Pop Shots - Odd Couples

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 Future and Ciara’s baby naming skills, to Katy Perry and Madonna’s non-musical collaboration, to a Lifetime movie about Whitney and Bobby, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Sometimes I make a joke on Twitter that I expand upon for Pop Shots. In the case of my quip about Ciara and Future naming their child Future, however, the tweet was so unexpectedly popular I'm just going to let it speak for itself.

I want to mock Ciara & Future naming their son Future, but it's kind of brilliant, cuz now no one can say they don't have a future together.

— Adam Bernard (@AdamsWorldBlog) May 21, 2014

* Jack White, who is in the news in 2014 way more than anyone could have expected, told Rolling Stone that he's worked with Jay Z, and the two have "several" unfinished tracks. White, who once stated that he didn't like hip-hop, doesn't think Jay is a fan of the songs, which is why they're still unfinished. In the same interview, White said Kanye West asked him to collaborate for Yeezus, but never followed up. When reached for comment, Jack White's former White Stripes musical partner Meg White said, "You want fries with that?"

* Last week Macklemore found himself in some hot water when he performed "Thrift Shop" dressed as what many viewed as a caricature of a Jewish man. The bowl-cut wig, fake beard, and hook nose, combined with a song about fiscal responsibility, rubbed some people the wrong way. Ironically, while many are decrying the performance, the Jewish community hasn't been very vocal about it, and we still haven't heard a statement about it from 2 Live Jews.


* I’m not sure if this qualifies as Michael Jackson losing his crown as the king of pop, but his latest posthumous album, Xscape, didn’t debut at number one on the Billboard 200. This breaks a streak of eight straight albums debuting in the top spot, a streak that began with 1982’s Thriller. Beating MJ was the latest release from The Black Keys, titled Turn Blue. It was the Keys’ first experience at the top of the chart, and Michael’s first experience being under fully grown men.

* Katy Perry and Madonna did a "sexy" photo shoot together for V Magazine. The result has all the raw sexuality of the girl of your dreams getting kinky with your grandmother.


* Pearl Jam has built a monthlong tour around their headlining weekends at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. In a related story, flannel shirts are reportedly going to be very “in” this fall.

* Angela Bassett has signed on to direct a Lifetime original movie on the relationship between Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Slated to air in 2015, the made for TV movie will be Bassett’s directorial debut. Here’s hoping it does well enough to follow it up with a special about the relationship between Whitney Houston and Ray J, because that’s the crazy sh*t I wanna know about. How on earth did they even meet!?!

* Finally, has anyone else noticed Ed Sheeran is suddenly doing the Justin Timberlake thing better than Justin Timberlake?


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