An unlikely friendship between two iconic stars. More »
The ’80s icon is remembered for hits like “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” and “Brand New Lover.” More »
Obviously, we need to talk about the new song that takes over the top of Billboard‘s Hot 100, and the mind-blowing record it sets.
But before we do that, let’s talk about Hilary Swank.
I find Swank’s movie career totally incomprehensible: She either wins Oscars, or she tanks. Not even Meryl Streep has won two Best Actress statues, yet in under a decade Swank has gone to that podium twice, like some kind of modern-day Katharine Hepburn. You’d think that would make her one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, or at least its most respected. Sure, she wins roles in some blockbuster-type stuff (The Core) or prestige-like stuff (The Black Dahlia), but these movies are invariably flops. Swank’s successes seem to have had no impact on her career, or the way she’s regarded by the general public. She’s some kind of metaphor for the in-and-out nature of post-millennial fame.
All this leaps to my mind when I consider Flo Rida, the rapper who reaches No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the second time, with the kind of sales total that you’d think would make Lil Wayne, Kanye West or Jay-Z bow respectfully.
But if I were them, I wouldn’t. Because after all, who is this clown? How did Flo Rida become the Hilary Swank of pop music?
Eminem’s “Crack A Bottle” sold 418,000 downloads in its first week at digital-music stores, setting a record for first-week download sales and propelling itself to No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100. That total is also third on the all-time list of single-week sales, behind Lady Ga Ga’s “Just Dance” (which moved 419,000 copies for the Jan. 10 chart week) and Flo Rida‘s “Low” (which sold 467,000 copies the week of Jan. 12, 2008). Those are nice numbers for the long-absent Slim Shady, sure, but if the current iTunes Store top 10 is a bellwether, his record could be short-lived—thanks to the combined power of Flo Rida, Dr. Luke, oral sex, and Pete Burns.
“I just wish it was 1987 again, and Pete was still signed to a major and making great pop records. All this reality TV shit has killed a part of him. He was one of pop’s greatest mysteries at one time, now he’s on the internet getting rimmed… More »