By Shannon Carson
I think I got lost in the dark part of YouTube again. I’m drowning in a sea of suggested videos entirely made up of people playing pop songs on their recorders. I don’t know how I got here, and I definitely don’t know how to get out!
First of all, why anyone uploads a cover of popular song played on THEIR RECORDER I’m not sure, but I’ve found some great ones, and if I have to hear them, so do you. I think there was one video that started it all, and let me tell you, it is both an auditory and visual masterpiece, but don’t take my word for it!
1. My Heart Will Go On
Yes, that’s right, a cover of the always popular “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.
This video has it all! At first you think he’s been stood up, then he takes us on a stroll down a beach, we go for a ride in his car, we stand a top building while he shoots us sultry looks. What more could you ask for?! I don’t think there is a single thing that could be added to this video. Here’s my problem though: I actually have no idea what a recorder is supposed to sound like when it’s supposed to be good. I’ve just never heard a “well-played” recorder, I guess. Or, if I have, I didn’t know that’s what it was supposed to sound like. Does anyone know if there actually is a way to make the sound of a recorder appealing? If so, I’d say I want to hear it.. but I really, really don’t.
2. Bad Romance
Next up, we have a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” I think the worst part about this one is knowing that the girl in the video had to record this at least three separate times to put it together. I’ve barely listened to this one full time through, and it was too much. See for yourself.
3. Someone Like You
In the world of celebrity news, there’s no shortage of hits and misses. This week, Channing Tatum welcomes a new baby girl and Amanda Bynes continues on her Twitter rampage.
HIT: A New Tatum Arrives!
Beautiful couple Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan have welcomed a new member to their family: a baby girl named Everly! She was born in London last weekend where Dewan and Tatum have settled while he films his upcoming movie, Jupiter Ascending.
“Anxious to meet our grandchild and hug Jenna and Chan,” Dewan’s father told E!, “They are an amazing couple and will be great parents. I’m very excited for everyone in each of our families.” With parents like that, we know this kid is going to be a stunner!
MISS: Amanda Bynes Aims Her Twitter Sights on Liam Hemsworth
Amanda Bynes is at it again and has aimed her Twitter vitrol on Liam Hemsworth, a.k.a. Miley Cyrus’s maybe fiancé. Bynes tweeted, “Liam Helmsworth is the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth other than Tanz Watson. FYI.” (Note: she really did misspell Liam’s last name). Coincidentally, Tanz Watson is also connected to Miley Cyrus as he acted next to her in the filmatic flop, LOL. What’s she trying to do now? Start something with Miley? As much as I would like to say I hope not…it would be fun to watch!
HIT: Lady Gaga loses 30 lbs!
Details of comedy music group The Lonely Island’s next album The Wack Album have finally surfaced and it’s starting to look like a who’s who of music. But first up is the music video for their next big hit, “Spring Break Anthem.”
Disguised within a new episode of Between Two Ferns, the boys of The Lonely Island (Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg) get a little help from the show’s host, Zach Galifianakis, and his guest, James Franco, with a surprise appearance from actor Ed Norton.
While I would’ve been absolutely content with Between Two Ferns as Galifianakis sends out zingers like, “I don’t consider what you did at the Oscars hosting the Oscars,” this is much better. The guys all end up marrying each other because that’s the logical thing to do right in the middle of spring break (got to get all the crazy out of your system before settling down, right?).
On the music side, super heavy weights Justin Timberlake, Solange, Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and T-Pain are set to appear on the upcoming The Wack Album. “YOLO” featuring Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar (which previously premiered on Saturday Night Live) will also be included in their new effort. The Wack Album is set to drop June 11.
Disclaimer #1: I’m from Ottawa. Born and raised. Disclaimer #2: I love Rihanna. Ever since “Pon de Replay.” Disclaimer #3: This post about Rihanna in an Ottawa Senators jersey is me being selfish so that this moment can live forever on the interwebz. Disclaimer #4: I believe this moment is a sign from the universe that me and Rihanna are meant to be. Disclaimer #5: I will now try to work Rihanna in a Sens jersey into a meaningful and useful andPOP article.
A jersey or any other sports team apparel, whether from your fav team or not, is a classic staple in anyone’s wardrobe. The only trick is making it fashionable and working into everyday outfits—not just for game day. Sports apparel are handy items for any streetwear ensemble. Even if you’re not a sports fan, there are still ways to incorporate the trend into your look.
Now you might be saying that people wear sports jerseys all the time—which is true—and that there is nothing new to this “trend”–which is a little true too. But here’s the catch: rocking sports jerseys and sports apparel was in its heyday in 90′s hip hop and streetwear. With the emerging 90′s fashion revival, you too are seeing the big return of trendy sportswear to the masses. It’s no longer just for the diehard sports fans to rock a jersey or snapback (and don’t let those diehard sports fans discourage you from wearing their team logos). A big sign that this is true is the announcement that the iconic 90s Starter jackets are set to make their return this fall, first with the NFL line followed by the NBA collection.
The Good Old Hockey Game: Rihanna
Here is Rihanna in West Hollywood using a heritage Ottawa Sens jersey as a dress. Now I don’t recommend using a sports jersey as a dress because not everyone can pull it off, but clearly Rihanna can and beside she probably doesn’t give a fuq. Anyways, she glams up her look with nice gold accessories and and golden Tom Ford ankle cuff shoes. I like this look because it makes me want to believe that the people of Barbados are all diehard hockey fans.
Nicola Roberts
Now this isn’t a slight to Montreal Canadiens fans (however, you will notice that there will be no Toronto Maple Leafs pics on this post) but this is an example of how not to wear a jersey as a dress. Nicola Roberts (one fifth of U.K. girl group Girls Aloud) actually wore this to a ‘red carpet’ event for the premiere of her reality show. This look is strictly streetwear! It’s all about context, so the posh surrounding just makes her cheap in comparison. Plus, she could have done a lot better accessorizing her outfit! Obviously this wasn’t well received in the U.K., where someone mistook this outfit to be from an American football team.
A League of Their Own: Lady Gaga Read more…
“Dancing Queen” – Girls’ Generation
With Korean artist PSY’s recent hit “Gangnam Style,” which was unbelievably popular in North America, K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation have just released a cover of Duffy’s “Mercy.” The track was recorded a few years ago but the girls decided to re-release it to go with their upcoming album I’ve Got a Boy. You won’t understand a thing they’re singing unless you’re fluent in Korean but they throw in the words “dancing queen” here and there to grab your attention.
“Let Us Move On” – Dido ft. Kendrick Lamar
Gentle songbird Dido is no stranger to the hip-hop scene…remember Eminem’s smash hit “Stan,” which sampled Dido’s “Thank You?” Well, she’s at it again, and this time with fast-rising rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song is slow and soothing with echoing beats and Dido’s mesmerizing voice carrying us on the journey. Then Lamar jumps in and brings up the tempo and Dido finishes up. It’s an honest, touching track and definitely brings back my love for Dido’s music.
Well, looks like Lady Gaga got more than just a couple of delicious leftovers.
When the singer got up in the middle of the night to eat some of the remaining food from her Thanksgiving dinner, she heard some noise coming from her garage. Upon looking at her security camera, she noticed that a group of her fans had got inside.
Luckily for the Little Monsters, Gaga was not angry. Instead she decided to share the remains of her holiday feast with them.
In a series of Twitter postings, she wrote: “#MONSTERFACT when gaga is asleep try to break into the garage, sing loud as possible, + ring the doorbell repeatedly #happeningnow#badkids
“thanksgiving story: woke up for leftovers in kitchen (naked) – stumbled on security camera revealing 35 monsters in my garage #why #iloveu
“i should be mad i guess except i tried to figure out how to slide stuffing under the door, but theres no cat-flap (sic)”
It’s no surprise that Gaga would share the love. Having previously sent burgers and fries to fans waiting outside of her hotel in Brazil, this lady is a class act when it comes to her legion of Little Monsters.
But when it comes to safety, the Lady Monster warned her fans.
“To any little monsters trying to get in my house at the moment IF YOU SEE A LARGE ITALIAN MAN yelling about sleep IT IS NOT JOE GERMANOTTA. ”
Hmm, then who could it possibly be?! Yikes!
This week, our queen Lady Gaga posted some Instagram photos of her latest hairstyle. The singer is now sporting long, blonde dreads (and pitch black eyebrows.) While I totally love this courageous look, it makes me quite nostalgic about her past hairstyles. Lady Gaga is what I like to call hairsperation — an inspirational vessel of all things hair-related. She really does give us all that little nudge to say ignore everything and dye ALL the hair!
Here are 5 amazing hairstyles from Gaga’s past:
1. The Bow
This one takes me back to the early days of Gaga. Remember when she used to sport a giant bow made of hair on her head? I still see people copying this classic Gaga look. This is truly where her innovation started to show.
2. The Big Cloud
This is probably my favourite Gaga hair look. A truly beautiful piece of art, Gaga’s hair seamlessly flowed with the lace that was decorated on her face. Gaga wore this to the 2012 Brit Awards where she performed a tribute to her late friend and designer, Alexander McQueen.
3. Pretty in Pink
Although Gaga is no stranger to pink hair, this was probably her best moment. For Flare Magazine, Lady Gaga wore this lovely, spiky pink wig for her beautiful photo shoot. Is it just me, or should she just permanently dye her hair pink?
Three words: short, blonde and shaved. These were the hair trends this year rocking the celeb world. It’s kind of hard to tell who inspired who this year with all these similar and daring hair cuts. However, what I love about these celebrity do’s is that they can sometimes have meaning and inspiration behind them.
Here are 10 awesome celebrity hair makeovers:
1. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is known for her outrageous makeovers, but this one has quite a bit of meaning behind it. The singer shaved a portion of her head in memory of Terry Richardson’s mom, Annie Lomax. Gaga tweeted a photo of her new hair with a special message to her friend.
2. CeCe Frey
CeCe Frey shocked “X-Factor” viewers when she debuted her new platinum blonde look. CeCe isn’t new to daring looks as she often paints leopard print spots on her face. Fierce!
3. Anne Hathaway
Bless Anne Hathaway’s soul. I fell in love with Anne Hathaway this summer because she was a total babe in The Dark Knight Rises. When I saw her with her pixie cut, courtesy of her role in the upcoming film Les Miserables, my heart was sent into flutters. She really can rock anything.
4. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus sent the twitterverse into a buzz of love-hate feuding with her new do. Despite what anyone says, I think it’s awesome that Miley’s new haircut was able to give her a lot of confidence.
5. Marina and the Diamonds
Marina and the Diamonds completely transformed her entire wardrobe for her new album, Electra Heart. In her video for “Fear and Loathing,” Marina is seen chopping off her thick, black hair and opting for a cute bob. The move was daring, but her transformation totally goes with the theme of her album.
Katy Perry — Obama
Every election there are always a few celebrities that love to endorse their chosen presidential candidate to the world, in an attempt to sway your vote. Take Katy Perry for instance, who literally wears her political leanings on her sleeve. Perry wore this “Forward” dress in support of Obama on Saturday, at a political rally in Milwaukee. “Forward” of course, is the slogan of Obama’s campaign.
Will Ferrell — Obama
Will Ferrell doesn’t necessarily care who you vote for (Obama… Obama), he just wants you to vote in this election. He’ll eat garbage, hair or underpants. He’ll even punch himself in the face. He wraps it up by encouraging one candidate in particular: ”Vote Obama! It’s a slam dunk!”
Mr. Burns — Romney
The Simpson’s resident Republican Mr. Burns put out a special message in support of Mitt Romney. Unfortunately his endorsement is probably unwanted considering he’s an antagonist on the show. Gotta love Fox ripping on Romney.
Chris Rock — Obama
Comedian Chris Rock targeted a special message to undecided voters of the caucasian variety on JimmyKimmelLive. “In times like these, you need a white president you can trust and that white president’s name is Barack Obama,” he says. The facts: for the first two thirds of his life he was known as Barry (such a white name apparently) and his parents were so white they had to wear sunglasses so they wouldn’t hurt each others eyes. Still don’t believe him? Obama is still whiter than Snooki.
Beyonce — Obama Read more…
Last night No Doubt pulled their video “Looking Hot” after online commenters complained the video was offensive. The music video included Native American imagery, such as a teepee, smoke signals, feathers and headresses.
YouTube commenters and online bloggers were quick to bash the video for insensitively appropriating Native American culture, and soon after, No Doubt took the video down and issued an apology.
In a post titled ”In Regards to Our ‘Looking Hot’ Music Video” on their official website, No Doubt wrote:
As a multi-racial band our foundation is built upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures. Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history. Although we consulted with Native American friends and Native American studies experts at the University of California, we realize now that we have offended people. This is of great concern to us and we are removing the video immediately. The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect, unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American community and anyone else offended by this video. Being hurtful to anyone is simply not who we are.
The track was the follow up single to “Settle Down” from their sixth studio album Push and Shove. Did you see it? What did you think of it?
While No Doubt didn’t intend for their music video to be offensive, many artists before them have released music videos deemed too insensitive by major networks. And sometimes that’s the whole point…
Seven controversial music videos
Madonna — “Like A Prayer”
When the music video for “Like A Prayer” was first released people were shocked at its Catholic iconography. The video tells the story of a black man wrongly accused of murdering a child. Madonna witnesses the whole thing and later kisses a Saint on the mouth. This is heavy stuff, especially for 1989. The Pope wanted to ban her from performing in Italy.
Nicki Minaj — “Stupid Hoe”
Nicki Minaj‘s “Stupid Hoe” was so controversial that BET banned it from airing. Although they didn’t specify why, it was probably because the raunchy lyrics. The count? Minaj says stupid hoe an astounding 52 times and f*ck 10 times.
Lady Gaga — “Alejandro”
Because of the religious imagery, MTV chose to air Lady Gaga‘s “Alejandro” only on its sister stations after midnight. Gaga’s video combined Catholic imagery with sexual themes like S&M and androgyny. Gaga, who wears a latex version of a nun’s robe, even ingests rosary beads in one scene. Needless to say, she was criticized by everyone from Katy Perry to the Catholic League.
Bjork — “Cocoon” Read more…
I’m so flip-flapping tired of reading cheap headlines about Lady Gaga’s weight because 1. I don’t care. 2. Shaming someone for gaining a few pounds is not only mean but sets a bad example for other people who are insecure about their size.
In an interview about her new fragrance with Stylist, the conversation inevitably turned back to the media’s reaction to her weight (because that’s the rule, right?). Then Gaga made a comment about how Adele weighs more than her but nobody every says anything about it. Gaga was ACTUALLY saying Adele is such a beautiful and confident person and has a confidence level she hopes to match one day. She also encouraged women to be less “bitchy” towards each other and make more of an effort to be nice.
After this plea, OF COURSE the headlines rang: ”Lady Gaga threw Adele under the bus” and “Lady Gaga Wonders Why No One Attacks Adele’s Weight.”
Here’s what Gaga actually said:
I think women are just, for no reason, wretched to each other all the time, and I don’t think they use clothes or men or perfume or make-up or anything more than they use anything else. We should all make an effort to be nice to one another all the time….
On the media calling her fat:
I thought, well I don’t really care if they think I’m fat, because, quite honestly, I did gain about 30 pounds. Adele is bigger than me, how come nobody says anything about it? She’s so wonderful and I think her confidence is something I have to match. She has set the bar very high for a lot of woman. I need to be a confident woman and just say politically active things when I can that are helpful to young people.
While some people focused on Gaga’s positive comments about Adele setting the bar high for women, others missed the mark with a waste of text. Instead of body shaming and focusing on negativity, let’s focus on something more positive like Body Revolution. Kay?
This is a story about a young girl named Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (aka Lady Gaga) whose profound effect on the world was only highlighted recently, when a FERN was named after her. That’s right. There are over 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta (ferns) and one of them is named after Gaga.
Botanists at Duke University announced is was naming a newly identified fern after the pop singer, specifically, Gaga germanotta.
The connection came in because of Gaga’s commitment to LGBT advocacy. Ferns reproduce by sending out spores of fluid gender, which grow up to be male, female or both. Biology professor Kathleen Pryer said: “We wanted to name this genus for Lady Gaga because of her fervent defence of equality and individual expression. And as we started to consider it, the ferns themselves gave us more reasons why it was a good choice.” [via NY Times]
If the rumours are true, then Lady Gaga might play a ridiculously good looking person in the Zoolander sequel. According to Complex, director Justin Theroux wants Gaga to play the female lead in Zoolander 2 and apparently offered her the part for just under $5 million. There’s no word on what the role is and whether she has accepted.
We think Gaga is perfect. She already has acting experience (Machete Kills, not to mention all her epic music videos) and she’s ridiculously good looking (check).
Plus, she could offer a steamy trademark expression that would win the heart of one Derek Zoolander:
Here are 10 ridiculously good looking expressions she could rock:
Unoriginal is one thing you’ll never hear me call South Africa’s rap-rave group Die Antwoord. In their new video “Fatty Boom Boom,” a Lady Gaga look-a-like tours the local sites of South Africa before her concert, admiring the local fauna, including hyenas, black panthers and of course, local musicians Die Antwoord.
Before Gaga has a chance to ask the curious specimens to open for her, her tour guide is held up by some masked gunman and she’s forced to flee in her meat dress. In reality, Die Antwoord really did turn down the opportunity to open for Lady Gaga because they thought it would f*ck up their cool.
In the video, Die Antwoord keeps the beat whileGaga goes to the gynaecologist’s office, worried that she’s picked up something while running for her life (she does and it’s DISGUSTING). The video is definitely WEIRD, which is exactly what we expect from them. They describe it on YouTube as a bright and colourful African adventures, with wild animals, zef savages and a prawn star.
Watch it here:
Lady Gaga’s body has been under much media scrutiny after photos were published of her looking slightly larger.
But despite the negative attention she’s been getting, a specific body part of hers is now apparently inspiring a new handbag line by Thierry Mugler.
Speaking to Women’s Wear Daily, creative director Nichola Formichetti of Mugler says that his new line of clutches and handbags was inspired by Gaga’s butt.
“She doesn’t know yet,” he says. “It has a little bit of punk rock feeling but it’s still quite chic.”
This of course comes as no surprise. Formichetti and Gaga have worked together in the past, collaborating on the crazy costumes Gaga wears to perform.
Having revealed her past struggles by posting photos of herself in lingerie this week, this new line could possibly be part of a very positive movement of embracing one’s body.
However, I’m not entirely sure what a handbag would look like if it was inspired by someone’s butt.
Some people are completely missing the point of Lady Gaga’s awesome new movement called A Body Revolution 2013, by focusing on what the singer is wearing (or not wearing) in the photos rather than the positive message she’s trying to send.
Recently, Gaga received a lot of negative attention from media numbnuts about putting on 25 pounds. Little did they know Gaga has been struggling with her weight since she was a teen.
She went to her social media website LittleMonsters.com and responded to the unwarranted and cruel criticism by posting a photo of her wearing nothing but a yellow bra and underwear with the comment: “Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15.”
That’s when the movement was born, encouraging people to accept their bodies. Soon she was flooded with an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and photos from people going through the same thing.The movement relates to her anti-bullying organization Born This Way Foundation.
We love Gaga’s message and hope people will have more confidence in themselves and treat others with more respect. In the meantime, I hope writers will keep reporting on the movement itself rather than posting blog posts and articles literally titled “Lady Gaga posts nude pics.” Otherwise you missed the point.
With all the songs floating around these days, it’s inevitable that a couple of them will sound similar — whether the resemblance is intentional or not. If you’ve noticed any songs that sound alike, we want to know. Share them with us in the comments!
One Direction versus The Clash
The boy band just released a music video for their fun pop single “Live While We’re Young,” however, Clash fans weren’t too happy about the track’s uncanny resemblance to “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.” Fans of the punk classic are lashing out on Twitter. Though the majority of the messages are pretty angry there are a couple gems: @GavanCasey said “One Direction’s new song sounds like what I imagine Satan’s tribute to The Clash would sound like, but slightly more melodic.” Even if it does have a slight resemblance, we’re still loving 1D’s version. It will be on their upcoming album Take Me Home on Nov. 12.
Lady Gaga versus Madonna
Madonna famously started a feud with Lady Gaga when she claimed the 26-year-old singer was trying to imitate her career. At a few MDNA concerts Madonna has merged Gaga’s “Born This Way” with her 1989 classic “Express Yourself,” implying that Gaga was paying homage. A few days ago in Atlantic City, the Material Girl dedicated her track “Masterpiece” to Gaga, saying: ”I’m gonna dedicate this next song to Lady Gaga. ‘Cause you wanna know something? I love her. I love her. I do love her. Imitation is the highest form of flattery…”
Katy Perry versus Kesha Read more…
No stranger to hate, Lady Gaga has hit back at pregnancy rumours and fat comments with a really huge outfit when she left her hotel in Paris.
Dressed in a strange and massive blue and pink dress, Gaga barely paid any attention to the people waiting outside as she struggled to walk to her ride. Subsequently, the star also posted on Twitter to express her love to the fans who continuously support her no matter what size she is.
Along with the tweet, she also posted a photo of one of Marilyn Monroe’s famous quotes:
While that dress looks awfully uncomfortable, I’m so glad Lady Gaga has a sense of humour. Not only is this outfit totally something she would wear, it is also a genius idea to poke fun of the people calling her fat.
But despite the crowd of adoring fans waiting for her outside the hotel, I really wish they would give her more space. She’s a human being. Not an animal.
Lady Gaga is taking full advantage of the many benefits of being in Amsterdam (smoking pot legally, sex shows, smoking pot at sex shows) and has implemented some of the city’s most enticing tourism draws into her Born This Way Ball at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Monday.
Gaga lit up a joint on stage and laughed that a couple puffs wouldn’t getting her high, before accepting some marijuana-themed gifts from the crowd.
Gaga has long touted her love of marijuana and said so on stage: ”I want you to know it has totally changed my life and I’ve really cut down on drinking,” she said. “It has been a totally spiritual experience for me with my music.”
While I don’t think replacing alcohol with marijuana is necessarily the best strategy to cut down on booze, we love that she’s so laid back and chill. While she said she wouldn’t get high, we’re guessing it made her a little more bold — check out some of her marijuana themed outfits after the jump.
Watch it here:
Check out her marijuana themed wardrobe: Read more…
Welcome to our new favourite Tumblr account called The Kawaii Project. What does kawaii mean exactly? It’s the quality of cuteness in Japanese culture. Despite their best attempts to make these celebrities cute, I’m more inclined to say they’re absolutely TERRIFYING. Especially Kanye West, above. What do you think?
Psy
One Direction
Kristen Stewart Read more…
