Beautiful Electro

Little Boots next single in the UK is the lovely Earthquake. Bootsy looks absolutely stunning in the video with her gray and purple dress. There are some splendid, gentle "oh woah woahs" and beautiful, soaring high vocals. Good electro pop for the end of fall.



Mini Viva are a new British gal duo (Britt Love and Frankee Connolly), who released their first single, Left My Heart in Tokyo, in the UK in September. They were brought together by genius producers Xenomania (they do the Girls Aloud albums). Their second single is perfect for late fall and early winter. It's called I Wish and I'm quite in love with it. Popjustice was right when they compared it to Girls Aloud's hit from fall 2007, Call the Shots except I Wish is gentler. Britt Love, on left, has a slightly odd, brassy voice that adds a little something extra to their songs. The best section of I Wish is the part that comes after the chorus and at the end:

And I go oh no
He could be the one who hits the light inside my soul
Oh baby, This could be the last of my control
And I go oh no
He could be the one who hits the light inside my soul
Oh baby, This could be the last of my control

Lovely, sweet lyrics. Another great entry in the "sad disco" genre. Also, wonderfully metallic and shiny single cover. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album now. Check out the video below:

Tidbits

-La Roux's #1 UK single, Bulletproof, is the US iTunes free download of the week and their album became available digitally in the US yesterday. I bought it already knowing it's amazing from listening to rips of the songs on YouTube. Check it out. It's very 80's electro but the lyrics are good and the songs, catchy. The album is currently #21 on the US iTunes chart. Congrats, La Roux! They're performing their first Boston show on October 27th.

-The Saturdays' new album, out Oct. 12 in the UK, will be called Wordshaker, not the hilarious Colonial Masses as Wikipedia erroneously reported. The album cover could have been the gals rocking some serious colonial garb with bonnets and aprons and a complete lack of sexiness. The actual album cover is cool and slightly kooky involving dramatic pieces of fabric and bizarre hair pieces. This and the Forever is Over cover are beautiful images, but the slightly odd choice of the album's photo theme is a little forced. It declares: "Hey, we can do crazy stuff with our hair because we are making a second album that is pretty crazy and different. What you think about that?" It's similar to the look the Sugababes sported in their Denial video last year. Anyway, I'm excited for the album. It's the sophomore album test.

Sugababes Update

Keisha Buchanan (far right in picture), the only original member of Sugababes remaining after two line up changes over the past decade, has left the group according to many media outlets. She is being replaced by Jade Ewen, a young singer who represented the UK in the campy European song contest, Eurovision this year. Jade's debut single My Man was released today in the UK. Apparently, Keisha will become a solo artist now. This really saddens me. Rumors were circulating last week that Amelle (far left) who joined the group in Dec. 2005 would be leaving the group, but I'm very surprised to see Keisha leaving. She seemed to be the spokeswoman for the group. She was honest, opinionated, and talkative. Reading her twitter page is quite fun. Music news website Digital Spy reports that the Babes new album, Sweet 7, will still be released in the UK on Nov. 23. Here's what Keisha had to say on her twitter regarding her departure: "Although it was not my choice to leave, it's time to enter a new chapter in my life. I have nothing but positive things to say about the girls and I wish them the best of luck. I would like to state that there were no arguments, bullying or anything of the sort that led to this.

"Sometimes a break down in communication and lack of trust can result in many different things. I would also like to point out that I have always supported the girls and they have also supported me."

She added: "I want to thank the Sugababes fans and my fans for all your support and all who have never judged me, but accepted me for who I am... The feisty, funny, professional, fearless motor mouth. This is not the end... but the beginning!"

(quote and other article info courtesy of Twitter and DigitalSpy.co.uk)

With Keisha, the one constant mainstay in the group since its origins, gone, I don't know who will be the charismatic cheerleader of the group. Heidi Range (blondie in middle) is rather reserved so maybe Amelle can step up. She's got a cool, edgy haircut after all. Jade Ewen can't do it. She needs to prove herself first. She has HUGE HUGE stilettos to fill.

Another thing to note is that the Babes' upcoming single, About A Girl, the second release from the new album is much better than the "meh" Get Sexy. About a Girl is produced by Lady GaGa's partner in crime, RedOne (Fire Burning as well). His style doesn't totally overwhelm the track which can happen when he works with other artists. The song stomps along in the verses then has a chanting, sing-a-long chorus. The best, most sublime pop moment of the whole track is the splendid middle eight from about 2:10 to 2:37. Here are the lyrics for this glorious pop moment:

Girls bring the fun of life,
sugar like apple pie,
take a trip to paradise,
let’s have a party-oh!

Beauty like you never saw,
take your number never call,
bite the apple take your heart,
let’s have a party-oh!

Have a listen. Can you say irresistible kiss-off?



It's a fun, likeable tune that really grows on you. It will be re-recorded with Jade Ewen's vocals. Again sad news about Keisha. Wish you luck, Babes and Keisha.

Tidbits

-Across the pond in the UK, super cute British singer, Pixie Lott, has scored her second number one of the year with her infectious retro single, Boys and Girls. Those Brits have fallen for this gal. Congrats, Pixie.

-Tyler Perry's latest film, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, has topped the box office making 24 million over the weekend. His films always do well. He has a built-in audience. This movie actually got good reviews (most of his films don't) with the Boston Globe giving it 3 out of 4 stars. There's a part of me that wants to see it now especially cause Taraji P. Henson (Benjamin's adopted mom in Benjamin Button) plays the lead role.

-Shakira's new album, She Wolf, will be released in the US on October 13th. I am so excited.

Danes and Brits and Pop Oh My!

Fight for This Love-Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole of brilliant Brit girl group Girls Aloud is recording a solo album and here is her first single: Fight for This Love. It's a mid-tempo-ish song, a slightly odd choice for a debut single, but it really sticks in your brain and gets better and better with every listen. At first, I was underwhelmed and thought it was pretty meh, but I really enjoy it now. The music ripples and washes over you. The whole song really sneaks up and charms you. It's not an instant club banger as one might have expected from a Girls Aloud member, but it suits Cheryl well. The lyrics are pretty cheesy though. The leopard print pants in the video are cringe-inducing, but the soldier uniform almost makes up for it.

Link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMiy_UsrPDs

The Spell-Alphabeat
The greatest thing to come out of Denmark since the danish is this wonderful pop group, Alphabeat. I first heard about them last year when they were on the UK charts with their first album. Now they are back with a new, sleeker image and a super catchy single called The Spell. I didn't love it at first finding the chorus a bit of a let down, but now I'm ever so slightly addicted. Female lead singer, Stine Bramsen, gives a great, belting vocal performance and the touches of piano just make this song more infectious. Stine (only woman, far right, in pic above) has gotten a makeover. She has darker hair and is slightly more vampy now. Just look at the tank top she rocks in the video (it's very 40's pin-up). Her chemistry with male lead singer and resident tambourine player, Anders, is delightful. Altogether irresistible.

Bad Boys-Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke won last year's X Factor (the UK American Idol) and here is her debut single, Bad Boys. She did not take the Leona route and release a Bleeding Love-esque ballad. Instead, Ms. Burke put on a slinky sliver outfit and released a relentlessly uptempo gem. The song (especially tempo-wise) is similar to Britney's Womanizer (as Popjustice noted), and it gallops along at a frenetic pace. It rarely stops for air and builds splendidly to the chorus. I didn't love it after the first listen, but now I really enjoy it. It's super fun and the chorus is super catchy and satisfying. I love the "ooo way, ooo wah'' part in the chorus. Flo Rida rides the fast beat like he's in the Kentucky Derby, but honestly his presence isn't really necessary. Alexandra holds her own. Now I'm super psyched for her album.



The Saturdays-Forever is Over
So the video for The Saturdays new single leaked before the full song did. Odd. Anyway I enjoy the Satz new song. It's pop rock instead of the electro R&B pop of their first album. The video is pretty dull except for some cool, documentary-style and black and white camera shots and when blondie Mollie rubs off the heart tattoo with her finger. That's fantastic. Frankie and Rochelle's hairdos look really good as well. Rochelle sounds splendid in the second verse (she sings with conviction). The guitar-tinged middle eight is great, but too short. I think this song could do well for them if they released it in the US. It is very likable.



Miley-Party in the USA
Oh Miley, sometimes you have a really good knack for pop songs. I've fallen in love with this irresistible, funky, and sweet jam known as Party in the USA. The chorus is fun, joyful, and catchy. The verses feature amusing, original, and endearing lyrics about Miley's journey from Nashville to scary LA. "Nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah". Amen, sister. Gotta love it.


I'm Not Your Toy-La Roux
One of my favorite new acts of the year, La Roux, released the video for their next single, I'm Not Your Toy the other day. This is one of my favorite songs of theirs with it's gentle steel drums and superb lyrics. The video is kooky, filled with a strange array of people (dancers that all look like the lead singer of British band Noisettes) all in a glass pool house staring awkwardly at each other until everyone starts to dance a little. Watch for lead singer Elly Jackson's hair emerging from the water. Crazy beautiful.



Now I'm That Bitch-Livvi Franc
Another pop gal has emerged from Barbados (home of my love, Rihanna). Her name is Livvi Franc and her debut single is called Now I'm That Bitch. The electro-pop beat is minimalist, but effective because it let's Livvi deliver the sharp lyrics with sass and oomph. The first 40 seconds build spectacularly with the ominous beat slowly invading the song as Livvi gets more and more sassy. The video is pretty cool (crazy fabric dance) and I like Pitbull's rap. It's a modern pop song, but it doesn't sound like everything else out there (i.e. some variation on the Lady GaGa/RedOne sound). Choice lyrics: "Hi, my name is (genius pop music song pause BRAVO)....you won't remember, wait till December". Great debut.

Forever is Over

Okay, here's a clip of The Saturdays new single that premieres on Radio 1 in England tomorrow night. As I said before it's called Forever is Over and based on this clip, the song is very strong. It's different than anything they've done before. It's more rock, but not that rock. I mean, come on, it's The Saturdays. Closer to pop-rock. There are guitars there though. It's a mid tempo, and the chorus soars and stomps. I'm really happy about this new side to The Satz. Can't wait to hear the whole thing tomorrow.

Tidbits

-The Saturdays' new single, the melodramatically titled Forever is Over, will be played for the first time on BBC Radio 1 this Sunday night. I'm really excited for this song which is supposed to be more rock-tinged than their other songs. Their first album was a good debut with some memorable gems (If This is Love and Up) and their cover of Just Can't Get Enough was spirited and fun, but this album will be the real test. I have high expectations. Bigger and better I hope.

-A snippet of Alphabeat's new song The Spell was posted on Popjustice a few days ago, and it sounds promising and super poppy. I can't wait to hear the whole thing. Stine, the female singer, has got a new dramatic hairdo that kind of looks like a wig. It's fantastic though. Hopefully the gang play some new tunes at their V Festival appearance in England this weekend. Maybe we'll get some YouTube clips.

Update: The new album called The Spell too will be released on October 19th in the UK I assume and the single of the same title will be out October 12. Very exciting.

-Norwegian pop wunderkind Annie finally has a release date for her delayed second album, Don't Stop. It will be released in the US on November 17! The first single from the album after many leaks and false single starts (see I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me from last year) is Songs Remind Me of You which has awesome cover art: Annie wearing a lipstick necklace. It's a wonderful image.

-Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole may debut her first solo single on British TV show, The X Factor (kind of like American Idol). Cheryl is a judge on the talent competition. She better be good. Good luck, Cheryl. Hope the album is full of pop wonder.

-Head over to the Dolly Rockers Myspace page to hear a snippet of what sounds to be another delicious and sassy new song from the gals, Boys Will Be Boys. It reminds me a bit of The Veronicas.

www.myspace.com/thedollyrockers

Tidbits

-According to the wonderful Popjustice.com, Danish wonder band, Alphabeat will have a new album and single out in Sept. The single is called The Spell, and from what Popjustice says about the song, it sounds like a winner.

-Leighton Meester has recorded a song with RedOne!! Yay! According to her twitter, it's called What is Love. Please be a banger.

-Kesha's debut single TiK ToK will go to radio in September. Fingers crossed it does well. It's raucously delightful.

-Apparently Dizzee Rascal's latest beast of a summer jam, Holiday, was originally intended for The Saturdays to record according to the song's writer, pop maven Calvin Harris. Holiday would have been a completely different song with The Saturdays doing it. Dizzee has made it his own. Very interesting.

-Last night, on the finale of TV's best competition show, So You Think You Can Dance, bubbly gal Jeanine took the title of America's favorite dancer. I'm glad she won, but I was pulling for Kayla. Kayla came alive with every number she did. Jeanine is very worthy though. Guest judge Debbie Allen (she is hilarious) picked the group number the top 16 did to Calle Ocho by Pitbull as one of her favorite routines of the season. It's understandable why: the song is hot, the beat is hot, and the routine is smoking especially the part with the girls dancing on the tables, kicking the water around. Spicy!

Louder Than Sirens, Louder Than Bells, Sweeter Than Heaven, and Hotter Than Hell

Peaches-Serpentine
Electronica diva Peaches has a new video for her song Serpentine. I think she's just hilarious, and the lyrics to this song are wonderfully blunt and ridiculous. Her somewhat deadpan delivery really makes the song. It rides a minimalist beat and features some of Peaches' trademark outfits and dance moves. "Never straight line, serpentine"


Dragonette-Gone Too Far
Here's the new video for another song off Dragonette's upcoming album. First single Fixin' to Thrill was a sexy, raunchy, raw, and loud romp featuring cowbell and a delectable vocal performance from lead singer Martina Sorbara. It's one of their best songs, if not the best. Gone Too Far is fun and country-fied, but it lacks the raw "purr" of Fixin' to Thrill. The video is odd featuring scenes from an old John Travolta movie. Since it's Dragonette, the song is still very good though. I'm very excited for this album.


Girls Can't Catch-Stop
This is the b-side to Girls Can't Catch's debut single Keep Your Head Up which is doing just okay on the UK charts. It's called Stop, and it's another promising song from the girls. Stop is short, electro pop, and likeable. The "ooos" are very effective. Very good for a b-side.


Florence + The Machine - Drumming Song
Florence + the Machine are one of my favorite new acts to emerge this year. Florence's songs are weird, dark, and dramatic filled with loud drums and harp. What really makes her music great though is her glorious voice which weaves in and out, up and down, and all around a song. Her vocal transitions are smooth and satisfying. Even though her songs are somewhat kooky they are made accessible because they are filled with very catchy, memorable choruses or verses or chants. Her next single, Drumming Song, will be out next month in the UK. Here's the new video. I thought it would be set in some creepy, abandoned Gothic or medieval church based on what Florence said in an interview, but alas, we get this beautiful, gleaming church instead. Florence looks gorgeous in the video with her flaming red hair contrasting sharply against her black leotard. There's girl group/pop star choreography and tinges of ballet. I love when she's running around in her gold "shorts" (?), blue cape, and headband. What a gal!

A Plethora of Pop

Shakira-She Wolf
The beloved Shakira has returned with a funky, disco jam, She Wolf, and here is the video in all its body rolling glory. The video is pretty crazy. I particularly enjoy when Shakira dances in the red sparkly cave in her oddly cut black jumpsuit. Also, the whole thing with her in the cage is fantastic, vampy, and slinky. A good comeback video.

Shakira - New Music - More Music Videos

Sugababes-Get Sexy
Okay, this is a really good Sugababes video. It's really visually appealing. Heidi (the blond one) doing her bit in a room with mirrors and green lights all over creates a very cool effect. Amelle (short hair) vamping it up in a cage. The wall graffitied pink and blue with variations on Get Sexy written. The girls dancing with glitter falling, and the girls chained together by their wrists doing herky jerky movements. It brings another aspect to the song. I still don't think it's their best single, but the video makes it better. Well done, Sugas.

Girls Can't Catch-Keep Your Head Up
Yet another British gal group to herald the arrival of. Ignore the slightly odd name and listen to their catchy electro-pop debut single. The verses are sung deliciously fast. The guitar riffs grind. All and all, a group to keep an eye on. The single was released today. Good luck in the UK charts, girls. Also, I love the concept of the video. Very random.

Madonna-Celebration
Madonna's new dancey single off her Greatest Hits collection is a good summer song. The best part is when she just talks over the beat. It's awesome. Very Confessions on a Dancefloor circa 2005.

Ashley Tisdale-Erase and Rewind
Okay, for some reason a part of me is drawn to Ashley Tisdale. She's not a very good actress and her music isn't that good either, but I thought I might find at least one gem on her new album and I did. Erase and Rewind is not original, her voice is nasal, the song is pop Slice and Bake, and it almost has a sheen to it. That being said: it's a lot of giddy fun. Best parts: "I don't wanna sound desperate but I am" and near the end of the song when everything drops out and Tiz just sings "I don't wanna feel like this, I don't want to" then she proceeds to go up the note scale singing 'Yeah ah ah ah ay" and everything comes crashing back in. I really like it.

Kelly Clarkson-Already Gone
Kels Clarkson's new single is a beautiful, sad ballad. The best lyric is "We were always meant to say goodbye". From the master of piano, drum, synth ballads: Ryan Tedder. Really pretty.

Demi Lovato-Here We Go Again
Demi Lovato is somewhat more legitimate than the Tiz. Demi knows how to rock, and she throws herself into her songs with abandon. I like some of the songs on her new CD which debuted at number 1 by the way. This is the first single Here We Go Again and even though the opening guitar part sounds like the theme song of a nineties sitcom, I still really enjoy the song. She just belts the heck out of it.

Little Boots-Remedy
Little Boots new video is not that interesting sad to say. She needs to move around more, but the song is a wild beast. The chorus is a colossal behemoth. An irresistible tune.

No, You Just Can't Stop

One of my new fave Brits, Pixie Lott, released the video for her upcoming second single, Boys and Girls, the other day. I like this song better than her debut single, the #1 UK hit Mama Do. It features that signature old school sound (horns, Amy Winehouse/Duffy-esque) that has become a part of modern British music in the past couple years, but miraculously it works. The song is super fun and just about having a good time. The song has been changed a little since the first time I heard it. The trumpet has become a prominent part of the verses. The chorus is fantastic and pretty irresistible. The video features fun choreography, cool outfits, and lots of hip kids (who I now want to hang out with) having a good old time. You really want to bust a move when you hear this song. I hope this song does well. It's very likeable.

P.S. I love her sassy entrance in the beginning and her relationship with the boy in the white chilling against the wall.

Luv It

Booty Luv-Say It
A British dance-pop duo called, yes, Booty Luv will be releasing their sassy beast of a new single on August 31st. The chorus is insanely catchy and the whole song is irresistible (very girl power!). See the video below. My favorite gal is the one with the short hair. She is sexysassyfierce. Swagger song!

Je Suis Une Dolly

Britain is bursting with girl groups at the moment, a wonderful thing in my opinion, and these gals are the best of the bunch. They are the Dolly Rockers, and they are loads of fun. Sophie, Lucie, and Brooke are loud, raunchy, and super cheeky. They wear ridiculously awesome outfits and sing sassy and distinctly British ditties. Their first official single is called Gold Digger, and it is a bouncing, jaunty number about you guessed it a gold digger. A great choice for a debut single. It's quite wonderful, and the video just premiered today. It's very similar to their first video for the amusing Je Suis Une Dolly meaning it involves dancing around in public places and wreaking general havoc. In the Gold Digger video they disrupt an office throwing paper all over, play with a beach volleyball on a tennis court in over-the-top tennis garb, and dance in a shop window display. It's all very fun. (Click on the outtakes that come up at the end of the video for some good laughs). Gold Digger will be out August 31st in the UK. Another fantastic song by them is the surprisingly affecting How Did I End Up With U? which has Katy Perry's Hot N Cold drums and echoes of 3OH!3's Don't Trust Me after the chorus. The song starts very softly then roars into the chorus with the Dollys asking "How did I end up with you? Why did I ever see a perfect 10? Why do I have a thing for married men?" It is magnificent. Champaigne Shirley is another corker by the gals that features a rip-roaring chorus. The lyrics are biting, the chorus catchy, catchy, catchy. I posted one of the gals How-To Videos below. It's pretty funny. They are so wonderfully cheeky. Lucie, the one usually in the middle in the videos with the red and black dress, is my favorite Dolly at the moment (you always have to have a favorite member with girl groups), but Brooke is hilariously vulgar and raunchy. Check them out!

Gold Digger (first single)



One of their How To videos:


How Did I End Up With U?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX-rXL4YDCU&feature=PlayList&p=94D6B78C1DDACB6E&index=8

Champaigne Shirley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl3K02z33rM&feature=PlayList&p=94D6B78C1DDACB6E&index=6

Je Suis Une Dolly

http://www.myspace.com/thedollyrockers

Music Update!

-Kings of Leon have shot to the number 2 position on the US iTunes chart with the anthemic Use Somebody. Took long enough. Congrats, boys!

-Good Girls Go Bad, the collaboration between Cobra Starship and Gossip Gal Leighton Meester is rising in the chart, standing at number 5 on iTunes. Very exciting!

-Across the pond, JLS are still topping the UK iTunes with their debut Beat Again and Kanye West's new protege (even though he's been around in England for awhile) Mr Hudson's newest single, Supernova, featuring Mr. West is at the number 2 position. Very impressive debut for that song!

All around congratulations are in order.

New Music!

Kesha-Tick Tock
The young gal who sang on Flo Rida's unavoidable Right Round is forging her own career and with a song like Tick Tock I see lots of potential. Now first of all, this song has about 80 different titles: P Diddy, Dolla, Tick Tock, but I'm going with Tick Tock. I love it. I hope she releases it and it becomes huge because it is very "now" but not in a repetitive way. She seems to have quite the vibrant personality too. This is a gleaming example of a pop single filled with sass and a super fun chorus. Great start.


JLS-Beat Again
This song is the current number 1 in the UK. JLS are a boy band who came in second place in the most recent season of X-Factor in the UK. This is a wonderful debut single for the guys. It is hugely catchy and the beat is delectable. Also, the guys are super good at dancing. I love their very literal choreography. This is a good sign for boy bands in the UK. Congrats, guys!


Crystal Fighters-Xtatic Truth
I found this band through the website for music magazine NME. They are based in London, but the members of the group are quite international. One of the singers in the band had a grandfather who wrote an opera named Crystal Fighters which this singer found in Basque land. They use this found material for their songs. All very odd and interesting. This is their new song, Xtatic Truth that mixes modern electronic elements with a string instrument plucking along while singers coo in the background. It's quite the melange and it's delightful and exciting. I'm really looking forward to what these guys do next.


Mika-We Are Golden
He has returned!! The man with the curly hair and falsetto is back with his bright, colorful pop songs. I loved a lot of his songs from his 2007 debut Life in Cartoon Motion. He premiered his new single, We Are Golden, due for release in September in the UK last Friday on a UK radio show. It's super sunny and fun with a shouty, chanting, irresistible chorus. It's quite fantastic and theatrical. "Running around again, running for money" and "Teenage dreams in a teenage circus" are some choice lyrics from the song. This is a joyous return for Mika and I can't wait to hear the album also titled We are Golden.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review

The newest Harry Potter movie is like a visit with old friends. I've grown up with these characters, books, and movies. When I saw the new little Hogwarts students early in the movie I thought "Aw how cute." Harry and the gang were them not long ago and so in a way was I and others my age. This sixth movie in the series is an improvement on the previous film: 2007's Order of the Phoenix. In fact, this sixth film, is second place in my list of Potter adaptations : 2005's immensely entertaining Goblet of Fire being number 1. The new installment is funny and full of teen drama. Wizards and witches are just like us after all. They just want to be loved. We are even led to believe that Harry might get some action from a train station diner waitress in one of the first scenes, but then Dumbledore shows up and that whole possibility fades away. You see, Dumbledore wants Harry to get in good standing with the new potions professor, Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) who has information about Voldemort that Dumbledore wants. And Voldemort's Death Eaters are on the prowl, wreaking havoc wherever they go. That being said, I don't think I've ever laughed out loud during a Potter movie as I did during this one. Harry is even funny albeit after taking a luck potion. There's a sequence where Slughorn has some of his star pupils over for dinner where they proceed to eat huge desserts. It's all very funny. Scenes of this nature are nice contrasts to the darker moments. Not every second of every day at Hogwarts is dark and life-threatening. Creepy flashbacks to Voldemort's or Tom Riddle's childhood days and teen years at Hogwarts are eerie as is a voyage Harry and Dumbledore take into a cave. Not a lot of huge things happen minus the death of a huge character at the end, but I didn't really mind. These characters are so interesting and watchable. The gang have really grown into their parts. There are slow patches , but overall it's very entertaining especially due to the magnificent, mostly spot-on casting. Rupert Grint is amusing as the suddenly hotshot Ron (possibly his best performance as Ron yet), and Emma Watson is her usual smart, sassy self but with more of a vulnerable side this time around. Evanna Lynch is hilarious and the definition of spacey and trippy as Luna Lovegood. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe was spot-on when he compared her to Anna Faris. The two actresses deliver their lines similarly as if in a mist of otherwordliness. Whenever she was in a scene I knew it would be good (just watch for the lion mask). Helena Bonham Carter is insane, vulgar, primal, and somewhat sexual in her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. Maggie Smith is the shiz (what else is new?) as McGonagall, taking names and getting stuff done. Jim Broadbent (Bridget's dad in Bridget Jones' Diary among many other roles) is funny as Slughorn. He gives Slughorn these great facial expressions. Alan Rickman continues to show why he was born to play Snape as he glides and whispers his way through the movie. Daniel Radcliffe is good as Harry, likeable and somewhat awkward. His scene with Grint where they talk about girls and their skin is a great example of awkward hilarity. Overall, a strong summer movie filled with wonderful performances and striking images and shots (thanks to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel). I've seen it twice already in the span of three days, and the funny parts are still funny. Always a good sign.

New Videos!

Lily Allen revealed her new video for her next single, 22, the other day. 22 is one of the best songs on her very strong new album. It's about aging and how society puts pressure on women. This is reflected by the video taking place in a cool women's restroom where we see women putting on makeup and staring into a mirror as they sing along to the chorus. It's a simple, but effective video. Lily looks fantastic with her black bob and dramatic dress. I love the interlude where it's just her and a man dancing in the bathroom. Well done, Lily.



Mr. Calvin Harris released the video for his next single, the irresistible Ready for the Weekend. The video has cool, bright colors, but it's pretty dull. The song is euphoric though and I love the piano during the verses and the beast of a chorus.



Beyonce also released a new video for her next single, Sweet Dreams. The video features her now-common dance routines which are still quite fantastic and sassy. This video features some nice outfits including a kooky golden robot get-up.

Just Shut Up and Watch Me Walk

Sugababes premiered their new single, Get Sexy, Tuesday on BBC Radio 1. It's not their best single, and it's their least subtle. Sugababes have always had subtler songs than their fellow Brit girl group counterparts, Girls Aloud. They were sexy, sassy dance numbers (Push the Button, Hole in the Head, Red Dress) but they weren't in your face pop smorgasbords. This song is in your face though and very modern. I like the verses and bridge with its churning beat more than the somewhat loud chorus. It has tinges of Pitbull's I Know You Want Me and it incorporates the synths present in many popular songs nowadays. It's flirty, danceable fun, and I think it's a grower. It doesn't scream "Sugababes" though. The lyrics are priceless and fierce especially the terrific line: "Just shut up and watch me walk". The part around 2:24 is quite cheeky and sassy. This is a complete 180 from their underrated last album, Catfights and Spotlights, which had a retro-feel to it. I guess they needed to recreate themselves. The song will be released for download in August with the new album coming in the fall I assume. Get Sexy will be the Sugas first release in the US since their signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Very exciting!

Get Sexy

Big, big news!

Sugababes new single, Get Sexy, will be played for the first time on BBC Radio 1 tomorrow afternoon at 4:50PM. The single will be officially released on August 31st. Here's what their website has to say:

"New tunes, new style, new hair cuts and new attitude. GET ready to see SEXY!
The babes return with the first single from their 7th studio album this summer. GET SEXY is a slamming dance anthem that sees the girls hooking up with a host of big name producers following their stint in L.A. and the new single shows a new direction for the babes but still with that unmistakable Sugababes sound.
Hear it first on Scott Mills Radio 1 show this Tuesday 7th July."

This is so exciting!

Here's what the pop lovers at Popjustice have to say about the song:

"A new Sugababes single is always a reason to get excited and their new track, 'Get Sexy', is a big, fearsome explosion of a pop record. At first listen it sounds quite aggressive and adventurous which, in a post-'Bonkers'-at-Number-One, post-'Boom Boom Pow'-at-Number-One world, it's really not; pop changes its sound as the years go by and if they're clever so do pop groups. Sonically this is just what the Sugababes needed after the wet Wednesday of their last album campaign - a campaign which despite an album we loved seemed to chime so badly with fans that the band looked like they were on the brink of something not very good at all.

After all that we'd kind of wanted the band to take a year off for 2009 but with one major British girl group notable by absence from this autumn's release schedules it makes sense for Sugababes to storm ahead. Followers of the band's - particularly Keisha's - Twitter pages will have a fair idea already of what's to come from the new album and fans received a surprise this weekend when a clip of 'Get Sexy' leaked online ahead of its Radio One debut tomorrow.

Well, the clip was a very early demo; the clip that leaked gives you a general feel for things but one major change is that while some of the male vocals remain (in the verses' call-and-response portions) the girls now sing the song's a massive bridge, whose lyrics are now based on Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy': "cos I'm too sexy in this club, too sexy in this club, so sexy it hurts". There's also a fantastic middle eight built around a playful chant of "if I had a dime (dime) for every single time (time) these boys stop and stare, I'd be a billionaire".

It's a confusing listen - to these ears the verses are terrible and trite while everything else in the song is just totally brilliant and exciting. The ups and downs are frustrating;..."

I remember having similar excitement last summer when the first single from Catfights and Spotlights, Girls, premiered. I'm ready for this Sugas!