Annoying Music: Beatles Cover Songs

You've probably already heard plenty about the reissue of The Beatles' entire catalog, as well as the release of the new Rock Band video game. So in honor of the Beatles remasters, Weekend Edition host Scott Simon spoke to Jim Nayder — host of The Annoying Music Show! on Chicago Public Radio — about even more Beatles music, but without John, Paul, George or Ringo.

Nayder says that nearly everyone, from Tom Jones to Elvis Presley, has done covers of The Beatles, to varying degrees of success. For many artists, it can be tough to record any popular song, but the bar is higher for a Beatles cover. Some try to put their own spin on it, as in Tiny Tim's Latin rendition of "Hey Jude" on the album Girl with the Brave Combo.

"Who thought doing it as a cha-cha?" Nayder says of Tiny Tim's cover.

Or take the Alan Copeland genre mash-up of "Norwegian Wood," which borrows the distinctive theme from Mission: Impossible, recorded in 1968 by The Alan Copeland Singers.

"You can laugh all you want, but 40 years ago, this won a Grammy award for 'Best Contemporary Pop Paranoid Schizophrenic Arrangement,' " Nayder jokes.

Nayder says that the best annoying music is often produced when two great forms of music are combined and it "creates music so annoying, it's actually dangerous." Nayder points to Cathy Berberian's cover of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as an example.


"Cathy Berberian in the 1960s did operatic versions of contemporary songs, and luckily for The Annoying Music Show! she chose The Beatles," Nayder says.

"That's the beauty about the best annoying music," he adds. "It's when it's a serious attempt. For whatever reason, you know it when you hear it when it goes awry."
source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112966018&ps=cprs View Here...

Nuns at Lady Gaga's school aghast at her video

New York, September 19 : The nuns who teach at a New York-based school where pop star Lady Gaga once studied were reportedly far from happy when shown a video of her performance.

The nuns at the Convent of the Sacred Heart girls school were shown the video of the singer’s performance at VMA Awards.

The singer, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is presently known for her scanty costumes and such lyrics as "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick."

"When someone showed the nuns a video of her bloody performance at Sunday night''s VMA Awards, the good sisters were not amused," the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

A spokesman for the school was not available for comment. View Here...

Michael Jackson's Mother Allowed Permission to Challenge Executors of His Estate

Michael Jackson's mum Katherine has been given permission to challenge the executors of the King of Pop's estate without jeopardising her position as a will beneficiary. The superstar appointed attorney John Branca and business associate John McCain to take charge of his affairs, while his mum Katherine Jackson was left 40 per cent of the net value of his assets.

Since Jackson's death in June (09), Katherine has reportedly been fighting to have a say in all decisions regarding her late son's estate.

The conditions of the will stipulate the Jackson matriarch risks losing her share of the singer's fortune if she attempts to challenge the appointment of the executors to gain more control over his affairs.

A lawyer for the star's mother has previously denied the 79 year old is looking to contest her son's will, saying: "Despite false reports, neither Mrs. Jackson nor any of her lawyers has or will be contesting the will. Nor has she decided whether or not to raise any challenge to the appointment of the executors named in the will or whether to seek the appointment of an additional co-executor. Her top priority remains the care of her son's three children."

However, a probate judge ruled on Friday (18Sep09) that Katherine is allowed to challenge Branca and McCain's appointment on the grounds of "undue influence", should she choose to - and still remain a beneficiary, reports TMZ.com.

The court decision comes just one day after the star's mother landed a monthly allowance of US$86,000 to cover living expenses for her and those of the singer's three children, who she was given guardianship of in July . View Here...

Mariah Carey Talks ‘Precious’ And Marriage With Nick Cannon On Oprah

Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show today live from New York’s Central Park to give their first ever joint interview. The two lovebirds sat down to talk about everything from when they first met to how Nick popped the question. Nick, who says his celebrity crush was always MC, said that he credits the “power of faith” with bringing them together. “I wake up feeling like the luckiest, most blessed man every morning seeing my beautiful wife,” he told Oprah.

Before Nick came out, Mariah spoke with Oprah about her buzzworthy role in the powerful film, Precious. View Here...

Natalie Imbruglia's nude handycam caper

SINGLE and proud of it, Natalie Imbruglia wasn't joking when she proclaimed she was going to get sexy on her new record Come To Life. Imbruglia films herself half-naked in the video for her new single Want, which has been steaming up websites since its debut.

The song - a kiss-off to a former lover who may or may not be her ex-husband Daniel Johns - has struggled for support from radio stations in Australia and the UK.

But the video, which also features Imbruglia's face stained by tears and mascara, should do the trick.

Just hours before shooting the video, the Australian pop artist revealed the clip was going to be "pretty full-on''.

"Once again, it's not what people would expect me to do. It's just me in the video so it's going to be intense; very personal, very raw and it's pushing me out of my comfort zone,'' she said.


"I always look at videos as a chance to make mini-movie so emotionally, this one is stretching me a bit." View Here...

Beyonce tells fans 'her special purpose'

THE flick of her weave was pure Diana Ross, the strut and her phenomenal pins every inch Tina Turner, but last night Beyonce Knowles - and her stage alter ego Sasha Fierce - made Acer Arena her own. The moment the wind machine caught her first curl and the spotlight turned her crystal-corsetted body into a human disco ball, it was clear the world's best female performer was in the house, Sydney Confidential reports

Telling the Sydney crowd her "special purpose was to empower women", there wasn't a single lady, or married one for that matter, who was not entirely on board the Beyonce soul train.

The all-woman band somehow kept pace with this force of nature who swept on stage to Crazy in Love and almost three hours later - seemingly without drawing breath - left the audience panting and spent.

The fashion icon changed into one incredible costume after another - from a Mad Max look that would have had Mel Gibson on his knees, to an angelic wedding dress for a rendition of Ave Maria guaranteed to have raised the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

All the single ladies loved her tortured torch song mixed with samples of Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know and Sarah McLachlan's Arms of an Angel.

The single blokes appeared to squirm in their seats and on to their feet for Irreplaceable as Knowles put every bloke with an ego and a mistress in his place with her staggering self confidence and sheer strength of personality.

And that booty? That just had a life of its own, coming alive for Bootylicious and Single Ladies.

Whether crumping, sweeping across the stage in towering heels, or simply standing still, Beyonce was dynamite, blasting the benchmark for concert performers forever. Good luck trying to follow that act whoever you are. View Here...