Idolator

The occasionally reliable NME reports today that Simon Cowell is kicking around the idea of purchasing England's venerable Top of the Pops brand, which was largely abandoned by the BBC in 2006. While even the idea of a television show on a major network featuring "live" music from chart-topping acts (and nationalized health insurance) fills me with this-side-of-the-ocean jealousy, I have to wonder what a Cowell-captained TOTP would look like. More »

The AP reports: "A frog the size of a bowling ball, with heavy armor and teeth, lived among dinosaurs millions of years ago — intimidating enough that scientists who unearthed its fossils dubbed the beast Beelzebufo, or Devil Toad...It seems to be a relative of South American horned frogs, known scientifically as Ceratophrys. Popular as pets, they're sometimes called Pac-Man frogs for their huge mouths. Like those modern frogs, Beelzebufo had a wide mouth and powerful jaws, plus teeth. Skull bones were extremely thick, with ridges and grooves characteristic of some type of armor or protective shield." Fossil evidence also suggests the Beelzebufo sought out the sounds of Harold Faltermeyer, thanks to a petrified cassingle found along with the bones, and primitive headgear akin to early 20th-century motorcycle goggles. [Baltimore Sun / YouTube]

Now that it's the season for "Last Christmas," the 1984 Yuletide lament by Wham!, to blare from public loudspeakers all over the land, we figured the time was right to stage a Cover-Song Showcase Showdown for the song. There are many covers floating around out there, and we've selected four for you to download and vote on today: they come from, in alphabetical order, Crazy Frog, Hilary Duff, Jimmy Eat World, and Sarge. More »