Last Lap

December 5th, 2011 | 7:15 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Are You Afraid Of Lana Del Rey?

Are You Afraid Of Lana Del Rey?
The Awl tries to dissect the Lana Del Rey beast, “the Manichean death match between veracity and popular consumption, the Del Rey Affair [that] has brought head-scratching and hand-wringing to new highs,” makes some interesting observations, but generally just gives you more to think about. [The Awl]

A Park Will Be Built in Seattle In Honor Of Jimi Hendrix
And it will be guitar shaped, no less. The park will be unveiled next year in honor of Jimi Hendrix‘s would-be 70th birthday. [NME]

December 2nd, 2011 | 6:01 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Previously Unreleased Britney Song Borrows Liberally From Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita”, Sounds Awesome

La Isla ~~Bon~~Britney-ita
Perhaps in honor of her 30th birthday, the Britney Spears fansite BreatheHeavy posted a previously unheard and unreleased Britney track today called “Love 2 Love U.” This would be fairly unremarkable if not for the fact that the song borrows the beat and the vocal cadence of Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita.” Listen below, and CHA CHA! [BreatheHeavy via Idolator]

Justin Vernon Of Bon Iver Thinks The Grammys Are Unimportant And Don’t Mean Anything
Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon put the Grammys on blast, saying, “it’s just not important and people spend too much time thinking about it.” Yeah, he went there. Maybe he’s got a bee in his bonnet over collaborator Kanye West‘s Album Of The Year snub? [Pitchfork]

Trent Reznor And Karen O Cover “Immigrant Song”Nine Inch Nails front man and musical genius Trent Reznor teamed up with rock goddess Karen O to over Led Zeppelin‘s “Immigrant Song” for the Girl WithThe Dragon Tattoo movie soundtrack. And it’s really awesome. [Stereogum]

November 29th, 2011 | 7:15 pm by Kat George and Mark Graham (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Michael Stipe Has The Force And He’s Not Afraid To Use It

Michael Stipe Channels Obi-Wan Kenobi At Local Multiplex
Retirement seems to be treating the former R.E.M. frontman well, wouldn’t you say? [Confessions Of A Michael Stipe]

Scarlett Johansson Duets With Dean Martin (!!!)
ScarJo sings with the dead on the new edition of the late Dean Martin‘s album, My Kind Of Christmas. The actor-come singer’s vocals appear alongside Dean Martin’s on “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” and it’s quite lovely, really. [Stereogum]

November 28th, 2011 | 7:00 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Florence + The Machine Cover Drake And Rihanna’s “Take Care”

Florence + The Machine Cover Drake’s “Take Care”
Florence + The Machine covered Drake‘s “Take Care” on BBC Radio 1′s Live Lounge, and while the cover featured all the soaring, atmospheric vocals we love Florence Welch for, it missed the brooding darkness of Drake and Rihanna‘s original. [Spin]

Wyclef Jean’s Haiti Charity May Have Been Involved In Some Shady Spending
The books are allegedly failing to add up for Wyclef‘s Yele Haiti relief fund. The charity reportedly made $16 million in 2010, but only an alleged $5.1 million was spent on the relief effort. Wyclef is being defensive, and for Haiti’s sake, we hope he doesn’t turn out to be a swindler. [Billboard]

November 22nd, 2011 | 6:00 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: The Roots Let Their True Feelings For Michelle Bachmann Take Over On Fallon

The Roots Let Their True Feelings For Michelle Bachmann Take Over On Fallon
The Roots chose to play a bit of Fishbone‘s “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night as Michelle Bachmann walked onto stage. Tell us how you really feel, guys! [Rolling Stone]

See Andre 3000 Freestyling In 1994
A teenage Andre 3000 does some awesome freestyling in this video from 1994 while Big Boi digs it. [Prefix]

November 21st, 2011 | 5:30 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Lady Gaga Cooks A Chicken And Looks Amazing Doing It

Lady Gaga Cooks A Chicken And Performs On Alan Carr
Only Lady Gaga can look glamorously couture while cooking a chicken and making jokes with British television personality Alan Carr. The ostentatious star also performed an acoustic version of “Marry The Night” with a huge pink bow on her head. [Idolator]

Lulu Gainsbourg Honors Late Father Serge With A Collaborative Album
A 16-track album, produced by daughter of the late Serge Gainsbourg, Lulu, is set to be released on November 29 featuring covers by Iggy Pop, Rufus Wainwright, The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, and Johnny Depp. [Consequence Of Sound]

November 18th, 2011 | 6:01 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Rent Lady Gaga’s Old Apartment In New York’s Lower East Side!

Lady Gaga’s Old Apartment In New York’s Lower East Side Is For Rent
Something tells us this one won’t be on the market for long, and that there will be a few Lady Gaga fans clamoring to move house even though the rent is advertised at $1,850 a month. [Spin]

Katy Perry Has Announced She Will Be Taking A Year Long Break From Music
It looks like a Baby Perry is on the cards as Katy Perry, despite blitzing the charts this year, will be taking a year off music to start a family with hubby Russell Brand. [NME]

November 17th, 2011 | 6:00 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Die Hard Rihanna Fan Gives Other Die Hard Fans A Sneak Peek At Her New Album Art

Die Hard Rihanna Fans Shows Off Album Art For Talk That Talk
Rihanna‘s new album, Talk That Talk, will be officially released on Monday November 21, but if you can’t wait, you can watch this die hard RiRi fan showing off the art work (read: racy pictures of Rihanna posing provocatively) that comes with the deluxe album. [Idolator]

NME Imagines What Pop Stars Would Look Like If They Joined In For “Movember”
Ever wanted to know what Lady Gaga would look like with a dirty old mo’ on face? Wonder no more, gentle reader — NME have used their Photoshop skills on your favorite stars to line their upper lips with fuzz. [NME]

November 15th, 2011 | 6:00 am by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Blondie’s Debbie Harry Butchers A Nude Version Of Herself And Pulls Out Its Red Velvet Cake Heart

Blondie’s Debbie Harry Butchers Herself On Stage
Well not herself, but a nude replica of herself. Blondie‘s Debbie Harry took a knife to a nude model of herself on stage at a recent show. The veteran rock star then stuck her hand in the replica’s chest and pulled out a heart, not of glass, but of red velvet chocolate cake. [NME]

Super-Wealthy Rock Stars Are Allegedly Receiving Government Kickbacks
With all the turmoil around New York’s Occupy Wall Street protests today, a report from the office of Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn stating that stars like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Quincy Jones and Ted Turner have received federal subsidies strikes us as sort of a no-brainer, but interesting nonetheless. [The Daily Caller]

November 14th, 2011 | 5:48 pm by Kat George (@kat_george)

Last Lap: Frank Ocean Is All Better And Playing New Songs In London

Frank Ocean Resumes His First Solo Tour And Plays New Songs
After being struck down by illness and cancelling the New York leg of his first solo tour, solo sensation Frank Ocean resumed the tour in London and played two new songs for his adoring fans. [Stereogum]

Dr. Dre Says He’s Taking A Break From Music
Those of you who are hopeful that Detox will be released during your lifetime might want to avert your eyes. In an interview with Fader at the opening of the Beats By Dre store in SoHo, New York, Dr.Dre revealed that he would be taking a break from music to spend more time with his family. [Fader]