Pop Shots - Going For Two

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 Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber teaming up, to Lady Gaga hangin with the president, to The Simpsons getting two more years, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Mariah Carey has Bieber fever... or Justin Bieber has Mariah malaria. Whichever it is, what I’m trying to say is the two are working together on a Christmas song that will be hailed as a classic by screaming tween girls everywhere. The duet will be a cover of Carey’s Christmas hit “All I Want for Christmas is You,” and it will be one of many collaborations Bieber has on his upcoming holiday album, Under the Mistletoe. Usher, Boyz II Men, The Perry Band and Busta Rhymes (yes, I’m confused by that last one, too) have also been announced as guests. The first single, “Mistletoe,” will be released on October 18th, which is proof positive that even label execs think this is a scary idea that’s more fitting for Halloween than the holiday season.

* Lady Gaga met with President Barack Obama last week at one of his California fundraisers to discuss the issue of youth bullying. She wore 16 inch heels (not a typo) and towered over the president. According to The Hollywood Reporter Obama said “it was a little intimidating.” Apparently Gaga is either a really big fan of irony, or doesn’t understand the definition of bullying.

* Just one year after entering rehab for a host of issues, Demi Lovato is hitting the road for a short ten date tour starting November 16th. The tour starts in Detroit because now that the auto industry is doing alright again, and the Tigers and Lions are winning, it was felt the city needed to be knocked down a few pegs.

* Two legendary labels, Jive and Arista, and relative newbie J Records, are no more. RCA has announced it’s shuttering the labels and moving the artists over to RCA. It’s not easy to put all of this in perspective. Jive gave us the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Arista gave us Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Usher and Pink. J Records gave us Alicia Keys. I understand why the move was made, but feel that a smarter move would have been reorganizing Jive, Arista and J as boutique labels. Back in the day there were certain imprints you could trust to always put out good music of a certain genre. That trust will never be there with so many artists lumped together on one giant roster. What do I know, though, I’m just the consumer they’re trying to reach.

* Our long national nightmare is over, The Simpsons has been renewed for two more seasons, which means it will reach the quarter century mark in age. Like most things that reach 25, it will probably then go back to live with its parents while looking for work.

* Destiny’s Child may have sung about being survivors, but it’s someone from their predecessors, TLC, that’s truly embodying the ideal. T-Boz, who, after being diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was young, was told she’d never live past 30 (she’s now 39 and probably isn’t thinking about lying about her age anytime soon), just revealed she recently had a brain tumor removed. The sultry voiced singer seems to be able to defeat just about anything. I still don’t think she’s considering chasing any waterfalls, though.


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