FYI...David Cross's Bigger and Blackerer

It's no Shut Up, You Fucking Baby (clever, too-soon post-9/11 observations drawn over two fairly-packed legendary discs). It's more of an It's Not Funny (same shock and political insights without as much longevity and/or humanness).

I mean, the brotha's 45-years-old. This stand-up comedy plateauing is pretty much the industry norm. Still worth a listen, from one of my favorite Hollywood outsider-insiders.

FYI...Art Is Everywhere

Or so says MGMT, via Nickelodean quasi-stoner children's program Yo Gabba Gabba!

See here.

Also: Of Montreal somehow-hip dental anthem "Brush Brush Brush"

Also: Chromeo's no-more-tongue-in-cheek-sounding-than-their-usual-songs homage to hand washing, "Nice N Clean"

FYI...We Are the Robots

Courtesy of Enon, and bizarre children's programming.



Also: Mates of State finding the perfect venue for their bubblegum sound, with "No One Likes to Be Left Out."

Also: Tanya & Petra Haden with a creepy, hipster-compatible shout out to friendship, "In a Safeland."

Also: Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords pretending to be a robot.

FYI...Erykah Badu Reenacts JFK Assassination, Getting Naked

This video for "Window Seat" off Badu's New Amerykah Part Two is perhaps more overtly controversial than enlightening, but give her props for the originality and gusto.

FYI...Artists Make Too Much Music

The A.V. Club has a great little piece on the prolific nature of modern indie artists. Animal Collective, for example, have more recorded output than did The Beatles. This piece pretty much sums up the rationale for my blog: in an age saturated with new music, I try to offer a little insight into what is worthy of the hype and what is tripe.

FYI...Lady Gaga & Beyonce Try to Make Their Own Thriller

Beyonce and Lady Gaga have each produced their own share of like-it-or-loathe-it singles in their recent rises to female pop dominance. Beyonce had "Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies" (like), but also "Halo" and "If I Were a Boy" (bleh). Lady Gaga had "Paparazzi" (like more than I should), but then the oversaturated brain-invaders "Pokerface" and "Just Dance."

Welcome "Telephone," the three-minute mindless club banger turned nine-minute epic video. Is the video's bizarreness genuine, harmlessly artificial, or unpleasantly profit-seeking? I still haven't figured it out. But I do know: it's rare to see a popular artist wearing less than his/her backup dancers, but Lady Gaga manages to pull that off.

FYI...Zach Galifianakis + Piano = Funnier Than Most SNL Monologues

If you like this you should check out his DVD Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion. It's delightful the way the piano fills the between-joke pauses.

FYI...OK Go Make Cool Videos

This is pretty sweet, wanton destruction and all. Nothing like a studio full of junk and a lot of time to spend. Cheers to music videos!

FYI...Hip Hop Hipster-ism is Alive and Well

It's not the greatest verse ever, but, at least in a big picture kind of way, it's pretty cool that a rapper like Kid Cudi even listens to LCD Soundsystem let alone raps over them.

FYI...The Flaming Lips House is Cool

The Flaming Lips don't just make crazy albums...they make crazy houses. You can check out some more photos on their website.