The wrongly maligned year of Christina Aguilera

Poor Christina Aguilera.

2010 was supposed to be her star, comeback year after disappearing for more than 4 years.  She had been hailed as having one of the best voices in pop music, and she was also one of the sexiest for a while.  For months there had been buzz about the release of “Bionic”–it had been hyped for months due to the amount of collaborators Aguilera would be working with and because it would be her return to the music scene.   With a list of producers like M.I.A., Peaches, Sia, and Nicki Minaj, it seemed like Aguilera would at least have an interesting album to return with.

Then “Not Myself Tonight” was released.

I’m back!!

Hello, hello blog readers!

I had to take a long break from blogging because of school–frankly, I just didn’t have enough time to write the long ass posts I’ve been dying to for months.  I have been dying to return though because while I’ve been posting on Tumblr, Twitter etc it really doesn’t compare to what I would like to be writing about.  So I’m back for the time being and will be posting about whatever strikes me as interesting.  Keep reading and tell all your friends!  I’m also considering starting a new blog, or moving entirely to a new blog for movie analysis, spotlights on actors etc but I haven’t decided yet… For now though I’m keeping this one.

Until next time….

Anna Nalick has a new song out!

You might remember my post from a few months ago wondering where Anna Nalick disappeared to, well she’s been found and today she posted a new song titled “the Lullaby Singer” to her official website.  It’s way better than the cheesy “Shine” she released a few years ago and it’s a pretty catchy song filled with her usual tongue in cheek lyrics.

I for one am SO happy that she’s finally releasing new music and I hope that now that she’s escaped Epic she will be able to release her music faster and however she wants to.

You can listen to the song after the jump and let me know what you think in the comments…..

Zac Efron on Charlie St. Cloud cross-country promotional tour

Since Charlie St. Cloud comes out in two days, Zac Efron has been promoting the movie like his life depends on it.  And really, if you think about it, it does.  This is his first movie that should appeal to teens as well as adults and the first one where his acting chops will really be scrutinized.  I’m not really sure how it’s going to fare, but I do think it will be interesting to see how the critics react to his acting.  As I’ve said before, Zac’s an extremely talented actor, he just needs the right script to display it.

Anyway, Zac’s been on a cross-country tour for Charlie St. Cloud hitting nearly every major city in the US (except for mine, of course) and meeting tons of fans all of which you can find pictures of after the cut.  To me, Zac seems like one of the most genuinely nicest actor working right now and even though he’s pretty much bullet proof in interviews (I think I’ve only seen his real personality about five times in the past four years), I like that about him.  He keeps up appearences and projects only the best parts of himself.  Unless of course he’s perfect and everything you see in intervies is real.

Robyn releases adorable, amazing etc new video for “Hang With Me”

There’s just something about Robyn that I love so much.  She’s extremely cute, a badass, and her brand of pop music is actually smart and biting.  I just got her new album “Body Language Pt. 1″ yesterday and I seriously haven’t been able to stop listening to it.  The only thing I dislike about it is that the single version of “Hang With Me” is not included…. Because it’s coming out with Pt. 2 released in September.

In support of that album, Robyn’s relased a new video for the song and holy crap is it great.  Leave it to Robyn to take the cliched touring idea and make it fresh and innovative.  The video really gives you an inside look at her personality and the spirit of being on the road.  And the song is all kinds of amazing.  So please come inside to watch….

James Franco and Freida Pinto on the set of Planet of the Apes prequel

Here’s the thing about James Franco and Freida Pinto:  I really love them (even though as of a month ago James was looking like a drug addict) but not in a Planet of the Apes prequel.  I would like to know who told them this was a great idea for their career.  Did Mark Wahlberg’s huge fail of a movie not tell them anything!?  Didn’t Davey Franco say that James told him never to do a movie for the money?!?  Oh well…

More pictures of the pair after the cut along with some guy in a CGI monkey costume… Yes, really.

source: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/07/28/james-franco-freida-pinto-rise-of-the-apes/#more-571101

Liz Phair releases surprise new album

Like most Liz fans, I’m both surprised and confused by the news that she released a new album this past weekend.  The album, titled Funstyle, is available for purchase on Phair’s site for only $5.99 (digital or physical copies can be purchased), but it’s the music that has everyone talking.  First off, let’s begin with Bollywood–the smart, if not completely batshit, single Phair decided to release as a preview for her album.  And before I go any further, you need to listen to the song to truly understand what I am talking about.

Dave Franco is still alive, talks about working with Zac Efron

Despite Scrubs being canceled, I still stand by my statement that Dave Franco is awesome and will prove himself to be a great comedic actor.  And even though I was totally resiliant in my efforts to NOT get Scrubs canceled apparently America has other priorities.  Whatever.  Eff all yall.

But luckily Davie’s still getting work and his next appearance will be on the big screen with Zac Efron (playing his best friend) in “Charlie St. Cloud.”  I’m kind of worried about St. Cloud in general because it seems almost cloyingly cute but I’m hoping for the best and I’m sure Dave will be one of the more memorable aspects of it…  The movie opens next month and will be a major test for Efron on whether he can continue to transition smoothly into adult roles.  In the meantime, Dave spoke with Access Hollywood about the experience of working with Zac in a brief clip that can be seen after the jump! 

Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice Debut New Single and Tour Dates!

It’s a fabulous day to be me because Jenny Lewis has released a new song with her boyfriend Jonathan Rice called “Scissor Runner” AND they’ve announced a tour together which means I WILL GET TO SEE HER LIVE! I’m pretty freakin excited as I’m a huuuuuuuge fan of Jenny and I’m really hoping she plays some songs from Rabbit Fur Coat during the set.  Anyway, “Scissor Runner” is available for a free download at their site if you sign up for their newsletter and you also have the option to buy their new album, released later this summer, in a number of packages.  The song definitely has some Fleetwood Mac undertones and is one you can’t listen to just once.   Tour dates after the cut!

Neko Case Will F*ck You Up

I’m seeing the New Pornographers Sunday night and it makes me almost giddy with excitement to know that Neko Case hasn’t lost her fire and is unafraid to threaten to fight every person in a show’s audience.

Because that’s exactly what she did at Boston’s House of Blues last week.  After a fan threw a CD directly at Pornographers frontman Carl Newman, Case was quick to remind the crowd that she’s “a piece of sh*t white trash” and then proceeded to declare war on whoever the culprit was.  Via AV Club:

Case showed her polemic punk-rock roots when she chided the audience, ”I will go to jail—I don’t give a shit. I will fuck you up. I will fight every single fucking person in this room. Seriously, don’t pull that shit again.” The CD remained unharmed. “It’s still good,” Case said, “we can re-sell that.” (Hat tip, @riotactmedia)

Video of the threatening can be seen after the cut.