Pop Shots - Flipping Out

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 Madonna making football fans flip channels, to M.I.A. flipping us all off, to Pauly D, Anthony Kiedis and Gave Grohl flipping their current fame for even more fame, to a cup flipping music video you have to see, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Madonna performed at halftime of the Super Bowl, and just like when any other fifty year old woman covers the screen during a football game the entire male viewing audience responded by saying “honey, you’re blockin the TV! C’mon, the game’s on!”

* Also during the Super Bowl halftime show, M.I.A. flipped off the camera, because nothing says "cool" and "hardcore" like acting like a yokel behind a reporter who's filming a local news story. Congrats on being an idiot on the world's largest stage.

* There was a pregnancy rumor surrounding Snooki this past week, and somewhere Maury Povich was thinking “Best. Ratings. EVARRR!”

* Because crazy people are freakin awesome, a homeless man named Stephen Lee Pieck has filed a lawsuit at the US District Court in NY claiming Eminem stole his idea for a Chrysler commercial. Wait, this gets even better. Pieck is saying he was in a Legal Seafood restaurant with Christina Aguilera and her then husband when she gave Eminem a call and passed the phone to Pieck, at which point he claims he gave Em the idea for the commercial. In a related story, I’m now taking credit for every Victoria’s Secret commercial because it was my idea to look at women in their underwear first.

* DJ Pauly D continues to turn his Jersey Shore fame into bigger and better work. He’s already had a residency at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and toured with Britney Spears. Now he’s set to return to Vegas for a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where he’ll be spinning at the nightclub Vanity inside the hotel starting February 18th. Hopefully he won’t live at the casino, because if he does he’ll have no reason to yell “CABS ARE HERE!”

* The Voice season one runner up Dia Frampton, formerly of the band Meg & Dia, is starring in a five episode web series on NBC.com that debuted this past week. The series will go behind the scenes as Dia continues to make her push as a solo artist. Sadly, Frampton Comes Alive! was unavailable as a show name.

* Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger both got axed from The X Factor this past week. No word on if MC Skat Kat, or any of the Pussycat Dolls we can’t name, will be replacing them.

* FX has been busing inking rock stars to TV deals. First it was Red Hot Chili Peppers’ frontman Anthony Kiedis and his drama titled Scar Tissue, and now it’s Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl for a half hour comedy with comedian Dana Gould that would revolve around a rock band on the verge of stardom and breaking up. With the projects of aging musicians taking up so much future airtime on FX I think everyone’s favorite animated super agent, Archer, needs to think about starting a band so he can keep his time slot.

* In, “oh for the love of God” news, Ja Rule is apparently living it up in prison, saying “this place is amazing.” What’s so “amazing” for the former Murder Inc. rapper? Hobnobbing with the likes of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and ex-NYC Comptroller Alan Hevesi. According to reports, while all three were incarcerated they routinely got together to watch The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Just a little something to think about the next time you can’t get any of the higher ups at your office to return your emails and the cable bill is getting too high to pay.

* Tweet of the Week: @darcymaine_espn M.I.A.'s new single, released this week, is called 'Bad Girls.' There was nothing coincidental about SB performance.

* Every once in a while a video pops up that’s just too cool to ignore. That’s definitely the case with this clip from Swedish trio Erato. Their hand clapping, cup flipping, totally awesome cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” is something you simply can’t take your eyes, or ears, off of.


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