Apr 132012
 

Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.

Pop singer Kelly Clarkson has certainly come quite a ways from her American Idol days — just last October she released her fifth studio album Stronger, featuring a hugely popular single of the same name. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” hit the airwaves this past January as the second single off the album and has since become her third song to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In fact, the track held the spot longer than Clarkson’s other chart-topping hits, “A Moment Like This” and “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Continue reading »

Jan 312012
 

Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.

In light of all the success Katy Perry has garnered in the last several years with the help of hits like “Last Friday Night” and “California Gurls,” it’s not much of a surprise that “The One That Got Away” — the latest single off her third and most popular album, Teenage Dream — is currently blowing up the airwaves. In fact, when the song finally climbed to the top of the charts in December (it was originally released back in September 2011), Teenage Dream clinched the title of first album to release seven number one singles on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Songs chart. Continue reading »

Dec 012011
 

Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.

Since its release this past September, Rihanna’s “We Found Love” has become a bonafide hit. With the help of Scottish DJ and singer Calvin Harris, the massively successful Barbadian-born pop star dropped this addictive dance track as the lead single off her most recent album, Talk That Talk. “We Found Love” soon skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, clinching the spot for nearly 9 weeks. Continue reading »

May 252011
 

Every Wednesday, our resident Gleek Eric Garneau gives his take on last night’s Glee covers.


In “New York,” the McKinley High glee club travels to Nationals in the Big Apple to compete with the top 50 groups in the nation. While the group tries to hunker down and write some killer original songs, Finn looks to win back Rachel’s love, and Will has to decide whether to leave Lima behind for a career on Broadway.

It occurs to me that there’s very little non-sports television that revolves around winning and losing. Normally, television characters just exist; though they certainly have aspirations and goals, few are the shows that spend entire seasons building to a climactic win/lose decision that alters everything that follows. Glee, honestly, is the only show I can think of that’s structured that way. For better or worse, as an audience we’re really invested in how these characters fare in competition, even though — or perhaps because — whether they win or lose sometimes seems fickle and unfair. In fact, it’s probably that notion of losing that most makes Glee resonate emotionally. Continue reading »

May 112011
 

Every Wednesday, our resident Gleek Eric Garneau gives his take on last night’s Glee covers.


In “Prom Queen,” McKinley High throws its annual gala dance, and many of our favorite characters vie for coronation. Meanwhile, a last-minute cancellation by Air Supply leaves the dance bandless until New Directions steps in to provide an enchanted evening of vocal bliss.

Well, guys, the second season of Glee is coming to an end. After this week’s episode we only have two left to go, and if the early reports regarding the season finale are true, there’s no need for me to write up that one. I’m happy to say that, as a television show, I’ve thought the last few episodes of Glee have really begun to coalesce into a satisfying conclusion for its many season-long arcs. I think lots of fans would agree that the second season has for the most part been much less compelling than the first, though it seems Glee’s found its footing again when it comes to plot progression and character development. Continue reading »