Pop Shots – Big Ideas

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 Drake’s idea of a great gift, to Aubrey O’Day’s idea of high art, to The Rolling Stones’ idea for a live album, and since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* In honor of DJ Khaled turning 47, Drake gave him multiple luxury toilets. So apparently Drake is the guy you REALLY need to reiterate “Amazon gift card” to.

* Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have finalized their divorce, and Kanye will be paying $200,000 a month in child support, and be responsible for 50% of their children’s educational, medical, and security expenses. If you ever needed proof that Kanye uses ghostwriters, he shouted “we want prenup” on “Gold Digger,” but is now paying $200k per month in child support to someone with a net worth of $1.8 billion.

* Jennifer Lopez released her This Is Me … Then album way back in 2002, and now she’s readying This Is Me … Now for 2023. Honestly, I think the only thing people really want to hear is This Is Me … With Ja Rule, because that was the most palatable version of J.LO’s music.

* Disney+ will be launching a music docu-series on BTS titled BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star sometime in 2023. So Disney has gone from animated singing sea life to … well … I guess this is basically a lateral move.

* The 2023 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest announced its headliners, with the three-night event kicking off Thursday, February 9th with Paramore, continuing Friday with Dave Matthews Band, and finishing up Saturday with Imagine Dragons, and Kane Brown. I gotta say, I really think they nailed the booking, because there’s nothing more Bud Light than Imagine Dragons, and Dave Matthews Band.

* Danity Kane’s Aubrey O’Day addressed claims that she (very obviously) Photoshops her Instagram posts, telling talk show host Tamron Hall, “I’m making art.” I want to mock this, but there are college courses on Beyonce, so f*ck it, some university will probably add Aubrey O’Day Photoshopping 101 as part of their Art History curriculum any day now (and yes, that’s her in a bikini hugging Jesus).

* The Rolling Stones will release a new 24-track live album titled GRRR Live! on February 10th. Unfortunately, the live efforts are taken from the band’s December 2012 show at New Jersey’s Prudential Center, which featured collaborations that no Rolling Stones fan wants to remember. That is, unless you were amped for a version of “Gimme Shelter” that features Lady Gaga, or really wanted to hear the guy who cheated on Michelle Branch join the band for “Who Do You Love?” I guess that second one is pretty ironic, since we now know who he clearly doesn’t love.

* In sad, and incredibly disturbing news, 37 year old country singer Jake Flint passed away on November 26th, just hours after getting married. This seems unbelievably cruel to everyone involved. “Till death do us part” is supposed to last decades, not hours.

* In more sad news, Irene Cara, who starred in the movie Fame, and sang not only that film’s theme song, but also “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from Flashdance, passed away at the age of 63. I think it goes without saying how long Cara’s legacy will live on, but click play anyway, because this is a classic.

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