Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 7 [Review]

It's time for the last Real Housewives episode of 2014! Are you ready for it? Sadly it doesn't exactly knock anything out of the park, but it does bring into focus some of the less seen women of the group, so that's a plus, right? You guessed it. More Brandi. More Kim. More awesome. Let's get into this party-filled episode, shall we?

Monthly Roundup - Real Housewives Of Atlanta Season 7 [Eps 5-8]

Another month, another block of Real Housewives of Atlanta episodes. These women really know how to bounce around topics and stir up all sorts of drama in their city. This month we had a wide array of crap hitting the proverbial fan, but also a lot of progress. Which will come out shining most of all?

Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 6 [Review]

Not even on the week of Christmas do the Housewives out on the west coast give it a rest, and thus neither shall I. This week has a lot of buildup and a lot of foundation for the rest of the season, which means you all better pay attention. Me? We'll I spent most of the episode distracted by Yolanda's pink sweater. I mean why?

Liz Primo Teases New Single "Like A Star"

I wonder if Liz Primo is ever going to make a song I don't instantly love. Back during #TheReturn I interviewed this diva, and she told me about some new tracks she was working on that were coming soon. The first of these tracks "Like A Star" is primed and ready to go for first quarter 2015, and she's got a preview for all the fans who've been waiting patiently.

To be fair, this preview is for one of the remixes by Dark Intensity, but it still gives us a good idea of what the song is like. It really has a fun dance beat to it, and it has the usual melodic vocals that we've come to know and love from Liz.

Although we don't really have much to go on, I know for sure that this one is getting the video treatment (not that I stalk her on Facebook or anything), and I'm under the impression that much like "Blown Away", the original version of this track is slower. Unfortunately it seems like her current label shys away from music that's not dance, so we may not get to see the original for a while.

Thus far we don't have an exact release date, but we do have a January 2015 as a guide, which is pretty awesome. We get to start out the new year with some new Liz Primo. Hopefully we will get her other single "White Knight" soon after!

RuPaul's Drag Race Queen Get Intimate In New Documentary "This Is Drag"

Drag is officially taking over all television. It started with RuPaul's Drag Race, expanded with Drag Queens of London, and now it's time for a documentary to shine more light on these individuals we've come to know. Director Mark Kenneth Woods is going to show you what it is like a day in the life of a world famous drag queen.

This Is Drag is a feature length documentary that follows Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, Courtney act, and Darienne Lake on their winners tour through it's Canadian leg.  It also features Alyssa Edwards, Shangela, and several other uncredited queens (at least in the promo). The documentary is all about the people themselves instead of the drama as the aforementioned TV shows are. This film is going to delve into the minds of drag queens we know and love, and explore their relationships, both with men and their families.

Among the topics covered in this short snippet of what's to come, Bianca talks about comedy in drag versus out of drag, Courtney talks about the struggles of dating as a drag queen, and Darienne talks about her family being ashamed of her. Most interesting, though, was Adore's confession of being bullied. Very accurately, Mark has stated "You did not see this side of anybody on a certain show." Now that has me excited!

For now, the documentary is only set to air on OutTV, which is Canada's answer to Logo. From the looks of it Mark is in talks with getting this on Logo in the United States. It would make a lot of sense seeing as these ladies are all spun from the channel's biggest show. Let's hope we get this in the US because let's face it, this is something everyone needs to see.

Bentley Jones Proves Dancing Is Beautiful WIth "I Have Loved"

Bentley Jones definitely has a way about him that he always has something fresh and new. Whether it's pooling his fans for vocals for a track or covering one of the most beloved Broadway songs of our generation, he definitely is always trying something different -- something interesting. To no surprise, he's done it again with "I Have Loved", having tons of different dancing styles all to the same song to prove that dance can transcend lyrics, emotions, and even musical stylings.

First "Axiomatis" and now this. Ben is always finding new ways to create his videos. For this project he asked for dances inspired by a track off of his new album Defying Gravity called "I Have Loved". The idea definitely worked. According to Ben, he and his team picked a few professional dancers to express the song in their own way through their own styles of dances, and the result was amazing.

This unorthodox way of getting projects accomplished is incredibly risky, and while not as crazy a scale as "Axiomatis", it is certainly another feat worth commending. All five of these dancers do a beautiful job in describing the song without words, and we really get to see some great choreography out of Mr. Jones himself, which is always fun.

"I Have Loved" is far from my favorite track on this album, but being his strongest album to date, that's not really saying anything negative at all. Most of the songs on this last album could work as singles and as videos, so the choice wasn't a bad one at all. Although it's not clear if this will be the last single off of Defying Gravity (and let's hope not because "Without You" is the best on the album!), we've already confirmed that he has been gathering a track list for his Trans//Lation 3 project as well as gearing up for a possible new project for 2015, and this being his Christmas present to his fans may mean the end of the Defying Gravity era.

For now, pick up the album on iTunes!

Exclusive Interview - Angelo Garcia Bursts Back Into The Pop World

Angelo Garcia is not new to pop music at all, but what he is new to is doing it alone. After he left Menudo, he took some time off of music, and now that he's ready to do it again, he has to completely reinvent himself, which he did a great job of in his new video "Delusions of Grandeur". Recently I sat down to talk about the struggles of an indie artist and exactly what he's all about in his new musical adventure.

Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 5 [Review]

The one thing I love about Bravo is that they often times say "Who needs a Christmas vacation?" and while all these other big shows go on hiatus until January, Real Housewives continue on. No mid-season break for these ladies. Thus we get to continue in my now time-honored tradition of watching the episodes and making snarky comments about Lisa Vanderpump the show. So why not get started?

Exclusive Clip - Brandon Hilton's New Single "Wavelength"

Check out this awesome exclusive clip of Brandon Hilton's upcoming single "Wavelength".  This is Brandon's first official single in nearly two years, and is his big comeback, so let's be sure and give it all we've got this time!

#WAVELENGTH HITS ITUNES WORLDWIDE 12.19!!!

A video posted by Brandon Hilton (@brandonhilton) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:43pm PST

"Wavelength" has been a long time coming. This has been his first official release since "Dance Til I Die", released two years ago. Since then he has only release some snippets and one promo single ("Daddy"), but this is his big statement to the world showing that he is back and ready to fight for his place in pop music again. When asked Brandon had this to say:

"I've spent the last 2 years figuring out life and my sound. I didn't really know where I wanted to go with either of them until a few months ago. things just kinda fell into place and I knew it was a sign that I needed to step back in the studio. I've experienced love, life and loss the past 2 years and I have a lot to say about it. WAVELENGTH is just the beginning of the emotional roller coaster I'm about to take you on."

For those who are unsure, "Wavelength" is a love song, but not a traditional one."WAVELENGTH is about a destructive love, a dangerous love," he explained to me.  "Things seemed so perfect and in an instant they fell apart. It's about loving someone so much that you push them away. I didn't realize we were living on 2 different wavelengths until it was too late."

If you follow Brandon Hilton on Facebook or Twitter, he's been claiming for weeks that he's on a different wavelength than pretty much everyone, so you bet I asked about that, too. His response was short and simple. "It's about being on two different pages with someone, but not really finding out until it's too late, but by then you're already crashing and burning."
  

The single will release this Friday, December 19.

Celebrate Xmas Early With Sonali

Sonali first popped onto my radar a few months back with her pro-gay single "Wake Up". I've since been looking for another excuse to post about her. Indie music is a hard to produce quickly, so I didn't expect a new single, but what I did find is an awesome home made Christmas track. It may not be HD quality, but it's super fun. Check out Sonali's "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

Sonali is such a talented young woman! This cover is done in the stylings of Mariah Carey, who I also have a great love for. Sonali does an excellent job at making this a vocal triumph, able to slide around the scale with ease.

Usually, I don't really care about Christmas music, as evident by my major lack of Christmas related posts (and the fact that it says Xmas in the name), but there are a few songs that really get me into the spirit and this is one. I am so glad that she chose this song to cover, and that she brought new life into a old song. So many times I've heard people cover songs and destroy them, but that is certainly not the case here.

Give it a listen and get into the holiday mood. There will be more  (sort of ) Christmas posts in the future!

NeNe Leakes and Teresa Giudice Make The Best Housewives Duo Ever

I know everyone was buzzing about the reuniting of NeNe and Kim Z on WWHL last week, but I'm gagging even more over the amazingness that is the photo(s) below that Nene posted on her official site and her Facebook earlier this week. Check it out!

Teresa Giudice (left) and NeNe Leakes (Right)

NeNe Leakes with Teresa Giudice and her daughters Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana.

Teresa appeared at a showing of NeNe's Broadway debut in Cinderella, where she has taken over the main role. Other celebrities such as Keke Palmer have starred in this role, and people generally rotate out of spotlight every few months. In her final days before having to go to prison for her short sentence, Teresa treated her children to see the show, and got backstage to see the star.

On her website NeNe was quoted saying "My girl Teresa Giudice came to Cinderella last nite with her beautiful daughters to support me! I love the girls! They were so fabulous! And I loved seeing Teresa. She looks so good and she’s a super strong woman!"

I love this cross-show love. It's been a long while since we've seen two housewives from different cities getting along. Maybe we can have a few Nene cameos in RHNJ along the road. Who knows? I hope they continue this friendship because not only is it awesome, but it's totally cute, too. I am glad to see Teresa spending her time wisely before she goes away, and that she's following through on her promise to spending as much time as she can with her children. I'm sure the four girls had a blast.

As for NeNe, we all know she can get crazy, but it's not often we get to see this softer side of her (and she looks so beautiful with that new hair!), which gives yet another reason to love this photo-op. You go girls. You go!

Jayne Ava Is Ready To March Right Now!

Yet another new artist that I have been shown the light as to their massive talent, Jayne Ava is an up and coming vocalist that is producing some great electro-pop beats. Recently, she released her new single called "March" and it's got me doing more than marching. Dancing. The joke was it's got me dancing.

Although I was a bit thrown off by the cover for this release, after taking a solid listen to it, I was sold on the project. Jayne has a very distinct voice, which is really necessary for those who want to venture into the world of electronic pop and dance music. There are so many artists out there that it's easy to get people confused (like that one time Jessie J released her debut US song and everybody thought it was Katy Perry?), so having your own voice is crucial to success.

The song itself is a bit of your standard electronic vibe. It does have it's own flare, especially for the opening and the chorus, but the back beat isn't what you want to vibe on. Jayne manages to manipulate her voice in  such a grand way that she can go from melodic siren to shrilling banshee (in the best way, of course) within the same sentence. She really commands the backbeat and owns it instead of getting lost in the instrumentals.

I believe this song is a great way to introduce people to Jayne Ava. It's been my first time hearing her and already I want more from her. She will definitely be one to watch to see where she goes in her future endeavors for the pop world.

For now, grab her track on iTunes and jam out!

Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 5 Epiosde 4 [Review]

After a big bang of an opening two episodes, the previous episode along with this one, sort of slows things down so that we can get back to a sense of normalcy. Gone is the first two seasons' constant shouting and backstabbing and in it's place are women trying to get to know each other... for now. Let's see how long that lasts!

Alaska Implores You To Put On Some Nails In New Video

I'm not afraid to admit it. Alaska Thunderfuck has never been my cup of tea. During her stint on Drag Race I couldn't stand her and her Gaga-esque fans, and in her later efforts she really didn't stick out to me. Recently, however, I have been paying her more mind, and her quirky charm is getting to me. I guess that's why I watched "Nails" and enjoyed it. Hence you should, too.

The video starts off with a rather soulful ballad where Alaska describes her love for nails. It's so rare that we get to hear Alaska sing seriously. Most of the time she's putting on one of her characters, so we get kind of a half-singing-half-talking voice, but here we are allowed a rare glimpse in media to see her real talent -- and she's not bad at all.

As the video progresses, we revert back to the origins of Alaska, being an alien and whatnot, as she gets captured by the government in, you guessed it, Alaska. The man who's captured her wants answers (of some sort) and is going to proceed to snap off her nails every time she refuses to answer. They regrow instantly, causing him to be outraged and do it over again, each time growing back in a new style.

The visuals on this video are both amazing and startling. The whole nail pulling bit is very painful to watch, and reminds this anime fan of Higuarshi no Naku Koro Ni (Look it up. It's good) wherein one of the main characters pulls off one nail of her own for each time her friends dishonored her family. It can be a bit jarring to those with uneasy stomachs, but if you've watched any of the Saw movies, this is a breeze.

"Nails" as a song is kind of meh. The verses are fun and upbeat, but the chorus is a mess of shouting the word "nails" over and over. It is all followed by the statment "If you aren't wearing nails you aren't doing drag". This of course is the famous Michelle Visage quote from RuPaul's Drag Race.

When it comes to this song, the video truly saved it from being something I skipped over. The visuals are fantastic, and Alaska has become a master of theatrics and storytelling, but the song could have used far more work.

You can grab your copy on iTunes now!

RuPaul's Drag Race Season Seven Cast Reactions

It's that time again. RuPaul's Drag Race has announced it's cast and it's time for me to judge all of them! Bwahahah! Anyway, this years queens are a bit of a grab-bag of nonsense. I hope that it's just the promos that are making them look kinda drab (think season five) and that they can really step it up when the time comes. There's only a couple that I'm really gunning for pre-show, but who knows? Editing can really change our opinions, no

Let's get readin'!

Get More: Logo TV

(Lots of reading under the cut. For the full cast interview videos click here)

Nashville Diva Holly Elle Wants To "Lose Control"

It's no secret that I love me some Holly Elle. I have been following her ever since I fell for her when her first EP came out, and Leopardess was no different. Now, once again, she has evolved to create even more exciting new music. Let's take a quick look at "Lose Control".

I love that Holly is always changing up her sound so that she can make something new and unexpected. Far from "Seeing Red" and even far beyond her last single "Lifeline", this new track "Lose Control" breaks her out into the realm of R&B/Pop. With a beat that sounds like it is straight out of a rap track meshed with vocals that sound like they belong on any one of today's radio stations, Holly has certainly found a good vibe and made a hit.

If there has ever been a song that I wanted to see a music video for from an indie artist, this is it. This is her strongest song to date both vocally and production wise. This is the artist that I saw her developing into from day one, and I'm so glad that she has ascended to this level and continued to progress. She had the voice to begin with, and now she's got the confidence and the right team behind her.

I'm so happy to see Holly progress, and this song seems to be a message that she is officially out there. She's been featured on TV shows, she's become a musical icon in her home town, and now she's ready to break free and make music for the world to hear. We're ready, Ms. Elle, so let us have it!

Grab your copy of "Lose Control" on iTunes and hop over to her Facebook and let her know that you are lovin' it just as much as I am!

The Glamazons Debut Video "Movie Star" Hits The Web

It was a big step for NYC girl group The Glamazons to go from doing covers to making their own original track. Now they've taken it that one step further and made a music video. Check out "Movie Star", the debut video and single from The Glamazons.

This video has been a long time coming. I know that these girls put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this production, and it definitely shows. Creating anything from scratch is a challenge, and doing so in the music business, without major label backing, puts it on another level. That is why even though there are a few faults in the video (mainly being in the changing of quality from scene to scene), that I really appreciate this and all they put into it.

That being said, it did look like they had to shift from one camera to another during production, or perhaps even one lighting style/crew to another. There is a distinct shift in video quality from scene to scene which is a bit off-putting, but not enough to really deter someone from watching the whole thing. I also feel a bit like some of the lighting really clashed with their makeup (and not the other way around because in the clubs when you perform that's how you look) making the close-up portions look awkward.

But there are so many more good things about this video than bad. For starters, other than the small collection of clips I posted earlier, their makeup is flawless, and their outfits fit them very well. These ladies know their bodies, and being models, it's no wonder. They have a killer fashion sense as a group, knowing how to make themselves look good individually while still looking like a cohesive group.

My absolute favorite part of the video is the choreography. This video has more on point dancing than the lastest Fifth Harmony video "Sledgehammer" that came out recently, and those girls are tiny! These full figured ladies are not afraid to get out there and dance like their lives depended on it. This is clearly where they are most comfortable, and it really shows.

You can grab a copy of the single on iTunes. And let's help these ladies get the views on this video that it really deserves!

Angelo Garcia's New Song + Video Is Hot -- And Catchy!

This video is something you could say we've been waiting for quite some time for. With the promo for the video popping up last month, and stills from it going back even further than that, it became a waiting game; one which Angelo kept balanced with pumping out homemade videos to keep his fans interested. Last week, however, the single popped up on iTunes, and he announced the video would be short work. So here it is. "Delusions of Grandeur".

Ok, so do me a favor. Click play on the video and hurry and swap tabs or minimize the window, and just listen to the song. It's a good song right? He has great vocals, and the song is not only catchy, but actually uses a nice vocabulary and is thought out. Right? Ok, now open up the screen again and watch the video. I just didn't want you to get distracted by all them abs, pecs, and pierced nips.

All kidding aside, Angelo has left his pretty boy Menudo past far behind and moved on to something new and incredible. He is not afraid what-so-ever to let people know he's gay, and he's not afraid to show off the body he's worked hard to attain. While his sex appeal may not be everyone's cup of tea, he certainly has captured the attention of many, many gay men as well as straight women who idolize this body type -- and he's using it to boost his musical career.

In my opinion, he didn't exactly need to be nearly naked in his video, but as they say, sex sells. I did find him to be quite easy on the eyes, but I honestly liked the song itself. It is a real song that you can dance to at the club or even jam out like a dork in your car. And I'm totally not hating on the video at all, he's definitely got the body so why not show some skin? The female pop stars do it every day. It's about time a man did the same thing.

Whether or not he meant to push the boundaries of pop music or he was just making what he wanted to make in his heart all along, he definitely struck upon something you don't see every day, and I believe with his balance of talent and sex appeal he has a chance to be a big star yet again. (And did you see his He-Man costume!?)

You can run over to iTunes for this track to keep yourself moving and maybe one day have a body like his!

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 3 [Review]

The drama just never stops with this group of girls. We have a common theme going now, with Brandi on the road to making amends, but it won't all got as easily as with Adrienne. While this episode might not have been as action packed as some in the past, it certainly does it's job to keep us entertained. And if that's not enough for you, I'm sure Kyle's hideously gorgeous outfit in the photo below will do the job. Let's get reviewin'!

Tegan And Sara Team Up WIth Male Pop Duo Night Terrors of 1927

Ok, so I have been a pretty bad Tegan and Sara fan for not posting on them so far. In the past four years these girls have done plenty, but I seem to always forget when it comes time to scheduling posts. But no more! I hereby vow to keep up with one of my favorites and relay the news to you, starting with their guest spot on LA pop duo Night Terrors of 1927's new video "When You Were Mine".

This being my first experience with NTO1927 (what a weird acronym), I was kind of surprised to find out that they had chosen a cover for their big team up, but upon listening to the song, I could see that it was something new altogether. While it has a touch of the feel of the song Prince created in the 80s, this is definitely it's own entity with it's own lyrics and composition, being the name and vibe that are the only elements that sync up.

The cinematography is exactly what fans of Tegan and Sara would come to expect. The video looks very polished and has it's own story line that takes place outside of the four artists. While I would have much rather seen the four of them take a more active role in their own video, it harkens back to the olden days of music videos where the singers would often take the back seat to actors that were chosen to display their story in a way they wouldn't have been able to. It was a nice departure from the current norm.

Being that this is a NTO song, Tegan and Sara really don't take the spotlight too much, only helping in pieces of the verses and backup vocals for the chorus, giving their fans a good chance to get acquainted with the band if they hadn't beforehand (such as me) and create new fans for them. And hell, they deserve it, as the two guys are not only talented, but pretty cute, too. Seeing as the video broke out on Rolling Stone today, I'd say that this duo is well on it's way to achieving stardom.

Who knows? Maybe Sara and Tegan can strike a deal and get them on Lego Movie 2?

EDIT:
Rolling Stones also broke news about their debut album coming out January 20! Here's the track list for the album titled Everything's Coming Up Roses.

1. Dust and Bones
2. Running in Place
3. Perfect Day
4. When You Were Mine
5. Novocaine
6. It Would Be an Honor
7. Fire With Fire
8. Always Be One
9. Shine
10. Always Take You Back
11. Everything's Coming Up Roses

Monthly Roundup - Real Housewives Of Atlanta Season 7 [Eps 1-4]

In an effort to talk about all the things I love with a passion without overloading you with weekly posts I have come up with a new segment called The Monthly Roundup. Here I will take tv shows and dish on all the episodes that aired in the month. This time, it's The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season Seven and it's first four episodes. Let's dish.

Fifth Harmony (Finally) Lets Info Slip On New Album

Now let me tell you. If they hadn't just released a single, I would start to think that "Reflection" was just a hoax. These girls have pushed back this album twice already, and we haven't gotten so much as a tracklisting. Really, all we have to go on are the singles, the free iTunes track, and the cover art (which looks pretty meh in my opinion). BUT NO MORE! Thanks to PopCrush, we have much more info straight from the girls' mouths.

Once again, my gurl Camila takes the lead and is one to explain all about the new single "Sledgehammer". To be honest, I really didn't care much for the single, especially compared to "BO$$", but it is still a very polished and strong track, so I can see why they would put it out. We got the video earlier this week, and it made up for some of my initial dislike for the song, but from what I've heard form the live performances, there will be better tracks.

And according to the girls themselves, there are more gems in store for us fans. First off, there is a track with a "big feature", and another that samples Tupac. Damn, girls. We also got a few song titles such as "Reflection" (duh), "Going Nowhere", and "You Know". We also learned that the song is full of "throw backs" and "jams".

Tacked onto the end of the video is a question about how they decide who sings lead. Well obviously they just throw Camila in there! But in reality, as much as I love her and love her singing voice, I hope that some of the other girls get their time in the spotlight on the upcoming album.

To recap, all we know about the album so far is that it has been rescheduled for January 27th, 2015 and that it's a total jam. This was well worth your time, wasn't it?

Preorder the album on iTunes now and get both the singles ("BO$$" and "Sledgehammer") as well as an album-only song called "Them Girls Be Like".

Ms Trez Release New Single "Easy"

Ms Trez is an all girl trio singing group out of Sweden, AKA the home of the most talented people ever. So many groups pop up from Sweden, and yet they don't get the recognition they deserve. No more! I hereby pledge to tell you about this new song. I pledge to inform you about "Easy".

After first popping onto my radar with their song "Beat's Our Guide", I had been keeping my eye on them. They had released an EP, but this is their first new venture since supporting that. Here, we get a different, more R&B feel. Oddly enough it feels really natural for the girls. Lorena, Marlene, and Mira all make their voices heard calling for some great harmonies.

The song is actually not about what you might think. Instead of being about being easy, they are talking about being not easy at all. By this, I mean they are saying that sure, they will fall in love, but they have to be sustained after that to keep their heads in the relationship. While it's not the most positive message out there, I guess it has it's ways of staying relevant.

Ms Trez is making a name for themselves slowly both in their home country and abroad. Girl groups have come and gone without leaving much of a mark in the past, but with strong beats and tight vocals, a group like Ms Trez can really go somewhere. Here's to hoping these three ladies make it to the states and are very successful.

Grab the track on iTunes now.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 2 [Review]

Oh my GOD I forgot how much I loved this installment of the Real Housewives franchise. Unlike some of the other series, they really start in with the drama and the comedy from the beginning. The first episode was a bit relaxed, but now we are full swing and I'm back to loving this show again. Welcome back, Kim Richards. We missed the real you.

Kwanza Jones Makes Billboard Charts (Again) And Drops Hot New Video

If you don't know by now that I am madly in love with everything Kwanza Jones does, then you haven't been paying much attention to this site. For those who need a catch up, Kwanza is a singer-songwriter turned EDM goddess. She dropped her debut album "SUPERCHARGED" in February of last year, and has been going strong ever since. Now she's amping up her new single "Turn It Up" and it's already splashing it's way onto the Billboard Charts!

Although when first listening to "SUPERCHARGED" I didn't see "Turn It Up" as a single track, it actually worked out very nicely. It has that kind of club energy that you'd come to expect from Kwanza over the past few years, and it's video has that same high quality that is a regular from this artist.

Speaking of the video, I like it for some surprising reasons, the main being that we get to see a softer looking side of Kwanza. By this I mean in most of her video's she's got crazy outfits, hair, and makeup to fit the vibe of her song. This time, she's wearing softer makeup and in most of the video toned-down outfits showing a more "normal" side to the pop diva. Also, she continues her tradition of having ridiculously hot guys as backup dancers.

And that's another amazing thing about this work. The dancing is so tight and spot on, and most of it is done on stairs. I can't think of too many music videos that have entire choreographed stair dances. That must have been a hassle to get together and to practice beforehand. This alone deserves recognition.

"Turn It Up" did make it onto the Billboard charts last week. It came in at a kind of low number, 47 on the Dance Charts, but it also hasn't been supported for long, which means in the coming weeks, I can see it climbing far beyond that. This isn't Kwanza's first time at this rodeo either. She has had five other songs chart in the past, so she knows what she's doing. I'm sure this track will only help her career and her Billboard presence.

You can get the song on iTunes today.

RuPaul's Drag Race Season Seven Cast To Be Announced Dec. 7

It's official. Logo has snuck a lot of ads for this, but they aren't really making a big deal out of it. Actually, if it wasn't for fellow drag blog Dragaholic, I would have never noticed. But it is for real. The long anticipated announcement of the season seven cast for RuPaul's Drag Race will be made in just two short weeks.

There have been so many names swirling around for the supposed cast list, from full names of people confident they've got it right to the "hey, this queen has been M.I.A. for the past few months", but only Ru and the production crew really know who's who, and none of them are talking. At least it looks like we won't have to wait too long to find out, though.

They actually have a whole amazing line up for Dec 7th.

7:30p - RuPaul's Drag Race: 15 Fan Favorites of All Time
8:00p - NewNowNext Awards
9:00p - Season Seven Cast Ruvealed

I for one am excited to see who's made it on the cast. I've kept my eye out and noticed a few people popping up at certain events and others that went missing from tour dates. Now in reality this means nothing, but it would be interesting to see if some of the queens I really enjoy have made the cast. Only time will tell, and in the weeks approaching the announcement, I'm sure the hype will only increase.

Conchita Wurst Shows Us What A Hero Looks Like

Conchita Wurst took the world by storm this year, being one of the most shocking Eurovision Song Contest winners in history. Why was it such a big deal? Well she was not only a drag queen, but in the bearded lady category of drag. But don't go thinking she looks a hot mess. Conchita is one of the most beautiful drag queens on the scene, and she's got a voice worthy of the ESC crown.

I am madly in love with this song. It is a slower ballad, but it's filled with so much energy and emotion that it could easily compete with radio rockers today. I love Conchita's voice, and her ability to belt out notes at the top of her lungs and still sound feminine and beautiful. It's clear there's a reason why she won her title this year.

The video is a bit of a shocker. She's abandoned the non-political stance of ESC. The song is all about equal love and respect, and it is personified by having people who represent the countries in the Austria, the most notable being Putin from Russia. But being political doesn't mean that it has a bad message. It is actually about peace throughout Eastern Europe, especially with all the violence and threats that run rampant in that area these days.

Political motives aside, the video is visually stunning as well. It has been a very long time since I have called a video shot in black and white beautiful. It relies more on Conchita's striking eyes and flawless apparel than flashy colors and crazy props.

You can grab the track on iTunes now and support her in her journey forward.

Sorry I Missed It - Kelly Mantle's "Eliminated" Video

I'll be totally honest with you. When the season was originally airing, I had no idea how big of a deal Kelly Mantle was. I thought she was far, FAR from the worst that season had to offer, but the odds weren't in her favor. Apparently she was a fan favorite before the show started, and it caused a big shock when she went home. Shows how detached I am from the RPDR community. Anyway, earlier this year she released a video and song about her experience -- and it's pretty good!

The entire song is about how Kelly was eliminated on day one. She starts in quick going through all the judges, reading them from top to bottom with Santino getting the most shade. So much happens in the four minutes that this video takes, including a lot of name drops (Kevin Bacon) and her Downton Abbey dress (more bacon!). The beat is hot and the quality is above par as far as RPDR tracks go.

I was really surprised to see Wendy Ho's name attached to the song. Bitches know I love me some Wendy. She serves as the hook ho here, and rightfully so because it's in her name. The rapping is done by Bownce. This is my first experience with him, but he did a very good job, and his rap actually fit within the context of the song, adding to the track instead of taking away or distracting. Tammie Brown pops up in the video, standing in for Wendy who tragically is not present during the video shoot.

This song was really cute and I wish I had noticed it back when. When contestants release stuff during the show, I often don't see them due to the extreme coverage of the show itself, but now that I've had the time to step back and look around, I can see that I missed one of the best songs to pop up from season six (No shade Adore!). It's fun. It's light. It's relevant.

"Don't you know who I think I am?"

That right there is my new catchphrase.

Be sure and check out the song on iTunes.

Moses Universe Unveiles New Video "My Prediction"

Moses Universe (Formerly simply Moses) has finally unleashed his new single and video. Trailing long after his debut with "I'm Your Man" featuring pop trio-turned-duo XELLE, this single has revived hope in the LGBT (? -- we'll get to that in a second) music scene that Moses will continue on his musical journey. For now, let's check out "My Prediction".

The track itself starts off a bit rocky. I'm not sure that Moses really had that whole sexy talk-singing thing that's been so popular lately down. It came across a bit awkward, but thankfully it doesn't really last long as we move into what he is best at, which is singing. The vocals are very strong here despite the often unneeded audio effects to make him computerized.

Given that he was working with Zach Adam, the quality was no surprise. Everything that producer touches sounds amazing, and this is no exception. The video seemed a bit lacking from what we are used to from Zach's crew, and especially given how dramatic the video for "I'm Your Man" was. It features a lot of static shots against black backgrounds with some questionable wardrobe choices.

Where things get really confusing is where Moses lies in the spectrum. I mean, I'm not one to try and forcefully out anyone or even question someone's sexuality, but in the beginning he was presented as an LGBT singer, which usually panders to the "gay" side more than the "bisexual" side. The song and video for this track really push towards him having a female for a love interest. And to confuse things even more, he's partying it up with gay night life icons, the most notable being trans superstar Amanda Lepore. Again, not really judging, just confused.

The song is a great jam. I wish the beginning was different, but it still fits within the context and feel of the song, so I wouldn't say it's something that would turn people off. Moses Universe sounds amazing as usual, and Zach Adam really turned it out. Moses is still promising us a ten album track, but seeing as he has been for quite some time now, I wouldn't really hold your breath just yet.

Go ahead and hop on over to iTunes and pick it up.

Real Hosuewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 01 [Review]

Look at me, actually following through on a promise to review a show for once! This show is very near and dear to me, and I've grown to love each of the girls over the course of the past four years, so this seemed like the most logical next step. I am a human being, and I obviously will be biased on some occasions, but I hope that won't deter you from reading. Without any further ramblings, let's get started on season five, episode one.

Contest Alert! Rukkus Is Going To Pay For Your Concert Tickets!

That's right! A site I've been working with and purchasing through, Rukkus.com is holding a new contest to give away 200 USD in concert tickets! The money can be spent on any concert listed on the site, and entering is simple and interactive.

Get details here.

 No longer will you have to miss out on your favorite concerts just because you can't afford the tickets -- and believe me, some artists charge a hefty price to see them perform. There is nothing that beats seeing your favorite artist live, and it's never been easier than this here.

There two ways to enter, and both of them count as separate entries (meaning your name is in the pot twice!).

To get your first entry simply email giveaway@rukkus.com with a short four sentence poem about your live music experience. Get creative. Never been to a live show? Tell us about your dream show!

To get your second entry, tweet “I just entered to win $200 in concert tickets from rukkus.com #jointherukkus”. It's really that easy.

Just a couple minutes of your life could land you the best night of your life (or nights, depending on how far you can make that 200 stretch).

We here at TOTU are planning to implement more contests and giveaways in the future. If you would like to see more of this type of event, let us know on our official Facebook page, or via twitter @GaoSalad.

Spray Is Back With Catchy Tune And Video 'Manga Eyes'

For those of you who haven't heard of them, Spray is one of those bands that pops up once a year or so with a new solid track and then vanishes to return to their normal lives. Jenny and Ricardo, who make up this synth duo, have been together for years, but have been known to release things at their own pace and not follow any sort of strict deadline. I guess that means now they were good and ready to release "Manga Eyes", and fans and newcomers alike have thanked them for it.

Unlike most of Spray's other tracks, this one really reminds me of the golden age of indie synth pop. It takes me back to the early 2000s with groups like Freezepop making their way online and discovering new fans. This retro feel is amazing, and works in the bands favor quite well. It's quite a bit slower than the other singles they've released in the past, sounding nothing like "Sparks" or "Muppets".

The only thing that really turns me off to the track is the pronunciation of "manga", as they went with the popular yet incorrect way of saying it "Mayn-ga" instead of the correct "Mahn-ga", but that's just me nitpicking.

This is a great return for Spary, who the last time I had talked to them, admitted that they weren't the best at promoting their music. But this time they look to be on top of things with all sorts of ways you can grab the song, including iTunes and BandCamp, both of which include an uptempo techno version of the track to satisfy their normal listeners.

Exclusive Interview - Josephine "Banig" Roberto Brings Filipino Cultrue To American Music

For those of you who don't know her, Josephine Roberto, known internationally as Banig, was one of the youngest people to win the International Star Search 1989 when she was only ten years old. Throughout the following year she went on a tour of talk shows and concerts. Recently, she's been making a comeback with two full albums under her belt, and a new single and video out for the masses. Recently she sat down with me to talk about her career, and what the future holds.

Former 'Cake Boss' Cast Member Tone-Tone Eyed For Show Takeover?

It's no secret that 'Cake Boss' is currently in a state of dismay. Following the Honey Boo Boo scandal last month, TLC has found itself in a new jam. Buddy, the show's leading man, found himself arrested this week for drunk driving. This stunt may land another TLC staple in the garbage, but one blogger has an idea that could salvage the show, and point it in a new and interesting direction. Enter: Tone-Tone.

Tony "Tone-Tone" Albanese was a cast member of the original season of 'Cake Boss'. He worked with the family at the bakery for a while before leaving the show to start up his own business, The Pastryarch. Since his time on TLC he has made a name for himself on shows such as Cupcake Wars, and creating works of edible art for major stars like Madonna.

Earlier this week, an anonymous blogger on the site 2paragraphs.com has come up with a creative solution to put Tone Tone in Buddy's spot to shift some of the negativity away from the franchise. The article also contains a mention of the public post Tony made on the situation, calling out the so called "fake wholesome family guy" persona the network had set up.

Do I think that they will cast Tony in place of Buddy? No, sadly I don't. But if the show is canceled or put on indefinite hiatus, it would be a great way for the show to fill our cake-less void by giving Tone Tone his own show. And the reality star has New York celebrities and icons amping up the idea, such as long time supporter Adam Barta.

As of the posting of this article, nothing has been said officially from TLC on either the topic of Tony Albanese or the state of the show. I will update with more info as it becomes available.

Marina and the Diamonds Confirm New Album + Release Date

Marina and the Diamonds is officially back! I love her style, and I've been digging "Froot" since it dropped on SoundCloud some weeks ago. Apparently this is the title track for her new album, and it's already up for preorder despite being quite a few months away. But there is a method to the madness -- and it's one hell of an awesome method.

So the album has been put up for preorder online already, with a release date of April 6, 2015 (and for only 8 dollars if you go through iTunes!). This is unusual in a number of ways, the first being that it's set for so far off, yet it's already up for preorder. The reason for this, apparently, is that if you preorder it now, you'll get a new track every month leading up til the release. She calls them different "Froots", so it is unclear if this means remixes of the single or new songs.

The other way it is immediately unusual is that it already has all the tracks up and listed. Most often times when an album is put up for preorder, we only get "Track 1", "Track 2", "Current Single", "Track 4", etc. With this, she was upfront with the entire process, giving us track names (and lengths for several tracks) to keep us interested. The tracklisting is as such:

Happy (4:03)
Froot (5:31)
I'm A Ruin (4:32)
Blue
Forget (4:09)
Gold (4:14)
Can't Pin Me Down
Solitare
Better Than That
Weeds
Savages
Immortal (5:21)

To me, it looks like she is really expanding the horizons of her music. There isn't a single song listed so far that is under four minutes, making it for an unusual pop album, most radio ready tracks being around 3:30. And if the album sounds anything like "Froot", then we are definitely in for a departure from the norm.

Be sure to preorder the album on iTunes. Also, check out the new video for "Froot" below.

Cazwell Is A Hot Homo (Obviously)

For those of you who don't know Cazwell (why!?), he is a rapper out of NYC who just so happens to be gay. And hot. Anyway, in case you had forgotten he is a homosexual, he's going to remind you with as many stereotypes as he possibly can. Also there's a lot of hot guys around. Check out "Hot Homo".

This song is a parody of Bobby Shmurda's "Hot N*gga" that went viral earlier this year. His version, "Hot Homo" is a hilarious take on the original, being all about gay stereotypes such as bottoms having a six pack of enemas, gays loving Beyonce, and everyone loving James Franco.

What is really nice about this song in particular is that it harkens back to the early days of Cazwell when he was strictly a rapper. Now he has branched over to all sorts of pop and electronic dance music. This is a testament to those doubters who say he's just a gay singer. He's out to prove you wrong by dropping some hot rhymes and flowing like a pro.

Towards the end, the video mixes it up by featuring Big Dipper, who is far from what we'd seen in the video thus far. He calls himself a "fat homo", but if you wanna get real he's what the gay world would call a "bear". Bears are a much overlooked aspect of the community, despite them not exactly being a minority when it comes to gays. He is put on display and 'exploited' just as much as the buff guys was a great breath of fresh air to the usual LGBT themed videos.

"Hot Homo" is apparently only a promo video and not an official release. It was put up on SoundCloud to stream and download for free, but it looks like the offer has already ended.

Former Power Ranger Amy Jo Johnson Sings In Public -- As The Pink Ranger

Yes! My girl Amy Jo has gone viral this week. Her directorial debut The Space Between is becoming a reality via Indie GoGo is becoming a reality very quickly, and as a reward for those who have supported her so far, she did a free concert. In public. In a replica of her original pink ranger costume from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Yes. It happened.

Amy Jo Johnson stole the hearts of every young boy back in the early 90's playing the original pink ranger in the mega hit children's action show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. She portrayed the role of Kimberly for nearly three seasons before leaving the show. Although she's been distancing herself from the iconic role ever since -- BUT NO MORE!

For years, she has been working on making music and making a name for herself beyond her acting past. She rarely toured conventions while fellow cast mates such as Jason David Frank and Austin St. John have been touring as their respective rangers for quite some time now. However when her new movie came about, she found a strong support from the Ranger community, so she decided to reward those who felt a strong bond to her in the past.

After being challenged by former cast mate David Yost, Billy the blue ranger, she decided to sing live, dressed as her 20-year-old role as the pink ranger on the streets of Toronto where she performed many of her current songs in her repertoire. It was truly an event that could please both fans who remembered her from childhood and those who have been following her music.

But there's still time to make her new film The Space Between an even better reality. Flex goals are set up, as well as rewards for those who are contributing for the first time. They will eventually need 200k, but I'd say 101 is a great start, and with almost two weeks left, I'd say they stand a great chance of making it happen. Go ahead and help Amy make it a reality.

Unfortunately at the moment, no good quality videos have surfaced of her street performance. I will update if one does.

JPop Watch: Koda Kumi "Dance In The Rain" Video Review

I understand that this is the second JPop watch ever, and that it's pretty much on the same topic as the first, but give me a break here! This video is phenomenal! And I haven't done a video "review" in a long time. It's kind of tradition that when Kumi drops a big budget piece of work I go and rip it to hell in the most loving way possible. So here's me taking a stab at "Dance In The Rain".

(Warning: A TON of pictures under the cut)

Sorry I MIssed It: Willam Belli, Alaska, and Courtney Act Are American Apparel Ad Girls

How the hell did I miss this? I mean, sure, I saw that Willam Belli, Alaska, and Courtney Act were getting contracts with American Apparel to be models and put out a line of t-shirts, but how did I miss the song and video? Was it because they were so similarly titled? I have no clue! But what I do know is that I know about it now, and if you don't yet, now you will too!

We start off the song with Courtney belting out some amazing (albeit autotuned) vocals, and Alaska having her amazing and quirky comedy with lines like "I like it when you don't touch my hair" and "anus". I was actually kind of surprised that Willam didn't take center stage until a good way into the song (around 30 seconds in), where Courtney had to actually call out the fact that she'd not said anything yet. OK. You've got my attention. [EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that Courtney calling out Willam was about the laser hair removal joke. This makes sense. I took it more as Courtney was trying to get a response from Willam who, up til now, had been sort of staring off into space.]

In true Willam fashion, the songs are a good balance of comedy and listenablity. Far too many times "funny songs" are not something you'd play in your car, but all three of these girls know how to carry a tune, and how to be funny. Great combo. Even when Courtney's comedic timing is off, her two co-stars really pick the pace back up. The jokes and shade extend not only to their Drag Race family, such as calling out Nicole Paige Brooks, but also to pop culture with Ariana Grande. And also there's a poop joke.

But it's the video that completes the experience. It's quite simple. Willam, Courtney, and Alaska look like beautiful women and lay around while near-naked men hang around. That's pretty much it. BUT The guys are really hot. So it makes up for it. Right? Quality wise, we've come to expect that when Willam is involved in a music video it is going to look good as far as production goes, so that's no shocker here.

After the drama of DWV's breakup, it's nice to see that Willam has a few people balancing him out again. Willam is funny, but his former co-stars offered their own brands that were far different, and that's exactly what we get with Alaska, the quirky alien, and Courtney, the pretty snob. While the dynamics are a bit different than DWV, I feel like AWC (trust me, that's the best acronym seeing as the other options are CAW and WAC) has a great vibe to it, and I would love to see them work together on another musical project in the future.

Grab it on iTunes now!

Official Trailer For The Devil's Carnival 2 (Finally) Surfaces

Waaaaaay back, and I'm talking back even before our extended hiatus, a video surfaced online that featured rapper Tech N9ne that served as a message to all the fans of Repo the Genetic Opera and The Devil's Carnival that a sequel was coming. Then -- silence. We got tidbits here and there on Facebook and Twitter, but now, finally, we have the full trailer, and confirmation that next year, we will have the sequel we've been waiting for. And it looks fantastic. Check out the official trailer for The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia.





I am blown away. We already knew that Tech N9ne and Paul Sorvino would be back and it's obvious Emilie Autumn isn't going anywhere (and why should she!?), but look at some of the other names of people who have contributed to this project. Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence), Adam Pascal (Rent), David Hasselhoff (duh), Bill Moseley! Holy crap! The section name dropping artists is literally one long run-on sentence-paragraph. I mean jesus.

The trailer itself looks to be of much better quality than the first movie, which admittedly was done on a tight budget. The music sounds very fitting, and the plot, involving the seedy underbelly of God (Sorvino) and his crew along with the Devil (Zdunich) not taking the crap any more really make for an interesting piece. Darren Lynn Bousman has never disappointed me from his grip on the Saw franchise to Repo to this series of movies, and I don't expect Alleluia to disappoint.

One thing that is on the mind of all of the fans of the Zdunich/Bousman duo is the length of the first project. The scope of this movie expands far beyond three lost souls finding their way through the carnival of Hell. I really hope this reaches full movie length and ditches the mini-movie aspect of the first installment. The stars are here (sadly minus Alexa Vega), the music is here, now we just need to get the time to flesh it all out and make sure every aspect of this potential masterpiece is shown to it's intended audience.

No specific release date is given. The trailer merely states "2015", but I'm sure more details will surface in the remaining months of 2014.

Album Review: Danity Kane "DK3"

Oh Jesus where do I begin? This album is both a blessing and a curse. This may very well be the last album we see from Danity Kane -- for real this time. They tried the reunion thing, and it didn't work out. Lucky for us the decided to go ahead and release DK3, one of the best pop albums in the last ten years. Don't believe me? Well let's check it out.

Bravo Previews Most Intense Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season Ever

I won't lie. Last season I slacked a lot on my Bravo shows, and one of the shows I failed to keep up with was Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Don't get me wrong, I live for Brandi, the shows queen bee, and Kyle will forever the the most amazing housewife on the west coast, but the show failed to capture my interest. Well let's throw that out of the window because the new season looks insane. So much so that I may have to do some reviews! Yes! Reviews will be returning to TOTU! Check out the trailer below.

Ok. Bravo, Bravo (get it!?), you have succeeded in capturing the awe of this blogger once more. Where do we begin?

First off, one of the commercials has already spoiled the "destination" episode(s) being Amsterdam. This could be very interesting, especially considering many more things are legal there than here. I wonder what sort of trouble they will get in. We also have a few other mundane plot points like Kyle worried about her daughter being too spoiled and Yolanda has some unspecified family drama going on. But then the bombshells start dropping.

We have Brandi, who has always been at the center of most of the drama, back to her old season two habits of picking on Kim. We also get a very intense clip of Kyle finally confronting Kim on her issues and not taking responsibility for anything. You go, girl. Four years was long enough to wait to hear that. And of course, we have Brandi throwing drinks.

And if that wasn't enough, we end the whole ordeal with Brandi slapping Lisa V. Now the clip looked like it was played up (IE she didn't hit her very hard, and it looks to be taken a bit out of context), but this is still a big factor to see where this actually fits into the puzzle.

Another good portion of the time is spent highlighting the new housewives, much more so on Lisa R than Eileen, showing that the new Lisa may be a big figure in the new season. With the two "new" housewives from last season dumped already and two "old" housewives returning as guests (Adrienne and Camille), it will be interesting to see how the dynamics play out. Will the new ladies last? I hope the new Lisa does, at least. Girl's got a mouth on her!

It all goes down in two weeks. Are you ready?

Exclusive Interview - Bentley Jones On How To Defy Gravity [TRUTHSt4k34z Takeover Weekend]

Welcome to day two of TRUTHSt4k3rz Takeover Weekend here at Taking Over The Universe. The wait is finally over. Ben fans and newcomers alike can finally see for themselves what all it took to make Bentely's latest album, Defying Gravity, and maybe even what he has planned for the future. This was my favorite interview I'd done in a long time, and was something I've not only dreamed of for a long time, but something I was ecstatic to see become a reality. Without further ado, let's get it!

Album Review - Bentley Jones "Defying Gravity" [TRUTHSt4lk3rz Takeover Weekend]

Welcome to day one of the #TRUTHSt4k3rz Takeover Weekend! We are going to start things out easy with a review of the Bentley Jones, the star of this weekend, new album "Defying Gravity". I had the pleasure of getting a deluxe copy, so my review will be segmented into what you'll get from each purchase. But enough time has been wasted on introductions! Let's get to it!

Master Of Death Releases Perfect Halloween Video "The Reckoning"

Master of Death, formerly known as Blood On The Dance Floor's lead vocalist Dahvie Vanity, has finally released his debut video for his new project "The Adventures of Skull Kid". In true BOTDF fashion, this video dropped on Halloween, and in my time zone, that is still today, so stop your bitching. Check out "The Reckoning".



I have to say this is probably the best BOTDF video to date -- even if it's not exactly a BOTDF video. And that is probably my biggest complaint about the video and song. It's not really clear what the song is exactly. On iTunes, it is labeled as a BOTDF song, but on YouTube it's under Dahvie's new solo title Master of Death. It features his former (or current? who knows?) band mate Jay Vonn, as well as a new talented siren Kerry Louise, so it wouldn't be a stretch to call it one of the songs of their group. Not even the fanbase is really sure what jurisdiction it lies in.

What I can say is that the song is among the strongest in the history of the duo. It has a great dubstep vibe for those who enjoy that style of music, and it has some of the strongest vocals I've heard from them since their incarnation. Dahvie/MoD really seems to have embraced his voice much more, and Jay Vonn's rapping was so on point.  The visuals really took me by surprise. The glowing back piece and scythe that MoD wields really pop on screen, and Jayy is sexy as hell, but that's nothing new.

Confusion as to who the track should be credited to aside, I really found myself enjoying this song. I wish it had come out a bit sooner so we could have embraced it a bit more before the Christmas carols start in, but it is a fun jam non-the-less.

Be sure and pick up the song on iTunes, and check out their new tour on their Facebook page (of Blood on The Dance Floor/Mater Of Death/Jayy Von/Whatever).

Exclusive Interview: Neon Hitch And The World's First Fan Label

Neon Hitch took the United States by storm back in 2011 and 2012 with her slew of singles that all became instant Billboard and club hits. We all waited and waited to see what would happen next with her, and yet, nothing did. Now, years later, she's back and major label free with a plan to get her music out there to her fans. Recently she sat down with me to explain the process, and give me a fun inside scoop as to what the future for her, and her new "fan label" concept holds.

 

Have A Spooky Halloween With Adam Barta And Rebecca Glasscock

Look here. Adam Barta, after years of me supporting him in his musical endeavors, is now tryin' to steal my gig! Interviewing RuPaul's Drag Race girls has been my thing! But I guess it helps him out a lot more by being part of the Word of Wonder Youtube multi-channel network. This year he teamed up with Rebecca Glasscock to interview a ton of queens for NYC's annual Night of the Living Drag event. Check out the video below.





There is a lot going on here! Let me say that as hesitant as I was seeing Rebecca as the co-host of this video, I really ended up liking her. She has been popping up more and more ever since the first season of Drag Race was re-aired, and now she's becoming a regular in Adam's productions. Not bad, I'd have to say. She has grown a lot since her stint on the show, and comes across much more likeable in her new appearances. Good for her.

I love this video mostly because it allows for Drag Race fans that don't live in the NYC area (like me) to experience the show from a different aspect. We all see the videos of the queens werking it on stage, but it's a much rarer thing to see them back stage, more loosened up, and answering some fun questions. We find out that Ivy is engaged (apparently which she hadn't announced before), that Sharon believes in patricide, and that Phi Phi is and always will be the fiercest bitch around.

There were some great costumes, as well as some not-so-great. Coming out on top is Phi Phi O'Hara's Power Ranger's villain costume of Rita Repulsa. I have been a long time fan of the show, and she pulled it off 100%. I also was loving the retro vibe from Alaska's vintage Heavy Metal look. And we can't forget the fun and coordinated efforts from our hosts being Robin and Catwoman from the Batman franchise! Also, did anybody clock that Milk's costume was totally Magnolia Crawford?

The video does run a bit long, but who can blame them. This video is for anybody who wants to re-live the magic that was RuPaul's Drag Race and for anybody who wants a little inside scoop as to what the queens are up to. They didn't ask any hard hitting questions, but it was a fun night and no need for any sort of downer. All in all, Adam is doing a good job at being me.

Far East Movement Is Back With Bangin' EP

It's been a while since Far East Movement popped up on my radar. I've been in love with the entire Cherrytree lineup since their early days, and Far East Movement has always been one I've kept in mind when it comes time to find some new music. Lucky for me, Twitter has blown up with fans freaking out about this release, so you bet your ass I saw it, too! Check out KTown Riot.

I can honestly say I've never been a fan of rap in the past, but this genre of fusing dance with rap is really infectious. I guess it was CAZWELL that won me over in that department, but I'm not stopping there. With this newer style expanding, I think these boys are definitely on the forefront and leading the way, especially since they've had major radio play in the past which has granted them a larger fanbase.

I picked up this EP for a variety of reasons, and the number one reason has to be "Bang It To The Curb". This song is by far the shining star of this release. The wonky beat along with it's amazing chorus that is easy to sing along with and it's fun raps filling the gaps in the verses, this is definitely the track they need for a single. The vocals are actually done by Sidney Samson, who goes uncredited for the song as far as iTunes is concerned.

This release actually features a lot of, well, features. We have a ton of new names popping up to shine in the light along with the boys. We have ScHool Boy Q, YG, Fingazz, and Sha Sha Jones to name a few. I find it a bit strange that such a small release has features on literally every song, but with an EP that I don't feel the need to skip even one track, I guess I can say it worked out for the best that way. I really would like to see them shine on their own, though, especially since it's been a while since their last big release.

"KTown Riot" is exactly what fans of Far East Movement have been waiting for. This release is a good sign that they aren't giving up and reassures their fans that more is definitely on the way. Now when are we gonna get another album, boys?

Be sure and pick up the EP on iTunes. It's worth it!

The Veronicas Preview New Album With "Line Of Fire"

It's been such a long time coming. The Veronicas have been doing their best to make a comeback for a couple years now. They released the monster track "Lolita" back in mid 2012, and then they vanished once again, leaving us to wonder where "Life On Mars" went. Well not they're back -- for real -- and they are doing it solo. Check out the newest promo single for their new album "The Veronicas" called "Line Of Fire"!




Let me start by saying I LOVE this song. It is so much more like the old school Veronicas. Even with "Life On Mars" they had been saying that they were going in a less electro-rock direction, and the newest single "You Ruin Me", while a stunning track, seemed to prove this effort. The tracks are currently under wraps on iTunes and thus non-previewable so I had been worried that the core sound of The Veronicas that I'd come to know and love over the course of my young adult life would be gone.

The great thing about these two is that we always get interesting and deep lyrics. I don't think I've ever seen them plop out a stupid party song (I mean the closest they've had was "Popular" which was kind of a parody on party songs itself). "Line Of Fire" is no exception. This song is surely a page out of both of their diaries.

Weirdly enough, if you follow the duo close enough, you've heard these lyrics before. This was actually used in the teaser spot from back before "You Ruin Me" came out, much to the confusion of fans. The rumor is that the preview version of "Line Of Fire" will be put on the deluxe version of the album as a remix/re-imagined version. We can all hope for that.

For now, the album is not up on US iTunes. The girls have promised a world-wide release date will come shortly. The self-titled album will drop in Australia November 21.

Wendy Ho Drops Her Greatest S**ts!

Lemme start out by saying that this is a story about Wendy Ho, and if that isn't enough of an NSFW warning for you, then you are obviously in the wrong place. Anyway, I know that I'm a little late on this one, but I still wanted to give a shout out and share some love with a home-state hero. She was big on Logo back when they were cool and did music video stuff, and since then she's been touring the country, selling her raunchy music to anyone who'll listen. That's you. Listen.

Ugh, I just know that Wendy is going to give me so much crap for censoring the title of her album.

[Even more NSFW-y stuff under the cut. If you aren't used to Wendy's sense of humor, this article may not be for you.]

JPop Watch: Koda Kumi Previews "Dance In The Rain"

Welcome to my new segment that I've been teasing you all with for the past week. Yes, it's JPop Watch! With so many Japanese pop music acts breaking through to the US (like BabyMetal and Utada Hikaru), I thought that I should throw in my opinion on who you should be listening to when it comes to that whole scene. And of course I'm going to tell you to listen to Koda Kumi.




So this isn't exactly a surprise for me to be peddling Kumi music to you. Actually it's not the first time she's been on the site. Or the second. Or third or fourth. I mean it's happened a lot. But I thought that if we are are going to start a new segment, we might as well start at the top. You know, with the queen. No, not Beyonce. The real queen. Koda Kumi.

This video is part of a JPop trend called "Short Ver." This is set up to help special editions of albums/singles sell more. They will upload a shorter version of a video to YouTube to get people's attention, but if you wanna see the whole work, you'll have to buy the retail version that comes with the additional DVD. Occasionally they will upload a full version officially, but most of what you'll be finding out there are bootleg uploads that do not support the official artist (sorry bout it!).

What I really love about this video is how visually striking it is. Ms. Koda is no stranger to having some amazing outfits and great choreography, but I this is the first time in a long time that a video of her's has been so beautiful. Each one of the seemingly stand alone dance sequences has it's own color scheme, it's own outstanding CG and green screen effects, and it's own on point dancing. And what's even more striking is that the majority of the song is in Japanese as opposed to Engrish which is her usual language of choice. I have to say, things are looking very good for her now.

"Dance In The Rain" is special for two reasons. The first being that this is the first time Koda Kumi has released a Digital Only single. The track, set to be released November 5th, and get this -- ITS GOING TO BE RELEASED ON US ITUNES! This is groundbreaking her and her US fans as this is the first time we've gotten a new KK track since 2009!! I'm beyond excited. It's also kind of a big deal because Kumi is the first music artist to harness the new 360 3D headset technology known as Oculus Rift for her video. There's not word yet on exactly how this will work, but it sounds like it will be amazing!

I can't even express how excited I am that I can buy a Koda Kumi single in the United States for the first time in literally years. I have been importing her material for ages, and now I can do it from the comfort of my own home for 99cents. Don't believe me? Check it out on iTunes. Grab it now!