Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

One of my all-time favorite bands, Green Day, has a new album hitting the shelves on May 15th, 2009. The first studio album recorded by the band since American Idiot sold millions of copies and racked-up the Grammy’s 5-years ago, 21st Century Breakdown will be a massive hit if this recently released sample of tracks from the album are any indication. Take a listen below. 21st Century Breakdown will be released nationwide on May 15th, 2009 from Reprise Records.

Lady GaGa, who’s sold-out World Fame Ball is coming to Orlando’s House of Blues on April 6th, performed her #1 hit song “Just Dance” today on The View. After seeing Britney Spears give an amazing (yet mostly lip-synched) performance in her Circus Tour this past weekend, I am eager to see the World Fame Ball and was excited to see Lady GaGa, who is a Julliard Graduate, sing every word in this performance (as she did in her opening act for New Kids on the Block last year in Ft. Lauderdale). Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of the Circus Tour and I doubt Lady GaGa will be performing the acrobats, constant dancing, and stunts Spears performed Sunday night. But it will be quite a treat to see a pop star rely on her own voice to carry the show. Here is the video of Lady GaGa’s performance of “Just Dance” on The View today:

Pop Princess Britney Spears is about to set-launch on her Circus Tour, which opens tonight in New Orleans. I will be watching the Circus Tour in Tampa this Sunday and after checking-out this preview clip, I am more pumped than ever! This concert isn’t cheap. Our seats cost over $200 apiece. But early reviews of the show, seen through rehearsal, have been spectacular with music critics begrudgingly admitting Spears is at her prime. Circus is by far Britney’s best album ever and this concert is going to be HOTT!!! While most shows have sold-out, a very few cities have some obstructed view and limited seats still available through http://ticketmaster.com. Here’s the Preview of Britney Spears’ Circus Tour:

Pop-duo Erasure’s Andy Bell and Vince Clark have been hard at work on solo projects over the last year and April 7th will see the North American release of their Total Pop! Deluxe Hits, which features Erasure’s biggest hits re-mixed and re-mastered by some of the hottest DJs of today. Vince rejoined Alison Moyet to bring back the band Yazoo in the beginning of 2008 and toured around Europe and the United States.

Andy made a move to Hastings and has toured all over the world DJing in various clubs and performing solo at various festivals and events, including 2008’s True Colors Tour. But Vince and Andy will soon be working together again! Erasure will be regrouping in a few months to begin work on their next studio album. The last release Light at the End of the World in 2007 included smash hits “I Could Fall in Love (With You)” and “Sunday Girl.” And the Light at the End of the World Tour played to sold-out concert halls for close to a year, including a stop at Universal’s Hard Rock Live in Orlando on July 8th, 2007.

Every Erasure album seems to get better as the group ages! 2005’s Nightbird, featuring “Breathe” was only surpassed by the 2007 release. Andy recently told CityLife Magazine: “Vince and I will be going back into the studio in the autumn – he’s got a set up in a log cabin in the States – so hopefully we’ll get a new album out by 2010.” So, 2010 will be a big year for Erasure. The wait will be a killer, but something tells me it’ll be well worth it!

Lady GaGa has just completed filming the video for her next single, “Love Game” from The Fame. Shot in LA and NYC, the video contains some very steamy sexually-charged choreography and highlights GaGa’s amazing dance talent. With the release of “Fashion” from the original soundtrack Confessions of a Shopaholic earlier last week, Lady GaGa has certainly been busy lately. And with her World Fame Ball coming soon to Orlando (April 6th), anticipation has never been greater!

Today, Hollywood Records released the soundtrack to the upcoming film Confessions of a Shopaholic, based on the best-selling novel of the same name. The soundtrack is excellent and there is a suprise gem as track #2: Lady GaGa! Lady GaGa recorded the first single from the soundtrack entitled “Fashion.” While Lady GaGa writes all of her own music and actually got her career started as a songwriter, this song was actually originally recorded by Heidi Montag. The soundtrack is chuck-full of great tracks including songs by Macy Gray, The Pussycat Dolls, Natasha Bedingfield, Kat DeLuna, and many others. “Fashion” is definitely the highlight of the album; but the entire album is a smash hit! Confessions of a Shopaholic The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is now available from Hollywood Records in retailers everywhere and for digital download through iTunes.

With the completion of Madonna’s final show in Sao Paulo Brazil last evening–one of eleven record-breaking performances in South America– the Material Girl’s Sticky & Sweet Tour reigns supreme by becoming the number one largest tour in history by a solo artist, it was confirmed today by Live Nation, the tour’s international producer. Her 58 shows in Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico, and South America played for a staggering 2,350,282 (million) fans and sold over (USD) $280,000,000 in tickets. Madonna’s multi Grammy-nominated Hard Candy debuted at number one earlier this year in over 37 countries! If you missed the Sticky & Sweet Tour, I personally think you missed the best of the last 4 concerts Madonna has performed. With a healthy mix of Madonna’s timeless classics and her hits of today, this tour truly rocked! Let’s hope a DVD is on the way! Congratulations Madonna! At 50 years of age, the Material Girl still proves she is by far the most beloved performer of all-time! (Note: Portions of this article come from Madonna’s official press release).

Pop Princess Britney Spears latest album Circus has debuted as the #1 album in America, according to Billboard. In less than a week, Circus has sold over 1/2 a million copies while its first single “Womanizer” also peaked at #1 in the singles category. While Spears’ previous release Blackout also debuted  @ #1, it quickly fell down the charts amid her increasingly negative publicity and lack of promotion. But industry insiders say Circus is altogether different, proven not only by the #1 single “Womanizer” but also the quick skyrocketing of the second single “Circus,” which gained the most radio airplay of any single since its release last week. Britney’s taught and hot body is also being shown-off in her high-profile performances of “Circus” on the TV circuit. Spears’ manager sums it pretty good, “Professionally, she’s feeling great…and it’s great for her to hear she has the #1 album again.” Debuting over a decade ago, Britney Spears is a multiplatinum sensation and has sold over 30 million copies of her albums in the United States alone. Circus is available from JIVE Records in retailers nationwide or for digital download through iTunes.

A little over a year after the release of Blackout, Pop Princess Britney Spears is going back to her roots with the release of her 6th studio album Circus. Working hard to overcome her poor paparazzi-prescribed image, Britney has worked hard over the last year to put her life back on-track and produce one of her best albums yet. Circus sees Spears re-teaming with some of her original collaborators, including Max Martin, who helped catapault her into stardom with such hits as “Oops…I Did it Again,” “Baby One More Time, ” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy.” I downloaded the album this morning and decided to give Circus a listen during my workout routine today and I agree with the critics here; it is definitely one Britney’s best albums! Although I really liked Blackout; it was a little too heavy for me and outside of “Gimme More” and “Piece of Me” I didn’t find many of the tracks “poppy” enough. Circus definitely brings us that pop sound that Britney fans are craving! If you’ve been a fan of Spears in the past, give Circus a listen. I would venture to bet, you’re going to really like it! A world tour is forthcoming so the opportunity to see Britney’s Circus come to life in an arena or stadium near you will quickly be approaching. Circus (from JIVE Music) is available from retail outlets nationwide or for digital download from iTunes.