The VMAs are Basically Irrelevant

Last night, I gave the 25th annual MTV Video Music Awards about an hour and fifteen minutes before giving up and changing the channel to something else. I wasn't offended by host Russell Brand's lewd and politically incorrect comedy (it wasn't always spot on, but some of it was funny). MTV has always been a sexed-up network, as the last several seasons of The Real World can demonstrate, and anyone looking to MTV for pertinent political coverage is just foolish.

I think that my problem with the broadcast stems from the fact that music videos just aren't that prominent anymore. When I was younger, seeing the newest music video by a favorite artist was an event. MTV premiered videos and people got excited about them. You could mention a music video to a friend and they would actually have seen it and know what you were talking about.

Now, in the digital age, music seems to be a far more isolated entertainment. New music is easy to discover on satellite radio and iTunes, and MTV plays fewer and fewer actual music videos every day.

It's no wonder, since the network has increasingly shied away from actual music programming, that the quality of its music video awards show has decreased. It's just not that exciting to see who wins an award for a video you've likely never even seen.

Last night, MTV seemed to be grasping at straws. They went for the shock-value host, but had Disney tween stars scattered throughout the auditorium and depended on a performance by the Jonas Brothers to pull in some viewers. They only gave out eight awards, and three were to Britney Spears, whose career is hardly on the cutting edge of the music industry these days.

MTV needs to figure out whether they want to be a music television channel or not. If they do, I think they'll need to regain some of their edge to put the VMAs back on the cultural radar as anything worth watching.

P.S. Jordin Sparks may want to be more careful about spewing pejorative terms at everyone who doesn't make the same personal choices that she does.

Barack's Gone Country

As Barack Obama's speech wrapped up last Thursday, I think my mouth literally hung open in shock when Brooks n' Dunn's "Only in America" played in the background as the smiling Obama family stood on stage and waved at the cheering crowd of Dems. That B&D twang was the last thing I expected to hear.

Obviously I wasn't alone in that surprise, since PopWatcher Chris Willman devoted a post to the matter.

I've always enjoyed having a little laugh when conservatives use songs and then get blasted by the singer and/or songwriter (my favorite example being Ronald Reagan's notoriously naive understanding of Springsteen's "Born in the USA"--I guess he never paid attention to the lyrics). Even though I know how useless it may be for them to raise a fuss about it, it still makes me chuckle.

Obama's use of "Only in America" was especially odd since it has been used in the past (as noted in Willman's post) by none other than George Bush and Dick Cheney (insert "That's not change, that's more of the same" joke here). Immediately I wondered what Brooks & Dunn would have to say about the whole thing.

Evidently, Kix Brooks figures turnabout is fair play. The man who co-wrote the song, Don Cook, founded Music Row Democrats, an organization that tries to fight the idea that the only people making music in Nashville are conservatives. Cook had to put up with Bush and Cheney using his work, and now Brooks & Dunn will do the same just as graciously.

Check out Willman's full post for some really interesting background on music in the '08 campaign, and the attitude shift he sees this year among country singers especially.

Intervention: Broadway Style

For a bit of funny this Wednesday morning, here's a Funny or Die video of Kristen Chenoweth performing a very musical intervention.

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

Hat tip: Perez

Confessions of a PCB

Yesterday, Amy Wilkinson wrote a fun PopWatch post about being a Pop Culture Bully (PCB). I've made an effort on this blog to poke fun at my own pop culture indulgences that may rate high on the lameness scale. Some of the most entertaining pop culture is of the so-bad-its-good variety, and there's not really any point in pretending we don't like it.

That being said, since my sister is one of the half-dozen or so readers of this blog, I can't, without consequences, say that my inner PCB doesn't emerge from time to time. She can give prime examples of me as both The Manhandler and The Insulter.

The Manhandler is clearly the more forgivable of the two PCB personae, and can truly be used for good. I try not to foist my every pop culture discovery onto others, only those that are actually fantastic and seem to fit that specific person. This is how I was turned on to Arrested Development (thanks, Kimberly!), Vampire Weekend (thanks, Jenny!), and many other lovely things that I can't recall right now. Since others passed those gems on to me, I see Manhandling as my pop culture duty, as long as I perform that duty responsibly (just how Spider-Man would expect me to).

The Insulter, however, is the persona I try very hard to contain. The Insulter is my inner Mr. Hyde, lurking, waiting to attack my poor friends and family when they try to rent a Larry the Cable Guy movie. I stand by my loathing of all things Larry, but perhaps I shouldn't be so mean to my dad about it.

Let's remember that the PCB is not always a menacing figure, as long as the PCB is thoughtful, not mean. I'll be a thoughtful PCB right now, and send you over to Act One of Joss Whedon's fantastical treat, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. And click quickly, friends. The Sing-Along will only hang around the web until Saturday. After that you'll have to track down the DVD.

Build Your Own Radio Station

I must credit my sister, Jennifer, for introducing me to this one. After her frequent recommendations, I have finally wandered over to Pandora to check out what all the fuss was about.

It was about something pretty cool. Type the name of a song or band that you really like and Pandora will build you a radio station. Based on the site's database, other songs and bands that match the qualities of that first pick will stream on your computer.

You can listen without signing up for a while, but I would recommend registering. It's free, and any station you create will be saved. Any time you access the site from the same computer one of your stations will play automatically.

Need a laugh? Heidi Montag has a new single...

If you're in need of a chuckle, or at least an affirmation that you're taste in music is not complete crap, take a listen to this little gem from Heidi Montag. The star of The Hills, and one-half of Speidi, outdoes herself with "Fashion." It is awful in so many ways that I can't list them. Do try to pay special attention to the lyrics, they're the best part.

I should probably apologize for posting this, but I'm willing to temporarily lower my standards to spread laughter.

New Rules for Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to limit the number of original songs from a single film that can be nominated for an Oscar to two.

The decision should come as a complete relief to anyone who watched the telecast this year. The cheese-factor of the ceremony was exponentially increased by the fact that three of the five nominated songs being performed were from Enchanted. I loved Enchanted, and the music was cute and catchy, but, no matter how much I love Kristen Chenoweth, the Oscars is not the place for this.

The Hollywood Minutiae Summer Playlist

The most observant of my small readership may have noticed the playlist hanging around at the bottom of the site. I decided to have some fun and put up a sort of summer mixed CD of all the songs I can't stop listening to right now.

I swear I could have easily put every song from the Vampire Weekend CD on the list, the whole album just sounds like summer, but I resisted. There's a mix here, some mainstream, some less so, and maybe you'll find something new. I'd recommend heading over to Playlist.com yourself. If you want to listen to songs on your computer you can build your own list of all your favorite songs and listen while you do your thing.

Here's the playlist again, and it'll be at the bottom of the site at least through the end of August.

In Case You Missed It

I'm doing a summer installation of my campus newspaper column this week, so I thought I'd go ahead and post all the little news tidbits I dug up but didn't devote prior posts to. Here's lots of info-tainment nuggets to get you through your Thursday afternoon! Bonus for online readers? Links!

• Watch for yet another superhero movie to find a multiplex near you in 2010. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) has been given the go ahead to write and star in The Green Hornet. He’s an unlikely choice for the role, but Sony sees potential.
• Pamela Anderson will be joining E!’s lineup of reality stars in August when she premiers her new show Pam: Girl on the Loose. The blonde bombshell is insisting that it is a documentary show about all aspects of her life, not just a reality show. What’s the difference?
• On June 1, a major fire broke out on the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles. The fire consumed several famous film sets, including the famous courthouse square from the Back to the Future films, and jeopardized a vault containing rare film footage.
• Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth are both ready to head back to the old zip code. The Beverly Hills: 90210 alums have both signed on to reprise their original roles in the CW’s new spinoff. Spelling’s Donna Martin will now own a clothing store frequented by the new teenage cast, and Garth’s Kelly Taylor will now be a guidance counselor at West Beverly Hills High, her alma mater.
• In case you, like most people, didn’t hear, Scarlett Johannson released a CD (Anywhere I Lay My Head) of Tom Waits covers in May. Much to no one’s surprise, the wonderful actress couldn’t muster much buzz for her singing, and only managed to sell 5,000 copies in the first week.
• Production delays have stalled Coldplay’s North American tour. The shows will be pushed back two weeks, now starting on July 14th. The band’s free concerts in London, Barcelona, and New York will still be held on their original dates.
• On the set of the newest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig (Bond himself) suffered a slight mishap. While filming an action sequence, the star sliced off the tip of one of his fingers. Craig is such a determined Bond that he was back on the set the same day, ready to finish the scene.
• Charlie Sheen has vowed—via Ok! Magazine—to never publicly speak the name of his ex-wife Denise Richards again. The two have been trading barbs in the tabloids since their split in 2006. Here’s hoping Sheen stays true to his word.
• Bored? Surf over to Hulu.com and check out their “Hulu Days of Summer” extravaganza. The site offers full-length films and television shows, and during their days of summer promotion will be introducing new content daily. The fun starts June 16th, and in the meantime the site boasts everything from Arrested Development to Bewitched. During my Hulu surfing I stumbled across this little gem from SNL.

Stereogum Previews New Coldplay

The forthcoming new release from Coldplay, "Viva la Vida," leaked on the internet last week. Stereogum did a fantastic job of giving the album a full rundown on Friday.

A highlight:

Over three albums, Chris Martin found a simple and relatively understated formula for successful songwriting: melodically, he hit it on Parachutes -- verse, verse up an octave, falsetto hook -- expanded it on Rush Of Blood, and made an overblown parody of it on that last one. If nothing else, this album shows the band is thinking, and is self aware: say hello to less falsetto, different song structures, and a legendary producer. Already we're off to a good start.

I've never been a die hard fan of Coldplay, but I've downloaded a fair number of their singles through the past several years. Title track "Viva la Vida" and first single "Violet Hill" have been on heavy rotation on my iPod for weeks, and for the first time I'm genuinely considering buying the whole album instead of just the singles that catch my attention.

Watch for the album to drop next Tuesday, and if you're on the fence take a look at the whole Stereogum review for an idea of what you're in for.

My You Tube Obsession

You Tube and I have a tenuous relationship, for sure. More often than not, when I give into my complete weakness for random videos, it can throw off even the best-intentioned study session. It's not You Tube's fault, I know. I'm the one that can't stop searching for favorite shows from my childhood, my favorites clips from current shows, and plain ole' funny shiz.

The thing is, sometimes it really comes through for me. I know I'm still wasting time when I search Jim + Pam, or Ephram + Amy, etc., but You Tube has introduced me to some kind of kick-ass music this way. It's a pleasant by-product of my time-wastage.

Without it, Mat Kearney may have taken me a lot longer to find. And the latest song I can't stop listening to, "So Contaigious" by Acceptance? Totally You Tube! There have been dozens of other songs or artists, too many to give credit where credit is due.

I'm at the point now where I'll search the TV couple videos just hoping for a song title or artist I've never heard before, eager to be wowed. The point? Even something that drives me nuts and may be causing the downfall of humanity has it's advantages...

Friday Odds n' Ends

Could the wonderful James McAvoy be donning fake ears and feet to play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit? What Perez says has a fairly high record of being accurate, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

If you're as obsessed with Twilight as I am these days, check out the first page or so of Breaking Dawn over on EW.com today. This weekend you can pick up a copy of Eclipse: Special Edition, which includes the rest of the first chapter.

And, also for fellow Twilight fans, during the MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show a full scene from the film will be aired.

Two things I never expected to go together? Coldplay and Guitar Hero...

New Weezer Video!

Had to post this one since it's already my new favorite music video. Weezer uses the video for their latest song, "Pork and Beans," to send up all of our favorite You Tube staples. From Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker, to Chocolate Rain Guy, to Kevin Federline and Po-Po Zao. And, of course, the viral video that seems to have started it all...the Numa Numa kid.

Enjoy!

Not as Awesome as Amy Winehouse

After the possibility of Amy Winehouse singing a song for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, hearing that Beyonce may do it instead doesn't inspire any excitement in me. I like Beyonce, but it's just not the same.

The original song's producer, Mark Ronson, has not confirmed that Beyonce will take over for Winehouse. He has only said that the track was temporarily shelved because Amy was not ready to record it.

Amy Winehouse needs to get her shiz together. I was a big fan of Chris Cornell's song for the last bond movie, and Amy Winehouse seemed like the perfect person to follow him. It probably won't work out, judging by these switch-up rumors and Amy's latest escapades, but a girl can dream. Beyonce doesn't seem capable of the edginess or darkness the new Bond movies are going for.

Live Blog: Battle of the Davids

9:00 - Has anyone figured out what this Ruben Studdard song means? Oh well, whatever. I'll allow him to celebrate me out of this live blog. Goodnight!

8:58 - If Simon really means that the show is about finding a great performer, is Archie really the best? His stage moves haven't changed since the first round, he often sounds as if he's running out of breath during song verses, and he's kind of awkward. Cook has faults too, but in the contemporary music market, whose CD will really sell? Anyone out there reading, please weigh in on this one. I would buy a CD by a David Cook. I wouldn't buy a CD by a David Archuleta. And that is just the honest to blog truth.

8:56 - Archie's performance helps me remember that, before choosing to ignore some of his later faux pas, the judges were right saying that David Archuleta has a great voice.

8:51 - Um, gross. Did someone actually lose the tip of his thumb in someone's food on tonight's Hell's Kitchen? That promo makes me glad I don't watch that show.

8:49 - Instead of picking a song he'd already done so well on, I think Archuleta should have given one of his missteps another shot (even though the judges commentary this season would hardly allow you to think he'd had any). We'll see how "Imagine"-redux goes soon enough.

8:48 - Why is Simon hardcore pimping lil' Archie tonight? And did he just wink at Cook?

8:47 - He's standing in his truth? What does that mean, Paula!?

8:46 - Yet another subdued final note for Cook. Nice job. This song choice was much better than last week's Switchfoot song. And he always gets me with those tears.

8:43 - I hope Cook keeps it acoustic.

8:42 - Who is that boxing guy, and why are they giving Andrew Lloyd Webber, the worst guest judge of the season, more screen time?

8:36 - I won't fault Archie for the awfulness that was that song. He didn't have anything great to choose from, I get it. I am so sick of hearing Randy saying this kid can sing the phone book. I for one would not pay to hear that. Or anything else that he puts out, but that's just me. It's surprising to me that Simon would prefer yet another sappy ballad out of the AI winner to something uptempo.

8:35 - Did anyone else just see those tickety-tack fake nails some girl in the pit was wearing? They were on extreme close-up, so they were hard to miss.

8:28 - I'm afraid Cook may have given off a bit to much of an 80's vibe with this "Dream Big" song, but the simple fact that he didn't sing it as a ballad is a MAJOR improvement over the past six Idol winner songs.

8:24 - Interesting spin on the song competition. The Davids get to choose which of the entries sucks the least. And, based on Slezak's review of the entries, sucks least is about the truth.

8:19 - Side note. Archie should now be considered part of the four-way song showdown over "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Was he better than Clay Aiken, Bo Bice, or Justin Guarini? I don't know, and I certainly don't have the energy to watch all three of their performances to decide.

8:17 - Archie has a nice voice, but is he interesting? That performance doesn't have me convinced that he is.

8:16 - That faraway shot of Archie all alone on the steps was kind of sad.

8:13 - Pretty solid start for Cook. Resisted the urge to put forth his typical power note at the end. Moved around the stage instead of sticking like glue to the mic stand. All in all, he looks good up there.

8:11 - U2 for Cook and Elton John for Archie? Not your best work, Clive.

8:10 - Let's get this party started. Clive Davis better have some good stuff picked out for these guys.

8:05 - David Archuleta may not have made the best decision. Going after David Cook will only work if David Cook doesn't flip whatever crap song they've got to sing this year into something kind of awesome.

8:00 - Super cheesy boxing-style intro? Totally unnecessary.

Before the live blog, check out the buzz...

Only a few more hours until the Davids take the stage to sing this year's embarrassingly cheesy winner's ballad. As we near the 8 o'clock hour, here's some fun stuff to get you prepped and ready for go-time.

Hear what Slezak & co. over at EW.com have to say on the latest episode of Idolatry about who should win.

AOL.com has a ton of interesting stuff to check out on their Idol page. Click through the gallery to see the results of fan polls. David Cook beats out Archuleta for the best performance vote, and doesn't land on the worst performance poll at all even though Archie claims third place on that list for his mediocre take on "You're the Voice."

Idol's down to two contenders: time for another live blog!

Greetings all! David Archuleta and David Cook (hereafter referred to as "the Davids") wound up doing exactly what they were expected to last night, and were named the final contestants of this season of American Idol. While it's not surprising they nabbed the final spots, figuring out which one of them will come out on top is nearly impossible.

I won't be posting again this week, but come back for my Tuesday night live blog during the showdown of the Davids. I'll be attempting to put my biases aside for the night to give each David a fair shake...let's see how that goes.

Something Watchable on MTV?

The only MTV staple I'll even bother watching anymore is The Hills. I know that is a show I should consistently deny watching, but this blog is hardly the place to pretend my television habits don't occasionally dip into the mindless overexposure genre from time to time. That being said, "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" may be just the kind of show that tempts me back to the network for another weekly chunk of time.

"Blonde" will follow bright young Broadway hopefuls as they vie for the soon-to-be-vacant role of Elle in the stage adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film. Variety says the show is going for more of a Project Runway vibe than American Idol, not wanting to depend on the formula of that omnipresent pop contest. All I can hope is that they figure out what went wrong with "Grease: You're the One that I Want" and avoid making the same mistakes as that snooze-fest (the only bright spot was the eventual winning "Danny," Max).

I may actually be looking forward to the June 2 premiere of "Blonde" more than is normal for someone who has no interest whatsoever in seeing the musical. Behind the scenes dirt seems a lot more intriguing where this one's concerned.

Free Coldplay Song, Limited Time Only

If you're a fan of coldplay, or simply a curious fan of all kinds of music, head on over to Coldplay's website before next Tuesday to get a free download of their new single, "Violet Hill." The song is from the group's new album, "Viva la Vida," and will not be released to online music retailers until next week.

I hope more bands decide to try out this free pre-release idea.

Hat tip to HuffPost for the scoop.

In Case You're Interested...

The Today Show will have all five original members of New Kids on the Block on the show this Friday, April 4. Joey, Donny, Danny, Jordan, and Jonathan will all be there, but no word on whether or not they'll "perform."