About a month ago, a Rihanna track by the name of Bad Girl leaked from the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack. Like most Rihanna songs of late, it knocks and I've been playing it regularly. On the official soundtrack however, The Pussycat Dolls have replaced Rihanna on the track. Nicole sings the song exactly the same; the only difference is Chris Brown's rap is excluded from the PCD version. As vocalists, I easily prefer Nicole to Rihanna and I'm sure the Dolls can turn out a hot video for the track if it ever gets released as a single. But the song suited Rihanna so well that I wish she could have kept it. What do you guys think?
Yes, yes, yes. These girls needed a hot video in the worst way, and damn, did they deliver. The Bottle Pop video is smokin'! The one song on the album that wouldn't lead you to believe that Nicole is in love with herself makes for the most entertaining PCD video from Doll Domination. The choreography gets SERIOUS around the two-minute mark. Check out the Snoop-less version below. (I believe the official US version of the video will include Snoop).
A few international acts took to the stage to perform before the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. And I'm sure neither one of them knew who any of the performers were.
Don't Cha/I Hate this Part/When I Grow Up
Is it me or are the Dolls just not as entertaining as before? Nicole just isn't as beautiful as she used to be, her voice not as solid, and you can only watch five b****es jump around in knee-high boots and catsuits so many times. Don't get me wrong -- PCD will still blow Britney out of the water as her opening act next year -- they've just lost their novelty.
Run
Leona gave her usual, stunning performance. Fierce dress, girl. Her management finally got with the program and released Run as a single in the US a couple days ago. Now she can take over the world again. Love it, love it.
Take a Bow
With Beyoncé stealing some of the shine, Rihanna's not looking as bright. Granted, she probably is the artist of 2008, but 2008 is damn near over. Time for a new album, sweetie. Live performances are not her forte, but I liked the mask and the dress.
I can't tell you the last time I watched the AMAs, but this year's show had a lineup I couldn't miss! Just about every big name in pop music performed (and I'm sure you noticed, most of them were divas). Unfortunately, just about every performance was negatively affected by incompetent sound people, and many performers were competing with the music to be heard. That blip aside, it was a great show and next year's Grammys will have a hard time coming up with something better. My girl Christina opened the show with a medley of hit songs from her career.
I know she's promoting the greatest hits CD, but I think I would have preferred her to do just one or two songs, even if it was Keeps Gettin' Better. The medley was fun to watch for me as a fan, but because she only sang each song for a minute, I feel like she never really got into any of the songs and caught a stride. The costume was versatile and awesome, though. And while it wasn't the best day she's ever had vocally, plenty of artists still wish they had her pipes.
P!nk was awesome. Her mike wasn't loud enough, but her voice is still amazing. While not a powerhouse, that raspy quality adds that uniqueness to her music and gives her a signature sound. Her duet with Sarah McLachlan later in the show was beautiful, as well. Still not exactly feeling Sober, though.
Leona Lewis looked great and sounded great. She did all the riffs I thought she should have done in the studio version of Better In Time. I still think the song, while pretty, is rather bland and didn't make for an engrossing performance.
Now, I really don't care much for Miley Cyrus. But, this was a great performance. She's clearly not the most talented vocalist, but she played to her strengths and engaged the audience. I loved the billboard people. Kudos, Miley.
I am officially a Beyoncé fan again... but not because of this performance. I've seen the video for Single Ladies so many times and seen a few live performances, and now it's just kinda boring. Case in point: I know the choreography so well that I noticed her f*** it up at one point. Also, is it me, or did her legs look weird? All that said, it was still a great performance. She wielded that ponytail like a deadly weapon. Though, I do wish Justin could have replaced one of her dancers.
PCD has fallen off. They seemed determined to stay relevant with When I Grow Up, but ever since then the ship has been slowly sinking. While I Hate This Part has definitely grown on me, the live rendition wasn't exactly impressive. And then Nicole went on to that incredibly long, incredibly sour note before the dance breakdown. Back to the drawing board, ladies. Away. I LOVED Nicole's dress on the red carpet, though. Fabulous, Christian, just fabulous.
Finally, a "merit" award recipient that doesn't put me to sleep! Annie Lennox is so f***ing awesome. Like, seriously. Enough said.
Natasha shut it down. Her voice is incredible. My only complaint is that she didn't sing enough of Soulmate, my favorite (and her favorite) track off of her most recent album. But, damn, she was amazing. She killed Pocketful of Sunshine. Best vocals of the night, IMO. And that's saying something because it's me and Christina performed. OK.
Yes! Yes! Amazing way to close the show. Uh, LOVE Queen Latifah! (I'd love her more if she just CAME OUT ALREADY, but still). What a performance. I was like "Who the hell is Kathleen Battle?" And then she came out and my roommate and I were like "Oh, opera singer." It was awesome. Way to go, Alicia, repping for the sistas. She had too much make-up on all night, but I still love her to death. She can do no wrong.
Other performers:
New Kids on the Block: More like Old Farts on the Stage. They looked, sounded and moved like s***. Please retire. Forever this time.
Taylor Swift: What's the big deal with this girl? The most interesting thing about her is that she dated a Jonas. And, trust me, she knows. That's why she can't stop talking about it. I don't get it.
Coldplay: Chris Martin was loopy like always, but it was awesome. Love their sound.
Mariah Carey: How about this, Mimi? How about you just put up a cardboard cut-out of yourself up on stage and save the trip. I mean, it's not like you're going to move or sing anyway.
Rihanna: While Rehab will definitely be another notch on Riri's belt of hits, she still needs to learn a thing or two about stage presence. She looked hot, though.
Kanye: I'm sorry, I tried, but I'm not feeling any of his new music. And while watching him give an acceptance speech is a nail-biter, watching him perform is a yawn.
It's no Umbrella, but it's really quite catchy. It quickly shot to #1 on the Hot 100 chart last week, so clearly someone, somewhere agrees with me. I doubt it'll inspire many people to go out and buy the re-release of Good Girl Gone Bad but, it's another hit Rihanna can add to the list.
When I Grow Up - The Pussycat Dolls
I love it now. Love, love, love. Check out the performance below if you haven't already.
American Boy - Estelle/Kanye West
I'm kinda late catching on to this song, but it's definitely poised to be the crossover hit Estelle has been waiting for. She owes a lot to Kanye, though; his flow takes the track to the next level.
Ur So Gay - Katy Perry
Katy Perry is quickly climbing the charts with her single I Kissed a Girl, but I love the catchy kiss-off that is Ur So Gay. I'm going to go ahead and predict that Katy will garner a lot of attention this year. She's a new artist who can actually sing and she's got clever lyrics to boot. Not to mention, gorgeous.
Damaged - Danity Kane
I've been singing "How you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it" for months now and it hasn't gotten old. I'm surprised that five girls with minimal talent being managed by Diddy have been able to last this long, but I won't knock the hustle.
The Pussycat Dolls are back, after Nicole's disastrous attempt at a solo career, and minus the red-headed tranny they used to run with. New single When I Grow Up is one of those damn annoying songs that become more tolerable the more you hear it and, before you know it, you're requesting it at clubs and parties. I'm not quite at that last stage but, this performance is certainly helping me along. The Dolls have still got it; with choreography and Nicole's vocals on point, as usual. PCD are set to release the follow-up to their super successful debut this summer, along with baby prostitutes Girlicious.
So, Girlicious comes on every Wednesday night right after Top Model, and I can't turn off my TV fast enough. I admittedly watched the first season of the show, but the premise was different; they were looking for a girl to add to the Pussycat Dolls, and this time around, creator Robin Antin wanted an entire new girl group. Which begs the question: just how many Pussycat Dolls does the world need? The show's over now and the group has not only been decided but has already released their first music video for lead single Like Me, which you can check out below. Now, Robin has said that Girlicious would aim for a slightly younger demographic than the Pussycat Dolls has targeted, but these girls are lookin' pretty trashy. They wear less clothes than PCD, but they may be to compensate for their general lack of talent; there's no Nicole or Melody in the group as far as vocals are concerned.
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