The Top 10 Pop Songs of 2011 So Far

So, half of the year has passed, which means that it's time to look back at what pop music has offered us. Kicking off the celebration, here are my Top 10 songs of 2011, January to July.

10. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera
Even though I've only watched one episode of The Voice (very typical of me, I was slow on the American Idol uptake as well), I am grateful to the show for launching this amazing collaboration between the two judges. The kickass tribute to Mick Jagger's sexual prowess drove the group to a more danceable, but equally trendy territory. As for Aguilera, it's her most meaningful contribution to pop since 2006's Back to Basics.

9. Where You At - Jennifer Hudson - The Idol superstar may have seen a lot of doors open up with her astonishing weight loss, but what hasn't changed is her penchant for a good power ballad. That, and her Grammy and Oscar-winning voice, of course. With "Where You At", Hudson asked a pretty simple question, with all of the fire and passion that has made her one of today's top talents.

8. Give Me Everything - Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Nayer and Afrojack
Pitbull's worldwide #1 smash is a surprisingly elegant take on the inescapable club anthem. Pitbull has one of the smoothest flows out there, and Ne-Yo's irresistible hook is one of the best of the year, enough to make us forget about the ill-fated Libra Scale project. If you're not at least bopping your head a bit to this song, check and see if you have a pulse.

7. E.T. - Katy Perry feat. Kanye West
I was already a fan of this spacey trip from Teenage Dream, but putting Kanye, with his galaxy-sized egom on the remix was a stroke of pop genius. His verses added an extra dose of sex appeal to grind-worthy grit of this ode to outer space romance. The video will probably be a frontrunner at the VMAs this year.

6. Judas - Lady Gaga
I'll preface this by saying that "Born This Way" is not in the Top 10. Shocking, I know, considering how big a fan I am of the Gaga. But the record-smashing #1 completely faded from my mind when I heard "Judas", the second single. While I can understand why it underperformed (religious references, sounded too much like "Bad Romance), this song embodies everything that makes Lady Gaga one of pop's most important artists. Frankly, this song should've been the first single, hands down.


5. Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears
Britney should receive credit for her (or her producers, dependent on your thoughts on her mental state) daring risks with the first song from her latest album. She's the first mainstream pop star to include dubstep in a song, and it paid off greatly. She scored a huge #1 hit, and reminded the other pop girls why she's considered music royalty.


4. Rolling in the Deep - Adele
If one song can be deemed ubiquitous with 2011, it's Adele's amazing "Rolling in the Deep". The fiery kiss-off was everywhere for the longest time (it still is), eventually logging seven weeks atop the US charts. Even with a video of her just sitting in a chair, she effortlessly owned the pop landscape with her smash hit and her even bigger smash album, 21.


3. Turning Tables - Adele
And yet, "Rolling in the Deep" isn't even my favorite from 21. That would be the absolutely flawless, heartbreaking ballad "Turning Tables". Her voice would sound amazing singing gibberish, but the powerful lyrics about ending a dying relationship truly come to life under her tutelage. Gwyneth Paltrow tried it on Glee, but nothing came lose to the original, not even.

2. Best Thing I Never Had - Beyoncé
She started off a bit rough with "Run The World", but Beyoncé quickly smoothed things over with "Best Thing I Never Had". It's certainly a relative to her 2006 smash "Irreplaceable", but everything is so much more. The melody is flawless, her attitude is on point, and her voice literally knocks your socks off. Despite being a lot more safe than other songs on her album 4, "Best Thing I Never Had" sees the diva of our time pushing her limits like never before.


1. Scheiße - Lady Gaga
Honestly, I will never forgive Lady Gaga if this song epic song is not a single. Everything about this song is brilliant: the German gibberish, female empowerment theme, the call-to-arms chorus, and the explosive production by RedOne. It screams sex, dance, energy, and just awesomeness, and the whole world deserves to hear it. For me, it is ranks in the top 2 of Gaga's best songs ever.

Agree with my picks? Disagree? What songs are missing? Drop a comment and let me know!

Brandon's Lists: The 5 Essential Shania Twain Singles

In celebration of the return of Shania Twain ("Today Is Your Day" is already #14 on US iTunes), I have made a list of the best (aka my favorite) Shania Twain singles ever.

Unfortunately, "Today Is Your Day" is not one of them, but it is a great one.

5. I'm Gonna Getcha Good! (2002, Up!)

For some, it might have been a bit too rock and roll, but Shania's first single following her blockbuster Come On Over album was a stonecold killer track. It had the country queen at her fiercest, as she laid out her master plan for male domination. It may not be her biggest hit, but it was enough to drive massive openin week sales Shania's way.

4. From This Moment On (1997, Come On Over)

Shania's gorgeous ballad from Come On Over helped in solidifying her status as the crossover queen. It's rich instrumentation, pure romanticism, and Shania's great vocal assured her multi-format radio play and the continued success of her album.

3. Any Man of Mine (1995, The Woman in Me)

This single is probably more famous for its genre-defining video, where she became the first female country artist to bare her midriff. The huge stink made over the video only helped fuel interest in the budding superstar and her rock-tinged music, which would be produced by her future ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange. After seeing her in that video, every guy was taking notes on what it took to be her man.

2. You're Still The One (1997, Come On Over)

This was the song that changed everything. The tender ballad dedicated to the strength of her marriage to Lange was the crossover hit of the decade, logging multiple weeks in the top 10 of the charts worldwide and keeping Come On Over afloat with weekly sales of 100,000-plus. The accessible theme and the passionate performance helped it touch millions the world over. It remains the biggest hit of her career, and one of the most successful country singles of all time.

1. Man! I Feel Like A Woman (1997, Come On Over)

"You're Still The One" may be her biggest hit, but "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" embodies everything that makes Shania who she is. It's fiery, flirty, and feisty all in one skintight dress and thigh-high boot package. Of course, I'm referring to her iconic music video, which is a parody of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love". Whatever your gender, this was a song that was liberating, exhilirating, and just plain fun, and easily her best crossover single (in my humble opinion, at least).

Do you think I missed out on a Shania classic (yes I know about "Don't Impress Me Much", don't shoot me, there just wasn't enough room!)? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Brandon's Lists: The Five Best iOS 5 Features

It's here! Apple announced the newest version of iOS today at WWDC

Today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs threw the tech world into a frenzy (again) by officially announcing three new software products: iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion, and iCloud.


Me being the Apple whore that I am, I was really interested in how they were going to upgrade my iPhone and iPad...and iPod touch (I bought one after my 3GS was stolen over Thanksgiving break last year) this time around. I have to say, after following the coverage from my iPhone, I was left in awe at what was coming next.

After perusing all of the features (that we know of at the moment), here are my top iOS 5 features:

1. Notifications Center - Without a doubt, the most requested feature in iOS history has been a better notifications system. Apple finally answered the call and delivered the Notifications Center, the central hub of all of those red circles you accumulate throughout the day. While it does take a bit from Android, it looks absolutely stunning, as only Apple could achieve. Also, the blue box is gone, replaced with an unobtrusive box coming from the top of the screen. The center is also home to weather and stock updates, almost like Dashboard widgets.

2. More useful lock screen - Once a pretty space of blankness, the iOS lock screen has just gotten upgraded. Notifications can now be dealt with just by swiping, like listening to a voicemail. No more clamoring to type in your passcode so you can respond to the text posthaste. Also, the lock screen also allows access to the camera, so you never miss one of those quality moments, like a celebrity sighting.

3. iMessage - The BBM killer has arrived! Apple has developed a way for all iOS devices to keep in constant conversation with iMessage, the iOS answer to the Blackberry answer. It has delivery receipts, it sends all kinds of information, and it works over Wi-Fi and 3G. For those sticking with Blackberry just because of BBM have finally found a reason to ditch the struggling Research in Motion.

4. Reminders - Apple is trying to kill RIM, so why not some of its own third-party developers? Apple just rendered all of those to-do apps irrelevant with Reminders, which creates to-do lists with alerts. The coolest bit? The alerts can be location-based, meaning it will go off to remind of what you are looking for in a store, when you arrive at the store. Evernote could never do that, huh?

5. PC FREE - The umbilical cord has been cut, people! No more do you have to sync your iDevice with that irritating, although iconic, white cable. Set-up and activation is done completely on the device, and ready for use. This is probably the most significant feature, since it officially makes the iPad more of a computer and less of a leisure item. With Wi-Fi iTunes syncing (your iDevice will sync to iTunes on your computer if you're on the same network), you may never to use the cable again (except to charge, unless you have a dock or something).

Are you excited for iOS 5? Are you slightly pissed that you have to wait until the fall to put on your iDevice (I know I am)? Is there a feature you love (or hate)? Leave a comment and let me know!


All images from Apple.com

Brandon's Anime Lists: The Top Five Most Needed Dragon Ball Z Fixes

Two years ago, Toei Animation made the landmark decision to re-release the iconic anime series Dragon Ball Z as Dragon Ball Z Kai, with remastered HDTV animation and a more streamlined story. Funimation picked it up for America, handing it over to Nicktoons (instead of Cartoon Network, a decision that still stuns me to this day).

With the series almost ending (they completely cut the Buu story arc), I thought a lot about the two versions and whether the new versions fixed what was wrong with the original.

Now don't get me wrong; I am a HUGE fan of the original series, but it wasn't perfect. In fact, some things were so obviously wrong that I am surprised no one caught it. 

So, with that in mind, here is my list of the Top Five Dragon Ball Z Fixes, either done or not:

5. Dragon Ball GT should have never happened

I'm sorry to the people who actually enjoyed the series, but 90% of GT was an absolute mess that threatened to tarnish the franchise's legacy. Turning Goku make into a child was stupid, the designs for some of the characters were terrible (Trunks in particular) and the storylines were well-intentioned, but executed horribly. The only good thing to come from it was the ending, which actually ended the franchise in a fulfilling way. It would have been better to just tack that on to the series finale of DBZ, but it wasn't to be.

4. "It's a Super Saiyan bargain sale" - Vegeta

The Prince of All Saiyans wasn't the only one annoyed by the flood of Super Saiyans the series allowed for. When Goku became Super Saiyan to finally vanquish Freiza, it was one of the most epic moments in the series. When Vegeta became one after expressing his rage at not matching Goku, it was awesome. When Trunks did it, it was shocking. When Gohan did it, it was pretty cool. By the time Goten just popped on some gold hair, it lost a bit of its luster, especially since he didn't even have to try for it. Honestly, with all of the rage Chi-Chi dealt with, I was surprised she could go Super Saiyan. 

3. Vegeta should've beaten Buu, and that should've been the end of DBZ

Vegeta is an arrogant, narcissistic, self-serving, borderline maniacal idiot of royalty. Despite all of that, in order to atone for his sins and save his loved ones, Vegeta literally blew himself up to save the world from destruction-loving Majin Buu. It was a moment so epic that it even got its own voiceover tribute. The series ending a bit after that, with the world at peace, Gohan as the new savior of the planet, and Goku and Vegeta fighting in the Other World would've been brilliant. Instead, Buu survived and we had to deal with even more endless fighting with that annoying (although awesome in its own way) pink blob. Some may diasgree, but Vegeta really did deserve to beat Goku at something.

2. Character development, please

Yes, I know it's an intense action series filled with explosions and stuff. But Dragon Ball Z also had some amazing well-rounded characters that were worth exploring. Goku, Vegeta, and Bulma are three that could have been delved into a lot deeper. How did Goku really feel about constantly leaving the family he loved behind to save the world? How did Vegeta cope with his change from merciless villain to staunch anti-hero? How did Bulma fall for Vegeta? It may be the creative writer in me, but the series would have been a lot more fulfilling if they had focused on the characters when they weren't fighting (instead of the ridiculous fillers we had to sit through).

1. Better pacing of the story

Let's assume that Dragon Ball Z was airing the Frieza saga daily on Cartoon Network. I could watch one episode, wait a week, come back to watch another episode and still be in the same fight between Freiza and Goku. One of the show's biggest issues was that it took forever and a half to finish a fight, let alone a story arc. No wonder it last 291 episodes! One of the things DBZ Kai did really well was cutting a lot of the fat from the old series (including the useless Garlic Jr. saga), allowing for a swifter story that was easier to digest. It's a shame that we won't see how they handled the Buu saga (can we just pretend that the whole Gohan Z Sword thing didn't happen, since it didn't mean anything Buu laying waste to him and all).

Once again, DBZ was an amazing, iconic series, but there were places where things could've been improved.

Agree with the list? Disagree? Think there are other important fixes to be made, or was it absolutely perfect? Leave your response in the comments (either Facebook or regular Blogger comments). 

Also, let me know if you like these Anime versions of the Brandon's List series and I will definitely do more! Also, if you haven't check out the Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time post I did with Ryan Mason!

Brandon's Lists: The Best Glee Duets Ever

Glee is a show about singing.

Duets are a big part of singing.

So, Glee does duets, right?

Excuse my attempt at propositional logic, just had to get it out of my system.

Most of the characters in Glee are obsessed with getting solos, but when they actually team up and sing together, some great moments occur. In fact, some of the best Glee moments were duet performance.

With some input from one of my best friends Marc, I have compiled a list of the best (aka my favorite) duets from the past two seasons of Glee. Just a note: if you aren't a big fan of Rachel, you're probably going to hate my list, since she accounts for 70% of the list. Let's be honest though, as annoying as Rachel can be, she is easily the best singer in the group.

Check out the list after the jump:

Brandon's Lists: The Best Glee Season 2 Performances

This past season of Glee has brought us a lot of excellent performances from its young cast. There were a few that stood out from the rest to stand amongst the iconic musical moments of the first season. So, without further ado, here are my choices for the best Glee performances from the second season:

5. Get It Right (sung by Rachel) - Rachel's declaration of love to Finn was really more of a vocal showcase for the character's powerhouse actress Lea Michele. Still, of the four original songs, this was the most emotionally satisfying and believable. Plus, Lea Michele is a freaking powerhouse.

4. Landslide (sung by Holly, Santana, and Brittany) - Holly Holiday was a pretty awesome guest character (and Gwyneth Paltrow a pretty good singer), but that is not what made this song for everybody. It was Santana's heartbreaking performance, as she professed her conflicted feelings of love to Brittany. It was a turning point for the character, and the best bit of "music-as-character-development" that Glee did all year. My only wish is that Santana sung it by herself.

3. For Good (sung by Kurt and Rachel) - I just wrote about this yesterday, and it just happened the day before that, but it's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that this performance was a classic. Flawless vocals, dramatic staging, and an excellent song from Wicked made for something truly magical in that theater, and in the hearts of millions.

2. Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again (sung by Rachel and Kurt) - This reboot of the Barbra Streisand/Judy Garland classic was such a no-brainer, yet such a wonderful stroke of genius on Ryan Murphy's part. The iconic duet fit Rachel and Kurt to a tee, and just like they would do in New York, they created pure magic. Arguably the best duet in Glee history.

1. Teenage Dream (sung by Blaine and the Warblers) - It's the song that started it all. When we watched Blaine (played by the so-charismatic-it-hurts Darren Criss) and his group at Dalton Academy perform a showcase featuring the Katy Perry smash, everyone fell in love. It is the most successful Glee song on iTunes for a reason; who could forget the flawless harmonies and Criss' soaring vocals? It would only be the beginning of Blaine's numerous scene-stealers throughout the season.

The Best and Worst of the 2011 Golden Globes

 The 2011 Golden Globes were last night in Los Angeles, kicking off the awards season. Of course, the show was full of noteworthy moments. Some were awesome, while others were jaw-droppingly awkward. Frankly, it was the shadiest Golden Globes in history; you would think everybody came there ready to sling at least one pack of mud at one another. Here are my top (and bottom) moments from one of Hollywood's glitziest nights:

BEST
Seeing Glee's Chris Colfer being genuinely shocked at his win for Best Supporting Actor (we weren't, though) was very heartwarming. You also gotta love his quote: "I think I dropped my heart between Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore". No one was more deserving than him. Other awwww moment? Watching Lea Michele almost cry at his win (we're going to assume it wasn't because she knew she was going to lose her category).

The award for Best Shade goes to the producer of Toy Story 3, which won Best Animated Feature. Justin Bieber presented the award (the Hollywood Foreign Press needed an excuse to bring him there for ratings) and when the movie won, Lee Unkrich asked him, "Were you even born when Toy Story came out?" Let's just say that if I was drinking something, I would've spit it out all over my keyboard. That's another lawsuit the Golden Globes doesn't need.

Michael Douglas, who has successfully beaten cancer, was the toast of the night when he came out to present the award of Best Motion Picture - Drama. It was heartwarming to see one of Hollywood's most popular actors still standing after being diagnosed with a horrible disease.

The Social Network, which I believe is the best movie of 2010, took home the big award last night, Best Motion Picture - Drama. The funniest part, though? Unlike every other time a movie or TV show wins, the movie's two stars, Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, remained sitting, having to be called up to the stage. Surely they weren't mourning their losses in the acting categories, right?

WORST
While some people will have enjoyed Ricky Gervais' second take as the GG host, I thought it was an overall hot mess. He dropped so many bombs that night I was concerned for the auditorium's stability. He went after virtually everyone, including the HFPA President and either Tom Cruise or John Travolta with a really tacky gay Scientology joke. Oh well, good luck next time....if they hire him back.

Justin Bieber's attendance at the show was wrong enough in its own right, but this kid could at least look like he was attending a huge awards ceremony. I mean, the kid didn't even wear dress shoes! Newsflash, Justin: Vans aren't even acceptable prom attire, let alone glamorous awards show attire.

Was it me, or did Robert De Niro seem like he had a bit too many sips of something? The veteran actor, receiving the Cecil B DeMille award, awkwardly shuffled through his speech, trying to attain laughs while only inspiring light chuckles of politeness. Even Ricky Gervais did better.

My Five Favorite iPad Apps

One of the things I've learned about the iPad this past week is that it's really all about the apps.

While some, in the buildup to the eventual iPad 2, will focus on the new hardware specs, which include dual cameras for FaceTime, the iPad would be absolutely useless without the apps from the App Store. While I am still searching, I have chosen five apps that really highlight the awesomeness of this device.

BlogPress

If you are a blogger, then this app is a must-have for you. It supports HTML tags, picture embedding, and is an all-around great word processor. I had been using it with my iPhone and loved it then, but it is a just a completely different experience on the iPad

Flipboard

When you're a developer and you have the iPad's gorgeous 9.7 inch screen to work with, it's expected that the interface of whatever app you make needs to be astonishing. The creators of Flipboard definitely set the bar with their app, which turns your Facebook and Twitter accounts to an interactive magazine, which you can also update. Using it is a lot of fun, especially flipping through all of the pages of your social life. It makes maintaining your Facebook less of a chore and more entertaining, and I can't wait to see what they can do next.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds is the best game on iOS. Period. You can call it stupid all you want, but flinging birds at mean, egg-stealing pigs has never been more entertaining. With the bigger screen size, Angry Birds is not only grander in scale, it allows for better strategy, since you can zoom out to see the full layout of the level.

NetFlix

One of my best friends let me use their NetFlix account so I could try out the iPad app. Honestly, I would pay $8 a month for this service, just so I could use this app whenever I wanted. Their streaming options continue to improve, and over Wi-Fi, the quality is pretty sweet. In fact, I just finished watching the complete Trinity Blood anime series today. Absolutely amazing.

Penultimate

I bought a stylus for the sole purpose of this app. It allows you to turn your iPad into a notepad, where you can write out and draw whatever you want, storing it into notebooks for your convenience. I actually cannot wait until I get back to Trinity so I can try it out, taking notes in class. No more heavy notebooks! Yes!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Five Most Anticipated Music Releases of 2011

The new year has arrived, which means a flurry of new music from our favorite artists. Here are the five albums that I will be checking for in the coming twelve months.

5. F.A.M.E. - Chris Brown
If you took away some of the more annoying elements (like his whining about the media and his undeserving braggadocio), Graffiti could have been a great album. However, the past is the past and he is raring and ready to drop his newest album, F.A.M.E., which is an acronym for For All My Enemies (commence the eye-rolling). The excellence of "Yeah 3x" definitely has me interested in what he's going to  produce and whether he can reclaim his chart glory.

4. Yet to be titled - Leona Lewis
Despite the flop that it was, Leona's sophomore album Echo was truly amazing, showing the British diva exhibiting some artistic growth. Her third album is due out this year, with a single in the spring, so I am really excited to see what she can come up with. Hopefully, it won't be a dreary Ryan Tedder ballad and will instead be a bit more uptempo ("Outta My Head" was the biggest missed opportunity ever)

3. Yet to be titled - Britney Spears
Britney Spears is an American institution at this point. Anything she does can garner at least a third page headline worldwide. Her upcoming album, with the release of the first single reportedly this month, is itching to return her to the top of the pop heap. After the #1 success of "3", and the excellent reception of her past two albums Blackout and Circus, it isn't crazy to expect the best from pop's inimitable princess.

2. Yet to be titled - Beyoncé
This decade's answer to Whitney took a much deserved break in 2010, which for her meant starring in the year's best music video and touring the world. However, 2011 marks the return of the woman who brought us the iconic "Single Ladies". Speculating about the content would be quite frankly pointless, since everything Beyoncé touches goes multi-platinum anyway. It would just be best to sit back with your iPod headphones in and enjoy.

1. Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Either the hype will elevate her to megastar status, or destroy her already impressive career. Either way, everyone is already talking about Lady Gaga's outrageously-anticipated third album Born This Way. In fact, she even pissed off fans when she revealed they wouldn't be able to hear her self-proclaimed best record until May. MAY!

What album are you looking forward to the most? Do you think any of these releases are going to flop, disappointment, or excel?

The Ten Worst Singles of 2010

With every "Get Outta My Way" that was released this year, there was a, well, whatever song you want from this list.

Some of these songs don't actually suck in terms of music. A single also deals with the promotion, the video, and the general worthiness of the song to be a single. If one or more of those fail, it affects the whole presentation, which would make it a bad single, at least in my opinion.

Then, of course, there are songs that are such epic fails that it's undeniable.

This was originally going to be a top 10 list, but I realized there were a lot more singles that failed than I originally thought. Thus, the Top 10 Worst Singles of 2010:

10. I Got You - Leona Lewis
I love Leona to bits, but everything about the release of this single was a bomb fail. The song itself, which would've served better as b-side to "Outta My Head" or "My Hands". The video, which was pretty bland compared to the epic "Bleeding Love". The promotion, which virtually didn't exist. Then again, it's pretty difficult to promote a song that didn't deserve to be a single in the first place. Seriously, though. Not "Outta My Head"?

9. 2012 (It Ain't The End) - Jay Sean feat. Nicki Minaj
Not even a verse from the feature queen Nicki Minaj could save this flop of a single. Even though I liked it in the beginning, the song couldn't hold my attention for a few weeks, hence it's pitiful performance on the BWU Singles Chart. Plus, it was a desperate attempt to cash in on the male dance-pop era he helped usher in. Instead of offering anything new, he just served up re-hashed "Down". Fans weren't buying it, which is why it ultimately failed. Plus, who bases a song off of a movie like 2012?

8. Empire State of Mind - Glee Cast

The cast of Glee usually gets it right, but they got it so horribly wrong with their cover of the iconic Jay-Z/Alicia Keys smash. Between the subpar rapping to the arrangement, nothing really worked on this song. I guess not every song is made for show choir.

7. Massive Attack - Nicki Minaj feat. Sean Garrett

There was a lot of excitement when Nicki Minaj dropped her first official single because of her epic features on songs from artists like Usher and Mariah Carey. When "Massive Attack" arrived, people were incredibly disappointed. Putting the incredible hype aside, the song was hook-less and the verses just weren't up to her previous work. Thankfully, Nicki put it behind her and released the awesome "Your Love", and she never looked back.

6. Insatiable - Nadine Coyle
I always thought that Nadine was the best singer in Girls Aloud, and I was really looking forward to her delayed debut album. Unfortunately, I kind of saw the writing on the wall when the Tesco deal was announced. What followed was a straight-up boring lead single that flopped, while Cheryl reached the top of the charts. She really couldn't just call Xenomania or something?

5. Not Myself Tonight - Christina Aguilera
One of the lyrics of this song are "And if you'd don't like it, fuck you". Well sorry, Xtina, I don't like it. For such an astonishing voice, it is really beyond me that she would release such tragedy of a track that would've failed had anybody put it out. The song was made worse by Aguilera because of the incredible irony of the title. Despite being herself, she tried to be Gaga, both in audio and video, and failed miserably.

4. Dirty Picture - Taio Cruz feat. Ke$ha

After two smash hits, Taio screwed up big time with this skeevy, tuneless crapshoot, featuring pop's favorite party girl Ke$ha. Nothing, not even two #1 hits on pop radio, could redeem this song, and it failed on the charts accordingly.

3. Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus

The winner for most desperate act of the year goes to Miley Cyrus. While it's understandable that she would want to shed her Hannah Montana image for a more grown-up image, she took it to astronomic levels of ridiculousness, starting with her "pop star-as-caged animal" music video. Tack on the faux-lesbianism, the racy photo leaks, and the catchy but ultimately pretentious lyrics, you have a career-killing mess that turned the mammoth seller into a flop. She probably won't admit it, but she's reaching for that blonde wig in her mind.

2. We Are The World 25 - Various Artists
I felt bad putting this first, simply because it was for a good cause and I'm sure it raised some money to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. But dear God, Michael Jackson is certainly roasting on a rotisserie after hearing this absolute disaster of a track. The inclusion of the horrific rap verse was probably the biggest smack in the face to beautiful 18985 Grammy-winning original.

1. The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas
I was a huge fan of their last album The E.N.D., so I was expecting a lot when I heard they were releasing a new single and album. I stopped at the single. "The Time", while exciting for ten seconds, was so wrong in virtually every sense. The over-sample of the 80's classic from Dirty Dancing was pointless. There was no discernable melody. There was this feeling listening to it that, while it aims at being this epic party record, it is way too cold and calculated and computerized to work completely. So while I will continue playing it on my iPod, I will continue feeling wrong about it, no matter how hard I try not to. For that reason, it's my worst single of the year.

Looking Back at... 2010: The Top 5 Breakthroughs

2010 was a year filled with hot, new things. In the next installment of my Looking Back at... 2010 post series, I take a look back at all of pop culture's biggest breakthroughs in 2010.

5. iPad - The Apple tablet had been rumored for years, but in January, it was officially unveiled to the world as the iPad. Just like they did for the MP3 player and the smartphone, Apple completely revolutionized the tablet computer market. Almost immediately after it's announcement, rival Google declared they were moving forward with an iPad killer. Now, everyone is hopping on the iPad's coattails, just like they did with the iPod and the iPhone. However, people want the real thing. Since it's April release, the iPad has sold over 8 million copies and has become a pop culture reference point. Now, everyone from celebrities to colleges are clamoring for one. And let's put it like this; when Oprah declares it her ultimate favorite thing, you know it's big.


4. Ke$ha - Most of the time, she looks like she needs a shower. Or two. But Ke$ha, the anonymous girl from Flo Rida's "Right Round", proved this year that you didn't need to be clean to have good fun. The party girl du jour landed her first five singles in the top 10 of the Billboard charts, including #1 hits "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R". Even though the Grammys snubbed her, there is no question that Ke$ha has kept the party going for many people this year. And, as her video for "Take It Off" showed, she knows how to throw a rager.


3. Glee - It's officially, Glee is the new American Idol. The hit TV series about a small Ohio glee club has completely reshaped the pop music landscape. Whenever the talented cast performs a song on the show, both their version and the original race up to the top of the iTunes charts. Everyone from Cee Lo Green to Florence + The Machine owe their sales boosts to the show. The current season of the show saw guest appearances from Gywenth Paltrow, John Stamos, and of course, Britney Spears, who had a whole episode dedicated to her. When the show is making us laugh and sing, its dealing with very important issues of today, like bullying. Chris Colfer, who plays gay teen Kurt, is bulldozing his way to an Emmy next September. Glee has it's finger on the pulse of pop culture, and it's not letting go anytime soon.


2. The Smith kids - Seriously, though, who would've guessed? Um, smart people! Willow Smith, with the blood of Will and Jada Pinkett Snith running through their veins, Jaden and Willow Smith were destined to be a star. We just didn't think so soon. First, Jaden karate-chopped his way into the spotlight with a successful remake of the 80's classic "The Karate Kid". Then, Willow arrived with an absolute monster of a single, "Whip My Hair". Awesome and age-appropriate at the same time, "Whip My Hair" showcased more swagger than artists eight years older than her. Then there is her out-there style, which is already garnering comparisons to Gaga and Rihanna. With her debut single setting charts ablaze worldwide and his movie career in full swing, the path is officially clear for Smith kid domination.

1. Nicki Minaj - If you listened to radio last year, chances are you heard her voice. Nicki Minaj, like Drake the year before, became absolutely inescapable in 2010, thanks to her priceless features on singles from everyone to Usher to Mariah Carey. The Queens-bred rapper's rapid-fire verses and high voltage personality reinvigorated the role of the female MC. When it came to her own singles, she made sure she showed her vulnerable side, like on the excellent Top 20 hit "Your Love" and her latest record "Right Thru Me". When her own album, Pink Friday, was released in November, it shifted an impressive 375,000 copies in its first week, the highest for a female rapper ever. Definitely one of the biggest names in hip-hop at the moment, Nicki will surely be spitting enough lyrics to last through 2011 and beyond.