Over the weekend, Big Money Mike (popblerd on Twitter) from Popblerd! and I talked the year in pop music. While we do this from time to time, including on his show’s podcast, we decided to record it as a year end music podcast for this site.
We discussed some of the big themes in pop music for the year, such as Eminem’s big comeback, Justin Bieber’s success and what we think happens to him when the pop idol status goes away, and why it was a good year for hip hop.
We also bring on Matt Bjorke (roughstock on Twitter) from Rough Stock to talk the year in country music. Matt talks a bit about Taylor Swift’s history and we go into small detail about black country music artists. Then he gives us his favorite album of the year.
Mike and I finish by going over a bunch of albums and we give quick thoughts about them.
Chelsea HandlerWe’re live! Ok, well, I’m kind of lying. I’m blogging this while watching the West Coast MTV feed, so it’s really the earliest I can watch this show. But those of you on the East Coast have already seen it. So you can either watch with me, or reminisce with me, whichever you prefer.
Refresh every 15 minutes or so as I’ll be updating the blog as much as possible.
I don’t know Chelsea Handler’s work well, but she has a little bit of buzz because of her talk show on E! and I guess that’s what happens when you get some buzz. You host the VMAs.
– An Eminem performance to start the show? You sure are not very predictable MTV.
– What I find hilarious about Not Afraid is that baseball players and fighters everywhere use it as their batter walk-up/entrance music. Don’t know they it’s about an addict who is trying to make a comeback? Or are they saying they’re former addicts?
– I wonder if MTV knows that Recovery is a terribly overrated album?
– I swear, if Chris Brown shows up on stage with Rihanna for Love The Way You Lie, I’m never watching MTV again.
– Ok, he didn’t make it on stage. Thank the lord.
– So far, Chelsea’s monologue consists of making fun of Taylor Swift, black rappers, Justin Bieber, and The Jersey Shore. In other words, it’s pretty lame.
– At least one thing that Ellen DeGeneres got out of being a judge on American Idol is that she’s a presenter on the VMAs. I’m not sure that was a step forward in her career. Did Oprah ever do the VMAs?
– Lady Gaga won the first award for Bad Romance and she walked up on stage wearing a peacock hair-do, looking eerily similar to Ellen DeGeneres’ faux hawk.
– Is it bad of me that I’m rooting for Paramore to win the best rock video all because of my girl Hayley Williams? Damn, they lost. 30 Seconds To Mars won.
– Kim Kardashian just introduced Justin Bieber. Too bad her boyfriend Miles Austin is sad that his Dallas Cowboys lost on Sunday Night Football. Ok, it’s not that bad that they lost. In fact, that made me kind of happy.
– Justin Bieber is lip-syncing the hell out of Baby. He’s pulling a Joey McIntyre on us since his voice is probably changing on him these days. It’s about time.
– He segued into Somebody To Love and I was just waiting for Usher to try and steal his swag. I also find it cute that whenever Bieber’s done with his performance, he ends with a drum solo just to show that he knows a little bit of music.
– Don’t you just hate it when people use the word “myself” when they’re supposed to use the word “me”? I’m looking at you Trey Songz.
– Remember when I jokingly said that I was waiting for Usher to steal Justin’s swag? Guess who’s performing next? I’ll give you a clue. His name starts with a U.
– My man can still dance his tail off. He definitely owes a lot to MJ for the way he moves, but at least it’s not a complete jack like Chris Brown.
– If Nicki Minaj doesn’t make it in rap music, she has a career in modeling for Apple Bottom jeans. Holy cow, you could see it from the front. She might as well change her name to Nicki Badonkadonk.
– Florence Henderson is in a new group called Florence Henderson + The Machine? Isn’t she too old? What? It’s just Florence + The Machine? My bad.
– Lady Gaga just won Best Pop Video and is wearing an outfit that reminds me of Missy Elliot’s rubber ball suit. She won for this video:
– Taylor Swift is singing a song that might be inspired by the Kanye West fiasco from last year that I still believe to this day was party rehearsed. She should’ve gone the Justin Bieber route and lip-synced. She must be going through puberty too. Or else, her voice just isn’t very good.
– Mary J. Blige is making my ears happy after Taylor Swift made them so sad.
– And the Best Hip Hop Video goes too… B.o.B.! Woohoo! Ok, you knew Eminem really won.
– Take J-WOWW’s boobs and Nicki Minaj’s rear end and you have a pretty cool comic book character.
– Bruno Mars is on stage lookin’ like a Filipino Richie Valens with his hair all blown out. Finally. All it took was a red-headed white girl who can’t dance with a big voice and B.o.B. to join each other on stage to put together a performance that I really liked. You go Haley.
– First Selena Gomez and now Victoria Justice? Disney Channel is making it hard for 14-year old boys I tell you.
– Justin Bieber finally won an award and if you just started watching, you’d know it was his first. He couldn’t find his way to the stage and nearly went the wrong way after receiving it. Come on, he’s going through puberty! Cut him some slack.
– Cher is on this show, damn near naked in 2010.
– Gaga says the name of her new album is called Born This Way. Well, that sure is going to help dismiss those rumors that she has a pilly packer.
– Kanye’s performing a song with a hook that goes, “Let’s have a toast for the douche bags, let’s have a toast for the assholes, let’s have a toast for the scum bags, everyone of them that I know.”
– He also did some live beat mixing on stage. He was definitely the most intriguing performer of the night. I think he was even on pitch more than Taylor was. Check out the audio of the song below. Good night!
To summarize last night’s show, Casey sucked, Crystal was good, and Lee was money. Now let’s get to business.
(By the way, if anything I write from here on out is goofy, I blame the medicine the doctor prescribed for me for what she described as whooping cough. If you ever want to know what whooping cough feels like, cough 100 times in a row without stopping. Take a breath. And then do it again.)
Ryno just asked Casey if he ever thought he’d be this far and if he thought that he’d win. He said no. Well, at least he agrees with the rest of us. Crystal said she envisioned herself winning. Lee said he wants to win. At least I think that’s what he said. He has a way with words. The only way I can describe how he answers a question is to pretend that answering a question directly is like walking in a straight line. Lee walks around in a circle, a squiggly line, does it backwards, and with his eyes closed.
The first video package is of Casey James and his trip back home to Texas. He signed a guitar for the hospital that helped him heal after an accident. You got to see Casey’s mom who has hair like Reba McIntyre from 1990.
Perez Hilton is on this show which has to be a sign of the apocalypse. He’s supporting a kid named Travis Garland who is another YouTube sensation like Justin Bieber. Perez just said he’s better than Justin Timberlake. I’ll go out on a limb and say that he’s not better than Justin Timberlake, nor Justin Bieber, or any of your friends named Justin who sing drunken karaoke.
Next we see Crystal in Ohio. She was a guest at her own parade and performed at her own concert called Bowerstock.
A friend asked me why she does the LeAnn Rimes eye squint and I think it’s a combination of being very tired and having heavy eye lids.
Lee was able to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. Now that was cool. Lee went back to the paint store that he used to work at and cried. I think he cried tears of joy because he’ll more than likely never have to work there again.
Those were some long video packages. Bieber-Mania Is Runnin’ Wild!And now, it’s Justin Bieber time! Woohoo! I mean, um, hey, Justin Bieber’s on stage.
He reminds me a lot of Joe McIntyre from the New Kids On The Block. He just has to be able to get over the upcoming voice crack that will happen sometime this year. I will admit to buying Baby on iTunes for the kids. At the end of his performance, he grabbed some sticks and did a drum solo to show that he’s not your average pop idol. That was pretty cool.
And finally, it’s time for someone to go home.
Lee DeWyze is the first person to move on so it’s between Crystal and Casey. If Casey wins, we riot.
Crystal Bowersox is going to the finals. We get Lee vs. Crystal for all the marbles next week.
Don’t feel badly for Casey. Casey James is about to run rough shot through American Idol groupies like no one has done since Constantine. Fathers, be good to your daughters, and keep them away from Casey James for the next three months.
So who is it going to be? Lee or Crystal?
Photo shared via Wikipedia and through creative commons
