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When Pop Stars Go Goth: Katy Perry, Shakira, Lady Gaga and Madonna Flirt With the Dark Side

Posted on May 22nd 2012 3:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Jason Merritt, Getty

Perennially sunny and perky "California Gurl" Katy Perry caused another stir at this past weekend's Billboard Music Awards by continuing the look she'd debuted earlier this month at the Narm Music Biz Awards. Were her pale face, smokey eyes, dark purple hair and even darker lipstick all a sign that the pop singer was going goth in anticipation of May 22's World Goth Day?

If the similar transformations of her colleagues and predecessors are any indication, the answer is probably not. For most pop princesses, joining the dark side is a pretty superficial exercise. It's more about dyed hair and Avril Lavigne-esque eye makeup than about locking themselves in their rooms, reading Aleister Crowley and listening to the Cure. In other words, they're more Bella Swan than Bella Lugosi.

So to help everyone contemplate the greater cultural implications of Katy Perry's godless asthetic flirtation with her dark lord, let's take a look at 10 other singers who have, at one point or another, undergone their own goth-ish makeovers.

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Filed under: Inquiring Minds, Hot Lists, Exclusive

Hanson: Zac and Isaac Debate 'Star Wars' Vs. 'Star Trek' for May the Fourth Be With You Day

Posted on May 4th 2012 2:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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bauergriffinonline.com | 20th Century Fox

The brothers Hanson are notoriously chatty.

"We're just very verbal," singer Taylor Hanson explains to AOL Music Blog as his younger brother, drummer Zac, continues to barrel through a rant about the eternal geek battle between Star Wars and Star Trek. "He just likes to riff. We get in this talking mode."

We're still not sure how it all happened. One minute, we were interviewing the pop/rock/soul trio and "MMMBop" troubadours about the recent release of their latest album, Shout It Out, on Canadian shores and about Carly Rae Jepsen.

The next we made one innocent remark about nerds. Guitarist and eldest Hanson, Isaac, said that he was one, and used his love of Star Wars as an example of the depths of said nerdness.

"But are Star Wars fans really that nerdy?" we made the mistake of asking.


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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Q&A, Exclusive

Hanson Applying 'Michael Jackson Theory' and Social Media to Making New Music in 2012

Posted on Apr 25th 2012 3:30PM by Sarah Kurchak
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3CG Records

Hanson have promised we'll be hearing new music from them before the end of 2012.

Taylor Hanson, Isaac Hanson and Zac Hanson, the trio of brothers who make up the family band, made that vow while in Toronto recently to promote the release of their Shout it Out album, which has finally just now officially come out in Canada a peculiar two years after it came out in the United States.

Hanson, who's song "MMMBop" conquered the world back in 1997, are well aware that promoting an album as new two years after initial release is weird and are pledging to get their music out to everyone more equitably next time around.

It's a good thing, too, because with the band promising to apply the "Michael Jackson theory" -- lots of groove and melody -- to their next batch of music, nobody's going to want too wait long to hear it.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Q&A, Exclusive

Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston: Actor-Singer Claims Responsibility for Icon's Biggest Hit

Posted on Apr 18th 2012 3:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Jason Kempin, Getty

Most people know Kevin Costner as an Oscar-winning actor, director and the star of blockbusters like Dances With Wolves. But Costner has been slinging a guitar for as long as he's been gracing the silver screen -- and music, in many ways, has had a huge impact on his career.

"It's worked its way into almost every facet," Costner tells AOL Music Blog during a visit to Toronto.

He's playing music in one form or another for most of his career, sometimes even writing songs while he's making movies. He even played a part in one of the biggest hits in music history when he suggested that his co-star Whitney Houston cover a little Dolly Parton number called "I Will Always Love You" for The Bodyguard.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Carly Rae Jepsen, Hanson: 'Call Me Maybe' Star Bonds With Boy Band Over Whiskey, Possible Collaborations

Posted on Apr 11th 2012 3:55PM by Sarah Kurchak
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bauergriffinonline.com,
Getty Images

Before Carly Rae Jepsen caught the ear of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, the "Call Me Maybe" singer was already busy impressing another bunch of teen idols. Over the course of their cross-Canadian tour together this past winter, Jepsen and '90s pop sensation Hanson became both friends and fans of each other's work.

"I love the Hanson boys!" Jepsen gushed to AOL Music Blog on the phone from L.A. last month. "I was floored by them. Their harmonies are so in sync and their musicianship ... you can tell they've been at it their whole lives."

Hanson, in Toronto last week to promote the Canadian release of their latest album Shout It Out, confirm the feeling was mutual.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive

Still Life in Song: Top 11 Pop Tunes About Inanimate Objects

Posted on Apr 4th 2012 2:35PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Songs About ObjectsDef Jam

Poetry about inanimate objects was all the rage among Romantic scribes in the 19th century thanks to works like Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" and John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn." Although the structure of this art has become a lot less formal over the course of the past two hundred years, the tradition of lyrically celebrating "things" still exists today, largely thanks to pop music.

Pop stars like Beyonce, LMFAO and Lil' Mama have taken the reigns from their literary predecessors and written odes to everything from random foodstuffs to technology and apparel. Perhaps the most prolific of all moderns artists who love random stuff, however, is Rihanna. With the release of her latest single "Birthday Cake," this modern day Keats has now sung about a whopping nine different non-living things.

In celebration of this milestone, here are 11 of our favorite songs about inanimate objects.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Hot Lists, Exclusive

Carly Rae Jepsen, 'The Hunger Games': 'Call Me Maybe' Singer Obsessed With Series (Like Everybody Else)

Posted on Mar 20th 2012 3:30PM by Sarah Kurchak
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Carly Rae JepsonSonia Recchia, WireImage

Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and the Big Time Rush guys had no idea if Carly Rae Jepsen was a fellow 'Hunger Games' fanatic when they decided to prance around with a copy of the first book to her song 'Call Me Maybe.' But it turns out that their prop selection in the viral video couldn't have been more appropriate.

"Weirdly enough, I've been obsessed with that series!" the Canadian singer tells AOL Music Blog of the dystopian young-adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

The pop sensation hasn't exactly had a lot of downtime recently, between promoting her hit single, recording a duet with her new friend and colleague Bieber and even singing at his 18th birthday party. But Jepsen has still managed to sneak in some quality reading time with Katniss, Peeta, Gale and the rest of the gang in the districts.

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Exclusive
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