andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Thanks to illegal digital downloading, album sales are on a continuous decline. And as sales keep sliding, the music industry keeps looking for ways to make big events out of record releases. There have been partnerships with big retail companies (such as Walmart’s exclusive with AC/DC’s Black Ice), large-scale live shows (such as Jay-Z’s event before the release of The Blueprint III), and exciting fan contests (such as Pearl Jam’s artwork scavenger hunt for Backspacer). But as rollingstone.com reports, one sure way to guarantee an album’s success is Oprah Winfrey.

For example, Canadian singer Michael Buble’s new album Crazy Love went to the top of the charts after he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which led Variety magazine to examine what they are calling the “Oprah Effect.”

“Oprah is the one thing everyone wants,” Diarmuid Quinn, president of Reprise Records, told Variety. “If you get that call back from her production people, my god, it’s the Holy Grail.”

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This week on Peak Season: Episode Six

Episode six of Peak Season was, for lack of a better word, overwhelming. To clarify, take the best parts of the Real World, Twilight and Intervention, mash them together, and you’ve got an imitation of life in Whistler. Don’t let those serene snowflakes at the beginning fool you, that’s what some people refer to as the calm before the storm, and this episode was a level nine on the Richter scale.

What happens:

Matt and Elle: Adrenaline-Junkies.

On a coffee date, Elle questions the value of remaining in Whistler to Matt, while he sheepishly defends his actions at the club earlier. One thing I really like about the Australians is their lingo, which consists of talking how I did in elementary school. I mean, how can Elle even consider leaving after hearing how “sucky” it will be for poor Matt?

Fortunately, all it takes is accompanying Elle to a skills competition, consisting of jumps, backflips and your typical ring of fire. I half-expected a bearded lady to Allie Oop through the ring after the competitors. After this, they continue on to complete their couple bonding by tandem bungee-jumping off a bridge. I’ll give it to Matt, he certainly knows how to make unique apologies. These Canadian fellows need to step it up!

Matt continues his new gentleman act at the bar when the Australian posse meets up for beers. When Elle is hit on, he immediately gets defensive, which translates into standing on the bar and making faces at the perpetrator. The poor guy is already single, don’t you think he has enough problems? A bar fight ensues, where they end up sloppy-UFC’ing outside in slippery conditions. Elle cries, because that’s what girls do best when someone else gets hit, and Matt the manly man comforts her outside the bar. All’s well that ends well.

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Bollywood debut was so awkward I could barely watch, but I couldn’t look away either.

There has never been any mistaking Harper for a cool guy; an Obama-type personality. Harper belongs on TLC, not MTV, and that isn’t news. But his appearance on India’s version of So You Think You Can Dance reaffirmed that there really isn’t much personality under his tough conservative skin.

In early October, Harper performed on stage with famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Harper’s rendition of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends was actually…not too bad. It was the first time that many had seen Harper peek his head out of a Conservative shell that he’d been hiding in since he became Prime Minister. I started to cut him some slack.

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Seinfeld’s Michael Richards, aka Kramer, made an appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm, attempting to make a joke out of his 2006 racist rant at the Laugh Factory, TMZ reports.

In an episode of Seinfeld-creator Larry David’s popular series, Richards goes off on a African-American character and threatening him, says, “”If only there were a horrible name that I could call you … that would make you as angry as I am.”

At the same time he is being filmed by a group of spectators, mimicing the 2006 incident. He then pulls of a few Kramer-like gestures and storms off.

For fans of Richards, the 2006 tirade was the disappointing destruction of arguably the most popular character in sitcom history. While this may have helped to ease the tension, I think the best thing for Richards is to bury the incident completely.

The Popular MTV host whose game show helped spark the careers of comedians like Adam Sandler, Colin Quinn and Dennis Leary was found dead in his house on Sunday, MTV.com reports.

Between 1987 and 1990, Ober hosted “Remote Control”, a popular music trivia game show that was one of the first non-musical programs on MTV.

The show was a highlight of a career that started with his comedic discovery on Star Search in the mid-1980s. He was also involved on the production of shows like Mind of Mencia and The New Adventures of Old Christine.

“Ken Ober was one of the sharpest, quickest, sweetest guys I ever met,” Adam Sandler said to MTV news, “He was always a great friend and I will miss him very much.”

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A revival of 1980s cartoon My Little Pony is being developed by Hasbro Studios for a new children’s cable channel by Discovery-Hasbro, reports Perez Hilton. This comes after the special My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure got high ratings on the Disney Channel.

“The runaway success of My Little Pony on the Disney Channel affirms our belief in the long-term value of this project,” said Stephen Davis, president of Hasbro Studios.

A representative for the host of Late Show with David Letterman says National Enquirer reports that David Letterman’s wife kicked him out of their Westchester mansion are false, reports TMZ. The Enquirer stated, following the highly-publicized extortion/affair scandal involving Letterman, he has moved to a loft in Manhattan.

“The National Enquirer has it wrong,” said Letterman’s representative.

Sex and the City Star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick will not be present for the trial of Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter, reports E! News. Carpenter is facing multiple felonies including burglary and receiving stolen property for allegedly orchestrating a break-in at the Ohio home of the woman carrying Parker and Broderick’s twins.

Jury selection began Monday. Reportedly, only one of the 70 potential jurors in attendance claimed not to be aware of the case.

Bridgeport Sheriff Chad Dojack will stand trial Jan. 12 on similar charges in connection with the incident, while Bruce Callarik will be booked on a lesser charge of receiving stolen property.

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Brandi Glanville, the soon-to-be ex-wife of CSI: Miamistar Eddie Cibrian, is requesting full financial support from the actor, whom she says forced her to quit working when they were dating, reports E! News.

The former model estimates her monthly expenses to be around $49,000. She also wants $50,000 for legal fees and sole use of their home.

Their two sons have been with her approximately 90 percent of the time since the pair split, and Glanville is requesting, when they do visit their father, they don’t spend time with his significant other, LeAnn Rimes.

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ABC is reportedly close to ordering a pilot for a new series reviving 1970s hit Charlie’s Angels, reports CBC. Josh Friedman, who did Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, will write and produce the series.

Drew Barrymore, who starred in and produced two Charlie’s Angels films in the early 2000s will also reportedly be involved.