BWU AWARDS 2009 Nominations Announced!

It's that time of year again! The 2009 BWU Awards are officially underway as the nominees are announced!

Leading the pack in nominations is Lady Gaga with eleven nominations, including Best Single, Best Artist, and Best Album. Following close behind her is Beyonce, clocking in with 9 nominations for her songs "Sweet Dreams" and "Halo", the former nominated for Best Single.

The most nominated male artist is Canadian rapper Drake, who has spots in 9 categories, including a double nomination in Best Hip-Hop Single ("Best I Ever Had" and "Forever"). He'll be duking it out with Gaga and Beyonce in the two big categories, Best Single and Best Artist.

Spending 26 weeks on the top of the US charts guaranteed nominations for the Black Eyed Peas, who have eight.

It seems like winter has been the stage for Rihanna and Chris Brown's pop battle, and it's reflected in the awards as they duke it out in the Best Ballad category. Rihanna out-nods Chris 8-5, including Video of the Year.

Comeback queen Whitney Houston cements her return to pop with 8 nominations, including Best Single and Artist.

You can see the full nomination list here or you can begin voting by clicking the three links below (the links go to different sections of the ballot!):

PART 1
PART 2
PART 3

SuBo Domination: Susan Shatters Leona's Record in UK with Over 400K Sold!

Susan Boyle has successfully conquered the world, but results in her native UK are staggering.

The 48 year-old Britain's Got Talent contestant sold 412,000 copies in her home country alone, more than enough to top Leona's record for the fastest-selling debut album ever. Leona sold 375,000 with her debut Spirit in 2007. Susan Boyle's debut, I Dreamed a Dream, now ranks in the top five fast-selling albums in UK chart history.

Susan also topped the album charts in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. While official American sales figures won't be out until Wednesday, she is expected to sell around 675,000 copies, the biggest first week of the year.

(In a shameless plug for the BWU Awards 2009, she is nominated for Best New Artist. If you are a fan, don't forget to vote!)

Video of the Week: Surprised Kitty

Sorry Cheryl Cole, but this kitty's got you beat.

This is, hands down, one of the cutest things I have ever seen, ever!

Download of the Day UK (11/29): Shadows by Westlife

Earlier this month, veteran boybanders Westlife made their return to British pop music with a brand new single.

Okay, calling a Westlife single "brand new" is kind of a joke, since a good portion of their catalog are covers. The cover they released this time? "What About Now", a song from American Idol favorite Chris Daughtry (just in case you are confused, Simon Cowell works with Westlife, and he works with Daughtry here in the States. Hence, the choice of single).

Maybe they (and by they, I mean Cowell) are afraid of taking a risk with an original song, but continuing to release covers is not a good look at all. It's especially when you have some solid original songs on the album, such as "Shadows".

"Shadows" is a ballad written by Top 40's favorite recycling factory Ryan Tedder and Backstreet Boy AJ McLean, meant for their comeback album. Instead, it was given to Westlife, probably hoping for "Bleeding Love"-esque success. While it isn't as definitive as Leona's smash, "Shadows" is a particularly lush pop tearjerker, with some stunning lead vocals coming from Shane and Mark. While I could easily deconstruct the song and link it to the Tedder standards such as "Halo" or the aforementioned, the boys inject it with more than enough personality to help stand on its own merits. And considering that, despite his penchant for reusing song elements, Tedder is quite the genius pop songwriter/producer, this song is definitely one of Westlife's best ever.

RATING: 8.5 OUT OF 10

Download of the Day (11/29): Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert

Highly influential New York radio station Z100 has been spinning Adam Lambert's second single "Whataya Want From Me" for a week or two now. They completely bypassed his lead single, the title track of his just-released album For Your Entertainment, helping its status as an utter flop. Yet, it's easy to see why they jumped ahead.

"Whataya Want From Me" is everything that "For Your Entertainment" isn't; humble, warm, and hooky. Written by Swedish pop god Max Martin and pop's chief badass Pink, the song is about appreciating a person's love and support, while wanting their space (essentially, a "Because You Loved Me" for the mid-tempo millennium). It has a similar sound to Pink's spectacular hit "Sober", but it definitely has its own identity, thanks to Lambert's great vocals. He sounds sincere and soft, leaving the trademark histrionics at the door. After weeks of wailing on American Idol and the screeching that accompanied the debut single, this is a refreshing change for the runner-up.

As I much liked "For Your Entertainment", it wasn't enough to push me to listen to the abum. This track would certainly make me change my mind.

RATING: 7.5 OUT OF 10

Some Notes About New Moon...

Last weekend, I went with my friends to go see New Moon. The movie theater was PACKED, for that film alone, so I figured it would be a movie worth seeing. After mulling it over for a week, here are some thoughts about the film:

About 65% of New Moon was about someone staring. Whether it was Edward at Bella, Bella at Edward, Jacob at Bella, Bella out of a window, a lot of the film was them all just staring. In case you didn't know, staring does not a good film make.

For a 17-year old, Taylor Lautner is ripped as fuck. It's an appropriate note to make, since 70% of the movie featured him shirtless. I'm being much more respectful than the multitude of girls (and some boys) whose tongues were hitting the floor whenever he came on the screen, like he was a steak on a silver platter.

A fish flopping on dry land has more charisma than Kristen Stewart.

There wasn't enough of Alice Cullen in this film. Or Emmett. Or Rosalie. Or Esme. Or Jasper. Or Carlisle. In case you haven't figured it out, the Cullen family actually deserved some screen time. I mean, they are more interesting than Edward and Bella combined.

Michael Sheen (the head of the Volturi) and Dakota Fanning, in their 10 minute long scene, outperformed the rest of the cast by at least 65 miles.

Sorry Edward, but Bella is a complete crackhead (and there were scenes where she looked like one too) for not choosing Jacob. Come on, werewolf? Awesome.

The ending is a big WTF?

By the way, the film has no real discernible plot.

Final Note: Unless you either love Twilight or want to see a 17-year old being blatantly sexually exploited, you probably want to skip this film. Go see Precious instead.

Joe McElderry MUST Win The X Factor!

So, I have been somewhat following this season of Britain's The X Factor for two major reasons. One, because Cheryl Cole owns a part of my soul. Two, Leona Lewis came from that show, and she owns another part of my soul. Clearly, I have a vested interest in who comes from Simon Cowell's other little talent competition.

To be honest, though, this season's talent has been a bit lacking. One contestant is being inexplicably held as the one of the contestants ever (Danyl), while one duo inexplicably survived weeks despite having zero talent (John and Edward).

There is one contestant who has been consistently amazing since the auditions, and is finally getting the praise from the judges. His name is Joe McElderry, a Geordie (same as mentor Cheryl) with a voice equitable to the texture of milk and honey.

This past week, Joe delivered two of his best performances, singing "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and "Could It Be Magic":





Some fun trivia (and possible kismet): Leona performed both of those songs during her stint on the program. Now, she's a pop sensation.

Hopefully, Joe will see the same path.

Best Bits from Rihanna's Rated R Album

I know, back-to-back posts about Chris Brown and Rihanna...

I could write a review about Rihanna's new album Rated R, but I feel like I would be writing the same review that I wrote for Kanye's 808'S and Heartbreak.

What I can say is that this is her best album to date, her darkest album by a mile, her best vocal performance by seven miles, and one of the best pop albums of the year.

After listening to this album for a week and a half, I have come up with what I call "the best bits" (I'm really adopting the British culture):

Fire Bomb - The best song on the album, no question. Probably should be a single, if not the first. It's a midtempo pop/rock track that uses a burning car as a metaphor about an ending relationship. The lyrics match the sharp, industrial-sounding production perfectly, and Rihanna sounds absolutely stunning. My favorite part of this song is the heavily-altered vocal run after the chorus, which is excellent in its own right.

Rude Boy - It's the most uptempo song on the album, and the most fun. Rihanna teases her lover about being in control and whether they can really satisfy her (she even asks if he's "big" enough, pretty ballsy, pun intended). It's a lively R&B track that reaffirms Rihanna's strong presence.

Te Amo -  A lot sexier than "I Kissed a Girl", this latin drum-fueled pop track has Rihanna singing about a dancefloor encounter with another woman. The lyrics are pretty hot, but the the drums and the accompanying synths will make you want to hit the dancefloor yourself, with whatever gender you choose. Chances are, though, you won't have as much fun as Rihanna's dancefloor dalliance.

Russian Roulette - Rihanna's lead single couldn't have been a bigger surprise. Instead of releasing another "Disturbia" or "Umbrella", she drops this dark, dramatic ballad in the laps of the public. With the Chris Brown incident still fresh in our minds, we couldn't help but relate the shockingly abusive lyrics to her personal life. Setting that aside, the single ranks amongst her best, with a career-defining vocal performance and a powerful arrangement that ends with a shuddering gunshot.

Cold Case Love - Rihanna's interpretation of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". The song, which can be most appropriately applied to her drama, starts off slow, but it continues to build with more layers of instruments with each second. It finally breaks into a full-throttle track, following the Collins-esque drum solo. It's surprising, but very cool.

Hard - Probably the album's only, truly radio-friendly track, "Hard" sees Rihanna kicking her victim persona aside and taking control. The hip-hop-styled song, featuring a verse from Jeezy, may seem a little forced at first listen, but the hook is too bombastic and excellent to ignore.

Honorable mentions: Wait Your Turn, Photographs

Download of the Day (11/28): Crawl by Chris Brown

Chris Brown is a douche.

Worse than that, Chris Brown is an incoherent douche (in my opinion, if you are going to be a douche, at least have the decency to properly articulate yourself, which he clearly cannot do, if his interviews are anything to go by).

Still, that does not take away from his ability to release a cracking pop single.

"Crawl" is the second single from Brown's upcoming album Grafitti, and it is a huge step forward from the borderline misogynistic lead-in "I Can Transform Ya". Instead of ignoring the massive, battered elephant in the room like he did the last time, Brown alludes to the incident that nearly derailed his career. "Crawl" is a sweeping blend of R&B and pop balladry about redemption and trying to recover a damaged relationship. Some will take the song as a sappy attempt to win people over, but it sounds like a genuine musical effort from the pop star. The unconvinced should pay particular attention to Brown's emotional vocal performance. He stretches his range like never before, and the results are pretty astonishing. It is easily his best vocal yet, and you can feel the regret and hope coming through the speakers in waves.

As for the production, it is the best he's put out since last year's monster hit "Forever". The simple, sonic intro with just Chris' voice is very effective, and the rest of the song sounds nothing like he's done before. When you separate the lyrics from the obvious context they will be placed in, they present a very sweet, even romantic sentiment. Of course, putting the context back, it comes off as calculating. Still, you can't blame him for trying.

So yes, Chris Brown is an incoherent douche. Chris Brown also knows how to be a true pop star.

I believe in second chances, and if he continues in the right direction (unlike his asinine upcoming 20/20 interview), he might just "crawl" back to the top of the pop charts.

RATING: 8 OUT OF 10

UNBelievable! Susan Boyle to Sell ONE MILLION This Week!

She dreamed a dream, and it came true, ten-fold!

Susan Boyle, the Scottish spinster who wowed the planet with her stirring rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's Got Talent, released her debut album this past week and is on course to be one of the biggest-selling albums of the year.

According to trade publication HITS Daily Double, Boyle's debut is projected to sell an astonishing 675,000 copies in the United States alone, giving her the best first-week sales of the year. She would be taking that record from Eminem, who topped the charts earlier this year with his comeback record Relapse, which sold 600,000 copies in its debut week. Boyle's sales this week beats the combined projections of Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna combined.

In the United Kingdom, Susan's album is easily outselling her competition. According to UK entertainment site Digital Spy, her album has sold 304,000 copies as of Thursday's midweeks. She is expected to beat the record set by Leona Lewis two years ago for the fasting-selling debut album in UK chart history.

When you combine the sales of those two territories alone, SuBo is on track to sell 1 MILLION copies of her debut!

Congratulations!

Album Review: Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster

Flashback to the late summer of 2008 for a second.

It was August 1st, to be more specific, when Lady Gaga acquired my interest with her balls-out crazy performance of her first single "Just Dance" on So You Think You Can Dance. I immediately fell in love with the track and quickly featured it in a Download of the Day post, along with the performance. In that post, I likened the fledgling pop star with her idol Madonna.

Despite the appropriate comparison, I never once considered that Gaga would become the musical tidal wave that she is today.

Two number one singles, five consecutive top five singles, and a blizzard of wacky, avante-garde costumes later, Lady Gaga has become one of pop music's most creative artists. She cemented that fact with the release of the music video for "Bad Romance", the lead single from her latest album, The Fame Monster. Originally meant to be a re-release of her debut album The Fame, financial concerns led to its downscale INto an extended play album, featuring only eight songs.

What an unintentionally genius move on her part.

The Fame Monster escapes the pitfalls of many pop albums these days; filler. Every song on this album is, at the least, great, with most of them being excellent. That is certainly a triumph, but it wasn't one attained easily. With each song, it is apparent that Gaga is taking some kind of risk, or, to take it further, facing a "fear". On lead single "Bad Romance", she growls, screams, and even sobs about wanting a dangerous relationship, throwing in some French lyrics for good measure. It sounds like a deranged mess, but Gaga delivers her most monumental hooks yet, which isn't even a line of words ("ra, ra, ra, ah, ah, ro, mah, roh, mah, mah, Gaga, ooh, la, la"). "Dance in the Dark" is a glittery 80's dance dream about loneliness and self-esteem, but things really get interesting when Gaga name-checks, among others, Princess Diana and JonBenet Ramsey, in her broken-down middle eight about tragic women.

"Telephone" sees Gaga team up with Beyonce for a fun, floor-filler about ignoring a nagging lover's call on the dancefloor. Despite the dangers that come with sharing the stage with one of pop's reigning queens, the two work well together and the song is one of Gaga's most radio-friendly so far. Completely opposite is "Teeth", the album's closer, a fusion of industrial and retro pop beneath lyrics about wanting nothing but sex. It is certainly her most experimental song, but it doesn't fall over the line of "unlistenable".

Gaga's experiments don't exclude her past work. "Monster", which references her first hit in the lyrics, borrows and successfully reworks elements of the verses from "Paparazzi". "Alejandro" and "So Happy I Could Die" follow in the vein of "Eh, Eh" with its Latin influences and laidback attitude, respectively. After lukewarm results with "Brown Eyes", Gaga tries balladry again with "Speechless", a touching, slightly glam-rock tribute to her ailing father. While its miles better than her last attempt at the slow tempo, "Speechless" lacks the kind of emotional vocal that would truly bring the lyrics to life.

With all said, there is enough evidence to support the claim that The Fame Monster is the best pop album of the year, and one of the best of the decade. Not only does it provide enough pop masterpieces to adorn a DJ's playlist for at least a year, it's a testament to the potential Lady Gaga possesses. It would be so easy to write her off as a weirdo who got lucky with her first album. After listening to this collection, making that assumption would be a mistake.

Prepare for a few decades more of jaw-dropping performances, outrageous costumes, and storming pop music; Gaga is here to stay.

RATING: 9 OUT OF 10

In Case You Didn't Know, "Bad Romance" Is The Best Video of the Year

What do bearskin rug capes, ridiculously shaped Alexander McQueen shoes, sex trafficking, murder, the Russian mafia, and bath houses have in common?

Nothing, unless you are watching "Bad Romance", the latest music video from Lady Gaga.

The pop star unveiled the video for her latest single on her website today, after holding its release back one day. The anticipation wasn't for naught, because the video is, without a question, both her best and the best of the entire musical year.

The video features an "innocent" Gaga (hence the wide, anime-style eyes) being kidnapped by white-wearing people, forced to down vodka, and sold into sex slavery sponsored by the Russian mafia. She appears to get her bearings back in the end, as she sets her slavemaster's bed on fire.

With this stunning masterpiece, Gaga has proven herself to be the most creative artist in pop music today. It is the most visually stunning, thought-provoking, and innovate music video of the year, and it most likely ranks in the top 10 videos of the decade. The only other artist I can think of off the top of my head who delivered art like this is the godfather of music videos himself, Michael Jackson.

I cannot think of anyone better to follow in his footsteps.

Single Battle: Kris Allen's "Live Like We're Dying" v.s. Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment"

VS

November has officially arrived, which means two things to me: it's my birthday month and the American Idol albums are coming out.

Now, as its been since the days of Kelly and Justin Guarini (remember him?), is the time when we see whether America made the right choice for its Idol and if either of the contestants actually have a viable career in pop music. Nine rounds in, we've had monumental successes (Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, Jennifer), disastrous flops (Ruben, Taylor, in some ways Fantasia) and unexplainable anomalies (William Hung). The question this time is, where will winner Kris and runner-up Adam will lie?

This year is all the more interesting considering a pretty huge amount of people believe Lambert was robbed this past May. Are their claims validated when you compare their lead singles.

Guess its time for a single battle (it's been a long time, huh)!

"Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen - A cover from Irish band The Script, this pop/rock song is nothing less than you would expect from the acoustic guitar-wielding Allen. It's not the most daring arrangement (see his Heartless performance), but it features a more-than-pleasant vocal performance from Kris Allen. Lyrically, its inspirational and realistic without being drippy or corny, even though its a bit safe. If I am being honest, this sounds like a song he would've performed during an off week on Idol. That being said, Kris' off weeks were still pretty spectacular. It is a solid first single, but the push to buy the album still comes from his brilliant American Idol performance.

"For Your Entertainment" by Adam Lambert - Where Kris is safe, Adam is downright dangerous. This glossy glam-pop song is all about mixing pain and pleasure, fun and fire, and any other opposing noun with obvious sexual undertones. Coming from someone who wasn't crazy about some of Adam's over-the-top performances (Ring of Fire was nightmarish), I was pleased to hear some restraint in the vocal department. His singing in the verses are delightfully menacing, and the trademarking high-note shrieking was saved from the middle eight, which was a very smart move. The song itself sounds perfect for radio without sounding too similar to everything else. This a great first single.

As I much I like Kris Allen and am glad he won, the first single battle has to go to Lambert. His is a bit more interesting and cool than Allen's, and it's got me really intrigued about the album.

If its any consolation, Kris' album cover shits on Adam's.

THINK I'M WRONG! VOTE ON THE BEST SINGLE BELOW:

Brit Goddess Cheryl Cole Scores UK Chart Double and US Record Deal

It must be really good to be Cheryl Cole right now.

The Girls Aloud member and X Factor judge has proven her weight as a solo artist, scoring the elusive chart double on the UK music charts. Her debut single "Fight For This Love" tops the singles chart for a second week, staving off competition from boyband Westlife. Their new single, a cover of Daughtry's "What About Now", came in at #2. Meanwhile, months ahead of its release, Cheryl's second single "3 Words" comes in at #26.

On the albums chart, Cheryl tops with her first effort 3 Words, selling over 125,000 copies. Her album beat out competition from Canadian crooner Michael Buble and Michael Jackson's movie soundtrack, which come in at #2 and #3 respectively.

Not all of the news is good, though. The UK press has savaged Cheryl Cole's outfit at Saturday's X Factor show.

Then again, with a chart double, I doubt she really cares.

UPDATE: According to British tabloid News of the World, Cheryl has signed a US record deal with Interscope Records to release 3 Words. The lead single will reportedly be UK second single "3 Words" featuring Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am.

Hot Mess Alert! Katie Price and Her Cagefighting Boyfriend Celebrate Halloween

I have been wanting to write about Katie Price for months now, but I just didn't have the motivation.

Until I saw this.

This is UK's premier trainwreck Katie Price, aka Jordan, dressed up for Halloween with her boyfriend Alex Reid. In case you are unaware, or don't really care, he is the cross-dressing, rape-porn acting cage fighter that Katie has been parading around since her ridiculous divorce for Australian pop singer Peter Andre.

Note that Katie has three children.

 

Michael Jackson's "This Is It" Tops Box Office

The King of Pop reigns again.

Despite overblown expectations, the Michael Jackson concert documentary This Is It has topped the American box office with a weekend gross of $21 million. It's overall total so far is $32 million.

The film (which I haven't seen yet) has received great reviews; Roger Ebert called it one of the most revealing documentaries he has ever seen. However, the film has performed below expectations, although the Halloween weekend is being listed as contributor.

On the music side of things, the soundtrack is expected to sell up to 350,000 copies this week, giving MJ is sixth #1 album, and his first since Invincible.

The movie is only in theaters for another week and half, so if you haven't seen it yet, go!