Oh, Britney...what a difference a year makes! You may recall Blackout came out this week last October.
Here's the confirmed tracklisting for Circus (out December 2)—and the next single is the title track, "Circus":
D'luv's cat Miss Pussy says, "Boooooo!"
If you were a boy, I'd kick you in the nuts for being such a dumbass and calling your album I Am...Sasha Fierce, stripper.
The Best Of Hilary Duff is out on Tuesday, which is interesting since there's only been one album between this and her last hits compilation. Sounds like Hollywood Records is looking to drop her after the hastily slapped-together release.
David Archuleta's album was put of for pre-order on iTunes this week, and as an incentive, you get his cover of Robbie Williams' "Angels" if you buy now. This self-titled trash is out November 11.
The online music community is simply shooting glitter out every orifice over the previously mentioned "The Loving Kind," which is the Pet Shop Boys' contribution to the new Girls Aloud album. Much (all?) of the Girls' album leaked over the weekend.
Xenomania honcho Brian Higgins has collaborated with SE on several occasions, and currently in the U.K. there's a single out for the band's "Xenomania Mix" update of their 1997 track "Burnt Out Car" (originally produced by Higgins). As well, Xenomania produced "Stars Above Us" and "Lightning Strikes Twice" on Saint Etienne's last album, Tales From Turnpike Place.
This weekend High School Musical 3: Senior Year earned $42 million at the U.S. box office. It was the first (and final...?) installment of the series to be released in movie theaters. (The prior two had aired on the Disney Channel). And, perhaps surprisingly, this is the first mention of the film here on Chart Rigger.
There's a popular misconception that D'luv thinks Girls Aloud are a mangy pack of Z-grade dames with all the talent of a dead whore baking in the sun and decomposing on a rock at the beach.
One of this fall's most perplexing singles has been Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock," which also features Lil Wayne and has gone on to chart at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 without anyone really knowing much about the singer.
UPDATED: On a sad note: Reports are coming out that a 57-year-old woman and 29-year-old man at a house owned by Jennifer Hudson's mother have been shot to death. Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother died of fatal gunshot wounds Friday, police have confirmed to MTV News.
A Chicago police representative said the singer's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and older brother, Jason, were killed. Donerson was 57 years old; Jason was 29.
Officers received a call shortly before 3 p.m. Friday (October 24), the representative said, and upon arriving at the residence, 7019 South Yale Avenue, found the two victims. The incident has been declared a double homicide; police emphasized that this may be a domestic situation.
Julian King, Hudson's young nephew, who had been living at the residence, has been reported missing. Chicago police confirmed to MTV News that the child may be in the company of identified suspect William Balfour, an African-American male in his late 20s, who is considered armed and dangerous. King may be wearing khaki pants and a tan polo shirt with the number 5 on it, according to ABC News; the Chicago Tribune reported that he is 5 feet tall, weighs 135 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair.
SATURDAY UPDATE (from CNN):William Balfour, a man suspected in the deaths and named in an Amber Alert issued Friday, was arrested Friday but had not been charged, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond, who declined to comment Saturday on a suspect, said no one had been charged. She has said investigators were talking to "a number of people in custody."
On Saturday, neighbors and friends gathered outside the Hudson home and planned to scour the neighborhood to look for the child.
"We need to find that kid by sundown," said Ziff Sistrunk, a friend of the Hudson family.
Bond said the FBI had been called to help in the search for the boy on "the possibility or any theory that he could have been take across state lines." But, she added, "We have nothing to prove that."
Golly, Take That, in some ways, you've come such a long way since 1992's Take That & Party. And yet, there you are, still flailing your arms about on the cover of upcoming December release The Circus.
Speaking of which, that brings to mind this classy passage from Gary Barlow's autobiography, My Take:"[1994] ...Life in Take That was slowly but surely becoming unbearable. I was even beginning to tire of the unending menu of girls. It was beginning to feel like it had less and less to do with me, as if it was taking me away from who I was. You name it, I'd tried it, all varieties, every scenario, things I can't write about here—I've got kids now!Well, it's easy to see where the inspiration for all those romantic ballads came from...
There was no effort in it, no chatting them up, not even for five minutes, but there was always some girl who'd come up and say, 'Take me back with you.' I wouldn't even spend the night with them—I wanted a good night's sleep. You'd get them back to your room, do the business, and then say, 'Right, out.' I'd started off polite but now I couldn't be bothered."
By all, means, T.I., let everyone get out of the way so your damn "Whatever You Like" garbage can spend another week at #1!
Take That's video for "Greatest Day" premiered today. And since it keeps getting pulled from YouTube, here it is in a rapid play-by-play. (The clip is also posted below—watch while it lasts!)
The That basically stand on the roof of a Los Angeles skyscraper. They emote and rapidly vibrate—apparently they've got the music in them.
For some reason, L.A. is portrayed in this video as some post-Apocalyptic, Bedlam-looking hell. Oh, wait...
A bunch of pollen flies around in the air and Gary Barlow starts sneezing. I know, Gary, the Santa Anas get me every year, too.
Finally, the West Coast sun is too much for the lads' pale English skin, and they spontaneously combust.
Either that or they realized this song is no "Rule The World," and they're like, "Yeah, later..."
There's no doubt that Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown's "No Air" was a giant hit and a breath of said fresh air that not only propelled Sparks to another level far above some of her previous American Idol winner contemporaries, but also revived the good ol' fashioned ballad, as well.
The Sam Taylor-Wood cover of the Passions' "I'm In Love With A German Film Star" (produced by the Pet Shop Boys) will finally be released next week by small German indie label Kompact Records.
Well, one of those Gary Barlow-penned singles I mentioned last month—"The Winners Song"—charts this week in the U.K. at #2, as performed by "Geraldine," Brit comedian Peter Kay's drag character on his two-hour special Britain's Got the Pop Factor ... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice (which featured Pete Waterman as a judge).
In a bit of an ironic twist, just behind the reality-show-mocking Geraldine single on the chart is last year's X Factor winner Leon Jackson, who debuts at #3 with "Don't Call This Love." Should Jackson look this boffable with his new haircut? Hmmmm....
And speaking of which, Keane's Perfect Symmetry debuts atop the Brit album chart this week. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Boyzone's Back Again—No Matter What, which settles for a #4 placing. Sorry, Ronan Keating...next time maybe drop your shorts on the record cover if you want us to buy your reheated collection of low rent dirges.
It's a great honor to have been asked to contribute to Tina Brown's (former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor and all around media maestro) new online magazine The Daily Beast.
Below is the video for Robyn's next single, "Dream On"—this time billed as Christian Falk featuring Robyn & Ola Salo. The track appeared in its original form on Falk's album two years ago...and if I'm not mistaken, a new mix was tacked on to the American release of Robyn's album this past spring, no? To be honest, who can keep track of how many damn singles this broad has thrown out there?
Beyoncé showed up to MTV's Total Request Live earlier this week to premiere her two new videos for "If I Were A Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." She also announced that she'll perform on the show's two-hour final episode, Total Finale Live, which airs November 16 at 8 p.m.
Below are the low key videos for The Killers' "Human" and Keane's "The Lovers Are Leaving."* Great songs, snoozy clips.
This year has seen the return of pop to the upper reaches of the U.S. charts like no other in this decade—from Rihanna to Pink to Chris Brown and now Britney Spears.
I can vividly recall the day I stood in Walden Books reading Billboard in August 1998 and saw a small article on a 16-year-old American girl named Britney Spears who'd flown to Sweden to record songs with Max Martin. I just kind of figured "...Baby One More Time" would be another flop in the already overcrowded market of pop music at the time.
But to be honest, I've sort of given up resisting "Womanizer." I've played it enough times where it's been ingrained into my mind. It's like a surgeon took a scalpel, sliced open my forehead and rammed the lyrics into my brain matter using a plunger.
On the flip side, Christina Aguilera might wanna pop an extra Xanax today—"Keeps Gettin' Better" debuted strongly enough at #7 last week, but now drops to #17.
This classy release, Ace Of Base's Greatest Hits, Classic Remixes And Music Videos—not to be confused, mind you, with Ace Of Base's Singles Of The 90s, Greatest Hits (2000), The Collection/All That She Wants, Platinum & Gold Collection or Ultimate Collection—is out November 10 in, well, probably countries that aren't anywhere near the U.S.
The compilation only contains 16 of the Base's singles in their original form (no "Living In Danger"??) and the second of the three discs has a bunch of snoozy remixes. However, it does contain "Wheel Of Fortune 2009," which sounds just as groovy in its studio version as it did in the live version posted here in January.
Well, okay, Jive Records didn't do it at all, but I digress...
They haven't had a release here in the U.S. since their 1996 greatest hits collection, but nonetheless, Brit man band Take That's upcoming fifth studio album was mixed here in L.A., and the video for first single "Greatest Day" was shot here, too.
Photos courtesy VMan.
As the months went by, it was somewhat intriguing to find that Brit actor Robert Pattinson—who D'luv had d'lust for way back in his days as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies—was cast as main vampire Edward Cullen in the feature film.
Meanwhile, now that the release of the latest Harry Potter flick has been pushed to next summer, Twilight has been moved up to Potter's original Thanksgiving weekend release date.
"The Shock Of The Lightning"? More like the shock of Oasis charting at #3 last week in the U.K., then dropping to #16. (Ironically, that single has been getting major airplay on multiple stations here in Los Angeles.)
Okay, D'luv hasn't been showing the love for the song, but the video for "Womanizer" —wherein Britney Spears sits her ass on a photocopy machine, xeroxes her butt and then later drives a limo with just her stilletto heel—is completely trashtastic.
Come to think of it, Britney should drive like that more often...maybe she'd get into less accidents.
These are the weeks that give D'luv the tingles in his whizz-wack; the weeks where a big sledgehammer of new releases comes along and busts things up on Billboard's Hot 100.
Next up is Christina Aguilera, who achieves her seventh solo U.S. Top 10 hit with "Keeps Gettin' Better," which debuts at #7. I like the dancey direction you're returning to, Xtina. Don't fuck this next album up, now, doll.
The Killers enter the chart at #32 with "Human," giving them their third U.S. Top 40 single after "Mr. Brightside" (#10, 2005) and "When You Were Young" (#14, 2006). The cover art for the band's upcoming Day & Age album was unveiled yesterday.
The Killers unveiled the cover art for their third studio album Day & Age today. The LP is out November 25. (Ugh! So far away...)The foundation of my work originates from the relationship between Art and Music. I wanted to try and create a link between colour, shape and sound. My abstract paintings are based on colour studies exploring how colours can stimulate feelings, emotions within a person, and the different meanings each colour has, and its power to evoke a certain response from the viewer.
From experimenting with colour my paintings became more illusional. I tried to create the illusion of movement, stimulating the eye into seeing things which may or may not be there. This seems to be testament to the human inclination to see patterns in randomness like looking for shapes in clouds or finding images within magic-eye pictures. The more you study the image the more you find. Each painting is individual, painted in gloss paint onto aluminium or board, each dot of paint is painted freehand using a brush. I use gloss paint and aluminium because of there reflective qualities and find it helps to enhance the optical effect of my work.
