BILLBOARD RANKS TOP 50 MUSIC MOMENTS OF THE DECADE

It's fun to look back at the stories that shaped the way we will remember the last decade.

THE GOOD INCLUDE: Live 8, the iPod, American Idol and the Dixie Chick's diss of George Bush

THE BAD INCLUDE: Chris Brown/Rihanna, Elliot Smith's death, and CBGB's closing

You can check out all 50 moments at:

http://www.billboard.com/news/the-decade-in-music-top-50-moments-1004055326.story#/news/the-decade-in-music-top-50-moments-1004055326.story

LOS PINGUOS MAKE YOU MOVE!

Two years ago, my friend and musician Dawn Alexander invited me to see this band Los Pinguos. I was a bit hesitant because the majority of their music is in Spanish, but within two minutes I was hooked!

The sexy sounds of the Spanish guitars and cajon (one of my favorite instruments) combined with the harmonic vocals makes you want to grab a lover and dance the night away.

Originally from Argentina, the band moved to Los Angeles in 2001. Their work has been featured in several movies and television shows as they've traveled the world in support of their recordings. They can be found gigging around LA quite often and last night Dawn and I reconnected to hang with the boys.

I highly recommend checking them out, you may just discover a flavor for something new like I did.

http://www.myspace.com/lospinguos

LAST 5 DOWNLOADS

Ladyhawke "Magic"

Timothy Craig "One Small Miracle"

Jack's Mannequin "Spinning"

The Stills "I'm With You"

Brandi Carlile "Fall Apart Again"

GREAT SONG FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Below you will find part of an email musician Timothy Craig sent talking about his new single and the donation he will make to St Jude's Research Hospital. I've known Tim for several years and shot his album cover for Grand References. The song has always been a favorite of mine and I have personally supported St. Jude's for a long time. If you like it, please think about spending $.99 to help a good cause. Happy holidays :)

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My latest single "One Small Miracle" from my new album You Got It just shipped out to over1,800 Country Radio Stations in America and 350 Stations outside the U.S. I wrote the song myself and all the proceeds are being donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This means publishing, iTunes downloads (or any other digital download company), even a percentage of the album sales, etc!So please forward this email to everyone on your list and help donate to St. Jude's this holiday season!

"One Small Miracle" by Timothy Craig, just click on the iTunes link below:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=280851979

GARTH BROOKS INVADES VEGAS!

Garth Brooks headed to Sin City this weekend to end his nine year retirement and if the reviews are any indication he hasn't missed a beat.

Hotel mogul Steve Wynn presented the king of country an offer he couldn't refuse. Play 15 weekends per year for say five years and receive a ton of money and your own private jet to fly back and forth from your home in Oklahoma. Sweet deal and it looks like it's going to be sweet all the way to the bank for both Brooks and Wynn- the first set of shows sold out in less than five hours.

Am I surprised, NOT AT ALL. Garth is probably the best performer I have ever seen live. He connected with not only country fans, but ALL music fans as he is RIAA's (Recording Industry Association of America) best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America.

See what they are saying:

http://www.musicrow.com/2009/12/garth-brooks-is-back-vegas-gig-gets-rave-reviews/

LILITH FAIR IS BACK!

Lilith Fair was one of the most successful festivals of the late 90's. It's where I saw The Dixie Chicks, The Pretenders and Chantal Kreviazuh for the first time.

Now Sarah and the girls are back! Lilith veterans Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris and the Indigo Girls are confirmed, as are newcomers Colbie Caillat, Sugarland and Miranda Lambert. And the likes of Mary J. Blige and Metric will take the 2010 festival to a whole new level.

Check out the confirmed artists at http://www.lilithfair.com/

THE DECADE'S BEST

Seems like just yesterday that I was standing in Times Square waiting for the millennium. I was still living back east and was still in my twenties. Now I'm living in Los Angeles and in my 30's. During that time, we went from 'NSync selling 2.4 million units in one week to seeing major record chain Tower Records close its doors for good.

Let's take a look back at what Rolling Stone (chosen by a panel of artists) and I think were the best artists, albums and songs of the decade. Will we agree?- let's see shall we!

TOP ARTISTS OF THE DECADE

ROLLING STONE

1. Bruce Springsteen

2. Radiohead

3. Kanye West

4. Beyonce

5. Arcade Fire

6. M.I.A.

7. Jack White

8. U2

TAMMY GOOD

1. U2

2. Lady Gaga

3. Jay-Z

4. Kanye West

5. P!nk

6. Dixie Chicks

7. Britney Spears

8. Radiohead

TOP ALBUMS OF THE DECADE

ROLLING STONE

1. Radiohead: Kid A

2. The Strokes: Is This It

3. Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

4. Jay-Z: The Blueprint

5. The White Stripes: Elephant

TAMMY GOOD

1. Lady Gaga: The Fame

2. Daniel Merriweather: Love & War

3. Ryan Adams: Gold

4. MGMT: Oraclar Spectacular

5. Jesse Malin: Glitter in the Gutter

HONORABLE MENTION

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

Dixie Chicks: Taking The Long Way

John Mayer: Continuum

Duffy: Rockferry

Beth Hart: Leave the Light On

Dan Wilson: Free Life

James Morrison: Undiscovered

TOP SONGS OF THE DECADE

ROLLING STONE

1. Gnarls Barkley: Crazy

2. Jay-Z: 99 Problems

3. Beyonce feat. Jay-Z: Crazy in Love

4. Outkast: Hey Ya

5. M.I.A.: Paper Planes

TAMMY GOOD

1. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys: Empire State of Mind

2. Amy Winehouse: Rehab

3. Sugarland: Baby Girl

4. Beth Hart: Leave The Light On

5. Anna Nalick: Breathe (2 A.M.)

HONORABLE MENTION

Estelle feat. Kanye West: American Boy

Kings Of Leon: Sex On Fire

Paulo Nutini: Last Request

MGMT: Time To Pretend

Daniel Merriweather feat. Adele: Water And A Flame

SONG LINE OF THE DAY

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I LIVE IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION

TONIGHT I'M NOT TAKIN' NO CALLS

'CUZ I'LL BE DANCIN'

STOP CALLIN'

Lady Gaga "Telephone"

HOTEL KEYS GET A NEW LOOK

Marketing folks are always trying new ways to expose their products to consumers. This week I saw something new and it came to me via my Hilton hotel key card. To my surprise, when I went to swipe the card I saw the movie poster for George Clooney's latest film 'Up In The Air' which arrives in theaters later this month.

You may be wondering why I would write about my George Clooney encounter on a music blog. Well you see I travel a great deal for work and I wouldn't be surprised if album releases may too soon appear on my hotel keys. I could see it being a great option for artists like Chris Botti, Sheryl Crow, or The Eagles. Team with a major hotel chain and market to an older sophisticated demographic with expendable income.

TBC.......

LILY ALLEN TO LAUNCH LABEL

Back in September, Lily Allen was wrapped up in a communication misunderstanding as some misconstrued her not renewing her record contract as Allen quitting music all together. Thankfully that was NOT the case, but we did learn today that Allen has plans to launch her own label.

Allen told BBC Newsbeat that she is taking “one to two years off from recording and performing” because she wants “to concentrate on doing some behind the scenes sort of stuff.”

One of those projects will be to launch a record label that will concentrate on new artists.

JAMES TAYLOR and CAROLE KING REUNITE

James Taylor and Carole King set the bar for all singer/songwriters and on March 27th 2010, they hit the road together on the Troubadour Reunion tour.

Forty years ago, on a random night in November, Carole King debuted as a solo artist on the stage of the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Also on stage that night, in support of his self-titled release was James Taylor. The rest as they say is history. Both are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammy recipients, and multi-platinum selling artists.

And on May 15th 2010, I will be sitting in the stands of the Hollywood Bowl drinking wine and listening to the sweet sounds of Taylor and King. Rumor has it that she's doing the whole Tapestry album, but as long as I hear my favorite tracks ("You've Got A Friend" and "It's Too Late") from that iconic album, I'll be a happy camper :)

VOLUNTEER AND SCORE FREE LADY GAGA TICKETS

Lady Gaga will soon hit the road on her Monster Ball tour and you may be able to see it for free. Gaga and tour sponsor Virgin Mobile are teaming up to make a difference. Eight hours of your time with a local youth homeless organization will score you a free ticket to an upcoming show. Specifics are not posted, but keep checking http://www.virginmobileusa.com/lady-gaga for details.

MUSIC AND SPORTS

Music and sports go hand and hand. When pieced together perfectly it elevates everyone to a higher level of play or crowd participation.

I was reminded of that earlier this week while at a Philadelphia Flyers/Los Angeles Kings hockey game in LA. It was deja vu when they played Guns N Roses "Welcome To The Jungle" during a crucial third period face-off. It's the same song Philly uses at home during big moments, it electrifies the crowd!

And who can forget the intro music used by the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan/Pippen era. It was magic and our high school basketball team (1 of probably thousands) used it to warm up and I swear it always lifted me a bit higher on those lay-ups.

Well off to the gym, where's my iPod?

Current gym playlist:

"Just Dance" Lady Gaga

"Let It Rock" Kevin Rudolf

"Shut Up and Drive" Rihanna

"Funhouse" Pink (Digital Dog Remix)

"Good Girls Go Bad" Cobra Starship

"Piece of Me" Britney Spears

"I Gotta Feeling" Black Eyed Peas

"Poker Face" Lady Gaga

"Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

"Cult of Personality" Living Colour

"Killing In The Name" Rage Against The Machine

"Bodies" Drowning Pool

SONG LINE OF THE DAY

Friends, lovers or nothing there can only be one

John Mayer "Friends, Lovers or Nothing"

ARTISTS REMAKE "BEDS ARE BURNING" FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

The All American Rejects, Duran Duran, and Lily Allen are just a few of the artists that lend their voices to remake the MIDNIGHT OIL classic "Beds Are Burning." The creative video hopes to bring awareness to climate justice and the 2009 United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen December 7-18. Check it out!

http://www.timeforclimatejustice.org/

Class Act At 19

Taylor Swift dethroned my future husband Kenny Chesney last night to become the youngest artist ever to win the entertainer of the year CMA.

In a year of tremendous highs, Swift has handled herself with such class and displayed a true passion for her craft. Arguably, Swift is NOT the strongest singer, best songwriter or performer in music today, but her ability to connect with fans has been remarkable.

Record sales and sold out concerts aside, Swift's biggest accomplishment may be as a positive role model for so many youth that hang on her every word. It's refreshing to see someone so young, so successful be so down to earth and have her shit together. Keep it up Swift, our celebrity hungry culture could use a few more like you.

SEPERATED AT BIRTH?

Thursday nights=GREY'S ANATOMY!

I know I said Nip/Tuck was my favorite show for music placement, but Grey's Anatomy has to be a close 2nd. Nothing was better than their use of "The Quest" by Bryn Christopher at the end of the Season 4 Finale and they continue to expose us to new talent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPBMQL9NEEg

Talk about talent, Jennifer Nettles has been a breath of fresh air ever since her band Sugarland soared to #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 2005 with "Baby Girl."

Looking forward to more great music tonight and I can't help but think of Jennifer every time I see Jessica, is it just me?

Vizio Commercial = EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Have you seen the Vizio commercial featuring the pleasing images and catchy song "We Are The People"? If not, check it out below as it features the single from one of my favorite new bands- Empire Of The Sun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYkcjiWV0Z4

Formed in 2007, Empire Of The Sun remind me of MGMT. However, they hail from Australia rather than Brooklyn and have taken a bit longer to reach radar screens. "Walking On A Dream" is another one of my favorites off their album of the same name.

See what you think:

http://www.myspace.com/empireofthesunsound

P!NK DELIVERS

What happens when you combine one of my favorite artists with one of my favorite places in the world? A HELL OF A GOOD TIME!

Today saw the release of P!nk's Live In Australia CD/DVD combo and it's well worth the $14. Thirteen live songs including the bonus track "Push You Away" and a DVD set list of 25. However, that's NOT the best part, oh no- it's the DVD bonus features for sure. You get an intimate look into P!nk's life (no makeup and all) and what it takes to bring the Funhouse Tour to life.

Ever wonder what's in the 12 million suitcases celebs travel with? Or how good P!nk would be as a tattoo artist? That and so much more from this very silly, yet very focused performer.

And of course it would not be a live P!nk album or DVD without a couple covers. Per P!nk, she "gets shit for the amount of covers" she does. I personally love when other artists pay tribute to a great song and I love P!nk's answer as to why she does them- "I love music."

Amen girl- nothing but PA love for you, but where are my Janis Joplin covers?

THE CRAZINESS THAT WAS U2

SO WHAT DOES BEING 1 OF 90,000+ FEEL LIKE? Like a human bumper car ride, bounced between food stands, merch booths and bathroom stalls- but that's part of the fun right?

The wait finally came to an end last night for this U2 virgin. After over 200 concerts I finally got to see Bono and the boys. U2- the biggest band in the world and possibly The Beatles of my generation did it big and I mean BIG. Largest crowd ever to see a concert at The Rose Bowl, an out of this world stage while the world watched live on YouTube.

www.youtube.com/user/U2official#p/u

Despite the choppy set list, there was nothing like being 1 of 90,000+ singing "With Or Without You" and bits of "Amazing Grace" and "Stand By Me." Over two hours of the old, the new, and the political messages that are U2.

WHY IS THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN CLEVELAND and THE INDUCTION CEREMONY IN NYC?

That was the very topic debated amongst friends the other night.

However, upon further review, since opening in 1995, the Hall has hosted the ceremony twice, including the 2009 festivities and will be the host every third year (for those of you not good with math that would be 2012, 2015, 2018, etc).

But WHY NOT EVERY YEAR? Maybe some still feel it’s the “mistake on the lake.” Or that even though Cleveland DJ Alan Freed coined the term Rock and Roll, Cleveland doesn’t possess the glitz and glam of “The Big Apple.” My thought is that the majority of record companies and Hall benefactors are based in New York, so why fly one hour and fifty-seven minutes when the folks are already there. Plus they now have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in the city.

Regardless of the reason, it does seem appropriate that Madonna got inducted at the Waldorf-Astoria ceremony in 2008 and that the Beastie Boys will most likely get inducted in NYC in 2010.

MY FAVORITES

ARTIST- SHERYL CROW

NEW ARTIST- DANIEL MERRIWEATHER

SONG- NAME (GOO GOO DOLLS)

RECORD STORE- AMOEBA MUSIC

RADIO STATION- BBC RADIO 1

LIVE MUSIC VENUE- HOTEL CAFE

LIVE PERFORMER- GARTH BROOKS

CONCERT- SHERYL CROW and FRIENDS IN CENTRAL PARK

MUSIC PLACEMENT on TV- NIP/TUCK

MUSIC PLACEMENT in FILM- PULP FICTION