Y&RWorldTurner

I want an album with beautiful melodies, sonically gorgeous, something mature, but I'm not going to get it. Other stuff is in vogue nowadays. Music is just another gizmo, gadget, whatever.

Do you get that from Mariah?

To be fair, Madonna probably hasn't done that kind of an album since Ray of Light, and if we're want to dig deeper, since 1989's Like A Prayer (my personal favourite Madonna album, actually).

But my point was, you used to be able to depend on Madonna to at least attempt to do an ambitious video. She's still (no matter how half heartedly or with mixed results) trying to do new music genres, etc--yet the fact that she herself, who was madeby videos, seemed to lose any real interest in them 6+ years back seemed telling to me. (then again her last ambitious video--the runway models with war one for American Life was banned, something she oddly never fought, and with that she seemed to lose any interest in the medium)

I think her last great video era was Ray of Light, though I did love the What It Feels Like For A Girl video. And of course, Jonas Åkerlund directed the Ray of Light video...

But she used to be at the forefront of the music video, but I think she stopped caring about them as she got older and started focusing more on touring, where the actual money is.

We also have to keep in mind, record companies stopped wasting money on music videos long ago. They realized they weren't getting anywhere or reaching the same type of audience they used to with them.

I think the product placement in this Telephone video, for example, helped Gaga to cover the massive production costs this video entails. I know it all didn't come from Interscope or Universal Music...

From a budgeting standpoint, they're right. Why waste all this money on a videos, when you can strictly promote a song for radio, and it will be a massive hit? After all, particularly in North America, if you don't have radio support, you can't have a successful pop career.

Yes and no--youtube and other online sources has made a big change again. Certainly a lot of Gaga's sustained success has been partly due to word of mouth from her videos--

I won't deny the importance of YouTube, but the music video has been dwindling in importance even before YouTube came along. MTV, for example, moved away from music videos in the late 90's, and they simply stopped being the promotional tool they were in the 80's to mid 90's.

I don't think Gaga's music videos had that much to do with her popularity. There's NOTHING interesting about the Just Dance and Poker Face videos, they're pretty generic videos, but yet, those were her breakout songs. I certainly can't claim there was any substantial buzz about those videos.

Is Madonna kaputt? As a singer, persona, phenomenon? Are we done there? She peaked a looooooooooong time ago and we're done?

I believe so.

On top of that, she has become waaay to snobbish and pretentious and b!tchy without much to cover it with.

Her tours always sell out, and she's the most successful solo touring act, despite how overpriced her tickets are and the state of the economy. There's a nostalgia interest there, one that many of her contemporaries and people who started in the mid 80's don't have today, or at least on her scale.

She's always been a huge bitch though. I think she's mellowed, if anything, in recent years. Since her divorce, I think she's been a lot more fun. I thought she always looked miserable and unhappy during the Guy Ritchie era.

Funny that she's mentioned in this thread when she too worked with Jonas Åkerlund...

The music video is dead. MTV doesn't play them anymore, and they're no longer an important marketing tool in the music industry. It's not the 80's and 90's anymore.

It's all about getting radio airplay if you want exposure. In a way, things reverted back to radio when it came to making it in the music industry, but radio importance never really went away anyway.

Music videos as an important marketing tool ended about 10 years ago.

Thanks for posting that, dannigold. That was a very insightful interview into how things function on the EastEnders writing team.

Zsa Zsa Carter is an awful creation and I can't stand the actress who plays her.

I've got to say though, I really like Peter, and I like Lauren too. I liked those two together and I think the young actors in those roles are pretty good.

Sonny Flood (Josh) on his axing from the show:

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s13/hollyoaks/news/a208298/flood-ill-be-sad-to-leave-hollyoaks.html

Flood: 'I'll be sad to leave Hollyoaks'

Hollyoaks star Sonny Flood has spoken about his forthcoming departure from the soap for the first time.

Last month, it was revealed that Flood's character Josh Ashworth had been axed from the teen drama along with two other members of his screen family.

The decision to write Flood out came following the arrival of new producer Paul Marquess, who is currently steering a major revamp of the Channel 4 soap.

Speaking to the Blackpool Gazette, Flood commented: "I'm not leaving for the next few months. I spoke to the producer and we came to a mutual agreement.

"I will be very sad to leave and I've loved working with everyone. I've made so many friends over the last five years but it'll be nice to move on to pastures new and an exciting time."

Marquess recently culled a further 11 Hollyoaks cast members. He yesterday pledged to fill the gaps with "fantastic new characters" and confirmed that a new family will arrive in the summer.

Once again, Lady Gaga trying to prove she's so hardcore and different, when she's not. Needless to say, this video is everything I hate about her and her made-up image.

I hate the song too. Beyonce has always annoyed me as well.

Jonas Akerlund is a great director though, and I've liked him for years.

I'm looking forward to this new family he's talking about, Hopefully, they're properly developed and interesting.

I hope he can manage to give this show a shot of energy, which I'm sure he was hired to do. I'm looking forward to the beginning of his regime at Hollyoaks, the show is just so lifeless at the moment.

Yes, I'm most happy about the Valentine family being canned too. Useless and boring as hell family. Such a waste to center a family around Calvin of all characters.

I'm sure Marquess will probably create quite a few new characters to fill the void.

Who really knows what his plans are.

I don't necessarily mind new characters if they infuse the show with some energy and they're properly developed.

Those cast cuttings are very good news.

Didn't Kirkwood also bring the fabulous Lyn Papadopoulos to Hollyoaks? She wrote some of my favourite episodes during the Kirkwood era there. I think she left Hollyoaks sometime last year.

I've heard Kat and Alfie's return will be one of Kirkwood's first big stories...

But I think that's to come much later in the year. A lot of his initial stuff will be Santer leftovers...

His first episode aired today?

No, today was the day he took over from Santer officially. Last week was Santer's last week running things.

Kirkwood's episodes probably won't start airing until June or so...

I guess we'll find out soon enough, today was Kirkwood's first official day in charge of EastEnders.

And I have to give a special thanks to the great dannigold for keeping these threads up to date with the latest info.

Yes, he did write that episode. I agree, it was riveting. I believe it was nominated for a BSA for "Best Single Episode."

Didn't mind what I saw of his work on Corrie or the Hollyaoks spin-off he was in charge of, so who knows...

And I'm still not quite sure what the hell he did at AMC.

There's some speculation that she was a Lucy Allan hire.

Yeah, looks like she is. Digital Spy is reporting that her first air date is April 23rd, unless Marquess is in the credits by then, she probably was a Allan hire.

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s13/hollyoaks/news/a204983/sheree-murphy-joins-hollyoaks-cast.html

Sheree Murphy joins 'Hollyoaks' cast

Wednesday, February 24 2010, 4:28am EST

By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter

Sheree Murphy joins 'Hollyoaks' cast

Former Emmerdale star Sheree Murphy has been cast in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.

The actress has signed up to play Tania Verani,

who is the long-lost mother of existing character Anita Roy (Saira Choudhry), The Sun reports.

Murphy, who has three children with footballer Harry Kewell, previously played Emmerdale barmaid Tricia Dingle for six years until 2004. She later appeared on ITV1 reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and went on to establish a career as a TV presenter.

A Hollyoaks source said: "Bosses have been trying to sign her up for a while now - but she's always put her family first. But after years out of acting, she wants to give it another go.

"Sheree has started filming scenes and was very nervous being on set again, but she's a professional and has taken to Hollyoaks like a duck to water. She's loving it - and everyone loves having her on the team."

Hollyoaks is currently undergoing an overhaul following the arrival of new producer Paul Marquess. He has already axed three members of the Ashworth family and shaken up the soap's core production team.

Marquess started working on the teen drama last month following the departure of his predecessor Lucy Allan, who was in charge of production for just over 12 months.

Frankly, I'm surprised Lacey has been on EastEnders this long and hasn't opted to leave yet.

Well, so much for Bradley not being killed off for his exit. LOL!

Sigur Ros - Glósóli

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_MJAOyOeU

^^^Justin Baldoni and Evan Lysacek look SOOOOOOOOOOOO much alike. It's really uncanny....