Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker

Okay, this is HOT. Indie Rock Band Rilo Kiley are gearing up to release their 4th album entitled Under The Blacklight on August 21. This is the first album since the band's 2004 release More Adventurous. After that the band members decided to part ways to work on other projects for awhile. Lead vocalist (and former child star) Jenny Lewis released her first solo album Rabbit Fur Coat. The album, a beautiful collection of country tinged acoustic soul music, featured Gospel singing duo The Watson Twins and was hailed by many online and music magazine publications as one of the best indie releases of 2006.

Meanwhile lead guitarist and sometime vocalist Blake Sennett went on to enjoy his own success by forming the band The Elected, with whom he has released two albums so far.

The first single from Under The Blacklight is the funky, infectious (and did I mention Hot?)track, The Moneymaker. The video which officially runs for about 12 minutes features the audition process for the porn stars that will be featured in the actual video (which kinda insinuates that this is not for kids, which is about right). The actual song starts around the nine minute mark, and is shot in the gritty lighting, and old fashioned camera style of 70's era porn.

To watch the video, simply click here.

Who's Your Daddy?

After a long and drawn out battle to prove the paternity of her second child to it's unwilling father, Melanie Brown (aka Scary Spice) finally has the validation that she was looking for all along. Her child Angel Iris is indeed the result of her relationship with actor Eddie Murphy, as proven by a recent paternity test.

During her pregnancy Murphy denied the fact that he was indeed the father of this child, stating "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test". But Melanie, who insisted all along that it was his, still had her way when the baby was born by giving her both Murphy's last name, and her own.

When asked recently about her feelings for Eddie now, Mel simply stated "The less said about the Beverly Hills Cock the better."

Oooooh Zing! By the way, Melanie is looking damn good these days, sweet Lord!

More Zig-A-Zig AH!

Wanna see the girls talking about the reunion tour? Just watch the video above.

Girl Power Lives Again

Well, everybody can finally stop holding their breath, the Spice Girls are hitting the road for a reunion tour starting on December 7th.

The fab five, Victoria Beckham (Posh), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty), Geri Halliwell (Ginger), Emma Bunton (Baby), and Melanie Brown (Scary), who haven't performed together since 2001, announced in an official statement today that they will be doing 11 performances in various parts of the world, starting in Los Angeles on December 7th and ending in Argentina on January 24th 2008.

To get us all into the mood for the tour, EMI is slated to release the first Spice Girls Greatest Hits album in November. Might we expect a new song to be added to the hits package. That would make me so happy (Not that I'm not thrilled already, I can barely contain myself as is). And as if that weren't enough the girls have agreed to make their first ever documentary as a fivesome (Geri made a documentary about her life after leaving the Spice Girls halfway through their first world tour, and the other four girls subsequently made a documentary while touring America).

"It's going to be the most honest story that you've ever heard," Geri said. "You get to see the dark side of the Spice Girls, the gritty side, the tears."

To get tickets for the show of your choice, simply go to http://www.thespicegirls.com/ , choose the show you want attend and fill out your information.

Spice Up My Life!

Wow, I really shouldn't do this for a living because I am horrible at keeping up with this page. I have many stories that I want to write about, it's just a matter of finding the time to do it.

Okay so, at the top of the block is the news that the Spice Girls will be making an official announcement about plans for a (fingers crossed kids) future reunion tomorrow. Given that the girls are actually getting together to make an official statement, all signs are pretty much pointing to go, why would they get together to say that they're never going to reunite? They've been doing that for years and that would be really disappointing to the fans. But I don't want to give my hopes up. I'm sure if they do plan to do a small reunion tour of some sort, it won't be until next year, as Emma Bunton is expecting her first child in a couple of months, and Melanie Brown and Geri Halliwell have new children.

As well as that, I'm assuming they will only perform material from their first two albums. That or they will have to find a way to work Geri into the songs from Forever, as she left after the success of the Spice World album.

I'll write about the official announcement tomorrow. I simply can't wait. What do they have planned for us?

Melanie C - Carolyna

This is the latest single from Melanie C's latest album "This Time". I'm working on an album review right now so stay tuned. I'm loving the video, she looks exceptional.

Idina Defies Gravity, Again

Broadway and Film actress Idina Menzel, best known for her roles in Rent and Wicked, is preparing to release her third solo album later this year, the working title of which is Defying Gravity (which is the closing number of the first act of Wicked for those of you who don't know). The Tony award winner has even reworked the song into a solo single version which can now be heard and downloaded off of her official website or I-tunes. Give it a listen if you are a fan of the show, it has been re orchestrated (to better fit radio), and she has switched around a few of the lyrics (cutting out the dueted elements with the Glinda character, and replacing them with lyrics from the song The Wizard And I which shares a similar bridge.

In other Idina news, she will soon be seen in the Disney film Enchanted, starring alongside Amy Adams, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey, and Michaela Conlin. The tentative release date for this film is November 21.

An Angel For Melanie

As I mentioned in the below post, Melanie Brown was not present at the Christening of Geri Halliwell's little girl. That is because the former Scary Spice was busy with her own new bundle of joy. On April 3rd Melanie gave birth to her second daughter, she already has an 8 year old daughter, Phoenix Chi from her previous marriage to former Spice Girl back up dancer Jimmy Gulzar. She has named her new little one Angel Iris Murphy Brown. She weighed in at 5 lbs. 4 oz., and her publicist stated ...

" The baby is completely healthy with a good head of hair."

During her press release Melanie stated her reasons behind the name she chose.

"Angel, as she was my little angel through my pregnancy; Iris, as it's my Grandma's name, Murphy (as in Eddie) because he's the Dad and Brown, because I'm the Mum!"

Mel hooked up with Eddie Murphy last year, he in turn dumped her and denied that this child was his. He still refuses to acknowledge any paternal rights, but Mel stands her ground on the matter.

Congratulations Melanie!

Reunion Spice

Last Sunday, marked one of the first times that as many as four of the Spice Girls have appeared together in public since their split in 2001. The reason for this get together, was to celebrate the Christening of Geri Halliwell's 11 month old daughter Bluebell Madonna Halliwell. On hand for the occasion were Melanie C (in a very lovely dress, and workin' the bangs), Emma Bunton (who is expecting her first child with long time boyfriend Jade Jones this summer), and Victoria Beckham, whom Geri named as Bluebell's Godmother.

Melanie Brown was not present....and I'll get to that later. Bluebell who looked adorable in her white christening gown, and bouquet of Bluebell flowers, looks so much like her (newly svelte) mother.

The girls have repeatedly shot down rumours that they will be doing a reunion performance of any kind. But with the near happening during Live 8 that sadly never came to be, people cannot let go of the dream. Denial is a good thing.

Sexy Santa

American Doll Posse is set to be released on Tuesday. I've already heard the whole album, and I think it's simply fantastic. I can't wait to actually have it in my hot little hand. In the meantime, may I introduce to you the fourth member of the Posse, the silver haired, glam girl, Santa.

Tori describes Santa as follows...

"Santa relates to Aphrodite (Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty) and is the sensualist of the quintet. Through songs like the shimmery pop of "Secret Spell" or the wonderfully wicked "You Can Bring Your Dog" or the delightfully retro "Programmable Soda", Santa is somebody who's a girl's girl. She understands her fellow sisters and she believes that there is enough love and passion out there for everyone. But she won't accept that there is something perverted about being very sensual and she won't drink shame with her sensuality."

To get to know Santa a bit more before she appears on stage (possibly at a venue near you) with Tori during the tour, you can read her official blog. As an added bonus, Tori is now streaming the entire album on her myspace site, so for those of you who can't wait a few more days (and haven't downloaded it already), go take a free listen. Buy the album when it comes out though, support the artists.

Bjork - Wanderlust (Live on SNL)

This is the second of the two songs from Volta that Bjork premiered on Saturday Night Live last night. She has stated that after doing a few serious albums all in a row, all she wanted to do for this album was to have fun and do something that was full bodied and really up. Mission Accomplished I would say.

Bjork - Earth Intruders (Live on SNL)

As quickly as the official video for Earth Intruders made it onto Youtube, it was removed by Warner Music. Let's hope that NBC doesn't catch on as quickly. This song was produced by Bjork and Timbaland. She looks gorgeous, and after two albums of soft beats (2001's celestus inspired Vespertine and 2004's all vocal Medulla), Bjork is rocking it up. The military/tribal beats and brass instrumentation is so energetic and transfixing, it almost takes one back to the Human Behaviour era.

Patty Griffin - I Don't Ever Give Up

In two days I am finally going to see the spectacular Patty Griffin in concert. I figured, what better way to celebrate this wonderous occassion than by posting Patty's performance of I Don't Ever Give Up on Jay Leno. Enjoy.

Pip

The third member of the American Doll Posse is the sexy rock chick (and my personal favorite of the bunch) Pip. Here is Tori's description of Pip...

"Pip represents Athena (the Greek Goddess of wisdom), and swaggers her way through the driving "Teenage Hustling" and duets with Santa on the rollicking "Body and Soul". Pip, being the warrior that she is, does confront issues and sometimes it's explosive, but I really love her energy and her casual approach to leather."

To listen to a clip of Teenage Hustling click here, and if you would like to see the official video for the first single Big Wheel click here. For more information on Pip and her views on the world visit her official blog.

Does It Really Matter?

I wasn't going to comment on the whole Virginia Tech School shooting, mainly because it's too horrid to think/write about. I would however like to address the fact that whenever tragedies like this happen, everyone and their mother tries to find someone to throw the blame on, other than the people who did it. They want to psychologise everything, in order to understand why the person did what they did. So they over investigate every little detail and find someone or something in the media to pin it on. For instance, with the Columbine shootings, they blamed Marilyn Manson, because people who listen to his music become homicidal maniacs apparently, The Matrix, because they wore trench coats......(as we all know, fashion kills), and cult movie classic Heathers, because it depicted two high school students going around killing their classmates.

Now they are trying to blame the Virginia shooting on a Japanese movie called "Oldboy". The premise of the movie is that a man is unjustly imprisoned for 15 years, and when he gets out he goes on a rampage against his captor. In one scene he subdues a gang of henchmen with only a hammer. One of the pictures that the shooter sent to the NBC building, was of him holding a hammer in the same pose as the character in this film. So, even though this man didn't do anything to these poor people with a hammer.....this movie is to be blamed because of one picture......

Do we really need a reason for why this man did this horrible thing so badly, that we have to blame the tiniest and most insignificant things for his choice and his behaviour? Isn't it bad enough that he did it? Blame his mental instability if you have to blame something.

Isabel

The second Doll Posse member to be introduced to the masses through tori's official website is the Political, photogenic freelance photographer, Isabel

Isabel is described as follows.

"Isabel, a photographer, is a reflection of Artemis (the Greek goddess of light and protector of the vulnerable) and is the most outwardly political of the bunch. She opens the album with "Yo George", a shout-out to our commander in chief, questioning what horribly dark road we've been led down and closes the CD with the anti-war anthem "Dark Side Of The Sun".

Listen to Isabel's "Yo George" here. For more insight from Isabel, visit her official blog .

Volta

I was in HMV the other day, just walking around and taking in the sights and what should attract my attention but a little canary yellow card informing me that Bjork's new album "Volta" will be released on May 7th. I know....I was as excited as you are now. Since then I have been watching her concert/video DVDs and imagining what the new music will sound like.

From what I've read, the album has been entirely produced by Bjork herself and will feature 10 new tracks featuring input from the likes of Timbaland (ya, I thought it was strange too), Antony Hegarty (Antony and The Johnsons), and Mark Bell (who had a big hand in creating Bjork's album Homogenic).

The first single which was supposed to be released on April 9th (I haven't heard it yet) is called "Earth Intruders". She will be promoting the album with an 18 month world tour that should be announced in the next week or so. Bjork's record label "One Little Indian" has been describing her new tunes as the most commercial sounding work she's ever done. That kind of sentence kinda makes me worry, but Bjork has never let me down before so why would she now? Just look at the album cover.....she looks like a huge gum drop with feet.

I hope I don't have to share the concert hall with people who have only heard one album of material by her. I was kind of pissed off that people started loving her after the whole swan dress thing, but they still didn't really listen to her music. Tour details state that she will be doing a month-on, month-off schedule (I'm assuming because she has a little girl to raise too), and she will be joined on stage by 30 musicians.

Hello Clyde!

In the next few weeks leading up to the arrival of her 9th studio album, Tori Amos will be introducing the Doll Posse one by one and giving backgrounds on each of the girls, discussing their roles in creating the music and revealing the addresses for their official blogs in case you haven't already found them. The first of the five to be introduced, is Clyde (the mousy looking member with the orange eye shadow).

Clyde has been described as follows...

"Clyde, who draws from Persephone (the Greek goddess of spring and rebirth), wears her emotional wounds on her sleeve, but remains idealistic. She is looking at the effects of not being a whole person. She is trying to figure out what she believes in and she is dealing with having been disappointed in her life. Clyde is a little girl lost on the string-laden, gorgeous "Girl Disappearing", and on the heartfelt ballad "Roosterspur Bridge"."

Clyde is also to thank for the gorgeous "Bouncing Off Clouds" which can be heard here . For more information on Clyde, visit her official blog .

American Doll Posse Tracklisting

Okay so the very thought of a new album that may be her best since Choirgirl is exciting news in of itself, but I was sent the tracklisting for the album the other day by my brother. Thanks Graeme. It goes as follows....

1) Yo George

2) Big Wheel

3) Bouncing Off Clouds

4) Teenage Hustling

5) Digital Ghost

6) You Can Bring Your Dog

7) Mr. Bad Man

8) Fat Slut

9) Girl Disappearing

10) Secret Spell

11) Devils and Gods

12) Body and Soul

13) Father's Son

14) Programmable Soda

15) Code Red

16) Roosterspur Bridge

17) Beauty Of Speed

18) Almost Rosey

19) Velvet Revolution

20) Dark Side Of The Sun

21) Posse Bonus

22) Smokey Joe

23) Dragon

You can also read the lyrics for the tracks at http://dailynibble.blogspot.com. Enjoy everyone.

Christina Aguilera - Candyman

Okay, I've replaced it, because I love it.