Bree!

Yeahhhhhhhhh Ilan!!!

You're the Top Chef.

Also, you're hott.

On the morning of Infinity on High's release, Fall Out Boy will play a show in New York. Then they'll jet (literally) to their hometown to play House of Blues. AND THEN they close out the night by playing on a roof in downtown Los Angeles.


Source: TeenMusic

In case you missed the memo, Powerspace are the newest addition to the FBR crew.

The Ataris are touring! And dude, it's about time. If you don't know who The Ataris are, don't worry-- they don't sound anything like they used to.


Feb 20 2007 8:00P Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 21 2007 8:00P Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
Feb 23 2007 8:00P Northern Lights Clifton Park, New York
Feb 25 2007 8:00P Higher Ground Burlington, Vermont
Feb 27 2007 8:00P The Station Portland, Maine
Feb 28 2007 8:00P The Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mar 1 2007 8:00P The Living Room Providence, Rhode Island
Mar 2 2007 8:00P Webster Theatre Hardford, Connecticut
Mar 3 2007 9:30P Black Cat Washington DC
Mar 4 2007 7:00P Starland Ballroom Sayerville, New Jersey
Mar 6 2007 7:30P Rex Theatre Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 7 2007 7:30P The Icon Buffalo, New York
Mar 8 2007 8:00P House Of Blues Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 9 2007 8:00P Bogarts Cincinnati, Ohio
Mar 10 2007 8:00P St. Andrews Hall Detroit, Michigan
Mar 12 2007 8:00P Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Mar 13 2007 6:30P Vic Theatre Chicago, Illinois
Mar 14 2007 6:00P Trocaderos Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 16 2007 8:00P Ogden Theatre Denver, Colorado
Mar 28 2007 8:00P House Of Blues Los Angeles, California
Mar 31 2007 1:00P Desert Breeze Skate Park Las Vegas, Nevada
Apr 1 2007 8:00P House Of Blues Anaheim, California
Apr 2 2007 8:00P House Of Blues San Diego, California

Their 5th Album, Welcome The Night, drops 2/20/07

Gym Class "It's Ok, But Just This once" acoustic. (FHMonline)

NY Teen tells the RIAA to suck it. (1010wins)

Jay-Z for... Cherry Coke? (postchronicle)

Cartel on Cribs. (vh1)
The Police are reuniting. Does anyone care? (punknews)

Heroes is gonna end in a cliffhanger. (scifi.com) ps. It's beating 24.
And OMG HEROES FANS, you HAVE to see this! (thepunkguy)

David Beckham shirtless. (socialitelife)

Miss USA loves the booze AND the coke. Woo, role models! (icydk)

Courtney love says WTF r u talkng bout? (tabloidwhore)

Avril Lavigne, comic book character? (teenhollywood)

Beyonce is the #1 Most Desirable Woman. (hollywoodtuna)

Jengelina face! (popbytes)

Here's the Official Trailer for Stephen King's "1408"



Chills chills chills. Out July 13.

More pics & a little blurb from Sweet Escape collaborator Akon @ Just Jared

In the Feb 5 Edition of People, America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) had a little rant about this (un)fashionable pairing.


Obviously, this doesn't work in all parts of the world, but I see it in OC all the time. I mean, it makes sense to ME-- if you are head over heels in love with your Uggs, the ONLY way to wear them in the summer is to skimp on the rest of your clothing. I cannot speak for wearing miniskirts in the winter, however-- it's like 65 degrees and I'm wearing a winter coat.


What do you think? Cute? Silly? BOTH?

The HIM-loving skatepunk is getting hitched. Will you watch, or are you too nervous about Missy & Bam going the way of the Barkers (AND the Lachey-Simpsons)?

Catch the first episode tonight @ 9:30.

Though this episode was called "Best Night Ever" I didn't find it that fascinating. The best news is that BRODY GOT A HAIRCUT, so now when he's out with Lauren, you don't mistake him for Jen on a fat day. We discover that he's a serial dater (he must get all the girls by batting those long, lucious lashes!) so Lauren tells him he needs to be single. Which is just bait for some sort of "but I want to be with YOU" retort, and if this were a mid-90's danceyourwaythroughadversity movie, this moment would totally be supplemented by some whispery Mandy Moore tune.

But he says something much, much worse: "I'm a cuddler." Gagx5.

I hate to say, but I am really starting to lead towards Team Audrina. True, her "To have a friend, you have to be a friend" comment was no earth shattering revelation, but I'll ask you this-- not exclusively in relation to this episode, but in LIFE-- why, when it comes to a two-timing dirtbag (like Spencer) it's THE OTHER GIRL that always gets blamed, not the guy?

I was "seeing" (and by seeing, I mean maintaining this oddly loyal long distance quasi-relationship) this guy, and by him grossly underestimating my technological savvy (ok, I had DeadAIM) I found out about his other girlfriend(s). This is only ridiculous in retrospect, but at first I was infuriated... at the other girls. It makes absolutely no sense, because while he was CONSCIOUSLY aquiring female representatives for every area code in the US (and come to think of it, the UK as well), the girls probably had NO idea. Not saying I'm a superior sleuth or anything, but I'd been warned about him.


What I'm saying is Heidi should be suspicious of dirtbag Ken, not Audrina. But when Audrina shows up (why does she have two phones?) to Heidi's bday @ La Deux, Heidi blows her off. Yeah, I know she wasn't invited, but whatev. Jen is obvi vying for a bigger role, maybe hoping Audrina will be phased out for Season 3 and there will be room for a brunette. Shut up, Jen, we don't care what you think nor should you be starting any drama.


Their post-bday eatfest is littered with discussion about "how guys are like accessories." Deep.

Lauren and Whitney have an awkward lunch with Audrina, and when it's relayed to Heidi, she's all "I don't care, I have too many friends and too little time" nyah nyah nyah. What grade are you in again? 2nd?

The last (or second-to-last, but I would like to remove the Brody gagathon from my memory) scene, is horribly tainted by Brody & Ken's neck bling.

And yeah, the last scene is Brody taking Lauren back to his place, where he drowns her in saccharine compliments and says "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world."

I'm not a bitter single who is secretly envious of this union of fashionable hollywood youth-- I just don't trust him.

Sigh.

With the US release of her first full-length Alright, Still (TODAY!) Lily Allen is poised to take over the world. She's cute, she's fiesty (Don't try and test me coz you'll get a reaction / Another drink and I'm ready for action) self-assured (Oh my gosh you must be joking me /if you think that you'll be poking me) and ready to arm you with with replies for lame pick up lines.


Pitchfork interviewed her.

Brooklynvegan has a rad Smile remix.

Scenestars has links to her ultra-charming youtube vids.



Lily Allen US Tour Dates:
02-05 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Music Box
02-06 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
02-08 Chicago, IL - Metro
02-10 New York, NY - Webster Hall
02-12 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
02-16 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
02-18 Boston, MA - Axis
02-27 Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royale
02-28 Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
03-01 Utrecht, the Netherlands - HCV
03-03 Barcelona, Spain - Espacio Moviestar
03-04 Paris, France - Bataclan
03-06 Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange
03-07 Wolverhampton, England - Civic Centre
03-08 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy
03-10 Manchester, England - Apollo
03-11 Nottingham, England - Rock City
03-12 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
03-14-18 Austin, TX - SXSW

Don't be late to this party.

New sucky Mandy Moore song. Maybe she should stick to acting. I like her, but damn.

iPod shuffles come in 4 new colors now. Dammit, dammit dammit.

Fan Fiction is here to stay. (reason.com)

Race & Underground Music. (NYtimes)

Johnny Depp & Mike Myers: Playing Rock Stars. (vh1)

Bam is not worried about the MTV Curse. You know the ones where newlyweds go on TV, then divorce. (Glitteratigossip)

Heroes recap! (buzzsugar)

Haylie Duff vs. Jessica Simpson. Haylie FTW-- this time, anyway. (popbytes)

Degrassi fans are really broken up about this J.T. character. (buzzsugar)

Josh Hartnett is gonna stop Global Warming. (wwtdd)

Why does Sienna Miller think this is an outfit? (Dlisted)

Lance Bass is single, changes myspace status immediately. Haaaa. (Mollygood)

Blipster: Totally offensive new made up word. (themodernage)

The dreamboat (yeah, I totally used a word from the 1950's) who heads up Incubus wrote a book.



Well, kind of. From The Murks Of The Sultry Abyss is a photo/painting/life observation packed follow up to his first book, White Fluffy Clouds. It looks AMAZING.

Billboard is reporting that Avril Lavigne's new album The Best Damn Thing will be hitting shelves on 4/17/07.


Her first single, Girlfriend is described as "clap-happy" with a "bad-girl vibe."

...

Which probably means I'll spend a month pretending to hate it before I give in replay it for 2 weeks straight.

FOB plays "Almost live music"? (Absolutepunk)

Pretty Girls Make Graves are DONE. (indieblogheaven)

Lady Sov has a girlfriend? (mndaily)

The new iPod ad rocks out to "Flathead" by the Fratellis. (musicslut)

News news news on Tiger Army's new album. (punknews)

She's totally changed, yo: Paris responds to Parisexposed.com. (celebslam)

Make a myspace hitlist, get your @ss arrested. (CNN)

PICK UP JUSTIN PICK UP! Britney is REACHING OUT TO YOU. (INO)
Polar bears are damn cute. (neatorama)

Virtual Laguna Beach. (Wired)

Carmen Electra + Joan Jett?! (Gatecrasher)

Caffeinated donuts.  Ew? (Yahoo)

What is Sylar's deal? Is that good for nothing cop gonna read some minds or what? Who is Claire's mom? Is her dad a good guy, or a power-hungry villain? Is Peter really gonna blow sh*t up? Man, I hope not. I kind of love him.

Heroes is on TONIGHT at 9pm.

Trailer picked up from seriouslyomgwtf.

You're so over plastering your walls with guylinered dudes with studded belts, and you're not quite ready to purchase Picasso reprints. Leaving your walls blank is certainly not an option-- after all,  your room is an extension of your being.


Surf on over to The Poster List and browse through their collection of supercheap quick-fixes for lonely walls.

People has snippets of Jakey Gyllenhaal's upcoming GQ interview.



I found this quote particularly odd: "Sometimes what I actually love to do is go to a farm and get fresh milk or watch a pig get slaughtered."

Um, ew?

Okay, I don't know why this video for The Good, The Bad and The Queen's song "Kingdom of Doom" is set to a kitchen scene. Perhaps an "Eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow we might get nuked" theme? I don't know, I have video A.D.D. You tell me.

As I was searching out music links this week, I kept stumbling across buzz about Menomena. I finally gave them a shot (and Lily Allen a rest) this morning. I dig it. Air Aid is my fav song. Today, at least.


You can stream their new album, Friend or Foe, on their label's website. If you're into that, you can pick up some b-sides from Thepunkguy or check their tour dates on brooklynvegan.


Friend or Foe came out this week on Barsuk Records.

Damon Albarn has pesky, mocking neighbors. (gigwise)

CBGB Chocolates! (musicslut)

Mike Park covers Op Ivy. (MySpace)

Worst leak in the history of music? You're being melodramatic, right Petey? (NME)

Stream Younglove. (PV)

Panic! soundtracking for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? (superherohype)

Gwen & Gavin are the Most Sylish Celeb Parents. (JustJared)

I guess being a pothead serves you well on Top Chef, eh?

Disney + Anne Leibovitz + celebs. Oh Beckham, you can be MY prince! (Dlisted)

An Honest Letter to the Women of MySpace. (Double Agent)

Baby Spice is having a baby! (bbc)

Angelina adopting AGAIN? (glitterati)

R U Kidding Me? Text message novel published. (USAtoday)

Tyra Banks really IS fat! (TBYLTH)

Sean Lennon not stoked on the movie about his papa's assassination. (andPOP)

I don't have that many celebrity crushes (or really, crushes in general) but when I do, I usually play it pretty cool. But as of late, I prefer to watch Top Chef without the boyfriend present because I have this tourette-like "Hey Baby" reaction everytime Ilan appears onscreen.

He shouldn't be worried because 1. I'm a picky pesca-vegetarian-- there is obviously no romantic future for Ilan & I. 2. Ilan has a girlfriend. I know, because I'm stalking him on MySpace. If it's a fake him, I'm okay with that. As long as there are pretty pretty pictures to stare at.

Fall Out Boy has a solution to Infinity on High's leak, and it's not pushing up the release date.


Instead, fans who purchase or preorder the album will be given access to a bonus EP upon inserting it into their computer. The EP, titled "Leaked in London" will be recorded on Monday.

So there.
Source.

Capitol and Virgin are merging. (Idolater)

Hit The Lights, Valencia, All Time Low tour. (punknews)

God hates Goth. O Rly?

Ex-bassist for Social D dies. R.I.P. (latimes)

The Beastie Boys: Prepped to tick you off. (musicslut)

OMG I missed Top Chef!!! It's down to the final two. Check BWE's recaps.

Cam Diaz fakes it for the paps. (TBYLTH)

Who's dating Drew's Ex? Kirsten Dunst. Girlfriend always looks like she doesnt own a brush. (Us)

Why Obama shouldn't quit smoking. (mental floss)


Second Life saves marriages? Uhh... kay. (Wired)

Hil D's dignified new album. (JustJared)

Yeahhhh Detective Benson! Mariska Hargitay is one of the highest paid women on television. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jessica Biel's workout. (FitSugar)

First Leg Tour Show Schedule (04.06.07 - 04.29.07):

04.06.07 Santa Barbara, CA :: Events Center
04.07.07 San Francisco, CA :: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
04.09.07 Los Angeles, CA :: Staples Center Arena
04.10.07 San Diego, CA :: Rimac Arena
04.11.07 Phoenix, AZ :: Dodge Theatre
04.13.07 Austin, TX :: Frank Erwin Center
04.18.07 Tampa, FL :: USF Sundome
04.19.07 Hollywood, FL :: Hard Rock Live Arena @ Hard Rock Hotel
04.20.07 Orlando, FL :: UCF Arena
04.22.07 Atlanta, GA :: Fox Theatre
04.23.07 Nashville, TN :: Ryman Auditorium
04.26.07 Fairfax, VA :: Patriot Center @ George Mason University
04.27.07 Camden, NJ :: Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
04.28.07 New York, NY :: Madison Square Garden
04.29.07 Lowell, MA :: Paul E. Tsongas Arena

The Victims Pre-Sales begin on Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 10:00 AM (local venue time) members of The Victims, the official fan club of The Killers, will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets for the first leg of The Killers' 2007 Spring U.S. tour by logging on to http://www.thekillersvictims.com/

Tickets will be on sale to the general public on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at and can be purchased HERE.

Info about the second leg to be revealed later.

First, the Cobra Starship Community on Livejournal picked up a promo photo without Elisa, then found out she was selling her precious keytar on eBay.

Now there's the He Said (Gabe) vs. She Said (Elisa) posted this morning on Absolutepunk.

People who can pull off pink hair:


People who cannot:

And yes, as a tribute to No Doubt's ROS period, I did dye my hair pink about 2 years ago. No, I did not pull it off well. Know anyone who does? Send the photo to us!

For hair-inspiration, check out the Mad Rad Hair community on Livejournal.

Smiley Faces Movie Trailer



In case Half Baked is getting old. Or you desperately need a dose of Adam Brody after The OC is gone for good.

MCR vs. Kasabian. (NME)

Rise Against loves them Veggie Hot Dog Stands. (AP) ps. I'm moving to Canada.

Thom Yorke's iTunes playlist. (MusicSlut)

Marilyn Manson, Black Eyed Peas announce album titles. (Rocklouder & ONTD)

Baby Got Back-- The Lounge version. (MySpace)

Victoria Beckham has a blog!

TBYLTH's Awesome American Idol recap.

The CIA has a Facebook page?!? (Wired). My sources say they also have a myspace page.

The Promiscuous Girl wants another kid. (poponthepop)

Jake Gyllenhaal wants a baby, too. (ONTD)

Reverse Graffiti. Amazing. (inhabitant via LAist)

Forget iPhone, who wants a PradaPhone? (Vogue UK)
Disney sluts up Ashley Tisdale's look. (Ninjadude)

Beyonce to design cheerleading outfits: B-a-n-a-n-a-s? (ICYDK)

Ah, another episode that will provide future psychologists with publicly broadcasted male inexpressiveness. Let us begin with the scene where Heidi is having "the talk" with Spencer. Not believable. Homeboy has a future in professional gambling, cause you know if your gf was hinting that a zygote was a-brewin' in her belly, you'd sh*t a brick. Especially if you are a self-proclaimed player in your early twenties, and you just dropped a wad of cash on laser teeth whitening. After Heidi tells him she isn't pregnant, he frowns and says he's irritated. Whatevs.

Because Spencer is such a winner, Heidi sets Lauren up with his winner-friend, Brody Jenner. Which brings me to the Quote of the Episode: "He's been touched by Kristin, he's tainted!" - Lauren.

Is it just me, or is Brody' hair kinda puffy? And is he wearing mascara in that second pic? He spits out trite compliments like "I just like to see you smile." I don't mean to be unreasonbly cruel, but I feel strangely protective of Lauren.

Hilarious and humanizing is the scene in which Lauren brings to our attention that her smile is straight... not curvy. Do you even get what I'm saying here? I just opened photobooth and tried to Lauren-smile  but it is physically impossible.

K I just spent way too on that note.

Lauren redeems herself in this episode by making good with LA Bikini Designer Ashley Paige. Paige makes a lot of b*tchy, hot-shot remarks on camera before any praise comes Lauren's way , though.

I generally DONT like Audrina because she appears to be an overglamourized brunette robot, but she straight hung up on Spencer this episode, I felt like animated pink hearts where eminating from my being. Cl-lick. Audrina - 1, Spencer - 0.

Before I end this tantalizing recap, I want to ask one question-- are your friends as blindly unsupportive as The Hills cast? Seriously, the girls get one bouquet of freeway flowers or what I imagine to be a few primely scheduled call-backs and the rest of the crew is like OMGHELOVESYOU.

A couple years ago I had a brief fling with a guy who had a wallet chain, and holy sh*t, the teasing lasted much longer than the relationship (He was a tool, so no "OMGHOWSHALLOW cmntz, thx). And when I told one of my best friends that my current boyfriend dropped the "L" bomb, she gushed for about 30 seconds, then demanded to know method of delivery, context, and my reaction. But I am older-- maybe your friends just blow when your 20?

Obviously, the quality of their conversations or the strength of their friendships isn't what suck people into this show-- I suspect it's their healthy, shiny hair-- but it makes me really grateful for my friends.

Youaintnopicasso is hosting a new Bright Eye's track, "Tourist Trap"


I know, I know-- I recently said I could barely stand Conor Oberst's singing voice, but honestly, the band is growing on me. I kind of want to give Conor's big anime-head a hug while he whines & whistles and jams out that harmonica. 

Really, the Ocean's cast can't be topped, but I kind of love Vegas heist movies.

Out this weekend.

Here are some of today's new releases. What are you pickin' up?

Travis Barker is off the +44 Tour until his arm heals. (punknews)

Great Ska! LTJ & RBF touring together. (punknews)

Ani Difranco had a baby grrrl.
Of Montreal covers Bowie. (YANP)

Mike Skinner almost died today!!! (Music Slut)

Mandy Moore apologizes for her music. (Jossip)

Hello Magazine readers vote Brit #2 Most Graceful Star. Obvi, "Graceful" must have a hidden meaning. (Celebslam)

Strippers changed Brad Pitt's Life. (People)

Jared Leto is picking fights again. (Page Six)

Heroes recap! (CollegeHumor)

Revisiting Suri-Gate: Did she have a Bday?

Disneyland of Lines. (BoingBoing)

Hug It Out? Not with Angelina Jolie. (HollywoodRag)


How to compete with Starbucks: Sexpresso? (randomlygenerated)

You probably knew this band was Damon Albarn's new baby, didn't you? I'm a little late to the party, but hot damn, I'm glad I came.

Composed of what Under The Radar Magazine calls "legends and rebels," this London-bred band unleashes their greatness tomorrow. Who, you ask, are these legends and rebels? Albarn birthed Blur & Gorillaz along with guitarist Simon Tong (who was also in The Verve), Paul Simonian was bassist for The Clash, and Tony Allen "practically invented afrobeat."



Did your head just spin from all that name-checking? When it stops, go listen to 80s Life and History Song on their myspace Profile. For pictures, artwork, and Damon's journal scraps, head to their Official Site.

Infinity On High leaked-- and you have it-- but you're still going to buy it on 2/6, correct? If not, get out there and walk the internet plank like the pirate you are!



Fall Out Boy told contactmusic.com that although they "understand eager fans" they're pretty bummed. Wentz paralleled it to "sneaking a peek at presents under the Christmas tree the night before"-- if that's the case, should we all stay mum until the release date? After all, when I was 7 and I swiftly lifted the santa-print paper to *gasp* reveal my Barbie-to-be, I sealed that sucker back up because I knew if I didn't mom would return it.

So save your lunch money, mark your calendar, and learn the lyrics in the most clandestine way possible (pun totally intended).

You culture vultures, you.

Coachella Lineup!!!!!!!! (Pitchfork)

Elisa no longer in Cobra Starship? (LJ)
The Winnie-the-Pooh of Indie Rock (The Boy Least Likely To) perform on GMTV. (YANP)

Stream the new Bloc Party (webjay via scenestars).

Indie labels join forces to take on the majors. (Punknews)

SO STOKED FOR HEROES TONIGHT. (seriouslyomgwtf)

Marcel from Top Chef got bottled! By a viewer! But he's not a jerk? (lvweekly) ps. Ilan is hot.
Zach Braff & Mandy Moore should just get back together. (JustJared)

Meatlifting? WTF? (Buzzfeed)

Razzie Noms salute Hollywood'd Worst. Sorry LLo, Sorry Hilary. (Dlisted)

The 50 Most Loathsome People in America. Kay I don't know who half those people are. (buffalobeast.com)

Kanye West's white-hot NYC crib. Heavenly? (JustJared)

One step closer to hoverboards. (BoingBoing)

I love The Teddybears so much that at the end of last year when LAist asked me for my Favorite Songs of 2006, this band made my list twice.

You probably love them too, without even knowing it, because their tunes are getting prime placement on TV.

Here's their newest vid, "Punkrocker" featuring Iggy Pop.




Hip excellence.

The Shins FULL album stream. (MySpace)



Cover lover: The Magic Whispers cover "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (YANP)



About that Fed Up song... it wasn't Britney. (Idolator)

Brode Dalle's new baby: Distillers OUT, Spinnerette IN. (MySpace)

MSTRKRFT's indie rock remix downloads. (brooklynvegan)

Oprah SCANDAL. (Dlisted)

Punking Lohans Rehab Receptionist. (WOW)

Jungle Girl found... like, this week! (mentalfloss)

John Mayer knows how to solve the McDrama.

Cam Diaz hookin' up with Kelly Slater. (IDLYITW)



Beyonce didn't score a Golden Globe because Hollywood is racist. Riiiiiiight. (evilbeet)

Speaking of which, Jamie Foxx won't share the 'N' word. That's right, it's his. (TBYLTH)

Everyone is talkin' bout Paris' wonky eye. (socialitelife)



Does anyone want to see Vickie Beckham in Playboy? Um. no. (Egotastic)

Sun-Feb-25, Chicago, IL, Metro
Tue-Feb-27, Toronto, ON, Opera House
Wed-Feb-28, Somerville, MA, Somerville Theatre
Fri-Mar-02, New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
Sat-Mar-03, New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
Mon-Mar-05, Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
Wed-Mar-07, Los Angeles, CA, El Rey
Thu-Mar-08, Los Angeles, CA. El Rey
Fri-Mar-09, San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
Sat-Mar-10, San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
Sun-Mar-11, Seattle, WA, Showbox




This touring is for the new full length, Cassadaga, which drops April 10 on Saddle Creek.

It's an ideal playlist for a stormy, pensive mood, or when you're 'to the left to the left-ing' your soon to be exes belongings.

A little Postal Service, a little Keane-- but they still stand their own ground.



SOTAF made the move from indie Long Beach label SideCho (before they put anything out) to join the WindUp family at the end of last year.

Centuries Before Love and War was released everywhere yesterday. Get some listens in at their MySpace and fall in L-O-V-E. Or at listen context-specific like.

20 Worst Rhyme Crimes in Pop Music History. (Cracked via Stereogum)

Thrice talks about the progress of their quadruple album release. (punknews)

Hoku is just another dumb blonde. (Idolator)

Scissor Sisters fans get dissed. (musicslut)

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame present The Warped Tour Exhibit. (RockLouder)

Adam Brody + Kristen Dunst? Thats a downgrade from Rachel Bilson. (PopSugar)

Top Chef's h8 on their host. (nymag)

Denver has a pop culture hotel. (link via pop candy)

This years Sundance Festival is evil and disturbing. (nypost)

Hold your pee for a Wii? Sure, if you're into DYING. (Junkiness)

Anime Simpsons-- the cartoon, not the sisters. (DeviantArt link via datawhat)

Jeffrey Sebelia's Elle magazine spread. Woo! (JustJared)

Jessica Simpson compares her ta-tas to a great necklace. (Egotastic)


Tonight is the "To Be Continued" Grey's Anatomy! Do you have enough kleenex in your house?

You can stream a new Kanye track, "I Still Love H.E.R." over at XXLMag.


He originally recorded it with Japanese hip hop group The Teriyaki Boyz, but this song is stripped of their contributions. Maybe it's more impressive once you mix their bits in, because this version isn't all that impressive (and by impressive I mean, I have no desire to listen to it incessantly like I did with "Gold Digger"). Maybe not, because it's not like I can understand Japanese or anything.



But the good ol' Kany-ego is 100% present-- he starts off by telling us how privileged we are to be in the presence of his orchestral aura. He's the new drug. He's the new high. He's the Truth.


Can I just go on a small tangent here and express my discontent for people who overuse the phrase "we all"? I have this friend who, everytime she blogs, can't seem to resist using "we all" sweeping generalizations. "We all need to grow up" or "We all smoke when we're stressed out." Okay, maybe she doesn't do it that much, but when she does, it irritates me. I'm a grown up, and I don't smoke.

As for Kanye, this isn't really what I was waiting for, if you're gonna get all "You All" on me. I want another "Gold Digger" or "Heard 'Em Say" or "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." I get some say in the matter, I vandalized plenty of property with Late Registration promo material when I was working the IDJ Street Team.

So, anyway, not stellar, but perhaps good enough to tide you over 'til new material?

Tell me what you think.
Even though I know you won't. Psh.

Brit's newly leaked "Fed Up" track.

Camera Obscura: If Looks Could Kill mp3 + Video + Tour dates. (pitchfork)

Ne-Yo singing Beyonce's "Irreplaceble". He co-wrote the song, btw. (Idolator)

Johnny Cash's Ultimate Gospel is out 3/6. Hallelujah? (NME)

Travis Barker + Dad Barker talk about Cadillacs. (Absolutepunk)

"What does it say about our culture when commercials have better music than our major mass-media sources?" (idsnews)

I just want to take a moment to pound my head against the table, in honor of the Britney's infinite pregnancy rumor.

All of you people seriously watched American Idol last night? (medialife)
Please read TBYLTH's rundown, its awesome.

America's Fav Actors. Mel Gibson tied with Johnny Depp! wtf? (Mollygood)

Yes, im totally linking Lily Allen again. Brooklynvegan has a rad remix of Smile.

Dane Cook b*tches out BWE on MySpace.

Yes, Virgina, there is a Racist Clause. (Junkiness)

Drew Barrymore + Bruce Willis. GROSS. (PopSugar)

Uh, plush satanist toys? (toyvault)

Streaming Netflix! I LOVE this idea. Cuz I am lazy as all hell about mailing

Be honest: You'd swap your sig other for an iPhone. (shinyshiny)

The Man with 101 Voices. Radddddd. (neatorama)

Much to my boyfriend's dismay, I now consider it part of "my job" to watch The Hills.

No, I don't think they're geniuses nor do I think their life is THAT fascinating. But it is of local interest-- I kind of doubt I'd be engaged by some kids living it up in some place I'd never been. I'm just that self-absorbed.

Case in point: When that two-timing prick, Spencer, took both Heidi and Audrina to Don Antonio's and cited it as "the best mexican food everrrr" I could back up that statement. Well, El Compadre is pretty damn good, too-- but that's in Hollywood, not "the middle of nowhere" like Heidi said it was. The middle of nowhere, in case you were wondering, is actually on Pico, in West LA.

So this new guy, Spencer, blows any Barbie-Ken jokes made about Lauren&Jason right out of the water, cause homeboy is a dead ringer for that plastic hunkajunk.
At least if he had blue eyes he would. Maybe Spencer's head is too square.

Anyway, he's seeing both Heidi and Audrina, pretending like he's not and Audrina's all "Whaaa? I totally don't get why she's mad at me... *flirt flirt flirt*

Granted, producers could have edited the hell out of it, but this new guy still reeks of insincerity. As do most the Laguna Beach/Hills male cast, with their complete absence of facial expressions and "I miss you"s that fall flatter than that Sierra Mist that's been in my fridge for 2 months.

And Heidi might be PREGNANT with Ken, Jr.!


Anyway, it kind of sucks that Lauren is The Girl Who Didnt Go To Paris, but Goddamn, I'm still mad about that.


Best conversation of the episode:
Jen: Check out that guy at six o'clock (referring to the location of the guy, not the time)
Lauren: (looks confused) What? I don't know where six o'clock is.
(both pause)
Jen: I mean eleven o'clock. Eleven o'clock.
(pause)
Jen: Over there.

Quote of The Season, thus far: "The only time I miss having a boyfriend is when I have to put something together, when I have to pick something out-- like a TV--. or when I have A LOT of groceries." - Lauren

ps. Do these hos eat anything other than Don Antonio's and PinkBerry?
pps. Please also venture over to Tabloidwhore's hilarious ep 1 recap.

NME is reporting that Kanye West is going to be remixing a track from FOB's "Infinity on High" and in return, Fall Out Boy will be remixing a Kanye track.



I'm stoked for this because the Patrick Stump remix of The Sounds "Queen of Apology" was on my playlist ALL summer long (it was on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack-- but you probably know that).

Which Kanye track would you want FOB to remix?



Also in FOB news, The Honda Civic Tour dates are up.

I've been hearing Buzz on The Hold Steady for weeks. Maybe even months. I lagged on checking them out because I've been on this Lily Allen kick. Their website header is a loopy girly pink font, and from that I deduced they were an indie-pop band being fronted by someone with Damian Kulash vox-- or maybe Ben Gibbard. Kevin Barnes? Actually, no logic was employed in my coming to that conlcusion, so I probably shouldn't use the word "deduce." Anyhow, I had warm, fuzzy, feelings for what The Hold Steady might be.
And then I saw this.

Holy sh*t, that guy sounds like he's been smoking since he was 15, and that phlegm pockets are getting in line for his end-of-set coughing fit.

And is it just me or does Craig Finn remind you of...



Despite that, I think they still may grow on me. It took me FIVE years to warm up to Bright Eyes (great lyricist), and that mofo still sounds like he's gonna hang himself after every song. And I can't sit through any Ani Difranco songs cause folk-rock makes me want to yak, but that girl can WRITE.

And I really like The Hold Steady's music. Really.
So I'll just give it time.