Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.
NOT TOO SOON! Hey, the balloon boy story that had the nation -- and Twitter -- captivated for hours yesterday had a happy, albeit bizzare, ending. Which means... IT'S TOTALLY TIME TO MAKE FUN OF IT! Plus, Falcon puked not once but TWICE on TV! Amazing! Someone get this kid some Gatorade. And get me this balloon boy t-shirt, okay?
Also, here are some songs you could play the next time you fake-steal your dad's UFO thing. Which reminds me, I SO need to make sure mine's securely held down with bricks so we don't have an incident.
Not that this bit of frosting should overshadow everything Jordin Sparks' new video has going for it, but we must -- MUST! -- discuss the nails. Strands of gold chains are glued to Jordin's nails, right? They're freaking "weapons of choice." Jordin even texts with those things!
Now when she's not going all creationist on me, I'm a die-hard Jordin Sparks fan: next to Kelly Clarkson, Jordin is my favorite of the Idol crop; and "Battlefield" was pretty lifechanging. While her new "S.O.S" track -- a revamping of 1980s freestyle singer Shannon's "Let The Music Play" -- could have easily gone to a less talented singer, I'm psyched ballad-leaning Jordin took on a sassy, sexy, pop star number. Whether or not Jordin went into this video shoot feeling she had something to prove, she knocks it out: it's everything you could want from a diva, with those moves and that hair!
I mean... we'll see if the nails catch on, but the video's a keeper -- watch it below, and watch Jordin perform "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" on VH1 Divas 2009. And watch Shannon's "Let The Music Play" after the jump.
+ Let's face it -- it's old news that Avril Lavigne's marriage to Sum41 frontman Deryck Whibley may be on the rocks for a while now, but this new report seems to seal the deal, don't it? (WWTDD?)
+ Wait... is Jordin Sparks NOT INVITED to Kevin Jonas' wedding? (Confidential to Kevin -- Register at Bed Bath & Beyond. They let you return EVERYTHING for cash! Oh wait... You don't need casth.) (MTV News)
+ We've always been a huge fan of Shania Twain... from her personal story of tragedy and triumph, to her cheesefest lyrics and catchy hooks, everything about her is absolutely perfect. So when news broke that she was getting a divorce from her longtime companion and producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, it seems like the earth stood still! But talk about a huge slap in a dirty dog's face: Shania is engaged to the guy whose wife cheated on him with Shania's hubster! To quote my favorite movie-turned-TV-show, Heathers, "Lick it up, baby. LICK. IT. UP." (Star Magazine)
+ Here's Rihanna doing the September 2009 cover of Italian Vogue, looking nothing like herself whatsoever. (ICYDK)
+ Madonna was briefly booed at a concert in Bucharest last night, after bringing up the issue of discrimination against "gypsies," Eastern Europe's most socially and economically disadvantaged minority. (E! Online)
+ If early reviews are correct, Whitney Houston looks like she's on track to get a Grammy for her most recent album of work (her first in seven years). And it's not even available for sale yet! (Rap-Up)
+ In case you were wondering what it was like to be in Times Square with Britney Spears during Monday's Twitter scavenger hunt, check this out. Totally reminds us of TRL, circa 1998. PS -- I DEFINITELY went to Brit's show last night, and it was nothing short of fan-effing-tastic. (BritneySpears.com)
+ Proving once again to be one of the most formidable forces in pop music, the Black Eyed Peas just set another Billboard record. (NME)
+ Why Courtney Love is Tweeting pictures of herself with a turtle on her head, we don't know. But thank you, Twitter. Thank you. (Pop On The Pop)
+ We've been telling our friends this about Lady Gaga for weeks but no one seemed to believe us. Thank you, Katy Perry, the voice of reason, for setting everyone straight. (PopCrunch)
+ Jordin Sparks has been announced as the opening act for Britney Spears' Circus Tour, as she kicks off the second leg of her North American tour tonight in Ontario. (Britney.com)
+ Jay-Z and his wife (some woman we've never heard of) were out trying to have a peaceful dinner when a pesky pap got all up in their biz, eventually throwing his tripod at one of Jay's bodyguards. Needless to say, that tripod is making for some fine coral off the coast of Croatia (cause you know, it's all tropical and shallow, where coral grows). (Pop On The Pop)
People, Fefe Dobson should be huge. This mini Joan Jett is off in all the right ways: she doesn't quite belong in music today, and her melodies are so resolute and committed in their differences.
And now, as I step down from my musical soapbox, let me lower the bar and admit I first heard Fefe's new single "I Want You" on promos for obvious Emmy-contender Megan Wants a Millionaire. But let's try to erase that association and focus instead on Fefe's new "I Want You" music video below, which just premiered on MTV. I enjoy the oft-used high-school setting; schoolgirl crush frustration still rears its whiny head from time to time (at least it does for me), and Fefe tailing a boy down the hall, yelling her longing into his deaf ears... resonates, to say the least. To say the VERY least.
Going back in time, Fefe won me over with the outrageously overlooked "Don't Let It Go to Your Head," the lead single from her album Sunday Love, which Island never released (they subsequently dropped her) ... because no one listened to it. OUTRAGEOUS! Please download it right now -- or at the very least listen to Jordin Sparks' cover (it's track 3 on Battlefield; I'm glad someone appreciates...)
+ Wanna hear the new track "Celebration" off Madonna's new compilation CD that hasn't hit stores yet? Check it. (Towleroad)
+ Green Day and P!nk were announced today as scheduled performers at the 2009 MTV VMAs. If P!nk brings anything like what she brought last year, this year's show will be amazing. (MTV News)
+ As we all know by now, Demi Lovato is this week's Billboard star, taking the number one spot. What is surprising is how mediocre sales for Jordin Sparks' new CD were. (Evil Beet)
+ Kanye West helped himself to a tall glass of crazy, recently proclaiming himself as the new King of Pop. (Bitten & Bound)
+ Miley Cyrus is making a Twitter MESS of herself, tweeting this and that about love and missing people. Close up shop, lady. Close. Up. Shop! (Anything Hollywood)
+ Lily Allen is starting up her own jewelry line? Exactly what we needed. (Holy Moly!)
+ Joe Jonas and Camilla Belle are ENDSVILLE?? Put her name on a star and add it to the boulevard of broken dreams. <sniff> (E! Online)
+ A brand-new, gorgeously-shot video for Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone" has made its way to the Internets today, but the real story here is that hit songwriter Ryan Tedder (who also wrote some stuff for Jordin Sparks' new CD that just came out last week) actually gave the same backing track to Beyonce (she wound up using it for her 2008 hit "Halo"). Kelly realized what happened after it was too late, and now she's at odds with her label, RCA (again), about releasing the track. We don't think the songs sound that much alike and, personally, we'll take the Sinead O'Connor-esque sound of Kelly's song over Beyonce's constant oversinging any day of the week. (MTV News)
+ P.S. Here's Kelly performing the same song live on The David Letterman Show a couple of weeks ago. Which version do you prefer?
+ Ain't no way in hell Britney's kids gon be appearin' on that new K-Fed show, y'all. Fo REEL! (Evil Beet)
+ Is anyone getting sick of Katy Perry looking wide eyed and cute in whatever she wears, wherever she performs? Me either! (Neon Limelight)
+ Something else I never get sick of, you ask? Why, recent pics of Carrot Top out-and-about, doing anything or nothing at all, of course. (ICYDK)
+ Whitney Houston, the woman who's been having a comeback for the last 10 years of her life, got a standing ovation at the listening party for her new album (out September 1) at New York's Lincoln Center. (Lifeline Live)
+ Congratulations are in order for Kelis -- not because she's getting divorced from Nas, but because she just had her baby! (E! Online)
+ And in other good news, Britney Spears looks like she's on track to take over the reigns to her personal life. Her daddy's run as her conservator draws to a close at the end of this year and, according to sources, it seems as though he is not going to maintain his firm grip on her life beyond then. (E! Online)
+ Calling all JoBro fans ... what's your favorite soundcheck costume on the tour? This is my personal fave, though I heard that Nick isn't one of the three piggies (it's some road manager or something). I wonder if they make Jordin Sparks (whose album Battlefield is out today, btdubbs -- and p.s. how effing GORGEOUS did Jordin look today on Alexa Chung this morning??) dress up as Little Red Riding Hood? Or what about this doozie? I guess Joe is supposed to be Screech from Saved By The Bell? Oof!(Twitter)
+ Maybe while his bros are soundchecking on stage as the Two Little Pigs, Nick Jonas is rolling around in one of these trying to have some "me" time. God knows it's more privacy than I've got in my NYC apartment. (Perez Hilton)
+ For all the Lindsay Lohan haters, she's having the last laugh: her recent ABC Family straight-to-television movie Labor Pains actually performed tons better than an airing of Harry Potter. Granted, that movie has been out for like, eight years but whatevs. (The Evil Beet)
A mindblowingly rad cardigan, the mindblowingly gorg Jordin Sparks -- who was down for a modeling and a drinking competition! -- Miss Info, and a couchside confession from Robert Hoffman, who revealed he's dating two supermodels! Best Alexa Chung show EVER? Now ON to that cardigan...
Wednesday, July 22 + Cardigan: Chanel + Jeans: Topshop + Boots: Gap
I'm dying over that Chanel cardigan, but I'm also dying over this Marc Jacobs sleveless bouclé belted top, which is kind of like a more feminized version of Beyonce's Balmain military jacket. That's it. I've decided I'm gonna do for bouclé what Justin Timberlake did for sexy: I'm bringing it back, bishes! And Marc Jacobs, you had me at "chain trim." Truly, I would slap your puppy dog to get my hands on this. Unfortunately it's $949 at MyTheresa.com. Why? Because fashion hurts, friends.
Also, check out this gorjgwa blazer by Danish label DAY Birger et Mikkelsen. Just a little peek of sequins. It's $300 at Net-a-porter.com.
+ Oh yeah, check out photos of Jordin Sparks going for the gusto onIt's On With Alexa Chungafter the jump!
Get your armor, and get ready to preview all 12 full-length tracks of Jordin Sparks' brand-new sophomore album, Battlefield, before the album drops next Tuesday, July 21.
Jordin teamed up with Dr. Luke, Stargate, T-Pain, and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, but the real weapon here is, of course, Jordin's bombshell of a voice.
Track Listing:
1. Walking On Snow
2. Battlefield
3. Don't Let It Go To Your Head
4. S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)
5. It Takes More
6. Watch You Go
7. No Parade
8. Let It Rain
9. Emergency (911)
10. Was I The Only One
11. Faith
12. The Cure
