Did you know that if you have a gmail account, any periods in your address that you think are necessary in order for an e-mail to get to you are actually… not necessary?!
I am always surprised by how few people know this.
So for instance, let’s say you meet Jane Jones and she’s like, “Oh yeah my e-mail address is JANE PERIOD JONES AT GMAIL DOT COM!” Whenever I hear someone say that period I get a little chill down my spine because clearly Jane does not realize that all of the following addresses will get to Ms. Jones:
Isn’t that kind of awesome? I remember my undergrad e-mail account had a period that we HAD to use. It’s pretty sweet that Google has done away with this period nonsense in e-mail addresses. Obviously I have no idea if this works for any non-Google e-mail accounts you might have, so you might want to check that out on your own.
I am a HUGE fan of Top Chef, but then again what Bravo show am I not a fan of? Oh yeah, The Fashion Show is awful. Anyways, I didn’t have great expectations for the show since it wasn’t going to be following the traditional Top Chef formula of following a bunch of wet behind the ears unknown chefs every week forming friendships/love affairs/rivalries all the while competing in some ridiculous cooking competitions.
This time around, each week we have four different famous chefs competing in a quickfire challenge and an elimination challenge where three are sent packing and only one chef moves onto the end of season final championship round with the winners of other weeks.
The problem with this is that we never get attached to any contestant since each week is a different group. Additionally, these are all professionals with reputations to worry about, so there is virtually no drama besides the drama inherent in the challenge. Since the chefs are all more experienced than the typical Top Chef contestant, the food tends to be better which makes for a less interesting episode without any major screw ups. There doesn’t seem like there is going to be any week where Tom Colicchio is like, “You guys were all awful this week and personally embarrassed me!” Speaking of Tom, both he and Gail Simmons are relegated to introducing the chefs at the beginning of each episode… and that’s the extend of their participation unless Gail needs to fill in. The judges are all renowned food critics this time around — luckily without Toby Young on the panel.
There has to be some upsides though, right? Kelly Choi, who I immediately recognized as the host of Eat Out NY who wears too much makeup, is definitely a more competent and credible host than Padme Lakshmi (although I do have some love for Padme). Also, I can’t wait to see what ridiculous hat Gael Green will wear each week.
I’ll continue to watch it since there is really NOTHING on television right now, but this isn’t going to become a favorite anytime soon. Where is the All-Stars Season we’ve all been dreaming of?? — yes, I know there was a single episode All-Stars Challenge but I want MORE.
In the U.K., the goal is the have the #1 single on the charts during Christmas, but here across the pond, the ultimate pop honor is to have the “song of the summer.”
In 2008, there was no clear winner: a toss up between the provocative “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry and the pulsing “American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West. In 2007, there was Rihanna and Jay-Z’s unstoppable “Umbrella” which followed another year where the winner was clear, with Shakira & Wycleff Jean’s “Hips Don’t Lie” went head to head with the Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” in 2006. Wrapping up our look back at recent history “songs of the summer” is Mariah Carey’s comeback hit “We Belong Together” in 2005, and she might be trying to give it another shot.
The common theme we see above is that it’s usually a female artist headlining the summer track, occasionally with featuring spot by a male artist, and it’s almost always the lead track for a new album (or in Mariah’s case, the first single to really garner attention since “It’s Like That” didn’t quite take off like “We Belong Together”).
Here are some of the songs I think are contenders:
Mariah Carey – Obsessed
Mariah jumps on the auto-tune bandwagon with a comeback lead single that is …a diss track? Shouldn’t this be on a mixtape or something. And to make matters worse, it is geared towards Eminem of all people. Mariah, you are so 2000 and late; nobody cares about Eminem.
Pros:
+ It’s Mariah
+ It has one of those empowering messages
Cons:
- Mariah doesn’t need auto-tune
- “All the girls say “ouhaouhohuikjlakjls”, how are you supposed to sing-along to that?
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David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over
After the terrible album “Ms. Kelly,” the other one from Destiny’s Child is back with a GREAT song. David Guetta had some serious success with “After the Love is Gone,” and he’s back with Kelly headlining the lead single of his new album, and this live love is taking over instead of being gone.
Pros:
+ Easy to sing-along to
+ Very danceable
+ Samples Coldplay’s “Clocks” without actually sampling it
Cons:
- It’s very gay
- Can Kelly Rowland still carry a single to a high position on the charts?
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Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester – Good Girls Go Bad
This is Cobra Starship’s first single to actually chart on the the Billboard Hot 100 which is a good start, and the song appeared to have a ton of momentum when it first came out a month ago, but it seems to have stalled ever since. We were given a behind the scenes look at the filming of the video back then… but where is the video already?? Perhaps the Leighton Meester sex tape scandal that just broke last night will give the song the shot in the arm it needs right now.
Pros:
+ Summer loves collabs
+ Gossip Girl buzz
+ The kind of song that is fun in a bar, a car, and everywhere in between
Cons:
- Neither are well established pop acts
- Not enough promotion
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Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo – Knock You Down
After being the behind-the-scenes kind of gal for years now, Keri Hilson tries after many attempts at a lead single to come up with SOMETHING and she finally does with “Knock You Down.” It is already all over the radio, but does it have the legs to last the rest of the summer? As a comparison, this song was released March 23, 2009, and “Umbrella” came out March 29th, 2007.
Pros:
+ Kanye and Ne-Yo
+ Great beat, interesting lyrics, etc.
+ Collab!
Cons:
- Keri Hilson is one of the least interesting pop personalities out there
- Will we still be jamming to it in August?
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If I had to put my money on one of these songs, it would be “Knock You Down,” but my personal favorite is “When Love Takes Over.” I’m sure the second Black Eyed Peas track has a shot, but I’m not really feeling it. If it was up to me, I think Little Boots’ “New in Town” that I mentioned just a few posts ago would be a contender as well, but I don’t think that song will take off in time in the United States.
What do you think will be 2009’s song of the summer? Leave a comment with your guess.
Back when I was in middle school and high school, and before mp3s hit the scene, I used to make actual mixtapes. I would buy tapes and sit next to the radio and press record the second a song would come on and depending on whether i liked it, I would would either keep it or rewind and start over from that spot. I think the final year I did this was my sophomore year, and I remember Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” being on one of those mixtapes and me absolutely loving the song.
With that said, you can understand my excitement, due to the nostalgia factor, when I stumbled upon a cover of the song by The Gossip on one of my favorite music websites, Pretty Much Amazing. Beth Ditto does the song justice and keeps it mellow without going crazy with the vocals as she can sometimes do. This is probably my favorite cover since Lady GaGa’s rendition of Viva La Vida. Apparently The Gossip has been performing this cover at their shows for a few years now. Whatever, it’s new to me! Head over to PMA if you wanna snatch the download.
And for good measure here is Beyonce’s brand new video for “Broken Hearted Girl.” It just came out today! It’s a MUCH better single than “Ego,” to be perfectly honest.
