something, I can't really place my finger on what. Having said that, this video is kind of cool in parts with the heart and the red-dress-clad Alanis, but the enviromentalist passing out fliers Alanis is kind of off-putting. Watch:

David Cook In His Undies...

Freshly minted Idol winner, and newest addition to my tag cloud, David Cook is HOT! I love him to death. So I was pleased to see his "remake" of the famous scene from Risky Business with a white button down and underwear for a Guitar Hero commerical during last night's AI finale. Check out his sexy legs below:

Robyn Plays Strip Poker With Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton may be on everybody's hate list, and his painted up paparazzi photos are a bit tiresome. But he has championed some of my favorite artists, like Robyn, M.I.A., Mika and Amy Winehouse. In Robyn's new video clip for "Cobrastyle" he takes it all off. Well maybe not all... Strip poker with a card shark Robyn sounds like a hot time to me!

Madonna Plays Guitar?

Last night the still-reigning queen of pop took the stage at Roseland in NYC for a MSN broadcast, being her usual Madonna self. Grinding on Justin Timberlake? Check! Debuting some super hot tracks from Hard Candy? Check! Playing guitar? Che- wait, what? Since when did the material girl handle an axe? Since now! She plays it on a hard rock remix of "Hung Up" in this clip. View the awesomeness below:

Oh, and I'll reveiwing her sweaty hot new disc this week, keep your eyes peeled...

Review: Robyn - "Robyn"

Here is the US, Swedish pop diva Robyn dropped her self-titled album on Tuesday. Over in Sweden, it's been out for over two years, the UK got a re-release last year and US pop-people in the know got their hands on the import as soon as blogs like Sterogum and Perez Hilton started hyping her. I know I did, I've been listening for four months now, even posting a review on my MySpace blog in January. Here's what I wrote then:

Swedish pop star Robyn was in contract limbo when she recorded the first song for what would become "Robyn." So she bought out her contract and made what is the best independent pop record I've ever heard. From the opening track, on which Swingfly lists her many accomplishments (including out-super freaking Rick James) you can just feel the pop music exuding from every note. It's pop music like only Swedes can make: crazy, catchy, beat-heavy, full of strings and synths and insane lyrics that don't make sense half the time but feel so real. She covers the Teddybears ("Cobrastyle"), makes disco magic with Kleerup ("With Every Heartbeat"), comforts a broken robot ("Robotboy") gets her heart broken ("Be Mine!") and breaks yours ("Eclipse") all while making you want to dance and sing along. It's possibly the most perfect pop album since ABBA disbanded.

Now that you can get the album in any record store, you should go buy it. It gets better with each listen, like a modern day "Thriller" or "ABBA Gold" just hot pop track after stunning pop gem after insanely catchy pop single. With Madonna's new album dropping the same day, I know poor Robyn will get overshadowed, but if you love Madonna, you really should try this disc. Track for track, the best album to drop this month, better than Mariah, Madonna and Leona Lewis. Buy it already! Or at least, check out the crazy videos below:

Insanity! Prince Covers Radiohead @ Coachella

I'm not a huge Prince fan; but, like anyone who loves music, I do enjoy many of his songs. And I'm not a huge Radiohead fan, either, but I do like "Just" and "Creep." But Prince covering "Creep" at the Coachella festival is, as one eager fan shouted at the end, epic. The video quality is shite, but listen:

New Duffy Video - "Warwick Avenue"

Welsh songbird Duffy has a Dusty Springfield vibe, an old-school soul sound like Amy Winehouse, without the crack. In this Dan Wolf directed clip for the follow up to "Mercy" she channels another girl-singer from across the pond, Sinead O'Conner, with a one-take (with tears!) performance of the break-up ballad "Warwick Avenue"
Watch:

To Tide You Over: Ugly Betty Vodcast!

Ugly Betty is my second favorite show on TV, after Lost, so I am thrilled that it returns Thursday night. Funny, sweet and always entertaining, I can't wait to catch up with the gang at Mode. It's a hit, for sure, but you may not know there has been an official Ugly Betty podcast features the hilarious Michael Urie and Becky Newton, aka Marc and Amanda on the show, that was posted every week at ABC.com. It is hilarious, and I always looked forward to it each Wednesday before the new epis aired. Well, for the post-strike return of TV's funniest show they upped the ante and did a Vodcast instead, video podcast in the hizzouse! In this one, they talk to the composer behind the music of Ugly Betty and some singing may ensue. It's not as long as the audio podcasts were, but it is pretty awesome anyway. Check it!

New Switchfoot - "This Is Home" (From "Prince Caspian")

Live footage surfacing this week of Switchfoot performing the song they've written for the new film The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The song may take some time to grow on me, but it's a return to the days of "Dare You To Move" and "Only Hope" with philosophical lyrics and smooth rock riffs. Watch:

Idol Thoughts on Brooke White

Here's the thing. I love Brooke White like a sister. She has such a realness to her, a connection to almost all the songs she performs each week on American Idol. But the last few weeks she's stumbled a little. BUT while her version of "Hero" on Mariah week was not that great, but the studio version on iTunes? HOT! Guitar instead of piano, and just a much more polished sound. But it's the early performances I keep going back to on my iPod, "Love Is A Battlefield" and "Let It Be" were stunning. This week I think she will be in trouble, it's Andrew Lloyd Webber week, and Brooke doesn't have a Broadway voice. I think she would be smart to do a stripped, raw, emotional version of "I Don't Know To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar. The first time they let the Idols do modern stuff, if she's still here, she needs to go the Alanis Morrisette route and do an ironic emo version of a naughty pop song. Songs From This Weeks Billboard Charts? "Low" or "Touch My Body" Songs From The 2000s? Try these on for size:

Whatever she tries next, she's still my favorite girl. And I almost wish she would leave, cause she' seems to have had her spirit broken. but not in a Brittnum Twins kind of way, thank god!

Robin Sparkles Video Preview - "Sandcastles In The Sand"

I posted a link to the song yesterday afternoon, here is a preview clip of the music video. Tiffany and Alan Thicke make guest appearances. While I'm not finding it as funny as the "Let's Go To The Mall" video, it's still a delightful slice of Canadian 90's goodness.

Erykah Badu Explains It All

I always thought Erykah Badu was crazy as hell. Like Lauryn Hill with wilder hair and headwraps. It turns out, she knows what goes down in the music biz. And she's not afraid to share her secrets. This video is funny as hell.

While you're at it, check out her video, one of my favorites right now, for her new single "Honey"

"Touch My body" [Acoustic Piano Instrumental]

Just in time for Mariah's album release tomorrow, here is an intrumental take on her hot single "Touch My Body" Weirdest shiz you'll see all day, methinks. But I kinda like it...

My Favorite Country Girl!

I love Blender covergirl Taylor Swift, she's just so cute and super-talented. Not only does she have great voice, she wriote or co-wrote every song on her platinum debut album, including the amazing "Teardrops On My Guitar" one of my favorite tracks from last year. When I read at blender.com she was working with my most hated singer/songwriter, Colbie Caillat, I was worried, but seeing how she rocks a cover of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" live, I think she can sing any little thing, regardless of how bubbly that shit is. Watch:

She also covers "Irreplacable" and "Umbrella" live, which makes her my Favorite Country Girl Evs. (Sorry, Reba, you know I still love ya!) Plus I'm pretty sure she'd be a totally awesome hag, she wants to take Perez Hilton to prom, so you know she's down.