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.
Word around the campfire is that Rihanna's ready to make the follow-up to Good Girl Gone Bad, an album whose various incarnations has spawned more hits than a mafia war.
According to MTV News, Rihanna's gonna enter the studio with some familiar faces -- "Umbrella" writer/producer Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake -- and some new ones as well, like The All-American Rejects' Tyson Ritter. With those past and future Rihanna collabos in mind, I started daydreaming about who else could make this good girl even better. (And whether or not she'll wear a see-through dress to the studio.)
1. Hot Chip
While it may often be broken, Rihanna has a New Wave heart. You can heart it in her Soft-Cell-sampling early hit, "S.O.S." or in the bum-bum-be-dum's of "Disturbia." She's ready for some synths, electro leanings, and all the attendant eyeliner and Flock Of Seagulls hair that goes with it. (Wait! Rihanna HAS Flock of Seagulls hair!) So why not work with some of the finest purveyors of neo-New-Wave? Hot Chip could expertly combine R&B, dance and pop for Rihanna.
2. Katy Perry Katy Perry and Rihanna are basically already besties, so why not get in the studio together. If Rihanna lacks anything (and she doesn't lack much) it's a defined personality. Her whole thing is the blank stare, the elusive, untouchable girl. Maybe Katy could giver her something there. Like a sense of humor, or a more human, normal vibe. Not that there ain't a lot to love in Rihanna's current robot-diva-from-the-future thing. Or maybe they could both cake dive together.
3. Ryan Tedder
The OneRepublic singer/songwriter might be accused of ripping himself off (Beyonce's "Halo" begats Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone"), but it's a heck of a blueprint to work from. This seems like a no-brainer, right? I can already hear Rihanna singing "Apologize" in my head. Her airy, pleading voice would work great with his melodies.
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.
+ Slightly weird megastar Celine Dion is pregnant again at the age of 41. Talk about taking chances! (Bitten & Bound)
+ Our girl Britney Spears is starting back up on her Circus tour (woohoo!) and is making a special appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman. No doubt she will dazzle and amaze legions of fans worldwide as she <deep breath> reads the Top 10 list. Strong Britney! (US Magazine)
+ Kelly Clarkson and Joe Jonas plan to be celebrity judges on an upcoming episode of American Idol. Should be pretty cool for Kelly to be sitting next to fellow judge and songwriter extraordinaire Kara DioGuardi (who's penned several of her hits including the most recent"I Do Not Hook Up"). (PopCrunch)
+ Who's ready for a new Radiohead single? We are, too. You're welcome. (The Tripwire)
+ Bet there are two things that you don't know about pop star Selena Gomez (and reigning Queen of Disney). (Blogamole)
+ As a little girl, Buzzcrush Katy Perry prayed to the Lord for big boobies, and boy did He answer her prayers. In fact, Katy talks an awful lot about her boobies most days, but we're not mad at it. Or her. Or them. (Socialite Life)
+ Kelly Clarkson reminds you that if you're talking about her weight, you're the one with the problem, not her! We tend to agree, but remind her that bell-bottom stretch pants and silk triangle tops are never okay. (US Magazine)
+ HOT PHOTO ALERT: We're loving watching Britney looking as good as she's looking lately. AND she's got a performance at the Teen Choice Awards right around the corner? <lick> (Daily Mail)
+ The rave reviews of the $200+ million G.I. Joe are pouring in like manna from heaven (nevermind that they're via Heidi Montag's Twitter). Bahahahahha! (PopWatch)
+ P.S. if you're in the market for a not-nude -- yes, you read that correctly -- Playboy spread of Heidi, you're welcome. (NY Post)
+ And while we're talking about G.I. Joe, here's Ciara and Aubrey O'Day looking hot (separately, but together) at the premiere. (Rap-Up)
+ Gossip just dropped a new video for "Love Long Distance," complete with balloon-head people, roller skates, and spandex body suits. Beth Ditto will you marry me please? Yes I know you're gay. (The Rad Report)
+ Kid Rock thinks that Twitter is gay. Like, "stupid" gay. Not "homo" gay. (The Blemish)
+ Sucks to be a big-wig at huge corporation lately. Lawmakers (Democrat and Republican alike) are heavily scrutinizing Ticketmaster's wish to merge with LiveNation, which would create this superpower of concert tickets. Nice to see the government is actually doing what it's supposed to do. (The Tripwire)
+ Are Chris Brown and Rihanna secretly dating or is it just soyyyyyyy rannndom (said in best Ja'mie accent from Summer Heights High) that they keep getting photographed within feet of each other, all throughout NYC? Isn't there a restraining order against that fool? (Socialite Life)
+ Rihanna should be doing some more hanging out with Katy Perry, eating lollipops all sexy and whatnot. (Pop on the Pop)
+ Now super-producer Ryan Tedder is releasing an official statement regarding the whole Kelly Clarkson/Beyonce fiasco that has unfolded over the past few days. Nothing like a non-admission of guilt and a compensatory compliment to win people over. (RyanSeacrest.com)
Virginia indie-pop bandMy Favorite Highwaymade a name for itself without a label push -- a name as in 100,000-plus in digital sales -- and while a record deal is usually the pot o' gold, it's nice to know you can make it without them.
That's not to say the gigs always flowed freely for this crew; they still recall playing venues in meth lab-ville. But come on -- that just indicates a band with the ultimate band experience -- and is part of why My Favorite Highway is totally Buzzworthy Obsession-worthy. (And I swear I won't just talk about the hot drummer ... although I am following his Twitter now.)
If the self-made story's not enough for you, know that the debut video from My Favorite Highway, "Say So," is a tribute to Ferris Bueller's Day Off -- which sold me faster than you can say "Rooney!"
I also love "Say So" because it's the ultimate in solid melody-writing: With clear vox from lead singer David Cook (uh, yeah... I'm not saying he should have changed his name, but I wonder if he voted for Archuleta...), listening to "Say So" is just a sing-along, top-down good time.
And yes, this video and My Favorite Highway's album, How to Call a Bluff , have some extra shekels thanks to backing by Virgin Records, but the new record's not all that different than the one the boys self-released in July 2008. There was a little re-mastering involved, and the addition of two new songs "Go" and "Dreamer," but David's songwriting got play on The Hills and The City on its own merits.
And no more meth den appearances for this crew! The guys are currently touring with The Cab and will team up with HelloGoodbye in August. My Favorite Highway also recently confirmed a few opening dates in September with one, Kelly Clarkson. Sweet!
+ 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)
+ *Um, how about Joe Jackson being all crazy on Larry King Live, saying to those who accused him of beating Michael Jackson that "you know what this beat started -- beat started in the slavery days." WTF DOES THAT MEAN? I don't even know, but read on for more... (Bossip)
+ Britney ain't no joke, people. She has the most singles of any artist on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 Chart for this decade. Girl may be a crazy Jew-in-training, but she's on top. (BritneySpears.com)
+ Kelly Clarkson announced fall dates for her All I Ever Wanted tour, which kicks off October 2nd in Connecticut. Will TOTES DEF be going to the show at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. It's ALL I EVER WANTED!! (KellyClarkson.com)
+ I think my head is about to pop off. In separate news, VH1 just announced they're bringing back their Divas Live franchise with four HUGE talents: Kelly Clarkson (duh), Leona Lewis, Adele, and Miley Cyrus. Oh. My. God. (VH1)
+ Tuesday LOLz courtesy of Lady Gaga (who else??): here she is in a Kermit the Frog outfit on German television. It just doesn't get any better than this. (PopCrunch)
+ In case you missed this duet between Cyndi Lauper and Lil' Kim (RUH?), here you go. Don't say we didn't warn you. (Popnography)
+ On that note, Perez Hilton's lawyer is not taking the situation lightly, threatening to sue anyone who would intend to assault his client in the future. (The Hollywood Reporter)
+The Jonas Brothers have the top album in the country this week, moving over 247,000 copies of their brand-new album Lines, Vines, & Trying Times. WAY TO BE, JoBros!
+ Want some Bonus Jonas? Check out some hot photos from their Rolling Stone cover shoot. (Rolling Stone)
+ Our girl Britney Spears has been doing a little unwinding in L.A. while taking a break from the European leg of her Circus tour. (Star Magazine)
+ More "questionable" pics of Miley Cyrus have hit Twitter, though we're not sure what all the fuss is about. Can't a girl take a picture without people getting all bent out of shape? (Celebitchy)
Watch Stix Zadinia, Satchel, Michael Starr, and Lexxi Foxxx reveal five never-before-revealed things about Steal Panther -- including the unspeakable, peanut-butter-based things they'd like to your lady area -- in this groundbreaking episode of "The 5." (It's the first one we've ever had to age-restrict! RAWK!)
