2010 Music Awards

Fourth Annual Music Awards

Album of the Year
The Fame Monster- Lady GaGa
Need You Now- Lady Antebellum
Recovery- Eminem
The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Song of the Year
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa [Stefani Germonotta & Nadir Khayat]
Dog Days Are Over- Florence + The Machine [Florence Welch & Isabella Summers]
Fuck You!- Cee-Lo Green [Cee Lo Green, Peter Hernandez, Phillip Lawrence, Ari Levine, & Brody Brown]
Love the Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rhianna [M. Mathers, A. Grant, H. Hafferman, & M. Riddick]
Need You Now- Lady Antebellum [Lady Antebellum]

Record of the Year
Airplanes- B.o.B. f/ Haley Williams
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa
California Gurls- Katy Perry f/ Snoop Dogg
Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys
Love the Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rihanna

Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]
B.o.B
Eminem
Katy Perry
Lady GaGa
Taio Cruz

New Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]
B.o.B.
Bruno Mars
Florence + The Machine
La Roux
Taio Cruz

Latin Album of the Year
A Son de Guerra- Juan Luis Guerra
Dejarte de Amar- Camila
Me Gusta Todo De Ti- La Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
Paraíso Express- Alejandro Sanz
Sale El Sol- Shakira

Latin Song of the Year
Bachata en Fukuoka- Juan Luis Guerra y 440 [Juan Luis Guerra]
Colgando En Tus Manos- Carlos Baute f/ Marta Sanchez [Carlos Baute]
Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/ Juan Luis Guerra [Descemer Bueno & Enrique Iglesias]
Me Gusta Todo De Ti- La Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga [Horacio Palencia]
Mientes- Camila [Mario Domm & Mónica Vélez]

Latin Record of the Year
Alejate De Mi-Camila
Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/ Juan Luis Guerra
Mientes- Camila
Waka Waka (Esto Es África)- Shakira f/ Freshlyground
Yerbatero- Juanes

Latin Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]
La Banda el Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
Camila
Enrique Iglesias
Juan Luis Guerra
Shakira

Latin New Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]
Alex Cuba
Chino & Nacho
Jotdog
Prince Royce
Zeri

Producer of the Year [Producer or Production Team]
Alexander Grant:
Massive Attack-Nikki Minaj
Airplanes- B.o.B f/ Hayley Williams (co-prod. DJ Frank E)
Airplanes, Part II- B.o.B. f/ Hayley Williams & Eminem (co-prod Eminem & Luis Resto)
Love The Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rihanna
I’m Coming Home- Diddy-Dirty Money f/ Skylar Grey (co-prod Jay-Z)

Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin & Benny Blanco (Joint Nomination):
Your Love Is My Drug- Ke$ha [Gottwald]
Take It Off- Ke$ha (prod Gottwald)
We R Who We R- Ke$ha [Blanco & Ammo]
Kissin’ U- Miranda Cosgrove [Gottwald]
Magic- B.o.B. f/ River Cuomo [Gottwald]
My First Kiss- 3OH!3 [Gottwald]
California Gurls- Katy Perry [Gottwald, Martin, & Blanco]
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry [Gottwald, Martin, & Blanco]
Dynamite- Taio Cruz [Gottwald & Blanco]
Break Your Heart- Taio Cruz [Gottwald & Fraser T. Smith]
Rose Colored Glasses- Kelley Rowland [Gottwald]
DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love- Usher f/ Pitbull [Martin]

Nahir Khayat:
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa
Alejandro- Lady GaGa
Dance In The Dark- Lady GaGa
Monster- Lady GaGa
We Are The World 25 for Haiti- Various Artists
I Like It- Enrique Iglesias f/ Pitbull
Dirty Dancer- Enrique Iglesias f/ Usher
Bumpy Ride- Mohombi
Poison- Nicole Scherzinger

The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Phillip Lawrence, & Ari Levine:
Nothin’ On You- Bruno Mars
Just The Way You Are- Bruno Mars
Billionaire- Travie McCoy f/ Bruno Mars
Fuck You!- Cee-Lo Green

Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel Storleer Eriksen):
Rude Boy- Rihanna
Whats My Name?- Rihanna f/ Drake
Only Girl (In The World)- Rihanna
Firework- Katy Perry
Beautiful Monster- Ne-Yo


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Top 35 Songs of the Year: 2010

My 4th Annual list of the top 35 songs of the year.
(*#) Denotes second consecutive year on chart; # indicates last year's position on chart

1. Love the Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rihanna
2. California Girls- Katy Perry f/ Snoop Dogg
3. Tik Tok- Ke$ha
4. OMG- Usher f/ Wil.i.am
5. Rude Boy-Rihanna
6. Just the Way You Are- Bruno Mars
7. Like a G6- Far East Movement
8. Nothin on You- B.o.B. f/Bruno Mars
9. Teenage Dream- Katy Perry
10. Bad Romance- Lady GaGa (*13)
11. Dynamite- Taio Cruz
12. Imma Be- The Black Eyed Peas
13. Airplanes- B.o.B. f/Hayley Williams
14. Only Girl In The World- Rihanna
15. Firework- Katy Perry
16. Raise Your Glass- Pink
17. Need You Now- Lady Antebellum
18. What's My Name- Rihanna f/Drake
19. Break Your Heart- Taio Cruz f/Ludacris
20. BedRock- Young Money f/Lloyd
21. Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z f/Alicia Keys (*3)
22. Hey, Soul Sister- Train
23. Not Afraid- Eminem
24. Replay- Iyaz
25. We R Who We R- Ke$ha
26. Today Was a Fairytale- Taylor Swift
27. We are the World: 25- Various Artists
28. Just A Dream- Nelly
29. Telephone- Lady GaGa f/Beyonce
30. Mine- Taylor Swift
31. Gernade- Bruno Mars
32. I Like It- Enrique Iglesias f/Pitbull
33. In My Head- Jason Derulo
34. Alejandro- Lady GaGa
35. Sexy Chick- David Guetta f/Akon


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Top 25 Latin Songs: 2010

My 2nd annual list of top Latin songs, expanded from 20 last year to 25 this year.

1. Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/Juan Luis Guerra
2. Dile Al Amor- Aventura
3. Ando Bien Pedo- Banda Los Recoditos
4. Dime Que Me Quieres- La Banda el Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
5. Me Gusta Todo De Ti- La Banda el Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
6. Danza Kuduro- Don Omar
7. Niña de Mi Corazon- La Arolladora Banda El Limon de Rene Camacho
8. Niña Bonita- Chino y Nacho
9. Loca- Shakira
10. Yerbatero- Juanes
11. Bachata en Fukuoka- Juan Luis Guerra y 440
12. Al Menos- La Original Banda El Limon
13. Se Me Va La Voz- Alejandro Fernandez
14. Hay Ojitos- Intocable
15. Waka Waka- Shakira f/Freshlyground
16. I Like It- Enrique Iglesias f/Pitbull
17. Guapa- Diego Torres
18. Looking For Paradise- Alejandro Sans f/Alicia Keys
19. Te Pido Perdon- Tito “El Bambino”
20. La Peinada- Chuy Lizarraga
21. No Puedo Volver- Intocable
22. Alejate De Mi- Camila
23. Bon Bon- Pitbull
24. Mientes- Camila
25. Gitana- Shakira


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24 People of the Year: 2010

My 3rd annual list of the 24 people of the year.

1. The People of Haiti- For showing great strength throughout their many hardships.

2. Chilean Miners and Pres. Sebastian Piñera- Showing the world that perseverance, faith, and, brotherhood go a long way.

3. Julian Assange- Founder of the controversial website, Wikileaks, which supports “government transperancy” by exposing state secrets.

4. Mark Zuckerberg- Facebook founder, for making this the year of Facebook. Valued at some $50 billion, it has become one of the top websites and only keeps growing.

5. Tony Hayward and BP- For their involvement in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the worst ecological disaster in recent times.

6. Liu Xiabo- Champion of democracy, under arrest for protesting the Chinese one-party communist regime. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

7. Aung San Suu Kyi- Another Champion of democracy from Myanmar released from house arrest after serving nearly 15 years.

8. Pope Benedict XVI- Put in the spotlight after speaking out against the child-abuse misdeeds of some priests and in changing longstanding church policy on condoms.

9. Iker Casilllas/Spanish National Team/2010 FIFA World Cup- For captivating the world for a month of football.

10. Mario Vargas Llosa- Peruvian author winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for literature.

11. The Tea Party- For providing a grassroots movement that succeeded in challenging the incumbents in Washington.

12. Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert- For becoming the voice of reason in these troubled times. Although they take a comedic approach, they have become the most reliable news sources on television, and assembled the historic Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.

13. David Cameron-Formed a coalition between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties to form a majority in parliament to become British Prime Minister.

14. Roy Halladay and MLB Pitchers- For making this the year of the pitcher in Major League Baseball; 6* no-hitters including two perfect games and one post-season no-hitter. *-The would-be 7th no-hitter/3rd perfect game by Armando Galarraga was lost on a missed call by umpire, Jim Joyce.

15. LeBron James- Made headlines by deciding to leave Cleveland and sign with Miami.

16. Javier “El Chicharito” Hernandez- The Mexican striker became a sensation this season for his performance with Guadalajara and the Mexican National Team. Scored two goals and was the fastest player in the World Cup and became the first Mexican to ever sign with the Manchester United. At age 22 he’s one of the top-scorers in the world with 7 goals in limited playing time off of the bench for the Man U, 11 goals for the national team, and 10 goals in 11 games for Guadalajara.

17. Sandra Bullock- Overcame a hard time after finding out about her husband’s infidelity. Won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance in The Blind Side.

18. Shaun White- The face of the 2010 U.S. Winter Olympic team. Won Gold in the halfpipe with a Double McTwist 1260 resulting in a 48.4/50

19. Conan O’Brien- Became the host of the Tonight Show then was forced out in favor of the returning Leno after Leno’s failed prime-time show. Had a following called “Team CoCo” and was given his own show on TBS.

20. Betty White- The Golden Girl made a huge splash in pop-culture: hosted SNL, guest stared on 30 Rock, The Middle, and Community. Won an Emmy for hosting SNL.

21. Lady GaGa- Won: 1 AMA, 2 ASCAP, 1 BET, 6 Billboard End Year, 4 BMI, 2 Grammys (2010), 8 MTV Video Music, awards among many others. Nominated to 8 Grammys (2011). Championed the repeal of DADT, announced her 3rd studio album, “Born This Way”. Her first album “The Fame” went platinum (10 million copies) and “The Fame Monster” was the top-selling album of 2010 with 5.8 million copies, just ahead of Eminem’s “Recovery”(selling a million nowadays and outselling Eminem are no easy feats).

22. Robert Gates- Secretary of Defense. Announced the decision to keep women off of submarines and is preparing to implement the repeal of DADT.

23. Steve Jobs- Keeps innovating the technological world. Introduced a rather slow-starting Ping, and a hugely popular Ipad.

24. The Cast of Glee- Have charted 104 songs in the Billboard Hot 100, second only to Elvis’ 108. Won 3 Emmys, 1 Golden
Globe, 1 People’s Choice, awards, among many others. They are also nominated to 2 Grammys.


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2010 Music Award Nominations

FOURTH ANNUAL MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES
Here is the nominees for the Fourth Annual Music Awards.
Winners will be announced December 31, 2010, along with the Top 35 Songs of the Year Countdown and Top 20 Latin Songs of the Year Countdown.

*As always, I announce them the day before the Grammys are announced. While the Grammys will probably have Ke$ha and Justin Beiber nominated for Best New Artist, I felt that neither deserved that nomination, as reflected in my own nominations. Drake will also probably be nominated for this award, but since he was nominated for it in my awards last year, he cannot be nominated again. Also, I had Empire State of Mind nominated for Song of the Year last year, this year it is not eligible for that category under the rules I have set, but it can be nominated for a different category (Record of the Year in this case).

Album of the Year:
The Fame Monster- Lady GaGa
Need You Now- Lady Antebellum
Recovery- Eminem
The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Song of the Year:
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa [Stefani Germonotta & Nadir Khayat]
Dog Days Are Over- Florence + The Machine [Florence Welch & Isabella Summers]
Fuck You! [Cee Lo Green, Peter Hernandez, Phillip Lawrence, Ari Levine, & Brody Brown]
Love the Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rhianna [M. Mathers, A. Grant, H. Hafferman, & M. Riddick]
Need You Now- Lady Antebellum [Lady Antebellum]

Record of the Year:
Airplanes- B.o.B. f/ Haley Williams
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa
California Gurls- Katy Perry f/ Snoop Dogg
Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys
Love the Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rihanna

Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]:
B.o.B
Eminem
Katy Perry
Lady GaGa
Taio Cruz

New Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]:
B.o.B.
Bruno Mars
Florence + The Machine
La Roux
Taio Cruz

Latin Album of the Year:
A Son de Guerra- Juan Luis Guerra
Dejarte de Amar- Camila
Me Gusta Todo De Ti- La Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
Paraíso Express- Alejandro Sanz
Sale El Sol- Shakira

Latin Song of the Year:
Bachata en Fukuoka- Juan Luis Guerra y 440 [Juan Luis Guerra]
Colgando En Tus Manos- Carlos Baute f/ Marta Sanchez [Carlos Baute]
Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/ Juan Luis Guerra [Descemer Bueno & Enrique Iglesias]
Me Gusta Todo De Ti- La Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga [Horacio Palencia]
Mientes- Camila [Mario Domm & Mónica Vélez]

Latin Record of the Year:
Alejate De Mi-Camila
Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/ Juan Luis Guerra
Mientes- Camila
Waka Waka (Esto Es África)- Shakira f/ Freshlyground
Yerbatero- Juanes

Latin Artist of the Year:
La Banda el Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga
Camila
Enrique Iglesias
Juan Luis Guerra
Shakira

Latin New Artist of the Year [Solo, Duo, or Group]:
Alex Cuba
Chino & Nacho
Jotdog
Prince Royce
Zeri

Producer of the Year [Producer or Production Team]:
Alexander Grant
Massive Attack-Nikki Minaj
Airplanes- B.o.B f/ Hayley Williams (co-prod. DJ Frank E)
Airplanes, Part II- B.o.B. f/ Hayley Williams & Eminem (co-prod Eminem & Luis Resto)
Love The Way You Lie- Eminem f/ Rihanna
I’m Coming Home- Diddy-Dirty Money f/ Skylar Grey (co-prod Jay-Z)

Lukasz Gottwald & Max Martin & Benny Blanco
Your Love Is My Drug- Ke$ha [Gottwald]
Take It Off- Ke$ha (prod Gottwald)
We R Who We R- Ke$ha [Blanco & Ammo]
Kissin’ U- Miranda Cosgrove [Gottwald]
Magic- B.o.B. f/ River Cuomo [Gottwald]
Kiss N Tell- Ke$ha [Gottwald]
Hungover- Ke$ha [Gottwald]
My First Kiss- 3OH!3 [Gottwald]
California Gurls- Katy Perry [Gottwald, Martin, & Blanco]
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry [Gottwald, Martin, & Blanco]
Dynamite- Taio Cruz [Gottwald & Blanco]
Break Your Heart- Taio Cruz [Gottwald & Fraser T. Smith]
Rose Colored Glasses- Kelley Rowland [Gottwald]
DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love- Usher f/ Pitbull [Martin]
For Your Entertainment- Adam Lambert [Gottwald]

Nahir Khayat
Bad Romance- Lady GaGa
Alejandro- Lady GaGa
Monster- Lady GaGa
So Happy I Could Die- Lady GaGa
We Are The World 25 for Haiti- Various Artists
I Like It- Enrique Iglesias f/ Pitbull
Dirty Dancer- Enrique Iglesias f/ Usher
More- Usher
Bumpy Ride- Mohombi
Poison- Nicole Scherzinger
Whole Lotta Love- Mary J. Blige

The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Phillip Lawrence, & Ari Levine)
Nothin’ On You- Bruno Mars
Just The Way You Are- Bruno Mars
Billionaire- Travie McCoy f/ Bruno Mars
Fuck You!- Cee-Lo Green
Island Queen- Sean Kingston

Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel Storleer Eriksen)
Rude Boy- Rihanna
Whats My Name?- Rihanna f/ Drake
Only Girl (In The World)- Rihanna
Firework- Katy Perry
Beautiful Monster- Ne-Yo



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Album Rating: Entren Los Que Quieran

Calle 13- Entren Los Que Quieran
Rating 10.0

The ever-controversial latin hip-hop duo, Calle 13, debuts their fourth studio album. If what you like is that pop-reggaeton/hip-hop for mainstream radio, this is not for you. If you like good quality music and lyrics, this is what you're looking for. Simply put, vocalist/lyricist, Rene Perez (El Residente) puts it like it is. He's never shies away from stirring up controversy with his lyrics. In his previous albums, he attacks other artists for producing low quality "art". Also, he attacks corrupt politicians and governments; basically, no one is safe. Calle 13 is also known for their sexually explicit content (see Atrévete-te-te and Se Vale To-To). Slowly, however, they have turned their focus on the social issues that plague the world, namely Latin America. Calle 13's style is marked by their signature clever, witty, and humorous lyrics, unlike anything out there today. Ironically, mainstream artists such as Nelly and Shakira have asked Calle 13 to appear on their singles. Sticking to his true nature, in his recent song with Shakira, he criticizes her for dying her hair blonde.

In Entren Los Que Quieran , Calle 13 stays completely away from reggaeton rhythms and, as they always do (masterfully), blends genres from all around the world, especially Latin America, like few artists do today. This album brings elements from genres originally from India, Hawaii, South America, etc... Musically, it is one of the most ambitious albums I've heard. However, Calle 13, is not your typical Latin-market artist. They discuss the themes that one one dares to talk about: artists buying airtime and perhaps their own records (saying that not even the Beatles had as many songs on the radio as artists do these days), corrupt politicians, their own record label, the media, etc... The list goes on and on. La Bala

(The Bullet) is a prime example of what this album is about. A simple topic is turned into a full-out social-commentary assault. The Bullet is used as an analogy and theme that transcends its simpleness. The simple journey of a bullet from the time it is fired up until the moment it impacts and kills a person, is such a powerful metaphor that makes people think. That's the key here, this music makes people think, unlike the diluted sounds on the radio today. Sure, Calle 13 is more "mature" compared to what they were 4 years ago. But Calle 13 speaks for the people, the working-class people. They even had their fans collaborate with them in writing the song El Hormiguero, over Twitter.

After touring the poorest corners of Latin America throughout the last five years, and for their travels for their soul-searching documentary Sin Mapa, it shows that what they see pours out onto their music. One song that, unfortunately did not make onto the album was even written in an insane-asylum in Argentina.

If I was to sum up the album with a few lyrics from the songs (an impossible task which would not serve justice to this masterpiece) I would pick the opening lines of the album from:
'Intro': "Directamente desde Puerto Rico, la colonia más importante del mundo, y el unico lugar en donde le prestan más atención a Miss Universo que a la educación"(Directly from Puerto Rico, where they pay more attention to Miss Universe than to education) and the people's anthem,
Calma Pueblo (Be Calm My People): "Calma pueblo que aqui estoy yo, lo que no dicen lo digo yo, lo que sientes tu lo siento yo, porque yo soy como tu, y tu eres como yo" (Be calm my people for I am here, what they don't say I will say, what you feel I also feel, because I am just like you, and you are just like me).

'Latinoamérica':
"Un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina"


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Album Rating: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Rating: 10.0

A real masterpiece. Kanye blends the superb instrumentals with the typical top-notch Kanye style lyrics. If there is a way to visualize the album, the 34 minute film 'Runaway' is exactly it. A mixture of color and the abstract sense of what Kanye sees his art being. In a sense, it is far more mature than his previous albums. Yet, it is hard to compare those albums to this one. After 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye evolved; the breaking point was the infamous Taylor Swift incident.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy illustrates a new Kanye, not as egotistic and much more dedicated to his art. However, it demonstrates that his is the best and most innovative artist on the radio today. He, simply, transcends hip-hop. 'Power' and 'All of the Lights' are a testament to this. 'All of the Lights' (featuring Rihanna), especially, stands out as a representation of what the album is. It lives up to its hype and arguably surpasses it. Thus far, the defining album of the decade and will remain so, possibly until the next Kanye album.



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Song of the Week

We No Speak Americano- Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

Australian duo Yolanda be cool team up with producer Dcup to bring us 'We No Speak Americano.' A dance track that samples the 1956 Italian Renato Carosone's song, 'Tu Vuó Fa' L'Americano', originally sung in Neapolitan. Of coarse nothing comes close to that original song, with its masterful assembled swing. 'We No Speak Americano' delivers a catchy house-swing drum line driven rhythm complemented with an equally catchy synth and sax riffs. Simple in composition, it is catchy enough to become a great club hit.

Rating: 7.1

Here's a video of Yolanda Be Cool's song with the original Renato Carsone's video



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photo credit: wikipedia

KanYe West- Runaway Film

KanYe West's full-length film debuted last night on MTV, MTV2, and BET. KanYe takes command of this film, which features ex-Victoria's Secret Angel Selita Ebanks in the lead-role of the Phoenix. Loaded with symbolism from West's life, especially over the last year (post-Taylor Swift VMA incident). The cinematography is similar to some of the videos we've seen before from West especially the ones directed by Hype Williams. Color plays an important role in this video. A color that stands out to me, is the blue color of the hanger doors in the dinner scene with the ballerinas. Overall, it's quite "artsy" and really "KanYe-esque" but I'm afraid he tries a little to hard on this video and it's a bit over-indulgent. Don't get me wrong, I like the video, but it's just another KanYe West music video that lasts 34 minutes; not that there's anything wrong with that, since his videos always deliver.





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Song of the Week

RUNAWAY- KanYe West f/ Pusha-T

KanYe out does himself once again with the second single from the highly anticipated 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'. He takes a new approach with this song, though, taking jabs at himself. Proposing a toast for the "douchebags", "assholes", "scumbags", and "jerkoffs." He analyzes himself as always finding something wrong with everything. This is as powerful of a song that we've heard from 'Ye that I can recall.

A simple piano/drum line driven instrumental is all it RUNAWAY needs. Simple, but in a way it is fitting for this song.

Rating: 9.7

Favorite Lines:
"I'm so gifted at findin' what I don't like the most"

"Baby, I got a plan, Runaway as fast as you can"



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album cover art image via kanyewest.com

KanYe West Tweets Album Title

After a release date of November 22, 2010 was announced yesterday, KanYe announces the title of the upcoming album.

As you may recall, the first single was 'POWER' f/ Dwele followed by 'Runaway' f/ Pusha-T. The third single will be 'All of the Lights'. Surely, KanYe won't disappoint with this much anticipated album.

The official album title is and always was ........less than a minute ago via webKanye West
kanyewest

MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASYless than a minute ago via webKanye West
kanyewest

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Estoy Enamorado- Wisin & Yandel

Here you go. Great video from Wisin & Yandel. Pretty decent song, but very strong clip. Enjoy.





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15 Shows to Watch This Season

1. House
2. Fringe
3. Community
4. Glee
5. 30 Rock
6. Modern Family
7. Parenthood
8. Boardwalk Empire
9. Dexter
10. Brothers & Sisters
11. Castle
12. V
13. Outsourced
14. Bones
15. Chuck

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Song of the Week

F**K YOU!- Cee Lo Green

After 6 years since his last album as a solo artist and 2 years since his album as a part of Gnarles Barkley, Cee Lo returns with one of the hottest tracks of the year. It became a YouTube sensation when it was released in mid-August. The official video was relesed September 1, 2010. The video goes through the life of "The Lady Killer" (the title of Cee Lo's upcoming album) in a comical way.

F**K YOU! carries that signature Cee Lo sound. He adds his Soul/R&B vibe to the track. A song that should normally sound depressing, actually sounds upbeat. He called upon Bruno Mars' assistance to write this song. For promotional purposes, the song title was changed to "FORGET YOU" as the clean version. Cee Lo voiced his anger to the change, saying that they were censoring the art he had created.

Overall, I like this song, as is the case for most Cee Lo songs. The Soul and R&B influences along with Cee Lo's comical approach to a typically not-so-upbeat theme adds character to this song.

Rating: 9.3

Favorite Line:
"Yeah, I'm sorry I can't afford a Ferrari
But that don't mean I can't get you there
I guess he's an X-Box and I'm more an Atari
But the way you play your game ain't fair"

Explicit Lyrics




Photo: wikipedia
video: YouTube

POWER- KanYe

'Power'- KanYe West. The Moving Portrait. Awesome video, defying the limits of music videos.

Song of the Week

Calma Pueblo- Calle 13

Calle 13 returns with their first single, "Calma Pueblo" (Be Calm My People), off of their upcoming fourth studio album, Detonación C-13. The always controversial Puerto Rican hip-hop duo lives up to their titles of stirring up controversy and speaking on behalf of the Latin American people. Calle 13 is comprised of half-brothers, Rene Perez (Residente, the rapper) and Eduardo Cabra (Visitante, the producer).

In this track, Residente addresses, his humble beginnings, yellow journalism, the working class struggles, his successes which he credits to his fans, how he can insult so many people and still be sponsored by Coca-Cola, that the biggest mafia lives in the Vatican, and how he uses Adidas but Adidas doesn't use him. One has to appreciate this type of satire and social commentary which are so rare in today's rap industry. They even take shots at artists who sale-out albums by buying them themselves and who payoff radio stations in order to be played. Furthermore, they take shots at lip-syncing artists. To top it all off, they even mention that not even the Beatles had four songs getting airplay at the same time like Calle 13 had. I especially like how Residente always incorporates the Latin American struggles at the hands of the the first world, namely the United States. Calle 13 are no strangers to political topics. Their first single was titile "Querido F.B.I." (Dear F.B.I.), in which they address the assassination of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, the leader of Los Macheteros, a Puerto Rican independence revolutionary group.

I love how Calle 13 holds nothing back while saying that Sony is not their record label, their record label is the people. This speaks volumes about how Calle 13 feel about the people that really put them where they are today. The people for which the speak and represent. This is evidenced in the line, "Lo que sientes tú lo siento yo porque yo soy como tú tu eres como yo" (What you feel I feel too, because you're just like me and I'm just like you". Here, Calle 13 is addressing the face that he is a voice for the voiceless. He says what the people can't say. What the newspapers won't say.

Rating: 9.7

Favorite Line: "Pa' cambiar al mundo desnuda tu coraje, La honestidad no tiene ropa ni maquillaje"

(In order to change the world uncover all your anger, Honesty doesn't wear clothes nor makeup)




Photo: wikipedia

Song of the Week

POWER- KanYe West f/Dwele

'Ye returns with his new single "POWER" off of his fifth studio album (TBD), formerly titled "A Good Ass Job." This album is touted as the best hip-hop album of the last decade by many critics. On the debut single, West teams up with producers Symbolyc One (S1), Jeff Bhasker, and Mike Dean. West had previously worked with Bhasker on his last album, 808s & Heartbreak. The single samples "21st Century Schizoid Man"- King Crimson.

"POWER" is a classic West track with the fusion of genres, specifically the British progressive-rock of King Crimson and West's hip-hop. He even channels the KanYe we've grown accustomed to hearing with his ego driven raps. Something he drifted away from on his last album. He even takes shots at the Saturday Night Live cast for their comments about him. If there were any doubters left, KanYe has surely silenced them with this single. Easily, his best single since "Stronger" and possibly one of the best singles on the radio in the last couple years.

Rating: 9.6

Favorite Lines:
"I'm living in the 21st century, doing something mean to it, do it better than you ever seen anybody do it"

"I just needed time alone with my own thought, got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vaults"

Lady GaGa on American Idol

Catch Lady GaGa's performance from last night's American Idol. Due to time constraints, producers had to cut down GaGa's performance. Here's the whole thing, uncut.

Song of the Week

All the Right Moves- OneRepublic

The first single off of OneRepublic's sophomore album titled "Waking Up," All the Right Moves is a refreshing tune, since we've become accustomed to the current hip-hop/dance hits topping the charts right now. Although it was released as a single in the U.S. back late last year, it had not received much radio-play until recently. Like last week's song of the week, this week Ryan Tedder has also become one of the most sought-after songwriters in pop music. You may remember Tedder has recently written many pop-radio hits including: "Already Gone"- Kelly Clarkson, "Battlefield"- Jordin Sparks, "Halo"- Beyonce, and arguably the most 2 important pop songs in the last 5 years, "Bleeding Love"- Leona Lewis and "Apologize"- OneRepbulic. All the Right Moves in a way follows these tracks with its composition and instruments (especially the drum lines, tempo, and strings), but I feel that in this track Tedder pushes himself lyrically. While those other songs are more straightforward, All the Right Moves presents the listener with more obscure lyrics and lines. Not to mention, this track is very catchy. I must admit at first I did not like it (maybe since it deviated from the "Dreaming Out Loud" OneRepublic I was used to. After a couple listens, however, it was quickly stuck in my head. Of course, this wouldn't be a Ryan Tedder song without the catchy chorus and an equally catchy bridge. Right from the get-go, we're introduced to it, "All the right friends in all the right place, so yeah, we're going down"

Favorite line: "Do you think I'm special? Do you think I'm nice? Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?"

Catch the music video on YouTube

SNL: Weekend Update Slams AZ Bill

Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers slams the newly signed Arizona immigration bill.
Saying: "I know there's some people in Arizona worried that Obama is acting like Hitler, but can we all agree that there's nothing more Nazi than saying 'Show me your papers'...It's their catchphrase."

Pretty spot-on, I would say.

Song of the Week

Cuando Me Enamoro- Enrique Iglesias f/ Juan Luis Guerra

This is the first single (released today, 4/26) off of Enrique's much anticipated 9th studio album. He has already called this the best album of his career, a career in which he has sold over 60 million albums worldwide, topped the Billboard 'Hot Latin Tracks' with 20 different songs (most by any artist ever), and has propelled himself as one of the top selling artists of this generation. I bet anyone that this song will, again, top the Billboard charts with many more from this album to follow. Now what makes this album so special? Well this is the first one that Iglesias has recorded with all original Spanish and English songs. Some of his previous albums included English and Spanish versions of the same songs. For this album, he also has teamed up again with mega-producer RedOne. The two had previously worked together on Takin' Back My Love f/ Ciara off of his "Greatest Hits" album. This is the first studio album from Enrique since "Insomniac" back in 2007. He did release 2 compilation albums in 2008 ("Greatest Hits" and "Enrique Iglesias: 95/08 Éxitos"). Furthermore, Iglesias has reportedly included songs featuring rapper T.I., Akon, Usher, Wisin & Yandel, and Nicole Scherzinger.


Now back to the single. What makes this single so special? Well it is an epic duet with Domincan merenguero, Juan Luis Guerra. The track incorporates some Caribbean merengue elements. Apart from the fact that this is another Enrique love song, this song is smoother and more free-flowing than his usual songs and fits perfectly with Juan Luis Guerra's style. Also, he strays away from the dance hits he had been releasing in his most recent albums. However, you can most likely expect more dance hits off of this album (it does include Usher, Nicole and RedOne tracks). This is truly a refreshing song from Iglesias. Billboard, watch out, here comes "Number 1 Hit" # 21.

Favorite Line: "Si pudiera bajarte una estrella del cielo, lo haría sin pensarlo dos veces, porque te quiero"--"If I could bring you a star down from heaven, I'd do it without thinking twice about it, because I love you"

Song of the Week

Young Forever- Jay-Z f/ Mr. Hudson

Young Forever is the fifth single off of "The Blueprint 3" and, in my opinion, the best song off of that album. Jay-Z, teams up with Mr. Hudson (Benjamin Hudson McIldowie) on this track, a British new-comer to the American music scene. KanYe West (produced Young Forever) took Mr. Hudson as his protégé and signed him to West's music label, G.O.O.D. Music. Hudson has gained much acclaim from West who has predicted that Mr. Hudson will be even bigger than him. This is a huge compliment coming from KanYe "Ego Trip" West. I recommend you check out Mr. Hudson's debut solo album, "Straight No Chaser", especially the second single, Supernova f/ KanYe West.

Now back to Young Forever. This track is a re-work/sample of Alphaville 1984 song Forever Young. With this song, Jay-Z showcases his free-flow rapping, that has propelled him to the hottest emcee on the planet. Mr. Hudson, on the other hand, showcases his distinct vocal abilities. KanYe West shows again why he is one of the best producers of this generation with his work oh this track. He sets this song apart from the hip-hop on the radio today and makes it an easy, chill-out song. Although it was released as a single back in December, I chose this song after Jay-Z headlined the first night of Coachella this last weekend with this song in a duet with his wife, Beyonce. Also, it was an effort to bring this song back out after listening to it non-stop last fall and winter. This is a classic ode to summer with the descriptions of the good-life and parties that come with those summer nights and being young. I know this song will be on my summer playlist this year, and may certainly be the theme of my summer.

Favorite Line: "Let us die young or let us live forever, we don't have the power but we never say never"

Song of the Week

Alejandro- Lady GaGa

Once again, the hottest artist and producer in pop music today, Lady GaGa and the Moroccan mega-producer RedOne, join forces to create another up-tempo electro-pop track. Alejandro brings back those early-to-mid 90's Ace of Base vibes. Alejandro is set to be released as a single in the U.S. next week (4-20-10) and is my favorite song off of her sophomore album, The Fame Monster. This will be the third single off of the platinum-selling album behind Bad Romance and Telephone f/Beyonce.

This track strays from the Lady GaGa we knew from The Fame. I think she defies the typical U.S.-Pop limits with this track. Like all of the songs from this album, GaGa pushes the envelope from what we would usually expect from the Just Dance and Poker Face singer. Especially with tracks like: So Happy I Could Die, Speechless, Dance in the Dark, and Teeth. I highly recommend this album. As far as the instrumentals are concerned, RedOne adds his signature saw synths and dance drum lines but takes this in a very distinct direction than that of Just Dance, Poker Face, and (even) Bad Romance. It seems like right when we had heard (and maybe even gotten sick of) all RedOne had to offer, he's back with a fresh sound. Lyrically, it's your basic Lady GaGa song of easy sing-along verses and catchy choruses that talks about defending herself from all these Latin men (Fernando, Roberto, and Alejandro). Although I don't think this single will get the air-play nor make the splash that Poker Face and LoveGame did last summer, I see this song as a contender for summer anthem.

Favorite line: "She hides true love, en su bolsillo, She's got a halo around her finger, around you"

SNL: Sarah Palin Network

Tina Fey, again, impersonates Alaskan ex-Governor Sarah Palin on a Saturday Night Live sketch in which Fey references the "gotcha" journalism of Katie Couric, misspellings on Tea-Party protest signs, Republican stance on the healthcare bill, and the college professor "Elites."


Source: The Huffington Post

Scarface: The School Play

Marc Klasfeld of Rockhard Films produced a short "school play" viral movie of Scarface and uploaded it onto YouTube. Although it is not actually a school play, the video has stirred much controversy because of the young children used in the short film. According to Klasfeld, the motive behind the film's production was to illustrate how children are exposed to drugs and violence in everyday culture. The young actors don't actually use profanity but instead substitute other words in its place. Art? Social commentary? Crossing the line? You decide.

Check out the video below.


source: HLN Primetime News

Song of the Week

Alejate de Mi- Camila

The upcoming second single from their sophomore album "Dejarte de Amar", Alejate de Mi (Distance Yourself From Me) sets itself apart from the rest of the songs on the album. Singer/Songwriter and Camila front-man Mario Domm proves again why he is one of the hottest songwriters in the Spanish market. The lyrics rival those of Camila's Abrazame, Todo Cambió, and Coleccionista de Canciones from "Todo Cambio." Different from their usual love songs, this song tells a different tale. In it, the singer tells his girlfriend to distance herself from him before he lies to her. He admits he is not the saint she once thought and he did not fall from the sky to be her prince charming. He says this to avoid causing her anymore pain, even though he does not want to lose her; it is best for her to leave. Lyrically, this song is gold with the usual epic Domm lines filled with great metaphors. Simply, beautiful songwriting.

Best line: "La luz ya, no alcanza, no quieras caminar sobre el dolor descalza"(The light no longer reaches, don't try to walk on the pain barefoot" I know, the Spanish version does sound WAY better than the English.