Sorry for being MIA for the past couple of weeks but this month has been a bigger bitch than Cheryl Cole at a Black Pride rally. I know it's the time of year when I should be putting together my 'best of 2010' countdowns - and they will follow in the next few days - but before all that, there's one last post I need to write. A post that's been on my mind since late September when Spanish pop goddess/musical genius Soraya dropped her 5th studio album. Even the most casual reader of this blog knows how much I worship Europe's gift to the world. I ranked her last album the equal best of 2008, I wrote her an open letter after she was brutally denied Eurovision glory for being too beautiful and talented for that fraudulent competition and I almost died when she hit me up on Twitter. Needless to say, new material from Soraya is a cause for celebration and it's high time I reviewed her latest genre defining pop masterpiece.
Failing Me (Runaway)
Ticking All The Boxes
You've Got The Music
Twilight
In My Blood
" is the second single My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade, released on January 22, 2007. The song was made available for download for the Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II game on August 15, 2007. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Rock Chart and also reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart.Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/2010/.jpg)
Pop Panel is back for another week after a brief hiatus and it's one of the strangest installments yet. I don't think I've ever seen so many songs get full marks or zeros. This is the ultimate love it or hate it week! The winner is also a major surprise. I'm happy it won but I think the second and third place getters are considerably better. I was tempted to re-vote to rig the outcome but I'm not quite that desperate. We also have a fabulous celebrity guest helping out this week but more about her later. Here are the bitches responsible for this week's outcome:SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Kara - Jumping (Video)
A couple of weeks ago I turned up to a random hotel in Sydney to interview Wynter Gordon. I was an emotional wreck, running late and left the questions I had been putting together for the past few days on the train. So there I am, madly scribbling questions onto a serviette in the lobby with a pen I stole from reception, when I was ushered up to Wynter's suite. It wasn't the most auspicious of beginnings but from the moment I sat down next to the woman behind such stunning unreleased classics as "Surveillance" and "Had Enough", I knew it would be fine. Wynter was lovely, articulate and even hotter in person! We talked about her current Australian smash "Dirty Talk", dissected her multitude of leaked tracks and discussed her other career as a songwriter for hire. It was particularly interesting to hear about her involvement in J. Lo's scrapped album and her evolution from urban diva to club queen. I'm so disappointed she didn't perform in Sydney. If "Dirty Talk" keeps exploding it shouldn't be too long until she's back. If the clips from her other Australian gigs are any indication, it will be well and truly worth the wait.
Auburn has been on my radar since 2007 when she released an independent album called "Same Giirl". Her PR team at the time contacted me but I thought her music was a bit too credible for the five tragic queens that read this blog. Cut to 2010 and the charismatic singer has been snapped up by JR Rotem's Beluga Heights label. Her debut single "La La La" was a fabulous attempt to jump on Jason Derulo's urban dance bandwagon and amusingly sampled ATC's "Around The World". It eventually peaked at a very respectable #51 on Billboard's Hot 100 - an achievement that Amerie, Ciara and Tea Tea would kill for - but didn't receive the amount of attention it deserved. I hope her second single gets a better reception because it's a killer track. "All About Him" is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head from the very first listen thanks to cute lyrics about meeting guys at Starbucks and more hooks than a hardware store. I particularly love how Auburn channels the Road Runner in the chorus! The production is interesting too. JR has moved away from the heavily produced beats of "La La La" in favour of a more organic, retro vibe. I think this sound suits the diva a lot better. Fingers crossed "All About Him" takes off on radio because this is a very late contender for my best singles of 2010 countdown. I love it and can't wait for the video. Auburn is definitely a name to watch in 2011!
How does she do it? Despite being 24 months pregnant and crazier than the person who gave Cassie Davis a record deal, Mariah still manages to churn out the most fabulous video of 2010 on a budget that would make Jessica Mauboy roll her eyes and say bitch, please. In case you haven't heard it yet, Mimi has released a dance remix of "Auld Lang Syne" just in time for New Year's Eve. I know what you're thinking - finally a worthy successor to J Lo's "Waiting For Tonight"! But the diva wasn't content at recording the soundtrack to a billion drunk party pashes, she also found the time to gay up the 31st of December even further by filming the amazingly cheap video extravaganza you find below. Seriously, this kills me. If I could marry a YouTube clip I would be happy to spend the rest of eternity with this. Leave it to Mimi to squeeze her extremely pregnant arse into a low cut baby doll mini-dress and preen her flowing locks like she's still on the set of "Dreamlover". Throw in the cheapest firework projection in film history, a bunch of tacky ad-libs ("Does anybody really know the words?" at 2:25 mins) and a remix sounds like it was put together by Eiffel 65 and you have an immediate trash classic. Bow down to her for she is holy! 
I'm officially obsessed with Xtina again. Burlesque hasn't even been released in Australia yet but I'm already convinced it will be the movie event of 2011 and the soundtrack is almost too fabulous for words. Then there's the amazing bloated drag queen look she's been rocking at premieres around the world and her new found ability to actually get off her arse and promote shit. I've even reached the point where I can listen to "Bionic" without snickering and am seriously considering shelling out $100 for that super deluxe edition. Anyway, here's 
If you're hungry for more Heidi Montag or gagging for Kaci Battaglia's next high brow anthem, then I have the diva for you. Kristine Elezaj is my new obsession. She has it all. Stunning natural beauty, a loyal following in the rally car racing community - I'm not making this up! - and a way with words that will leave you breathless. Take her latest aluminium selling iTunes smash "Warpath", which contains the already iconic lyric:
