Archive for August, 2008

Dearest Selena, There Are 63360 Inches Per Mile

August 28, 2008 at 11:30 am · Filed under Reviews ·Tagged ,

Yes, there are 63,360 Inches in a mile. In honor of the release of Disney star Selena Gomez’s music video for “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”, I have gone through the effort of using Google’s calculator tool to determine number of inches in a mile.

Selena’s video is an interesting one. There are some childish and immature elements to the video—most significantly the old woman that is attempting to scold Selena. In the end, with the old woman deciding that she likes Selena’s dancing is actually mildly funny. It’s a good video. I see it on Disney Channel any day now.

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Disney’s YouTube Takeover

August 28, 2008 at 11:13 am · Filed under Disney ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Miley Cyrus’s latest hit, “7 Things”, has had the official YouTube video up for two months as of today. In those short two months, Miley has pulled in more than 23 million views for this video, making it the 87th most viewed YouTube video of all time. The video also holds the honor of ninth most discussed video of all time.  Meanwhile, “Burnin’ Up” from the Jonas Brothers, released just one week before “7 Things”, has managed 23 million views as well, ranking at 92nd most viewed video of all time. (Note: The “Burnin’ Up” music video was posted by Hollywood Records and the Jonas Brothers separately. Both music videos are identical, with a combined total views of roughly 31 million.)

From just these two videos, Disney artists have had over 46 million views. That doesn’t include the numbers from “Get Back” by Demi Lovato, which have increased by around 500,000 views since I last reported, bringing the video to a total of more than 980,000 views. Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus all have hugely successful video blogs as well.

So why do Disney artists get so much attention? Artists who have sold far more copies of their records have not experienced as much attention. For example, Carrie Underwood’s song “Before He Cheats”, one of the most played songs of 2007, has an amazing music video, and yet, after almost 18 months, the video has less than 6 million views on YouTube.

Could Disney’s YouTube success be a sign that, even though mainstream radio avoids playing their artists, Disney is positioned to become the most powerful company in the music industry? And why do Disney artists do so well? Is it their generally wholesome image? Or is there something more?

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Nick’s New Pop Star

August 27, 2008 at 6:03 pm · Filed under Celebrity News ·Tagged , ,

more about “Miranda Cosgrove Stay My Baby Music V…“, posted with vodpod

With the Naked Brothers Band essentially a flop, Nick seems to have turned its attention to a new potential pop star: Miranda Cosgrove.

She has a nice voice.  She doesn’t have Demi’s strength or famous relatives like Miley, but Miranda does have some things going for her.  For starters, she’s gorgeous.  She comes across as much more genuine than Miley Cyrus.  Plus, she has major name power: not only as the sister from “Drake and Josh”, but as Carly from iCarly as well.

“Stay My Baby”, her latest song, is surprisingly good.  I wouldn’t say it is amazing, but it is a nice summer song with good vocals and a fun beat.  Check out the video above and give it a listen.

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VMAs Made A Mistake?

August 27, 2008 at 4:06 pm · Filed under Celebrity News ·Tagged , ,

Is there a big mistake with the VMAs this year?  Well, duh.

No, the mistake isn’t that Britney is hosting.  I’m glad to see them give her another chance.  The real mistake: where are Aly & AJ?

Nowhere in the nominations have I been able to find Aly & AJ.  Nowhere.

Well, that’s fine.  I’ll beat them to the punch and declare “Like Whoa” the Video of the Year.  You heard it right here.

So, what do you think about the VMAs?  Are they a joke?  I mean, He Said She Said didn’t get a nod (which is one of the year’s other greatest videos), Aly & AJ, who have some awesome videos, aren’t nominees, and the Pussy Cat Dolls are up for Video of the Year.  What is going on?

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Stalk Me

August 26, 2008 at 5:53 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Yes, you can now stalk Poptastique’s blogger Wesley (yes, I am referring to myself in third person, is that OK with you?).  Not really, but you can follow him (3rd person pronouns, too?) around on YouTube, Last.fm, and various other sites.

Over the next few weeks I will be adding more sites where you can follow my music-related activities.

Check the right-hand side for the “Track Me” section!

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Another Cinderella Story

August 26, 2008 at 10:45 am · Filed under Reviews ·Tagged , ,

Nine days ago, I asked why the new single from Selena Gomez had gone unnoticed.  I think I found my answer.  Today, the soundtrack from Another Cinderella Story, the film from which her song “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” comes, was released on iTunes.

From the CD come two new songs featuring Selena Gomez—one duet with co-star Drew Seeley and one solo.

“New Classic”, the Drew Seeley and Selena Gomez duet, comes in various versions, so, for the record, I am reviewing the song titled “New Classic (Single Version)” on the album.  The song is essentially generic pop, with a High School Musical pop sound.  My biggest issue with the song is the lyrics.  There are lines that sound something like “You’re the new B.Y.T.”, and the acronym is explained, but I can’t understand the explanation.  It is rather aggravating.  Otherwise, the song is decent.  I wouldn’t say it is an essential, but if you have a large collection of pop music that you like to play on shuffle, this one might fit in well.

Next up: “Bang a Drum”.  Another song about marching to the beat of your own drum.  This song is interesting.  When I first listened to it last night a little after midnight, I was not a fan.  I thought maybe I was just tired and it would grow on me.  Well, I’ve listened to the song almost a dozen times, and while my opinion of the song is not quiet as negative, I still cannot say I will be including this song in any selective playlists any time soon.

The most interesting thing about both songs is the ending.  Both just, well, end.  The songs both seem to just cut off.  I suppose it is better than a CD riddled with songs that fade out instead of ending.

Check out this CD.  If you are a big fan of anything Disney, go ahead and buy it.  If you aren’t, I wouldn’t say you are missing out on much.

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Get Back

August 25, 2008 at 5:55 pm · Filed under Reviews ·Tagged , , ,

“Get Back”, the first single from Demi Lovato’s debut album Don’t Forget, is a hit.  The song has given a fairly strong performance on iTunes, but more significantly, in only three days, the official music video has pulled off more than half a million views on YouTube.  The video is great—nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a good watch.

Now, for the song review!  The song is catchy, has a nice beat, and is similar to the Jonas Brothers.  Demi Lovato has a strong voice, and you can hear it in “Get Back”.  Once again, a Disney star has a song about an ex.  But don’t jump to the conclusion that Demi Lovato is just Disney’s backup in case Miley fails.  Maybe she is, who knows?  But Demi has a unique sound.  While comparable to the Jonas Brothers—not surprising, as the Jonas Brothers helped write many of the songs on her upcoming album—the female vocals alone separate her from the Jonas Brothers and her rockier song keeps her out of Miley Cyrus comparisons.

“Get Back” is available on iTunes now, and I wholeheartedly suggest you buy a copy.  A perfect song for all fans of Selena Gomez, Aly & AJ, the Jonas Brothers, and Miley Cyrus (the other Disney music stars).

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Playlist 13 Week Two

August 25, 2008 at 4:09 pm · Filed under Playlist 13

It’s Monday, and that means a new Playlist 13!  In alphabetical order, here are this week’s 13 songs.

  1. He Said She Said – Ashley Tisdale
  2. I Wonder – Kellie Pickler
  3. If I Could Have You Back – Aly & AJ
  4. Just A Dream – Carrie Underwood
  5. One in a Million – Hannah Montana
  6. Protecting Me – Aly & AJ
  7. Right Where You Want Me – Jesse McCartney
  8. Shelf – Jonas Brothers
  9. So What – P!nk
  10. Song for the Lonely – Cher
  11. Toy Soldier – Britney Spears
  12. 7 Things – Miley Cyrus
  13. 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

A few quick comments.  First, you may have noticed that this week has three country pop songs—”I Wonder”, “Just A Dream”, and “9 to 5″.  This inclusion of country pop was intentional.  Some weeks, Kellie Pickler, Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and other big names in the country world will appear in Playlist 13, but some weeks they will not.  I will try to pick songs that are not strictly country, but embody the country pop that has become common.

Second, I would like to explain the purpose of Playlist 13 more clearly.  I do not expect you to go out and buy any songs on these lists that you do not already own.  Instead, I would prefer you use these Playlists as a tool, a way to find pop music that you missed or have forgotten.

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Rewind: Protecting Me

August 24, 2008 at 10:47 pm · Filed under Rewind ·Tagged , ,

From the Wikimedia Commons
AJ Michalka*

In Poptastique’s first Rewind segment, I invite all of you to head back to 2005.  Into the Rush, Aly & AJ’s debut album, came out that year.  Filled with some juicy pop music, Into the Rush was fairly successful.  The album finally went platinum in 2007.  With Insomniatic’s success—the album that brought us “Bullseye”, “Like Whoa”, and, most importantly, last summer’s hit song, “Potential Breakup Song”—it is hard not to look back at the girls’ earlier works.  Into the Rush does not disappoint.

From Into the Rush came songs like “Chemicals React”, “No One”, and “Do You Believe in Magic”.  But in this edition of Rewind, I would like to highlight a song that was never released as a single and received little, if any, airplay.  That song is “Protecting Me”.

With a nice soft start that eases into the pop-rock sound we have come to love from this sister act, the song leaves me wanting more.  Will I get more?  Well, I own both of the CDs released by Aly & AJ (and I plan to buy and write a bit about their Christmas album later this year), so I suppose I do have more Aly & AJ.

Simply put, Aly & AJ are stars.  The duo are hold the prestigious title of most plays in my iTunes library, and for good reason.  Their songs are catchy, the lyrics are genuine, and they’re hot.  As a guy, looks are certainly important, and Aly & AJ are gorgeous.

“Protecting Me” is one of many Aly & AJ songs worthy of a listen, but I felt this gem was realitively unknown to those who are not avid fans.  Give the song a quick listen, and once you’re hooked, remember me, ’cause I’ll have another goodie for you sometime next week.

*Image from Wikimedia Commons:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Amanda_Joy_(AJ)_Michalka_-_September_2007.jpg

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Pink Is In

August 23, 2008 at 7:35 pm · Filed under Reviews ·Tagged

The reviews for P!nk’s latest single, “So What”, are nearly unanimous.  With a solid 4.5 stars on iTunes, P!nk’s new single is building quite a large fanbase.  Some reviews on iTunes claim this song is “unique” for P!nk, but I have to disagree.  It definitely isn’t just one of her old songs repackaged, but “So What” doesn’t stray too far from the songs that have brought P!nk fame.

Lyrically, the song is great.  After splitting with her husband, P!nk decided to write a song about it.  She definitely is “still a rock star”.  The lyrics are meaningful, fun, and upbeat—despite being about the ending of a marriage.

P!nk brings another dance-party-of-one song.  Similar to “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry, “So What” is an excellent song for dancing—maybe not in the clubs, but at the very least in your bedroom picking out an outfit.

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