Crashing Satellites And Charity Albums: Just Another Day For The Pet Shop Boys

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, along with the entire Pet Shop Boys tour crew, missed having their plane from Chile to New Zealand hit by pieces of a disintegrating Russian satellite Tuesday night, according to The New Zealand Herald and the Boys' official site. The article said their aircraft was within about 40 seconds from potential catastrophe, and that the pilot heard the roar as the debris broke the sound barrier. Typically, the sleeping PSBs were "unaware of the drama."

In the meantime, members of the Pet Shop Boys fan forum Tennant-Lowe.com are close to finalizing an album of original music by artists inspired by Chris and Neil's output over the years. Like the calendar they organized last year, sales of the CD, titled Philanthropy, will benefit the British charity Kids First. As of now, they're looking for a label to distribute the album by the summer, so if anyone has a lead, give them a shout.

Here are clips of just two of the standout tracks off Philanthropy:

* "Music In The Subway" by Chris Kalera
* "Drama Queen" by Nathan Heinze

"Drama Queen" is apparently owned by Boy George. The forum is currently negotiating with him, I'm told, to get this track on the album. You can hear more clips here and on this MySpace.

Pet Shop Boys are in our new poll, in the sidebar!

Poll Results: Beyoncé And Shakira's Duet... WTF?

On one hand, ideally you'd expect something spectacular from "Beautiful Liar," a duet by curvey divas Beyoncé and Shakira. But then on the other hand... it's a duet by curvey divas Beyoncé and Shakira. History is littered with these throwaway, made-to-make-money meetings of the ego -- Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream," whatever that one was by Whitney and Mariah from that flop animation movie, whatever that one was by Whitney and Bobby Brown, whatever that one was by Whitney and Enrique Iglesias and whatever that one was by Whitney and George Michael.

Anyway, "Beautiful Liar" won our "What's The Biggest WTF In Pop Music Right Now?" poll with 13 of the 44 votes cast. I'm just irked by the fact that Shakira might get another #1 out the deal.

The rest of the poll results:

2. Mika...period. (8 votes)
3. Timbaland/Nelly Furtado/Justin Timbalake "Give It To Me" (7 votes)
4-5. Jeffree Star's EP/Robyn "Knonichiwa Bitches" (6 votes each)
6. Amy Winehouse "Rehab" (4 votes)

For the new poll up now in the sidebar, though these may not have been the selected artists best albums, they contained tracks that, in many folks' eyes, are memorable pop classics. Which one do you think most deserved to have gotten a single release?

A*Teens "Closer To Perfection," from 2002's Pop 'Til You Drop!

Britney Spears "What U See (Is What U Get)," from 2000's Oops!...I Did It Again

Dannii Minogue "Love Fight," from 2006's The Hits & Beyond

Pet Shop Boys "Integral," from 2006's Fundamental

Rachel Stevens "I Will Be There," from 2005's Come And Get It

Spice Girls "Tell Me Why," from 2000's Forever

Vote now in the poll up in the sidebar!

One Of Akon's 423 Current Singles Hits #1

I have to laugh, because last weekend when MoogaBoo and I were banterviewing about Scooch, somehow Akon came up, so we went off on him for a bit. But then I said, "Oh, he'll probably go to #1 next week with one single or another, so let's just save that bit." And, here we have it; "Don't Matter" is this week's top song on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. In the past four months he's been in the Top 10 with collaboration singles with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Gwen Stefani, but this is his first one flying solo in that time.

Speaking of Gwen, you know The Sweet Escape (the album) must be in the shitcan when she ended up schlepping two nights in a row on American Idol, dragging Akon along for a live performance. Oh, I kid, of course. Idol is a ratings juggernaught, and what pop star would turn down the opportunity for that kind of publicity (especially when they start touring in April, and ticket sales are so-so)? But thank Christ for Sanjaya Malakar. He may be the worst singer, but that by default makes him the only remotely interesting Idol this year.

Here's the clip of of Gwen and Akon. Not sure if she wasn't feeling well or what, but she sounds like she just swallowed Sanjaya's wig.



And just when you're lamenting the fact that there hasn't been an old-school superstar duet in years, along comes Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar." Unfortunately, it's a bit more Madonna and Britney than Barbra and Donna for my taste, but they've no doubt broken some record or other by jumping from #94 to #3 this week.

Finally, Pink scores a belated second Top 20 hit as "U + Ur Hand" moves 10 spots to #19, and -- Simon Cowell! Stop!!! Pull Katharine McPhee out of the recycle bin! "Over It" has finally moved into the Top 40, jumping 20 positions to #29 to become this week's Sales Gainer on the chart.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Don't Matter" - Akon *1 week* *airplay gainer*
2. "Glamorous" - Fergie feat. Ludacris
3. "Beautiful Liar" - Beyoncé & Shakira
4. "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims
5. "Cupid's Chokehold" - Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump
6. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
7. "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne
8. "Throw Some D's" - Rich Boy feat. Polow Da Don
9. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
10. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry

Last day to vote in the WTF poll, in the sidebar.

No News Shaping Up To Be Good News For Stock Aitken Waterman?

For the first time in months, PWL Studios updated their site yesterday with news of the long-incubating Stock Aitken Waterman reunion first announced in late 2005. This is the message they posted:

"www.pwl-empire.com can confirm that the boys have recently been in the studios together and HAVE recorded a brand new track! Although further details of this project can't be released at this current time we thought that you'd all like to be the first to hear this fantastic news! Please keep checking back for updates on this breaking news story as, and when, we get them! Remember, this site is the only place where you can get officially-confirmed information about the latest phase of the Stock Aitken Waterman reunion!"

Meanwhile, Mobius has the scoop on his site that both Pete Burns and B.W.O.'s Alexander Bard have been popping in at PWL recently.

The Bravery Get Their Recompense

Oh, how a good Sam Endicott / Brandon Flowers verbal catfight inspired one write-up after another here in the early days of Chart Rigger...

But as The Bravery failed to ignite much interest after a promising Top 20 U.S. album debut in spring 2005, and Top 10 single in England earlier that year, The Killers went on to stake their winning claim on the hearts of those who like their fey indie/pop bands slathered in glittering eyeliner.

However, during the past two years, Endicott and Co. have busied themselves working on their sophomore album while The Killers busied themselves with jamming Brandon Flowers' delusions of grandeur up all four of their asses and watching their frontman generate the type of bad will toward others that would make George W. Bush loving open his arms and call him "son."

So, on to The Bravery's new single, "Time Won't Let Me Go" (added to iTunes yesterday): The band have clearly ditched the retro-'80s gimmickry of yore, which they want you to know right off the bat...the opening strains of "Time..." echo those of "Tyrant," a moody new wave dirge off their debut album. It only lasts for a second, though, as Matchbox Twenty-type guitar riffs wail in and take over. That's surprisingly not bad thing, though! Sam typically whines the lyrics, working the reverb to the hilt, and what we get is a memorable rock ballad, not unlike Third Eye Blind's "How's It's Gonna Be" (has it really been 10 years since that was out?) with thankfully enough pop hooks that beg repeated listens -- something The Killers seem to have fatally forgotten about.

As a sidenote, I dug out The Bravery's first album last month and have been playing it regularly since then. Much unlike Sam's Town, it's held up over time as the dust of media hype has settled.

The Bravery's new album is out May 22. "Time Won't Let Me Go" is up now for download on iTunes.

Hilary Duff's Dignity: 2007's First Great Pop Album

Screw the boring Mika hype, forget the cheap, slapped-together trill of Katharine McPhee and throw your Amy Winehouse onto the fire.

It's no joke, kids; D'luv is fessing up and declaring that Hilary Duff -- one of Chart Rigger's fave starlets to diss in the early days -- has put out the first slam-dunk set of pop wizardry this year. I'd compare Dignity to Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby., but that album had a few clunkers. This one does not. Every Kylie-worthy track here is a winner, which is a rarity these days...an actual CD you'll stick with from start to finish.

Hilary co-wrote 13 of the 14 songs along with writer/producers who understood and nurtured her teen-pop sensibilities rather than tried to sex her up into some whored-out, Hip-hop Pussycat slut.

The sheer enjoyability of Dignity really can't be over-emphasized. The standouts are:

"Never Stop": It's 1985 and you're roller-skating on an electric-blue boardwalk at a sun-drenched beach with your headphones on and a red popsicle in hand...or at least that's how this choon (with hints of Thompson Twins' "If You Were Here," which you'll know if you ever watched the last scene of Sixteen Candles) makes you feel.

"Danger": Duff rebuffs an older gent trying to put the moves on her in this disco gem -- pointing out "the hundred girls you've had over time." Hmmm, Robbie Williams was born in '74...

"Outside Of You": The melody of the chorus is pure bliss and everything the rest of today's pop stars should be trying to achieve if they weren't so preoccupied with hiring boring hacks like Scott Storch and Pharrel.

"Happy": Ditto with this one. It's a post-breakup respect anthem that starts out with sleek electro-guitar riffs, then breaks into a Lisa Lisa/Debbie Deb freestyle stomper. It's followed by the similar-sounding Debbie D.-esque "Burned."

"Dreamer": Hil hums the melody of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" over an '80s synth pastiche that Gwen only wishes she netted for The Sweet Escape.

Trust me, if you've been lamenting the state of good old-fashioned fun pop, give the Duff a chance. There are definitely worse things you could spend your ten bucks on. Whereas most of her contemporaries have fallen victim to trashy tabloid affairs, divorces and rehab stints, 19-year-old Hilary has maintained a low profile, written a surprisingly smashing and relevant album and, ultimately, kept her dignity.

Dignity is out next Tuesday, April 3.

It's A Charity Single Flip-Flop In The U.K.

The Pete Kay and Matt Lucas take on The Proclaimers' classic "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" knocks fellow charity single "Walk This Way" from #1 this week on the official British singles chart. The former made a strong debut last week at #3 based on paid digital downloads alone. Nice for charity, but for bland for the ears.

It was a brief, though still impressive, one-week stay in the lower Top 10 for Kylie Minogue's new ingenue Calvin Harris, whose "Acceptable In The 80s" falls six places to #16. It's also worth noting that Ghosts' "Stay The Night," a rad slice of pop-rock, is sitting snug down at #25. Check out the video here.

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" - The Proclaimers *1 week*
2. "Walk This Way" - Sugbabes vs. Girls Aloud
3. "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne *new*
4. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
5. "Destination Calabria" - Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters
6. "How To Save A Life" - The Fray
7. "Shine" - Take That
8. "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
9. "Our Velocity" - Maximo Park *new*
10. "Glamorous" - Fergie feat. Ludacris

New poll up now in the sidebar.

Banterview: There's No Pop Justice For Scooch

Much to the horror of some supposed pop fans, Britain made it's mind up and is sending cheeseball foursome Scooch to Eurovision.

MOOGABOO: So, do we really think Scooch have a chance of resurrecting their career with Eurovision?

J'ASON D'LUV: "Flying The Flag (For You)" is #30 already on U.K. iTunes, That's not great, but once the CD single is released in a couple weeks, it should at least guarantee they go to #38 on the U.K. chart. That's like going quadruple platinum compared to how their 2000 album Four Sure did.

M: I'm blasting said album for the first time in years. I forgot how good it is.

JD: There are some great choons on there. So, David Ducasse, the queen doing all the "Flying The Flag" flight-attendant innuendo one-liners -- "Would you like something to SUCK on for landing, SIR?" -- he's the one Mike Stock got pregnant, right?

M: I did think those kitschy asides were a bit unnecessary, but then, I'm in my thirties.

JD: Speaking of unnecessary, lead singer Natalie Powers' website, which I have never visited, mind you, has been promising every month for five years that she's "in the studio." I expect she'll finally put out a 10-disc box set around Christmas 2009.

M: Here's the big question regarding Eurovision: Why Scooch, when there are so many younger, prettier, more relevant starlets they could have plugged into the prefab equation? Or did they dent the culture more significantly than I imagined back in 2000?

JD: I actually feel like Scooch never stood out seven years ago because they were just a cheap copy of Steps in an already over-saturated market of better bubblegum groups. But now they sound downright revolutionary, since there's nothing else around that's pure pop at the moment. But, to answer your question, most acts probably feel they'd be tainting their credible legacy by slumming at Eurovision. God, Lolly can be such a snob.

M: Well, once you go acoustic, it's hard to turn back.

JD: I remember hearing somewhere Natalie Powers actually secretly did the main vocals on "The Fast Food Song."

M: I heard that, too. Now, Fast Food Rockers -- there's a group I wouldn't be surprised to see doing Eurovision. They must be steamed that they were passed over.

JD: FFR's usual fee of a warm bed and a box of thin mints would be a bit steep for any producer to take on. Getting Scooch was probably like finding a Van Gogh at a swap meet.

M: Plus, I think I read that Scooch will do their own hair and makeup.

JD: Oh, yeah...David probably has his own Caboodle case and does all their hair and makeup.

M: Is Mike Stock behind "Flying The Flag"?

JD: No, the blond guy, Russ Spencer, wrote it with Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill and Paul Tarry. Last I heard, Mike Stock was briefly whoring his reputation to some star-maker scheme called IShouldBeSoLucky.com, where young hopefuls pay a fee and get insider advice from "real professionals." His name was curiously removed from the site a few months after it went up.

M: Wow. Just when you think the former members of S/A/W can't sink any lower (see: The Fat Cowboy), they manage to pull one out and surprise you. Well, Scooch have created a storm over at the Pop Justice forum...

JD: Oh, did I ever tell you I've finally been un-banned from that place? I must be losing my edge. I originally got booted for arguing with some guy we'll call "Jerkland" about Christina Aguilera. He was going on about how superior her crappy flop double-CD was going to be, and I told him she was a dried-out tuna funnel.

M: When the Scooch news broke, Jerkland started a thread entitled What Pop Should Be About, then proceeded to declare earnestly, "I have a talent for getting reactions out of people! It's going to help in the long run for me." It was so pompous! But not entirely out of character for him, or the site in general.

JD: I always liked Pop Justice until the brief one- or two-week period I stepped into the forum and looked into the eyes of a hundred dark, bitter souls who I imagine sit around in their pajamas furiously typing about Cheryl Tweedy's secret solo career plans with one finger, while chain-smoking with the other four. Then the mailman comes and brings them their unemployment check, but they're too busy arguing with each other endlessly in a thread about Mutya's new bangs to go cash it.

M: You've made them sound far too interesting. The ongoing backbiting and gang fighting over Rachel Stevens is really something to behold. And then there are the ones who seem like they just read about Andy Warhol in their sophomore art class and babble on for pages about how important this or that pop record is. Ah, to relive those days when you were too young to know you're trite....

JD: Poor Mr. PJ really doesn't have control over the denizens of that forum who bubble and writhe like bloodthirsty piranha in the depths of the Amazon, and I can't blame him personally for me getting banned. Forums take on a life of their own, and maybe he feels like Dr. Moreau, waiting for pop justice to eat itself.

M: The site now seems to have an aversion to anything that isn't edgy. And really, that's fine. But they frequently remind me of my punk-loving older brother writing "STACEY Q SUCKS" on a piece of masking tape and sticking it to the back of my jacket in junior high. Know what I mean?

JD: It really is a massive ball of pointless, negative energy for anything that isn't Amy Winehouse. Where's the justice in that?

M: In Amy's publicist's bank account?

JD: Oh, well. Scooch will always have a home here...albeit one where they get slapped around a little if they don't eat all their vegetables.

M: Yes, Chart Rigger is the Ellis Island of discarded pop survivors. But in the end, what happened to PJ could happen to CR. Thank goodness we have our regular fans and commentors to keep us grounded.

JD: Indeed. Wait...which one of us is the fan and which one is the commentor?

"Flying The Flag (For You)" is available in most territories on iTunes.

Poll Results: Rihanna & Hilary Duff Most Likely To Outlast Their Contemporaries

I kept the latest poll up a day extra, since the poll site was being a bit wonky yesterday and it wouldn't show up here for some reason.

But, the final results to the Which of today's young pop starlets will blossom into tomorrow's powerhouse divas in 10 years time? survey shows that you all think Rihanna and Hilary Duff are the likely choices. They each received 10 votes out of the 49 total cast. Alas, only time will tell for these budding tarts.

Male crooner Chris Brown was thrown in as a joke, but he surprisingly came in second place, tying with Leona Lewis.

Below are the rest of the results:

2-3. Chris Brown / Leona Lewis (9 votes each)
4. Ashley Tisdale (7 votes)
5. Ashlee Simpson (4 votes)

Brand new poll up now in the sidebar.

Hilary Duff Gets Some Love On The Pop Chart

Bless these marketing-savvy tween stars and their cross-promotion. Hilary Duff, who recently launched her own fragrance called With Love, sees her same-titled single land the Hot Shot Debut at #42 this week on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. This has less to do with major radio airplay and more to do with "With Love" being free when her album Dignity is pre-order-downloaded from iTunes. Katharine McPhee re-enters the Top 50 a few positions down at #49 with "Over It."

One single that is getting long-overdue airplay is "U + Ur Hand" by P!nk, which is up seven places to #29. On the album chart, Amy Winehouse makes an impressive Stateside debut at #7 with Back To Black. Back on the Hot 100, Amy's "You Know I'm No Good" enters at #90 with "Rehab" also debuting one notch below.

And so much for the short-lived pop-infused Top 10 -- this week it seems it's back to being crowded with cookie-cutter R&B again.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Glamorous" - Fergie feat. Ludacris *2 weeks*
2. "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims
3. "Don't Matter" - Akon *airplay gainer*
4. "Cupid's Chokehold" - Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump
5. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
6. "Throw Some D's" - Rich Boy feat. Polow Da Don *sales gainer*
7. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
8. "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne
9. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
10. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" - Fall Out Boy

Last day to vote in the pop starlet poll, in the sidebar.

No More "Live" For Total Request Live?

Gosh, you turn around anymore and once again, another era has ended.

Is it sappy to feel a tug on the ol' heart strings upon seeing the news that MTV's Total Request Live, or TRL, is no longer to be taped entirely live? Surely that must spell out some sort of impending doom for the pop program, which first aired back in September 1998 and was the place for musicians and actors to appear at.

Granted, I haven't watched TRL in about seven years...which is apparently the problem. The show, which has seen viewership take a dive in recent years, is still aired live on Mondays and Wednesdays, but another episode is immediately taped following those broadcasts to be shown the following days, in an effort to save money.

Likely, with more and more people keeping up with pop music at Chart Rigger -- I mean online -- there's no longer the demand for a once-a-day TV show that fills people in.

When I look back on the late '90s and early '00s, it always seemed like TRL was on somewhere in the background -- while having a phone conversation, making dinner, visiting a friend. Like I said, I quit watching when Carson Daly was still the host (and couldn't even name who's on there now), but that nostalgia reflex we all have has me lamenting, Why didn't I ever camp out at Times Square to catch a glimpse of J.C. Chasez's elbow through a window back when I had the chance?

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

Scooch's Winning Song Hits U.S. iTunes

Well, no sooner did I gripe in that last post that there hasn't been anything good put on iTunes lately than I'm forced to eat my words. Saturday's winners to represent the U.K. at Eurovision this year, Scooch have surprisingly seen their "Flying The Flag (For You)" added to the U.S. online store. Meanwhile, a scandal seems to be brewing regarding the foursome's use of backing singers with their win.

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

Cut Above The Rest

Since there's no great new pop out lately (unless the Beyoncé and Shakira duet -- now up on iTunes -- is rockin' your socket), why not go old school with the remastered Bananarama reissues from Warner Bros...

You can't beat the $10.99 price tag for each over at Siren Disc (Thanks, XO, for pointing that out). With an added CD of extra goodies, the six albums were released yesterday (though Deep Sea Skiving and Wow! appear to be back-ordered at Siren).







Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

Sugababes & Girls Aloud Take Red Nose #1

It was the battle of the dueling Comic Relief "Red Nose Day" charity singles this week, as Sugababes and Girls Aloud hit the #1 position on the British singles chart with their joint cover of the Aerosmith and Run D.M.C. version of "Walk This Way." Technically, though, their competition -- "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" by The Proclaimers featuring Peter Kay and Little Britain's Matt Lucas (as his character "Andy Pipkin") -- isn't physically released as a CD single until tomorrow, so it's #3 placing off digital sales alone is quite impressive. The real challenge will be if the "500 Miles" can bump that pack of broads from the top next week.

Despite a steady flow of singles in recent years, you have to go all the way back to November 2004 to find when Girls Aloud last topped the U.K. singles chart, with their (unnecessary) cover of The Pretenders' soppy "I'll Stand By You." Sugbabes last reached #1 with the massive "Push The Button" in October 2005.

As for Scottish twins The Proclaimers, "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" first charted at #11 in their home country in 1988. Its inclusion on the soundtrack to the 1993 Johnny Depp film Benny & Joon saw the single re-released in the States, where it hit an impressive #3 on the Billboard singles chart.

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "Walk This Way" - Sugbabes vs. Girls Aloud *1 week* *new*
2. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
3. "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" - The Proclaimers *new*
4. "Shine" - Take That
5. "How To Save A Life" - The Fray
6. "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
7. "Grace Kelly" - Mika
8. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
9. "The Creeps" - Camille Jones vs. Fedde Le Grand
10. "Acceptable In The 80s" - Calvin Harris

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

England Makes Its Mind Up, Scooch To Fly The Flag At Eurovision

I am floored...FLOORED...that Scooch won the ticket to represent England in Eurovision today, let alone that they're even back from the dead.

D'luv's always had a strange sixth sense when it comes to this stuff, though. Three months ago yesterday I did a D'luvvly nostalgic post on the pop foursome, who were once producers Mike Stock and Matt Aitken's competition to their former partner Pete Waterman's act, Steps.

Scooch's success peaked in 2000, as they scored a U.K. Top 5 hit that January with vastly underrated pop classic "More Than I Needed To Know," [Video] racked up two more Top 15 hits with "The Best Is Yet To Come" [Video] and "For Sure" and put their one and only album out. Ironically, it was also the same year another former Stock/Aitken artist, Nicki French, represented Britain in Eurovision. [D'luv's interview with Nicki French]

If you've yet to hear "Flying The Flag (For You)," you're missing out on the grandest pop trifle of '07 so far.



WATCH: Scooch doing press junket to promote Eurovision

Oh, Begorrah!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Last year I posted a video by Irish rockers Snow Patrol on the green holiday, but was admonished for snubbing B*Witched. So, this year, I'm making up for it with a clip of something two lovely young ladies made called Ghetto "C'est La Vie":



Crikey!

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

The Promise Of A New Royalty Check

This classiness is out May 8 from EMI here in the States.

Going old school, this greatest hits compilation pretty much features all of Paula Abdul's singles in chronological order. Her six U.S. #1 singles will also get a "digital release" (one would assume on iTunes).

Here's the tracklist:

1. Forever Your Girl
2. Straight Up
3. Cold Hearted
4. The Way That You Love Me
5. Knocked Out
6. One Or The Other
7. Opposites Attract
8. Rush, Rush
9. The Promise Of A New Day
10. Blowing Kisses In The Wind
11. Vibeology
12. Bend Time Back Around
13. Will You Marry Me?
14. My Love Is For Real
15. Crazy Cool
16. If I Were Your Girl
17. Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up
18. It's All About Feeling Good

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

Wannabe Chola Fergie Wages Reign Of Terror On America With Another #1

Somehow Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been detained while Fergie is free to commit identity theft (see: Gwen Stefani) and verbal assault ("London Bridge") on innocents. This week The Dutchess achieves her second solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart with "Glamorous." Elsewhere, Christina Aguilera squeaks into the Top 40 with "Candyman," up 16 places to #31, and it's better late than never for Pink's "U + Ur Hand," which has finally found life at radio. That single also moves 16 positions to #36.

Notorious B.I.G.'s Greatest Hits tops the album chart, with a so-so sales week of 99,000 copies. D'luv still maintains that Biggie and Tupac are alive and well, holed up in some European mountain resort balancing stacks of cash on the breasts of rapidly gyrating video vixens.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Glamorous" - Fergie feat. Ludacris *1 week* *sales gainer*
2. "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims
3. "Don't Matter" - Akon *airplay gainer*
4. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
5. "Cupid's Chokehold" - Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump
6. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" - Fall Out Boy
7. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
8. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
9. "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne
10. "Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado

Vote for which pop starlet will still be around in 10 years, in the sidebar.

Ne-Yo Goes Pop

On first listen, the beat and vocals in Ne-Yo's new single "Because Of You" sound like a Michael Jackson homage, a la "Rock With You"...


But then the chorus kicks in and you can almost hear S Club 8 or Steps putting this out back in the day. Like Rihanna last spring and JoJo in the fall, Ne-Yo has snuck up out of nowhere to unleash a bona fide pop classic.

Poll Results: "Better The Devil You Know" Shoulda Gone To #1

With a landslide 40 votes, Kylie Minogue's 1990 single "Better The Devil You Know" topped last week's poll on which pop classic from a list of seven should have gone to #1, but failed to, in both the U.S. and U.K.

In Britain, "Better The Devil You Know" was the lead single off Kylie's third album, Rhythm Of Love. Widely considered to be the masterpiece crafted by hitmaking trio Stock Aitken Waterman, the song climbed no higher than #2 in April 1990. Though it's not substantiated, legend has it either Kylie, Pete Waterman or Mike Stock wanted a song that sounded like D-Mob's hit at the time, "C'mon And Get My Love," which featured vocals by Cathy Dennis.

Cathy, of course, would go on to write songs for Kylie's Fever album 11 years later, including "Can't Get You Out Of My Head."

Sadly, Kylie's U.S. label Geffen dropped her after second album Enjoy Yourself didn't yield any hits for the minx. "Better The Devil You Know" did manage to get slapped on the MCA Records soundtrack to the 1991 Richard Grieco epic If Looks Could Kill, where it played alongside tunes by faded '80s one-hit rockers The Outfield, The Fixx and Trixter (hot). Needless to say, the song didn't chart here, and Kylie wouldn't have another American hit till 2002, when "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" peaked at #7.

Here's the video for "Better The Devil You Know," and below it are the rest of the poll results:



2. M People "Moving On Up" (23 votes)
3. *NSync "Bye Bye Bye" (10 votes)
4. Robyn "Show Me Love" (9 votes)
5. Cassie "Me & U" (6 votes)
6-7. Real McCoy "Another Night"/Natasha Bedingfield "Unwritten" (3 votes)

Be sure to vote in the new poll (up now) on which young pop starlet is most likely to still be around a decade from now.

Katherine McPhee Opens Herself Up To Making "Over It" A Hit

Katharine McPhee finally got around to making a video for "Over It," which hopefully hasn't missed it's window of opportunity to become a hit yet.


The song itself has yo-yo'd up and down the iTunes download chart since late January, and has yet to enter the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The video didn't premiere till late February, which probably didn't help matters, though "Over It" has lurched up to #26 today on iTunes.

Now, as you watch the video, you may be thinking, Golly, Katharine's so young...so inexperienced...so gawky and dewey-eyed in front of the camera. Then at about 1:47, she's filming herself lifting her dress and flashing her panties, and you realize, despite the initial doubt, she's an American Idol pro after all. Plus, it just goes to show that she's an artist aware of the importance of continuity, since she's keeping with the theme of her album's cover.

Hey, Ruben Studdard never hiked up his skirt, and look where that's gotten him. A big ol' nowhere.

Jason Donovan's "Sexy Kylie Details"

Jason Donovan's memoir is due out this fall, and of course the media is mostly focusing on what he might have to say about his former relationship with Kylie Minogue. "The chapters about Kylie are absolutely gripping and have every sexy detail about Kylie," said a publishing executive at HarperCollins, the Mirror reported. "He reveals how close they came to marriage—and details of the full story of how they got together and how it all came to a sad end."

Oooh... sexy Kylie details! Why don't they just call the book that? Wait, who's the book about again? Poor Jason. Or not so poor -- HarperCollins paid him £1 million for his story. Plus, great timing, what with Kylie gearing up to put new music out later this year.

Meanwhile, for the past two weeks I've been enthralled with Rupert Everett's autobiography, Red Carpets And Other Banana Skins...

Rupert's a great cad and a wonderful writer. There's not been a dull moment! Here's a little six degrees of seperation (or four, as it were): in the book is a chapter on the actor's friendship in the '80s with British journalist and TV personality Paula Yates. Back around 1989, Kylie left Jason Donovan for Michael Hutchence of INXS. When that relationship ended, Michael hooked up with Paula Yates.

There is also a chapter on how Rupert spent a comically tragic year (1987) attempting to be a pop star. He was managed by Wham!'s own Simon Napier-Bell. My credibility was shredded, my character was sucked up in the tornado, ripped apart and scattered, he laments.

Last day to vote in the "who should have gone to #1" poll in the sidebar.

Take That Shines, But Love Ain't Here Anymore For Robbie Williams

Fedde La Grand is back in the Top 10 of the U.K. singles chart this week with a reworked version of Camille Jones' 2005 single "The Creeps." He was at #1 in the fall with "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit." A pair not in the Top 10 this week is Robbie Williams and the Pet Shop Boys, though "She's Madonna" managed to debut at #16, a notch higher than midweek figures had shown.

"She's Madonna" makes the Pet Shop Boys best chart appearance since "I'm With Stupid" went in at #8 last May. For Robbie, however, it's his second-lowest showing, behind only "Sin Sin Sin."

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "Shine" - Take That *2 weeks*
2. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
3. "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
4. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
5. "How To Save A Life" - The Fray
6. "Grace Kelly" - Mika
7. "The Creeps" - Camille Jones vs. Fedde Le Grand
8. "Lil Star" - Kelis feat. Cee-Lo
9. "Standing In The Way Of Control" - The Gossip
10. "Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado

New poll up now in the sidebar.

Music Junkie Digest: Where My Girls At?

Surely you remember Sean "Diddy" Combs' low-rent skank troupe Danity Kane, the Pussycat Dolls knockoffs he vomitted onto the public last year?

The Kane are currently schlepping across the U.S. playing third banana on a bill with Christina Aguilera and PCD. But reading music blog R&B Week's recent post about them -- or rather the comments on the post -- sheds some brow-raising light:

Ciceroe says:
"Where's Danity Kane? The same place as Ness, Babs, that R&B chick (forgot her name, shorty that had the single with Jim Jones) and everyone else that was dumb enough to sign that paper with Puff. THE SHELF."
Soulful One says:
"I HEARD DIDDY AINT EVEN GIVE THEM A STYLIST"
Kerri...MySpace Superstar says:
"FUCK DANITY KANE..."

Meanwhile, speaking of Pussycat Dolls, The Village Voice ran a great review of new reality show The Search For The Next Doll.

The program sets out to find a seventh member for the girl group (because backing up Nicole Scherzinger apparently takes an army). Here's the hottest bit from the write-up: "Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray, in all his douchebag glory, is on board to serve as this show's ghetto-ass Ryan Seacrest. The only person to register any sort of personality thus far is Scherzinger, who seems like a complete dip." So, remember years ago when Mark McGrath told Rolling Stone that he's lousy in bed, "average-sized" and can only last a minute or two? God, that made me hot.

Elsewhere, in the ongoing woeful saga of All Saints, the girls have taken to their MySpace page with a statement to their fans: "As usual the press seems hell bent on repeating their negative reporting and we just felt it was time to say something official... We are so happy with the way our single "Rock Steady" went in November... Of course we're really disappointed that things didn't work out with our album, Studio 1, on Parlophone. We've just hit some very weird turns along the way with some of the media... We're going to continue making our music and we'll keep you in the picture as things go."

You can read the full statement here. And finally, this week 10 years ago (!), Spice Girls were riding high in both the U.S. and the U.K.

They were in the midst of a four-week stay at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart with "Wannabe," while in Britain, the double A-side Comic Relief single "Mama/Who Do You Think You Are" was #1.

Vote for which classic pop jam shoulda made it to #1, in the sidebar.

Everything Changes For Robbie Williams

Oh, Robbie Williams, how quickly things have slid south. MTV has reported that the midweek U.K. chart position for his latest single, "She's Madonna," is a deadly #17. If it stays there by Sunday, it'll make his second-lowest-charting single in England, followed by "Sin Sin Sin" (#22). Where to put the blame: The Pet Shop Boys? Robbie's rehab stint? Or, perhaps, his day has finally come and gone.

Ironically, Take That, who Robbie turned down reforming with, are tipped to retain their #1 position with "Shine" for a second week.

Vote for which classic pop jam shoulda made it to #1, in the sidebar.

Avril Lavigne Is The Top 10's New "Girlfriend"

As dismissed as "Girlfriend" has been for being too "pop," it's certainly doing well for Avril Lavigne this week on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, where it lands the Hot Shot Debut at #5. Her previous single, "Keep Holding On," peaked at #17 a few months back. Meanwhile, it's the return of Fergie and "Glamorous" into the Top 10. For some reason, iTunes had removed the song's availability from the online store the week it first charted at #9, which caused it to rapidly drop out of the Top 40 within two weeks.

But this week the bouncy wannabe chola flies up from #55 to #8 with "Glamorous" following the song being made available for download again. If only there was a version without the tacky "if you ain't got no money" rap by Ludacris. Like Fergie, Rihanna also has a third Top 10 single off her latest album. "Break It Off" was previously unavailable for paid download until last month. Around this time last year, Rihanna's "S.O.S." was floundering in the lower Top 40 until Def Jam released it to iTunes along with the rest of A Girl Like Me.

Keeping with the previous couple weeks, it's a pretty snazzy Top 10 overall. On the Top 200 Albums chart, Daughtry reclaims the #1 position.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims *2 weeks*
2. "Don't Matter" - Akon *airplay gainer*
3. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
4. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
5. "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne *new / hot shot debut*
6. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" - Fall Out Boy
7. "Cupid's Chokehold" - Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump
8. "Glamorous" - Fergie feat. Ludacris
9. "Break It Off" - Rihanna feat. Sean Paul
10. "Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado

Vote for which classic pop jam shoulda made it to #1, in the sidebar.

Poll Results: No More American Idols

The results are in, though they only amounted to a small handful of votes. Last week's poll was on how much American Idol-related music you buy...

Fifteen votes came in for "F*** all that noise -- to quote Katharine McPhee, I'm so over it." On the other hand, only two folks indicated they buy all music by anyone connected with the show, and two noted they "only buy music by the winner because losers suck."

Moving on, there's a spankin' new poll in the sidebar, this time on seven pop singles from the past two decades that narrowly missed hitting #1 on both the U.S. or U.K. chart. Which one do you feel deserved to go all the way? Here are the contenders:








Don't forget to vote!

Stock Aitken Waterman, Big Band Style!

Okay, there's camp and then there's camp...and D'luv's latest iTunes discovery fits both bills. Behold, Radio Sounds Orchestra's full instrumental (and, yes, orchestral) album of Stock Aitken Waterman cover versions. The album is originally from 1991, and was issued on a swiss label called Viteka Music. Even renowned SAW expert Jeremy Kay only discovered this obscure compilation last year (check out the full details of it in the June 28, 2006 entry on his blog.)

The tunes themself sound like you're at a high school football game and the whole marching band's gone gay. So in other words, I downloaded it immediately! It's great to hear some of the background chords and flares in the songs that are normally obscured by vocals, even if these are only cover versions. What's odd is the inclusion of several lesser-known Kylie Minogue album tracks from Enjoy Yourself. But kudos for including The Three Degrees' "The Heaven I Need" and Jason Donovan's "Another Night."

Here's the tracklist (with the original artist in parentheses):

"Never Gonna Give You Up" (Rick Astley)
"Roadblock" (Stock Aitken Waterman)
"This Time I Know It's For Real" (Donna Summer)
"Telltale Signs" (Kylie Minogue)
"Just Don't Have The Heart" (Cliff Richard)
"Especially For You" (Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan)
"The Heaven I Need" (The Three Degrees)
"I Heard A Rumour" (Bananarama)
"F.L.M." (Mel & Kim)
"Too Many Broken Hearts" (Jason Donovan)
"Heaven And Earth" (Kylie Minogue)
"In Another Place And Time" (Donna Summer)
"Love In The First Degree" (Bananarama)
"I Just Can't Wait" (Mandy)
"Another Night" (Jason Donovan)
"Together Forever" (Rick Astley)

The Radio Sounds Orchestra Plays Stock Aitken Waterman is available on both U.S. and U.K. iTunes.

Drop Steady

Well, once the NME reports it, you know it's official. All Saints, who staged a comeback this past fall, have been dropped by British label Parlophone.

The writing was pretty much on the wall when the Parlophone didn't issue a physical CD single for "Chick Fit" (which caused it to fail in cracking the British Top 200 singles) and rumors had been swirling that the foursome would be dropped after dismal sales of their album Studio 1.

Oh well, R.I.P., hookers. Here they are in happier times, with a song that was enjoying a #1 stay in the U.K. right about this time seven years ago:



Meanwhile, The Beach... great book, godawful movie.

Kelis Coincidentally Announces Reality Show Following Highly Publicized Arrest

First Victoria Beckham, and now Kelis. And no, we're not talking about getting arrested for swearing at undercover hookers in Miami...

Following the latest trend of pop stars whose career has gone further south than Antarctica, Kelis is doing a MTV reality show called Mr. And Mrs. Jones, which will feature her and husband Nas as they prepare to go on tour together. Hmmm. Suddenly that arrest on Friday, which got her the most press she's had in years, seems rather suspect. Nice timing.

Meanwhile, though "Bossy," her lone hit off Kelis Was Here, only went to #16 last summer here in the States, last week she had a resurgence in the U.K. when "Lil Star" peaked at #3. This week it's at #6.

Take That Land 10th U.K. Chart Topper

I wouldn't have called Take That's latest single "Shine" for making it atop the British singles chart, but nevertheless, that's where it finds itself this week.

"Shine" now gives the seminal boy band a grand total of 10 #1 singles in their home country. And, lest we forget, as the foursome celebrate their latest triumph, former member Robbie Williams -- who turned down the offer to rejoin the band -- is in rehab. His new single, "She's Madonna," is released tomorrow.

Meanwhile, trash-talkin' lesbian Beth Ditto and her band The Gossip barge their way up to #7 with "Standing In The Way Of Control," which is growing on me more and more each time I play it. Whether she's telling the press how Britney Spears looks like "a butch dyke," knocking on Kate Moss for appearing at the NME Awards or dissing Victoria Beckham for trading in "girl power" for being thin to get attention, this giant broad always has something classy to say. It's certainly not hurt her single, and the British press seem to be eating it up.

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "Shine" - Take That *1 week*
2. "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
3. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
4. "Grace Kelly" - Mika
5. "How To Save A Life" - The Fray
6. "Lil Star" - Kelis feat. Cee-Lo
7. "Standing In The Way Of Control" - The Gossip
8. "Miracle" - Cascada *new*
9. "I Wanna Love You" - Akon feat. Snoop Dogg
10. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake

New poll up now in the sidebar.

You Get The Feeling The Marketing Is Amiss

With little to no fanfare, The Feeling's Twelve Stops And Home was released in America this week with the most generic cover art possible.

Not only that, the songs are all resequenced so that the U.K. singles are all the first tracks. Ah well, perhaps sales will pick up as their tour commences through March and April. Right now it's not even registering in the iTunes 100 albums, and on Amazon its sales rank is a lowly #755.

Mims And Rihanna Make Leaps And Bounds

Hoo-ray! Another rapper going off about how bling fly he is and how much cash he got tops the chart! Mims' "This Is Why I'm Hot" is now the third consecutive #1 in three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. And while the single impressively moved up from #32 to the top, even more impressive is Rihanna's jump from #52 to #10 with "Break It Off," her duet with Sean Paul. This was my favorite off her last album, with its frenetic dance-pop/reggae beat. Outside the Top 10, snoozey Robin Thicke continues his slow climb with "Lost Without U," at #18 this week.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "This Is Why I'm Hot" - Mims *1 week* *airplay gainer*
2. "Don't Matter" - Akon *airplay gainer*
3. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
4. "The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
5. "Cupid's Chokehold" - Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump
6. "Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
7. "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
8. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" - Fall Out Boy
9. "Runaway Love" - Ludacris feat. Mary J. Blige
10. "Break It Off" - Rihanna feat. Sean Paul

New poll up now in the sidebar.