Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog

Leave it to 7-Eleven to drum up some sweet emotion with its new Full Throttle Frozen Blast Slurpees.

The 24-hour convenience store chain is hooking up with Activision to promote the latest installment of the "Guitar Hero" video game -- "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" -- which hits stores June 29.

But you can get your rock off now in 7-Eleven parking lots across the Island through May 13 as WBLI (106.1 on your FM dial) hosts Guitar Hero jams, complete with a 6 x 12-foot screen to watch your own mini rock concert.

Bring your rock star talents (heck, even dress up in tight leather pants and put in some hair extensions if you want) and compete to win a copy of the "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" video game. Oh yeah, free slurpees, too! And they come in a Guitar Hero cup. Ah, the joys of cross-promotional marketing. We are such suckers for souvenir cups, aren't we?

Here's the WBLI schedule:

Friday, May 9: 7-Eleven at 602 Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown
Noon - 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 11: 115 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho
Noon - 2 p.m.

Monday, May 12: 2397 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow
6 - 8 p.m.

And here's the schedule for 7-Eleven appearances without WBLI:

Friday, May 9
3 - 5 p.m.: 616 Union Blvd., West Islip
6 - 8 p.m.: 403 Broadway, Amitville

Saturday, May 10
11 a,m. - 3 p.m.: 101-04 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills (WKTU in the house!)
6 - 8 p.m.: 72-01 Eliot Ave, Middle Village

Sunday, May 11
3 - 5 p.m.: 901 Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station
6 - 8 p.m.: 247 Broadway, Huntington

Monday, May 12
Noon - 2 p.m.: 251 Montauk Hwy, Lindenhurst
3 - 5 p.m.: 4350 Merrick Road, Massapequa

Tuesday, May 13
2 - 5 p.m.: 850 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square

If you can't make it to one of these events or if you don't live on Long Island, find a 7-Eleven near you, buy a Slurpee and enter the code at slurpee.com to see if you won a copy of "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith."

- La Monica

Woo hoo! Now we can all celebrate the original king of cool by licking Frank's back and affixing him to envelopes. Seriously, sign me up. Where can I get these things?

The Post Office has three ceremonies planned for the new 42-cent stamp (up from 41 cents, effective May 12), the first of which is at 10 a.m. at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. Expect to see Sinatra's children Nancy and Frank Sinatra Jr., along with the obligatory local politicos.

Of course, no Sinatra party is complete without a Las Vegas reference, so at noon Vegas time, 3 p.m. EDT, Tina Sinatra will be at the Bellagio Fountains to celebrate the Frank stamp. Frank Jr. will also be at the Hoboken ceremony at Pier A Park at First Street and Frank Sinatra Drive.

- La Monica

I still can't believe that Nick Cannon bagged Mariah Carey! How did he pull it off? I really want to know ...

In case you've been living under a rock, Nick and Mariah reportedly ran off and got married in a private ceremony on an island, suprising family and fans. It's believed that they first met on the set of her new video for the single "Bye, Bye" off Mariah's "E=MC2" album.

I mean, Mariah is definitely hotter than Nick, and she's achieved way more success in her career. After watching Mariah's new video, it's pretty clear there was some chemistry between them and, dare I say, sexual heat!

Take a look and judge for yourself ...

Following in the footsteps of Radiohead, but even better, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails have made their new album, The Slip, available for a free download on NIN.com

All that is required is an e-mail address (you have one right?).

Your first thought might be "Why is Bret Michaels, bona fide rock star with more than 25 million albums sold and the star of "Rock of Love," the No. 1-rated show in VH1 history, playing at this pub-club in Wantagh?"

The better thought is this: "Why didn't I go to Mulcahy's, a relatively small music venue, compared with what Bret Michaels is used to, to see this stop on his 'Rock of Love' tour?"

Michaels sold out the place Thursday night. Inside was jam-packed, even more crammed than the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, the most popular drinking night of the year. And the dude can still turn out a killer performance. Opening with "Talk Dirty to Me" and closing with "Nothing but a Good Time," Michaels was full of energy. The crowd was amped from the start, highlighted by the women's undergarments that made their way through the air and on to the stage before Michaels even started the show.

He went from playing electric guitar to acoustic guitar to some crazy harmonica solo to introduce "Your Mama Don't Dance." You haven't lived until you've seen and heard Bret Michaels perform "Every Rose Has its Thorn" followed by "Fallen Angel."

Poison hits aside, Michaels covered "Sweet Home Alabama," one of the first songs he learned to play, he said, and "Knockin on Heaven's Door." He also played a few cuts off the new album, "Rock My World," in stores June 3.

In a venue such as Mulcahy's, you get a more intimate feel for a concert. This isn't Jones Beach or Nassau Coliseum, which no matter how close your seats are, you still feel the expansiveness of the venue. (By the way, Michaels and the rest of Poison play Jones Beach on July 30, with Dokken and Sebastian Bach on the undercard.) Michaels worked the crowd well and took full advantage of the intimate feel, stopping to address the crowd, having a dude in front of the stage to take close-up pictures with fans' cameras for them and passing a beer to a fan in the crowd.

As for the crowd at Bret Michaels concert, you get three types of people:

1) Poison fans
2) "Rock of Love 3" wannabe contestants
3) Cougars

And there are quite a few that fall into more than one of those categories.

Get your fill of Michaels when you can now because it's being reported that he and Amber are happy together and Richie Sambora is stepping in for "Rock of Love 3."

Below is a video from YouTube

- La Monica

OK, so this may be the coolest thing we hear about and then do this week, perhaps even this month.

This Thursday (April 24) at 7:30 p.m. at the TriBeCa Drive-In (North Cove at the World Financial Center), they will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's epic "Thriller" music video.

This was a groundbreaking event in 1984, and all these years later, it remains the greatest video ever made. A bold statement, to be sure, but name one that is better.

“Thriller” video director John Landis will be on hand during the screening and the classic "Making of Thriller" video to follow. Folks will teach you the Thriller dance -- as if you don't remember it -- and then join in for the world's largest zombie disco. There's a face-painting station, too, so ghoul it up, son! P.S. It's free!

Get more info here and watch the entire video below -- the ENTIRE video just the way it debuted on MTV in 1984 -- just because you know you want to kill a few minutes at work today. (Note: The video player takes a few seconds to load and you might get hit with a 15-second commercial firs, but "This is Thriller, Thriller Night" and no one's gonna save you from the commercial beast that's about to strike, so deal with it.)

- La Monica

Here's the video of Nikki Sixx and the boys announcing and discussing Crue Fest, as we promised earlier. Watch it and then go smoke in the boys room.

Aside from sports scores, buckets of email and free unmentionables, click the T-Pain-Akon artwork below to learn why the Internet was invented. Nice work, repcodes.

Looks like we guessed right on Monday (although, admittedly, it wasn't too hard to figure out) with Motley Crue's big announcement.

Get your glam rock ready because the most notorious rock band of the past 30 years is going back on the road this summer with Crue Fest, a monster metal rock fest featuring the Crue (and all four of its original members), Nikki Sixx's new band Sixx:A.M., Buckcherry, Papa Roach and Trapt.

The tour, run by Live Nation, starts July 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Can't wait to see how much havoc these guys wreak when they come to Jones Beach on July 8. Oh, did I leave that part out? Guess you didn't read the news in the . . . So Ho Tribune! Yep, the Crue kickstarts Long Island's hearts on a Tuesday night. Someone please find out where the afterparty is, and then someone introduce me to a lover in a cellophane dress!

Boss friend Jon, consider this my e-mail asking for July 9 off -- I should have a few personal days left to take. Blog reader Lisa, the Crue is indeed coming to Arizona: Aug. 1 at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion in Phoenix. Here's the full schedule of Motley Crue's summer tour.

Please tell me I'm not the only one fired up for this. I was too young when they were the biggest band on the planet, or at least that's what my parents would have said. So it's rebound time for me and Motley, which is quite all right by me. I'm on my way, I'm on my way.

The band also set a June 17 release date for "Saints of Los Angeles," their ninth studio album. As with most bands performing in concert, they will likely play a few tracks off the new record. Normally, I get a little grumpy during those points of the show, even though I fully understand and respect their right to plug the new stuff.

I get the feeling however that I'll let that slide so long as I get to hear a little "Kickstart My Heart," power ballad "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" and the rest of their classics. Of course, maybe I'm just saying that now since I've got the Motley blasting through the iTunes.

To fully understand what Motley once was on tour, you'll need to read Tommy Lee's "The Dirt" and/or Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries."

If you can't find your leather pants, I'm sure you can find them in the merch section of Motley.com.

- La Monica

P.S. You know I can't leave you without a party, so it's the same ol' situation now.

Indeed, it's true: Flavor Flav has a new sitcom debuting this Wednesday, April 16, on MyNetworkTV / 9. (That's just regular channel 9 for those of us in the tri-state area).

As you keep that fact in your thoughts today, along with memories of Flav, Brigitte Nielsen, Hoops, New York and other moments from his reality show heyday, add one other thought to your brain.

Back in the day. Flavor Flav was a great hype man and an integral part of one of the three greatest rap groups of all time: Public Enemy.

So, Old School Tuesday salutes a time when Flav was on point, rap music was good and videos told stories.

- La Monica

There's a big announcement coming this Tuesday (April 15) at 7 p.m. from Motley Crue. So big, they revamped their Web Site on Monday to prove it.

We're not quite sure what it is but the guess here is that it's time to dig our wigs, makeup and leather pants out of storage and get ready for a summer of Motley, with tour dates and a new CD.

Again, that's just our guess. Here's one more guess: This tour will make a stop at Jones Beach this summer. Again, just a guess.

FuseTV will air the presser live and commercial-free (DirecTV 339 / EchoStar 158; cable subscribers, check local listings).

And Motley.com will air it online. However, if you're a real Crue head and can't wait that long, you can become a Motley online fan club member for $40 and get the news ahead of time, or so that's the claim on their site.

We hope to have video from the presser for those who miss it on Wednesday morning, provided our contacts come through. In the meantime, enjoy the monster ballad below.

- La Monica

Gotta love when old school musical artists return with new albums but are forced to perform their old stuff, too. You know, the songs that we actually know.

This time, it's Taylor Dayne, a Long Island native, rocking out on the CW11 with "Tell It To My Heart" as she promotes her new album "Satisfied."

I was so fired up when I stumbled upon the video that for a moment I considered joining Taylor Dayne's I-Team. Seriously.

- Mark La Monica

Looks like the music world was inspired by last week's installment of Old School Tuesday featuring Journey's live performance of "Don't Stop Believing."

Although no official announcement has been made, a ticket Web site or two has today begun selling seats for a Journey concert at Jones Beach on Aug. 14.

With open arms, I suggest you purchase them now.

- Mark La Monica

Rihanna photos

Unfortunately for me (though probably just the way she'd want it), it had nothing to do with the sweet smell of an Island breakfast, an enticing Barbados accent or hogging the covers, and everything to do with my iPod alarm clock.

The song that did the waking up was her latest smash hit that gets stuck in your head and can't leave for at least three months, "Please Don't Stop the Music." (watch video below)

But we're not here to debate whether the song is good or not. If you like Rihanna, you'll like the song. If you don't, you won't. That's fine.

We're here to discuss the "Mama say mama sa, Ma ma coo sa" lyrics taken from Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something."

Is that legal? Not in the actual legal sense of the word, but in the court of public opinion?

Sure, it's catchy, which explains why that MJ song is among his best ever, which explains why it should never be recycled by artists.

Certain things should remain untouchable in the pantheon of pop culture. You won't catch anyone remaking "The Godfather" or even "The Pope of Greenwich Village." There will never be another "Seinfeld." No one should ever be allowed to get sample clearance for the intro guitar riff to "Sweet Child of Mine."

It's like when The Three Stooges used Curley Joe as a substitute for Curly. It just wasn't right.

To be clear, we love the song, we're just saying maybe use a different sample next time.

See that pic over there on the left side of this blog, the one that identifies Adam Abramson?

Yeah, well, he won't look like that in about 12 minutes after I get done with him. That freakin' little punk just Rick Roll'd me!

For those unaware of Rick Rolling, it's an Internet phenomenon where you send someone a link that indicates one thing, but points you to Rick Astley's video for "Never Gonna Give You Up."

You believe that? My colleague. My friend. My fellow Pet Rocker. Please, my dear readers, email adam.abramson@newsday.com and let's teach this young Fredo Corleone wannabe know that you just can't do that to people.

Web Scout, a blog by the LA Times, talked to Rick Astley about this Rick Rolling phenomenon. I promise this link takes you to the actual interview.

This one is for all those who have been and/or are being raised to feel bootylicious while they loosen up their buttons.

Our friends at the LA Times -- OK, we don't know anyone over there but we're owned (at least for now) by the same parent company, put together this pretty cool photo gallery that chronicles girl groups in music. It illustrates how we've gone from this:

to this:

It's an interesting photo essay, so click on the pic below of Destiny's Child and enjoy the chronological ride through musical history.

The evolution of girl groups

You may recall Ashley Alexandra Dupre as "Kristen" the call girl that brought down Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

No doubt Maxim, Playboy and other similar mags will be forking over huge buckets of cash to score the photo shoot all of America wants to see. It certainly will be more lucrative than a few nights with Client 9.

But Pet Rock is not here to talk about all that. Leave that to the newspapers and 492 cable talk shows.

Pet Rock is here to talk about Dupre the budding musician. Her music isn't half bad, if you like dance pop. Give it a listen below. Seriously, it's not bad at all. I could see her hooking up with Diddy or Timbaland or Kanye West, musically speaking, and becoming a big hit. Big enough for people to eventually think of her first as a pop star and second as "Kristen."

See Dupre's store front on Amiestreet.com.

Janet Jackson got sick this week and had to bail on her musical appearance on "Saturday Night Live" this week. That's probably not going to help her album sales for "Discipline," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard with a shockingly unexcited 181,000 units sold.

NBC announced Wednesday that Long Island fave Mariah Carey will replace her on this week's show, hosted by Jonah Hill.

Have a looksee at her latest video for "Touch My Body." Can someone please explain to me why she keeps the robe open with some random computer fix-it guy in her home? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about it. Just curious.

- Mark La Monica

Reports are floating about the Internet that the first video off the new Gnarls Barkley album has been banned from MTV.

Apparently, they think the video for "Run" may cause people to hav epileptic seizures with all the funky designs flying and strobelighting all around in the background.

Not exactly true. MTV UK asked Gnarls to recut the video, which they did in time to debut on Thursday's edition of MTV's "TRL."

The video will then go into rotation on Monday. Let the seizures fly!

I suppose that's better than being banned for lewd content, like back in the day with Motley Crue, 2 Live Crew and Andrew "Dice" Clay.

Here's the video. The really crazy stuff kicks in around the 2:15 mark. You decide what would happen if people watched it a lot.

Ashlee Simpson signs her new catchy single "Outta My Head" at Walmart on Route 110 in Farmingdale this Monday night at 7. (She might be late though, seeing how she's got a spot on MTV's TRL at 3:30 and there might be a bit of rush-hour traffic on the L.I.E.)

Hello, career boost! What happened, G&G, Jean Country and Rave didn't return phone calls?

Who in her management group said, "Hey, Ashlee, Walmart called. They want to do a national in-store promotion with you?"

In other parts of the country, going to Walmart is considered a good night out. Here in the Northeast -- Long Island, to be precise -- it's a place to get in and out quickly while saving a few bucks.

Have all the record stores really gone away now? Surely there's still an HMV, a Coconuts, an FYE or a Virgin Megastore somewhere to host these events now. Walmart can't possibly be the savior of music promotion, can it?

No doubt the store will be packed for this event. And for all you Ashlee Simpson fans, she'll be in New York all week, including Mirage in Westbury on Friday night.

But in a few weeks or months, there's a very good chance someone at her record label will have to pick the pieces, pieces, pieces of her music career after this promotional tour.

Few things are more disappointing than when a great pop culture reference goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

The other day, Party promoter friend Jann and I entered Two Boots Pizza on West 11th Street in the City.

It's a quaint joint that screams Greenwich Village and good pizza. It's also one of those joints where you can't just "get a slice" of pizza. No such thing as "Gimme one regular and one with pepperoni." Nope. Every slice has a name.

There's the "Big Maybelle," a slice of white pizza with marinated chicken, pepperoni and fresh garlic. Or the "Mr. Pink," a slice with marinated chicken, plum tomatoes, fresh garlic and mozzarella.

And, of course, the reason behind this post, the "Cleopatra Jones" slice with sausage, onions and peppers.

After surveying the menu, I looked at the pizza man behind the counter and said, "Man, Cleopatra Joooones, and I'm chill like that, I'm chill like that."

Nothing! Clearly, this dude is not from this Digable Planet. See, it stinks when a great, unplanned early 1990s hip-hop reference goes unappreciated. Get your digable fix below.

- Mark La Monica

"Thriller" - perhaps the greatest album since 1980 -- turns 25 on Tuesday, and the world will celebrate with its re-release boosted by current music stars.

Kanye West reworked "Billie Jean" and you can hear Fergie singing on "Beat It." It's not exactly a novel approach to old/new music (see "Duets") but it's still the "Thriller" album, which means it's still worth purchasing.

But the real question is trying to figure out the album's best song. Where do you start? Where do you finish? Are there any wrong answers? Are there any right answers? These are conversations worth having.

It's tough, even with only nine songs on the entire record. Seven of them were released as singles, so you can weed out the two that weren't ("Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady in My Life"), just to make your life easier.

Now you're really stuck. Take a look at what's left:

* "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" - Instant club hit to this day.
* "The Girl Is Mine" - Soft Paul McCartney-assisted ballad.
* "Thriller" - Greatest video ever, greatest dance video ever, amazing song.
* "Beat It" - "Showin' how funky strong is your fight."
* "Billie Jean" - She's not his lover, nor your lover, but you love this song all the same.
* "Human Nature" - An all-around solid performance from MJ.
* "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - Such an underrated song, if that's even possible on this album.

See what I'm saying?

This is almost as difficult as debating the most valuable member of New Edition. They all have so many pros and very few cons.

It's easier to pick the next president of the United States than it is to choose the best song of the "Thriller" album. But if you want to choose, vote here.

. . . I ain't got no love for the Grammy Award show producers who decided to have Rihanna steal stage and air time from Morris Day and the Time.

The Time gave us such hits as "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out." All-time classics in the world of R&B.

Has anyone seen or heard from Morris Day since his role as music exec Don Cleveland in "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane" in 1990. Now, the Grammys roll him out to help celebrate their 50th birthday and then interject Rihanna?

What a tease! The Time got open 45 seconds of love to sing the first verse of "Jungle Love" before Rihanna came out for her "Umbrella" / "Don't Stop the Music" medley. Then Day got about 25 more seconds to show off that classic "Jungle Love" dance.

What a sham, Grammy producers. If you're going to dust off Morris Day and The Time, then pull out the cleaning liquid and shammy and do the job right. Don't just vacuum around the sneakers in the middle of the room. Move them out of the way and keep vacuuming. No wonder the music industry is in such disarray.

Don't get it twisted, though. We love Rihanna, and honestly, she'll brighten up any performance just by walking on stage. (Did anyone else notice her guido fist pump?) But let Rihanna have the stage to herself. More to the point, let Morris Day and The Time jerk out once more for the people!

- Mark La Monica

Heidi Montag, the girl-turned-villain on MTV's "The Hills," has done the unthinkable and released a music video for her -- open finger quotes here -- new song -- close finger quotes here -- called "Higher."

The video features her in a bikini prancing around the beach. Not exactly the worst thing in the world, until you come to the realization that she's the Y2K equivalent of Tori Spelling. And yes, Donna Martin does graduate! Plus, after Madonna tantalized us with "Cherish" and Helena Christensen taught many a male about puberty with her sultry role in Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games" video, no music label should allow any artist to be on a beach in their videos. The comparisons are inevitable, and they'll always fall short.

Montag's video below lasts three minutes and 34 seconds. The contest here is to see how long you can last before hitting the stop button and then posting your time in the comments section. I made it through to the end, but only because it's my job.

- Mark La Monica

Diddy is the voice of this generation. From his music to his clothes, from his image to his business, Diddy is a daddy figure to many young people out there.

He was the voice behind Vote or Die in 2004 and was back on YouTube urging the people to vote on Super Tuesday. Like him or not, you have to at least respect him for taking a stand on something.

Watch Diddy's Message to Young America

It's Fashion Week here in New York, which means little more than a hassle for me at work.

However, it does give me the opportunity to reminisce about the day a few years back when I talked my way into blogging from Fashion Week and scored an interview with LL Cool J and called him the new cut creator. To this day, perhaps my greatest moment as a journalist.

That memory dug its way from my long-term memory cubby hole Monday morning, and ever since, I've been starvin' like Marvin for a Cool J song. That hunger pain caused me to forget Oreos and eat Cool J Cookies for Old School Tuesday.

Enjoy this week's selection from a time when rappers were talented, the beats were hot and the only thing that could outdo Kangols and gold chains were matching jumpsuits and awkward dance moves.

(If you've got suggestions for next week's edition of Old School Tuesday, post them in the comments.)

- Mark La Monica

Here's a little anecdote from this morning to let you know that the power of music still shoots to the soul of a person, no matter how much record sales decline each year in this digital age.

I woke up early this morning, did some banking (in an actual bank!), ran some errands and topped it off with a croissant and a XXX vitamin water (my answer to coffee). It was quite the typical (and awful) start to a grownup week. Hello, rat race! Where do I throw up?

The next step might as well have been to go to a Ford dealership, buy a certified pre-owned Taurus and admit my dreams in life are dead.

Then, on the way to the actual office, my life hastily approaching the intersection of Lemming Boulevard and Automaton Avenue, KTU saved my week. They played 80s pop hit "I Wanna Have Some Fun" by Samantha Fox.

Samantha Fox?

Samantha Fox!

All seemed right again. Not so much because the song is good or because I used to have a Samantha Fox poster in my room when I was a kid (next to a poster of Alyssa Milano, I'm just sayin). But rather, it was because there's not a more random song from childhood you could play. It turned my whole day around.

Here's the video just to get you going today.

And when the iPod started on a fresh set of shuffle for the unconventional long walk from the car to my desk to blog this story, it spit out "Heartbreaker" by Color Me Badd.

Argue all you want about the merits of allowing an iPod to contain Color Me Badd songs, but at least my Monday wasn't completely destroyed by the rat race. Music can alter any mood quicker, cheaper and healthier than any other substance on earth.

- Mark La Monica

SEATTLE -- Spinderella, cut it up one time!

Heck, Spinderella, cut it up as many times as you want. All night long is fine with me.

You had me at "Luchini." The "Murder She Wrote," the "Sucker MCs" and the Little Viscious medley were a sweet musical bonus for this East Coast Old Schooler.

Too bad the rest of Seattle flunked right out of the old school on Friday night at The War Room. Cool place, though. Just a crowd that is naive in the ways of the old school.

I used to have this theory that music is the universal uniter of people from all walks of life in all parts of the U.S. of A. The hands go up in Seattle just as fast as they do in New York when it was all a dream and we used to read up Word Up! Magazine, and the butts drop in New York just as fast as they do in Miami when we snap our fingers, do our stare.

Early in the night, the theory held true. But as I head-nodded and shoulder-shaked and whatever else I could think of once Spinderella took to the turntables, I noticed I was one of the few to do it on every song. And I wasn't even drinking!

Spinderella, the unsung DJ for Salt-N-Pepa, ripped it up with an impressive old-school set. In order to keep the rest of the crowd happy (apparently, she wasn't just spinning for my enjoyment), she mixed in the appropriate new school treats and old pop standbys. But take a look at the old school bombs that flew right over everyone head's but mine:

"Murder She Wrote" by Chaka Demus and Pliers
"Sucker MCs" by Run-DMC
"I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim*
"Freaks" by Little Vicious
"Set it Off"
"Sound of da Police" by KRS-One
Late '70s/Early '80s cardboard-on-the-street breakbeats

* Guess who requested "a little Rakim" via text messaging from the back of the club to the stage via New-to-the-phone friend Kendall? Thanks again for those 30 seconds, Spin. Even if no one in the crowd but you and me know the true beauty and impact of that song.

As I lamented this city's lack of passion for the old school (aside from Luniz' "I Got Five On It" - they play it every 11 minutes on the radio as if it were brand new), the journalist in me took hold and I started asking some questions. How is it that a hip-hop club full of hip-hop heads don't appreciate all this stuff Spin is spinnin?

"It's Seattle" was the most commonly given answer to my questions.

"That's whack" was the most commonly given response to the answer to my questions.

Maybe that East Coast bias that West Coasters love to talk about is rooted in truth. Or maybe it was just a strange subset of people who can't even stay hyped 45 seconds into "Wanna Be Startin' Something."

- Mark La Monica

By Jonathan McCarthy

If your home is anything like mine during the holidays, there is holiday music playing 24/7. My wife has every radio tuned to the station that plays holiday music all day, the cable TV is tuned to the Seasonal Classics digital music station and even the satellite radio in the car reminds me ‘tis the season.

Now, I like this time of year as much as anyone, but all this non-stop holiday music each year reminds me of one thing. There are some very annoying holiday songs out there.

I’m sure it is hard to write a classic, such as "I’ll Be Home for Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," or "Christmas in Hollis," but apparently it is easy to pen a bad one.

Here is a look at some of the most annoying, and popular holiday songs. Some are divisive and some are just so bad they should be banned forever. Take a look and cast your vote:

"Santa Baby" by Madonna: This rendition is boo-dee-boo bad.

"Dominick the Donkey" by Lou Monte: This song you either love or hate. I’ll let you decide.

"Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano: This classic makes the list because once you hear it you can’t get it out of your head.

"12 Pains of Christmas" by Bob Rivers: Hearing "rigging up the lights" the first time is funny. Only the first time.

"Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney: This song is made worse by the fact that you know how good of a musician Paul McCartney is.

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy: Not much to say here. Just plain bad.

"Jingle Bells" by the Barking Dogs: Not a real song, but they play it on the radio so it makes the list.

"The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler: Again, a polarizing song based mostly on one’s devotion, or lack there of, to Adam Sandler.

Now that you've watched the videos above (remember though, those are just for audio purposes), it's time to vote for the most annoying holiday song.

By Mark La Monica

I'm the king of blogs, there is none higher,
All you sucka bloggers should call me sire.

To burn my kingdom, you must use fire,
I won't stop blogging til I retire!

Just a little paraphrasing from "King of Rock" by Run-DMC. Why, you ask? Well, why not? But there's another reason.

Thursday night, Hammerstein Ballroom hosts the J.A.M. Awards, which will highlight the positive possibilities rap music. It also helps honor Jam Master Jay, DJ to legendary old-school rap pioneers Run-DMC.

Hyped up by hearing this news last week, I whipped up this little video tribute. Enjoy. (You'll most likely have to sit through a 15-second commercial first. Nothing I can do about that. It's how they pay the bills, one of which is my paycheck.)

For more on the show, visit jammasterjay.org

By Mark La Monica

Apparently, some old-school synapses were firing late last night. Somewhere in my REM sleep land, there are a few dreams of 1990s glory waiting to be unleashed. Who knew?

That's the only way to explain why Michael Bivens and I shared the stage to sing "Poison." Where Ronny DeVoe and Ricky Bell were, I'm not really sure.

But, that was I me on stage, in black overalls, one flap down, of course, and a white turtleneck busting a move to some hip hop smoothed out on the R & B tip with pop feel appeal to it. Yes, it was one of those "Did I really just dream that?" moments of waking up. It was followed by one of those "Uh, yeah, I gotta blog that" moments.

Hey, ride the wave, baby. Smack it up, flip it, rub it down, oh nooooooooooooo!

By Mike Casey

If you're an uncoordinated white guy like myself, you cringe every time one of the scripted dance songs like DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide" comes on at a wedding, graduation party, bar mitzvah, or baseball game.

The meteroic rise of new artist Soulja Boy's hit "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" would seem to be just another addition to the horrifying list of songs that spell disaster for dance-challenged individuals everywhere.

But fear not, oh, Manglers of the Macarena: Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, you too can, in the privacy of your own living room, learn the dance moves to the Soulja Boy dance.

Once you've practiced this a couple hundred/thousand times, feel free to bust it out the next time your friend's girlfriend drags you onto the dance floor (admit it: the "I have a bad ankle" excuse is getting old, and no one's buying it anyway.) It's your chance to shine. Just make sure not to Superman your grandma right off the dance floor.

YouTube bonus: I have to give credit to fellow Newsday.com blogger Adam Abramson, who previously posted this video in his Campus Confidential blog -- if you like college football, check it out.

The humor of this video defies explanation. It's Soulja Boy-related, so enjoy:

By Mark La Monica

Kanye West took the early lead over 50 Cent on Tuesday as their new records hit stores. Fitty vowed to retire from rapping if his "Curtis" release is outperformed in the first week by West's "Graduation." The New York Post reported such actions. BIllboard, the AP and others, too. Even Rolling Stone did a cool, little impromptu survey.

It's quite possibly the most ingenious marketing battle scheme between two people since Coke vs. Pepsi.

Pet Rock is torn with who to support. Pet Rock loves formula 50 vitamin water. Pet Rock loves Kanye West's appearance on "Entourage." Yet, Pet Rock would greatly enjoy the laugh generated by a Kenny Chesney upset of both artists. Tough decisions.

Are you a Fitty Fanatic or a Kanye Crony? Vote here.

By Mark La Monica

Britney Spears' comatose/nervous/Am I Brooke Hogan? performance notwithstanding, the VMAs have been slaughtered by MTV.

It's a shame, seeing how the VMAs once represented the rebellious nature in all of us. It was anything goes at the VMAs, from outrageous performances (Madonna, Britney and Christina) to outlandish entrances (Howard Stern flying in as "Fartman").

Now, the executives at MTV squashed it all and created an event that was more Dick Clark's Rockin Eve than "I Want My MTV!"

Those execs cited declining ratings as a reason to revamp the show from awards and performances to artists singing in separate suites and a small array of awards and rushed acceptance speeches. Quick question: what show or event doesn't produce lower ratings these days than in the past? With the advent of TiVOs and DVRs and 4,719 channels to choose from, decreased ratings an occupational hazard.

But to completely blow up the VMAs, once the cable station's shining moment? It doesn't make sense. Award shows were constructed for television purposes. Sure, it was probably pretty cool to be in one of the suites rockin' with the Foo Fighters, head-noddin' with Kanye West or chillin' with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. But it made for exceptionally terrible television. We're talking "The Magic Hour" terrible.

With the exception of R&B singer Chris Brown, no one else seemed like they wanted to be there.

During the show, MTV promised fewer repeat airings of the show (they must have known how bad a job they were doing) and the chance to watch complete in-suite performances online. Has the Internet has killed the video star the way video killed the radio star? For one night a year, we hope not.

We shouldn't expect MTV to heed JT's advice and play more videos. It's an online world now, for good or for bad. But to destroy the station's flagship night makes no sense. Just don't pin it all on Spears, or even the remarkably awful Sarah Silverman monologue. The MTV execs destroyed the VMAs.

• Britney Spears' VMA performance photos
• MTV VMA photos