Glee Highlights from “Choke”

Last night Glee delivered another strong episode following its delightful Whitney Houston tribute from last week. However, the episode entitled “Choke” dealt with the serious issue of domestic abuse involving Coach Biest (Emmy nominee Dot Marie Jones) coinciding with the dramatic auditions for Kurt (Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer) and Rachel (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Lea Michelle) trying to get into NYADA. Check out my three favorite numbers below and for more on Glee, head here.

Glee- “Shake It Out” by Naya Rivera, Jenna Uskowitz and Amber Riley singing to Coach Biest (originally done by Florence + the Machine)

Glee- “Not the Boy Next Door” by Chris Colfer (originally from The Boy from Oz)

Glee- “Cry” by Lea Michelle (originally done by Kelly Clarkson)

Baby Daddy (?) Bieber Leads the Charts

Justin Bieber just can’t get out of the news. Following the claims that the 17 year-old fathered some chick’s baby (which he vehemently denies), the Biebs got some good news today as he nabbed his third # 1 album. Selling 210,000 copies, Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe debuts on top of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart making it the first Christmas album from a solo male artist to debut in that position. (On a personal note, I can’t stand hearing any Christmas music til at least after Thanksgiving~ better yet mid December. So, please don’t be playin’ the Biebs holiday tidings near me, lol). Justin also lays claim to the title of most # 1 albums (3) by an artist under 18 years-old breaking his tie with LeAnn Rimes who had two…. Now, it wasn’t all about tween heart-throbs on the chart this week as 5 other records debuted in the top ten from rapper Wale, Grammy winning country singer Miranda Lambert, Grammy nominees Florence + the Machine, R& B crooner Tyrese and former X-Factor contender Susan Boyle whose latest gave her a third top 5 album, albeit with a huge drop off in sales compared to her last two…. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here and check out the top ten albums below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Under the Mistletoe- Justin Bieber (debut)
2. Ambition- Wale (debut)
3. Four the Record- Miranda Lambert (debut)
4. Someone to Watch Over Me- Susan Boyle (debut)
5. 21- Adele (last week~ 4)
6. Ceremonials- Florence + the Machince (debut)
7. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~ 1)
8. Christmas- Michael Buble (lw~ 5)
9. Open Invitation- Tyrese (debut)
10. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 2)

And here’s Miranda Lambert’s rocking current top 5 country smash “Baggage Claim”. Watch for her to perform it on the CMA Awards tonight on ABC.

Looking at the Hot 100 Singles chart, Rihanna makes it two weeks in a row with “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris. She is likely to hold on another week despite the quickly rising LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”. Take a gander at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/ Calvin Harris (last week~ 1)
2. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 3)
3. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 2)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/ Christina Aguilera (lw~ 4)
5. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/ Adam Levine (lw~ 6)
6. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 7)
7. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 5)
8. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 12)
9. “You Make Me Feel”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~ 9)
10. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~8)

Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson Bring “Soul” back to VH1 Divas

Grammy winning singers Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson were known for their beautiful soulful vocals when they competed on American Idol (and Clarkson won of course). Since then, they have soared to great success and both released hit albums this year (Hudson’s I Remember Me and Clarkson’s Stronger set to hit # 2 on the Billboard charts next week). And now they’ve earned the right to act like divas… VH1 Divas that is….
Both singers are returning to the VH1 Diva franchise on Monday, December 19 for the latest installment: VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul. Joining them for the special which benefits music education in the schools with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation are former Divas Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott plus newcomers Florence + the Machine and Jessie J. For more on the show, head to VH1 here and watch the show pay tribute to the cities where soul gave birth to music’s most powerful classics from New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on 12/19 at 9pm.

For a taste of what the ladies might bring to the show, check out Hudson and Clarkson doing songs from the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin below.

Kelly Clarkson “Natural Woman”

Jennifer Hudson “Respect”

My Big Bold Grammy Award WINNER Predictions

Well, music’s biggest night is this Sunday as CBS airs the Grammy Awards and what does that mean for you? It means it’s time for my latest round of big bold award winner predictions. It looks like Eminem will finally win that elusive album of the year award on his fourth try with his massive smash Recovery which is just one of several trophies he should take home. Also watch for multiple wins for Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, and Miranda Lambert. Take a look at all my predix below. Also, make sure to capture the show which will feature performances from all the big nominees including Eminem, Gaga, Lady Antebellum, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Lambert, Justin Bieber, Drake, B.o.B and Bruno Mars, plus a rare performance from Grammy Legend winner Barbra Streisand and an all-star tribute to Aretha Franklin featuring Grammy winners Christina Aguilera, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson and Grammy nominees Martina McBride and Florence Welch (of Florence + the Machine). Head to the Grammy website for more information.

MY BIG BOLD GRAMMY AWARD WINNER PREDICTIONS 2011!!

Album of the Year:

The Suburbs- Arcade Fire, Recovery- Eminem, Need You Now- Lady Antebellum, The Fame Monster- Lady Gaga, Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Will win: Eminem

Should win: Lady Gaga

~spoiler: Arcade Fire

Record of the Year (award to the producer & artist):

“Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z & Alicia Keyes, “Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem & Rihanna, “Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum, “Nothin’ on You”- B.o.B. w/Bruno Mars

Will win: “Love the Way You Lie”

Should win: “Empire State of Mind” (it’s an anthem for the ages, and “Love the Way..” is great but sounds  little like B.o.B. & Hayley Williams “Airplanes”)

~spoiler: “Need You Now”

Song of the Year (award to the songwriter):

“Beg Steal or Borrow”- Ray LaMontagne, “Fuck You”- CeeLo Green, “The House that Built Me”- Miranda Lambert, “Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem & Rihanna, “Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum

Will & Should win: “Need You Now”

~spoiler: “Fuck You” (and how awesome would that be?! Hehe)

Best New Artist:

Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Mumford & Sons, Esperanza Spalding

Will win: Drake

Should win: Florence + the Machine

~spoiler: Florence + the Machine

Pop Album:

My World 2.0- Justin Bieber, I Dreamed a Dream- Susan Boyle, The Fame Monster- Lady Gaga, Battle Studies- John Mayer, Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Will & Should win: Lady Gaga

~spoiler: Katy Perry

Female Pop Vocal Performance:

“King of Anything”- Sara Bareilles, “Halo (live)”- Beyonce, “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga, “Chasing Pirates”- Norah Jones, “Teenage Dream”- Katy Perry

Will & Should win: Lady Gaga

~spoiler: Katy Perry

* I’d love to see Sara Bareilles pull out a shocker here though

 

Male Pop Vocal Performance:

“Haven’t Met You Yet”- Michael Buble, “This is It”- Michael Jackson, “Whataya Want from Me”- Adam Lambert, “Half of My Heart”- John Mayer, “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars

Will win: Michael Jackson

Should win: Adam Lambert

~spoiler: Bruno Mars

Pop Vocal Collaboration:

“Imagine”- Herbie Hancock, Seal, Pink & India.Arie, “If It Wasn’t for Bad”- Elton John & Leon Russell,  “Telephone”- Lady Gaga & Beyonce, “California Gurls”- Katy Perry w/Snoop Dogg, “Airplanes Pt. II”- B.o.B. w/Hayley Williams & Eminem

Will & Should win: Lady Gaga & Beyonce

~spoiler: Herbie Hancock and friends

Pop Vocal Duo/Group:

“Don’t Stop Believin’”- Glee Cast, “Misery”- Maroon 5, “The Only Exception”- Paramore, “Babyfather”- Sade, “Hey Soul Sister”- Train

Will & Should win: Train

~spoiler: Glee cast

Dance Recording:

“Rocket”- Goldfrapp, “In for the Kill”- La Roux, “Dancer in the Dark”- Lady Gaga, “Only Girl in the World”- Rihanna,  “Dancing on My Own”- Robyn

Will win: “Only Girl in the World”- Rihanna

Should win: “Dancing on My Own”- Robyn

~spoiler: La Roux

OTHER CATEGORIES~ I’m just giving you who I think will win…

Dance Album: La Roux

Traditional Pop Album: Michael Buble (over Barbra Streisand even!)

Short Form Music Video: “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga

Male Country Vocal: Keith Urban

Female Country Vocal: Miranda Lambert

Country Song: “Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum

Country Album: The House that Built Me- Miranda Lambert

Country Vocal duo/group: Lady Antebellum

R&B Male Vocal: Usher

R&B Female Vocal: Fantasia (and it would be her first win!)

R&B Duo/Group: Sade

R&B Album: John Legend & the Roots

Contemporary R&B Album: Usher

Urban/Alternative Performance: “Fuck You”- Cee Lo Green

Rap Solo: Eminem

Rap Album: Recovery- Eminem

Rap Sung Collaboration: “Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z & Alicia Keyes

Rap Song: “Empire State of Mind”

Score Soundtrack Album: Inception- Hans Zimmer

Song Written for Film/TV: “The Weary Kind” (from Crazy Heart)

Compilation Soundtrack Album: Glee The Music, Vol. 1

Musical Show Album: American Idiot (featuring Green Day)

My Big Bold Grammy Award Nomination Predictions

It’s that time again…. Grammy Time! … Tonight, CBS is airing a special Grammy Awards Concert live that will feature performances by Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miranda Lambert, B.o.B, and Bruno Mars. Also appearing to announce the nominees for this year’s awards will be Train, Selena Gomez, Dave Grohl, and Hayley Williams. All of the above are likely to grab nominations tonight as well, except for Gomez and Grohl. The special is hosted by Grammy winning NCIS LA star L.L. Cool J at 10pm.
On the broadcast, you will likely hear all the big categories nominations announced with a few choice ones thrown in for good mix. And I’ve got my Big Bold Grammy Nominations Predictions for you below focusing on the big 4 races and the Pop field. Take a look, watch the special tonight or head to the Grammy website here to see who made the cut…. I’m expecting Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Jay Z and Lady Gaga to be the frontrunners with the most nominations. However, we should also see multiple nods for Perry, Lambert, Train, Usher, Sade, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Rihanna, Alicia Keyes, Carole King & James Taylor, and more….

My Big Bold Grammy Award Nomination Predictions…

Record of the Year
“Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem w/Rihanna
“Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z w/Alicia Keyes
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“Dog Days are Over”- Florence + the Machine
“Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
~spoilers:
“Hey Soul Sister”- Train”, “Nothin’ on You”- B.o.B w/Bruno Mars, “Airplanes”- B.o.B w/Hayley Williams, “California Gurls”- Katy Perry w/Snoop Dogg

Album of the Year:
Lady Antebellum- Need You Now
Eminem- Recovery
Jay Z- The Blueprint 3
Miranda Lambert- Revolution
Sade- Soldier of Love
spoilers~ Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), Usher (Raymond v. Raymond), James Taylor & Carole King (Live at the Troubadour)

Song of the Year:
“Hey Soul Sister”- Train
“Just the Way You Are”- Burno Mars
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem w/Rihanna
“The House that Built Me”- Miranda Lambert
~ spoilers:  ”Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga, “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars,  “Dog Days are Over”- Florence + the Machine

New Artist:
Drake
Justin Bieber
Nicki Minaj
Florence + the Machine
B.o.B
apoilers ~ Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, Adam Lambert, Neon Trees, Mumford and Sons

Pop Album:

Sade- Soldier of Love
Katy Perry- Teenage Dream
James Taylor & Carole King- Live at the Troubadour
Lady Gaga- The Fame Monster
Sheryl Crow- 100 Miles from Memphis

spoilers~ Maroon 5- Hands All Over, Kaleidoscope Heart- Sara Bareilles, Jack Johnson- To the Sea, Sarah McLachlan- Laws of Illusion

Pop Female:
Sara Bareilles “King of Anything”
Sheryl Crow “Summer Day”
Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”
Pink “Gillter in the Air”
spoilers ~ Sarah McLachlan ”Loving You is Easy”, Norah Jones “Chasing Pirates”, Christina Aguilera “You Lost Me”

Pop Male:
Michael Buble “Haven’t Met You Yet”
Adam Lambert “Whataya Want from Me”
Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are”
John Mayer “Half of My Heart”
Jason Mraz “A Beautiful Mess”
~Jack Johnson “You and Your Heart”, Seal “Secret”,  Taio Cruz “Dynamite”

Pop Duo or Group:

Sade “Baby Father”
The Script “Breakeven”
Maroon 5 “Misery”
Train “Hey Soul Sister”
Paramore “The Only Exception”

~ spoilers: Daughtry “Tennessee Line”, Glee Cast “Don’t Stop Believing”, One Republic “Secrets”

Best Pop Collaboration:

“You’ve Got a Friend” – James Taylor & Carol King
“Telephone” – Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
“California Gurls” – Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg
”Imagine”- Herbie Hanc*ck, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Komono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Omnon Sangare
”Hallelujah”- Justin Timberlake with Matt Morris & Charlie Sexton

~spoilers: “If We Ever Meet Again” – Timbaland feat. Katy Perry, B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams, “Airplanes II”, Santana, India.Arie & Yo-Yo Ma, “When My Guitar Gently Weeps”

Look for Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert to rule the Country noms. In Dance, watch for Rihanna, Robyn, Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga to name a few while Eminem, Drake and Jay Z should front the Rap categories. In R&B, we should see Usher, Alicia Keyes and Fantasia reap bids. In the Rock field, watch for Florence + the Machine, Arcade Fire and John Mayer to battle.  And watch for Madonna and Pink to go head to head in the Longform Music Video category for their recent Live Tour videos… Head to Grammy.com for all your Grammy info…

Linkin Park & Bruno Mars top the Charts

In a busy week on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, Linkin Park barely grabs the top spot over Trey Songz while Bruno Mars nabs his first solo # 1 on the Hot 100. Looking at the albums tally, rock rap hybrid Linkin Park sold 241,000 copies of their latest A Thousand Suns to debut on top just ahead of Trey Songz new album, Passion Pain & Pleasure which sold 240,000 copies. They lead a total of 6 new releases in the top ten including the latest from country singer Jamey Johnson, rock legend Robert Plant,  rockers Weezer and The Killer’s front man Brandon Flowers with his solo debut. Also of note, last week’s top album Sara Bareilles’ Kaleidoscope Heart takes a big fall from # 1 down to # 12 while Florence + the Machine’s Lungs takes a giant leap from # 44 to # 14. That move is spurred by their performance of the single “Dog Days are Over” at the MTV Video Music Awards last week and also propels the single to a giant move from 93 -21 on the Hot 100. Leading that singles tally for the first time by himself is newcomer Bruno Mars with “Just the Way You Are” which displaces Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”. Mars previously hit the top spot as a featured artist on B.o.B’s “Nothing on You” earlier this year and the top 5 accompanying Travis McCoy on his hit “Billionaire”. For more info on all the charts, head to Billboard here. And check out this week’s top singles and albums below.

Billboard Top Ten Albums
1. Linkin Park- A Thousand Suns (debut)
2. Trey Songz- Passion, Pain & Pleasure (debut)
3. Eminem- Recovery (last week~2)
4. Jamey Johnson- The Guitar Song (debut)
5. Robert Plant- Band of Joy (debut)
6. Weezer- Hurley (debut)
7. Now 35 Compilation (lw~ 3)
8. Brandon Flowers- Flamingo (debut)
9. Katy Perry- Teenage Dream (lw~ 4)
10. Justin Bieber- My World 2.0 (lw~8)

Top 10 Songs
1. “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 3)
2. “Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem with Rihanna (lw~ 2)
3. “Only Girl in the World”- Rihanna (lw~ 75)
4. “Teenage Dream”- Katy Perry (lw~ 1)
5. “DJ Got us Falling In Love”- Usher w/Pitbull (lw~ 6)
6. “Dynamite”- Taio Cruz (lw~ 4)
7. “I Like It”- Enrique Iglesias w/Pitbull (lw~ 5)
8. “Just a Dream”- Nelly (lw~ 7)
9. “Club Can’t Handle Me”- FloRida w/David Guetta (lw~ 9)
10. “Like a G6”- Far East Movement (lw~ 16)

Lady Gaga Dominates the VMA’s!

Lady Gaga was queen of tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards as her “Bad Romance” clip took Video of the Year honors and 7 other honors while her “Telephone” clip with Beyonce, grabbed one. The show was a big showcase for Gaga’s fabulous fashion, wonderful inclusive messages as she showcased true gratitude and excitement in her speeches. Eminem was the night’s next big winner with two awards for his “Not Afraid” clip which followed his triumphant performance with Rihanna. Other hyped performances came from Taylor Swift, Usher and Kanye West. Check below for my grades of tonight’s entertainers. Shepherding them through the evening was comedian Chelsea Handler who was as hilarious and ballsy and foul-mouthed as ever. Loved her. And how much did I love Cher showing up as “80′s Cher” to present the final award. Brilliant! For more info on the show and the winners, head to MTV here. Take a look at the full list of winners and my take on tonight’s performers below.
The 2010 MTV Video Music Award winners~

Video of the Year: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Pop Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Female Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Male Video: Eminem “Not Afraid”
Hip Hop Video: Eminem “Not Afraid”
Dance Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Rock Video: 30 Seconds to Mars “Kings and Queens”
Best New Artist: Justin Bieber “Baby”
Best Collaboration: Lady Gaga & Beyonce “Telephone”
Best Direction: Francis Lawrence (“Bad Romance”-Lady Gaga)
Best Art Direction: Florence + the Machine “Dog Days are Over”
Best Cinematography: “Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z & Alicia Keyes
Best Choreography: “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
Best Editing: “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
Best Special Effects: “Uprising”- Muse
Breakthrough Video: “Tighten Up”- The Black Keys

Ranking The Performances~

1. Florence + The Machine “Dog Days are Over“: simply brilliant. This girl who looks like a mix between Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks and Sarah Ferguson with the voice of Sinead O’Connor can sang! It was simple, glorious and had lovely choreography to compliment the fantastic vocals. Grade: A
2. Bruno Mars/B.o.B./Hayley Williams/Paramore “Nothin’ On You”/”Airplanes”/”The Only Exception”: Now that was a fantastic medley with three great emerging artists. Hayley and Bruno sang flawlessly and B.o.B. showed why he’s been so successful this year. Great. Grade: A
3. Eminem & Rihanna “Not Afraid/Love the Way You Lie”: At first I was worried he was lip synching, but as the song continued he proved he wasn’t with a great performance that was highlighted by Rihanna’s emotional contribution to their recent # 1 smash. (but what was up with the Carrot Top hair and Madonna “Like a Virgin” dress circa the 85 VMA’s?)… Grade: A-
4. Usher “DJ Got us Falling in Love/OMG”- ever the showman, Usher gave us the smooth groove and strong vocals he’s known for. Plus there was a great light show and cool choreography. (Points are deducted though because that “OMG” song is awful.) Grade: B+
5. Drake/Mary J. Blige/Swizz Beats “Fancy”: Drake channeled Sinatra and Mary and Swizz complimented him nicely but the song was just ok. Grade: B-
6. Linkin Park “The Catalyst”: Cool lights, Griffith Park, great energy and performance. Mediocre song. Grade: B-
7. Taylor Swift: “You’re Still an Innocent”: on this good song that was a thinly veiled response to last year’s Kanye-gate, Swift gave a dramatic performance and looked lovely. However, she still can’t sing live and was incredibly flat througout the number. Grade: C+
8. Justin Bieber “Baby/Somebody to Love”: Um, he lip synched. Argh. I’ll give him points for the drum solo though. Grade: D+
9. Kanye West “Runaway”: sorry, all is not forgiven. This ego fueled wanna be “apology” record was a boring arrogant epic fail. Grade: D

Also there were some brief performances in between commercials by Jason Derulo, NERD w/Ciara, Travis McCoy, and my favorite Swedish dance sensation on the comeback trail Robyn who did “Dancing on My Own”. All in all, it was a pretty good show at the Nokia Theatre tonight. Chelsea was a great host and we even got a little crazy Lohan to go along with the Jersey Shore shenanigans. Not much drama, but some good videos actually won for once. All hail the haus of Gaga!