Another September, another MTV Video Music Awards broadcast. I'm sure MTV execs long for the days when an audience can be shocked by a pop star in a wedding dress writhing on the floor making sexually suggestive moves. Or even for the days when that same pop star can wow audiences by kissing two women. Alas, those days are gone. Our generation is perpetually unimpressed. But, here's what might have caught your attention this year.
Of course, no award show could have ignored the biggest thing to happen to pop culture this year: Michael Jackson's death. The tribute to the King of pop was thorough and momentous including a grand speech by Madonna, choreography to some of Michael's greatest hits including Thriller and Bad, and, an icon in her own right, Janet Jackson performing Scream alongside Michael. Say whatever you will, and much has been said, but there will never be another.
The night took a negative turn shortly thereafter when Taylor Swift was awarded Best Female Video. Kanye West took Taylor's win over fellow nominee Beyoncé as a personal affront and took it upon himself to interrupt her acceptance speech, grab the mike from her hands and proclaim that Beyoncé had one of the greatest videos of all time. While what he said was 100% right, how he went about it was 100% wrong: it was incredibly disrespectful to everyone involved, but especially to 19-year-old Taylor. Kanye is an insufferable piece of shit.
Beyoncé later went on to win Video of the Year for Single Ladies and allowed Taylor another shot at her acceptance speech. Leave it to Kanye to make me feel sympathetic towards Taylor Swift (I really don't like that little girl very much).
The Twilight cast (who all looked absolutely miserable) was in attendance to premiere the extended trailer for their impending sequel, New Moon. Not gonna lie, it looks great. Can't wait to see the scenes with the Volturi. And, dear me, did you SEE Edward with his shirt off?! Good heavens.
Finally, Lady GaGa's performance, even after all the hype, was absolutely incredible.
Her vocals were the best I've ever heard them, the set was amazing, the concept brilliantly executed. Awesome, awesome. It's crazy to think that this is her first VMAs and she's only been in the spotlight for a year's time. She's so ahead of the game.
That's pretty much it for this year. Not the worst, not the best. Kinda meh. Below is a list of winners.
Video of the Year: Beyonce Knowles – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Best New Artist: Lady Gaga – Poker Face
Best Hip-Hop Video: Eminem – We Made You
Best Male Video: T.I. ft Rihanna – Live Your Life
Best Pop Video: Britney Spears – Womanizer
Best Rock Video: Green Day – 21 Guns
Best Female Video: Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me
Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman): Beastie Boys – Sabotage
Breakthrough Video: Matt And Kim – Lessons Learned
Best Art Direction: Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
Best Choreography: Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Best Cinematography: Green Day – 21 Guns
Best Direction: Green Day – 21 Guns
Best Editing: Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Best Special Effects: Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
Monday, September 14, 2009
VMA 2009 Post Coverage
Friday, September 11, 2009
New Music: Gleeful Greats
I raved about how fantastic I think Glee is in my review of the season opener yesterday, but for those of you who need a little more convincing, check out two songs from Wednesday night's episode. (If you're already a Gleek, consider this a treat =]). First up is the Glee Club's take on Kanye West's Gold Digger. Rachel's (Lea Michele) cover of Take a Bow by Rihanna follows. Listen and enjoy, luhvahs.
Gold Digger
Glee Cast
Take a Bow
Rachel (Lea Michele)
New Music: Mika Says 'Blame' the Girls...I'm With Him
It is gloomy here today in New York City; it has been raining since early morning, and, of course, today's significance is enough to put a dour fog on any day. So, when I'm feeling glum, I play music to cheer myself up and who better to put a smile on my face than the ever adorable Mika? Isn't it just serendipitous then that I got my mitts on Mika's brand new single this morning?
Blame It On the Girls is fantastic pop. The opening drums, handclaps, and piano draws you in immediately and Mika takes you for a ride. The lyrics are characteristically fresh, the melody customarily infectious and the song overall is less polarizing than lead single We Are Golden. Everyone can get into this.
Check out Mika's second single, Blame It On the Girls below. Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, will be available on September 21. I've also thrown in a live performance of We Are Golden. Allow Mika's joyous music and smile to brighten your day. I think I see the sun peering out...
Blame It On the Girls
Mika
The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Janet Jackson's HB Cover, A New Job for Ellen, "I Got You on Candid Camera w/my iPod Nano!"
Miss Jackson is looking fabulous on the cover of October's Harper's Bazaar. Go here to read the exclusive interview, her first since Michael's death.
America's favorite lesbian will be on America's favorite TV show: it's been revealed that Ellen DeGeneres will be the fourth judge on American Idol this season, replacing Paula Abdul. Ellen's absolutely amazing, but how much does she know about singing??
Steve Jobs is back on his feet after liver transplant surgery. He says he's fortunate to be alive and urges everyone to become organ donors. I agree. Updates were relatively light for Apple this year; thankfully my original iPod Touch isn't horribly outdated (yet). You can however purchase a new, metallic iPod Nano complete with video camera. Yeah, 'cause that's necessary. Also, iTunes Version 9.0 is now available.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
TV Review: Don't Be Shy, 'The Vampire Diaries' Has No Fangs
Vampire Diaries made its debut on the CW tonight without much bite. While I'm not familiar with the series of books the show is based on, I have seen all seven seasons of Buffy (multiple times), read the Twilight series and seen the movie (again, multiple times) and am waiting on pins and needles for the second season finale of True Blood on Sunday. I know vampires. I know they're hot right now. And it would seem that Vampire Diaries’ lifeless (in a bad way) pilot is the CW's attempt to cash in on the bloody cow. Or something like that. (I like malapropisms! And parenthetical thoughts!!)
Nina Dobrev, another Degrassi alumnus to get a break in Hollywood and star in her own show on the CW (You hear that, Cassie Steele?! You let TWO girls cut in front of you!!), plays Elena, a high school girl struggling with the loss of her parents. Surely, whoever employed Nina as the lead in this show has reviewed her work on Degrassi? Apparently, they overlooked her limited talent. In Vampire Diaries, that oversight is glaring; she plays Elena completely flat and her awkwardness in the scenes with lead vampire, Stefan, is cringe inspiring. I mean, I know her parents just died a few months ago, but damn, nothing brings you back to life like bumping into a smolderingly hot vampire in the hallway. Act like you know, girl.
Stefan, played by Paul Wesley, is perfect. The square jaw, the piercing eyes, the cute butt. He is exactly how I imagined Edward Cullen to be while reading the Twilight series. Robert Pattinson added in his own dorkiness, but it added to the charm and ended up working. Paul, however, has classic vampire down. Stefan starts off the episode saying, "I have to know her," 'her' denoting Elena, and I spent the first half hour wondering why in the hell anyone, dead or alive, would want to get to know her. It definitely isn’t her personality!
Lastly, there is Damon, the evil vampire played by Ian Somerhalder. Firstly, just to get it out of the way: Ian needs a haircut. Besides that, he’s pretty generic. While his brother, Stefan, has decided to live amongst people and live off the blood of animals, Damon, clearly a voluptuary, has not. And of course, he has this nasty grudge against his dear brother and likes to see him suffer. Not only was the pilot a solid hour of "meet the characters," but also the plot of episodes to come seem easily predictable, especially with the show’s similarities to the other popular vampire stories of the moment. I think the only way they’ll get viewers to stick around is if everyone is really hot and there’s vampire sex.
Well, it’s the CW -- so yeah, everyone’s really hot. Elena’s psychic best friend, her acquaintances, her ex-boyfriend (dear god), her ex-boyfriend’s sister, and even her little brother are all insanely attractive. Clearly, I need to move to Mystic Falls. The vampire sex thing remains to be seen. But they’ll do the right thing if they’re smart. As it’s only the pilot, I’ll be giving the Vampire Diaries another shot to surprise me next week. There better be less clothing.
Too harsh?? Too nice?? Sound off! Leave a comment.
TV Review: Cycle 13: Smaller Girls, Bigger Crazy
Tyra's back, and of course, she's bringing the crazy. For this unbelievable thirteenth cycle (like, seriously can you imagine this show ending?) Tyra has opened up the doors to aspiring young models shorter than 5'7". This is a bit of a stretch considering even the tall winners of ANTM have only seen limited, scattered success, but there's no contradicting Tyra.
Even though it's 'Le Cycle 13,' the general formula of the show is mostly unchanged with the exception of the shorter girls' inclusion. Oh, and Paulina Porizkova is gone. She'll be replaced by a different guest judge every week. Paulina was kind of weird and annoying, and new guest judges are more exciting besides. So, not exactly 'good riddance' but you won't actually 'be missed' either.
As is typical, the premiere ran for two hours with the 14 finalists selected at the end of the first hour. But the first hour of a season of ANTM is like the auditions for American Idol. Pure comedy. Amber, possibly the most insane, hilarious girl I've even seen on the show actually made it through to the final 14, but as she probably is actually insane, she dropped out shortly after, replaced by a Mila Kunis wannabe (who ended up the first girl to get the boot). It was actually sad seeing all the girls eliminated this time around. You know they're so short that this was really a one-shot opportunity... Oh, well!
The biggest difference in this cycle in my opinion isn't the girls' height but how gorgeous so many of them are. Sure, it's a modeling competition and there are always a couple girls in every cycle that are beautiful but I spent most of last night saying "She's so pretty..." That or "Wow, this bitch is crazy!"Usually I'm squinting at the screen trying to see what Tyra is seeing, but all the girls look like models this time around and the vast majority are breathtaking on film. It's one of the best bunches she's gotten together. My only issue is Bianca. Damn, did we really need another bald, black bitch?? Nnenna and Sandra and now this chick. These girls don't love themselves, they're insecurities are plain as day. Giving dark-skinned girls a bad name.
As this is the thirteenth cycle, I'm sure you know by know whether you like ANTM or not. I can only tell you that this season stands up to the ones that came before it, and has the potential to be even better. Instead of the bitchy catfights to come, I'm actually looking forward to seeing these gorgeous girls compete. Pictured above are the girls I think have the most potential. Agree? Glee and ANTM Wednesdays for me, yeee.
Will you be watching Top Model this season?? Which girls do you like the best?? Sound off! Leave a comment.
TV Review: Oh Em Glee
Glee. Is. Amazing.
Because of all the hype surrounding this show since the pilot episode aired a few months back, I decided to wait for the series' proper premiere to watch the show. I mean, why suffer all summer? Turns out I was (unusually) prescient in this instance; I couldn't imagine waiting three months to see the next episode!
Glee had me laughing out loud from start to finish. The humor is quick, biting, and relentless. There was much garbling about stereotypical, unoriginal characters after the pilot aired, but while the social hierarchy of the students may be archetypal, I have never seen these characters before. The satire turns everyone inside out, and while you think you know what roles these characters will play, it's wildly entertaining to watch them surprise you over and over again.
If this ensemble cast has a main character, it's Will, the hot Spanish teacher who becomes Glee Club director, played by Matthew Morrison. The show shuffles back and forth between his home life with his demanding, conniving wife and his school life concerning his relations with the rest of the staff and his Glee students. Rachel, played by Lea Michele, is the leader of Glee Club, passionately devoted to her craft and developing her talent, and the object of ridicule for the competing cheerleading squad and the football team. The rest of the Glee Club is made up of Finn, a conflicted jock with a big voice, Mercedes, a black R&B diva with a bigger voice (she is "Beyoncé, not Kelly Rowland!"), Kurt, a flamboyant, headstrong tenor in fierce designer fashions, Tina, an Asian goth chick with a stutter, and finally, the paraplegic Artie. It took me a while to place him, but I finally realized that Artie is played by Kevin from NLT(!!). You can't fool me with those glasses and that wheelchair, Kevin. I still see all that fine.
Of course, I expected the show to focus mainly on the kids, their hilarious antics and awesome talent. So I was a tad nervous to discover that it was mainly narrated around Will's point of view. Like, if there's one thing I couldn't stand about Degrassi, it was all the plotlines surrounding the adults. Who really cares about Spike and Snake's marriage? Not me. But, Will, again, is super hot, and Emma, the guidance counselor who holds a candle for married Will is so cute with her mysophobia. Not to mention, Sue, played by the superb Jane Lynch. She absolutely steals every single scene she's in. Brilliantly funny.
Now, brace yourself for the cheesy part. There's no better title for the show than Glee. As bitchy as everyone and despite all the facades the characters put up, the show manages to be incredibly heartwarming at times. This is, in large part, thanks to the music. There are three or four numbers per episode and it's really when everything clicks and comes together. Possibly my favorite thing about the show is how positive the message is about the arts without being preachy or uncool. All the kids in Glee Club are committing social suicide but they do it because they love it. And while we're on the subject of the music, Mercedes took Kanye's Gold Digger to church last night and Rachel straight-up killed Rihanna's Take A Bow. She reminds me of a mini Idina Menzel. I can potentially see that dancing and singing along with a sitcom is not everyone's thing. But it's a dream come true for me.
All in all, I can't recommend Glee enough. I loved every minute of it. The cast is extremely talented, the writing fresh and inventive, and the music phenomenal. There's no where else you should be on Wednesday nights.
Oh Em Glee, did you love it too?? Or do you think it's just a stupid musical pretending to be a sitcom?? Sound off! Leave a comment.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
TV Review: Melrose Place is AWFUL...ly good... Who knew?
The series premiere of the revamped Melrose Place aired tonight and color me surprised when 5 minutes in I didn't want to shoot myself and 20 minutes in I was actually into it. MP was not nearly as lame as I expected it to be. While that's normally a snide, queeny judgment, this time it's actually a compliment!
The CW has the 90210 kiddies with the emotional ranges of 8-year-olds, and it has the Gossip Girl socialites who are clearly grown up but restricted by the limitations of their high school roles. But, Melrose Place may just be what the CW has been missing: an adult drama. There's nothing holding the characters in MP back from taking it to the next level, and judging from the premiere, they won't disappoint.
First off, let me get it out of the way and say that everyone is hot. Duh, it's the CW. The show began with a half-naked Michael Rady (hence my rapt attention) who is ridiculously attractive and teasingly put his shirt on far too soon. And then of course there's the hot girlfriend, Riley, played by a Jessica Lucas migrated from 90210, and all the other fabulously beautiful residents. The gate on 4616 Melrose Place must read "You can't move in unless you're pretty."
The characters' beauty aside, the most intriguing aspect of the first episode was the juxtaposition of the goody-goodies and the ones who seemed to have misplaced their moral compasses. There's the earnest videographer pedaling his amateur film against the slutty, drug-abusing thief. There's the compassionate doctor-in-training versus the haughty, bisexual publicist who takes what she wants. The conflicts work because they're plausible and relatable: What would you do if someone offered you $5000 in tuition money in exchange for sex? (Mm, no comment). Or maybe you'd blackmail and exploit your way into stardom if you had the opportunity. All this combined with a murder in the first ten minutes of the show, and the subsequent whodunit, and Melrose Place becomes a dizzying, yet absorbing drama. Which totally knocked me down on my ass because I expected it to suck.
I guess I expected Melrose Place to be so bad because every time I heard about it or saw an advertisement, I would see Ashlee Simpson. Producers, pay attention: this is what we call 'poor marketing.' After the drab hour spent watching 90210, MP seemed like an oasis in a programming desert. I'll definitely be checking back next week to see if it was all a mirage, or if the show can make good on its promise and become even half as tantalizingly addictive as the original.
Did you love it, too?? Or maybe you hated it and you think I'm a moron?? Sound off! Leave a comment.
TV Review: 9021No.
90210 came back from the grave, or wherever it is that cancelled TV shows go and now it's back for its second season. Hot guys and scantily clad girls rampaging wild and loose in Beverly Hills, yeeeeee!! Wait. What's with all the suck??
90210 should work. It's got all the makings of a hit teen drama and the advantage of a template that it can shamelessly abuse. However, as shallow as the genre is purported to be, teen drama is evidently more than just the sum of its parts. 90210 is almost a parody of what it's trying to be. You can almost hear the writers and producers scratching their heads as they attempt to grasp the inner workings of a teenager's mind and the "whomp whomp" as they fail miserably.
The show's leading ladies are legitimately gorgeous, especially queen bee Naomi, played by AnnaLynne McCord, whose venomous facial expressions are something every self-respecting gay boy should be practicing in the mirror. But all the slow-motion scenes of the girls in itsy bitsy bikinis at the private pool club or strutting the school hallways in chic ensembles (Silver looked fabulous, didn't she?) isn't enough to overlook the show's stunning lack of decent dialogue. Wait, maybe 'decent' is too high a standard? How about any dialogue at all?? None of the characters actually talk to one another; there is only self-absorbed ranting that no one onscreen actually pays any attention to. 80% of the forced, contrived drama that will indubitably be rehashed on the show until at least January could have been resolved in the first episode if any of the characters cared to actually carry on a conversation.Also, what's with all the plot devices coming at you with the speed of an old granny in a walker? Annie, troubled by her deep, dark secret, pushing her friends and family away and turning to sex and alcohol? Called that, saw it on Degrassi five years ago. Naomi, jumping from man to hideous, double-chinned older man to keep her mind off the (smoking hot) guy who wronged her last season and, surprise!!, has enrolled in all of her classes this year? Yeah, not surprised. And what's with all the disingenuous histrionics? One day, Silver has no idea whether she wants to be with Ethan or Dixon, the next she "can't breathe, can't breathe" *rolls eyes* because she knows it's Dixon now but he doesn't want to be with her, and the next the bitch is totally fine and absolutely WERQing a fierce outfit down the halls of her school (seriously, that belt was fire). Spare me. Oh, and another thing: does it have to be so blatantly obvious that none of these people are remotely close to 16??
I'll give the show another shot next week in the hopes that Naomi will make another stank face and Liam will take his shirt off for some reason, but, unless Ethan and Tabitha both come back to the show and start making out with each other, I almost certainly won't be following 90210 this season. There's just too much else on this year.
Think I was too harsh? Did you absolutely love it?? Sound off! Leave me a comment.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Fall Premieres - Reviews
It's that time again. Time for fall premieres! What shows will you be watching this season? Check back here throughout the next few weeks to read impressions of the shows once they air and see what's worth following this fall. Am I missing a show on the calendar?? Did I get a show's review totally wrong?? Give me feedback and I'll follow your favorites.
Monday, September 7, 2009
New Music: Former Cheetah goes solo with 'Superbad'
Recently liberated from the Cheetah Girls, Adrienne Bailon has signed a solo deal with Def Jam and is looking to release her debut album later this year or early 2010. The 25-year-old seasoned veteran is venturing out on her own after her success shuffling back and forth between girl groups for the last ten years -- 3LW's debut album was certified platinum and the Cheetah Girls brand, one of the most popular and profitable brands Disney has created in the past decade, has racked up five Billboard-charting albums (one achieving double platinum status) and tens of millions of dollars in revenue from three movies, four nationwide tours, and countless merchandise.
Rumored first single Superbad is an upbeat, club track with decent production by D'Mile. Adrienne, a very capable, competent vocalist, sounds great, but the track itself lacks any semblance of personality. The catchy hook stands out as it calls to mind the 2007 film of the same name and Adrienne's vocal delivery manages to keep the song from backsliding into the gray void of monotony, but the unfortunate truth is she will probably need more than this to make an impact on radio. Adrienne is reportedly working with the likes of Brian Michael Cox and The Dream for the new album. If her solo debut does see release -- and I sincerely hope it does, as I love Adrienne's voice -- I wouldn't be at all surprised if she picked another single to lead.
Check out Superbad for yourself below and drop a comment to let me know what you think.
Superbad
Adrienne Bailon
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Newsweek Interviews Lady GaGa
Regular nodnarb readers are well aware that the man behind the blog is completely enamored with Lady GaGa. I believe that she is the future of pop music; a powerful combination of talent, daring, focus, and artistry. She is experiencing great success with her debut album, The Fame, and is distinctly ahead of the curve in every move she makes. Love her or hate her, Lady GaGa demands your attention.
Above is the first, ferocious shot from Lady GaGa's upcoming spread with British Vogue, discernibly inspired by the impending rerelease of her debut, newly titled The Fame: Monster. Below is a recent interview with Newsweek in which GaGa explains her concept of fame, what she hopes to accomplish with her updated debut album to be released this fall, and her upcoming VMA performance, which with she intends to "inspire a movement." Read on...
Listen to the track Lady GaGa wrote (and sang backing vocals) for Michael Bolton below.
Murder My Heart
Michael Bolton featuring Lady GaGa
One World, One Love
P.S. It was just announced that Lady GaGa is the songwriter and performer behind the #1 and #3 most downloaded songs in UK history! Poker Face has amassed an astounding 779,000 downloads in a year's time, followed closely by the 700,000 downloads of her debut single Just Dance. Incredible. Congratulations.
Chuck Goes Gay?? Tell me more...
At the conclusion of season two of GG, Chuck and Blair finally dispensed with all the excuses and admitted their love to each other (at the same time). Heartwarming, wasn't it? The evil schemes these two will plot together this season is one of my main reasons for tuning in. Early buzz for the third season reveals that one of those schemes will involve our favorite motherChucker getting in touch with the roots of his literary counterpart. That is to say, Chuck will (however briefly) be playing for the other team. Will he be getting hot and heavy with his best frenemy Nate?? Read on to find out...
Meet Neal Bledsoe. No, Chuck won't be making out with Nate *pout*. But, I mean, c'mon, how could they explain that? No, Ed will have to settle for Mr. Bledsoe instead, who may not be quite as dreamy as Chace Crawford, but is certainly handsome as far as consolations go. The relatively unknown Bledsoe will play an influential alumnus that Blair will need to manipulate to get her way. Enter a seductive Chuck. Ah, can't wait!
In a recent interview, Neal was asked about his reaction to the role and the slightly controversial smooch. He asserted: "Things like that shouldn’t matter. Unfortunately for some actors things like that do matter and they’ll turn down projects because of it. I thought it was a really fun episode. I had an awesome time doing it. And I think it would’ve been a shame if I was not open-minded enough to do the episode simply because I had to kiss another man."
Um, swoon. Can we keep him?
Sadly, it would seem that Neal is only sticking around for the one, steamy episode. But, silver lining: he's also scored a role in the upcoming Sex and the City sequel. Good on you, Neal! There's literally four pictures of Bledsoe on the internet as of this posting. But if he keeps pleasing the gays like this, we'll make sure he has a steady paycheck.
New Music: Leona Lewis just wants to be 'Happy'
Leona Lewis is officially back on the scene. After a few tracks from her upcoming album, Echo, leaked some weeks ago, we now have the official lead single. Leona co-wrote Happy with Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart, but ten seconds into the track and you could have figured that out for yourself. It's so very irritating when one producer gets branded a "hitmaker;" it only translates to monotony on the radio. Happy is filthy with Tedder's footprints; his formula for creating a stellar, striking pop song is clearly perfected, but the sad reality is we've heard it too many times before. Case in point: after I heard Happy for the first time, I had Bleeding Love stuck in my head.
"Happy is filthy with Ryan Tedder's footprints."
"Mid-tempo, power pop ballads are Leona's bread and butter; Happy is almost certainly her next big hit."
Happy
Leona Lewis
Echo
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Crystal Kay Promotes New Album: Watch 'KnO,' Listen to 'Step by Step' & 'Helpless Night' ft. Jin Akanishi
Crystal Kay performs 恋におちたら for the umpteenth time and I still swoon. She just sounds and looks so good. Love the pose at the end! Of course, Crystal is pimping out her most successful single to date on Music Fair to promote her new compilation album, BEST of CRYSTAL KAY, which is actually selling fairly well. I was a tad nervous when her double A-side After Love/Girlfriend basically bombed, but I guess a catalogue of all her hits along with Jin Akanishi's name on the cover of the CD is providing more of an incentive. As I've mentioned before, the album is absolutely amazing in all its awesomeness, and you should definitely pick it up if your a fan. Check out a couple of the tracks from the new disc below.
Step by Step
Crystal Kay
BEST of CRYSTAL KAY
Helpless Night
Crystal Kay featuring Jin Akanishi
BEST of CRYSTAL KAY
Step by Step must be a lot like crack. I don't know, I'll have to ask Whitney. But, seriously, I start to itch if I haven't heard it over six hours. It's the best result one could have imagined from a collaboration with Yasutaka Nakata; Kuri brought out the best in his style. Love it. Helpless Night is nice, but leaves a little to be desired. I'll go ahead and blame that on Jin; he just doesn't sell it. I would have preferred Wonder to be included instead, but again, it's not a bad listen. Honestly, with the After Love/Girlfriend single and the four new tracks included in this set, Kuri was well on her way to a new studio album. I'm a bit flummoxed as to why all these great tracks and high profile guests are being relegated to a first-press special edition disc, but then again, Crystal is never really promoted well. All we can do as fans is support our girl =D.
Because I can't help myself, I'm throwing in this video of Crystal Kay and BoA in the studio recording Girlfriend. They're so encouraging of one another. And Kuri doing the Eat You Up choreo!! かわいい！！
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