Ever wonder why we sing along to some songs more than others? Well science knows!
A new study, by musicologist Alisun Pawley at The University of York and Music Psychologist Daniel Müllensiefen at Goldsmith’s University London, has broken down what makes a song sing-a-long-able. And therefore a good choice for karaoke night if you’re the type of person who likes to get the entire room singing with you.
The researchers went “under-cover” in entertainment venues across northern England and “recorded how many people sang along to each song that was played, as well as other contextual information, such as the time of night. The data was then analysed using advanced statistical techniques to investigate what contextual factors influenced sing-along behaviour, as well as what musical factors might make a song ‘singalongable,’”
Ha. I love science.
In doing this, the most sing-a-long-able song they discovered was Queen's "We Are The Champions."
A 14-year-old Phoenix, Arizona, boy was arrested by sheriff's deputies on Tuesday after threatening to "go on a killing spree" then kill himself at Wigwam Creek Middle School.
Reuters reports that the boy made the threat in the comments section of the YouTube video for Foster the People's song "Pumped up Kicks."
The boy was reportedly taken into custody without incident at his home.
Hey Susan Boyle fans. I know you like Susan Boyle so here's some Susan Boyle.
She's debuted her cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" and as expected, she's slowed it down and added soaring orchestral instruments and...you guessed it...a choir! (There was a moment there where I started to think "What? No choir? Has she gone mad?!" But then there it was, in all its bombastic Susan Boyleness and all was right with the world again).
So, enjoy, Susan Boyle fans. You love this sort of thing.
Adele has debuted the video for her single "Someone Like You."
She wanders the streets of Paris to the clip for the piano ballad. The follow up single to "Rolling in the Deep" has hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. And it's lovely and stark and mininal. Nice.
Joseph Gordon Levitt stopped by Jimmy Fallon this week and the two decided to reenact a karaoke night they apparently had this one time.
So, Jimmy sang Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks," as David Bowie, then Joseph sang Kelly Clarkson's "Since You Been Gone," as Axl Rose. Then they got together for Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory," as Dave and Axl.
Jimmy is, of course, a dandy impersonator. JGL is not bad also. What do you think of his Axl?
You know, every time I write the name "Joseph Gordon Levitt," I desperately try to come up with some shortened version of his name like JLo or Scarjo or KStew or RPATTZ or, well, you get the idea. I just feel like his name calls out for one, but I can't come up with anything good. I think maybe I'm obsessed because it's so close to being JGlove. So close, and yet so far. What was I talking about? Oh, right. JGoLe and JFal covering KClar and LGa. Yes, I'm aware that nothing about that works.
Oh, to be Bob Dylan. I swear. That guy can get away with just about anything.
From ALLEGEDLY totally inventing entire parts of his history to ALLEGEDLY copying his lyrics from the works of numerous poets, Dylan has gotten away with ALLEGED truthiness from the very beginning.
So, it should come as no shock that some questions have been raised about his artwork, currently on display at The Gagosian gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
According to the New York Times, the gallery has been touting the exhibition, called “The Asia Series,” as “a visual journal” of Dylan’s travels “in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea,” with “firsthand depictions of people, street scenes, architecture and landscape.”
But since the show opened on September 20, it has come to the attention of some people that some (or many or all, I’m not sure) of the paintings bear a striking resemblance to various widely available photographs not taken by Dylan.
And when I say “a striking resemblance,” I mean that, from what I can tell from online photos, to me they look exactly alike.
The Times points towards a spirited discussion at the Dylan fansite Expecting Rain, where people are posting links to photos that look just like the paintings. (You can see a lot of them there. I can't legally post the photos. There are also examples posted at the Times link.)
If you didn't watch the American X-Factor last week, meet Chris Rene, your TV talent competition viral video of the moment.
Chris, 28, is exploding online thanks to all the requisite ingredients for a TV talent competition viral video.
Sad story? Check! (Chris was a drug addict! Methamphetamine even! He just got out of rehab.). Blue Collar job? Check! (He's a garbage man!). Young child? Check! Skeptical looks passing between the judges before his performance? Check! Passable performance that brings the house to its feet for a MASSIVE STANDING OVATION? CHECK!
Check out our interview with the Canadian superstar, in which we chat about her Canadian tour, what she does backstage after a show and if she has any plans to join the Kardashians for a reality show.
And now, for your entertainment pleasure, here's Betty White rapping. The former Golden Girl turned Hot in Cleveland star features on the track I'm Still Hot by Brit singer Luciana.
Honestly, I think Betty is getting a little overexposed. Does that make me evil? Do I have to love everything she does because she's 89 years old?
Don't get me wrong. I, like most people, think/thought Betty White is/was the best thing ever. If you've seen her roast William Shatner, you what I'm talking about. It's all you need to see. She's funny and charming and witty and shocking.
But part of the reason she was the best thing ever used to be because she chose her appearances really judiciously and, as a result, was always a surprise delight. Now, she's everywhere. All the time -- kind of like Gene Simmons, but without the attitude. I feel like we're days away from Betty announcing a new reality show in which she moves into a house with 50 contestants and whittles them down to five people to be her entourage.
I guess I thought she was better than this.
But that's OK. When you're 89 you can do whatever you want, I guess, even if it's a not very clever rap with a singer we've never heard of this side of the Atlantic. People probably just show up at her house every morning with a truckload of cash and entice her to the day's project. And of course, I secretly want that.
Lady Gaga, who is on a campaign to stamp out bullying, paid tribute to a fan who committed suicide last week, on stage at the iHeartRadio Festival on Saturday.
"We lost a Little Monster this week," Gaga told the crowd at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, with a photo of Rodemeyer posted above her on a screen.
"I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school ... so tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us, and you're not a victim. You're a lesson to all of us. I know it's a bit of a downer, but sometimes the right thing is more important than the music."
Then she played Hair.
Bullied LGBT teens can find some comfort in Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project at ItGetsBetter.org.
August 2011
