The correct use of pie charts, pt 73

This just landed in my inbox, and I had to share…

…And now, I’m off on holiday for a week. More “hilarity” when I get back!

Roisin Murphy begs for pennies!

Ultra-fabulous pop star Roisin Murphy (her out of Moloko) has been achieving moderate success with her second solo album, Overpowered.

The title track failed to get into the Top 40 because of some chart eligibility snafu, but the follow-up, Let Me Know, reached number 28 and the album climbed as high as number 20.

It’s a truly great CD, which delves deep into the record box of dance and draws inspiration from Chicago House, Miami Bass, Northern Soul and every classic British dance record of all time.

Better still, you can whistle every melody in the shower.

So what’s she doing busking for grubby coppers in Covent Garden? Partly, she’s accepted a challenge from arty-farty BBC pretensionfest The Culture Show. More importantly, she is expanding on her promotional campaign’s theme of wearing outlandish outfits in everyday places.

For example…

Here she is doing forthcoming single You Know Me Better, acoustic-style on the streets of London town.

Roisin Murphy – You Know Me Better

And, in case you haven’t heard it yet, here’s the video for Let Me Know.

Roisin Murphy – Let Me Know

How cute is this?!

Here’s Janet Jackson talking about junk food on Larry King’s CNN show…

That Mariah Carey video "in full"

You can catch this flick up on youtube (youtube)

Mariah Carey – Touch My Body

Scalextric! Yay!

That Mariah Carey video "in full"

You can catch this flick up on youtube (youtube)

Mariah Carey – Touch My Body

Scalextric! Yay!

Estelle disappoints

Only one person in the world has listened to the super-groovesome bubbling electrofunk of Estelle’s new single American Boy and thought to themeselves: “Hmm, this song is totally flat and lifeless”.

Unfortunately, they hired that person to direct the video.

Estelle – American Boy

Presumably the director suffers some kind of reverse synesthesia (the neurological condition where you experience words and sounds as colours). That can be the only reason he has turned in such an uninspired, one-dimensional black and white video, when the song clearly screams out for a sun-kissed, bleached out, hand-held Super 8 film, with Estelle riding around Miami in an open-topped Chevrolet.

PS: If Kanye West is so great at rapping, why can’t he think of a word that rhymes with seats other than… erm, seats?

Estelle disappoints

Only one person in the world has listened to the super-groovesome bubbling electrofunk of Estelle’s new single American Boy and thought to themeselves: “Hmm, this song is totally flat and lifeless”.

Unfortunately, they hired that person to direct the video.

Estelle – American Boy

Presumably the director suffers some kind of reverse synesthesia (the neurological condition where you experience words and sounds as colours). That can be the only reason he has turned in such an uninspired, one-dimensional black and white video, when the song clearly screams out for a sun-kissed, bleached out, hand-held Super 8 film, with Estelle riding around Miami in an open-topped Chevrolet.

PS: If Kanye West is so great at rapping, why can’t he think of a word that rhymes with seats other than… erm, seats?

Payback

Last month, Sarah Silverman admitted to her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel that she was fucking Matt Damon by putting together a music video and showing it on his US talk show (I blogged about it here.)

In his post-Osars show on Monday, Kimmel got his own back. Big time.

Jimmy Kimmel – I’m F*cking Ben Affleck

I’ve spotted Don Cheadle, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, McLovin and Robin Williams in that clip. Who else can you see?

Janet Jackson videos galore

Janet Jackson continued her comeback campaign by “taking over” Times Square yesterday (i.e. she appeared on two TV shows that are filmed nearby and signed some records at a Virgin Megastore).

First off was breakfast show Good Morning America, where she revealed plans for a tour in September – her first live dates in six years. She also performed new single Feeback and career highpoint That’s The Way Love Goes, and taunted Simon Cowell by pulling a pair of grey trousers above chest height.

Janet Jackson – Feedback (live)

Janet Jackson – That’s The Way Love Goes (live)

I’m not sure what was going on with ABC’s cameras, but all those people holding up cameraphones in the audience probably got better shots of the show than the national TV network broadcasting it.

…Meanwhile, MTV has lifted its four-year-long, post-Superbowl ban on Janet and made her “artist of the week.” This seems to involve putting her on TRL and getting her to shoot some spoof commercials for its top programmes – My Super Sweet 16, Making The Band, A Shot At Love, etc, etc,

The girl can act.

Janet Jackson – MTV ads

Mariah vs 30 Rock

Here’s a sneak peak at Mariah Carey’s new video, Touch My Body. It features Jack McBrayer (who you might know as the delightfully clueless Kenneth from 30 Rock) in a series of clichéd r&b clinches.

Nice to see Mimi poking fun at her own image. If only she’d put the same amount of effort into the dreary song…

Mariah Carey – Touch My Body (preview)

And, just for kicks, here’s my favourite Kenneth moment…

Kenneth on the Conan O’Brien set