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Katy Perry Gets Collared (And Capri-Pantsed) By Saudi Arabia’s Fashion-Morality Police

noah | April 16, 2009 3:30 pm
noah | April 16, 2009 3:30 pm

On the left, the cover of the ever-annoying Katy Perry‘s One Of The Boys as signed off on by the EMI art department. On the right, the cover of a copy of One Of The Boys that blogger Susie Of Arabia bought at a shop in Saudi Arabia for her kid*. You may notice a difference between the two—although you may not notice, given the fact that you’re looking at the two covers on a screen, that one is colored in with marker. It’s the work of Saudi Arabia’s Committee For Protection Of Virtue and Prevention Of Vice, which keeps sexism alive and well makes sure Saudi citizens adhere to Islamic guidelines regarding dress, morality, and prayer. The committee even has police, who are apparently armed with felt-tip pens for any trips they might make to the record store.

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“American Idol” Establishes The Save Statistic

noah | April 16, 2009 9:30 am
noah | April 16, 2009 9:30 am

Last night’s American Idol was supposed to be the episode where the well-meaning, Timberlakeish Michigan native Matt Giraud got sent home for making the United States’ viewing public sit through a second Bryan Adams song in the space of one hour. But he was granted a week’s reprieve thanks to the brand-new “judges’ save,” which basically allows for even more drama next week, when two people get banished from the couches. (Honestly, did anyone think that he wouldn’t get to sing for his life next week, given the way Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi practically climbed over the table to prove that, yes, he really did know how to love a woman?)

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Dave Matthews Continues “Cutting Out The Middleman” Trend

noah | April 14, 2009 12:00 pm
noah | April 14, 2009 12:00 pm

Dave Matthews announced the free availability of… More »



Wiseass Waiter’s “South Park” Fandom Causes Kanye West To :\

noah | April 13, 2009 11:15 am
noah | April 13, 2009 11:15 am

I bet he doesn’t even like them. More »


Eminem’s Fart Jokes May Be The Most Timely Bits Of His New Video

noah | April 7, 2009 8:30 am
noah | April 7, 2009 8:30 am

Eminem’s “We Made You” debuted on MTV earlier this morning, and its hodgepodge of slightly dated cultural references—Sarah Palin, “Gimme More”-era Britney, Jessica Simpson’s Dukes Of Hazzard cameo, the Lohan-Ronson romance, the words “rock star” being the linchpin of the chorus—make me wonder just how long he’s been working on this track, and if he’s been adding scenes to this clip since he first had the idea for it back in 2005. Which is too bad, because I actually like the side-of-the-mouth delivery he’s employing, as well as the way the chorus sounds. Clip after the jump.

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“American Idol” Pledges Allegiance To The Commercial And The Crazy

noah | March 5, 2009 10:00 am
noah | March 5, 2009 10:00 am

In addition to sending Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Jorge Nunez through to the Top 12, last night’s peppy-for-an-elimination-episode edition of American Idol set the field for tonight’s Wild Card round. And… well, it’s more than a little disappointing. People who completely botched their initial performance—Matt Giraud? Jasmine Murray??—made it through while the velvety-voiced Ju’Not Joyner, who actually sang well on Tuesday night and brought something different to a Dullsville track, sat on the sidelines. Could he be this year’s Alex Lushington, an R & B smoothie who was just too understated for Idol? Given that Tatiana Del Toro, who seemed to have been driven back to madness (perhaps from staring at the nightmarish collision of patterns splashed across her dress for too long), also made it into tonight’s pool, I’m going to say “Probably!”

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Britney Spears Causes Reporters To Wear Out Their Computers’ “S,” “E,” “X,” And “Y” Keys

noah | March 4, 2009 10:00 am
noah | March 4, 2009 10:00 am

Our look at the closing lines to the biggest music reviews continues today with a roundup of reactions to the opening night of Britney Spears‘ comeback tour, a circus-themed production that kicked off last night at the New Orleans Arena:

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Hold On, Heart Of Texas: Phil Collins’ New Love Is The Alamo

noah | March 4, 2009 9:30 am
noah | March 4, 2009 9:30 am

Phil Collins has renounced his life of overly self-referential videos and mugging for the camera for a new passion: The Alamo, the former Roman Catholic mission that was the site of the Texas Revolution’s Battle of the Alamo in 1836. Collins is in Texas for the anniversary of that battle, and he took some time out to tell a San Antonio News-Express reporter that he’s basically given up on his music career so as to fully indulge his obsession with the structure. Luckily, his esteemed stature went unnnoticed by a lot of Alamo enthusiasts who had no idea who he was!

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Festivals Celebrating 10th Anniversary Of Woodstock ’99 To Take Place In New York, Germany

noah | March 3, 2009 12:30 pm
noah | March 3, 2009 12:30 pm

OK, OK, so the shows planned for this summer are… More »



Universal Music Group’s Manufacturing Department Doesn’t Have Talent (But It May Have A Sense Of Humor)

noah | March 2, 2009 12:00 pm
noah | March 2, 2009 12:00 pm

The latest merchandising screw-up worth a giggle comes from the UK, where a pressing of the new album by Britain’s Got Talent winner Faryl Smith—a 13-year-old opera singer who even Simon Cowell likes (I can already hear the “you’re only 13!” echoes in my head)—was given music from a person who shares Smith’s surname, but not her style. Yes, that’s right, people expecting to hear Faryl Smith’s dulcet versions of standards like “Amazing Grace” and “Ave Maria” might instead be treated to the grumblings of Mark E. Smith, whose 2008 album Imperial Wax Solvent wound up being pressed to hundreds of copies of the disc, which is officially in shops a week from today. This has resulted in “severe words” beng flung the pressing plant’s way, as well as a chance for us to compare the vocal stylings of the two. Think of it as Britain’s Got Talent… But What Type Of “Talent” You Prefer Might Vary Widely!

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