Channel Larry (EDIT: Channel Awesome renamed to just Nostalgia Critic)

[No-Personality]

And "We Can't Stop" is awful. Just a shallow pop song in which she tries to define herself by being a "rebel"(this also ties into her persona the last several months, and the stunts at both VMA shows).  Way to go, too bad so many before you have done it.  At least in "Wrecking Ball" she's actually trying musically to make a decent song, even if I still don't like it.

As an aside, I don't really get her new persona, it certainly doesn't make her attractive in anyway.  She looks great in the video for "Party in the USA"*.
The short hair doesn't do much, and parading around sticking her tongue out doesn't help either.

*Yes, I realize I'm riding a fine line here, no Old Guy comments please.

Even if I hated what Miley is doing now, I would realize it's easy not to "have to" look at it unless you're stalking Todd or some kid on Tumblr. So, I'm yawning at all this "but this doesn't make her look attractive" nonsense. I don't actually think it makes a difference what someone looks like- if I didn't learn that from being fat in school and gay in my 20's, I'd be a real hypocrite. Especially since this - to everyone else - looks like a Declaration of Party. Which would be pretty old after "Just Dance" and "Tik Tok," wouldn't it? And "Party in the USA," as a matter; a song basically saying "turn on a song that we all can dance to, music is the universal language."

It's possible that some of this is her backlash against people who mocked her for "Can't Be Tamed." And if you want to talk awful. If you want to talk shallow, trying to define herself by being a rebel. So... if it were - though I certainly haven't come across anyone with that theory yet (seems like an obvious one) - that would do all the devaluing people want for what looks on the surface to be this reject from Ke$ha's "Die Young" b-side pile. But instead, Todd's theories on the song have been rejects from the "Ke$ha's tracks like "Die Young" and "Blow" are saying the world's gone to hell, fuck it: let's party!!" pile. I believe this is much more Miley's attempt at a Lady Gaga "don't let them judge you, do your thing" anthem.

Like I said in the Unpopular Opinions thread, I believe she is doing this because people keep reacting the way of superficial and putting any stock into how important appearances are. That Justin Bieber joke especially was pretty low, tasteless, and not very smart. Sure, others take it further and make the kind of claims Miley is actually shrugging off in the song. But this "rebel stunt" feels like it's very warranted after - let's say - Ke$ha and the Mountain of Jokes people made about her peeing, puking, and not showering just because all her famed songs are about partying. How cerebral. It's reactions like these that turned me into this advocate for trash pop that I seem to be now.

Well, that and the fact that it's a better symbol of our times than horror has been the last 10 years. Or the "My Humps" decade. Which I'm more than fine with having represent the times as a figurative mascot. Because the more I feel I have to give up on communities like this and ThatGuy to see any further than their own reactions (which I definitely did when I actually sat through Miley's latest - pretty darn good - album), the more I feel like I'm going to become one of Miley's hangerons. And I mean the ones in the club. Right about now, I'd rather associate myself with them. I don't see them making a huge deal out of how anyone else looks.

Another good example is Katy Perry's infamous "tweet" after Gaga's video for "Alejandro" came out. Shouldn't I as a gay man have been the one complaining that Lady Gaga was pandering to our community for nothing more than industry cred to sell more downloads, etc.? I could've tried but I'd have been drowned out by the absurd amount of straight people feeling they need to be speaking for me when they're really just speaking for themselves through the LGBT community. Hypocrisy is fun when the only ones who can point it out are a criminally underrepresented voice in the mainstream. Perry got some heat for her conservative tantrum over the video but the public majority actually embraced her point of view rather than give her a dose of her own medicine and lash out at her for telling them what to think.

That said, I completely agree on "I Kissed a Girl." I actually appreciate that it got people talking. Which might not have been her intention but, there ya go. The one time she did something too dumb to be malicious and that's when the masses swarmed on her. That and the foam-spurting boobs. People: the whole video was atrocious and one of the most disgusting things to be produced in pop in some time. There's a lot more than foam-spurting boobs to react to but you can always count on the boobs and the lesbianism to get people talking. By comparison, "Ur So Gay" (which might be something worth getting ruffled about since it really throws the dart down the middle and goes after All Men, so there's at least one serious asshole on that writing team) didn't even exist.

[talonmalon333]

Lorde's "Royals" is my biggest guilty pleasure.

And Katy Perry is talented. Her songs just all sound the same.

[Commode]

Relevant, from Comedy Central's FB feed:

Today is Miley Cyrus 21st birthday. Finally, she can start drinking and going out to clubs.

[Foggle]

-This 70's revival thing peaked early and anything in this vein since JT came back sounds boring as fuck, and that includes both "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky"

This is worthy of a ban.

[talonmalon333]

Is banning Avaitor even possible?

[Avaitor]

Sorry, Daft isn't my thing.

Blame, well, Daft.

[Dr. Insomniac]

[Nel_Annette]

-This 70's revival thing peaked early and anything in this vein since JT came back sounds boring as fuck, and that includes both "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky"

This is worthy of a ban.

*nods*

Nah, nah. Opinions.  Despite all the great music I've heard this year, though, I still think Random Access Memories is the best album that came out. And Get Lucky, overplayed as it was, is still a cool track.

The song featuring the guy from The Strokes is still the best, though.

[Peanutbutter]

Royals is a legitimately great song. It's meant to be a slap at the rap and pop stars who talk about lives of luxury while pointing out what ordinary teens lives are really like. It's beat isn't energetic but that doesn't make it boring.

[No-Personality]

Chemical Brothers > Daft Punk

(The only exception being "Around the World" > "Let Forever Be") (and "Around the World" > "Block Rockin' Beats") (and "Around the World" > "Life is Sweet") (and "Around the World" > "The Private Psychedelic Reel") (But, any other song, CB > DP)

[Foggle]

what. the. fuck.

[Avaitor]

Huh.

I actually went on JO's tumblr earlier today, and saw that she personally requested a TGWTG blog to remove any and all posts about her, so I guess that's related.

[Nel_Annette]

Rejuvenique. Just... just... Rejuvenique.

I normally enjoy Infomercialism, but this one had me in Tears laughing. Poor Mike J.

[No-Personality]

I've been meaning to start checking that series out. Haven't gotten around to it yet.

Meanwhile, both JewWario and Diamanda Hagan (with wife in tow, The Omega who has her own short-lived channel and reviewed one of the most nostalgic things on the planet: Unico in the Island of Magic) are doing cooking shows now. JW's is... very helpful and full of insanely easy-to-follow directions. And the katsudon looks freaking delicious. I'm avoiding sharing any real opinions but, now I think I know why I never had the curiosity to check his stuff out before. However, I am addicted to DH's. It's on her channel but she's been uploading one every single day so far and has 4 already. Of course, there's a fundamental difference in their material. He cooks things semi-professionally and with an emphasis on healthy eating. Diamanda and Omega are trying to experiment with ideas that could be professional but are so radical, some people will likely run screaming. The results have been extremely encouraging so far since only the "Fruit Fajitas" sounded like a really bad idea. I think that could easily be described as the only all-out fail.

At the end of every video, Omega comes up with about 5-10 different variations on the cooking instructions from the front of the video and only with the "Fruit Fajitas" did she suggest: no fruit, not going to work no matter what you do. They should have tried to cook the Gafilta Fish Tacos another way to try and salvage the idea. Sounds intriguing to me.

[Avaitor]

Doug's back with Disneycember. This time, he's doing live-action.

I hope he picks and chooses some of the good ones from Walt's age.