E! To Premiere Lady Gaga and Beyonce's "Telephone" Music Video

It was revealed last night that entertainment network E! will be premiering the most anticipated music video of the year, Lady Gaga's "Telephone" featuring Beyonce.

The channel, known primarily for its red carpet coverage, Ryan Seacrest, and the Kardashians, will air the much-delayed video during its E! News program at 11:50pm. At 12 midnight, the video will have its internet premiere on VEVO, YouTube's failed music video website. It is expected to be at most ten minutes long.

The video was filmed in late January, and has been subject to multiple changed premiere dates, the latest being today to Thursday. The song, which is the second duet between Gaga and Beyonce, currently sits at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, two spots away from being Gaga sixth consecutive top 10 single.

Jedward's "Under Pressure": It's So Terrible, It's Actually Offensive

I didn't give a damn about X Factor gruesome twosome John and Edward (a.k.a. Jedward) getting a #2 hit with "Under Pressure", because I knew that it was a television-led farce that would die out quickly.

Then I checked out Mediabase radio stats, and guess what I found, sitting pretty at #79 with 59 spins on US radio?

Jedward's "Under Pressure".

Absolutely shocked, I watched their music video and I realized that its actually more hideous than I had imagined. They took an iconic good song, fused it with iconic bad song, laid down some subpar vocals, and threw in the ultimate one-hit wonder for shits and giggles. The result is such an unimaginable stain on the face of current pop music that, if I didn't know they were serious, would seem like a parody of pop rap. Unfortunately, the inflated egos they gained through their X Factor success probably made them think this was acceptable to release, when it should've never left the studio. Actually, scratch that. It should've never been recorded on tape or computer or whatever used.

If you have strong constitutions, than check out the video:

If You Thought Heidi Montag's Face Couldn't Get Any Worse...

I normally avoid writing about anything related to "banes-of-pop-culture" Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, but I simply couldn't ignore this.

In fact, if my roommate wasn't sleeping right now, I probably would have either gasped loudly in shock or thrown up a little bit.

This is a new picture of Heidi, post-surgery, at the Pure nightclub on Valentine's Day:



And just in case you argue it's a bad angle, here's another one:


For the first time, I actually feel really bad for Heidi Montag. She must've had self-esteem issues up the freakin' wazoo to allow this obscene level of monstrosity to be carried out on herself. It also doesn't help having a douchebad of a husband not telling you what you are doing makes no sense. While I was never a fan of hers, she was a beautiful girl, just a few months ago. Now, she looks like someone who should be on Real Housewives or something. Hell, Kim Zolciak from Real Housewives of Atlanta looks both younger and prettier than Heidi now.

What a shame...

P.S. Here's one more for good measure:

Download of the Day 2/14: Sade's "Soldier of Love"

Approaching their fourth decade in the music business, you couldn't blame anyone for accusing British R&B group Sade of being a bit stale. I mean, we live in an era of booty-shaking; where do songs like "Smooth Operator" fit?

Thankfully, that question is thoroughly answered by their first single in a decade, "Soldier of Love". With the inimitable voice of lead singer Sade Alu and a surprisingly soulful drum machine at the helm, the quiet storm staples bring themselves into the new decade without sacrificing what made them superstars. Soul is dripping everywhere from this groove-rich spectacle, but there is an unexpected touch of African energy that add another layer to the lyrics about fighting for love (swear to god, not a dig at Cheryl Cole).

Yes, it's Valentines Day, and our music should be warm and fluffy, but forgive me if this edgy treat from Sade rings a bit more true.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Four Fundamental Issues With "We Are The World 25"

There is no doubt that "We Are The World 25", the update of the iconic 1985 charity single penned by legends Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, will do a lot to help the people of Haiti, and I certainly hope it does.

However, unlike the original, the new version absolutely fails as a pop composition, and everyone knows, whether they admit it or not, that Michael Jackson is absolutely spinning in his grave (to be fair, he's been rolling since he's been buried).

Here are the four reasons why "We Are The World 25" blows:

1. The rap verse - How utterly baseless and contrived was the unexpected rap portion of the song? In an effort to bring some contemporary edge where it was never needed, the rap helped in devaluing one of the best pop songs for charity ever.

2. Wyclef Jean - The love he has for his home country is touching, for sure. But dear God, he sounded like a cat was literally shredding his throat in some parts. Some may chalk it up to passion, but there had to have been more appropriate avenues to express it than through his voice.

3. Justin Bieber starting the song - Seriously? The beginning of the song, originally sung by Lionel Richie, was given to, of all people, freakin' Justin Bieber? How much pot was involved in that decision?

4. Overloaded, under-qualified - What made the original so magical was the level of starpower that attended the recording session and how they all interacted with each other. You had Cyndi Lauper next to Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis next to Kim Carnes, Michael with everybody. There was a real sense of camaraderie there. This remake, however, was nothing more than a jumbled list of A to C-list talent. There were way too many people on the bill, and a lot of them couldn't be compared to the lesser talent of the original USA for Africa group. I mean, Kim Carnes only had "Bette Davis Eyes", but she is worth a helluva lot more than the Jonas Brothers (by the way, Nick, we haven't forgotten your Bob Dylan dig, you jackass). To be frank, Miley, Justin, the Jonases, and quite few others could've supported the song by simply buying it, leaving the heavy lifting to true pop titans like Celine, Jennifer Hudson and Nettles, and Janet. Speaking of titans, where were Beyonce, Rihanna, Gaga, hell, even Jay-Z (if rapping had to be involved)?

Check the video out below:

Music Video Premiere x2: "Rude Boy" by Rihanna and "I Got You" by Leona Lewis

They are two of the world's buggest pop divas, with two completely opposite personas.

But somehow, Bajan princess Rihanna and British songbird Leona Lewis both put out great videos for their new singles, on the same day!

For the fiesty single "Rude Boy", Rihanna went back to her Carribean roots with a colorful, M.I.A inspired video featuring some stuff lions and zebras, Jamaican flag-colored hot pants, and a lot of booty-shaking (remember, Rihanna can dance!).

On the other side of the coin lies Leona Lewis and her new pseudo-ballad "I Got You". The video is very reminiscent of her iconic "Bleeding Love" video (the international, or better, one), where all she does is look epically gorgeous while other people act out the drama she sings of.

While both are styled very differently, "Rude Boy" and "I Got You" are great music videos from two of pop music's most promising young divas.

Check the videos out below. Both singles are digitally available now.

Rude Boy



I Got You

I'm Back....

After a pretty long, self-imposed hiatus, I can surely say that I am back to writing on Best, Worst, and UNbelievable!


I decided to take a break to get re-adjusted to life at college, but I found myself full of stuff I wanted to write (a lot happened since the end of January). Plus, this month marks the blog's two year anniversary, so it's a better time than never to begin writing again.

As a reminder, the blog's fancy new URL is www.brandonsbestworst.com. If you haven't updated your bookmarks, you definitely should. If you have any questions, opinions about my posts, suggestions, or anything you would like to know, feel free to email me at brandon@brandonsbestworst.com. I always look forward to hearing any kind of feedback.

To my readers who have kept with the blog, thank you SO much for your support, and it is truly great to be back!

Brandon Lewis

Apple Presents... The iPad!

The rumors proved to be true.

This afternoon, at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center, Steve Jobs announced the release of the fabled Apple tablet device, titled the iPad.

The iPad, which is being considered the missing device between the iPod touch and the Macbook, will begin shipping in March. The iPad's features include an 9.7 inch screen, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, an e-book reader, and much more.

The price range for an iPad is $499 to $829, depending on disk space (16-64 GB) and 3G capability.

Ryan Tedder on Leona's "Happy": Flop Because of No Promotion and Gaga-Led Dance Craze

One of pop music's most ubiquitous songwriters, Ryan Tedder, has offered an explanation as to why Leona Lewis' single "Happy" was a flop in the United States.

The song, which served as the lead single for her album Echo, peaked at #31 on the Hot 100 last year, thanks in part to its appearance in the trailer for the film Precious. According to Tedder, who also co-wrote her #1 smash "Bleeding Love", it wasn't enough.

He told Digital Spy, "In the US, unless you're Justin Timberlake or Beyoncé, you cannot put out a song and not be in the country when it comes out. Leona was gone for six weeks when 'Happy' came out because she was promoting the record in other countries - it wasn't her fault; she couldn't be two places in once. I had radio stations telling me that they thought 'Happy' was the single biggest ballad they'd come across in ten years, but that if Leona didn't come over here and promote it, it was going to fall."

The song was released in September, and with sales of over 50,000 in its first week, it debuted at #50 in the US. It quick fell as iTunes sales dropped off as well, only receiving a resurgence with Precious and the album's release. She performed the song on America's Got Talent, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and VH1 Divas. Her album has sold 150,000 copies so far in the US, debuting and peaking at #13.

Tedder also referenced Lady Gaga and the boom of dance music on Top 40 radio as reason for the song's disappointing performance. "On top of that, America's consumed with Lady GaGa and dance music right now, so it's not the best time for ballads anyway," he said. "When everything on the radio is blasting out at 120 bpm, a song like 'Happy' almost sounds out-of-place."

In my opinion, the real reason why "Happy" flopped is because it wasn't that great, coupled with Leona's lack of promotion. I completely disagree with the dance music argument, and its interesting that he would make it, since "Halo" and "Already Gone", two songs he produced, were radio smashes. After a debut like "Bleeding Love", Leona needed a song far more transcendent that the one Tedder provided.

Her new single "I Got You" is out now.

BWU Singles Chart (1/23): Three Weeks at #1 for Gaga, The Saturdays Rocket Up

Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" spends a third week on top of the BWU Singles Chart, preventing David Guetta's "Memories" from reaching the top spot. That song, featuring rapper Kid Cudi, stays put at #2 this week, becoming the first song to remain at the second spot for a second week. At #3 again this week is Leona Lewis' "I See You".

Last week's top debuts, "I Like" by Keri Hilson and "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble, both moved five spots to #4 and #5 respectively. This week's highest debut came from DJ Earworm's "United State of Pop 2009", which entered at #11. This is the first week where no song debuted in the Top 10.

After a performance on Dancing on Ice, The Saturdays' latest single "Ego" shot up from #22 all the way to #8. It is the second highest jump in the new chart's history; Leona holds the record when she went from #20 to #5 in the second week. Also benefiting from a TV appearance is Adam Lambert, who went from #23 to #14 with "Whataya Want From Me".

In total, seven songs debuted on this week's chart, including songs from John Mayer, Jason Derulo, Gabriella Cilmi, and the Sugababes.

Below is the Top 10:

1. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (-)
2. Memories - David Guetta (-)
3. I See You - Leona Lewis (-)
4. I Like - Keri Hilson (+5)
5. Haven't Met You Yet (+5)
6. Telephone - Lady Gaga and Beyonce (-2)
7. I Got You - Leona Lewis (+1)
8. Ego - The Saturdays (+14)
9. All The Right Moves - OneRepublic (-4)
10. Yesterday - Toni Braxton (-4)