Best Soap Scene of 2010: Patrick Tells Robin That He Slept With Lisa on General Hospital

As the year comes to a close, I've noticed that I haven't made a soap opera post in quite some time. That's probably because most of the stories right now are downright unwatchable.

However, when the right writing comes along, it's pretty easy to remember why soaps really are quality television.

General Hospital, which is also home to the horrid Brenda/Dante story right now, aired some quality television in August, when popular couple Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio faced their biggest challenge yet, his one night stand with the crazy Lisa Niles.

In July, Patrick slept with Lisa, who was secretly unstable, after drinking. The same night, Robin came back from a trip to Africa helping people with AIDS. The subsequent month saw Patrick being guilty and Lisa becoming more and more deranged. Finally, after Lisa went too far and kidnapped their daughter Emma, Patrick finally broke down and told Robin the awful truth.

I've always thought that Jason Thompson and Kimberly McCollough were the true powerhouses of the show, and this scene proved it. The whole scene was hyper-emotional, but the nuances of both of their performances kept from reaching the over-the-top. You could easily see both sides and how devastated they both were, even though Patrick was mostly in the wrong. Speaking of, Jason is easily the best crier in daytime. Even though his character has been an utter idiot, I really did feel back for Patrick, because of Jason's awesome performance. The one smart thing that Robert Guza has done in the past decade was putting him against the always brilliant Kimberly McCollough. Talking about her performance is unnecessary, since it's beyond obvious at this point she is the best actress on GH right now. Still, her heartbreakingly cynical response to Patrick's confession was just gold.

If General Hospital was smart, they would focus the show on these two instead of Brenda and the mess she brought back with her.

Or, they could make this an ensemble show again and restore it to its former glory.

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.

The 25 Best Singles of 2010

DOWNLOAD THE TOP 25 SINGLES OF 2010 MIXTAPE ON BWU'S FACEBOOK PAGE AT 12AM 1/1/2011! LIMITED TIME!

With the 2010 BWU Awards announcement only three days away, and no new music out this week, its high time I reveal the twenty songs I think were the cream of the crop this year.

These songs were picked from my Top 50 Most Played of 2010 playlist on iTunes, but they aren't necessarily in the top 20 of the list. Some songs I overplayed and others I really loved but just didn't play too often, possibly to preserve my love for it.

Anyway, here are my Top 25 songs of 2010, with peak positions on the US, UK, and BWU Singles charts (sometimes US Dance):


25. Secrets - OneRepublic (US #21, UK #77, BWU #10)
I won tickets to go see them live over the summer, and Ryan Tedder blew me away with his oft-criticized voice. The criticism is nonsense because he has an incredible tone and power to his voice, nowhere more evident than on this excellent single. The song is also a good representative of the sheer musicality that OneRepublic possesses, especially in an Auto-Tuned, electronic era.

24. Someone Wake Me Up - Joe McElderry (UK #68, BWU #1)

So what if it flopped? In fact, a good number of the songs on this list flopped. It just goes to show how poor the taste of the mainstream has gotten. This charming improvement on his ridiculous first single "Ambitions" should have saved his debut album. I guess Joe has to settle with the knowledge that he is a much better singer than any male X Factor contestant ever, even if Olly Murs is beating him on the charts (don't worry Joe, Olly's not on this list).

23. The Silence - Alexandra Burke (UK #16, BWU #1)
A few posts ago, I posted a New York Times article about the fate of pop divas and, by association, the ballad. "The Silence" is the best evidence that, even if the melisma era is ending, there is no knocking an amazing ballad with an amazing singer singing it. This is the best song Alexandra's ever released, in my opinion.


22. Hot Tottie - Usher feat. Jay-Z (US #25, BWU #4)
Usher caught some slack for supposedly "selling out" after the massive successes of pop songs like "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" (more on them later). He silenced those critics with this banger of a single, featuring one of the best verses of Jay-Z's career. I'm still not sure what a "hot tottie" is supposed to mean, but with a song like this one, it's all right in my book.


21. Airplanes - B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams (US #2, UK #1, BWU #13)
The song, produced by hotshot Alex Da Kid, was inescapable in the first half of the year, but for good reason. It's beautiful piano melody, paired with a heavy drum beat, gave the "airplanes as dreams" metaphor some serious (and a bit annoying after a while) weight. The success of this song led to one of the biggest songs of the year, so thank you B.O.B.

20. Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine (US #21, UK #23, BWU #5)

The big-voiced Welshwoman stunned American audiences when she scored multiple VMA nominations for the video of this song. They were even more surprised when she delivered a show-stopping performance at the ceremony. Me? I wasn't stunned or surprised. I knew she was amazing from "You've Got The Love". Still, this song was a brilliant breakthrough for a brilliant audience, who I'm glad is actually getting attention for our notoriously difficult market.

19. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira (US #38, UK #21, BWU #3)

This global megahit may have been fueled by the World Cup, but it was it's infectious, positive message that supported Africa that caught the hearts of people all over. It also doesn't hurt that Shakira, a global megahit in her own right, sang the song. 

18. Hang with Me - Robyn (US Dance #10, UK #54, BWU #1)
Everything this Swedish pop queen makes is amazing, but it wouldn't be fair if I put all of Robyn's Body Talk on this list. Instead, let's focus on the brilliance of Robyn's second single. A bombastic, somber, heartbreaker of a track, Robyn continued perfecting her unique genre of electropop.


17. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (US #2, UK #21, BWU #3)
I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it on radio, pop radio. Yes, country group Lady Antebellum made the difficult crossover to the mainstream with this excellent ballad about simply needing someone, especially when you're a little drunk. It was sad, lonely, and utterly relatable, which is why it was a massive smash.


16. What's My Name? - Rihanna and Drake (US #1, UK #2, BWU #1)
After the Europop stomp of "Only Girl (In The World)", everyone was surprised by the follow-up, a chill, laid-back groover with an opening verse by Drake. It was the perfect showcase for Rihanna's revived island swag, becoming her eighth #1 single in America and her second #1 on the BWU Singles Chart.


15. Find Your Love - Drake (US #5, UK #21, BWU #11)
The Kanye-produced second single from Thank Me Later showed listeners a completely different side to the hyped-up rapper. The Drake on this song was vulnerable, yet determined to "find your love". And he did; the success of tis song pushed his debut album to sales of over 500,000 in its first week of release.


14. Promise This - Cheryl Cole (UK #1, BWU #1)
After a bout with malaria and a divorce, Cheryl Cole returned to the music scene with this unexpected pop rocket. The song's surprising melody, somber lyrics, and killer French hook made it a huge hit in the UK and on the BWU Singles Chart, hitting #1 on both. No wonder Cheryl is considered the nation's sweetheart.


13. OMG - Usher feat. will.i.am (US #1, UK #1, BWU #21)
Usher returned to the top of the charts with "OMG", the purest pop record he's ever released in his career. It was clear from this unique electro smash that Usher regained all of his swag, making him one of music's hottest commodities once again.


12. California Gurls - Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg (US #1, UK #1, BWU #3)
This song was impossible to escape or resist this summer. Katy's ode to the golden coast burned up airwaves and TV screens, thanks to brilliant hook and candy dreamland music video. With the success of this song and her future singles, Katy Perry solidified her status as a pop superstar.


11. 4th of July (Fireworks) - Kelis (US Dance #4, UK #32, BWU #2)

Kelis' comparison of her lover to fireworks is a pretty darn nice compliment. To match it, she turned to electropop to properly express her feelings. The result was a relentless groovy synth dream that made summer so much more awesome. It should have been so much of a hit than it was.

Check out the Top 10 after the jump...

My Favorite Picture of 2010: Drake Trying to Eat Lady Gaga's Meat Purse at the VMAs

Just reading the title conjured up some of the dirtiest (and highly unlikely) innuendos in my head.

But I literally mean Drake was trying to eat Lady Gaga's purse made of meat at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The rapper, who was sitting behind the pop phenom, moved forward with jaws wide open, ready to take a chomp out of her bag, while she had a smile-smirk plastered on her face.

Is this possibly a hilarious and disgusting passing of the torch, since Drake is currently in the lead for Artist of the Year at the 2010 BWU Awards, an award Gaga won last year?

You guys decide: voting ends next Friday!

Until then, enjoy my favorite picture of the year!

An apparently hungry Drake attempts to feast on Gaga's bovine accessory

Looking Back at...2010: The Top 10 Winners

For some, 2010 was a year of breakthroughs and successes unlike they've ever seen before. In my last Looking Back... post for the year, I acknowledge those in pop culture that have had the best twelve months ever.


10. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Despite it's massive popularity, a lot of criticism is heaped on the Twilight films for their lackluster cast, absurd plots, and sub-standard CGI effects. With all of that in mind, the latest installment was it's best yet, mostly because it didn't take itself as seriously this time around. The movie borderlined on comedy, in a good way. Yeah, there were the serious moments, but there were genuinely witty one-liners in the film, especially coming from (and directed at) Taylor Lautner's Jacob. The two classics: "Does he ever wear a shirt" Edwards complains when a shirtless Jacob shows up waiting for him and Bella, and the genius "Let's face it, I am hotter than you", Jake's double-entendre while they are all in the tent. If the films were more humorous and satirical, then they wouldn't have to deal with crappy satires like Vampires Suck.

9. Sandra Bullock - Considering her personal drama, some would say she lost a lot. But, Sandra would be the first to tell you she doesn't give up easily. That makes her a winner in my book. Earlier this year, she took home the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Blind Side. A few weeks after, her personal life exploded when Jesse James was caught cheating. America rallied around their sweetheart, branding James a complete loser. Not one to be deterred, Sandra divorced her loverat of a husband and went forward with her secret adoption. She made her return to the spotlight at the MTV Movie Awards, where she received the Generation award and made out a bit with Scarlett Johannson. In fact, she did a lot of that. She also smooched Meryl Streep at the Critic's Choice Awards when they both won for Best Actress. So, I think it's been established that Sandra Bullock is indeed awesome.


8. Taylor Swift - Being a musical princess isn't as easy as everyone thinks, unless your name is Taylor Swift. She started off the year pretty well by taking home Album of the Year at the Grammys for her six-times platinum Fearless. The darling of country continued her domination of music with the release of Speak Now in October. It was predicted to be a big seller, but no one could have anticipated the mammoth 1 million opening week sales she amassed. Double platinum before Christmas, Taylor has been credited for saving the flogging music industry. Whether or not that's an overstatement can be argued, but there's no denying that Taylor is swiftly becoming a heavy-hitter in the pop world. While her music sales are incredible, what's more impressive is the continued growth of her musical output. See, for instance, Download of the Day choice "Back to December", where she plays the bigger woman and apologizes for hurting someone who loved her. With her massive buying appeal, and her continued artistic evolution, Taylor Swift is setting a path that will keep her on this list for at least a few more years.


7. Eminem - Slim Shady had to grow up some time. Eminem entered a new phase of his career with Recovery, the biggest selling album of the year. Mature but still brimming with musical brilliance, the Eminem on this record was introspective and fierce in his output. The first two singles from the album, "Not Afraid" and "Love The Way You Lie", hit #1 on the Billboard charts, a first for the rapper. "Love The Way You Lie", a duet with Rihanna, spent seven weeks at the top, becoming the biggest commercial hit of his entire career. He also went back to his Slim Shady roots for an explosive duet with superstar female newcomer (and fellow harborer of an alter-ego) Nicki Minaj on her track "Roman's Revenge". To further solidify his success, he was awarded with 10 Grammy nominations, including the coveted Album of the Year and Record of the Year nods. Eminem's astonishing and remarkable return to the top is a prime example of how anything is possible if you want it bad enough.

6. Bruno Mars - If there was one male voice heard all the time on the radio, it was Bruno Mars. The producer-turned-singer used his golden pipes to churn out hit after hit after hit for people, including himself. His singing on the chorus for B.O.B.'s "Nothin' On You" helped it reach #1, while giving Travie McCoy a top 5 hit with "Billionaire". He also co-wrote the Grammy nominated hit "Fuck You!" by Cee-Lo Green. After building enough profile through his features, he ventured out on his own, releasing his debut single "Just The Way You Are". The single went to #1 in the US and the UK. His second single, "Grenade", is currently #2 in America. The singles' success helped his freshman effort Doo-Wops and Hooligans enter the Billboard charts at #3. At the end of the year, he scored seven Grammy nominations for all of his hard work, an impressive feat for someone virtually unknown in January. Sure, there was a little speed bump involving drug possession, but Bruno Mars is back on cruise control to superstar success.

See the Top 5 after the jump....

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

2010 was not a good year for everyone. In fact, for some, it was an absolute disaster and they are probably counting down the days to 2011. With that mind, for the next in my Looking Back at... 2010 series, here are the biggest epic fails of 2010.

5. Cheryl Cole - Last year, she was the nation's sweetheart who could do no wrong. This year, British pop singer and X Factor judge Cheryl Cole saw her world turned upside down in virtually every way, throwing her infallibility into doubt. First, it was revealed that her husband Ashley Cole cheated on her again, leading to their divorce. She started work on her second album, which was derailed by a nearly life-ending bout with malaria. She recovered, but she faced unbelievable backlash when, during the judge's house round of X Factor, she decided to not put fan favorite Gamu to the finals round. The outrage became worse when Gamu revealed that she faced deportation back to Africa because of Cheryl's decision. The Gamu incident would taint Cheryl's validity as a judge, along with criticism of her partly-mimed performance of her #1 single "Promise This" and her contestants Rebecca and Cher failing to win this season. It's been a traumatic year for Cheryl, but it's doubtful that she won't bounce right back.


4. Lindsay Lohan - It's hard to believe that the charming, sexy lead from Mean Girls devolved into the tragedy that was Lindsay Lohan this year. 2010 proved to be her worst year yet, and that's saying something. After violating the probationary terms of her DUI arrest in order to go to the Cannes Film Festival, Lindsay was sentenced to 90 days in jail on July 6th. The image of her sobbing at the verdict were splashed across newspapers worldwide, with little sympathy. Luckily for her, LA jails are overcrowded, so she was released after two weeks. Even after jail and mandatory rehab, she failed a drug test and was sent back to jail. She is currently cooling her heels in rehab until next year, probably thinking about how she got it so terribly wrong.

3. Microsoft - Last week, Facebook and Microsoft did a joint news conference. During that conference, Facebook CEO and movie subject Mark Zuckerberg referred to Microsoft as the underdog. Hmmm, that doesn't sound right. And yet, it's incredibly accurate. Once the computer company of the world, Microsoft has lost in nearly every category in the field. It lost the mobile computing war to Apple, the web search war to Google, the browser war to Firefox, and now it's in danger of losing ground in the OS war, thanks to the success of the Mac and the future release of Google's Chrome OS. While some argue that the Vista debacle caused irreparable damage to the behemoth, it's really a lack of innovation that derailed the house that Bill Gates built.


2. T.I. - Before heading to prison, he released Paper Trail and ruled the charts with hits like "Live Your Life". Leaving prison, the reaction has been lukewarm. Every single he's released has been a flop, and his album No Mercy entered the charts at #4 with 154,000 copies, a little more than a 1/5 of the first week sales of Paper Trail. If his sales weren't bad enough, then his stupidity should do the trick. The rapper and his wife were arrested for drug possession, and T.I. went back to jail for another year for violating his probation. Maybe 2012 will be a better year?

1. Christina Aguilera - Oh, Christina, what a year it's been, eh? The big-voiced diva had arguably the worst career era of the year, with many declaring her career over. It started with the release of her new single "Not Myself Tonight", which was met with terribly lukewarm reception. The song peaked at #23 on the US chart. The video didn't help matters at all, being criticized for it's similarities to Lady Gaga. Her album Bionic suffered from the single's flopping, debuting at #3 in the US with sales of 110,000, a third of her last studio effort, 2006's Back to Basics. In the UK, the album debuted at #1, with the lowest first-week sales for a #1 album in history. It then plummeted down to #29, the biggest drop from #1 in history. The bright spot of her year was Burlesque, which was met with mixed to poor reviews and middling box office success. Despite being one of the most talented vocalists of the past fifteen years, Aguilera's place in pop culture wasn't as secure as everyone thought. It makes you bring up the irony of her disparaging comments towards the pop juggernaut that is Lady Gaga.

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.

Looking Back at... 2010: The Top 6 Should-Have Beens

Aren't there times when you wish someone or something would break the big time, and then they just don't, and they're just too good to consider flops?

Well, 2010 had quite a few of them.

Continuing my Looking Back at 2010 posts is my look back at the top 6 things and people that should have been hits this past year.

6. Toni Braxton - When Toni Braxton, fresh off a stint on Dancing with the Stars, announced she was releasing an album, I wasn't particularly moved. Then I heard the first single, "Yesterday", which is one of the best R&B ballads of the year. The singles released after that, including the spectacular "Hands Tied", should've warranted a huge comeback for the smoky-voiced songstress. Instead, her album peaked at #9. Maybe ageism can be blamed, but there is no real reason why Toni should've flopped.

5. Palm Pre - I'm not going to lie; the only reason why this phone is on the list is because my iPhone was stolen from Port Authority and AT&T allowed me to get two Palm Pres for $20 (long, complicated, and completely ridiculous story). Still, the Palm Pre, in my two weeks of having it, is definitely not a downgrade. In fact, it has some excellent features that even Steve Jobs should take a look at, like its awesome notifications system. Unfortunately, competition for Apple and Google shoved it to the backburner. Hopefully, with HP at the helm, the Palm Pre will get the recognition it deserves.

4. Joe McElderry - Not every X Factor winner can be a Leona Lewis, but Joe McElderry has had some pretty bad luck in the pop star department. His winner's single was beaten to the Christmas number-one by Rage Against The Machine, his first single failed to top the chart at all, and his second, the genuinely good "Someone Wake Me Up" is a disastrous flop. The shame is McElderry, who also came out of the closet this year, is the best male talent the show has ever produced, and he really should be following in Leona's footsteps. Unfortunately, it seems like a career more along the lines of Leon Jackson (remember him?) may be in his future.

3. Vanessa Marcil's Return on General Hospital - Her inevitable return to the show that made her a star was supposed to save the dying soap opera genre. Instead, Vanessa Marcil's return to her uber-popular role of Brenda Barrett has been marred by horrific writing, including a borderline incest love triangle. As a result, ratings have remained stagnant, even dropping some. In an era where the soap opera is on the cusp of extinction, the powers that be couldn't really afford to screw up the return of arguably one of the most popular characters in the show's history. Lo and behold, they did.

 
2. Kylie Minogue - Is the public falling out of love with Miss Minogue? The Aussie pop princess released one of the best albums of the year, Aphrodite. She also released the best pop song of the year (in my opinion, of course), "Get Outta My Way". Yet, neither were particularly well-received by the public. "Get Outta My Way" inexplicably flopped on both sides of the Atlantic, despite a massive US promo campaign, and she was snubbed at the Grammys. She's clearly still awesome, but she may not be the golden girl she claims in the album's title track.

 

1. Robyn - Her album Body Talk is pop perfection. "Dancing with My Own" is pop perfection. "Hang With Me" is pop perfection. Her performances are pop perfection. So, why the hell wasn't Robyn queen of the pop world year? The Swedish singer is has always been low-key, but with a spectacular record like hers, some really high profile performances on Jay Leno and Gossip Girl, and the dance-pop craze, this year should've belonged to her. As they say, 2011 is another year. Until then, she just has to stick with dancing on her own.