Would America Vote Off Paula?

I'm sorry, guys. It's another slow day, and I had to come up with some sort of big news story to make the headline so yeah... I'm going to stoop to American Idol news. Actually, this is some pretty big dish, since Paula Abdul is, like... an icon. You may disagree with me, but I know a ton of her old music. It practically defines a part of my childhood. Dance recitals, sleepovers, etc.

If you don't know what news I'm referring to, I'll catch you up. The controversy surrounds second-seat judge Paula Abdul, the queen of nice. No matter how bad the singer, she always has something positive to say. Perhaps she's a bit too nice. That's what American Idol 2 contestant Corey Clark suggests. The voted-off bad boy claims that he had an affair with Abdul. Other male contestants have said in the past that they've dated Abdul. More recently, Abdul has been accused of coaching popular contestants. Names for most of these people haven't been released, but I bet you'll find out more when the ABC Primetime Live special Fallen Idol is aired on Wednesday.

Scandal is no stranger to American Idol. While viewers want nothing more than to, well, idolize the contestants, truth be told, they're all human. It surprises me that people are caught unaware when they find out that they have pasts. Scott Savol, my least favorite of the top five (I can't believe he made it past top 24...), has a history of domestic violence. In 2001, he threw a phone at his fiancee. Bo Bice has recently served time for drug charges, but has since been rehabilitated. Go him. Like it or not, American Idol fans, no contestant is perfect. Part of me wants to dislike these contestants for the things they've done, but part of me thinks it's not important. American Idol isn't a morality contest. It's a singing competition.

As I said before, the ABC Primetime Live special Fallen Idol will air tomorrow. Though the ABC News website doesn't give anything away, the Drudge Report suggests that the show will reveal "bombshell" evidence, including interviews and an audio tape. You can watch for yourself on ABC tomorrow at 10pm EDT.

In other news...

If you know anything about Christian rock from the 80's and 90's, chances are you remember Stryper. Originally clad with black and yellow lycra suits (a la Kiss), Stryper became a Christian rock icon with their hit, "To Hell With the Devil". The band has since disbanded (no pun intended), but they have occasionally re-emerged for special appearances. If you've been waiting for something a bit more long-term, you're in luck. The band is reuniting to record a new album, coincidentally titled Reborn. According to Billboard (scroll down to the bottom), the album will be released on August 16th and will feature a new version of another hit, "In God We Trust". For those of you who can't wait that long, the first single, "Reborn", will be released on June 7th.

Another album you might be anticipating is the new one from Franz Ferdinand. Though there's no name and no release date yet, the band has been progressing well in the recording process. To give you an idea of what you might be waiting for, singer Alex Kapranos describes the new album as "music for girls to cry to." Compare that to their debut self-titled album, which he calls "music for girls to dance to." I don't quite understand what that means. Did they go emo? I highly doubt it. As for the sound of the album, no one really knows, but a few song names have been released, including "Wee Andy" and "Your Diary". I'm sure we'll learn more as time goes on.

Learn how to toilet train your cat from ABC Online.

If you're like me at all, you had no idea that Conor Oberst was on Jay Leno last night. Also if you're like me, that doesn't really matter much to you. If you do care, though, let me just tell you that he dressed up like a little cowboy. He also performed his extremely liberal "When the President Talks to God", which I had the pleasure of seeing live this past winter. It was probably one of the only songs I liked at all when I saw him. I don't plan on seeing him again. But if you're a big fan, you can probably search and find a video of the performance. I'm too lazy to do it myself.

Did you know that ligers really exist? I'm not talking about the band The Ligers, which I hear is actually Stellastarr* (can't confirm that one yet). I mean the animals are real. That's about the coolest thing I have to tell you all day besides the Stryper news.

If I have said it once, I've probably said it a few times. Chicago is lucky. They get the cool stuff. Take, for example, the four-day Wilco extravaganza at The Vic Theater. The band is playing tomorrow through Saturday every night by themselves. That's right, no opener. Why, you ask? Because they're recording a live DVD and they want to have optimal recording time. See? Chicagoans have all the fun.

If you're interested in the video for Rilo Kiley's "Portions for Foxes" you can stream it at Filter Magazine.

Music (For Robots) discusses the Doves song "Sky Starts Falling" from the album Some Cities. Good song. Good album. Good discussion.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

5.04 - The Wedding Present w/ The Organ and Tiara - Little Brothers
5.04 - Electric Six w/ VHS or Beta - Skully's
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Wexner Center
5.13 - Mae w/ The Academy Is... and Jamison Parker - Little Brothers
5.15 - Andrew Bird w/ Antenna - Little Brothers
5.17 - Stereo Total w/ Les Georges Leningrad - Little Brothers
5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.03 - Tokyo Rose - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine - The Newport
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads

The Talking Heads - Live @ CBGB 06.1975 (zip)

From Regnyouth:
(rar password = rya)

The Arcade Fire - Funeral (link, mp3)
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (link, mp3)
I Am The World Trade Center - The Tight Connection 2 (link, rar)
Squarepusher - Alive in Japan 2 3 (link, rar)
Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher 2 (link, rar)
The Beatles - White Album 2 3 (link, rar)
Of Montreal - Live in Atlanta (link, mp3)