There was so much hype about Britney's opening the VMAs tonight, but all that happened was a short comic skit with Jonah Hill and then . . . an opening, as in:

"Thank you so much. Thank you for all the love. I'm here tonight to celebrate a very important birthday, the 25th anniversary of the VMAs. This is the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and it starts right now."

Yes, that was it. Presumably, it was supposed to be enough of a surprise that she looked great and seemed pulled together and happy? Maybe next year she'll look cute and sing too.

Remember last year's unfortunate Britney "comeback" on the VMAs?

Well, MTV News reports that Britney will be given another shot this year. She'll open the show again this Sunday, but not with a performance.

It may actually be not-crazy, if the coherent promo is any indication. How disappointed will the tabloids be if she stays sane through the weekend!

The much-hyped Carla Bruni love songs album is supposed to be great. It also reinforces pretty much every stereotype of over-sexed Europeans.

Charles Bremner writes, "This must be the first time that the presidency of a leading nation has promoted a pop album." But even if you were the leader of a European nation, wouldn't you promote an album if it talked about you like this?

There's an item on BoingBoing about a recent AP report that at certain cemeteries, hymns have been almost entirely replaced by secular songs as funeral music. And not secular like "Happy Birthday," but like "Stairway to Heaven" and "Highway to Hell." Among the top picks: "My Way" and "Wonderful World."

We've noticed this trend. We were at a wake once and the mix included - no joke - "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Personally, we'd go for a little "Farther Along," or "Amazing Grace," but to each his or her own.

Anyone have any song requests, or any crazy funeral music anecdotes to share?

We thought that Happy Meal toy looked familiar . . .

BoingBoing has an item about the "New Wave Nigel" toy Mcdonald's is distributing as part of its American Idol promotion. The doll seems like a clear reference to Devo's signature look, down to the red tiered "energy dome" hat.

The likeness did not escape the band, who are now suing McDonald's for, we estimate, several gazillion dollars. Crack that whip!

Some people say, Obama's only opponent is time.
I don't know about you guys, but this music video is pretty cool...For a political music video.

The artist explains why he made it on the Huffington Post. I watched the "Super Tuesday" dealy. I was flipping between NBC and CNN...Friggen repetitive, how many times do I need to be told woman voted for Hillary and Men voted for Obama, say it once, demote the information to the constant scrolling ticker. If sober I possibly could have memorized each graph. Either way, it could have been made more entertaining, I notice some of the Cable News reporters always seem nervous when they report. Relax ladies you look great.

I have been a Trent Reznor fan since I was in high school, back in the late 90's my friends and I took a bus to Toronto to watch these guys live at Maple Leaf Gardens, best. show. ever.

Here is youtube video that is gobbling up hits pretty quick, enjoy.

ArtofMentalWarfare.com presents The Warning, a politically powerful new music video featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Trent Reznor. The Warning takes on the covert interests behind the war and our media saturated society. From war crimes to the destruction of the environment and a celebrity-obsessed culture, The Warning is a clarion call to action for an apathetic nation.

We check in on Courtney Love's MySpace blog every once in a while, and we usually just fall into a grammatically-incorrect stupor, hum a little of "Live Through This," and move on to deciphering the identity of our friend requesters, but today we were surprised to see she's going after Madonna:

but im icy ssad- madonna is a great business woma but come on she s weak as an artista nd we akl lknow it- i like madge - but as a relevant musician - its a joke shes singing from such a calculating thought out place all the time its never from her gut or heart or intuition so maybe it sounds great an dis slick and you can hum it -discxo n dance it but ambitionand sass and shrewd does not equal great art- hard work and major dsicipline doesnt equal great art and all of those are great things- i covet thenm i haVE great disciplne and i do work like a bionic thing.

[sic]

Musician John Rich, of country duo Big and Rich, said on the Steve Gill radio show (loooong MP3 clip here) that he supported Fred Thompson for president because he agreed with him on issues like gay marriage. Rich said of the institution:

"I think if you legalize that, you've got to legalize some other things that are pretty unsavory. You can call me a radical, but how can you tell an aunt that she can't marry her nephew if they are really in love and sharing the bills? How can you tell them they can't get married, but something else that's unnatural can happen?"

Ah, yes, the "it will lead to incest and/or bestiality" anti-gay marriage argument. It's been a while since that old chestnut was trotted out.

By: Leah Kauffman

You may have heard Radiohead released a new album. They are selling it online for whatever price the consumer decides. Even $0 is an accepted purchase. Still 2/3 of the first million purchases paid for the album, as this NYT op-ed explains...

... Some economists suspect that what is going on is that people get a kick from the act of giving the band money for the album rather than taking it for free. It could take many forms, like pleasure at being able to bypass the record labels, which many see as only slightly worse than the military-industrial complex. It could come from the notion that the $8 helps keep Radiohead in business. Or it could make fans feel that they are helping create a new art form - or a new economy. People who study philanthropy call it the "warm glow" that comes from doing something that we, and others, believe to be good...Read More..

You can head on over to Radiohead's website and purchase a copy of the new album. While you do, listen to the classic Radiohead tune "Karma Police" from the 1997 album OK Computer posted below.

Via videosift

Instrumental music video from the band "God is an Astronaut". The powerful visual imagery and haunting music combine to create an experience certain to make you evaulate your place in the world.

I never heard of these guys before tonight, otherwise cool band title, cool video.

Videosift Rock and Roll.

According to this Fox News video report, a judge has sentenced noise offenders to an hour of listening to loud Barry Manilow music. First of all, Barry Manilow is a great artist, as this essay proves. Second: enough with the cute sentencing! These judges handing down these punishment-fits-the-crime sentences think they're the second coming of Ooka or something, when really they're just Rotary Club members going through a mid-life crisis. What's wrong with sticking to fines or jail time?

That is the quote that ends this excellent excerpt from the The American Ruling Class - a "Dramatic Documentary Musical." Check out their website here. The waitress in the clip is Barbara Ehrenreich, the author of the best-selling book Nickel and Dimed. You can read some of her essays on Alternet.org.

Perez Hilton just posted Britney Spears' new comeback song. Sample lyrics:

[Talking]
Hey baby, what time you gonna get home?
Oh, really? [Sigh] / Alright, well, I'll see you later, then
Oh, wait / Would you mind getting some... / Yeah, when you come home
Yeah, that's it / I love you too / Bye

[Singing again]
Some day when you see my face
You will think that you have won
And some day when it's all away
Our love just begun

Somehow we're having trouble picturing this one on the VMA Awards, but our friend says that makes us "as bad as the person at the other end of the line who is probably not even going to remember to pick up that stuff for her on his way home."