Pop Shots – Center of Attention

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 Lil Nas X finding himself at the center of multiple controversies, to Peloton teaming up with Verzuz, to the mafia Demi Lovato has joined, and since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* Lil Nas X stirred up plenty of controversy this week, first with his video for his latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which features, among other things, the singer giving a lap dance to Satan. I don’t really care about the video, I just can’t believe Satan’s Lap Dance wasn’t the name of a White Zombie album.

* In a second controversy for Lil Nas X, the artist is in hot water with Nike after he released limited-edition satanic-themed Air Max 97 shoes that reportedly have actual human blood in them. The shoes weren't authorized by Nike, and the company filed a lawsuit last week. Apparently the only blood Nike wants in their shoes is from the Asian child labor they force to make them.

* Mike Posner has walked across the continental U.S., but he still has hills to climb. Actually, make that a mountain, as up next he plans to ascend Mt. Everest to raise funds for his hometown’s Detroit Justice Center. OK, I gotta know, that pill he took in Ibiza … it was pre-workout, wasn’t it?

* Peloton and Verzuz are joining forces to bring the popular series of artist catalogue battles to Peloton workouts. If this means we’re about to have a bunch of middle aged suburban housewives discussing Ghostface Killah and Raekwon … honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

* Ariana Grande will be joining The Voice as one of the four coaches for season 21 this fall. She might be the first judge in history to require a booster seat for the rotating chair.

* Maple Leif Garrett, aka Justin Bieber, saw his latest release, Justice, become his eighth album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. I wonder how many people who picked it up ended up really disappointed it wasn’t an album by Just Ice.

* Elton John has been working on some interesting collaborations, saying on his Apple Music radio show Rocket Hour, “I’ve just done something with Metallica, (and) during this lockdown period I've been working with Gorillaz, and people like that.” If his collab with Metallica isn’t titled “Enter Rocketman” I’m going to be very disappointed.

* Demi Lovato told Entertainment Weekly that taking off her engagement ring after calling off her two-month engagement to ex-fiancé Max Ehrich instantly felt right. Well, yeah, she was no longer engaged. Leaving it on would’ve been weird.

* In more Demi Lovato news, in an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience the singer revealed she is now pansexual – which, for the record, is not an extreme attraction to the creatures in Pan’s Labyrinth – adding a further clarification, saying, “I heard someone call the LGBTQIA+ community the ‘alphabet mafia,’ and I was like, ‘That’s it. That’s what I'm going with. I’m part of the alphabet mafia, and proud.’” Wait, I thought these guys were the alphabet mafia …

That’s all for this edition of Pop Shots, but come back next Monday for more shots on all things pop.