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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Justin Timberlake

  • Not Necessarily The News – JT, Madonna, And Brit

    Simon Gives Up The Loot
    In an update to what I posted last weekend, Mike’s main man Perez Hilton had a story on his site about the $9 million dollar thank you gift Simon Cowell gave his now ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour, who broke up with him because he didn’t want to get married. Everyone wants to be an American Idol. I want to be a Simon Cowell.

    Lionel Wants To Dance On The Ceiling Again
    E! Online says that Lionel Richie is working with Ne-Yo and Akon for a track on his new album that’s due out in February. While Lionel should probably act his age, his 2006 song I Call It Love featuring Taj Jackson was actually a pretty good song. Check out the video with daughter Nicole.

    Madonna Gets Justin And Britney To Share The Stage, Just Not Together
    This is another story from E! Online. Justin and Britney both were guest stars of Madonna’s on her tour which stopped at Dodger Stadium. Brit helped her out with Human Nature while JT was with her for 4 Minutes. But they weren’t on the stage together. Maybe next time.

    No To Jermaine But Yes To London?
    Billboard.com has this last bit about MJ possibly performing in London at the O2 Arena. Like I said last time, I’ll believe it when it comes out of MJ’s mouth.

  • Music News Wrapup: Kanye/50 Pt. Deux, R. Kelly’s Embarrassing BET Interview & More!!

    If I can turn off the snark for a second, I wish a speedy recovery to Travis Barker and DJ A.M. and also send my heartfelt condolences to those that were killed in the plane crash in South Carolina Saturday morning. While no one would choose the alternative, can you imagine the memories those two guys are going to carry with them for the rest of their lives?

    OK, snark back on. Here are this week’s most interesting stories from the world of music:

    Kanye vs. 50 Part 2: Guess He Didn’t Learn The Last Time

    With Kanye’s new “808’s and Heartbreak” album coming out on December 16th, 50 Cent has decided to revisit the “battle” that put his last album, “Curtis” against Kanye’s “Graduation” and release his fourth album, “Before I Self Destruct” at the same time…sort of (50 will release his album on December 9th). For those that don’t remember how that one ended, Kanye sold something like 30% more than 50 did in its first week, and has sold about 60% more over the cycle of release. So, unless Curtis has one hell of a publicity stunt in his pocket (which isn’t outside the realm of possibility), I think it’s fair to say that Kanye will whoop his ass once more. How much you wanna bet 50 sells less in two weeks than Kanye does in one?

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  • Here’s Something That’s Really Off The Wall: Michael Jackson Turns 50 Today

    The cover of Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 album "Thriller"
    The cover of Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 album "Thriller"

    I’ve spent many hours over the last several years typing article after article about not only Michael Jackson‘s influence on me, but his influence on pop culture as a whole.

    Despite the fact that he’s viewed (rightfully) as a egomaniacal, plastic surgery-addled, creepy train wreck these days, there’s no disputing that Michael was one of the largest (and the longest-running) pop phenomena in history (or HIStory). Sure, he himself was a product of a group of influences (Jackie Wilson and James Brown chief among them), but Jacko blazed (or at least helped to blaze) more trails than just about any contemporary artist. He certainly rewrote the rule book for black artists, breaking MTV’s embargo on R&B music (contrary to popular belief, MTV did play the occasional black rocker prior to “Billie Jean”) and rewriting just about every sales and chart record in existence. It should go without saying that a quick scan through today’s pop music scene reveals tons of artists, from Kanye West and Akon to Fall Out Boy and Rihanna to Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo: all directly crib from the rule book that Michael wrote. There weren’t Elvis sightings all over the Billboard chart in 1980, 25 years after his debut. However if you look at a Billboard chart from earlier this year, 25 years after “Thriller” took over the world, you’ll see that not only was a re-jiggered version of the album itself nestled securely at the top of the charts (not to mention an album by his sister that danced up and down the charts simultaneously), but songs like West’s “Good Life” and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” directly referenced songs from the album. Regardless of what you may think of the man himself, to have that much direct influence so long after entering the music scene is a feat in and of itself. Public image be damned, this man deserves his rightful place next to The Beatles, Dylan, Stevie and James Brown…and that’s seriously not hyperbole at all. While I’ll wave my flag all day for MJ as a musical icon, I’m not one of those creepy uber-fans who lashes out at the media for being “ignorant” (sorry-just had a flashback to “South Park”‘s brilliant skewering of him) or even thought for a second about camping out at the trial site. Hell, I don’t even think the man has a skin disease.

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