andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Perez Hilton at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards

Perez Hilton has dropped the assault charge that he filed against Black Eyed Peas’ manager Polo Molina, according to NME.com.

Molina was accused of punching Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, outside a Toronto nightclub at a MuchMusic Video Awards after party in June, after the celebrity blogger allegedly made a homophobic comment about Black Eyed Peas member Will.I.Am.

But the assault charge against Molina was dropped after he issued a written apology to Hilton.

Molina has also agreed not to contact Hilton except through his lawyer, not to carry a weapon for 12 months, not to come within 100 metres of the nightclub where the incident allegedly took place, and to donate $500 to Toronto’s Red Door Family Shelter.

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At andPOP we spend a lot of our time thinking about deep philosophical questions. What’s the meaning of life? If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around, does it make a sound? If your Birthday falls on Valentine’s Day does that mean you get double Birthday Sex? Well the last question we found an answer from Jeremih, who is the expert on Birthday Sex. And good for Jenn as her Birthday is on Valentine’s Day. Watch to find out more.

The best way I can describe Spiral Beach’s music is “ghoul punk”. Yes, that’s ridiculous, but I stand by my claim. Considering how young the members of this band are, they have an impressively well-developed sound and style. Spiral Beach puts on one of the craziest live shows in Toronto, and their recent album “The Only Really Thing” is a great listen. Check out our interview and hop on the bandwagon.

For those of you under 20 years of age, there used to be these crazy things called VHS and Vinyl. VHS were these tapes that played movies and all sorts of video, in machines hooked up to your TV. Vinyl were these big discs which contained music that you played on something called a record machine. Sadly as Emily told Jordan, her newest projects, Hannah Montana The Movie will not be available on VHS and her newest album will not be available on Vinyl. Ah well.

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.

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At andPOP we are all about creating efficient interviews that get straight to the point. In that spirit here is our interview with Chris Rock after the Toronto premiere of Good Hair.

Quite arguably one of the biggest events of the year, Virgin Fest again for 2009 was amazing. On Day 1 Jenn had a sit down with Thunderheist, Grizzly Bear and Paolo Nutini. She also found Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” and learned how to poll dance. Look out for Day 2 coming soon!

When you think Daughtry understandably American Idol comes to mind, however there is more to the story. Daughtry is a band that actually makes music that people want to listen to, and more importantly music that people actually want to buy! That is no small accomplishment in this day in age. So we caught up with the boys to talk about music, life, G.I. Joe’s, but NOT American Idol.

Where do Toronto Film Fest buffs, WWE RAW fanatics, free concert goers, and Maple Leaf hopefuls converge at 11:59PM on a Monday? Why Future Shop at Yonge and Dundas in down town Toronto for the midnight release of EA Sports’ NHL 10, hosted by Xbox Canada of course!

AndPOP was in tow to witness the launch of what may very well be this year’s best hockey title. In a town that loves their hockey hundreds lined up early, a pick-up street hockey game was going on across the street, and anticipation was high for the clock to strike midnight. 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.

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