(Image © DJW / Pop Music Scene)

I have been so disengaged from MTV for a couple of years now. I seriously can not remember the last time I was able to watch a full-length music video of a song. A few years back, even though MTV has Real World and Road Rules, you’d still be able to sit down and watch new and old videos. Not anymore. Try tuning to it one day and you’ll find one reality show after another.

While perusing the MTV.com website a couple of weeks ago, my eye made contact to it’s roster of shows. I saw a lineup of reality shows with no mention of any music video related programming.

• America’s Best Dance Crew
• Busted
• My Super Sweet 16
• Made
• Cribs
• Engaged and Underage
• Exiled
• From G’s To Gents
• The Hills
• Man and Wife

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While Miley Cyrus was in Germany to promote her “Breakout” album, she was asked how she feels about the comparison of her between Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Here’s what she had to say :

“Um, I think they are both really talented and, I don’t know about around here, but at the Video Music Awards and everything, Britney Spears has been taking all the awards home and has really had quite a comeback. So, I just think that they are super successful and hopefully when I am compared to them, it’s them [...] career-wise because they have all been super successful and had amazing careers and they are both really talented.” (SOURCE)

The intro for Miley’s comment intimated that Miley practiced those lines wishing for something “better”.

First of all, I consider that question a bait question. For a 15 yr old, I think that’s as candid and articulate she could get. Seriously, what did you expect her to say? Unless of course you want her to say something crappy and then get her back in the media which was the intention all along.

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Actress and RnB and Rap Artist Eve is going to be mentoring the MTV’s Top Pop Group contestants for tonight’s premiere round. The Pop Groups will have to tackle the first challenge which is to show their unique sound and style. While they all go to this process, Eve will be around to advice and give them tips. Let’s hope they listen to all of it.

After the show, which is at 10pmET/PT, viewers can vote right away for their favorites at http://toppop.mtv.com.

I can’t wait. Seriously. Let’s hope the group doesn’t disappoint all of us.

(Image : Chris Polk/MTV)

The search for MTV’s Top Pop Group premieres tonight at 10PM ET/PT. Hosted by Mario Lopez with backstage correspondent Marianela Pereyra. Get to know the 9 Pop Groups that will be vying for the MTV’s Top Pop Group title and $100,000 prize.

Concrete Rose (Tatiana “Tati,” Maressa “MJ” and Keiatta “Raine”)

Having grown up on the streets of Atlanta, these very independent women give new meaning to the phrase “girl power” - and they are determined to prove that the street can certainly be sweet.  Their name comes from the metaphor “a rose grew from the concrete” and they consider their union a phenomenon that occurs once in a lifetime.  Raine and MJ bonded during a short stint in a another group, but after the group split up, the duo teamed up with Tati to become Concrete Rose.  The girls describe their sound as “bridging Hip-Hop, Rock, Garage, Funk, R&B and Alternative music” to create an “eccentric style, rambunctious sound and a yin-and-yang chemistry.” 

MJ attributes her love of singing to her earlier years spent at karaoke.

Tati is a receptionist at a talent agency who has always wanted to be one taking a meeting. 

Raine is determined to become a successful artist.  After watching her mom deal drugs and struggle with addition, she hopes that Concrete Rose can become positive role models for young women everywhere.

3 Daze (Corina “Corina Noelle,” Chelsea and Ingrid “Amaris Dupree”)

To make music history, these three young ladies connected on MySpace three days prior to their audition.  Corina sent out dozens of emails to singers on the social networking site and interviewed dozens more on the phone.  After hitting it off on the phone with Chelsea and Amaris, the connection the three felt was even stronger when they met in person.  They spent the next two days in rigorous dance and vocal rehearsals, fine-tuning their moves and sound - and their natural ease with one another gives them the appearance of being a group for years versus days.  

Corina (”The girl next door”) grew up on a farm in Connecticut.  When she wasn’t tending to the chickens, Corina was dreaming of a life in the spotlight.

 
Chelsea, (”The sultry Filipino”), moved from the Philippines to the United States at age 10.  After attending a performing arts high school, Chelsea chose to pursue a singing and acting career in Los Angeles.

Amaris, (”The sassy Puerto Rican”), inherited her sexy moves from her mom, a former professional ballet dancer.  She still wishes her dad, who died when she was 13, could have seen her dance on stage.

The rest of the contestants after the fold….

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Lisa and Jess aka The Veronicas are preparing for their tour with the Hanson and here are those dates starting from September 21st in Dallas all the way through October 7th in Alabama :

• 21 Sep 2008   7:00 P     House of Blues            Dallas, TX
• 23 Sep 2008   8:00 P     The Pageant               St Louis, MO
• 24 Sep 2008   8:00 P     Uptown Theater          Kansas City, MO
• 26 Sep 2008   8:00 P     First Avenue               Minneapolis, MN
• 27 Sept 2008  8:00 P     The Rave                   Milwaukee, WI
• 29 Sept 2008  8:00 P     House of Blues           Cleveland, OH
• 30 Sept 2008  8:00 P     Newport Music Hall     Columbus, OH
• 1   Oct  2008  8:00 P     Bijou Theater              Knoxville, TN
• 3   Oct  2008  8:00 P     Wildhorse Saloon         Nashville, TN
• 4   Oct  2008  8:00 P     Coyotes @ City Block   Louisville, KY
• 6   Oct  2008  8:00 P     Variety Playhouse        Atlanta, GA
• 7   Oct  2008  8:00 P     Workplay Theater        Birmingham, AL

Check out their official website - TheVeronicas.com - for more info about the tour.

(Image : Total Assault)

Hey everyone, we’re doing a bit of server merger around the network so things are going to be a little wonky throughout the weekend. Hopefully things get back to normal by Monday without a hitch. Cross your fingers.

So please don’t think the blog has disappeared. Pop Music Scene will be back. I hope you all have a great weekend.

See ya’ll next week :).

After 98 entries, the random winner of a Miley Cyrus Breakout Album is, Amy Griffin. Congratulations Amy. Please e-mail me (dexie.wharton@b5media.com) your shipping address and will  send that out for you.

Thanks everyone for participating. Next album I’ll be giving away is Panic At The Disco who just snagged a Best Pop Video nomination for 2008 VMA. Sso keep an eye out on the announcement.

Again, thanks for participating.

(Image : Amazon.com)

British producer and song write, Taio Cruz is producing Britney Spears’ upcoming album and he’s promising a really good one. Actually, he said, Britney will be the “biggest star in the world next year“. He believes ‘Blackout” was released too early. Britney wasn’t ready for it. Maybe she wasn’t ready to promote it but it certainly is her best album yet in my opinion.

Furthermore, the confident producer promises good songs from Britney Spears. She has Kanye, Pharrell, Timbaland and him doing tracks for the Pop Star. Wow, talk about a who’s who in the music business. Now let’s hope Britney is ready coz Taio thinks she will indeed conquer the world again with this new record as long as she is ready.

Read the whole interview at SundayMail.

Do you like Miley Cyrus? Does your daughter like Miley? A niece, a granddaughter? Or a son, nephew or a grandson :). You want her debut album Breakout? Here’s your chance. Leave your name, a comment on this post. Any comment. How you like Miley or whatever. It ends on  July 31. I will randomly pick a winner to get a copy of Breakout on August 1st.  

Contest open to US/Canada residents only. After  you enter this contest, why not read my review of Breakout in the meantime.

Alrighty, good luck. BTW, I also have another contest going on here at Pop Music Scene. 3 winners will get each a ringo program for their smartphones. Join that too if you want :).

(Image : Amazon.com)

Every time I hear somebody refer to Pop Stars as role models, I get violently ill. Seriously. And I’m not blaming the pop stars. Responsibility lies on the media who are so incessant in labeling these young stars. And the grown ups who passes on the job to well, save their own ass. As far as I’m concerned, they’re giving these kids too much responsibility. Well isn’t that part of their jobs? Said whom? And by which standards should these Pop Stars be role models?

Britney Spears had to lie about staying a virgin until she gets married because her record company pretty much forced her to tell every member of the Press to say so. Even though she’s posing clandestinely in the cover of a Rolling Stone magazine and in her first video she was wearing a hot and sexy catholic school girl uniform. Do I have to point out what has happened in Britney’s life in the past 3 years? But kudos to her for looking like she’s trying to pull everything together now. Losing her children and a trip to a psyche ward might have done it. Oh and having to pay family members for being her conservators.

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