January 26, 2012

Remembering The TRL Decade: A Photo Time Capsule

It’s easy to forget that TRL was more than a show where tweens would make their parents drag them to Times Square on a pilgrimage to run their vocals ragged, screaming for their favorite stars. TRL was a defining show for MTV, popular music and kids of a certain generation. It’s also easy to forget the caliber of celebrities that appeared on the show, which ran from 1998-2008. Madonna, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, hell, even Angelina Jolie, they all appeared on the show often. In honor of the new VH1 Rock Doc The TRL Decade, which airs January 29, we’d like to take a look back at the VJ’s who made the show what it was, and the celebrities that came down to 1515 Broadway to hang with them. (We invite you to take a closer look at the photo on the upper left in our gallery — yes, that is indeed Destiny’s Child, Eve, 3LW, and Dream hanging with Carson Daly.) And of course, check out the documentary when it airs on Sunday January 29 at 9:30 pm ET/PT.

Tags: , , , TRL, Rock Docs, 3LW, Dream, Puff Daddy, NSYNC, *NSYNC, Destiny's Child, Busta Rhymes, Marilyn Manson, Madonna, Kid Rock, Kanye West, Enrique Iglesias, Hilarie Burton, Damien Fahey, Carson Daly, Britney Spears, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Molly Sims, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brittany Murphy, Amanda Bynes, Ben Stiller, Vanessa Minnillo, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Bosworth, Hilary Duff, Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie

October 28, 2011

Last Lap: Madonna’s Next Collaboration Will Feature Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

Madonna, Nicki Minaj And M.I.A Share The Love
In the latest installment of “Madonna Is Down With The Kids (Like, Totes)” it’s been announced that both the eccentric Nicki Minaj and the cooler than thou MIA will appear on Madge’s lead single, “Give Me All Your Love,” from her forthcoming album. On that note, it’s now rumored that these three will also be performing during halftime of the Super Bowl this year. [Billboard]

Controversial Web Sensation Lana Del Rey Signs With Interscope
After a mountain of hype resulted in a tsunami-sized backlash, Lana del Rey has inked an album deal with Interscope, home to not only some of the biggest female-fronted acts in the biz (Mary J. Blige, No Doubt), but also some of the web friendliest (Robyn, Feist). [Pitchfork]

Poptimist Explores The Notion That Epic Rock Is Just “Secular Gospel”
Tom Ewing‘s article about stadium-pop as a “hustle” is an interesting read, with references to bands as contemporary as Coldplay and Arcade Fire while remembering classics like The Beatles and The Who. [Pitchfork]

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Tags: , , Lana Del Rey, David Lynch, MIA, Karen O, Nicki Minaj, Adele, Madonna, Elton John

October 28, 2011

OMG, I Can’t Believe She Said That: The Best Of Madonna And Daughter Lola In Conversation

Madonna is difficult to watch at the best of times, with her surgically enhanced face, ludicrously tacky outfits, cringe-inducing raunchy dance moves and ice queen attitude. Even for the most die hard Madonna fans (us!), her public persona can be quite grating. And now, as if hell bent on a mission to destroy and annoy, Madge is holding a search for the next “Lucky Star” with her daughter Lola. We’re not really sure what the competition actually entails (due in part to the confusing video above), nor are we sure when Lourdes became Lola, but we’re both perturbed and amused in equal parts.

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Tags: , , Madonna

October 3, 2011

Madonna To Headline Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show?

When Madonna announced plans for a new album in spring 2012 while on a press junket for her film W.E. at the Venice Film Festival, she said that she hoped to have a first single ready for February or March. If the latest rumor is true, that timeline is about to contract significantly: SBNation.com is reporting that Madonna will perform at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show on February 5, 2012.

We doubt that a Madonna performance is set in stone, considering that Madonna was in negotiations to perform at two past Super Bowl halftime shows—XXXIII (in 1998) and XXXV (in 2000)—but in the former case, the deal fell through, and in the latter, Madonna reportedly backed out when the timeline became impossible. It’s likely, though, that Madonna and the NFL are in talks. A “Madonna source” told Gossip Cop, “It looks promising,” and the NFL spokesperson SBNation contacted declined to comment. This year’s Super Bowl will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and televised on NBC.

Exclusive: Madonna To Perform At Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show, Sources Tell SBNation.com [SB Nation via Popdust]

Tags: , , Madonna

September 12, 2011

Last Lap: Monday’s Odds And Ends In Music News

Justin Timberlake’s Song About Not Singing Wins Music Emmy
Apparently the Emmy Awards want a new album from Justin Timberlake as much as we do, because they gave him (and co-writers Seth Myers, John Mulaney and Katreese Barnes) an emmy for Original Music and Lyrics for his opening monologue on the May 21 episode of Saturday Night Live (which also featured “3 Way (The Golden Rule),” also with Lady Gaga). [Emmy Awards]

Jim Carrey Is At That Stage Of His Career During Which He Does Unannounced Stand-Up Interspersed With Cover Songs
The noted fan of Cannibal Corpse turned up at Arlene’s Grocery in New York City on Friday night, and someone got good cameraphone footage of his covers of Radiohead (“Creep”), The Smashing Pumpkins (“Bullet With Butterfly Wings”), and The Bee Gees (“I Started A Joke”). What, no Foghat? [Gothamist]

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Tags: , , Justin Timberlake, Bruce Hornsby, Tupac, Madonna

September 7, 2011

Madonna Has No Comment On Lady Gaga—Especially Not In Her Movie W.E.

Madonna may have dropped a tidbit or two about her own music while in Venice promoting her new film W.E., but ask about the careers of others at your own peril. Belgian reporter Nicolas Crousse learned as much when he tried to draw a parallel between the film and Madonna’s life.

In W.E., Abbie Cornish‘s character Wally is an obsessed admirer of Wallis Simpson (the “W.” of the film’s title) who, in a parallel story over a half-century after the 1930s drama of Simpson and Edward VIII (the “E”), conspires to win a Wallis Simpson heirloom at a Sotheby’s auction. In his interview for Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Crouse asked Madonna if Wally’s fascination with Wallis could be seen as a commentary on the fascination Madonna’s fans (in particular Lady Gaga) have with the Material Girl.

Madonna dismissed the question outright, saying that Wally’s story offered an additional perspective on Wallis Simpson, to complicate what might otherwise be seen as black and white (“tout blanc ou tout noir”). “As for Lady Gaga,” she continued, “I have no comment to make about her obsessions having to do with me because I don’t know whether her behavior is rooted in something deep and meaningful, or superficial,” (per E! Online‘s English translation of her remarks). Madonna’s answer was an expert dodge of both a tangential topic and a potential PR fumble regarding any Gaga news of which she might not be aware. Nevertheless, Gaga can’t be pleased with the nature of the response.
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Tags: , , Lady Gaga, Madonna

September 6, 2011

Last Lap: Tuesday’s Odds And Ends In Music News

My Chemical Romance Drummer Fired For Stealing
Drummer Michael Pedicone, who joined My Chemical Romance last year, following the departure of Bob Bryar, was abruptly fired on Thursday night. According to a blog post by guitarist Frank Iero, Pedicone “was caught red handed stealing from the band and confessed to police after our show.” Iero also stated that the band does not intend to press charges. This afternoon, Pedicone released a statement via Kerrang! that stated, in essence, that he’d actually been caught attempting to frame a member of the band’s crew for the supposed theft. “I made what was certainly the poorest decision of my life,” he wrote. “Rather than address the issues that I had with the crew member in an open and honest manner, I tried to make them look irresponsible.” And he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for those pesky Fabulous Killjoys. [AV Club]

Madonna Is Working On A New Album
Madonna just premiered W.E., the historical drama she directed, on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival, but she’s already talking about new music. She’s re-teaming with her Ray of Light collaborator William Orbit and other producers including Martin Solveig (if his name doesn’t ring a bell, “Hello” might). She hopes to have a single ready for January or February and an album in the spring, and whether she hits those marks or not, she’ll certainly be disappearing into the studio for a while after the promotional push for W.E. wraps. [Popdust]
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Tags: , , Soulja Boy, Childish Gambino, PJ Harvey, My Chemical Romance, Madonna

August 26, 2011

Video Music Awards All-Stars: The 10 Biggest-Winning Music Videos (Did They Deserve It?)

Nearly every truly iconic music video since 1984 has been nominated for at least one Video Music Award in its year of eligibility, but in the twenty-seven years that the ceremony has been held, only ten individual music videos have won five or more Moonmen. (This year, Adele‘s “Rolling In The Deep” and Katy Perry‘s “E.T.,” featuring Kanye West, could potentially join the club.) These videos got the attention and praise of everybody in their respective years of release. But do they stand the test of time? What about their competition? Here’s our look at the ten most-lauded videos in VMA history.

Madonna, “Ray of Light”: Five VMAs (of eight nominations)
Concept: Madonna raves on fast-forward all over the planet.
Competition: “Ray Of Light” wasn’t the only video with eight nominations: Garbage‘s video for “Push It” had as many nods (though, ultimately, no wins). We’d totally forgotten about “Push It,” actually, and its stocking-masked nun heist/exorcism would be huge today, because it looks like a Lady Gaga video from the 1990s, and if there are two things music fans like these days, they’re Lady Gaga and the 1990s. The year of eligibility for this ceremony was also the height of jiggy rap, but while Diddy‘s five nominations were split among four videos (Puff Daddy and the Family: “It’s All About The Benjamins”; Notorious B.I.G. Featuring Puff Daddy: “Mo Money Mo Problems”; Mariah Carey Featuring Puff Daddy and the Family: “Honey (Remix)”; Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page: “Come With Me”), Will Smith got as many nominations just for “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” (though the video only won one Moonman).
Verdict: While we love “Push It,” the fact that we had to refresh our memory sort of proves that “Ray Of Light” was simply the stronger video that year. As for jiggy rap? Hype Williams was robbed, sure—none of the Best Direction nominees, even, were jiggy rap—but Diddy has gotten his fair share of VMAs over the years (and even hosted one of the ceremonies). HOLDS UP
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Tags: , , Lady Gaga, a-ha, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, Fatboy Slim, INXS, Madonna, Green Day, 2011 Video Music Awards

August 26, 2011

Fight Night: Top Ten VMA Beefs

The Video Music Awards are a celebration of the best music video work that musicians and technical personnel have to offer. They’re also a live event attended by more than a few outsized personalities, all interacting with each other in close proximity. Part of what makes the event so exciting to us is the tension that proximity creates. Sometimes, though, it boils over past professional rivalry into personal beef.

With that in mind, here is a look back at the ten most memorable VMA fights. Will anyone get into it this year? (Pitbull and Lindsay Lohan?) We’ll be tuning in to MTV on Sunday at 9 p.m. to find out.

[Images: Getty Images]

Tags: , , , , , 2011 Video Music Awards, Russell Brand, Izzy Stradlin, Vince Neil, Courtney Love , Poison, Moby, Motley Crue, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit, Bret Michaels, Tommy Lee, Nirvana, Madonna, Kid Rock, Kanye West, Guns N' Roses, Fat Joe, Eminem, Christina Aguilera

August 16, 2011

My 53 Favorite Madonna Songs (In Honor Of Her 53rd Birthday)

We’d like to extend our fond birthday wishes to a true American icon, one Madonna Louise Ciccone, who was born 53 years ago today in the small town of Bay City, Michigan. In the space we have here, it would be impossible to adequately communicate the full extent of the impact that Madonna has had on popular culture, but suffice to say, there’s never been anyone quite like her before or since.

Just like I did for Bob Dylan on his 70th birthday, I put together the following list of my 53 favorite Madonna songs as a way for us all to celebrate the birthday of this music pioneer. These are not her “best” songs, or even her “most popular” songs, but simply, my favorites. Unlike the Song Of The Summer Countdown, this list is not pegged to any quantitative data; rather, it was generated based on conversations with my co-workers, an exhaustive deep dive into Madonna’s catalog over the past few weeks (both her songs and videos), and my own (sometimes hazy) recollection of each of these song’s influence on the culture-at-large.

We’ve got the full list for you below, but if you’re signed up for Spotify, you can also listen to the full compilation here:
My 53 Favorite Madonna Songs (On Her 53rd Birthday)

53) “Sorry” (Confessions On A Dance Floor, 2005)
52) “Everybody” (Madonna, 1983)
51) “Hanky Panky” (I’m Breathless, 1990)
50) “4 Minutes” (featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)” (Hard Candy, 2008)
49) “Spotlight” (You Can Dance, 1987)

48) “Oh Father” (Like A Prayer, 1989)
47) “Amazing” ( Music, 2000)
46) “Hollywood” (American Life, 2003)
45) “Angel” (Like A Virgin, 1984)
44) “Bad Girl” (Erotica, 1992)
43) “Keep It Together” (Like A Prayer, 1989)
42) “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” (Evita, 1996)
41) “Fever” (Erotica, 1992)

For the Top 40 Madonna songs, follow along!

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Tags: , , , , Madonna

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