So you think Sarah Silverman's a caustic comedian who gets her kicks desecrating taboos and offending people, eh? Well, you are right in that case. But she is also a connoisseur of heartbreak folk music, as evidenced by the short but great playlist she's just put together for venerable SoCal radio station KCRW. Her picks:
Aww. Those weepers are some keepers. (You can stream all of them, plus Silverman's narration from the radio broadcast, over at KCRW's site.) Your turn: What do you think of Silverman's playlist? And what sincerely sad-eyed tunes would you add to the pile?
Doing some fall closet cleanout over the weekend, I came across a stack of old cassingles -- oh how the word 'cassingle' warms my heart -- and decided it was time to make like Beyoncé and Jay-Z and upgrade 'em. So I headed over to iTunes and downloaded such delights as Weezer's "Undone (the Sweater Song)," Pebbles' "Giving You the Benefit," and K7's "Come Baby Come." (Let he who is without early '90s musical sins cast the first stone!)
Unfortunately, I discovered that several songs I wanted weren't available on iTunes, including the following:
Outrage alert! Tell me how iTunes can justify their failure to provide the public with these tragic essential tracks? And more importantly, where can I get 'em? And while we're on the subject, share with your fellow PopWatchers the list of songs you love that you haven't been able to purchase digitally. As a reward for not mocking my musical taste too brutally your participation, I've embedded the video for "Where Did the Love Go (Say What, Say What, Say What?)" after the jump. Ch-ch-check that hot flute line. You know you love it!
It's that time again…time for your iPod to spill dirty little secrets about your music-listening habits. So go directly to your "most recently added" playlist and share the five newest songs and/or albums in your music collection. (No editing to try to boost your "coolness factor" either!) Here's mine:
* Information Society's self-titled CD (because I only had it on -- gasp! -- tape) (All together now..."Pure Energy!")
* Duffy's "Mercy" (the rest of the album kinda blows)
* Sandy B.'s "Make the World Go Round" (Deep Dish Edit) (catcalls and insults pertaining to my love of this track are strictly verboten!)
* Kerli's Love Is Dead * Solange's Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (Believe it or not, gave Beyonce's little sis a B+ review in a recent issue of EW.)
So You Think You Can Dance has been TV's tastiest summer treat thanks to its cast of high-quality hoofers, but this year, I've discovered a second reason to love the show. Indeed, watching SYTYCD (which has its season finale tonight on Fox...sadness!) is now my favorite way to find new songs, and to rediscover great oldies (Viennese waltzes set to the Goo Goo Dolls not included). Below, you'll find my Top 10 Dance Playlist from SYTYCD's fourth season*. Press play and enjoy 'em, then post your favorite songs from the show in the comments section below.
"The Garden" by Mirah This crashing beats and rapid riffs in this story of love and loss provided the perfect background for Sonya Tayeh's crazy-cool choreography and Mark's quirky moves.
Hi. I'm barely alive today. This whole summer, actually. THE HEAT. I can't take it. I want to crawl in a hole and come out on September 22nd. But this isn't interesting. iPod Inspections are! Time to put your entire library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that speak to you in any way re: The Dead of Summer. Bonus points if the titles don't contain the word "sun" -- 43 of my songs do, for the record. Your choices will still be a lot sunnier than mine:
Killing Me Softly -- The Fugees (pictured) Help! -- The Beatles Evil -- Ladytron Makes Me Wanna Die -- Tricky Time Stands Still -- Cut Copy
And a bonus: "Rhythm of the Night," by Corona, because something supremely boppy has to snap me outta this funk; plus, Corona is both part of the sun and what should be pumping through one's veins in a steady drip throughout this entire, horrible, no good very bad month. Happy August, y'all!
So the update of the '90s TV classic Beverly Hills, 90210, is just around the corner (Sept. 2 on the CW), but it wasn't until I found this goodie that I truly believed the West Beverly Hills gang had reached the 21st Century: a 90210 iPod Nano!!
The limited-edition gadget, which is available on a CBS site — um, yeah, we don't quite get why it's for sale there either — flaunts a lovely laser-etched picture of Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, and Dylan. It would be nice if it also came with loaded episodes of the series and an MP3 of the theme song, but apparently that's not the case.
Nonetheless, I would totally rock this Nano if I didn't already have the pink one. Would you guys? Or is this idea totally lame? Discuss below!
Last night, returning home from a weekend visit to visit my mom's house, I was charged with the all-important task of doling out Werther's Originals delicious snacks and playing iPod deejay. The last five songs on our road trip prove that I was subconsciously in the mood for songs with parenthetical song titles (but then again, when am I not?) and that I was feeling nostalgic for late '80s/early '90s dance music. Here's the unfiltered (and not completely embarrassing) set list:
Okay, I got the party started, and now it's your turn: What were the last five songs you played on your iPod (or stereo)? And remember: No editing allowed, even if you're coming off a deeply dubious "Macarena"-"Mambo No. 5" double-header!
Earlier this week, Gawker stumbled upon a page on Last.fm that shows the music files its users have most often deleted. The ensuing comments sent me down a shame spiral, reminding me of the time I tried to erase the catchy head-bopper "Popcorn (Techno mix)" (it helps me write about DWTS, I swear!) mere hours before my friend with superb taste in music came to stay in my apartment. CHECK IT:
Oh, crap. Slezak just IMed me to fact-check this post: "Did you really delete 'Hot Butter' before Kristian's arrival?" And you know I cannot lie to the Blogfather (unless it's about how great he looks in a zesty new shirt): "No...I removed it from an iTunes playlist, but I did not delete it from my computer."
Big diff. Now it's your turn. Heed the command in the headline above and name the last song you deleted out of shame!
Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You tell me the last five singles/albums you've purchased/downloaded (spill the beans in the comments section below), or else I'll have to subpoena your credit-card records* and expose your secret Jonas Brothers obsession with your fellow PopWatchers.
Jill Scott, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac, Rumors (Indeed, the upgrade from cassette tape was tragically overdue.)
Jason Castro, "I Don't Wanna Cry"
EMF (pictured), Schubert Dip (That's right… the entire album, a polarizing decision which has won the hard-earned respect of my friend Drew, and the scornful opinion from my husband that I could've achieved the same result by spending 99 cents on "Unbelievable" and hitting "repeat" 10 times in a row. Check out the live version of "Girl of an Age" embedded after the jump and decide for yourself.)
* Surely this sort of thing is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, yes?
Now it's your turn: Hit that shuffle button, and share the first five songs that play. Editing to make yourself (and your taste in music) sound cooler is strictly verboten.
As Christina Aguilera so poetically put it (while wearing a pair of bottomless chaps), it's about time that I came to start the party. And what party is that, you might ask? Well, the party where you check the "Top 25 Most Played" list on your iPod or your iTunes or your MP3 player of choice, and reveal what songs rank No. 21-25. I'll go first; you raise the roof in the comments section below!
My iPod has been looking extra sassy in '08 -- thanks to a jaunty leather case I got from Santa -- but the problem is, now she's acting all diva. This morning, for example, she demanded I download some new music or else she's going to give me nothing but a steady stream of Ace of Base for the next two months. (Yes, there's some Ace of Base on my iPod, and quit trying to play like you're not going to go download "Beautiful Life" right this second.)
Anyway, since our monthly iPod-inspection reports have been a great source of download ideas, I thought I'd (selfishly) post another. So let's do the one where we all hit shuffle, and then post the first five songs that come up. Ready, set, confess!
Last weekend, in the midst of putting together a dinner-party playlist, I noticed something surprising: There are several hundred songs that I've never played on my iPod (which I've had for a year and a half) or the iTunes on my computer (which I've had for more than two years). And these ignored tracks don't just include album filler that I haven't gotten around to deleting; dozens of favorites have been sitting dormant for the last 24 months, just waiting for me to press play. Here's my top five:
How about you guys? Give your music library a good, thorough once-over and then share with your fellow PopWatchers: What are the five best songs you never play?
It's been about five months since we performed the ultimate test of your current musical mood. So grab your iPod (or other music-playing device) and 'fess up: What were the last five songs you played?
Mine is a random mix of "recently added" tunes, and dare I say, not quite as embarrassing as my usual fare. (Yeah, yeah, I know…you'll be the judge of that.) Either way, mad props to colleagues Annie Barrett and Dave Karger for helping me get hip to the last track (and artist) on my list. Catch the can't-miss embedded video, after the jump!
It's been a month since we last played a game of "iPod Inspection," and today, I thought it might be fun to just hit the old "Shuffle Songs" function, and see what my little silver friend has to say about me. So without further ado...
Susanna Hoffs (pictured),
"Only Love" Omara
Portuondo, "Siempre en Mi Córazon" Anastacia,
"I'm Outta Love" Crystal
Waters, "The Boy From Ipanema" Madonna, "Hollywood"
Alrighty then!
Apparently, my iPod is saying I'm gayer than a tangerine wearing a feather boa
shopping for ginger bodywash at Origins, but I think most of you already knew
that. So moving right along, what are the first five songs you get when you hit
'shuffle,' and what do these tracks reveal about who you are (if anything)?
There's a dark cloud over my head, today, P-Dubs — literally and figuratively. I mean, we haven't even reached the last week of August, and yet for the past few days, it's been chilly and overcast here in New York. What happened to summer? More importantly, why don't I have a good, solid playlist of totally depressing songs for days like this? Clearly, I need one, so I'm going to start by listing my five favorite dirges, then you guys can each add five of your own. Let's get the pity party started!
True confessions time: My main motive for today's edition of iPod inspection is a selfish one. That's because previous installments — like the time you listed the five most shameful songs on your playlists — reminded me of the scads of great tracks I still need to add to my own collection. How have I been living without Boy Krazy's "That's What Love Can Do," Tyra Banks' "Shake Ya Body," or KLF's "Justified and Ancient" (Tammy Wynette version, of course)? I don't know. YOU tell ME!
Anyhow, during a recent closet cleanout, I tossed a pile of cassingles into the trash, then upgraded to their digital versions. Don't judge me: Cassingles may be an endangered species, but they're bulky! Four of the five newest songs on my iPod playlist are a result of that purge; the last on the list is a track I burned onto my computer from a CD that's been gathering dust in my collection since the day I brought it home back in 2001. Check out my five newest songs on my playlist, then head to the comments section to ridicule me mercilessly share your own.
I need your help, PopWatchers. You see, last Wednesday, while downing my umpteenth cup of vacation gelato, I made a vow that when I got back home, I was going to return to working out a minimum of three days a week — no excuses. Trouble is, Mother Nature has decided to celebrate my commitment to exercise by delivering a crushing heat wave to the New York region. In other words, it's 95 degrees in the shade (and humid!) — and just the mere thought of physical activity is sending me to the emotional mojito bar. Clearly, the only thing that's going to prevent me from ditching the gym today is a killer cardio playlist, which I started working on during lunch today. Here's what I've got so far...
Okay, so clearly I've only made it through 'C' in my music library (yes, C+C Music Factory has secretly made the cut... just don't tell anyone), but it's clear I need some help if I'm ever going to have abs like Daniel Craig. (Hey! I can dream!) So help a blogger out; channel your inner Richard Simmons (minus the hideous candycane shorts, please) and contribute to the ultimate cardio playlist in the comments section below.
My all-time favorite episode of Starting Over involved a woman who was asked to sit inside a cardboard box, write down her "issues" on its walls, and then bust her way to the outside as a way to "break down her barriers." Because there are no cardboard boxes in the blogosphere, we can't reenact that stupendously stupid-beautiful moment today, but I've cooked up an exercise that elicits a similar reading on the pop-cultural shame-o-meter. Here's what I want you to do: Take a few minutes to peruse your iPod song list — or paw through your CD collection — and then share the five most shameful songs in your collection. And remember, I wouldn't ask you to dive into the humiliation pool if I wasn't already standing in the deep end, arms outstretched, promising to buy you a pony. Ready... set...jump!
(1) Samantha Fox (pictured), "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)" Stop judging me! This track was downloaded from a compilation CD called Ladies of the '80s; you, on the other hand, have no excuse for knowing all the words to the chorus.
(2) C-Note, "Wait Till I Get Home" No joke, I might be out of a job by day's end if my boss watches the corresponding video clip at YahooMusic, especially the part where these cut-rate Backstreet Boys bust vaguely obscene moves while delivering the line "bring it on home, daddy." Oh, how I wish I were making that up.
(3) Lita Ford, "Hungry" The musical equivalent of a late-night movie on Cinemax, but 57% less artful.
(4) Patra, "Pull Up to the Bumper" Purchased at the iTunes store in the last 30 days, but in my defense, I'd been drinking a little bit.
(5) Scatman John, "Scatman (Shi-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" This will be blaring from the speakers when I begin my descent into music hell. It burns! It burns!
Quick! Just for fun, set down your pencil and grab your iPod (or your stereo, or whatever you use to play music). Now go to the "Most Recently Played" function, and reveal the last five songs that you listened to. If you don't have an iPod, you'll have to work from memory — but be honest anyway. After all, PopWatch is a nonjudgmental mistress. Here's my (atypically) un-cheesy list, which I'm going to dub, "The Last Half of My Morning Commute." I'm just thankful that embarrassing old Tonya Mitchell track came in at No. 6. Whew!
So you think Sarah Silverman's a caustic comedian who gets her kicks desecrating taboos and offending people, eh? Well, you are right in that case. But she is also a connoisseur of heartbreak folk music, as evidenced by the short but great playlist she's just put together for venerable SoCal radio station KCRW. Her picks:
Doing some fall closet cleanout over the weekend, I came across a stack of old cassingles -- oh how the word 'cassingle' warms my heart -- and decided it was time to 
It's that time again…time for your iPod to spill dirty little secrets about your music-listening habits. So go directly to your "most recently added" playlist and share the five newest songs and/or albums in your music collection. (No editing to try to boost your "coolness factor" either!) Here's mine:
Hi. I'm barely alive today. This whole summer, actually. THE HEAT. I can't take it. I want to crawl in a hole and come out on September 22nd. But this isn't interesting. iPod Inspections are! Time to put your entire library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that speak to you in any way re: The Dead of Summer. Bonus points if the titles don't contain the word "sun" -- 43 of my songs do, for the record. Your choices will still be a lot sunnier than mine: 
So the 
Last night, returning home from a weekend visit to visit my mom's house, I was charged with the all-important task of doling out 
Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You tell me the last five singles/albums you've purchased/downloaded (spill the beans in the comments section below), or else I'll have to subpoena your credit-card records* and expose your secret Jonas Brothers obsession with your fellow PopWatchers.
As Christina Aguilera so poetically put it (
My iPod has been looking extra sassy in '08 -- thanks to a jaunty leather case I got from Santa -- but the problem is, now she's acting all diva. This morning, for example, she demanded I download some new music or else she's going to give me nothing but a steady stream of Ace of Base for the next two months. (Yes, there's some Ace of Base on my iPod, and quit trying to play like you're not going to go download "
Last weekend, in the midst of putting together a dinner-party playlist, I noticed something surprising: There are several hundred songs that I've never played on my iPod (which I've had for a year and a half) or the iTunes on my computer (which I've had for more than two years). And these ignored tracks don't just include album filler that I haven't gotten around to deleting; dozens of favorites have been sitting dormant for the last 24 months, just waiting for me to press play. Here's my top five:
It's been about five months since we performed 
It's been a month since we last played a game of "iPod Inspection," and today, I thought it might be fun to just hit the old "Shuffle Songs" function, and see what my little silver friend has to say about me. So without further ado...
There's a dark cloud over my head, today, P-Dubs — literally and figuratively. I mean, we haven't even reached the last week of August, and yet for the past few days, it's been chilly and overcast here in New York. What happened to summer? More importantly, why don't I have a good, solid playlist of totally depressing songs for days like this? Clearly, I need one, so I'm going to start by listing my five favorite dirges, then you guys can each add five of your own. Let's get the pity party started!
True confessions time: My main motive for today's edition of iPod inspection is a selfish one. That's because 
My all-time favorite episode of 
Quick! Just for fun, set down your pencil and grab your iPod (or your stereo, or whatever you use to play music). Now go to the "Most Recently Played" function, and reveal the last five songs that you listened to. If you don't have an iPod, you'll have to work from memory — but be honest anyway. After all, PopWatch is a nonjudgmental mistress. Here's my (atypically) un-cheesy list, which I'm going to dub, "The Last Half of My Morning Commute." I'm just thankful that embarrassing old 
