98 Degrees To Cash In On Nostalgia By Reuniting?

Boy band 98 Degrees, who, let's face it, were always a subpar version of *NSYNC, but at least far superior to, say, O-Town, have the Internet in a whirl over the fact that their website was updated on Wednesday for the first time since 2004.This caused the site RumorFix to report the following:"Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre are set to go on a fifteen city tour this summer between July and August, a source close to the band...

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US Chart Roundup: Fun. Have The Best Selling Single Of The Year To Date

Fun. and Janelle Monae's "We Are Young" is tops on the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth week, thus giving the song the longest run at #1 so far this year. It's no surprise that the publication notes "We Are Young" is the best-selling single of 2012 to date, based on sales of 2.39 million paid downloads. Right behind it is Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," which previously spent three weeks at #1 and stands at 2.25 million in sales...

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The Wanted & One Direction Cover 'Billboard'

With The Wanted's "Glad You Came" currently at #3 on the Hot 100 and One Direction's Up All Night topping last week's Top 200 album chart, Billboard has inevitably slapped the UK boy band's on dueling covers of the publication. (The Wanted's debut US LP is out on April 24.)It's been over 10 years since boy bands had the charts looking like a total sausage fest, and wise old sage Simon Cowell piped up on the resurgence of pop in Billboard's cover...

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Blake Want To Be Your Favorite Man Band With "Start Over"

UK quartet Blake, who found success by performing songs in the pop-classical fusion vein, are aiming to fill the gap created by Take That's current hiatus. They're even going a step further by working on straight-up pop jams with Diane Warren on music for their first US release. Here's the album's first single, a fairly inoffensive, Take That-esque tune called "Start Ove...

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Madonna's 12 Studio Album Covers, Ranked From Worst To Best

I've assessed Ye Olde Vampyre's 12 studio album covers over at Idolator. Particular fun was had by riffing on Hard Candy....

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UK Chart Roundup: Katy Perry's Worst Single Yet Is #1 In Another Country

Katy Perry earns her third UK #1 this week with "Part Of Me," a song that I'm annoyingly finding is growing on me. To be quite honest, the song is utter shit, and Max Martin, Dr Luke, etc. were smart to leave it off Teenage Dream that first time around. But, you know how it goes — hear something enough times and your ears start to give in. It's Katy Perry's trashy snatch, and we're all just traveling through it.Perry's previous #1s over yonder were...

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Steps Promote Hit Factory Live Concert At PWL Studios With Pete Waterman

Steps update #1: That Hit Factory Live concert featuring all the PWL acts you can shake a stick is going full-steam ahead. Here's a video of Steps and Pete Waterman doing a press conference and various promo about it: Steps update #2: To tie in with the band's tour next month, Sky Living will air a whole new series of Steps Reunion titled, aptly enough Steps Reunion: The Ultimate Tour. This will later be followed by Steps Reunion: The Next Step.Steps...

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13 Iconic Pet Shop Boys Images By Eric Watson, Who Has Died

Eric Watson, photographer of Pet Shop Boys from the very beginning (and former pre-PSB Neil Tennant colleague at Smash Hits), died of a heart attack on Sunday at age 56.There are so many iconic photographs Eric took of the Boys and videos he directed — images that were imprinted on my mind from a pre-teen age and on — and this roundup really doesn't do it justice. But they're some of my favorites. (For a complete look at Watson's work with the Boys...

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US Chart Roundup: I Stan For Carly Rae Jepsen

Sia cracks the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the first time via her feature on Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" this week. It's a shame this accomplishment didn't occur through something far classier, i.e. one of her own songs.That said, with his rotating lineup of divas singing the chorus on his songs, Flo Rida really has become the modern day equivalent of the anonymous German rapper on some '90s Eurodance tune, a la this hot trash I just stumbled...

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Katy Perry Joins The Marines In Her "Part Of Me" Video

Katy Perry joins the few and the proud in the video for her recent chart-topping single "Part Of Me". The plot it simple: she sees her man getting flirty with some blond broad, dumps him and joins the Marines.We get it, Katy — it's your tell-off video for Russell Brand. But why not turn lemons into lemonade (or at least cash)? Maybe the military can license this boot camp epic and use it as their next recruitment ad?This song is slightly growing...

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It's Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" Video

 Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" video, her second from MDNA, was directed by photographers Mert and Marcus, and very much has the feel of a fashion spread.Madge is clearly feeling iconic again, or at least aiming to assert her queenly status in this era of pop wannabes gone wild. And when Her Madgesty is feeling iconic, Her Madgesty goes black and white and straight to the sex (see: "Vogue,""Justify My Love," "Erotica," etc.). Not a bad addition...

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Hit Factory Live To Bring Steps, Jason Donovan, Bananarama To London's Hyde Park In July

Bloody hell! PopJustice posted the official press release this morning for Pete Waterman's Hit Factory Live event at Hyde Park in London on July 11.On the roster:StepsRick AstleyBananaramaJason DonovanDead Or AlivePepsi &Shirley (!!)Princess (!!!)SinittaHazell DeanSoniaSybil (!!!!)2 Unlimited (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Lonnie GordonBrother BeyondJesus. That kind of makes the Stock Aitken Waterman Gold night at G-A-Y (Sonia, Sinitta, Jason Donovan)...

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Throwback: Everything Went From Wrong To Right (My 'Instinct' Anniversary)

Ten years ago today I began working at Instinct Magazine. I kind of took the long way around with a writing career, and even when I began at the mag, I took the non-editorial position of business manager, working directly with the publisher. That classy pic above is me (with my eyes closed) in my old office there, circa 2003, when the publication was based in Sherman Oaks in the Valley.Of course, I wanted to be in editorial, and when you put your...

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UK Chart Roundup: Alexandra Burke's Auto-Tuned Thong Is A Drag

The UK chart continues its trend of being an utter snooze for another week as "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye and Kimbra racks up a fifth stint at #1. That's not to say that the song itself is a bore — quite the contrary, I love that offbeat breakup jam! It's just that all the subsequent positions need a jolt of something new.And sorry, Alexandra Burke's semi-shit "Elephant," which lumbers in at #3, ain't that jolt. Broad, there's an elephant...

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Kylie Minogue's Anti Tour Clips From Melbourne Are Effing Amazing

Two years ago I interviewed Kylie Minogue for Instinct, and she told me this: "I can totally see the day when I do a performance of all my unreleased songs in a very small club for a limited run, and perhaps that would be recorded."Well, lo and behold, that day has come. Kylie kicked off her Anti Tour in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia, today, and the setlist looks absolutely amazing. I'm re-posting it below, courtesy of ONTD. Here's a clip...

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Madonna 'MDNA' Previews: "Best Friend", "I Fucked Up", "Beautiful Killer" & "Superstar"

Trying to keep up with Madonna's MDNA song leaks is like trying to contain a ant invasion. (Sorry, I'm having a problem at home with the pesky little pests — ants, I mean. Not Madonna songs.) But as I sit here, post-SXSW, finally wading through the new clips from Ye Olde Vampyre, I'm pretty much like what I hear.Last week we took a listen to "I'm Addicted,""Love Spent" and "Gang Bang." Below is the latest crop, ahead of the March 26 release of MDNA."Best...

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The Wanted's US Album Cover Looks Familiar

With The Wanted's self-titled US debut album out on April 24, the band have unveiled the cover art. It's got that worn-photo look — kind of old-timey, and (speaking of old timers), let's face it, very reminiscent of the cover for Backstreet Boys' 2001 collection The Hits - Chapter One.As mentioned before, The Wanted are set to head back to the States in a couple weeks for a March 20 performance on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno, April 2 gig on the...

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US Chart Roundup: The "I Was Trapped At SXSW" Edition

First of all, I'm writing this actually on Friday and back-dating it for Thursday, because on Thursday I was winding down my marathon 24-hours Austin South By Southwest cameo. I rolled down that way for the Idolator Pray For Pop Party, where we had Cher Lloyd, Penguin Prison and Wallpaper. perform (starting at midnight on Wednesday). You can see pics and then read my review of the showcase.Here's Penguin Prison at the Idolator shindig. Isn't he cute?Here's...

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Madonna's New 'MDNA' Promo Pics

 Madonna got her tits out for new album MDNA. Hoo-r...

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