Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

 So, if you missed the fun-filled premiere of MTV’s hit show Jersey Shore last night, you missed all the drama as the gang made their way from the ice cold weather of New Jersey to the fun and sun of Miami Beach! You also missed the video for Enrique Iglesias’ new hit song “I Like It” (which is currently #6 on the Billboard charts) featuring the cast.  The song is great and it’s exciting to see Iglesias with a hit on his hands! Recently, Iglesias performed on Live With Regis and Kelly and mentioned he enjoyed working with the Jersey Shore crew. Take a look below at the Jersey Shore video and Enrique’s performance on Live With Regis and Kelly. “I Like It,” from the new album Euphoria is available now at retail outlets everywhere and for digital download on iTunes from Universal International Records.

Austrailian pop superstar Kylie Minogue made a pit stop on the Jonathan Ross show Friday night to perform her new single “All the Lovers” from her upcoming new album Aphrodite. The performance is great; the song is not necessarily the uptempo pop we’re used to from Kylie. While the synth is there, the song is more subdued than might be expected. Take a look below at “All the Lovers.” Aphrodite releases July 6th from EMI Records.

Lady GaGa’s new single “Alejandro” from The Fame Monster is sitting pretty high on the Billboard Top 100 (currently #6). This week, the new Queen of Pop (I think even Madonna realizes her reign may soon be coming to an end with the endless success of Lady GaGa) released her new video for the single. Just like all her other videos, “Alejandro” is over-the-top. Boundaries? Ha! They don’t apply to GaGa. Paying homage to Madonna, the video splices themes of military, religion, and tyranny all in one. Add in some super hot men, fun and well-synchronized choreography, and lots of simulated sex–and you’ve got one AMAZINGLY cool music video. “Alejandro” and The Fame Monster are both available now in retails nationwide or from digital download from iTunes from Interscope Records. Take a look at the video:

Austrailian pop goddess Kylie Minogue is set to release her new album Aphrodite on July 5th. And lucky for us, she has released a sample mix to wet our appetites. The tunes are great! Compared to her last album X, which released in 2008, it appears Minogue is using more instrumentation with much heavier synth background tracks. Take a listen below.Aphrodite releases for digital download in iTunes and in retail outlets nationwide July 5th from EMI Records.

Pop Superstar Lady GaGa continues to churn out the hits! YouTube announced last week that her video “Bad Romance” was the most downloaded YouTube video of all-time (with over 179,000,000 downloads!). “Telephone,” GaGa’s second release from The Fame Monster debuted at #3 on the Billboard Charts and is currently resting comfortably at #7 after 5 weeks. The song is a pop duet featuring Beyonce. Just like practically every single Lady GaGa has released, musicians around the world are putting their own touches on “Telephone.” Below, watch an absolutely incredible classical instrumental version of “Telephone” performed by Australian music group Aston. While the song’s pop-version is catchy and just as good as all her other hits, the classical version is downright beautiful. Take a look and a listen for yourself:

Pop superstar Christina Aguilera has pre-released her new single “Not Myself Tonight” from her forthcoming album Bionic. Inspired by the nonstop success of Lady GaGa, the new track is much more “pop” and is heavy on the synth. It’s a bit of a departure from Aguilera’s earlier works, which had more of an R&B type infusion. It’s a great tune and it’s definitely catchy. We might just have a new hit from Christina with this one. Take a listen below. Bionic releases June 8th from RCA Records.

 While I HATE to give Fox (or more appropriately, Faux) News any attention, this video is simply a MUST SEE!!! I laughed at these two idiots from start to finish. You have to watch this for yourself as these Faux News “reporters” discuss just how “disgusting” Lady GaGa’s “Telephone” video is and even suggest benefits to censorship! While media scientists and researchers discredited Fox News a long time ago (for more information, rent the documentary Outfoxed!), this laughable commentary is simply irresistible! The two are just “horrified” by the social results of such filth! LOL And listen to one of them describe how she taught her son how to interpret what media are socially moral and which are not! Too bad for her son and all other adolescents–They just can’t seem to be able to define what is fiction and what is not. LOL Like I said, take a look. As sad as this is, it is really a hoot!

Just when you thought Lady GaGa’s music videos couldn’t be more strangely entertaining, out comes her latest “Telephone” featuring Beyonce. The video is a hoot! GaGa goes from being a prison diva to a murderous dame who partners with Beyonce to commit a group homocide in a backwoods redneck diner! Along the way, the duo encounter some famous celebs (including Queer Eye‘s Jay and the gang from GaGa’s world tour The Semi-Precious Weapons). The video is directed by famous musical director Jonas Akerlund, who has directed the videographies of Madonna’s past several tours. Take a look at Lady GaGa’s “Telephone” featuring Beyonce:

 Billboard reported today that Madonna had the third highest take-home pay of any entertainer in 2009, behind Bruce Springsteen (#2) and U2 (#1). The Material Girl brought home the bacon at a whopping $47, 237, 774! Here’s Billboard‘s report on Madonna’s take-home earnings for 2009: “Like U2, Madonna toured for the first time under a long-term multirights Live Nation deal (hers valued at $120 million), and also like U2 it’s a performance-based pact. Madonna delivered: Her Sticky & Sweet Tour tacked on a “victory lap” run of international stadium dates that solidified the trek as the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist! Madonna’s CD sales were well off the pace of her peak hitmaking years, but still more than respectable at physical and digital. Because her songs come from a wide range of writers, the publishing pie is pretty well-sliced. But her branding, licensing and merch efforts are among the most diversified and lucrative in the music business.”

 ERASURE’s Andy Bell and Vince Clark are busy working on their new album this week in New York City. Bell met-up with Clark on Monday and the duo have been working hard on writing the new tunes for their forthcoming studio album. The group will be updating their progress on this week’s writing through their Twitter and Facebook accounts. ERASURE’s last release, Light At the End of the World debuted in 2007 and was followed-up by 2 very successful tours, including the True Colors Tour, and The Light At the End of the World Tour. ERASURE does plan to tour to promote the new album, which is expected to be released by the end of 2010.