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There’s no finer way in music to pay homage to an inspiration than the time-honored cover song. The Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin essentially began their careers as glorified cover bands (or rip-off artists, depending on who you ask) before graduating to having their songs remade by everyone from Tiffany to Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Stone Temple Pilots, and Hootie & The Blowfish.

Which brings us to Korn’s Jonathan Davis. See, once upon a time, Korn were the leaders of the so-called “nu metal” brigade, a horde of frustrated boys who loved hip-hop and metal and decided to stick their Black Sabbath-inspired white chocolate into some gangsta peanut butter, essentially ruining two genres at once. All fun and games, until Davis recently dropped his latest homage, a retread of Lil’ Wayne’s still-fresh “Got Money,” a bouncy clubber in which Davis cranks up the robotic AutoTune vocals and paints himself as some kind of flossy, flashy strip-club-alien lothario from the hood (assuming there is a hood in Bakersfield, California).


CELINE DION

I could probably pick just about any of Canadian power elf Celine Dion’s covers and throw it on the fire, but her gender-switching decimation of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” is one of those car-crash horror shows that makes you unsure if you first want to gouge out your eyes or stick needles in your ears, or just do both at the same.



PUSSYCAT DOLLS

“Tainted Love” is a great 1964 song that already survived a 1981 Soft Cell cover, which has actually become more popular than the original, and barely escaped with its life in 2001 when Marilyn Manson put his goth stink on it. And then the Pussycat Dolls dragged it through their cat box of horrible vocals and over-emoting in 2005, turning it into a pole-dancing anthem that went from reeking of heartbreak to just kind of, well, skanky.

PUSSYCAT DOLLS (live) - Tainted Love
by Caro69

LIMP BIZKIT

Speaking of Durst, which is something I try to avoid, his band Limp Bizkit’s grunged-up slog through The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes” tried to get all emo, but I suspect the only reason they wanted to do it was so Fred could sing the line, “No one knows what it’s like to be hated.” Oh, and kiss Halle Berry in the video. Two legitimate reasons, actually. Otherwise, it feels like a home demo from a shut-in teen who just learned how to play his acoustic guitar. Again, if you’re going to cover a song, put your mojo on it, even if your mojo amounts to unnecessary beats, terrible rapping, and gratuitous scratching.


BRITNEY SPEARS

Picking on Britney Spears is kind of like shooting Cheetos-eating fish in a barrel, but her cover of the made-famous-by Joan Jett song “I Love Rock ’N Roll” does exactly what it should: adds gratuitous scratching, unnecessary beats, kewpie-doll vocals, and the least rock arrangement ever. Britney, c’mon, you don’t love rock ’n’ roll — you probably don’t even know how to spell it! Bonus fact: Britney thought it was Pat Benatar who made the song famous. Classic!

P. DIDDY

Back when he was still called Puff Daddy, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs somehow persuaded Jimmy Page to perform on a cover of Led Zeppelin’s classic “Kashmir,” retitled “Come With Me,” which was featured on the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack. OK, technically it’s not a straight cover, but it’s every bit as bad as you imagine.
puff daddy and jimmy page come with me

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Mariah Carey has signed on as the Global Hunger Ambassador for the Yum! Foundation's World Hunger relief campaign and she's using her music to help out the cause! Nice!!!
The singer has signed on as the Global Hunger Ambassador for the Yum! Foundation's World Hunger Relief campaign and she'll be using her music to help out the cause.
Beginning tomorrow, Thursday September 25, Mariah is encouraging people around the world to pick up a coded card at any of Yum's 36,000 restaurants, which include KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's and A&W. The card will allow fans to download her song, "Love Story," off her latest album, "E=MC2," at www.FromHungerToHope.com ---For every download, Yum will donate $.25 to the Hunger Relief campaign, which helps raise money for the United Nation's World Food Program.. Read More......

It took a year, but Britney Spears got the comeback she was seeking from the MTV Video Music Awards -- and she didn't even have to sing or dance.

Britney Spears poses with her awards backstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards held at Paramount Pictures Studio Lot on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Associated Press

- LOS ANGELES — No Madonna kiss. No Michael Jackson cameo. No flying Howard Stern. Not even a Kanye tantrum.

MTV has set a high standard for the unexpected at its Video Music Awards, but on the show's 25th anniversary, the network instead settled for throwing its full support behind Britney Spears' comeback. Spears won a leading three awards, including video of the year for "Piece of Me."

Any spontaneity was left to host Russell Brand, the British comic whose rock star style and outlandish candor gave the Los Angeles show a pulse. But at the end of the night Sunday, even the manic and mangy Brand — a confessed former sex addict — could only summon a comic semi-feud with the young Jonas Brothers over their premarital celibacy.

But while Brand was unpredictable, witty and offensive, Spears was resolutely careful, determined to set right her pop star image. She was, after all, returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak. At last year's VMAs — Britney Comeback 1.0 — her unpolished performance was roundly disparaged.

In each acceptance speech Sunday, Spears spoke briefly, thanked God and dedicated the awards to her fans. Even while opening the show, she was all business, zipping through her few lines of introduction.

"Thank you so much," she said flatly as the crowd greeted her with a standing ovation. "Thank you for all the love."

MTV has a habit of reengineering the VMAs every year, and, true to form, took this year's show to the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles. After last year's awards, splashed throughout a Las Vegas hotel, MTV re-centered the action to a more traditional main stage.

The performances, though, often traveled back into the reaches of the Paramount lot. The Jonas Brothers played their song "Lovebug" on a fake building's stoop, before the set fell away and throngs of screaming fans ran down fictional city streets to surround them.

Unwittingly, the Jonas Brothers — one of the hottest young acts to the MTV audience — became the night's biggest talking point. Brand repeatedly joked about their purity rings, which each wears as a symbol of their vow not to have premarital sex. At one point, Brand brandished one as if he had won it from a Jonas brother.

"American Idol" champ — and fellow promise ring wearer — Jordin Sparks defended the brothers while presenting an award: "I just wanna say, it's not bad to wear a promise ring because not every guy and a girl wants to be a slut, OK?"

Brand was happy to apologize for any hurt feelings, but only to such a degree. After the show, he told The Associated Press, "I feel a bit bad that I kept talking about their vows to chastity and I'd like to take this opportunity to say no one ever have sex again. It's a mad idea. What a way to spend an evening."

A celebrity in England but relatively unknown in the States, Brand proved an interesting mix with the VMA crowd, who seemed unsure of how to react to his lack of political correctness. In his opening monologue, he joked about Madonna, virgins and President Bush, whom he called "that retarded cowboy fellow."

He pleaded, "Please, America, elect Barack Obama. On behalf of the world." Some in the star-studded crowd cheered, while others — like Spears — sat quietly.

The rest of the evening was mostly given to performances, many of which paired performers in unusual combinations. The prim and proper Leona Lewis joined Lil' Wayne, who later joined Kid Rock. Lil' Wayne took home the best hip hop video for "Lollipop."

T.I., who is currently serving 1,000 hours of community service and will afterward serve a year in prison for federal weapons charges, performed with Rihanna.

Closing the night was Kanye West who, like Spears, was hoping for a second chance after a disappointing VMA experience last year. In Las Vegas, he had a Kanye-sized hissy fit backstage and vowed never to appear at the VMAs again after he didn't get a Moonman trophy despite several nominations.

West again went home without an award this year; there were only eight awards in total. Videos from Chris Brown ("With You"), Linkin Park ("Shadow of the Day") and the Pussycat Dolls ("When I Grow Up") took home awards for best male video, best rock video and best dancing in a video, respectively.

Best new artist went to Tokio Hotel, while Spears' "Piece of Me" won for best female video, best pop video and video of the year. Read More......

She's baaaaaaack! That's right, my girl Brandy has resurfaced and I'm super excited. Her new disc doesn't drop until November 11, but thankfully the video for the album's lead single "Right Here (Departed)" is available on Yahoo! Music. Check it out:

Granted, I've been a huge fan ever since Brandy released her debut back in 1994 when she was just 15. Needless to say, it's been a roller coaster ride for her ever since ... with highs such as a Grammy win for her duet with Monica on "The Boy Is Mine" and lows such as the fatal car crash she was involved in at the end of '06. In any case, she's obviously determined to regain her position at the top of the charts. I think she has a great shot with this new song, too. She has her main man Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins at the helm, and when you put those two together it's magic. Case in point: "The Boy Is Mine."

Anyway, I hope you like the new song and video because I'm obsessed. Make sure to vote in the poll, and enjoy one more of my Brandy faves, "Sittin' Up In My Room" from the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack!
She's baaaaaaack! That's right, my girl Brandy has resurfaced and I'm super excited. Her new disc doesn't drop until November 11, but thankfully the video for the album's lead single "Right Here (Departed)"


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MADONNA LANZARA DISCO VIA MOVIL
Thu Mar 20 14:58:34 -0500 2008

El nuevo àlbum de Madonna, HARD CANDY, estarà disponible en telèfonos mòviles, antes de llegar a las tiendas. Segùn informaciòn publicada por la revista Rolling Stone, Madonna pondrà disponible para descarga su material a los propietarios europeos de los telèfonos Vodafone, una semana antes de que HARD CANDY estè en las estanterìas, el 29 de abril. Al parecer, Madonna finalmente se adhiere a la era digital. Previamente habìa tenido sus canciones en iTunes, pero luego dijo sentirse cansada y frustrada porque no podìa descargar su propia mùsica. La Reina del Pop, que cumple 50 años este 2008, serà la primera artista en lanzar un disco completo por telèfono mòvil, antes de su fecha oficial de lanzamiento en tiendas.

PETE WENTZ INTENTO SUICIDARSE
Thu Mar 20 14:55:03 -0500 2008

Pete Wentz, integrante de la banda Fall Out Boy, recientemente hablò a MTV, sobre la vez que intentò suicidarse. "Me subì a mi carro. Recuerdo que escuchaba a Jeff Buckley interpretando una versiòn de HALLELUJAH de Leonard Cohen. Me sentè sin pensar en nada y me tomè varias pastillas de Ativan, que sirven para calmar la ansiedad. Recuerdo que estaba en un parqueo de una tienda". Wentz continùa contando: "Llamè a mi representante, porque en ese punto, estaba completamente fuera de mi, fuera de control por el Ativan. Le hablaba, pero realmente no recuerdo bien mis palabras, eran incoherentes, asì que èl llamò a mi madre y ella me llamò a mi. Llegò a salvarme, pues en cuanto llegò me llevò al hospital. Creo que, a pesar de toda la ansiedad que tenìa y el efecto de la medicina, inconcientemente querìa vivir pues de lo contrario no habrìa llamado a nadie en ese momento" finalizò el mùsico.

BACK TO BLACK HACE HISTORIA
Tue Mar 18 14:06:39 -0500 2008

El àlbum BACK TO BLACK de Amy Winehouse, ya ha hecho historia al subir al primer lugar de los 10 discos màs vendedores del Reino Unido en el siglo 21. Amy Winehouse logrò botar el COME AWAY WITH ME de Norah Jones, tras llegar al record de 2,467,575 copias vendidas y aùn contando, en el Reino Unido.

Despuès de su triunfo en los Grammy y su presentaciòn en los Brit, Amy ha experimentado el incremento de las ventas de su disco pues en las ùltimas diez semanas se han vendido màs de 318 mil unidades, lo cual tambièn la hizo volver a la cima del chart de àlbumes del Reino Unido.



Otros discos que estàn en la prestigiosa lista son A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD y X&Y de Coldplay, HOPES AND FEARS de Keane Y LIFE FOR RENT de Dido.


BRITNEY CENA CON MEL GIBSON
Mon Mar 17 20:40:21 -0500 2008


Britney Spears cenò con Mel Gibson el pasado fin de semana. La cantante se reuniò con el actor en el restaurante Romanov de Los Àngeles, en donde comieron un filet mignon y hablaron durante dos horas. Un empleado del restaurante dijo: "Fue muy emocionante tenerlos a ambos juntos". Britney estuvo acompañada de su amiga cercana, Victoria, mientras que Gibson llevò un amigo. Por otra parte, se ha sabido que 13 empleados del Centro Mèdico UCLA de Los Àngeles, fueron despedidos ilegalmente por haber revelado detalles de la estadìa de Britney en la instituciòn. Otras seis personas han sido suspendidas, mientras que seis mèdicos enfrentan acciones disciplinarias. Jeri Simpson, director de Recursos Humanos del Centro Mèdico, dijo: "No solo sorprende sino que frustra y decepciona. Pensè que podìamos hacer todo lo necesario para asegurar la privacidad de nuestros pacientes y ahora se que es terrible que nos haya pasado nuevamente". Read More......