The Week In Music: Super Bowl Crazy Train
With Super Bowl XLV approaching this Sunday, millions of viewers will be glued to their televisions for all the action between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers….and, of course, the commercials. In what could be the Super Bowl ad pairing of the year, Best New Artist nominee Justin Bieber will team with the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, for a Best Buy spot. The details on the ad are under lock and key, but judging from the photos released both the Bieb and Ozzy will be sporting futuristic Tron-inspired jumpsuits. Bieber hinted at the collaboration recently via Twitter, "Can't say what I'm up to today but when u guys find out it's going to be funny as heck." According to USA Today, the funny-as-heck spot will run during the third quarter of the game. With Bieber about to turn 17 and Ozzy at 62 years young, one has to wonder who masterminded this dream collaboration. If anything, it would seem Ozzy is now able to answer his own question, "Who the f*** is Justin Bieber?"
In more Super Bowl news, it seems the halftime performance by the Black Eyed Peas, Slash and Usher on Sunday is just the tip of the iceberg for music-related football activities, in case you're wondering where all the music stars will be prior to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Christina Aguilera is confirmed to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Glee" star Lea Michele will sing "America The Beautiful," and Maroon 5 and Keith Urban will perform during pre-game festivities. And that's just what you'll see on TV. In addition, on Saturday Garth Brooks will be hosting a football camp, Cee Lo Green will be performing at the Axe Lounge, ex-Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz will be one of the celebs coaching two-person teams trying to generate the most tweets for a charity, and artists ranging from Prince to Kid Rock will be playing other events. But most of the music stars echoed Green's sentiment about the game: "I'm going to perform, be a star and be sexy. I'm not necessarily going down as a sports fan." NFL to Cee Lo: "Forget You."
California Gurls and Gleeks will celebrate the biggest sporting event of the year in the special post-Super Bowl episode of "Glee." The show, which follows the big game on Fox this Sunday, will feature a spectacular cheer-squad routine to the tune of Katy Perry's omnipresent hit, "California Gurls," complete with the cast's very own breast sparklers. Entertainment Weekly's Inside TV blog calls it a "boob-a-palooza." We, of course, call it must-see TV for bra designers and dudes who just got done watching a football game. In fact, the producers are specifically targeting post-game dudes. "It was making sure that the dudes who refuse to watch 'Glee' are like, 'Wait a second!'" said show co-creator/executive producer Brad Falchuk. Wait a second, here's a clip.
Just how big is U2? Big enough to not only fill stadiums, but also bump a Major League Baseball series. A series taking place June 24–26 between the Florida Marlins and Seattle Mariners, originally scheduled to be played in Sun Life Stadium in Miami, has now been moved due to preparations for a U2 concert on June 29. The games will now be played in Seattle, as the Marlins agreed to vacate the stadium to allow setup time for the concert. "The best and only solution was to play the games in Seattle," said David Samson, president of the Florida Marlins. No word on whether U2 will dedicate their Pop song "Miami" to the Marlins.
If you're sulking from the sad news of the White Stripes' breakup, here's something to cheer you up. Boy George recently confirmed that Culture Club (winners of the Best New Artist GRAMMY in 1983) will reopen for membership in 2012 during an interview with "BBC Breakfast." While all the details on the reunion are still to be revealed, fans can look forward to all the Culture Club chestnuts they know and love, "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," "Karma Chameleon," "Church Of The Poison Mind," and "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" Reunions…they come and go.
AskMen.com has released its list of the top 99 most desirable women of 2011. Perhaps not surprisingly, the list is full of stunning models and beautiful actresses (apparently, there's little to be desired about professional women, a world where power doesn't seem to equate with desirability). Still, there was room for a few music ladies, with Nicki Minaj coming in at No. 37, Shakira at No. 26, Beyoncé at No. 23, Scarlett Johansson (okay, she's an actress/singer…) at No. 8, Cheryl Cole at No. 5, and (drum roll), Katy Perry at No. 2. That's what you get for being a Firework.
Next week the legendary Barbra Streisand will be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in recognition of her talent in the recording studio, on the big screen and on stage, as well as for her philanthropic efforts. According to recent reports, Babra will be putting her on-screen talents to good use again with a role as actor Seth Rogen's mother in My Mother's Curse. The film is said to be a "road-trip comedy" about an inventor who invites his mother on a cross-country road trip as he attempts to sell his new invention, all the while trying to reunite his mother with her long-lost love. You'll have to wait for the movie's release to find out more, but if you're dying to know more about the mother behind My Mother's Curse, visit GRAMMY.com on Feb. 10 for part one of our exclusive interview with the woman behind the music (and the comedy), Barbra Streisand.
Bruno Mars' "Grenade" holds the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dr. Dre's "I Need A Doctor" featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey is No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart
Any news we've missed? Comment below.
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