Pop Culture Buzz

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

Pop Culture Buzz just got fancier, now I am able to post streaming songs from some of the new artists that are creating a buzz or ones that are my personal faves at the moment!

There will be a new category posted to the right as well, so enjoy!

Hey there loyal blog readers! If you look to the right of each blog page you will see a category section, now you can view each section according to the topic discussed!

I hope you enjoy this new feature!

1.) Cat Power - “The Greatest”

This C.D. continues to deliver, many months after it’s spring 2006 release. I didn’t catch Cat Power at Coachella this past year, and man do I regret this now. This c.d. is soothing and calming, perfect for rainy weather. The jazzy pop rock arrangements of the songs are popping with charm. The lead singer Chan Marshall sounds as if she is channeling Billy Holiday with a punk rockers voice. Sad, mellow and hauntingly familiar this c.d. has become a staple in my iPod mix.

2.) Chris Isaak - “A Chris Isaak Christmas”

If your not into Christmas music than this c.d. may be for you. Chris Isaak has always sounded like the second coming of Roy Orbison, and I don’t mind. His range and sultry singing voice have given him a huge fan base for years. He still looks handsome and brawny, his voice hasn’t faltered a bit in the years since his “Wicked Game” peak. This collection of holiday music has a California vibe that is perfect for those warm winter days.

3.) My Morning Jacket - “Z”

This disc was on every critics “best of” list for 2005, and with good reason. This c.d. is a swelling, artistic masterpiece. Seeing these guys at Coachella this summer was a privilege. The crowd was hypnotized by the epic sound and cohesive blend of art rock and psychedelic guitar riffs. Their sound is unique and familiar all at the same time. “Z” has a classic rock sound with a hard edge, yet is able to break free of any label it is given. That is originality!

4.) The Flaming Lips - “At War With The Mystics”

This is one of the best c.d.’s of 2006, hands down. The Lips have proved to be one of the best live acts around today, and this collection of music proves the status they have earned. They continue to innovate and pull inspiration from the weirdest aspects of life. This is another insanely creative album of orchestral sounds made by genius artist’s. Labeled a “concept album” this disc unravels a mystical rocking story line with creative results.

5.) The Dixie Chicks - “Taking The Long Way”

I will be reviewing The Dixie Chicks concert on this blog tomorrow, but if you are interested in these gals I suggest you run out an purchase this disc A.S.A.P. This is a brilliant collection of introspective, controversial views set with a rock edge. Gone are the twangy, country influences. Substituted in it’s place are hard driven, well written songs that could pertain to the recent group’s controversy or to the cookie cutter “love song” type they are used to singing. Natalie Maine’s does her best writing ever that conveys the pain and confusion surrounding the media attention they have gathered. This is true musicianship and Natalie is one of the most talented song writers in music today.

“The Grudge 2″
“The Return”
“An American Haunting”

What do these movies have in common? They are all labeled “horror” movies but rated PG-13. Isn’t this a contradiction to what horror movies should be all about? Don’t people react more to the gore and life like scenes of death when they go into an R-rated movie? If a horror movie is rated PG-13 than you can pretty much bet there will be some predictability and toned down gore.

When did this mild rating system of horror films become a trend? Movies like “Saw”, “Hostel” and “The Texas Chansaw Massacre” made piles of money advertising the over the top bloody elements of their films. Many like “The Hills Have Eyes” have released a “un-rated” versions when they are released onto home DVD and they sell very well.

Whatever the reasoning, don’t go watch a horror movie with a PG-13 rating attachd to it. You will not only be bored, or scared or grossed out, you will have wasted your money. This is an apparent move on the filmmakers and studios part to generate more box office revenue by attracting a broader audience. The victims of this tactic are the true horror movie fans that like realistic gore and barf inducing action.

As long as studios pander to teenagers and continue to rate horror movies so a broader young audience can see it, we will continue to get soggy, boring, lifeless horror movies like “An American Haunting”. Oooooh scary!

Madonna was on British TV last night defending her decision to adopt her son David who is from Malawi. I read the interview and watched a small clip, and man is she pissed off! This is the Madonna that I love, the one I grew up with who spoke what she felt. This was nothing like her appearance on Oprah last week, that interview was too orchestrated and unemotional.

In this BBC2 interview Madonna stated that many people had a problem with her adopting David because his skin was a different color. She then said the idea of a white woman adopting a black baby was still considered too taboo for some people. Also, that people have actually come up to her off the street and asked her why she chose to adopt a black baby.

Why didn’t she say all of this on Orpah? Maybe she held back out of respect for her, but it is obvious by her candid words that she feels more comfortable and isn’t reading from a prompter this time. I think people need to leave this alone and stop with the drama!

Colombia’s vice president Francisco Santos has accused cocaine using celebrities of fuelling the country’s civil war, singling out Kate Moss for criticism. Kate Moss was photographed by a reporter last year snorting cocaine in a London recording studio. Of course the pictures were splashed all over the world making her a clear target for these kinds of discussions.

The facts are clear though, Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer and is over-run by drug cartels and armed gangs. And with the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug addiction reporting that cocaine use in the UK and Spain has doubled over the past 10 years, isn’t it a fair statement the vice president is trying to make?

It sucks that Kate is being singled out, but I don’t feel sorry for her, what was she thinking? Do you know who she was dating, and who was in some of the background shots at the time this all went down? Pete Doherty! The controversial British junky/rocker who has a widly known heroin, crack and booze problem. He has his own share of media controversy surrounding pictures of himself passed out with a needle in his arm! I guess it’s true, if you run with the big dogs, you’re bound to get bitten.

Kate’s pictures were pretty damning, did you see how BIG of a line she did? I did, and let me tell you, my head was in pain just looking at it! Besides we all know she couldn’t possibly do enough coke to fuel a civil war all on her own….could she???

CLICK THE PIC BELOW TO SEE KATE MOSS SNORTING COCAINE

Joking aside, if any of us had been caught like she did, we would have one strike against us with no fabulous perks. Although she did lose a couple of big name contracts from H&M and Burberry, she has since landed more jobs and won’t be charged with anything stemming from the controversy. Kate Moss got very lucky and apparently she got some really good publicity as well!

The pics of Pete Doherty performing below are scary. If that boy is not high in these pics than he is just plain ugly. I guess misery really does love company.

CLICK THE PIC TO SEE PETE ALL FUCKED UP!

Hollywood will always try to find the easiest way to make a dollar if there is one. The public is constantly force fed bloated, over hyped and badly executed sequels from mostly tired franchises. For some reason Hollywood thinks that if ANY movie is a hit, than you need to create a sequel.

This is the same unimaginative, greedy thinking that gets re-makes that no one asked for made as well as big screen adaptations of TV shows. The odds are against these type of films because they are usually rushed to the screen and in many cases ends up shitting on the legacy of a much loved classic (”Star Wars” anyone?).

Here are some examples of movies the public did not ask for, then end up tanking at the box office or with critics:

“Basic Instinct 2″
“Mission Impossible 3″
“Miss Congeniality 2″
“The Fast And The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift”
“Oceans 12″
“Dirty Dancing 2″

Here are some movies in the works that have the potential to be flops:

“Rush Hour 3″
“Evan Almighty”
“Rambo 4″
“Rocky Balboa”
“Indiana Jones 4″
“Old School 2″
“Hulk 2″
“Wedding Crashers 2″
“Superman 2″
“Oceans 13″
“Terminator 4″

Another angle that is often executed badly is the idea of making a prequel to an already successful movie franchise. This approach is fast becoming the new route studios take when looking to make a fast buck. But much like the idea of re-makes, sequels and TV to big screen adaptations this strategy often backfires. We end up getting soggy, regurgitated plots that over explain things. These movies prove this point:

“The Exorcist: Dominion”
“Dumb & Dumberer”
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning”

The decision by movie studio heads to re-hash old ideas more times than not, turns out to be a bad one. This means that Hollywood doesn’t have a clue as to what the hell people really want. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into lifeless, risky projects they should be molding young screenwriters and encouraging new ideas. Will these prequels do well?:

“Casino Royale”
“Becoming Hannibal”

Some movie sequels fair better and have the exact opposite result. They end up breaking records and creating a buzz in anticipation of the next installment. The “Lord Of The Rings”, “Harry Potter” and “Shrek” movies are films that stick to the formula that made them hits to begin with. These films are rare and special indeed, but are also the reason why studios get so greedy in the first place. A quick note on “LOTR”, Peter Jackson is in talks to make “The Hobbit” which will be amazing I am sure. The only sequel to impress me lately was this summers “Clerks 2″. It came out of nowhere and turned out to be a pitch perfect companion to the first film.

For the past couple of years Hollywood has been struggling with declining ticket sales. The studios have been more reluctant to green light any risky movies they are unfamiliar with, especially those with no big names attached to them. So they churn out safe, predictable movies that insult the public’s intelligence. Netflix, iPods and piracy may be another factor in bad box office draw. But in the end, when it comes down to it, people are getting tired of the Hollywood machine.

“Superman Returns” is a great example of how out of touch Hollywood truly is. It did not perform as well as predicted when it came out this summer, as well as receiving mixed reviews by critics and audiences. This didn’t seem to effect Warner Bros. as they are already preparing to make a sequel.

Next year promises to be no different. There are a number of sequels etc. set for release. I always keep an open mind, but usually am let down. I have high hopes for the following:

“Shrek 3″
“Harry Potter: The Order Of The Phoenix”
“Prince Caspian: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe”
“Batman: The Dark Knight”
“Spiderman 3″
“Sin City 2″
“Hostel 2″
“The Hills Have Eyes 2″
“Pirates Of The Caribbean 3″
“The Bourne Ultimatum”

There will never be an end to the amount of shitty movies that get made, but we as movie watchers have already sent a message to Hollywood. They hear it loud in clear in declining box office receipts. Will we see a creative cinematic revival? Most likely not, Hollywood is too busy telling us what we should like to listen.

My Space.com will use “audio fingerprinting” technology to block users from uploading copyright music to the site, the company said Monday. My Space, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., said it will review all music files uploaded by community members to their on line profiles.

“My Space is staunchly committed to protecting artists’ rights, whether those artists are on major labels or are independent acts,” said Chris De Wolfe, My Space chief executive and co-founder. The company said users who repeatedly attempt to upload copyright music files will be permanently barred from the site.

This is pretty lame news. One of the coolest things about My Space was being able to create a home page that expresses your sense of style. One of the best functions was posting video’s on your profile and having music play on your page when guests view it. Now you run the risk of being banned if you have anything on your site that is deemed “illegal”.

Of course this is all a result of the corporate angle that My Space is a part of now. Long gone are the days of glitzy, expressive fan pages. My Space has officially gone the way of the once popular “Friendster”. The buzz around My Space is gone now that it is just another money making machine. All of the promoting and marketing have taken the place of the once thriving, creative and expressive community it once was.

British supermodel Naomi Campbell was arrested in central London on suspicion of assaulting her drugs counselor this week, according to her spokesman and media reports. Looks like someone is truly the diva bitch they are portrayed to be.

When will she finally have to take responsibility for her actions? I say a small jail sentence so we can see pictures of her without make up and her weave is fair. She doesn’t seem to understand you can’t hit people, or throw phones at them.

As you may or may not know Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell have a crazy ass rivalry and professional dislike for eachother. Tyra has already won over the hearts of the public with two hit shows on TV. Naomi just seems to be a bad stereotype, eeewwwww!

Have you ever wanted to body slam Britney Spears dead beat husband? Would you get joy out of seeing him physically thrown and getting his ass kicked? I would!

K-Fed is a universally loathed douche bag, so it is refreshing and cathartic to see him get his dues, no matter how fake the set up. K-Fed showed up on RAW to debut his song and acting style, both with sad results. K-Fed is not believable or authentic in any way!. We all know that wrestling is the male version of soap operas including bad acting, sex and absurd plots.

I just like seeing Mr. Spears getting the bitch slap he has been deserving for so long. I mean check out the douchebag braids he wore in the posted picture above.

This is my first post, and man do I have a lot to talk about. First off let’s stick the topic at hand, what is considered buzz in the world of all things pop?

I think you need to read, watch and listen to all aspects of pop culture to know what the true buzz is. Then again I think everything I see or hear is truly worthy of any buzz. But that is just the pop bitch in me speaking.

The format I want to create here is an interactive debate and present my reviews while getting some reader feedback. Nothing wrong with a healthy pop culture bitch-fest…right?

I will review music, movies, t.v., trends and live shows on this blog and will hold nothing back in my approach. Having the passion to soak up all the useless, vapid, creative, fun, edgy aspects of pop culture is what I do best. So give me your views, and tell me what makes you passionate in the pop culture universe!