Everything was going so well, Canada, until you had to ruin all my fun. Specifically, my dream of hearing Mookie Morris perform Bryan Adams' "Heaven," which was dashed last week when the Canadian people allowed him to be kicked off their poor excuse for a singing competition. Since I've come this far with the program, I'll continue with my recapping duties. But I won't like it.
Friday Morning Giggles
Someone took David Lee Roth's isolated vocal track from "Running With The Devil" and, um, ran with it in a pretty funny way. [YouTube via John Mayer]
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has revamped its section that spotlights artists of the here and now, rechristening it "Right Here Right Now" and adding items like Feist's jumpsuit from the "1-2-3-4" video and an old guitar of Ryan Adams'. (Wonder if Courtney Love is planning on dropping by to ask for it back?) Other items on display include the guitar on which Colbie Caillat wrote "Bubbly," a dress worn by Hayley Williams, and unknown items that at one time belonged to Good Charlotte, will.i.am, and John Mayer. Why retitling an exhibit with the name of a 17-year-old Jesus Jones song and stuffing it with tchotchkes from artists whose most recent albums stiffed in a very public way will make it more "current" I have no idea—perhaps each display will be accompanied by a printout of a MySpace page? [Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame]
For another week, Lil Wayne and Coldplay make up the album charts' 1-2 punch, with Tha Carter III taking the top spot (125,000 copies sold) and Coldplay serving as Wayne's best men (113,000 sold). According to Hits, Nas' untitled album is set to break this log jam next week, but I'll believe it when I see it.
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All the positive mind powers that come with being "clear" couldn't push Beck to a No. 1 debut on next week's album charts. With an estimated 80,000 copies sold, Beck's Danger Mouse-assisted Modern Guilt couldn't manage to get past the seemingly indestructible sales juggernauts of Coldplay, Lil Wayne, and the Camp Rock soundtrack. Coldplay and Weezy will likely fight it out for the top spot to the very end, with both discs selling somewhere in the 100-125,000 range. Those adorable Jonases and their cohorts will sllde into third with just under 100,000 sold; Kid Rock, who's still riding "All Summer Long," surges up another two spots this week to No. 5. The bottom half of the top ten starts with Now 28; Rihanna, G Unit, and the Mamma Mia! soundtrack will have quite the tuneful brawl as they fight for Nos. 7-9. John Mayer should take the final spot in the top ten, although he's likely too busy brainstorming his next viral video while rolling around in a big pile of money to care. [HITS Daily Double]
Normally on Tuesdays, we run "The Last Word," which examines the quips that close out reviews of new releases. Today's slate of new albums is a little weak (besides the new G-Unit disc, obviously) but we wanted to provide a perspective on the biggest release of the week, John Mayer's live CD/DVD. Sadly, many news outlets have chosen to ignore this release as well, instead taking the day off to watch Wimbledon coverage, I assume. So let's turn to those who know Mayer best—those fans who post on the message board at Mystupidmouth.com.
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Despite recording that Michael Jackson cover with Fall Out Boy, John Mayer told Rolling Stone that "Guitar Hero was devised to bring the guitar-playing experience to the masses without them having to put anything into it. And having done both, there's nothing like really playing guitar. I mean, what would you rather drive, a Ferrari or one of those amusement-park cars on a track?" See, guitars mean a lot to John. "It's my flotation device, because I now exist in this celebrity sort of world. But I don't feel like anybody's been able to truly knock me off my legs, because I have a trade. You can't just walk onstage and start playing guitar 'cause you thought it looked neat. With guitar, you get out what you put in, and it's the ultimate shield for other people trying to fuckin' take away your heart and soul. It's a completely exposed craft. There is no facade." When John stops getting to nail celebrities, he'll still gonna be able to show up at a bar and wail for his pretzels. Can Guitar Hero players say that? Maybe someday he'll be as awesome as Kirk Hammett, who recorded one of his "favorite guitar solos in the world." On Load.
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You really didn't think the release of Here I Stand signaled the end of Usher's recording for the album, did you? Fans should look forward to plenty of remixes and collaborations on its inevitable special edition, though Usher's indifference to all things not named Usher may have accidentally crushed the possibility of one artist he'd like to work with. "It would be nice to work with some British artists- be on the look out for remixes. I'm going to do a lot of unique stuff on this album. I'd like to do something with John Mayer on the song 'Something Special.' I'd love him to play piano." So would his mom, I'm sure, but Mayer's instrument of choice is the guitar, Ush. Though if there's anyone who should feel slighted by Usher's interview in RWD it's ex-girlfriend Chilli from TLC, whose claims that she still loves the family man-of-the-moment receive one of the coldest smackdowns I've ever had the pleasure to read.
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Once again, we present Rock-Critically Correct, a feature in which the most recent issues of Rolling Stone, Blender, Vibe, and Spin are given a once-over by a writer who's contributed to many of those magazines, as well as a few others! In this installment, he looks at the new issue of Rolling Stone:
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Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
Last week I poured cold water on the chart comeback of New Kids on the Block, who appeared on Billboard's less-heralded Pop 100 chart but remained M.I.A. on the all-genre Hot 100.
But I snarked too soon. This week, Danny, Donny Joey, Jon and Jordan have the week's highest Hot 100 debut with "Summertime," their un-Jazzy Jeff-related bid for postmillennial Top 40 radio. By debuting at No. 57, "Summertime" breaks a 14-year drought for NKOTB, who last made the middle rungs on the big chart with 1994's "Dirty Dawg."
It's poetic that the ur-boy band of the modern-pop era resurfaces the very same week boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman gets thrown in the clink. After all, 1994 was pretty much the moment when Pearlman began dreaming of rejiggering the five-boy New Kids template, launching the Backstreet-*N Sync era that entrenched the boy band in pop lore.
It's like a passing-back of the baton, from one pop era to its forbear. Not that I'd accept anything baton-shaped from Lou Pearlman...
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Thirty years from now, John Mayer will look at the last few years as the best of his life. That's if he isn't getting blown by one of our daughters (who love like you do) in the Oval Office Bathroom after a hacky-sack game with the other members of the G8. Not only is he checking off every Rolling Stone cover star he ever masturbated to in high school, getting feathered haircuts, and enjoying a top 20 single from the freaking Bucket List soundtrack, he's making short films for Funny Or Die with cast members of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I don't know whether to hate the guy or see if he's interested in hiring a blog consultant. Looking for a Turtle, John? I could be Turtle.
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Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
You can't kill Leona Lewis, you can only make her stronger. For the first time in 30 years, a song returns to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 after being evicted twice. Love her or hate her, Ol' Dead Eyes is back.
As unusual as Leona's threepeat is, the more interesting moves this week are made below the No. 1 spot, in part because it looks like the songs we may be hearing during car-radio season are hitting the charts now. That includes big debuts by the unsinkable Chris Brown and heartthrob Jesse McCartney, a first-time appearance by new British "It" girl Duffy, and a huge move on Modern Rock by a certain gang of veteran geek-rockers trying to regain their cred.
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The Guardian "leaked" most of the Glastonbury lineup this morning, and while there are certainly portions that sound very alluring (especially ignoring the logistical issues of actually traveling to an muddy field in the middle of England), it appears American festivals aren't alone in having an off year.
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Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
As predicted last week, Lil Wayne, supported by the late Static Major, has hit the top of Billboard's Hot 100 with "Lollipop." For longtime Weezy fans, it's a bit of a Pyrrhic victory—the first great rapper of the Web 2.0 era hemming in his flow to score a big hit. But nine years after his emergence on the Juvenile classic "Back That Azz Up," it's still a bit of a thrill to see Wayne's name gracing the top of the charts.
It's not only Weezy's first No. 1 but also his first Top 10 as a lead artist and, amazingly, his first trip to the top slot in 20 chart entries (21 if you include the Hot Boys' 2000 single "I Need a Hot Girl"). Prior to this, he'd never ascended any higher than No. 3 with his supporting performance on Destiny's Child's "Soldier."
How long he stays at No. 1 will depend on whether "Lollipop" settles in as a viral hit a la "Crank That" or "Low"—and on the competition percolating below him. The Top 10 is as fluid as it's been since last summer, which makes things fun for your humble chart columnist.
Damn, LiveNation! Would you ban the birds for singing? In a rather belated response to two alcohol-related deaths and 83 arrests at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel last August, LiveNation is banning tailgating from at least five shows at the venue this summer. These gigs will include ones by John Mayer, OAR, 311, Linkin Park, and WTKU's Beatstock. Not that I planned hitting a 311 concert in Jersey this summer, but this still seems painfully uncool. There has to be a way to curb violence and underage alcohol abuse without eliminating half the reason people go to hippie jams and festivals in the first place. And why only these five shows?
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Once again, we present Rock-Critically Correct, a feature in which the most recent issues of Rolling Stone, Blender, Vibe and Spin are given a once-over by an anonymous writer who's contributed to several of those titles—or maybe even all of them! After the jump, a look at the new issue of Blender:
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Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
So momentous was the news of Mariah Carey's triumph on the Hot 100 with "Touch My Body" that Billboard leaked it on Wednesday, a day early. Chart freaks talk about acts beating small records all the time. But it's not every day that someone beats a mark on the all-time list that involves something as iconic as career No. 1 hits. And it's even rarer when that record is four decades old and involves the King of Rock & Roll.
And hey, Elvis was only ranked second on the list for total No. 1 hits. (He was, until this week, first place among solo acts.) Even sadder for Presley fans, this same week, another lady bests a record he had all to himself—this time, for most Top 10 hits. As "4 Minutes" makes a 65-point leap to No. 3, Madonna pulls out of a tie with the King, leaving him all shook up with 17 No. 1's and 36 Top 10s, to Carey's 18 chart-toppers and Madge's 37 smashes.
There's no joy in Graceland today. And if you're near Abbey Road right now, don't be surprised if folks there look a bit twitchy, too.
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Perez Hilton Breaks Sony BMG Embargo After 24 Hours In Interest Of Self-Promotion
You just know that the "news" of the Sony BMG-signed John Mayer making out with the rainbow-haired gossipeuse is going to result in a directive from the VP of publicity at the company to all the promoters dealing with its male artists, telling them to get their tongues wagging in Perezzers' general direction ASAP in an effort to work around his "ban" on the label's artists. (And maybe Beth Ditto, since she seems like she'd be up for some gender-bending.) [Perez Hilton]
"Smoke On The Water" features the best guitar riff of all time, according to a poll conducted by the British music school Guitar X. As you'd expect from a list based on the opinions of young guitar students, you've got some Hendrix, some Angus, three from Slash in the Top 10. But two Frusciantes? A Dimebag? A Knopfler? The full 25 after the jump.
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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Yo! MTV Raps, MTV is bringing the show back "on the air and online" next month—but only next month—and the party will include classic clips, interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, and Doctor Dre, and rare pictures. I can't help but wonder if the revelry will also include an Internet-wide crackdown on people who have jacked the show's iconic logo for their own purposes... [Sucker Free via Nah Right / Pic via John Mayer]
If it's Tuesday, it's time to find out about the latest entrant into the more-crowded-than-ever 2008 festival lineup! Say hello to the brand-new Mile High Music Festival, which is headlined by Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, and John Mayer; it's scheduled to take place July 19 and 20 in a park that's nine miles outside of downtown Denver. (For those of you marking calendars, yes, that's the same weekend as the Pitchfork Music Festival. So much for Petty playing Full Moon Fever on Friday night in Chicago!) The current announced lineup—which, be warned, bills OneRepublic above the Roots—after the jump.
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The summer of 2008 seems to be drowning in music festivals, but that hasn't stopped the organizers of Rothbury, a spanking-new festival that plans to gather liberal-arts-educated kids of America together to think about climate change while they're blissing out to the music of 311. Rothbury, which will be held in western Michigan over Fourth of July weekend, has a lineup that takes the jam-band-and-indie-rock stew of Coachella to another level: Headlining the festival are Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, and failed blogger John Mayer, while the lower half of the bill is rounded out by the likes of Of Montreal, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Dresden Dolls, Slightly Stoopid, Diplo, Colbie Caillat, and—Primus! (What year is this again?) Full college-arts-board-inspired lineup is after the jump.
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Welcome to Idolator's liveblog of the 2008 Grammys, a night that will have many generation-spanning performances and a few that might even span the divide between living and dead. We're on the last 30 minutes of the dueling preshows between E! and the TV Guide Channel, where we basically get to see people get asked the same questions about who they're wearing and why they're on our TVs. Also: Debbie Matenopolous! I guess when you get banished from The View you get to comment on Rihanna's nail polish for money. Which could be considered as "failing up," maybe. Our coverage begins after the jump.
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