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  • We’ve Got Music – Girls On The Dance Floor

    A good friend of mine is friends with music producers Stereotypes and she sent me an .MP3 of the group’s latest production to share with everyone. It’s a song they produced for the Asian American rap group Far*East Movement, and word is that it’s getting a good amount of airplay in Los Angeles.

    Take a listen to Girls On The Dance Floor below. If you have any thoughts about the song, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’ll be sure to pass them along.

    Or, just click this link.

    Girls On The Dance Floor

    You can also drop them a line at their MySpace page.

    Check out the Far*East Movement at their website.

  • Infatueighties #62: “King of Pain”

    For those who are actually following this and wonder where #63 went, it’s “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley, which I already discussed at length here. Let’s move on to one of the only artists viewed as being as pretentious as Mr. Henley. Yes, folks, that would be Gordon Sumner, who you know better as Sting. Sting, along with Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, was a member of The Police, who recorded the song you find at #62: “King of Pain”. See how it all ties together?

    Anyway, there are quite a few Police songs that I wanted to include in here (Side 1 of “Zenyatta Mondatta” might be my favorite side of an album ever), but “King of Pain” gets the nod because it’s the song that best marries the highbrow intelligence of many of Sting’s lyrics to a simple yet effective pop tune. How effective? I was 7 when this record came out and I loved it despite the fact that I had no bloody idea what The Police were talking about. “There’s a blind man looking for a shadown of doubt”? Whaaa???

    Anyway, “Synchronicity” is one of only a handful of albums (I can only think of six) with more than one song on this list, a testament to the legacy The Police left in only five short years of making records. Sting saving the rainforests may have muted their impact somewhat, but these were the records that turned me on to rock music. So let’s temporarily forget about the pompous ass-iness, the tantric sex and the cash-grabbing reunion tour (although they were quite good when I saw them) and remember how damn good this song is.

  • Are Changes In Store For American Idol?

    According to Billboard.com, changes might be in store for American Idol’s 8th season. If adding a fourth judge (Kara DioGuardi) wasn’t enough, here are the other rumored changes that are supposed to be announced later on Monday along with my thoughts underneath. (Feel free to add your thoughts below in the comments section.)

    Less audition shows and more Hollywood shows.
    To me, this is a strong move as I don’t usually pay attention to the goofy audition shows. However, I do know people who only watch the audition shows and lose interest once they move to Hollywood.

    Instead of the top 24, there will be a top 36.
    I’m not so sure this is as strong of a move. Usually, there are questionable selections in the top 24 and it’s not all that hard to whittle down. You can tell the difference and rarely am I ever surprised with more than one or two that make the final twelve. I wonder if they’re opening it up because they think they’ve missed on a few in the past?

    The wild card round will return.
    I always loved this idea. There have been some good choices by the judges and some bad ones as well (Carmen Rasmussen anyone?). But it adds a sense of unpredictability to the selections. It also gives the judges a bit of power to put someone back on that America gets wrong.

    “Idol Gives Back” will be every other year.
    I’m not necessarily a fan of that particular show, but I always thought the idea behind it was great and showed that while American Idol is usually all about American Idol, it can also be about giving back. I think it’s a mistake, but then again, maybe they think they need to focus on the core show this year.

    What does everyone else think? The show is very long in the tooth, but it still delivers the ratings. Are these changes good for the longevity of the show?

    Photo by meagan383 and shared via creative commons.