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 Shakira's latest single to Demi Lovato's arrival to Sugar Ray covering one of the biggest Hip-Hop songs of the year. All seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* While I'm thrilled that Shakira managed to work the word lycanthropy into her latest single, "She Wolf," I'm saddened to say it doesn't change the fact that the song is all kinds of terrible. I am a huge Shakira fan, but "She Wolf" is way below standards for her. It doesn't show off her vocal range, it has a weak "produced" sounding beat, and at its very core it's basically a "lite" pop song. I never thought I'd say it, but Shakira has given us fluff. The Shakira I love has huge vocals and musically dynamic songs. Can we find that Shakira and bring her back?
* When I noticed Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again" was rocketing up the charts it goes without saying that I wanted to give it a listen to hear what all the buzz was about. Lovato is one of the Disney kids whose name has been talked about for a while and because of this I was under the impression that she was a little older than some of her fellow singers/actors there. I had no idea she was still only 16 (turning 17 in August). Even before I found that I out I thought her vocals were great, but now knowing how young she is… wow! She's one part Katy Perry, one part Kelly Clarkson and she's not afraid to belt it out, which is why when I first heard "Here We Go Again" I figured she was at least 21 and on her way out of the Disney world (no pun intended). She still has a few years left there, however, and as long as she doesn't do anything screwy she should have a nice career. I'm looking forward to hearing what she does next.
* The other day I was in my local grocery store when something caught my eye. I saw the stars of High School Musical on a box of cereal. What they heck were they doing there, I thought to myself. Last time I checked they hadn't accomplished any athletic feat and as far as I know that's the only way to get on a box of cereal. Did Zac Efron win the Super Bowl? No. Then I noticed this was no special edition of an established breakfast favorite, but rather an official High School Musical cereal brought to us by Kellogg's. Let the jokes about eating Vanessa Hudgens and putting some Zac Efron in your mouth begin!
* With over 11 million people playing World of Warcraft on a monthly basis, and with South Park lampooning those players for a 2006 episode that took home an Emmy, it would be hard to argue against WoW's pop culture relevancy and it's going to be even harder after Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and Dark Knight producer Charles Roven complete their World of Warcraft movie. Their real challenge, however, is going to be getting the WoW fanboys to leave their computers long enough to actually watch it. My suggestion – graphic Orc nudity! Gets em every time.
* Rarely do I click a video link when it's sent to me as a part of a mass email, but when I saw one particular link was to Sugar Ray doing a cover of arguably one of the biggest Hip-Hop songs of the year, Kid Cudi's "Day and Night," I knew it was something I had to see. First off, I really dig Sugar Ray. I think they're one of the most underrated bands of the past decade. I also believe Mark McGrath is one helluva singer. Combine all that with them covering a song I thought was dope the first time around and I was ready to be impressed. Well, not only did Sugar Ray not disappoint, their totally unique version of "Day and Night" proved how great a song it really is by showing it can cross genres. It sounds just as smart and relevant being sung by Mark McGrath as it does being rapped by Kid Cudi and that's a testament to Kid Cudi's songwriting ability. Props to everyone involved with this. Check out the performance below:
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
* While I'm thrilled that Shakira managed to work the word lycanthropy into her latest single, "She Wolf," I'm saddened to say it doesn't change the fact that the song is all kinds of terrible. I am a huge Shakira fan, but "She Wolf" is way below standards for her. It doesn't show off her vocal range, it has a weak "produced" sounding beat, and at its very core it's basically a "lite" pop song. I never thought I'd say it, but Shakira has given us fluff. The Shakira I love has huge vocals and musically dynamic songs. Can we find that Shakira and bring her back?* When I noticed Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again" was rocketing up the charts it goes without saying that I wanted to give it a listen to hear what all the buzz was about. Lovato is one of the Disney kids whose name has been talked about for a while and because of this I was under the impression that she was a little older than some of her fellow singers/actors there. I had no idea she was still only 16 (turning 17 in August). Even before I found that I out I thought her vocals were great, but now knowing how young she is… wow! She's one part Katy Perry, one part Kelly Clarkson and she's not afraid to belt it out, which is why when I first heard "Here We Go Again" I figured she was at least 21 and on her way out of the Disney world (no pun intended). She still has a few years left there, however, and as long as she doesn't do anything screwy she should have a nice career. I'm looking forward to hearing what she does next.
* The other day I was in my local grocery store when something caught my eye. I saw the stars of High School Musical on a box of cereal. What they heck were they doing there, I thought to myself. Last time I checked they hadn't accomplished any athletic feat and as far as I know that's the only way to get on a box of cereal. Did Zac Efron win the Super Bowl? No. Then I noticed this was no special edition of an established breakfast favorite, but rather an official High School Musical cereal brought to us by Kellogg's. Let the jokes about eating Vanessa Hudgens and putting some Zac Efron in your mouth begin!* With over 11 million people playing World of Warcraft on a monthly basis, and with South Park lampooning those players for a 2006 episode that took home an Emmy, it would be hard to argue against WoW's pop culture relevancy and it's going to be even harder after Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and Dark Knight producer Charles Roven complete their World of Warcraft movie. Their real challenge, however, is going to be getting the WoW fanboys to leave their computers long enough to actually watch it. My suggestion – graphic Orc nudity! Gets em every time.
* Rarely do I click a video link when it's sent to me as a part of a mass email, but when I saw one particular link was to Sugar Ray doing a cover of arguably one of the biggest Hip-Hop songs of the year, Kid Cudi's "Day and Night," I knew it was something I had to see. First off, I really dig Sugar Ray. I think they're one of the most underrated bands of the past decade. I also believe Mark McGrath is one helluva singer. Combine all that with them covering a song I thought was dope the first time around and I was ready to be impressed. Well, not only did Sugar Ray not disappoint, their totally unique version of "Day and Night" proved how great a song it really is by showing it can cross genres. It sounds just as smart and relevant being sung by Mark McGrath as it does being rapped by Kid Cudi and that's a testament to Kid Cudi's songwriting ability. Props to everyone involved with this. Check out the performance below:
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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