SOS: C4

What happened to C4! Less than a year ago it was claiming to be a "Music Television" channel (yeah right), but it has apparently now "evolved" to be an "all-round entertainment channel"! Really?

You see i used to really like C4, with great shows such as "Special Features", "Intellectual Property" and the "New Releases show!
But then it started to show "MTV" shows, which wasn't so bad, but let's be honest, how many shows can you have about whiny girls just blinking all the time, or dating shows with irreverent washed up rappers/rockers darting trashy ho's tying to find "the one" but ending up split up which leads to (shocking) a second season to do the whole thing all over again!
The channel reached new lows recently when it started screening "Hogan Knows Best" and now i can't stand to watch it head towards termination!

There just seems to be no consistency! It still has some of it's music content ("Special Features"and "Select Live") which is great but it's once it hits 6PM that it just seems to fall apart. I mean who wants to watch repeats of "Punk'd" and "King Of The Hill"! We are then saved by the amazing "Family Guy" but then it's all so so from 7:30 onwards!
They do have some of the best shows on tv; "30 Rock", "Family Guy", "90210"; but with "Flavor of Love" and "Beauty and the Geek", the appeal is few and far between!
Then they get shows like "Girls of the Playboy Mansion" and "The Daily Show" which are good shows, but just have no place on C4! And what's with "Battle star Gallactica"! C4 just seems like TV3's rubbish bin (with "90210" being shifted after a poor run on TV3) and has no character to it!

So here's the deal: Revise, Revise and Make Cuts!
Get rid of the shit shows that belong on Skys the Box and fix your schedule! Great shows that they could get include "24", "Dollhouse" and "The Cleveland Show"! O and get rid of Sunday Night Movies and have your best shows repeat that weeks episode for catch ups!

It's not too late!

NZ Entertainment News

- Iconic Kiwi music chain Real Groovy is back from the brink! Although the Dunedin store closed, quick deals were reached for sale of the stores in Wellington and Christchurch. Today it was announced that the Auckland store will remain open after a group purchased the store.

- The Pussycat Dolls have announced that they will play one show in at the Vector Arena in Auckland on May 16, 2009 as part of their "Doll Domination Tour", with Lady Gaga set to open!

- Google NZ has released the list of the top most searched celebrities, with R&B crooner Chris Brown topping the list! The late Heath Ledger and Sir Edmund Hillary were in at #'s 5 & 7 respectively.

- Industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails are set to play one NZ show February 17th Vector Arena, in Auckland.

- MTV Networks New Zealand and SKY Television will launch Comedy Central (NZ’s first 24 hour comedy channel) on SKY Digital Channel 10, from April 1st 2009

And finally this week it's been 14 years since television's Goodnight Kiwi last turned out the lights and went to bed, but starting this week the iconic TVNZ character will be back on screen for summer!

Flight of the Conchords: Season 2

The official trailer for Season 2 of hit HBO Kiwi comedy show Flight of the Conchords has just been released online!

The show starring Kiwi comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement looks set to air in America on cable network HBO in January.

The video shows McKenzie and Clement driving a car, then McKenzie shoots "criminals" while Clement drives the car.

Clement, who tries to talk up their show, is put off by McKenzie's gun, and tells him to "put it in the glove compartment".

"What about the criminals?" asks McKenzie.

"Well they don't like it either," says Clement.

F**k Yes: Lily Allen "The Fear"

The Lil-Sta is back! The first track to be taken off Lily Allen's second studio album ("It's Not Me, It's You") is one of her best tracks yet, 'The Fear"!
The video is a cracker, with lots of colour and a touch of elegance! Great return!
Score: 9/10

Whip It: Britney's Circus Video

Two words: VISUALLY STUNNING!
Score: 9/10

Grammy Nominees!

The 2009 Grammy Nominees have been announced, featuring a range of intriguing acts!

Record Of The Year
Adele - "Chasing Pavements"
Coldplay - "Viva La Vida"
Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
M.I.A - "Paper Planes"
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Please Read The Letter"

Album Of The Year
Coldplay - "Viva La Vida" Or "Death And All His Friends"
Lil Wayne - "Tha Carter III"
Ne-Yo - "Year Of The Gentleman"
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Raising Sand"
Radiohead - "In Rainbows"

Best New Artist
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Top Nominees!
Lil Wayne with 8, Coldplay with 7 and Kanye West, Jay-Z and Ne-Yo all with 6!

(For a full list of nominees visit Grammy.com)

Billboard Chart Beat 5/11

This week on the Billboard Charts it's all about Queen B and The King(?).

On the Hot 100, Queen B Beyonce takes over at #5 after T.I.'s impressive hold of that position for two months, with her latest "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"! New York sensation Lady Gaga continues her rise and lands in at #5 with her debut single Just Dance.

Here's how the top 5 look this week (04.11.08):

1. Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (SonyBMG)
2. T.I. feat. Rihanna "Live Your Life" (WEA/Warner)
3. Beyonce "If I Were A Boy" (SonyBMG)
4. T.I. "Whatever You Like" (WEA/Warner)
5. Lady Gaga "Just Dance" (Interscope)

On the Billboard 200, self professed "The Next Elvis",Kanye West, scores another #1 album with "808s & Heartbreak" selling an mildly impressive 450,000 copies in it's first week.
The Chart also featured another four big debuts of the week with
Guns N Roses debuting at #3 with "Chinese Democracy". Rapper Ludacris debuts this week in at #4 with "Theater Of The Mind" and Las Vegas rockers The Killers are in at #6 with their third studio album, "Day & Age".

NZ Chart Beat 1/12

Lady Gaga makes it four weeks in a row atop the New Zealand Singles Chart with her monster hit "Poker Face"!
A shift in the top 5 this week sees Kings Of Leon fly into the fifth position and rapper T.I.'s "Live Your Life" (featuring Rihanna) rise into the third spot. The biggest mover this week goes to Kiwi rapper Devolo with his first solo release "Too Shy" rising to #6, up from #38 the previous week.

Here's how the top 5 look this week (24.11.08)

1. Lady Gaga "Poker Face" (Universal)
2. Beyonce "If I Were A Boy" (SonyMusic)
3. T.I. feat. Rihanna "Live Your Life" (WEA/Warner)
4. T.I. "Whatever You Like" (WEA/Warner)
5. Kings Of Leon "Use Somebody" (SonyMusic)

Guns N Roses rise one position to the #1 spot with their first release in almost two decades, the long awaited "Chinese Democracy". In at #2 this week is one of the most influential acts out there, The Killers with their third original album "Day & Age". The other big entry this week is obnoxious producer turned rapper Kanye West in at a dismal #15 with his latest release "808s And Heartbreak"! Who's the king now Kanye!

Review: Circus

"Womanizer" is an fire-cracker of a song from start to finish! Britney's vocals are both calm and sultry, and little fierce. A definite standout of '08 and of her career thus far! The second release off the album, "Circus", shows a different side from the previous track. Calling herself "the ring leader", Britney once again puts herself in a position of power, seducing you with her attitude and essence. Musically it strikingly similar to "Break The Ice", as it has an upbeat/futuristic sound, and showcases a sound that is very much her own! A sure fire club hit!

"Out From Under" introduces a more softer side to Britney. She speaks more personally, and unlike some of the higher-tempo tracks, she sings with very little digital assistance. This track that breaks expectations, and has a dreamy yet sophisticated pop feel to it. It gets even more addictive with every spin, and looks set to be her third release from "Circus". From the moment i heard "Kill The Lights" I loved it! It is Britney back at her sassiest, with rapper Danja proclaiming that she is now the "Queen of Pop"! A very catchy number which sounds like a club re-up of "Piece Of Me", but with a lot more aggression! Simply great!

"Shattered Glass" is a fun track which is once again all about "holding down the boys". Not quite as perfect as the other tracks, but does peak up at the chorus with her take on the word "gla-ass"! Not quite reaching album filler, but it does get daringly close (does get better with ever play though)! From one of the weaker tracks to the strongest by far, "If You Seek Amy" is very clever and very naughty track! Produced by Max Martin (responsible for "...Baby One More Time") this is one delectable track! The subject matter of the song Amy is a "naughty" girl who Britney is seemingly trying to find, but hidden behind this random subject matter is a very sinister chorus! You see, you think you're hearing "If You Seek Amy" but infact she is saying F.U C.K Me! Provoking? Yes! Releasable? Yes!

"Unusual You " is the definite find of this album, and threatens to take away the the title of the best track of the entire record! The song very smooth and very "Lazy Sunday" with a techno remix! What I love best about this track is that it is a soft dance track that encompasses a new and emerging style of dance music, which seems to be on the brink of major recognition. A very cool track and one that is a definite standout and ahead of it's time! "Blur" and "Mmm Papi" are two tracks on different ends of the spectrum. The first is a slow dance track with a flavour similar to "Early Mornin'" of her 2003 album "In The Zone". A very track with another "Lazy Sunday" feel. "Mmm Papi" is the second track that starts to feel like album filler! A fun and upbeat track that explores her relationship with the paps, yet it just doesn't seem to make a memorable statement like the other tracks. And the chorus is slightly annoying, but still a nice track.

"Mannequin" is a great track that definitely puts this record back on track! Britney once again reassured of herself, with this embracing a feisty side. It is a fun journey into the dance world that just seems to work! "Lace And Leather" is one of the tracks which definitely shows both past and future! A funky sugary pop track, with a great hook and catchy chorus, this track is nice. It steers us into the final stretch of the album which leads to the final track The simply sweey, "My Baby". This is a very raw and personal song that displays elements of "Everytime", and shows that first and foremost Britney is a singer! A touchy track that is beautifully crafted and leaves you with a complacent feeling afterwards! Stunning!

The only issue that I have with this album is that some of the Bonus Tracks are infact better than some of these tracks, but overall a solid album!

Score: 8.6/10

On Tour '09: The Black Seeds

Summer '09 is looking even better now, with a kiwi treasure The Black Seeds embarking on a 9-show Summer Tour!
The boys have been busy of late, releasing their fourth record "Solid Ground" and playing 22 shows as part of their European Album Launch Tour! Now with the release of their second single off the record, "Make A Move" (which btw is another amazing song!), the boys look set to help you groove the summer nights away!

Here are the tour dates:
Gisborne - Rhythm And Vines NYE - Wed. 31st December
Auckland - Big Day Out - Fri 16 January
Napier - Sun Lounge - Sat. 24 January
Lake Ohau - A.R.E.A 9 - Sat. 7 February
Marlborough Wine & Food Festival - Sat. 14 February
Timaru - South Canterbury Wine & Food Festival - Sun. 22 February
Dunedin - Otago University Orientation - Fri. 27 February
Matakana - The 2009 Bush Party - Sat. 28 February
(With Salmonella Dub, The Little Bushman, Sunshine Soundsystem and more)
Wellington - Homegrown - Sat. 14 March

Check these guys out if you can, they are one of the best live acts that I've ever seen!
Also check them out and get your tickets from their official Website and get their latest single "Make A Move" from iTunes!

The Circus Comes to X-Factor!

With her sixth studio album "Circus" out worldwide tomorrow, Miss Britney Spears rocked the X-Factor stage last night as part of her Mini- European promotion tour.
Performing on of this years best tracks "Womanizer", she delivered a standout performance, and even received a standing ovation form the audience and judges alike, including Mr Simon Cowell!

Check her out:



Full "Circus" review will be posted tomorrow!