Pop Shots - Stop Signs

Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from what could stop One Direction’s attempt at taking Tokyo, to Jessica Simpson putting a stop to her unemployment, to a ratings slide for American Idol that doesn’t seem to be stopping no matter who they have as judges, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

* One Direction will be shooting a 3D movie in Tokyo. At first I wondered if they’d be fighting Godzilla, or Gamera, but after Harry Styles’ recent breakup, and a brainstorming session with a few like-minded friends, I think a giant Mecha-Taylor Swift with laser beam eyes would be the perfect opponent. Now, with that image in mind, if the movie turns out to just be a bunch of concert footage, it will be quite the disappointment. Mecha-Taylor Swift will destroy you and your puny band!

* This past week Justin Timberlake released his first new song in five years and it was met with a resounding “meh.” “Suit & Tie,” which features a verse from Jay-Z that’s so lackluster DJs have been publicly asking for the version without it, has been described by quite a few folks as sounding like a song Robin Thicke said “no” to. While it’s all well and good Justin wants to dress nicely, maybe he should loosen up that “Suit & Tie” and give us something fun again... although nothing wrapped in a box!




* In an online baby shower to mark the couple’s first child, Shakira and Gerard Pique asked fans to donate vaccines and mosquito nets for the world’s poorest children. You can be sure Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will do something similar with their child, if by “something similar” you mean “the complete opposite.”

* Jessica Simpson has signed a development deal with NBC for a television show loosely based on her life. If it’s anything like her reality show with her ex-husband Nick Lachey, it will be unintentional comedy gold.


* There were new singers, there was the intrigue of whether Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj were going to get into an on-air cat fight, there was Randy Jackson wondering what on earth has become of his career, but the one thing the debut of American Idol was missing was about 19% of the viewers they had last year. In its 12th season Idol saw its debut slip roughly 19%, this is on top of the 17% drop is saw between its previous two seasons. Idol’s clearly down, but it’s certainly not out, as it’s still the highest rated singing competition show. That being said, it’s going to take something really special for them to recapture the magic of Larry Platt.


* Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be any more sad music retailer news left to report, 92 year old British retailer HMV is seeking protection from creditors (the legal kind of protection, not the Tony Soprano kind), and may end up having to close the majority of their 223 British stores. HMV stands for His Master’s Voice, which is a reference to the dog in their logo. Unfortunately, the master, in this case, is stuck with a pooper scooper, attempting to clean up quite the mess.

* Finally, because you didn’t know you wanted to hear Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” done by an a capella quintet until RIGHT NOW...


And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.