Madonna Mouth

Everyone's talking about Madonna's upcoming Super Bowl performance, as they should. She is THE Queen of POP, after all! Rumor has it that Elton John made yet another dig at her, saying "Make sure you lip-synch good!" Let's ignore his minor grammar mistake, shall we? He is an icon, and deservedly so. However, it all gets me thinking. I don't know if any of you watch Wendy Williams (talk show host de Jerzey, PREMIER!), but those of you who do may recall when she spoke about this issue a few weeks ago. Wendy stated that she'd rather see Madonna, and other dance-type performers, like Janet and Britney (in her hey-day) lip-synch and dance, as opposed to stand and actually sing, and I agree! I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure it's almost physiologically impossible to sing beautifully while doing a complex, physically taxing dance routine. Even the strongest people can only exert their bodies to a certain extent. Y'all may not believe me, but even Beyoncé (allegedly) rerecords live versions of her dancier tracks for performances, adding vocal flourishes here and there to fool us into thinking that she's singing live, and that's fine! I'm down for buying into the illusion. She has the ballads to prove her vocal prowess. You have to be practically immortal to be able to dance and sing at the same time. Beyoncé is one of the best dancers out of all POP stars currently around, so if she has to (allegedly) mime the dance numbers, that's fine with me. I want to see her shake her groove thang. Lots of people can sing; not everyone has the capacity to memorize and then perform a set of intricate choreography.

With all that said, Madonna has practically reached god-like status, and understandably so. After years of complaints about her (alleged) lip-synching, she sang live on her last two tours. Using what sounded like auto-tune type plugins to work out various vocal kinks, she was able to dance and sing at the same time, which takes some sort of immortal stamina - I think she made a deal with the devil. The only other performer who's able to do both simultaneously is P!nk, and she was a gymnast for years.

Anyhow, I love Madonna for her music, performances, and most importantly, impact on pop-culture and feminism. Whether she sings live or not at the Super Bowl won't matter to me. I just want to see her DANCE! So all of you complaining about the lip-synching situation (including you, Elton - and I say that respectfully. Love you!), shut your traps and sit down. Madonna was made to MOVE. :)

Unapologetically,

Gregory

Whistling Our Way Through 2011

Happy New Year everyone!  

As I was looking back on 2011, it struck me that some of the year's catchiest songs had a little something in common: whistling.  Here are four songs that I believe best exhibit the little ol' whistle's mainstream success last year:

Foster the People's Pumped Up Kicks - This song was a breakthrough and a commercial hit for indie rockers Foster the People in 2011.  Not only is it a cool, calm & catchy song, but the bridge features a lovely whistled sing-along to the tune of the chorus, (you hear it approximately 3 minutes in).  With Pumped Up Kicks peaking at Number 3 on the US charts, it's safe to say that Foster the People achieved great success in 2011.  I'm very, very happy to hear a West Coast indie band on the radio. Great job, guys.

Jason Derulo's It Girl -This mid-tempo R&B ballad hit the airwaves as a successful follow up to Derulo's massive hit Whatcha Say.  Released last August, It Girl opens with what can only be described as a whistle-while-you-work melody.  The "oh oh oh oh" chant-along after the chorus also features the same whistled melody at the song's introduction.  It Girl  become Jason Derulo's 5th Top 5 hit in the UK.

Britney Spears's I Wanna Go - Britney's third single is one of my favorite songs off of Femme Fatale, featuring a very sexy (& funny) music video (quick, run from the cyborg paparazzi!). On it, Britney sings "shame on me / to need release" over an infectious whistled chorus.  Produced by hit-makers Shellback & Max Martin, I Wanna Go peaked at number 7 on America's Billboard charts. I always wondered why no one chose this song as her first single instead of Hold It Against Me, but hey! Nevertheless, I Wanna Go is a keeper.

Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger - Anyone with a radio knows that this song stalked the airwaves in 2011.  Like It Girl, Moves Like Jagger opens with a whistled introduction over a guitar riff, eventually erupting into a massive, pulsating bassline like only Benny Blanco can give us.  The big POW moment comes, of course, when Christina Aguilera belts out the bridge. It's POP, it's rock, it's funky, & yes, a wee bit annoying - but Moves Like Jagger was born to be a hit. Love it or hate it, we simply cannot imagine it without the signature whistled hook.



So there we have it, the whistle. Gimmick or genius?  We think it depends on the song in question. That said, there's nothing like a good song to whistle along to - & 2011 gave us quite a few of them.

Unapologetically,

Minna

Spooky POP Playlist, Part 7

Holler!

This is my very last installation of Spooky POPNESS, so I'm making it as POPPY as POSSIBLE. Enjoy!

33. Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River: We all know this as the song Justin wrote about his breakup with Britney, but it works perfectly on a Halloween playlist, too. That synthesized intro, with the man-voice singing "heeeeee" is super spooky. Also, when Justin coos, "You don't have to say / what you did / I already know / I found out from him," I'm reminded of I Know What You Did Last Summer. S to the CARY.

34. Britney Spears - Circus: The girl for whom Justin's track was written turned out her own Halloween worthy tune. The electronic intro on this one is creepylicious, too. Plus, it's one of my favorite songs, so any excuse to shake my booty to it works for me.

35. Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams: Beyoncé embraces her inner dance diva on this track, which is why it's my favorite Beyoncé single of all time. Can you hear the sample of Michael Jackson's Beat It mixed in? Also, when was the last time we heard such beautiful lyrics in a big POP piece? This is one beautiful nightmare I certainly do NOT want to wake up from. (Check out girlfriend's live performance from the 2009 MTV European Music Awards. WORK.)

36. Shakira - She-Wolf: I can't think of a better song with which to end this list. When She-Wolf was released, I listened to it NON-STOP (and I was never a Shakira fan). It's so undeniably catchy. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I'm not even into wolves (or animals in general - sorry PETA), but I'll be a She-Wolf any day! (Potential costume idea...)

This was fun! Hope y'all dance up a sweaty storm this Halloween. When in doubt, dance it OUT!

Unapologetically,

Gregory

Britney Spears

The American cassette Artist Britney Spears

Birth name: Britney Jean Spears

Born: December 2, 1981 (1981-12-02) (age 28), McComb, Mississippi, United States

Genres: Pop, dance-pop, electropop

Occupations: Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer, author, fashion designer, video director

Instruments: Vocals, piano

Years active: 1992–present

Labels: Jive

Associated acts: The New Mickey Mouse Club

Website: www.britneyspears.com, www.britney.com

Biography

The one of the famous celebrities Britney Jean Spears is an American cassette artist and performer. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing arts as a child, hallway acting roles in stage productions and box shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her first appearance album in 1999.

Awards and Nominations

BMI Film & TV Awards (Won: 2, Year: 2005, 2008 & Nominations: 0, Year: - )
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2008	Won	BMI Cable	Award for: "Zoey 101" (2005). Shared with: Scott Bennett
2005	Won	BMI Cable	Award for: "Zoey 101" (2005). Shared with: Michael Corcoran
Teen Choice Awards (Won: , Year: & Nominations: , Year: )
2009	Won	Ultimate Choice Award
2005	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Personality: Female
2002	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Film - Choice Actress, Drama/Action Adventure for: Crossroads (2002/I).
			Film - Choice Chemistry for: Crossroads (2002/I). Shared with: Anson Mount

For More Awards

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For More News About: Britney Spears