Yes, for a minimal fee (and likely unlimited drinks from the cooler), the man who brought you the hit "The Freshman" and another song I vaguely remember will play your backyard.

So last year, Vander Ark spent his time playing living rooms, backyards or anywhere fans paid him to play. He hoped for 25 shows; he ended up with 75. One of his stops included performing for two pregnant couples in Louisville at midnight after a gig in Indiana.

"I also played for a young couple celebrating their anniversary," he said. "They had a babysitter watch their baby for a couple hours. I play whatever they want me to play."...

"It's so much more enjoyable than the club thing," Vander Ark said. "It really is a campaign — shaking people's hands, thanking people for their support and playing music for them."

The jokes really write themselves here, but in the end, if you know six other Verve Pipe fans and have a Sam's Club card to get cheap booze, maybe you can throw a better show on in your backyard than you'd see in some lousy club off Highway 80. You can skip having a miserable open act, lower the drink price, and have at least an equal chance of having decent sound. Then again, you'd be booking the guy from the Verve Pipe, so maybe the deal isn't that good.

Brian Vander Ark Literally Performs in Your Own Backyard [Spinner]

Ronnie has been around the strange business of Christian music since the early 1990's, performing in the Blonde Vinyl act Dance House Children with his brother Jason (now of the band Starflyer 59, which has its own obsessive following). Following the break up of Dance House Children, Ronnie took the only reasonable artistic route: He wrote an album of synthpop tunes about candy and fairytales as one of the first acts on Tooth and Nail Records, a label now better known for churning out dozens of largely identical emo acts, but then still somewhat cool. His first album, Melody, was released in 1994, and Ronnie has since turned out album after album of decidedly strange but brilliant synthesizer-pop. If Joy Electric were a secular act releasing music on cassette only, Ronnie Martin would be hailed as an outsider genius, but with the "Christian" tag permanently affixed, he remains a nice guy with a regular job who happens to have a huge discography of his own. His video collection is a little meager, since Tooth and Nail seems to spend their money elsewhere in most cases, but here are a few selections for your enjoyment.

From my favorite album, We Are The Music Makers, "Burgundy Years":

Red Will Dye These Snows of Silver:

Song For All Time:

and Ronnie from the movie Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music?:

Joy Electric [Official site]

First up, the home run anthem. The options are:

Because We Can by Fatboy Slim
Bustin Loose by Chuck Brown
Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation
Off We Go (Air Force Theme) by Robert Crawford
Song 2 (Woo Hoo) by Blur

I don't even want to think about the Air Force theme option, but really, do sports fans need another opportunity to hear this?:

Go now, and vote for Chuck Brown. It's the logical choice, since he's actually from DC, and the song is actually good.

In fact, why can't the entire ballgame feature a go-go theme? At very least, when C.C. Sabathia visits town, they could thrown on EU's "Da Butt".

Vote For Your Nationals Music [nationals.mlb.com]

That's right, Lil' Al B. Sure!

Although any name with the prefix "Lil'" is nomenclature gold, I have to think there were other options. Vote for your favorite after the cut.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

MTV Shakes Up Malls with Rock The Cradle DNA Duel! {Fanbolt]

The best thing about Keith Sweat is that he's grounded. Sick of artists trying to do something new? Stretching their creative boundaries? That sort of thing isn't for Keith. He knows what you like, and he's gonna give it to you.

"I'm giving the people what they expect from me,' Sweat stated in a statement. "You hear other artists out here who make the mistake of trying to be trendy. They really try to keep up. I know people want to hear Keith Sweat. I'm conscious of the people who have followed me the whole time, since day one. I remember that I have a fan base and I'm very careful to give the people what they expect from me."

His new album features a track with Keyshia Cole, but whose doesn't at this point?

We also pay tribute to Keith Sweat with a few Youtube classic selections.

Twisted:

Nobody:

I Want Her:

Rhythm and blues legend Keith Sweat looks back on finding, keeping fame [The Norman Transcript]

It's possible you're way ahead of me here, but let me introduce you to 2 Pistols, who recieves the following endorsement from YouTube commenter "Brattyx12": "DaMnZ 2 PiSt0L iZ s3x!". Of course, without T-Pain, 2 Pistols wouldn't probably amount to much, but with Autotuned assistance, he had last week's 33rd-most-spun song at radio, "She Got It," which is likely to climb into the top ten this week.

The song itself is OK, albeit largely forgettable. But is this how it's going to be now? It's hard enough to try to keep track of Plies and Flo Rida and Rocko without T-Pain appearing on tracks left and right. I just heard Dolla the other day. It's getting impossible to keep up. Slow down, Teddy, for the sake of the people who have to blog about this stuff.

2 Pistols f. T-Pain - She Got It [YouTube]
2 Pistols [MySpace]

If you're the editors of Parade, a Mariah Carey cover story seems like a slam-dunk. People know who she is, you can use some slightly creepy short-shorts pictures. It's a win/win. Little would you guess that Mariah's presence in the magazine would bring out the nutjobs on your Web site:

(as a disclaimer, all spelling, etc. within in the quote is the author's own)

Part 1 In referrance to the article about Mariah Carey sharing the record for most number one hits on the Billboard Top 100 with Elvis. If Billboard allows this to happen it will take the last bit of respect i and the public has for them. Everyone knows that Carey's former husband (Tommy Mattola) had huge influence with pop radio stations when he was president of Sony music corporation. This resulted in payola (the practice of paying off radio stations to play artists songs) which is supposed to be illegal. Now that she is at Island Def Jam her friend L.A. Reid is doing the same thing. A couple of years ago Sony along with other record labels were caught and fined for payola. This proves that when Carey was with the label she benefited from the actions of her label. Now Island Def Jam must be investigated. The government should go after these people just like they're going after athletes for steroid use. It is cheating, plain and simple and Miss Carey should be exposed for the fraud she and her record labels are perpetrating. Back in the 1990s she was sued in court three times for plagiarism (sampling other people's music without their permission) which she settled out of court for an undisclosed sums. This also proves she is dishonest and she most likely knew about her record labels practice of paying radio stations to play her music.

I guess there's an interesting point somewhere in there, although assuming that Mariah "likely knew" about anything seems like a false premise.

Part two is where the agenda comes in:

Part 2 If Billboard plans to go through with this farce they should do one of two things. 1. They should recognize the Elvis number ones on the Billboard Single Sales Chart (for the simple fact that you can't fake sales) "A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION" 2002 , "RUBBERNECKING" 2003, "THAT'S ALRIGHT MAMA" 2004 and "HEARTBREAK HOTEL" 2006. or 2. They should put a disclaimer at the top of their weekly chart listings explaining that the resulting chart placings are a result of dishonest practices between the artists record labels and the radio stations that play their music. Tommy Mattola must be questioned as well as other Sony executives that were there during Carey's tenure. Elvis would've never gotten away with it if his label would've participated in payola. He was investigated along with **** Clark back in the late 1950s payola scandal which rocked the music world ,but he and Clark were found not guilty. If someone were to top Elvis (like the beatles did) without cheating we would have no problem accepting it ,but payola is music's version of the steroid scandal going on in baseball now. We must show our young and old people that taking short cuts to the top is wrong because it is lying and cheating.

He's actually upset that Mariah Carey is currently tied with Elvis for second place on the list of artists with the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles are still solidly at the top with 20, but Mariah and Elvis have 17 a piece. Hence, just like the Mitchell Report rocked baseball, the 19 comments left by "Don" will be similarly thought-provoking for anyone who stumbles upon the comments section of a Mariah Carey article from Parade. At very least, we might know what Eliot Spitzer has been up to... cracking down on radio payola even while temporarily unemployed.

Comments: Interview With Mariah Carey [Parade]

According to trade publication FMQB, Lyor Cohen, who some assumed would be let go by the WMG board, bounced back rather nicely:

Cohen...received a bump in his pay, with a base salary doubling from $1.5 million to $3 million, with a maximum bonus of $5 million and a minimum of $1.5 million. Cohen would also now receive $8.5 million if he was terminated.

Cohen's new contract also gives him 1,500,000 stock options and 1,750,000 performance-based restricted shares of WMG common stock.

The stock options will probably prove as worthless as mine were at WMG, but hey, the $8.5 million to get fired is certainly an excellent incentive to work hard and be successful.

Pali Research, the stock research firm that recently upgraded WMG's stock value, was less impressed, asking "Where is the corporate governance?" when told of the deal and suggesting that stockholders protest the move. Also worth protesting: The fact that WMG had zero albums in the top ten the week the company's executives got massive raises.

Lyor Cohen Receives Promotion, Raise, New Contract [FMQB]

Edgar's right hand man Lyor Cohen will also be given a five year extension. With both contracts, one has to wonder why, and it seems like Wall Street had the same thought, with WMG stock dropping to a near low. But hey, at least they've got Nickelback to rebuild the company around, right? [HITS Daily Double]

Among their requests from the FCC: the other half of the satellite spectrum being made available for a competitor, that the merged company be banned from broadcasting local material or receiving local ad money, and that decency standards be extended to the satellite realm. The decency standards requirement seems to be the most offensive request, since one would imagine that paying for content would eliminate any sort of obscenity clause. Clear Channel contends that "One of the primary potential dangers to free, over-the-air radio posed by this merger is siphoning popular, including 'edgy' content, with consequent loss of advertising revenue." I start to see their point now, because if satellite radio takes away the bit on the KISS morning show here where they pretend to offer roses for cheating spouses to send to their lovers, the media world as a whole would fall apart. You can't pull that sort of stuff off via satellite.

Clear Channel Lists Satellite Merger Demands [HITS Daily Double]

The new idea on the table: Internet service providers would tack a small fee ($5 for example) onto monthly bills for broadband connections. The money would then go to the music industry to help compensate labels, performers, song-writers and other artists for music shared online.

It is aimed at the people who illegally download free songs through peer-to-peer file-sharing services, like BitTorrent and Kazaa. Similar ideas have been floating around for a couple of years now, but it seems the music industry may be starting to see it as a viable option.

I don't think anyone actually associated with the "music industry" thinks this is likely, no matter how far down the sales totals for discs sink. Why on earth would Edgar Bronfman or Doug Morris trade in the possibility of selling music at full list price or even 99 cents a track in exchange for a paltry sixty bucks a year? For that matter, would the RIAA give up the potential lawsuit earnings from anyone who would purchase this imaginary download license created from pixie dust? It's certainly a great idea for the consumer...like a Sizzler for music, minus the potential for food poisoning or civil trials. However, there's no upside for anyone else. Internet service providers would be hit by the surge in torrent traffic, artists would be forced to bicker over who gets what share of the new limited revenue stream, and labels would have little to no incentive to actually release music. This entire scenario assumes that people would even pay the five bucks. With the entire recorded history of music closer to being available via Rapidshare everyday, it's a difficult proposition to convince someone that $5 is a better deal than free.

But, hey, what's more fun that discussing solutions to the industry's problems that lack any viability whatsoever, right?

Would You Pay a Fee for Legal Music File Sharing? [Washington Post]

America is in bad shape if the financial success of this movie reflects today's high school culture: sexual activity without marriage, crude pictures on the walls, vulgar language, a girl smoking a pipe, unattractive clothes, uncombed hair, enjoyment of slasher movies and weird music, and marriage breakup.

While I was a bit puzzled by Mark's endorsement of the Carpenters' tribute record as anyone, but to equate the music (outside of the truly tedious Kimya Dawson) with a girl smoking a pipe seems unfair. So, we leave it to you the reader...which of these teenage threats is most likely to destroy our beloved America?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Feminist "Juno" Unfit For Family Award [Human Events]

"I threw some beer over some of the crowd at The Cribs gig over here the other day. I thought it was going to be amazing - but I got there and the band were amazing but the crowd were s***. It was just industry w****** with their clipboards.
"I threw a beer and it went over all of these industry people and they got upset. I went to a party and it was full of horrible stick-thin people. We did my new song in one live take. There are so many people in this industry who make you angry. It makes you want to scream."

The ever-delightful Nash is glad she won the Best New Female Artist award at the Brits over Leona Lewis because "I started this myself. I'm not a manufactured, size zero pop artist who is going to bring out her own perfume and clothes range." On the other hand, artists with their own perfume and clothing lines occasionally put out listenable music with lyrics that don't sound like they were taken directly from their own MySpace blog, but maybe I'm being too picky.

Kate Nash's music rant [This Is Nottingham]

Shame on you, Alaska Airlines. You may have 92 exciting destinations, but you've broken 8,835 hearts in Sitka. [Anchorage Daily News]

Others suggest that Starbucks has expanded and altered its mix of music too quickly under Mr. [Ken] Lombard [head of Starbucks' entertainment division]. Before he took charge, the stores offered 5 to 20 CDs over the course of a year, according to the company. Now, Starbucks displays as many as 20 CDs at a time, adding six to eight new ones each month or so.

"They've lost that 'event' thing," a senior executive at one of the industry's biggest labels said, requesting anonymity because the label continues to market music there. "It would be like Oprah's Book Club having 15 books a week."

Starbucks says it still has the power to move record sales, including for its own label, which released Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full" last year. Though it shifts titles regularly, its sales of a CD over, say, six weeks typically accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the album's overall sales, according to music executives who do business with the company.

Mr. Lombard said that since taking a broader approach in the shops, "we have done nothing but continue to add value to the credibility that we've been able to build around the Starbucks voice."

Anyone who expects Starbucks (or any other corporation) to stock and sell fewer discs for the love of the music is a fool, but there was certainly a discernible shift when Lombard took over from Don MacKinnon, who originated the Hear Music line, and ran a mail order music catalog prior to the big gig. MacKinnon brought in the Ray Charles project which vaulted Starbucks into the music biz full time, but was shuffled aside when the potential profits became too difficult to ignore. A sad story, if somewhat predictable. That being said, anyone who has spent a minute or two managing a music store would be impressed by the deals Lombard has pulled from the record labels.

But last year, Starbucks began pushing for another discount on its purchase of new releases, lowering its price to $8 from $8.25, even while seeking the right to return up to 20 percent of its orders, according to people briefed on the company's negotiations. Those terms can equate to $2 or $3 a CD less than the price paid by other retailers, these people said.
And for emerging talent, it has raised the price of entry. When Starbucks merely stocks an album by an emerging artist on an outside label, it routinely seeks up to 50 percent of the total profit, including sales at retailers.
"What they were asking was not commensurate with what they were giving," said Gary Borman, the longtime talent manager behind acts like Faith Hill and Keith Urban, who has discussed deals with the chain. "We just walked away," Mr. Borman said.

To think, the stores I worked at asked for a few cleans and concert tickets to promote acts. It honestly never occurred to me to try to grab a percentage of the total profit. I should have dreamed bigger.

Does This Latte Have a Funny Mainstream Taste to You? [NY Times]

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: The first thing that needs to be said, although this certainly isn't the first place where its been said, is that it's much better than Reveal or Around The Sun. The more aggressive sound is appreciated, actually compelling you to listen to the finish without an urge to really slam the skip button, possibly thanks to the heavily compressed sound that producer Jackknife Lee is known for. That being said, should the terms "return to form" or "classic R.E.M." be tossed around? No, of course not. Anyone who is expecting a 2008 version of Life's Rich Pageant will be sorely disappointed, but Accelerate's certainly a solid modern rock album, and probably will fall near the top of the bottom third of their catalog, if you're into ranking those sort of things.

At very least, it's nice to hear a big, strong opener: "Living Well..." sounds great loud, and R.E.M. sounds like a band with purpose. Michael Stipe's lyrics are largely fine throughout—although there are some real clunkers—and he's gotten slightly better at being cryptic again, which to me is a welcome turn. My favorite part of the album was probably hearing Mike Mills through the speakers, track after track. To me, "Man Sized Wreath" and "Supernatural Superserious" are saved by his performances and there were numerous occasions where I was so thankful for his backing vocals that it felt as if they were the aspect of R.E.M. I was most nostalgic for. "Houston" sounds like a Automatic For The People b-side; "Horse To Water" features an angrier R.E.M. than I might have thought possible; and "I'm Gonna DJ" is a bad idea somewhat well executed.

Then it's over. I knew the album was short, but the end caught me by surprise.

And then—and maybe this is a sad, back-handed compliment for a band with a great catalog—I started over from the beginning. I actually wanted to listen to a recent R.E.M. disc...again, and without being disappointed or depressed about "fallen heroes" or "Stevie Wonder-style depressing career turns". Accelerate's not going to be part of the race for "best R.E.M. album", but I'll thank them for not making it another contender for the worst.

Adorable - Footnotes - Best Of (92-94) [Cherry Red]

'It is the hot ticket because the Pussycat Dolls, they're just amazing,' Antin said. 'I think people get excited because everything we do, it's quality.'

Second place:

The lingerie line was inspired by punk-rock music and old-fashioned pinup girls, Antin said. She called it 'shhh' because it's 'our little secret.'

Courtesy of AP Images, here's what apparently "every woman shares", plus a photo of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine looking really, really creepy. Enjoy.

Pussycat Dolls: Sex, music and lingerie [Forbes]

The National Bank [Myspace]

The re-edit mysteriously adds tracks instead of subtracting them, which makes me wonder if the British have a different definition of the term "edit." Either way, Size adds "The generation of those who missed it will be able to appreciate the album with the new coat of armour I have added to the original tracks." This news makes me sad on several levels, but largely due to the fact that apparently an entire generation has passed since 1997. [Hip Hop Elements]

Hurwitz has the music industry cred to back up his entry into the business, with the on again off again indie Ropeadope, so one way his releases have an angle on the market is to feature actual musicians:

GeekDad: What differentiates Baby Loves Music albums from more mundane releases?
Andy Blackman Hurwitz: I hate to be a music snob and like to think that there's some merit to anything creative so I don't want to come across as "dissing" other kids music - it's just that ours is created and produced by the best in the business, musicians with decades of experience in the art of songwriting and songcrafting and I think that's what makes the difference - REAL musicians.
GeekDad: Is it difficult to get well-established, professional musicians - such Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and John Medeski of Medeski, Martin & Wood - involved in the recording of an album for kids? Is there a stigma attached to children's music?
Andy Blackman Hurwitz: For me, I think, it was a bit easier because of the fact that I had a reputation in the business as being fair and as a "music guy" so they weren't worried that it was gonna turn into some cheesy thing. But also, it's the nature of a "kids" project that makes these folks want to get involved: 1) because it's for kids - and everybody (almost) wants to do something good for the kids, right? - but 2) being in the studio under the guise of a "kids'" project just takes a lot of the pressure off these guys. They're all consummate professionals, so to have a project that's fun and loose and laid back makes it more appealing to these guys.

It's hard to argue against any reason to get Sharon Jones in front of your kids instead of Soulja Boy—nearly every kid in my son's first grade class knew the Soulja Boy dance before his album had dropped—so that's probably the main reason the genre has surged recently. At least from my experience, it can be nearly impossible to strike the appropriate balance between, say, your child telling people Salt 'n' Pepa's "Push It" is his favorite song, and having to listen to Dora The Explorer discs in the car. When the artists on the disc are ones you recognize—"Oh, I used to really like the Del Fuegos!", for example—it makes the purchase and hopefully the ensuing listening experience more palatable. Yeah, you certainly could just force your music down their ear canal, but there's also something to be said for kids having their own music, something that allows them to be naive for just a bit longer, and if you can have Prince Paul behind the boards, that makes the decision a bit easier.

Baby Loves (Almost) Everything [Wired]

Nann:

Shut Up:

I'm A Thug:

In Da Wind:

Trick Daddy [Official Site]

Actually, Irish radio stations are required to hold aside around 30 percent of their spins for Irish acts—which has kept the guy from the Hothouse Flowers off the unemployment lines, I imagine—and since R.E.M. recorded Accelerate in Ireland, the album can be considered Irish for those purposes. For obvious reasons, this development was upsetting to actual Irish musicians, however, several smooth jazz musicians have been reported to be researching cheap studios in Dublin with good sax miking. [The Independent]

According the HITS Daily Double's occasionally accurate chart projections based on first day sales, Rick Ross will take the top spot with around 180,000 units sold, with NOW 27 close behind at 170,000. Snoop Dogg disappoints perhaps no else else but me with a projected third place finish. ack Johson and Alan Jackson will likely fight it out for fourth and fifth, with some combination of Fat Joe, the Thriller reissue, and Idolator fave Sara Bareilles in sixth through eighth with around 40,000 sold. However, if Now That's What I Call The 80's and its "You've never heard THESE songs in THIS order" tracklisting knocks the Erykah Badu disc out of the top ten, you'll see a tiny tear roll down my cheek on chart day.

Rumor Mill [HITS Daily Double]

He had been working on launching standalone multi-platform ventures for MTVN for the last three years, but they went nowhere. At first he was working on co-branded cable services with Comcast, which did not materialize, and later was developing standalone broadband services centered on boomer lifestyle interests such as health, personal finances and music, reports MCN. But Viacom instead decided to focus on strengthening its existing brands in various platforms, thus cutting out his interest areas.

Sounds like they had shuffled Sykes to the wing of Viacom's office building no one bothers visiting, which is a shame, since unlike most of the people they have over there now, there is actual proof that he had decent ideas in the past. Actually, I take that back; that Scarred show is genius. Injuries!

In memory of better days with MTV Networks, John Sykes, a video from the glory years:

John Sykes Leaving MTV Networks; His Broadband Projects Went Nowhere [Paidcontent]

Steve Miller and Lionel Richie are also receiving awards, so there seems to be some criteria involved, albeit not one that says the winner has to have released material in the last year or so, but the key for Ms. Bareilles seems to have been to play a lot of ASCAP events.

Sara Bareilles is a mesmerizing singer-songwriter who grew up performing in her native Humboldt County with no formal training in either voice or piano. Much of her adolescence was spent perched in front of a worn piano learning chords and scribbling simple melodies and lyrics. In 2003, Bareilles co-produced her first independent studio demo, "Careful Confessions," which earned her a loyal grassroots following through touring. Recognizing her insatiable thirst to challenge herself and find new ways to tap into her own creativity, ASCAP featured Bareilles at its popular ASCAP Presents... acoustic showcase at South By Southwest in March 2005. With word of mouth support and hypnotic live performances that leave fans hanging on her every word, Epic Records took notice and signed Bareilles to a record deal the following month. ASCAP spotlighted Bareilles again at the Sundance/ASCAP Music Café in January 2007. Her highly anticipated debut album "Little Voice" was released six months later (July 3, 2007) and skyrocketed to #1 on the iTunes album chart, and made an impressive debut on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart at #45. Currently at #7, the album has been charting for 23 weeks and features the single, "Love Song," which after appearing in a Rhapsody commercial jumped from #73 to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is currently at #4 and has been charting for 19 weeks.

It went all the way to No. 4! And was in a highly prominent but throughly irritating commercial for Rhapsody! Well, what was I possibly questioning the integrity of the award for? Suggestion for the ASCAP folks, however, consider making the award something that can be easily pawned; a heavy gold necklace, perhaps. That way at least, she can get more out of it than a bookend in a few years.

Sara Bareilles to Receive ASCAP Vanguard Award at 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards [Marketwire]

Many in the music business are having the last laugh over the current prostitution scandal involving N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer, a stern reformer who caused no end of problems for the industry when he took action against the labels' alleged use of payola and bribes to influence radio airplay. Spitzer socked the four major record groups for a total of almost $31 million in penalties and the four major radio chains for another $12.5 million. For $4,300 a pop, that hires an awful lot of high-class hookers.

If only the guys from the majors knew that was Spitzer's weakness, they might have hooked him up with one of their connections to make that whole "payola" mess disappear, but it's a little late for that now.

Rumor Mill [Hits Daily Double]

Listening, it's hard to see much progress since the hangin' with Ashlee Simpson days, but hey, with this new look, he might find some work as a Johnny Depp impersonator for the visually challenged.

Ryan Cabrera [MySpace]

To save you the trouble of trying to track down their Japanese releases on import, Hacktone Records is releasing a greatest hits album of sorts in the States on April 29th. The real upside, of course, is the ability to bring up an obscure act from another country to win the "Who enjoys more little known bands?" competition you have with your friends, using Love Psychedelico as the trump card.

Love Psychedelico [Myspace]

Duffy:

Normally, any act is from Scotland is likely to earn an automatic placement on my iPod, but Duffy might be the exception. Already hitting number on in the U.K., Duffy seems like the Lulu to Amy Winehouse's Dusty Springfield, but that seems to be the sort of thing people eat up these days. According to HITS, MTV and VH1 have decided to both give Duffy significant push as her May release date here in the States approaches.

Ferras:

Ferras, whose bio included a rather disconcerting story about being kidnapped by his father and taken to Jordan. His new single "Hollywood Is Not America" is this year's "Bad Day", heavily promoted by American Idol while montages of crying teenagers floods the screen. And it certainly fits that placement, with lyrics that appear meaningful in some vague sense, and wistful piano playing. As the most-added song on U.S. radio two weeks running, your days of avoiding Ferras are disappearing quickly.

Duffy [MySpace]
Ferras [MySpace]

• "For periods of 'Ego Trippin',' Snoop does sound focused. The first half is chocked with bangers, including a wistful look back at his career, 'Neva Have 2 Worry,' and the bass-heavy, Neptunes-helmed, 'Sets Up.' But two-thirds in, it's clear that Snoop has trouble editing himself as he crams in odes to a range of musical influences. 'Cool' is an average remake of The Time's synth-funk party-starter. 'Staxxx In My Jeans' meekly mimics the trunk-rattling Southern rap sound and contains an inane, slo-mo hook: 'My pockets look like Re-Run's/ your pockets look like Raj.' Snoop even goes country-western on the Everlast-produced 'My Medicine.' However, that track, like most of the disc, is an undeniable good time, and further proof Snoop's still not wasting his breath." [San Francisco Chronicle]

• "'Ego Trippin'' isn't bad, but it is disjointed and a bit jarring for the normally savvy Snoop to trot out so haphazardly. Maybe pushing up the release date to accommodate the success of the single wasn't the best idea." [Newsday}

• "Overall, the new CD is redundant and much too long. Studded with a few duds, the CD still offers several cuts that showcase Snoop's peerless skills on the mike. Refreshing dashes of humor surface here and there. But Ego Trippin mostly comes off as a confused character study. The rapper clearly wants to continue selling the over-the-top gangsta-pimp image. But he wants to show more of the aging hip-hop superstar who's settling into family life. One side has long been repackaged over and over again; the other seen on Father Hood is still evolving. But on Ego Trippin, he hasn't quite figured out how to reconcile the two." [Baltimore Sun]

• "Helped by old-school R&B producer Teddy Riley and other guests, Snoop doesn't skimp on variety; technologically nostalgic bump-and-grind numbers such as 'Sexual Eruption' sit alongside party jams such as a cover of the Time's 'Cool' and one honest-to-goodness country-fried effort titled 'My Medicine.' But despite loading the disc's second half with eccentric gems — 'Why Did You Leave Me' and 'Can't Say Goodbye,' with the latter featuring the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson — Snoop doesn't sustain the inspired glitter across the album's span." [Dallas Morning News]

Snoop Dogg [Official Site]

"America's Next Best Dance Crew" has been renewed, and if they can find another group of breakdancing roller skaters, I'm for it, but at least one of the new shows sounds nearly as bad as that rappin' celebrities show.

In "Rock the Cradle," which premieres April 3, the non-pro children of well-known performers will compete against one another. Among the performers whose offspring will perform are Olivia Newton-John, Kenny Loggins, M.C. Hammer, Eddie Money and Dee Snider.

I'm not sure who thought this was going to be a good idea, but I barely want to hear from the parents of the featured children, much less even think about Eddie Money's kid working his way through a cover of "Two Tickets To Paradise". Just a reminder, and I know there are a few rare exceptions, but try to recall how fortunate we've been with the progeny of musicians in the past:

I could be wrong though...I'm sure Dee Snider's kid is a fountain of talent.

MTV tunes up 'Rock,' 'Pop' series [Variety]

The dance/variety show with a tween twist will feature a mix of today's hottest musical acts, free-style dance competitions and a troupe of young dancers to teach kids the latest moves, while viewers at-home can get in step each week in front of the tube and on a new, complementary website: www.danceonsunset.com....

"We know that music and dance are a big part of our viewers' lives so, in true Nickelodeon tradition, we're giving them their very own destination offering musical performances, dance competitions and their favorite celebrities" said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "In addition to serving up great entertainment, we are also offering our audience the unique opportunity to participate in this show at home."

Stars slated to perform include Ashlee Simpson, Sean Kingston, Akon with Colbie and Menudo. Among the guest-stars on tap are Janet Jackson, Omarion and Nickelodeon's own Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) and The Naked Brothers Band.

The series will feature the "Nick 6," a newly formed troupe of young dancers from around the country who will perform and teach the latest moves and routines to a live audience, led by ace choreographer Tony Testa (Janet Jackson, Aaron Carter). Dance on Sunset will also tap into its live studio audience for contestants to compete weekly for the "Sunset VIP" title through a series of freestyle dance competitions. Viewers at home will be able to participate and learn a new dance in a segment titled, "Fresh Squeezed Dance."

Nickelodeon will also offer home viewers an additional way to participate in Dance on Sunset through a complimentary website, www.danceonsunset.com. Kids can visit the site to learn and practice the week's "Fresh Squeezed" on- air dance segment, including an exclusive, "advanced" version. Viewers may also submit videos online of their own "Fresh Squeezed Dance," check out "Backstage Pass" video highlights featuring guest performances, read weekly blogs, ask questions, post comments, participate in polls and play games.

Wait, there are going to be blogs on the complimentary website? Hey, Viacom, are you hiring, or would a 31-year-old guy commenting on teenage pop be a little creepy? Maybe so, nevermind then.

Nickelodeon Gets Down With Dance On Sunset [PR Newswire]

Takac's band has been "recognized as one of the best alternative rock bands in existence." I'm sure Medallie is thrilled to honor its hometown hero, but let's not go overboard, ok? [Medaille College]