VMA West Side Story Promo

MTV is promoting their upcoming 2009 Video Music Awards (Sept. 13, 8:00pm central) with a star studded spin on the musical West Side Story. The video features Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Russell Brand, Cobra Starship, and Leighton Meister as millenial versions of the characters from the Sondheim classic. Despite the fact that no one featured in the clip (with the exception of maybe Ne-Yo) can actually sing, auto-tune manages to help enough to make the clip thoroughly entertaining. I hope the actual VMA’s can follow suit because I have been disappointed in the show for the past few years. Hopefully this promo is a sign of good things to come!

Goo-Goo for Gaga

Hey kiddos!

So my obsession with Lady Gaga is sailing into unhealthy territory. Pretty soon I am going to be showing up to work drinking from a miniature tea cup and wearing a dress made of post-it notes. Anyways… I could not go another day without off-the-chaining the top 5 reasons I am goo-goo for Gaga.

5. She is obscene for the sheer sake of being obscene.

In a British television interview, Gaga was asked if the rumors were true that she is indeed a well-endowed young man. Her response?

“Well, I do have a really big donkey dick.”

Fierce.

4. She works hard for the money.

Lady Gaga started performing in the NYC club scene at the tender age of 14 and she’s dedicated her life and her finances to her live performances ever since. Until this day, Gaga has put nearly every dollar she has earned into funding costumes, props, scenery, stage hands, designers, dancers, musicians, and other necessary accoutrement to put on her glittery spectacle of a show. She is often quoted as saying she is “married to her music” and that her life is a work of art. Now that’s dedication!

3. She is unashamed to make pure pop music.

Her CD is full of some of the catchiest songs I have ever heard. Gaga has a knack for writing hooks that get stuck in my head longer than it takes Tyra to tease her weave in the morning. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people bash “pop music” as though it’s an art not worthy of praise or admiration… kind of like how magic used to be before the Harry Potter books. In fact, Lady Gaga is the Dumbledore of pop music, combining her unique phrasing, sing-songy lyrics, and dancefloor beats to cast a spell upon the world. She has opened the door for a whole new class of popular music. Alohomora.

2.  Enough said…

1. The moment I saw this one particular interview (watch it here) was the moment I knew Gaga was more than a passing craze for me. It made me see that she is intelligent, sexy, creative, hilarious, iconic… in essence, she is OFF THE CHAIN! After the interviewer asks Lady Gaga if she thinks that the sexual nature of her music is distracting from people respecting or appreciating its quality, she is NOT pleased. After she sort of dodges the question, he next asks what the greatest achievement of her career is and this is her reply:

“The gay community. Because I love them so much. Because they don’t ask me questions like that. Because they love strong sexual women who speak their mind. You see, if I was a guy and I was sitting here with a cigarette in my hand, grabbing my crotch and talking about how I make music because I love fast cars and fucking girls, you’d call me a rockstar. But when I do it in my music and in my videos, because I’m a female, because I make pop music, you are judgmental and you say that it is distracting. I’m just a rockstar.”

I can practically feel that journalist’s balls recoiling as she talks. All I can say is get it, girl! I’d love to hear what you guys think of Gaga! Do you think she’s a hermaphrodite? (I would probably love her more!!) Do you have a favorite outfit? Are you still chaffing from that ride on the disco stick? Sound off in the comments section!

Until next time… stay fierce!

 

Click Here to Become a Fan of Lady Gaga on Facebook

Click Here to Follow Lady Gaga on Twitter

Click Here to Buy The Fame on iTunes

Dance Anthem of the Summer

A few weeks ago I posted some of my favorite off-the-chain summer jams… but I hadn’t yet discovered this dancefloor gem that has had me working my thang all over the Twin Cities so far this summer. This techno-pop anthem is called “When Love Takes Over” and it is by French DJ David Guetta featuring powerhouse vocals by Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child.

Wait… what? Who? Kelly Rowland? That girl who is famous for being a glorfied backup singer? The one who was a coach on that horrible show Clash of the Choirs on NBC? The chick who plays second fiddle to Isaac Mizrahi on Bravo’s The Fashion Show? Yeah, that girl. And she is not messing around on this song. At first listen, I could swear it was Whitney Houston. I have got to give credit where credit is due… and hot damn, Kelly Rowland just maxed out my Visa.

The song has a mellow piano driven Coldplay feel at the start and busts into a synth heavy pop beat that swells in the chorus along with Rowland’s belty solo. For the bridge, Guetta pulls out the best move from the catchy pop song playbook by dropping out the beat and building it back up into a satisfying climax that just begs for an explosion of glittery confetti.

From the sounds of it, Guetta has more hits in store for us with his new CD dropping in stores August 24 featuring collaborations with Akon, Ne-Yo, Estelle and Kid Cudi.

Click here to buy “When Love Takes Over” on iTunes

Click here to follow David Guetta on Twitter

Click here to become a fan on Facebook!

Thank You!!!

Hey guys!

Just thought I would share with you all that yesterday was one of the busiest days so far for KG Off The Chain! I finally got up a new post and traffic increased by 400% from the previous day! I also noticed that I am currently #65 on the top 100 growing blogs on WordPress! Thanks for your support… I love to write and I love pop culture and entertainment, but it definitely motivates me to know you guys are out there reading (and hopefully enjoying) what I have to say!

Kyle

So You Think You Can Dance

How many of you guys have been watching Fox’s summer staple, So You Think You Can Dance? I’ve always caught an episode here or there, but this is the first season I have become officially addicted! From what I’ve gathered from the episodes I’ve seen in the past, this is the most diverse and well rounded cast in the show’s five year history. In the past, the competition has been dominated by male hip-hop dancers, while this year’s cast specializes in a much broader range of styles like Broadway, contemporary, ballroom, and more. I’m going to try and give some more in depth recaps as the season progresses, but for now I’ll just highlight (in my opinion) the two dancers who I believe have the most off-the-chain potential!

Girls: Kayla Radomski

I’m no professional dancer (although my signature squat-and-slap move is really catching on) but I do know what I find entertaining. Kayla Radomski may or may not be the best dancer of the season, but she is certainly the most magnetizing. The judges have not said a bad word about her from day one and she has been on the “hot tamale train” (a reference I dont quite understand as a new viewer of the show) for 3 of the last 4 weeks. Do I think she’s amazing just because Nigel tells me she is? I don’t know. What I do know is that I can’t take my eyes off of her, and that says a lot considering she’s now dancing with Kupono (hey girl HEY!) I think she is young, fresh, fun, and very talented. And from what I’ve seen the show really hasn’t had any winners like her, so if I were a betting man I’d throw all my chips towards Kayla walking  pirouetting away with this season’s title.

 

Guys: Brandon Bryant

Brandon started the season off with a bang by turning Mary Murphy’s “woo hoo!” into a “boo hoo” as she was brought to tears by his epic contemporary solo. Things were looking bright for this guy as he headed into Vegas week; however, to everyone’s surprise Lil C and Mia Michaels decided to take him down a few pegs. In the end, Brandon made the top 20 and came into the live shows determined to prove his ability to the haters. His strength matched with the sauciness of his salsalicious partner, Janette has been a show stopping combination on the SYTYCD stage. And the Queen of Contemporary, Mia Michaels even took back her harsh words during last week’s live show. I think that Brandon is just one of those guys that is good at everything he does, and while he may be a cocky bastard because of it, his talent cannot be denied. With Mia and the rest of the judges firmly in his corner, I think he is in it for the long haul!

So how about you guys!? Who are your favs this year? Are you as in love with Mia Michaels as I am? Are you thinking of rocking Sonya’s killer mohawk? How much more effing fierce can Cat Deeley really get? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

So Much Off The Chainess… So Little Time!

Hey girl hey!

So I just got back from spending the week in Chicago on business and just the weekend celebrating the 4th of July with some wonderful friends. There is so much that I want to blog about, but I’m just struggling to find the time! You can expect to see posts in the coming weeks on So You Think You Can Dance, Bruno, the Beyonce concert, and any other fabulous bits of entertainment that come my way! I can see on my stats page that many of you guys are still checking back in for updates and I really appreciate it!  If there is something you think I should check out or blog about, let me know!

I hope you all had an off the chain holiday and keep checking back for new posts in the coming weeks!

Tony Awards 2009

Ugh.

Just when I started to really get into the whole blog thing, my life has been turned upside down! I am working like a mad man and am trying to find some extra time to keep up with all the things I find “off the chain!” I have a three day weekend coming up, so expect some action in the next few days.

In the meantime, did anyone catch the Tony Awards?! Here were my favorite OTC moments

- Bret Michaels redefines “headbanging”

- Neil Patrick Harris’ showstopping finale <3

- Favorite Musical Number: Guys & Dolls!

What about you guys?! Did you watch the Tony Awards? What were your favorite moments? Sing it loud and proud in the comments section!

Total Eclipse of the Heart – Literal Video Version

LMFAO!!!
LMFAO!!!
LMFAO!!!

Top 15 OTC Performances of American Idol 8

Wow! It has been over a week since the Idol finale and I am definitely experiencing withdrawals. In order to ease the pain I thought it might be fun to take a look back and rehash the 15 most off the chain performances of season 8.

15. Lil Rounds – Be Without You (Semifinals Week 3)

For one very brief moment in the semifinals, Lil Rounds fulfilled the role of the sassy R&B diva that this season was so desperately lacking. Homegirl even went so far as to change up the lyrics to this MJB hit in order to encourage viewers to call in and vote for her. “Call this show if you just can’t be without me bayyy-baaay!” Off the chain. Unfortunately, she never lived up to the standard of this performance again throughout her run on the show.

14. Danny Gokey – You Are So Beautiful (Top 3 Performance Show)

Yes, I’ll admit it. He is a good singer.

13. Adam Lambert – Ring of Fire (Top 11 – Grand Ole Opry)

Perhaps the most polarizing performance in Idol history, I originally hated Adam’s lip-snarling, Arabian Nights take on this Johnny Cash classic. However, once I jumped on the Glambert bandwagon I realized how genius it was in its over-the-top glory. Partner that with the hilarious reaction of mentor Randy Travis and this is one for the Idol record books.

12. Tatiana Del Toro – Saving All My Love For You (Semifinals Week 1)

I was totally expecting Tati to come out during week one of semifinals and make a total fool of herself, butchering some overdone Idol tune. But to my surprise, she gave a shockingly competent performance of this Whitney Houston hit and saved the embarrassing moments for the judge’s critiques (“One world. All genres, baby”).

11. Alexis Grace – Dirty Diana (Top 13 – Michael Jackson)

One of the most robbed contestants in Idol history (even more so given the damn judge’s save!) delivered a powerhouse vocal during Michael Jackson week. Even after the phone sex debacle left her stuck with the number 1-866-IDOLS36, she easily soared through to the next round.

10. Anoop Desai – You Are Always On My Mind (Top 11 – Grand Ole Opry)

After Anoop’s subpar performance of “Beat It” during MJ week, Simon expressed his regret for adding him to the top 13. For country week, Anoop came out swinging, delivering a riveting rendition of this Willie Nelson classic. Simon took it all back and Anoop punched the air with glee.

9. Danny Gokey – Dream On (Top 4 – Rock Week)

Worst. Performance. In. Idol. History.

It makes the list only because it brought me so much joy to watch this tool make such an ass of himself.

8. Kris Allen – Falling Slowly (Top 7 – Songs of Cinema)

Kris started to emerge as a frontrunner after this stunning vocal performance, although he totally got the shaft from the judges. This was the week that only two of the judges were allowed to critique each song. Poor Kris drew the short straw and got stuck with Paris and Nicole Randy and Kara. Randy said that Kris’ spot on vocal was “pitchy” while Kara gave him kudos for choosing an obscure song (that won an Academy Award). Luckily, even all of that tomfoolery couldn’t mask how beautiful this performance was and America kept Kris in the competition.

7. Megan Joy – Rockin’ Robin (Top 13 – Michael Jackson)

“CAW! CAW!” Enough said. Off the chain.

6. Allison Iraheta – Alone (Semifinals Week 2)

With little screen time up until this point, America was introduced to 16-year-old Allison Iraheta with a commanding vocal performance of Heart’s “Alone.” While this song is widely considered untouchable on Idol after Carrie Underwood’s infamous rendition, Allison was the first contestant to do it justice since season 4, and she was rewarded with a spot in the top 13.

5. Kris Allen – Ain’t No Sunshine (Top 2 Performance Show)

Kris took one of his strongest performances of the season and smoothed out each little imperfection to make it even more off the chain than it was the first time around.

4. Adam Lambert & Allison Iraheta – Slow Ride (Top 4 – Rock Week)

The stars aligned when Adam and Allison paired up for a duet during Rock Week. The voices. The crouched stance. The outfits. The backlit embrace. Unlike the duet between Kris and Danny, it was clear that these two were having the time of their lives. Every last second of it was off-the-chain amazing.

3. Allison Iraheta – Cry Baby (Top 4 – Results Show)

After her wrongful elimination (during ROCK week?!), Allison Iraheta took the stage with a mission. Deliver the best damn swan song in Idol history. Mission accomplished. With tears streaming, Allison looked the judges dead in the eye and wailed “CRYYYY BABAAAYY!!” with a power and conviction her performance slightly lacked the night before. It was the perfect way for my girl to go out. Can’t wait to buy her album!

2. Adam Lambert – Mad World (Top 8 – Birth Year)

Adam Lambert proved his versatility with this stunning, stripped down performance, eliciting Simon’s first ever standing ovation on a performance night. While I much prefer over-the-top, glam rock Adam, there is no question this performance will be remembered for years to come.

1. Kris Allen – Heartless (Top 3 Performance Show)

Best song choice EVER! Kris showed America that he was the most current recording artist left in the competition during the Top 3 performance show with this amazing acoustic version of Kanye West’s recent hit. The Vaughan sisters and I almost passed out it was so off the chain. This one is definitely going down as one of the best in the American Idol history.

Photos courtesy of americanidol.com

Jon & Kate Plus Hate = Ratings Gold

 

Last night’s season five premiere of TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8 became the highest rated program in the network’s history with 9.8 million viewers (more than double the ratings of the season 4 finale in March) tuning in to witness some of the most awkward moments in reality TV history.

 Jon and Kate each recorded their interview commentary separately, a pretty telling sign that they absolutely can’t stand each other. Jon literally looks like a corpse. Kate is slowly but surely morphing into an even meaner version of Martha Stewart. I feel so dirty for loving every second of this. The majority of the episode centered around Kate planning the sextuplet’s 5^th birthday party. While the show has become depressing when focused on the martial tension of J&K, one thing that hasn’t changed at all is that these kids are off-the-chain adorable (especially Leah!). Even my cold heart broke a little bit when little Alexis asked Jon not to leave home anymore.

I want to feel sorry for Kate, but throughout the show she kept giving me more reasons to dislike her. I almost couldn’t believe it when she ran to grab the piñata so she could shake the candy out instead of Jon. Whoa. While I am enamored by the extremely uncomfortable mood of the show, I hope that fame-hungry Kate soon realizes that this has to stop for the sake of those kids.

What did you guys think of the premiere? Are you a “Team Jon” or “Team Kate?” Who is your favorite Gosselin kid? Am I the only one that thinks chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting sounds disgusting? Do you miss Aunt Jodie? Sound off in the comments section!