1. Today is President Obama’s 50th birthday! The celebrating already began last night with a fundraiser for his 2012 campaign in Chicago that featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, OK Go, and Herbie Hancock. [via The Daily Beast]

2. According to Us Weekly, Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford (better known as the frontman for Mumford & Sons), were once “childhood pen pals,” and now they’re engaged! [via Vulture]

3. Courtney Love may have gotten drunk while on a shopping spree in Sydney, Australia, and then stumbled into the streets where she almost got hit by a car. According to this website, when a fan tried to help out her out of harm’s way, Love responded by saying, “Stop telling me what to do, I can do what I want.” Lovely.

4. Some good news: Not only is Breaking Bad sticking with AMC, but now it looks like we might be getting two more seasons of the beloved series instead of just one! [via Deadline]

5. Coldplay stopped by Jimmy Kimmel last night, and played two of their new songs, “Charlie Brown” and “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” Watch both clips here.

Bonus Buzz: 20 Scents That Secretly Defined Your Childhood

1. AMC is developing a reality series that will focus on the two guys who run Kevin Smith’s New Jersey comic book store, The Secret Stash; Smith will be an executive producer on the show. [via THR]

2. Well that was fast: “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” the latest single from Coldplay, has already been accused of ripping off another song (“Ritmo de la Noche,”), leading the band to release this statement: “[Peter] Allen and [Adrienne] Anderson are credited as writers on ‘Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.’ Chris was inspired to write the song after watching the film Biutiful by Alejandro González Iñárritu. In the film, there is a nightclub scene in which a track ['Ritmo de la Noche'] is playing in the background, based on ‘I Go to Rio.’” [via Vulture]

3. We were curious how Jon Stewart would react to the news that his pal Anthony Weiner the man behind the now infamous crotch shot. If you missed The Daily Show last night, you can watch the segment on what he calls “weirdest f’ing story I’ve ever seen in my life” here.

4. Definitely worth checking out: The New York Times’ interactive coverage of the 54th Venice Biennale asks for your own six word reviews of the featured works.

5. Because HBO seems intent on teasing us in the days leading up to June 26th, you can now watch three more minutes of the Season 4 premiere of True Blood here. So that’s six of the 55 minutes or so already accounted for — what are your thoughts so far?

Bonus link: 10 physical gestures that have been patented

1. If you’ve spent the last few years anxiously awaiting Coldplay’s followup to Viva La Vida, you’ll be glad to hear they’ve finally released a new single. Listen to “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” here.

2. Gil Scott-Heron‘s funeral took place yesterday at Harlem’s Riverside Church, and ended with a performance by Kanye West of “Lost In The World,” which contains a sample from Heron’s poem “Comment #1.” [via NME]

3. Some people are saying that three “mysterious videos” that have been posted to YouTube by a user called “TheFireRises” may offer our first glimpse at Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises — or they were just made by a fan with too much time on his hands. Adding fuel to the rumor mill: Warner Bros. is refusing to comment. [via EW]

4. We regret to inform that you Lil Wayne’s Carter IV, which was originally supposed to drop on May 16th, has been delayed yet again. The new release date is August 29th, so it’s probably wise to look elsewhere for your song of the summer. [via Vulture]

5. Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn — whose relationship reminded us way too much of Lost in Translation in the first place — are no longer dating. [via People]

Bonus link: School Does Really Lame Job of Pretending Lady Gaga Came to Visit

1. In case you’re curious as to what happens in Oprah’s second and third final shows, The Hollywood Reporter was part of the 20,000-person, celebrity-filled crowd at yesterday’s four-hour taping, and has a detailed record of the entire thing (which includes Aretha Franklin performing “Amazing Grace”!). The episodes will air on May 23rd and 24th.

2. Danish director Lars von Trier loves saying crazy things to journalists, especially when he’s at Cannes. Lucky for us, Vulture has rounded up the 10 most controversial things he said at the Melancholia press conference, which includes some rambling about being a Nazi and his sympathies for Hitler.

3. The Austin City Limits music festival has announced its 2011 lineup, and it includes headliners Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Coldplay, and Kanye West. [via Pop Candy]

4. The Who’s Pete Townshend will release his long-awaited memoir Who He? — which he has been working on for 15 years now — in the fall of 2012. Regarding a 2003 child pornography incident, which was part of his “background research,” he now says: “I believe I was sexually abused between the age of five and six and a half when in the care of my maternal grandmother who was mentally ill at the time. Some of the things I have seen on the internet have informed my book.” [via NME]

5. So this bodes well: Michelle Williams will play Glinda the Good Witch in Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz, the Great and Powerful. She joins a cast that already includes James Franco (The Wizard), Rachel Weisz (the Wicked Witch of the East), and Mila Kunis (The Wicked Witch of the West). [via Moveline]

Bonus link: Download Bon Iver’s 10 Best Cover Songs

We’ve always suspected Coldplay fans were shy types, but the folks at Tastebuds — you know, that music geek dating site — have gone and proven it. After asking over 400 of its users how far they’d go on a first date, the answers were clear: You’re much more likely to get lucky with someone who loves Kanye West, Linkin Park, Metallica, and Nirvana than with a fan of Coldplay, Adele, Lady Gaga, or Katy Perry. Of course, the sample size is low and some other factors are clearly at play (we imagine, for example, that there’s some gender disparity among the groups at both ends of the spectrum). As for what the fans most likely to give it up have in common, we’re going with the kind of pent-up anger that’s easily converted into sexual energy. Read more about the survey here.

London based singer/songwriter Eliza Doolittle may have a familiar name, but she’s bringing us something entirely new with her self-titled pop whirlwind of a debut album. Combining her enviable ability to construct a perfect hook with an onstage presence that mashes up retro and modern sensibilities, Doolittle is already a platinum artist in her native UK, and is now ready to let the US in on her musical secret.

From impossible-to-get-out-of-your-head singles like “Rollerblades” and “Pack Up” to her live cover of Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You,” Doolittle puts a stylish spin on everything she does, setting her up to be one of 2011′s breakout stars. In our exclusive interactive video interview, she talks about her personal inspirations and second loves, her connection to Coldplay, and who would be right above Cee-Lo on her list of dream collaborators.

Read More »

As longtime Simpsons fans, we’ve seen the show host an unbelievable variety of guest musicians, from Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones to the White Stripes and Sonic Youth. The creators have even produced some unforgettable faux bands of their own. (Remember Sadgasm?) But this post is not about those legends. Instead, last night’s opening musical number, performed to the obnoxious strains of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok,” reminded us of all the less impressive musicians who have endeared themselves to us by sharing the screen with Homer, Marge and the kids. (Note: We’re not saying we like Ke$ha now. We’re just saying that The Simpsons helped us to make it through her ubiquitous single without feeling nauseous.)

Read More »

We love Gorillaz, so we couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed by the recent rumor of the group’s uncredited music stealing borrowing. (Seriously, is there something in the water?) Reggae artist Eddy Grant claims the electronic keyboard riffs from his song “Time Warp,” were used in the new Gorillaz song, “Stylo,” without any due credit. Although both Grant and the Gorillaz are signed with EMI Publishing, the label refuses to get involved and is letting the artists settle this dispute themselves.

Grant recently told NME:

In a properly configured relationship I would have gotten a call from EMI to say, ‘Damon wants to use ‘Time Warp.’ What arrangement can you guys come to? Would you claim 100% would you claim 60%, or 70% of whatever it is?’ That phone call never came.

Although nothing has been resolved, we’re curious to hear your take on songs that borrow. After the jump, compare Grant’s “Time Warp” to Gorillaz “Stylo,” and check out our roundup of other musical “homages.”

Read More »

For the past decade, the fifth graders chorus at PS22, the largest elementary school on Staten Island, have attained internet fame with their covers of modern day pop songs, ranging from the work of Tori Amos to Lady Gaga to The Beatles. Led by multi-instrumentalist Gregg Breinberg, these elementary schoolers sing with feeling and heart, which is evident in their unpredictably soulful renditions. Riding the wave of yesterday’s buzz from The Village Voice, MTV, and Teen Vogue sparked by their new arrangement of Phoenix’s “Listzomania,” we’ve rounded up nine additional favorites from the PS22 back catalog. Weigh in on which one you like the most.

Read More »

Apple iTunes is closing in on the titanic milestone of 10 billion songs sold, and they’ve just announced their best-selling songs of all-time. Looking at the titles listed is hard enough (nothing about “TiK ToK” will ever seem okay), but our masochistic tendencies inspired us to create word clouds for every one of the top 12 songs. (Thank you, Wordle.)

These clouds weigh the appearance of certain lyrics within the songs and create charts assigning size status based on word frequency. If you’ve ever bemoaned the state of modern commercial music, the inanity of looking at these consolidated lyrics will do nothing to ease your pain. But it is kind of funny. Commiserate with us after the jump.

Read More »