Pop Shots - So Much Potential

Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from the potential dangers of Selena Gomez’s new gig, to the potential insanity of a Lady Gaga Christmas, to a potentially great way to resolve Liam and Noel Gallagher’s issues, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* The MTV Video Music Awards will be airing this Sunday and the network has announced Selena Gomez will be hosting its pre-show, heading up coverage from the show’s black carpet. Who else thinks this is just an evil plot to get Gomez out in front of hordes of tween and teen girls that are mad at her for “stealing” Justin Bieber from them? I’m gonna call foul if MTV hands out tomatoes to everyone in attendance.

* Lady Gaga is teaming up with Barneys for a Christmas campaign and window display called Gaga’s Workshop. An entire floor of Barneys’ flagship store on Madison Ave in NYC will be turned over to the pop singer so she can create her own interpretation of Santa’s Workshop and the store’s 2011 holiday window display will also be dedicated to Gaga’s theme. A donation of 25% of all the items featured in Gaga’s Workshop will go to the charity of her choice. A few things on this; first of all, I’m not really sure Barneys understands their customer base, or Gaga’s fan base, because there’s no part of the venn diagram in which they intersect. Second, I kind of wish Gaga was doing something with Barney and not Barneys because that purple dinosaur hasn’t had a hit in years.

* Lindsay Lohan, who seems to be hell bent on emulating the Britney Spears lyric “you say I’m crazy, I got your crazy,” is suing the creators of Pitbull’s song “Give Me Everything” over a lyric she claims is in breach of “New York civil rights laws.” The lyric in question is “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan.” Lohan, who comically describes herself as “a professional actor of good repute and standing in the Screen Actors Guild,” claims the New York civil rights laws protects people from having their name exploited for commercial purposes, and she wants the song pulled from the airwaves. In a related story, every actor she’s ever worked with hopes she wins so they can get her name pulled from everything they’ve ever done together, citing the same Lohan reasoning that it is “destined to do irreparable harm” to them.

* Kiss has been dropped from a Michael Jackson tribute show in Britain due to comments lead singer, and rock icon, Gene Simmons, made about the king of pop. In a 2010 interview with Classic Rock magazine Simmons stated “The only sexual references ever made about Michael Jackson that were made by anyone, anywhere around the world, have always been made by kids, and specifically males usually 10 to 14 years of age; never females that age or older, and never grown men.” MJ fans were none too pleased about these remarks and let the show’s organizers know about them. Of course, if the organizers were to cut every act that ever thought MJ was a pedophile their entire lineup would consist of three creepy guys with windowless vans and large supplies of lollipops.

* The news is good for Gavin DeGraw, who is back at home and recovering after the incredibly strange assault and hit and run he experienced in New York City earlier this month when the singer was jumped by a group of people and then hit by a cab. Now DeGraw is focused on his recovery. Hopefully the incident hasn’t soured him on New York City, as a comeback show, once he’s back at 100%, would be a really cool way to come out on top.

* Liam and Noel Gallagher’s respective travel agents need to book them a trip to Philadelphia ASAP so the former Oasis bandmates can try to experience some brotherly love. Right now they’re headed to court over comments Noel made about Liam having a hangover being the reason the band cancelled a 2009 concert. Liam claims that it was laryngitis that caused him to back out and he not only wants an apology, but wants Oasis fans to “know the truth.” That’s not all; according to The Hollywood Reporter, “He also took issue with his brother's claim that ‘the demise of Oasis followed a massive row in which he claimed I demanded to advertise my clothing range Pretty Green in the Oasis tour program.’” The only court this case should be going to is that of the short lived MTV show The Blame Game. Personally, I think the network should consider bringing it back just to help decide this.

* Finally, because life is awesome, The Lonely Island performed “I’m on a Boat” with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.


And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.