Well, we got at least two of the three topics covered. On the latest episode of Blerd Radio, I am joined by GG and Carletta, who also happened to be my very first guests on Blerd Radio! Among the topics discussed in this action-packed episode: The NBA Finals, Ron Artest’s rap career and why people hate Kobe Bryant The ongoing struggles of the Jackson family, and is Joe Jackson the most hated entertainment figure of all time? What happened to Christina [...]
How Strong *Is* Christina Aguilera’s “Bionic”?
I was fully expecting “Bionic”, the fourth English-language studio album from Christina Aguilera, to be a disaster. I wasn’t sure how her bombastic vocals and pop sensibility would blend with an intriguing list of collaborators. My suspicions seemed to be confirmed once I heard the fairly generic first single “Not Myself Tonight” and follow-up “Woohoo”, which features the unbelievably annoying Nicki Minaj. There was no way in hell “Bionic” was not gonna be a hot mess. Well, “Bionic” is kind [...]
8 Minutes of Audio Greatness…& Video WTF??: Lady GaGa’s “Alejandro”
OK, I give in! For the past 18 months or so, I’ve been trying to resist Lady GaGa, but my defenses have slowly been worn down, and it has less to do with her outrageous imagery and overt sexuality than it has to do with the songs, man! There hasn’t been a pop artist in a long time who’s created so many earworms, one right after the other. While I still think some of her public shenanigans are tasteless and [...]
Why *Don't* I Love Beyonce?
Beyonce Knowles-Carter definitely has two things going for her. 1) She can sing (and no one can really dispute that) and 2) She is foine. With that said, there’s definitely a disconnect when it comes to the way I feel about her from a talent appreciation standpoint. I’m not sure if it’s because of the various times her songwriting ability has been called into question. Maybe it’s the fact that often times her pretty voice disguises the fact that she [...]
Blerd Premiere: Christina Aguilera's "Not Myself Tonight" Video
Where do I start? How about this…for her new video, “Not Myself Tonight”, Christina Aguilera has dropped the retro-glam image she was working on her last album “Back to Basics” and is now going for a vibe and image that’s alarmingly similar to the image that’s turned Lady GaGa into a megastar in the past year or so. I’m not sure whether to call this an outright theft. After all, if you consider Xtina’s “Fighter” and “Dirrty” videos from back [...]
Blerd Radio Episode 2: Record Store Day?
This, folks, is a tale of two shows. Initially, what I’d planned in order to celebrate (however belatedly) Record Store Day, was a reunion of some of the cast that provided my first employment experience at Tower Records. That place was certainly not at a loss for characters. So the time came to record the show…and none of my Tower friends called in. So, the first half of the show is pretty much me improvising. I talk a little about [...]
Smoothed Out Sundays: A Double Shot of Simply Red
First off, I admire Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall because he can sing his ass off. For a quarter century, he’s been one of the most soulful voices to come out of the U.K.-an area that has no shortage of great soul singers (George Michael, Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet). Second, I admire Mick because he manages to score hot chicks despite the fact that he is NOT aging very well (and he wasn’t that much of a [...]
Don't Judge Me: "Maury"
Now, generally speaking, I don’t really like to apologize for my lowbrow tastes. However, one soft spot that I’ve never quite been able to justify in my head is my love for daytime talk shows. I’m not talking about shows like “Ellen” or even “Oprah” (although I used to dig the Rosie O’ Donnell show back in the day), but what’s more commonly referred to as trash TV. Yes, I’m talking Ricki Lake. And Jenny Jones. Jerry Springer used to [...]
Smoothed Out Sunday: "Electric Relaxation"
Today is Easter Sunday. Today is also the first day of the 2010 baseball season (or as I like to call it, the year when the Yankees win their 28th World Series title). So I choose to celebrate this Sunday with…a song about sex? Why the hell not? For most people, you can sum up the love song in hip-hop with a few words. “Bitch”, “ho” and “suck my dick” would probably do the trick (no pun intended) for most. [...]
To Tell or Not to Tell: That is the Question…
Someone I know posted this article on their Facebook page yesterday. It’s about an openly gay Israeli soldier who proudly served in his military. The basic point of the article was to pose the question “if a country like Israel allows homosexuals to serve in the military without incident, isn’t it time to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’?” I say no. A little background for those of you who don’t know me personally. I happen to be gay. My sexuality is not [...]
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