So in case you haven't heard, Betty White hosted a "Mother's Day Special" episode of Saturday Night Live over the weekend .. and it was pretty good!
A lot of bloggers talk on and on about Betty White's comic timing and how her professional approach made it an amazing show .. I'm not going to disagree on that, because it was a pretty entertaining show for me. I didn't even mind the overload of MacGruber skits (probably because I have plans on watching it at the midnight showing:x)
Anyway, the highlight of SNL's 2nd to last show on their 35th year is probably Jay-Z.
Shocking, I know. For those of you who know me, I'm not really a Jay-Z fan (especially in comparison to my bf) .. but Jay-Z's performance was AWESOME.
Check it out (before NBC pulls them offline!)
Jay-Z Medley:
"Young Forever" (I love how Jay-Z dedicated this song to Betty White - aww! But not really a fan of "Mr. Hudson" .. his voice gave me chills (not in a good way))
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday Night Live: Betty White + Jay-Z = AMAZING
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Music Video + Art History = Mind Blown
Ok I don't know anything about this French band called Hold Your Horses!, but I love them for this amazing music video, in which they recreate the history of painting. Um, I LOVE ART HISTORY. And music videos. So, not surprisingly, I LOVE this video. Consider my mind blown. Actually I'm just giddy. Amazing, amazing!
70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Entertainers of the Year: #1
Last year I bestowed the honor to the multitalented Tina Fey, and this year, the honor goes to... TAYLOR SWIFT!
Goodness gracious, who had a better year this year than Taylor?? She solidified herself as a bona fide star, transcending above the country music genre and outselling pretty much every artist in every category this year (who is not named Michael Jackson). After supporting other artists on their tours in previous years, her first solo tour sold out in minutes (and I know this firsthand cause I was not able to get tickets for her show... SAD) :( She became the youngest artist ever to win Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. On top of winning AMAs, Grammys, and every other award throughout the year. She proved to be charming and funny, hosting the best episode of Saturday Night Live this season. And of course, who can forget the infamous Kanye-gate, which could have been a complete disaster had it not been for the complete grace and class this 20 year old displayed throughout the whole thing. Not to mention, her album, Fearless, is pretty darn good, people.
So... there you have it, my pick for Entertainer of the Year (she is also Billboard's pick, as well as AP's pick). As a fan, I'm looking forward to 2010 for her, as she is currently writing new songs for a new record due out sometime later this year, and being up for numerous Grammys coming up in February. Rock on, Taylor Swift!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009 Entertainers of the Year: #3 and # 2!
#3) Jay-Z and Lady Gaga (tie)
Two artists who are completely different from each other (in every possible way), one a musical legend practically, and one who burst onto the scene in the year, dominated the charts in 09.
Jay-Z released his 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, in September, and was met with favor from critics and fans alike. It became his 11th album to reach #1 on the Billboard charts, surpassing Elvis Presley's previous record with the most #1 albums. It also is the second best selling hip hop album of all time. The album has spawned hit after hit, but most notably, produced what is now NYC's unofficial anthem: Empire State of Mind. The Jay-Z train does not seem to be slowing into the New Year, he is embarking on a nationwide tour for the album, which will go well into 2010 (I'll be at the March show in Jersey, hollla!).
Lady Gaga is probably one of the most talked about artist of the year, and not only for her music. She pretty much became a cultural phenomenon, with all of her crazy outfits, even crazier performances, and, let's face it, catchy songs. In the annual Google zeitgeist, the Haus of Gaga was the most searched image of the year. Though her debut album came out in the summer of 08, but it seems like 09 is when she really caught on fire, with the string of hits-- Poker Face, Paparazzi, Bad Romance. I'm slightly scared of her, but I do kinda enjoy her antics. She's also embarking on a concert tour for her recently released album The Fame Monster, so there is no way we won't be seeing more of her in 2010.
#2) Michael Jackson
What can be said about Michael Jackson that hasn't already been covered a billion times in the past six months since his untimely passing in June? The world lost a true pop cultural icon, but ironically he ended up entertaining us even when he is no longer with us. His death brought upon hours and hours of coverage, surrounding his mysterious life and death, but more importantly, reminded us all of the impact he has had on the pop culture landscape. Reissues of his albums and singles sold through the roof, people lined up to pay tribute, millions tuned into his funeral coverage. And This is It, a concert film made from the footage of his This is It tour rehearsals was released in October, doing well at the box office. The man in the mirror might be gone, but in his passing Michael Jackson proved that he is a true legacy that spans generational gaps.
Friday, December 11, 2009
One hit Wonders of the 2000s
Earlier this week, Billboard magazine listed their Top One-hit wonders of the 2000s. Some of the choices were a bit surprising to me because their criteria for picking an one hit wonder is more technical than mine. When I think of an one-hit wonder, I think of an artist who produced 1 good song, and then faded off the map for eternity (Jennifer Paige's Crush, anyone??). What Billboard defines as an one-hit wonder is a song that reached the top 10 of their Hot 100s chart, and then failed to produce a single that reached the top 25 after that (reaching top 25 is not an easy feat for anyone...). Perusing the list brought back so many musical memories: Dream (#10), Macy Gray (#22), Vanessa Carlton (#24), S Club 7 (#38), and my personal favorite, a post-Jessica Simpson breakup Nick Lachey (#28).
Here are the top 5 One-Hit Wonders of 2000s:
#5: D4L - Laffy Taffy
#4: MIMS - This is Why I'm Hot (Gee, I wonder why, it boasted such genius lyrics as, " I'm hot cause I'm fly/you ain't cause you're not.")
#3 Crazy Town - Butterfly
#2 Terror Squad - Lean Back
#1 Daniel Powter - Bad Day (I love this song, actually. And I like the video...)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Last Christmas
We are 3 days into December, which totally means that it is.. full on Christmas music season. I may be soul-less by revealing this, but I DO NOT LOVE Christmas music. There, I said it. Sorry people, I must have no heart. There are a handful of Christmas songs I do enjoy though, and one of those songs happen to be Last Christmas, originally sung by the 80s band Wham. It is probably one of the most covered songs ever, with everyone from the Backstreet Boys to Coldplay to Taylor Swift releasing their own versions. I talk about this because, there is a site called Last Christmas.com, that keeps track of all the different versions of the song that is released. So far, in the 4 years they've been running the site, we've got 395 versions and counting, all over the world.
And because my current obsession is Glee, here is the Glee cast's version of the song. LOVES IT!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Empire State of Mind
My favorite song on Jay-Z's recent The Blueprint 3 album, Empire State of Mind, has quickly become New York City's unofficial anthem. And with good reason- Jay-Z's ode to the city is hopeful and inspiring, and just a really solid song. I have yet to get tired of it, and as cliche as this sounds, I love listening to it when I'm actually in the city. And so do a lot of people apparently, I have witnessed quite a few cars driving around in the city with the song blasting from their cars. Nice.
Anyways, here is the newly released music video for Empire State of Mind. You know I love music videos! It's a little bit of Jay-Z, a little bit of Alicia Keys, a whole lot of what makes New York.. concrete jungles where dreams are made of.
Jay-Z - "Empire State Of Mind" ft. Alicia Keys
Jay-Z | MySpace Video
Friday, October 23, 2009
Gleeeeeeee!!
The Office will always remain my number one favorite show on TV, but this season, I have fallen in love. With FOX's AMAZING new show Glee, which makes me want to shout GLEEEEEEEEE! for the way it makes me feel. This is what being in a new relationship feels like, right? You want to talk about him/her/it all the time, you want to introduce all of your friends to him/her/it, it makes you smile whenever you think about him/her/it. Well, since I have no real human being in my life right now to feel that way about, I'm just gonna settle for feeling that way about Glee. Sometimes it's hard for me to fall in love with a show cause it inevitably and inexplicably gets canceled (I still miss you, Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars...), but I LOOOOOVE Glee and it looks like many people do too. Here's a round up of EVERYTHING GLEE.
* I love Entertainment Weekly, and this cover story on Glee proves why.
* A Madonna themed Glee episode coming next year, courtesy of the Material Girl, who gave the show the rights to all of her music! I love her post 90s stuff, so I hope they use some of her newer stuff rather than her 80s music.
* Fox is cashing in on the Glee-mania, by releasing a DVD of the first 13 episodes of the season in December. Titled, "Glee Season 1: Road to Sectionals," it will make a nice holiday gift since it is scheduled to hit stores Dec. 29. Of course you can wait for the entire season to be over, but that DVD won't be in stores until mid 2010.
* It doesn't even seem like there has been 10 Glee performances already, but LA Times ranks their Top 10.
* While waiting for the release of the official soundtrack on Nov. 3, I've been listening to this Imeem playlist nonstop. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Coolest Music Video EVER.
This past weekend I went out to Seattle to see a good friend, and while I was out there I also had a chance to hang out with another good friend of mine, former LiB editor Yuri. Now, Yuri is seriously the go-to guy for cool sites/music/videos, and he actually gave me a lot of awesome recommendations, but the COOLEST thing he showed me this weekend is this music video by a Japanese group called Sour. For their single Hibi no neiro (Daily Melodies), they asked their fans from all over the world to submit videos of themselves singing along to the song, holding up signs, doing whatever, umm, you just have to watch it. It is SUPER creative and brilliant, not to mention MAJOR props for the editors who pieced it all together into what I am now dubbing the COOLEST MUSIC VIDEO EVER (Sorry Kanye, Beyonce has nothing on this). Just check it out below (the song is not bad either) and thank Yuri for this find!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Song of the Day: Horchata - Vampire Weekend
Yuri has been raving about Vampire Weekend's new song, "Horchata." And I loves me some VW :D
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how excited I am about the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are movie, which is opening in 2 weeks! Well, Imeem debuted the soundtrack yesterday on its website, and it is all kinds of awesome. While the Arcade Fire song that I love (which is used in the trailers) is not part of the soundtrack, the entire album is composed and performed by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who I lurve. Win Win Win.
Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
Monday, September 14, 2009
An Open Letter to Kanye West
Dear Kanye,
Oh what can be said that hasn't already been said before? You need to learn to shut up. I'm actually a huge fan of your work. Your Late Registration and Graduation albums are one of my favorite albums of all time, I like reading your blog (the use of all-caps aside), and most of the time I am just amused by your 'holier than thou' attitude and antics. But, uh. Stealing the spotlight away from a 19 year old girl on what was supposed to be her shining moment? Not cool, dude. I think it's fine you think that you're the coolest thing since sliced bread and that everything you deem worthy is also the coolest thing since, you. I too have my strong opinions and I too like to express them whenever I see fit. But I think there is a difference between me telling my friends why I think Britney is the greatest entertainer (haters to the left please) or why objectively speaking, Robert Pattinson is hot sex on a stick, and me standing up in front of millions of people to assert that Beyonce made the greatest video EVER, in the middle of Taylor's freakin acceptance speech. How old are you again??
I mean, this really isn't the first time you've done this. You throw a temper tantrum everytime you don't win something you believe you should have: rushing the stage and ranting about how Touch the Sky should've won Best Video at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, walking out after losing Best New Artist at the AMAs in 2004. And yeah, those things were just as terrible and as much talked about, but something about taking the spotlight away from an ecstatic Taylor, who was in the middle of thanking her fans for taking a chance on country music was.. just brutal. THANKS for making the entire audience feel super awkward, and yeah, you deserve the 0 wins and the booing you received the entire night. Oh, and I'm sure Beyonce was beyond thrilled that you pulled the most dickheaded move in defense of her name. So... no, I don't really care that you apologized to Taylor and her mom, or that you blogged about how sorry you are in all caps (BTW, THIS GETS ANNOYING REALLY FAST).
Congrats Kanye, you are the frontrunner for Douchebag of the Year. While the whole thing is unfortunate and could have been completely avoidable, I am glad it happened for 2 reasons. 1: I heart Taylor Swift and am glad more people are now on Team Taylor (and you know what Kanye? Her video is damn good and yeah, I voted for it), and 2: it gave Beyonce to be the classiest lady ever by giving back Taylor her moment to shine during her speech. I am gonna end on that note. Watch and learn, Kanye, watch and learn.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Yay Jason Mraz!
I've talked about Jason Mraz on this blog before, in fact 2 weeks ago I saw him in concert for the umpteenth time. Prior to his unstoppable single I'm Yours, he's always been sort of a fly-under-the-radar musician, popular with his rabid fans, but not really a mainstream radio/household name kinda musician. Well, oh how far Jason has come. Let me list the ways in which I'm Yours has put him in the music record books:
* At 70 weeks on the chart, it is officially the longest running song on Billboard Top 100 history
* It is the only track to reach #1 on 4 radio charts: Mainstream Top 40/Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Triple A.
* Ranks as the 3rd best selling digital song EVER (4.4 million downloads)
As for his success, Mr. Mraz says: "I found out about six weeks ago that the song was on its way to breaking this record. I was moved. ... I'm still blown away -- humbled by the success of my happy little hippie song." I LOVE YOU.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
I don't really remember Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, so I wasn't as uberly excited about the live-action movie version coming out on October 16 as some people have been. I thought the first trailer did a good job of making it look magical and cute, but I kinda love this latest trailer, which is a bit more focused on the "wild things." The movie looks so imaginative and sweet and the "wild things" are so endearing! Oh, and good job trailer people for using one of my favorite Arcade Fire songs ("Wake Up") in all of the trailers. How fitting!
Friday, August 7, 2009
My favorite song right now
I hate the celebrity that is John Mayer. Celebrity John Mayer = douche. Musician John Mayer however, is amazing. I've been in an emo funk lately, and I randomly listened to his Continuum album the other day and re-discovered my favorite song of his ever, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. And now I can't stop listening to it. SO GOOD, and it has quite possibly my favorite line ever: "Go cry about it, why don't you." So bitter, yet precisely how I feel. So, the next time you pour your heart out to me and I reply with that, don't get too offended, it's only cause I want to incorporate that line into every conversation I have. But listen below. Repeat.
(And no, I'm not like heartbroken over a boy or anything, as being obsessed with this song may suggest)
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
Friday, July 31, 2009
Beyonce vs. Kelly Clarkson
Sorry for the lack of updates this week, folks! Julia and I've been busy at work... =P
Anyhoos. So the big controversy in the pop music world right now is the media-induced feud between Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Beyoncé's single Halo has been out for months, climbing up the radio charts. The song was written by Ryan Tedder, who is a singer-songwriter and a member of the group OneRepublic. (I looove Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love which he wrote, as well as my current pop obsession at the moment, Jordin Sparks's Battlefield, which he also wrote.) Well Mr. Tedder is in deep poop poop with these ladies, as people have pointed out that his song Halo sounds exactly the same as Kelly Clarkson's new single, Already Gone, which he also wrote. Kelly is not happy about this, going on public record, "It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a shitty situation, but ... you know, you learn."
Of course, Ryan has released a statement of his own: "They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically, & lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful and absurd." I freakin agree. Am I the only person who thinks that these two songs aren't as identical sounding as EVERYONE is making it out to be?! I love Halo, I love Already Gone. I don't think they are the same song. Listen for yourself:
Kelly
Beyonce
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Omg, Madonna.
Madonna is a monster. Look at those arms! WTF! Completely unnatural, completely unnecessary, and completely disgusting! I don't care if you are Madonna, no 50 year old woman, nay, no human being, should have arms like that. EW!
On a related note, I love this article in NYMag, about the writer's experience of being a fan of the pop star through the ups and downs. It reminds me a lot of my love for a certain other pop star you all know I have an obsession with. Holla!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
VH1 Divas: 2009
After 5 years on hiatus, VH1 is finally resurrecting their successful VH1 Divas franchise this year. VH1 Divas used to be an annual benefit concert featuring some of the show business's biggest stars (or "divas"), with proceeds going to VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Past artists who have participated include Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, Mary J. Blige (who I personally think has the most fantastic voice), Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Elton John (the biggest diva of them all), etc. This year's concert will air on Sept. 17, and feature Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Leona Lewis, and...Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus?! As in Hannah Montana? As in the bane of my pop culture aficionado self?? Ugh. To hear them tell it, "Adele, Kelly, Leona and Miley have all captured the world's attention with their talent and have earned their designation as VH1 Divas this year. Don't let some of their young ages fool you — these women are among the best entertainers in the world and will continue to thrill music fans for a long time to come."
Ok. Whatever. Will I still watch? YES. I LOOOOOOVE Kelly, Leona, and Adele. They're adding more performers, so hopefully the lineup will get bigger and better. For your listening pleasure, here are the Divas:
Kelly Clarkson
Leona Lewis
Adele
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Michael Jackson Memorial Coverage
I have to say, if I weren't at work today, I'd totally be watching all of the MJ memorial coverage being held at the Staples Center in LA. I know it's overkill, but I actually do think it's fitting and appropriate for an artist whose influence is deeply ingrained into the fabric of the pop culture we know today. If you're sick of all the Michael Jackson coverage, now might be a good time to pick up a book to read, cause it's going to dominate the airwaves for awhile. Here is a rundown of what you can expect to see today and tonight (courtesy of Cynopsis):
- ABC Charlie Gibson will anchor live coverage titled Remembering Michael Jackson at 1p ET. Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will co-anchor a special edition of 20/20 tonight at 9p ET followed by Primetime: Family Secrets at 10p ET, reporting on Jackson's children. Cynthia McFadden will also anchor Nightline from the Staples Center.
- BET Full day of coverage titled Michael Jackson: In Remembrance starting with an encore episode of 106 & Park at 9a ET with Jackson videos and more; at 1030a ET, BET will re-air Forever the King: A Tribute to Michael Jackson followed by an encore airing of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson Special at 11a ET. BET's News team will begin its live memorial coverage at 12p to 4p ET from both L.A. and New York. BET will re-air Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson Special at 4p ET and 106 & Park with more tributes to Jackson at 6p ET.
- CBS Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith will anchor the Early Show today from the Staples Center. CBS News anchor Katie Couric will lead the network's live coverage of the memorial service at 1p ET from the Staples Center and anchor a special 48 Hours at 10p.
- CNN Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Don Lemon and Soledad O'Brien to host live memorial coverage from L.A. while Campbell Brown and Roland Martin anchor live from New York, beginning at 12p ET. CNN's coverage will also be simulcast on CNN International.
- E! Begins its Jackson programming at 7a ET, broadcasting its coverage worldwide starting with an updated E! True Hollywood Story about Jackson and the E! Entertainment Special: Michael Jackson, an authorized documentary about Jackson. E! will have reporters doing live cut-ins throughout the morning from various locations and in-studio. E!'s live memorial coverage from inside the Staples Center begins at 1p ET/10a PT and will also be simulcast on EOnline.
- FOX News Channel Shepard Smith will anchor live coverage while Megyn Kelly leads live coverage of the memorial for FOX Broadcasting, both at 1p ET. Tonight, Greta Van Susteren will broadcast her show from L.A.
- MTV, MTV.com, VH1, VH1.com, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul Extended coverage of the memorial service today starting at 12p ET/9a PT. During the hour prior to the service, MTV and VH1 will air a cadre of Jackson's most memorable videos, performances and interviews with reporting from the memorial site by MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway among other correspondents from the networks. The channels will then offer live and commercial free coverage from the memorial service at 1p-230p ET/10a-1130a PT. Additionally, MTV's 28th birthday on August 1 will become a day-long celebration of "Michael Jackson TV" as the network honors the "King of Pop's" music legacy reaching more than a half billion households in more than 160 countries worldwide.
- NBC Meredith Vieira will broadcast live for Today at the Staples Center and NBC News' Brian Williams will anchor the network's live memorial coverage at 1p ET. Chris Jansing will lead MSNBC's memorial live coverage.
