Pop Shots
Odd Reactions
By: Adam Bernard
Last updated September 1st , 2010

Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from what Wyclef did to protest the rejection of his presidential bid in Haiti, to how a German court saw fit to punish a pop singer who was sleeping with people while knowingly infected with HIV, to how Fantasia Barrino dealt with being mentioned on a few gossip blogs, and since it's Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Because everyone reacts to bad news differently, Wyclef has decided there's only one way to get over Haitian officials rejecting his presidential bid - write a diss track. He's no longer asking "What's ‘Clef Got To Do With It," but instead suggesting "Prison for the CEP," which is the electoral commission that made the decision to shut him out. ‘Clef also apparently rips into Haitian president Rene Preval, although I have to say "apparently" since the song in Creole, and I don't know Creole. Let's hope American politics follows Wyclef's lead. Sarah Palin, the ball's in your court. I expect you to make use of the vocorder!

* Legendary Spanish singer Julio Iglesias wed his girlfriend of the past 20 years in a secret ceremony last week. The entire cast of Jersey Shore contemplated crashing the wedding and dancing on the stage, but then they realized it was the elder Iglesias, and not Enrique.

* In one of the more disturbing stories to ever come out of the pop music world, a German pop singer named Nadja Benaissa, from the apparently appropriately named girl-band No Angels, was convicted of grievous bodily harm when she confessed to knowingly exposing two men to the risk of HIV by having unprotected sex with them. A 34-year-old talent agent contracted HIV from her, and later contracted full blown AIDS, while the other man involved luckily came away clean despite having sex with her between 2000-2004. Benaissa found out she had HIV during a blood test that was taken during her pregnancy in 1999, when she was 17. The really crazy part of the story - she didn't get any jail time. Due to her remorse she received a two year suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service (and not the kind of "servicing" she was doing to the two men she was with). In a related story, Germany wants to know what the big deal is about Lindsay Lohan, or as they would call her, a national treasure.

* Former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who just so happened to be releasing an album last week, is now claiming that her overdose on aspirin was actually a suicide attempt. According to Reuters, she "took an overdose after being named in divorce papers filed by the wife of her long-time boyfriend and was overwhelmed by media attention." Pardon me for being cynical, but what media attention? This was nothing more than a blip on the gossip blog radar. It was certainly nothing compared to, oh, I don't know, being on the most watched show on television. Regardless of what her actual reasons were, I think she should now remake her song "Collard Greens and Cornbread" into the far more accurate "collard greens & a dangerously unhealthy amount of over the counter drugs."

* You may not be familiar with the name George David Weiss, but you are undoubtedly familiar with his music. The man helped write hit songs such as "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "What a Wonderful World." He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and after passing away last Monday he'll get to see many of the artists he wrote hits for once again.

* If you're like me, you've always felt pro wrestling deserved to be remixed into something for the dance floor. Thankfully, DJ Dan Alcala agrees with that sentiment, which is why he created "Ultimate Pon De Warrior," a totally crazy track that features everyone's favorite batshit insane wrestler, Ultimate Warrior.


And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.

[Tags] POP

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