Listen to Season 7 “American Idol” winner pretend to be the Goo Goo Dolls. Then wonder: Whatever happened to the Goo Goo Dolls?

WATCH the music video for David Cook’s new single “The Last Goodbye.”

One thing about the cast of “American Idol” Season 10: They always give us something to talk about.

Casey Abrams kissed Jennifer Lopez on Wednesday night and inspired Steven Tyler to drop the F-bomb, but even so, he still couldn’t steal the show from James Durbin.

Casey sang Maroon 5′s “Harder to Breathe,” which seemed a bit mainstream pop for the show’s resident “weird genius,” in our opinion. He rocked it out, but we were still a little bored . . . until he went right up in Jennifer Lopez’s face and gave her a kiss. We didn’t see any mouth-to-mouth action, but Jennifer seemed to enjoy whatever it was, revealing to the world that Casey has “soft lips.”

Steven Tyler, in true lothario form, added that Casey did what he’s been trying to do for four months. But from there, he went off the rails, declaring that Casey pissed off millions of Americans because he’s “so f—ing good.” First of all, Steven, if Casey’s so good, why is America pissed off? And second of all, why are you dropping the F-bomb on prime-time network TV? Don’t they give fines for that or something?

But it made for good television.

Let’s move on to James, who really deserves to be the talk of the evening. Not only was his performance of Muse’s “Uprising” the best of the night, we thought it was one of the best performances of the entire season. James’ voice is unbelievable, even when he’s not doing “the scream” — and between the drummers and the backbends, the guy knows how to put on a show.



We also really liked Haley Reinhart’s performance of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” The song really showed off her voice, and we were definitely feeling it.

But we can’t say we were totally overwhelmed by the other contestants on Wednesday. You’d have to have to a heart of stone not to be in love with Scotty McCreery, but even J-Lo and Randy Jackson were a little bored by his somewhat cheesy performance of LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin.”

Jacob Lusk really let us into his soul with Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father,” but the performance itself was a little rocky, and Randy even used the dreaded phrase, “If you’re here next week.”

VIDEO: Watch the latest “Idol” performances.

Stefano Langone was pretty good, showing his Chippendale dancer side on Ne-Yo’s “Closer.” J-Lo thought he had his “swag going on,” but we still think he’s bottom three material.

Finally, Lauren Alaina sang Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly,” and it was light and sweet but nothing that really stuck with you. The judges encouraged her to try for the “big notes” next week, which was good advice — but as long as James is giving a free rock concert, we’ll be tuning in.

–Jennifer D’Angelo Friedman, PopNews Wire

Which new albums should you be playing this week? Take a listen, and decide for yourself.

What to Play, What to Skip

By Shawn Amos

There’s a war being fought for your music player this week. Divas are looking for mainstream redemption, rappers are searching for street cred, a Swedish indie band is hoping to invade U.S. radio waves, and a Texan trio wants to break out of the Lone Star State. Play on, brothers and sisters. Play on.

MUST-PLAY PICK OF THE WEEK: Peter, Bjorn and John’s “Second Chance.”

SKIP: Britney Spears, “Femme Fatale”

Do we really need to ride the Britney crazy train again? You know how I feel about albums like “Femme Fatale”: They are made in board rooms, exist only to fatten corporate bank accounts, are produced by committees, and are designed to entice through overwhelming force. Undoubtedly, Britney will be on every screen, in every magazine, and in every nightmare you see this spring. There will be no escape. But stay strong, people. You can skip this. Repeat. You CAN skip this. Declare your freedom. I’m declaring a No-Britney Zone.

WATCH the video for Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me” and decide for yourself.

SKIP: Snoop Dogg, “Doggumentary”

Snoop Dogg wants to have it both ways. He wants to be the family friendly rapper who can hang on Nick Jr. and bake brownies with Martha Stewart. But Snoop also wants his street cred, dropping XXX raps for the gangstas and homies in his Long Beach ‘hood. His guest list on “Doggumentary” is a sure sign that something’s wrong. Any album that relies on this many guest artists is trying to hide something. Snoop covers all the bases: he’s got his stoner pals Willie Nelson and Wiz Khalifa, his UK arty buddies the Gorillaz, the requisite hip-hop Tiffany circle of Kanye West and T-Pain, plus old school funk legend Bootsy Collins. All of this is evidence of Snoop’s marquee power, but it still feels like everybody’s dressed up for the house party that never arrives. “Doggumentary” keeps Brand Snoop front and center, but it does little to move his music forward.

WATCH the video for Snoop Dogg’s “Boom,” featuring T-Pain.

PLAY: Peter, Bjorn and John, “Gimme Some”

When we last saw our Swedish heroes, Peter, Bjorn and John were in a deconstructionist mood. Perhaps (justifiably) burned out by their whistle anthem “Young Folks,” PB&J steered their 2009 follow up, “Living Thing,” to more experimental territory. For those of you who like your PB&J with the sunny side up, “Gimme Some” is the album you’ve been waiting for. It’s bouncy, bearded, and slightly goofy, with lots of big power-pop hooks. I’m not sure why they’ve got all of the big reverb, but that’s quibbling. “Gimme Some” is good, clean Swedish fun.

WATCH the video for Peter, Bjorn and John’s “Second Chance.”

PLAY: Wiz Khalifa, “Rolling Papers”

The major label debut of rap wunderkind Wiz Khalifa (Wiz was voted MTV’s “Hottest Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist of 2010″) is short on lyrical ideas — unless songs about chicks and weed are the only ones you need. Still, “Rolling Papers” is packed with smokin’, nasty raps and rhymes. Try to not pay attention to what you’re singing and just let the good times roll.

WATCH the video for Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.”

PLAY: Los Lonely Boys, “Rockpango”

It’s not easy when you’re #1 right out of the gate. Los Lonely Boys’ 2004 major label debut shot them to the top of the charts with “Heaven.” Two albums later, the Texas brothers fell down to earth. They parted ways with Epic Records and returned to the indie world. “Rockpango” (a Spanglish word meaning “rock party”) is full of Texas blues-based boogie that isn’t likely to place Los Lonely Boys any closer to their former chart heights, but it may just make them the kings of Texas rock. There’s no shame in being Texas-sized local heroes.

WATCH the video for Los Lonely Boys’ “Fly Away.”

Which new albums should you be playing this week? Take a listen, and decide for yourself.

What to Play, What to Skip

By Shawn Amos

It’s time to start your spring break mix tape. So what if you couldn’t get into SXSW? You can still impress your friends with your love of traditional bluegrass, tween pop, tattooed hip-hop/rock, R&B revivalism, and aging Irish punks-turned-activists. You do like that kind of thing, don’t you? Read on for your musical cheat sheet.

MUST-PLAY PICK OF THE WEEK: Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers

SKIP: Miranda Cosgrove, “High Maintenance”

“High Maintenance” is a five-song EP meant to keep “iCarly” fans happy until Cosgrove releases a full follow-up to her 2010 “Sparks Fly” debut. The track to play is the title tune, co-written by Weezer wunderkind Rivers Cuomo, who also makes a guest vocal appearance. “High Maintenance” could easily be a Weezer outtake. It’s hard to tell who’s the smarter one here: Is Cuomo getting himself a bunch of tween fans or is Cosgrove gaining some pop credibility? Either way, it’s the only track offering anything remotely new. The rest of “High Maintenance” sets a low bar and is easy to skip. If you’ve heard one Nick Jr. album, then you really, really, REALLY have heard them all.

WATCH the music video for Miranda Cosgrove’s “Dancing Crazy.”

PLAY: Travis Barker, “Give the Drummer Some”

Travis Barker definitely deserves some. The Blink-182 drummer has survived a plane crash and the death of his friend DJ AM to rebound with an album deep with grooves. Unfortunately, “Give the Drummer Some” is also short on songs. It’s not for lack of talent. Barker recruits Rick Ross, RZA, Cyrus Hill, Raekwon, and nearly every other blunt-smoking rapper with a parental advisory sticker pasted on his mouth. Students of the beat will justifiably marvel at Travis Barker’s skills. The dude knows how to keep things popping. Still, maybe one less blunt might have made “Give the Drummer Some” more than just a lesson in keeping time.

WATCH the music video for Travis Barker’s “Carry It.”

PLAY: Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers, “Rare Bird Alert”

Fans of Steve Martin know that he has two other loves aside from comedy: art and twang. Lately, the twang has been giving Martin a third career (he also has a second job as a novelist). Martin’s banjo playing won him a 2009 Grammy for his album “The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo.” That same year, he was paired with North Carolina bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers for a “Prairie Home Companion” broadcast. The relationship stuck, and now they’ve committed to wax — or hard drive. “Rare Bird Alert” is no joke. It’s a joy to hear a group of great pickers push one another to their musical limits. How fast can fingers fly? Play “Rare Bird Alert” and find out. Oh yeah, the album also answers the question, “What would ‘King Tut’ sound like if he was born in Appalachia?”

WATCH a live performance of Steve Martin’s “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.”

PLAY: Bob Geldof, “How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell”

The album title is a quick shorthand for Bob Geldof’s musical career. Once a would-be rock savior, Bob Geldof and his band, the Boomtown Rats, missed the big time and flamed out, leaving the Irish punker with a cult following. He’s gained a larger audience of people who know him, love him, and hate him as Sir Bob, mastermind of Live Aid and Live 8 concerts. Now that Africa has been saved, Geldof returns to his day job. “How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell” shows Sir Bob still has the songwriting stuff. It’s like the man himself: bleeding heart, brash, a little garrulous, somewhat unfocused, rough-around-the-edges, and obstinate. It’s the stuff to make an aging punk proud. Probably won’t sell, but we already knew that.

WATCH the music video for Bob Geldof’s “Silly Pretty Thing.”

PLAY: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, “Scandalous”

You’ll find Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears right next to Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, cranking out their Texas version of old school soul revivalism. Theirs is more hopped-up than Brooklyn’s Dap Kings but owes just as much to the forgotten catalog of music that walks with a big ‘fro. Leader Joe Lewis looks like Ike Turner’s lost brother, and his band sounds like they just came off a European tour backing James Brown. “Scandalous” is as derivative as it gets, but who cares? Who else is making this music with such authenticity? Keep the dream alive, Joe Lewis. Keep the hope alive.

WATCH a teaser for Black Joe Lewis’ album featuring “Booty City.”

While interviewing The Submarines, it was easy to get a sense of the married couple’s work flow. Blake would quickly respond to the questions full of enthusiasm and joy, sometimes admittedly contradicting herself, while John sat back to prepare his concise, if skeptical, answer. They didn’t exactly agree or disagree with each other about anything; they simply complemented each others’ answers. Read PopNews »

“American Idol” delivered an action-packed episode on Wednesday as five contestants made it to the Top 24, one early favorite went home and another contestant got married.

First, let’s review who’s definitely in the Top 24. Naima Adedapo — the custodian who cleans toilets at musical festivals — is in. So is Clint Jun Gamboa, the karaoke host who was nasty to 15-year-old Jacee Badeaux; second-time contestant Haley Reinhart, who looked truly shocked to make the semifinals; Paul McDonald, the quirky “rhinestone cowboy”; and spunky Ashthon Jones.

Chris Medina, sadly, wasn’t so lucky. America fell in love with Chris when we learned how he cares for his beautiful fiancée, Juliana, who suffered a brain injury in an accident. Chris has had some promising performances, but he botched Coldplay’s “Fix You” (which happens to be one of our favorite songs). A tearful Jennifer Lopez was devastated to give Chris the news, and seemed reluctant to return for the rest of the eliminations. (Somehow, we suspect she’ll pull it together and return with eye-catching new shades of lipstick and nail polish.)

Hollie Cavanagh — the emotional 17-year-old who was given “one more chance” from J-Lo — also got the boot, despite Lopez’s insistence that she deserved to stay.

Earlier, in Vegas, we learned which of the other contestants had performed a Beatles song well enough to make it to the Top 40 — and which had not. Front-runner Lauren Alaina made the cut, but for once, her gimmicky “Marx brothers” routine failed to impress the judges, and she was often seen in tears.

Fifteen-year-old Thia Megia, deep-voiced Scott McCreery, Jordan Dorsey and future boy bander Robbie Rosen also made the Top 40.

See the contestants perform during Las Vegas Week.

But along with the White House intern (the one with the “platonic” crush on President Obama), we finally said goodbye to Ashley Sullivan, who has been a bit … unstable in recent weeks. Ironically, Sullivan seemed happier and more confident than ever as the judges sent her home. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she, um, got married in Vegas — at the same chapel where Britney Spears celebrated her first doomed union.

Sullivan seemed very proud to wed at the site of such storied pop culture history, even though everyone in America knows that marriage only lasted 55 hours. But just when we were starting to think that Ashley might be more psychologically healthy than we thought, she issued this warning to her fiancé: “If you get cold feet, I don’t care — you’re going through with it or I’ll kill you in your sleep, my precious.”

Good luck with that one, dude!

On Thursday, we’ll find out who else made it to the Top 24 — and yes, we have resisted looking at that unconfirmed list that’s been floating around.

—Jennifer D’Angelo Friedman, Pop News Wire

Years ago, we felt that the iTunes store was the only hope for the future of recorded music. They were treated with kid gloves by the musicians and entrepreneurs who devoted their lives to making and selling records. Nobody, myself included, wanted to rock the boat. Now I’m starting to wonder if this laissez faire attitude towards iTunes is becoming part of the problem and contributing to the devaluation of the album experience. Read PopNews »

The Jib Jab dudes are back and cynical as ever. Happy fourth

Our own Monty Miranda is flying to Cannes to flex his pop culture muscle. Monty will sit alongside Paula Abdul, Nick Cannon and Gavin Palone to debate brand integration in modern day media. He’ll be the one wearing a PopNewsWire hat and t-shirt.

If you’re in France for the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, stop by and say hello. And root for him to get Paula Abdul in a headlock.