andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Jason Derulo gets giddy with excitement when discussing his feeling as artist with a hit debut single like Watcha Say.

Not because of the fame that tags along with it’s No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, or 750,000 sold copies, or invitation to join Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball Tour,  but the anticipation, knowing that he has so much more potential to unleash.

And the industry doesn’t even realize it-  yet.

“I’m just beginning man,” Derulo tells andPOP from Los Angeles. “It’s definitely an interesting feeling. It’s almost as if I feel like people have no idea of what I can offer as an artist, the impact that I can have.”

READ MORE »

With the touch of a button, Nicolas Dresti delivers a shot of adrenaline to the sea of 30 thousand fans. Their screams are met with his quick rhythmic jumping and head bobbing to the beat on-stage. He’s not the main event, heck he’s not even a co-headliner, but he’s still the man orchestrating one of the hottest concerts on the planet – all from a laptop. This may be Lady Gaga’s party, but DJ Space Cowboy is the event’s power source – the battery that keeps the beat alive.

He’s now on top of the world.

On that night Dresti was the European energizer bunny, but now he’s recharging his own batteries at his hotel. It’s hard to believe that he is the key to Lady Gaga’s live performance successes. The man in the neatly-cut dark-suit and sparkling rhinestone skinny-tie seems sophisticated and quiet – the complete opposite of what a Gaga concert is notorious for.

But it’s true. Look at Dresti and his alter ego DJ Space Cowboy like you would Clark Kent and Superman – they’re both the same person, yet totally different at the same time. Put Clark Kent into a phone booth and he’ll become Superman. Well, put Dresti in front of an audio mixer and laptop, and he’ll suddenly transform into the backbone – or backbeat, if you will – as DJ Space Cowboy, Gaga’s DJ and head maestro responsible for explosive energy in any crowd.

His new album Digital Rockstar dropped earlier this week, and it’s one of the rare chances to really hear Superman-like energy harnessed into one CD.

“Raising the energy bar is one my main jobs as a DJ,” Dresti tells andPOP in the martini bar of Toronto’s Pantages Hotel.

READ MORE »

Geez, it gets better and better. Following the season six finale bonus scene of Entourage with Matt Damon leaving Vince a psychotic voice mail, I just stumbled upon some raw footage of a second bonus scene. It appears to be a segment where Vince is getting chewed up by Damon while filming a ‘Save the Children’ commercial. Or is it real, and is Damon actually tearing up Adrian Grenier. You decide.

Martina Sorbara’s music career has been like one one-night-stand after the next.

The lead singer of Electro-Pop group Dragonette has been involved in many projects – both as a solo singer and in group settings – but she has yet to be part of a follow up album – until now.

Dragonette’s second album Fixin to Thrill, was released last month, and Sorbara’s feeling of the album’s completion is sublime.

“It’s a huge deal for me,” Sorbara, 31, tells andPOP. “Just putting out a second album is kinda like a milestone. I just think that every time we finished a song, that was a big high point for myself.”

READ MORE »

Another season cometh and went for HBO’s Entourage, and what ironically made the season finale was one of the celebrity cameo appearances by Oscar winner Matt Damon- who played himself trying to “Jason-Bourne” Vince into donating money to his Children’s Charity.

It’s pretty clear that Damon’s performance was truly a gut-buster. I personally was on the couch cracking up seeing him repeatedly stick-arm Vince into joining the foundation, donating money, and then donating more money.

Though the real performance came in the post-episode credits where we see Damon really lose a gasket. Check it out.

This Week On Entourage:

On the day before he leaves to Italy, Vince tries to get the boys to come with him, but only manages to get Drama. Turtle still trying to get over Jamie, and tries to forget about her with the college dorm girl. And Eric says he’s going to try and get Sloan back -but the guys think it’ll be pretty hard.

Meanwhile, Ari and his wife meet with the therapist to discuss why his wife should lend him $12 million to help buy Terrance’s agency. But after Ari admits why he truly wants to buy it and pours his heart out, she agrees to spot him the money.

Despite Lloyd’s suggestion, Drama decides not to read for any acting gigs, saying he’s taking a break from it for a while. While shopping with Vince, the two run into Matt Damon who tries to pressure Vince into donating a cheque for his children’s charity.

READ MORE »

This Week On Entourage:

On the way to a night club, Turtle has to bail to spend time with Jamie on her last night in the city. Vince and Drama then find Eric making out with a girl- who Drama recognizes as a previous one-night-stand four months ago.

Later on, Drama warns Eric that the girl tends to “get around” and he should be careful. But Eric realizes that he didn’t wear protection.

At the Miller-Gold Agency, Ari is having a tough time without Lloyd- firing every assistant that HR sends over to him. In his office, he finds Terrance McQuewick who wants Ari to buy-out his company for $100 million. Afraid of a hidden agenda, Ari tries to interrogate Terrance’s wife, to see if there’s any other information- to which he finds that Terrance is heading for a divorce.

READ MORE »

This Week On Entourage:

Having relationship woes with jealous girlfriends, Eric and Turtle discuss with Vince how to solve it.

The boys meet up with a stressed out Drama who is afraid he’ll get cut from Five Towns. Although when he runs into a Melrose producer who offers him a part in the new show, Drama strongly considers dropping out of his current show.

He discusses the possibility with the boys about somehow getting out of his contract, and the boys advise him to call his agent.

Lloyd, feeling nervous after leaving Ari, tries to convince Drama to stay with him as his client at the new agency. Drama says if he gets out of the contract, then he’ll consider signing with Lloyd.

Meanwhile, Turtle gives Eric a lift to Ashley’s house, to settle some relationship trust issues. She’s suspicious about the identity of “Rupert Pupkin” (the name she saw on his cell phone), which happened to be Vince’s alias name. Ashley suggests that she have access to all his e-mails- this has Eric a bit sketched out.

READ MORE »

In a year littered with celebrity passings, one more soul was added to the list today as Houston-born actor Patrick Swayze died- after a nearly two year battle with pancreatic cancer.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the 57-year-old Dirty Dancing star passed away with family at his side.

“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement released Monday evening in Los Angeles by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Swayze first came forward about his diagnosis in spring 2008, but decided to undergo treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center and still continue working at the same time-most recently on A&E’s now cancelled series The Beast. The actor was told he had Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN), a rare stage IV pancreatic cancer.

READ MORE »

Glazing the city of Toronto in celebrity magic for one week in September, the Toronto International Film Festival has always boasted the ability to create a buzz and shed the spotlight on industry newbies.

Such is the case for Toronto native Mike Lobel -widely formally known as Jay Hogart from Degrassi: The Next Generation- who is experiencing his first induction into TIFF this year with the rock n’ roll comedy vampire-flick Suck.

READ MORE »