Lady Gaga's New Single Out In February, Album Out In May (Her Ass, However, Is Right Now)

So here's Lady Gaga's big New Year's Eve revelation—a photo of her, presumably by Nick Knight, shoving what looks like a leopard print umbrella up her naked budissy, and announcing (via Twitter) that her new single will be out February 13, 2011 while her new album will be out May 23, 2011.

Like I said before, hardly worth tearing myself away from Angry Birds for.

2011/ Throwback Post/ "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang/ Happy New Years!

Nothing really needs to be said besides, Happy New Years!

A perfect song any and everyone could bump tonight during the party is "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang!

Lets celebrate a great 2010 as well as everything that lies ahead in 2011.

 

Thanks for following The Reel Ace! I've only been up since October and I'm already generating some solid traffic... well I got some things in the works for 2011, so continue to show your support and I'll do the same! 

Happy New Years and be safe tonight!

Happy New Year—And Adios, 2010

Sitting at Pittsburgh International Airport, listening to Paul McCartney & Wings' "Jet" on repeat (the irony of which I didn't get until I just typed that sentence out) and getting ready to depart after a week visiting back home.

The above photo is one I took of the Andy Warhol Museum on Tuesday while driving (don't try that at home, chyldryn). Anyway, I have no year-end wisdom for this last post of 2010, so I'll just sign off noting that sometimes randomness and unplanned vacations can be the ones that are most memorable.

Somehow I'm flying back with new copies of Franz Kafka's The Castle (??) and Bret Easton Ellis' Imperial Bedrooms (despite swearing BEE off after reading Glamorama). Saw The Nutcracker. Met up with friends from college who introduced me to a hipster dive bar called The Brillobox, and even bumped into the guy who talked me out of buying Rick Astley's Whenever You Need Somebody on CD in 1994/introduced me to Electronic's "Disappointed" there. Got drunk. I had to do my first pull-over so someone could open up the car door and puke. Downloaded Duran Duran's new album with an iTunes gift card (thanks, Mom). Watched the first two full episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show that The Beatles appeared on. Spent quality time catching up with Moogaboo. And I drove around all week while playing Robyn, Goldfrapp, Alphabeat and Daft Punk.

Anyway, 2010—it was a year. Thanks for reading throughout the past 12 months, and for reading in general. Have a safe and happy New Year, and catch you in January 2011 (in other words, well, tomorrow).

If you haven't already, check out these classy Chart Rigger lists:

* The 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2010
* The 10 Worst Singles Of 2010 

And below are some of the interviews I did over the past 12 months. Good times, one and all.

* David Guetta
* Sia
* Taio Cruz
* Goldfrapp
* Natalia Kills
* Tom Chaplin of Keane
* Kylie Minogue (part one)
* Kylie Minogue (part two)
* Kylie Minogue (part three)
* Greg Thomas
* Adam Levine of Maroon 5
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. 
* Mark Salling ("Puck" on Glee)
* Corinne Bailey Rae
* Alex Da Kid

Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" Might Actually Be Up There With Her 'Blackout' Trash

So, the two things that gays and fans of all things pop (same thing, really) are looking forward to: Lady Gaga's "big" announcement tomorrow night and the premiere of Britney Spears' new song "Hold It Against Me" a week later, on January 7.

The program director for New York's Z100 radio station told Entertainment Weekly this trash:

"It’s produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, and the beat that they give her is really unique compared to other artists — this infectious bass beat beneath the song.”

Well, let's face it—Britney's masterpiece was her 2007 album Blackout, which she made when she was cracked out of her gourd. (Her upcoming album is due out in March 2011.) If "Hold It Against Me" is half as classy "Radar" or "Break The Ice", then it might be worth it.

It's a post-Gaga world, and expectations are high. I don't think all that lip-sycing shit's gonna fly too well this time around, so hopefully Britney's tuned her robot pipes.

Cher Lloyd reportedly signed a record deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation

Cher Lloyd, one of my favorite contestants on the X-factor UK has reportedly inked a deal with Roc Nation.

If this is actually true, I think it would probably be a good move for her. Jay-Z has the sources and the power to make Cher the global superstar she can be, but I also think that Simon Cowell can make her successful a well.

US Chart Roundup: Enrique Iglesias Keeps F***in' His Way Up The Ladder

It's strange to think that "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" is only the fifth Top 10 U.S. hit for Enrique Iglesias since he first experienced mainstream pop crossover in 1999, but here we are. The single (naughty version: "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)") jumps from last week's position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 to #7, and gives the hot piece of Latin tail his second American smash in a row, following the #4-charting "I Like It."

So does it matter that Enrique had to totally sell his soul to the gods of Slutwave and basically become a male Ke$ha to start having hits again? Well, probably, but who's paying attention, anyway?

Meanwhile, Bruno Mars' "Grenade" is the new #1 single, after selling 559,000 downloads last week. Guess a lot of angsty kiddies with a pension for heartbreak got iTunes gift cards for Christmas? Billboard notes that "Grenade" experienced the third biggest sales week in paid digital download history (following records set by Flo Rida's "Right Round" in 2009 and Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" earlier this year.)

And I'll admit, I'm a little disheartened by the drop of Edward Maya's "Stereo Love" from #16 to #22, but maybe things will get sorted out once the holiday season passes.

Until then...

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Grenade" - Bruno Mars *1 week*
2. "Firework" - Katy Perry
3. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha 
4. "What's My Name" - Rihanna feat. Drake
5. "Raise Your Glass" - Pink 
6. "Black And Gold" - Wiz Khalifa
7. "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" - Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris & DJ Frank E 
8. "Bottoms Up" - Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj 
9. "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" - The Black Eyed Peas
10. "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars

Albert Louis-Jean/ Boston College over Miami/ the next local New England Patriots?

So the local Boston sports scene is gonna be fortunate to keep one of our own! Brockton high school DB Albert Louis-Jean has de-commited from the University of Miami as a result of the recent firing of Randy Shannon on November 27th. Instead, the early Brockton High graduate will be attending Boston College halfway through January.

The local baller has been doin his thing and gettin national attention for a few years now. Nationally ranked on MaxPreps.com, Tom Lemming ranked Albert the #1 defensive back in Massachusetts, ranked 7th among DB's nationally, and among the top 100 defensive players in the nation. Aside from Miami and BC he was also considering Penn State.

  

Check out Albert in action during this game I filmed against Xaverian

I think its pretty clear he choose to de-commit from Miami because of Coach Shannon's firing. BC was probably next on the list because of their ongoing interest they've shown him. With a well rounded football program, you cant forget the BC Superfans and most importantly, academics. And then there's the fact that he's close to home... or should I say, he is home.

And having the support of the Krafts and the Patriots organization behind local football is pretty important as well. Considering I've filmed the past few Massachusetts high school Superbowl's there, I know first hand these athletes are having the experience of a lifetime. 


During my freshman year of high school football at WHS, I was asked to dress and practice for the Superbowl with the varsity team... I honestly cant remember what town or where it was held. I know it was against Marshfield but it definitely wasn't at Gillette! If it were... now that would have been a whole different story.

I bet all this Patriots talk might have you thinking about his future... maybe in the near future he'll be rocking a New England Patriots jersey just like Ron Brace, who's from Springfield. But that wouldn't be for awhile anyway, lets see what Al can do over at BC with head coach Frank Spaziani who just extended his contract an additional two years. After following his high school career, I hope he continues to excel like he has~

...And Then Howard Donald Took His Shirt Off

All of the members of Take That (except for Robbie Williams—uh oh!) are in Barbados, where Howard Donald took off his shirt on the beach and—well, who really cares what the rest of them were up to. (Actually, the That are performing a private gig in Barbados on New Year's Eve.)

Progress closed out 2010 by becoming the best-selling LP of the year in the UK (total copies sold: 1.8 million), and the final #1 on the album chart across the pond.

And then Howard took his shirt off.

Flying the Martin Jetpack or Terrafugia Transition/ Flying in 2011

Remember Elroy from the Jetson's, or how about Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story? Can you remember what they both have in common?!? ...besides being cartoons, they both have their own personal jet/ flight packs. But by the time the newest flying carton character comes out, we might be able to fly ourselves...

The Martin Jetpack was first publicly seen in 2008 and for the small fee of $76,000 you could literally be flying to work. As of now, you don't need a pilot's license to fly it, but you are required to complete Martin's training program before receiving your jetpack.

The thought that I could potentially see someone flying this down the street is kinda ill. Will I see someone flying it anytime soon, I doubt it... at least not for about 10-15 years. I think this is cool and all but considering its price, I think it needs to offer better mileage and/or a better sense of security. Right now based off of the FAA regulations, the maximum speed you can fly it is 63 mph, which means the furthest you can travel on one tank is about 30 miles. 

So although flying the Martin Jetpack is exciting and all, like I said, we probably wont be seeing these anytime soon. But its not to say there aren't other means of flying on your own... what about your own personal flying car? You could be on a busy street in Boston and instead of driving to New York, why not fly!

Well I can give you a heads up on some juicy info I stumbled across on autoevolution.com. The US Military has supposedly made an agreement with Terrafugia, the company behind the worlds first successful flying car for civilian use, to work as a sub-contractor to Textron Systems' AAI.The first prototypes are supposed to be developed before June of 2015.

But you don't need to wait for the Military, if you have about $200,000 and a Sport Pilot license you can order you own. With low level production being down right here in Massachusetts, the company is planning to deliver its first civilian vehicle within months. 

So I'm not sure how long it'll take until flying is the norm, but I'm excited to see it become a reality. With more government assistance, I think we could be flying in no time... but then again, there are a few more options... but we'll talk about that in another post~

Online Video in 2011/ Video Production at its finest?/

With the rapid demand and supply for video cameras and content within the 21st century, I honestly believe 2011 is going to be THE year for online video and video production. 

In recent years what we call reality TV, has taken on a kinda played out and just straight up, whack role. But now that everyone has a camcorder and literally everything is starting to be documented, we are creating our own reality TV. Face book, YouTube and Vimeo all help with getting one video seen by millions of people throughout the world. And these websites are all clearly doing well which is evidence that Video is still only growing.

So what does this mean, well it depends who you ask. For someone like myself, this is great for business and as a hobby and passion. Recently companies have wanted to incorporate videos into their websites to help increase sales, not to mention training tutorials for new employees... so that's great for business. 

With fairly cheap high quality cameras like the Canon 5D or 7D, there is so much more professional content on the web free to be watched! Clearly this could also hurt business but that's where post production comes into the picture;) But sooo many people think filming, editing and producing videos and films, are easy; well it's not. Which is why there is also so much bad video content out there. Sometimes this is can be kinda frustrating but you gotta take the good with the bad and keep it movin~ 

 

Between camera phones, dslr's, camcorders, security cameras and even new gadgets like the Looxcie, I'm reminded of George Orwell's novel 1984, cause Big Brother is watching hah...

Alright maybe its not that crazy yet,

but there's no doubt in my mind, 2011 is going to be the biggest video year yet~

UK Chart Roundup: Take That Have The Best-Selling Album Of The Year

Take That's Progress is not only the top album in the UK for the sixth week in a row, it's also the best-seller of the year after moving nearly 2 million copies since its November release.

As for the singles on the final UK chart roundup (or the Top 10, at least), you can catch those below while my ass is off to the ballet in Pittsburgh.

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "When We Collide" - Matt Cardle *2 weeks* 
2. "What's My Name" - Rihanna feat. Drake
3. "The Time (Dirty Bit)" - The Black Eyed Peas
4. "Lights On" - Katy B feat. Ms. Dynamite *new* 
5. "Your Song" - Ellie Goulding
6. "Only Girl (In The World)" - Rihanna
7. "The Flood" - Take That
8. "Firework" - Katy Perry
9. "Whip My Hair" - Willow
10. "Like A G6" - Far East Movement

Lady Gaga Promises Info About Upcoming Album 'Born This Way' On New Year's Eve

Mother Monster Lady Gaga wished all her fans a Merry Christmas yesterday by tweeting that she's announcing something or other about her upcoming third release Born This Way at midnight on New Year's Eve:

Sorry, baby—like I'll be tearing myself away from Angry Birds for that.

Meanwhile, SHOWStudio.com posted a blog stating that photographer Nick Knight's (who's the director of SHOWStudio) new image of Gaga will be released on New Year's Eve.

Wild guess: the single title and cover art will be revealed? Or the album cover? Perhaps a pic of Gaga with a big apple dropping into her thong?

Sony F3 (Sony PMWF3K), is it worth it? I think so, but it comes with a hefty price tag

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Hope you all got what you wanted from Santa. He'll be dropping me off a brand new Canon 7D in a few days!! Now many of you might think I'm already giving up on the traditional video camera and completely jumping on the whole DSLR trend.

Not exactly, one particular camcorder I'm looking forward to seeing and working with is the new Sony PMW-F3! Designed for a wide range of digital production applications, this is supposed to be the next big camera for independent producers like myself.

 

"Representing a breakthrough for independent producers and filmmakers in terms of features, performance and price, Sony Electronics is unveiling its first professional handheld digital production camera with a Super 35mm imager." This was the opening statement in SONY's official press release that's titled, 'SONY UNVEILS FIRST PROFESSIONAL HANDHELD SUPER 35MM DIGITAL PRODUCTION CAMERA'. 

Here's a short film shot on the new Sony F3 called "Convergnce" from Martin Scanlan and DP Steve Lawes.

After doing more research on the camera and its specifications, I was exciting to see all that Sony Had to offer... but of course, this would come with a price tag. A price tag that I personally believe exceeds the budget of the average "independent producers and filmmakers", I wasn't surprised when I actually saw the the camera in action.

Here is some nice sample footage thanks to Stargate Studios who's working on a short film called "The Red Balloon" with the Sony PMW-F3.

Considering Sony F3 camera and body is in the $20,000+ pricing range, I guess its not a fair battle to compare this and the Canon 5d Mark ii. But how about putting it side by side with the Red One Camera...

Another camera I can only dream to get my hands on for the time being, the RED ONE Camera is apparently the camera to have these days if you can afford it... but if your just shy of the Red One, you might want to consider the Sony F3 (although I'd say you're better off saving the little difference). But again, it all really depends on your specific needs. You may even be better of getting a few Canon 7D's and 5D's considering how inexpensive they are in comparison.

But I figured I'd give y'all a heads up and few different thoughts and considerations when deciding to purchase your new Canon 5D, Sony F3 or even a RED ONE Camera! Now go and see how much Christmas money Santa gave you this year... and start saving up lol

Merry Christmas (Don't Look Back In Anger)

I'm leaving on a jet plane early tomorrow morning to spend Christmas and the entire next week reading magazines, watching bad TV and passing out on either my mom or my grandma's couch. (Welcome to the 30s!) And, who knows—I'll probably even hop on here now and then to bang out a few posts.

So happy holidays, everyone. Have a safe week, and why not revisit some of these classy Chart Rigger jams from the past 12 months?

* The 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2010
* The 10 Worst Singles Of 2010 
* Shakedown 1999: What Were You Doing That Year?
* Mixtapes, CD Singles & Being Boring—Tales Of A Lonely Teenage Nobody
* Chart Rigger's Bitchiest Reader Comments, Volume 2
* The 19 Most Essential Pet Shop Boys Non-Singles
* Chart Rigger Turns Five!
* Ke$ha Singing "Karma Police" At Age 13
* Lady Gaga & Beyonce Rev Up The Pussy Wagon: "Telephone" Video
* The Black Eyed Peas Announce Split
* Shayne Ward Is Working It All Out
* Sophie-Ellis Bextor & Adam Lambert: Flop City In The UK
* Greatest Video Ever: Countess LuAnn, "Money Can't Buy You Class"
* Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' Disaster
* Take That's "The Flood" Video: Howard Donald's Sex Faces
* Great Kylie Jams That Missed The Top 10
* Is Pet Shop Boys' "Together" Their Most Disturbing Song Yet?

Christmas Jams: "A Very Ke$ha Christmas"

That's not really Ke$ha in this trashy holiday-themed parody video is it? Oh, wait—it is. No, it's not. Or is it? No, can't be—the girl singing actually has a decent singing voice.

Anyway, enjoy CollegeHumor.com's "A Very Ke$ha Christmas"! Favorite line: "I've been a bad girl but don't give me coal / Give me some Jack, let me see your North Pole."

(Hold on—is that really her? No, can't be...)

Binary Entertainment in 2011/ Los Angeles Record Company/ Josh Legg

Happy Christmas Eve! To jump right into it, Binary Entertainment is a Los Angeles Record Company that's been making sounds since 2008. I know a number of you only know me from being out at rap and hip hop shows, but I honestly love all types of music. If it sounds good it sounds good... which is why I'm fillin you in about the good music comin outta Binary Entertainment.

 
Some Jams by The Kids Are Radioactive

You can generally expect to hear some upbeat electronic, dance and pop records. With artist like NIGHTWAVES, ALFA, FABIAN, KEENHOUSE, SHORT CIRCUIT, THE KIDS ARE RADIOACTIVE, AND LEXICONDON, Binary Ent. is slowly but surely making an impact on the music scene. I can imagine their music being played in the club scene all the way to film scores and soundtracks.

 
 

But again, this is only my opinion... some of you may think I am being bias since I went to high school and played football with Co-Founder, Josh Legg... but honestly, like ALL my post to date, I've done this post on my own with no pressure or influence from Josh whatsoever. Clearly I generally like to have some kinda Massachusetts affiliation, but otherwise I just think they've been grinding and are worthy of the recognition... not to mention it's new good music and sounds for your personal collection. 

Hope you enjoy!!

U.S. Chart Roundup: Michael Jackson Lands His First Top 40 Hit In Eight Years

It's a quick roundup today, because D'luv's got some last-minute holiday shopping to do down at Hooker Central. And speaking of which, by now you've probably seen Enrique's Iglesias' raunchy video for "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"? If not, watch here (and wear protection). The song itself climbs to #13 on this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Just underneath Enrique in the video is a pile of strippers. But beneath Enrique on the chart, at #16, is Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina's "Stereo Love." At first I kind of dismissed this single as a useless trash, but I have to admit that it's hypnotized me at this point and made me love it. Well, okay—like it. When I decipher whatever the hell it is that broad is saying in the lyrics, then maybe I'll love it.

With "Hold My Hand" now up to #39, Michael Jackson lands his first Top 40 hit this week since "Butterflies" reached #14 in 2002. Over in the UK, EEEEEEEEEE-Heeeeeee!!!! fares even better, as "Hold My Hand" is currently at #10. I'm currently obsessed with "Monster" off Michael (which debuts at #3 on the Top 200 album chart) myself. It's pretty much my jam du jour.

Two notable debuts: Pink's Max Martin/Shellback-produced "Fuckin' Perfect" goes in at #86, making it the third song on the chart with the ultimate four-letter word in the title (after the naughty version of Enrique's "Tonight" and Cee Lo Green's Grammy nominated "Fuck You"). Meanwhile Mariah Carey's "Oh Santa!" finally crawls into the chart, at #100.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Firework" - Katy Perry *3 weeks*
2. "Grenade" - Bruno Mars
3. "What's My Name" - Rihanna feat. Drake
4. "Raise Your Glass" - Pink
5. "We R Who We R" - Ke$ha 
6. "Just The Way You Are" - Bruno Mars
7. "Only Girl (In The World)" - Rihanna 
8. "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" - The Black Eyed Peas 
9. "6 Foot 7 Foot" - Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz *new*
10. "Just A Dream" - Nelly

The Great Editing Shootout?/ Best editing program/ Avid/ Final Cut Pro/ Sony Vegas/ Adobe Premiere

So I'm not sure how many of you saw or heard of The Zacuto Great Camera Shootout 2010, but it was basically three videos that examined and compared a few different DSLR Cameras to one other. Now the timing of this was critical because DSLR Cameras have just really began to break into the FULL HD Video scene. Matter of fact, the Zacuto results have helped influence my decision to get a Canon 7D in the near future. 

 

Here's the final episode from The Great Camera Shootout 2010

Now enough with the Zacuto Great Camera Shootout, I wanna see someone do this type of "examination" with Video editing programs. People have said Avid and Final Cut Pro are the premier programs, but I've also enjoyed working with Sony Vegas as well as Adobe Premier... and I'm really curious, which program is actually best?

Maybe I'll try to conduct my own little contest... basically focusing on the rending quality, I could possibly test the same piece of raw footage with the few different editing programs I mentioned above... hmm... if no one else does it pretty soon, I am gonna have to do it myself...

If you've actually seen and tested all four of these programs compared to one another I'd love to see the result!!!

The UK's 40 Best-Selling Singles Of 2010

Earlier today NME posted the list of the UK's 40 Best-Selling Singles Of 2010. A few things about the roundup became caused me to arch an eyebrow, and I've noted them below. Check it:

* The United Kingdom seems to have missed on the strange phenomenon that is Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" for the most part—though not entirely. The song peaked at a lowly #18 across the pond, while here in the States it haunted the Top 10 for months (eventually reaching #3), has been certified quadruple Platinum and is the top-selling MP3 of 2010 on iTunes.

* The #1 song on the list didn't reach #1 on the UK chart.

*  There are only five entries in the Top 20 of the UK's Top 40 Best-Selling Singles Of 2010 that feature artists from the UK.

* Katy Perry sings on five of the 40 singles, which officially makes her the current consumers' choice for Queen Of Pop overseas. Or just plain evil.

* Two different versions of "Don't Stop Believin'" feature on the list.

* Matt Cardle's "When We Collide" is #20, despite having been released a mere week-and-a-half ago. By the same token, Lady Gaga's "Alejandro"—a song that's been available in the UK for over a year—is #40.

* Three of the songs listed here made it onto Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2010 list. Two appeared on the 10 Worst Singles Of 2010 roundup.

* Fucking Iyaz, man...

THE 40 BEST-SELLING SINGLES OF 2010 IN THE UK

1. Eminem feat. Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie”
2. Bruno Mars, “Just The Way You Are”
3. Usher feat. will.i.am, “OMG”
4. Owl City, “Fireflies”
5. B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”
6. Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”
7. Yolanda Be Cool vs. DCUP, “We No Speak Americano”
8. Helping Haiti, “Everybody Hurts”
9. Rihanna, “Only Girl (In The World)”
10. Tinie Tempah, “Pass Out”
11. Alicia Keys, "Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down"
12. Rihanna, "Rude Boy"
13. Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce, "Telephone"
14. Plan B, "She Said"
15. Iyaz, "Replay"
16. Cee Lo Green, "Forget You"
17. Taio Cruz, "Dynamite"
18. Flo Rida feat. David Guetta, "Club Can't Handle Me"
19. Jason Derulo, "Ridin' Solo"
20. Matt Cardle, "When We Collide"
21. Glee Cast, "Don't Stop Believin'"
22. Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
23. Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars, "Billionaire"
24. 3OH!3 feat. Katy Perry, "Starstrukk"
25. Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
26. Eliza Doolittle, "Pack Up"
27. Katy Perry, "Firework"
28. Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
29. Eminem, "Not Afraid"
30. Tinie Tempah feat. Eric Turner, "Written In The Stars"
31. Timbaland feat. Katy Perry, "If We Ever Meet Again"
32. Sidney Samson feat. Wizard Sleeve, "Riverside (Let's Go!)"
33. Jason Derulo, "In My Head"
34. Scouting For Girls, "This Ain't A Love Song"
35. K'naan, "Wavin' Flag"
36. Ellie Goulding, "Starry Eyed"
37. The Wanted, "All Time Low"
38. B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars, "Nothin' On You"
39. Example, "Kickstarts"
40. Lady Gaga, "Alejandro"

Enrique Iglesias Gambles With His Raunchy "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" Video

The music video for the "classy" version of Enrique Iglesias' new jam "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)"—aka "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"—has arrived, and the Latin stud gets up to some kinky shit in it.

Right off the bat he's looking all tortured at some strip club, where he throws one of the "entertainers" against the wall and begins groping her fishnets. Then the song fades out and we switch to Ludacris, who's in the back of a limo with a pack of broads listening to Shirley Temple. (I told you this shit was kinky.)

Finally, everyone ends up in Mexico, where they gamble then pile up for hot group sex in a hotel bed. Way to go, Enrique—it's really all about the craft and the art of the song with you, isn't it?

"Monster" Official Music Video/ The Making of/ Kanye West/ Jay Z/ Nicki Minaj/ Rick Ross

 CLICK HERE FOR MONSTER OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Kanye West's record "Monster" featuring Jay Z, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross, is my jam right now. I like to bump this in the morning as I get up and at my editing or whatever ish I need to do around my apartment. If you haven't heard it, click HERE. If you have heard it and want to check out this exclusive behind the scene footage of the Boss eating... something hah...

Here it is, from the folks down south at 305RoyalMedia, Monster, Behind the Scenes

From the way things are lookin, this video is going down the Symphony 2000 route... remember that video?

 

Not as rough, Monster looks like it has a more Miami-Vice feel. Its more like GQ meets Jason. Despite the bloody conditions, Jay Z, Kanye and Ross all got the smooth thing goin on, acting calm and cool. And then there's the few pictures of Nicki Manij that have leaked, yeeaaaa I wanna see the video.

HipHopConnection.com just released more previews so its only a matter of time until the video is out~

My Interview With Alex Da Kid

My interview with Los Angeles-based, London-born producer Alex Da Kid (Eminem & Rihanna's "Love The Way You Lie", Diddy-Dirty Money & Skylar Grey's "Coming Home", T.I. & Christina Aguilera's "Castle Walls"), who's up for five Grammys, is now posted over at Idolator.

Here's a hot quote from our one-on-one:

"My dream collaboration is definitely Lil Wayne and Cher. [Laughs] That would be fun! I would make Lil Wayne sing and have Cher do some gangster stuff. It’s sort of a joke, but at the same time I think that would be cool. I want to do things that have not necessarily been done in hip hop, things that create interest for people. So I’m joking when I say Wayne and Cher, but it’s not too far from what I think."

Throwback Post/ "Win or Lose" by Mobb Deep/ Produed by The Alchemist/ Movesmiths LLC 2010

I've decided I'm gonna start a Throwback Post that will feature content that's been out for at least two years. The Throwback Post will basically be a means of self expression based on my personal life and current situation, but threw other artist. I'll generally only feature 1 song or video, but occasionally I may have more. It's also not strictly limited to music, as there are plenty of other forms of self expression...andd it's not strictly limited to Rap and Hip Hop either~

My first Throwback Post is a great inspirational song that gets you to feel good during those uncertain times. I literally just received my legal documents from Massachusetts legitimizing my company, MOVESMITHS, with three partners. Now of course I feel comfortable with my partners, otherwise we wouldn't be starting a company together... but you still gotta question whats to come. Sometimes the biggest winners are the biggest losers, and vice versa...

Adam Ace Spencer and The Alchemist

"Win or Lose" by Mobb Deep sets the tone for the journey ahead of us. Produced by The Alchemist, this was one of the singles from Mobb Deep's Amerikaz Nightmare album. 

 

But know matter how long it takes or what kind of obstacles I need to overcome, I'll continue to do me... keep grindin... and thats what my partners are about too. Everyone involved with Movesmiths are more than partners, we're basically brothers. My biggest issue has been trusting others and seeing who is truly there for me if I need a hand. I don't question any of my brothers (blood or business hah) loyalty... I'm tellin you now... MOVESMITHS is just around the corner...

Gary Barlow Joins Coldplay On Stage

You may recall when Take That's Gary Barlow joined Coldplay on stage for a rendition of "Back For Good" almost two years ago during a War Child charity gig. Gaz was once again brought out on stage on Sunday during a not-so-secret Royal Court show in Liverpool that Colplay put on to benefit the homeless charity Crisis. And once again they did Take That's 1995 hit "Back For Good."

That's comedian Peter Kay throwing food out to the audience toward the end of the clip.

Call of Duty Black Ops/ PS3/ Bring IT

There's nothing I need to say besides BRING IT... If you have Play Station 3, yupp PS3, and want to battle with or against me, my ID is The REEL ACE .... I'm not the biggest video game guy and I just recently started playing this, but I see what all the hype is about. This honestly is one of the few things that can distract me from my usual grind hah... which isn't great, but sometimes its nice to get away from all the editing and production work, and just tear up a alil Call of Duty Black OPS

The 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2010

It seems like only yesterday when trusty sidekicks in all things pop Moogaboo and D'luv sat down to sift through 10 years of jams to come up with the Chart Rigger list of the Top 40 Singles Of The '00s—yet here we are already doing our first Best list of the new decade.

Sure, radio let itself get clogged with chum on occasion throughout the past 12 months (see our 10 Worst Singles Of 2010 roundup). But here we're highlighting the songs that didn't make you want to go shoot up a strip mall every time you heard them. As usual, the singles listed need only have reached their peak chart position within 2010, even if they were technically released the year prior.

10. Usher, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love"

Moogaboo says: "Remember that time Usher went on E! and talked about getting a colonic? Well this year he gave his career a colonic, flushing out the r&b sound people stopped liking and infusing his colon—I mean songbook—with more current, classy dance beats. I loved it, and isn't that all that matters?"
D'luv says: "Thank Christ I have no recollection of that. Poor Usher can't sing this song live to save his life, but hey–welcome to the world of having a Max Martin-produced hit. This driving, out-of-nowhere surprise was a radio life jacket amidst a sea of 'Airplanes' and 'Billionaire' this past summer."
Charts: AUS #3, US #4, UK #7

9. Goldfrapp, "Rocket"

D'luv says: "I'm still stunned that the UK treated the Atari-on-the-dancefloor greatness of Head First with all the warmth of Madonna's frozen-over Arctic snatch. Oh, well. The duo got the last laugh by scoring two Grammy nominations."
Moogaboo says: "Goldfrapp were totally having a Flashbeagle moment and I love that it might win a Grammy. 'But I still wanna know/ how she got in the door' is also an adorably bitchy pop lyric."
Charts: US DANCE #1, GER #32, UK #47

8. Adam Lambert, "Whataya Want From Me"

D'luv says: "Glambox could probably sing pages of the phone book and make it sound interesting. But this jam proved that with the right songwriters and right material, he could suddenly go from being good to iconic. Too bad there weren't more tracks like this on his debut album."
Moogaboo says: "Note to Lambo: be P!nk more often."
Charts: AUS #4, SWE #8, US #10

7. Rihanna, "Only Girl (In The World)"

Moogaboo says: "As far as the current wave of nu-dance goes, only RiRi's really gotten the essence of house music's pulsating, hedonistic abandon. No jerky stops and starts for her, which is what makes 'Only Girl' so irresistible: it's almost menacing in its insistence that you dance."
D'luv says: "God bless RiRi and her tireless work ethic. This jam had its haters from the get-go, but I loved the throbbing hotness from the first listen. Seriously, slap on some good headphones, crank it up and try to tell me that bass at 1:16 doesn't make your soul shake."
Charts: US #1, UK #1, AUS #1, CAN #1

6. Kylie Minogue, "Get Outta My Way"

D'luv says: "There seemed to be such a rush of love for Kylie's Aphrodite right out of the gate that it appeared to have dried up by the time second single 'Get Outta My Way' arrived (except on the U.S. dance charts, where dreams—no matter how irrelevant—still come true, kidz). Still, there's no denying this was the giddy standout on an already A+ album."
Moogaboo says: "Kylie's career is getting to the point where there aren't many options left between 'completely spent' and 'desperate', so I love that she managed to do something that sounded somewhat effortless and fun. This was the most-played song of 2010 at chez Moogaboo, so of course that means it had to flop."
Charts: US Dance #1, BEL #5, UK #12

5. Hurts, "Wonderful Life"

D'luv says: "If the New Millennium conjured up Lady Gaga as its answer to Madonna, then surely Synth-Pop Land needed a modern-day Pet Shop Boys, too. The drama-soaked beats of 'Wonderful Life' deservedly made Hurts a buzz-y act in 2010, while the Arthur Baker mix only added extra sparkle to the duo's cool factor."
Moogaboo says: "These babes won me over with their stylish sense of drama. If they don't make out with each other next year, I'll be totally over it! But yes, it was all about that Arthur Baker mix with it's rattling polyrhythms and Shannon-derived whipcrack."
Charts: POL #1, GER #2, SWI #4, UK #21

4. Alphabeat, "DJ"

D'luv says: "A Danish pop act making an album of songs inspired by late '80s/early '90s Italo house act Black Box (a staple on the stereo D'luv during the teen years)—why, how could it fail? Don't answer that. I effing love this album, and 'DJ' never ceases to make me grin from ear to ear."
Moogaboo says: "Martha Wash is waggin' a sassy finger at Alphabeat from her perch up in heaven! (I know she's still alive, but I bet she has an all-access pass to universes both real and mythological.)"
Charts: DEN #6, UK #116

3. Cee Lo Green, "Fuck You!"

D'luv says: "I liked this song. Then I loved this song. Then I was over this song. Now I kinda love it again. It could have been higher here on our Best list were it not for the sheer novelty factor. Like, can you picture Cee Lo having another solo hit this big (without an expletive in the title) ever again?"
Moogaboo says: "Well, no, I can't. But who can say for sure? Maybe he's the next Kylie! And even though he seems to have scammed this idea from the inimitable Lily Allen, I'll give him points for upping the bile and attaching it to an even funkier faux-Motown beat."
Charts: UK #1, AUS #5, SWE #6, US #9

2. Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"

D'luv says: "And now we get to the song that both perplexes me and fills me with whimsical butterflies to no end. I absolutely, hands-down love 'Teenage Dream' and think it's one of the best pop songs in recent memory. That said, when I think of Katy Perry and her Jesus tits, I wanna wrap both hands around her neck and spare the universe from ever having to hear her low-rent, bottom-of-the-barrel live vocals again. But look—I'm just chalking the quality of this jam up to maestros Dr. Luke and Max Martin. If a real singer (say, Kelly Clarkson) had belted this out, it would have been #1 here."
Moogaboo says: "I agree, Kelly could more convincingly portray the protagonist of 'Teenage Dream'—a forty-something, out-of-shape suburbanite yearning to recreate the exploits of youth with the lanky new paperboy. What a missed opportunity. However, Katy's bubbly personality and bouncy boobsiness still manage to put this one over the top. Pop heaven."
Charts: US #1, POL #1, UK #2, GER #6

*POP SINGLE OF THE YEAR*

1. Robyn, "Dancing On My Own"
D'luv says: "No one does stunning, addictive dancefloor heartbreak as deftly as Robyn. And while the broad made us wait nearly half a decade for new material, 'Dancing On My Own' made me realize that patience is indeed a virtue, and that crying under a strobe light is the most bittersweet kind of joy."
Moogaboo says: "Oh, Robyn—you glittering disco sad-sack. I love your highly effective heartbreak tunes. Truth be told, I never thought you'd top 'With Every Heartbeat', 'Be Mine!' or 'Show Me Love'. Then you go and do it again with this, the perfect soundtrack for shedding tears beneath said strobe light while that hunk you just met in the men's room makes out with some ho across the dancefloor. Go on breaking my heart."
Charts: SWE #1, US Dance #3, UK #8



ALSO SEE:
* The 10 Worst Singles Of 2010
* The Top 40 Pop Singles Of The '00s
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2009
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2008
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2007
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2006
* The Best Pop Singles Of 2005