Music News: Cyndi Lauper Creates A Residence For Homeless LGBT Youth, Plus NIN, Jay-Z Vs. Oasis, Pete Burns, Ace Of Base

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own site called Chart Rigger.

Many of you -- yes, that means you, buster --are probably reading this while at work. But while some of us are counting the minutes as the day wears on, as Cyndi Lauper points out in a Q&A with Newsweek, things could always be worse.

The singer discusses some of the odd jobs she had before she became a successful recording artist: "I tried to work in an office. Apparently, my clothes weren't right. I was a Gal Friday the 13th. I would answer phones and people would call up very upset. Then they'd call back screaming and yelling because I had to go to the file room and I would get sidetracked. I used to fall asleep reading the mail. I didn't want to. But it was so boring to me and I hated it."

One job Cyndi might be more happy to do is collaborating with Colleen Jackson and New York's West End Intergenerational Residence to create the True Colors Residence, "a permanent supportive housing program for homeless LGBT youth 18-24 years old."

Lauper notes in an open letter: "In New York City, a very disproportionate number (up to 40%), of homeless youth identify as LGBT. Even more disturbing are reports that these young people often face discrimination and at times physical assault in some of the very places they have to for help. This is shocking an inexcusable... We'll be building from the ground up so our residents will have a brand new, modern building with studio apartments for each resident and both indoor and outdoor community space to socialize or attend education and recreation programs. Each resident will be responsible for paying affordable rent based on their income and will receive ongoing assistance in obtaining employment best suited to their individual interests and skills."

As well, Cyndi Lauper's first studio album of original material in 11 years -- Bring Ya To The Brink -- will be released in two weeks, from Epic. The first single, "Same Ol' Story," was added to iTunes last week.

In 2001, Lauper was set to release an LP called Shine stateside, but plans with the label fell through, and the album eventually only saw the light of day in Japan, while she self-released an EP of some of the tracks domestically a year later.

Props to Towleroad reader Crispy, who in last week's music column commented that I forgot to mention Nine Inch Nails' digital release of new album The Slip, completely free of charge, on the band's website: "[lowercase sic] as a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com. the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits. for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming soon."

As a fellow Western Pennsylvanian who grew up only a county away from him, I hope Trent Reznor can forgive me for not mentioning it sooner!

Can you name three reasons why Dannii is better than Kylie?

It's Jay-Z vs. Noel Gallagher over a "controversial" Glastonbury headlining gig: "We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip-hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show is just a natural progression."

But if jetting off to England to see Oasis and Jay-Z's pissing contest isn't your thing, why not catch this summer's Regeneration Tour, headlined by the Human League and featuring Belinda Carlisle, ABC and Naked Eyes on the bill? Those heading to dates on the West Coast will be lucky enough to catch Pete Burns of Dead Or Alive, who's joining the tour from August 2 - 11.

Finally -- what we've all been waiting for! Gnarls Barkley's Cee Lo Green and Jack Black to cover disco classic "Kung Fu Fighting" for Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda.

Not content to just give away their music for free, Coldplay now doing two gigs free of charge in New York and London next month.

Has it really been 14 years? Below is the video for the #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week in 1994:

Jeez, and they thought life was demanding without understanding in the '90s...! Ace Of Base's "The Sign" initially spent four weeks at #1, beginning in March of '94, before being knocked off by R. Kelly's "Bump N' Grind." After a four-week stretch for the latter, "The Sign" returned to the top for two more weeks that May.

The Swedish quartet's same-titled album would go on to tie with Disney's Lion King soundtrack for the year's best-seller, at 7 million copies moved.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

Death Cab For Cutie's Narrow Stairs. (And, hey, how about a new Postal Service album while you're at it, Ben?)

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., a collection of three EPs Jason Mraz had released in recent months.

New singles from the reunited New Kids On The Block ("Summertime") and Kaskade & Dedmau5 ("Move For Me").

Two new singles from The Cure (The Only One"" and "NY Trip"), who plan to release songs on the 13th of each month until the August release of their as-yet-untitled 13th album.

Brit blue-eyed soul singer Duffy's debut LP, Rockferry, which contains her current hit, "Mercy."

11, the appropriately-titled 11th studio album from Bryan Adams.

Hot Chip's four-song EP for single "One Pure Thought."

A remix EP for American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis' woefully overlooked "How Many Words."

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Blake Lewis Not Ready to Lapdance for Chris Richardson

Said Blake Lewis of the above photo, which was the topic of much discussion earlier this year during the American Idol season: "That photo is hilarious. There are a lot of gay people that wish I'm gay, but they gonna keep dreaming for a long time. I'm very straight. Gender or sexual preference doesn't mean anything to me. If you like my music then we're going to have a good time together, I can talk your ear off about it or sing you a song."

Arjan Writes interviewed Lewis for Bravo OutZone about his new album and how he took things carefully after Idol: "I never worried about anyone but myself. I thought I lost my artistic integrity just by being on a television show that I had never seen. But I didn't want that to happen and I represented myself to the fullest, and the fans responded to that. I take myself seriously, but I don't take myself seriously. I just have fun with what I'm doing."

Lewis also comments on the cover art for Audio Day Dream: "It was inspired by this digital art piece that I found on the internet with two faces and it was very futuristic, very sort of Star Wars meets '80s. I'm lost in music. I hope that's what listeners will get it from this music, they can just turn it on and just press play."

My take on Lewis' new album here.

Blake Lewis' Dream Come True [bravo outzone]
Interview with Blake Lewis [arjan writes]

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Blake Lewis' Audio Day Dream is No Nightmare [tr]
Blake Lewis' Audio Daydream [tr]
American Idol Runner-Up Blake Lewis: I'm Not Gay [tr]
Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever [tr]

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Music News: Scissors Sisters Give Thanks, Plus Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, David Beckham, Blake Lewis

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning weekly music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

Yesterday saw the release of the new Scissor Sisters' documentary and concert DVD Hurrah: A Year Of Ta-Dah, and the band -- in this case Babydaddy -- made sure to thank Towleroad and its readers for supporting them thus far.

Hurrah features a full 90-minute concert recorded at London's O2 Arena, as well as an hour-long documentary that follows the band on their recent world tour. In an interview with Gay.com, Jake Shears had this to say about the DVD: "It's the first time fans have seen us on our own terms, in our natural environment. And it's a really great picture of what it's like on the road. I think there are some preconceptions about us that will be demystified. I can only speak for myself, that people might have preconceived notions of what I'm like personally. It could be different than what people actually might think. Some people think I'm on 100 percent of the time, but that's only 50 percent true."

In what might be a very un-rock 'n' roll move, Gibson unveiled its self-tuning Robot Guitar (pictured right) this week, which retails around $2,300. A Les Paul guitar from the company, sans self-tuning, goes for about $1,400. Product review site CNet is quick to point out the downside of the instrument.

Robbie Williams has never made it a secret that he detested the time he spent in 90's boyband Take That, but a song on his last solo album about Nigel Martin Smith, the group's former manager, has landed the singer in hot water to the tune of £500,000, or roughly $1 million.

See if you're already up on any of Rolling Stone's 10 Artists To Watch For In 2008.

Rapper Chad "Pimp C" Butler, one half of duo Underground Kingz (or UGK), was found dead in L.A.'s Mondrian Hotel yesterday. UGK were probably best known by mainstream audiences for their appearance on Jay-Z's 2000 hit, "Big Pimpin'." Bun B, Chad's UGK partner, guested on Beyoncé's 2006 #1-charting single, "Check Up On It." In a statement, Jive Records CEO Barry Weiss said, "We mourn the unexpected loss of Chad. He was truly a thoughtful and kind-hearted person. He will be remembered for his talent and profound influence as a pioneer in bringing southern rap to the forefront. He will be missed and our prayers remain with his family and Bun B. I've known Chad since he was 18, and we loved him dearly and he was a cherished member of the Jive family." Earlier this year in the pages of Ozone magazine Pimp C called Russell Simmons "ol' dick-in-the-booty" and R&B star Ne-Yo an "Old Gay Ass." He later attempted to rescind the comments, Stereohyped reported, but wasn't so successful. Said Pimp C: "That statement about Russell Simmons had nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It had more to do with a disagreement [we had]. I don’t know if the man likes Martians, squirrels or whatever, so I ain’t gonna speak on something that I didn’t see. It’s no gay-bashing with me. It’s just, be proud of what you are, instead of hidin’ in the closet. And if ya fuck boys in the ass, then don’t be tryna fuck with the girls, too, poisoning the pussy population wit’ ya shitty ol’ dirty-ass dick."

Some folks caught David Beckham, who has apparently taken up photography, at last night's Spice Girls gig in San Jose, California: "David slipped in after the show had started and took a seat in the front row, right next to the stage. He tried to disguise himself by pulling a blue baseball cap over his face but you couldn’t miss him or his huge camera. Everyone around him was on their feet dancing and cheering but David kept his bum on the seat to steady his shots."

Perhaps the writing's on the wall? This week, 2007 American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis' album was released. Meanwhile, AI winner Jordin Sparks' self-titled debut drops from #10 to #18 on Billboard's album chart after only two weeks.

Whitney Houston performed "I Will Always Love You" and "Heartbreak Hotel" at the Live And Loud festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week. You can watch clips here.

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES: (Another unusually slow week for the holiday shopping season.)

The two-disc Rufus Wainwright Does Judy At Carnegie Hall, which features a 36-piece orchestra and a recreation of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert.

Nelly Furtado's live Loose: The Concert, which is also available on DVD.

Rockin' indie. girl group Bat For Lashes' "What's A Girl To Do?" EP, which also features the quirky video.

Hits sets from country star Trace Adkins (American Man: Greatest Hits, Vol II) and the ever-posthumously-prolific 2Pac (The Best Of 2Pac, Pt. 1: Thug and Pt. 2: Life).

Glass Candy's upbeat, electro-charged B/E/A/T/B/O/X.

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Blake Lewis' Audio Day Dream is No Nightmare

Blake Lewis made a trip to the tattoo parlor this week, brought to you by TMZ. Coincidentally, first week sales of Idol winner Jordin Sparks' debut with the lead single "Tattoo" were the lowest of any Idol winner. I think Blake may handily outdo her.

Probably the most surprising thing about the Blake Lewis Audio Day Dream album, released today, is how little he has utilized the "human beatbox" style that took him to runner-up in last year's American Idol. Sure, it's sprinkled with that, but there are more than a few 80's-inspired pop-synth ballads on it which I have to admit I've got a weakness for...

Lewis told MTV News in November: "It's my new genre I made up. I call it 2080, because it's a mix of all the great pop music that's inspired me. I worked with so many amazing people on this record, and the title came from this concept I came up with for the album. I wanted to make a hip-hop mixtape or a great electronic mix — just one mix, start to finish, that takes you on a journey through metal, drum-and-bass with scratching on it to Michael Jackson pop into Erasure into Depeche Mode into some dub reggae. This album goes everywhere, and it was an amazing process to work on it. There's a song on the record that's [the Police's] 'Every Breath You Take' meets [1984 film] 'The NeverEnding Story.' ...It's hard to describe, but you know how when you open Rorschach inkblot tests, how they have two different sides? It's going to be like that. There's going to be, like, ink and water, and different effects behind me that come in."

I'm not sure that's how I'd describe it, but it's certainly less of a new genre than a heavily-produced piece of listenable pop. If you can remember his lackluster performance in the Idol finale which was blamed mostly on having to sing a saccharine ballad way out of his range, it's interesting to hear a progression on that front. According to the AP, Lewis co-wrote all but one song on the album.

You can listen to the album here.

Blake Lewis makes CD debut [ap]
Tats Off to Blake Lewis [tmz]

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American Idol Runner-Up Blake Lewis: I'm Not Gay [tr]
Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever [tr]
American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt [tr]
Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]

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Blake Lewis' Audio Daydream

The cover for American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis' new album Audio Daydream has been released. The first single "Break Anotha" broke last week, and while it's got his signature beatbox style in there, I can't say I've been won over. It's definitely something different than your typical idol fare though.

According to Idol, "In line with his unique performances from this past season, Blake will be working with a diversity of producers on the album, including Sam Hollander & Sluggo (Gym Class Heroes, Boys Against Girls), JR Rotem (50 Cent, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Sean Kingston), Ryan Tedder (V. CENTRAL TO THE PROJECT), David Hodges (Evanescence), BT, Sean Hurley (Robin Thicke), and Mike Elizondo (Maroon 5, Eminem)." The new album is out November 27, according to Idol (however, as noted by one of our commenters, Lewis' MySpace page says it's been pushed back to December 4).

This week it was reported that there would be a few changes to the upcoming season of the show including less celebrity mentors (an element I thought was a good addition). And now, the contestants will be allowed to play instruments. Now that should be interesting, if not possibly, quite horrible.

You may have missed...
American Idol Runner-Up Blake Lewis: I'm Not Gay [tr]
Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever [tr]
American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt [tr]
Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]

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American Idol Runner-Up Blake Lewis: I'm Not Gay

American Idol runner-up told Arizona radio show Johnjay & Rich that rumors about any kind of relationship with fellow contestant Chris Richardson are not true. He's not dating fellow contestant Jordin Sparks either.

Said Lewis, when asked if he is gay: "Definitely not. No. I'm straight. I'll scream it out loud."

Lewis recently revealed he's busy at work on his new album:

"I’d classify it as electro-funk-soul-pop if you need to label it. I really love the sounds of the ‘80s so I hope to ring some of that back. I’m really inspired by electronic music. It’s on the chopping block because they want it out by Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’ve been working for such a long time writing a lot of songs in different genres. The first album is really a testament of who you are."

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Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever [tr]
American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt [tr]
Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]

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In the Land of Photoshop, Blake Lewis Hits Just About Everybody

And then there's Maude.

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Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever [tr]
American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt [tr]
Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]
(image source)

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Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson, Together Forever

I know that more than a few people were unhappy to see the break-up of American Idol's dynamic duo Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis last night. Thanks to our wizards in the Towleroad labs, however, the two will never have to be apart again.

I now present to you - Cake!

And lest we forget, the sad good-bye:

Chris to Entertainment Weekly on the BFF-moment:

EW: So let's talk about the Chris-Blake BFF moment last night: I didn't realize you two were such buds.

RICHARDSON: We developed a friendship back in Hollywood and clicked since then. We've been roommates forever now. He's become like a brother to me. It's just been one of those things. Me and him are both very big on loyalty and friendship, you know. We have a lot in common. We might not sing exactly alike, but our styles of music and our style in general is very similar. You can't be anything but excited when your boy makes it through to another round.

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Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]
American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt [tr]

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American Idol Part 2: Blake, Simon, Lakisha

American Idol did return to the unadulterated fluff we've come to expect from it last night, however, with its most engaging show of the season.

With Sanjaya gone from the picture, other sets of hair were able to take the spotlight.

Highlights included the removal of contestant Blake Lewis' highlights as he went from blonde to brunette and rocked the house with a version of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name".

Randy Jackson called it the most original version of a song ever on the show.

And then there was the kiss. Notice that puckered Paula seems to want in on the action too.

Close-up after the jump...

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American Idol's Blake Lewis Loses His Shirt

No doubt there are a few fans out there who would like to see American Idol Blake Lewis showing a little more skin. Alas, Chris Richardson is nowhere in sight (at least the photoshop bandits haven't added him, yet).

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Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy [tr]
(image source)

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Idol's Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis Get Cozy

Given the fact that I haven't been able to decide which of these guys I like better, I'm very happy to see that they now come in one convenient package.

Our Towleroad photoshop experts are calling foul on its authenticity, but given the amount of Blake/Chris material I'm sent on a daily basis, I'm sure it will be appreciated.

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