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Buzz In: Which Song Covers Do You Like Better Than the Original?
Cover songs typically get a bad rap, but every once and a while a remake of a catchy track comes along that's worthy of its predecessor. (Just take Sinead O'Connor's version of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," for instance).
Kelly Clarkson did her own renditions of The White Stripes's "Seven Nation Army" and Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" in concert earlier this week, and her samplings weren't half bad.
A Wonderful Playlist of "What a Wonderful World" Covers
Yesterday's news of Forest Whitaker's Louis Armstrong biopic immediately made me think of the last time I heard the song that will be the movie's title: "What a Wonderful World." My ears pricked up when I heard the song as covered by Joey Ramone in the recent Simon Pegg comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. I wasn't thrilled with the movie as a whole, but I like a lot of the music in it — especially this track.
Buzz News Roundup, 8/4
- Stephenie Meyer's final installment in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, sold 1.3 million copies in one day, the AP reports.
- The new Metallica album, Death Magnetic will be released on a Friday — September 12 — rather than on a Tuesday, which is the norm, writes Billboard.
- Stephen Root of Office Space and NewsRadio is joining Pushing Daisies for four episodes as a character with connections to both Ned's dad and Chuck's dad, Entertainment Weekly reports.
- According to ComingSoon, Universal Pictures will make an action-adventure Island of Lost Souls, an adaptation of the Danish film De fortabte sjaeles o.
- So You Think You Can Dance has been officially renewed for a fifth season, Variety reports.
- Zap2It has the news that Robert De Niro will join Mel Gibson for the dramatic movie Edge of Darkness.
- E! reports that, according to Shonda Rhimes, the rumors that Izzie will have a brain tumor on Grey's Anatomy are totally bogus.
- Billboard reports that James Taylor is covering songs from the '50s, '60s and '70s for an album put out by Starbucks' music label.
Which is Your Favorite "Hallelujah"?
When American Idol contestant Jason Castro sang a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in the semifinals a couple of weeks back, he apparently touched off a new revival of the song: The Jeff Buckley version of "Hallelujah" hit the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Music Store download charts following Castro's performance and remains in the top 30 almost two weeks later, and Castro's own version has also been selling well.
Apparently, this "Hallelujah" rediscovery isn't unusual.
Well Played: Rilo Kiley Covers "Let My Love Open the Door"
Covers can be an iffy thing. Nothing sucks more than having a song you like butchered to pieces, and conversely, it's a bit of an awesome surprise when a song you like is redone well. Thankfully, Rilo Kiley recently did a super job covering Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door" at South by Southwest.
Honoring Elvis: Three "Suspicious Minds" Covers
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and it seems wrong not to honor The King with a musical interlude. I got a little depressed browsing the photos of late-model Elvis — man, did he look rough in the end — so I'm cheering myself up with one of my favorite Elvis songs, "Suspicious Minds," which is widely credited with fueling his 1968 comeback.
The high-energy anthem has been covered an astounding number of times in myriad different ways.
Free Downloads! Six Covers by the Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids already won me over with a stellar debut album, Robbers & Cowards, and the awesome interview the band did for BuzzSugar. But now, the boys from Long Beach have done something even cooler: They've posted free MP3s of six cover songs that the band played at a recent breast-cancer benefit show.
The very eclectic set includes CWK's version of songs by Fiona Apple, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and more.
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What to Download: New Music Today
Welcome to a very special Monday edition of What to Download! Instead of Tuesday, all the hot music releases are happening today. In addition to the dance-floor-ready releases I've handpicked below, Shakira's She Wolf also dropped today.
Rob, Kristen, and Taylor Are This Week's Entertainment
Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner have been posing for photo ops all over town — check out Pop's favorite promo tour moments — and it wouldn't be complete without an interview with Entertainment Weekly. In the cute interview, the costars quip about everything from Rob's attachment to his signature hair to Kristen's confession that she'd like to quit smoking to Taylor's obsession with hitting the gym for New Moon. There're also tidbits about Rob and Kristen's off-screen relationship and how Robert handles fandom.
Buzz-Worthy Video: Beck, Feist, Wilco Performing Together
Guaranteed way to make me drop everything I'm doing and press play: tell me that Beck, Feist, and Wilco are collaborating. It's true; Beck recruited the folk chanteuse, the rock band, and British singer Jamie Lidell to join him to perform a tribute to '60s musician Skip Spence.
Their cover of Spence's song, "Little Hands," was recorded in the famous Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood in ultrahip black and white.
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