As part of Idolator's continuing effort to geekily analyze every music chart known to man, we present a new edition of Project X, in which Michaelangelo Matos breaks down top-ten lists from every genre imaginable. After the jump, he sits through VH1's latest TV-based listicle, 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, and finds a few poignant moments among the MC Hammer jokes:
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Before we get into the news of the day, some notes on VH1 Classic's weekend programming, which consisted of the channel showing a chunk of its vault's videos from the '80s in alphabetical order (by artist, then by song). Why the evil geniuses at Viacom wanted to encourage shut-in-ism among the part of its demographic that probably needs sunshine and air more than most is beyond me, but that's probably because I was too busy getting sucked in to give it much thought.
1. Paul McCartney's "Spies Like Us" was, perhaps surprisingly, not a terrible "movie tie-in track" like so many other songs I had the pleasure of catching over the course of the weekend. (Although the ending to the video, which has Macca, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase "humorously" crossing Abbey Road, is wrong on too many levels.) But I'm still a total sucker for "No More Lonely Nights."
2. People—including someone in VH1 Classic's graphics department—still have a problem with the whole "where to put the apostrophe when you're abbreviating a decade" thing. Just think of it this way: The apostrophe goes where the numbers are missing. In this case, when you say "'80s," that apostrophe is actually a teeny, tiny knife that lops off a "1" and a "9"!
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Supergrass singer Gaz Coombes pinch-hit for Dave Grohl at the taping of VH1's Rock Honors tribute to the Who on Saturday night, thanks to Grohl's voice being too tired to make its way through two songs. Coombes sang "Bargain" while backed by the Foo Fighters for the show, which will be broadcast Thursday night. Meanwhile, Pearl Jam covered "The Real Me," a song choice that makes me wonder if they're trying to dethrone Blackie Lawless as the heir to that particular track. Fight! Fiiiiight! [Hollywood Insider / Photo: AP]
Poor New Kids On The Block. First, they play a medley-filled comeback show that's marked by a droopy birthday cake for Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre begging the crowd to call in to their local radio station and request their music, and now the world premiere of their brand-new music video, "Summertime," has been relegated to an hour that may even be worse than the 3 a.m. graveyard slot: Its first airing on VH1 (and VH1.com!) will take place this Sunday at 2 p.m., right in between Dr. Drew's Celebrity Addiction Special and 20 Greatest Celebreality Fights. (My digital cable guide actually has a five-minute block for Music Videos carved out from 2:00 to 2:05. Aw, so cute!) After the jump, a preview of the clip, which sort of looks like a cross between a Backstreet Boys video and, uh, another Backstreet Boys video.
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A letter from VH1 lands in the mailbag: "There is no truth to the rumor that Richie Sambora will participate in Rock of Love." Aw, nuts. On the bright side, this opens up the field to any number of Rocklahoma-playing band members. (Heh, heh, I said "members.") I nominate Taime Downe, if only because his involvement will definitely cause the "rejected Suicide Girl" quotient of potential ladies to go up up up.
I haven't had a chance to watch all of Miss Rap Supreme yet, but Brandon Soderberg's writeup makes me want to finish off the episode currently on my DVR: "The fact that 'Miss Rap Supreme' literally follows episodes of 'Flavor of Love' and the fact that the brilliantly corrective egotrip dudes are making this show, make me think it really is designed as a kind of antidote to the awfulness that is 'Flavor of Love'. On one show we see a member of one of the greatest and most significant rap groups of all-time clowning himself beyond belief, one another show (if it's anything like last season) we'll see old rap legends giving advice and generally coming out looking pretty good." Perhaps unsurprisingly, "My Neck, My Back" singer Khia is coming off like the crazy one, but I suspect she'll be told to step off soon enough. [No Trivia / pic via VH1 Blog]
A moment of sincerity: VH1 Classic is showing AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later this Sunday night. The show combines documentary footage about the fire and its victims with footage from the Phoenix Rising benefit concert featuring Gretchen Wilson, Winger, Tesla, Twisted Sister, and my personal favorite: Stryper's Michael Sweet performing with Boston. It's worth checking out, and donating to the survivors' fund. 
Reality TV: Despite the writer's strike being over, it's probably here to stay, since it's so cheap to produce and former celebrities seem to be one of the few resources on Earth that's actually not being depleted at a frightening rate. In the past two days I've come across mentions of three new programs featuring hip-hop artists; one is centered around making allegedly sexy food, one focuses on life at Beverly Hills High, and one shows the fatherly side of someone who was previously banned in the U.S.A. After the jump, a brief look at the new (and newish) small-screen offerings starring ex-Hollywood Square Coolio, the formerly Lil' Romeo, and 2 Live Crew's Luke Campbell.
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The all-female-rapper sequel to ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show—which brought the world the vertically integrated stylings of John Brown, for better or worse—is going to premiere on VH1 in April. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided to stage ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme in Los Angeles, and not the South Bronx; fortunately, MC Serch is going to be assisted in his hosting duties by Yo-Yo. We'd better see a Persia cameo in there! [ProHipHop; photo Nikola Tamindzic]
If you've been paying attention to Idolator lately, it's pretty clear that, thanks to some "shit, I'm old" spasm, I've been on a pretty
I mean, it's the only explanation for Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)" being the channel's No. 1 video for 2007. Right? Right? Also in the top five: Daughtry's "It's Not Over," Pink's "U + Ur Hand," "Umbrella," and that Maroon 5 video where they're getting their Hall & Oates on while on a plane. Full list after the jump, but for now, etc., etc.
THE GOOD: Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right"—the best freestyle song of the past decade—lands at No. 7. Regina Spektor's lovely "Fidelity" squeaks in at No. 38. Carrie Underwood's super-smashy "Before He Cheats" is on there. And that Pink video is kinda fun. (Bonus: Depending on where you hear "U + Ur Hand," different lyrics—including the titular hand—get bleeped out!)
THE BAD: Two Nickelback videos. Two Daughtry videos. Two Fergie videos. Linkin Park. Colbie Caillat. The OneRepublic Phil Collins homage. That Bon Jovi "country" single that was basically Jon sleepwalking his way through a quieter version of "Never Say Goodbye." An Avril ballad. If you ever wanted to argue that pop this year had as much bad as it had good—if not more!—this list would be an excellent place to start.
THE WHAAAA? Who knew Lifehouse put out a record this year? Well, OK then.
Holy crap! "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs Of The '90s"! How do those words make you feel? Excited? Nauseated? Giddy? Not so fresh? Finally, the market leaders in repackaging entire decades into easily digestible canons of kitsch have weighed in on "ten years of tight music that was 'too legit to quit'"! (Yes, they actually said that!) The full list (without d-list talking heads) is after the jump, and you will never guess the No. 1 in a billion years. Maybe a zillion!
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VH1's Hip-Hop Dating Show: You Guys Called It
To think I could have gone out with Pepa! Or was the fix in all along?
Good evening, and welcome to exactly what it says in the headline. We're broadcasting live and relatively loud from my 
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