Pop Shots: The Tenth Shot
Miley Goes Minx ... For The Kids
By: Adam Bernard
Last updated August 26th , 2009

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 Miley's pole dance, to Diddy's laziness, to what The Beatles coming to Rock Band means to you. And since it's Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.


* This year's Teen Choice Awards featured a controversial pole dance by underage starlet Miley Cyrus. Some have blamed her father for her actions while others have placed the blame squarely on the teen sensation. Most people who are playing the blame game, however, seem to be missing the point that the producers of the Teen Choice Awards felt there was nothing wrong with the phrase "stripper pole at the Teen Choice Awards." Apparently common sense wasn't invited to those production meetings.


* I have a small confession to make. I don't get the nation's infatuation with Jason Mraz. Sure, he seems like a nice person and all, but the whole sappy guy with a guitar thing just doesn't move me. Apparently it moves everybody else, though, as Mraz's "I'm Yours" just set a record by spending it's 70th week on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. I find this really strange since for me the song doesn't work at all on the radio because it always kills the pace of what had been played previously. Uber-popular singles just might not be my thing, though, as the song that held the previous chart longevity record was LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live," which also made me change the station with a quickness that The Flash would have been proud of... cuz everybody knows The Flash is no big fan of sappy love songs.

* A long time ago I interviewed for a job at VH1. I didn't get the gig. Looking at who the network will allow on their reality shows, however, I probably should have just tried sending in an audition tape rather than a resume because apparently their background checks for who they'll allow on TV go no further than asking "do you own pants?" As everyone has heard by now, VH1's epic fail of a show, Megan Wants a Millionaire, which involved one gold digging bimbo who was told to hit the road by Bret Michaels looking for the "love" of a millionaire, was pulled off the air after one of the millionaires, contestant Ryan Jenkins, was charged with the murder of his Vegas stripper wife. Jenkins ended up fleeing the country and on Sunday night was found dead in a Canadian hotel room from an apparent suicide. There's really not much more one can say about all this except, Megan, that's a great radar you have for men. Really, it's just fantastic. A quick FYI, those aren't personal ads at the post office, they're... ah, nevermind.

* P. Diddy debuted a new television show on MTV last week (does this guy ever set foot in a recording studio anymore?). The show, titled P. Diddy's Starmaker, is being billed as a talent competition that goes beyond musical ability. According to Diddy it's not enough to be an artist anymore. He was quoted by Reuters as saying "you have to be able to do a great live show, you have to be able to do a great online interview, you need to have a great Facebook page, (and) you have to have a great television performance." Do you think Diddy realizes that artists who can already do all of these things have absolutely no use for him? Seriously, if an artist is already that well equipped what exactly is Diddy going to do for them other than screw up their songs by saying "Bad Boy" in the background and leave them broke in the process?

* Rock Band aficionados will be getting a huge addition to their world on September 9th when the new Beatles edition of the game hits stores. I know a lot of fans are already salivating at the thought of it, but I think there's some potential for this game to backfire.  Think about it. Your parents were never interested in playing along to Hole or Fall Out Boy, but now your dad is suddenly going to appear as if from out of nowhere to join in your jam sessions with your friends. You're going to come home from school one day to find your mom with a Rock Band guitar slung over her shoulder greeting you with a joyful "I'm getting really good at this." Your X-Box will be commandeered for your parents' dinner parties. Life as you know it will be changed forever!!! OK, perhaps I'm being a bit overdramatic, but you never know...

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

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