DJ Simon:

In un-shocking news, Simon Cowell is extending his talent-hunting claw into DJ culture, partnering with Sony Pictures Television and Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment for the yet-to-be-named television show to find the world’s finest DJs. Will there be judges? Will there be a dance floor? Will the judges dance on the dance floor? Will there be computers? Will there be wax? The only thing we know so far is that Cowell thinks “DJs are the new rock stars,” according to a statement press release. And that he himself will not be a judge, if there are any. Ah, but we are judging you Mr. Cowell. We are judging you.

Born To Leak – Part II:

As the internet tends to lend itself the opportunity to do so, Lana Del Rey‘s anticipated first studio statement Born To Die has leaked unto the world, a few days shy of its January 27th release date. As expected, the blogosphere is all up on that shit, elbows flailing out the virtual theft door in attempt to be the first to sink their teeth into it. Two things to note here: 1.) LDR’s accurate introspection as told to the Telegraph: “People just want to see me go off the rails. That’s the only reason they’re watching. They just want to see what happens.” And 2.) The New York Times‘ Joe Caramanica and his accurate collective societal introspection: “And so the Lana Del Rey-bashing economy moves faster than the actual Lana Del Rey economy, a reminder of how free people feel to clobber someone, especially a young woman, for the crime of art. Not always artful art, but that matters less than the elevation of the mundane into something worth exploding.”

21 – The New 17:

Despite a nine-percent dip – 95,000 units – in sales, Adele‘s 21 continues to close in on Billboard‘s “200” longest running number one album of all time. She’s a far “Someone Like You” cry away from the West Side Story soundtrack’s 53-week run in the 60s, but not since Whitney Houston‘s The Bodyguard 20-week peak in May of ’93 has anyone stayed afloat for so long. Meanwhile, the third single from 21, “Set Fire to Rain,” ousted Rihanna‘s “We Found Love” to slot itself in the number one position on the Billboard “100” singles chart. Meanwhile the singer continues to creatively nurse her throat post vocal chord surgery.

RE: CBGB:

Iconic NYC punk breeding ground CBGBs, which shuttered its doors back in 2006 and entertained a new home in Vegas prior to owner Hilly Kristal’s death, is shopping new spaces in Manhattan reports gothamist. “We have it on good authority that the legendary venue is still alive in spirit,” the website says, continuing, “If all goes according to plan it will even look like the old space.” What do you think, should crusaders of the estate rebirth the dream, or let the ghosts of early Talking Heads, Patti Smith, the Ramones and countless other shows R.I.P.?

Lyricapsule:

A South African mine superintendent caught a rather large twinkle of a prospect on this day in 1905. Weighing in at 1.33 pounds, the “Cullinan,” as it was later named after the owner of the mine, Sir Thomas Cullinan, became the largest diamond ever found. Of course it wound up in the hands of British Royalty and got cut up into dozens of polished pieces that the kids call bling these days. But it’s just a rock if not for the monetary value we humans like to slap on things. And thus we echo the late Barrett Strong‘s Motown hit, “Money (That’s What I Want),”  because, friends, “The best things in life are free/But you can give them to the birds and the bees.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqCocIh3_o