Unfortunately, I missed the most recent episode of “SNL.” Maya Rudolph hosted, and it seems like she did a really good job. Anyway, the skit that made the most noise found Maya playing new mom Beyonce Knowles. She and Jay Pharoah (doing a note-perfect Jay-Z impression even though there’s no resemblance whatsoever) entertain a who’s who of celebrities into their home to meet Blue Ivy. Fred Armisen is great as Prince, and Kristen Wiig does Taylor Swift’s surprise face to [...]
Blerd Briefs: Bonnaroo Lineup Announced!
It’s music festival season! South by Southwest is right around the corner, and Jazz Fest is a couple months away. After that: Bonnaroo. The 11th annual edition of the festival takes place from June 7th through June 10th in scenic Manchester, Tennessee. The lineup, as expected, is a who’s who of rock music, with this year’s top-billed act being Radiohead. The Beach Boys will also be appearing as part of their 50th anniversary reunion, as will their Grammy co-performers Foster [...]
New Release Report 2/14/12: Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovers! Most of you with plans today probably won’t see the inside of a record store (unless they sell chocolates or something,) and guess what: you don’t need to! After a few weeks when the releases were flying fast and furious, things slow down to a near-crawl this week with only a few notable albums hitting shelves. Note: Band of Horses and Band of Skulls are two separate bands. Band of Horses is an [...]
Roundball Soundoff: Linsanity!
Just when you thought the New York Knicks’ season was about to tank… My hometown team has been one of basketball’s biggest disappointments in this lockout-shortened season. Although their defensive intensity has picked up tremendously (we can thank Tyson Chandler for that,) they’ve looked lost on offense. A team with as many offensive weapons as the Knicks have should be spacing the floor better, getting more open looks, and scoring more points. We can blame a good chunk of that [...]
Pass The Popcorn: How to Fund a Time Machine
Jay Cheel, director of “ Beauty Day ,” wants your money. Why should you fork over your hard-earned money to help this relatively unknown Canadian filmmaker fund a documentary based off an allegedly elaborate hoax about time travel? Well, if that intriguing rhetorical question didn’t do anything for you, take a quick gander at this Doc Ignite trailer for “How to Build a Time Machine“… Crowd funding is an interesting concept. It’s been all the rage as of late, with Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions raising over 600K in under 24 hours via KickStarter [...]
The Viewfinder: De La Soul’s Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present First Serve: “Must B The Music”
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Plug One and Plug Two of De La Soul (AKA Pos & Dave) are unveiling a new project called First Serve . The concept is a little weird, but I’m so excited to hear new music from these guys that I’m willing to forgive the weird framework the music is given in. With the First Serve album release coming up (4/2, for those who are unaware,) the fellas have decided to add a video component to their concept. [...]
Blerd Appreciation: Whitney Houston
The Popblerd staff pays tribute to the incomparable Whitney Houston, who passed away yesterday at the age of 48.
Popblerd’s Grammy Preview & Predictions 2012: Pop Category
There’s been a fair amount of bitching and moaning about the omission of several categories from the Grammy repertoire, and heavies like Jesse Jackson (what the fuck does he have to do with music?) and Carlos Santana (what the f…oh, never mind) have made their grievances known. Hey, has anyone noticed that they cut categories from ALL genres of music? Even pop categories are missing. The best pop collaboration category has been jettisoned, and as with Rock and R&B, the [...]
Popblerd’s Grammy Preview & Predictions 2012: R&B Categories
Who’s going to win big in the R&B categories at the Grammys this year? Have Chris Brown & R. Kelly officially redeemed themselves?
Spin Cycle Plus!: The Staff Poptificates On Van Halen’s “A Different Kind Of Truth”
Mike D.: Some time ago – probably after Bob Dylan released Time Out of Mind - it became common for music pundits to slap their foreheads and declare that, you know, the newest album by a major pop/rock act previously viewed as past their prime actually isn’t so bad. Koomdogg: After a month of previews and slow reveals, Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth is finally out. Jay: Considering it’s been 14 years since their last album (and that album was VH III, which [...]
New Release Report 2/7/11: Van Halen, McCartney? What Year Is It?
Now, this is what I’m talking about. It’s less than a week until the Grammys, Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and I’m getting ready for my first legitimate trip to a record store to buy new music in 2012. Lots of stuff happening this week, boys and girls, so rev your engines and let’s get started. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for all of 2012 so far, you are well aware that A Different Kind of Truth, [...]
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