Idolator: Polls

What Should The Suits Blame: The Economy Or The Leaks?

Dan Gibson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST

The hand-wringing over Kanye West's and Guns N' Roses' disappointing sales figures last week has begun, and lots of fingers seem to be pointing toward the economy, the decline of the music industry as a whole, and Axl Rose's reclusive nature. But should someone maybe point out that people aren't buying the discs because they heard them already and felt like they could live without the return of Axl and the rise of Autotune?

Billboard noted that the entire market was down, along with the headliners.

Music sales were down anywhere from 10% to 30% and hit albums released for Black Friday didn't perform up to expectations, according to merchants contacted by Billboard. Sources say Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" will sell in the range of 425,000-450,000 units, significantly down from 700,000-975,000 units previously projected.

Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is expected to clock in at 250,000-260,000, which is also down from expectations that it would sell anywhere from 300,000-784,000 units.

Some might say that if sales for music are down in general from last year, it would follow that big titles' sales would be disappointing as well. However, isn't that reversing the cause and the effect? If another 500,000 customers would have headed into the music section of their favorite store to pick up the Kanye disc, wouldn't the entire market have risen as well?

Maybe the problem isn't the economy, but the bad the pre-release leak buzz for both discs. It wasn't that long ago that Lil Wayne and Coldplay eclipsed the gold standard in their albums' first week on shelves, and although the economy has taken a decided turn for the worse since, there weren't millions of additional customers flooding stores during either of those earlier sales weeks. Maybe my real question is: What would Weezy have sold if Tha Carter III hit stores last week instead? I realize that it's impossible to come up with a definitive answer, but on a personal note, I purchased each previous Kanye disc on its release date, but didn't feel the need to get 808s, despite the snappy cover. After hearing the leak, I knew I wouldn't be listening to the disc once 2009 rolled around, and I decided to spend my money on something else (a Wii game, incidentally).

Did you feel the same way? What's really to blame for the disappointing bottom line?

Kanye, Guns N' Roses Post Slow Debut-Week Sales [Billboard]

Buzz Ballads 2: Scraping The Barrel To Sell You The Drama

Jess Harvell — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Hey everyone, remember Buzz Ballads? The compilation of '90s alt-rock (sorta) slow jams for the sensitive flannel owner in you? Almost a year ago I asked you to decide which "buzz ballad" was the worst of the bunch. (The winner, to refresh your memories, was Staind's "It's Been A While," but there's a reason we used the "Everybody Loses" tag on that post.) Well, those nostalgia-mongering sadists at Razor & Tie are back with...Buzz Ballads 2! Could things get ickier than Ed Kowalcyzk's paean to placentas? Apparently yes. Join us, won't you, in helping to decide which of the new crop of buzz bombs on this double-disc set is the worst of the worst.

To be fair, there are some good (maybe even great) songs on here. There are also some inexplicable ones. ("Sometimes Always" sharing space with Sister Hazel?) But which one should be wished into the alternative cornfield? The answer is up to you.

Buzz Ballads 2 [Music Space]

Led Zeppelin To Play Coachella And/Or Bonnaroo*

Dan Gibson — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT

How do you get Robert Plant to agree to a full-scale Led Zeppelin reunion when he's reluctant to leave his project with Alison Krauss behind just so he can play decades-old music every night and rake in a lot of cash? Apparently, you tell him the band's moving on without him.

According to England's Sun newspaper, the band was auditioning singers (hopefully none named David Coverdale) to hit the road without Plant. Perhaps chilled by the thought of being the new Steve Perry (or Jon Anderson), Plant has allegedly reconsidered his previous stance against an extensive reunion tour.

“He realised he couldn’t face the thought of not being involved. The band were over the moon when he told them the news. They are now forging ahead with the tour plans and they can’t wait to get on the road.”

Then again, is an unnamed source in a British newspaper enough verification to really get excited for? Haven't we been burned by this sort of thing before? We're leaving it in your hands... how excited should we be for the prospect of rocking out to "Black Dog" live, instead of in the comforts of your own home?

Led Yep [The Sun]

^* This is probably not true (at all), but someone has to be the first to say it.

R. Kelly Is Smokin' Hot In The Boardroom

Maura Johnston — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:30:00 EDT

The musical part of the video for R. Kelly's "Skin" is your standard CGI-as-substitute-for-desire fare; there are flames, and writhing, and R. Kelly standing in a pool with only his chiseled ab muscles to support him through his time of unbridled lust. But surrounding that part of the clip is a curious bit where Kells and a woman are staring at each other across a long boardroom table, a scene where you can feel the smoldering tension surrounding their discussion of... well, that's what I'm trying to figure out. Watch the clip and then vote on what's actually happening in our poll after the jump!

R. Kelly - Skin [Yahoo!; HT Music Is The Heart Of Our Soul]

Which British Pop Acts Should Be Classicalized Next?

Michaelangelo Matos — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

September will, in the UK at least, see the issue of Songs Without Words, a collection of pop-rock hits that have been "classicalized." David Bowie, Sting, Coldplay—all your middlebrow favorites, given the ultimate middlebrow treatment. This is nothing new, of course; Christopher O'Riley has tenderly massaged the Radiohead catalog two times, and done the same for other artists' work as well. Still, a few big British names have been tragically overlooked in this "let's show everyone that this stuff is legitimate" sweepstakes, so we'd like to see which ones we should lobby Classic FM and UCJ Music for on the next edition of this comp.

The "Genius" of Celine Dion [Guardian]

Radiohead Vs. The Hold Steady: Whose Side Are You On?

Maura Johnston — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:00:20 EDT

Hold Steady guitarist Tad Kubler has caused the Internet to go nuts with his comments on Radiohead, which he made over the weekend to BBC6 Music. "I think they've lost the plot," Kubler said when asked the now-standard-in-every-music-interview question about Thom Yorke et al's recent album In Rainbows. "What are they doing? Where are they going? What's happening? I don't get it any more. They lost me. I still appreciate what they're doing, or what they're trying to do. But I think they're trying too hard not to be Radiohead. That seems a little ridiculous to me." Kubler then went on to praise... Oasis. Ooh, burn! Yorke and his bandmates were unavailable for comment, but the Internet was more than happy to rush in and fill that particular void.

Perhaps my favorite reaction came from former Idolator guestblogger Matthew Perpetua, who wrote—in a post titled "Apples vs. Dim-Witted No-Talent Hacks"—"The most charitable description of The Hold Steady would be 'a glorified bar band with a tone-deaf asshole shouting over the top.' ... [they] are essentially just Nick Hornby as a rock band." (Which isn't far away from others' assessments of the group.) Meanwhile, Pitchfork's Marc Hogan referred to Kubler's quote as the band's "Sister Souljah moment."

Somewhat surprisingly, not all the reaction I've seen so far has been pro-Radiohead; another former guest of this site, Sam Yurick, said that he's kind of tired of the Radiohead hoopla and that praising In Rainbows for its distribution scheme is not unlike saying that Cloverfield should get an Oscar for its ads.

So readers, once and for all: How do you feel? (I was going to write "who could win in a fight," but if we're talking about sheer brawn, I think the winner is obvious.)

Hold Steady vs Radiohead [BBC6 via half of my Tumblr friends]
Apples Vs. Dim-Witted No-Talent Hacks [Fluxtumblr]

Lenny Kravitz Will Not Be Going Velvet Revolver's Way

Maura Johnston — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:15:00 EDT

The truth quotient of the rumor that Lenny Kravitz would be replacing Weiland as the lead singer of Velvet Revolver has plummeted from 38% to zero, if Kravitz's just-issued statement to Rolling Stone is to be believed. "I know and love the Velvet Revolver guys but there is no truth to the story about me joining their band," he told the magazine. Looks like bloggers everywhere will have this story to kick around for a little longer! But where will it go next?

Now Kravitz has joined the long list of people who aren't singing for Velvet Revolver—a star-studded roster of names that includes an ex-MTV VJ who now blogs, a guy from who's married to a Playmate, an ex-Gilmore Girls cast member, and any of the contestants from the CBS game show Jingles—which lead singer should be the next piece of grist for the ever-churning rumor mill? Clearly, this needs to be solved by the always scientific method of Internet polling:

Exclusive: Lenny Kravitz Tells RS "No Truth to the Story" About Joining Velvet Revolver [RS]
Earlier: Is Lenny Kravitz Really Going To Fill Weiland's Velvet Shoes?

What Sort Of Elevator Action Have Madonna And Britney Spears Dreamed Up?

Anthony Miccio — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

On Monday, I offered a few theories as to what kind of "video project" Britney Spears and Madonna could be putting together for the latter's upcoming tour. Needless to say, I'm embarrassed that it never occurred to me that an elevator would be involved. According to E! Online, the set involves an elevator, "in, around and on which Spears will dance." Tying that bit info with this revelation from one of their sources ("The video will be very deep. You've never seen Britney like this before. It will blow your mind."), we've put together some new ideas for you.

Set Issues Derail Britney's Madonna Shoot [E! Online]
Earlier: Madonna Outsources Tour Drama To Britney Spears

Def Leppard Will Not Be Tackling "Seventeen" On Its Next All-Covers Album

Maura Johnston — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:45:00 EDT

Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott told The Irish News that while he's honored to tour with the likes of Styx and REO Speedwagon, don't expect to see his band on the road with any of the bands who shared chart space with it during the Hysteria era. "We refused to go out with Poison or Winger or Warrant or any of those shite bands," he said. "It's a real pity that a lot of the newer bands we've dug over the years haven't actually dug us. But that's just music, man." Those "newer" bands include Stereophonics and Manic Street Preachers, just to give you an idea of Elliott's internal timeline and, uh, general assessment of what isn't "shite." Well! Let's see what is and isn't "shite" in your eyes, readers. I picked my favorite songs from each of the artists Old Joe disses—as well as one from his own band, and one from each of his U.S. touring partners this summer. Which do you prefer?

OK, I'm realizing now this might not be that fair of a fight. Oh well, at least I know now that there's a reason I woke up with "I Hate Myself For Lovin' You" in my head this morning.

(FYI, I really tried to not use "Seventeen" as Winger's pick. But there wasn't much, unless you count that track Kip did with Fiona, which hasn't aged all that well but which I still like:

He really does have super-nice teeth.)

Let's Get ROCKED [Irish News via Sleaze Roxx]

Your Summer Jam Tournament Update: Voters Sure Like Shaking Their Coconuts

Maura Johnston — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

As of this writing, Tyga's "Coconut Juice" is beating Estelle's "American Boy" in our final battle of Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament—Tyga's track has 58.1% of the vote, while Estelle's has 41.9%. But those of you who were hoping for an Estelle win shouldn't fret—the difference between them could easily be made up in the hours between now and 5 p.m. ET, when the polls close! The poll's been reposted below, so get clicking.

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Enters Its Final Phase

Maura Johnston — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

After weeks of winnowing, our picks for the official summer jam of 2008 have been winnowed down to two: Estelle's lighter-than-air "American Boy" and Tyga's debaucherous "Coconut Juice." Polls (and videos, in case you need a last refresher) after the jump; we'll announce the winner tomorrow evening, right before the Summer Solstice begins on the East Coast. So get cracking!

(And yes, I almost added the Lloyd song to the poll as a last-minute "I'll show you who's in charge here" jerk move. I will note, though, that on the latest Billboard Hot 100 it moved up from No. 79 to No. 72 despite falling off the digital-tracks top 200; Estelle is at No. 35, while Tyga is a brand-new chart entry at No. 94.)

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Reignites The Fierce UK-Denmark Pop Rivalry

Dan Gibson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The second half of Idolator's summer-jam semifinal is ready for tipoff (or whatever the musical equivalent is). Remember: These polls close tomorrow, so to have your voice heard, make sure you vote early and often—especially in this difficult matchup between Estelle's love letter to American men in baggy jeans and Alphabeat's ecstatically retro Europop party. Poll after the jump!

Alphabeat [MySpace]
Estelle [MySpace]

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Gets Serious About Nourishing Itself

Maura Johnston — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

We'll be rolling out both the battles in our summer-jam tournament's semifinal round today, with both polls closing tomorrow. So get your votes in as soon as you decide between Lele's housey ode to breakfast and Tyga's coconut-water-drenched party as your pick for 2008's big summer banger. Poll after the jump!

Lele [MySpace]
Tyga [MySpace]

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Gets All Boy-Crazy Again

Maura Johnston — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Round two of our quest for 2008's official song of the coming summer concludes with what may be our toughest face-off yet, a battle between a Prince homage via Norway and an ode to the men residing across the pond. Vote after the jump, and don't forget to cast your ballots in other second-round matchups!

Idolator's Quest For The Ultimate Summer Jam Will Be Fascinated With You For A Long Time

Maura Johnston — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

New York City may not be in full-on bake mode right now, but our summer-jam journey soldiers on with a battle between the forthcoming single from Long Island's biggest diva and the wavers of the "wonky pop" banner. Vote after the jump!

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Shakes Its Cornflakes

Maura Johnston — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Our quest for the definitive summer song of 2008 continues, and this second-round match is a face-off between spawn of Billy Ray and a sexy ode to the most important meal of the day. Vote after the jump!

Totally Irrelevant Magazines: The T-Shirt Edition

Dan Gibson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:15:00 EDT

If you're an aging baby boomer who enjoys clothing that you think might give you some cultural credibility, Macy's and Rolling Stone are teaming up to bring the conspicuous back into conspicuous consumption.

Sure, $35 is a lot to spend on a t-shirt, but what about a t-shirt that has this picture on it?

Think of what your less cool friends will say when they see Dirty Vegas on the left sidebar. As long as they don't know where the local Macy's is, you'll have a monopoly on hip.

We haven't even taken into account "today's cross-channel lifestyle" (whatever that means):

"Rolling Stone magazine is an iconic and revolutionary brand, and its covers are among some of the country's most memorable and culturally-charged images," said Jerry Balest, Macy's vice president of Men's Fashion. "The new collection of Rolling Stone tees appeals to today's cross-channel lifestyle, bringing together the influences of fashion, music, celebrity and entertainment. Macy's is honored to be exclusively bringing back these covers in a new, wearable way."

However, when focusing on music stars that have graced the magazine's cover like the Beatles and Jerry Garcia, Macy's and Rolling Stone might be missing a golden opportunity. Which of these iconic covers would you rock casually under a suit jacket?

Macy's Partners with Rolling Stone to Offer Magazine's Iconic Covers for Collectors' Edition Tees [Trading Markets]

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Says "Yeah," Cracks A Coconut

Maura Johnston — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

The second round of Idolator's quest for this year's top summertime song^* enters its second round today, with the twisted Nilsson of surprise Kid Rock-beater Tyga taking on the throwback stew of Duffy. Videos and the all-important poll after the jump!

^* which, given recent events, I poutily referred to as Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam That Isn't The Lloyd/Lil Wayne Song Tournament over the weekend

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Is Long On Danger

Maura Johnston — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The final two contestants in our search for the 2008 jam of the summer come to us courtesy of all of you (well, at least those of you who felt like voting in our play-in poll last week). After the jump, watch as Mariah Carey battles it out with the latest Akon-hooked track!

Previously: The first eight rounds of the tournament

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Begs You For Mercy, Robots

Maura Johnston — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

The first round of our quest to find the quintessential summer jam wraps up today, with the final two bouts going live. (Voting will end Sunday night, so be sure to cast your ballots soon.) After the jump, the new Lulu takes on a pair who have made summertime magic before, only this time they're aided by cyborgs.

Velvet Revolver's New Singer May Come From A Land Down Under

Maura Johnston — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EDT

A tipster has very important innuendo regarding the new singer of Velvet Revolver, which will not be picked by reality-TV committee: "I have some new information coming from fans/family close to the hard rock Australian band Rose Tattoo to which Slash & Duff are HUGE fans of and shared the stage with many times, that Duff has been in communications with an Australian singer currently living in the USA. This guy can apparently sing up a storm and of course is a bloody Aussie, so that in itself along with the great voice will be a good choice for the band from all marketing angles." Well, if there's one thing Velvet Revolver needs after Libertad, it's a better marketing angle. So, we have but one question for all of you: Who can it be, now? (We're pretty sure the candidate in question is not Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson, since he's apparently living in Sydney these days.) Poll after the jump!

Previously: Idolator's Velvet Revolver coverage

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Cooks Up Some American Pork & Beans

Maura Johnston — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Our quest to find the quintessential summer jam of 2008 continues with some lighter-than-air R & B and the latest comeback single by a band every Idolator reader seems to have an opinion on. (Tomorrow, we'll have our final two first-round polls, and then round two—which will include excitement and arguing!—begins next week.) After the jump, the poll, the clips, and the arguments.

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Heads To The Diner For Some Oatmeal, Granola, And Heartbreak

Maura Johnston — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

In the fourth day of Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament, we take a page from the griddle menu at your local diner—with one song soundtracking a clip chronicling a recently heartbroken waitress' redemptive post-breakup shift, and the other turning the most important meal of the day into the sauciest. Clips and polling after the jump!

Idolator's Summer Jam Tournament Pits The Boys Against The Girls

Maura Johnston — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Round one of our quest for the quintessential summer jam of 2008 runs all week, and in today's installment we have some Chicago rappers flinging cleaned-up insults and a throwback to the brightest of top-40 radio's golden ages.

Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament Gets A Bit Hands-On

Maura Johnston — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Our quest for the No. 1 song of summer 2008 continues today with a face-off between two songs that seem to have been expressly designed for maximum June-September listening, Kid Rock's Warren Zevon homage "All Summer Long" and Tyga's Harry Nilsson-inspired "Coconut Juice." The clips, the defenses, and the all-important poll after the jump.

Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament: The Story So Far

Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament Kicks Off With A Battle Between Good Old Boys And Wonky Pop

Maura Johnston — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

As promised, our quest to find 2008's official summer jam in a reader-determined tournament starts today; over the next few days we'll roll out the rest of the nominees, which come from all over the radio map, including even those areas we aren't very excited to be traveling through. (Hey, we have to acknowledge the inevitable, although you should know that the Katy Perry song has been disqualified on principle—especially since its "controversial even though it wasn't all that controversial in 1995" subject matter is now garnering attention from the overly gullible media.) After the jump, our first two contenders—Brooks & Dunn's "Put A Girl In It" and Alphabeat's "Fascination"—duke it out, with accompanying commentary courtesy Dan Gibson and Kate Richardson, respectively.

Which Unidentified Witness Will Take The Stand On R. Kelly's Behalf?

Anthony Miccio — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

R. Kelly's lawyers interrupted the procession of middle-school coaches identifying the underage girl on his sex tape early on Wednesday, announcing that a mystery witness had come forward with information that may help the singer's case. Now pause the post, 'cuz what i'm about to say to y'all is so damn twisted—not only is there a mystery witness, but the witness is...

Anything else would be absurd.

R Kelly lawyers hope mystery man can help defense [AP]

Idolator's 2008 Summer Jam Tournament: Pick The Song That Will Be Inescapable By This Time Next Month

Maura Johnston — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Now that it's warm out and I can run around my backyard barefoot, it's time to figure out just what, exactly, will be the jam of the coming summer, the song that will become inescapable through sheer will. And what better way to do it via bracketed tournament, what with the current run of major sports playoffs nearing their end? (Those of you who think it's too soon to start calling these sorts of things might want to recall that by this time last year, "Umbrella" had already a) hit big in the US and b) started its monsoon-inducing UK chart run.) Each Idolator writer is nominating a song or two and will pen a few words in their picks' defense, and to round out our bracket we'll have a handful of reader nominees. To narrow those down, the songs nominated by you (and you!) over the weekend will go head to sunburned head in a pre-tournament play-in round. Which starts... now! (Well, OK, it's after the jump.)

There's also a ton of YouTubage within:

Come back tomorrow for round one!

[Photo by me]

The "American Idol" Poll You've Been Waiting For: Which David Delivered Tonight's Knockout Punch?

Maura Johnston — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

The first third of the American Idol finale is in the history books everywhere in the country! (Except maybe Hawaii, although maybe not—after all, since the weather there is so nice it would make sense to have "prime time" at 5 p.m. so as to maximize the enjoyment of their evenings.) The three songs have been sung, the songwriting contest has once again been exposed as a way to get America's worst songwriters more screen time than they ever deserve, and the judges have seemingly abandoned David Cook—or decided to engage in major reverse psychology with his fans in hopes of really giving Jeff Archuleta a Montreal screwjob-type finish to his super-meddlesome "guardian" tenure. Who knows what sort of mind games the producers are trying to play! I've watched pretty much every second of American Idol since January and I still don't. Anyway, after the jump we have the official Idolator "Who Will Win Idol?" poll, along with a few predictions from other corners of the Internet and clips from tonight's show.

Honestly, I have no idea who will win. On MJ's Blog there are lots of reports of busy signals for David Cook, and reports that Dial Idol, which has been pretty slammed all evening, is firmly in the green for him—but these reports are all coming way before the West Coast strongholds have really gotten into the thick of voting. For those of you who were having some sort of life from 8-9 p.m. in your local time zone, here's video of each contestant's strongest performance:

David Cook's Collective Soul song, which, upon further review, was a strong performance and pretty much thrown under the bus by the We Love Archie crew:

And David Archuleta's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," which showed off the George Michael-ish aspects of his vocal tone and wasn't watered down for religious purposes:

David Cook - The World I Know [Redlasso]
David Archuleta - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me [Redlasso]
[Videos via MJ]
Earlier: Live-Blogging The Finale, Part I

Who Fits The "American Idol" Definition Of "The Biggest Star In The World"?

Maura Johnston — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

MJ's Big Blog has a slew of spoilers for this week's pair of American Idol finale episodes, including word that David Archuleta is going to reprise his blasphemy-excised version of "Imagine" and the news that Paula Abdul is going to sing a song from her new album, too. And the Jonas Brothers will be appearing, because the ratings really need the help! And OneRepublic will drop by, too, because... well, I'm still trying to figure that one out. But that puzzle will have to go on the back burner because Nigel Lythgoe told an interviewer today that "the biggest star in the world" would show up at the finale; given the, ahem, skewed nature of the Idol universe figuring out just who that shining example of fame could be, well, anyone who's been touched by the hand of Clive. So let's send it to the poll software!

It's going to be Dead Elvis, isn't it? Sigh.

A Roundup Of Season 7 Finale Spoilers [MJ's Big Blog]
[Photo via The Advocate]

Is Winemouse Worse Than 2 Girls, 1 Cup?

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Amy Winehouse actually did something semi-music-related this weekend, when the above clip—of her plonking away on a guitar and mewling backing vocals while her goddaughter pretty capably sang Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You"—was posted to Pete Doherty's very active YouTube channel. But of course, it was another clip on Doherty's video blog, titled "winemouse," that got most of the attention and made me wonder one thing: How low could the Internet go?

For its part, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not amused by Amy and Pete's shenanigans.

The RSPCA warned that handling mice at such a young age could mean they are rejected or eaten by their mother.

Becky Hawkes, a spokeswoman for the RSPCA, told Sky: "New born babies should be undisturbed, and with their mother - smell is critical for small rodents.

"It's because the babies will be contaminated by human smells and the mother could reject or eat them."

A worker for the National Animal Welfare Trust said: "You don't disturb any baby creature, whether it's puppies or kittens or mice - you leave them with the mum.

"And you should definitely scrub your hands - just as you would with a new-born baby."

Nice for you to assume they knew that.

if i ain't got you [YouTube]
Duo Blasted For Baby Mice Treatment [Sky]

The High School Student, The Actress, Or The Bartender--Who's Going Home From "Idol" Tonight?

Maura Johnston — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:30:00 EDT

In which we try to predict whether or not Randy's dubbing Syesha "No. 3" of the final three American Idol contestants was some sort of astrological prediction written in the star-chart shirt he wore last night—or another piece of the mounting pile of evidence that the producers have been gaming the system for a David/David finale since the night Chikezie was eliminated. For anecdotal purposes, DialIdol ranks the hopefuls Cook-Archuleta-Mercado, while the top Idol-related search term on Google Trends is (ugh) "Switchfoot," at No. 57. America: It can't get enough of that post-millennial grunge! Vote after the jump.

Earlier: Last night's recap

Roger Waters Somehow Finds A Way To Make Me Loathe Pink Floyd Even More

Maura Johnston — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EDT

I slogged through the first half of last night's main-stage-closing set by Roger Waters—which was billed as "Roger Waters Dark Side Of The Moon"—partially out of masochism, partially in the interest of sociological research, and partially because I didn't feel like dragging my ass over to the stuffed-to-capacity-all-weekend dance tent to see Modeselektor, who were the only other act playing for the first portion of Waters' set. While it was interesting in a "so this is who he lured out to the desert" sort of way, it was also infuriating, and at one point a friend said to me, "I can hear your eyes rolling back from here." But no portion of the evening filled me with more rage than the pre-show, which had as its visual an old-timey radio, a model airplane, and a tumbler of whiskey; every so often, a hand would reach into frame to change the station and/or refill the glass, and the stations that the hand hit on, for the most part, had a playlist that lulled the classic-rock fans in attendance into a state of self-righteousness: Bob Dylan, "Hound Dog," and "My Funny Valentine." There was also a "humorous" bit when the radio somehow was all-ABBA, all the time, and hand man couldn't escape from the tyranny of radio! ABBA! I mean, could you believe the nerve!

Anyway, that little interlude made me wonder if our readers would be as dismayed by the fake radio offerings as Disembodied Hand Man was—so here's a poll.

I'm pretty sure that this is going to be lopsided in one direction, but hey, I may be wrong. The one good thing about Roger Waters' set, though? It made me appreciate the greatness of Black Mountain even more. Holy balls were they fantastic.

R. Kelly Is Making It Easier For Me To Not Like Him Anymore

Dan Gibson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Earlier this month, I posted about my difficulty enjoying the work of R. Kelly in the light of his "alleged" sexual misconduct. Now that I've finally listened to the first single from his new album (the brilliantly titled 12 Play: Fourth Quarter), "Hairbraider," I'm speculating that my moral dilemma may no longer be a problem: This song sucks. Disagree? Vote after the cut.

I mean—the autotuning? The slowed Swishahouse-style chorus effect? C'mon Kells, this just isn't good. What happened to the Chocolate Factory, buddy? Those were the good old days. Maybe it's just me. Disagree if you choose, but please explain yourself if you do.

**NEW** R.Kelly - Hair Braider [YouTube]

I Take It Back: "Rock The Cradle" Is A Great Idea

Dan Gibson — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:00:51 EDT

Despite what I might have said earlier, MTV has hit gold with Rock The Cradle. The show itself isn't terribly interesting to me, especially since most of the celebrity parents. weren't that interesting to me anyway (the less I have to think about Dee Snider, the better, frankly). However, the program has done us all one huge favor... introducing the world to Al B. Sure!'s son, the impeccably named Lil' Al B. Sure!

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.

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

Idolator Asks: Who Watches Bonus DVDs Attached To Albums, Anyway?

Michaelangelo Matos — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT

So Blu-Ray has won out over HD-DVD in the future-of-how-we-rent-movies-for-home-viewing technology sweepstakes. Since I have no horse in this race whatsoever—I'm still behind watching all the movies I DV-R'ed from TCM's month of Oscar-winners—I mention it only as the pretext to an Idolator poll. Not the critical kind—the kind where you, the reader, answers a broad, sweeping question that's been nagging me for the past few, well, years: Who, precisely, watches the bonus DVDs so many current pop albums come with?

You know the kind of thing I'm talking about. Sometimes a reissue gets one of these as part of the package, like the catalog remasters Rhino/Warner Bros. did in 2005 for R.E.M. (I did in fact watch a couple of those; For Fans Only, meaning bigger ones than me, and I kind of doubt even the most fervent R.E.M. lovers were that impressed by them.) In recent cases by Queens of the Stone Age and the Go-Betweens (in what turned out, sadly, to be their last official release), the DVDs were of live performances also captured on the accompanying CDs, and while that's nice for completists I found myself in both cases drawn more toward the audio-only portion of the package. As far as new(ly released) albums, well, what can it mean that the first recent CD to pop up when I Googled "albums bonus dvd" was the friggin' Jethro Tull Christmas Album? Surely those of you not down in Austin getting wasted in the afternoon sun while losing 12.6 percent of your hearing to bands you won't remember by blog-time tonight can help a brother out?

Is Stephin Merritt Absolutely Cuckoo For Spearmint And Wintergreen?

Jess Harvell — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:00:57 EST

A tipster just sent us a YouTube clip for a Wrigley's gum ad that aired during last night's episode of American Idol, wondering if the droll singing voice coming out of the actor's mouth was none other than the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. It sure sounds like a Magnetic Fields song that just happens to be about the American Dental Association—right down to the plinky (but charming!) piano on the backing track—but the performance is a little too polished to quite convince us it's the man himself. Merritt's obviously cool with selling his distinctively froggy pipes to ad agencies, but clearly we need a second through sixty-ninth opinion here, so decide for yourself after the jump.

Wrigley's "Gum Is Good" [YouTube/HT: James Barber]

Gene Simmons' Sex Playlist: What's His Butt-Rock Backup Tune When It's Time To Get His Tongue Waggling?

Jess Harvell — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:15:54 EST

jess@idolator: Nothing going on this morning, eh?
maura@idolator: Ugh. Just the [alleged] Gene Simmons sex tape. [Ed. Note: Link not safe for ANYTHING, let alone work.]
maura@idolator: Did you hear what song was playing in the background?
maura@idolator: (I didn't watch; I just read about it.) [Ed. Note: Riiiiiiight.]
jess@idolator: I did not, no.
maura@idolator: "I Want To Know What Love Is"
jess@idolator: Well I mean who hasn't "made love" to that?
maura@idolator: I wonder what else gets Gene in the mood?

Good question, Maura! (Even if normal folks would rather imagine the family members of their choice getting it on atop a pile of newly dead bodies than think of Gene Simmons in (makeup-free) flagrante.) Since "I Want To Know What Love Is" clocks in at around 5:00 and the tape lasts a respectable (if not Sting-level) 10:00, one must assume that Gene had a second song picked to round out his 1/6th of an hour spent in the act of physical love with his Australian energy drink spokeslady. But what was it?

Calling Dr. Love (To Please Euthanize Us): The Gene Simmons Sex Tape [Fleshbot]

Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" Video: What Happens Next?

Maura Johnston — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:55:48 EST

As many of our readers noted, the video for Kanye West's "Flashing Lights," which debuted yesterday, just sort of... stops, even cutting off before the song it's promoting comes to a close. Surely its Kanye-gets-beaten-with-a-shovel ending isn't, well, the ending of the video, right? I mean, it looks gorgeous—even through heavily buffered Flash—but something tells me that this clip has to be some sort of attempt to bring serialization into the world of single music videos. After the jump, we come up with four possible scenarios for part II of the clip; vote on which one is your favorite, or tell us your own plot for the minute and change that follows Kanye being whacked with a shovel for the last time.

Earlier: Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" Video Full Of Fire, Cleavage, And Implied Violence

The Grammys' Album Of The Year Upset: Who Should Have Won?

Maura Johnston — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:20 EST

Judging by the reactions from my living room, my instant-messenger conversations, and the comments section on our Grammy liveblog, people were more than a little surprised when the Album Of The Year winner was announced... and said winner wasn't Kanye West or Amy Winehouse, but Herbie Hancock, whose Joni Mitchell homage River: The Joni Letters took home the night's final prize. I actually wasn't too surprised by Hancock's victory—to quote myself, "if you didn't at least think that Herbie Hancock paying tribute to Joni Mitchell would sway at least half the people who voted for Steely Dan over Eminem a few years back you haven't been paying attention"—but apparently a lot of people were! (Perhaps they forgot that Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae and Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen were also on the album.) So let's put it to all of you: If you had a vote in the Grammy balloting, what would you have chosen as this Grammy year's Album Of The Year? Poll after the jump.

[Photo: AP]